During the night, I slept for a while semi-seated on the couch (a "skill" I inherited from my father).

I had a bit of an idea for my next story, but only that.

But after trying to fall back asleep again in the same position, I didn't quite get there. What did happen, though, was the ending part of the story decided that was the perfect time to announce itself in my brain.

I had to turn the lamp back down, grab a pen and paper and write it down -- the plot points, a few lines of dialogue -- so I'd have it down and not forget it.

So, about a week and a half ago, mom and I switched internet providers, and then after the technician had done the set-up, we realized he had forgotten to set up my mom's computer.

This led to me spending the better part of 2 days trying to get help to set things up by phone.

But today, I asked someone at a store belonging to the provider, and he showed me what I needed to do - there was a password on the bottom of the tower I needed to put in.

Gigi's life gets more complicated as she joins the band as a majorette.

Any World -10-
by SammyC
Read on Patreon

Y'know, I was gonna put out a story for the current contest.

I've been working hard on it, and had every intent of entering it!

Except that I'm currently 9,250 words into what's supposed to be a 5,000 word story, writing on the fifth chapter of what's supposed to be a one-part-complete affair, with one chapter left to go after this 'un.

Funny how that happens, ain't it?

Amanda has to decide who her friends really are...

In a recent blog I posted a picture of a sign that turned up next to the restroom signs proclaiming that restrooms were open to use by gender variant people. Just now, I was delivered a document (electronically) a document that contains their nondiscrimination notice, quoted below.

Nondiscrimination Notice

Why are readers so mean in giving kudos? I'm not talking about comments, which actually require engagement and effort, but those little things which need just a push of a button. Even excellent stories like Jenny Walker's.

What's so hard about letting an author know you appreciated the effort they put into entertaining you?

There’s about a month left to enter a story in the current writing contest. The more-than-expected number of stories have sparkled with quality. Of the sixty-one stories, I scored fifteen in the excellent category. There’s plenty of great reading to be had here.

To date, the contest has generated:

Stories: 61

I was about to start writing this weeks and need to read the previous episode to maintain continuity and lo and behold it's no longer on the front page although other stories posted before or on Saturday are, no wonder my hit numbers are low these days. Is it worth it when I could be doing something like cleaning up after the flood in my lab?

So among my nightmares and flashbacks over the last couple of days, I had a dream where I was sitting with a woman, and for whatever reason my abuse came up, and I started crying.

But as I started crying I also began to apologise for losing it like that.

Now this was just a dream, but the fact is I usually apologise if I start crying, regardless of the cause of my tears.

I am not exactly sure why, it might be the "boys don't cry" thing, but something tells me its something deeper.

I might have to do a deep dive into my memories to find out, which scares me.

Having trouble finding inspiration for a 2024 New Year's Writing Contest Story? Or maybe, for your second competition story. (There's no limit to the number of times you can enter, although you can only win one prize.)

The most hated person in the U.S. mid west isn't a politician!

or more excuses for a late post!

My mom and I are looking for a new place to live, and today we're doing a walk-through of a place that looks quite promising.

Please send prayers, good wishes, or whatever you can, that if this is everything it appears to be, that we can get it.

Mini-Bio for
Jo Dora Webster, pen name of Ariel Montine Strickland

I'm an auburn haired, blue eyed, southern belle hailing from the great city of Denver, CO USA. While I feel like a forty something that may be me trying to will time to stand still. In all truth, I'm glad that it doesn't since I kept my millennium resolution to transition as a transwoman on my original rebirthday July 6, 2000.

I can trace my heritage to lowland Scotland and Ireland but I'm an American. I enjoy passing my time reading the latest romance, comedy or mystery from http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf (BCTS) and getting outside for a weekend camping with my SCA friends emulating a lady of the nobility in a world where chivalry is alive and well. I also enjoy my time as a Starfleet International member where I hold the fictional rank of Captain.

I've been around BCTS for more than seventeen years. What I think of as my first real story was 'What Would Jesus Do?' that I published under the name 'Jesus and the Transwoman' on a Christian website which was just getting started then and has since disappeared called Faithvine. However, I also twenty-eight years ago put one story, 'Beauty and the Vial' out on Usenet and it made its way to BCTS unknowingly since I wrote it under another pen name. At present, I've completed nine novels all initially under my pen name, Jo Dora Webster. I also have three short stories written under the pen name Jo Dora Webster.

It is already -15 C here, and the forecast says its going to get much colder, until we are going to have -30 C for a high on Thursday and a low close to -40 Thursday night, with wind chill to make it feel even colder.

wish us luck as we try to weather the weather!

As the title suggests, this is about what has been going on since I last posted anything or even interacted with anyone on here. I think my last blog was over a year old and my last story was like two years ago at least. I guess to paint a deeper picture on how I ended up where I am now I need to go back to when the Covid Pandemic started.

I've been doing some preparatory work/ study for some surveys I'm doing and also some teaching I'm doing next week. As you probably know I have an interest in freshwater macroinvertebrates (Mayfly larvae etc) and I came across TG being used in a dictionary of entomology - it stood for tracheal gills. There will be more of those than transgender people, so should obviously spring to the ordinary person's mind (or what passes for one). I knew you'd be glad to read that.

My name is Joanne Askew
I am an Aussie girl
A glass of wine with you sir
And the ladies I will swirl
All New South Wales and Queensland
Is measured up by my own hand
It was my fate from birth
To make my mark upon the earth

Apologies to Mark Knopfler for mangling his beautiful
“Sailing To Philadelphia”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtxuWycNgfo

And apologies to Andrea Lena for giving me the idea which I have stolen.

It's been years coming but lately I seem to subconsciously be on the prowl for a man to plow me. Would I do blow jobs? Come to think of it... Does that mean I was always a latent homosexual, or have the hormones finally done their job on me. My only worry now is that I do not wind up with some sort of sexually transmitted disease. Questions, questions.

A BCTS Author had a fire in her apartment building.

I found this:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/289078-how-surviv...

Advice is sane, sensible and authoritative.

so about 2 AM this morning, a fire alarm went off in our building. at first, we didn't take it seriously, as we get false alarms all the time.

but when 3 firetrucks, an ambulance, and a fire chief showed up, plus when we started smelling smoke, we realized this time it was the real deal.

Now neither my mother or I can climb down 14 floors, and the elevators were turned off, so we had no choice to wait and hope for the best.

I know this post is a self-indulgent, and I hope any readers will forgive the impertinence. Inspiration can come from anywhere and I feel confident saying my latest story, 'Kissing Cousins', has a weirder origin than most posted on this site. It is also an apology of sorts, but you'll have to read to the end to understand.

Aria Book Two, Trials and Temptations, now available on Amazon Kindle — Please Review!

I'm a bit surprised that no-one speculated on the Kubiac family from my latest Masks story:

http://tinyurl.com/4amnfftr

Yes, the name came from Parker Lewis Can't Loose.

In a previous life (BC) I was an executive recruiter for over 35 years. I actually got into the business by accident when as a struggling CPA, I spoke to a recruiter to help me find a new position. Instead, he suggested working along side him at a place called Source Finance. It turned it to be a job and industry that suited my skills to a T.

or is it?

I got an Ajax error popup, and then it just returned to the normal home screen. Used both Safari and Chrome and got the same result.

Hi everyone! We’ve received several story submissions outside the contest’s 2,500 — 5,000-word limits. We recognize that different word-processing programs use unique word-counting rules. If you are wildly off, we’ll send you a PM and ask you to adjust your story to meet the contest parameters. Thanks!

***

So far, my rough drafts usually get edited out, falling to the rock crusher of propriety until what remains is vanilla work suitable for all ages.
Lately I've roughed out some work that is BDSM, and very explicit, but I do not want to get rid of it. There is another site, that I will leave unnamed that I must have joined over a decade ago, perhaps before this site. Much to my surprise, when I looked into the site tonight with a view of possibly joining, I discovered that I was already a member under a different user name than here.

the level of talent being displayed by the writers here, especially the entries for the New Year's contest, is absolutely amazing. Every story (except mine) has been a home run in terms of writing.

I guess I should be glad I'm better known for my comments than my stories, because I am not in the same league as some of you people!

I have written a new years resolution story but it stubbornly refused to be TG. Every time I tried to lead it there it returned to the main plot. I'll probably post it anyway after a bit of proofreading and editing. Tomorrow, without the glow of the new years eve whisky, it may just go in the recycle bin.

Well, I just noticed that my mother-in-law blew my phone up while she was drunk last night. If you knew her that's nothing out of the ordinary especially with the meds she's on. It seemed like every message was coming at me for being transgender. It started with a half dozen missed calls then immediately went to the topic of her daughter marrying a transman. She said I was wrong for saying I'm transgender and that it'd be easier to say I was transitioning. Being honest, I'm not someone who found it necessary to get hormones or surgery.

While I was fishing this afternoon. This bible verse popped into my head. "To whom much is given, much will be required." For a moment I felt like I'd been struck with a piece of iron. Allow me to explain, I have been given much this year, and I'm afraid I've done very little to return it. I've been blessed with the firm mentorship of two of the most brillent writers I've ever known, Emma Anne Tate, and Joanne Barbarella, and I'm sure there dozens more waiting to be discovered here on this forum.

Wishing that all of your endeavors, and all the endeavors of all those whom you care about, bear sweet fruit in this year, and in all of your years.

It’s New Year’s Day somewhere (specifically, where Joanne lives), and the contest is now officially open for entries!

There’s an official tag for contest entries. The fourth drop-down menu under “Add a Story” is labeled “contests.” Scroll down and click on “2024-01 January - New Year’s Resolution Story Contest.”

It suddenly dawned on me that over the course of this calendar year, I’ve posted an Easter story, a Halloween story, a Thanksgiving story, a Chris

Hi everyone! Jill here. Just thought we’d make things a bit more interesting for our 2024 New Year’s Writing Contest. Because, you know, it can always be even more interesting.

“If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophecy, understanding all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything, and if I have faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without love, then I am nothing at all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn it, but I am without love, it will do me no good whatever.

At last it's been posted. I started this story when my 25 year old granddaughter was but a toddler.

"Grandma's Gift" is up.

Don't know why, but my thoughts recently have been on the Kids Kamp universe of stories. I know they go back a ways. If I recall correctly, some of the authors were:

Holly H Hart
Maggie the Kitten
Shalimar

Who were some of the other authors?

Does anyone remember what the first few stories in this series were? Who was the original author?

Tastefully reported IMO.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/18/us/jeanne-hoff-dead.html?...

(Supposedly that link will not be paywalled.)

So I spent today getting mugged by a dog.

His name is Rocky, and he belongs to my aunt.

He's the kind of dog who basically has the doggie equivalent to hyperactivity.

He mugged me, my mom, my other aunt who was with us, and then started over with me.

He's famous in his neighborhood, to the point a couple of kids came over to play with him.

Do I need to even need to say I had a lot of fun today?

Sunday evening I received an email with all my personal, private, and financial data listed on it. A security breach at one of the health hospitals let them copy everything about me and a million others. They offered to sell the list back to me before they placed it on the darkweb for sale.

Well, I'm back again because I just couldn't stay away. I've been taking writing more seriously lately and kept thinking back to this place. It's the only place I really ever felt comfortable or at home. Whenever I try to talk to other writers online it's like talking to a brick wall, but here it's always been different. I appreciate each and every one of you and I look forward to making some new friends as well as getting back in touch with some old ones.