This isn’t a Writer’s Workshop post, but let me tell you, folks, the hardest part of writing isn’t the writing. It isn’t the editing. It isn’t even the marketing, although the marketing sucks. It’s figuring out all the different processes all the different websites want you to go through, vis a vis formatting, bundling and blocking, before your book goes live.

Which is my way of announcing that, yes, if you couldn’t tell just from the heading of this blog post, the first chapter of the first part of my five-part, 1000 (probably) page fanfiction novel, Everything Is All Right, has gone up on fanfiction.net and archive of our own. And, good grief, was that a hassle and a half! I have officially turned into one of those old dogs who can’t learn new tricks. I can’t friggin’ wait until I can afford to hire someone who will do this fidddly shit for me. Then I can just throw a manuscript at him/her and shout, “Minion!” (I shall call my assistants minions) “Minion! Post the first chapter!” and my minion will bow himself/herself away while I turn back to the computer monitor, slowly stroking my cat (not a euphemism) and contemplating the ruin of my heroine from the security of my underground lair at the heart of an active volcano, because as long as you’re daydreaming, dream big, right?

Until that day, I am my own minion, so I had to do it myself and it took just a ridiculous amount of time, and I probably did it wrong, but it looks like it posted, so here goes.

For all of those who participated in my little guessing game in the comment section, thanks! It was a real hoot to see your guesses. I hope you all enjoyed your sneak peeks!

For all those who didn’t, but are still curious, since the first chapter posted, I guess the mystery is over, so please enjoy (or don’t, I won’t judge) this excerpt!

Everything Is All Right
Part One: Girl on the Edge of Nowhere

“Welcome to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life! Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced…”

PROLOGUE

November 5th, 1993

Ana Stark waited up all night, but he didn’t come, and when the grey glow of morning began to light her window, she slipped the knife back into its hiding place beneath her mattress and cried herself to sleep. In another hour, her mother’s shrill alarm clock woke her through the wall and she cried again, silently, because she could hear her mother thumping and swearing her way down the hall, still alive. But she didn’t cry long. It was Friday, a school day. She had only to get through this one last day and then she had the whole weekend with David over at Aunt Easter’s house to figure out what went wrong.

***

At this point, it is my plan to post new chapters weekly, every Saturday, on both sites. Hopefully, by the time Girl on the Edge of Nowhere concludes, the second part, Mike Schmidt and the Long Night, will be ready to begin, and so on down the line until the full book is complete, at which point, I will post the entire thing on Wattpad. That’s the plan, anyway, after which, it’s back to work on the next project. Hopefully, some of you will enjoy my little respite-from-actual-work and read along! If not, well, stay tuned and there’ll be something for you next year!