Thank you's and TMI

I don’t usually narrate on my chapters, but I felt a strong need to do so on this one, for many reasons.

Firstly, Chapter 11 was written in love and appreciation... OF YOU! I can never be able to fully express how much I appreciate the fact that you read what I write. I'm overwhelmed that any one of you, not to mention ALL of you, bother to read the words I string together. Your kind words and encouraging reviews warm my heart each chapter. I’m so happy that you are enjoying this Ride so far. I know I sure am! So, THANK YOU, RIDERS! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

Secondly, this is the chapter that I always swore would never be. Why? Well, because this is a flashback to October, and in every single fic out there there’s the requisite Halloween Party scene. I’m not a big fan of Halloween, (neither is Bella) and I had no desire to write such a scene. Bella had other ideas. Thus the only reason for this chapter. It does offer some further insight to their feelings as well as a look at the relationships between some of the fringe characters and our DILFward and BikerElla.

Thirdly, this chapter touches on the true theme of this fic. Pretty hefty order for a chapter that was never meant to be, huh? Here’s some hopefully interesting backstory about Ride for you:

The Ride of Your Life was a fic that I had started as an original story, something I was developing and working on to write as a novel. It was, at its inception, dubbed “Learning to Breathe.” It only became a fanfic after reading that Ninapolitan was running a contest and I wanted to enter. So I tweaked and reworked it to fit within the TwiFanFiction world, and wrote what came to me. After I wrote that final line of what was to become chapter one I knew I had to title the o/s The Ride of Your Life, with the intentions of expanding it from the very beginning. Once I extended it, I wanted to title chapter one, The Ride of Your Life, but name the entire fic Learning to Breathe.

One of my closest and dearest friends, Kat, convinced me otherwise. After pre-reading Chapter two she was positive that this story was about Bella and Edward’s ride through life and finding each other. So the title remained The Ride of your Life. The underlying currant of being able to finally open up your airways and take a deep, life bringing breath after a life time of gasping for air still remains in Ride. There’s no way I could tell this story without it.

That becomes evident in this chapter for the first time in the story. Bella is truly living and breathing for the first time in many, many years. Edward has done that for her. Masen is doing that for her. And by the miracle of love, Bella is doing it for the two “men” in her life.

These characters have a long way to go and many hurdles to cross. Just this week I was shown that very clearly. Their Ride won’t always be smooth. Who’s ever is, though? What I can insure is that they will Ride off into the sunset of “happily ever afters.”

It would appear that, while I AM the author and creator of this story, that I’m also on this Ride. No matter how much I may THINK I’m in control, this is ultimately Bella and Edward’s story. Thank you for coming along for the Ride.

All my Love.

Forever, Liz

A New Addition to the Family...

Forever, Liz has an announcement!

There's been a birth in the family, so to speak. In light of the recent revisions to ff.net and the drama going down on Twitter over it all I decided that Ride needed a "permanent" home. One where I was the keeper of the delete key. So, over the last week I've been cooking a bun in the oven and making a happy little nest for my baby.

For the most part its finished. It may need a tweak or two, and there maybe some additions at some point, but I think we can officially mark February 22, 2010 its birthday!

So head on over and take a look at the new home of

The Ride of Your Life

Now, a few questions I've already received:

• No, I am not pulling Ride from ff.net or Twilighted.
• Yes, I will continue to update on those sites for as long as they allow me to.
• Do I think Ride will be pulled? Well, its a possibility. It has a M rating, but it really is a NC-17 story line. If they want to pull it, that's their call, and I will not fight it or wish them any ill-will. I knew full well what I was posting when I posted it.

I hope you like Ride's new home, and if you have any tips for how to improve it drop me a line or leave a comment!

Thanks for reading! You make this ride worth it!

Forever, Liz

Chapter Ten- Bending and Breaking

Ahhhh. Chapter Ten. Well, I'm not sure if you visit the profile FIRST or read first, so I won't mention what's going down in Chappie 10. I'll just include the goodies!

Click on the link below for the Playlist.com link for:

Ch10

I 'm including a pic of Bella's Bikini. Its an Ed Hardy:

Cute, huh?

I've also included general images of what I pictured as I wrote about Edward's Tats. (I have a friend working on an image of Bella's tat so you can see that, too.)

Edward's tattoo of the Chinese Character for "Tiger" on his Right side:

Edward's Tiger Head tattoo on his Right Bicep:

Edward's Tattoo of the Chinese Character for "Dragon" (Masen's Sign) on his Left side:

Edward's tattoo of the Dragon that wraps around his Left forearm that represents Masen:

I hope you liked Ch10. Leave me some comments about the tats. Do these posts help, or are they superfluous?

Thanks for reading and Reviewing! I love you guys!

Forever, Liz

Chapter Nine-Dates and Debates

Dates and Debates is UP!!

Here are the playlist and pics I promised you!

Click on this Playlist link to listen to the songs that accompany this chapter without having to download or buy them. Just a heads up- there ARE boy band songs, but they go with the chapter. If you break out in hives from the boy bands then don't listen to them, but I highly recommend that you listen to "Need" by Hana Pestle before/while you read the part of the chapter that Bella plays it. Its a beautiful song and has nothing to do with the Boy Bands.

OK, Pictures. Here's what I picture Bella wearing on her date with Edward, Alice, and Jazz; as well as Edward's Sex on wheels car. Hope you enjoy the chapter! As always, Thanks for reading and Riding!

Bella's Dress

Edward's BMW M6 Convertible

Forever, Liz

Catching Up and Goings Ons

One more post tonight and then I'm DONE!

I just sent Ch9 to the first beta. Wait you don't know about the second beta? Well, its kinda old news. One of my much adored readers TwilightMundi has agreed to take on my tangled mess of words strung haphazardly together and make them make sense! Yay, TM! She has a nickname. Of course she does. Hang around me long enough and you're gonna get one. Its a scientific fact. Anywhooo, just as DizzyGrl28 is my beloved Darth Beta, TwilightMundi has become my Grammar Guru. Both beta, and do a fan-fricking-tastic job of it I might add, but they each have their "strengths" and both make my words fit for you to read. So, once I finish the chapter it heads to GG first, she looks it over, picks through all the gunk and deems it acceptable! Then I send to Dizzy, who has, nine times out of times out of ten, seen the pile of rubbish that is now a little neater pile of rubbish, (thanks to GG), several times at this point because Dizzy is who gets the middle of the night ping in Gchat when I'm freaking out, or I can't find something, or I just want someone to bounce ideas off. Anyway, Dizzy notes anything that GG may have missed and makes sure everything is still on track with Ride and makes perfect little comments about this or that. (I adore those, BTW.) ALL that being said:

Ch9 is in the first stages of Beta'ing. It's in GG's very capable hands, and will be handed off to Dizzy ASAP. Enters my dilemma... I usually update as SOON a chappie is finished and polished, but I'm not sure if I should this time, and here's why:

I have a agreed to quite a lot this month. A laundry list, if you may:

~oOo~ Chapters 9 (and maybe 10) of Ride

~oOo~ A crazy one shot crackfic collaboration with my bestie KitKatBlack24 for Twi-Hard

~oOo~ The 7Stories Podcast and blog

~oOo~ And now the 7Stories are writing a "round robin" style entry for the Haitian Relief Project "Twifans for Haiti"

My options are these: Update as soon as Ch9 is free and clear, end of discussion. OR wait a week to 1o days and publish then, because either way, Riders, the likely hood that there'll another Ride chapter before Feb 1st is slim to none. Unless of course I don't sleep. And that sure as hella is not gonna happen.

Think about it and let me know.

Forever, Liz

7Stories Podcast

So I have acquired a pretty amazing gaggle of fanfic friends, and we're all pretty messed up. No really. We love to Skype and giggle and swear and say "peen". A LOT. See, I TOLD you we were messed up. So a few of us decided to do something even MORE messed up and share with all the fandom just how far our messied-upness goes and start a podcast.

We call ourselves the 7Stories. We each have our own story to tell and we just happen to be telling ours together. We have a blog, a twitter, a Facebook page, and a gmail account. Most importantly we have a fully launched podcast! Our first epi launched this week! Man, we really are serious about doing this!

Head over to the 7Stories Podcast to see what the girls have all been up to and listen to our first Episode while you're there. (Just remember, it is a MATURE broadcast!! Over 18 ONLY please!)

Forever, Liz

A Christmas Gift for My Riders

Dear Riders! (see I used it!),

I have written you all a little Christmas gift. Its a Christmas outtake from TRoYL. I have to warn you that it has a few spoilers because it jumps ahead of the story, so obviously there will be a little glimpse into the future of these two love birds. There's a mild lemon for my Lemonaids and sweet loving for my Tweethearts. I am so grateful that you are all reading. You say the sweetest things and aid me in my delusion that I can write. Hahaha! We should all really be committed for our delusions. I'm just saying that birds of a feather... ;)

TRoYL NEWS:

-The Ride continues! Ch8 is in the works and Ch9 is already written! (Don't ask, LONG story! )

-CH 10 may or may not see an end to the sexbargo, its not certain yet. (nothing's certain until the damn thing's posted.)

-Pics of Bella's tat are coming...

That's all for now, Riders. Holiday hugs to you all!

Forever, Liz