TLS Special SNEAK PEEK Feature

The Lemonade Stand has spent so many years bringing you the best the Twilight fandom has to offer, and we are very excited to have the chance  to offer you even MORE. We've watched stories grow and develop from first post through COMPLETE, and now we're lucky enough to share  previews of the stories that will soon be your new addiction.

This week, TLS is super-duper excited to present the talented artist, formerly known as Bratty-Vamp, back from a long hiatus!!! We spent years clamoring for more from her and putting her writing on the magic thread, wishing for one more glimpse and finally, we have just that! Get excited with us for her new story, MVP!! Here she is to tell us a little about her comeback.

banner by Beegurl13

MVP

by AKABrattyVamp

Summary: "Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical." - Yogi Berra

_____

Hey there. Kat here, AKA Bratty-Vamp. I’m back from the dead or, at least, back from the black depths of the mysterious void that people dive into when they jump ship. A few people have asked me what brought me back to the fandom. As most things go with me, the story is a random one. These things are to thank, or blame, for sucking me back in: Maya Angelou, the love of my life, a forest, a Bee Girl, and a fanfiction group on Facebook.

1. Maya Angelou was quoted as saying, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” I saw that quote one day, and I sort of had a breakthrough. I really missed writing.

2. Try as I might, writing felt like a chore. I still had all of the stories bubbling around in my brain, but I found no joy in the process. My husband—the love of my life—suggested I get back online and find the places and people that used to inspire me and made writing FUN.

3. I visited old, familiar online stomping grounds, like A Different Forest, and I think I wigged a lot of people out. Some people were happy to welcome me back. Some people thought I was an imposter weirdo. Someone asked if I’d seen the tribute that was written about me on the Twific Fandom Awards site. I hadn’t.

4. I followed a shared link and read the humbling and beautiful words beegurl13 had written in a tribute to Bratty-Vamp. No lie… I ugly cried. And as soon as I pulled it together, I searched for beegurl13 so I could thank her for writing what she had, to let her know how much it meant to me. After we did a slow-motion running-toward-each-other-with-our-arms-extended, wind-in-our-hair, sand-under-our-feet sort of coming together, beegurl13 punched me in the face for taking so long to come back. Okay. So not really. But we did have a nice time reconnecting. She also told me about another little secret I was clueless about.

5. There was a Bratty-Vamp fanfiction page on Facebook! Say what?! I went to check it out. Sure enough, some lovely person named Cejsmomwatson started the group years before and actually kept it going the entire time I’d been away. I immediately sent a request to join, and I then knew I was in trouble. Cejsmomwatson was very quick to remind me that before I left the fandom, I had promised to write a baseball fanfic called MVP and she was still waiting for it.

So, for what it’s worth, here it is. It comes with a big thank you to people who never forgot my stories. If you’re part of the five or six people who stuck it out and waited on Facebook, big kisses to you! This is for friendships, new and old. It’s for humbling tributes, encouraging pre-readers/cheerleaders, and for uber-talented betas. It’s for people who put their own writing out there and light a fire under my ass to try to do the same. It’s also for the people who are probably sitting around plotting bad reviews before I even post the first chapter. Some people are just like that! It takes everyone and every type to make up this wild and wacky fandom. And I’ve missed you all.

Now… LET’S PLAY BALL!

_____

“Thirteen, Mary! Thirteen!”  

With a sigh, I stood and walked over to the curb. Mindful not to ruin my stockings, I carefully lowered myself to my knees and stretched my body forward like a cat, pressing my cheek to the warm concrete while I peered under the vehicle. Just as I thought, the ball had rolled to rest just behind the back tire. It wouldn’t be easy to reach. I pushed my arm out as far as I could and wiggled my fingers, smiling when I finally felt the rubber ball beneath my fingertips. I froze, however, when I heard someone clear their throat above me.

“Not that I mind the view,” a decidedly masculine voice said. “But would you mind telling me what in the hell you’re doing to my car?”

I closed my eyes and groaned, realizing that my bottom was pointed straight up at the owner of the vehicle that I was practically crawling beneath. Trying to muster up whatever dignity I could, I stood and straightened my clothing before turning to face the man who towered above me.

Oh, damn.    

Be sure to put AKABrattyVamp on alert, so you can follow along with TLS!  

~ Nic