(°ꈊ°)/ GOOD news for a change!
          
          Once again, the Racetrack people were sent packing!!! This SHOULD be the last time, as when other towns told them "NO" twice, they moved on to another location.
          
          This means I will soon have more free time to do things that are much more fun!
          
          I am currently waiting  to see which names @Papipeach decides to use in their updated version of "Drunken Vows" so I can adjust "Mending Vows" at the archive so they still link together. I know some folks might not like this, but I want to honor Papi's work and decision--so this is the best way to do so. Once I have the name changes done, I will resume writing that story. 
          
          I have not heard from Kate at all since opening the archive, so I have no news on that front.
          
          (´⌣`ʃƪ) ♥ Thank you to everyone that has been so patient all this time.

Hullo, everyone. I'm sorry to not notify you sooner, but I am trying to remedy that now. 
          
          (งᓀ‸ᓂ)ง ROUND TWO: My inane town is once again pursuing the development of a racetrack on a plot of land even smaller than the last. The lengths they are bending over backwards to try to make this work is just...pathetic, really. The plans will not even FIT on the land parcel even if they completely clear cut the woods still standing because it's not far from the last parcel which means...water water everywhere that they can't legally fill in to build upon. And those of us against it KNOW they are planning to do just that.
          
          So this is why I have been absent. I am hoping that once their new "plan" tries to pass muster with both the Conservation Commission as well as the Planning Board at our City Hall it will be rejected again. 
          
          Normally, with the other towns they approached prior...if they got rejected a second time they moved on to whatever town was next on their list. There's too much money to be made, honestly, given the simulcast license for gambling--so of course they have a long list of potential cities to approach. *ugh* So I REALLY hope this will be the last time I have to deal with it.
          
          I am so damn tired of fighting against this...but can't stop because the worst issue we will have is it will wreck out clean water. (The current parcel is also in our wetland/watershed area near one of our main reservoirs.) Forget the traffic issues and everything else. *sighs* 
          
          I don't want to move! But if this goes through...we absolutely will move even with the real estate market being so burdensome here right now.
          
          Anyhoo...that's what has been eating up my time I'd rather spend writing. I hope everyone reading this is doing well and writing and/or reading good stories! I look forward to the day when I can again do the same.

Ƹ̵̡ ⌛Ʒ Time flies when there's lots to do!
          
          New "Mending Vows" chapter: Chapter 28: Regret.
          
          I will try to get another chapter of "Mending Vows" up by the end of this week, then post at least one per week moving forward--more if time permits. I hope to have it finished sometime before fall of this year--time will tell!
          
          - I am holding off on Kate's ongoing works for now as I'm juggling a lot off-screen and want to wrap up "Mending Vows" so I have less on my plate. 
          - I also do not have an update schedule for "The World's Sad Secret" for similar reasons.
          
          Thank you to everyone that has continued to follow my efforts. It means a lot to me.
          
          ♾ My Archive: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BewareThePen/works

╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑[||] [F] [F] [F] [F] Not as rainy today as tomorrow may be, but rain enough to give me a break to add some more updates to the ol' Archive.
          
          Today's Archival Additions:
          My stress reliever minific, "The World's Sad Secret":
          -Chapter 4: A Clean Slate
          -Chapter 5: A Clean House
          All formerly written chapters are now Archived, and this tale is a WIP. 
          ⚠I do not have a schedule for new chapters yet because I still have so many other works I haven't even started to copy over yet to my Archive. 
          
          Speaking of...the following stories of Kate's are Archived (minus images, depending): 
          "A Chance to Love Again"
          "My Lover"
          "Wicked Heart"
          "Win My Heart"
          
          There are two other works of Kate's she entrusted to me to finish, "Destined for Each Other" & "Be Mine". I need to revisit both of these works and go through my old notes. I honestly do not know just now when I will work on these.
          
          My plan for now is to use focus on finishing Chapter 28: Regret for "Mending Vows", and hope to have it up by the end of this week. If I follow my chapter outline, 11 chapters after that to go. Time will tell! ⌛
          
          New chapters of "The World's Sad Secret" will happen if the Fates will allow it. 
          
          If you made it this far?  Thank you for your kindness and patience! 
          
          ♾ My Archive: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BewareThePen/works

(งᓀ‸ᓂ)ง [|||] [|] Doing my level best to keep the updates going in my Archive, two different works today, none are new chapters--only Archival additions in their respective titles.
          
          Kate's "Wicked Heart":
          - Chapter 2: Character Intros
          - Chapter 3: Mew
          - Chapter 4: Hottie
          
          "The World's Sad Secret":
          - Chapter 3: The Nightmare
          
          I continue to work on the new chapter (28: Regret) for "Mending Vows." The weather folks are still forecasting rain, so I may yet finish it this week. 
          
          ♾ My Archive: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BewareThePen/works

(≖_≖ ) Bleary eye tired, given I did a lot of heavy digging and pulling in the garden today, with more to follow tomorrow. I am really starting to loathe Bishop's Goutweed (Latin: Aegopodium podagraria). It snuck in under cover amongst our native strawberries (similar leaves if you don't look closely) and this year has spread so much more that I even want to consider.
          
          Still, I managed to finish the backend for Kate's "Wicked Heart", yet only added her author note for now.  I will try to add at least the first chapter tomorrow.
          
          If the weather turns bad here later this week, I plan to archive another chapter to "The World's Sad Secret" because that will be just a quick cut and paste.
          
          My real focus, depending on weather is my plan to finish writing another new chapter for "Mending Vows" by the end of the week--time will tell how that works out!
          
          --> For those that need the reminder, my Archive can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BewareThePen/works

(´･д･)っʕ( ͡°  ᴥ͡°)  Sooooo...this just happened: over on my Archive, I started the back-end setup for "The World's Sad Secret", which probably still needs some tweaks. Somehow I cannot for the life of me find my file where I had all the summary/setup info (like tags) for the work. This means the summary isn't exactly the same...but to me it's not the end of the world. Too much going on right now to sweat the small stuff!
          
          I did add the first actual chapter, 2. The Premonition, since it's a minific so very little to double check editing wise. It's a start. More to come as time allows.
          
          For those keeping track, later today I will finish setting up Kate's "Wicked Heart" and get at least her intro and maybe the first chapter up.
          
          I have also been working on the next new chapter of "Mending Vows", but do not know when that might be finished yet.
          
          --> For those that need the reminder, my Archive can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BewareThePen/works

୧(•̀ᗝ•́)૭ So I just found out that Inkitt is using AI to sell stories: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/26/inkitt-ai-publishing-37-million/ . I wish I had known this sooner. 
          
          I have already removed "The World's Sad Secret" from there, and will be moving it to my Archive soon. I have left my profile up there, as my Conversation Wall now has only one post about why I left.
          
          I find the entire corporate effort to devalue what actual human beings create both distasteful as well as inherently awful. 
          
          There are far worse things I could say to describe exactly how lowly I think of them, but they're not worth my time and effort to more fully describe the depths of their depravity.
          
          I hope all of those involved with the theft of human creations die miserable and penniless.

ε-(´・｀) ﾌ  I almost didn't make my own hoped for deadline!
          
          "Mending Vows", has a new chapter--> 27: Shame.
          
          It's been a long strange trip to get to this point, but I'm glad some folks have been willing to stay on it with me. Thank you for that! And welcome to those finding out about this work recently too.
          
          My goal for finishing "Mending Vows" is a new chapter per week, depending on the weather here because there's so much I need to do in our garden this year. My outline has 39 chapters total which includes an epilogue.
          
          If time and weather allows, the next update on my Archive will likely be at least a first chapter or two of one of Kate's works. I did start setting up "Wicked Heart", which is a completed work of hers alone---it's not one of the hand-off works.  
          
          Right now, I need to rest, and look forward to next week and seeing what progress time permits! I hope anyone reading this has a nice day.
          
          For folks that need the reminder...
          https://archiveofourown.org/users/BewareThePen/works

(⊚_☉) Contact Info Update:
          As many of you already know, I've managed to secure BewareThePen pretty much anywhere online that I've wanted to be over the years. That said, a lot of folks use IG--especially now that DMs are deader than a doornail here.
          
          Trouble is, a while back I tried to get my usual there but it was taken. Turns out someone else has bewarethepen there, but it looks to be an inactive account from now almost a decade ago with zero public posts, zero followers and they're only following a handful of folks.
           (◔_◔)So much for them routinely cleaning out inactive accounts.
          
          So today I made a decision to stop waiting and can now be found at https://www.instagram.com/beware_the_pen on IG. Feel free to DM me there if you don't want to write a wall post here.
          
          (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖) P.S. There's a chance greater than hell freezing over that a new chapter of "Mending Vows" will go up in my Archive before Sunday of next week. Time will tell!