Well, my doctor got the results of my ultrasound and its much worse than I could have feared. My liver is very fatty, my kidneys are enlarged, and I am in serious trouble unless I can make a total 180 on my eating habits.

You add to this the fact I was already struggling emotionally and spiritually, and I am in a very bad place at the moment.

hugs and prayers appreciated.

Just so anybody reading chapter 20 of Mercy and worried that it says "The end ... for now", dont worry just yet.

I plan to bring Mercy, Brand, and company back for a Book 2, with a focus on the idea of self-forgiveness.

I mean, its great to forgive others, but what if you cant forgive yourself?

I have no timeline for when I'll actually be able to have something to share, but I promise that as soon as I do, I will post it for everybody who still likes these characters to enjoy.

Well, I am glad to report I have made some progress on stuff. I got my tax rebate into the bank today, and discovered that my former employer had FINALLY given me my holiday pay. Then I went to the E.I. office, and discovered I had made a small mistake which was delaying my claim, and fixed it.

All this, plus I've gotten some serious progress done on the next chapter of Mercy, so I am super happy at the moment.

I am not going to beg for kudos on Mercy, but I am curious.

258 people liked the first chapter of Mercy enough to give it a kudo.

With every chapter that number has declined, to the point that the latest chapter has 63 kudos at the moment.

If you gave a kudo to chapter one, but have since dropped away from liking the story, and you're comfortable sharing, I would really like to know why.

Too short chapters? Too long a break between chapters?

Anything else that might bring you back ?

Well, I had a very bad day today. First, I tried to get my pink slip from my old work only to be told its up to my local guy - a guy I cant even get a hold of - to get that done.

Then, I went out and found that someone had gotten into my car - again - and threw everything in my glove compartment around. At least this time, my battery wasn't dead ...

a story of mine has been published.

Here is the link:

http://www.createdgay.com/files/magazineapril2017a.pdf

If you havent read it yet, Bailey Summers' latest piece, Touch Starved so hits it on the head it hurts.

I often feel like I am starving to be touched, but thankfully I do have my mom so the occasional hug can happen for me.

So thank you Bailey, for saying what so many of us feel ...

Well, I ran into a brick wall with my Mercy story.

I was gonna have Faith meet with a suicidal student, but since Vantier just did that in her latest chapter, and I don't think I could top it, I need to go in another direction.

If only I knew what that direction was ...

I'm trying to bribe my muse with chocolate but no luck so far ...

I have been noodling the idea of a group of explorers who are taking clues which lead to different parts of North America and a hidden puzzle piece that only when all are found and everyone cooperates will lead to the ultimate treasure.

What I'm hoping for is a group of authors, each one following one of the teams looking for the answers through them finding a puzzle piece, and then one large story that would be about all the teams working together to get the treasure.

Would you want to be involved?

Well, it was a mixed bag of emotions at my daughter's birthday last night. I was very happy to have some time with her, of course, and the food was good, but the conversation ?

Well, not so much.

See, my mom started talking about my brother going to college, and my sister in law going to university, and how successful they were and are, but when it came to mentioning me ... well, let's just say I have had less success in my life.

I just wanted to publicly thank Crazy Pagan Gurl for her help in editing my short story collection.

If I can, this weekend I'm going to try and submit it to Kindle, and I'll let everybody know when it's up.

Of course, doing this also means 26 of my shorts will be taken down from this site, but don't think I don't appreciate all the comments and kudos those stories have received here.

No matter how successful this little experiment is, I will always be grateful for this place, and I'm not done contributing just yet.

I was having a conversation with Efdumb the other day, and he suggested I might want to put some of my stories into a collection for sale on Kindle.

Its a good idea, but I am stuck on what stories I would pick. I mean, it would probably take 10 stories to make up a decent sized book, and my stories don't tend to be connected to each other directly, so how would I select the stories?

Any ideas, anybody?

Bailey Summers' newest chapter of Jem got me thinking of a moment when I was a teenager.

A couple of girls who had become part of an unofficial D & D group with me were at one of their houses and we were just goofing around, and then the girls decided it was too hot and since they didn't have bathing suits handy, they simply stripped to their underwear. Despite feeling a touch self-conscious about my body, somehow I got talked into doing the same.

I've reached a sticking point in a story I'm writing, and I could use a second opinion on what I have got and where to take it.

Anybody wanna volunteer?

Well, I got some adulting done. I filed the paperwork for my name change, and I took Sharon out and got her some groceries. All in all, not a bad day.

I just wanted to reassure whatever number of readers I have left I am trying to get some writing done despite some lack of spoons.

Not sure when I'll have something to publish, but I'm inching along ...

Well, today was a bit of adventure.

It started with getting a phone call from a friend who was crying so hard she could hardly talk.

Then I went to the police station to get my fingerprints done so I can change my name, and when I got there I realized I needed 2 pieces of I.D., and I only had one on me, so I had to go back home, get my birth certificate, and go back to the station.

But I got my fingerprints done, so that's one step down.

Just wanted to say "thank you" to everyone who send a message of support to me.

I am very blessed to have all the support I receive, thanks very much!

Well, the hammer fell today. I have lost my job. It came down to me not being able to get down on my hands and knees to clean the bathrooms properly. Sighs ...

My brain is weird.

I had this really bizzare idea come into my head as I slept last night.

A boy who is an amazing car driver is picked to represent Earth in a series of races against some shadow demons. Each race he loses, another part of the Earth belongs to them. But each race he wins, he has another part of his body turn into a girl's

See what I mean when I say my brain is weird ?