I dont know if its because i have been working too much or what, but it feels like my creative well has run dry. I hope this doesnt last.

So I just finished the rough draft on a Halloween-themed story. Like Becoming Robin this is seated very much in the Sweet / Sentimental category. Unlike Robin this isn't a novel-going-on-serial :-P

It's an actual, real-live short story, from me, the Queen of babbling endlessly. Can you believe it? ^_^

Well whatever the glitch was the site is now updated so you can now access more fanfics, Peaches and Gaby as well as details of some book buying offers (there is an extension to this coming weekend on the short offer!)

enjoy

Maddy

Despite living in the city, I spent Saturday helping a neighbor cut down several dead trees. This was after two days of indulging myself in front of the computer comfortably dressed in a skirt and blouse. Each time I fired up the chain saw this tune ran through my head:

I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK...

You know the rest!

For months I have been looking for a story, it starts with a man who has an ability to use his mind in a supernatural manner.

Later we see him helping out some older ladies when their car broke down. In turn he becomes friends with the family.

In turn he starts going out with the daughter who unbenknown to him is a witch. She in turn gives him an opportunity to experience what it is like to be a girl through a temporary body swap.

If Nikki Araguz loses, any Transfolk in Texas will be effectively de-transitioned. This is scary, this is not scare tactics, this is important, folks.

Fictionmania seems to have disappeared again, at least for me. I can't raise it on the link from this site or by googling direct.

Is it just me and something I'm doing wrong or has anybody else experienced the same problem?

Joanne

Ok, life intrudes on my ability to continue at the pace I would like to write at. If I wasn't currently running 12 credit hours (about 36 hours of work per week) and had a 40 hour per week job, I might be able to spend the 28 hours a week it takes me to keep producing TGL daily.

Tonight my family will eating food from a recipe passed down from my parents to me. Unfortunately the children aren't so crazy about we're having(Dad can we go to Lindburgers instead?). So what is the meal?

Tuna Casserole

The ingredients three cans of tuna fish
One can campbell's cream of mushroom soup
One pound ziti macaroni
butter
milk
bread crumbs

The meal takes 55 minutes in the oven at 350F

So I am excited right now because an Agent wanted to see my sample chapters!! Woot!!

For some unknown reason this weeks update despite being uploaded to the server isn't appearing. I have no power over this, i'm not getting any replies to my webmeister queries and my geek squad aren't talking either.

I quite enjoy doing the site but maybe it's outlived its usefulness so if i can't get it sorted by the weekend i'm taking a break from the updates until further notice.

I'm just sitting here, taking a break from processing apples to dry. Got the first batch going now, and have decided that slicing them in 1/4 thickness is high risk for me; almost cut a finger off twice!

Just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Rachael Ross or just plain rache. I've been writing for awhile and I don't really have a preference for subject matter, it's all good. I use a lot of pen names and for TG/TS stories I generally like to use "T.S.Severe" and she's one of my many alter-egos (the one who dresses better than the rest of me) ...Uhhh, let's see. I have a website hosted by ASSTR at:

http://www1.asstr.org/~rache/index.htm

I've just discovered my recent Chapter 7 post is sans single quotes. Fixing requires reading the entire story as HTML... *whimper*

If anyone can suggest the preferred way to get text (containing italics) from RoughDraft (MS rich text) into "Create Content", I would appreciated it; as my way seems to require multiple editing passes.

update: Some partial search-and-replace fixes have been done, but I know there's more to do. I'll give it another pass tonight.

another update: I think I've got them all. Ouch. :)

Pardon me if this story resembles a Rube Goldberg contraption but...

Around the 4th of July I went out to the garage to get something and discovered the neighborhood stray cat had decided to have her kittens on top of our camping gear. Not wanting a new batch of strays in the neighborhood I took the kittens inside, firmly intending to give them away or call the ASPCA or something.

The story I'm trying to find basically goes like this:

undercover detective type about a TG that is living in a railroad shack on a trestle when he finds a bunch of suitcases and personal effects from a murdered woman then takes her place to solve her murder, she was an insurance co. investigator, looking into a bunch of deaths that end up being caused by a funeral home wacko and his crazy Post-op bitch that are running a sex club and killing people to make snuff films of the murders

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Rachel Anne

As I began to plan out what I am now calling "Monsters in the Dark" I thought I would be including it as chapter 13 of Through Death:Rebirth

There are two problems with that idea, however. While it does provide some necessary background information to Earth₄, it isn't a direct part of the story, or I should say, it isn't part of this story.

I have pictures-images to add to Captain Comet, but don't know how to translate them into html code. please help

I recently purchased some Avon products from: www.youravon.com/peggyhicks and I find that I am very pleased with them. I met Peggy at The Southern Comfort Conference last year and I found her very understanding about us TG/TS/CD/whatever folks, and she is VERY discrete, respecting our need for secrecy/privacy.

I know (hey, I hope!) some of you are waiting for the next chapter in UA, but my editor wants me to wait until I finish the story. It'll be awhile, but chapter 2 is almost complete, 3&4 are just about ready for edit and I'm still working on 5. I'll try to convince Angela that they can be submitted soon, but she's working on making me a better author, something that isn't really easy, but I can see it happening. Ultimately, you get a better story, and that is worth a lot to me. Please accept my apologies, I shouldn't have submitted the first chapter yet, but I did. My mistake.

Well, I am really up against some hard choices. I let slip my trans status to a couple of co-workers, and I had a amazing response - My blood pressure, which was high, dropped, and my cluster headache went away. Then today, as I had to go back into hiding, the headache came back and my bp went back up. So I finally realize the truth - i either live honestly, and suffer the consequences, or I keep myself in the closet, and risk a serious health problem. Pray I make the wisest choice.

Too sick to talk about it.

- Erin

I am away from tomorrow for a few days, to a rocky place in the sun. I have just about finished the story, and will post the other episodes on my return. May I suggest for anyone reading my tale that they read my other one as well. Thank you for your patience.

Since some of you liked the other 500 word story I wrote for a local radio competition I suppose I may as well post the second one (the competition allowed 2 entries per person). This isn't a tear jerker but may raise a wry smile.

Love in the slow lane

John self-consciously fingered the red carnation in the buttonhole of his sports jacket. He wasn’t used to it, not sports jackets nor buttonholes nor the flowers that go in them. He searched the tables in the Motorway café. Then he saw her sitting alone reading The Spectator, and walked nervously over.

I have just had a ’phone call from Angharad to say that her Aunt (who had lived with her since 1987) died this afternoon at the age of 83. She had been unwell for a number of days.

Ang says that she might not be able to post an a chapter of EAFOAB tonight, it very much depends how she feels. She hopes everyone will understand if she doesn't get "the muse" this evening. I don't know if she will be on her ’puter this evening, but you could PM her, or PM me and I will pass on any messages when she ’phones me later.

Gabi

I wrote this piece a few years ago for a story competition. The brief was a love story in no more than 500 words not including the title. I don't think it justifies a proper posting but it may amuse a few of you.

A Woman’s Life and Love

Yesterday while shopping I saw something new to me, Lycra boots. In reality a pair of high heels with thigh high hose kinda built in. So unable to help myself I did some surfing for them today. While on amazon I found this review and got a nice laugh.

Amazon review:

"If you come into the NFL dressed the way that she is dressed you are just asking for it."
-- Fox NFL analyst Brian Baldinger on Ines Sainz sexual harassment charges.

This is a sad story. A post op TS murdered by her brothers, in a country that trumpets they have no gays because they are required to have sex changes. Note the length of sentence handed out, and the attitude of the father. However, murder of TG and TS folks in the US and other "western" countries are often due, at their most basic, to some male thinking is reputation has been besmirched by him being attracted or having sex with a TS/TG. Not so different in motive, I think, but increasingly different in the way the crime is seen by law. Doesn't help the victim though....

Today, I baked bread. ^__^ One loaf of wheaten bran bread, one of a rye-buckwheat country pumpernickel, and two of very, very complicated Russian black bread that's almost as good (but still different from) the bread I remember from Sankt-Peterburg. That's all. Nothing earth-shattering. Just a free day, and a plan to bake, and a few hours of effort, and I have product that I'd have to pay $25-30 US for at market (assuming I could find a market here that would actually >make< these, especially the black bread). ^__^ moderately #happy

Liz

I was sick on Monday, and then my birthday was Tuesday. I was still getting better, but my wife decided to take me out to Sushi. Strangely, it sat better on my stomach than anything else had in about 48 hours.

If you were wondering what that scream was you heard about an hour ago, it was me.

See at that point I realized that I left (hopefully) the flashdrive with all my stories on it, in my computer at work. At least I hope that's where it is.

As a result the next part of my little story will not be posted until Monday.

Insert your favorite dirty word here {_____}

"I don't know who or what you are anymore."

It's a line from the movie, "Judge Dredd". Hershey's apartment's been trashed, the whole Judicial system's turned upside down, etc. and she thinks Dredd's a part of it. But it was the most appropriate quote I could think of to properly convey how I feel right now

I feel like I am running of fumes, trying to hold on by hook and by crook until I get some help. I feel like I am fading, and I honestly don't know what I can do now.

Oh wait, that might be a good thing... ;)

I only mention this because there are Welsh people here who could maybe give this story some context. What is going on?

http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/welsh_forced_ma...

Gwen

There's nothing wrong it's just a mental energy break while I'm dealing with the busiest time of my years workwise with student frosh going on. I'm still going to plug away though but without any self imposed deadlines.

Love you all.
Bailey.

...Is what happens in between making plans and realising them. Mine has been rather fraught since my aunt, who has lived with me since 1987, was taken ill during the Gabycon and gave extra stress - I ran on adrenalin for a few days.

She still isn't right and being elderly, this could become a chronic thing or worse, something life threatening. Meanwhile I'm trying to work full time, do the household chores and some writing when I have time.

It's all time consuming and stressful, so if Bike doesn't appear, it's because either something has worsened or I'm too cream crackered to write.

A long trip to do what I didn't want to do (leave the presence of mah baybee).

I think some of you need to do this, considering some of the pics I see for the stories I see here. Sadly, I can not find properly attired Binti clothing. Haraam Haraam !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNyg1ftMIU&NR=1

giggle.

Gwendolyn

Or NOT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEWgs6YQR9A&feature=related

The headline just about says it all. The weather gods were mostly beneficent, except I got ice cream in my hair walking across Lulworth Cove thanks to the breeze. The pictures on Maddy's site show the area in which I'm privileged to live, so I hope you have a look at them.

Plus there's the continuation of the race Drew began in the previous episode - it's a corker!

For those too lazy to find the site, here's a link:

http://www.maddybell.com/page600.html

Angharad.

Salutations and greetings:

After a few months of quiet (okay my computer was down) I am back online. My operations were successful and I am back among the living. The operations were ... well they took more out of me than I expected and I am recovering and getting ready for the next phase of my life.

Just wanted to update everyone.

Kendra

Since Mads and Bev have given their 2p worth, I thought I'd join the club - but to be different, I'll give a rough outline of the weekend's events. I've also deliberately left a lot of it vague, to both tease you and not spoil things in case any of the other attendees decide to write in more detail about proceedings.

Saturday, 5am.
The things I do in the name of fun... waking up at a ridiculously early hour on a weekend to travel half way across the country to spend a weekend with a bunch of random people I've met on the internet. On the one hand, I'm a little nervous and apprehensive (for a variety of fairly obvious reasons); on the other I'm excited about finally putting faces and voices to some of the people whose writing I read every day here on TopShelf.

Oh, and there's also the small matter of this being the third bunch of random internet strangers I've met - the first being regulars on this blog (and what could be stranger than fans of a blog of a radio news magazine show?!); the second being fans / participants of this project held last year.

Here is a very brief history of when seamed pantyhose was first introduced in the United States. Maybe people who leave comments about stories should do their research first. And yes they did have seamed pantyhose in 1961. The seamless pantyhose is what was first introduced with the introduction of the min-skirt. I know how to do my research. Does anyone else? Sorry Stanman and Gabi...but your comment that you left to my story So You Want To Be A Girl, Do You, was only partly right.

It Seems that now my fic has gone to 5 chapters and is going to more than that, someone has decided to write story set in my Fan-fic universe - im highly honored

If you want to write a fanfic for this universe there are some rules

No more time travel - unless u come up with a good reason
You cant write about any characters i have already mentioned but they can be mentioned as plot if needed
You cant write about the head of duel academy or 3 Egyptian god cards

Everyting else is fair game

Transgender issues in the workplace: HRD’s newest challenge/opportunity
by Debra Davis (2009)

“The purpose of this article is to present insights from a transgender woman to HRD scholars and practitioners, along with all organizational members, to help them understand the myriad of considerations involved in this emergent workplace issue” (Davis, 2009, p. 110).

Well i'm home now after a long tiring trip home!

Finally, the dance is coming to an end. The caller has asked for a Circassian circle, and promised some polkas to round off the evening. I have one more chapter to write and Steph will have come to her destination. Episode 53 should be the final part of my story. Thank you all for your patience and kindness.

A mother and two daughters had their house catch on fire. Most of their possessions were destroyed. They also lost three dogs and nine cats in the blaze. What a disaster*.

Mary knew the younger of the daughters. My cat named Misay knew one of their cats who spent some of their time outdoors. Misay is an indoor cat, but the other cat would come by our garage and Misay would hang out there too waiting for her friend.