Hey, FA!

I want to thank everyone for checking out "On Duty." That was a classic LionStories story: clearly not plot-oriented and shamelessly sexual. I did not expect to receive all the views and favorites that it did. That was awesome! I was inspired by bara graphic novels and how they don't dance around the sexual tension; it's acted on quickly. Truth be told, these are the kinds of "instant gratification" stories that I write for myself. Glad everyone else enjoys!

I made an announcement on my Twitter (@lionstories) a few days ago. Just in case anyone missed it: I am working on a Zootopia babyfur story.There will be a plot and character development, so it's a fairly extensive read. If you liked stories like "Erased," you'll definitely enjoy what I'm working on. It will take time, but in the interim, I will be releasing content similar to "On Duty" and more "The Best Daddy!" chapters.

Glad to be back!

LS

Greetings,

"The Best Daddy" will continue. I'm looking to find the time to work on it, but it hasn't been easy! I've been working on a lot of non-furry, professional projects, so the stories will take a backseat to that for a short period.

Thank you for your patience!

LS

If you want to check out the latest news and updates regarding my fictional work or you want to tweet dirty things to me, follow me at @lionstories and send a follow request!

Cheers!

LS

Greetings,

I posted a new story last Tuesday ("The Best Daddy!"), and that effectively ended my hiatus from publishing work on FA. If you haven't checked it out, click here. The next part is coming very soon.

It's been a rough couple of years for me. To be able to write a story -- without feeling like it's a forced distraction -- is a blessing. I don't think my troubles are over, but there's been an extended period of calm that's allowed me to clear my head without interruption. When you're in the trenches day after day, dealing with drama from multiple sources, you can lose your sense of self. I'm happy to report that I found it.

Watch this space.

LS

Greetings,

First thing's first: I've taken a break from writing stories. I can proudly say the hiatus is not for drama reasons. I've been working a lot and have been preoccupied. You'll notice my Twitter activity has dropped. I'm doing my best to keep people in the loop.

A lot of people are making journals, talking about plans to attend future conventions. All you lucky furs have awesome conventions back east, and I would absolutely love to go to those. Unfortunately, work has kept me on the west coast. The good news is: I've made a lot of progress with my work so I can finally factor in some well-earned travel time.

It looks like I'll be attending Further Confusion 2017 and I'm already making plans. So there are a few scenarios that can work. I booked a hotel room already so I can look for a few roommates for a couple of days during the con. Alternatively I could bunk with some folks who already have a room, and I cancel the reservation I made. I'm fairly flexible.

If anyone is interested in rooming with me, hit me up in PM or on Twitter DM. I'm very cub-friendly. Will bring guitar and play music!

LS

"Toilet Training" is now available to read!

https://beta.furrynetwork.com/story.....ilet-training/

LS

New chapter is up!

https://beta.furrynetwork.com/story/2522/

FYI - Future stories I do will exist in the "crinkleverse." This current series explains the world I've built.

LS

My new story, "The Crinkleverse - Prologue" is now available to read exclusively on FurryNetwork:

https://beta.furrynetwork.com/story/2498/

ENJOY!

LS

Greetings,

It's been about two months since I hung up the cape. I've been doing well. I hit a rough patch this past year, and I can safely say the dust has settled. But that doesn't mean I'm going to be churning a lot of stories out like I used to. Turns out I've been keeping busy with freelance work, music and working on my small business. Still job hunting in the meantime in hopes that I can recoup some of my expenses and have some steady income.

I had a lot of time to think about the work I've done and reflect on it. When I work on a story, there's a surprisingly huge chunk of time dedicated to forming the concept, the narrative, the characters, fleshing out an outline with a beginning, middle and end. It's different than art in that you start with an outline or a rough sketch, then you trace over it digitally, add the shading and coloring. There's no beginning, middle or end to art unless, of course, you're drawing a comic or a graphic novel. And when I write, I'm always aware that people will read my work and appreciate it in their own way. But for all the time, labor and effort put into it, there's a lot of kudos but not a lot of donations. Originally I hoped that people would like my work so much that they would chip in $5 to my PayPal once in a while. While I did get some great donations once in a while, I didn't feel I was earning much. Yet a lot of my readers are receptive to paying at least $35-40 for a single art commission of decent quality. I realized that something wasn't right.

But then you might be thinking, "You also take commissions." That's true. However story commissions feel weird to me. The best way I can explain it is that my instinct is to have full control over the stories I construct. I've worked with some very talented and creative people who commissioned me. Regardless of the amount of creative freedom they gave me -- and they seriously gave me a lot of it -- I still felt like I didn't have control over the narrative. Those who commission me will put together their own plot points, and that's great except it felt like an excruciatingly long exercise of painting by the numbers. Ultimately I feel better creating my own worlds and fables.

So then I'm back at square one. I love writing, and I've actually started writing again. But now the question is: How do I make this count? I can write smut and have it be dispensable, or I can write something that makes people want to buy my work and build an active subculture around it.

I decided to keep this account open, but it will remain inactive submission-wise. However I do plan on releasing new original work, and I'm hoping to broaden my horizons by posting the stories on a new Tumblr page (to be announced). Links to those stories will be shown in future journal entries. I can't say when my new work will be released, but I'm spending time on these and having fun with them. I think people will enjoy what I have to offer down the road!

LS

Greetings,

I decided to reactivate my account for the time being -- that is, until I figure out what to do with it.

Hope everyone is doing well!

LS

Greetings!

I want to offer a very heartfelt thank you to all of my readers for reading and enjoying my work. I had a lot of fun writing these stories, and it's been a pleasure giving the AB/DL/babyfur community some great *ahem* reading material over the years.

But now it's time to say goodbye. I'll be shutting down this account over the weekend.

I'm closing this account down for personal and professional reasons.

The conventional reason for furry artists and writers retiring their accounts is that they're "moving on." But in the wake of recent events in my personal life, I decided to better reassess my priorities and make hard choices going forward. Over the past several months, I've abandoned any aggressive steps to being successful in favor of distractions and spending days, weeks wallowing in indifference. And when I've repeatedly approached writing stories or commissions for this account, I have trouble generating any momentum. The interest is there, but when it comes to execution, I'm trapped in an endless loop of second-guessing and revising. I've gone nowhere fast.

Here are two unfortunate things I'm dealing with: 1. The steep decline of my mental and physical health (as a result of stress and making poor dietary choices, I'm sure); 2. A severe lack of focus. Because of these two things, I've struggled to have a professional life and a well-rounded, meaningful existence. In order for me to successfully get my act together and get back to doing the things I love doing, I have to stop writing these stories and being active in the fandom in general.

Stepping aside will create new opportunities for me to explore. Because of what I've done with Lion Stories, I've flourished as a writer and was able to step outside of my comfort zone with a supportive audience. Now I have a greater command of the English language and have excellent control of the written word. Writing has never been a smoother experience for me. But now I need to make money, earn a living, and be a responsible adult for once.

Once again, thank you everyone for your love and support. It means a lot to me.

Relax. I'll be fine. And read/download my stories while you still can. I'm deactivating my account as a reminder to refrain from "unretiring." I've quit and returned so many times, I lost count. This time, though, I'm ready to let go.

Best regards,

LS

I'm going to miss David Bowie: a kindred spirit, iconoclast and visionary.

When I first heard the news about his passing, I was listening to his latest album "Blackstar." I was listening to his song "Lazarus." As some of you know, Lazarus is short for Lazarus of Bethany, someone who Jesus miraculously brought back to life four days after he died. In Bowie's song, he sings the following lyrics that are ghoulishly prophetic: "Look up here, I'm in heaven / I've got scars that can't be seen / I've got drama, can't be stolen / Everybody knows me now." This is actually Bowie predicting his death.

He figured that by the time his album was released, he would be dead ("Look up here, I'm in heaven"). For as public as his many personas were, he was a private man. He finally admits to the world something he's endured for the past 18 months -- but he didn't want to let his fans know that he was ill ("I've got scars that can't be seen"). He touched on the hardship he faced ("I've got drama, can't be stolen"). And after his death, he knew the world would mourn him ("Everybody knows me now").

In the second verse, he recounts the pain leading to his imminent demise ("Look up here, man, I’m in danger"), but he accepted his fate ("I’ve got nothing left to lose"). Bowie alludes to being on a morphine drip or painkillers ("I'm so high it makes my brain whirl"). And in heaven, or where ever he may be, he won't be reached ("Dropped my cell phone down below"). He knew his cancer was terminal.

In his single, "I Can't Give Everything Away," he alludes to his personal circumstances and basically explains why he did "Blackstar." In the first verse he sings, "I know something is very wrong / The post returns for prodigal songs / With blackout harks with flowered muse / With skull designs upon my shoes." Translation: You can read between the lines when he recorded songs with prodigal themes; songs reflecting on the wasteful extravagance of his youth. As his story comes to an end, he wears skull designs on his shoes: death.

"Blackstar" is a masterpiece. He lived his life as art, and he used his art to tell the story of his life -- for the past, present and future. He was fully aware of the limited time he had left, and he spent his final days composing his farewell. But what did he mean when he invoked the story of Lazarus? Well, Bowie recognized that he will be "resurrected" through his music.

So allow me to indulge in listening to his discography. I want to fall in love with him all over again.

LS

Greetings,

Some of you are aware that I've been in a volatile situation. Here's the Cliff Notes version: I wrote about a person who is known in my community for lying and harassing people. She turned her sights on me. She's threatened me, threatened my family, wrote about me with a TON of false accusations. I threatened to sue, and things escalated to her stalking me. Her supporters have "visited" my family and personally threatened them. Then her supporters began floating allegations about me throughout the community that were completely and unequivocally false. Now I am the recipient of threats from someone who has contacted my friends and local business contacts, accusing me of lewd sexual conduct. This person, who is a friend of the stalker, indicated that he was going to "end" me soon. This personal has a criminal history that involves stalking and criminal harassment.

The police has been notified. I sent in the evidence. I'm pressing charges.

This situation has been weighing on me for several months. The stress has effectively quashed my productivity.

I honestly can't say any more than that. I don't want to go into specifics because it's my personal life. One of my fuzzy friends came across some of the details after a Google search of my name, and he went down the rabbit hole. It's not something I want to put anyone else through. It's a giant, complicated, flaming ball of WTF that would incriminate me if I went any further with personal details. What I can say is that I've made a mistake in criticizing crazy people, and shouldn't have picked that fight. I made a few judgment errors along the way, but not the errors they've said I made.

Can't wait until I'm able to sleep again... one day.

LS

Greetings readers,

I really, really don't want to do this but I have to. I'm announcing a hiatus for the foreseeable future. My stalking case has taken a turn for the worse, which includes criminal threats and potentially a hate crime, which I won't specify. A lot of things have been happening over the past few hours, and I have to address these matters so my family is protected.

Wish me luck. I'll need it.

LS

Please leave me a note telling me that you did. Thank you!

Reason I ask: I've been very busy lately, and I only accept money ONCE I know I'm available to work on your commission.

I will let you know when I'm ready to accept payment and when my schedule is freed up.

Thanks again!

LS

Christmas.

LS

Greetings,

It's the beginning of December, and I haven't been able to accomplish anything last month because of all the drama going on. It's unfortunate because I've done my best to separate myself from what's been going on. I've reached out to my friends and family so I don't end up internalizing the conflict. I've tried to be more productive, write when I find the motivation to write, and focus on freelance work. But over the past few days, things have taken another downturn.

Basically, the stalker I've been dealing with has been reported to the authorities and they're watching her closely. Good news. But she has friends, and her friends have gone through extraordinary lengths to defame me all over the community. Bad news. So my phone has been ringing off the hook, and I've gotten text messages from people asking me, "Is this true that you helped a man beat his girlfriend?" and "Do you have a sex tape? Someone says they have it and they're shopping it around to the press." Of course I don't have a sex tape. But these people are posting allegations absolutely everywhere, and they've been doing it non-stop for a week now. I only found out about this weirdness two days ago.

Keeping a smile and happy facade through this is wearing me down. I would LOVE to have a life and NOT think about this 24/7, and not resort to alcohol to help me forget.

Hello!

I think I bored my readers with enough details, so I'll briefly describe the latest. I found out that my stalker has contacted a ton of people about me, including old friends who I haven't been in touch with for a while. I went ahead and reported her to the authorities. Best I can do is sit back, watch carefully and see what happens.

In the midst of all the chaos and anguish, I somehow started writing and editing again. So what does this mean? Stay tuned. Something or somethings is on the way.

LS

Good evening (or whatever time it is in your area),

When I think it's settled down, it doesn't.

The night before last, I found out some tragic news. It was around two in the morning and I read on Facebook that one of my friends was murdered in a fairly barbaric way: multiple gunshot wounds to the head. I didn't know him for long, about a few years or so. He was someone who had the whole world ahead of him, had his whole itinerary planned out; he knew what he was doing. Then all of a sudden, he's gone. That's it. Done. No second chances. Over. I've been beside myself over that.

And that's before I found out something that was unsettling about this stalker in my case. She's continuing to create social media accounts, and asking people on the Internet for more information about me and my family. She says she's offering cash. She's posted her offer on her website, Facebook and Craigslist. Does this scare me? No. It's definitely creepy, I admit, but I'm not scared. What I am is tired and frustrated. My agitation has completely destroyed any will to be productive or motivated. It sucks. Is it legal? Apparently in the fucking state of California, sure, why not?

I can't write. I can't think. So once again, I'm going to step aside and take a break. I have four more chapters done for IN GOOD COMPANY, which need to be edited for clarity. I'll get to that. Don't know when, but I'll get to it. I'm constantly on edge, and since I don't have any friends nearby or a partner to confide to, it's harder to hash things out without consulting a therapist. I want to thank everyone who has messaged me and offered to be a sounding board. That means a lot, but I can't go into too much detail about my personal situation.

I'll be on Twitter and IMs (AIM, YIM and Skyoe), but forgive me if I sound a little broken right now.

LS

Good evening,

I'm back and still in one piece. As much as I would like to go into specifics about my case, I can't. What I will say is my stalker has been put on notice, and if she poses a threat to my family and I in any way, her ass will be hauled off to jail. But in order to not escalate the situation any further, I'm not going to talk or post about her for a while. I've kept my friends in the loop about her actions, but word came back to her that I wasn't taking her behavior lightly. On my personal social media accounts, I've been more candid about my situation than here on FA. Time to zip the lip, keep one eye open for a while, and hope for the best. That's all I can do.

In this country, people can get away with a lot. I'm surprised. I understand the whole First Amendment thing. I get that, but the First Amendment (free speech) protects a lot. Unless someone writes and says, "I'm going to kill you," and mentions a date and time when they will act on that threat, nothing happens. But if someone says, "I will hurt everyone who you care about," the cops just shrug their shoulders. I don't have the time, energy or the money to file a lawsuit with the court to prevent harassment. A celebrity can always do that with stalkers, cut a check to a big law firm in Beverly Hills, and have them handle it out of sight, out of mind. But someone struggling to make ends meet doesn't have the resources to defend themselves.

Fuck the system. I'll thrive and continue living in spite of it.

LS

Good evening,

Things have escalated between my stalker and I to a point that I need to call the police and get them involved.

Hang tight, guys. Thank you for waiting.

LS

Good evening,

It's 10 p.m. here and I'm exhausted. I've been doing some freelance work since seven in the morning. I normally get up around nine or ten; tend to sleep in. The past couple of days have been work-intensive, and that's something I need to get used to again. When you're unemployed for a while, you have to find something to do to keep your mind and body in constant motion. Otherwise, you drift. I had a full-time job, pay was good, and the job was demanding. But once I was let go, I was in a deep funk for months. Now that I'm no longer in one, it feels like my work endurance has atrophied over time.

Tonight, I'm lucid enough to get my thoughts together. Instead of talking about my stories, which I'm working on -- commissions and IN GOOD COMPANY are back on track -- I wanted to talk about cyber-harassment.

So, as some of you know, I've been the recipient of ongoing cyber-harassment and stalking by a person who is obsessed with destroying my reputation in any way possible. Last night I did some sleuthing and I came across a fairly disturbing conclusion: this stalker has created over 20 anonymous social media accounts. Some of them were accounts I recognized. Basically, these accounts were made for the sole purpose of slandering people that she doesn't like or people that disagree with her. I came across with a huge treasure trove of disturbing comments made about me that were sent out to my friends, co-workers and acquaintances. Here I was, wondering why my friends were constantly unfriending me and distancing themselves from me. I had an idea, but didn't know the extent of it.

I believe I now have enough to go to the police and press charges (finally). I can't exactly take her to court because she has no money, and the damage is already done. No amount of money is going to restore my relationships. Frankly, I'm bummed about that. I'm not super depressed about it, but it does suck. The bizarre thing about this whole episode is that I have to resist the temptation to prove that I'm better than what she claims I am. I have to slap myself in the face and say, "No. That's ridiculous."

A lot has been on my mind. Thank you guys for letting me vent. It's hard to explain all of this in an IM conversation. "Hey, Ace! What's up?" "Oh, not much. Just found out a psychopath has been telling my friends that I'm trying to 'hurt' her." You know, psycho shit. No big deal.

I wonder when my boner will return.

LS

Good morning!

As many of you know, IN GOOD COMPANY has taken off. The support and appreciation I've received has been overwhelming. Clearly this series has eclipsed my previous work as far as content goes. My work has even been shared among AB/DL-friendly incontinence support groups. I've also received donations for my work, which is awesome.

Fortunately, my personal and professional life has also experienced an uptick. Momentum is building behind a business I just formed, and I've been meeting stakeholders left and right. No income just yet, but things are looking up. That said, I've been very, very busy. Wake up. Business meeting. Have coffee with stakeholder, get violently ill (lol Acid Reflux Disease); beer with another stakeholder later that afternoon. Rinse and repeat.

My work and release schedule has been pushed back a week to accommodate my schedule. As of posting this journal, I've signed back on IM and Skype. Poke me.

LS

Check it out here!

Art by  airwolf1987

Character:  kajidawg
(guest stars as Kaji Wynn in IN GOOD COMPANY)

Which character do YOU want to see drawn from IN GOOD COMPANY? Let me know!

Commission information can be found here.

Wow! What a fantastic week.

People already know that lionstories has reached 15,000 pageviews. IN GOOD COMPANY is a smashing success, and have already raked in donations as a token of appreciation. I'm also open for commissions. The downside is that I'm now backlogged with commission requests, and that's a good thing because people are very interested.

So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to open up slots for each month. It takes me a while to work on these stories. The turnaround isn't as fast as art, however I can guarantee turnaround within the same month the commission was made. Here are your monthly slots. If you wish to commission me, mention the month that you want to commission me for. Three slots for each month. First come, first serve.

Here we go:

November 2015
[x] Seifer
[x] Terinas
[x] TheAnon

December 2015
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January 2015
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February 2015
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Ready? GO!