So, I need help. I need an idea for a gift that says "if you don't stop bugging me about the next book when this one hasn't even been published yet, I'm going to strangle you in your sleep" but also "I love you, you're an amazing editor, please don't ever leave me"! If you can't tell, I'm struggling to figure out what to get my editor for Christmas. She is driving absolutely mad, but I would feel horrible if I didn't get her something for the holidays. Especially knowing she's sat and read my 860 page novel more than once, even if it is her job to do so. Is a neck massager too lame?

Thank you! And congrats to you as well! I know what you mean about that streak of perfectionism, though. That's how I felt about my own costume; my OCD would not let me have anything on my costume that wasn't historically accurate to the time period. I'm happy to make the suggestion! I know before I quit my job to write full time, I would have jumped at the chance to have a spa day after work, especially when the day was really hard. That's an even better idea, though! Pencil in a spa day on the last day you work before going on an extended vacation; that's the perfect way to start a vacation! I would definitely love to accompany you, if I ever turn down a spa day please slap me because I'm clearly not myself, so please feel free to let me know when you're scheduling it, and I will totally be there!

Looks like I'm not the only one to have a good night then! Congrats. And thank you! My streak of perfectionism wouldn't have allowed me to not try and be as accurate as possible, so I'm definitely happy to hear it paid off. Ooh, I honestly didn't even think of that, but it's a worthwhile consideration for sure. I'm already thinking of giving myself a bit more extended time off this year if I can make it happen without inconveniencing any of my co-workers too much, so it might even be an amazing idea to do it after work on my last day before I take my time off. Of course! I'd never say no to company and it sounds like you might need it too, so I'm game.

It really is! And we see it time and time again. Look at how people react to Nickelback. Everyone always hates on them, but they put out some really great music, and people just don't want to admit it. I've made it a point in my life to try and not let other's opinions affect my own. Especially when it comes to the media platforms like movies, tv serieses, and books. It's almost impossible not to take other people's opinions into account when you're trying to formulate your own, especially when they're loudly talking about their negative opinions, but I've always tried to make my own judgements on things. I've never been one to just accept the status quo because it's what I'm told to do; to be honest, though, I've never really done well with other people telling me what to do or think, so that may have something to do with it. You should definitely check them out! They're completely worth it for sure. And the Netflix ones too! It's nice to know that I'm not alone there. There's this new one I just watched the other day on Freevee called Ex-Mas, and it was so good; great eye candy, cheesy but funny plot. The ending didn't come about the way I thought it would, which was nice, and we didn't get as much background on the female lead as I thought we would, but it was still a good movie!

It's definitely the groupthink of it all. It's so easy to just latch on to what other people are saying sometimes. Which is unfortunate because even if you open your mind up a bit and form your own opinion, it still gets a little tainted regardless just because you're going into it with those negative opinions from others. I haven't heard of those, though! I'll have to look into them. And the Netflix ones, too! I've actually heard quite a few people say how much they like those too, you're not the only one.

I know what you mean! I honestly wasn't expecting to enjoy myself as much as I did. I won a few games of Bingo, which the competitor in me was very happy about, but I wasn't expecting to win the "most original" costume contest. I mean, the author in me required me to make my costume as period-accurate as I could for a character living in the Regency era of England, but to be honest I didn't expect many people to know who Kate Sheffield was; in fact, most people thought I was Elizabeth Bennett or some other Austen character. But I was flattered to win, regardless. Then to win the lottery tickets on top of it was like the icing on the cake; not that I've ever really played or won, but a girls gotta try. Your costume looked amazing, though! You made a phenomenal Daphne. You completely nailed the look! You pretty much embodied the character, and it brought me right back to my childhood. I'd say to try and pencil in your spa day after one of your days at work to be honest. Most people would say schedule it on a day off, but I think if you go from work to the spa that would make it even more relaxing! If you think you'll be too tired, though, then I'd definitely suggest a day off closer towards Christmas maybe? Everyone gets stressed out around the holidays, so I think having a spa day around that time could help a lot. And if you ever want someone to go with you, I would 100% be down for a spa day any day. My editor is already starting to hound me for a few pages from my sixth novel even though the fifth hasn't even been published yet.

I gotta say, I didn't expect the bash to be the great night for me that it actually ended up being. The good company and cheap drinks were one thing, sure, but I hardly expected to come out of the night winning the fan-favorite costume contest and the raffle for the spa day. I did spend quite a bit of time making my costume as accurate as I could, but that's not exactly something I expect to matter as much in a regular ol' costume contest, so that was more to satisfy myself than anything else. Anyway, now I just have to figure out what the best time is to pencil in my spa day in my planner, so any thoughts?

It's nice to meet you, I'm Caiside, but everyone calls me Cassie except my da. I'm afraid I've only been in town for the last year or so, so I have absolutely no idea who you are, but good on your for following your dreams! And I agree with the sentiment about not giving up. Why should you give up on your dreams when you're still young and in your prime? It'd be one thing if you were a bodach, but you're not. You're still young and full of life. My da was initially against me making a career with my writing, but now that he's seen how successful it can be he's supportive.

Even though you're not doing what your ma imagined for you, I'm sure she's still proud of you for making something of yourself. Especially if you're the new owner of a gym and a successful professional fighter.

Now that the paperwork has cleared and its official, you all are now looking at the new owner of Pump It Up Fitness... and seeing as a couple of my new employees have suggested that I join this site in the hopes to better acquaint myself with Bearcreek... here I am.

For those that don't know, I'm Matai Huang. Yes, the bastard son of the lawyer Amy Huang that left town to become a professional fighter and yes, I'm back. For the most part, anyway. Not exactly ready to retire and why should I when I'm at the top of my game?

But regardless, it's nice to meet everyone.

I totally know what you mean! I've never really understood the hate that Hallmark movies get. Yes, they tend to pull at the heartstrings, but that's what I love about them so much. Some of my favorite films are actually Hallmark movies. Have you heard of A Country Wedding or The Magic of Ordinary Days? Write Before Christmas? Granted, I am more partial to the Netflix Christmas movies, but I mean…Hallmark gets a bad rap for really not much of a reason from what I understand. I know there was a whole Candace Cameron Bure controversy, but honestly…just because she was being a twat doesn't mean that the whole network shares her views, and she's not even on the channel anymore I don't think. But there are so many more movies that are absolutely mingin. Personally, I think that a lot of people badmouth the movies because that's just the "popular" thing to do.

Maybe it's because I've already managed to just happen upon several Hallmark Christmas movies airing only a few weeks into November - seriously, Hallmark doesn't waste any time putting these things out - but honestly? I think they get a bad rap. Obviously, I'm not saying they're masterpieces of cinema or anything, but they definitely don't deserve all the hate they get. Predictable, sure, but they're cute and wholesome and just make you feel good. There are far more actually bad movies people should put their time into criticizing if you ask me.

Yep! That's what I've been researching, but I also research historical periods and the like. My novels are based in a sort of post-apocalyptic world. Sort of like Divergent, The Hunger Games, and Outlander all got together and had a baby. So my search history is pretty insane, to be honest. I'm sure anyone who looks at it would think I'm a conspiracy theorist or something. Camping really helps me, but I love being outdoors in nature. But they do have something called 'glamping' that you could try! It's like taking a hotel, putting it into a camper, and then doing a sort of trip that way. If you ever want to tag along or try glamping and have someone to go with, I am definitely free.

Definitely go electronics free for a week or so, and I promise you it will do wonders! Sometimes our phones and computers can distract us without us even really noticing. You should try to go without it for a day or so, and see if maybe that helps get the inspiration flowing? If it helps a little, then try to go a little longer without electronics. Hell, even typing up stuff on a typewriter can be soothing and helpful in and of itself.

Post-Apocalyptic? Is that what you're researching? That's a weird way to get inspiration otherwise. No offense. Does camping really help? Because I really don't like tents or the idea of sleeping outside.

It could be my phone, I mean Tik Tok is my biggest distraction so either I need to delete Tik Tok or just lock my phone away for a few hours.

Cassie had never really been to an event like this. She'd been in Bearcreek for nearly a year, but she had arrived around Christmas the year before, and she'd missed all the events. She'd spent the last few months making the finishing touches on her newest book, so her social calendar had been seriously lacking up until recently. She hadn't been sure if she even wanted to go to the Halloween event at town hall, but she figured she should at least try to be social. She had made more than a few friends in town in the last few months, and she knew some of them were going to be there so she might as well be social. That didn't mean that she had to be entirely sober, though.

"You wouldnae happen to have any IRN BRU would you?" she asked the bartender, only to be met with a look of complete confusion. "Didnae think so," she said with a huff. She should have known better than to think that a small town in Pennsylvania would have a soft drink that was pretty localized to her home country. "How about Innis & Gunn?" Another hard no. Her face deflated a bit before she sighed. "Macallan? Johnny Walker?"

Finally the bartender nodded and poured her a glass of whisky, and Cassie accepted it with a small nod before turning away and moving to the side. Catching sight of someone in a simple vampire costume, she smiled to herself. "That is the most perfect and simple costume I have ever seen," she commented with a warm smile as she looked over at him. "Honestly, I kind of wish I had gone for a simple witches hate or something instead of this contraption," she said, motioning towards her Victorian era dress.

Sebastian made his way into the main area and looked around, seeing all the events that were currently going on. Sebastian was never much for Halloween - holidays in general to be honest - but he always made sure to show his face at the bash when it took place. If only for the cheap alcohol and company. Right now he was wearing a cheap cloak and a pair of fake teeth, a little bit of fake blood running down his chin. It was a simple costume to just get him through the day. He nodded to a few of the people he passed as he made his way to the bar, knowing he certainly didn't want to spend the day sober.

Arriving at the bar he ordered a cocktail and took out his teeth, taking a sip from the glass and letting out a sigh. Today was going to be a long day, but he'd make sure to get around to the majority of it. He still didn't know if he'd be hitting up the haunted walkthrough at all, that typically wasn't his speed.

Cassie nodded a bit as he parroted what her own strategy was going to be. "That's more or less what I'm planning on doing," she said with a laugh. "I'm not really putting it into the motor basket, but I think I'm going to just split them up evenly beyond that. Except maybe put a few extra into the basket that Daria donated. Because really, I'm pretty sure I'd do just about anything for her confections." As he split his raffle tickets between the baskets and stepped aside, she stepped up to make a decision for her own tickets as he studied her costume. Looking over at him as he tried to guess her costume, she couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face as he tried to figure it out. "Not Shakespeare, surprisingly," she said with a smirk as she focused on the baskets for a second. She placed a few extra tickets into Daria's bakery basket and a few extra into the pet care basket, then she evenly split them up between the other baskets as well. To be fair, she was honestly hoping she won a few of them, but she'd be happy with just one. "Kate Sheffield," she answered a few moments as she turned away from the baskets and stepped out of the way so others could put their tickets in; she couldn't lie, part of her wanted to stand there until the contest was over, but she figured that might not go over well. "She's a character from the Bridgerton novels. The tv show changed her last name and her background, but I'm dressed as the Kate from the books. The tv show…" she shook her head a bit with a sigh. "Let's just say if someone ever makes a tv show or movies from my novels and completely desecrate my main female character the way they did to Kate Sheffield? I would be absolutely livid. If I'd never read the books, that'd be one thing. But they completely destroyed her character, as well as her sister's character, and their relationship. It's just…honestly, I could rant for a while," she said with a laugh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go on a tangent there. But I do love your costume. It really has to win the most original," she said with a grin.

Carter chuckled, nodding his head as he listened to her ramble on, almost as indecisive sounding as he was. "Yeah, I think I'm mostly just splitting them all up between a few baskets. Figure if I'm lucky, maybe I could win more than one," he joked. As he finished adding all of his tickets to various entry boxes for the baskets, he turned to look at the woman behind him, not entirely recognizing the costume right away, though he did recognize the author. "Ah, Cassie, taking a shot in the dark here... someone from a Shakespeare play? Or, no wait, don't tell me... " He made a face as he tried to think of what other characters he knew from period pieces, but was coming up short as it wasn't really a genre he was into. "Nope, I've got nothing. But if it makes a difference, I mostly just watch comedies, super heroes, and sports movies."

Cassie grinned when Daria stated that she'd donated a basket of her own baked confections. "That basket alone is enough to fight for," she laughed as she marked off another number on her card. "Ooh!! Got i--oh, nevermind," she commented a few seconds later after another number was called; she'd thought she'd come closer to calling bingo - she had three of the five spaces needed to get the bingo - but realized seeing Daria mark the number off that she'd heard the wrong thing. "Pizza sounds great, though," she remarked as she looked over at the pizza the other woman was eating. "Legitimately, you cannae go wrong with pizza. I think that's a universally loved food." Marking another number off her card, glaring at her card a bit when she noticed she had two near-Bingo's but still no win, she looked over at Daria with a raised brow. "A chicken?" she asked with a slightly raised brow. She hadn't really eaten a whole lot of chicken in the states, if she were being honest. They'd had a few chickens back home in Tain, but they didn't really eat them. "Are they really that expensive?" she asked, a look of genuine surprise on her face. "I don't eat a whole lot of chicken so I don't know how much they cost," she quickly explained. "I'm more of a red meat girl, but I'll haven chicken maybe once or twice every few weeks. I usually just buy the already portioned meat from the butcher shop or farmer's market, though." Marking another number off, she huffed as she noticed she now had three lines that all needed a number to get bingo; two of them needed the same number and another needed a different one. "One year back home they had an all-expenses paid weekend trip to Glasgow, but that's probably the most extravagant thing. And I've never seen any prizes that expensive again," she laughed.

Daria had taken a rather large bite of her pizza, more than she intended, so she held up a finger quick while she chewed and nodded her head in response to the question. Finishing up the large bite she'd taken she was able to speak up, quickly placing another chip on her card for a number that was called. "Oh yeah, I donated the one basket and a number of cupcakes, cookies, and cake pops for the desserts. And donuts. But this pizza they brought in is really good, if you're looking to start off with a bit more sustenance than the sweet stuff." Doing a quick double take at her card, she almost jumped to yell BINGO, before realizing the spot she needed was one number off from the one called. "Right? Like they usually have great prizes when they do Bingo nights at places, like one time I won a whole chicken. You know how much a whole chicken costs in the grocery store these days? Some people just don't know what they're missing."

As she stood there watching his expression change as she talked, Cassie felt a slight blush start creeping up onto her cheeks. She honestly hadn't intended to spill the entire story to him. That just…wasn't something that you just blurted out to someone. She would completely understand if he just walked off because, really -- what do you say to something like that? She offered a slightly embarrassed smile as he actually absorbed all of the information and reacted. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just blurt it all out," she laughed with a shake of her head. "It just…it threw me off." She'd been determined to find her mother, of course, but she'd never actually thought she would find her if she were being honest with herself. When he asked what she was going to do, she took a moment to think about the actual answer. "I really…I don't know. For once, I'm not actually sure what I'm going to do. I came here to find her, you know? But I…I don't know. I don't think I expected to find her?" It was the first time she'd actually admitted that out loud. "She said I looked like her seven times great grandmother, which is why she wanted to talk to me, but she didn't really…recognize me, if that makes sense? I mean…I guess I was naïve, but I always thought mothers were supposed to recognize their children."

Dom's eyes widened as she started talking, definitely not entirely ready for the heavy explanation she gave. Even after she finished speaking, he was silent for several seconds, unsure of what to say and letting out a low whistle. "Yeah," he started, slowly nodding. "Yeah, I can see why you were so distracted now." He shot her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, that's... yeah, definitely a lot to process. I can't even imagine how that feels." Quite literally, he couldn't. He could only imagine what a weird sensation it'd be to suddenly meet his biological parents. Sure, like most adopted kids, he'd had his times of being curious when he was younger, but his dads had always been the best parents he could have asked for, so those thoughts never stuck around long. "So, what are you gonna do?" he asked simply, tossing his cup into a nearby trashcan as he finished his beer, instead slipping his hands into his pockets.

Bingo really did get a bad name, in Cassie's opinion at least. She'd heard it called everything from boring to a childish game to a game for seniors, but the only thing that told her was that the game was one for all ages. She wanted to play a few other games first, saving Bingo for last, but she hadn't been at the bash for more than five minutes before she found herself being drawn to the room where the game had been set up. Looking around, she could see people having quiet conversations between one another before her eyes finally settled on a familiar face. A few moments later, she settled into the seat beside Daria and set up her own cards just before the game officially started and the caller started shouting out the places. "I haven't tried the food yet," she said as she marked off a space on her card when the next one was called. "But I have high hopes. Especially if you've made any of the food. Then I know for a fact it'll be delicious." She smiled as she looked over at the other girl briefly. "And I can't stand when people call Bingo an old people's game. This is one of the few games that is made for all ages. And it can be fun! Especially if you're competitive," she laughed.

As soon as she heard that they had a Bingo game set up at the party, Daria was all in. Sure, she wanted to do some dancing and maybe she'd go through the haunted walk room at some point. But first, she wanted to play a game and after loading up a plate with some food from the buffet table, she headed towards the room with the games set up. "Oh Bingo, it is so on. Y'all are going down," she said out loud to those already sitting to play. She found a spot and picked out her cards, taking a bit of her pizza slice. "Mm, yes, this is the dream, right? Good food and a good game. Who said Bingo was for old people, this game is the shit." Smirking she happily placed a chip over a space that the caller shouted out.

Cassie laughed at the idea that you sort of had to drink at a party, especially when the beer was as cheap as it was for this bash. He wasn't exactly wrong. She was a Scot, it wasn't like she didn't enjoy drinking. Honestly, a part of her felt like it was just in her DNA to enjoy drinking. The more she thought about it, the more she started to wonder if she shouldn't go get herself something to drink - if only to help with the shock of meeting Jocelyn. Looking down at her dress as he apologized for the fact that his beer had spilled all over her, she shrugged a little. "It's okay. Nothing I can't have dry cleaned if I really want to reuse the costume," she said with a soft smile. When he asked what had her so preoccupied, though, the smile faultered a little. "Oh, I'm okay! It's…honestly, it's kind of stupid," she said with a shake of her head. "I saw my mother…" She realized just how stupid that actually sounded, but it was the truth. That being said, that didn't mean anyone else knew what she meant. "Whom I've never met before," she added. "And I don’t even really think she knew who I was." The fact that there was no recognition in Jocelyn's eyes hurt Cassie more than she wanted to admit; she had always thought that if she ever met her mother, the woman would recognize her instantly. And in more than just a 'you remind me of my whatever-great grandmother' kind of way. "Which is stupid to feel that way, but I just...I don't know. I thought it would go different. Not that I told her who I was..."

Dom smiled back at her, shaking his head with a small laugh. "Nah, I'm good," he assured her. "Besides, me spilling some beer on myself is absolutely par for the course. I can't not have drinks at a party! Especially not when they're this cheap. Honestly, it's a miracle I haven't spilled anything on myself yet," he joked. Noting the way his beer had managed to thorougly spill on her dress, he cringed. "I am sorry about your fit, though." Taking a sip of whatever was still left in his cup after the collision, he glanced towards her again. "What's got you thinking so hard on Halloween night? You okay?"

Cassie wasn't one to normally partake in raffles, mainly because she hadn't had much exposure to them often either back home in Scotland or back in Chicago, but she couldn't resist with the options that were being presented for the town's Halloween raffle. She didn't really need an auto care basket or anything with cosmetics, but all of the other baskets sounded great. Especially the wine & spirits and pet care baskets. Though she wouldn't turn down the spa day basket either. Or the basket Daria contributed. Okay, so all of them. She would have liked all of them. Stepping into the raffle line behind a guy in a chick magnet costume, she found a smile growing on her lips the longer she stood there. It really was a sort of genius costume; unlike with her costume, where everyone thought she was Elizabeth Bennett instead of a character from Bridgerton, everyone would know what his costume was instantly. Her smile only grew as she listened to him talking to himself about which basket to pick; it looked like he was having the same problem she was. She, too, clutched an arm's length of raffle tickets; more than likely, she was just going to bet on them all and hope that she got something. When he turned around and apologized, she shook her head and offered him a kind smile in response. "Oh, take your time, love," she said with a shake of her head. "There are so many options that choosing is pretty much impossible. If I had to pick one, I'd probably pick the pizza night one because who can resist pizza?" she asked before pausing for a minute. "Or…well the pet care one would be great for Calum, though. Ooh, but then the wine & spirits one would just…" She trailed off for a moment before turning her attention back to him. "Yeah, take your time," she laughed. "Because I have no idea myself."

Carter was pretty proud of his costume, despite it being rather simple. Which, that was usually his thing, something easily put together that didn't cost much or take up too much time, but was still fun. And being a sucker for a good pun or dad joke, the idea for chick magnet was perfect. The only issue he had was that the magnet itself that sat around his neck was a tad bulky, so he was doing his best not to knock anything over or smack anyone in the face with it. Figuring for now the safer option was by one of the tables, he paid for an arm's length amount of raffle tickets and started looking at the baskets, deciding what ones to enter. "I mean, who would pass up an option to win a whole basket of goodies made by Daria, you know? But then, Scoob would love a lot of those items in the pet care basket. And my car could definitely use a cleaning..." He turned the person waiting behind him, hoping that he wasn't taking too long. "Sorry, I'll be out of your way soon. These options, though, am I right?"

Cassie's mind was absolutely reeling. She'd first come to Bearcreek to look for information on her biological mother, but if she were being honest with herself…well, she never actually expected that there would be anything to find. Let alone that she would come across her mother, at a Halloween party of all things. The night had been an eventful one up until she'd decided to play Scary Movie Trivia; she'd beaten a couple different people at flip cup, tried her hand at the Good Witch Bad Witch game, and had even enjoyed herself during the haunted walk-through. A woman had approached her after the trivia game, wanting to compliment her on her costume, and it only took one name provided and a comment about how Cassie looked like a spitting image of the woman's great great great grandmother for her to put the pieces together. Jocelyn Barlowe was her mother's name. This woman was her mother. She had done what she could to seem normal and not say anything (really, what was she going to say), but absolute panic had taken over, and she'd left the woman's presence in an almost dazed state. Since then, she'd been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't really noticed she was wandering around aimlessly until she literally collided with someone else. She stumbled a few steps back with a gasp, muttering a quiet curse as she did her best not to fall back on her ass completely. Looking down at the beer that had soaked the front of her dress, she frowned before looking up at the man in front of her and smiled a bit as he apologized. "It's okay," she said with a shake of her head as she tried to brush some of the liquid from her dress. "It's totally my fault, I'm sorry. I was sort of wandering around. Lost in my thoughts and not paying attention," she apologized. "What about you, Ken?" she asked with a slight smile. "I didn't damage anything, did I?"

The shout of victory Dom let out as the ping pong ball sank into his opponent's last cup was perhaps a little too loud, but he couldn't really bring himself to care, practically jumping up in celebration where he stood. He was on a hot streak and had been winning each and every one of the last few games he'd played, so it was safe to say he was feeling pretty big-headed at the moment. "Damn, I just cannot be stopped tonight. Sorry, bud," he couldn't help boasting just a little, shooting his opponent a sympathetic smile. Not wanting to kill his buzz, though, he decided to step away before someone could step up and beat him, whisking away one of his still remaining cups of beer from the game as he did so. Thank god that, even though he'd kept winning, the various cups of beer he'd still had to drink were keeping him warm - something that the very few pieces of clothing he was wearing were definitely not helping with. Unfortunately, it was probably because of said drinks, that he quickly stumbled into another nearby body as he left the game, the beer sloshing messily out of the cup on impact. "Shit, sorry," he was quick to apologize. "Did that spill on you?"

Thank you for suggesting that I adopt from the shelter instead of buying from someone else or something. I honestly love him so much! I can't imagine picking another one. We'll definitely have to set up some puppy play dates, though! I take him for walks every day, but I'm sure being able to socialize with other pups will help him immensely. If I have any questions or anything like that, you will be the first person I call!

!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that enough exclamation points to express my excitement? No, but for real, I'm so excited for you and for Calum! I'm glad he found such a good home. And, even better, now Antonio has another puppy available for puppy play dates! Even though I've made animals my entire life, I still don't consider myself an expert or anything, but I have learned a few tips here and there through the years, so let me know if you need any help!