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.
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.
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.
As most of you know by now, Alex’s Girl has come to an end. About a month ago I posted an “Epilogue” and then revealed that the epilogue is, in fact, actually just the first few pages of the sequel! I called it an Epilogue so as to surprise you unsuspecting readers with the sequel announcement at the end 😉 and it totally worked. Once I post chapter one of the sequel, I will retitle “Epilogue” to “Book Two Teaser,” which is more accurate.
Obviously I’m really excited about this new project! I love writing, and it’s always nice having a ‘project’ for me to work on when I have some free time. I’m also absolutely thrilled to have finally finished something… I’ve started many stories and have never finished them, so I think it’s a good sign that I’ve finally learned to not give up and to see a story through to the end.
What’s in store for Alex’s Girl? Well, I’ll be re-reading it (for the billionth time), editing it, changing some things, and then sending it off to get edited by a professional and maybe see about getting it self-published as some people have expressed interest in owning a physical copy, which might be a neat idea if Wattpad ever crashes or something. Not sure about that yet, but we’ll see. It will definitely take some time because I’m much more interested in writing than I am in editing. Editing is boring.
As for the awaited sequel… well, here are some quick facts about it, to hold you guys over until I actually post it!
Ten Fun Facts about the Upcoming Sequel to Alex’s Girl:
The working title is, Lost Then Found. It’s cheesy as hell, but nothing is worse than ‘Alex’s Girl.’ Also that’s a direct line from AG (bonus points to whoever can find the chapter that it’s in.)
This is sort of related to the previous fact: The first thing Alex ever says to Val is, “Are you… lost?” The first thing Val says to Alex in the sequel is, “Found you.” We’ve come full circle!
I will post the sequel when I’ve written the first five chapters. I’m doing this so that it gives me time to write more chapters without making you guys wait too long between updates. I’d ideally like to update on a schedule, posting one chapter per month. If I have five chapters finished when I post, that gives me 5 months to focus on writing more chapters without pressure.
Yes, we will hear about what Val has been up to this entire time.
Yes, we will find out what is going on between Alex and Laura.
Yes, we will see the return of some characters from Alex’s Girl.
Unlike Alex’s Girl, which was heavily focused on Val, Lost Then Found will be more Alex-centric.
There will be no first-person POV chapters. The entire story will be written in third-person. That does not mean, however, that I will never write a first person POV drabble anyway and post it here for shits and gigs.
The plot of Lost then Found will delve much deeper into mafia stuff and “powerful rival families” drama than Alex’s Girl did. Alex’s Girl certainly set up for both of these things.
Here’s the current cover:
One day I’ll get both covers changed to something else (the models used for the Alex’s Girl cover actually really bother me… Alex’s model has a man-chin and Val’s model is some saucy latina), but both covers cost me $10 each so I can’t really complain.
I also just wanted to take a minute to thank you guys for reading Alex’s Girl and sticking by it even when I hadn’t updated it in over a year. Writing that story was quite the journey, there were times where I wasn’t sure if I’d ever finish it… but I’m lucky to have such awesome readers who waited patiently for me and showed me constant support by sending me thoughtful messages and leaving me encouraging comments.
Also, thank you for showing such an amazing amount of support for the sequel! I was beyond happy to see just how much everyone was in favor of a sequel, and just how excited it made everyone. Knowing that you guys are excited about it is what makes me eager to get these first five chapters done as fast as possible so I can see your reactions (pretty much my favorite part of writing is reading your comments.)
Anyway, enough sappy stuff. The next time I post here will probably be to announce that I’ve posed the sequel, although if you are following me then you will already know the second that I do.
Like I said, it’s a bit shorter than usual, but really it’s not about length. When a chapter is over, it’s over. Writing more for the sake of length would probably just produce erroneous crap.
The main story is technically over, however, there is an epilogue. It will also be short. BUT. I think you guys will like it.
Wattpad also updated their system for uploading stories/chapters to the site so I can’t believe I have to say this but… good job Wattpad.Especially after the shitfest that was trying to upload Chapter 19 (not sure if you guys remember, but when I tried to upload the new chapter, all the formatting was messed up and I had to go through manually and add in every. single. italics. and. bolding.)
Maybe they took my advice and finally hired a competent web/UX/UI designer?
Anyway, aside from this, I have a few other things going on. Stay tuned for this blog to be updated with more content (aside from just announcing when a new chapter has been released.)
Thank you guys, as usual, for the constant support and patience. I really appreciate all of you, even if you just read and leave. Like, would I appreciate you more if you left a comment/voted/followed my account, etc? Sure! But I appreciate you lurkers anyway, ’cause the whole point of writing is so I can share the weird stuff in my head with you weirdos who find it entertaining.
What’s that? A chapter preview? After nearly a year and a half of no updates?
That’s right folks!
Here we go:
Alex laughed. It felt good to laugh. She had missed Gabe. He always knew what to say to make her feel better. “How are things at the bar?”
“Fine, Ann is handling things. Cyn misses you. Darby cries every time anyone asks for you or Val.” He paused and then added. “A man came by the other day…” He gave the distracted Val a sidelong glance, and then mouthed, Costas to Alex.
Alex inwardly cringed and then quickly shook her head. They’ll talk about that later. “Poor Darby. She knows we’re okay, right?”
“Yeah, but she also knows you guys are basically being held hostage by the mafia, so,” he shrugged, “dunno if we’d call that okay…”
Alex’s lips curved into a frown. “We’re not being held hostage. Once Val is better, we’re getting out of here.”
“Oh yeah?” Gabe asked. “How do you plan on smuggling out the mob princess all those goons out there are here to guard?” He lifted his thick brows. “Should I bring her a sexy nurse costume and you a doctor costume? Maybe you both can seduce your way out.”
This time, Val chimed in. “Why do I have to be the sexy nurse?”
Gabe let out a dramatic sigh, as if the answer was obvious. “Alex is the one that wants to be a doctor.”
“Why can’t we both be doctors?” Val countered.
Gabe threw his hands up. “Okay, you got me. The truth is, there’s no way I’d be able to trick Alex into wearing a sexy nurse outfit. You though…” He tilted his head. “I think you’d want to wear it.”
“Why’s that?” Val asked, eyes filled with amusement.
“Because,” Gabe said matter-of-factly, holding up a finger, “you enjoy torturing Alex.”
Val snickered. Gabe was right. She’d definitely agree to put on a sexy nurse outfit simply to see the look on Alex’s face.
“Okay,” Val said. “Let’s compromise. Alex and I will both wear sexy doctor outfits. You can wear the sexy nurse outfit.”
“Deal,” Gabe said, holding his fist out, which Val happily bumped with her own.
Alex’s eyebrow twitched. Val and Gabe were both grinning at each other like fools. She forgot how ridiculous they could get together. “I don’t remember agreeing to that,” she said, arching a brow in Val’s direction.
Val leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“I still don’t remember agreeing,” Alex said, but Gabe noticed the look of adoration on her face as she peered shyly at Val, her hand coming up to rest on the cheek the girl had just kissed.
“Focus,” Gabe said when he got sick of them giving each other looks, “What’s the plan?”
I didn’t want to post anything that gave away too much of the chapter, so this will have to do for now.
As usual, the preview is always subject to change as I still need to go through the chapter to proofread and make any edits.
Have any comments about the preview? Feel free to let me know any speculation you may have for the next chapter below. You know I love hearing your theories 😉
Of course, that’s assuming I still have readers out there.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the chapter itself!
