New Beginnings Chapter 28

Hello my friends,
still there following along?
I know my story shifted somewhat now but I hope you still enjoy it. As Anna and Shane face challenges they can't control anymore it gets difficult for them to stay strong for each other.
I give you Chapter 28 of New Beginnings. Thanks for reading and coming along so far with Anna and Shane.
I appreciate you so much,
Hugs, Dani
Table of Contents TOC NB

In/Exhale Continues

Hey, everyone! I'm sorry I had nothing for you last week... It was a very difficult week for me. I feel like maybe I've bitten off a bit more than I could chew. I'm really hoping that I can keep up and not have too long of gaps for you guys, but I have my limitations, sadly. So please bear with me and be patient. I appreciate it!!

Previously on In/Exhale: Kai and Jon went to Omaha to visit Harbinger Clinic. Jon has convinced Kai to voluntarily commit himself in a couple days, despite Kai's reservations about the hospital being too good to be true. They've returned home and Jon is extremely worried about how bad his brother has gotten. He asks Renee to help him keep Kai safe.

This week on In/Exhale: Renee and Kai finally reunite after the weekend apart. Kai is stressing about his dinner at Frankie's house, among other things. Jon finds the tape of their mother in some of Kai's boxes in preparation for moving to Vicky's and decides to watch it. What the tape reveals is even worse than Jon could have imagined.

Next time on In/Exhale: Kai goes to dinner and meets Frankie's parents, but something happens that he never could have anticipated.

February 11, 2001 - Part II

Thanks again for your patience, everyone. I'm really hoping to have an episode of Love UnSeen for next week, and definitely another installment of I/E the week after next.

-CA

PS: If you need to catch up, check out the Table of Contents. Or, if you'd like to try reading my other story, try Love UnSeen's Table of Contents.

The New Boyfriend -- Update!

Thanks to everyone who commented on my new story, The New Boyfriend!  It's just a short one, but I'm so glad you're enjoying it.  This is part 2, from David's point of view:

Part 2: David

And for those of you who missed it, here is Part 1: Ariel.

New Beginnings Chapter 27

Hi my dear readers,
it's time for another chapter of NB. I know I probably scared you last week with the revelation of Katrina. I didn't have as much time to edit this week as I wanted to but unfortunately I had a kind of rough week facing my own challenges .
So, Anna and Shane are literally getting caught in an storm and they try to hang on as good as they can. Follow along as they face yet another challenge. I give you Chapter 27 of NB and I thank you for reading and coming along.
You all mean a lot,
Hugs, Dani

The New Boyfriend

Hi all!  This is a little short story I wrote.  It'll be about three parts.  Please let me know what you think!

The New Boyfriend

Chapter 1: Ariel

David is nervous with a capital N. 

I’ve seen him nervous before but never quite this nervous.  He’s clutching the steering wheel with his left hand so hard that all the blood has left his knuckles.  I can see his teeth grinding together and he hasn’t spoken a word in the last twenty minutes.  The pop station we’d been listening to has mostly turned to static as we crossed state lines ten minutes ago, but David hasn’t even seemed to notice until I finally reach out and change the station, allowing Maroon 5 to blast through the car.

“Oh,” he says, smiling sheepishly.  “Thanks.  I… I’m a little distracted.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” I deadpan.

David glances at me out of the corner of his eye.  “I’m just a little nervous.  It’s not every day that I meet my girlfriend’s parents.”

“So?” I say. “I told you, they’re nice.”

Well, my mom’s nice.  My dad can be… intense.  But David doesn’t need to know that.  We don’t need to make things worse.

“And they know?” he says.  “They know the whole situation?”

“Yeah, they know you’re a teacher.” I wink at him.  David teaches math at the local high school.  That’s how I met him—through my friend Cindy, who teaches at the same school.

“Ari…” he sighs.  David’s not in a playful mood right now.  “You know what I mean.”

“They absolutely know,” I say.  “When I called them, I said to them, ‘Mom, Dad, I am bringing home my disabled boyfriend.  He’s disabled, you know.’”

Good news/Bad news

Bad news: There is no update for Our Choices today. I'm so, so sorry! Maybe next week neither, I do not know. Currently life is pretty crazy and... huh. End of next week it will return to normal. Maybe. Or potentially change forever. Yes. Crazy, right?
So good news: As I tend to procrastinate/freakout/losemyself/notsleepatall/wanderaroundincheyennewyoming when deadlines are approaching, I whipped up this short story… It's part of a larger WIP that may never be finished (most of it only exists in my head anyway) but maybe will... Treat it with caution, I had zero time for editing, I'm not in any state to even tell you if I like it and I may rewrite and rewrite this scene a hundred times before it ends up in the original work. But for now I thought I just give you a bit of porn, to pass the time. So in a nutshell, this is M/M and pretty explicit. Have fun with Limits!
Throw your criticism at me! And your love! Thanks :)

Lovis
(of course that thing is part of The Secret Stash) 

The Best Man: Now Available as an eBook!

So a while ago, I was posting a story called The Best Man, about bride-to-be Kirby who becomes attracted to her fiance's best man John (a quadriplegic).  I posted a bunch of parts, but I got stuck and eventually stopped writing.  But because everyone was so encouraging, I promised I'd try to keep working on it and eventually finish it.  Well, I finally finished it!

The Best Man is now available on Amazon!  I spent a bunch of time editing it and also added a TON of devvy stuff at the beginning, so if you do buy it, please read from the very beginning.  And hopefully, you will find the ending very satisfying.  Just as a reminder, here is the original chapter 1.

Buy it today!

New Beginnings Chapter 26

Hello NB friends,
wow, this week went by so fast, especially with the holiday yesterday. Hope everyone in the US
had a great 4th July  Because we have dogs we escaped all the fireworks and spent a day at the coast.

Anyhow, I do have another chapter ready for you and give you Chapter 26 of NB. And unfortunately
Anna and Shane do not get their HEA yet, too many things are going on and need to be overcome.

Thanks to everyone reading and commenting, I appreciate my readers very much, you do mean a lot to me and I am very glad to be able to share this with you.
Hugs, Dani
Table Of Contents TOC New Beginnings

In/Exhale FINALLY Returns! Happy 100th Episode!

Happy 100th Episode!

It's baaaack!

I'm so sorry for the unexpectedly long hiatus. I can't promise that the upcoming weeks will be smooth sailing, but I'm going to do everything I can to try to avoid taking more than a week or two off here and there if at all possible.

#

Previously on In/Exhale: Kai and Jon went to visit Harbinger Clinic in Omaha, an expensive private psychiatric hospital that Jon and Dr. Miller had picked out while Kai was sick as an alternative to JMH. Kai's mental illness has been getting worse: he's become suicidal, he's not eating, his panic attacks are more frequent, and the night before he and Jon were to leave for the trip Kai took off, blacked out, and almost got himself killed if Nikki hadn't been there to pull his ass out of the fire. Despite being better than they could have hoped, Kai remains wary of Harbinger and refuses to stay even though he knows he needs it. Meanwhile, Dr. Miller visited County House to get Kai's records and discovered that Kai had been sexually abused.

This week on In/Exhale: Picking up where we left off, it's Sunday. Jon and Kai are in their hotel in Omaha. Jon's own health is beginning to falter with all the stress. He's becoming increasingly concerned that he may have to put his relationship with his brother in jeopardy in order to protect Kai's life.

Next time on In/Exhale: Back in Janesville, Renee and Kai finally reunite after the long weekend apart, but not everything is all roses and kittens. Kai's particularly anxious about his upcoming dinner with Frankie and his new adoptive parents, as well as trying to manage long enough to make it to Valentine's Day with Renee in a few days.

February 11, 2001 - Part I

#

Thank you so much for all your patience and support. The past six months have been so difficult for me, between losing my father so suddenly and getting even sicker. Sometimes Kai and my lives parallel even more than I would have liked!

I can't promise we'll see each other next week, but we will definitely return with the next episode in two weeks. Maybe I'll be able to sneak in an episode of Love UnSeen in between. It'll depend how I'm feeling.

As always, I appreciate your comments and suggestions for both stories.

Enjoy,

-CA

PS: If you need to catch up, check out the Table of Contents. Or, if you'd like to try reading my other story, try Love UnSeen's Table of Contents.

PPS: The picture is one artist's rendering of a young Kai.

Between the Pages: Chapter 11

Good morning! Here's chapter 11 of Between the Pages! Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and following along--it makes me so happy! And thank you to everyone who comments too. I love getting your feedback...even if I am crap at responding to comments...*cringes*.

I probably won't be able to post for the next two weeks as I'm most likely going to be moving (yes, "most likely"...it's a long story lol). So (if this is allowed?) if anyone needs Mondays for the next two weeks, take 'em!

Happy belated Canada day to any Canadians on the blog, happy early Fourth to any Americans, and happy Monday to the rest of you folks! :-D

Oh! Here's an updated Table of Contents too.

The New Boyfriend, Part 2: DAVID

Holy shit, Mr. Rhodes is tall.  Not just tall—huge.  The guy’s a fucking giant. I’d be intimidated by him in the best of times, but now is not the best of times. I can’t conceive of how a tiny girl like Ariel came from the seed of such a big man.

I wish I didn’t have to be here.  It’s only because I’ve fallen for Ari bigtime that I came here.  I’d do anything for her.

“This must be David,” Mr. Rhodes says, although he’s not looking at me.  He’s looking at Ari and doesn’t seem particularly pleased.

“That’s right.” Ari puts her hand on my shoulder, which I would ordinarily like, but right now it makes me practically jump out of my skin.

I hold out my hand for Mr. Rhodes to shake, although I have to wipe the sweat off on my pants first. He hesitates a beat, then reaches out to take my hand.  Some people, when they shake my hand, they give me a tiny squeeze like they’re scared they might break me, but Richard Rhodes doesn’t hold back—he goes for the bone-crushing grip.  But I can hold my own in a handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I tell him.

He doesn’t tell me to call him Rick.

“Oh, dear,” I hear Linda Rhodes murmuring.  She’s looking down at the kitchen floor, and that’s when I realize that I’ve tracked dirt all over the floor with my wheels.  Usually I’m on top of things like that, but with all the anxiety of meeting these people, I didn’t think of it.  Also, my wheels are dirty as hell. Much worse than they get after my usual day in the city.

“I’m really sorry,” I say, cursing the fact that I’ve been here only two minutes and I’ve already fucked up.

And then it’s a whole production.  Linda has to clean the floor and I go back to the welcome mat and do my best to get the wheels clean, all the while apologizing.  Everyone else can just take off their shoes and the dirt situation is taken care of.  I can’t jump out of my chair and crawl for the duration of the visit.

By the time my wheels are clean and Linda has mopped up, I’m ready to go home.

“Let me show you to your room, David,” Linda tells me.  She has this smile on her face that’s so freaking phony.  But it’s better than Mr. Rhodes’s hostile glare.

They made up the den for me, which is fine.  I put my overnight bag on the unfolded piece of shit couch, already knowing my back will be sore tomorrow, but I can deal with it.  It’s just one night.

Ari drops her own bag on the couch and sits down on it.  “It’s lumpy,” she complains.

“Your bedroom is made up upstairs,” Mr. Rhodes tells her.

Ari frowns at him.  “Daddy, I can stay with David.  I’m thirty-one years old.”

I almost smack myself in the forehead.  Why, when I’m trying to make good impression on this man, would she tell her father that we’re obviously fucking?  Yes, we are obviously fucking.  But this is her parents’ house.  For Christ’s sake, we can sleep in separate bedrooms for one night.

Although it’s getting harder and harder to sleep apart from Ari.

“Ariel, that’s the way it is in my house,” Mr. Rhodes says in a low voice that’s nearly a growl.

“That’s so bullshit,” she shoots back.  “You think David and I don’t sleep in the same bed at home?”

“This is fine,” I say quickly, before things can get too out of control.  “Really.”

Ari looks between the two of us and finally said, “Fine.”

As much as it will kill me, I’ve got to tell Ari not to sneak into my bedroom during the night.  If we get caught, her dad will skin me alive.

“I’ve got to go check on the food,” Linda tells us with that comically big smile.  “Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes.”

As if I could keep any food down right now.

The elder Rhodes leave the room and I’m left alone with Ari.  She’s rifling through her bag and I take a minute to stare at her.  Ari’s all curves and lots of red hair with freckles.  Every time I look at her, I get a mental hard on.  That’s what I call it when I see something that I know would make me hard if my brain were still connected to my dick.  But that connection is gone.  My dick literally has a mind of its own.

Of all the things that sucked after I broke my back, that was one of the hardest to swallow.  You’d think not being able to walk anymore ever again would be the worst, and I’m not going to lie, that was very, very hard.  But I’m still going to say losing control of my dick was the hardest.  It made me feel like I wasn’t even a man anymore.  And that’s how plenty of girls treat me—like I’m a fucking eunuch. 

With the help of Viagra, I can get hard again with manual stimulation.  It’s not a hundred percent, but I can do it, although I get a lot of anxiety when I’m with someone new about not being able to maintain it.  When you’re in a relationship though, it’s not so bad.  Ari knows how my body works now and that it’s not going to be perfect all the time.  So we’ve got a vibrator that we use more than we even have intercourse.  And more than that, I get off on eating her out.  I love doing that.  I don’t even get jealous that she’s coming so hard when I can’t.

Ari notices me staring at her and grins, “What?”

“You’re sexy, that’s what,” I say.  But only after glancing at the door to make sure her parents aren’t in earshot.

“What else is new?” Ari giggles, settling into my lap.  I love her there.  Her body feels so good pressed against mine.

I brush her red hair aside and whisper in her ear, “Your dad hates me.”

“You’re imagining things.”

I raise my eyebrows at her.

“Okay,” she concedes.  “He needs to warm up to you.”

Yeah, that’s an understatement.  And we’ve still got a whole dinner and tomorrow morning for him to work on hating me more.

***

Linda is agonizing over the seating arrangement in the dining room.  She’s got four plates set out and four chairs.  She’s staring at one of the chairs, biting her lip.  When I wheel myself into the room, she frowns at me, but doesn’t say anything.  I decide to put her out of her misery.  “What’s wrong?” I ask.  “Can I help with anything?”

“No, it’s just…” Linda purses her lips.  “Do you need to have a seat?  Should I… pull it away?”

It’s actually not a stupid question.  I always stay in my wheelchair to eat at restaurants, and I feel like there’s a chance I might need to make a quick getaway. But the Rhodes’s dining table is very high and the chairs are correspondingly high.  So high that I’m going to be at least half a head lower than everyone else if I’m in my wheelchair and they’re in the regular seats.  And Mr. Rhodes is so goddamn tall as is.

“Leave the chair,” I decide.  “I’ll sit in it.”

I line my wheelchair up with the chair and do a quick transfer while Linda and Ari are fetching food from the kitchen.  And now that I’m in the seat, I think to myself that I’m an idiot and I should have offered to help with the food.  Oh well. 

Without asking first, Linda pushes my wheelchair over to the corner of the room.  And that is not okay.  I hate not having my chair within arm’s reach.  Yes, in the unlikely circumstance that everyone else in the house died of food poisoning during the meal and I had to get back in my chair, I could do it.  It would involve lowering myself to the floor and dragging myself across the room, and that’s not much fun.  But I don’t want to call attention to my situation by asking someone to bring it back for me.

Goddamn it.  I shouldn’t have gotten out of the chair in the first place.  You’d think I’d know better by now.

I try not to think about it.  Ari will bring it over for me.  It’s just hard to relax when my only means of mobility is all the way across the room.

Mr. Rhodes comes out at the last second.  He blinks at me a few times, as if he’d hoped I’d decided to go home in the last half hour.  No such luck for either of us, Rick.  When it’s clear to him that I’m staying, he plops himself down into the seat right across from me.

We all take our food and I’m about to dig in, when I realize that the Rhodes have bowed their heads.  I don’t know what the hell they’re doing until Ari furiously motions at me to do the same. 

“David, would you like to say grace?” Linda asks me.

Say grace?  How the hell do you say grace?  Don’t get me wrong—I’ve heard of it.  I know that this is something people do.  But I can’t say I’ve ever been involved in the grace-saying process.

“David is Jewish,” Ari tells her parents to explain the baffled look on my face.

“Oh!” Linda’s face reddens.  “Oh, I didn’t realize.  I’m sorry, David.  Is there a Jewish grace?”

Maybe.  I’m not much of Jew either.

“The boy’s a heathen,” Mr. Rhodes mutters under his breath but loudly enough that we can all hear.

Shit.  This isn’t going well.

“I can say grace,” I say.  How hard can it be?  I bow my head down with the rest of it, trying to remember what I’ve seen in movies.  “Thank you God for this bounty before us. And… um, thank you for making the chickens that died to make this roast chicken.  And thank you for making the potatoes and the people who dug up the potatoes.  And the people who dug up the carrots.  And also thank you for bringing me to Ariel, who brought me to the house for this bounty.  And also, it’s a really nice house.  So thank you, God, for making the house.  And the people in the house.  Um… Amen?”

Holy shit.  That was the worst grace ever. 

“Let’s eat,” Mr. Rhodes says.

I’m two bites into my mashed potatoes when Mr. Rhodes says, “David, you ever been hunting?”

Is he kidding me?  Do I look like someone who’s ever been hunting?  I shake my head no.

He points his fork on my direction.  “You know how to fire a gun?”

This time Ari laughs out loud.  Thanks, honey. “No, sir.”

“How does someone not know how to fire a gun in this day and age?” Mr. Rhodes snorts. 

I don’t know what he’s talking about.  In this day and age, when every meal I eat is purchased at a restaurant or grocery store, my building has a doorman, and the British aren’t all up in my face, why would I need to fire a gun?  What good would it do me? 

But I say none of that.  Instead, I just shrug.

“What if someone were pointing a gun at you and it was either you or them?” he challenges me.

“Daddy, quit it,” Ari says.

“It’s a natural question to ask,” he says.

I’m not sure what to say.  As much as I want to be a tough guy in front of the man who could very well be my future father-in-law, I think that bird’s flown the coop.  “Nobody ever taught me,” I say.

Mr. Rhodes gives me a long, hard look.  “Tomorrow morning,” he says.  “Early in the morning, before anyone else is up, you and I are going hunting together.”

Shit, this was his plan all along, isn’t it?  The asshole is planning to take me to a deserted area and hunt me.  That’s surely what he’s going to do.  This is all a grand scheme of his to hunt the most dangerous prey of all—humans. And of course, he’ll kill me immediately because I don’t know how to hunt or shoot or fend for myself in the wilderness and also I’m in a fucking wheelchair.

Or else he’s just going to make me feel like an idiot for not knowing how to shoot a gun.  Either way.

“Eric was a good shot,” Mr. Rhodes comments.

Right.  Eric.  The guy who came before me.  I still can’t figure that one out.  The guy was rich and athletic and seemed to be crazy about Ari.  But she dumped his ass, and it had nothing to do with me.  She never explained it to me, but it worries me that if a guy like that wasn’t good enough for her, how am I supposed to be good enough?  Just the thought of it makes me sick.

“Ariel tells us you’re a teacher,” Linda says, deftly changing the subject.  “That’s so lovely!”

I smile at her.  “I enjoy it.”

That’s an understatement.  I freaking love my job.  I know they say a lot of teachers get burned out, but that hasn’t happened to me.  Okay, there are bad days and challenging students and frustrating bureaucracy and all that crap, but for the most part, I look forward to every single day of work.  I’ve gotten best teacher awards five times in the eight years I’ve been doing this, so I’d like to think it shows.

“It doesn’t bother the kids that you’re…” Mr. Rhodes waves at me. “Handicapped?  Is that what you like to be called?”

I let that comment slide.  Of all the synonyms out there for being disabled, “handicapped” is my least favorite.  But I don’t want to correct the guy.  “I think it’s good for them to see that even with physical limitations, you can still work in any career you want.”

He snorts.  “Well, not any career you want.  You couldn’t be… a construction worker.  Right?”

“Daddy, you’re being rude!” Ari snaps at him.  Except he’s right.  I can’t be a construction worker.  “Anyway, David’s a really good teacher.  The kids love him.”

Mr. Rhodes looks me up and down.  “How do you reach the blackboard?”

“Actually,” I say, “there’s a female teacher who’s only a couple of inches taller than I am in my chair.  And I’ve got a longer armspan. I got a stick with an eraser at the end of it so I can erase the top of the board if I need to.”

I got that device at the end of my second year teaching, after some kids wrote swear words at the top of the blackboard, rightfully predicting I’d have trouble erasing them.  You always gotta be one step ahead of those kids.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing,” Linda says.  “I’m sure a lot of people in your situation would just lie in bed all day, collecting money from the government.  But you’re out there every day, just like normal people!  I don’t know how you do it.”

She smiles at me, really pleased with herself.  Ari looks irritated, but I don’t care.  She means well, at least. 

We manage to get through the rest of the meal with minimal grilling from Ari’s dad.  At least the food is good.  I barely have room for the apple pie that Linda brings out at the end.

“That was delicious, Mom,” Ari tells her mother as she stands up from the table.  She picks up a few dishes to help clear them. 

“Yeah, that was a really great meal,” I say to Linda.

She beams at me.  “I’m so happy you liked it.”

Ari and Linda disappear into the kitchen with dirty dishes and utensils.  Mr. Rhodes gets up from his seat, but I’m still glued to mine.  My wheelchair is still in the corner of the room, where Linda left it.  I can’t move until someone brings it to me.  I should have said something to Ari before she ran off.

I look at the kitchen door.  Maybe she’ll come out soon.  There are still plates on the table.

“You want to watch the game?” Mr. Rhodes asks me.

I don’t know why he can’t see my dilemma.  He was intensely aware of my disability the whole night, yet now he thinks I can follow him to the living room without a problem, despite the fact that I’m obviously not in my wheelchair.  Or maybe it’s only obvious to me.

“Um,” I say.  Christ, this is awkward.  I look at the kitchen door again—where the fuck did they go?  “I need my wheelchair.”

At first he can’t figure out what I’m talking about.  Then he sees my chair in the corner of the room.  He frowns.  “How the hell did it get over there in the first place?”

“Your, um, wife put it there.”

He rolls his eyes.  He goes over to the chair and wheels it back over to me. When it comes close enough for me to grab it, I feel intensely relieved.  My relationship with my chair has gone through a lot of stages since I got injured.  When I first got hurt, I hated the damn thing and the way it limited me and set me apart.  Now I think of it as practically part of me.  I don’t like being out of it—ever.  I know it sounds dumb, but I even sometimes wish I could sleep in it because what if I got burgled during the night?

Any olive branch Mr. Rhodes was trying to extend to me gets broken in half though.  As soon as I’ve got my chair, he takes off in the direction of the living room without me.  I could still join him, but I sense I probably shouldn’t.

Ari emerges from the kitchen—too late—to retrieve more dishes.  She smiles at me.  “Are you having a miserable time?”

I keep my mouth shut.  I’ve learned the lesson about never badmouthing your girlfriend’s parents years ago, no matter how blatantly they seem to hate me.

To be continued...

Our Choices

I think that was a tough decision last time, huh? It's not going to get easier with this one. Thanks for your feedback and thanks for playing! This is episode 10 today!

Your Choice: "Don't let him in."

Have a great weekend!
Lovis
Table Of Content

New Beginnings Chapter 25

Hello again my friends,
Thursday and New Beginnings time...yeeeaaahhh
Thanks for your sweet comments last week, it made me very happy.
I bring you another dramatic chapter this week, I should probably come out with my own brand of tissue boxes "Dani's Tearjerker"....lol
Anyways, more drama and more love for you this week as Shane and Anna face the next challenge in their relationship.
Thanks for everyone who still reads along and for all your comments.
Here is Chapter 25 of New Beginnings.
Hugs,
Dani

Table of Contents TOC NB

No Stories Today, But Expect Some Next Week

I know it's been a couple weeks since I posted anything. You guys are probably tired of hearing excuses, so all I'll say is I've been having a very rough time, physically, and that's made it difficult to write.

I really, really wanted to get something up today, but the reality is In/Exhale really isn't ready and I didn't want to rush anything. But I think you guys are going to enjoy the rest of Season 3.

The way things are going right now I'm going to post next week come hell or high water. It may mean I have to post episodes alternate weeks rather than weekly, which sucks, I know, but I figure it's better than waiting a few more months, right?

As for Love UnSeen, my hope is to get that started up again very soon. If not next week then perhaps the week after. Maybe I'll even alternate weeks with the two stories so you get an update every Wednesday regardless.

Thanks again for sticking with me and for being so patient. I really appreciate it.

-CA

PS - While you wait, maybe refresh In/Exhale (Table of Contents) or Love UnSeen (Table of Contents), or let me know what you're hoping to see in either (or both) stories in the future!

Our Choices

Thanks, guys, for your support! Makes me very happy that people enjoy the story. Now... on to episode 9!

Your Choice: Tell him the truth

Cheers
Lovis
Table Of Content

New Beginnings Chapter 24

Hello NB friends,
been a busy week but here we are again and I'm bringing you another chapter of NB.
Thanks to everyone who commented and also thanks to all my silent readers. I know it is not a story for everyone and only some enjoy my type of stories but I very much appreciate the ones who do like it and keep reading along.
In this chapter Anna finds out what may have caused Shane's breakdown. Everyone is supportive but loving Shane seems to get more difficult for her.
I give you Chapter 24 of New Beginnings.
Thanks to my loyal readers and commentators. You guys rock!
Hugs, Dani

No story this week

Sorry to disappoint, everyone.

The past two weeks have been really rough on me emotionally and physically. I think I may finally have found a doctor willing to investigate my joint pain and maybe help with that, so that's a tiny glimmer of light in an otherwise sea of darkness.

I wanted to start posting I/E today, but I don't have enough of it done to ensure we won't have huge gaps in between episodes/days, and I'd hate to do that to you. So my *plan* is to finish as much as I can by next week and start posting then, perhaps every other week instead of weekly, to give me more time to get stuff ready.

As for Love UnSeen, that story *will* be continuing soon. I just needed a little break since writing every episode a few days before posting it is exhausting.

Thank you all for your support and feedback. I'm very sorry I wasn't able to post at all last week, even to say I wasn't going to post, because I was at doctor appointments all day and by the time I got home we had no internet due to a major local outage.

-CA

In the meantime, feel free to let me know what you hope to see happen next in either story. Some of your ideas may end up in future episodes!

Our Choices

Hello everyone,
I hope I do not step on anyone's toes by posting today? Since I gloriously missed posting on Saturday and the blog has been a bit quiet, I thought I slip this in. If it is not okay, feel free to delete this, Lee!

Okay, those of you who participated in the poll decided almost unanimously to take the risk rather than the detour. Well... let's see how this works out!

Your Choice: Check if the truck still works

I'll be taking votes until Friday into account!

Have fun!
Lovis
Table Of Content

Between the Pages: Chapter 10

Thanks to everybody for being patient with me today! I appreciate it. :) This chapter is a little on the shorter side, but the following two or three are filled with some yummy stuff. Consider it a prologue? ;) Happy Monday, and enjoy chapter ten.

P.S.: Wondering who Max and Inez are? Check out the rest of their story right here! 

Between the Pages: Coming tonight!!

To anyone following along with Between the Pages, I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to post yet. I started a new job last week and it's kicking my butt (it also doesn't have Internet access yet, but that's a story for another blog post...*eye roll*). I don't know that a lot of you are reading or enjoying it, but for those that are, rest assured an update is coming before midnight tonight!! :-)

New Beginnings Chapter 23

Hello NB friends,
hope everyone had a great week. Mine went by so fast once again. Posting chapters every week is just another reminder for me how fast time flies.
Thursday and I am giving you Chapter 23 of NB. Thanks so much for the beautiful comments last week. It means a lot to me and I hope you like this week's chapter. Anna and Shane are not really getting their break yet and things are getting tough. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Hugs, Dani

Our Choices

This is episode 7 of Our Choices!

Your Choice: "Benjamin and I are coming with you."

Thanks for being awesome readers and playing a damn good game here!
I probably won't have internet access next week so I might not be able to upload.

Take care,
Lovis
Table Of Content

New Beginnings Chapter 22

Hello NB friends,
....and it's Thursday again. Almost midnight and I give you Chapter 22 of NB. I was rushing through my final editing a bit tonight, so much other stuff going on. It's another long chapter and as always I thank everyone who still comes along with Anna's and Shane's story. In this chapter some stuff about Shane's childhood is revealed. Thanks so much for reading and commenting,
Love ya'll, Dani

Love UnSeen Continues

Sorry this post is late. I had a pretty rough week, emotionally and physically, and this next chapter was so important I didn't want to rush it. I also didn't want to postpone it and lose the momentum, especially since I may not be able to post next week because I have multiple doctor appointments scheduled on Wednesday.

Last week, Jackson went to his doc who gave him some bad news, and was humiliated by Benji, who he went to after having his heart broken by Dan's revelation that he's engaged to a woman. This week picks up right after that disastrous lunch.

I hope it was worth the wait,

Love UnSeen - 15

Again, I may not be able to post next week. Hopefully when I return I'll have another installment of Love UnSeen as well as In/Exhale, although I may take a brief break (2-3 weeks) from this story to recover a bit. Thanks again for all your comments as I greatly appreciate them and they really do motivate me to keep going. Feel free to let me know what you hope to see happen next!

-CA

PS - Table of Contents (updated for those who want to catch up or re-read any previous parts)

Between the Pages: Chapter 9

Happy Monday again! Hope everybody had a fantastic weekend! Thanks a million to everyone who read last week's chapter. This week is chapter nine of Between the Pages. We've already seen Inez in her work element...this week we get a little glimpse into Max's. I hope you all enjoy it, and I look forward to hearing what you think! :)

Happy reading,
EJ

And for those just hopping on...a table of contents can be found here. 

Our Choices

Here comes episode 6 of Our Choices! As always thanks for playing and commenting, it's much appreciated! :)

Your Choice: Shoot

Have a great weekend!

Lovis

Table Of Content

New Beginnins Chapter 21

Hello my friends,
here we are again. Thanks sooooo much for the comments I had last week. They made me very happy and I want to reply to all of you every so often so you know I read every comment and I appreciate it so much. You reading my stories means so much to me.

Someone asked if I had a chapter in Shane's POV but I have to tell you I unfortunately don't have one. This was the only story I ever wrote in First Person from Anna's POV and it's written all the way like this. I always worry I would not be a good male POV writer, because I don't fully know how guys think and I don't want to mess up the male POV with a female undertone or thought process.

The stories I posted in the past were written in Third Person and I felt okay with that, telling the story usually with my male protagonist being the main character and I guess that relayed a bit of a male POV. I'm still mastering my writing skills, actually been reading a book on POV's lately but it is only a hobby and my time in furthering my amateur writing into something more professional is limited. Work, family, pets, house, friends and the hobby of writing on the side...

With all this being said this week's chapter is a long one again, I just didn't know where to cut it so here is Chapter 21 of NB. I read over it several times, read it aloud and made some changes but I think it's ready to go. Anna and Shane are trying to cope with the separation and still working out all the issues they face, realizing lengthy separations are just not going to work very well for them.

Please know I appreciate and love all my readers,
Yours, Dani
Here is the TOC of NB

Love UnSeen Continues

Sorry this is a bit late. This week hasn't been wonderful for me. My blood pressure tanked and I had to go off half my meds as a precaution, then my machine I use to help with my headache pain stopped working abruptly and with no explanation, so it's been a fun few days... But I got the chapter done! And it's a long one, relatively, so I hope you'll enjoy it, even if there's no Dan in this one.

Jackson goes to his doctor and then a surprise lunch this week.

Love UnSeen - 14

Thank you so much for all your feedback. It's so wonderful to see how many of you are enjoying this story. It pushes me to keep writing every week no matter how I'm feeling because I don't want to disappoint you all by not having a chapter done. :)

-CA

PS - Table of Contents (updated for those who want to catch up or re-read any previous parts)

Between the Pages: Chapter 8

This week is chapter eight of Between the Pages. THANK YOU so much to everyone who commented last time and everyone who read it too! I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying the story so far, and I hope that continues... :)

Also happy memorial day and thank you so much to everyone who has ever served in the military in any sort of capacity. You guys are the heroes!

Chapter 8
Table of Contents

New Beginnings Chapter 20

Dear friends of NB,
thanks for reading last week's chapter and for the lovely comments. Whoever still likes to follow along with Anna and Shane's dramatic love story, it ain't over yet. Anna leaves Shane behind with his brother and they both are hoping to make it work somehow. This chapter is somewhat transitional as they say Good Bye and Anna leaves.
I give you this week's shorter chapter Chapter 20 and want to thank you very much for reading and commenting.
Hugs, Dani
TOC New Beginnings

Love UnSeen Continues

Last week we left off with the bomb that Dan is married. This week picks up right where we left it, as Jackson demands some answers.

Love UnSeen - 13

Thank you so much for all your feedback! I'm really happy so many of you are enjoying this story. For those of you who have asked, I do plan on revising this and submitting it for publication once I have a completed draft. Your input and encouragement has really helped me keep this story going even when I've been stuck, so I'm very grateful for that.

I have been able to do a bit more writing lately, and I'm working on both In/Exhale and Love UnSeen simultaneously. I'm still hoping I can start posting the latter starting next month. I'm also hopeful that I'll have another installment of LU next week so you won't have too long to wait.

Hope you guys don't hate me too much after this week's installment. Next week we'll see Jackson go to his doctor's appointment, and more I don't want to spoil.

-CA

PS - Table of Contents (updated for those who want to catch up or re-read any previous parts)

Footsteps - Coda/Thank You is up!

Well, that's it folks. 

Thank you so much for coming along on this ride with me, and I'm sorry I made you wait for the last three sections for, like, a year or something. I promise that the next story I post will be ready to go, once a week, until it's all posted. Having said that, I probably won't be posting on the blog for a while now. If you want to get in touch though, just let me know. 

I've been really moved by your comments and feedback - genuinely, there have been days when I've done a complete U-turn because I've read your comments on something that's been ticking away in the back of my brain for two years now. You're a lovely community of people, and thank you. 

Ok, well, that's enough from me! There are a few words in this next chapter/ending/thing which I know (from making a number of my American friends giggle/confused) are at least more common in, if not unique to, British English in this, so if you’re not sure, just ask in the comments… I don’t think it’ll get in the way though. I must have been topped up on Earl Grey tea and crumpets or something when I wrote this…

Also, this is very fluffy and a bit sugary. So have some self-indulgent fluff from me as a huge thank you for reading and engaging with this story. Everyone deserves a happy ending. 

Coda

(I should add that there's a PTSD episode in there amongst all the fluff, just as a bit of a warning.) 

Table of Contents

Thank you so much, and take care

Rose

Between the Pages: Chapter 7

Happy Monday again! This week is chapter seven of Between the Pages. This chapter was originally really long with a good bit happening in it so I broke it up into two...but as a result this week's is on the shorter side. But next week will make up for it :) As always (and as everyone else always says too) thank you for the comments and for reading in general! It makes all of us writers so happy to know people are reading and enjoying what we're doing...and sometimes it helps get our creative juices flowing too! :)

If you're just hopping on, check out the Table of Contents!

Our Choices

This is the fifth episode of Our Choices! Thanks for your comments guys, they absolutely made my day! And wow, what a tight decision this time =)

Your choice: Go inside through the window, alone

I am on holidays next week, so the next update will be in two weeks.
Cheers,
Lovis
TOC

New Beginnings Chapter 19

Hello friends,
it's Thursday, time for New Beginnings.
First off thanks for the sweet comments last week and thanks to everyone who follows this story.
It's been a rough week and I didn't have much time to edit this chapter but I think it is ready to go. Anna stays another day with Shane's family, waiting for him to come home from his first day at his new job. Jenny and her become closer friends and Jenny tells her a bit more about Shane's past.
Since it's their last night together for a while Anna and Shane spend it the only way they should -- very close.
Hope you enjoy Chapter 19 of NB and as always thanks so much,
Yours, Dani
Table Of Contents NB

Love UnSeen Continues

Surprise! I was fortunate and was able to get this finished early so it was ready to go this morning.

Last week, we left off where Jackson ran into his ex at a gay bar/coffee shop and was "saved" by Dan's call, inviting Jackson to join him for takeout back at the house. This week picks up right after that. I hope you enjoy.

Love UnSeen - 12, pt 2

I plan on posting again next week if things continue to go well, writing wise. I'm so glad you all are enjoying this story. Thank you for your feedback!

-CA

PS - Table of Contents (updated for those who want to catch up or re-read any previous parts)

Footsteps - Chapter Eighteen is Up!

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on last week's way-long-overdue episode. I cannot tell you how happy it makes us writers when you guys take the time to leave feedback. Seriously.

Without (too much!) further ado, because I think I waffled on enough in last week's post, here's the link to the last chapter of Footsteps. This and the previous one were originally all one chapter, but I split it up. That's why this one is a bit shorter than the last one, but I felt like it worked better as a stand-alone chapter, whereas before it all dragged on a bit too long...

Thank you so much for coming along with me on this story. It's been a pleasure. And I promise that if/when I post more stories on here, they will be completely written and edited and ready to go on a weekly basis before I start posting...!

I do have one more little bit planned for this story as a little bit of an epilogue/coda/thank-you, so hopefully that'll be up next Tuesday.

Chapter Eighteen

Table of Contents

Thank you, and take care,

Rose

Between the Pages: Chapter 6

Happy Monday, everybody! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend; and to the mothers on the blog: I hope you each had a wonderful day being celebrated! :) I'm here today delivering chapter six, which I hope you all like because it's one of my favorites. Thank you for all of the encouraging comments last week!!!! Your comments really do make my day. I hope you all enjoy this next installment of Between the Pages. :)

Table of Contents

Our Choices

Welcome to the fourth episode of Our Choices! Last week you decided to be brave (much braver than I would have been) and not to call the guy for help. Well, here's a shout out to strong woman! Special thanks to the person who suggested an alternative answer. A wise choice to arm yourself! I built that into the story, but without asking Ezra since I am quite sure he would not have patiently sat downstairs and waited for Caroline to shoot the potential zombie with his gun.

Okay, let's see if you've done the right thing or risked too much...

Your choice: Reach for the gun

Have a great weekend!
Lovis

New Beginnings Chapter 18

Hello friends,
time flies when you're busy and here is Thursday again. Thanks for all your comments last week, I know it was a long chapter.
This week's installment is a bit shorter and it's more of a finishing up the day Anna and Shane shared with their very wet and hot adventure last week. And no, they didn't catch a cold, that would just be way too much drama...:-) lol
Here is Chapter 18 of NB. I hope you enjoy reading this one.You guys mean a lot to me,
Thanks for reading,
Yours, Dani

Love UnSeen Continues

Hey, everyone! I'm back from my trip. A lot of pain and disappointment but still some promise... Sadly, we won't know anything for weeks to months. I appreciate your support and patience!

I wanted to get all of Chapter 12 done for you all today but I am just too tired, so I decided to post the first half and get the second half for you next week. Figured you'd all prefer something rather than nothing for another week.

Last week, Jackson was surprised by his ex, Benji, in a gay coffee shop/bar where they used to hang out back in grad school. Their convo picks up where it left off last chapter.

Love UnSeen - 12 - pt 1

Still hoping I can get back to posting In/Exhale in June, but progress is very slow. I *am* working on it, I just haven't been able to do too much with it each week. But I will get it posted again through hell or high water!

-CA

PS - Table of Contents (updated for those who want to catch up or re-read any previous parts)

Footsteps - Chapter Seventeen is up

Wow, hi. It's been a while... I made you guys wait for this one, didn’t I? I'm sorry about that. Turns out after my post on Friday that a few of you do remember what’s going on in this story, and who I am, so thank you! I'm really touched by your comments. I’ll put in a ‘read more’ so that I don’t clog up an entire page with this intro/explanation to the latest chapter which has become a small essay…

Between the Pages: Chapter 5

Two posts in one day! Without any further ado.... Chapter 5. Hope y'all enjoy, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!!

Between the Pages: Chapter 4

This week's update of Between the Pages is in! I hope you guys enjoy it! This chapter is kind of a filler chapter...so I might post another later today too--and I think you guys will really like that one. :D Also, holy wow! THANK YOU everyone who commented!! I love reading comments and getting advice. You guys are so awesome. :)

Enjoy chapter 4! Chapter 5 will (possibly) be forthcoming later today. 

Table of Contents (for those of you just hopping on the train!) 

Our Choices

Thanks guys for playing this game! This is the third episode of Our Choices. I managed to disable the tracking function, so you will not see yourself on a map anymore. Apologies for that!! I did not realize it would do that. Plus, in this chapter there is the possibility to add your own suggestion to the answers. But beware, you can only vote once! =) I wish you fun with:

Your choice: Try to make a deal

Lovis