If you're reading this notice, it means that the story has been hit by review spam…and by "spam," I mean some ballsy loon(s) decided to leave reviews advertising art commissions.
Firstly, ignore it. Don't interact with the spammers, don't engage, and don't go following any URLs they post; this is a (relatively) new scam on this site, and people have lost money. I won't even try to describe how disappointing it is getting nothing but spam reviews anymore, but suffice it to say, it's disheartening. Writers all over this site are suffering the same bullshit right now, and not everyone can survive on piss-and-vinegar like yours truly. (Reviews help, though.)
Secondly, unless a review was left anonymously, writers cannot delete them. We can report them to the mods and flag them for removal, but I haven't seen any removed yet; we can add their user ID to the nifty little spammer list over at Writers Anonymous and block them, but that's about it. Unfortunately, for every spam review I get, there are half a dozen spam PMs…and the sudden onslaught is making PMS sound like a better option. I'm not currently responding to PMs because of the flood of spam (at least, not politely—expect to be told to say "potato.") and I'm considering disabling them for the time being. I've had the Spam Anthem from Monty Python going through my brain on repeat and I'd pay my weight in snark to stick these accounts in a skillet and fry them. I'm chonky, too, so that's a lot of snark. All we can do is is use the list at Writers Anonymous for preemptive blocking. [New scam? (people with artstation accounts asking for money to make fanart for you)] Unfortunately, said list is a few hundred accounts long and still climbing, and my hands are practically paralyzed by the time I get a break as it is; I can only handle adding a few names per day, and that's when I can manage that many. Getting old sucks. I can't recommend it. I'd love to cancel my subscription and leave a nasty Yelp review, but it seems to be mandatory if you stay alive, and I'm too crabby to die.
Lastly, despite this spam nonsense and the long wait for updates, I'm not dead and I haven't given up on writing. That's not happening. Ever. I've just been appallingly busy with Real-Life️™️ things, and I'm going to keep being kept busy for a while yet. Simply put, my husband and I are moving back to my hometown after more than a decade away; our parents are getting older and needing help more often, we're not close enough to do so here, and this town is getting too damned expensive and dangerous for us. We have a new place, but…yeah, moving is quicker when you can pack your entire life into a car because all your shit got scattered several cities northeast. Tornadoes are bad about that, and they so rarely leave a forwarding address. So rude, right? After so many years here, we've got a lot of shit to pack and transfer, and running back and forth on weekends is exhausting and time-consuming—hence the hiatus notice. Add that to my weak immune system, struggling health, and physical limitations—yep, I'm still old and decrepit—I'm not getting time or opportunity to write. It sucks, but it's temporary. Y'all can't get rid of me that easy.
Until I have an update, thanks for being patient, and thanks for supporting writers during this time; it's a labor of love, and we always love hearing from readers who aren't trying to rip us off. We love you guys. If we didn't, we would take our toys and go home.
Also, a quick warning for anyone who decides to hop on the spam train: I report and flag spam reviews and messages. I block and report spammers. You need a hobby. Your mother was a hamster and your father stank of elderberries. Go, before I toss you in a skillet and fry you.
Ghost Chance, signing off. Stay safe, everyone-who-isn't-a-spammer. (Spammers? Get boned.)