Firelight & Fiction
Some stories don’t fit between the pages. These are the ones that asked to be kept, anyway.
Enjoy bonus content from the realm of the ridiculous to the sacred
(Including an occasional appearance by Grams).
The secret places inside the stories. The heartbeats between the chapters.
Here, you’ll find bonus or deleted scenes, off-page conversations, artifacts from stories, and hilarious moments when I asked AI to generate an image, and AI got it wrong.
Take for example, the image to the left. I asked for an image of Grams stealing Layton’s precious wooden spoon (it’s a thing). And this is the visual I received. A knight (?) with wings and a massive sword, chasing Grams, as she carries her jug of LEGAL LMPPOS ITOUSR.
Ode to the Wooden Spoon
by Auren (of the glitterless, hoodie-clad persuasion)
O Spoon of timber, old and wise,
You stir with secrets in disguise.
Not silver, cold, nor gold and grand—
But shaped by fire and calloused hand.
You’ve tasted soups that healed the soul,
And sauces spiced with stories bold.
You’ve felt her grip in midnight haze,
And bore the weight of reckless praise.
You’ve tapped out threats on countertop,
When flirt turned feud, and talk turned hot.
You’ve stirred through grief, through love, through lust—
And still, you never break. You trust.
Not made for show, you’re made to stay.
Through every mess, you never stray.
And should one vanish, torn or tossed—
The tale remains. A lover lost.
So here’s to spoons with sturdy grace,
To what we hold—and can’t replace.
To every stir, each gentle swoon...
I swear I loved you, wooden spoon.
