#FridayFire Chapter 13 and Life Changes

This week had the promise of another unsuccessful week of job hunting and rejection letters. I had already started browsing and applying to jobs online and was to the point where I was about to go to another temp agency and see if they could find something. Then Tuesday morning I got an email for the big job I had my fingers crossed for and really wanted.

Sorry, but you won't be moving forward in the hiring process.

With all that is going on and my desperate need for a good-paying job to take care of my kids, this email nearly crushed me. So, I immediately sent them an email back begging them to reconsider. With little hope of anything coming from my email, I set out hunting for more applications.

Half the day passed and I had stopped to tell my family of the disappointing email I had received that morning. Just as I said "I got the rejection email..." my phone chirped with a new text message. My email had gotten through and they had a job offer for me! I jumped around excitedly before running out to my car and to go accept the last-minute offer. While it wasn't the position I applied for, it was a steady job that will provide well for myself and the kids.

I was told I am the first to be sent a rejection email and then be hired that same day.

The moral of the story? Don't give up hope! Keep pushing and never settle for no.

Now I just have to prove to them that I will be everything I promised in my email. No pressure right?!

At any rate, this new position may take some time to get used to and may get in the way of writing until I'm accustomed to the hours and work. I'll have most weekends free, and occasionally a Friday free here and there, but I may fall behind in chapters so I'm going to slow down on the number of chapters I put out weekly. It was originally my intention to only publish one chapter a week anyhow so I will return to doing that.

I hope you enjoy chapter 13 and please be patient with me as I learn my new job!

Wish me luck out there next week!

#FridayFire Chapters 9-12

I've been slacking a bit on getting my #FridayFire out each Friday. In fact, I've missed several Fridays this month. To be honest I started this to push me to finish editing my novel and to see how people will receive it. I'm not very confident in my writing but I do love my story and want others to as well. Here lately however I've also had to struggle with depression and anxiety which zaps all drive to do anything at all. So I end up pushing myself through the labor of keeping up the house and yard work until I can't anymore. By then I'm too exhausted to edit. Or so I tell myself. It's an excuse and I know it. So I'm working on setting up a certain amount of time to write each day so I can't use that excuse anymore.

My life is in turmoil at the moment which also makes staying focused more difficult and has attributed to the deeper depression and anxiety issues. I've realized now that I can't allow that to stop me from completing my goals. In fact, I'm now in the process of creating a ten-year plan. I want to set goals for in ten years down the line that I myself can accomplish for myself so when my children are grown and no longer need me I will have a purpose in this world.

One of those lofty goals I started months ago. Get this book done and published! Be it through traditional or self-publishing. I'm not far from being done with the final edit either!

With the help of all of you reading my book I think I can achieve at least this one ten-year goal and make a better future for myself. So please stick with me through my moopy days and feel free to send me a nudge if I get to slacking again. Knowing that there are people out there that enjoy and look forward to my chapters each week is a great motivator and mood lifter.

If you haven't heard yet, I have a discord I am starting up for people to stay in contact and chat with me. I'm planning some fun once I get some members so feel free to join. You will also get notifications when I go live on Twitch and get art and writing sneak peeks!

I hope you enjoy Chapters 9-12 this week and I look forward to getting you next week's chapters!

#FridayFire chapters 6-8

Sorry for the delay on chapters. Last week was a difficult one for sure.

As I posted on social media my grandmother had a seizure and had to be admitted to the hospital, but my grandfather wasn't allowed to join her because of the covid rules... even though they were going back to business as usual on Monday. Thankfully they released her early saying she had plenty of care at home. I think they just regretted not allowing Grandfather with her and were paying the price of her honesty. Then we had to talk her out of going to the races as soon as we got her home. After many failed attempts to wheel herself to the gate at a snail's pace, she finally relented and went to bed.

Many thanks for all who checked in on her <3

I hope you all continue to enjoy Wild Fire and that you have an amazing weekend!

Friday Fire Chp 3-5

It's Friday and that means time for more Wild Fire! I hope you are enjoying my story so far. If so please remember to leave me a comment either in this post, on the document, or on any of my social media links! Critiques are also welcome but no trolls, please. If you're just out to be mean, take it elsewhere. 

I would also like to remind everyone of my discord server, Araili's Den. On it will be updates, chats, art, writing, stream notifications, and lots of memes! So join me sometime in some adventures and chillin.

I hope you like this continuation of Wild Fire and that you have an amazing weekend!

Do What Scares You

Last week I did something that terrified me. I put my writing out for the public to read. My first novel which I've worked on for years now sits in its own little menu tab at the top of my website where it will remain until I publish the last chapter. 

I've been told I should get down to the last few chapters and then remove it and release it through self-publishing so people will want to buy it. As an avid reader, I can't do that. It would seem deceitful to me. I want to share this story to its end and if people love it, they will buy it when I self publish. If not, then maybe my next book!

I'm just tired of keeping this book in the dark. It's time to do what scares me and put it out there!

So far I have received a ton of love for my book and it has really made me feel better about my writing. I suffer from a ton of self-doubt but I'm working on trying to be more confident in my abilities and more confident with being who I am. This project or experiment is helping rebuild the confidence I once had when I was a strong military woman who was treated as an equal from the men I served with.

I'm using this experiment as a mass beta reader project. What is a beta reader? They are readers who read the final draft of a manuscript looking for errors such as spelling, grammar, and confusing plot points or descriptions. So your comments and critiques are super important in not only allowing me to grow a thicker skin so to say but to bettering this book as a whole.

I hope you will feel comfortable enough with me to give me honest opinions on what works, and what doesn't.

Friday I will be posting another few chapters. I've decided to do more than one at a time since the chapters are rather short. This was you get to enjoy more story and it really puts some pressure on me to keep working hard to keep up with Friday Fire posts.

I hope you are enjoying this little experiment and feel free to leave comments below on your thoughts on this whole project!

Friday Fire -Wild Fire- chp1-2

As promised our first installment of Friday fire is here! I'm so excited to be sharing something that I have held close to my heart for many, many....many years now.

I started this story as a new mom. I wrote in secret for a long while, scared to admit I was playing pretend on a page. I didn't think of myself as a writer then and had no clue what I was doing. Having been an avid reader though, I found I enjoyed making my own world to live in. The writing was a new kind of escape.

Over time I let people in on what I was doing. Mainly family who were amazed I had kept it secret for so long. They loved my story! I felt it was because they were just being supportive.

My book has changed over the years thanks to editing and many hours with my amazing critique group.

Somewhere along the way, I lost the drive to work on it anymore. I lost my love of writing. I've lost a lot of myself.

But thanks to watching my daughter and her friends work constantly on google docs to create their own worlds, writing their own stories, I am finding that woman I once was. The woman who loved creating and writing, and most importantly who didn't care what others thought of her stories so long as she could live in her own worlds for a time each night.

So today I invite you into my world. Join me, and help me grow this story into the book I always dreamed it could be!

I've decided to use google docs to share my chapters with you. Yes, you may comment, but please be kind. Each week I will add a new chapter or two depending on the length of the chapters. The previous week's chapters will remain in the document for anyone new to the page to jump in and catch up. Please do not share the document itself. If you wish to share with a friend, link them to my webpage where they can sign up for notifications of my posts. Please do not copy my work. All graphics within the document were designed by me and are my property. If you wish to use the designs email me for permission.

Without further delay, please enjoy Wild Fire -chp1-2

Friday Fire

If you are still following me here on my little island on the internet, have I got news for you! And if you are new, welcome, settle in, and have patience, as I am always a work in process!

Big news! Starting this week I will be introducing Friday Fire. What’s this? I'll be sharing a new chapter of my ever work in progress Wild Fire in order to spur me into finishing edits and someday publishing my first novel.

A lot has transpired this year that has lit the fire in my heart once more to be the woman I once was. I've allowed my depression and anxiety to strip too much from me and this is just one of many changes I'm making to better myself and my life not just for me but for my pack as well.

Who's my pack? Family and friends who have always had my back. And in the future, I will be extending my pack to all who help show support for me through gaming and writing and art. I hope you will join my pack here and on my twitch channel!

Many great things in the works here folks and I'm super excited to start this new adventure with you all!

See you Friday with Chapter 1 of Wild Fire!

Discord~ Araili's Den

Hello lovelies!

As you may have noticed the graphics have changed around here and now reflect my twitch graphics. Things are coming together and I'm extremely excited. Despite my recent setbacks due to family needing my assistance the past few weeks and a few plumbing issues I've had to attend to, I've managed to link all my accounts under one brand.

Today I finished setting up and launching my brand new discord server (pun intended)! Everything that will be happening either here on my website or on twitch will be available in the discord. Later I will also be sharing chapters from my writing and art projects or commissions.

As my brand grows I hope to have more roles and fun activities to do within the discord server and here. So stay tuned because there is much more to come!

Come join me on my adventures!

Click here to join

What's Arai in 2020

Happy New Year!

It is officially 2020 and with that comes all the wonderful resolutions and such. So, what’s going Arai in 2020?

Well, there will be updates within my discord that will be released for use along with my blog, art, and twitch activities called “What’s goin Arai”. As my gamer name is Araili, a play on the word awry. Why? Because things always seem to go awry with me. I’ll be focusing on my branding and merging everything to work as one brand revolving totally around me and who I am as a gamer, writer, artist, mother, yada yada yada…

Speaking of writing… I’ll be focusing certain hours of the day to dedicate totally to writing. Keep an eye on my twitter or discord when it arrives because I may be sharing excerpts of what I’m working on.

My blog will be getting a makeover this year as well. I’m not certain as of yet what I want to go with, but it’s been a few years since I’ve done anything here. The recent renewal of my web address made me realize how long I’ve neglected this place. It’s time I refresh this place and really work on drawing in new readers! I’m thinking of a serial web series that I can post right here.

Art commissions will be coming as I get my schedule situated. With that comes more art streams.

I’ll be streaming some games more as well. FFXIV and probably Minecraft. I may branch out more to other games depending on time. As you can see I’m cramming a ton into my schedule
as is.

Many wonderful things that I would like to get going this year that I have said I would like to do for some time now. I hope you will travel with me in my adventures this year!!!