Just dropping by to mention that I’ve posted Chapter Nine of Lost Then Found to Wattpad, which you can read by clicking here: Lost Then Found Chapter Nine!
Chapter Song: Crime by Grey feat. Skott
I apologize for how LONG it took me to finish this chapter. Truthfully this year has been… insane for me. I’ve traveled quite a bit, got promoted, left my job of three years for a different one (which I’m still getting used to), got my motorcycle license, and yeah it’s just been… crazy to say the least.
However, I’m fairly optimistic that this next year will be better. At least, I’m going to try and find time to write more, so I can finally finish this book I first set out to write in 2016!
I did want to thank everyone for continuing to read my story and waiting patiently (most of the time). Because this chapter took so long expectations are high, which makes me nervous, but I can say that I’m excited to write Chapter 10. I’ve already started it and I know exactly what happens in it (since I originally thought I’d be able to fit the events of Chapter 10 into Chapter 9, but alas, I’m long-winded and don’t know how to pace my stories at all).
Also would like to thank Andrea and Leslie for beta’ing this 62-page, plot-heavy chapter (yes, it’s really the size of a novella) on Christmas Eve/Christmas. THAT IS DEDICATION. But really I owe them a ton, and am so grateful to have them by my side while I try and make sense of this crazy lesbian mafia nonsense in my head (and also all the other stories swirling around my head that are waiting for their turn). Their feedback is always invaluable to me, and allows me to provide a better chapter for you guys, so yeah, thanks guys!
I HAVE been toying with the idea of writing shorter chapters (30 pages-ish) and updating more frequently, but we’ll see how this next chapter goes. As you know I hate disrupting ‘the flow’ and can only end a chapter when it ‘feels right’ (AKA cliffhanger-perfection) so limiting myself to 30 pages may not go as well as I thought. Willing to give it a shot though if it makes writing a chapter less daunting/more ‘doable’.
Anyway. I hope you’ve all had a wonderful year, and that this next year is a great one full of booze and babes and more of whatever you wish for yourself.
Thank you, as always, for reading. I hope you enjoy.
Again, thanks to everyone for being so patient. I had a loooot going on the past few months and it made it really difficult to stick to my update-a-month schedule that I was trying so hard to stick to. Writing is hard, guys.
I’d read the latest chapter first before reading this blog post any further (not that there’s anything particularly spoilery, but just in case.)
Ahem.
This chapter, which is 52 pages long in Microsoft Word, is 100% Val-centric. It’s basically a ‘day-in-the-life-of-our-favorite-mob-boss’ chapter, which I think is good because everyone has been asking to be in her head, and frankly I missed being in there anyway. It’s a good glimpse into what Val has going on, since the story has been very Alex-focused up until this point. Alex does show up eventually, though, so I’m sure that was a big relief to those of you that have been Sterling’d, which is probably 99% of you.
I’m excited about writing the next chapter because I get to have the two of them in the same room again, for longer than ten minutes, for the first time in forever. Writing them separately is a huge pain. I’m so used to them occupying the same space a la Alex’s Girl.
I’d love to know what you guys think of the chapter (as per usual) so feel free to leave comments here or on Wattpad.
Here’s the chapter song! Castle by Halsey (who, by the way, I will be going to see at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. If I can get Halsey to make out with me I will of course let you all know so I can brag about it.)
Sick of all these people talking, sick of all this noise Tired of all these cameras flashing, sick of being poised Now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it Already choking on my pride, so there’s no use crying about it
(Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei)
I’m headed straight for the castle They wanna make me their queen And there’s an old man sitting on the throne that’s saying that I probably shouldn’t be so mean I’m headed straight for the castle They’ve got the kingdom locked up And there’s an old man sitting on the throne that’s saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut
Straight for the castle
Oh, all of these minutes passing, sick of feeling used If you wanna break these walls down, you’re gonna get bruised Now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it Already choking on my pride, so there’s no use crying about it
(Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei)
I’m headed straight for the castle They wanna make me their queen And there’s an old man sitting on the throne that’s saying that I probably shouldn’t be so mean I’m headed straight for the castle They’ve got the kingdom locked up And there’s an old man sitting on the throne that’s saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut
Straight for the castle
In other news, the Skype Group Chat is still going on! We’re a bunch of fun chicks that you should come hang out with. To join just add me on Skype (by searching for me via my Email, Taleth.Phaulkon@gmail.com) and after I’ve accepted your add request PLEASE send me a message letting me know you’d like to be added to the group. It’s really that easy, I promise.
ALSO I’m very active on Twitter now, so that’s the best place to go if you’re looking for more consistent, frequent updates on my writing progress. My most recent writing-progress related tweet will always be pinned to the top of my Twitter profile.
Not that I don’t love hearing from you guys but before messaging me or commenting to ask when the next update is, make sure you’ve checked one of my SEVERAL social media sites to see if I’ve answered your question there.
Oh and if you’ve recently messaged me or sent me an Email I promise I will respond the second I have a free moment!
I’m no longer going to promise to update monthly, but I will try my hardest to anyway.
I’ll post the Chapter Six Preview in a few weeks or so, so be sure to check back (or, if you follow me here too, you’ll get Email alerts when I post anything.)
OH and before I forget, I’ve entered Lost Then Found into The Wattys 2016, which is probably a longshot but hey I’m down for the challenge. I’ll be honest–I don’t fully understand how The Wattys work. BUT if you do, then feel free to do your thang and show your support for LtF because winning things sounds cool. Honestly it sounds like they choose winners based on votes, shares, engagement/comments (aka Data analyzed by their ‘data scientists’) so if you do any of those three things you’re helping Alex and Val out, and that’s rad.
Thanks to my lovely betas for reading 52 long pages and correcting my dumb mistakes despite having busy lives (and dumb mistakes) of your own.
Happy Friyay! May your work/school day be short and boring but in the good way, not the bad way.
I know it’s been forever since I’ve posted anything. I’m sorry. I’ve been really really really really busy. April was crazy and May has also been crazy.
Anyway, I know I warned you all at the end of Chapter 4 that there was a good chance that I probably wouldn’t update in May. I was right, clearly.
BUT I’m hoping to maybe update in June? I don’t know, this chapter is being a huge pain in the ass. I guess you’ll see why when you read the preview though.
Speaking of… here is the Chapter 5 Preview:
***
I wasn’t prepared to wake up in the emergency room with a bullet wound and a concussion, but I was even less prepared to find myself staring into Alex Sterling’s stunned face.
I had thought I was dreaming. I used to have that dream often. That nightmare. Her face often plagued my mind, when I was stuck drifting in the chasm between awake and sleep, like some painful, constant reminder that I had been to Heaven for a minute before falling back to Hell where I was destined to stay lost forever, wandering all nine circles like Dante before me.
If my heart was a house, Alex was locked in the basement.
She was a secret I kept buried in the darkest room, a place I never went to except in the late hours of the night, when exhaustion would weaken the defenses I had spent years building. Against better judgment I would open the door and take a peek inside, where I would find her shivering and starving, chained to the wall of my barely beating heart.
My visits to the room grew more and more infrequent as the years passed, until one day I realized I had stopped going entirely.
***
Mmmm symbolism. Delicious.
Oh, and surprise! Guess whose head we’re going to be in for Chapter Five? Here’s a hint– It’s Val. We’re going to be in Val’s head. You already knew that, you didn’t need a hint.
I’m still in ‘first draft mode’ with this chapter so this passage may be completely taken out, or moved around, or tweaked further, or who knows what, by the time I’m ready to post the actual chapter.
Oh, and as for the group chat… if you want to join, you’ll have to log onto Skype, search for my Skype profile/account (searching for it via my Email: Taleth.Phaulkon@gmail.com), add me as a contact, then REQUEST to be added to the group chat by messaging me. This is the ONLY way to join it now.
So the GirlxGirl library recently announced that the voting period for the one-shot contest is now open!
Here’s their message:
~~~BREAKING NEWS~~~
The voting is now open for the girlxgirl one shot competition. To vote for your favorite story all you have to do is send the girlxgirl library account a private message with the name of the AUTHOR as well as the TITLE of the story. You can vote for ONE story PER CATEGORY and one OVERALL winner (this person can be from any category).
So your ballot when you send it in should look like this.
Romance: Teen Fiction: Non-Teen Fiction: Overall Winner:
Feel free to copy and paste this ballot into a message. Only one vote per person. The Voting begins today April 24th and will end on April 29th!!!!
If you haven’t checked out all the one shots yet, you still have time to do so before you cast your votes. Happy voting everyone. Remember private message this account with your votes.
==
Why they don’t just create a few polls and post a direct link to them, I don’t know. Seems like it’d be easier (not that it’s particularly hard to send a message, of course, but it takes so much effort to get people to even click a button and VOTE for a chapter that I doubt many people will bother sending a private message with that form filled out.)
Anyway, click HERE for the one shot entries and HERE for my entry, A Method of Discipline.
Also, you can vote for A Method of Discipline as BOTH the Non-Teen fiction category winner as well as the overall winner, as in your ballot can look like this:
Romance: Someone else Teen Fiction: Someone else Non-Teen Fiction: A Method of Discipline by Taleth Overall Winner: A Method of Discipline by Taleth
(which would kind of make sense if you think A Method of Discipline deserves overall winner then chances are you think it’s the best in non-teen fiction category, right?)
Obviously, I’d love it if you guys voted for A Method of Discipline but if you choose to vote for a different entry I won’t hold it against you 😉 Although I may hold Chapter 18 hostage until you vote for me…
JUST KIDDING!
But anyway, what’s important is that you guys take the time to vote, not for me necessarily, but for the stories that are your favorites 🙂
So fill out the form and send it in a private message to the GirlxGirl Library! You have until the 29th, which isn’t a very long time, so get to it!
Good luck to my fellow writers! You all did an amazing job.
I keep writing something to submit to the contest but it always ends up being too long or just clearly something that is meant to be a much longer, multi-chaptered story (which is actually kind of cool because now I have like 4 super condensed stories that I can turn into major ones.)
So while this is pretty frustrating, it shows me that I actually might need to practice pacing. I can write epics, novels, whatever… but short stories and one shots? Can’t do it. It’s weird that I have no problem developing plots that can stretch over 100K words and yet struggle over writing something under 3K words. Then again, I should be grateful that it’s not the other way around.
I’m going to try again and submit something but it won’t be very good.
