New Stories, Updates, and Writerly Chat

Happy December, everyone!

It's that magical time of year here in Georgia where people are buying Christmas trees and wearing short-sleeved t-shirts in the humid rain. (It's been cold some, but I literally just went outside, at night, and was warm enough to wear flip flops.) Anyway, I've got some updates for you if you're a reader, and I've got some things to talk about if you're a writer, too.

First up, I'm super excited to announce my newest works in progress: Violet Men (An Interactive Novel) and The Siren and Her Shark (A Radish Fiction Original)

You can check out Violet Men over on Wattpad. I wanted to try my hand at writing a novel-length story where readers got to choose what the character said and did as they went along. It's been fun so far!

The Siren and Her Shark can be found on Radish. New Episodes release every Thursday and Saturday at 11pm GMT/ 6 pm EST. After each episode releases, you can chat live with me until 9pm EST! Sometimes I may host coin giveaways or sneak peeks for the next episode. Sometimes, I just want to say 'hey', ya know? It would mean a lot to me if you'd come by. ♥

Next up, I'm going to be judging a few fiction contests on Wattpad. Drop by and see if you want to enter any yourself. I'm kind of excited about being accepted as a judge for the Winter Rose Awards 2018. I was also accepted as a participant. I entered "Lucky and the Killer", so we'll see how that goes! (No, I won't be judging my own genre.) ;)

Speaking of contests...my Halloween short story, "Core in the Pumpkin", took home 2nd place in the #Hallotheme 2018 Anthology Contest. Check it out here (if you're in the mood to read about pumpkins in December. I won't judge you...maybe a little.)

"Lucky and the Killer: the Complete Edition" is slated for paperback publication early 2019. I honestly can't wait to see this one in print. It is my longest work yet at over 130,000 words. (My novels are typically around 80,000.) This one should be at least a good 500+ pages!

I appreciate all of your support! ♥ I hope you'll find something good to read in my new stories.

Alright, writers, listen up. I have a heart-felt story to share in the hopes that it will help someone else out there. So, if you look at my stories and my online writing profiles, they're not too shabby, right? Lucky and the Killer (while by no means in the hundreds of thousands or millions) has generated over 13,000 collective reads on both Wattpad and Radish. I've been privileged enough to even be invited to write for Radish. My short story won 2nd place in a contest. People are complimenting my work at times, and it looks like I might have a little bit of talent, but...

I know how easy it is to get down. I know there are a lot of writers out there wondering if they should just stop. Tonight was hard for me. I was very excited about my new story. I still am. I love it, actually. I know that, in time, it will pick up more readers. Still, tonight, when it launched, it had 3 reads. THREE: and one was me--the other, my boyfriend beta-reading champion of the world. No one came to the live chat. I'd hoped they would, but it is a brand new story. That's understandable. The point I'm trying to make? I was sad. I still am a little bit. Am I going to give up? No. I'll tell you why.

There are going to be nights when the ONLY person in your audience is going to be you. The good thing about words? They're immortal. Eventually, they'll find the right people. So, on those nights when it's just you and your words...enjoy it. I first started writing because I liked my characters. I still write because I like them. No amount of views, reads, or chats is going to change that.

I decided I would take those nights to do something special with them, and I challenge you to do the same. On those nights when you don't get very many hits, and you feel like giving up, go find a brand new story that someone was brave enough to share online and compliment the fool out of it. Give another writer that confidence boost you wanted. You may be the reason why they keep going. I've already had one reader keep me going. Thanks, Vee Lozada! I'm lookin' at you, girl! (She write great stories, by the way, check her out on Wattpad @LittleVee.)

Reader or writer, it takes a little bit of magic to be happy in this world. If you can't find your magic, be someone else's.

Crystal ♥ Read, Write, Love.