J | Silz

@A_Demigod_Community has a new round of the CHB Games! Ngl this one's super cool. You're testing out your knowledge of the gods and their domains this time! 
          
          Check it out below:
          
          https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfW1aONSN6zZM32v7naQZkVl85bv44PkxzLigX-yjOARc7Urg/viewform?pli=1

It's been almost exactly a year since I completed my magnum opus. I'm still pinching myself, hardly believing that it won a Grand Favorite in the Ambys.
          
          Anyways, I've been rereading it in prep for resuming Spirit of Fire when work lets out in a couple of weeks. And man. I still don't think I'll ever top this. If you're looking for an easily fandom-blind read that combines star crossed lovers, Shakespearean levels of tragic descent into madness, and some good old fashioned High Fantasy, I honestly can't recommend it enough. I'm not even ashamed to be self promoting it. I'm that proud of it xD
          
          Shout out to @autumn_sunfire for telling me she was crying over it again which made ME go back to cry over it again.
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/323412670

Two quick announcements for @A_Demigod_Community <3 But the first one doesn't even need you to be a PJO fan for it to be great!
          
          
          
          Over in the Fanfic Workshop, a lovely new article on the Hero's Journey has been published! It's a simple but well down breakdown of one of the most classic story structures out there. Take a look, regardless of your familiarity with Percy Jackson!
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/1625763377-the-fanfic-workshop-writers-help-writing-tips-quot
          
          
          
          There's also a new Trivia raffle! Anyone following the community account ( @A_Demigod_Community ) is invited to play! Here's a link to the trivia Google Form get you started!
          
          https://forms.gle/LSNQ3meFobskWSwe8

As promised, a chapter on Mary's Fiat, and how it has impacted me <3
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/410114937

When I decided I was going to write a story focused on discernment, my crazy life story, and my Catholicism, I made a promise to myself that if would be honest.
          
          True authenticity, not just the well meaning but fairly surface level vulnerability I and most of us do for social media. Which is pretty scary.
          
          I had a plan for the next chapter. It was gonna be about St. Louis de Montfort. But in prayer for the last week or so I've realized that's not what I'm being asked to write about.
          
          I'm being asked to be far more honest about where I have found joy, the guiding star that has brought me back to Jesus and my Catholic faith in a time of absolute, complete, utter rock bottom in my life. Given me a hand to hold in my suffering that had kept me from despair.
          
          It's time I talk about my mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and her Fiat. The Fiat I pray every day for the graces to emulate as I seek my purpose in life and unite my sorrows with those of her son.
          
          It's about a third complete. Hopefully by the end of the weekend I'll publish it. And as I stated at the beginning of the chapter, it is in no way intended as a way to push people towards conversation. Rather, I need to share the joy (not happiness, which is far more fleeting) that Mary had given me, even if it means confronting my own past traumas regarding misunderstandings of Catholic Marian traditions.
          
          Love you all, and wishing you only the best. I'm still planning a chapter on St. Louis de Montfort. But I have zero doubts that Louis will be totally fine with me putting Mary first.

So while I've been super sick with a nasty cold this weekend, I've been doing a lot of art--something I haven't done in quite a while. Before I ever got a degree focused on Writing, I actually thought I was gonna get my degree in art for graphic design. Discovered very quickly I was not cut out for that life. BUT, when there's something fun to do art-wise, I'm always excited.
          
          @A_Demigod_Community is hosting a design contest right now, actually! Percy Jackson fans know all about the yearly camp bead received by half-bloods who reach the end of each summer. Well, through the end of this week, you can try your own hand at bead design!! All the info is here, but a few important things: 
          
          - Entries need to be in by May 16th, 2026
          - Theme: Camp Half-blood Demigods/Cabins
          - Submit up to two designs!
          
          Here's a link. Check it out. Have some fun and stretch those creative muscles!
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/1601786027-we-are-demigods-season-7-design-your-own-camp-bead

It's so nice to have the Newsfeed back after all the years, even if it is named something else because Wattpad doesn't want to admit they screwed up by taking it away xD
          
          
          As a reminder for why it's useful:
          
          - the Newsfeed was how most Wattpad authors who didn't do follow for follows got readers and followers. The ability to see what your friends are voting on/supporting meant you found new stories that would often interest you faster than attempting the (lack of) search functions on Wattpad.
          
          - vote on stories you like. Again, this is what helps authors gain exposure in circles that are actually relevant to them. It's also how you can give your friends some easy reading suggestions.
          
          - Check your feed! In the old days the Newsfeed told you about your friend's comments too which was hilarious (and led to plenty of chat like groups) but even just seeing the votes and reading lists can help you locate new stories that might be interesting.
          
          - Curate your space. Indiscriminate follow for follow is gonna wreck your feed and make it pretty useless. Follow people in your fandoms. Follow people who are active. That's how you make the feed work for you!
          
          
          Anyways I hope this helps! I saw mixed reactions to the reinstitution of the Newsfeed mostly by people who weren't around in the golden years of Wattpad. This actually will level the playing field quite a bit.
          
          It will be interesting to see if Wattpad reinstates vote for vote/votes as rewards being against site policy though. They made votes useless in ranking/promoting stories a few years back to finally deal with the issue but now that the Newsfeed is back and runs on votes (mostly) I'd keep an eye on that.

Super excite to announce that @A_Demigod_Community is hosting a celebration of 600 followers that includes a pop up, limited time graphics shop! They've got some great choices available, so put in your requests before June 21st to reserve a spot!
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/1624601348-we-are-demigods-milestone-one-graphic-shop

May Newsletter:
          
          First off, an apology to all my readers for the lack of updates. Since my gallbladder surgery, my life has kind of been turned upside down in a good, but overwhelming, way. I've had almost no time to write and I'm looking forward to the summer when I'm off work and will put writing time back into my daily schedule.
          
          In terms of writing priorities:
          
          1. Spirit of Fire is my primary project, and will be my primary project, until it's finished. After that, By Doom Mastered (the direct sequel) will take priority. 
          
          2. They Paid With Death is next on the list. As it's a collaborative work, the primary job for me tends to be more editing and planning/plotting than writing, so doing it alongside Spirit of Fire isn't really an issue. We're still on track for release woohoo!
          
          3. Queen of Clubs is my pet project. The next one shot is half done but as I'm doing exactly zero writing it's stayed half done. I might use it as a way to ease back into writing though once June comes around.
          
          
          
          Other priorities:
          
          I'm so happy to have joined up with @A_Demigod_Community as a permanent judge which means I'll get to spend more time in the fandom even when I'm not actively writing for it as much as Tolkien. You can expect a few announcements from me per month regarding goings-on over there, some of which might be relevant even for those not in the PJO fandom like their recent word sprint events.
          
          For those following my Discernment blog book, I hope to have a chapter out in that in the next few weeks about one of my favorite Saints, St. Louis de Montfort. Probably end of May!
          
          
          
          So that's where I'm at! Hope that offers a little guidance on my writing projects, what you can expect for me, and why I've been a bit AWOL. Let me know how you're feeling below! I've missed y'all!

Our featurette this month is the Epigraph, featuring information on the treaty that established the Olympian Games and on the failed uprisings of Hestia's District 13 and District 11's tragic victor Luke Castellan
          
          See you next month for our tributes' soundtrack as we get closer to the release of the Prologue this summer! 
          
          Huge thank you to @A_Demigod_Community for being affiliated with this project, and to each of the authors for dedicating their time and energy to crafting this crazy collab.
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/408744167