Chocolate Box 2018

Last year I participated in the AO3 Chocolate Box exchange, and when it completed I decided I definitely wanted to sign up again in 2018. Now that authors for this year's exchange have been revealed, I can finally post links to my stories and share tidbits about the experience. Each time, participating in this challenge meant writing pairings and even fandoms I'd not written before. It was so much fun, Silbrith probably wondered if I was ever going to stop sending her stories to beta. Seriously, I wrote seven stories in a month. Silbrith had no idea what she was getting into when she offered her beta services. (Thanks, Silbrith!)

A Herculean Effort

With all of the coverage of the winter Olympics recently, I've wondered if I should try to make a link between that competition and our stories.

The only direct link is in By the Book, when Henry says that during the most recent winter games he became a fan of curling. But indirect links? We certainly have competitive characters, many of whom are in excellent physical condition. Those, however, didn't inspire me to write a post for our blog. What did inspire me was... Silbrith!

Messages to Azathoth: Dreams

In Cinereous Skies, at times Neal is unsure if he's awake or dreaming. That has been a recurring theme in Arkham Files and one which I've spent much time daydreaming about as well.

Resumes: an exercise in creative writing

Well, here I am, rested and relaxed from a South Pacific vacation and ready to dive into a highly un-relaxing activity: the job hunt. Yes, I'm nearing the end of a contract and need to find another job to support my writing habit. And that means updating my resume. It feels a bit scandalous to say I'm calling on my skills in fiction writing for the resume. It's not that I'm planning to lie about my experience, but that I'm trying to tell a story.

Messages to Azathoth: An Unreliable Trigger

Peter decided in Nocturne in Black and Gold that Diana should include plot elements in Cinereous Skies that could be interpreted as references to objects in Vermeer's painting, The Astronomer.

Messages to Azathoth: Invisible Wounds

In Cinereous Skies, Peter broadcasts a loud message to Rolf Mansfeld. He knows Rolf was in Los Angeles when Neal was rescued from Scima Workshop. Rolf must be aware that Neal was hospitalized after he was discovered to be hooked up to a virtual reality program. Are those implanted memories bubbling to the top?

Messages to Azathoth: A Leashed Leopard

Cinereous Skies is the first Arkham Files story to overtly reference the master art thief Klaus Mansfeld, Neal's former mentor. Up to a month ago, the White Collar team believed he was dead. Now they know his brother Rolf wasn't the only one to fake his death.