It’s been a while since I’ve posted a chapter. To be honest, looking back at Chapter Nine’s author’s notes (or even the Chapter Nine blog post on this site) makes me cringe. Ah, to be so naive and think I would become some kind of writing machine after starting a new job.
So my new job (started mid-2018) basically required me to be on the phone multiple times a day for hours giving presentations which, if you know me at all, my brain is NOT wired to enjoy on any level, so it completely mentally drained me and I was barely able to write anything for all of 2019, even though I worked far less hours and technically had ‘less work’.
BUT my old boss reached out to me back in… I wanna say November ’19, and offered me his old position (basically running the entire department) to which I said, fuck yes! And now I’m back at my old job, just, you know, the BOSS this time.
Anyway enough about all that boring stuff. Onto the chapter!
About Chapter 10 & 11
Chapter Ten is sort of interesting, because the first half of it is actually more like a wrap-up of Chapter Nine, then the second half is mostly set up for Chapter Eleven. Maybe one day I’ll get better at knowing where to end my chapters and where to start them (but let’s be real, probably never gonna happen).
Fun fact, Chapter Ten was originally much longer, so I split it in half. The second half (around 30 pages) became Chapter Eleven, which I then ended up adding 20+ more pages to. Chapter Eleven is actually longer than Chapter Ten now, not to mention it’s also done! It’s being edited now, so it will absolutely be ready to be posted sometime next month, which is kind of exciting because when was the last time I did that?
Chapter Song
Also, Chapter Eleven is, uh, something, and I’m officially moving Chapter Ten’s chapter song to Chapter Eleven. Which means I’m changing the Chapter Ten song to Violence by Grimes:
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.
I’ve posted a short story called The Locker Roomover on Wattpad.
It’s really bad because I wrote it a hundred years ago but anyway, just so we’re clear:
THE STORY ‘THE LOCKER ROOM’ IS NOT, IN ANY WAY, RELATED TO THE STORYLINE OF ALEX’S GIRL OR LOST THEN FOUND.
Yes it uses Alex and Val.
No they aren’t ‘the real’ Alex and Val.
I wrote it for the same contest I had originally written A Method of Discipline for, and ended up going with A Method of Discipline because it was a teacher/student story and guess what kind of stories are always the most popular on Wattpad? Well, back then anyway. Now it’s billionaires. But I digress.
You can read more about it on the FAQ because I’m expecting an onslaught of “wait is this the prequel?” and “Why are they in high school together?” etc. from people who don’t know how to read all my warnings ahead of time (people still ask me if A Method of Discipline is related to Alex’s Girl or Lost Then Found).
ANYWAY.
Happy Valentine’s Day, to all of you. Yes, even you.
Thank you for reading all my junk, I really appreciate it.
No, there’s no news on Chapter 9 of Lost Then Found. JUST TAKE YOUR SHORT STORY AND GO.
Update: Chapter Eight is currently unavailable due to technical difficulties. Hopefully Wattpad stops being garbage at some point today. Sorry!
Hello!
As you can see, Chapter Eight of Lost Then Found has been posted to Wattpad, and you can read it now by clicking HERE.
It’s a bit of a doozy so uh, buckle up.
If you need a refresher, here’s a link to Chapter Seven.
Chapter Song is Kill V. Maim by Grimes. It literally has the words “Italian Mobster” and “B-E-H-A-V-E ARREST US!” and “I don’t behave!” which I liked bc lol #SoVal. Like to me this song is her theme song the way the song Help I’m Alive (by Metric) was for her in Alex’s Girl. Also the song is just super weird and catchy. Happy listening!
First of all, before you ask, I have no idea who the chicks in the image above are. It’s a photo I found on some stock photo site. I was like “Oh, hot chicks in masks? RELEVANT.”
And here we are.
Now that that’s out of the way–hi guys! Long time no see.
I’ve written the seventh chapter of ‘Romance and Suspense’ also commonly referred to as Lost Then Found.
(I swear I will up my book-naming skills for my next story.)
I recommend re-reading Chapter Six too, as it has been quite a while.
I know it has taken me forever to update. Trust me, I know. You guys remind me every day, multiple times.
I was originally going to spend some time talking about why I took so long to update, but I realized that as much as I love you guys and want you to understand where I’m coming from… I’m the Avatar writer and you gotta deal with it B)
I’m also the Avatar btw, fun fact.
BUT if you are new here, and want to learn a little bit about me, then check back here in a few days for another blog post of the personal variety. If, however, you give zero fucks about me, and are only interested in my writing and Lost Then Found, then this is the only blog post you need and you may proceed!
For future reference, if I haven’t updated in a while and you’re wondering where I am. I’m not dead. I’m either:
Working.
Sleeping.
Eating.
Gaming.
Having sex.
Working during the hours I’d normally be sleeping, eating, gaming, or having sex.
Actually can you just hook me up to an IV? Thanks.
A good way to check if I’ve died is by checking my Twitter account (@TalethP). I’m pretty active on there and if I’ve died it’ll be pretty obvious since I tweet every gay, nonsensical thought to enter my head pretty much throughout the day.
The waffles are my tweets.
My twitter followers, probably.
That being said. I will never give up on Lost Then Found. There will never be a time where I say “I’m not going to finish this story.” You know why? Because I have PLANS for this story, including Alex’s Girl.
I want to finish the first draft of Lost Then Found, which you guys are reading, and then I want to edit the hell out of Alex’s Girl, and I want to edit the hell out of Lost Then Found, and then I want to get them professionally edited, and then I want to get professional cover art, and then I want to make that shit available for purchase on Amazon or some shit so you guys can have a copy on your shelves, or in your Kindle Cloud.
So before you message me asking me if I’ve died or if I’ve given up–I HAVE NOT DIED (I am immortal) and I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP ( I have plans).
SO ANYWAY. Back to Chapter Seven.
The Chapter song is Lost Kitten by Metric.
I don’t think there are any major spoilers in the below, but just to be safe you should read the chapter first.
This was a hard chapter to write, not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because there were a lot of…logistics involved? What’s Salvatore’s plan? What’s Val’s counter plan? How would Alex react to this this, and this? How would Laura react to this this and this? What questions would naturally be asked? Etc etc. Once I figured that stuff out it was actually not so bad, but I didn’t have a lot of free time to dedicate to figuring it out.
GUYS WRITING IS REALLY HARD AND CAN GET REALLY CONFUSING.
The first half of Chapter Seven is a LOT of set up for future events, which I think can make the story seem ‘slow’ but I hope the 2nd half, the party scene, makes up for it.
I actually learned a lot about the venetian carnival while researching masks, and I definitely want to go to Venice.
Here are some masks I was looking at when trying to figure out what fit who:
Wolf Mask– I imagine Val wearing a solid black one, except with devil horns, because of course.
Like a pussy cat version of Laura’s silver lioness mask. These masks are called ‘gnaga’.
Cool ass lion mask.
These are pantalone masks. Gabe was wearing a mask this style. They’re pretty goofy looking, which is why I thought Gabe would totally be into it.
This creepy motherfucker is wearing the traditional Bauta costume. This is what the armed guards were all wearing at Laura’s birthday party.
We all know Darby was reppin’ some shit like this.
Salvatore wasn’t there, but he’d look great in this.
This is what Ciro’s bear mask probably looked like. Just kidding. I couldn’t find a bear mask that didn’t look stupid af.
Here are some of the traditional venetian mask types!
Also, fun fact: There are currently two named characters in Lost Then Found that are actually the protagonists from stories I will be writing one day (and whose stories, for the most part, I’ve fully outlined.) It’s basically like characters from my other stories are making a cameo, except you don’t realize it’s a cameo because you haven’t read their stories yet! Feel free to speculate on who they are.
Anyway I think that’s it. Like I said, there will be another blog post in a few days just to update you guys a bit on my life (and to give you some insight into my busy schedule).
Also I definitely wrote and then never posted the Little Red Riding Hoodie blog post I promised back in like, November, so I’ll eventually get around to that too, I swear.
Wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for your patience. I’ve recently been promoted at my job (yay!) and uh, I’ve basically gone from leaving the office at 5:30pm every day to not leaving until after 7pm, plus working at home and on the weekends (boo…)
What I’m trying to say is that I’m even busier now than I was before, so please continue to be patient with me.
So this chapter was also told from Val’s POV. 50 pages (ugh) and 23K words. It felt so good to write Val and Alex in the same room again! For longer than 5 minutes! Those two needed to TALK though. Finally.
Here’s the chapter song! XXXO by MIA. This song is pretty old but whatever. I think the obvious song choice from MIA, especially for a Val-centric chapter, is ‘Bad Girls’ but that felt TOOOO obvious so I went with XXXO which is also very good.
Runner Up Songs:
Red Lips by GTA [Skrillex Remix]
Monster VS Angel by WDL
I’m A Ruin by Marina & The Diamonds
I also wanted to thank my lovely betas for all their hard work 🙂 It’s not easy getting through 50 pages of crappy writing when you are a busy adult with a job, so thanks to you guys (Cat, Leslie, and Andrea) for all of your hard work.
Speaking of Andrea, here’s a small bit of our conversation the other day while she was editing.
Look HOW THOROUGH. But also, there are some funnier bits of our convo but I don’t want to post them yet due to spoilers (and also I don’t want to influence anyone’s interpretation of certain scenes.) But maybe I will do a behind-the-scenes esque blog post when Lost Then Found is done so you can see all the crazy shit I talk to Andrea about.
In other news: Skype Group is still on-going. Everyone is very busy these days so it’s not as active so NEW BLOOD is welcome. Search my name on Skype and add me and let me know you want to be added to the group chat 🙂
I’m way too lazy to write a whole other ‘follow me on social media’ thing so I’m going to copy and paste from my last post:
If you’re one of those awesome readers who follows me on all or at least one of my social media platforms and knows not to inundate my inbox with questions about my update schedule… then you can read no further and go enjoy your day, you lil smarty pants you.
If you are, at this very moment, seriously considering sending me another Email/PM/DM/comment/etc to ask me when I plan on updating, please click on these links below and follow me:
Heads up that Twitter followers knew first that I’d be updating today 😉
Chapter 7 news: No idea when I can realistically post this, but “hopefully soon”. Let’s aim for before the New Year. Nice and vague.
On the brightside, I do know what I want to happen in chapter 7, so writer’s block won’t be an issue. It’s really just finding the time to actually write it.
Also just a reminder that Lost Then Found has been entered into the Watty Awards which, okay let’s be real here–fat chance BUT if you comment/vote/share/follow/etc then MAAAAYBE there’s a chance for Val and Alex to become Wattpad famous! Cool.
Expect a chapter 7 preview in a few weeks 🙂
Okay I’m done.
As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy the chapter.
I know this has taken a while. I actually meant to post this sooner, but I kept forgetting to (sorry.)
I’m trying to think if there’s anything worth reporting to you guys…. hmmm nope.
So please enjoy this (fairly long) preview of chapter 6!
***
“Do you love her?” I asked suddenly, instantly wishing I hadn’t. I already knew, so why did I ask?
Alex’s lips parted slightly, her eyes widening. She seemed as surprised at being asked the question as I was for asking it. She only allowed her surprise to show for a split second before she quickly cast her eyes downwards, a crease forming in her brow as she avoided my searching gaze.
After a brief moment of silent contemplation, she said, “Yes, I do.” She turned to look at me. “I do love her,” she stated, this time with more confidence. A strange but beautiful smile spread across her face. It didn’t quite match the look in her eyes, like she wasn’t sure whether she was happy or sad.
“Why are you smiling like that?” I asked, wondering if my question had prompted her to finally find an answer to a question she had already been asking herself.
“It’s just… there’s something strange about hearing that question from you. Do you love her,” she repeated, appearing thoughtful. “That question.”
“Why?”
She hesitated for a flicker of a second before she said, “Because I loved you first.”
Loved.
Her words had barely finished processing before she hastened to change the subject. “What about you and Claire?”
***
As always, text in previews are always subject to change before the final draft.
Wasn’t sure whether to write this chapter in Val’s POV or not but she was being real annoying about it so I was like “Fine, you get another.” Back to 3rd person for Chapter 7.
The long awaited talk is nigh! I couldn’t really post anything else without giving away some key details so this will have to do.
Hoping to post chapter 6 this month! I’m veeeeery busy (even more so now that I’ve been promoted at my job) but I am hoping that I will have some time to get it out before November.
If you’re one of those awesome readers who follows me on all or at least one of my social media platforms and knows not to inundate my inbox with questions about my update schedule… then you can read no further and go enjoy your day, you lil smarty pants you.
If you are, at this very moment, seriously considering sending me another Email/PM/DM/comment/etc to ask me when I plan on updating, please click on these links below and follow me:
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.
I know this is a little late but pretty girls distract me on the daily. Chapter Four will be posted early April! Fair warning, it’s a doozy. That’s right, a doozy.
Here’s the preview of Chapter Four:
“It was a long time ago, for about two months give or take,” Val said, waving her hand in the air as if to shoo the label of ‘ex’ away. “Totally not a big deal.”
Laura was now staring at Val as if through new eyes. Alex wasn’t sure which was more obvious, the intense jealousy or the admiration.
“How did you get her to commit?” Laura asked, leaning back against the bar. She shot Alex a sidelong glance. “I thought Alex committing to a relationship was the stuff of legends.”
The Greco woman spun the straw around her drink then took a sip. She let out a humorless laugh. “It was pretty short-lived,” Val said, lifting her eyes to Alex’s again. “It probably didn’t even really count.”
The look of mischief was gone, and instead Val looked… honest, like her old self. It caught Alex off guard, causing her heart to thud harder against her chest.
The blonde woman was still staring at Val, seemingly speechless. She had never felt so tongue-tied. What was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to go along with this casual mood Val was setting? Why did Gabe disappear when she needed him for moral support?
“It counts,” Alex said, surprised when she heard the words force themselves from her throat. Val was clearly pretending that the encounter they had had last week hadn’t happened, so Alex decided to play along. She took another minute to look Val slowly up and down again. Her soul quaked. “You look good, Val.”
ALEX BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE UNDERSTATEMENTS THO.
