My first blog entry on Top Hat.

I have posted the first chapter of Volume 3 of Footprints in the Sea on here and the full Volume will be on Amazon Kindle later in the week. I won't be posting the entire work here but I will post further sample chapters in sequence, probably as far as chapter 6.
I have continued the chapter numbers from where volume 2 ended which means chapter 1 of Vol 3 appears as Chapter 46.

Starting soon, Bonnie and Melody will be joining a group of teenage magical creatures at a brand new school:

The magical youth training house AKA: M.Y.T.H. School.

Mundanes who go near will see the school name as the Micheal Yosef Tomas-Howe alternative school

And I am opening the school up to other authors. If you have an idea for a magical creature story that could be set in the school, please let me know!

I am taking suggestions for the name of the school that Bonnie and Melody will be attending in the sequel. What would you call a school for magical creatures?

UK boy students are literally "skirting the rules" as they wear skirts to school.

In protest against the "no shorts" policy in their school's dress code, 5 boys took it upon themselves to skirt the rules and appear in class wearing skirts borrowed from girls at the school. After being sent to isolation (detention in the US) for their legs being too hairy, they shaved their legs for the next go-around.

Next day, there were 50.

One hundred more are expected to follow suit, er, skirt, tomorrow as temperatures soar.

In terms of longevity, it seems my series on the trials and tribulations and occasional triumph of Cathy Watts, other wise known as Lady Cameron or the Dormouse Lady, has become something of a feature on BC, which I think readers only give kudos or make comments out of sympathy for the poor deluded author and her two cats - the fact that she talks to them (the cats--who else?) demonstrates beyond doubt that she's either barmy or a witch or even a barmy witch. In real life she's neither, or so deluded she doesn't notice.

I've been kind of MIA for the past month or so, haven't had time to do hardly anything but work, take care of my oldest daughter and prepare for my custody hearing last week. As I had mentioned in a previous blog, I was divorced three years ago from a 15 year marriage with three daughters. Due to my circumstances (transitioning and court being held in Mississippi) my life has been hell. Quite literally hell.. On the initial separation my ex had gotten angry, extremely angry and for almost two years I had almost no contact with my daughters.

I have to apologise to those of you who read my works. There's been a lot going on recently and I haven't ben producing as much as I would wish to. Partly this is real-life distractions, like the Evil Twin grand-daughters (tm), household matters, a short-notice holiday (vacation) in Cornwall and, of course, it is just too hot!

It's been another gap between chapters in the River saga. I see that some of my fans are getting worried. You can relax. There is one chapter half written, and I hope to finish it this weekend. On Wednesday next week I will officially be a retired person, and can focus on my story. River will try to get back to a weekly schedule, and I have a couple other stories on my hard disk that might be completed as singles or short chapters.

Sorry for not getting anything out to you for a while, but real life has been throwing up obstacles.

On this blog I just write out my thoughts so I am going to start this one by saying I hope I do not come off as trivial for I loathe the two concepts which are on my mind. While I am loathing them now how much I had to deal with them the past month and they are platitudes and pleasantries.

Platitudes most of the time to me are people saying something for they think they need to say something. They are to fill an uncomfortable silence. Instead of having the silence and saying something which actually has some weight and is relevant to the situation, people just want to move on.

I can't remember exactly when it was that I started writing TG fiction, but it must be coming up on twenty years ago (I removed fifteen stories from Storysite in 2003).

Hey folks

As you might imagine things are a bit weird here in Gods Own atm, in an attempt at some normality I've posted you a new Gaby chapter today.

Sorry, work and life has kept me from writing lately.

Chapter 10 takes its title from the song "Had to Grow Up" from the album "Life" by Aselin Debison,

While technically the song's lyrics have nothing to do with the story...if I could find a way to write lyrics based on the storyline...I think it would work.

Story note: Some parts of the the story are true...such as the part about the truck parked in the country...that did happen and we never did find the screw that was removed from the brake light casing.

In March I suddenly became very ill. Chained to my recliner, unable to move for 5 weeks. Taking Oxy-codine for the pain for 5 weeks and then T3s and Prednizone for another three weeks. Many Dr. appointments, tests and scans later, they still don't know what caused my illness. Unfortunately ALL of my writing ceased and now my time is spent catching up with RL.
Ideas and adventures will hopefully be flowing and posting soon.

Again sorry for the sudden disappearance.

A.A.

It is false dawn, thirty minutes before the sun begins to lighten the world. In twenty minutes the true dawn will begin which is ten minutes before the tip of the sun touches the edge of the horizon.

I haven't been around much lately, major health issues. So it seems like every time I log on something has changed. It was really a mess this last time and it took a lot of backing and forthing to get things looking halfway normal. Somewhere along the line the righthand column that lists all the other author's work has dissappeared. You know, when you are reading an author's story it will have the rest of that author's work listed on the righthand column. Gone. I also seem to have acquired a perm. link to Laura's Playground that I'd like to get rid of.

Just wanted to give people who liked the start of my Noise universe that I had another idea come to me for a character. This may or may not be a one-off, I'm vacillating on whether he will end up substantially weaved in or not. He fits in perfectly with the spirits concept though this will definitely be intense.
I've got the ending mapped out, now I guess I just need to think backwards.

I was going through my files today and came across a folder I clearly hadn't looked in for a few years. I have six unpublished chapters which I will put together as a single story, it won't be a Book 2 but more of a conclusion to the existing book.

Tammy, meanwhile, is taking a break while I think about some new stories.

Shiraz

I apologize for posting the chapter as a snippet. I should have waited until I had it ready

I still don't think it's ready
But. I have updated it

Your Internet Connection is Not as Fast and Strong as you Think

The internet is a powerful tool which has been used to enhance and enrich the life of so many people. Each and every person who is reading this sentence right now is doing so because of the net. I use it to phone my father so we can stay connected even with me living thousands of miles away it is cheap and easy for us to talk at any time. People use the web for so much and I only really going to touch on one part of how it betters our lives; how we use our internet connection to make personal connections.

To help tide everybody over till the next chapter of Unicorn is finished, I give you guys a little short story that came to me today.

I mention in another posting that my mom passed away three weeks ago tomorrow. I was talking to a friend today and he brought up last words. He asked if I was able to make it to my mom’s bedside to say my last words to her before she passed away. I told him I was not. He gave his condolences that I was not. I told him that it was no big deal.

To everyone who have offered their condolences and support over the last day.

A whole day, I'm sure it will get better but not quickly.

Mum was heading towards 80 in October, she has had health issues for 20 years however this was totally unexpected. A heart attack due to clots on her lungs - they fought for 4 hours but in the end there was nothing more to do.

She died without ever regaining consciousness @ 1.30 after a final heart failure.

My mum has just collapsed and is heading to hospital - it's very serious. Don't know what's going to happen, I could be absent for some time with associated lack of posting.

1) You know, it's often said that almost EVERYTHING tastes like chicken. If that's truly the case, one has to wonder: Just WHAT does chicken taste like? I mean, you could say it tasted like itself, but that's a poor point of reference, in my opinion, to have something defined recursively like that.

2) Mathematical Proof that Women Are Evil:

OK, most people know that to acquire a good woman takes both time and money. In other words, woman is a PRODUCT of time and money, or mathematically:

WOMAN = TIME x MONEY.

Before I get into my rant I am going to do a full disclosure. I have written a story with people I knew in it. Before I even wrote the story I got the permission of all the people who I was going to put in it. I gave them final edit on what I wrote about them and I did not contribute any actions to most of them. The one friend I did contribute actions to was more than fine with it and how much I worked with her while writing the story I told her she was co-author. She decline for she felt like all she did was give the ok to what I wrote.

If you buy anything from Amazon via a link here at BCTS, we make a small commission. And especially on DopplerPress books for which we get between 11% and 74% of the purchase price. But all purchases made at Amazon, of anything from ant paste to zymurgy tablets, in the 90 minutes after clicking on a link here, pay us between 2% and 10% (average about 4%) of the purchase price. It's all good. :)

So here's some links to some of our recent books:

Once upon a time, a mason decided to build himself a house. He set about buying the bricks, the mortar, and all the necessities he thought he would need, then set to work.

The mason toiled night and day on his manse, making sure everything was just right. Finally, after over a month, his dream home was finished and ready for him to move in to.

As he was cleaning up from the construction, he happened to see a lone brick just hiding in the grass. Being meticulous, he thought he had purchased just enough bricks to finish the house, and was surprised to find one left over.

I want to apologize for not having the 3rd chapter of "The Seven Deadlies" out in a prompt manner for those of you who are reading and really enjoy it. I'm one of those who is still in a bit of a snit missing a certain author's stories though hers have been a long, LONG time ago so I can empathize. Just know I am trying.

There has been a change in me.

Maybe it has been there for a while, but I finally noticed it on Sunday before church.

To understand this change, you have to understand how SCARED I was going out in public in feminine clothes when I started my transition. EVERY time was nerve wracking terror just to step outside my door.

And then, before church on Sunday, I walked over to a convenience store to pick up a paper and as I walked in my pretty dress, I realized - I wasn't afraid anymore.

Pretty neat, no?

every damned month for help in keeping Top Shelf open and running smoothly! It pisses me off more than I can say and it frustrates me beyond anything else in my life and it hurts me that, because of a lsck of funds, Erin is reduced to not paying people that NEED to be paid and has bankrupted herself in the process of providing us with this wonderful place!

This is a fictionalised account of real life. The author has a transgender daughter. It had very good reviews in the 'i' newspaper and on Amazon. I haven't read it - yet - but I'm sure I will soon.

It's available via Amazon so remember to buy it through BC so Erin gets the pennies.

Hi well finally completed the first part. I had the help of a very patient editor and proofreader this time.This time the story is a little longer but does flow a lot better. I'm sure that there are still some errors there. Please let me know what you think.

The title is as above.

Cheryl XXX

OK, I'm a little late with the posting. Inspiration hit me just now. Please give today's parable a read if you are able. I think it's one of the best I've written so far.

Haylee V

I have just been notified, ICE is now available on Amazon as a Kindle eBook and as a paperback.

Please go through Big Closet if you are going to be great people and buy this book (in either format), as Erin and co need all the extra income they can get.
The link for amazon.com is here - ICE
The link for amazon.co.uk is here - ICE

I've just inched across another milestone: my first story to reach 10,000 hits, "John's Living Nightmare", just inched across today. It's the story with by far the most views, although very low (0.72%) kudoage.

2nd: The first four parts to "A Bikini Beach Summer" with over 5000 hits.
3rd: "BB: A Boy's Visit" with over 4000 hits.
4th: "The Family Council" inched over 3000 hits two or three weeks ago, IIRC.
5th: "Our Daughter's Prom Date" might reach 3000 hits in a few weeks.

Just a bit of trivia for y'all.

I'm two for two now... Heh. Heh. I commented on a post by Erin, and as soon as I went back to the home page, my parable popped up as a "Random Solo". I just posted it, too. Gotta quit doing that. Too spooky... I'll be posting the Parable for yesterday in a few minutes (editing it now). Look for the Sunday's parable around noonish, and the 8th's around 6 pm, EST. That will catch me up for the month of June, I hope.

Haylee V

Saw this really strange cartoon on Canadian television, and discovered it was available on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkU5KIxC3hU

Dawn

I read a series here once about Sherlock Holmes. Dr. Moriority turned Sherlock into a young woman

While The Wildcats story ends with Chapter Thirty next week, I'm having too much fun writing this tale to just let it go.

I'm in the process of rewriting the first thirty chapters and using our great team of editors to make it the best read possible. As I write, I'm adding chapters, more characters, and more details.

This will be given to Erin to publish on Amazon/Kindle. I want to support her efforts by giving any money to my team and Erin.

I hope to write a Jessica Jade story and many more stories about the Wildcats. Promise, LM

Okay, this may seem like a silly question.

I often go into my user profile to click TRACK to see if any new comments have been made on my stories, stories I have commented on, or blogs I have commented on too.

Today, like on other occasions, I see in red 'Updated' and no new activity in that story or blog in the way of comments.

When there is no activity as in new comments or edits I have made to a story I have written and I see a red 'Updated,' what was updated?

For example, I saw it on my Wonder, Woman? story.

AuP

Possible Spoilers

I admit, that I write everything to music. I'm either listening to it to drown out the voices in my head (...that may be a bit TMI) or I'll use the song as a "soundtrack" for the chapter. "I Am Rosemary's Granddaughter" uses chapter titles taken from Aslein Debison's albums "Homeward Bound" and "Life"

The video for "Life" could be considered the secondary "theme" of the book.

OK, I don't know if anyone's been watching America's Got Talent, but if you didn't catch the end of last week's episode, you missed a truly remarkable performance by a deaf 29-year-old singer named Mandy Harvey.

Here's her GOLDEN BUZZER performance: --> Golden Buzzer and the song she sang (an original), with lyrics: --> Try

Not for the first time, I have been reminded of the value of friends.

Thanks to several friends, I cried some tears, and then began the long slow slog out of darkness. I finally realized I was indulging in self-pity as well as self-punishment, and neither is healthy - or warranted.

To get myself further back from the brink, I decided I needed a distraction, and so went to see the movie Wonder Woman, which was excellent.

My deepest thanks to all who sent me messages of support.

Huggles for each and every one of you.

Breast Massage = Growth

We had a discussion lately whether breast massage will make them bigger. I’m living proof it works and I wish I wasn’t. The old adage “be careful what you wish for” bit me in the posterior.

By age six I was driving tractors by myself. The car or pickup my brother and I worked as a team. One of us stood in the seat and steered and shifted (stick shift) The other sat on the floorboard working the clutch, brakes, and gas peddle.