Alicia Justice's Blog, page 3

So I Did A Thing….Twitch Subscriber Short Stories?

If you’ve been around for a while, you know that I stream over on Twitch. I mostly stream writing and author-type streams. Mostly what’s called Co-Working sprints.  I really enjoy doing these streams and honestly, it helps me get a lot accomplished. Lately, I’ve added another stream night where I take that same concept but instead of writing we read.

 

Follow me Over On Twitch

My goal for the rest of March and all of April is to gain 10 Subscriptions on Twitch, so as an incentive for those that do Subscribe, they will get a 500-word short story, featuring them as the main character written by me. Those short stories will be posted here on my blog, but only for a short time. (I’m trying to figure out how to make them private but haven’t figured it out yet. When I do that’s what will happen.)

I will also add that if you have Amazon Prime, (Not an ad), you have a free Prime sub that you can use over on Twitch. That will also get you a short story if you use yours. Just tossing that out there.

Last night on stream I wrote three stories! So I’m already part of the way toward my goal.

This is honestly a challenge also for me because I don’t tend to write short, my word counts are usually rather large. So this is helping me as an author grow as well. Anyway, if you haven’t followed me over on Twitch, now is the perfect time to do so. Remember, a subscription isn’t free unless you use your prime sub.

I do understand that you might not be able to support me or authors this way, trust me I fully understand, but just so you know this isn’t the only way to support me as an author. There are free ways too. Follow me on social media (Twitch, Instagram, FB, etc.) Write a review for my books, share my posts on social media, and so many other ways. Honestly, I get excited when a reader of mine says hi in one of my comments. I love connecting with any of my amazing readers. So what I’m saying is if you can’t support me in this way, I do understand.

Hope you all have a great weekend and as always happy reading!!

 

 

Creativeones Twitch Subscriber Short Story

Hey Creativeone, thank you so much for being a new subscriber to my Twitch channel! I hope you enjoy your short story for subscribing.

Pandemonium…that was exactly how Creativeone would explain the chaos around them. Bodies lay on the ground around her, and billowing smoke filled the sky burning their eyes, the noise was deafening as the sirens blared.  All Creativeone wanted to do was get to the other side of the road and away from the carnage that was in the middle of the main street of the city they grew up in. Safety was where they needed to be.  

 Luckily for Creativeone, they hadn’t been caught in the middle of the wreckage, hadn’t been in the plane or the cars that it had fallen upon. No, they had been walking home from their day of shopping. They were sure that the noise they had heard that day would haunt them for the rest of their life.  A sound they were sure they would never forget. The sound of a plane falling from the sky and colliding with the street below. Though at the time they also could distinctly hear someone screaming, one that they were sure they had heard before. It took Creativeone a while to realize that the voice they heard had been their own. Rushing to the other side of the road, they tried their best to get away from the smoke that seemed to be trailing them. 

A hand grabbing at their shoulder has Creativeone jumping. Turning quickly they realized that the person grabbing for them was a young firefighter trying to get people to safety. 

“Hey, are you hurt?” They called out over the noise of the square. 

. “No, I don’t think so.” 

“Alright, let’s get you over here then and as far away from the smoke as we can.” The firefighters spoke as their hand landed on Creativeones shoulder and guided them over to the side, where a group of people were already being cared for. It wasn’t long till they were sitting with the rest of the people there. Creativeone watched as the young firefighter left but came right back with a bottle of water. 

“Here you go, This should start to help.” They spoke, moving to kneel before handing Creativeone the bottle they had gotten as they spoke. 

“Thanks,” 

That was all they could say before they tore open the bottle and started to guzzle the refreshing water. The firefighter had been right, it had started to ease the pain in their throat from breathing in the smoke. 

“Names Charlie,” they told Creativeone as they smiled in their direction through the firefighter’s helmet shield. Creativeone couldn’t help, but become a little lost in their beautiful baby blue eyes. Eyes that were overtaken by their piercing smile. 

“Charlie, it fits.” Creativeone teased, drinking the last little bit of water from the bottle.  “Thanks,” 

“Just doing my job,” They replied as they stood back up to their full height making the firefighter seem like a giant with them still sitting on the sidewalk with the rest of the people. “I better get back to it, you’ll be in good hands.” They nodded toward the EMTs that were already headed their way. 

 

Bri’s Short Story (Twitch Subscriber Story)

Bri, thank you for your support! Here is your story. I hope you enjoy it!

Gold glitter fluttered through the air landing in shiny particles around Bri’s hands. Shiny flakes of gold had come from an envelope she had just opened. Pulling the unmarked envelope out of her mailbox had Bri’s imagination running wild. Who had sent her a letter marked only with her name across the front? The inscription on the envelope was written in such beautiful calligraphy, which had almost made Bri not want to open it at all, but to cherish the pale green envelope for all time. Curiosity, on the other hand, had gotten the best of her and she rushed to cut through the seal at the back. 

The glitter had been just as much of a surprise as the envelope showing up in the first place. She hadn’t expected anything like it to come from such an elegant piece of stationery. It of course had her mind wondering even more as to whom had sent it to her. 

Turning the now open envelope in her hand several times over, she double…no triple checked to see if there was in fact a return address. When she had no such luck she finally reached for the pages inside. Sliding the paper from it’s resting place, Bri gently opens the folded pages and starts to read the words that are handwritten there. The words leave no clue as to whom wrote the letter, they leave Bri’s mind still whirling as she reads. 

Even as she goes through each of the three pages of the letter, she has to shake out the pages before reading as even more glitter clings to them. By the time she reads the last words on the very last page, she’s still so dumbfounded. There wasn’t a name after the sincere, there wasn’t anything in the letter itself that gave anything away as to whom had sent the letter. The whole letter was about her. Things the sender had noticed about her. They named off her favorite food, her favorite color, her favorite things to do, all of which had her mind freaking out as to how this person got all of the information. 

Reading the letter over and over, she combed it for the answers she needed. The fact that this person knew her so well had her wondering if someone was playing some sort of sick trick on her or if maybe she had someone watching her. That thought alone had Bri freaking out, that was until she realized there was something else in the green envelope, something thicker than just regular paper was still sitting inside the green stationery. 

With the hand that was still clutching the pages of the letter, she tried to rustle what she realized was card stock out of the envelope. Once it was finally freed, all the answers she had been seeking were now answered. With four little words, everything she needed to know had been hiding right there in that very envelope the whole time. Written in that same beautiful script as her name had been. In gold calligraphy, read….

 Welcome to Project Romance 

 

Whim’s Short Story (Subscriber Story Twitch)

Hey Whim, you’re getting a sneak peek at a jump-off series I’m going to be writing that revolves around the small town I’m creating called Waldon Springs. I hope you enjoy it!! Thanks for subscribing.

 

Standing on the balcony of their cabin, Whim looked up into the night sky, watching the starlight twinkle above them. Her three men were snuggled close by as they all looked up at the night sky together. Whim’s hands were wrapped around her coffee, one that Cedar had made just for her. They had only moved into their new cabin a few days prior, but their new daily routine had started to take.

Whim had to admit, the cabin was exactly as she had pictured it. Luckily for her, Easton had loved her sketch of her dream home and had taken it upon himself to make sure everything was exactly the way she had wanted it. Though there were a few things he added to make the guys comfortable there as well.

They had surprised her with their new home, where they could be themselves and not have to worry about anyone else. A place where Ridge could work on his motorcycle in pieces. A place where Cedar could cook them all dinner and have enough room to bake to his heart’s content. A place where Easton could cuddle with Whim outside on the balcony before getting up and painting his next masterpiece. It was their little haven.

The whole place was surrounded by pine trees and even though it seemed like they were in the middle of nowhere, their little cabin sitting on it’s twenty acres of land, it wasn’t but a twenty-minute drive until they would be in the middle of Waldon Springs. A tiny little town filled with the cutest little shops that were sure to please even the grumpiest of her men, Ridge. However, he was only grumpy with other people outside of their tiny little family. The fudge shop in town had become a staple in their lives each time they had come to check on their property throughout the years.

Easton’s family had left him the property that their cabin now stood on after they had both left this world in a car accident a few years prior. It had sat vacant for those years until one night they were playing a few hands of poker and the idea came up. They had all wanted a place big enough to each have their own spaces. That was all it took for Whim to start sketching out the idea and well the rest of was history.

“So what are the plans for tomorrow?” Cedar questioned, leaving his spot next to Whim, before moving toward the railing of the back porch and turning toward the rest of their merry little group.

“Probably the same as today,” Whim teased with her quirky little smirk. Knowing full well that it was exactly what the rest of them were thinking as well. She turned toward Ridge who was sitting on her other side on the little couch they had bought for their porch. He of course kept quiet and nodded his head in reply. Making the rest snicker.

“I love my life,” she whispered. “I don’t think it could get any better than this,” Though she was sure the little secret she was keeping from them would prove her wrong. Placing her coffee down on the table, Whim snuggled under the blanket that Ridge had thrown over them and into one of her three amazing men. Later, she decided…yeah later she would tell them.

Big Plans for Say You Will!

I wanted to give you a quick update and let you all know that, sadly, Beyond Courage is now out of publication, but I have plans for my story that was in the anthology. It had always been my plan to republish it next year, so that is the plan.

Now, it might not be the first thing I publish because I’m going to go back in and read over the story and possibly add to it. There was a word cap for the story to be in the anthology; if I’m going to publish it, there isn’t one. I might leave it just the way it is, though. I’m not sure yet.

I am however going to be getting a new cover for it and will share that very soon. More to come when it comes to that and the dates for everything. I just wanted to update you all and let you know that Say You Will isn’t gone forever.

For those of you who purchased a copy of Beyond Courage, thank you so much for grabbing your copy. I’m so thankful for you all. I hope you enjoyed the stories that were part of the anthology. I had a lot of fun writing Say You Will for Beyond Courage. I enjoyed being part of it and getting to know the other authors who were part of Beyond Courage as well. I hope someday to find myself in another anthology with them.

 

The Rough Draft Diaries: Day 2 and 3

The weekend was a bit rough for me. Saturday, I ended up having a bit of a headache and got some words just not as much as I had planned. On Sunday, I was swamped and didn’t get a single word. It wasn’t a total bust, I did get over eight hundred words, but I wanted over 3k words between Saturday and Sunday.  I’m trying hard to be easy on myself and not push myself as much as I normally do, but again that’s hard to do. I thrive with these challenges and sometimes push myself to the max.

 

So with that being said I have changed up my writing plan a bit, and as you can see below, I took Sundays off my list and decided to not write on that day. Thought it might make it a bit easier for me.

 

Anyway, with a new plan in place, I’m hoping this week will be a bit easier and I’ll be able to make up for the words I didn’t get on Saturday.

How are you all doing? Is anyone working on a writing challenge this month? Let me know in the comments. I would love to cheer you on.

 

The Rough Draft Challenge Diaries: Day 1

I am so excited to be participating in the Rough Draft Challenge that was created by the amazing and so very talented author Sarra Cannon. Like I said in my previous post, I usually participate in a different writing challenge in November, but this year I’m joining a different one. If you want to know more about the switch and the reason behind it, you can read my previous post by CLICKING here! 

Anyway, I’ve decided to try to do daily blog posts here on the website. If it doesn’t work, I will do weekly posts. We shall see how it goes. With that being said, this is Day 1’s post. So you’ll get the day’s post the following day. Most of these posts won’t be too long, just like a recap. I might also talk about some of the things I wrote that day, so if you want to know more about what I’m working on this might be a great way to learn more.

LET’S TALK DAY 1

Day one was amazing, every year I like to start the month off with a bang and get pretty far ahead. That’s exactly what I did. I try to hit at least 10k on the first of November. I did complete that challenge I set for myself and wrote just over 10k. I’m so glad I had this story all planned out and plotted. It made it easy to jump back into it and start writing right away. Not saying it will stay that way, but I’m crossing my fingers that it will.

 

 

I actually started this project back in July, but it got pushed back until now, so I already had a few words finished on this one. But I’m still shooting for the 50k words in November. Last night I finished chapter 10 and wrote chapter 11 as well as part of chapter 12 of Project Romance. Giving me a total of 10,066 words for the day. Not a bad start in my opinion.

So there you have it, my first update of the Rough Draft Challenge.

Are you joining any writing or reading challenges this month? Let me know in the comments.

It’s Preptober!!!

How’s everyone doing? Like the title of this post says it’s Preptober!! If you’ve been around here for long, you know that Preptober is one of my favorite parts of the year. This year is no different. For those of you who haven’t been around long, or don’t know what Preptober is, it is a month where I and many others take the time to get ready for a full month of writing in November. One where I try to write 50k words.

Speaking on November and writing, I want to put this out there really quickly, I don’t want to go into a huge explanation because most of you already know the main reasons behind this decision. Normally, well for the past almost 20-something years, I’ve participated in a thing called NaNoWriMo in November. I will not be participating this year or have anything to do with that site. Their take on AI and a few others has prompted me to take my stand and say I will not be part of it.

However, luckily there have been a few other options and challenges that have popped up and I’m excited to announce that I will be participating in two of those. As a lot of people know, I adore author Sarra Cannon. She’s doing a November challenge called the Rought Draft Challenge, (If you would like to know more, head over to her Youtube channel to learn more). I will also be joining the Creators on Main challenge as well. They are a group of amazing indie authors who have joined together to create another great writing challenge. One that you can do while doing other challenges. This one is being held over on Discord. You can head over to Esther’s channel on Twitch.

My plans for Preptober is to get all my plotting finished and ready to go for November. That includes all outlines, scene cards, supplies, character sheets, Notion work, etc. finished before the end of October. A lot of this I’ve already finished and have checked off my list. Mainly because I’ve already started working on this project before. I even have some of this one written, well eight and a half chapters written. I will be announcing which project I’ll be working on for November in a few days over on my Instagram, so if you don’t follow me over there, make sure you do. I usually give daily updates on my Instagram during the month of November and I plan to do that again this year. I’m not sure if I’ll be doing daily posts here on my website/blog, but I am planning to try to at least do weekly updates.

November will be a very busy month for me, but I’m excited about it and the changes it will bring. I’m hoping these will be exciting changes. Let me know if you’re joining any writing or even reading challenges in November. I would love to hear what you’re plans are. Even if you’re going to spend the month doing nothing, that can be a good thing too.

My favorite season of the year is fall and we’re into that now. What is your favorite season? Let me know in the comments.

It’s Here!!!

I’m so excited to announce that Beyond Courage is now available on all major retailers!

If you don’t know, I have a short story that is in this anthology. Beyond Courage is a military romance anthology. One you don’t want to miss out on. When I heard about it, I knew I wanted to be part of it.

 

 

Blurb: Where love rewrites the rules of engagement…

Get ready to fall in love with the heroes and heroines who’ve made the ultimate commitment—to both their country and each other. Beyond Courage is an electrifying anthology that will have you surrendering to the irresistible allure of military romance.

Experience the magnetic pull between soldiers, veterans, and the lovers who cherish them. Feel the intensity of their love forged in the crucible of duty and honor. Dive into a world where passion burns hotter than the desert sun and love conquers all.

From the front lines to the home front, these stories will transport you to a world of courage, sacrifice, and undying devotion. Beyond Courage isn’t just an anthology; it’s a journey through the hearts of those who serve and protect.

Don’t miss your chance to stand at attention for these unforgettable characters. Order your copy today and be swept away by the passion and patriotism that defines their love.

 

 

Say You Will 

 

Say You Will is the title of the story I added to this collection.

It’s also a bit different from what I usually write. Say You Will is a Why Choose Military Romance, filled with angst, heartbreak, and in the end, more love than our main character believed she would ever have in her life.

Blurb:

They promised him they would take care of her, but she’s still drowning in grief, will they be able to help her or will they fail to keep their promise?

Fake smiles and repeating the words I’m okay was something that Brinley Westmore was starting to get good at. In truth, she was drowning in the grief that held her captive. Losing her prince charming wasn’t something she thought would happen to her, but now she was living that very nightmare.

His Marine brothers promised to take care of her as they watched him take his last breath. Now they had to find a way to keep that promise. They just didn’t realize how far that promise would take them. Brought together by their shared grief, will they stay together for love?

 

If you would like to read Say You Will and more amazing military romance stories from this anthology, CLICK here to grab your copy today. It’s only .99 cents for a limited time. The price goes up on the 16th of this month. 

 

Author Life Update: WIP News

Hey everyone! Long time no post, I know. Life has been a bit crazy lately, with deadlines and being sick, it’s been….well like I said a bit crazy. Anyway, I wanted to let you all know where all my work-in-progress projects are as of right this minute and let you all know where I plan to go from here.

This year has gone by so quickly and honestly, I haven’t completed as much as I had wanted, but that’s usually the way it goes. I tend to overplan and try to do more than I honestly can keep up with.

 

Author Life Update

Lately, I’ve been pushing to finish a few of my WIP’s and feeling the pressure of a deadline. I’ve also been thinking/brainstorming some new possibilities for next year. Which is crazy to think about. We’re already at the middle of July. How in the world did that happen? Anyway, right now I’m desk is a total wreck because I haven’t had the time to organize it and clean it up due to said deadline. That’s going to happen today though, because I have to have a clean area to clear my brain enough to write.

Oh let’s talk about coffee for a few minutes.  I know I’m still a newbie when it comes to coffee and just started drinking it about a year ago, but I’m addicted to cold coffee now. Living in a place with heat like I do, hot coffee isn’t always a good idea, but I found a solution that at first I didn’t think I would like. The jokes on me though, now I’m hooked!

Let’s see, what else can I share with you all about life, oh if you follow me over on Instagram, you’ll know that I changed up my planning system just a bit. Moved back into more of a bullet journal-type planning. I ended up buying a Stalogy A5 365 and I’m in love with it. Also got some new markers and I can’t stop using them either. They are the Sharpie S-Note Duos! Love the colors. If you haven’t tried these out, it’s a must! (No this isn’t a sponsored post, I just really love them and wanted to tell everyone!)

 

 

What Writing Stage My Projects Are On

Let’s start with Say You Will, this is the short story I’m writing for an anthology that will be published in September. I’m excited to say that Say You Will’s final draft is currently with my beta readers and my editor. It’s almost ready to send off to my publisher, which has to be sent to them by August 1. I know I’m totally cutting it a bit close, but I got sick, and like I said life kind of got in the way. Anyway, I think it’s totally doable. It’s also the reason I haven’t been around on Social Media for the past couple of weeks. I’ve been working and trying to finish Say You Will in time.

Now let’s talk Beacon in the Darkness, this book is sitting right at 85k as of right now, it’s been read through by my critique partner, and after the changes I plan to make, it will be ready to go through self-edits and go to my beta readers. It’s almost finished as well. I’m hoping to have this one published by mid-October, but no promises.

I have two other projects that I haven’t talked much about, but they are both in the first draft/plotting stages. I have the fourth book in the First to Fight series I’m currently working on and Project Romance. I can’t say much about either of these projects, but I’m excited about both. I would like to have Project Romance finished by the end of the year and at least get the fourth book of the First to Fight series started. That book will be my first published book of 2025. (That’s my plan as of now anyway.)

 

Alright there you have it, a tiny glimpse into my life as an author and an update on my WIP’S. It’s been a crazy year so far, I can’t wait to see how the rest of the year plays out. I hope you’re all doing fantastic and I’ll post again soon! Oh, don’t forget to Preorder your copy of Beyond Courage. (Link below) This is where you’ll be able to find Say You Will in September. 

 

 

 

 

Don’t miss electrifying romance and captivating suspense in this limited-release collection. Beyond Courage will immerse you in the lives of active-duty personnel and seasoned veterans as they balance duty and the pursuit of love. Pre-order now and get ready for passion that will set your soul ablaze.

Blurb: Where love rewrites the rules of engagement…

Get ready to fall in love with the heroes and heroines who’ve made the ultimate commitment—to both their country and each other. Beyond Courage is an electrifying anthology that will have you surrendering to the irresistible allure of military romance.

Experience the magnetic pull between soldiers, veterans, and the lovers who cherish them. Feel the intensity of their love forged in the crucible of duty and honor. Dive into a world where passion burns hotter than the desert sun and love conquers all.

From the front lines to the home front, these stories will transport you to a world of courage, sacrifice, and undying devotion. Beyond Courage isn’t just an anthology; it’s a journey through the hearts of those who serve and protect.

Don’t miss your chance to stand at attention for these unforgettable characters. Order your copy today and be swept away by the passion and patriotism that defines their love.

 

Preorder your copy today for only .99 cents! 

https://books2read.com/beyondcourage

Including stories by:

Stephanie Morris – USA Today bestselling author

Sharon Wray – USA Today bestselling author

Rhonda Lee Carver

Lacey Kendrick

Blye Donovan

Anjelica Grace

Britt Jones

Laura Sindelar Baird

Ali Rivers

Eliza Renton

Alessa Kelly

Tracy Brody

Alicia Justice

Amanda Zook

Kristy Gibs

Nancy Chastain