📜 Hellridge Herald - Issue #1 (Feb '25)
(Where chaos meets creativity, and the coffee never runs dry.)
1. Opening Letter – Welcome to the Madness!
Welcome, brave reader, to the first-ever issue of Hellridge Herald — your monthly dose of my writing adventures, questionable life choices, and behind-the-scenes madness. If you’re here, you’ve either willingly signed up or been cursed into eternal subscription. Either way, buckle up — this is going to be fun.
2. What’s Brewing?
🏒 Against the Boards – My Descent into Hockey Madness
You know what’s a great idea? Writing a hockey romance without having ever watched a single game. You know what’s a terrible idea? Exactly that. And yet, here I am, deep in the world of slap shots, penalties, and emotional devastation, because apparently, I like making things hard for myself.
Did I watch a hockey game? No.
Did I watch Miracle and become an emotional wreck? Yes.
Did I spiral into an hours-long research binge on the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team? Absolutely.
Did I rename a character because I accidentally named two guys CJ and TJ? Yes. And now Terry exists. Terry is a thing now.
So, if you hear distant screaming, it’s me trying to understand line changes and why goalies are built like ancient war gods. Send help. Or coffee. Or both.
🐺 Halloran Series – The Eternal Struggle
I love my readers. I live for my readers. But sometimes, this love makes my life a chaos spiral of indecision. The current dilemma:
📌 Should I write Ciaran’s book next?
📌 Should I write Liam & Ariadne’s book first?
📌 Should I just set my laptop on fire and let the fates decide?
Ciaran’s story comes first chronologically, but Liam & Ariadne’s story is tangled with his and happens a little later—so which one do I publish first?! Readers are waiting, I am panicking, and my decision-making skills have left the chat. HELP.
3. Deep Dive: The World of Hallorans
Exclusive Q&A with Maeve Westwood nee Halloran
Time: 6 days after the wedding
Q: So, Maeve, how’s married life treating you?
Maeve: Oh, just wonderfully. Nothing says “romantic newlywed bliss” like being forcibly married to a brooding Alpha who definitely didn’t want me as his bride, under a blood moon, with ancient magic binding us together. I highly recommend it. 10/10, would get magically shackled again.
Q: What’s the best part about being an Alpha’s wife?
Maeve: Hmm, tough one. Is it the political minefield? The constant lurking sense of doom? The fact that every werewolf in a ten-mile radius watches me like I might explode at any moment? No, wait—I got it. It’s probably the gorgeous bedroom I was given that still smells like his actual fiancée. Love that for me.
Q: Be honest. Have you ever had a moment where you thought, “Hey, maybe Ronan isn’t that bad?”
Maeve: Sigh. Okay, so here’s the thing. If you ignore the whole “emotionally constipated Alpha” thing, the fact that he’s terrifyingly good at brooding, and the minor inconvenience of him being my boyfriend’s older brother... yeah, sure. He’s... fine. Sometimes. Like, if I were blindfolded and just listening to his voice from a safe distance. Otherwise? Nope.
Q: If you could go back and change one thing about the night of the wedding, what would it be?
Maeve: Oh, I don’t know... maybe not agreeing to be a last-minute bride replacement? Or possibly running into the forest and disappearing like Isabelle instead of standing there like an idiot while the universe played a cosmic joke on me? Just a thought.
Q: What’s the most surprising thing about werewolf culture?
Maeve: You know, I thought it would be the whole “we settle our problems with dramatic fights in moonlit clearings” thing, but actually, it’s their ability to eat. Like, I have never seen a group of people demolish a meal the way these guys do. One second, there’s a full table of food, the next, it’s gone. I fear for my snack stash.
Q: What’s your relationship with Liam like now?
Maeve: Oh, you mean my ex-but-also-still-kinda-my-boyfriend-who-now-looks-at-me-like-a-tragic-Shakespearean-hero? It’s complicated. He’s mad at me. I’m mad at him. He thinks I should have fought harder against this marriage, and I think he should have maybe spoken up instead of just standing there like a sad little lost puppy while I got shoved into a wedding dress. Communication? Never heard of it.
Q: If you could slap one person right now, who would it be?
Maeve: Just one? That’s unfair. But fine—Brielle, the head of the Coven. She definitely had something to do with all of this, and I would love nothing more than to rearrange her smug face. But if I get a second slap coupon, I’d use it on Ronan—just to see if he’d actually react for once.
Q: Do you think there’s a way out of this mess?
Maeve: There has to be. Because if I’m stuck in this forever, I will personally start a rebellion. Or at the very least, a very passive-aggressive protest. Like moving things around in the packhouse so Ronan can’t find anything. Or renaming all his contacts in his phone to things like “Overbearing Alpha Mom” and “Beta Who Secretly Hates You.” Small victories, you know?
Q: Final question—if you had to sum up your life right now in one sentence, what would it be?
Maeve: “Trapped in a supernatural soap opera I did not audition for.”
4. Community Coven
🕯️ CALL FOR QUESTIONS! 🕯️
Do you have burning questions about my books? Characters? Writing process? Send them my way! I’ll answer a few in each issue!
📖 FEBRUARY WRITING CHALLENGE:
Write a scene where two enemies are forced to work together in a haunted library.
Bonus Points:
If one of them is deeply superstitious.
If the library has an aggressively sarcastic ghost librarian.
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRIES – Email, comment, scream into the void — just get them to me, and I’ll feature my favorite one in the next issue!
🗳️ READER POLL:
Since I can’t decide my own life, let’s put this to a vote.
📢 Which book should I finish first?
1️⃣ Ciaran’s story (chronologically first)
2️⃣ Liam & Ariadne’s story (also tied into Ciaran’s but slightly later)
3️⃣ Who cares, just give us something now
(Because let’s be real, democracy is how I make decisions now.)
5. Hellridge Cauldron
📢 Writing Mishap of the Month: CJ, TJ, and Terry’s Existential Crisis
When I named two hockey players CJ and TJ, I thought, “Cute. Cohesive. Makes sense.”
Then my brain realized I had created a naming nightmare for myself and that every scene looked like an alphabet soup of pain.
So, TJ got a forced identity change and is now Terry.
Was it a smooth transition? No.
Did I question my life choices? Every second.
Let us all take a moment of silence for the original TJ. Rest in peace, buddy. You’ll always stay TJ in my heart.
🎥 What’s Inspiring Me Right Now:
Miracle (2004) – The only hockey thing I’ve ever watched, and now I’m emotionally unstable about it.
The actual 1980 “Miracle on Ice” event – I dove into Wikipedia, sports documentaries, and whatever dark hole the internet took me into, because I needed to understand.
The chaos of real historical underdog stories – Turns out, I am weak for this.
6. Closing Hex
And so, dear reader, another month of literary madness comes to an end.
📢 Will I actually learn more about hockey, or will I just keep winging it?
📢 Will I finally decide which Halloran book to finish first, or will I keep panicking?
📢 Will another character undergo an identity crisis like TJ/Terry?
Find out in the next issue of Hellridge Herald.
NEXT ISSUE TEASER:
👀 Exclusive sneak peek at a brand-new scene from Against the Boards!
🔮 More chaotic Q&A from the depths of my inbox!
📖 March Writing Challenge – Let’s get even weirder.
💀 Until then—write, read, and embrace the chaos. 💀
While I'm most eager to read Liam's & Ariadne's story, it probably makes the most sense to do Ciaran's first. However, you know your current plot threads and should write whatever makes the most sense to you.... whatever your heart desires. I love your stories and can't wait to see what you come up with!