Hey Y'all!

Christmas is here. It's today actually so Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever else it's called. I hope it's going well for you. But with it being December it means that the new year is fast approaching. New year, new cheer, that kind of thing. I just wanted to talk with y'all about somethings and give y'all an idea of what my plan is for 2019 with my writing and where I plan to go. You know, kinda give ya an idea of what to expect. Though, how much I will actually stick to it remains to be seen. Those of you that have followed me from the beginning know what I'm talking about. I've always been a go with flow kind of girl and whatever happens just well happens.

Sooo. First up on the list. I'm not dead yet. And I don't plan to be for the foreseeable future. I'm still writing, never quite stopped actually. *scratches head and shrugs* Just a slow writer as of late. Haven't quite had the will to write but somehow I've been doing it. My mind's just spinning too fast for my own good sometimes and all I can do is just go wherever that takes me. If it means I only get a paragraph or two written in a day then so be it. Ain't nothing I can do about it.

As for what stories I've been writing on, or rather I should say planning: Life Behind Bars is number one among those. Left y'all with a killer cliffhanger that I would imagine pissed off a few people who don't like cliffys. *cough* Sam *cough* Quite a few pages into that chapter and I may or may not have added a little present to the end of this for y'all BUT cool your tool. I ain't done talking yet. Right behind LBB, Vampire Trinity and The Magnolia Crews will be looking for their endings within the next couple of months. Honestly VT should've never went past the summer and if I had been able to stick to the once a week schedule like I want to, then it would've been done in ten weeks. Before you ask, yes. VT was never going to be longer then ten chapters. Been planned that way since before I started writing it.

The Magnolia Crews...what chapter are we on? Chapter 48? Yeah we be looking at only three more chapters. It's coming to the line with the leaders of Phantom Tartaros and then all that's left is to see what's to happen with the Trainees. Honestly, I didn't think that such a miniscule thread would've expanded so much into the story line but it has and now I myself look forward to seeing what happens.

Up and coming stories: I'm just gonna stand here and say that this is where things are gonna get a little kooky. I've got co-ops, a request for a genderbent that I've turned into a crossover *chuckles* That one was fun to plan out. and a few other surprises including stories for other fandoms as well coming up. The very first though... Can I just say that Yes I know y'all are looking forward to it. I am too. Demon's Wrath has been waiting patiently to be written and will come to life I wanna say before February. But this is part of where the kookiness comes into play.

If you don't know yet, I've started a co-op story with Raelin Thaeon called Speed of Freedom. In doing so we've discovered that our writing styles mesh quite well. We were talking, The Dragon King and Queen came up, and while we were discussing she brought up some very valid points and ideas. Sooo...I extended an invite to her to write Demon's Wrath with me. I'm not gonna lie. It's going to be an angsty story. One well deserved as the sequel of DKQ if I might add. Which, now that I've mentioned it: The kookiness. Besides my original stories and oneshots there are gonna be co-ops. One of which is Speed of Freedom. 2019 is gonna be a big year for that story as well.

There are several BIG stories planned. In the foreseeable future, there will be a HTTYD and OP story that will be riding high right along with LBB. They will continue on for some time and will have a lot of detail. If you wish to read them when they come out is up for you to decide. Nobody forces you to read my stories and I most certainly wouldn't. I just hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. But in the meantime there ya go. That's just about my plan for writing for 2019. Whatever else happens will happen and it will be what it will be.

I love y'all readers, and I will see you again in the new year with more stories and more fun. Happy Holidays and don't eat too many cookies!

Grizzly out for the night.

P.s. Before I forget! I left two presents for y'all. My vamp fans. Scroll down for your own peak at the next chapter.

Life Behind Bars

Chapter 26

Family Matters?

His hands are still shaking, trembling under the hurricane raging through his mind. He's spluttering, trying to say something to Lucy, not that he even understands what he's attempting to say. Until Lucy bops him on the head with a solid fist. The hit stops him in his tracks cold as if someone had dropped him into a pot of ice water again and he looks at her in shock, his jaw hanging open from the sudden movement.

Lucy sighs, leaning back to rest on her heels. "Natsu, can you hear me?" When he takes too long to answer she shakes his head, scowling in worry. "Come on, you numbskull, I didn't hit you that hard." His mind kicks into gear and he closes his mouth, giving the blonde a single nod. She relaxes, nodding in return. "Good, now focus. How many seconds does it take for a grenade to explode after the spoon has been released?"

These kinds of questions...he can answer. He knows them like the back of his hand. Though he doesn't know why she's asking him now, somewhere in the back of his mind there's a feeling of relief for being distracted. He swallows, his brows narrowing in focus. "F-five seconds."

"How long before lack of oxygen causes death?" There's movement behind her, the sound of shoes on dirt, but when he tries to turn his head to look she turns his head back to her. "Focus. Answer my question."

Part of him is confused, he wants to know what's going on around him. Where the ghost had gone to. The other part—the part willingly offering rote memorization of the answers to her questions—wants to forget it, to only pay attention to the future. "Three minutes to suffocate," He barely breathes, spitting out the words he'd memorized years before. "Three days without water, and three weeks without food."

She nods and looks over her shoulder at something he can't quite see before looking back at him. "Now, I'm gonna let you up. Can you stand?" His expression tightens into determination and Lucy slowly backs up, rising to her feet before pulling the pinkett to his full height. When he's solidly back on his feet, he straightens to his full six-foot height, allowing him to see over Lucy's shoulder without trouble. What he finds there...he could describe as nothing more than staring a ghost in the face.

Vampire Trinity

Chapter 7

Key to the Rogues

The teen nods and standing up, takes his tea cup to the sink before going back and giving Lucy a hug. "Thank you, Mama, you've given me a lot to think about." She hugs him back but when he goes to pull away she stops him, one hand tightly gripping his slender wrist.

"Silver, you asked me what my experience was in a Coven and I won't lie." Once more she casts a serious look on him, wanting him to remember her words long after he's entered the forest. "I was born and raised in a Coven, I grew up protected by my elders, trained by them to understand my magic and magic in general, I had friends both Changed and Born alike. Your fathers have not had a good life like I had growing up, or like we've tried to give you but you must understand there is not a day I regret choosing to be a Rogue if it means we can stay together as a family. So when you go back out there, and if you run into more of our kind, please keep in mind that not everyone is inherently good and not everyone is inherently bad. You have to be able to trust your instincts and follow your heart."

Finished with her speech she lets her hand fall back into her lap, her eyes carefully watching the barely hidden emotions flitting across his features. Until finally he nods, his expression as serious. "I promise, Mama, I'll listen."

And she smiles. "Good, I suggest that you go now if you don't want your fathers to catch you." With that her son is out the door, laughter echoing through the house as he makes a quick escape. Slowly Lucy stands, placing one hand on her lower back, her smile melts into a small twitch of the lips accompanied by a quiet tune she hums as she goes about cleaning up their tea time. But…