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I'm on the recovery road

Thanks to all my readers and friends. The rehabilitation hospital people are doing their jobs, I feel a lot better, and hope to start writing soon. I've almost forgotten where I am in my story! So give me a little time to refresh my memory, and start again.

My thanks to Bronwen for keeping everyone up to date.

Hugs, Karen

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A tough few months, a tough few days

As is often the case, things didn't go to plan after my previous blog. I am embarrassed that you haven't seen the level of output from me you might have been accustomed to.

Then, Monday 14th January at 00:45 in the morning, my father died. I can't blame him for much, but his death just makes one more distraction for me.

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I Dream of Jonni -9- Let's Make a Deal - Preview on Patreon

“Wish for some money,” I urged him.

The book told us a lot about what could and couldn’t be done with my magic but mainly it repeated in several ways that I was stuck. I was going to be female and under my master’s orders for as long as seventy years or more.

I didn’t feel nearly as bad about this as I thought I should. The idea of serving Travis by granting his wishes, magical and otherwise, appealed to me on some level I didn’t understand.

Maybe I really had become dumber. Sigh.

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'Cause I Had To Tell Somebody

I just felt like I had to tell this rather than just put it behind me. This last week we buried my next to oldest brother in Arlington National Cemetery. Weather put a monkey wrench in things, no horse-drawn caisson or honor guard marching along side. He did receive a 21 gun salute and there was an honor guard graveside. It was kind of eerie, the blanket of snow covering everything. The cemetery was closed to normal traffic and the snow muted what sound there was. It was a very solemn ceremony.

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about writing stories

I would like to talk about writing for a moment, if you guys dont mind.

See, I have a theory about my stories.

I dont think that writing is like a carpenter making a table, but rather like a woman giving birth.

For I believe my stories have a life of their own.

And my latest story is a good example of what I mean.

Because when I first conceived the idea, it was going to be a horror story.

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"Pleas" - I Want Some More

Over the last few days, there has been some discussion about Hits, Comments, and Kudos.

Years ago, a few authors did an extensive study on Fictionmania about what s seemed to make a story more popular.

They concluded that the single most important factor was story length.

It was suggested in a recent BS blog that there’s a formula of x% of hits for comments and x% of hits for kudos.

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Tommy - The Trials and Tribulations of a Girl?

Sorry, that Tommy is a bit late. But, I've spent the past two days recovering from a computer problem. Luckily I caught, thanks to my computer guru, that my hard drive was about to die (things were running slower and slower) and I've been rebuilding my PC's applications on a new machine. Not a fun job, but that the Great Spirit for good backups.

The next chapter of Tommy should be out tomorrow.

Teddie

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Afterword

I am repeating the afterword to my story "How I Became Crossgender" because I feel this is a better location for discussing questions, I hope it raises. Is Charli(e) crossgender? What is the danger/advantage of a cis-gender person pretending to be crossgender? What should the role of mental health professionals be?

Afterword

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Review: In 'Butterfly,' gender identity is at the heart of Hulu's new family drama

“Butterfly,” a British production premiering Friday on Hulu, is a thought-provoking, emotionally realistic issue drama on the subject of gender identity in young people — well, really, just one particular young person, 12-year-old Max Duffy (Callum Booth-Ford) from Manchester, who would like to be known as Maxine.

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Most Science Fiction is True. :(

I really like reading Science Fiction and T fiction as long as the story is well written and does not beat the T aspect to death.

Archeological and Anthropological research is very interesting, especially in respect to the artifacts of Iran, an Central and South America. Lately it has become abundantly clear that most Science Fiction written in reference to those areas is likely true. "Prometheus" the Movie is especially troubling.

Gwen

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On behalf of Erin

Hi there everybody!

My name is Jamie, and I am BigCloset's personal assistant. Well, Erin mostly, but I help out when I can.

Erin is not feeling very well today, and we have had some bills pop up that had to be paid right then and there. Everybody here in the inner workings of this wonderful site gets thrown a little off when this happens, and Erin does whatever she can to move money around so that we are taken care of.

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The Truth is

I wish I was dead! I just read Shalim IV by Casey Brooke. I loved the story though I did have a problem with it. The Earth gets new planetary members by intelligence work first. By swapping bodies with a member of that society to learn the easiest method of getting them to join. If that doesn't work then it's a force of arms.
The issue I have is more the body swapping in other stories where someone switches bodies with someone to take over their life, I have issue with. Oh, in Shalim IV story, I was not rooting for Earth. Though I love the main character.

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Update on Karen Lockhart - 1.16.2019

I received a report from Karen's cousin Sue today and I'm pleased to report that she is improving in health and has been moved to a rehab hospital. Sue will be taking in her laptop and cell phone on Thursday so she should soon be able to contact her friends again. We can hope that our thoughts and prayers have been answered
Bron

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Comments

Thank you all for the comments. Let me assure you that if I continue to get comments like this, there will be more.

I see many of the authors here begging for comments. I know it is very demoralizing not receiving comments. Many of us fledgling authors need encouragement, not demoralization, so please readers comment more, not just on mine, but on all the stories you like or feel you could help make better. And PM if you don't want it in public or it might embarrass the author. You might make a friend, and you can never have too many friends.

Hugs, Cheryl

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A Sequel to Prom Changed Everything?

Almost two years ago I published a little book called Prom Changed Everything. It was, honestly, a passion project that initially I hadn't even thought about publishing. Back during those days and long before them, while I loved to write I never considered myself good enough to actually publish. Whether that was due to self-esteem issues, not feeling what I wrote was anywhere good enough quality to consider publishing (which in all honesty most of it probably wasn't), or I simply didn't see a means to accomplish it in the first place, I held off on even attempting such a feat.

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Cheerleader 7 College: Fresh Spring #1 New Release #1 Book on Amazon Teen&YA LGBT

Cheerleader 7 College: Fresh Spring

Almost 90,000 words

The seventh book in the Lee Corcoran series was released a few weeks ago.
I want to thank everyone who has read the book and pushed it to #1.
I have gotten a lot of good feedback on the book and the series as a whole.

This book follows Lee Corcoran, a freshman in college during his spring semester at the University of Michigan whose life is not going totally as planned.

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Burning Bright

Every time I post a new book on Kindle, I have a lot people asking me on site what happened to this story or that. I thought I'd get in front of this time and tell everyone that I unpublished Burning Bright from the site because I just put it up on Kindle. I'll try to have a link for it up as soon as its officially published.

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So, I posted another story

It's been so long since I posted here, I had to re-learn how!

As my two fans may have heard, I suffered a stroke in Oct 2015, leaving me with limited abilities on my right side. Typing is now limited to my left hand. Since I was a linux and Oracle admin it meant the end of my career, which was pretty hard to accept.

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Bobbi Swan, a pioneer in drone technology and sexual identity, 1930-2018

Bobbi transitioned at age 72 - RIP

Bobbi Swan, whose secret lives explored the frontiers of drone technology and sexual identity, died Dec. 26. She was 88.
Born Robert Rowland Schwanhausser in Buffalo, N.Y., he was publicly recognized as an expert on military surveillance drones, which he helped develop at San Diego’s Ryan Aeronautical and its successor, Teledyne Ryan.

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Helping BC & writing milestone for me....

Just posted the Chapter 53 of Time on My Hands, this is the 1 year anniversary of it's start. I hope you've been enjoying it.

Second item is I started a part time job driving school buses this week. It's been rough getting up early for the morning run after 2 1/2 years of retirement & sleeping in.

As I've promised to Erin, I'm going to double my Patron donation using part of the pay. I'm doing my best to support BC and urge others to do the same.

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Welcome to Magee's

As I said in my last blog entry, I've been asked on occasion to post a story here on Big Closet that I'd posted elsewhere.

I recently was looking at a story that I wrote some years ago that was set in a neighborhood bar called "Magee's Irish Pub." The story included some fancy layout that gave the folks at FictionMania a bit of a problem.

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Another Nag

So where are the comments?

I posted my story "Choices" about a week ago. It's an old story, I admit, but I have been asked several times in the past, to post stories here that were already posted elsewhere.

Some years back, I was asked to write the 8,000th story for FictionMania. Instead of one long stories, I wrote right short one. "Choices" was one of those eight. It was an attempt to write a TG version of the classic tale "The Lady or the Tiger."

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Artificial Intelligence and Some Questions For Y'all

I’m working on NeverWorld, a sci-fi future story and I’m trying to design an Artificial Intelligence that would narrate part of my story and be the one who runs NeverWorld, an alternative interactive world.

I've written down some questions and hoping to start a discussion here, if anyone has the time. Here are my thoughts.

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The Cynthia Chronicles Time Line

I have received several suggestions lately to create an index or a list showing the proper order for the stories in “The Cynthia Chronicles.” Quite frankly, I don’t have the skill to put the stories in the proper order that might show in a side bar. I also create a problem by not necessarily writing the stories in chronological order. I did, however, create a time line in order to keep track of events in the series. Sometimes I catch temporal errors, sometimes I don’t.

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Further update on Karen/Kevin

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry to report that the news on Karen Lockhart (Kevin) is not good. He is still in Intensive Care in hospital. After a brief time out in a general ward he had to go back to ICU. As before, your prayers and thoughts are appreciated. He knows that his friends in BC are thinking of him, and appreciates the good wishes you are sending.

Bronwen

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Chilling Experience

Balmoral is the last story I published.

I was re-reading it to provide a diversion, and had gotten to a place in the story where the Heroine of the story, a military combat Veteran, is sending a cryptic message to friends that she has served with in military actions in the Middle East. These friends had a very private secret code they used to get around red tape that prevented their smooth functioning of their duties. It was clear to our protagonist at the time that they were about to be attacked by the bad guys.

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What should I do?

I've been busy (slowly) writing a story and with real life but I promise that I will indeed write the next chapter in Neko Necro and the follow up sequel to Soap. But in the meantime I was wondering if I should separate the stories in my double short story collection. Since it would affect you readers, I thought the decision to should be left up to you. Would it be easier separating them into their own posts so you can read the story you want without having to scroll past the one you don't? Or is it fine as is and continue this with other short stories in the future.

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Virtually Twisted - The Stuff of Nightmares

Please click here to read this week's part. Click here to read both parts.

Jim's dreams take a rather disturbing twist as he grapples with the question, "Who is my father?"

Second part is up! This one's almost double length.

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More Lies Bundled in Half Truths

They have such a weak hold on their own sex, someone else changes and they become fanatical. Most of us have read the lies and disinformation spewed forth as research, medical and scientific studies. Which is basically no research and a repeat of flawed data gleaned from newspapers or other sources. All from those who have never researched or met anyone transgendered but are a self proclaimed authority on all things mental and physical pertaining to those who are trans.

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the history of Solomon's Test

I hope you guys don't mind, but I'd like to give a little background on my story, Solomon's test.

See, the story is actually the 2nd oldest story I have published here.

(The first, if you're curious is called "Six Forty-Five")

See, way back in my teens, I started fiddling with the idea of becoming a writer, and wrote down some story titles I felt I could expand into full stories. And, as I had recently become a fan of super hero comics, one of those ideas involved creating a hero of my own.

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Far out

I just looked at my account and I am nearly at 2 years of being a member on this site and it shocked me for a second.
I love this site and the people that support it.

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Dresses, Doctors, Extra Lbs.

Anyone been to the doc lately? It was only a checkup, how complicated can that be? I knew I had gained a few pounds. I mean 135 to 140 is my fighting weight. Already tried that dress a few days ago that looked so damn hot. Okay, maybe a few years..., more than a few. Hey, it's a woman's right to lie about her age and her weight. A 151 lbs means I'm carrying 11 more than my top. Figure the percentages and it gets scary. That's 12 percent of my "normal" weight. Now we are getting there on what those extra pounds really mean.

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So many stories!

Holy cow!

Thank you SO much everyone who's already chipped into the new contest! Wow! I've already got a ton of stuff to read, and I still haven't finished all the entries from the LAST contest (sorry Angie!)

Y'all're all awesome :)

Melanie E.

PS: Call it a bit of ego, but I was thinking of running a Henry Harrelson's Custom Fit Boots contest for March if there was enough interest: otherwise I'd come up with something else. Opinions?

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Bob Arnold Zapped missing chapters (Found thanks)

I've just read and fallen in love with Bob Arnold's Zapped. Unfortunately the last few chapters seem to be missing.

There is a comment that the remaining chapters are on his stardust site, however the site is under construction. Is the site expected to come back up, or does anyone know where I can find the final chapters?

Any help is appreciated.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/comment/422912#comment-422912
http://www.stardustr.us/zapped

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Virtually Twisted - First Part

Please click here to read.

Jim Rumsfield always believed he was regular teenage boy, but when he undergoes a twist he discovers he is anything but ordinary.

Those of you who follow my stories and blogs know I've been talking bout a rewrite for Virtually Twisted for years. I began writing it a number of years ago, but I set it aside in favor of other projects. Now I've picked it back up and today I have begun serializing it on my website.

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Someone To Just Hold Me

Read Angela's story about the big juicy Football player and the effeminate boy. Gosh, I hope they get themselves sorted.

Somehow the story hooked me into one of those teary mindsets, you know, the ones you could break out of if you wanted to. It's only about 1:30 AM here and I think I just want to wallow in my misery for a while. Yeah, just be a sloppy, weepy, pathetic old tranny that most just wish you would just shut up or die.

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As a new year begins, I'm lost in memories. Please read.

I'm sitting here now, lost in memories of a life changing week at the Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta Georgia in 2009. Having reached the ripe old age of 72, I find myself remembering times and people and events there and in my life.

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New Shadowsblade up! for the NEW YEAR!

New story up and we might do something different with this one over the next year or so?

as the lights fade!MUUAHAHHAHAHAHAH!the crazed Drow laughs out while steepling her fingers and then starts stroking her hairless lap cat while siting in her neo-age chair!...

Have fun....the shadowy darkness says

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Update Time

Ok, so not too long ago I made a post on here talking about my struggles i’ve been going through. Since then I’ve built my confidence back up and am doing a lot better. I have some very weird children, they HATE meat. But will eat more fruits and vegetables than I can. I’ve actually given up trying to get them to eat meat and have started giving them other foods to compensate for the lack of vitamins from them not eating meat. They also take vitamins twice a day to supplement their diet.

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The Magic Flute Redo

Been listening to Mozart's "The Magic Flute" being performed by the MET in English. Two and a half years ago I published my version of "The Magic Flute" on BCTS. I called it "Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight". I imagine there are many out there who haven't read it. I thought it was very well received for an SRU based story. It is many stories wound into a main theme of young lovers solving a puzzle based on an old interactive computer game, "The Colossal Cave Adventure Game" also known by other similar titles. I think it is a lot of fun, and very happy.

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bad case of the nasties today

I fight a lot of nasties.

Today's nasty is called "Dorothy, you're a burden - when you aren't an outright hazard - to those who care about you. Best thing you could do for them would be go away or lock yourself up"

So if you got anything nice to say to me, today might be a good day to say it.

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Looking for a story about I think Mars I think

I'm looking for a story how about I believe John Carter and Mars. It starts off for the relative (I believe a nephew) coming to read the journals of relative (I believe a uncle), about his fantastic life on another planet, there is something about running into aliens and is put into an arena to fight, heard about one of these aliens helping him but she keeps getting branded for making mistakes. There is also a princess handsome bad people chasing them around.

If anybody has any ideas please let me know and thank you so much.

Willow

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The Temporary Dormancy of Hell (for me, anyway),

Hell is over with another year, finally. In the last six weeks was the birthday of my late partner. This was followed a few weeks later by the anniversary of her death. This year it was compounded by the lack of antidepressents due to the lack of money to pay for them. I've really not been a nice person to be around.

Happy Fuckin' Thanksgiving and Merry Fuckin' Christmas.

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Help for Contest

Melanie (Rasufelle) has announced a contest to start next week.

It is a serial story contest.

I don't write serials but thought I'd give it a try.

Could someone please tell me the basic mechanics for posting a serial story, versus a standalone story.

For example, how do you get the links set at the end of a part so that the reader can easily go on to the next installment?

Any other advice would be appreciated.

Jill

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Poll Results & My Plans

This blog was originally posted on my website.
You may view the original poll post here.

First, I'd just like to thank everyone who participated in the previous poll. It's been a couple weeks, okay well, more like four, but who's counting? Before I discuss my plans, why don't we take a look at the poll results?

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Dealing with the dark side

A discussion inside Wildcats 4 has touched on a topic that I thought others might want to weigh in and share their opinion.

The topic of whether a young adult novel should deal with a harsh or a gentle reality. The thought that dealing with sex, drugs, and violence should be dealt with or avoided so as not to become an influencer (love that word, BTW).

How do you approach these topics knowing full well that kids read coming of age stories and use them as bibliotherapy (look that one up)?

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It's Santa!

I guess I've stated enough in various posts, PMs and in my stories, that I bear a resemblance to a certain white-bearded jolly old man. And I have had small children, especially this time of the year, run up to me and tell me that they have been a good boy or girl this year, along with rattling off their Christmas wish list, and that is without the red coat and hat!

I also happen to have been given a heavy weight jacket several years ago. So several years ago I began wearing the red jacket along with a Santa hat to work. Thinking what the heck, if you look the part OWN IT!

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