Hi, everybody! For several years now, things haven't exactly been the best. I had a crappy job in a dead-end town with no prospects, and the constant stress has been continually pounding my skull in. I've been only just surviving, always wondering if I can make my next rent check or if I'll be able to eat for the next week. But things have changed, and for the better!

See, I got evicted from my (admittedly decent) apartment by the new landlord, who has been evicting all the white families and replacing them with families from Mexico and Puerto Rico. I guess I was next on the list. Still, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I moved in with a couple of friends (both girls) from work, who I get along with quite well, and now my rent and electricity are about 1/3 of what they were, as we split the bills evenly between us, which is a pretty good deal, even though I prefer living on my own, overall. Too, I hated my old job, which hardly paid anything, hardly gave any hours, and the hours I did get were both horribly boring and stressful. I couldn't get away from it, either, as the town really didn't have anything beyond fast food (which I will never work in again unless coerced at gunpoint). But as soon as I moved to my new city, I put in a few applications and within a day I already had a job offer.

I'm filling out paperwork and such right now, but soon I will be one of those folks who give away free food and sampler products in Walmarts, Sam's Clubs, and similar retailers, meaning not much stress. I mean, everybody loves getting free stuff, right? Far more stable hours, and I get paid almost 50% more than I did at my old job ($11 an hour vs $8), and if I can start paying off some old debts, I can even get my driver's license back. And as soon as I get myself a car, I can commute to a city an hour and a half away, and that $11 turns into $20 for the exact same job.

So I definitely have a goal, and it's something I'm really, really looking forward to. As stress has been absolutely murdering my ability to write, I expect to be feeling considerably better and to be writing more in the ever-nearing future, which I'm sure you guys will be happy to hear. So yeah! That's where I am right now. Still dealing with residual stress from the past 5 or so years, but man, does it feel good to have things looking up for once.

PROST!

Hello, everyone.
Thank you all so very much for your help and encouragement over the course of this last month. I've been in really tight spots before, but I've never received the kind of support I've gotten over the past several weeks, and as uncomfortable as asking for handouts has been, it's been extremely humbling to know that there really are people out there who are willing to help someone in need.

This is the update on my situation to let you know how things have been going and to let you know how your donations have been spent.

I used the money over the last month to keep myself afloat, and every single penny has been used for paying bills and buying food, and it was a massive relief knowing that I had some time to find a way to support myself, and the time you helped buy wasn't spent idly. I have been working on finding employment, and I did find a job several weeks ago, which is great.

Unfortunately, the amount of training needed for the job means that, even though I've been filling out paperwork and taking tests for the bulk of the last month, I haven't actually started working yet, even though I've got the job. My security clearance should be coming in sometime within the next two weeks, and then I can *finally* start earning a paycheck again, at a job close enough to home to walk to, with very little stress, which will help me immensely in keeping up with things for the foreseeable future.

In the meantime, bills are coming due again, and I need one last push to keep going. Rent, food, and other bills wait for no man, and though I hate to ask for even more from everyone, this time it's only for enough to keep me going until the paychecks start rolling in once again. I'll need about $800 (in addition to the $1000 I had before) to keep a roof over my head, the electricity and water on, and to buy enough food to last until my first paycheck. Every little bit helps, and while I still feel uncomfortable asking for another handout, I don't like the idea of being tossed out on the street even more.

This has been a really trying time, but thanks to all the help from those who have donated, I've gotten enough time and space to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, and for once, it's not an oncoming train.

As a reminder, my GoFundMe account is at http://www.gofundme.com/d84a3tjs.

Again, thank you everyone so much for your help thus far. I'll do my best to pass that help along in the future.

[edit]

Today's update:

I received my 10-day eviction notice late yesterday, and I won't start my new job for at least a few more days, with my first paycheck not coming in for a couple of weeks after that. I really don't want to be evicted while waiting for the paychecks to start rolling in.

As I mentioned in a previous update, the amount already donated went towards last month's bill's and food almost exclusively, meaning I don't have much left to go toward this month. I need some help getting at least $300 to add to what I still have in order to catch up with the rent that I owe.

I basically have my new job already; I'm merely awaiting security clearance. This should be the last time I need help, at least for the foreseeable future.

Anyone who can spare a bit, I most definitely appreciate anything you can do, and I'm sure this job will help alleviate a lot of the problems that got me to this point, so it shouldn't happen again.

Hello, everyone.

Thank you all so very much for your help and encouragement over the course of this last month. I've been in really tight spots before, but I've never received the kind of support I've gotten over the past several weeks, and as uncomfortable as asking for handouts has been, it's been extremely humbling to know that there really are people out there who are willing to help someone in need.

This is the update on my situation to let you know how things have been going and to let you know how your donations have been spent.

I used the money over the last month to keep myself afloat, and every single penny has been used for paying bills and buying food, and it was a massive relief knowing that I had some time to find a way to support myself, and the time you helped buy wasn't spent idly. I have been working on finding employment, and I did find a job several weeks ago, which is great.

Unfortunately, the amount of training needed for the job means that, even though I've been filling out paperwork and taking tests for the bulk of the last month, I haven't actually started working yet, even though I've got the job. My security clearance should be coming in sometime within the next two weeks, and then I can *finally* start earning a paycheck again, at a job close enough to home to walk to, with very little stress, which will help me immensely in keeping up with things for the foreseeable future.

In the meantime, bills are coming due again, and I need one last push to keep going. Rent, food, and other bills wait for no man, and though I hate to ask for even more from everyone, this time it's only for enough to keep me going until the paychecks start rolling in once again. I'll need about $800 (in addition to the $1000 I had before) to keep a roof over my head, the electricity and water on, and to buy enough food to last until my first paycheck. Every little bit helps, and while I still feel uncomfortable asking for another handout, I don't like the idea of being tossed out on the street even more.

This has been a really trying time, but thanks to all the help from those who have donated, I've gotten enough time and space to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, and for once, it's not an oncoming train.

As a reminder, my GoFundMe account is at http://www.gofundme.com/d84a3tjs.

Again, thank you everyone so much for your help thus far. I'll do my best to pass that help along in the future.

-Garrett

Dear Readers.

Lately, things have taken a drastic turn for the worse.

I just lost my job, which was the only thing keeping me afloat, and I just don't know what to do anymore. I've been looking for a different, less stressful job for months, and there's nothing around here that I even remotely qualify for. I'm stuck in an extremely small town, with no car, no family, and no way out.

I don't know what to do anymore.

The stress of my situation has been building steadily, and I've worked myself to tatters trying to deal with it. I had a few months where things seemed to be getting better, but that was apparently the cliff-edge before the abyss. It's take a severe toll on my health.

Along with the mounting stress, I've been suffering from a steadily worse depression over the course of the last two years, along with declining physical health and a host of attendant problems, including headaches, anxiety, insomnia to the point where I go weeks without sleep, constant exhaustion, low blood pressure and bouts of stress-induced hypoglycemia, blackouts, and stabbing chest pains when my stress reaches a particularly high point.

Even doing the smallest things is extremely difficult. I feel like I've been drugged, and my ability to think has crashed and burned. It's so hard to try to dig yourself out of a hole when it takes everything you've got just to get out of bed in the morning or fix something to eat. I got an impossibly rare burst of motivation to even write this, and my brain is so doped up on its own stress chemicals that I'm not entirely sure if it's coherent. I'll have someone look over it so it at least makes sense.

Suicidal thoughts are nothing new, but I've always had enough strength to resist them. But it's getting to the point where they're actually starting to look attractive, and that scares the hell out of me.

I've tried going to see a doctor, but they want to dope me up with drugs, and I've had horrible reactions with every depression med I've ever tried, up to and including a coma that lasted three full days. But honestly? I don't need drugs, I need a break. Anyone subjected to enough stress will crumble, and stress is not a "disorder" that can be treated.

I've tried fixing this on my own, but it's just not enough. I just keep falling farther and farther behind.

I'm ashamed to have to do this, but I don't see any other way. I don't like handouts, but I don't want to become homeless (or worse), either, which is looking like a distinct possibility.

I'm desperate, and I really, really, really, really need your help.

I'll be frank. I need money. I need enough to pay off some old bills, enough to buy a car so I can get out of this tiny town, and enough to set up elsewhere and live on for awhile while I recuperate from the stress I've been under for the past few years, not to mention look for a job or alternative source of income.

I've set up a gofundme account at http://gofundme.com/d84a3tjs

With any luck (and lots of help), I'll be able to use this to get myself in a position to fix several things in my life that have been weighing me down for a long time. And that will make it easier to start building myself up again, rather than just bailing myself out of the hole I'm in that just keeps getting deeper.

Please spread the word to the people you know. Facebook, Twitter, whatever. Anyplace you think you can reach receptive ears.

Any ideas you have which might help my situation are appreciated, as well.

And no matter what else happens, thank you everyone, from the bottom of my heart. No matter how much or how little you give, it's definitely appreciated, even if it's just spreading the word.

So thank you. Thank you so much.

--Garrett

Hello, everyone.

I felt the need to leave a note here and tell you all about what's been happening since I last did anything around here. It's been way too long, and not doing any writing for so long has left me feeling really, really bad for a long time.

I've been having quite a few problems in the last couple of years with being seriously overstressed, and beyond a case of writer's block so bad that it leaves me unable to write ​anything, the resulting depression has killed my ability to be functional beyond the bare necessity for naked survival, which I'm sure at least some of you are familiar with. It's only gotten worse since I got my current job a bit over a year ago, since the physical stress of standing for 12 hours a day and the utter boredom of staring at machinery the whole time (with nothing to really look forward to but more tedium) just grind the brain into a pasty mush.

But I have a modicum of good news, and some potentially very good news. I've recently learned of a few dietary problems I hadn't really even realized I was undergoing, such as not getting nearly enough complex carbohydrates or animal protein, vitamin K, vitamin B12 (specifically, Methylcobalamin B12, which is what I need, but is ​really​ hard to get, so hello supplements!), and some trace minerals like magnesium and manganese. I started adding in whole grains again, as well as some meat, fresh kale, and berries and nuts of various kinds, and suddenly I found that the depression was completely gone and I felt an amazing drive to do things that I hadn't felt in years. I've written just shy of 40 pages on a story, and (aside from a few days of relapse from too much exercise or stress) I'm still going strong.

I'll tell you, if you find yourself feeling depressed, stressed, writer's block'd, and unable to force yourself to do much of anything, go out and buy yourself a big bag of kale greens and some baby spinach for salads, some walnuts and almonds, a ripe avocado or two, non-artificial-sweetener yogurt, some high-quality beef (especially liver, though I hate liver), and some mixed berries, especially bananas and blueberries. Eat those in quantity for a few days and see how you feel.

Even if it doesn't work as advertised, the worst you'll get is some good nutrition out of it.

Beyond that, do everything you can to reduce stress in your life, physical, emotional, chemical, and nutritional. You'll be glad you did.

Hey everyone. I have been utterly incommunicado for quite awhile, and I apologize for that. Life has gotten stressful again, and it's killed my drive to do much. I'm still working on editing Spirit Bound, and I've been planning more on my rewrite of In Heat, but the actual writing hasn't taken off yet. What I have planned is long and complex, however, so there are a lot of details that need hammered out.

However! I would like some assistance from anyone who happens to know some interesting facts about animals and what they can do. I'm building a list of animals that can do fun and interesting things, so if you know of any, let me know!

A few examples:

Common rat: Super-hard teeth capable of chewing through concrete; the ability to squeeze through spaces much smaller than the body's frame; can smell ionized radiation; sensitive hearing (including ultrasound); and good sense of smell

Inland taipan: Deadliest snake venom in the world; extreme speed and agility; detaching jaws

Mantis shrimp: Claw-club capable of breaking through bulletproof nacre; amazingly sensitive eyes (12 primary colors, instead of 3)

Etc.

Any additional suggestions are appreciated.

Okay, so, I have a bit more time at work to write these days, but carrying around a clipboard, paper, and pen is unwieldy. I want something electronic (preferably with a small keyboard rather than an all-too fragile touch screen) that will fit in my pocket and can be stowed away quickly (as I need to jump up from my seat frequently, to take care of work-related stuff). I COULD use an iPhone or something similar, but they're incredibly expensive. I'd prefer something at $150 (USD) or less. I also don't want to use it as a phone, so getting one as part of a signed contract isn't wanted.

All I really need is to be able to read and edit .rtf and .doc file types (preferably with a word processing app with more-than-minimal utility -- ie, MS Word XP-level, for preference), and possibly the ability to take reasonable-quality pictures. I don't need it for anything else. It needs the ability to hook up to a Windows (XP or 7)-based PC via USB or WiFi so I can transfer files back and forth.

Anyone have any ideas?

[edit] Oh, and it needs a good battery life, too. At least 8-10 hours.

[edit 2] I settled on this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ.....9SIA1M80MP6027

Hi everyone. I figured I'd drop you guys a line to let you know what's going on.

First of all, I moved out of my old life in Kansas and into a new one in Arkansas for a job. It's factory work, so it's not exactly glamorous, but it's easy and not horribly stressful (most of the time). Basically I watch machinery to make sure it stays operational. Once an hour I have to check the temperature gauges to make sure they remain stable, which takes all of 10 minutes. The rest of the time I just sit there and watch to make sure nothing breaks down.

Sounds easy, right? It is, for the most part. Problem is, it's 3rd shift, from 8 pm to 6 am. 10 hours, 6-7 days a week, and until I get used to the new shift in schedule I'm going to be really tired. However, I've started writing again, though it's slow going since I have to do so by hand rather than on my computer. Anything is an improvement, however, so we'll see how things go once I start getting my life back together.

I have tons of back-bills to pay, as well as some traffic fines, and I'm living with family until I get them straightened out. Once I get those taken care of and buy a vehicle and get out on my own again, everything should run more smoothly. The change in routine is stressful (which is bad), but the stress levels are still way lower than they were before (which is good).

Wish me luck! I'm excited, though still a bit...erm...trepidated. I hope I can keep this job. Haven't had much luck with that so far, but we'll see.

So, I have good news and bad news.

I have a job. This is the good news.

It's in Arkansas. I'm in Kansas. This is the bad news.

Looks like I'm emigrating. I have to leave my friends behind, but I'm going to live with family for awhile so I can get on my feet and decompress a bit. The stress I've been under the last few years has taken severe chunks out of my health, so I need to recuperate before anything else.

However! It pays decently, it's a low-stress job, and it'll give me plenty of time to plot and plan and think about upcoming stories, which is excellent.

Things seem to be turning around somewhat, and I'll keep y'all updated, so stay tuned!

I'm sorry I've hardly uploaded anything new over the last several months, but I've been under a horrible amount of stress for the last couple of years, and my ability to write has suffered to the point where I just can't do it right now. I have lots of plans for the future but until I get my emotional feet under me I just can't do it.

I do have SOME good news, but most of that is the fact that I finally, finally figured out what's wrong with me. For as long as I can remember I've suffered horribly from a whole bunch of what seemed like random things: depression (suicidal, severe, and dysthymic), panic attacks, constant anxiety attacks, brain-fog to the point where I can't function, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, zero energy throughout most of every day, complete inability to handle any stressful situation (no matter how minor), constant anger and frustration with everything, migraines, severe muscle weakness, weight-gain if I exercise for less than 6 hours a day and if I eat more than 1,200 calories per day, frequent nervous breakdowns, and on and on and on through dozens and dozens of symptoms.

Turns out I'm suffering from a severe and prolonged case of something called adrenal fatigue. It's not officially recognized by the U.S. medical community (though it is in Europe and elsewhere), even though doctors have been aware of it for over a century. It's where your body is under too much stress for it to handle, to the point where your adrenal glands just can't keep up with the demands that stress puts on you. It can be utterly debilitating, and yet it's generally ignored because unless you're so low on cortisol that you're considered to have Addison's Disease, it's not recognized as an issue. I've been told that it's purely psychological, but considering that both my parents were like this, and they each had a parent like this, and so on, and have all suffered from the same things, I'm pretty sure that I have some sort of inherited condition where I have extremely weak adrenal glands. It means I have to take extreme care of myself and do everything I can to avoid being stressed; otherwise I start having problems.

I have to say that I AM feeling better, now that I know what's going on and have been reading some books on stress management which are helping. However, I've been unemployed for nearly two years despite how hard I'm looking, and I'm just a couple of weeks away from eviction from my apartment, with nowhere else to go. Normally I'd be a blubbering mess, unable to get up the energy to even crawl out of bed, but I'm...dealing. Kind of. I still have a lump of dread sitting in my stomach, but at least I'm clear-headed enough to actually get out and continue looking.

Anyway, I appreciate you all and your patience with me. Know that I'm doing my best to fix my situation, and now that I FINALLY know what the hell is up with me, I know I'll do better once I get over this particular hurdle and can finally blow off some of the stress that's been accumulating for who knows how long.

On the positive side, even though I'm not up to actually writing myself I've taken to editing a few stories here and there as a distraction when I'm not busy job-scouting. Check out plainwalk and his story, Spirit Bound. He has nearly 90 chapters, and I'm working my way through them. We're making sure the prose is tight as can be, but since I'm not through all of them yet there will be noticeable changes in quality in a few places. However, the story is amazing, so check it out, comment and fave, and above all, make sure you enjoy it! I know I do!

And that word is: Vignette!

I've got a ton of humorous mini-stories in a series that I'm going to be putting up one at a time, each with its own title, but they're all part of The Many Perversions of Romari Susi. Collectively they're one of my submissions for Fang Vol 5. Warning: many of them involve pervy suggestive humor, and they're all rather gay (in the M/M fashion).

************************************************************************

The synopsis is as follows:

Romari Susi is a dirty old wolf, the emperor of a mighty nation, and the joint-CEO of a massive worldwide corporation; he's well respected, and is closeted from the rest of the world, though it's a poorly kept secret at best. He shares his bed with his straight-laced secretary, co-CEO, and mate Neal, who is a flying fox (AKA, a fruit bat). Luckily for their domestic tranquility, Neal is rather open to his mate's wide-ranging romantic exploits.

Occasionally joining them in their adventures is the captain of their imperial guard, a raccoon named Taxas.

************************************************************************

#1: Q and A
#2: Cheaters Never Prosper
#3: King of Queens
#4: Taking Dictation
#5: BETA Testing
#6: Poker Faces
#7: Breeding Records
#8: Lust, Love, and Paperwork
#9: Walking The Dog
#10: Self-Sacrifice
#11: Poor Dating Practices
#12: Pandering to Stereotypes
#13: Signed, Sealed, Delivered
#14: A Novel Romance
#15: The Enemy of My Enemy
#16: In For A Penny, In For A Pound
#17: Milking Him For Everything He's Worth
#18: On The Clock
#19: Harems And Spice And Everything Nice
#20: Golden Deceiver
#21: The Emperor's Nude Clothes
#22: Hold Your Whorses
#23: Logical Phallusy
#24: Gay For Pay
#25: Saddled With An Unstabled Partner
#26: Juvenile Until Proven Guilty
#27: The Twilight Zone
#28: Intercourse With The Vampire
#29: Meeting With Disapproval
#30: Consummation Desperation
#31: Up A Creek
#32: Of Insanity And Inanity

I'm up to 114 pages on my sequel to In Heat, but dammit, this year has been hell on my initiative, and my writer's block for it is horrible.

However! An intermission side-story to the sequel to The Rule of Four has taken me less than a week, and it's almost as long as the original! Maybe if I get some of that out of my system I'll get my inspiration back!

Or you guys'll just have to live without the IH sequel for a bit and learn to love The Rule of Four a bit more. You can live with that, right?

It's here.

Fanfic for WhyteYote!

I woke up one morning with the story in my head, and it wouldn't leave until I kicked it out electronically.

It's not something I can post on FA due to the rules of engagement here. Just pay attention to the tags, and don't read it if you're underage or don't like that kind of stuff, etc.

I'm excited! They read my story here!

Looks like I'm getting some attention after all!

I finished a short story (another fanfic piece; this time for WhyteYote), which I'll post as soon as I have the go-ahead.

And I've been storyboarding a sequel to my FANG Vol 4 entry, which is looking to be more than 30 chapters long. At an average of 3000 words per chapter, that's more than 90,000 words...

...wow.

Anyway, I figure I'll post the book chapters here, along with The Rule of Four after FANG Vol 4 is unleashed. Or released. Whatever.

I'm still working on R&R, but I've hit a few snags. We'll get there. Eventually...

Just figured I'd keep you guys updated.

And that something is my FANG Vol 4 submission.

14,324 16,749 words for a 10,000 word (max) submission, and I did make some tweaks from the original posted here (including the name).

I hope the editors don't chew it up TOO much...

I'm currently putting R&R on a (very temporary) hiatus in order to work on a project with Graveyard Greg. He may or may not decide to expand on this (*hint*hint* Greg), but either way I'm excited!

This will give me a reprieve for a few days from our heroes, and will help me to freshen up a bit.

But don't worry! I still fully intend on finishing it! But after ~80 pages and a 60+ hour a week job (on 3rd shift, no less), I'm a tad bit tired at this exact moment...

The official working title is "R&R". You'll find out why when it's released. You'll learn the protagonist's name (finally!), you'll learn more about the lycanthropy virus, meet more weres, get some instruction on just why the pack is severed, why Robert gave into his student's advances so easily, and more! A lot of action, a lot of emotion, and (with any luck) tighter writing and better pacing.

Anyway, it's looking to be approximately 100 pages. Possibly as much as 120.

Or, knowing me, closer to 300 or 400.

I'm a VERY slow writer, since I've been so busy with overtime at work, and I do a lot of self-editing after the fact, so look for it here in couple of months.

I'll keep you updated!

It's a temp. job, but it pays $17 an hour at 40+ hours a week, with lots of overtime.

3rd shift, though, which means I've been exhausted lately.

But I'll be making at or above $1000 a week for the next month, which means I may be able to actually get back on my feet after the last 2 years.

Also, I've been seriously considering looking into Forex, since I'm very good at pattern recognition, and using rules to play the system (see: op-fu in 3.5 D&D). Does anyone have any (positive) experience with that?

Peace!