Subscribe now

Welcome back to Plot Twist and our newly titled book: The Price of Her Blood.

Last week, we left Selene passed out in a pile of pine needles, powerless and bleeding. This week, we see what happens when Willem and Ashley’s loyalty is tested.

But first, the results of last week’s poll! Was Selene right in throwing up a barrier, basically imprisoning her ex and her family?

Most of you were torn! And so was I.

Reply and let me know if this week changes your mind!

Happy reading!

Lauren

Willem and Ashley sat awkwardly across from Her Majesty in a room full of tacky, taxidermy animals. “All the money and power in the region and this is where you chose to hide out?”

He spoke up to save Ashley from admitting she’d found it. “You know Selene.”

“All too well.” Her Majesty stared at a stuffed bobcat for a while before continuing. “She’ll come back. She is rebellious and pigheaded, but she’s not stupid. She’ll say her goodbyes and she’ll come back. Like she always does.”

Her Majesty spoke with confidence, but Willem wasn’t so sure. He knew Selene better than anyone. He knew the way she had loved Arielle, how it had broken her to leave all those years ago, the look in her eyes when she saw Sia, the way the wards bent protectively around the child from the start. He knew something bigger was at play here.

Maybe that was why he felt it before everyone else: the oncoming tsunami of power that hit the cabin with a defiant roar.

Her Majesty turned sharply, feeling it herself, recognizing exactly what it was. Ashley looked terrified. Willem just laughed.

“She wouldn’t,” the Queen said.

“Sounds like she did,” Willem chuckled.

“Why are you laughing?” Ashley demanded. “This is horrible.”

Willem kept laughing. “It’s just — this is so Selene.”

“She’s going to get us all killed,” Ashley cried, her voice shaking with fear.

Her Majesty sprang into action. “I’m going back to the Coven Council to buy us time. You—” she pointed to Willem “—fix this. And you—” she turned to Ashley “—keep me updated on everything that happens up here. Don’t make me ask twice.”

Without another word, Her Majesty walked outside and vanished.

“How does she do that?” Ashley asked.

“I have no idea,” Willem said. Transmutation was a rare power — one that only a handful of witches in history had ever mastered. It lived in Selene’s bloodline, shared only with her sister, although neither had shown an ability to transform.

“We have to get to her,” Willem said.

Then, as suddenly as the tsunami had come, the power rushed back — slamming against the wards. Willem froze.

“She’s weak,” he said. “I can feel it. Something happened.”

“She probably used all her power up,” Ashley said. “Like the idiot she is.”

“What is she supposed to do, just let them kill Sia?” Willem asked.

“Yes! She’s putting all of us at risk,” Ashley shot back. “Her power keeps the coven safe. One child is not worth the wards falling.”

Willem looked at her, horrified. “You sometimes really scare me, Ashley.”

“It’s a cost-benefit analysis,” she said, grabbing the keys and heading for the door. “Now drive while I type.”

Willem did as he was told – like he all too often did lately. Gone were the days when he would sneak out of the royal palace with Selene, the two of them running off to drink and dance their way through the gay bars of Hillcrest. Nevermore would he be able to spend months in Manhattan exploring galleries and museums, his only responsibility getting to a show on time.

Irideae died. Gentian transitioned. Aurora abdicated the throne. And suddenly Selene and Willem were thrust back into palace – Ashley scheduling every moment of their lives.

Selene offered to let him out of their blood bargain, tried to undo the magic herself so her best friend could be free. But they’d been bonded since birth, their connection solidified through decades of training and turmoil. He would not let his best friend suffer alone.

Now, as they drove towards goddess only knew what kind of trouble, Willem wished he’d stayed in his little basement apartment in Hell’s Kitchen, leaving Selene to fend for herself.

The wards hissed like static as they made their way down the lane. He saw Arielle first, standing awe-struck, holding the hand of her child, both of them staring down at two bodies intertwined on the floor. The limp one had to be Selene, which meant the woman hovering over her was Arielle’s wife.

“Stop the car,” Ashley ordered, and Willem obeyed, only because he could feel the shield ahead of them. He was getting tired of Ashley’s ordering them around, but today wasn’t the day to fight her on it.

Pine needles crunched under her feet as she marched to the edge of the shield. “Stop touching her!” she commanded. “She needs a healer.”

“I am a healer,” the woman on the floor said.

“Not some back country hippy,” Ashley responded. “We need a real healer.”

Arielle’s wife looked up at her with disdain but didn’t stop what she was doing. She muttered words in Spanish as she dropped a tincture over Selene’s womb, up her body, and into her mouth.

“Don’t you dare feed her your …”

“Ashley shut up,” Willem commanded, and for once, she listened.

“What is your name?” He asked, bending down to face Arielle’s wife.

“Lyra,” she replied.

“What are you giving her, Lyra?” He asked.

“A combination of yarrow root, green tea, and witch hazel. It stops bleeding,” she explained. “It’s all I have here at the house. There’s more at my apothecary, but…” Lyra motioned to the invisible wall that spread out before them, the energy buzzing off of it like electrical wires.

“Thank you,” Willem said, catching Lyra by surprise.

She shook her head and stood. “I can’t have a dead princess on my lawn.”

“Queen,” Ashley corrected.

Arielle grabbed her wife’s hand and looked at Willem for the first time since he arrived. “Hello old friend,” he said.

“Friend?” Her hand tightened around her daughter’s as a maniacal kind of laugh burst out of her. “What about this is friendly? The part where my ex bursts in and tells me you’re trying to kill my daughter, or the part where she locks us inside our home? Or maybe the part where you all have been lying to me for years?”

Willem didn’t really know what to say. How do you explain to a humdrum the consequences of someone like Sia? How do you quickly describe generations of power structures at play? How could he tell a mother that her child must die to save them all?

Ashley spoke instead, ignoring Arielle and speaking to Willem. “We need to get her out of here.”

He nodded his head in agreement. Removing Selene wouldn’t take away the threat, but maybe if they brought her back to the Coven Council, they can buy Arielle and her family time to run. Where they could go and be safe, he didn’t know. But run they must.

Putting his hands in the air, he tested the pulse of the wards, feeling for Selene’s magic. Each person’s magic had a tone, like their voice, a sound that defined them. Willem knew the language of Selene’s power almost as fluently as his own. He read her spell, sorted through not just her words but her intentions, finding a loophole to push through.

“There,” he said finally, touching a hole in the fabric of space and time. “Lyra, pick up Selene’s arm and put it through the wards.”

“What are you doing?” Ashley demanded.

“Trust me,” Willem said.

Lyra shook her head, but followed Willem’s request, lifting Selene’s limp arm and dropping it through the wards. They rippled with the impact, but otherwise held.

Willem bent down and grabbed her hand, unceremoniously dragging the Queen’s limp body across a bed of pine needles. “She made an exception for herself,” Willem huffed, pulling his best friend towards him.

“What do we do with them?” Ashley pointed towards Arielle and her family.

“Leave ‘em here,” Willem hoisted Selene up into his arms and headed towards their car.

“You can’t just lock us in here!” Lyra shouted.

Willem ignored her, laying the Queen down in the back seat and buckling her in as tightly as he could. He shut the door and headed to the driver’s side.

“Willy Gee!” Arielle yelled at him, the old nickname tugging at his heart. He turned around to face her, desperation and fear in her eyes. “Please.”

Willem took a deep breath and walked back to the edge of the wards, facing the family – and the consequences of their actions. “I don’t know why you inherited so much power,” he pointed to Sia and then turned to Lyra, “And I don’t know why you’re up here in hiding. But I do know that very soon the most powerful people in the world will come here to take your child away if we don’t distract them. Selene is the distraction. As long as we can make them believe she caused the power surges, we can keep them away from here.”

“And what happens when they find out it wasn’t her?” Lyra asked.

“Then you run like hell,” Willem said, turning around, heading to the car, and speeding away, leaving Arielle and her family behind.

Time for Your Input!

This week, I want to know: What should Willem tell Her Majesty and the Coven Council?!

He’s on his way back to the palace with Selene barely breathing. When Her Majesty and the Coven Council demand an update, what should Willem say?

For the next week, the poll is open and the comments are waiting for your magic.

This is where Plot Twist truly comes alive so: 🗳️ Vote, 💬 comment, and 🗣️ engage (respectfully) with others.

✨Join in and be a part of creativity + community!

See you in the comments!

Lauren

Subscribe now

We have a title for the book!

Plot Twist is the experiment here on Substack, and I’ve been calling this story Blood Witch as a placeholder — but it’s time to give Book One its real name.

Last week, you all voted between four options:

1. 🩸 The Price of Her Blood

2. 💔 The Blood Between Us

3. 🔮 The Circle of Blood

4. ✍️ Audience Choice!

Some great suggestions were sent in to me, including:

• The Circle of Blood: the Blood Witch

• The Wards of Wild Ivy

• The Magic We Make

• The Witches of Frontera

• and my favorite: Super Fucking Gay Witches

But only one could be our winner.

I am excited to announce that the name of our book will be: The Price of Her Blood!

Let me know what you think in the comments! Did your choice win?!

Leave a comment

Now that we have a title, let’s get back into the story.

A quick recap of what happened in last week’s chapter:

Selene awakens disoriented in the forest after the magical surge and, in trying to protect Arielle’s daughter Sia, reignites old wounds and collides head-on with the family — and the forbidden bloodline — she once fled.

This week is full of drama and tension.

I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Let’s dig in.

Chapter 12: The Law of Blood

The old porch swing creaked as Selene sat down on it, unsure what else to do. The boards beneath her groaned like they were welcoming her home.

She was certain she could take Lyra in a duel if it came to that. Probably. But with Sia’s help? That was less clear. Her magic was already thin from the wards, threadbare and trembling under her skin. And besides — it was rude to barge into someone’s house after you’d just told them your family was coming to kill their child. Even she had limits.

The swing moved again, slow and steady, as if from memory. She had spent hours here once — days, maybe — staring into the forest, waiting for the world to make sense again. When had it stopped? When had she stopped?

Obviously, it had begun when she became Queen, but there must have been a moment — a hinge in time — when stillness gave way to motion. When the porch swing became the throne, and quiet mornings turned into endless lists and late-night decrees. She had gone from the kind of person who sat and watched the sunrise to the kind who only saw it as a sliver through a window, up early to get camera ready.

She missed this forest. She missed this house. And, Goddesses help her, she missed Arielle.

As if summoned by the thought, Arielle stepped onto the porch. The sound of the door closing behind her hit Selene harder than it should have. Selene patted the swing beside her, an instinct born of muscle memory — the same unspoken gesture they’d shared a thousand times. But this time, Arielle didn’t move.

They had always come out here when they fought. The swing was neutral ground, a space to air their grievances, letting the forest absorb their anger. But today there was nothing neutral about the way Arielle looked at her.

“Please explain what the hell is going on to me,” Arielle’s voice was a tightly woven calm. “My wife just told me your family is trying to come and kill my child. It is so far-fetched I cannot believe it is true, so please tell me she is mistaken.”

Selene stood, but Arielle stepped back, a look of fear in her eyes.

“Others want to hurt your child, but I promise I am only here to help her,” Selene said carefully. “We don’t have time for back-and-forth. I need to speak to your whole family — now.”

The door opened again, and Lyra stepped out. “Say what you have to say and then be gone.”

Selene glanced around. The forest watched her like it always did, but tonight it felt closer, heavier. She lowered her voice. “Not out here.”

“I have nothing to hide from these woods,” Lyra said flatly.

You should, Selene thought, but didn’t have time to argue.

Selene exhaled, then began.

“The blood law,” she said. “It’s old — older than any of us. The Frontera Coven decided millennia ago that to keep power pure, any child born outside sanctioned lineage — adopted, bastard, mixed-blood — would be annihilated. It is to protect the bloodline from thinning, to keep the magic strong and the coven safe.”

“It is to keep power in the hands of a chosen few,” Lyra replied.

Selene’s throat tightened at the accuracy of her words. “They only have enforced it once in my lifetime — and it caused a rebellion that almost cost us the coven. But the law still stands. Its existence is enough to keep most people in compliance.”

Lyra shook her head, anger rippling like wind through her voice. “This is exactly why I’ve never wanted anything to do with your coven. Archaic, obsessed with purity, talking about protection when it’s really ownership.”

She stepped closer, eyes sharp and unflinching as they glared at Selene. “I wanted nothing to do with Frontera when I moved here. I want nothing to do with it now. And my daughter will have nothing to do with it in the future. Take your law and your threats and leave.”

Selene didn’t move. The porch swing creaked again behind her, an eerie reminder of where she was, a house that used to be her home. She looked from Lyra’s fury to Arielle’s fear and felt the weight of both pressing against her ribs.

She couldn’t leave. They wouldn’t survive if she did. She had to make Arielle understand why she was here, and what had to be done, so she would help her convince Lyra to let her help.

“I left once to protect you,” she said to the woman who had been the love of her life. “At the time, I thought I was right — I still do. I saved you from the horror that is my family. But now I’ve brought that horror to your doorstep, exactly how I swore I wouldn’t, and I’m so very sorry for that.”

Arielle’s jaw clenched, her eyes flashing anger and fear, but Selene kept going. “I wish I could go back to when you thought my family were just corrupt billionaires. They’re not just wealthy, Arielle. They’re powerful — beyond belief powerful — surrounded by people who could destroy everything you love. If I leave you now, you’re helpless. There’s nowhere you can go where they can’t find you.”

Her breath trembled in the air between them. “I know you want to be independent, to keep me out — but I am the only hope you have of saving your daughter. Please. For the love of Sia, let me stay.”

“No,” Lyra said, her voice sharp as flint. “You cannot stay here.”

Selene’s restraint snapped. She stormed off the porch, boots thudding against the old steps, and marched toward the wards. She pulled out the tiny silver knife she always kept on her in case of emergencies and had five small cuts made on the tips of each of her fingers before Lyra realized what she was doing and ran after her.

Too late. Selene had already thrust her bleeding hands into the ground. Pulling every wisp of magic she could conjure from the forest, every bit of herself she’d left behind all those years, every ounce of power her lineage had bestowed into her blood, and spoke with an authority fit for the Queen she was.

“No one but me shall come,” she commanded, her voice deep and echoing off the mountains around her.

“No one but me shall go,” she felt the wards answer next to her, gaining a solidity.

“For two full sunrises and two full sunsets,” she added, knowing the magic up here responded well to natural cues. She was right, the wards hummed louder, pulsating energy thrumming off of them that knocked even Selene back.

The air fractured around her, light spilling through cracks in the unseen. The wards pulsed, visible now — shimmering bands of copper and green circling the property. The force knocked her backward, landing hard against the dirt.

Lyra stared, horrified. “What have you done?”

Selene’s throat burned as she forced the words out. “What I had to do to save your child.”

“You’ll get us all killed,” Lyra said.

As blood began to drip down her legs and the darkness crept in, Selene wondered if Lyra was right.

Time for Your Input!

This week, I want to know: Was Selene right to cast the ward without consent?

I’m torn on this! Part of me thinks she absolutely violated the family’s space locking them inside for 48 hours, but the other part things she had to protect Sia.

What do you think?!

For the next week, the poll is open and the comments are waiting for your magic.

This is where Plot Twist truly comes alive so: 🗳️ Vote, 💬 comment, and 🗣️ engage (respectfully) with others.

✨Join in and be a part of creativity + community!

See you in the comments!

Lauren

*FINE PRINT — PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE

By participating in Plot Twist, you understand that your comments, votes, and ideas are being shared as creative input for a book that will be written and owned by Lauren Marie Fleming.

The final work—published in ebook, print, audio, or any future format—will credit Lauren Marie Fleming as the sole author and copyright owner.

Contributors who engage frequently may be acknowledged as “Collaborators” in the book’s acknowledgments. This credit is honorary only.

No payment, royalties, or copyright ownership will be provided for participation. Submitting comments or votes constitutes agreement to these terms.

Ideas shared here may inspire derivative works or adaptations without further notice or compensation. Participation implies adherence to community guidelines and respectful discourse.

Subscribe now

Plot Twist is back for the season!

Fall is here! The pumpkin spice lattes are flowing, Meg Ryan movies are playing in the background, and – most importantly – Plot Twist is back!

Which means every Thursday you’ll get a new chapter to read, comment on, and interact with! (Check out this post for my new publishing schedule here on Substack.)

Here’s a quick recap of what’s happened so far (you can also read the past chapters here):

Queen Selene of Frontera is trapped between duty and desire. Ordered to produce an heir despite a body that might kill her, she’s spent years trying to hold together her coven while secretly longing for the quiet mountain life — and the woman — she’d left behind. When a massive magical surge shook the wards protecting their world, Selene followed the pull to Wild Ivy, a small mountain town that hid more than it revealed. There, she found the home she once shared with her ex-fiancée, Arielle… and a child named Sia whose power thrummed with something far too familiar.

The discovery shattered everything Selene thought she knew about magic, bloodlines, and love. Her mother — Her Majesty — arrived ready to invoke Article 11, the coven’s most brutal law: execute any child born of forbidden magic to protect the coven as a whole. Torn between saving her people and protecting the girl who might destroy them all, Selene defied her orders, erecting wards around the child and her family and daring her friends to stop her. By dawn, the mountain air was thick with blood and secrets, as Selene faced the past she had buried — and the woman she had never truly stopped loving.

This season you’re in for some juicy treats – including sex scenes reserved just for paid subscribers. Whether a free or paid subscriber, you’re invited to read, comment, and help develop this magical world of found family, queer relationships, and power struggles.

Ready to head back to Wild Ivy?! Me too!

But first – a reminder that this is a collaborative project, so be sure to vote on polls and comment your thoughts. You’re welcome to be a passive reader, but I promise it will be much more fun if you engage.

This week, you’ll help decide what we’re going to name Book 1! This is a big one so be sure to vote.

It’s good to be back here creating with you again.

Without further ado, here is Chapter 11 of book, title TBD by you!

Chapter 11: The Woman in the Woods

Arielle’s arms wrapped around Selene as she slept, the feeling so familiar to the Queen that she was instantly transported to a time and place far away from articles and obligations, where the only duty she had was to this love. She’d broken so many promises, shredded that love to pieces, and yet here Arielle was, pressing her body against Selene’s, slobbering kisses against her neck.

“Wake up,” Arielle shook her gently, and Selene rolled over, not yet ready to open her eyes, the scent of moss, earth, and something else more feral filling her nose.

Arielle kissed her again, this time running her tongue up and down her neck, her face, the roughness abrasive against Selene’s cheek, the scent rank.

“You have the worst morning breath.”

“I’ll let Albee know he should brush more,” Arielle said, and Selene shot her eyes open.

A big white fluffy dog with orange ears and the most beautiful black eyes lined with white eyelashes stared back at her. Albee smiled in a way Selene had never seen a dog smile before, like he was so very glad to see her, like he’d been waiting years to meet her and finally she was here. It made Selene smile back, greeting him like an old friend, patting his head as he curled into her.

“Traitor,” Arielle said, and Selene couldn’t tell which one of them she meant as Albee fell to the forest floor, pressing his large back into Selene, her arms wrapping around him, big spoon to his not-so-little one.

Cold dew clung to pine needles, the wards humming faintly like power lines deciding whether to hold. The taste of copper sat thick on her tongue.

Pine needles, dirt, and now fur covered her couture clothes. The wards humming faintly like power lines beside her and her tongue was think with the taste of copper. But Selene didn’t care. She pushed her body farther into Albee’s, rubbing his belly and smiling as widely as he did. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this happy, intimate, and loved. All from a stranger’s dog.

Not a stranger’s. She remembered, looking up at her ex.

“What are you doing?”

Selene couldn’t tell who Arielle was talking to, but before either could answer, she felt a hook catch in her stomach, yanking her to her feet and turning her head to the right where she saw Sia standing on one side of the barrier, staring blank-faced at the handsome, well-dressed man beckoning her to him on the other side of it.

“STOP,” Selene commanded, her voice a shockwave ricocheting off everything around her, making the world pause and time stand still. Nothing moved, not the trees, not the brook in the distance, not even the anthill she hadn’t realized she’d been laying in mere moments before.

Selene didn’t have time to think about what she’d done or the toll it would take on her and the forest around her. Time pausing was the kind of rare, forbidden magic only warned about in the advanced physics classes she’d practically failed, and she couldn’t remember the elemental consequences.

But she didn’t care. Something primal in her body urged her forward, grabbing Sia and pulling her back from Willem’s outstretched hand. She had no idea how long this would last, but she knew, instinctually, that she had to get Sia back to the cabin as soon as she could.

“Move,” she commanded, and the girl unfroze, her eyes frantically looking around her, panic turning to awe as she waved her hand in front of Willem’s face.

Sia looked up at Selene with awe. “Woah.”

“Woah, indeed.” Selene beckoned Sia to follow her.

“But my mom,” she pointed to Arielle and Albee, both frozen in time.

Selene sighed and walked over to them. She unfroze the dog first, pausing before letting Arielle out of the spell. “You sure we can’t just leave her like this?”

“No!” Sia replied, appalled.

The kid was right, Selene knew she was right, and yet still, she hesitated, fear gripping her body as forcefully as Arielle still gripped Albee’s leash. The magic still hummed beneath her skin, wild and untrained in a way it hadn’t been since she was a child — since the last time she dated Arielle. She worried it would refuse to obey, like it had then. She was too powerful for her own good. The only way she’d ever kept it under control was by not using it at all.

She could feel it crawling toward her fingertips, desperate to move, to act. For the first time in years, Selene wasn’t sure if she was the one controlling the magic or if the magic was controlling her. She feared that if she touched Arielle or Albee she might harm them more than help. She couldn’t hurt Sia; somehow she knew that instinctively, though she didn’t yet understand why. But Arielle was different. Arielle wasn’t magical like she was. And hadn’t that always been the problem between them?

But Selene could feel the pause already loosening, and she knew Ashley would call her mother to join them the minute she unfroze, which meant the most powerful people in the world would be here soon, and even Selene’s strongest wards would fall. She had to give Sia a chance to escape while she could, and that meant facing Arielle.

“Wake,” she finally commanded and Arielle came to life, immediately grabbing her daughter and thrusting Sia behind her.

“What the hell is happening here,” Arielle backed away from Selene, getting dangerously close to the wards.

“Arielle stop,” Selene said and her words acted as a command again, forcing Arielle in her place.

Arielle panicked, trying and failing to move as Albee pulled on his leash and Sia started to freak out.

“You told me you were a good witch,” the child cried, yanking at her mother’s arm.

“I never said such a thing,” Selene said, grabbing a rock and throwing it at her reinforced wards. The rock shattered into fifty pieces, tiny pebbles falling at their feet. “But I am trying to keep you from being electrocuted.”

Sia reeled back from the wards, dragging Albee with her while Selene waved her hand and Arielle could move again. “Now come,” Selene commanded, her voice an order, “I’ll explain everything once we’re safe inside.”

Arielle started to complain, but Sia tugged on her arms, pulling her away from the ward and towards their house. Selene couldn’t tell how much of the child was acting of her own free will or Selene’s command as her Queen, but either way, Willem was twitching, his fingers pulsing magic, and they had little time left. Selene ushered Arielle, Sia, and Albee inside and closed the door just as she heard Ashley yell out her name. They were out of time.

Selene turned around to explain to Arielle that they all had to flee, but instead she found herself staring at a tall, beautiful woman wearing a flowing dress, barefoot in the living room Selene had once called home.

“What’s going on?” the woman asked, her voice melodic and calm in a way that irritated Selene precisely because it soothed her.

There was no doubt: this was Sia’s mother. Which meant she was also Arielle’s wife.

The confident, in-charge woman Selene had been moments before vanished. She forgot she was a Queen, sliding back into the insecure teenager who had once compared herself to every woman in every room. In front of her stood pure poise and grace. If this was the kind of woman Arielle loved, no wonder Selene had never been enough.

“What’s going on?” Arielle’s wife repeated, pulling Sia close. Arielle joined them, and all three looked at Selene expectantly.

The old ache of not-enoughness pressed at Selene’s chest, but beneath it lived something steadier: duty, love, and the stubborn need to protect what she’d already lost once. She straightened. Shame could wait. Sia could not.

She could feel the pulsing of the mountain below her, the pull of the trees, the rush of the creek. Selene inhaled, grounding herself in the land, and exhaled the version of herself Arielle knew, the young girl who’d loved and left. In her place stood the Queen she’d been forced to become.

“I am Selene,” she said, extending a hand to Arielle’s wife, then pulling it back when she saw it was shaking. “And you are?”

“Lyra,” Sia’s mother replied.

“Lyra. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice is not the word I’d use,” Lyra said evenly.

“Here’s what’s going on.” Selene drew a sharp breath, voice steadying. “We have about an hour — give or take — before the most powerful people in the world arrive to kill your child.”

The family began to protest, but Selene lifted a hand and the air thickened with command. “I will answer your questions on the way. For now, pack a small bag, say goodbye to your belongings, and meet me outside in three minutes.”

She turned toward the door, then paused, softening. “The dog stays here.”

“No!” Sia shouted, and the door slammed shut on its own, nearly catching Selene’s fingers.

So the kid’s an Elemental. Selene thought. This just got harder.

“You told me you were a good witch,” Sia said again.

“There’s no such thing as good and bad witches,” Selene replied. “Just those with power and those who want it. Both will be here soon to take you away if you don’t pack your things and get outside.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Arielle voice was sharp with fear and love.

Selene looked past her, to Lyra who was calm, unbothered, and glowing. It took a second before Selene realized the glow wasn’t beauty; it was power.

Lyra was a witch. Which meant she was Selene’s subject.

“You’ll come with me,” Selene commanded.

“You are not my Queen,” Lyra said, unflinching.

“You’re on my land,” Selene countered.

Lyra’s lips curved, almost smiling. “My family line has walked these mountains since long before your coven came and colonized them. We reject your protection, and your reign. Our magic is of the land, not of you.”

Arielle stepped between them, voice shaking. “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”

“She doesn’t know?” Selene said, half laughing, half horrified.

“I told her more than you ever did,” Lyra snapped.

“Told me what?” Arielle demanded.

Selene exhaled hard. “That your daughter’s power just painted a target on this entire mountain. And that if we don’t move now, she’ll die for what she is.”

“I do not run,” Lyra said.

“We have no choice,” Selene replied.

“You brought this to us,” Lyra countered. “You will save us from it.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do!” Selene threw her arms out in exasperation, her magic escaping and ricocheting off whatever spells and wards Lyra had in this home.

“I will not run,” Lyra stood strong and proud. “Never again.”

The fierce resolve in Lyra’s face told Selene there was no way they were getting out of here before Her Majesty and the Council arrived. “Fine,” she sighed. “I’m going to need both of you to come with me.”

Arielle stepped forward before realizing Selene meant her wife and child. “What about me?” she asked.

“Gather food, we’re going to need it.”

Selene led them outside, closing Arielle into the house and throwing up a shield to keep her there. She didn’t need a humdrum seeing what was about to happen.

Then she turned to Sia, “What’s your class?”

“I’m in sixth grade,” Sia replied.

“No, your classification,” Selene explained. “You’re an Elemental. That’s how you closed the door. I’m wondering what you are …”

“She has none,” Lyra replied.

“You never had her classified?” Selene was shocked.

“We don’t need your labels,” Lyra replied.

When they got to the wards, Willem and Ashley were gone, probably off to bring her mother here to help them break through. Yet another reason they needed to hurry.

Selene turned to Lyra and put her fingers against an invisible wall, “Feel this?”

Lyra placed her palms up and down the barrier, looking like a mime stuck in a box. “How did I never know this was here before?”

“Because it wasn’t,” Selene explained. “But it’s here now to keep you and your family safe. No one wishing you any harm will come through it. Wizards will stop in their tracks, humdrums who get close will suddenly have to run home with diarrhea.”

Sia giggled, making Selene smirk. She’d been around Sia’s age when she’d been taught how to build a barrier to keep humdrums out, and at the time explosive diarrhea had been the most hilarious thing she could come up with. Seeing Sia laugh about it brought her back to a time when she was more innocent, protecting her diary or secret gossiping, not the life of innocent people.

“Can you feel this?” Selene asked the still giggling child.

“Will it make me poop my pants?” Sia laughed.

Selene smiled, “Only one way to find out.”

Slowly, tentatively, Sia reached her hand out, pulling it back with a jolt, shocked. “Ouch!”

Sia pulled her hand to her chest and Lyra protectively placed herself between Selene and Sia. “What did you do to my child?”

“That shouldn’t have shocked her,” Selene replied.

“It really hurts,” Sia cradled her hand.

“Let me see it,” Selene said.

“No,” Sia pulled her hand away, covering her arms.

“That shouldn’t shock you. Only people who cause you harm.” Something dawned on Selene. “Sia, do you ever…”

“We’re done here,” Lyra interrupted, voice firm.

Lyra stormed away, dragging Sia behind her, the child’s injured hand tucked against her chest. The door slammed, rattling the wards until they sang. For a heartbeat, the forest held its breath again — the same terrible quiet from when Selene woke. She pressed her palm to the invisible barrier, feeling it hum back at her like a warning. Whatever had just passed between her and that girl, it had changed the air itself.

Selene whispered to no one, “What did I just do?”

The forest answered with silence.

Your Turn to Shape the Story!

For the next week, the poll is open and the comments are waiting for your magic.

This is where Plot Twist truly comes alive — every vote, every theory, every spark you share shapes what happens next.

🗳️ Vote. 💬 Comment. 🗣️ Engage with others (respectfully).

Join in and be part of creativity + community.

This week’s audience decision: What should we title our book?!

Plot Twist is the experiment here on Substack, and I’ve been calling this story Blood Witch as a placeholder — but it’s time to give Book One its real name.

Which one captures the heart and vibe of the story best?

1. 🩸 The Price of Her Blood — She was born to uphold the law. She’ll bleed to destroy it.

2. 💔 The Blood Between Us — Family built the empire. Love will burn it down.

3. 🔮 The Circle of Blood — Thirty-three witches. One covenant reborn.

4. ✍️ Your Spell, Your Choice — Have a better title in mind? Name the rebellion yourself.

Got an idea of your own you want to throw out! Let us know if the comments!

Leave a comment

The poll closes soon — so get your votes in!

✨ Join the fun.

🌙 Change the story.

Thanks for playing along.

See you next week with Chapter 12!

Lauren

*FINE PRINT — PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE

By participating in Plot Twist, you understand that your comments, votes, and ideas are being shared as creative input for a book that will be written and owned by Lauren Marie Fleming.

The final work—published in ebook, print, audio, or any future format—will credit Lauren Marie Fleming as the sole author and copyright owner.

Contributors who engage frequently may be acknowledged as “Collaborators” in the book’s acknowledgments. This credit is honorary only.

No payment, royalties, or copyright ownership will be provided for participation. Submitting comments or votes constitutes agreement to these terms.

Ideas shared here may inspire derivative works or adaptations without further notice or compensation. Participation implies adherence to community guidelines and respectful discourse.

Thank you so much for hanging around and being a part of Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel. It’s been a blast writing a book with you. We’re 10 chapters in and DAMN is it good so far! (Read all 10 here.)

I love this project and want to keep working on it, I truly do. But I need a break for the summer.

See, Plot Twist has a total fall and winter vibe. Forests. Witches. Magic. It’s very Practical Magic meets The Craft.

And I’m in more of a But I’m a Cheerleader meets Secretary mood right now in life.

So, for the summer, I’m relaunching my famous and award-winning Queerie Bradshaw blog, right here on Substack. I’ll be sharing my adventures and advice on love and lust to remind us all that being super gay and super freaky is a radical act in the face of fascism and oppression.

If you don’t want to get Queerie Bradshaw updates, you can simply scroll down to the bottom of this email and update your preferences. You’ll still get updates when Plot Twist comes back in the fall.

Speaking of the fall, I’m starting a new cohort in my popular Write Your Friggin’ Book Already® program starting August 22. If you want to write a book with me this fall, check it out.

Lots of fun and exciting things happening around here to keep you entertained and engaged this summer!

The world’s on fire, let’s get kinky.

With pleasure, love, and joy in the face of it all,

Lauren

P.S. Got a romantic, kinky, or queer question you’d like me to answer or topic you’d like me to cover on Queerie Bradshaw? Reply and let me know!

Subscribe now

Welcome back to Plot Twist!

Things are really heating up in Wild Ivy for our trio! For the last few weeks, we introduced animals – alive and taxidermic – and this week you’re going to get to meet more of Her Majesty, as per a reader request!

Speaking of reader requests, how are you liking the every other week chapter dropped versus the weekly? It’s getting more votes on the polls, so that’s nice, but I kind of miss the fast pace of the weekly. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Leave a comment

Ready to find out what happens next? Me too!

Let’s dive in!

Chapter 10: Invoking Article 11

Just a warning before we start, this chapter talks about the possible death of a child and torture. So if you’re sensitive, please pass on this one.

Her Majesty knew that sending Selene back to Wild Ivy was a mistake from the minute the Coven Council advised her to do it. Getting her daughter to leave that woman and that town years ago had almost severed their bond irrevocably. With their family’s tenuous truce and Selene’s reluctance to produce an heir, Her Majesty couldn’t afford to let Selene be pulled back into that heathens lair of hippies who practiced pseudo-magic while high on their own self-righteousness.

She’d known about the child. Of course she had. She knew every magical being within her wards, felt each one as it came into and left this world, their names recorded into the coven’s ledger. She knew her parents too, and the complications that could arise in the future, if Selene ever found out. She’d monitored the child, almost as much as her own grandchildren, but she’d never been more than a minuscule bleep on her radar, definitely not powerful enough to cause a ward puncturing earthquake.

Yet, the eagle had warned her. Years ago. A warning it echoed back to her again today, risking her own life to fly to San Diego and sound the alarm. Her Majesty offered the beast food, water, and a place to rest before returning, but she knew the act of warning had most likely been the eagle’s last.

Which made the threat posed by this child all the more real.

Her Majesty gathered a select few of her most trustworthy guards and took off as soon as possible, not informing the Coven Council of her actions and expending significant personal power to hide the royal caravan from humdrums and wizards alike. As her team wove their way up the mountain at an impossible speed, Her Majesty sat in silence, fortifying herself for what came next.

The gaudy cabin was easy to find with the description the eagle had given her, and the humdrum security system was easily bypassed with a wave of her hand. She sighed, realizing Selene had been too lazy, trusting, or careless to put up her own defenses. Willem should have been on it himself, and Ashley on him until he did. But the trio proved once again too self-involved and immature to take care of matters.

Her Majesty walked in the door and into the living room where the group was gathered before anyone even felt her presence. Selene startled and stood, glaring at Ashley, who ducked her head, proving she’d played a part in sending the eagle her way. Good, someone in this room had some wits about them.

“Where is the child?” she asked as welcome.

“Hello to you too, mother,” Selene replied.

“Your Majesty,” Willem ducked his head as Ashley silently curtsied.

Her Majesty ignored Willem and Ashley, and the godawful decorations surrounding them, focusing solely on her daughter. “You know what must be done. And I know you’re not strong enough to do it.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Selene’s voice was sharp, her emotions palpable, her energy thrumming, all proving that Her Majesty had been right, she was way too emotionally involved already.

“I will do what I must for the safety of the coven,” Her Majesty replied.

“You cannot invoke Article 11 on a random child,” Selene declared.

“Article 11 was written precisely for random children,” Her Majesty pointed out.

“It’s a barbaric law that should be outlawed and you know it,” Selene shouted. “How dare you even bring that up!”

“The Coven Council will get there eventually,” Her Majesty said. “We should get there first. Make it humane.”

“I loathe to admit she has a point,” Ashley said.

“You can’t be seriously agreeing with her,” Selene fumed. “It’s Article 11! We’ve been fighting to overturn this my whole reign.”

“And we’ve gotten nowhere,” Ashley sighed. “If this kid is what I think she is, she’s putting all of us in danger just being near her.”

“What do you think she is?” Her Majesty asked.

“She’s a child!” Selene exclaimed. “That’s all that matters.”

“You said she felt like Gentian,” Ashley began, turning her attention from Selene to Her Majesty. “A quick search showed me there is no hospital nearby, but a plethora of hippy midwives, so I’m guessing she was born at home. More specifically, she was born surrounded by wards you’d put there to protect that home as a sanctuary and sacred space for you and your loved ones. A magical womb of sorts.”

“At birth, she was given the name Hortensia, which, from the look on both of your faces when she said it, was the sacred name you were given by the Goddess to bestow onto your first born daughter,” Ashley continued, “which I’m guessing you, against the rules, stupidly told the humdrum at some point in that house, maybe in a moment of passion that declared the sacred name as belonging to that sacred space. To pull it all together, she’s lived among your wards, under your loving protection, with your sacred name as hers for years, making her, against all odds, inherit some of your power.”

“You’re scary sometimes,” Willem said to Ashley as she caught her breath.

“Impossible,” Selene whispered, but her heart panicked at the realization that Ashley was probably right. Which meant the Coven Council would execute Sia immediately if they found out – and all of them as well if they didn’t notify the authorities soon.

Article 11 was one of the most controversial laws in Frontera, a practice outlawed in some international territories and vehemently defended in others. It stated that all wizards born out of a union sanctioned by the Coven Council were to be executed upon birth or discovery, whichever happened first.

Unlike other more conservative covens, Frontera was open to intermarrying with humdrums, homosexual relationships, and trans and genderqueer affirming care and support, but Article 11 effectively forbid those people from having kids, biological or adopted. Worse than that, it legally required any kids they may have to be executed, along with any parents, friends, or family members who tried to hide the kid’s existence. It rarely happened, couples usually moved to another coven or abstained from parenting all together, but when Article 11 was enforced, it was a brutal and public display of power by the Coven Council.

Advocates for the bill, including Her Majesty, argued that intermingling caused diluted bloodlines and weakened the power of the coven as a whole. They cited it as one of the only ways to keep the wards strong. Objectors, like Selene, argued that the law was barbaric, cruel, and that varying bloodlines enhanced the power of their magic, especially as blood diseases like the one that killed Iris were on the rise in Frontera.

Luckily, there hadn’t been an Article 11 violation during Selene’s reign, at least one they’d known about. Sia was proof kids could fly under the radar for years. But puberty always gave them away, and now Selene was faced with the horrible reality that she would have to choose between being Arielle’s child’s executioner or dying herself.

“Article 11 is a barbaric law and I refuse to let it be enforced on my watch,” Selene said.

“Article 11 or not, the minute someone realizes this child has inherited your power, she will be hunted down, tortured, and killed,” Her Majesty said.

“No one has to find out,” Selene replied.

“She’s already a level nine,” Ashley said.

“I understand your hesitation. I truly do. But sooner or later, whether the Coven Council or the Witch Hunters, someone will figure it out,” Her Majesty said. “And when they do, they will kill her. Or worse, pull her magic apart bit by bit to find out how it happened.”

“I shutter to think what my aunt would do to her in the interrogation chamber,” Willem said. As kids, Selene and he were made to sit through an unsanctioned child’s execution. It wasn’t an experience either of them wanted to repeat. “At least this way we can make sure she goes quickly and painlessly. An aneurysm. A stroke of horrible luck.”

“I can’t believe you’re on her side about this!” Selene replied.

“I hate Article 11 as much as you do,” Willem insisted, “But it’s a hell of a lot more humane to have us do the job than the Coven Council.”

Selene couldn’t listen to them anymore. She couldn’t believe what they were saying. Her two closest friends, the people she trusted the most in the world, were sitting here openly talking about helping her mother murder an innocent child. “You may not like it, but you’ll be complicit in enacting it?”

“You have to choose your battles.” Her mother’s gentle voice made Selene furious, like she was talking to an emotional child, not a grown human who was unwilling to murder for the sake of some outdated law.

Selene felt caged in, as stuck as the stuffed deer head above the wall. “I need to think.”

“It’s a big decision,” Her Majesty said, patting her hand. “Take the time you need.”

Selene grabbed the oversized jean jacket with fleece lining that was hanging on a hook in the hallway and threw it around her shoulders. “I’m going for a walk. Clear my head.”

Willem stood. “It’s getting dark, I’ll go with you.”

“I know these woods better than I know the Royal Palace,” Selene said. “I’ll be fine.”

Her Majesty put up a hand, and Selene’s bodyguard nodded his head and sat back down. “Take your phone, just in case.”

Selene grabbed her phone and shoved it in the pocket of the stranger’s coat and walked out the door, gulping in large breaths of the fresh mountain air to fight off the rising panic.

She walked and walked, not caring that the sun had set and the world was getting dark around her. Her feet knew the way, and soon she found herself in the familiar woods behind Arielle’s house, the warm glow of their home a beacon that called her towards it.

She heard footsteps and felt Willem’s magic creep up behind her. “I knew I should have thrown my phone into Strawberry Creek.”

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“Wondering how I got from there to here,” Selene said.

“I hate it as much as you do,” he replied. “But we have no other choice. If not for the coven, then for Arielle. Save her from having to see her child tortured. Save her from being tortured herself.”

“You’ve seen Aurora,” Selene said. “Losing a child is torture. You’re not saving her from anything but finding out witches are the horrible creatures fairy tales make them out to be after all.”

“Our hands are tied,” Willem said as Ashley loudly stomped through the forest, catching up with them. “It’s our only option.”

Selene stared at the smoke rising out of the home and found herself longing to be a part of the family she could see curled up on the sofa inside. That had been her once, cozy, happy, and safe, no coven to rule, no heir to produce, no wards to protect.

She’d sworn off having a child of her own after that first Article 11 execution she’d seen as a kid, but sitting in Arielle’s arms on that sofa years ago, she had let herself imagine a world in which they could raise a family together. She’d been drunk the night she admitted that to Arielle, confessed she would name her Hortensia after they made love. It was one of the last night’s they’d been together. Weeks before she’d gotten the call and disappeared.

She never should have hurt Arielle like that. She couldn’t imagine harming her again, especially not in such a horrific and permanent way. Selene had brought the coven to Arielle’s doorstep; she would never forgive herself if they made it into her home.

Without a warning, Selene started running, her feet clumsy from the cold, her body unsure of its footing. She knew Willem was much faster than she was, but she hoped the surprise of it all would give her the head start she desperately needed.

The forest seemed to welcome her, to push her on. She felt Willem gaining behind her, heard Ashley call her name. Just a few more feet and she’d be there, just a few more feet and Sia would be safe.

Willem’s hand reached out and Selene’s feet left the ground as she flew forward, propelled by a magic she didn’t know possible. Selene heard Willem crash into the wards as she fell face down into a pile of pointy pine needles.

Immediately flipping around, she threw up her hands, reinforcing the wards, shoving all the magic she had into them, draining herself completely before passing out into a dead cold sleep.

Now it’s your turn!

For the next week, voting is open in the poll and comments are ready for your input! This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone – and the more fun you have. Your voting and comments directly change the story!

Here are some other questions to get you started talking in the comments:

• What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?

• What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?

• What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?

Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!

Leave a comment

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

Welcome back to Plot Twist!

We got the most votes ever this week, so we’re sticking to the every other week model for now to allow people time to read, vote, and comment. I hope this helps you engage more with the process and come up with fun ideas for our characters.

Speaking of votes, you all decided that we’re going to work more with animals! I think we’ll also try to get the gathering of weapons and coven council involved too, just to satisfy those of you that voted for that.

A reminder that anyone can vote, so please join in the fun and help us decide what happens next in Plot Twist! The poll is at the end of the chapter.

Ready to read then vote?

Let’s dive in!

Chapter 9: The Eagle Has Landed

War.

Ashley sat with that word, the bitterness of it harsh on her tongue.

War.

Selene and Willem did not seem as petrified as she was at the prospect. Maybe because they could feel it coming, had felt it coming for awhile, in a way she couldn’t. Maybe it was because they’d been preparing their whole lives for this, the Coven Council always warning that war was on their doorsteps, invading at any minute. Or maybe because their power and privilege would spare them in a way it wouldn’t others less powerful; others like her.

Whatever it was, the two royals sat there talking about the best dinner options in town while Ashley stood in the corner staring into the eyes of a taxidermy wildcat, wondering what her end would look like.

It’s not like she hadn’t known the wards were falling, she’d been the briefings for the past five years, she just didn’t think she’d be on the frontlines when it happened. She’d worked hard for over a decade to get close enough to the inner circle that she’d be safe behind the Palace walls when it happened.

But instead, she was holed up in a hellish cabin in a humdrum mountain town where her boss, best friend, and secret love of her life happened to have lived with her ex-fiancé.

Ashley needed to flee.

“I’m going outside for air,” she said, waving off Selene’s offer to join her for companionship and protection.

Once outside, Ashley took deep gulps of the fresh air, the altitude making her breath take too long to catch. In and out. In and out. In and out.

She walked to the edge of the estate and looked out over the valley below, the sacred Tahquitz mountain pulsing with an energy even a level one like her could feel. Ashley was surprised there weren’t more wizards in these mountains, with that much power so easy to tap into. No wonder the wards were falling faster here, the magic must be melding with the mountains.

Ashley heard a noise in the bushes and startled when she saw a deer, a squirrel, and a rabbit, all staring back at her, an eagle perched on the branch above them. The eagle cawed, and Ashley grabbed the crystal around her neck, tapping into the magic reserve to translate what it was saying.

“Does the Queen really plan to feed the crows crystals?” the majestic bird asked.

“War is coming,” Ashley replied in her best eagle tones.

“War is here,” the eagle replied. “But that does not mean you need to resort to the crows.”

Ashley had read that eagles liked being talked to with reverence and she tried her best to show it as she spoke. “What else would you suggest, oh wise one?”

The eagle cocked its head at her and Ashley wondered if she had overdone it, until it started clicking its beak and the other animals respond in time, the group speaking to each other in sounds Ashley could not comprehend.

“It is agreed,” the eagle declared, “I will go and warn Her Majesty.”

“She knows,” Ashley said.

“About the wards, yes. But she doesn’t know about the child.”

“What does that kid have to do with it?” Ashley wondered.

“Everything,” the eagle replied.

Ashley had so many questions, but her crystal was fading fast and she only had time for one more. “How long have you known?”

The eagle looked around at his companions, clicking his beak again, as if confirming.

“Since her birth,” the eagle said, before flying off into the Valley and west towards the setting sun.

The child. Since birth. Known what?

Ashley tried to reach out to the other animals, to call the doves, or quail, or even the crows, but her magic was drained and time up.

That child was a key component to this, just how?

Nervous that she’d attract attention for being gone so long, Ashley hurried back into the house, where Selene and Willem were gathered by the door, putting on their jackets.

“We thought we could head out to grab a bite,” Selene said, like the whole world wasn’t falling down around them.

“Sure,” Ashley replied, nerves making her voice crack.

“You okay?” Selene asked.

“Of course,” Ashley said.

Selene studied her for a bit, and then grabbed the car keys from the table and handed them to Willem. “Oh and one last thing,” she said, handing the keys to Willem, “Not a word to my mother.”

“Absolutely not,” Willem said. “That would be disastrous.”

Ashley was silent for a beat too long, causing Selene and Willem to turn their gazes to her. “Oh yes, of course. I promise I will say nothing to Her Majesty.”

Selene nodded and the three of them headed out into the cold dusk night.

Now it’s your turn!

For the next week, voting is open in the poll and comments are ready for your input! This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone – and the more fun you have. Your voting and comments directly change the story!

Here are some other questions to get you started talking in the comments:

• What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?

• What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?

• What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?

Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!

Leave a comment

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

Welcome back to Plot Twist!

People loved having extra time to read and vote, so we’re keeping it to every other week for awhile to help you all keep up! Plus, I’ll be able to send updates on the off weeks from my adventures in Mexico writing.

And what adventures we’ve been having here on Plot Twist!

Chapter 7 gave us hyperactive hummingbirds, a noble bald eagle, and talking crows obsessed with murder. It also had Selene realizing just how close war is – and unsure what to do next.

Luckily you all voted to decide what will happen next!

Looks like Her Majesty is going to discover the child … now we get to find out what happens when she does.

Let’s dive in!

Chapter 8: I Can Feel It Coming in the Air

Willem wasn’t sure what concerned him more, the taxidermy beasts with their glass eyes that seemed to follow him wherever he went in the cabin, or Ashley’s building fury as Selene explained her bargain with the crows.

If he didn’t know her better, Willem would believe Ashley was calmly taking in the information Selene was giving her, respecting the Queen’s authority. But the slight twitch in her fingers, the clenching of her jaw, and the compression of her pupils told Willem that she was trying her hardest not to burst.

He almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. Selene and Willem were two of the most powerful wizards in Frontera, and Ashley had an unparalleled skill with systems and logistics, and yet they were relying on the most primitive form of intel gathering witches had. It was like sending a carrier pigeon instead of a text.

Yet, Willem couldn’t deny the logic of Selene’s decision. Something was off up here. The wards were as thin as the air and yet power pulsed sporadically, wildly even. The crows may be psychotic, but they were reliable – at least when it came to crystals.

“You do realize feeding crows crystals was outlawed three years before you were born?” Ashley pointed out in a voice that Willem assumed was meant to be polite, not the condescending tone with which it came out.

“With one exception,” Selene replied.

“Article 2, Section B does not apply here,” Ashley stated.

Selene looked over at Willem and he nodded his head, affirming her suspicions. “I am sorry to say, it does.”

Ashley looked back and forth between Willem and Selene, trying to read their minds and ascertain just what was going on here. They had a connection – both magically and intimately – that Ashley could never fully penetrate, but a decade in she was getting close to understanding their subtle exchanges.

“What do you feel?” Ashley’s question was not a polite ask, but a demand for important information she needed to do her job.

Willem took a deep breath. “I can’t catch my breath, not fully.”

Selene brushed her fingers through the air, as if touching an invisible barrier. “The magic is scattered. Like pebbles, not solid rocks.”

“I hear a buzzing sound, like a downed electrical wire,” Willem added.

“And the animals,” Selene looked out the window, “They know it’s coming. I can feel them preparing.”

“You’re telling me you’re invoking Article 2, Section B because mountain air is thin and the animals and starting to hibernate for winter?” Ashley rolled her eyes. “You’ve been holed up in the palace for too long. This is nature, not impending war!”

Ashley pulled away when Selene took her hand, always so jumpy with physical touch, but the Queen put her hand out, a command, and Ashley closed her eyes and let their bodies connect.

Almost immediately, Ashley pulled away again, a look of fear crossing her face before returning to her usual resolutely determined expression. “War is coming.”

“War is coming,” Selene nodded and Willem agreed.

None of them had lived through a war. They’d studied them in school, heard from survivors about the horrible atrocities of past battles, saw on TV the signs of an ever growing witch hunt, taking away the rights of women, queers, and trans folks all over the country – witch and humdrum alike.

They’d been protected their whole lives by the invisible woman-made boundaries of their coven. They’d never had to face a world without them.

And now they were falling. Every one of them had felt it.

And every one of them knew what that meant.

War was coming.

Now it’s your turn!

For the next week, voting is open in the poll and comments are ready for your input! This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone – and the more fun you have. Your voting and comments directly change the story!

Here are some other questions to get you started talking in the comments:

• What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?

• What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?

• What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?

Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!

Leave a comment

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

Welcome back to Plot Twist!

Before we get to the story, I wanted to let you know that there won’t be a new chapter next week. I’m going to be traveling and unable to write it. So take that time to catch up on past chapters! You can find them all here.

Chapter 6 moved Selene, Ashley, and Willem into a creepy house full of taxidermies animals that’s based on a real cabin I once saw for sale near the mountain town of Idyllwild. I’d show you pics of the real thing, but I don’t want to haunt your nightmares!

Speaking of nightmares, you all decided very conclusively that the crows are going to be murderous. So when things get bloody, you only have yourself to blame!

Last week, you also helped vote on what happens when Selene talks to the crows. Looks like spies won out, so spies it is!

We also got this great comment from – who is our star commenter and is helping SO MUCH with the plot and story. Thanks Lauren!

I love this idea of annoying, murderous, untrustworthy, vague crows! Let’s see if we can make them feel all of that in one chapter this week.

Ready to find out?!

Let’s dive in!

Chapter 7: The Song of Murder

As soon as the first note left her lips, a humming bird came zooming at Selene’s face, making her duck.

“Hello, hello, hello, hello, what do you want, want, want!” The bird sang as it flittered around her, its companions joining in a chorus of high pitched squeals.

“I was calling for the crows,” Selene shouted over the sound of their wingbeats and chirps.

“Silly, silly, silly Queeeeeen,” they all laughed. “You are much too high, too high, too high!”

Still ducking to avoid the sharp beaked menaces flying around her, Selene started singing again, this time in a deeper tone. The laughter of the hummingbirds turned to panicked screams as they all zoomed away just in time to avoid a massive bald eagle as it swooped down onto a branch near Selene.

“Your Majesty,” the eagle nodded its head in a slight bow.

Selene was so used to her mother being called that title she almost looked behind her to see if she was there. Instead, she sighed and looked up at the majestic animal in front of her. “I am so sorry to bother you, I can’t seem to get the right pitch.”

“It does take time,” the eagle replied graciously. “Maybe I can help. Who are you trying to call?”

“The crows,” Selene replied.

The eagle looked appalled. “Why would you call those vile beasts?”

“I need eyes.”

“I have eyes,” the eagle pointed out.

“I need the crows,” Selene insisted. The eagle shook her head, then turned to the sky and called, a melancholy tune that sounded like a death toll and rattled in her throat.

“Be careful what you ask for, Your Majesty,” the eagle cautioned as she took flight, heading in the opposite direction of the black cloud of feathers coming their way.

The sight was horrifying, the sound deafening, and Selene wanted to put her hands over her ears, close her eyes, and block them all out completely. But the crows hated signs of weakness, so she sat tall, proud, and regal, like she’d been trained to do.

A crow that was slightly larger than the others hopped forward, his beady eye staring menacingly at Selene. “You called a hummingbird to call an eagle to call the crows,” he and the murder surrounding him laughed. “Has your Kingdom truly fallen so far?”

“This is what happens when you let women rule,” the crow next to him cawed.

“No wonder the wards are falling,” another one cackled.

“Enough!” Selene ordered her magic turning the word into a command. She’d forgotten how much she truly hated crows. “My old home. Do you know it?”

“It wreaks of your magic still,” the large one said. “Growing more noxious every day.”

“Do you know the family that lives in there?” Selene asked.

“The child and mother smell like you,” he replied.

“I want eyes on them,” The Queen commanded. “If anyone comes close to their home, notify me. When they leave, tell me. Where they go, you follow.”

“That sounds like a lot of hard work,” the leader said. “And I’ve got a hungry flock.”

Selene nodded her head back towards the house, “there’s a cabin full of dead birds ripe for the picking.”

The crow jumped forward, pecking at The Queen for her insult. She almost jumped back before remembering herself. These crows could kill her. In seconds she would be pecked dry, her flesh torn apart, the whole flock drunk on her power. But the crows needed the coven to keep out even nastier birds, so she knew they would snarl but never truly attack.

“You shall have your usual fee,” The Queen declared. “No less, no more.”

The crows gathered, clucking away in a language Selene did not understand, until they seemed to reach an agreement. “We want three. One for each person in the home.”

There are three people in the home, Selene thought, her heart plummeting a bit. Of course, there would be another person. The child had said she had moms. Of course, Arielle was married. Why would she have waited for someone who was never planning on returning?

“You’ll get two,” Selene said, “And that’s more than generous.”

The crows conferred and then nodded in ascent. “So which one are we killing?”

“You will leave them all alone.” The crows all looked very disappointed at the Queen’s command. “Reconnaissance only.”

“Women are unfit to rule,” the leader said, opening his wings and taking flight, his flock following after, blocking out the light.

Selene sat there watching them go, thinking about the eagle’s warning. The crows were unpredictable, shady, and murderous. But they were also greedy, craving crystals full of magic that would send them soaring. She felt dirty, like a drug dealer, dangling a fix in front of an addict, but she needed spies beholden to her, not her mother.

A war was coming. Selene could feel it in the air here even more so than in San Diego. The wards were thinning. The Witch Hunters draining their power. The coven would fall.

And somehow, in the midst of it all, sat Arielle and her child.

Selene didn’t know how. She didn’t know why. She just knew that kid would be the key to everything. Selene could feel it the minute the child touched her arm and sparks flew between them.

Now, she just had to keep her mother away from her long enough to find out why.

Now it’s your turn!

For the next week, voting is open in the poll and comments are ready for your input! This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone – and the more fun you have. Your voting and comments directly change the story!

Here are some other questions to get you started talking in the comments:

• What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?

• What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?

• What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?

Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!

Leave a comment

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

Welcome back to Plot Twist!

Chapter 5 gave us a little more insight into Ashley, a bit more of the lore of how magic works in this world, and ended with the trio of Selene, Ashley, and Willem having to decide what to do now that Hortensia’s power has been discovered.

Here’s how you all voted on that:

I really was unsure where to go next after this, but you all helped out! Want even more input on the story and exclusive access to bonus content, insights, and chatting with me? Join The Group Chat! It’s open to all subscribers, paid and free.

Ready to see what the trio does next?

You and me both!

Let’s dive in.

Chapter 6: Taxidermy Dreams

Dismissing the troops took more convincing than Selene had liked, and she was once again frustrated at the control her mother had over what should have been the Queen’s army; her army. General Harris had insisted on leaving a group of three Spellcasters at a hotel in town in case Selene needed them, and she knew that decision had come from Her Majesty. Spellcasters were desperately needed at the South Eastern front to fortify the wards and protect them from The Witch Hunters, General Harris would never have left them here sitting around in a hotel room without direct orders to do so.

As Willem wound the SUV up higher into the mountains towards the place Ashley had found for them to rent, Selene wondered at how little had changed in Wild Ivy since she’d lived there. Sure, the new age store had turned to an herbalist apothecary and the little old church was now a bookshop, but the essence, structure, and magic of the town remained the same. It felt like every week there was a new high rise in San Diego, even in the historical neighborhood where the Queen resided, and it was a balm to her soul knowing that there were places where life still moved at a slower pace.

Willem pulled up to a large gate and Ashley dictated numbers for him to punch into the keypad. The place looked massive, a chateau more than a home, and Selene found herself longing for the warmth of the A-frame’s cramped living room, curled up right next to the fire, Arielle’s arms wrapped around her, a book in her hands. They had no luggage to unload, so Ashley led them down the walkway and into the home, exposing a majestic view and garish décor.

“This is …” Willem started, but there were no words.

“It was all I could find at the last minute.” Ashley shot Willem a warning look as she placed her bag in a cowhide chair and began unloading its contents onto the wagon wheel table in front of her. “We’re here to strategize, not move in.”

Willem examined a stuffed squirrel wearing a bandana. “Thank the Goddess.”

“Sit,” Ashley commanded, pointing to the other chairs.

“I prefer to stand,” Selene replied from her perch at the window next to a shelf full of taxidermy birds.

The view was magical, the pulsing energy from Tahquitz mountain reminding her why indigenous cultures had worshipped the large granite outcropping for millennia before white settlers invaded this land. She was surprised more wizards didn’t live here with that much power so close to the surface, easily tapped into.

Selene felt naive for only now realizing that these woods were probably full of witches fleeing to the outermost edges of the Frontera coven, masking their power to avoid detection. People like her. Or like she had been.

Back then, Selene spent all of her energy tamping down her magic, fitting as best as she could into the humdrum life. She even changed her appearance, trying to separate herself from her famously rich and powerful family. She was so busy avoiding detection that she hadn’t noticed any other magical beings.

Would she feel their magic now that she was their Queen?

Was she even their Queen?

There was magic here long before the Frontera Coven was created, millennia of people tapping into the power that flowed from the earth, long before the coven wards were fabricated in the name of protecting those inside them. If people were here, not at the core of the covens protection – and politics – did that make them outside of her jurisdiction. Did she have any right to encroach on their lives?

These were the kind of questions she couldn’t ask of Ashley or Willem. They were the kinds of things she’d contemplated with Arielle, back in the days of youthful optimism that they could find a way to subvert the systems of power that oppressed them and their friends.

Now, Selene was that system of power. She was the oppressor. And she hated herself for it. But she hated even more how much was at stake if her family’s power faltered. How everyone – from innocent humdrums to her magical mother – would be destroyed if the wards fell and The Witch Hunters came flooding in.

“Selene!” Ashley shouted and the Queen startled out of her thoughts. “Are you listening to me?”

“Obviously not,” Willem replied for her.

“You need to take this threat seriously,” Ashley demanded. “If not for yourself, then for your coven.”

Selene let out a mirthless laugh, “you’re going to lecture me on duty to my coven right now? Really, Ash? You want to go there?”

The room began to shake around them, Selene’s frustration seeping through. Willem looked around at the many taxidermy animals and thrust a spell up to keep them in place.

“As much as I love to see you two go head to head,” he said, “I think if you’re going to fight you should maybe go outside. I honestly don’t know if you can bring these things back to life and I seriously don’t want to find out.”

“Don’t be absurd, she’s not a necromancer,” Ash said.

“None of us know what she is capable of,” Willem pointed to Selene, “least of all her.”

Selene shook herself, letting the power flow out of her and into the earth below. Let Mother Nature hold it. Channeling her magic into the earth was one of the first things her mother taught Selene. It was not proper to shake the house with a tantrum. It was not ladylike to show her emotions so viscerally. Tuck it away into the earth.

She took three breaths: Assess. Allocate. Act.

“I’m going to go talk to the birds,” Selene declared.

Ashley nodded her head, “Agreed. I’ll come along to translate.”

“No,” Selene put her hand up, “I go alone.”

“What if you don’t speak their language?” Ashely countered.

“I’ll call the crows,” Selene said.

Willem balked. “Why in the world would you put yourself through that?”

“We need to know what’s going on,” Selene said. “They’re our best bet.”

“They’re psychotic,” Willem countered. “You can’t trust them.”

Selene grabbed Willems jacket from where he’d put it on his chair. Even with his massive bulk of a body, it still didn’t fit her curves, but she threw it around her shoulders for extra warmth. “I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t let them peck your eyes out!” Willem yelled after her, “Or shit on my jacket!”

The door closed behind her and Selene took another deep breath. She could do this. She’d assessed the situation, allocated her resources, and taken quick and concise action. This was what a Queen did.

Selene headed off to the trees at the edge of the yard, just in front of the security fence, not like that would stop the crows. She sat down on a rock, braced herself for the worst, and began to sing.

Now it’s your turn!

For the next 3 days, voting is open in the poll and comments are ready for your input! This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone – and the more fun you have. Your voting and comments directly change the story!

I need extra help with the next section, so we have TWO POLLS this week!

Here are some other questions to get you started talking in the comments:

• What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?

• What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?

• What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?

Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!

Leave a comment

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

Welcome back to Plot Twist!

Chapter 4 ended with a blast from the past. Did you see that one coming or did it shock you? It shocked me when I wrote it! We’re all along for this ride together.

Last week, I asked you all to help name the kid Selene found in the woods.

I loved Lauren L.’s idea that the name should be something an oracle predicted. I’m running with that idea, but not the name Gale that she suggested.

Instead, Cariwyl H. won with the name Hortense.

Digging more, I found out that Hortense – or Hortensia/Sia as we’ll call her – means Hydrangea and gardener, which will tie in very well with the floral names of the other kids and some plans I have for her. I’m going to go with Hortensia, because her mother is from Mexico, and we’ll call her Sia for short later in the book.

I’m also here for that molten chocolate lava cake idea and feel like it needs to be incorporated.

Does that photo look sexual to anyone else? Or just me? Maybe that’s how we incorporate it…

Anyways, this week, we find out how Selene reacts and get a bit of insight into her assistant, Ashley!

Ready?

Let’s dive in!

Chapter 5:

Ashley hated when Selene kept her waiting. Ashley hated when anyone kept her waiting, but at least with other people she could lecture them on decorum and the importance of promptness. Even if she hadn’t been Queen, Selene had a horrible knack for never listening to anything Ashley said. Which is probably why she was so in love with her.

It had crept up on Ashley slowly, hidden within her duty to protect Princess Selene from harm, this longing to comfort her in more intimate ways. She’d almost acted on it one night right before the Coronation, knowing that once Selene was Queen there was no way she could cross that line, but Ashley had lost her nerve at the last minute and given her an awkward fist bump instead.

Now, there was nothing to do but tuck those feelings down into the deepest compartment of her brain. Still, sometimes they rose back up without her permission, coming out as panic and over protection, especially when she could sense Selene was in danger.

“We have to find a way in there,” Ashley aggressively pushed against the invisible barrier around the woods.

“No one in or out.” Willem said from his spot on the floor. He’d been laying down since Selene disappeared, eyes closed, saying he was meditating, but it looked a lot like sleeping on the job to Ashley.

“You’re a level seven for Goddess’s sake,” Ashley glared at him, “Can’t you do anything?”

“Nothing we can do but save energy,” he replied.

“So you’re just going to nap?” Ashley huffed.

Willem lifted his hands from where they’d been resting on the earth, flipped them over, and showed her the crystals within. “There’s power here. A lot of it. I’m charging what I can while I can. And you should do the same.”

Ashley reluctantly agreed and took a large crystal out of her bag, placing it on the dirt, next to a plant, with her palm over it. She was only a level two, basically a humdrum by the coven’s standards, so it would take forever for her to pull enough energy from the ground to make a difference in a fight, but still, it was better than pacing the wardline.

Her low status was yet another reason Ashley had never made a pass at Selene. A Princess would never be allowed to date anyone under a level four, and as Queen she was expected to marry a level six or above warlock to produce the most powerful heirs there could be. There was a better chance of Willem marrying Selene than Ashley.

If the plans Her Majesty concocted with the Coven Council panned out, that’s exactly what the two would be doing within the year. Forced arranged marriages were technically banned by international wizard law, but Her Majesty had a way to convince Selene into doing what she wanted. She would marry Willem, have his children, and they would both see other people on the side, as gays and lesbians had done for generations.

Still, even knowing all of this, Ashley’s heart ignored logic and longed for what she could never have: a family of her own with Selene.

“Here, let me help,” Willem placed his hand over hers, and Ashley felt a strong surge of electricity run from the ground into her fingers. Not for the first time, Ashley wondered what it would be like to hold that kind of power within you. As a Ceremonial, she got to glimpse it during rituals, to feel the power of others flow through her, but she would never have it on her own, no matter how many spells she memorized or crystals she wore.

“At attention,” General Harris commanded, and Ashley turned to see the black wall drop as Selene walked back through the wards.

Ashley ran towards her boss and best friend, about to demand that she explain what the hell was going on, but one look at Selene and she knew something was horribly wrong. “Everyone back!”

Willem rushed forward and placed his hand against the Queen’s neck, feeling her magic pulsing erratically.

“Get her to the car,” Ashley insisted, and the two of them walked a dazed Selene back to the SUV, General Harris looking on with concern while his troops dutifully averted their eyes.

“Can you do a privacy spell?” Ashley asked, and Willem nodded, blocking everyone else out from hearing them inside the vehicle.

“What happened?” Willem scanned Selene up and down, searching for injuries. “What’s in there?”

Selene didn’t respond, she couldn’t, she was still processing what had just transpired. It had been the most awkward encounter of her life, but somehow Selene had extricated herself from Arielle and her child, saying she’d just been out on a nostalgic walk in the woods and hadn’t meant to bother them.

Arielle had looked horrified at the sight of Selene and then hurt as she once again ran away without an explanation. Seeing her ex was disarming, but feeling the child’s magic command her back, tug at her even now, was what had Selene shaking.

“She feels like Gentian,” she murmured.

“The surge was caused by Gentian?” Ashley asked.

“She called her Hortensia,” Selene whispered.

“She named her Hortensia?” Willem’s face turned as white as Selene’s and he sat back in his seat.

Ashley looked from Willem to Selene, both ashen and in shock. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”

Selene shook her head in response, so Willem took a deep breath and explained. “Selene lived here. Before you knew her. Those wards are hers.”

“If they were her wards, I would have felt her imprint,” Ashley insisted.

“She was a different person then,” Willem continued. “Happier. You can feel it in the wards, her love.”

“So, what, Selene loved these woods and set up wards around it to protect them?” Ashley replied. “Please don’t tell me we brought the most elite troupes up this mountain for a cut down tree.”

“Selene lived here with Arielle,” Willem explained.

“Okay.” Ashley tried to ignore the gut punch she felt at that information. “But what does that have to do with now?”

Willem looked at Selene to see if she would explain, but the Queen was still staring at her hands, slowly shaking her head. “My best guess, judging by her reaction, is that she came across Arielle in those woods. And that Arielle now has a kid named Hortensia. And that kid just started her period.”

“I didn’t know Arielle was a witch,” Ashley responded.

“She’s not,” Willem replied.

“Her husband is a warlock then?”

“She’s gay,” Willem explained.

“So are you two,” Ashley pointed between Willem and Selene, “But you’re still getting married and having kids.”

“She said mothers,” Selene clarified. “She was born to two moms. Neither are magical. I would have felt it at on their home.”

“You went back?” Willem raised an eyebrow.

“The greenhouse is still there.” Selene and Willem both smiled at that.

The conversation was getting away from Ashley, and she had to take back control. “I’m calling Her Majesty.”

“No,” Willem and Selene yelled in unison.

“I’ll handle this,” Selene promised.

“Trust me,” Willem said, “Whatever happens next, you don’t want her mother around for it.”

Ashley dialed anyways. “Yes, Your Majesty, Selene is safe. All is under control. There is a ward here that keeps tripping, though, so Willem, Selene, and I are going to stay on to investigate. I will send General Harris and troops back to help guard the Eastern borders while we deal with this.”

A pause. “I understand.”

Another pause. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Selene hated that she was Queen and yet everyone still called her mother Her Majesty, still kowtowed to her whims even though she no longer wore the crown. When she’d taken the throne, Selene thought she would be able to take a stance, get rid of ancient, often inhumane, laws and rearrange the rules to be more open and accepting. She’d found out quickly how naïve she’d been. Selene was the most formidable witch in all of Frontera, but her mother was the one who held all the power.

Ashley hung up the phone and looked at Selene, “Go tell General Harris the plan.”

“And what is that plan?” Selene asked.

“That it looks like a malfunctioning ward and nothing else. You will command General Harris to return her troops to the front line while we stay here to mend the ward. I’ll get us a place to stay and we’ll figure it out from there,” Ashley opened her calendar, “You have a date next week with a new warlock that we’ll have to cancel, and a board meeting I will have to move to virtual, but otherwise you can do everything from here.”

“Thank you, Ash.” Selene placed her hand over her friend’s. “I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“I’m just doing my job.” Ashley pulled her hand back, put it into her bag, and handed Selene a tube of lipstick, a brush, and a mirror. “Now stop shaking, pull yourself together, and go do yours.”

Now it’s your turn!

For the next 3 days, voting is open in the poll and comments are ready for your input! This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone – and the more fun you have. Your voting and comments directly change the story!

Here are some questions to get you started talking in the comments:

• What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?

• What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?

• What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?

Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!

Leave a comment

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

Welcome back to Plot Twist!

Chapter 3 ended with Selene ignoring the warnings of Willem, Ashley, and General Harris, and walking straight into the magical anomaly, blocking everyone else out. This week, we get to finally find out what caused the massive magical surge!

Here’s how you all voted on what Selene would do next:

Rogue wizard group and a deer both were neck and neck. Let’s see how both play out this week!

Want even more input on the story and exclusive access to freebies, insights, and chatting with me? Join The Group Chat!

Ready to find out what happens next?

Me too! This one is a bit late today because it took me so long to find a way to incorporate your ideas from Chapters 1-3. But I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see your ideas in action!

Let’s dive in!

Chapter 4: A Spark of Recognition

Keeping her fingers at the ready, Selene meandered down a familiar path towards a wooden A-Frame cabin at the end of the road, a grove of trees giving it privacy, the expansive forest its backyard. Selene had loved it here, years ago, but now the place gave her the creeps, like walking through a graveyard at night, her whole body tensed, waiting to see a ghost. It didn’t help that the trees leaned into her, their branches gentle touches against her skin, hugs welcoming her home.

The source of the surge called to her, a hook in her gut pulling the Queen forward. Selene knew what she would find there, a deer, a mountain lion, maybe even a human, something dangerous that wanted to cause harm to the inhabitants of the home; something now dead from the electrical shock her old wards gave it. It was a rookie mistake, leaving them up, but she’d been young when she lived here, and mistakes were made.

She grimaced as she got closer, preparing to see the charred body of an electrocuted animal, but jumped when she heard a rustle in the leaves. The thing was still alive. And it was big.

Selene tried not to panic. Getting rid of the dead body of an animal was one thing. Killing something was a whole different matter.

Fingers at the ready, she slipped around a boulder, hoping to sneak up on the animal and shock it from behind. But instead of a wounded cougar, she was confronted with a wild haired child, curled in a ball crying, covered in mud and blood.

“Who’s there?” The kid jumped up, looking around nervously.

“I’m so sorry.” Selene stepped out from behind the rock with her hands up to show she was no threat. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just out for a walk and heard you crying. I thought you might be hurt.”

“Why are you out here?” The kid backed away from her, eyes wide and full of fear.

Selene knew all too well that these woods were secluded, that anyone wanting to walk through them would simply choose a different path, unsure of why. She was probably the first person the child had ever seen here, and she thought Selene a dangerous stranger lurking in the woods.

She wasn’t wrong about that.

“Ross at the café told me I could find some mushrooms up on that ledge over there, and I got lost,” Selene lied, hoping that Ross still worked at the café and mushrooms still grew in the patch she’d harvested for years.

“Oh,” the child responded, still unsure.

“I’m Selene, my pronouns are she/her,” she reached out her hand. Selene had flagged the kid as possibly queer or trans. Either way, it’s good practice to share your pronouns, even when you’re in the middle of a confusing crisis.

“She/her,” The kid crossed her arms over her chest, leaving Selene’s hand hanging in between them. “But I’m not telling you my name.”

This kid’s got a spark, Selene thought. But not enough to trip the wards. Something else must be lurking around here, whatever caused the child to be covered in blood. “Are you hurt?”

The kid looked down at her bloodied legs and shrugged noncommittally.

“We should get you home.” Selene started walking towards the house, but she didn’t follow.

“I can’t,” the kid cried. “I don’t want my moms to know.”

“Know what?”

“This.” The kid pointed to her lower half, covered in blood and mud.

“You don’t want your moms to know you tripped and fell?”

The kid looked down, her bravado lost. “I don’t want my moms to know I started my period.”

“Oh.” The hairs on the back of Selene’s neck were starting to rise, humming with a knowing she couldn’t quite yet grasp.

“Mamá will want to throw a big party, with candles and stinky smelling sage, and invite her aquelarre,” the kid continued, “But I don’t want any of that.”

The humming grew louder, Selene’s senses on high alert. She knew that word: aquelarre.

Coven.

Selene reassured herself that the woman must be one of those new age types that loved these mountains, the groups calling themselves witches or brujas and reclaiming of the sacred feminine. Surely Selene would have known if a real witch had moved into her old home, the wards would have warned her.

Except wasn’t that exactly what they were doing right now. Selene thought.

There was not a sanctioned coven for a hundred miles, that’s why Selene had loved this place. This kid, her mom, their group of witches, if they were real, then they were all undocumented.

Which meant they were all in very serious danger.

“Want to know a secret?” The kid leaned in conspiratorially and Selene bent over towards her. The child’s voice was a soft whispered confession. “I think I’m a witch now.”

“Guess what?” Selene leaned in and whispered, unsure of why she was still here, talking to this kid, while a group of the most powerful wizards in the world was waiting just outside the wards to come in and attack. “I am a witch, too.”

The kid’s face lit up and she clapped her hands. “Oh goodie. We can be friends then.”

No, we can’t, Selene thought, but instead she asked the girl the question that would save or doom her. “Can you do magic?”

The kid looked around. “Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

Selene pretended to lock her lips shut, and the kid nodded her head, suddenly very serious. Scrunching her face, she concentrated hard looking at her hands, and then touched Selene, sending electricity up her arm and through her body. Something inside of the Queen shifted, the fear in her heart turning to an aching in her gut, love filling her whole being, an intense desire to protect this kid bubbling up in her soul. Selene pulled back in shock.

“See?” The kid whispered, and Selene could taste the way the child felt both powerful and afraid, a metallic and sweet combination, just like the magical blood pulsing in her veins.

“That’s a cool party trick,” Selene took deep breaths to calm herself down. “Do the kids at school find it cool?”

“I’ve only ever shown you,” she admitted.

At least the kid instinctually knew to keep her power a secret. That wouldn’t keep her safe, nothing could anymore, not even Selene, but it could mean less human casualties, maybe even buy the kid a few more months of life. “Can I give you some advice, witch-to-witch?”

The kid looked at Selene skeptically, the way teens look at all adults who are about to impart wisdom, like they’re idiots who don’t know a thing. “Sure.”

“Don’t show that to anyone else,” Selene warned. “For now, at least.”

“Why?” she crossed her arms again.

Selene wanted to tell her the whole truth: that the Witch Hunters were growing in power, that whole covens of wizards would come looking for her if they knew she existed, that even Selene’s own coven could steal her away from her parents if they found her out here. Instead, she told the kid something every preteen would get. “People are mean to those they don’t understand.”

“Tell me about it.” The kid rolled her eyes. “But still, you gotta try making friends, right? You can’t just give up and be lonely and miserable.”

The words echoed a voice from Selene’s past and hit her right in the chest. She wasn’t sure when it happened–the night she disappeared on Arielle, the day Iris died, or the moment the crown was placed on her head–but Selene had stopped trying. She’s just accepted she’d be alone forever, shunned by humdrums and witches alike.

“You are a wise little witch,” Selene smiled, her heart breaking at what lay in store.

“Can you tell my mom’s that?” The kid replied.

“How about we tell them together.” Selene reached out her hand and the kid took it, a spark traveling between them.

She looked up at Selene as they walked. “Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?”

I was good once, but now I’m afraid I am rotten to the core. Selene shrugged and said, “Depends on who you ask.”

The kid nodded her head in understanding as the back door of a beautiful A-frame cabin opened and an all too familiar face emerged.

“Mom, this is my new friend…”

“Selene,” the woman said, her voice full of shock.

“Hey Arielle,” The Queen replied. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Now it’s your turn!

This week, instead of a poll, I have some questions for you to help answer!

Let me know what you think:

• Should Arielle be one of the kid’s mothers? Or just visiting?

• Is the mom a “real” witch, or did something else set off the wards?

• What should the kid be named?

• What kind of danger should they all be in?

• Will Selene be their ally or turn them in for unsanctioned

Comment below and help direct where the story goes next! Comments on this post are open to all subscribers.

Leave a comment

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

Welcome back to Plot Twist!

Chapter 2’s ending saw Selene heading into battle, dragging her body guard Willem and her assistant Ashley along with her. This week, we get to find out what they find when they get to the site of the magical anomaly – conveniently placed near where Selene used to live.

Here’s how you all voted on what the squad – led my General Harris – will find once they get there:

Everyone in the comments and The Group Chat agreed there needs to be a run in with the ex at the very least – maybe she returns the vibrator? We’ll have to see where the story takes us!

Want to have even more of a say in Plot Twist? Join The Group Chat, open to all subscribers, and/or become a Paid Subscriber and unlock commenting!

This week’s post is a longer one and has some sex details in it.

Ready to find out what they see on the mountain?!

Let’s dive in!

Chapter 3: The Winding Road to Danger

The black matte SUV wound its way up the mountain, speeding around slower cars and perilously rushing around curves. Selene held her breath as they barely made it past an oncoming truck, and quickly took another swig of the motion sickness medicine Aurora had placed in her hand before she left.

“And you’re sure this is the location?” Selene pointed to the screen in front of her with a satellite image of a grove of trees.

“Give or take fifty yards,” Ashley replied.

Fuck, Selene thought, sitting back in her seat, nausea coming in waves despite her sister’s potion. She knew these mountain curves. She knew that grove of trees. Just like she knew this was all a waste of energy and resources.

Still, she was the Queen, the most powerful witch in the region, and if there was a major threat to their wards, then she had a duty to show up and at least pretend to stop it.

“Can you try not to be so reckless?” Ashley barked at Willem as he came perilously close to the mountain’s edge.

“The safety of our people could depend on a single minute,” he declared, revving his engine even faster. Willem enjoyed playing the role of James Bond, rushing into the fray for Queen and country. It helped that his level seven Elemental capabilities allowed him to manipulate the matter around them. Selene hated the way he drove, but she knew they’d never crash, not with Willem at the wheel.

“And the safety of breakfast staying inside my stomach depends on you slowing down.” It wasn’t her most witty comeback, but Selene was too tired to care.

Willem eased up on the gas pedal and she leaned her head back, hoping to rest for the hour it would take to get there. 35 minutes with him driving, she corrected herself. Still, a decent amount of time for a nap.

Ashley cast a basic privacy spell around her and Selene. “How was your date last week?”

“We don’t need that.” Selene flicked her wrist and the spell evaporated.

“I hate when you do that,” Ashley grumbled as her magic dissipated.

“Willem knows more about my sex life than you do, Ash,” Selene said. “Don’t you, Willem.”

“No comment, Ma’am,” he replied, eyes on the road.

“You could at least pretend to be a normal witch. Ask me to take down the spell instead of just erasing my work,” Ashley retorted.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to erase your hard work,” Selene patted her friend and assistant on the arm.

They’d known each other for thirteen years, meeting at a gay bar on Selene’s twenty-sixth birthday, right after Irideae died. Recognizing the Princess, Ashley had kept her distance that first night, watching over Selene as she drank herself into oblivion, loud-mouthing onstage with the drag queens and trying to make out with multiple women, and a few gay men.

When Selene fell to the floor of the bathroom and started crying, Ashley scooped her up and returned her to the palace, earning both respect and a job offer from Her Majesty. Ashley had been at Selene’s side ever since, the Jiminy Cricket to her Pinocchio, tirelessly working herself up to the role of Coven Consigliere, assistant and confidant to the Queen.

“Fine, let Willem hear. How was your date?” Ashley asked again.

“She came on me,” Selene admitted.

“Isn’t that the point?” William asked.

“No,” Selene lowered her voice, “Like she came came on me. All over me actually.”

“Wait, can cis women do that?” Willem asked.

“Yes, of course we can!” Selene shook her head at the ignorance of gay men to women’s bodies. “And she did. All over me.”

“And you don’t like cum?” Willem asked.

“It’s not that I have a problem with ejaculation,” Selene clarified. “It can be so hot. But she didn’t warn me.”

“Sometimes it just happens…” Ashley sheepishly replied.

“Do tell me more about that,” Willem turned around and raised an eyebrow at Ashley.

“Watch the road,” Ashley snapped. “And we were talking about Selene’s date.”

“Were we?” Selene smirked.

“So you don’t like that she came on you?” Ashley deferred.

“No, I don’t like that she didn’t care that she came on me,” Selene clarified. “Like all over me. I was naked and it got onto my genitals and now I must get tested and you know how much I hate needles.”

“You are the Queen of Frontera, the strongest witch in all of the western United States, one of the most powerful beings in the world,” Ashley replied, “And you couldn’t ask her to stop?”

Selene shrugged. “I didn’t want to ruin her orgasm.”

“Instead, you put your health – and, in turn, the safety of our whole coven – at risk?”

“You know I get nervous around hot girls,” Selene bemoaned.

“You’re impossible,” Ashley huffed, pulling out her phone.

“Please don’t text the group chat!” Selene tried snatching Ashley’s phone from her, but she was too late, Ashley had already sent the text.

Dreading the response from the others, Selene unlocked her screen and read what Ashley had written: Dr. Olulade, can you please come to the palace on Tuesday at noon three weeks from today for a routine blood draw. Bring a sedative.

“Are you going to see her again?” Ashley asked.

“Of course not,” Selene replied.

“One and done, like usual,” Ashley sighed.

“You sound like my mother,” Selene huffed.

Her Majesty was always lecturing Selene on how she needed to settle down and marry a powerful warlock, not caring that her youngest daughter wanted none of that. Sure, she’d slept with a few cismen in high school, and she occasionally found men attractive, but she had no desire to be in a relationship with a man, more or less procreate with one.

Even if she was interested in having a child, Selene’s misshapen uterus full of fibroids meant she could die if she tried. Her Majesty and the whole Coven Council were delusional for placing on of their hope on Selene have a baby. She’d already shattered her heart for them, they didn’t get to break the rest of her body as well.

Their family line ended with Irideae died, and the sooner the coven accepted that, the sooner they could start working on a plan to save them all.

“If you won’t have a relationship to save the coven, at least do it to save yourself,” Ashley insisted. “It’s been fifteen years, it’s time to get over your ex.”

“This is not about Ari,” Selene replied, making both Ashley and Willem roll their eyes. “I don’t see either of you two out there making babies to grow the coven.”

“I try almost every night,” Willem winked back at her.

“To be a gay man,” Selene sighed.

She often went out to clubs with Willem and watched him have his choice of gorgeous men, while she came home alone. He’d walk her to the door, as was his duty, and then wave at her as he took whomever he’d found that night back to his place. Selene would climb into bed and wish she could be more like Willem, able to let go and make love with abandon.

Ashley thought Selene got more action than she did, and Selene liked to keep it that way for reasons she couldn’t quite explain. But Willem knew the truth, that ejaculation girl had been the first woman Selene had been with in a long time.

It’s not that she was still hung up on her ex-fiancé, it’s just that everything after Arielle had felt so hollow. She missed the intimacy of being with someone you trusted completely. But Selene had destroyed that trust, disappearing in the night with a note that guaranteed Arielle would never come looking for her. She’d never felt whole since and each year it felt like the coven chipped away another part of her soul.

“Enough about your sex life,” Ashley said.

“You’re the one who started it …” Selene pointed out.

“… We need to prepare for the fight you’re walking into,” Ashley continued.

“I’ll just do my thing,” Selene waved her hands. “Wipe the magic, clear the spells, and neutralize whomever we find.”

“Please take this seriously,” her best friend scolded. “We’re driving towards the most powerful surge of magic we’ve recorded since your coronation, a true test of your power as Queen. The whole magical world will be watching you.”

“Dammit, you’re not livestreaming this are you?” Selene fumed.

“We must show that, despite our lack of an heir, the Frontera coven is still strong.” Ashley recited, words Selene knew had come from her mother.

“I’m not some dancing monkey!” Selene unbuckled and started moving to the front passenger seat.

“What are you doing?” Ashley asked.

Selene flipped down the vanity mirror. “You could have at least told me before we left so I could make myself presentable.”

“Here,” Ashley handed Selene a makeup bag.

“We’re fifteen minutes away, Ma’am,” Willem said beside her.

“You couldn’t have given this to me earlier?” Selene quickly swiped gold shadow across her eyes.

“I knew you’d panic.”

“You’re fired,” Selene said, smearing red across her lips. “I’m serious this time. Gone as soon as we stop.”

“Give me back my lipstick then,” Ashley put out her hand.

“I thought you said I could keep it?”

“That was a bribe to keep you from firing me the last time,” Ashley replied, “If I’m fired, I’m taking it back.”

“Have I mentioned how much I loath you?” Selene repeated, throwing the red lipstick into the backseat.

“Ten minutes,” Willem reported as he sped down a road Selene knew too well.

“What if I fail and the whole world sees?” Selene tried to make her hair look less like she’d just woken up.

“Are you going to fail?” Ashley asked.

“Have I ever failed?” Selene replied.

“Precisely,” Ashley shut her laptop as if her point was proven. “Now, this is a level nine power surge…”

“Nine?” Selene and Willem exclaimed at the same time.

“Don’t you go getting soft of me too, Willem,” Ashley scolded.

“Never,” he replied, but Selene saw a minute tightening of his grip on the steering wheel. She didn’t blame him. She’d never faced a level nine before.

Not that Selene was truly worried. She knew where they were headed and what she would find there. Absolutely nothing. But if Ashley and Her Majesty wanted a show, they’d get a show.

“You’re a ten,” Ashley said.

“You flatter me, but I’m a five at best.” Selene puckered her lips in the mirror. “Maybe a seven if I put effort in and I’m at a gay bar.”

Ashley rolled her eyes. “Ten is greater than nine.”

“Yes, I passed basic math,” Selene replied.

“Then you’ll be fine,” Ashley reassured her.

“Coyotes smuggle warlocks through these mountains,” Willem pointed to the forest around them. “Could be one of them.”

“My bet is on an unsanctioned blood ritual,” Ashley predicted.

“Or our wards are finally falling.” Selene’s reply silenced them all. “Too soon?”

“Yes, it is too soon for the wards to fall.” Ashley handed Selene an embroidered sweater to throw as they approached the town of Wild Ivy.

Reluctantly, Selene put on the sweater, which was way too conservative for her taste and obviously chosen by her mother, followed by a set of simple pearl earrings Ashley gave her. “When did you even have time to consult Her Majesty on my outfit?”

“We’re here,” Willem skidded to a halt, saving Ashley from having to answer.

Her stomach sank as Selene looked out the window at an all too familiar sight. The top spell casters in the army were filing out of SUV’s behind her as a camera crew set up to record everything. All this wizard power over a miscalculation she’d made years ago.

She could feel it, once she was here. She knew her error. It was witchcraft 101, the kind of thing every young spellcaster knew not to do, and now the whole wizard world would see her mistake livestreamed thanks to Ashley.

“Let’s get this over with.” Selene opened the car door and stepped out into a crash of flashing lights and a team of wizards coming to salute.

General Harris filed in next to Selene and talked as she walked in an arc along the road. “There seems to be some kind of ward up, protecting the center of the surge.”

Selene sensed it too. They all did. An invisible wall blocking their way forward. The general pressed her palms against it, floating them in midair, trying to push through. Nothing budged, and Selene knew it wouldn’t, not for the general or anyone else gathered here. She knew how this magic worked.

“Stand down,” Selene commanded, and the general obeyed the orders, letting her arms fall to her side.

Acutely aware of the cameras, Selene took a deep breath and walked through the wards, a familiar tingle surging through her body, a striking combination of the pleasure of an orgasm mixed with the pain of nails running down a chalkboard. She turned back around and looked at the group of wizards on the other side, some of them shocked, others impressed. It was Ashley’s face she found, concern written all over it.

“You can’t come in,” Selene declared.

“You are not going into this trap without backup,” Ashley protested. “Just wiggle your fingers, do your thing, drop the wards, and let us in.”

Selene lifted her hands, and the wizards on the other end prepared themselves for the wards to fall, but instead the wall became black, blocking their view inside. Selene could hear Ashley yelling, but she ignored her and turned towards the woods.

What was about to happen was for Selene’s eyes only.

Now it’s your turn!

For the next 3 days, voting is open in the poll and comments are ready for your input! This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone – and the more fun you have. Your voting and comments directly change the story!

Here are some questions to get you started talking in the comments:

• What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?

• What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?

• What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?

Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!

Leave a comment

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

Welcome back to Plot Twist!

Chapter 1’s ending had a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ (and yes, I did sing that as Elvis while I wrote it). This week, we get to find out what caused it!

Here’s how you all voted on what should be causing the earth to shake:

Subscriber left some great creative ideas on the post (go read them all and let me know what you think), including this plot suggestion:

would love [the shaking to be] a new witch that’s come into power that’s also a half sibling (and maybe an escape hatch)

Which is pretty close to what I think is going to happen. But we’re writing this together, after all, so who knows where the story will go!

Speaking of writing it together:

You now get 3 days to vote on what comes next!

You asked, I listened! A few subscribers said 24-hours just wasn’t enough to vote on what’s next or leave a comment with a suggested idea, so you now have three days! I’d love to give you longer, but I’ve gotta write the darn thing.

If you have an idea and the three-day period on voting has passed, leave a comment still! I might make changes based on it. :-)

Ready to see why the earth is shaking!

Let’s dive into Chapter 2!

Here’s a link to Chapter 1 if you haven’t read it yet!

Chapter 2: The Aftermath of the Earthquake

Diana watched Her Majesty pace as she waited for the others to show up, each step a reprimand for how long the rest were taking. Coven Council rules required the members live within walking distance to the Royal Palace, but many of them were getting old, a fact of many heated debates between the old guard and the new. One by one, the council took their seats, Diana’s mother glaring at them all.

Finally, Aurora showed up, dragging a shaken Gentian along with her, and Selene jumped up to hug her sister and nephew, grateful to see they were unharmed. Losing Irideae had already made Aurora a shell of the woman she’d been before, Selene didn’t think she would survive if she lost Gentian too.

Her Majesty nodded at her daughter and grandson, her face stoic but relief shining in her eyes. Their mother loved them, she really did, she just had problems showing it most days. Instead of embracing her family, Her Majesty focused on the wards that protected them, scanning the readouts in front of her for any sign that they’d began to prematurely fall.

“I thought we had a few more years,” Gentian whispered, and Aurora patted his thigh, reassuring him that they were safe.

For now, Selene thought as the last of the Coven Council filed in and Her Majesty’s top guard came forward to assess the situation, Ashley following in behind with her computer.

“As you all felt, we’ve had a powerful magical surge,” General Harris began, as Ashley sat down next to Diana and plugged in the laptop. “We’ve yet to pinpoint the exact source, but we know it’s somewhere in the mountains two hours from here.”

With Ashley’s help, the General projected an image onto their screens of the San Jacinto range, the famous peaks that loomed over Palm Springs, an area Selene knew well and loved fiercely. She thought of Arielle and the A-frame, of her artist friends, and the quirky hermits who lived in the tiny towns that dotted those mountains. She hoped everyone was save from this “cataclysmic earthquake,” as the humdrum news sites were already calling it.

“And the wards?” An older woman interrupted. Selene and Willem called her Salisbury Steak, a nickname they’d come up with when they were kids because she was dried up and tasteless. For the life of her, Selene couldn’t remember her real name. Not that it mattered. Even as Queen, she was required to call everyone on the council Madam or Dame.

“The wards hold strong,” General Harris assured them, and a collective sigh went through the room. “But this threat is real, and we must take a team immediately to evaluate it.”

“Take Selene!” Salisbury Steak shouted, gaining her a glare from Her Majesty.

“Selene will stay here,” General Harris replied. “Every one of you will stay here. The Royal Palace has reinforced walls and wards. You will be safe here.”

“Just avoid the falling chandeliers,” Willem sniggered.

Before she realized what she was doing, Selene stood up and faced General Harris. “I am going with you.”

“Sit down, Selene,” Her Majesty commanded.

“As Queen,” she continued, ignoring her mother, “it is my duty to protect Frontera. I will be going. The rest of the Royal Family can stay here, to ensure the line is safe.”

“What are you doing?” Ashley fumed next to her.

With a sigh, Willem raised his hand, “guess that volunteers me to go too then.”

He looked at Ashley poignantly, and she threw up her arms. “Fine. Me too.”

“Are you sure about this?” Aurora whispered to Selene as General Harris outlined her strategy for the Coven Council to approve.

“Absolutely not,” Selene admitted, “But I’ve got a hunch about what caused that surge, and I’m going to be needed up there.”

“Don’t you dare die on me.” Her sister squeezed her hand so tightly Selene could barely feel her fingers.

“I wouldn’t dare,” she said, squeezing back and hoping to the Goddess her instincts were right. If Selene was wrong … well they were all goners anyways, so she might as well die in those mountains, the only place she’d ever been free.

Now it’s your turn!

For the next 3 days, voting is open in the poll and comments are ready for your input! This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone – and the more fun you have. Your voting and comments directly change the story!

Here are some questions to get you started talking in the comments:

• What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?

• What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?

• What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?

Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!

Leave a comment

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel is an interactive book project where you get to help decide what the characters say and do next. Check out the introduction to Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel for all the juicy details on how this works.* And be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a step on this fun adventure.

Subscribe now

It’s here!!! The very first chapter of our very first collaborative novel together! I’m so excited that ya’ll chose the Magic and Gender Mayhem storyline, because I am already in love with these characters.

Speaking of characters, here are the names you chose for them! You did such a fabulous job on them!

The Details on How Plot Twist Works:

• Starting today, I’ll drop a new chapter each Tuesday morning based off of the feedback you gave me the week before.

• After the chapter drops, you’ll have 24-hours to vote in the poll and/or give feedback in the comments on what the characters should say or do next.

  • Be sure to keep notifications turned on for the Substack app and keep an eye out for my emails on Tuesday mornings.

  • Everyone can read along and free subscribers can vote in the polls. Paid subscribers get to suggest ideas in the comments + other fun bonuses.

• Periodically, I’ll drop two chapters a week, a bonus behind-the-scenes post, etc. so keep your eye out for those too.

• Using your feedback, I’ll go off and write the next chapter, popping into The Group Chat as I do to ask for help and input as I go – so if you want to be even more involved, be sure to join the chat.

Enjoy the read, and let me know in the comments what you liked, loved, hated, want to see more of, want to change, etc. This is OUR book, so have your say!

Leave a comment

Details done! Now, on to our first chapter!

CHAPTER 1: The Queen’s Request

The hardest part about asking her best friend and bodyguard to impregnate her was finding the right moment to do it. As Queen, Selene didn’t get much alone time, and when she did it was late at night, and Willem was usually gone by then, out dancing and flirting at the local gay bar. She could go with him, but they had a strict no talking about royal business on personal pleasure time policy, and this was definitely royal business. Which is why Selene sat there awkwardly tongue tied, staring at Willem as he stood above her.

“Get it out already,” he smirked, knowing full well what she was about to say and how horribly hard it was for her to ask it.

“You know how Reggie died and then Ellis transitioned,” Selene started. Willem barked out a belly laugh in response. “How can you laugh at that?”

“Why would you start with that?” Willem wheezed. “Goddesses above and below you are so bad at this. No wonder you never get laid.”

“I get laid,” Selene insisted. “I got laid last week.”

“Once or twice a year does not count as getting laid.” Willem shook his head and pointed to a woman in a suit standing in the corner. “And why is she creepily lurking?”

Ashley stood up straighter. “I’m here to make sure she does it.”

That broke Willem. He fell over in a hysterical fit of laughter onto the Queen’s elaborately embroidered bedspread. “Were you going to watch the insemination too?”

“Goddess no.” Ashley looked appalled.

“You two are hilariously horrible at this,” Willem laughed, clinging on to the tall golden poster at the end of Selene’s bed.

“Can she have it or not?” Ashley pointed to Willem’s crotch.

“I’ve never had two women pleading for my dick before,” Willem wiped his eyes. “It’s a new feeling. I’m not entirely sure I like.”

In a huff, Ashley left her corner and handed him a stack of papers, “You can see the Royal Family is willing to compensate you significantly. Title, estate, a seat on the Coven Council, enough money to quit your job.”

“I like my job, where else would I get ridiculous requests like this.” Willem took the paperwork from Ashley and skimmed it over. “You’re forgetting the one big problem here.”

“You’re gay, yes.” Ashley bent over and flipped through the pages in the contract Willem was holding. “You’ll see in section nine, article three, that you won’t actually have to …”

“… I meant she can’t get pregnant,” Willem interrupted.

“She can, and she will,” Ashley replied.

“We all know she can’t.” Willem turned to face Selene, suddenly serious. “It’s my job to protect you. I’m not going to put you in that kind of danger.”

“We’ll have the nation’s best doctors at our service …” Ashley started before Willem cut her off again.

“Do you even want a baby?” he asked Selene.

“When has what I want mattered?” Selene replied, falling dramatically next to him on the bed. If Selene had her say in it, she would never get pregnant, but, the throne needed an heir, and Selene would give them one. Never mind the fact that she had a heart-shaped uterus full of fibroids that would make pregnancy life threatening, if not impossible. It was her duty to coven and country to procreate, no matter the cost.

“Tell the Coven Council I refuse.” Willem handed the papers back to Ashley and wrapped an arm around Selene. “I took an oath to protect the Queen. I’m not going to do something that could kill her.”

“You know they can make you,” Selene warned.

“I’d like to see those old biddies try,” Willem winked at her.

“There is no coven if there is no heir,” Ashley pointed out. “Our wards will fall, and we will all die.”

“They’ll fall anyways if the Queen dies,” Willem retorted. “Tell Her Majesty to find another option.”

“It’s your head.” Ashley tucked the papers back into her satchel.

“Yes, it is.” Willem grabbed his crotch in reply.

“Men,” Ashley shook her head as she walked towards the door. “Wish me luck.”

“Thank you!” Selene shouted as the door shut behind her.

Willem stood from the bed and adjusted his Armani suit, buttoning the jacket and smoothing down his shirt. “You didn’t think that would actually work, did you?”

“I had to try.” Selene stood, her white button-up shirt with lace trim and black slacks looking practically slovenly next to him, even though they were Marina Rinaldi. “Ash will go off and tell the Coven Council that I am making an effort to have a baby and that should buy me a week without my mother’s nagging.”

Selene’s mother, or Her Majesty as she was formally called, was the third most potent witch in the coven, superseded only by her daughters, who she controlled with an iron fist. That made her the most powerful woman in all of Frontera, and the richest. The former Queen wielded her influence like a sword, leaving little room for negotiations. What Her Majesty wanted, Her Majesty got. Which is why they were all going to be in trouble for denying her an heir.

Luckily, Willem was one of the few people who didn’t care what Her Majesty thought. He’d taken an oath to protect Selene at all costs, and that included from her mother. It didn’t hurt that he was a level seven Elemental and from an elite family of wizards with two aunts on the Coven Council. Her Majesty may reprimand Willem, but she could never truly harm him.

Ashley, on the other hand, held no such power. Born to humdrum parents, she was a level two Ceremonial, which meant her power only worked in communion with others, when it worked at all. With low power and even lower social status, Ashley had gotten to her position as Queen’s Consigliere through grit, hard work, and attention to detail. She didn’t have the ability to snub Her Majesty like Willem did, and Selene didn’t envy Ashley having to report that she’d failed.

“Should we go with her?” Selene pointed to the door.

“What Ash lacks in witchy talent, she makes up for in a sharp tongue and tight-lipped glares,” Willem replied. “She’ll be able to handle Her Majesty. It’s you, Mene, I’m worried about.”

“What do I have to worry about, Gee?” Selene raised her arms and twirled around her lavish bedroom suite. “I live a blessed life. I’ve been given all a witch could ever want. Shouldn’t I be happy to repay the riches the Goddess has bestowed on me by doing a simple, easy thing like incubating an heir?”

Willem grabbed the still twirling Selene and pulled her into a hug. He wasn’t in the Royal Line, but Willem knew what it was like to hold the weight of a family legacy on his shoulders. They’d grown up together, skipped in the palace halls hand-in-hand, even been betrothed until arranged marriages were formally outlawed by the International Board of Wizards. No one else understood the pressure on Selne like Willem did, and she was forever grateful he’d agreed to be her literal ride-or-die when she became Queen. The best friends stood there for a while, clinging to each other, both tied to the fate of the coven, unable to escape even if they wanted.

There had been a time, years ago, when Selene thought she’d gotten out. Her older sister, Aurora, had inherited the crown and happily given birth to two girls: an heir and a spare. Only needed for official ceremonies and family photos, Selene had run off to the mountains, built a life as a painter, and fallen deeply in love with a woman named Ari who didn’t believe in magic and only knew her family as a name the humdrum newspapers would occasionally spotlight for their massive charitable donations. Ari had proposed by candlelight on their third anniversary and Selene had immediately said yes, buying them a beautiful A-frame home and putting it in Ari’s name so her family could never touch it.

That was ten years and many lifetimes ago. Selene had no idea where Ari lived now, but she still longed for that cozy cabin. The Royal Palace was impressive from the outside – an historical mansion surrounded by an acre of land right in the center of San Diego – but inside it was cold and unwelcoming. She’d grown up here, and yet it felt more like a prison than a home.

“Sometimes I wish this place would just crumble down around us all,” Selene sighed.

“Careful,” Willem warned, as the walls around them started vibrating with power. “Her Majesty will come running.”

“I thought you were doing this,” Selene exclaimed as the whole palace shook.

“This isn’t me,” Willem yelled over the clattering of priceless art falling off the Queen’s walls.

The pair made their way to the door and opened it to find Ashley out in the hallway, ducked under a table clutching an ancient Grecian urn like a baby. Her stern face turned towards Selene and Willem. “Stop this at once!”

“Not us!” They yelled in unison, joining her under the table, the three of them a tight fit.

Paintings clattered to the floor, glass breaking, and Willem threw up a shield to protect them from the debris. They sat in silence, feeling the power surge around them, until it all stopped as suddenly as it started, leaving them there, mouths gaping, surrounded by the broken detritus of generational wealth.

“Coven Council room,” Ashley stood and straightened her skirt. “Now.”

You decide what’s next!

For the next 24-hours, you can vote and comment on what happens next in the story!

This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone and the more fun you have.

Some possible questions to answer in the comments:

• What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?

• What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?

• What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?

Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!

Leave a comment

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

Character names are in!

In all of your infinite wisdom, you have chosen some fabulous names with thought and meaning that already has me so excited to delve further into these characters!

You’ll notice people have multiple names, that’s because nicknames, birth names, and coven names will all play a role in the book.

Without further ado, here are the names you chose:

Our six core characters are:

1. Main character: Selene/Luna/Mene

2. Selene’s Twin Sister: Aurora/Rory/Aya

3. The Evil Villain: Thaddeus Forthright/Yashao

4. Selene’s Bodyguard: Willem Gregory/Gee/Helios

5. Selene’s Executive Assistant: Ashley Rebund/Ash/Amethyst

6. Selene’s Ex: Arielle Bodhi/Ari/Elle

7. Bonus names for Aurora’s kids: Irideae/Iris and Gentian/James

What do you think? Let me know in the comments about the choices, or any other insight you might have on the characters now that they officially have names!

Leave a comment

The Stories Behind the Names

Because this book is magical, I wanted symbolism behind the names that I chose for the main characters, especially the ones who were born into the coven, since they would be very particular about the names they gave people.

I ask you all for suggestions and you did not disappoint! Every character was based on something a subscriber suggested.

To bring you along on the journey – after all, we’re writing this book together! – I’ve outlined the thought process for the names of eight of the main characters below.

Plus, you’ll get to see who of your fellow subscribers came up with the name/inspiration! Credit where credit is due.

Selene/Mene/Luna and Aurora/Aya/Rory

The Main Character and Her Twin Sister

had a brilliant idea of naming the main character and her twin sister after the sun and the moon, which I absolutely loved. She suggested Sola and Selene, “or something else vaguely mythological or witchy sounding!” I did some digging and here’s why Selene is perfection for the main character!

The decision behind Selene/Mene/Luna

I’m not sure I’ve talked about this publicly before, but all of my main characters are named after Goddesses in mythology. I use the stories of their past to lay a foundation for their character and plot. Since I am a memoirist at heart, they’re all versions of me or someone I love with the Goddess persona laid on top of them.

As I dug into the name Selene, I discovered a whole Goddess I’d never heard of before (I love when that happens), and she seemed the perfect fit. Here’s why:

• In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene is the goddess and personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene (MEH-neh), she is traditionally sister to the sun god and dawn goddess. (source)

• Selene is often identified with Artemis (the main character in my assassins novel!), who is identified with Diana (the main character in Because Fat Girl), so it felt extra perfect.

• Luna eclipses were thought to be caused by witches trying to bring down Selene, the moon Goddess. That feels full of potential story lines! (source)

• Selene never had temple sites of her own and instead was transitory and worshipped in nature, a trait that fits perfectly for the back story that’s developing for this character.

I like the idea of some people in her witchy life calling her Mene, and I like the idea that when she ran from her royal family and coven calling, she called herself Luna (but she can’t hide anymore and that past will catch up with her!).

The decision behind Aurora/Rory/Aya

The sister was the perfect princess, full of grace and pose, preparing to take over the throne, and dutifully giving the family two twin heirs. Then her life shattered in almost every way, leaving her drowning in grief. She is rising out of that now, and dawn feels like the mood of where her life is.

• Aurora is the Goddess of the dawn, and the sister of Luna in Roman Mythology. (source)

• For centuries, people have written poems about her beauty, but she doesn’t seem to get to be much else than inspiration for men – an interesting concept to explore and parse out in her character. (source)

• Her coven nickname could be Aya, the Mesopotamian goddess of the dawn, whose “primary function was that of a divine bride … and in this capacity she was regarded as epitome of beauty and charm. Again, an interesting concept to explore for this character. (source)

• Sleeping Beauty was my favorite Disney film as a kid and I was obsessed with the three fairies (aka witches) in it. The loss of her child has left her sleepwalking through life, so I think we could really explore the sleeping beauty concepts here.

• The Aurora are magnetic light shows in the Northern and Southern skies, and I think this could be influence for her power.

• Also, and I have no idea how this will play out, but Lucifer and Jesus are both referred to as the Morning Star – which is what Aurora is. Could be interesting to explore. (source)

I love the idea of Selene calling her Rory, since the vibe I want for this book is to be the fall feel of Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic.

Irideae/Iris and Gentian/James

Selene’s Niblings and Aurora’s Kids

came up with a fun idea to name the sister’s after purple flowers, specifically Violet, Iris, or one called Penka Penqa, aka Brave Heart (after this story she shared). The idea was great, but I liked it for the Twin Sister’s twin kids instead of the two main sister characters.

The decision behind Irideae/Iris

One major already established background detail is that one of the twin niblings (the kids of the sister) has died of a blood cancer that’s growing among the coven. Looking into Irises and the name Iris, it felt so perfect for that character that passed.

• In Ancient Greece, the iris flower was associated with the goddess Iris, who was a messenger between heaven and earth. The Greeks believed that placing irises on graves would help guide the dead to heaven. (source)

• In Ancient Egypt, the iris flower was a symbol of resurrection and eternal life. The flower's three upright petals were thought to represent the soul's journey after death. (source)

• In the Middle Ages in France, the iris flower was used to symbolize royalty and power, and inspired the fleur-de-lis, France's national symbol. (source)

Put together, it felt like Iris is the perfect name for a royal child full of power who passed away too soon. And, as witches, I thought they might want to make the name even more powerful/significant by giving her the full scientific name: Irideae. Yet, it’s still a mouthful, so they’ll just call her Iris.

The decision behind Gentian/James

Another already established background detail is that one of the twin niblings (the kids of the sister) is gender fluid and possibly transitioning to male, making him ineligible to inherit the coven. As I looked into the Penka Penqa flower suggested, I found out its scientific name is Gentiana or Gentian, which I loved.

• Gentiana/Gentian already is referred to as both masculine and feminine, depending on the language/use, so it’s already gender fluid, like the character.

• One of the uses for Gentian is “hysteria” which is ripe for exploration in the novel, especially because uteruses (and lack thereof) will play a role in the “gender mayhem” part of the book. (source)

• The gentian flower is prevalent in the work of Emily Dickinson. I don’t yet know what to do with that, but I thought it was a cool fact. (source)

• Gentian flowers can also symbolize victory, justice, determination, and integrity. They can also represent resilience, humility, and the ability to cope with setbacks. That felt needed for this character, and all trans people right now. (source)

I think, like their sister Iris, they might be called a nickname like Jenny, which they transition to James. And then I kind of love the idea as the character grows up, he might grow into using the name Gentian.

Thaddeus Forthright/Yashao

The Evil Villain

busted out Thaddeus Forthright and of course we had to use that for his non-witch public name!

When I asked her where the inspiration came from, she said “I wanted something that sounded like the early evangelical preachers in US history and also something that pushed the idea that he is the good guy.”

suggested "Joshua Haldeman” (Elon Musks’s horrible grandfather) but that was a bit too close to home these days. She then suggested to flip it for his evil name, explaining “the name Joshua means ‘Yeho’, referring to God, and Yasha,’ meaning ‘saves’, but if you reverse it and make his warlock (demon?) name Yasha-Yeho, it would mean the opposite - to Save/Hide from God (though I'd check with someone with better, my ancient Hebrew and well Hebrew in general is rusty).”

Taking Valerie’s idea and morphing it, I came up with Yeshao for the name the coven will use when referring to the evil villain. I don’t know the meaning yet, but we can come up with it together!

Willem Gregory/Helios/Gee

The Bodyguard (and possible future father of X’s child)

suggested Gregory, which I like, but I also associate it with the prick of an ex-brother-in-law character Greg in my queer romcom Because Fat Girl, and this character is a pompous prick at times, but is also fiercely loyal to Lena. So I wanted to use it, but to switch it up.

As you’ll find out in Chapter One (coming tomorrow!), the bodyguard was born into a powerful family and raised in the palace with the sisters. He is a bougie Black man with impeccable taste and extremely strong elemental power that can manipulate matter around him.

In the coven, he has the honored place of Queen’s right-hand confidant and protector, but out in the hum-drum world he is the heir to a real estate dynasty. I felt like some kind of rich snooty name would be needed then.

And what’s more snooty and rich than two first names? So Gregory became the last name, leaving me needing a first name.

I thought of royal men, like prince William. But he’s also fabulously gay, which made me think of Willem, one of the drag queens in my friend Matt’s movie Hurricane Bianca.

Willem Gregory was born.

Selene calls him Gee, but the coven calls him Helios (the Sun god), a name given to him because he and Selene were betrothed at birth and destined to have kids together – never mind that they’re both gay and don’t want kids.

Ashley Rebund/Amethyst/Ash

The Executive Assistant (who may be madly in love with X)

In the group chat for my Write Your Friggin’ Book Already® program, participant Olga suggested the name Amethyst. I loved it for her coven name, as amethysts are supposed to pull your worry and stress, and her job is to do just that for Selene.

We needed a hum drum name, though, so my friend Jenn Leyva helped me come up with Ashley Rebund. Jenn liked it because she may or may not have been/be Selene’s rebound at some point (TBD by you as we write it!).

Arielle Bodhi/Ari/Elle

The Ex (who might be a second chance romance or might stay a thorn in X’s side)

In The Group Chat, suggested three names for the ex: Bodhi or Beau or Ariel.

I thought: Why not all three?

But then Arielle Beau Bodhi felt a bit too long, so I figured she can say the ex was her “beau” and the name could be Arielle Bodhi. I feel like the spelling Arielle gives us a chance to have people shorten it to Ari or Elle, and maybe a bit of tension on who calls her what!

You made it this far!

I’m very impressed you made it to the end here – that was a lot of backstory! Thank you for helping choose the names and for supporting Plot Twist. If you’re not yet a subscriber, be sure to enter your email address below to get all the updates.

Subscribe now

Plot Twist is even more fun with friends, so send this to someone who could use some creative community in their life.

Share

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

Time is almost out to name a character in our novel!

Got a friend with a birthday coming up?

Want your name in lights?

Have a baby name you'd never actually use?

Here's your chance to have some creative fun!

Head to this post to suggest a name or vote on the names already suggested.

Here’s how it works:

• For 24 more hours only, I’m opening comments on this post to everyone. (Usually comments are limited to paid subscribers.)

• During that time, you can suggest names for the three main characters in the comments and/or comment on other people’s suggested names.

• After the three days are up, I’ll choose the names based on the commentary(with the help of The Group Chat).

I’ve got tips for naming, help in coming up with ideas, and we’ve already got a couple names for you to vote on in the comments.

So head on over to this post and name one of our characters!

Excited to be on this adventure with you!

Lauren

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist: A Collective Novel, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be published with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author and copyright owner. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Subscribe now

The people have spoken! And by the people, I mean you!

In your infinite wisdom and creative excitement, you and your fellow subscribers have chosen the book that we will write together this year!!!!

As a reminder, you had three options to choose from:

1. Magic and gender mayhem

2. Assassins and espionage

3. Crossing borders and boundaries

If you haven’t read them yet, you can find synopses for all three – plus my requirements for any story we write – in this post here.

Are you ready to find out which storyline won the popular vote?!

Here are the results of the poll:

WE ARE GOING WITH MAGIC AND GENDER MAYHEM!

Not gonna lie, I was really hoping this would win. While I loved all three storylines equally – and hope to turn the other two into published novels someday – the idea of collectively writing about magic, gender, covens, resistance, and reclamation of power really appeals to me with the political landscape happening right now.

Plus, I’ve got some great twists and turns planned for this one!

I’ve already started on the first chapter, but before I can send it to you, I need character names!

Next up: Naming the characters!

Here’s the fun part! Got an ex you want to make a villain? Have a baby name you never got to use? This is where you can put that creative energy!

Here’s how it works:

• For three days only, I’m opening comments on this post to everyone. (Usually comments are limited to paid subscribers.)

• During that time, you can suggest names for the three main characters in the comments and/or comment on other people’s suggested names.

• After the three days are up, I’ll choose the names based on the commentary (with the help of The Group Chat).

We’ll also have three more characters that will be chosen solely by The Group Chat, so join that if you want even more input on the book!

Our six core characters who need names:

1. Main character (X)

2. The Twin Sister (Y)

3. The Evil Villain (Z)

4. The Bodyguard (and possible future father of X’s child)

5. The Executive Assistant (who may be madly in love with X)

6. The Ex (who might be a second chance romance or might stay a thorn in X’s side)

1. Main Character (X)

X is the second most powerful witch in the Frontera coven, the heir in line for the throne. Her voice can command obedience, her aura pulls people in, her royal upbringing infuses her every move with power and poise – unless she’s talking to a cute girl at a gay bar, then she’s an awkward, babbling mess.

Ever since disappearing on her fiancé over a decade ago, she has been quite literally cursed when it came to love, which would be fine with independent X except for one major issue: the wards that have protected the coven for a century will fall if she doesn’t produce an heir. More precisely, she needs to give birth to a female child who could one day reign as Queen.

Even though her position as Queen is new, X reigns over the coven of Frontera – what humdrum (non-magical) governments call Southern California – with the strength, poise and confidence that was bred into her. She is a force to be reckoned with in the throne room, holding press conferences to represent her billionaire family’s corporate holdings, and commanding the hidden magical armies. If only she had that kind of confidence when the cameras were off.

What should our main character’s name be? We want something regal, old fashioned, but also playful and fun. Maybe with a great nickname those who know her best could use.

Leave a comment

2. The Twin Sister (Y)

Y was quite literally born to be a mother. As the elder of the twins, Y knew from a young age that she had two jobs that were intrinsically intertwined: keep the coven’s borders strong and produce an heir and a spare. Like the dutiful daughter she is, Y gave birth to two girls, and for nine years, the royal family breathed easy knowing they had their heir and a spare.

Until a mysterious blood cancer that’s been making its way through the coven tragically killed A. Then B transitioned, making him now ineligible to rule the coven. Y is unable to have more children, and that combined with her debilitating grief forces Y to abdicate the throne to her younger twin sister.

With the pressure of Queen off her shoulders, Y is beginning to piece together who she is and what she wants from her life. She’d always been jealous of the freedom X got, but now that she has a taste of it, she’s not sure what to do with herself.

What should we name the twin sister? Do we want the twins to have similar but slightly different names or names as contradictory in personality as they are?

Leave a comment

3. The Evil Villain (Z)

A conservative warlock posing as an evangelical preacher hell bent on stealing power away from the women of the Frontera coven. I don’t know much more about him, because you all are going to help me develop this character the most!

We need a really great villain name! What should it be? Do we want two: one that the non-magical public knows him as, and one that the magical world knows him by?

Leave a comment

BONUSES FOR THE GROUP CHAT:

We’ve got three more characters that The Group Chat will get to name:

• 4. The Bodyguard (and possible future father of X’s child)

• 5. The Executive Assistant (who may be madly in love with X)

• 6. The Ex (who might be a second chance romance or might stay a thorn in X’s side)

Join The Group Chat if you want even more input on the book!

Some tips for choosing character names:

• Avoid names that are already in use in popular novels (like Christian Grey or Gandalf the Grey).

• Use baby naming websites! They’re a great source of inspiration.

• Think of the character’s personality traits and backstory. Would they have a common name, a wildly unique one, or somewhere in between? Would their name contradict or align with their story?

• Feed off of other people’s creativity in the comments! This is a collaborative novel, so collaborate!

• Have fun! This isn’t a real life human you’re naming, and we can always change it later, so take the pressure off and have fun.

I can’t wait to see what names you come up with! Leave a comment to get started now.

Leave a comment

I’m excited to see where this adventure takes us together!

Lauren

P.S. Got a friend who loves naming people? Know someone who could use a joyful and collaborative creative project in their life right now? Share this post with them! The more brains we have collaborating on this project, the more fun it will be for all!

Share

Refer a friend

Give a gift subscription

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist: A Collective Novel, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be published with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author and copyright owner. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

If you’re new here, Plot Twist is a Choose Your Own Adventure-style interactive project where you get to help decide what the characters say and do next. Check out the introduction to Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel for all the juicy details on how this works.*

You get to choose the book we write!

Today, I’m presenting you with three different story ideas, and you get to choose which one we’re going to develop together!

Free subscribers can vote in the poll and paid subscribers get to pitch their thoughts and convince others to join in their vote in the comments! Yes, you can even suggest plot ideas and changes!

My requirements are that every story will:

• Center a queer main character and be full of people with diverse and intersectional identities and life experiences (without tokenizing).

• Be set in and around my home of San Diego and have the characters spend time across the border in Tijuana (and I’ll take you along on tours for location scouting).

• Have romance at its core and include hot, consensual, passionate, and kinky sex (you get to choose the spice level).

• Lean into empathy and empowerment, and end on a high note that will make you feel hopeful (without gaslighting or emotional bypassing).

• Include my four signature topics that I have in all of my fiction writing: food, family, fatness, fashion, and fried potato products.

The rest is up to you!

You’ll notice the names in the synopses are letters like X, Y, and Z. That’s because the paid subscribers to Plot Twist will get to help name the characters in the Group Chat!

Are you ready to choose the book we’ll write together this year?!

Here are your three options:

Choose wisely! Voting closes in one week!

Option 1: Magic and gender mayhem

Pitch

Practical Magic meets Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, this novel idea follows a group of queer and trans witches as they fight to keep conservative warlocks from infiltrating their coven and draining their power.

Synopsis

In the world of magic, X is Queen. The most rich and powerful witch in a line of rich and powerful witches, she reigns over the coven of Frontera – what humdrum (non-magical) governments call Southern California – with the strength, poise and confidence that was bred into her. If only she could have that same kind of certainty in her love life. Ever since disappearing on her fiancé over a decade ago, X has been quite literally cursed when it came to love, which would be fine with independent X except for one major issue: the wards that have protected the coven for a century will fall if X doesn’t produce an heir.

More precisely, X needs to give birth to a female child who could one day reign as Queen. Like the dutiful daughter she is, X’s sister, Y, produced two girls, and for nine years, the royal family breathed easy knowing they had their heir and a spare. Until a mysterious blood cancer tragically killed Z, and A transitioned to a boy, making him ineligible to rule the coven. With Y unable to have more children, Diana finds herself forced to have a baby or leave the whole coven defenseless against the ever-present threat of the Witch Hunters, a group of right-wing warlocks pushing for political power.

What I love about this option

Honestly, this is the one I’m most excited about because of the potential for collaboration and creativity because of the witches angle. I think it could be really fun to have us come up with the magical world together. What powers does X have? What powers do the villains have? What are the magical rules and how do the characters break them?

This book idea is full of LGBTQ+ characters and immigrant stories, and I think it could be cathartic to fight back against oppression from conservative groups in a magical world where we can embrace our own existing power, invent new ones, and determine the ending we all want and deserve. With the concept of a witch’s power and identity being tied to her womb, I think it could also be a really great way to explore gender and reproductive rights.

Option 2: Assassins and espionage

Pitch

Grosse Pointe Blank meets The Spy Who Dumped Me with the dark humor of Killing Eve (but less gruesome). X just wants to fuck and fight, but when her latest love interest drags her into a complex web of international espionage aimed at combating global injustices, X is forced to stand for something, or be taken out herself.

Synopsis

X has just met the woman of her dreams. Y is witty, smart, and fiercely feminine. Their storybook meet cute is the stuff of romantic comedies, complete with a spilled coffee and ending with dancing under the stars. She’s perfect, everything X has been seeking her whole life. There’s just one problem: X has to kill her.

It’s been a long time since Y went out dancing. With running the struggling book store and fighting to save her block of historical Barrio Logan from strip mall developers, romance has been the last thing on her mind. But when the dapper dressed butch offered to take her out as an apology for spilling coffee on her new shoes, Y couldn’t resist. She knew it was risky, going home with a practical stranger on the first date, but maybe a bit of danger is exactly what Y needs right now in her life.

What I love about this option

I’ve been working on a novel about a group of queer assassins fronting as a book club since 2005. It was my very first book idea and it has had multiple ideations and versions since. None have stuck. I feel like maybe it’s been waiting for your help?

I think it could be cathartic to fictionally fight people right now, it’s a good use of the anger I’m feeling! I have also always loved the quirkiness of movies like Spy, The Spy Who Dumped Me and Gross Pointe Blank and think it could be fun to write dark humor together.

Option 3: Crossing borders and boundaries

Pitch

Sweet Home Alabama meets Silver Linings Playbook. Tragedy drags queer Diana from her liberal life in San Francisco to her conservative farming hometown, forcing her to face her painful past, reckon with the person she has become, and wonder if love is enough to live for.

Synopsis

How do you heal in the place you’ve been running from your whole life?

On the day of her younger brother’s death, X promised she would never take life for granted again. Two years later, she finds it hard to keep that promise as she sits broke and alone on the floor of what soon will no longer be her condo. Out of options, she grabs a bottle of pills, hoping for sleep eternal, when her sister calls with news: X’s best friend from high school has overdosed and died.

Packing up her life in liberal San Francisco, X heads to her conservative farming hometown on the Mexican border and finds herself right back in the dynamics, drama, and insecurities of high school. Avoiding her socialite mother and ex-prom queen sister, X spends her time in the arms of Y, her best friend’s little sister and a local cop who doesn’t appreciate X’s social media posts calling to defund the police. As her life falls further apart, bringing her sister’s marriage with it, X is forced to stop running and finally face her bloody past.

What I love about this option

This is actually the pitch for the movie they’re making in my novel Because Fat Girl! I was working on this concept when the idea for BFG came to me and I wrote that instead. It would be fun to fully develop this story together.

Set in a border town, I think the politics around queerness, immigration, and the divide in America right now could be really intriguing to explore, especially if we get people from both small towns and cities to give input on this book. What would it feel like to represent everyone here with empathy but also show the real effects of the new administration’s policies on people?

It’s time to vote!

Which one will it be?!

I came up with the ideas, now you get to decide which one of these stories we write together this year. Use the poll below to cast your vote.

The poll closes in a week, so make your choice now!

What did you vote for?! I can’t see who voted for what, so tell me in the comments! And I’d love to know why.

Leave a comment

Invite your friends to join in the fun!

Adventures are so much more fun with friends, so share this post to get your friends to join in Plot Twist and vote on their favorite story idea.

Share

I’ve also got a buy-one-give-one discount going on right now to encourage you to join Plot Twist from the start. Click below to grab that.

Get 50% off a group subscription

Thank you for being along for the ride.

I can’t wait to see how this adventure unfolds!

Lauren

P.S. Want to be the first to know which story we picked and get all the fresh updates as I write it? Join the Group Chat!

*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

By participating in Plot Twist: A Collective Novel, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook and print with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author and copyright owner. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.

Dear friend,

Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel was a storytelling experiment that ran from February to December, 2025.

Together, we explored what happens when a writer (me!) lets go of control, invites community into the process, and treats storytelling as play, practice, and connection — not just a product to be completed.

This project is no longer actively updating. The audience and I were both ready to move on to other projects and we collectively agreed my letters were more impactful for people right now.

However, the full archive of chapters remains available to read. Plot Twist will continue to live on as part of the creative journey documented here on Unscripted, and as the foundation for a future book.

Let this be a reminder to us all: not every creative endeavor needs to “finish” in a traditional way to be meaningful. Making the art, trying the experiment, and learning from it was and is always the goal.

Thank you to everyone who read, voted, commented, and imagined alongside me. This story exists because you showed up.

With love,

Lauren

ARCHIVED INTRO POST + LINK TO PAST CHAPTERS

What if you could help decide what happens next in a story?

That’s exactly what we’re doing here.

Plot Twist is an interactive storytelling experiment — a serialized, choose-your-own-adventure-style novel where you vote, comment, and help shape the plot each week.

📚 Where We Are So Far

We’re about 1/3 of the way through the novel, but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time to catch up, join in the fun, and help shape the story.

Table of Contents

• Introduction to this project and how it works (this post! read below!)

• Choosing the Story

• Call for Character Names

• The Character Names Are Chosen + the story behind the names!

• Chapter 1: The Queen’s Request

• Chapter 2: The Aftermath of the Earthquake

• Chapter 3: The Winding Road to Danger

• Chapter 4: A Spark of Recognition

• Chapter 5: After Shocks

• Chapter 6: Taxidermy Dreams

• Chapter 7: The Song of Murder

• Chapter 8: I Can Feel It Coming in the Air

• Chapter 9: The Eagle Has Landed

• Chapter 10: Invoking Article 11

• Chapter 11: The Woman in the Woods + Vote on book’s title

• Chapter 12: The Law of Blood + Book’s title chosen!

🗓️ A new chapter released every Thursday morning.

🎬 How It Works

Here’s the simple version:

1️⃣ Read each chapter — A new installment goes live every Thursday.

2️⃣ Vote + comment — Readers get 7 days to weigh in on what happens next.

3️⃣ Watch your ideas appear — Reader decisions directly shape the next chapter.

It’s that easy. Creative chaos, community, and storytelling magic — every week.

💌 Who Gets to Participate

Short answer: You do.

• Free subscribers can read, vote, and join the Plot Twist group chat.

• Paid subscribers (Story Editors) get to comment directly, see behind-the-scenes drafts, and access exclusive “bonus scenes” — including the steamier ones 🔥.

• Associate Producers get credited in the book, special updates, and a free Creative Life Blueprint course.

Everyone helps shape the story. Paid members just get to peek behind the curtain.

🌈 Why This Matters (and Why You’ll Love It)

We all need a place online that sparks joy, creativity, and community.

A space that doesn’t ignore the hard things — but trnsforms them through art.

That’s what Plot Twist is.

It’s full of diverse, messy, magical characters navigating power, politics, love, and revolution — a reflection of the world we live in, reimagined through story.

This project is part experiment, part escape, and part act of resistance.

When life gets overwhelming, I believe in one thing: put it into art.

That’s what we’re doing here — together.

🚀 How to Join

1️⃣ Subscribe below (it’s free!) to get each chapter in your inbox.

2️⃣ Turn on notifications in the Substack app so you never miss a poll.

3️⃣ Read, vote, comment, and have fun!

✨ Want more? Paid subscribers get behind-the-scenes access, exclusive scenes, and their name in the credits.

Because storytelling is better when it’s shared — and I can’t wait to create this world with you.

For Anyone Who Loved Choose Your Own Adventure Books

The Story Behind the Story

Did you ever read Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid? I absolutely loved them. It felt like I was part of the story, playing a role in how it unfolded.

But one thing always bothered me: I wanted to choose more than just the predetermined paths; I wanted to be a part of writing the story.

Recently, I played a game on my iPad called Wylde Flowers – a super LGBTQ friendly narrative about farming and secret witches – and I loved the way that I got to meander through the world picking and choosing what my character did and how she interacted with others.

Yet still, as much as I loved the game, I longed to be a more integral part of the narrative. I’m in a year-long course to learn about writing comedies for TV, and the stories of the collaborative writing rooms made me crave the kind of collective creativity that working on a project like a video game or TV gives you.

That longing for collaborative creativity sparked an idea in my head:

What if I wrote a novel with friends and strangers on the internet?!

Put It Into Art

I don’t need to tell you that things are grim out there for a lot of us. My heart breaks every time I sign into social media. I fear for myself and my community when I read the news.

But doomscrolling isn’t helping me. And I’m gonna guess it’s not helping you.

When creating my Substack Unscripted, especially this project Plot Twist, I asked myself these questions:

• What if I created a space on the internet that doesn’t emotionally bypass the hate that’s out there, but also doesn’t feed into it by amplifying it?

• What if I got a group of diverse people together and we wrote our feelings out in a fictional world full of joy, heartache, love, sex, fighting back, friendship, revolutions, power, hilarity, fashion, and fries with cheese?

• What if I spent this year leaning into creativity and community instead of algorithms and virality?

When things get hard for me, I like to say “Put it into art.”

Plot Twist is my way to help us all take this really hard political time and put it into art.

I hope you’ll join me for it.

Looking forward to seeing how this story unfolds,

Lauren

*PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:

🧾 The Very Important Fine Print

By participating in Plot Twist, you understand that your comments, votes, and ideas are being shared as creative input for a book that will be written and owned by Lauren Marie Fleming.

The final work—published in ebook, print, audio, or any future format—will credit Lauren Marie Fleming as the sole author and copyright owner.

Contributors who engage frequently may be acknowledged as “Collaborators” in the book’s acknowledgments. This credit is honorary only.

No payment, royalties, or copyright ownership will be provided for participation. Submitting comments or votes constitutes agreement to these terms.

Ideas shared here may inspire derivative works or adaptations without further notice or compensation. Participation implies adherence to community guidelines and respectful discourse.