Mizzieshizznell

Change of plans...the updated Hyacinth House with all the tidying up of language and plot, etc., is already up on Amazon, as a Kindle ebook. It's short, so I don't anticipate making it a paperback, as well. 
          
          HOWEVER... I have also just started writing Mystery Train, which follows the adventures of the band and their loves, post-Hyacinth House. 
          
          I don't think I'll share that here in-progress, since I imagine I will be flipping back to previous sections/chapters to pepper in murder mystery clues, to make the whodunnit believable, without being TOO obvious, and predictable. 
          
          Mystery Train might run closer to Wishful Sinful in length, as I've already taken a much different pace to the writing than I did with the shorter story, and there's more ground to cover, in terms of plot and settings. But we will see. No pressure either way. Right now, I'm just trying to enjoy the process as best I can, and ease up on myself when I'm tempted to backtrack and edit even as I'm writing, rather than roughing it out further first, and rereading later. 
          
          ALSO...Smoke and Crows is now available in paperback (the actual title uses an ampersand, but I think that throws off Wattpad, from what I've seen). 
          
          I'm sorry I won't have Hyacinth House fully edited here, but that would also necessitate further edits to Wishful Sinful, since I changed a character name, etc; nonetheless, if you really loved the essence of either as they exist here, they're worth picking up. Both have undergone changes. 
          
          We had some "thundersnow" today! Hope y'all are safe and warm, wherever you are. Have a great night!

WELL!!! I stayed up VERY late tonight, because it took a bit of chatting with friends and listening to my latest Spotify playlist before I got to work. BUT... I have FURTHER revised Wishful Sinful's Amazon editions. I think I can stop now. LOL. 
          
          You heard me right-- editions! Plural! The ebook update is in process of publication, and the print-to-order paperback is under review. I hope I didn't set the price too high for the paperback, but the amount you net when you select expanded distribution is pitifully small. We will see. The price I first contemplated, I would have made less than a dollar per book. 
          
          Anyway, fingers crossed, everything will be approved. 
          
          A friend from my teen years and I talked tonight, and she shared with me a selfie of her HOLDING ONE OF MY PAPERBACKS!!! She said she'd bought it a couple months ago. Made me so, so happy. She's a poet and artist, in her own right. 
          
          Heart full, but sleepy-yet-slightly-wired brain running on empty, I bid you adieu. 
          
          I will still poke at Hyacinth House a bit further, and update here first, then see what I can do about getting that onto Amazon, as well, as a modest ebook, or as part of a collection of the ongoing adventures of Velveteen Slumber, and their retinue. 
          
          But yes. Sleep beckons. Na-nites!

Wishful Sinful is now LIVE on Amazon, for Kindle!!! Print-to-order paperback format to follow. That part, from what I recall, is a bit more involved. 
          
          I made some additional changes. Tidied up some diction. Patched a couple iffy points in the plot. And it won't include the recipe for the Vampire's Kiss cocktail, because that I found online, and didn't want to accept payment for. 
          
          Also, "Paul" is now "Pierce," because I wanted to further distance the story from the movie (The Lost Boys). Besides, the Paul character had Marko's hair, so it wasn't really Paul, anyway. I wasn't super faithful to the appearance of the rest of the vamps. 
          
          But the bonus content with the song lyrics is still there, etc. We'll see how it fares. Also, the streaming version of the movie on Prime glitched out on me twice, in the same spot. Alas. 
          
          Anyway, enjoy! 
          
          I decided I will include the revised/edited/plot-patched-up version of Hyacinth House as its own short e-book. 
          
          And I have an idea for their next mini adventure, already hatching!

SO, I had promoted Hyacinth House on Instagram, and then added stuff about Wishful Sinful, after realizing I never plugged that one. This morning, I woke up to a message asking if I had any books, in response to a Hyacinth House Instagram story. 
          
          At first, I explained that the Wishful Sinful stories were only on Wattpad, and mentioned the links to my other available e-books. But then I thought a bit longer. I messaged my long distance bestie, who had read an early excerpt from Wishful Sinful-- the beginning, and partway into the plot. 
          
          "Do you think it's different ENOUGH from The Lost Boys that I could publish it?" I asked. She cited other books as examples of obvious satire of existing popular fiction, and thinly-veiled references to a real-life famous musician-- the latter of which began as fan fic. 
          
          "Yes," she essentially said, "Go for it!"
          
          SO I will be. 
          
          I updated the cover of Wishful Sinful here, just now, and still need to edit and revise Hyacinth House. They'll either go together, or HH will be an inexpensive e-book. Or maybe the beginning of a collection of Wishful Sinful short fiction. We will see!
          
          Stay tuned for more info!!!

If you love all things October and Spooky Season, I am also trying to finish up a project I began around last fall. It will be a collection of 31 photographs, taken by me (or some with me in them, but I won't be in them all). 
          
          The starting images are original, but I'm editing them in Canva to turn them into digital "Oracle Cards." I even made one, albeit with a Canva graphic, to use as the "backs" of the cards. 
          
          I don't plan on printing them, but each Instagram post featuring one of the card designs, will include an interpretation of what that card might represent in a reading.  
          
          Curious? Interested? My Instagram handle is the same as the one I use here. Mizzieshizznell. It's kinda my thing. 
          
          I also have some writing projects to tinker with, and as I already mentioned, I will be doing some editing to Hyacinth House. So, keep an eye out for fresh content here, as well!

Story time: Awhile after finishing Wishul Sinful, but before Hyacinth House was even the tiniest hint of an idea in my mind, I was talking to someone named Jared on a dating app. 
          
          That all by itself didn't seem too coincidental. Plenty of Jared's out there. But then, a different dating service had a suggested match for me-- a woman named Haven. Mind you, this happened while Jared and I were still chatting. 
          
          Ever since then, I've had the feeling these characters (and Dorian, and the rest of them) had more to tell me. Also, it has been ROUGH finding energy to create anything recently. 
          
          It might not be anything profound. Maybe it won't get any reads. But I'm glad I finished SOMETHING. 
          
          Completing more of my back-burner-ed projects was my only resolution heading into 2025. I am, however, going to try to show myself enough kindness, to allow that I need not write endings to ALL of them, by the end of the year. We'll see which ones still spark inspiration. 
          
          I have a niggling suspicion that there is at least one section of Hyacinth House where the peril feels like lower stakes than it should, so there may be some plot tweaks in the future. I tried shortcutting my way around that last night but don't feel totally satisfied with the results. 
          
          In any case. if you're reading this, thank you. And I do hope you make some room for synchronicity, whimsy, and magic of all sorts, in your life. I shall try my best to do the same.

Mkay...more tunes were had, and more words written, more loopholes closed (but I will admit, I may have missed some). And not ONLY did I write the climax and ending of Hyacinth House. I even finished a fun epilogue. 
          
          It might be light on descriptions of clothing, etc. We'll see if I decide to sprinkle some in, after the fact. But it is a finished roughed-out draft. 
          
          And now, to sleep!

Feeling a bit maudlin tonight, reflecting on all the (now) dashed aspirations I had as a graduate student, and where my life is now. BUT...in happier news, I added more to Hyacinth House. 
          
          And I'm considering diving into reading some Dark Academia. We'll see. SUCH a massive TBR awaits me. E-books, physical books I've already bought...to say nothing of the temptations awaiting at the library!
          
          I just booted up a playlist I had completely forgotten I'd made (I've made a lot). This one combines moody, deathy vibes with lusty seductive ones, beginning with Type O Negative's "Love You to Death." Followed up by some Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Howlin' Wolf. Aw yeah. 
          
          I HAD been looking for whatever playlist I'd made with Type O's "I Don't Wanna Be Me," so I could properly feel sorry for myself LOL. But I think this is better. Maybe it will make for good vampire fuel. We'll see if I can crank out one more section.

I was looking for something simple, involving hearts, maybe three of them, on Pexels, when I found a watercolor illustration that very closely resembled how I visualize Lenore (of Hyacinth House). 
          
          Giving credit to the artist, I did share it, as the header image in the chapter, Back in Baby's Arms. Just thought I'd mention that, in case that tidbit would provide further incentive to check out the story.
          
          I'm not sure how many devices display the header image of each section, since it seemed my iPhone didn't, when I was using the app. BUT in any case, it is, in fact, there.
          
          Have a lovely evening! Or morning.

Well! I had the day off today, so I posted much earlier than usual. And TWICE! 
          
          I PROBABLY should've made an effort to get outside, in today's warmer weather and sunshine, but somehow, I just wasn't feelin' it. I did at least go for a walk yesterday. 
          
          I'm very tempted to keep going, after a wee break. We will see! 
          
          Hyacinth House. 
          
          Five strapping vampires-- four of them musicians who are bringing the 80's back in a big way-- and two lusty polyamorous babes, walk into a decrepit bed and breakfast, purportedly haunted. 
          
          It sounds like the beginning of a very cumbersome joke. LOL.