IT LIVES!

OK, well I live. I guess that's good enough, right?

Especially since it's been.....ooooooooooooooooh.......about six months since I've made a peep on here? Mah bad.

A lot has happened. Some good, some not so good. The not so good = massive depressive episode that basically stole my life. After finishing Super Sekrit Project (which is still super sekrit), I kinda fell off the writing wagon. And when that happens, nothing good follows. There's a lot that I've been thinking about, that I'll share as I shake myself out of this weird pseudo-coma I've been in.

The thing that I'm excited most about, though, is the fruition of a different sekrit projekt, one that is near and dear to my heart and deeply personal (no jokes, plz. Eh, okay, one). And that is the development of a line--somewhat by accident--with After Glows Publishing called Cupid's Cafe, which you can learn allllll about at this handy-dandy website I built. I'm hoping this will fill an untapped romance niche full of people like myself who struggle with mental illnesses and want to see ourselves not only overcome the symptoms but also find love in the process.The first two books in the line are available now, and let me tell you, the ladies who have stepped up and taken this project on are AMAZING.

And it's starting to grow more. A third book has been contracted, and a fourth writer (who isn't me!) has expressed interest. That, more than anything else, has been keeping me afloat lately. 

Over the next several posts, I'm going to share a few different things with you guys, and a lot of it might not be pretty. I've given up trying to sugar-coat my illnesses because no one sugar-coats physical illnesses, so why should I treat mine as anything less just because they're mental? If you're on board, feel free to share your own experiences, either here in the comments or on your own blog. @ me on Twitter (@lexcade), find me on Facebook, tag me on Tumblr. I want to know your stories. I want you to feel comfortable sharing them because we all need that from time to time. Want to guest post? Email me at c (dot) peace (at) live (dot) com. It's time we shake off the stigma of mental illness, and the best way to do that is through honesty and speaking our truth. 

Say it with me: I am worthy of love.

'Til next time, peeps.

Tis the Season!

First of all, hope everyone's having a fantastic holiday season! I know this is the high-stress time of year, when everyone's frantically scurrying around, trying to find that perfect gift for friends, family, and/or that someone special. For your sanity, and for that of your family, friends, and someone special, please take the time out to enjoy the season, because believe me, those same people you're with now may not be around this time next year. Love them while you can.

Second of all, I want to go ahead and let y'all know about some changes coming up. My dear friend Landra at Rise of the Slush and I are starting a review blog at the beginning of the year for books published through a small press or self-published. We're covering EVERYTHING (including YA) as long as it's through a small press or self-pubbed, so keep your eyes open. It's called Indie Books R Us for right now because I suck hardcore at titles, but I'd love it if you guys checked in every-so-often. Landra's already a highly-experienced reviewer and I just like excuses to read. However, this means I'll be blogging even less frequently here (like the 2-3 times a week I manage are really that tough), but I hope to see some familiar names over there :)

Third of all, I'd like to share with you a website that I found via The Bloggess. It's called Wish Upon a Hero and it's an effortless way to change someone's life in time for Christmas. There are a lot of families who won't be able to provide for their families during the holiday season due to unemployment, cutbacks at work, illness, or a variety of other seasons, and this website allows you to chip in to whomever you want. It's. Freaking. Awesome.

I think that's everything. Anyone got some good news to share????

yay! excited about new projects!

well, project. i shouldn't get ahead of myself.

new story finally has a plot, a viable list of characters (working on minor ones right now), 4 out of 8 countries named (got the important ones at least!), and about 5 chapters coming along nicely. now, more character-building is necessary. i have a disgraced soldier, a sexually abused priestess, and the all-alone Draak'sen to deal with, so there's a lot more work to do to get into their heads, but for right now...i'm actually pretty happy.

i've been reading a little bit about strong female characters, and i got to wondering about my protag's strengths in Dirge. dima's strong in part because of the panther DNA, and in part because of her unwillingness to accept her position in life. she fights to change her situation. she fights to make her own decisions. though she spends most of the book interred, she manages to rescue people she cares about because she's too stubborn to let them die. she's cocky, she's moody, and she's a bitch sometimes. but then there are her vulnerable moments. her love for lorenzo *which she's loathe to admit exists*, her fears of losing him, her fears about her own existence. wondering what it all means. i thought before that maybe i'd made her too needy, too clingy, too subdued, but right now, i've realized that i've made her pretty well-rounded. she's human. well, humanish, and she's stronger because of her faults. even james bond, super spy, needed help, you know? bond had Q, M, other letters of the alphabet...hot chicks... batman had robin, batgirl (later oracle), lucius fox, and most importantly, alfred. leia had luke and han solo, but she could kick a little ass on her own. they were better as a team, though. much better. sorry... way off topic.

point is that the strongest female lead shouldn't be afraid to have a little help from her friends. it's more important that she not lose focus of her goals or lose hope.

more to come on this later.