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"