13 months ago, 
I was so honored that I decided to produce an extended story with a freewrite character I had created, police captain/detective Ironwood Hamilton ... and so, THIS happened!
I wrote that as extra content, and ended up with a novel written -- I crossed 50,000 words in 17 days.
That wasn't quite what anybody had in mind.
I didn't know I could do that.
I was a published author before finding Steem/Hive, but I took my time -- nine years separate the publication of the first two, and two years separate numbers two and three.
SO: Turning out a novel-length tale in Freewrite was a groundshaking surprise ... and then it happened again, and again, and again ... even now it is going on, as Ironwood Hamilton and friends are working with the daily prompts to find out who stole some toys and finding out some shocking things along the way!
Had I never found Freewriters, I still would have just been trundling along in my slow way, publishing here and there ... but INSTEAD, I found myself with enough writing piling up by the time Hive launched that I knew it was time to get some help.
Writing is tough by itself. Don't let anybody fool you. Having a daily prompt really helps, of course -- thank you, Freewriters, AGAIN -- but writing alone is TOUGH. It takes a lot of energy to do it consistently and well ... and this makes it even HARDER to find time and energy to get work out to a larger audience and get it paying for itself so writers have time to do less things for money beside writing.
My search led me in a loop, actually -- I had known about Toneal M. Jackson and APS International and was about to make a move in the spring, because so many authors I know and respect were getting good results there. A lot of powerful books had been coming out of that as yet little-known but important powerhouse in Chicago, so I figured I had better make my move before the crowd arrived.
But then, Covid-19 arrived, and I got distracted ... perhaps you know the feeling ...
... but I looped back around in late July and GOT THE DEAL, folks!
True to all I had heard, Ms. Jackson lets no moss grow under her feet with APS authors -- I'm up for a BIG book review on Facebook on the 18th and I will be doing live readings on Facebook beginning tomorrow at 2pm Pacific ... I'll drop the link into the comments here at that time, but if you miss it, no worries -- I will post it up sometime on Friday and get it here!
FINALLY, for all of you that wanted to be able to read this story at one sitting -- on the 18th, Black, White, and RED All Over will be available as a free download on Amazon, and also discounted in paperback (I told you, Ms. Jackson and APS DO NOT PLAY -- she said I needed to get that together and how to do it WITH THE QUICKNESS, and I got it done)!
More updates as they become available -- the link to the live will be in the comments tomorrow, and I'll post the video up by Friday!
And now, I need to get on to doing the day's freewrites ... one thing my father taught me was MASTER the BASICS. If I hadn't been writing every day as a freewriter, none of the above could have ever happened, so now is not the time for me to forget our beloved daily discipline!