BendtedWreath

When he had let Kevin taste it, he hadn’t realized the candle had fallen into his sauce pot. He sure as hell wasn’t going to admit it now. - 🤣 Oh no! "Okay, to be honest, I have no idea how happy the hen was when it died. I know the wings were happy in my oven but if you don’t want to try, I understand. - 🤣How can you even tell? The color shifted — not gradually, not the way color usually moved through different shades. It changed in a drastic explosion of an atomic bomb. Caden stood very still and watched it settle./"That's not a normal color for a wing sauce - 🤣 I'd still try it. What a wild ending!

I'm glad you think so far!

Thank you! A third of the way in, I realized I bit off more than I could chew. I don't regret asking for help and noting all the different perspectives from the more experienced writers around me. It really made me appreciate writing as a whole.

When I was reading some of the unfortunate details regarding vampires and incubi throughout history (the real historical origins are not nearly as cool as the made up lore, real life is always darker than fiction), I couldn't help but wonder about what mixed vampires and incubi with human heritage would feel, and how they would interact with their peers. The story was more challenging to complete than I thought, and in the process, I came to appreciate my favorite writers all the more. So, I hope I did everyone who helped me proud.

Jack, I can't thank you enough. I've learned so much these last couple of years and I am fully aware it's still only the tip of the iceberg. Your work was undoubtedly one of my inspirations and one of the sparks that compelled me to try to write.

SA should be kicking off soon, so there will be no shortage of interesting stories to read in the meantime. There are 11 chapters and an epilogue. Dhampirs in this story's world only have traits that the parents already carried. Some carry more of one side than the other, but they're just mixed supernatural kids.

🤣

And I can't thank you enough! @weinerdog Remember that there's no such thing as a bad dog. 😂 I promise there's less than a handful of "frightful vampiric" moments in the story, the focus is on Nos and his fated mate. 😄

Believe me, every little bit I learned these last couple of years from everyone helped a great deal. And every story I've read (yours included) served as great inspiration.

You were one of the writers who shared some examples years ago when I sought help in the forums regarding 'showing how other characters feel/what they are thinking' without actually writing what they were thinking because they weren't the main character.😆

I don't think you're the only one, Thirds. Thanks again for the amazing art! Thanks so much, Chris! We have @Thirdly to thank for the cover art, and other images. @kbois was one of my fearless leaders, and the very first person to help guide me in the right direction when it came to writing as a whole.🫡The same goes for @CassieQ, @Thirdly, and (though he denies it) @Jason Rimbaud. I firmly disagree. You've taught me a lot of things: Consistency when it comes to names, balanced dialogue tags, and always treating the first draft like clay, just to name a few!

I've finally begun posting the story and wanted to add the link:

Nos is half human, half vampire, and 100% stressed out. At school, he’s surrounded by purebred vampires who never let him forget he’s different. But then he’s struck with the Change, and Nos’s looks are enhanced. You’d think being easy on the eyes would make his fated match happy, but his destined partner doesn’t trust pretty faces. Just how does one seduce a cambion?

Seducing The Cambion Written by @BendtedWreath Edited by @kbois & @CassieQ Betas/Muses/Guides: @Thirdly, @Jason Rimbaud, & @chris191070 Additional help from: @LJCC, @drown, @Jack Poignet, & @Headstall Chapter 1: The Change "Nosferatu reeks again," Perrie said as Nos slid into his seat. "Gross." The blonde vampiress was as striking as her words were sharp. But Nos didn’t bother looking at her. Instead, he focused on the syllabus on his laptop, anything

Never was a stabilizing nail more dire. 🤣 This was great!

Last year, there was definitely a variety in terms of genres. Like @drsawzall said, they were all worth reading. As for whether they will help you guess the authors this year, you never know. Those Secret Authors, as @Gary L says, are a sneaky, lying bunch! I encourage everyone to keep an eye out for this year's Secret Author guessing/discussion thread when it goes live. The speculations are just as entertaining as the entries! 🤣

I am pretty sure this happens no matter what. 🤣

I'm excited to hear of new entries!! Third time might really be the charm!

Don't worry, I haven't started posting it yet it will go "live" on July 21st, if all goes well.

Let's go! Happy early GA Anniversary to you. Happy GA anniversary to you, as well. Thanks to you and Cassie for that insight. And don't forget we're here for you. I wish that were my name. I can tell you the Ben is actually from Benedict. The rest I'll explain in a PM. 🤣

As does yours. I look forward to seeing more of your work! You'll hit your 3-year mark before I hit my 2-year mark! Congrats to you, as well! I also need to catch up on your work. It's always entertaining to say the least. Thank you! I'm still very much trying. 😂

The same goes for you! Looking forward to reading more of your work, as well. Right back at you, brother! The official 2 year mark is on July 24, so that's the week chapter 1 will be released into the wild. 😱 I'm not concerned in the slightest.

Dear forum friends and fellow authors, I didn't want to create a whole blog just for this, so I figured The Lounge was a good alternative. I want to thank you for all the support, encouragement (and, hell, even the joking and the teasing) over these last two years. As my 2-year GA-anniversary approaches in mid-July, so too does the posting of the first chapter I've ever written of a project I've been working on since July of 2024. I must deeply express that it was inspired by your work. I am not kidding. The only thing I've ever written before 2024 were school essays, with variable success. But after reading the rainbow of 2024 event Secret Author entries, the various writing styles, each conveying something meaningful... I was compelled to try to write something of my own. Then, I realized it was way too challenging to convey the story that came to mind in a single chapter. So, I ended up practicing on a few prompts while I started figuring things out (provided by the prompt team, highly recommended! Here are a couple of prompts from May). In my writing journey, I ended up working on a collaboration with @chris191070 that became its own series (The Amazing Friends), which helped me continue to learn and grow (one of which was even featured). We still have another collab to go, to hopefully end that series with a bang (not that we can't collaborate on another series after that, if we're so inclined). I thank @Cane23, @Lee Wilson, @ReaderPaul, @Valkyrie, @wildone, @Ticklishboy30, @Aditus, @astone2292 and everyone else that was mentioned in the series for humoring the cameos. A huge, huge thanks to @kbois, @CassieQ, @Jason Rimbaud, and @Thirdly for believing in me, humoring me, and for providing examples through your own amazing series (Hazardous, Glacier Bay, Hybrid Journey, Shifter just to name a few). My thanks to @drsawzall, @W_L, @E K Stokes, @Jeff Burton, @Bill W, @Headstall, @Vcs, @Gary L, @Kileoli and anyone else who stopped read my work, novice as it was. Last, but not least, my thanks to @Myr, @Cia, and the other mods for their patience with not just my bumbling around learning how to navigate but for all the other newer members over the last couple of years and beyond. What do you know, I said I didn't want to turn this into a blog-sized post, but it's almost up there in length! 😂 You have my sincerest gratitude and have all played a part in the completion of my first multi-chaptered story (or, at least, my first multi-chaptered story that is 11 chapters long)! Edit, story link: Your sap of a friend, Ben

That is a feeling that transcends language and culture for parents who care for their kids. I've witnessed such grief, and felt it in a different way. It's part of why I stopped teaching.

This is definitely one of the genres I wouldn't have actively hunted for. Rest assured it's now on my radar.