Happy Holidays!

Greetings everyone! I know people are still out celebrating, pigging out on home-cooking and getting geared up for New Years Eve (I know I am at least!), so I'll keep this post short:

Wonderland is up!!

Hey all, just wanted to drop by real quick to say that Wonderland Ch13 is up on Literotica.

The link is here: http://www.literotica.com/s/wonderland-ch-13

Credit to Mikothebaby (as always) for editing for me! Hope y'all enjoy the chapter! (The Coffee Shop is next!)

XO,
L.A.

Updates

Random update: just added 11 songs to the ever-growing blob that is The Coffee Shop Soundtrack. Seriously guys, this thing is becoming a monster!! Anyway, here's the new tracks that have been added:

Wonderland and Other Things...

Hey all! I know I've been seriously neglecting both my blog and Lit, and for that I'm sorry! Recent developments including a stubborn cold, my new job(!!!!), school work, and my Thanksgiving vacay to San Diego, CA took a toll on my writing time. I appreciate all of you who emailed me asking when the EFF I would get off my butt and start writing again because that really did help me put my head in a good place to get going. It's not that I have writer's block and I've just been putting things off, I've just been really busy!

As you may have seen on Twitter, I submitted "Wonderland - Chapter 13" to Literotica as of 10-15 minutes ago. Expect it to be up in 2-3 days, depending on how fast Lit works.

Also, I'm working hard on the latest TCS chapter. I'm rewriting the second half because I believe it is a bit too rushed. I had originally hoped to only post one or two more chapters and be done with it, but I may have to up the ante to 13, though this is all just my speculation and worry. I hope to have the chapter done by this weekend with a tentative posting date the week after. As always, I'll put the announcement on Twitter first, so check back to my Twitter profile often.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed the holidays (if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, then I hope you had a great weekend)!

XO,
L.A.

The Coffee Shop Ch 09 Teaser

The Coffee Shop 09 - teaser (unedited)

The Coffee Shop 09 - "Love Changes Everything."

The Coffee Shop Ch08 Teaser

The Coffee Shop Chapter 8 teaser

The Coffee Shop Chapter 08 - "Lust, Love, and Lawyers."

Wonderland Ch13 Teaser

Wonderland Ch 13 teaser


"Wonderland Chapter Thirteen: Deals with Dragons Can Be Deadly"

Happy November 5th!!

Hey all! I believe I'm finally free of the cold (I still have a few little sniffles here and there, but that's all thankfully!) so now I can get back to writing! It's crazy because I feel better on such an important day in history: November 5th!

New TCS chapter is live!!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

It's Always Raining In My Head

Okay, so this is a post I've been sitting on for awhile now, and I finally feel comfortable enough to talk about. It's kind of a touchy subject to get into, and particularly gloomy, and I don't really expect comments or anything on the post. It's just me kind of getting stuff off my chest. To some of you it might kinda seem the typical "get better" crap that everyone spouts. But taking it from someone who has "been there", maybe you won't be so quick to judge. So anyway, here goes.

Scary things are happening...

So, I'm kind of freaking myself with all my productivity this week. O.o

Just today I submitted the next chapter of The Coffee Shop (chapter 8!) to Literotica. Expect that to be up in 2-3 days.

No, this chapter doesn't have any horizontal mambo but the Big Lebowski takes place in the final two/three chapters of TCS -- promise!! It also brings Jeremiah Vaughn into the picture (see the teaser here if you're lost), and changes the scenery from Maine to Los Angeles, CA, my home away from home!!! These next two chapters are about places that I've been to personally (and love!) and I'm so excited to take Peyton back into her home element. If you guys have any stories about your visits to California (the City of Angels in particular), I'd love to here/see them! You can comment here on my Blogger or send me an email through the link on my Blogger profile. My email is also available through my feedback on Lit, so you can send stuff to me there too.

So, my weird monologue aside, expect TCS #8 to be out soon,

-Lily

And P.S.: there is a scant possibility that I may have an Epilogue/Chapter Eleven for this series. I feel like things in Chapter Ten is being rushed a little too fast for my tastes. Obviously, I'll let people know via Twitter or here on my blog, and on my Lit profile as well. Until then, expect Chapter Ten as the grand finale. =)

Happy Halloween!!

Ok so I know it's not *technically* time to throw on your costume and go scaring the years off of people's lives just yet, but we're on the countdown!!

Anyway, I'm excited to report that my Halloween story has gone up! I had a minor misstep with posting the submission initially, which is why posting took a bit. The link is here:
The Modern Prometheus

Let me know what y'all think! And BTW, there are many other great Halloween submissions up by equally awesome authors, so check them out if you haven't already!!

Ciao my little monsters (and happy Sunday!),
Lily

Just in...

I just posted a Halloween short story to Literotica as of...2 hrs ago, I think, for the Halloween contest this year. It was mostly for my enjoyment, and since it involved H-Ween, I thought it'd be fun to submit it.

Anyway, the story is called "The Modern Prometheus", (a title I totally stole from the talented Mary Shelley) and revolves around a demon named Elijah, a witch named Brie, and their quirky human friend Des, and answers the question of what happens when you steal a demon's fire.

Eeek!! I'm kinda excited about this one, it leaves a lot of open questions and it has a real twist at the end. It's not scary and doesn't really involve bad costumes or parties, but it's a Halloween story nonetheless. I hope y'all like it!!!

On another note, I posted the teasers for both upcoming chapters of TCS and WLand. They're up on their respective blogs, just follow the links at the top of my blogger page and click on the tab titled "Teasers" and there you go! Any comments to be had can be sent by email or Twitter, and those links are on my profile/blog as well.

Wishing everyone well,
Lily

Wonderland is live!!

Wonderland Ch 12 just posted to Lit this morning! In case you haven't checked it out yet, here's the link: http://t.co/666hHrHQ
WLand 13 is currently being edited (by me) and I'll send it out to my editor this weekend. TCS will be submitted to Lit by then as well, so keep your eyes peeled for Caleb & Peyton!
But for now, focus your attention on Tempest, Talon, and that pesky Fuyher. *Especially* Talon. That kid has a few tricks up his "sleeve" yet! ;-)
Remember, I love hearing feedback from you guys, just as much as I love the votes. Comments are great tools for a writer as well, so don't be stingy leaving me any of those!
As always you guys are great and thank you so much for reading me!!
Xo, Lily

The Coffee Shop Ch 07 - Teaser

Hola, amigos!
I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything (on Twitter or otherwise), but I promise you, I'm still working hard on TCS and WLand, as well as a few other stories in the works. But mainly I've been focused with school and job-hunting, and unsurprisingly, not many hours of my day are left after pursuing both! Also, I'm kind of a victim of Sloth, so, I kept procrastinating editing and fixing up TCS Ch7 until, well, I ran out of excuses *not* to edit it.
Anyway, besides the long-winded series of excuses, I have something for everyone: a teaser!
Now, this version of TCS 7 is *un*edited, but I don't think much of it will change when it's posted on Lit, apart from grammar, punctuation, etc., etc.
Hope y'all enjoy!!

The Coffee Shop - Chapter Seven Teaser

Wonderland Ch. 12 -- Teaser

As promised, the (unedited!) teaser to WLand Ch 12!! Sorry that's a bit short, but it sets the tone for the entire chapter, and it's the part I like the most. =)

Wonderland Chapter Twelve

News!

Ok so I recently updated The Coffee Shop/Side Street blog page w/added character info, more music and more places around Hamish, including little bios along with.
In writing news, I will post the UNedited teaser for the next chapter of WLand in the coming days. Watch my Twitter for deets.
Hope you guys are well,
Lily

News and Things.

"Things" first, "news" later. =)
I'm not exactly a fluffy romance reader - in fact, I hate that stuff and won't read it even on the pain of death. My sister, bless her, loves all those romance/girly/feel-good books that have smut/rutting/what-have-you and you know what? THAT'S FINE.
But I don't read it.

Never Forget 9/11.

As many of you are aware, this weekend marks the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, the worst attack on the United States there has ever been. In my grandfather's time, tribute was paid to the bombings at Pearl Harbor, which he then served in the war as a result of. In my lifetime, it's the attack on the WTC, the Pentagon, and the crash of the plane United 93. I am not physically able to serve my country, but I do support my friends who are able and to those men and women I don't know who are currently putting boot to ass for my country.
I don't intend on making this post into a bigoted rant against the Middle East, Islam, Bush, Obama, or anything political, though I'm sure it'll be perceived that way. But, in my defense, I've lived ten years, a good chunk of my childhood and now adult life, in a state of war. I grew up listening each evening to the reports of the numbers of soldiers lost, of fear of the countries outside my own (Are these countries aiding the terrorists or aren't they? Doesn't the UK let terrorists live in the country in exchange for asylum and the vow to not bomb them? Did someone say Saddam over the intercom?), and of when and where the terrorists attacked next.
Regardless of how this post is perceived, the true intention of this post is to commemorate the lives of those lost in the attacks and to those who risk their lives, ten years later, to make sure an attack of this magnitude never happens again.

"Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?"

Newsnewsnews!!

Hey all!
Well, I finally got around to posting "Wonderland" Chapter Ten and "The Coffee Shop" Chapter Six!! They're up on Lit as we speak, so go check it out and vote vote vote! (As well as send feedback, I've been lacking in that department lately...)
Anyway, I just had another bit of news that I wanted to share that I thought you guys might be interested in: I've got the Wonderland website halfway up and running! I spent a loooong time putting it together, but it's still not completely finished (I got distracted by a phone call from an old friend and, well, you know how that goes...). I still need to add a few more pages to it, but hopefully it'll be completed in the next week or two. (Key word here being: "hopefully"...)
So, if you're curious, here's the little linkee and um...enjoy! =)
XO, Lily

Hey there!

Hey world!
I just wanted to catch you guys up on a few things.

1. I'm currently RE-EDITING the sixth chapter of THE COFFEE SHOP. Yea, it sucks, but I've written up to chapter nine and I wanted to make sure that everything would flow, hence the delay. EXPECT THE NEXT CHAPTER BY THE END OF THIS WEEK!!! Seriously, this time!
2. If you guys follow my blog, you'll notice that "The Coffee Shop" tab is missing. That's because I've moved it over to it's own blog! That way, there's more space and I can put down more info for anyone interested. It seriously took me ALL SUNDAY EVENING/MORNING to do it, and I even went as far out to make a logo for the damned Side Street Brewery. I seriously need a hobby... Anyway, go here to view the new blog.
3. That being said, ALL TEASERS/WRITING NEWS/RAMBLINGS will be posted *HERE* on my regular blogger. The new blog is just for kicks and a place for me to sort out stuff, like an online filing cabinet...just...prettier. =)
4. Expect WONDERLAND to receive the same treatment. I already have the blog set up, just no details are added just yet. I'll let y'all know when I'm finished!

That's it for me! Have a great Tuesday, everyone!!

Xo, Lily

The Insults Keep Coming...

Normally I don't get riled up enough to write rants on Blogger, but for once, I'm going to forgo my usual "don't say anything because people are crazy nowadays and might kill you for having an opinion" way of doing things to speak out about something I feel that needs to catch people's attention.


You readers know that "The Coffee Shop" is written on experiences from those who had come from abusive homes, schools, and who have inflicted abuse upon themselves and others due to their upbringing. Their stories mean everything to me. These KIDS mean everything to me, for a few of them are my really good friends. That makes it hard for me to read headlines like this: SUIT FILED AGAINST REPUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, DISTRICT DIDN'T PROTECT GIRL FROM SEXUAL ASSAULT

I'm a huge fan of Laurie Halse Anderson, and SPEAK still is one of my favorite novels of all time because it affected me like few other books have. I speak of Laurie because it was her blogpost that got my attention of the filed suit in the first place.


For those of you who may or may not read the article/blog post that I linked to, it's basically summarized this way:


-Girl is harassed, assaulted, and raped by a boy in the 7th grade.
-Girl complains to school officials, who don't find her story credible. They make her WRITE AN APOLOGY LETTER to the boy who committed the rape and GIVE IT TO HIM PERSONALLY.
-School officials then SUSPEND the girl, after going through her claims multiple times WITHOUT HER MOTHER PRESENT and the biggest kicker is...
-NO ONE CALLED THE POLICE.
-Girl begins school next year, the same process repeats itself. The girl, knowing that her story wouldn't be believed by the school officials, told her mother. This time, to gain proof, mother and daughter go to a child advocacy center, where semen from the boy was found to back up the girl's allegations.
-A year later, a suit is filed, the boy is arrested, but the girl IS SUSPENDED FOR DISRESPECTFUL CONDUCT AND PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION.


Does any of this sound remotely familiar?


One of my "Caleb" muses suffered from an event JUST LIKE THIS ONE. I was pissed off enough at the time to write a letter to the middle school, and used the experience for Caleb in "The Coffee Shop" not to invoke pity to his plight or something like that, but because crap like this happens every day - even in the United States. It's disgusting, it's heartbreaking, and I while I wish I could say "I can't believe it, say it ain't so!", but I know I can. My mother teaches an entire generation of students who in 5th grade are thinking of babies, sex, and use violence to get results.


So what's the point of my post? Simple: BE AWARE of what's going on in your community. LISTEN to your children when they come home from school and talk about their day. LOOK around the school yard when you pick them up from school. PAY ATTENTION. Don't let those who are silent fall through the cracks - those are usually the ones who need your help the most. And finally, SPEAK UP. If you don't, that's the greatest atrocity of all.


That's my rant for the day,
-Lily

Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men. -- "The Boondock Saints" 

The Coffee Shop Ch.06

Good news! TCS 6 is finito!
I'm editing it as of now and hope to have it posted to the Lit site by tomorrow sometime. I know I put on my Lit homepage I would have posted it...er...yesterday, but I lied. I'm allowed to do that. =)
Anyway, as to give all you folks waiting for #6 so patiently, here's an extra long (unedited!!) portion of the chapter for y'all to enjoy! Xo, Lily.

Writing News!

So, I've got some good news: I'm finally back to working on The Coffee Shop again. I wrote 4,604 words in one sitting, having completely scrapped the first go at the chapter. Roughly 700 of those words will be cut or edited (it's the ending), and it's fairly short as far as chapters go. I might add more depending upon my mood. =)
Anyways, whilst procrastinating (I'm very good at that) I put up a TCS page on good ole Blogger here F.Y.E. It gives a bit of insight into Caleb and Peyton's world and most of it, unlike Wonderland, is based upon actual places and people. It's a bit of reading, and since Blogger sucks with pictures, most of those kinds of things are linked to other places on the Web, so don't be surprised when you may have a browser full of open web pages (sorry in advance)!
And just to give you guys a taste, here's a teaser from TCS Ch06:

Just to tease a bit further...

To be truly evil, I'm going to post a few snapshots of the upcoming chapters of Wonderland for your personal entertainment. =) Enjoy:

Wonderland Chapter 10 Teaser No. 2

I know, I know, I should have posted teaser #2 sooner, but I got sidetracked. Good news: I have chapters 11, 12, and 13 finished. I think a few more chapters and I'll have it wrapped up completely.
Anyway, without further ado, here is Teaser #2:
(BTW, if you missed Teaser #1, this is a continuation from where it left off, so go here: Teaser One so you won't be lost!)


WONDERLAND CHAPTER 10
TEASER #2

Wonderland Chapter 10 Teaser No. 1

Awhile ago I got Ch10 back from my editor and to be honest, I've been procrastinating about putting it up. Not because I haven't finished looking over the edits, but because I'm not sure if I like the way the story is going. I want to finish the story or at least have the next chapters written before I submit Ch10 to Literotica, to put it simply. So, until that happens, I'm posting a few paragraphs at a time from the chapter, starting at the beginning. Here's Teaser One of Chapter 10. Enjoy!
WONDERLAND CHAPTER TEN

The Coffee Shop Ch05 Teaser

After a few weeks, I think I've finally got the latest chapter right. Here's a sneak peek at the next chapter of TCS:

The Coffee Shop Ch05 Teaser

The Coffee Shop Soundtrack

I finally did it! TCS 05 is officially finished. Sure, sure, I still have to edit, but that won't take me but another few hours. ;)
To celebrate, I decided to share my ever-growing playlist that helped put TCS into words. Most of the songs are a little old (I don't listen to the radio much, sorry!) and most of the songs are by the Christian rock band RED. Go here for more info on those guys. Basically, I needed music with both anger, guitars, and redemption. Red seemed like the perfect fit. So, if you're interested on what moves Caleb & Peyton, click the link. If not, well, why in the hell are you reading this post anyway??
The Coffee Shop Soundtrack
NOTE: Chapter teaser to come soon!!!
Xoxo, LilyArc

Wonderland Ch09 Teaser

This is a teaser from my as-of-yet unedited ninth chapter of "Wonderland". My editor's bday is today, so she's putting the editing on hold - understandably - to have a kickass celebration with her fam. So, I thought I'd go ahead and share a bit of the chapter with you. (Note: the teaser was taken from two scenes later in the chapter, so if you're confused with what's going on, that's why. Don't worry, a lot of action happens prior to this point of time.)
Let me know what y'all think. =) Enjoy!
Wonderland Ch09 Teaser

We All Have Those Days...

PLEASE READ!!
"The Coffee Shop" Ch04 that is on the literotica webpage right now is *NOT* the most up-to-date version of the chapter. By my own blundering antics, I managed to copy & paste the wrong text and submitted it without looking over the preview, as I usually do. (I know, shame on me!) What you guys see on my profile is, well, the crappier 1.0 version of TCS. Yikes.
I just submitted the EDITED version to Lit, so expect the fully awesome story of Caleb and Peyton's journey to be up in a few days.
To anyone who read the chapter up on Lit...I am so sorry, LOL. You got cheated.
Anyway, I hope this gets out to all the right people, and I want to thank those feedback emails and commentators of the story for pointing out the mistake. You guys rock.
Once again, apologies to all,
LilyArc

Wonderland Chapter Eight

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll already know that I just got back the edits for Wonderland's Chapter Eight. Right now I'm working on the second round of edits, and once I'm done, I'll submit it to Lit. Word of warning: Chapter Eight is divided into two sections due to it's large size, and will be labelled A&B respectively. I'll post the two pieces within a day or two of each other.
Anyway, I'm posting a teaser from Wonderland's Chapter Eight. Enjoy!




WONDERLAND
Chapter Eight

Lexicon, New Chapter(s) news, and Other Things

Just got back late yesterday from good ole Austin. In short, I visited my folks, ate ahMAZing home cookin', mucked around with friends, helped my "team" lose a volleyball game and had my hair dyed blond whilst incapacitated. O_o
Yea, I was ready to kill someone, but...let's not go there. For my sanity's sake. =/
Anyway, I just wanted to type down a few things before I forgot:

The Coffee Shop Chapter Four Teaser

Okay, okay, so I'm in a really good mood today, and I decided to post a teaser of chapter four of THE COFFEE SHOP. It's not by any means the final cut, as I've rewritten the entire thing at least six times now and I still don't have it quite right. What I'm posting is the tentative half that I'm fairly certain I won't cut (although editing is a completely different story).
Anyway, here goes:


The Coffee Shop
Chapter Four

Wonderland Chapter Seven Teaser

Alright, so this weekend is Memorial Day weekend, and as I posted earlier somewhere, I'm going back home to Austin to see my family since I've been M.I.A. since Easter. As promised, I submitted WONDERLAND Chapter Seven to Lit today, since I'm not sure when Chapter Eight will go up. It's a bit of a doozie and it took a lot out of me to write. Hopefully it answers most of the questions everyone has - and brings up more. The next couple of chapters are going to be overwhelming for me, and already I wish I could just write a big "AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER", stick a fork in it and call it done. *sighs sadly* Obviously, I can't get my way, that'd be totally unfair to Tempest and the crew.
Anyway, before I leave, I wanted to post a teaser from Wonderland's Chapter Seven, because I enjoy messing with all of your minds. Without further ado...


WONDERLAND
Chapter Seven

Story Update

As I posted on Twitter, I submitted Wonderland's Chapter Six to Literotica yesterday. Already I can imagine what the comments will be, mainly because to many the chapter is going to look like filler. FYI: it's not.
I wrote this in the Author's Note of Chapter Six, but I'll write it here too: everything I write in those posted chapters of Wonderland mean something. I don't know how else to stress that.
I don't normally let things like petty comments or observations get to me, but when I have emails requesting that I rewrite the chapter because they hate the story line, or because they didn't take the time to read the chapter through and posted inane commentary about characters that don't make any freaking sense, I do get a little upset. While I won't go into too much detail, I will say this:

• For Tempest's apparent "enjoyment" of her mind rape*, please read this line: "...she washed away her sweat, tears and humiliation..." Need I say more?
• For the missing transition between chptrs 4 and 5: that was my own writer's blooper...and also slightly intentional. This, among other things, is explained in Chapter 6.
• For those of you still confused on what the four species "really are" (this is in response to feedback I've received) click under the "Wonderland" link on this blog. As the chapters continue to post, I'll add more information. I don't want to give away secrets too early.
• And finally, the next three chapters of this story (6, 7, 8 - particularly chapter 7) tell you basically everything you need to know. Chapter Eight is where the mayhem begins - truly - and by then, if everyone is still confused about the plot, characters, the world, what have you, I know then that I have failed as a writer.

Okay, so I've been on my soapbox long enough, but I just want anyone who is reading this to take away - if anything from this entire post - this: Every Inane Detail Means Something.
That is all,
LilyArc


* this is alluded to in Chapter Six via Thatcher's POV. It should explain things.

"The Coffee Shop" Ch03 submitted

Just submitted chapter three of "The Coffee Shop" yesterday. It's a romance story I am starting to regret ever submitting. LOL. The story has kind of been on my mind for awhile, but with all the hullaballoo going on in my life, I never had time to submit it. "Wonderland", as some don't know, I had written a *very* long time ago and now, every time I submit a chapter, all I'm really doing is rewriting it (hence some continuity errors that some users have pointed out) and editing it before posting. It isn't really all that time-consuming.

TCS is different. This is all new. Every time i sit at the computer, I'm continuing where I left off. Sometimes the scenes work, and most of the time they don't. Since the story is very close and personal to me, I am hesitant to give it to an editor. The characters are closer to home than "Wonderland" and while TCS isn't biographical, it is, as I said, close and personal to me. Until chapter 3 rolls around, a lot of you are probably scratching your heads wondering "WTH is she talking about??" so I'll spare you any more confusion.

Wow, I really didn't mean to go off on a tangent there, LOL. Basically, the gist of this ENTIRE post was to say:
THE COFFEE SHOP - CHAPTER THREE is submitted to Lit.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!!
xoxo,
LilyA

Wonderland Chapter Six Teaser

You may remember seeing on Twitter and my Lit homepage about having a LiveJournal. Well, silly me, I didn't realize LJ didn't allow you to post separate pages. Blogger and me have a love/hate relationship, but hey -- I've gotta have my pages. So LJ is probably going to be aborted and deleted, so any teasers or more than 140 character updates will go here on Blogger.

Anyway, besides all that, here is Chapter Six teaser of Wonderland:
WARNING: DO NOT READ PAST THIS BANNER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ CHAPTER FIVE.