Landon and Chase - My adopted siblings

I haven't done a blog update in forever, much less actually talked about Landon and Chase. Lately, I have been putting a lot of effort into running a YouTube Channel - likely to be revealed in the coming months. 

Landon is somewhere in a group home, we don't know where exactly though. Haven't known for a while. He cut off all communication with his family and was so nasty to me the last time I saw him that I don't have much of a desire to see him again. It has to do with reactive attachment disorder, but, it doesn't mean that it hurts any less. In therapy, I am finally opening my mouth about the level of abuse I've endured from Landon and Chase now that both of them are now not living at home with me and my parents. 

Chase is doing better than Landon for the moment. He lives in an apartment, holds two part-time jobs, and under no circumstances will he EVER live in our home again. Some say this is cruel, but those who say this have NO IDEA what Chase is actually capable of or the destruction that he carried with him. Seriously, hurricane Chase should be a thing. Chase has DID, Dissociative Identity Disorder, or Multiple Personalities. 

Last year Chase went off to a youth camp that really straightened him out a lot from where he was, but, he can still lash out at his family. (Hence why he no longer lives here). His personality can change so fast from happy-go-lucky to angry and swearing. He hasn't visited for a while because he tried to run off three times last he was here. 

The drama it seems never stops with these two. 

Check Me Out On DeviantArt!

 I know it’s been forever since I posted here so I though y’all would enjoy some of my artwork :) 

The Paralyzed Sea Wizard DD Character Drawing  by OneFootedPhoenix on DeviantArt
https://www.deviantart.com/onefootedphoenix/art/The-Paralyzed-Sea-Wizard-DD-Character-Drawing-914166217

Magic Suit Lets Merfolk Overcome Paralysis by OneFootedPhoenix on DeviantArt
https://www.deviantart.com/onefootedphoenix/art/Magic-Suit-Lets-Merfolk-Overcome-Paralysis-913765706

Formal Dress Design with Lace Asymmetrical  by OneFootedPhoenix on DeviantArt
https://www.deviantart.com/onefootedphoenix/art/Formal-Dress-Design-with-Lace-Asymmetrical-906146981

Scars

“Scars” - Free Verse Poetry

Scars are at times incredibly painful.

Some scars are reminders of a time unstable. 

There are many who judge my scars.

Voices of pain becoming memoirs

So much emotion, so much pain. 

What could I ever gain? 

A scar, a badge of honor! 

Free Verse Poetry about Love

Risk and Gain

Love hurts, but it also rewards. 

Love can cut deep as swords.

To love someone is to open yourself.

to believe in another when he may not himself

To fall fast in love is to teleport 

exhilarating until the other has to abort.

Part Five: Tales of the Universal Knights

Part One 

Part Two

Part Three 

Part Four

If you missed any portion of the story so far, you can catch up by clicking on the segment you have missed. Please enjoy the next part of the story in the adventures of the Universal Knights. 

Recap: 

Kirsten is hospitalized at the Universal Knight's headquarters in southern Utah with Patrick the scientist after he personally mounted her rescue from Naha. 

Part Five: 

It had been at least a day and a half since I arrived in the hospital wing of our headquarters, mabey longer given that I couldn't tell if it was day or night. Time passes about the same out in the universe for me as it does for all the people of earth. 

All of the sudden all I could think or feel was pain. Crushing pain. Stabbing pain. Pain so strong that I curled up, clenched my fists, and cried out. Pain shot through my whole body like lightning across a night sky. It was as if a multi-headed angry dragon was inside me. The dragon bit, snarled, and spewed fire upon my soul as if I had attempted to steal it's hard of treasure from under its nose. Enraged the beast seemed to sink its many teeth into my skin. I yelled out for the doctor with desperation. My vision began to blur with the sobbing snotty tears of agony. 

I wondered when this intense pain would end, and I couldn't understand how it could be so severe. I wanted to go back to Naha where I belonged and resume my service as a knight. Instead, I was rendered useless to the fleet, stuck in the hospital and training facility in California. It felt that the greater purpose of life I had been holding onto was torn away from me. Even if I was annoyed with the knights at times, I needed them. 

***** 

Several days later I was finally allowed to go home. I was sent with a doctor's note explaining that there had been an accident. I felt crushed by the weight of returning to civilian life. I almost died.  Then Patrick, my friend in the universal knights, almost also died trying to get me out of the collapsing interstellar portal. How could I return to my former life as if nothing had happened here when I had seen so much and served with all of my soul for the good of the Universe? The simple answer was I couldn't return to life as if nothing had happened because I had changed. 

Returning was agony, resting was restless, and inside I still felt a determination to return to the knights as soon as possible. I laid in bed wanting to go to school, ashamed at how much I had taken college campus life for granted. How could I have been so oblivious to the miracles right in front of me? Anger swelled in my chest. It didn't seem fair that so much suffering came from doing the one thing I loved with my everything. 

Note: 

This post is brought to you by Ahhh the Spa

Self Publishing is Tough and Here's Why

When I first self-published my novel Shyelle - Rise of the Dragon Kingdoms, I had high hopes for it's performance. Unfortanutly, at the time, I just didn't know much at all about marketing. That was definatly a major setback for me. As I learn more with my colage education, it is becoming clear that I am capable of succesfuly marketing the book. But, it's still work. 

I will admit that while I had planned it as a serries, it has been incresingly more difficult to find the time to actualy write books. The upkeep of a youtube channel and many socail platforms keeps me busy from the couch at home. It's a lot of work to self - publish, so, I really do advise that you have a background in entrprenership and marketing first. Mabey even a degree in some sort of marketing. 

The cold hard truth is that doing all your own marketing is extremely difficult in addition to the effort that goes into a novel of your own. You have to do your own graphics or pay someone to do them. Your cover art isn't done by the publishing agency when you self-publish either. You have to craft your own synopsis for the back of the book that further sells it. 

What about book signings, convincing retailers to order your book and that they can also sell it. You have to get posters made, social media campaigns, library promotional materials, and you have to somehow get some reviews on your brand new book. There is a lot of work involved in getting your book from your computer, to your hands to the readers of the world. 

To Wattpad or Not to Wattpad?

Wattpad is admittedly an interesting writer's platform. I've used Wattpad a little bit to try and direct more readers to my blog. In all reality, my content published on Wattpad hasn't given me the return I was expecting for the time and dedication I put into those works. However, today I want to really evaluate the platform as a whole and perhaps even go into detail about what I did wrong while using Wattpad to keep you from making the same frustrating mistakes. 

Wattpad is a Search Engine

Just for a moment, I want you to think about the search feature on Wattpad and how it plays a role in users finding your content within the platform. The problem with Wattpad being a search engine is that you have to figure out what the most popular keywords are for your story. If you guess wrong, you won't get views on your work. 

Wattpad Writing Contests

Writing contests provide the opportunity to be seen on Wattpad. Often, Wattpad writing contest winners get into the paid stories program as well as extra promotion of their works on the platform. Most of the writing contests are free to participate in and are sponsored by large brands. The major upside to this would be about getting your name out there as a writer. It's great publicity for those who do manage to win. 

Paid Wattpad Stories

Personally, as a user these are annoying. I don't want to have to pay to read something on a writing platform. However, as an author, I would love to use paid stories for some extra income. The main problem with paid stories is that as an author you have to be somewhat consistent and you have to be getting views on your content before the Wattpad team contacts you. There really isn't a way to outright apply for this program, so you may end up putting your best work out there on the internet with the risk of it getting plagiarized and then monetized without any compensation to you for your work. 

Author's Note:

To finish up today, I want to remind everyone that the follow by email feature is ending in June. This means that blogger has decided you are no longer a loyal reader of my blog! How rude, right?! So due to the blogger's poor business decisions, I ask everyone to consider following me on social media to get the new post notifications. Thanks!

This post is sponsored by Serenity Links Business Solutions, a family-run small business doing internet marketing for local niche small businesses.