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Oldies but Goodies

I have for decades been writing a column titled The Joy of High Tech, which has appeared in print and digital fanzines. I have recently begun rewriting some of the older ones and posting them to DreamWidth, at:

https://stickmaker.dreamwidth.org/

Folks who enjoy technology, science and the history of both might find these interesting.

The next Masks story is coming along slowly, recently reaching 23k words out of an estimated 40k - 50k.

Stickmaker

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Maryanne -- Your Power

Many years ago a person on FM posted something that was quite painful for me.

He said that there has never been a transwomen who he could not spot.

Imagine how devastating that concept felt for someone desperate to pass.

As therapy -- I made that person into a major character in my next story and in the story made him realize how wrong he was.

Just a thought.

Jill

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Unaccounted Gains

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I've started a repost of Unaccounted Gains: Accountancy Can Be Deadly. I said previously that I would repost Book 1 when the new Book 3 was ready, but that is taking longer than expected .... so I'll post Book 1 weekly in order to remind me to work on Book 3!

Of course, the whole book is available on Kindle as well!

Shiraz

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Still here ... sort of

I just wanted to let people know that I haven't abandoned the site, nor the next chapter of The Other Side of Me. I went on vacation a couple of weeks ago and returned home with a bit of depression and a huge pile of Impostor Syndrome. I promise that the next chapter will be out soon, it's already half written. I just needed the extra time to find my voice and get the words flowing again.

Sorry for making anyone waiting on it.

Limbo's (Samantha)

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It's a tragic consequence of our modern world

SamanthaMD commented on a different blog post, "Google is not always your friend." Of course she is right. And I'm using that prompt as a launching point for this little rant. Thanks for your indulgence.

It's a tragic consequence of our modern world that your identity is pretty much up for sale. Here in the US at least our corporate owned government pretty much ensures that anything you do on line is either at risk or has been compromised. Simply connecting your computer to "the net" more or less guarantees some degree of compromise or at least risk of compromise.

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Attention all Anmar fans

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Good day all you who are fond of Penny's Anmarian Universe.

You are probably aware that I maintain all the Appendix information as well as write a few tales there too.
Well, in the lockdown, I turned my attention to those Appendices, thinking that it would be a great opportunity to maybe tidy some things up, streamline others and so on.

BOY - was that ever an enormous task. Far, far larger than I anticipated.

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Focus

So, things have kind of sucked for me and Martin. Things sucked financially before Covid, but the quarantine killed our one small source of income. Martin got offered a good paying government job and was supposed to be getting training for it, but it seems like s/he keeps getting the runaround about when that training will start after making inquiries at every level ad nauseum for almost a month. So things were looking up oh so briefly, but now seem even more frustrating and our financial situation worse than before when we were living on $70 a week.

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new Meagan's Tail up!!!!!!

new Meagan's Tail is up and read away!!!!!!!!!!

please leave a comment we are world building here and need any input

no idea is too crazy or zany during world building time

just remember that in my drow/elf story you all loved the pixies, so I added them in even more because in plans they would be far background characters at best...heck I even added the one as twins!

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The Fall of Kruhl - Mind's Eye

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The Fall of Kruhl - Mind's Eye

By Daniela A. Wolfe



With her brother all but unresponsive and the sorceress’s attacks becoming harder and harder to fend off, things take a turn for the worse for the agent, but hope has not been extinguished just yet.


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Have you ever?

Have you ever had one of those days where absolutely nothing goes right?

I think most people consider 2020 to be one of those years, but for me July 2020 is the culmination of 2020.

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin's husband let us know that she had a massive hemorrhage in her brain, and the doctors had operated twice. More on that in a moment.

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The Suffix -age

Electric potential is also called "voltage" as in the number of volts. Electric current is sometimes called the "amperage". Power, especially electric power, is sometimes called the "wattage". Area when measured in acres is sometimes called "acreage". Have I ever seen "poundage" as in weight in pounds?

So what is "garbage"? There's also "suffrage," by the way. "Universal Suffrage".

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PLEASE I NEED HELP

I'm currently broke. I've begged to have people pay my bills for the last three months and I'm going into at least 2 more months where I'm going to have to beg again. As it stands now, I've got $40 to my name and next month $200 in bills to be paid. If I can't pay them, you won't be seeing or hearing from me AGAIN because I won't have electricity.

I NEED HELP!

Here is a link to my current book:

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Thank you all, again!

Just wanted to thank everyone who reached out to me with my last blog about finding counseling.

I have an appointment on Wednesday with a counselor. I talked with her for a while on the phone this morning. She has worked with trans folk in the past and she was very understanding on the phone. I have a good feeling about this. I'm so glad I'm taking this step.

Thank you all so very much,

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"The Novitiate" by Angela Rasch

There are two versions of this story, the best of which by Angela Rasch. It is sweet and touching. I've read it twice and have not stopped living it over yet.

The other version is in Movie form and I am not entirely sure that I will watch it. I have to examine it first.

Gwen

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Science Experiments that you don't have to try.

I know, my 2nd blog post today. Sorry.

The other day I tried something new. I sliced a bit of skin off my thumb with a mandolin slicer.

My left thumb is, of course, the test bed for all kinds of fun and wonderful scientific experiments.

Several years ago I tried putting a bullet through the same thumb. While the bullet left sensation in this thumb somewhat less than normal, I can say unequivocally after the slicer test that sensation is still there.

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It's all pants

For those not English, "Pants" is not only a reference to underwear — usually men's — but can also can mean: awful or nasty, not pleasant at all.

Today was pants because of pants.

Now, those who know me — although it's been so long since I last posted anything, I may now be no more than a dim and distant memory — I'm not trans. I got into writing TG fiction many years ago because of someone I met at work, but now here's the strange thing about life. I now live in France, where my name sounds like Nicola and because Pen and I are now married, I am her Marie — go figure.

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Things Girls NEVER talk about

Only from a man could the subject line be true. But only in their tiny little brain. Girls may or may not be human depending on who one asks the question. Do girls still iron things? Come on it's not a trick question. Except it is, depends on the girl doesn't it? Way back in the dark ages while holding onto a hot rock warmed by the sun, I was ironing out Errp's lizard skin shift. I said shift because back then we didn't name our body cover. There were some of Errps friends who didn't bother with such things..., I digress.

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Demented Fur Baby

A few days ago, I received, in the mail, from Amazon, a thing that screws onto a water tap outside, where my fur girls can lick it to get their water. I had one before, and my pup took to it like a duck, or a dog, to water.

Unfortunately, my fur girls are a bit older, and don't seem to want to learn how to get water from the thingamajig. They'd much prefer I put a bowl under it, and hold the thing on so their bowl fills up like I'm their personal maid or something. Honest! They're dogs, not cats!

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Butterscotch -15- Pizza on BC, and -21- Waffles on Patreon

It's sort of a Butterscotch feast. In Butterscotch 15, here on BigCloset, Kissy finds out if she's really on a pizza date with Rory.

While in the sneak preview for patrons of chapter 21 on Patreon, Mom and Davey—or is it Kissy?—go out for a waffle breakfast.

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The Shady Post: Plot Arcs

 

The Shady Post
Shadowed's Personal Blog
From the Depths of Her Mind
by:
ShadowedSin
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My thoughts on the world and what is coming about for the future! Expect at least one post from the Shady Place of my mind at least once a week or once every two weeks when I'm busy.

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Sam and Del -7- I Don't Have to Wear Dresses... - On Patreon for Everyone

In Sam and Del 7, poor Sam finds out if he's going to have to wear dresses while play-acting as Samanth in his parents wild scheme to persuade him that he needs to cut his hair. On Patreon for Everyone.

Sam And Del

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Fantastic Four and more

I just want to give a BIG THANK YOU! to Erin, Piper, Jamie, Cat and all the others that make this site happen.

The only time most of the come out from hiding is when they are in dire need of funds to meet the financial obligations to keep the site running for the rest of us. Without their unselfish effort and sacrifice WE would not have this site to read the stories we all enjoy.

If you haven't yet signed up for PATRON (which I find extremely easy and painless), written a check, made a One-Time Gift or purchased a Hatbox Membership please consider doing so.

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New Kindle Book

I mentioned a few weeks back that I pulled my first Center story, Darkest Before The Dawn, off site and decided to publish it on Kindle because I'm broke. I've finally gotten around to doing so. I've opted to drop The Syndicate from the title and decided to call the universe Tainted Waters. I felt it was more appropriate.

US store link: https://www.amazon.com/Darkest-Before-Dawn-Tainted-Water-ebo...

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The Interview Nears Completion

Okay, just a quick update. I've reached the 81k word mark and there are still two chapters left to write. I think the first SoTF book will top out at 92k words, which makes it roughly as long as Twilight. Not the greatest comparison but if you were looking for a good doorstop this book will probably suffice.

A few changes have been made. Yes, there will be more parts with Donna as she is responsible for giving Astra her humanity. Parts with Kerra have also been expanded, and we're going to see more exploration of Ereen itself.

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NO MSPD this weekend

Hey everyone,

Sorry about this, but there won't be a chapter of My Super-Powered Diary this weekend. I've been trying to work on it, and tried to get it ready for yesterday, but between feeling under the weather earlier this week, being really busy, not sleeping again, and my brain being in a fog all week due to another issue, I just haven't been able to get anything written, well not anything fit for posting anyway. Hopefully I'll be able to summon the spoons to at least get Apocalypse Dawn posted on Tuesday, but we'll see how that goes.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

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Fiction isn't too far from the truth

With the right amount of money, live in the right country, or have a very good passport, and find the right surgeons...,
I'm not terribly impressed with what some people do with their bodies. I don't condemn as that would be like the pot calling the kettle black. A lot of people aren't impressed with what I turned out to be either. Let's plow on. Not sure what her thinking is? Whatever she's seeking I pray she finds it. Personally I believe she's fortunate her body is holding together after all the surgeries.

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I Love Games

This got too big to be a reply to a reply in a blog. I hope I'm not breaking too many rules by breaking it out into a new blog entry.

In reply to another blog entry Eric points to game theory research about getting a good solution in reasonable time rather than the best solution on longer time by limiting the problem space. Eric's advice is sound. Most problems are complex, searching a subset for a good enough fit is better than searching the whole list for the best solution. Most of us do this without even realizing that we are.

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Please help me to decide....

I really need help in reigning in what to actually try to work on...another author informed me that I have too many irons in the fire.

I know, in the end it should be my decision...but I think I need a push off the diving board to actually finish at least ONE project before jumping to another.

So...
I’ve prepared a list of titles...and if I could get a comment or two, three, or four...on which one to buckle down on and complete:

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There are lots and lots of stories here

I was once working with a team that was hiring new members. We put out ads in all the right places and contacted a bunch of recruiters and over a week or so we got a few dozen resumes for people who wanted the position. Daunted with the prospect of going through each of the resumes to try and find the best candidate one of the managers proposed that we simply throw half of them away. We were all aghast at this proposal. But he persisted.

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Tell me this is not one of my Drow twins!

Note the video is not cute or cuddly in any way!

from the new amazon "the boys" season 2 preview

tell me that this is not one of the twins Rohanna or Rehanna my Drow dark elves at work! even the bunny at the end fits!

be warned this is violent with a T and bloody..it is the boys tv show after all!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OC5NSRW9Lw

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Transglimpses by Wanda - Bonus Download for $10 Patrons

A bonus for all $10+ (Bronze+) Patrons, a downloadable Epub of Wanda Cunningham's Transglimpses.

Click image to go to Patreon to Download:

Click for Patreon Download

This is an anthology of 14 of Wanda's short stories, including classics like: "Special Ed," "Fortune Cookie," and "Cahoots."

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hanging by a thread

Okay so I've mentioned the rash on my belly, and yesterday I was struggling to reach the spot, I asked my mom to help. When she got close to my groin, I experienced something like being ticklish, only instead of wanting to giggle, I wanted to flinch. since then, I've been very shaky, and I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread. Hugs appreciated.

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Research for story - facial feminization surgery

I'm writing a rather lengthy story (working on it interspersed with Whateley) and I have some questions relating to facial feminization surgery. I've looked up what I can on-line, but I'd like to gather more data.

I've identified the following procedures:
brow reduction, eyebrow lift, hairline alteration, rhinoplasty, cheek implants, lip lift, lip injections/implants (minor amount), chin reshaping, jawline reshaping, tracheal shave. others?

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Developing a headache.

I guess I need to quit banging my head against a wall, rock, or whatever nice, hard surface is available. Looking back over some of the fanfiction I've written, as well as humorous pieces, and some of the comments. "That defies the laws of physics", or whatnot, to which my response is usually, "What part of the words science fiction are we having problems with?"

I guess I expect too much of people anymore.

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Things you don't expect.

Well, since Erin and some of my other favorite authors are starving me, I started watching some YouTube, and when I do that I often do lots of research on the authors, studios, cast and um stuff. I was going to start watching 50 Shades again, but started Twilight instead. Twilight by a Mormon woman, and 50 Shades by a BBC person. Hmmm

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Boy, 16, given estrogen at L.A. juvenile hall... results in breasts

The news article read like a Big Closet story and will certainly result in some new stories. I am posting this because people on this site have an interest in the subject material. We're all in this together, right?

This kid was in custody and was given estrogen to cure his bad behavior; like a 'bad boy to good girl' or a 'forced estrogen/forced femme' premise. "A 16-year-old boy being held at a Los Angeles County juvenile hall developed enlarged breasts after he was prescribed estrogen to treat a behavioral disorder..."

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Can Anybody Help Me? Formatting

Hi to everybody, and in particular senior topshelfers in this closet.
I have a story which I would like to post, but it has a series of images which have captions to them. I could post it as a pdf which I have done in the past with stories that have several images, but Erin tells me that I may be losing readers by doing that. I have tried going on line and using some code to place images right and left to try and wrap text, but it just does not come out right. Can anybody help me with formatting?
Maryanne

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Looking for a story

OK so the story is a kid in a all boys private school. Parents dropped him off and has seen them since being dropped off like 3 years ago. Mother has mental issue due to being attacked and can handle being around her son. Father is international business man.

Kid has been roped to teach the boys to dance for a upcoming dance/ball with the near by girls school.

Kid finds a gown and ends up going to the girls school.

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Small Excerpt of Frozen Core.

Hello out there,

I have an excerpt for you today! This is a story of mine that I converted from 3rd person to 1st person. I really liked this scene so I thought I would share it with you all.

Enjoy!

“Ready?” I asked.

“Three,” Andrew said.

“Two.”

“One!” and we launched the game together.

The box area I was in melted away and was replaced by a grassy field that stretched on for miles. In the distance there was a small hut with a fireplace puffing out little ringlets of smoke. The Scene was Gorgeous.

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A dream with a difference

last night I had a dream with a difference. It wasn't the fact I was apparently taking classes at university and getting lost, it wasn't even the fact that when I went to the cafeteria I realized I didn't have my wallet.

It was the fact that said wallet was in my purse.

Which means that even though I was having a very bad day, I was at least attending as Dorothy, which to the best of my knowledge, has never happened to me in a dream before.

I don't know, that feels slightly hopeful to me.

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I miss books

I've done a lot of reading since the library was closed, both on line and e-books through their web site, but it just doesn't feel the same. I went through it before a couple years ago when my arthritis wouldn't let me handle a real book and I'm very glad to have the other options. It's just that I actually found myself looking at the trash in the grocery store paperback rack. I'm jonesing bad for a good book in my hand.

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How much Peters is too much?

I use Fictionmania to throw out sketches and I have recently been told that as a result I am the largest contributor to that site (by number) knocking our dear Dorothy Colleen off that spot (sorry Dot). But here was the message posted on the board over there:
Posted by vini87874® on 07/03/2020 at 19:17:58
Subject: Mariane Pepers
Message Body:
Ultimamente temos a Mariane tomando conta do fictionmania.

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Life and You Are a Meany

Hiya Everyone
Sorry for the delay in the latest chapter of You Are a Meany. It is finished and I will be putting it up right after this post. . Life has been extremely busy for me and the little amount of time I had to write it was hard to be in the right mind space to do so. Then if I was in the right mind space I had to take care of more important situations.

The only good thing about this space of time in posting is that I did work on the last couple of chapters of the stories also so there should not be as big of a lag.

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Beer or Wine and what Kind?

Your protagonist has been living as a woman for 20 years and has the tackle to make it real. A man that looks a lot like Sam Elliott has taken her to dinner. He's gotten her a very nice Rib Eye, done barely legal with Asparagus, and Mushrooms done just right. What kind of Wine? All I can remember is Gevurtz Antramer 1972.

She's expecting some action.

Gwen

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TG in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model

Seems to be my day for spamming the channel. My appologies to all but a lot of you need confirmation of life is what you make it. If life handed you a bowl of lemons then make lemonade. The one thing I want you to take away from this is no one has to look this beautiful to meet that one place in life where you may find happiness. Yes she's gorgeous but so are all the boys and girls on this channel. It's what is in the heart and soul and if it has this kind of cover then good for her. Accept what life dealt us and work with what we have.

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Fire on the Farm

Fire is non discriminatory as it's an equal opportunist. Had one visit Friday. Really dry spring ans summer, sparks on top the power pole set the grass on fire below. Destroyed a garage, tool shed, a dozen old vehicles, farm equipment, hay, travel trailer, tools, etc. etc. but actually not the most valuable things. The Fire Fighters and I still have our lives. Not to be too caviler about the whole thing, I had nothing but my parents and family when I dropped into this world. Theirs and all my friends love is all I'll take with me when I check out.

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Face App

I'm kind of enjoying FaceApp.

I used to have a sailboat, so being able to set a picture of me, as me, on a yacht, is quite nice.

Of course, my boat was only a 17 footer, but still, it was quite fun. Alas, when I bought the house I have now, I had no place to park it. The only place I could have, would have let the boat be destroyed along with my front yard with cars flying through on occasional visits.

Needless to say, I miss it. There is nothing like sailing.

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Camp NaNoWriMo

Hello out there,

I hope all you readers and writer's week is going well.

To get right into it I joined in on this month's Camp NaNoWriMo. I set a goal of 10k words for the month. My main problem has been that I haven't really been writing like I used to.

Back when I was writing like every day. I was sending everything to a Trans Fiction website like BigCloset and using the feedback I was getting from them to help the story along. I found out that this sort of behavior is not something that publishers really appreciate so I stopped doing it.

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Goodness !!! What a delightful story

I thought I had done this entry earlier but once again my ineptitude with the Computer is confirmed.

I've been reading "Butterscotch" and believe it is perhaps the most delightful and funny TG stories I have ever encountered. I would say it is an intersex story but it remains for the author to confirm that. It is also on Patreon.

Enjoy.

Gwen

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I am not an Author

I am not an Author only a reader who enjoys reading the work of those talented people who post on BC. Every time I go to BC's web site I notice the Hatbox status bar and wonder how few times it has obtained its monthly goal. BC's admin has posted requests asking for us to contribute to help meet the finical obligations that are necessary in running this site. I notice on the left side of the main page there are several options available to us readers to contribute to BC. I have used the "One-TIme GIft" a few times in the past but I am not a fan of PAYPAL so I looked into becoming a PATRON.

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Are you vicarious?

The word "vicarious" is defined on Dictionary.com as "felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others". I think that many writers are being vicarious with their writing. It pretty easy for me to identify with my main characters because my interest in this subject originated with the problems my inter-sexed sister had when her gender problems came to light. Both she and I were very young when it happened but, of course, it made a big impression on me so I remember quite a bit about it and I learned more as time went by.

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Thank You

Thank you to all those people who have taken a look at Collected on Amazon. I really appreciate your time and energy. I worked really hard to make it my best work.

BTW: I am in the process of reworking Terry and the Wildcats, Wildcats 1, Wildcats 2, Wildcats 3, and Wildcats 4.

I also have a new Wildcats 5 and Wildcats 6 that will be added to the entire collection and republished as The Big Book Of Wildcats, all 1,500 pages of Wildcats. The whole thing should be up and available in September and will cost less than two books, at $4.99

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Hello, Again

A few days ago, I posted a blog in which I whined horribly about petty grievances.

I announced, quite pathetically, that I was going to take my ball and go home.

Over the next few days, I received about three dozen comments, PMs, and emails. They were almost universally encouraging and sympathetic. Some rightly called me out for the shortcomings I displayed.

Embarrassingly, I can’t even claim that I had acted out of passion, because I wrote the blog and let it sit for a number of days before posting it.

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waking up shaking

Okay, so It's just after 8 in the morning, and I'm shaking.

See, last night I had one of my "searching" dreams. I was on the campus of a university, and was totally lost. But then I found someone in authority, and let loose a stream of anger - anger at being expected to know things I'd never been told, being left to wander around without a guide or a map.

It was the level of anger I displayed that has left me shaking.

hugs appreciated;

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Better

For some reason, the blog entry I made yesterday hasn't shown. Oh, well.

Naped much of Saturday, went to bed early and slept in a bit on Sunday. Felt a lot better.

Took it easy Sunday, as well, though I did some errands and did a bit of writing on next Masks story. I also napped a lot and went to bed early.

Slept in a bit on Monday. Feeling vastly better. We'll see...

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