As the release of Intensity & Infamy draws near, there are mixed emotions. For years, I put the majority of my focus into Kya and Antonio and seeing an end to their story feels similar to the ending of a show that made you ditched all of your friends, cancel outings, and dedicated nights to.
Bittersweet feels like an understatement, but it is. These characters taught me to follow my heart on the subject of diversity and to not be afraid of straying away from the typical. Then again, behind Kya and Antonio are other characters that were damned near screaming at me for attention. Now that they have it, it's like they're quietly waiting for me to choose who's next...like toddlers that scream, "Mommy" only to say, "hi" when you finally answer them.
If I'm honest, four of the 16 books waiting in the wings are speaking to me the most. All of them, so different, but a challenge that I cannot wait to get to. One, in which, I am considering as a free read, posted weekly. The question is, where to post it?
When I asked my vocal readers, they suggested the obvious. But there are cons that are hard to ignore.
With Radish Fiction, I had to learn the hard way that bare legs are too sexy and "Daddy" is an inappropriate word. Before I can post a book there, I have to either reach out to support to clear the cover with them or refer to the new censorship guidelines.
Being on Wattpad for six years, that naturally seems like the best option, so I get all the people wanting me to choose that. It's convenient, allows reads to catalog all of their books in one place, vote and comment if they choose, and all they have to do is open the app to read. I've taken all of that into consideration, then I remember all the stuff behind the scenes and why I left in the first place. To put it simply, I lost myself as a member of wattpad. The politics, shadiness, and theft, just didn't seem like a fair deal to me in exchange for pennies.
Keeping all of this in mind will probably explain why I do not answer a lot of questions about my return.
I guess I can thank Kya and Antonio for that, too. Had it not been for them wanting me to tell their story, I wouldn't have returned from the land of the lost and realize that although I prefer to color on the lines instead of in them, I can still create a pretty picture.