IYOK Inspiration

It dawned on me tonight that I never posted a link to the song that inspired If You Only Knew.

Here it is, for your listening pleasure. (It's also now on the IYOK page for future reference!)

I'm not giving anything away, but before you all pack your bags and run for the hills, know that the story won't necessarily go the same direction as the lyrics do. I'm impulsive in most areas (my writing included), I like to surprise people, and I would never give away the direction of a fic that easily. *smiles sweetly at you all* Stick around, enjoy the ride, and maybe you'll fall just as much in love with Broodingangstward as I have while writing him. <3<3

And if you haven't had a chance to check out Gossip Girl (the CW show that this fic is crossed-over with) ... Well, check out the Official Site, watch some episodes if you want, or read about the characters. It might provide you with a good visual of how the whole hierarchy at Saint Vincents is set up. And it'll help everyone who read my last A/N and wondered, "Who the hell are those characters she's referring to?" ;)

xoxo
- N.

**UPDATE** Hot Commodity

Hello hello hello!

As promised, Chapter 10 of Hot Commodity is now up for your viewing pleasure! No teasers tonight -- head on over to my ffn or TWCS pages to get your reading groove on! ;)

I do have a rather BIG announcement to share - Hot Commodity was nominated for a Sunflower Award! I'm not sure who did the nominating, but THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this! You have NO IDEA how much this means to me -- my mind has been spinning all night since I found out! I can't even begin to express how much this means to me in words, just know that every fiber of my being is currently lit up with ridiculous amounts of joy. :)

The story is up under the Best Edward category. SO ..... PLEASE head on over HERE and show me (and, most of all, Edward!!) a little bit of love and vote for it! If I should happen to win in this category - or place somewhere in it - I will put together a VERY special outtake piece as a thank you to everyone!

I think that's about all for right now. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the reviews and love this fic has been getting! It means so much to me AND it gives me even more motivation to keep the story alive and continue to share it with you!

xoxo
- N.

Fandom 4 Children Compilation

I signed up to write a O/S piece for the Fandom 4 Children compilation! I LOVE to write and writing for causes like this one is something I'm pretty passionate about.

The compilation is dedicated to helping raise money for organizations that work toward ending child abuse. Check this page for information on what organizations to donate to. The compilation comes out on April 15, 2012.

I can't divulge story details for obvious reasons, but I can tell you the O/S I'll be doing is Twilight themed with a Rosalie & Emmett pairing. Not only am I excited to do something to help raise money for such a good cause, but I'm also excited to branch off into realms outside of the traditional E&B pairing I usually go for.

Please check out the Fandom 4 Children website and learn how you can help end child abuse!

xoxo
- N.

Endless Night, Chapter 11: Complications TEASER

Good evening all! :)

Chapter 11: Complications, of Endless Night is now posted on ffn & TWCS. Head on over and check it out!

Here's a little preview of what you can expect...

"Hey Jake! How are you?" I answered brightly. Edward appeared in the doorway with a frown of disapproval on his face. I kissed his cheek and waved him back to the living room, closing the door behind him. 

"Bell! I know I was a jerk on New Years, but two months is an awful long time to go without speaking to each other." I could tell Jacob was joking by the tone of his voice, but I felt bad nonetheless. 

"I'm sorry, Jacob. I've been meaning to call you but I just got so busy with class and everything here in Seattle." It was a lame excuse but I didn't know what else to say. 

Jacob snorted. "Busy with your new boyfriend, you mean?" I scowled. He knew me too well. "It's alright Bell, I understand. I just started seeing someone myself. That's actually why I was calling." 

I chewed nervously on my lip. "Who's the lucky lady?" 

Jacob hesitated before answering. "Tanya Denali." 

My head shot up and I dropped my hairbrush. "Tanya Denali? When did this happen?" 

"She came to see me in Forks last week and things sort of kicked off from there." 

I had no idea what to say. Edward inched the door open and poked his head around the corner. I held my index finger up, signaling that I needed an extra minute of alone time. 

"Don't you have anything to say, Bella? No 'I'm happy for you' or 'That's awesome, Jake'?" He sounded irritated. 

I took a deep breath, unsure of how to respond. "Of course I'm happy for you, Jacob. I just don't want to see you get hurt, that's all." 

"What makes you think Tanya wants to hurt me?" The irritation was still there, but skepticism now laced it. 

"I never said she wanted to hurt you, I just…" You're meddling, Bella. Stop. Now. "Just forget I said anything. I'm really glad that you two hit it off! You both deserve happiness." 

"Thanks, Bell! I wanted you to find out from me instead of through the grapevine, ya know?"

There is a bit of drama ahead for our favorite half-vamp and his clan. Buckle up your belts, ladies (and maybe even a few gents?), cause this roller coaster is about to depart from the platform. ;)

Reviews = love, so don't hesitate to leave some!

Those of you who are waiting for a Hot Commodity update can let out a sigh of relief -- Chapter 10 is coming tomorrow (assuming chaos doesn't erupt and a disaster of epic proportions doesn't take place between now and then)! ;)

Goodnight folks!
xoxo

Things are getting a bit messy....

Good Evening! :)

First of all, I'd like to take this time to thank the lovely, talented, and all-around amazing RoseArcadia for making a blinkie for Hot Commodity! I've been a big fan of her graphics work for quite some time, and having her do this is kinda sorta a pretty big deal to me. Thank you again hun -- you rock! :) xoxo

School has started back up again, and even though it's just an online class, it's chewing my time up. SO --- I have a bit of an announcement to make (which might be sad for some): I am going to put If You Only Knew on hold for the time being and resume writing when I have completed Endless Night or HC. I feel kinda like a cock tease with this one, cause I posted two chapters and even though it's gotten a low number of reviews, it's still getting a good response and I don't want to ruin that for readers. I promise I will try to update it when I have the opportunity, but at the moment, EN & HC are my two top priorities, with HC kinda outweighing all else because it's the freshest in my mind and the characters tend to "speak" to me more than the ones from the other stories, at least at the moment.

Please don't give up on me! I'm so uber passionate about all of these stories and I promise I won't leave a single one unfinished. Updates might slow down a wee bit for a few weeks, but they are coming! My other reason for being a bit slow to update on the fanfic front...

I'm participating in the Romance Series Original Story Contest over at the Writer's Coffee Shop. The story I've entered is my very first original fiction piece I ever started, Love Across America, and it holds a pretty special place in my heart. As of now the prologue is all that's posted, but the contest goes through February 28, and the first chapter is almost completed and ready to go off to my lovely beta. I'm pretty sure you have to be a TWCS member to check it out, because it is rated NC-17 and all that jazz, but if you happen to frequent that site, check it out, leave me some reviews, and pretty please think about maybe possibly perhaps voting for me when it starts on March 1? :)

Thanks to everyone that takes the time to read my stories - and check out my blog here! And thanks for coming back even when I take forever to update! I appreciate all those who have stuck by me with these stories! I hope you'll still be here when they end!

My birthday is tomorrow - hoorah! - and then I'll be taking off for a weekend in Chicago with two of my besties on Thursday, so you can probably expect a little fanfic and Twitter hiatus then. Don't worry, I'll be back ... :) 

xoxo
- N.

A Lyrical Sunday

This has absolutely nothing to do with fanfiction or writing, but, I'm in a musical mood this morning, and thought I'd share these songs with everyone. I'm digging them all right now. :)

Again: Chapter 8

Characters belong to SM and any films, songs, recognizable places, etc. belong to their respective owners.
 
Chapter 8

Chicago, 2012

Come Monday morning, Alice turns into a drill sergeant, barking out orders to
Jasper and me. We're the only ones in the gallery, prepping for Edward's show,
which opens in approximately eight hours.

"Bella, the bridge painting needs to be moved to that wall over there." Alice
points and I follow her command. Small as she is, Alice can be very scary. Toss
seven months of pregnancy into the mix and, well, the results are one hundred
percent terrifying.

We spend the next two hours hanging pieces and adjusting lighting until
Edward's collection has fully filled the space. I take a lap through the gallery,
surveying our hard work and admiring just how incredible of an artist my former
lover has become.

"Bella?" Alice pulls me out of my trance and motions for me to follow her to the
office, where she closes the door and takes a seat behind her desk. "Are you
sure you're okay doing this? I can still call Irina and have her come in."

I shake my head as I drop into the chair across from my boss and good friend.
"That's not necessary, Ali. I'm looking forward to this evening."

"You don't have to put on a whole sunshine-and-rainbows act for me, Bella. I
would be more than understanding if you want to bail."

"It's not an act. I swear. I'm looking forward to seeing someone I know garner
success." Edward isn't my favorite person in the world, but I'd never wish failure
on him. His letters had shined light on a few things, and though I was still mad
that he threw everything we had down the drain for his addiction, I was also
proud of the changes he'd made and how far he'd come.

"Okay, well, if you change your mind, you let me know and I'll get Irina in here.
Now, the caterers will be here at four, people should start arriving by five …" I
listen intently and jot down the information. Once Alice has given me all the
pertinent details for the night, I bid her and Jasper farewell, and set off in the
direction of my apartment.

I do a mental inventory of my closet as I walk, and decide to make a quick stop
at Macy's. I want to look good for tonight. It's my first solo showing, the first
time Alice and Jasper have entrusted me with the keys to their kingdom. I want
to make a good impression, so I scan through the racks until I find the perfect
dress. It's black, one shouldered and form-fitting, falling just above my knees. I
grab a pair of sparkly black heels to go with it. The ensemble is just the right
mix of professional and elegant, and I know it will catch Edward's eye, too.

I shake my head as the silly thought crosses my mind. Catching Edward's eye
shouldn't even be on my list of reasons to buy anything. Reading his letters
gave me some insight into his life, and helped me understand his addiction a bit
more, but it didn't change the way things went down between us. The simple
act of putting pen to paper isn't enough to erase every wrongdoing or mend the
scars.

I spend the early part of the afternoon cleaning my place, rearranging the
furniture, and figuring out exactly which shade of lipstick I'm going to wear. By
three, I'm dolled up and ready. The caterers arrive right at four, just like Alice
said, and Edward arrives shortly after. He looks stunning in a pair of dark grey
slacks and an off-white sweater. His hair is styled into a tousled look and his
beard is trimmed down. I look at him—really look at him—for the first time since
seeing him again. He's filled out so much, really grown into his 6'3" frame. His
broad shoulders and hard chest are all man, but the twinkle in his eye and the
smirk on his lips are reminiscent of the boy I used to know.

He says nothing at first, simply walks through the gallery, taking everything in.
His expression morphs from bewilderment to pride to full-on happiness, and
even though we'll always have this broken history between us, I can't help but
feel so very proud of how far he's come and all that he's accomplished.

"This is amazing," he says when he finally finds me in the office.

I smile and wring my hands together. "I'm glad it meets your expectations."

He laughs. "As soon as I discovered you'd be involved with the show, I knew it
would meet my expectations."

A blush creeps up my cheeks and I bite the inside my lip to keep from smiling.
"How many showings have you done up to this?"

"None. This is my first one."

I frown. "Your first one? I thought you were just saying that the other day." His
expression falls and he looks away, eyes roaming over the walls of Alice's office.
I immediately feel bad for even bringing the topic up. "You know, forget I even
asked." I look at my watch, taking note of the time. "It's almost time. Let's go
show the art world what you're made of, yeah?"

He shoves his hands in his pockets and grins again. "Let's go."

The showing goes off without a hitch. A steady stream of people come and go
from the gallery, some more prominent in the art world than others. I introduce
Edward to the ones I know, including an art critic for the Chicago Tribune. He's
the perfect gentleman, talking about his art, answering their questions, and
exuding an air of confidence I've never seen from him before. By the time the
night comes to a close, I'm exhausted but filled with a rush of happiness.

"That was … perfect. Just perfect." Edward beams. The caterers are finishing
cleaning and I'm compiling a list of the buyers for Edward's work.

"You did wonderful," I tell him. "People loved you as much as they loved the art.
That's a good thing in this world, believe me."

"You think so?"

"I know it." I leave all of the buyer information on Alice's desk and grab my
purse. Once I've made sure the caterers are gone and the gallery looks as it did
before the showing started, Edward and I head out into the night.

"Can I walk you home?" Edward asks. I bite my lip and look down the street.
It's late, and though I'm used to making the five-block trip on my own, I can't
say I'll mind the company.

This is what I'm telling myself when I agree a minute later. "Sure."

We set off in the direction of my house and a comfortable silence blankets us.
We're about a block away when he finally speaks again. "Its nice to see we still
make a good team after all these years."

I chuckle. "That we do—when you show up, at least."

He hangs his head and slips his hands in his pockets. "I deserve that."

"Yeah, you kind of do." We walk the rest of the way in silence. When we arrive
at my building I stop and turn to face him. "Edw—

"Did you read any of my letters?" The words fall from his lips quickly. I take my
keys out of my purse and spin them around my index finger.

"Yes."

"Did they mean anything? Be honest, Bella, because if they didn't, I want to
know. I need to know."

I try to think of something spectacular to say, but my mind comes up blank. "Of
course they did."

He looks up at me and I catch the spark of hope that flashes behind his eyes.
"Can we get coffee tomorrow? I know I've asked already, and I know you've
said no, but the letters … they're just the tip of the iceberg, Bella. I have so
much more I want to say, so many things I want to tell you."

I look down at my keys and every reason I should say no flashes behind my
eyes. I've seen his song and dance before. I know how this could go. But then I
remind myself that this Edward is different. He's been through hell and back on
his own, and if his letters are any indication, he seems to have come out on top.

"I'll meet you for coffee," I finally say.

"That's great, Bella. Thank you. Thank you so much." We iron out the details
and say goodnight.

I try not to notice the little flip my heart does as I watch him start to walk away.