Regretfully, I am not on this site as much as I used to be due to life getting in the way. But I have an awesome announcement!

I have my FIRST ever book signing next month!

When: March 18th, 2022 from 2 PM to 5 PM

Where: Jackson Parish library in Jonesboro, Louisiana USA

But I'm also allowing people to order a signed copy online via social media. So if you'd like a signed copy of A Collection of Short Stories, just message me or email me (vpaige700@gmail.com) and I'll get the info I need and give you the info you need, and then after the signing, I'll send it out!

Happy Twosday!

Guys, I started a podcast where I read A Collection of Short Stories... It's free to listen to...

Here's the link!

https://anchor.fm/victoria-bowman0/episodes/Pilot-e17b2fi

Or if you want to listen on Spotify, just type up "Stories with Victoria Bowman" and the cover will almost be the same as my pfp but it will have "Stories with Victoria Bowman" instead of A Collection of Short Stories"

All my life,

I've begged to be loved.

On my knees,

Crying out for someone to love me.

Nobody ever cared.

They looked right past me and walked out the door.

I'm tired of begging to be loved.

I'll beg no more.

If you want to leave,

That's fine by me.

Just make sure you close the door on your way out.

Don't ask to come back so we can have a repeat of this situation.

Because I'm done begging to be loved.

I'm done trying to fix imaginary mistakes.

The sleepless nights,

Wondering where I went wrong this time.

The mascara stains on my pillows from the tears,

As I lay in bed,

My heart broken into a million pieces,

Thinking I'd be better off dead.

All I do is drive people away,

When all I want is for them to stay.

But they leave,

Because all I do is make mistakes.

All I do is disappoint them all.

I'm tired of begging to be loved.

I'll beg no more,

I've had enough.

A face from the past,

Brought me back to the day I seen you last.

Couldn't help but cry,

I remember the curve,

I remember coming to,

Seeing the tree against the car,

I remember the feeling of the airbag smacking into the side of my head.

I remember hearing the ringing.

Feeling sick,

I couldn't believe it.

A face from the past,

That made me laugh,

Up until the last second,

When my demons looked at me and beckoned.

You were gone,

Wanted nothing to do with me.

So seeing you was a shock to my system.

A malfunction it caused.

A plethora of memories,

A time long gone.

You were all I had,

And you left.

Followed everyone else right out the door.

Now you look at me with disgust,

As if I'm the one that was in the wrong.

All I wanted was to be happy.

I deserve to be happy.

But you took my happiness away,

Put it inna dark place,

All I wanted was for you to stay.

Imagine screwing up,

Again and again.

Can't do anything right,

Might as well stop trying.

To see everyone mad and disappointed,

Has me crying.

Wishing I could leave,

Be by myself,

Where I belong.

Nowhere to be seen.

So I can't screw up,

Make everyone mad at me.

Sorry that I'm broken,

Sorry I'm not what you wanted me to be,

But I warned you when I met you how I am.

You didn't listen and now here we are.

A standstill.

A cold war.

I'm sorry for being me.

Heyo Guys!

So I started writing the Prologue for Lost! I'm thrilled with this one for sure! I'll be posting a sneak peek soon! Just wanted to give you guys an update on what's been happening with me since my last post!

I have started counseling to help with my mental illnesses. I made 2 new friends. I went on a date with my fiance yesterday (That was amazing) and I finally have my mailbox up and ready!

So the reason the mailbox is exciting is that that means I can sign your books! So here's the protocol. If you want a signed copy of A Collection of Short Stories, you'll have to send it through UPS. If you live outside of America I'm unsure of how to ship it to me (sorry). More info will soon be on my blog so definitely keep an eye out for that.

I am considering starting a Youtube channel or multiple. One for my resin pouring and another for my author stuff. The resin pouring would be for people to watch my projects, gets tips and tricks I've picked up, and more. The author one would be to post announcements, read excerpts, provide any advice I have when someone asks a question, and giveaways.

My 3 people waiting for their signed copies, I ordered them, I'm waiting for them to ship (I ordered them like 4 weeks ago so I'm not sure if the delay is due to Hurricane Ida or what) but I will get them to you ASAP. I'm going back to my old house where they were shipped this weekend so hopefully they are there and I can pick them up, I will be reaching out to all 3 of you soon though to verify your addresses in order to send those out. Keep an eye out for those. I am so sorry.

As of right now, my artists cannot draw anyone. I'm about to try to commission another artist, first I'm going to look at their style though. I hope I can get her to do it however, first I have to get the money to hire her and I am broke.

Sneak peeks to come soon! Stay healthy and safe my friends!

Attention, booklovers! This is Chacko Stephen, your personal entertainment companion. And welcome to Book3, where we discuss everything novel. Let us hop right in!

So, this is how it works. It is simple. We introduce three new books (which I plan to read soon...), describe the plots, and pick a favourite from the previous article. Trust me. This will be fun! And perhaps, you will find your next big read up here!

And to be honest, this is not the best list out there, but we have some gems lined up here tonight. Without further ado, let us get into it!

1. Welcome to Nowhere (Elizabeth Laird, 2017)

Genre: Fiction, War.

Plot: Twelve-year-old Omar and his brothers and sisters were born and raised in the beautiful and bustling city of Bosra, Syria. Omar does not care about politics - all he wants is to grow up to become a successful businessman who will take the world by storm. But when his clever older brother, Musa, gets mixed up with some young political activists, everything changes . . . Before long, bombs are falling, people are dying, and Omar and his family have no choice but to flee their homes with only what they can carry. Yet, no matter how far they run, the shadow of war follows them - until they have no other choice than to attempt the dangerous journey to escape their homeland altogether. But where do you go when you cannot go home?

And I was desperate for a leap out of my comfort zone! When I read the plot, it suddenly struck me that I had never read anything that features;

One: The plights of immigration.

Two: Any of the Arab Nations (except once in Inferno where they visit Hagia Sophia)

Three: Something that focuses on Muslim characters.

That’s a terrible lack of diversity that I can see in my reading habits! And when I thought about more of these lacks, I was surprised by the number of items I could come up with. It is about time that I start exploring these new realms... (And the book is described in the first person, so I felt it could help me a bit with my current project. It did.)

2. The Rise of Wolves (Kerr Thomson, 2017)

Genre: YA, Mystery.

Plot: Innis Munro is walking home across the bleak wilderness of Nin Island when he hears the chilling howl of a wolf. But there are no wolves on the island - not since they were hunted to extinction centuries ago. He decides to investigate his island home and accepts an ancient challenge: he who jumps the Bonnie Laddie’s Leap wins a fortune. As the wolves rise from the darkness of history and long-buried secrets resurface, Innis’ adventure truly begins ...

Well, there was a more specific reason why I chose this one. I was planning on writing a novel set in Scotland somewhere in between all this time. (Nope, I didn’t write it. I didn’t.) And I wanted to know as much as I could about Scotland and the Scottish before I began. And as you might notice, the next pick is also set in Scotland!

And there are wolves! But no, that wasn’t the primary reason. (It is more like a secondary one...) I also figured out that even as a teen, I had never explored many YA novels before. So, I went for a YA pick, and why not wolves and teens?! It is always fascinating! Except for Twilight, perhaps...

3. Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist (John Young, 2017)

Genre: YA, Contemporary.

Plot: Quick-witted, sharp-tongued Connor Lambert will not take it any longer: the bullying, the secrets, the sympathy. He has been dying from cancer for years, but he is not dead yet. He is going down fighting.

Forming an unlikely friendship with fellow juvenile delinquent Skeates, the pair stage a breakout and set off on a crazy tour across Scotland -- dodging the police, joy riding and extreme partying -- to find Connor’s dad, an inmate at Shotts prison.

But Connor’s left two things behind -- the medication he needs to keep him alive and the girl who makes living bearable. A fresh and bold debut novel-- full of heart, guts and raw emotion. Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist is a brilliantly funny, thrilling exploration of friendship, identity and mortality populated with witty, sharply drawn characters.

Yep, I needed something messed up. And this one was satisfying the criteria splendidly! I mean, what could be messier than two crackhead teenagers out in the open? They don’t even have to break out of something here. Trust me, I know!

And it’s set in Scotland! It’s a beautiful country. I mean, I don’t have very high expectations with this one, but I think this will be a fun read.

And that’s it! That’s the three I am about to delve into for the time being. (Well, I might have already finished one of these and almost finished the other two, but let’s just say I didn’t. That’s not the concept of these posts...) Since this is the very first in the segment, I don’t think this was (It isn’t) the best way to present the books, but I will come up with better ideas next time! I assure you that!

Since this is our first edition, we don’t have a favorite book from the past article. But we will have one next time! I do have some lovely books in the next list! Do let me know which one among the three caught your interest! Anyway, this had been Chacko Stephen, your personal entertainment companion, and we will see you soon with another segment of Book3. Now, grab your novels, play some music, sit back and enjoy. Happy reading!

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I actually had plans to put out the next chapter of Has Anyone Seen Jo tonight. But then, this week didn’t really pan out the way I thought it would *facepalm* I am sorry. But then, I thought I will pull this one up now. I had it in my drafts for a while, so I thought this might be the perfect time to put it out there! Hope you guys enjoy it, and perhaps, actually find something interesting! And I assure you that I will come up with a refined, better version next time ^0^

Lots of love,

Chacko Stephen

#nonfiction, or is it?

Hey guys! A few announcements!

If you’ve been wanting to read “A Collection of Short Stories” but can’t afford to pay 5-10 USD, then I have wonderful news for you! October 4th and 5th, you can “buy” the ebook version of A Collection of Short Stories for FREE on Amazon! Just download the Amazon Kindle app onto your phone/tablet/computer (or if you have an actual Kindle, that works too) and then go search it up. The cover is also my profile picture. Make sure it’s the ebook (paperback has a purple cover), and “buy”.

Next: I am working to get some people to draw Aoife. I recently emailed Voidkin and am awaiting a response. I would love to get several people's perspectives of her. Voidkin, if you see this, take your time in responding, I'm in no rush.

I am doing good so far with college too. My schedule is a bit hectic but I'm still alive! Hurricane Ida impacted us, by making us have Monday off.

I found a new hobby. I am crafting with resin and selling my stuff as well. I'm building a website to sell online. If anyone would like to have the link once I'm done, just let me know.

In January through April, I will be hosting yet another raffle for a signed copy of A Collection of Short Stories. More information to come soon. Keep an eye out for it on my blog (www.victoriabowman.weebly.com)

Everyday I wake up with a smile on my face,

Maybe it's not real,

But I'd rather not have tears take its place.

I'm on the brink of breaking,

I can't hold it all in.

My bottle's full,

My demons are screaming,

The real me is an inch away from leaving.

Give me a break,

Please don't leave.

Hold me till I can get back on my feet.

I'm fine.....

But I'm not.

I want to let the tears flow down my face.

These days it's so hard to pretend to be happy,

When I have too much pain bottled up inside of me.