Scarlett Chase's Blog

This year’s theme: out with the old, in with the new. I left my old job earlier this year so I can focus on editing and writing. It felt good. It’s been a little over a year now since I’ve started editing. I’m happy to say it’s going really well. Once I’m a more established author, I’ll cut back on the number of clients I’ll be working with to spend more time writing.

Another change is the activity in my reader group. I’ve decided to post more than I have been. Instead of doing newsletters, my reader group will have what usually goes in a newsletter as well as more interaction from me. I won’t be the only one posting though which leads me to my next announcement. Brittany Montano Management LLC. and I have begun a working relationship to help me promo and get my books out to more readers. One of the things she and her team will be helping me with is posting more regularly in my reader group. I hope this helps break the ice and get people chatting it up. I’m very excited to work together.

Another development occurred in my writing lineup. So I’ve shifted around the order in which I’ll write my next stories. Plans change and I adapt as quickly as I can. Instead of only participating in one anthology this year, I’ll participate in two. The first is what’s been announced everywhere. The Beautifully Bloody anthology will release October 1st of this year. My story’s already going through the first round of edits. The second anthology will be coming out sometime in this year’s end-of-year holiday season. Both of my stories featured in these anthologies will be spicy Horror, or Horrotica if you will, with no HEA and I’m pumped!

What’s Next?

Once I finish the outline for a Dark Romance that I’ll now release at a later date, I’ll get to work on doing all my pre-production stuff so I can write the Horrotica that will go in anthology #2. After that, I’ll do my pre-production work for Catalina’s sequel! It would’ve been slated for earlier, but other stuff fell through. Part of the reason why I’m doing two anthologies now. The other part is that it’s a new genre I’ve been wanting to explore for a while now. After Catalina’s sequel, I’m not 100% sure which project will be. My brain is having an idea sale and everything must go…onto my notes to be written later. But in with the new seems to be this year’s theme for me so we’ll see when the wind blows me.

LinksIf you want to join my reader group, click here: Scarlett Chase’s Nauti Secret Society | FacebookThis is my main link that will guide you to all the things: authorscarlettchase | Facebook, TikTok | Linktree

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Too pooped to party is me right now. Well, more yesterday and the day before, but still. I’ve been too busy to come back to my website to update anything since right after my birthday. And that was back at the end of August. Between trips and a rough start to October, I fell way behind on my writing while my editing business took off. I am so excited that I took a chance on myself and another dream job and it’s paying off. Getting paid to read is my life now.

Since I’ve started editing, I’ve spent much more time behind a digital screen which is another reason I haven’t gotten much writing done. But I’ve hopefully taken steps to correct that and get shit back on track. Since I didn’t do anything in the way of marketing my first book BEFORE the release, I may have overcorrected just a tad. This month is all about Facebook group hops and author parties. I’ve signed up for so many that I’m not going to post it on my Events page. It’s too many posts. So I’m going to list out the dates with appropriate links for each party I’m going to be attending.

If I miss any, I’ll come back and add in the rest. Yes, that’s how many I’ve joined. This is nuts. I swear the next time I’m in this many, I’ll have a PA handling that because this is ridonkulous. But this is how indie authors need to market themselves now. I still hate the marketing side of writing. BUT I also have fun hanging out with other authors so… it kind of balances out. Anyway, party info is below! Join us for giveaways and fun. (Group hop info will be in my reader group.)

Party LinksDana Isaly’s 12 Tropes of Christmas on the 13th, 19th, and 20th of this month Dana’s House of Horny Humans | FacebookScarlett Philips’ 15 Days of Christmas Takeovers on the 13th of this month Scarlett’s Stalkers | FacebookMonique Shepherd’s Meant to be Damned Release Party on the 13th of this month Good Girls Party Room | FacebookHolly Jolly Folly Holidays Around the World Boozy Brunch time on the 19th of this month Smutty Unapologetic Book Babes (SUBBs) | FacebookA.R. Rose’s Christmas Party on the 22nd of this month A.R. Rose’s Readers | FacebookDirty Little Secret’s Kinkmas Countdown on the 22nd of this month Dirty Little Secret Book Club | FacebookStacy Kristen’s Release Party on the 30th of this month Treats Between The Pages | Facebook

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The past few weeks have been hard for many creative types and I’m here to spread some information. From the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, AI tainting everything, and Amazon giving KU authors the lowest payment per page read ever even though KU subscriptions have risen. I’ve gone back and forth between writing about this on my blog and not. So here we go. This one is going to be a bit long so brace yourselves, my dudes.

WGA & SAG-AFTRA Strikes

For those of you who don’t exactly know why they are on strike, let me give you the main bullet points. Most big studios haven’t changed contracts since streaming services became a thing which is screwing over writers, actors, production assistants, and more from a trickle-down effect.

First Reason

Residuals. How is it that people like Bob Iger and David Zaslav can have multi-million dollar salaries while the creatives who actually put in the time, sweat, and work in get paid pennies? Why do they get residual checks that don’t even cover the cost of postage? And according to a handful of articles, these same super-rich studio heads want to wait out those on strike so they’re desperate for work and take the bullshit contract they have put forth which has already been rejected. Up until yesterday, they had refused to even try to enter into negotiations.

Second reason

AI. According to several background actors, Disney studios have begun to inventory their likeness citing xyz reasons and if they don’t agree, they don’t get to work. Soon after, this became a point of contention in the new contracts. Studios don’t want to pay for extras anymore and would rather digitally input AI-generated background actors for a cheaper price. The handful of shows that have unveiled AI background have caught the attention of viewers and not in a positive light. However, who’s to say they would stop at just extras? Since people have begun to try and write stuff using AI, there are talks of writers also being replaced.

Bottom line: cheap, greedy assholes are trying to cut costs wherever possible, up subscriptions, and keep outdated contracts in place in order to have a better bottom line and more money going into their pockets. This is why streaming numbers have begun to decline, but clearly, that’s not enough. As of right now, cutting your streaming services to help boycott won’t help unless the unions call for a boycott. If you decide to do it because you feel morally obligated to, then do.

AI In The Book World

I’m not here to say pros and cons of using AI to make book covers or write books. If you use AI period, you’re stealing. It’s as simple as that. It’s as bad as people pirating copies of books and then saying “if you can’t afford to buy books you want to read, come to this illegal site.” Just no. AI uses other people’s hard work to try and create “new and original shit”. Artists and writers weren’t asked if their work could be used or copied, it was just taken.

To KU Or Not To KU

Whether you’re an author or a reader, DO WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU. Do not go around saying authors who are leaving KU are punishing their readers or say authors that leave KU are stupid. Just like how every author’s path to success and every author’s way to write is different, whether or not they leave is up to each author. Some can’t leave, some are saying “screw you Amazon” and going wide, and others are doing some sort of hybrid model. Some people can’t afford to not be using KU and others are leaving period. Do what’s best for you, my dudes, and don’t insult people who are doing the opposite of what you’re doing.

If you want to leave KU because of the KU payout but can’t afford to buy all the books, look for the authors that are going wide in libraries and library apps. Join the Kobo+ subscription, it’s actually cheaper than the KU subscription. Try and become an ARC reader for your favorite authors. There are options my dudes, I swear.

LinksIf you want to get more info on why cutting services completely won’t work unless unions call for it, click here: Want to Support Striking Workers? Don���t Cancel Your Netflix Subscription Yet. | Truthout

The post Information Is Power appeared first on scarlettchase.

Hey, my dudes! So for this blog post, I figured I would answer some questions so you can learn more about me. I will cover a wide variety of things so here we go!

A bit about me first. I can speak English and Spanish fluently, French used to be fluent now it’s probably between proficient and advanced, I’m learning Italian, and I might try Portuguese or/and one more but not sure which yet. And I might try and learn High Valyrian too because I’m just THAT nerdy. I live in Austin, Texas, but am a native Californian. I’m Mexican, though I’m so ethnically ambiguous people guess all kinds of things. I love collecting pretty rocks, especially amethyst, and pretty jewelry though I almost never wear any. I rarely wear makeup and I never get my nails done.

Boots! I LOVE boots and they make up most of my footwear (I only have like….20 pairs of shoes) and wedges are the next popular type of shoe I own. Though I have a lot of college classes under my belt, I never even got an Associate’s degree or graduated. One of my most prized possessions is a paperback copy of Prisoner of Azkaban that was signed by the drummer of one of my favorite rock bands: Palaye Royale. And I’ve yet to meet my best friend in real life since we met on a Facebook group (before 2020) and she lives in London. She’s the best!

Favorites

I do enjoy video games and my favorite to play (currently) are Smash Drums, Beat Saber, Assassin’s Creed, Injustice 1 & 2, and Star Wars: Battlefront II. My favorite board games are Rotten Apples, 5 Second Rule, Scattergories, and Clue. Favorite fruit: mangoes, strawberries, pomegranates, and peaches. Favorite hobbies: READING, writing, coloring, Favorite ways to exercise: sexy times, dancing, yoga, and swimming. Don’t come asking me about my favorite books, authors, movies, or foods because I can’t choose XD

Dislikes

Coffee, tea, alcohol, onions, and chocolate taste nasty to me, so no thank you. Oh yeah, and pickles. And the only soda I’ll drink is ginger ale, specifically the Canada Dry brand. I hated the endings to How I Met Your Mother and Game of Thrones. Bullies are the worst. Though I love Halloween and spooky things, I don’t like Nightmare Before Christmas. Most Rap, Hip Hop, and Country is a no go for me. Pink is terrible. I don’t like using a black pen. I don’t like going into the out without the promise of food, I’m very much a homebody. However, traveling to a new place/country and going to different spots to explore or eat at is the exception. Go big or go home indeed (though if you use that with me, I will definitely choose to go home XD ).

Fandom Things

I love Harry Potter and I’m a proud Ravenclaw! Game of Thrones: the show is better than the books but that ending was terrible and I’m a Targaryen. Team Damon 1000% though Elijah is pretty hot too (TVD). Sure, the moose is cool and his older brother is funny, but I’m 1000% a Cas girl. Luke Evans’ Dracula is the hottest Dracula. Marvel over DC because the MCU is insane and because Loki, but the Joker is cool (not the one in Suicide Squad though). Ted Mosby and Ross Geller are the worst. I’m pretty sure I’d be a water bender though having the Avatar’s powers would be pretty cool, but that’s a lot of responsibility. The Percy Jackson series and its spinoffs are fantastic and I’m excited for the show. Phil Dunphy is the funniest character on Modern Family, Psych is a criminally underrated and funny show, Schmidt is the best character in New Girl, and Sheldon Cooper is my favorite character in Big Bang Theory.

Never Have I EverBroken a boneWatched Doctor WhoTried snailsGotten arrestedGone to any country with the word “land” in itGotten drunkShot a bow and arrowGone to a Con dressed up (have only been to 1 con though)Driven over 90 mphPunched someone in the face

I hope you enjoyed reading through this! If you’d like to comment about any of this, feel free to join my reader group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/10168... 

The post Get To Know Me appeared first on scarlettchase.

Yep, it’s time to say bye. Ever since I first started deep diving into the writing world, I’ve heard stories about authors having problems with Amazon. From books being banned, author accounts being shut down, and TWs red-flagging a book. Now I’m not here to debate the pros and cons of KDP and KU. Nor am I here to convince you to end your subscription. I’m just here to talk about what I’ve seen and why I’ve decided to end my own KU subscription. You do you.

I started wide and honestly, I’m never going to do anything else. Yeah, it’ll take me longer to gain readers, but I want all of my books to always be accessible to everyone. I want my books in libraries, just everywhere. And the bigger the problems got between Amazon and authors, the more I felt like it was the right decision for me. I DO have my book in Kobo Plus. They don’t ask for your book to be exclusively in Kobo Plus. So for fellow wide authors, it’s a good deal, so far.

As a reader, I was fine with paying for KU because I had the time to read enough KU books to make it worth it. However, now I don’t. I ARC and beta read more now than I did when I first got KU. And I also am more connected with different reader/author groups. There are so many books on my Kindle now that I’ve gotten for free from author sales or giveaways. Not to mention Libby is great. So now only read 1 or 2 books a month from KU.

Amazon has lowered how much they pay an author per page read. Add that to all the crazy stories I’ve read and now this price hike, bye KU. If the price hike were going to the authors, I maybe might’ve stayed. But this doesn’t seem to be the case. (Some are saying it’s to get people to move to Vella which is more expensive and others say the price hike is because so many people have left KU.) So I’m just not going to do a subscription anywhere once I’m done reading through all the current loans I have. If I REALLY want a specific book, I’m going to buy the ebook so the author makes more from my reading it. It’ll probably be cheaper for me a month.

Links If you’re curious about Kobo Plus and their prices, here’s their link: Kobo Plus eBook & Audiobook Subscription | Rakuten Kobo United States

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Whoa, my dudes. This month has come and gone so fast. I blinked and March and April flew by. I, unfortunately, had to pause posting my fanfiction because I got so overwhelmed. So, I started a new job at the end of February and was busy training and getting into a groove. Since I started it, however, I’ve had almost no time to write creatively. And since I work from home on my laptop, my eyes and brain get tired from sitting in front of a computer all day. 

On top of that, I was worried I would have to move again for a week. Luckily, I was able to stay put. Now I’m just working on trying to find a balance between the 2 jobs I work, everyday stuff like dishes and food, and all the author stuff, which sadly most of that is just using SM sites to get my name out there. I was finally able to start writing again and I’ve begun working on my next book. I’m hoping to get it published this year, but we’ll see. So someone let time know I said “Whoa, buddy. Slow it down a bit, thanks.”

In other news, something big happened a bit ago in the book world. An indie author was wrongfully accused of something terrible by a voice actor. Well, my dudes if you keep up with stuff, you know exactly who I’m talking about. When the story first came to me, I was really new to everything. But I didn’t turn my back on a fellow indie author based on an unsubstantiated claim. And now, look at this. VALIDATION. If you’ve no idea, click the link below and see the newest development. 

LinksIf you need an update on the latest book world news click the following link: Elizabeth Brown – Liza shared this. I’m so excited to finally… | Facebook

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“No HEA, not Romance” vs. “No HEA, still a Romance”. This debate has been going on for so long, I doubt it’ll stop heated discussions anytime soon. And if the title of this blog post didn’t clue you in, I’m firmly in the no HEA is still a Romance side. Why wouldn’t it be? Think about this: if someone asked you to list 5 OG Romances, chances are Romeo & Juliet will make it on there. So why is that story called a romance? They don’t end up together, they’re dead af by the end. 

I can do the same with movies. Chances are Titanic makes it in the top 5 and they don’t end up together either. So why is it ok to call those stories romances, but not newer stories? If you’re still not convinced think about it in real-life terms. A couple gets married and they’re living their happily ever after until one of them unfortunately dies. It could happen days, months, or years after the wedding, but it happens. Does it mean that their story isn’t romantic? That their story isn’t a romance? If you wouldn’t go up to the grieving party and say “don’t worry, your real happily ever after is still out there” because they experienced a true romance and love, why doesn’t that apply to fictional work?

There are so many stories you hear about real-life couples who are perfect for each other and truly are happy. But terrible life incidents happen that break down the relationship or even tear it apart. It doesn’t mean their feelings weren’t real or they didn’t really love each other. So if you wouldn’t invalidate someone’s real-life romance, why would you invalidate someone’s work that they poured their blood, sweat, and tears into? Just as not everyone ends with a HEA, not every Romance book ends in a HEA. 

Branching Out

Fortunately, we’ve begun to move in the right direction. Now we have HFN endings that have been accepted as part of Romance novels as well as a new subgenre: Dark Romance. Though many still have a HEA/HFN ending, the journey the love interests go through isn’t your typical sunshine and roses story. Because some of us crave more than regular romance. We crave the tears, the emotional rollercoaster ride, the questioning of our own sanity, and the taboo.

So if we’ve been able to branch out for these stories, why can’t we branch out with a new category for No HEA stories? It’s unfair to tell authors to lump their books into the Women’s Fiction category because they don’t fit there. The storyline doesn’t usually follow a woman on a self-discovery or personal growth path. It follows a woman who falls in love and has a romantic relationship filled with sex before going their separate ways. 

The whole “Romance is better than real life” reasoning is thin. Nobody reads the same thing over and over again without getting bored. Some days you feel like reading dirty smut, other days you want monster peen, and others you want all the cute. Same thing with endings, some days you feel like reading a guaranteed HEA, sometimes you want it super dark, and other times you may want something that hurts your heart. And a no HEA ending fits that void!

Just because your personal preference doesn’t include a story without a HEA doesn’t mean it should be excluded from Romance. Monster peens, alien smut, and Dark Romance are all clearly labeled so if they don’t float your boat you don’t read them. You can do the same with no HEA ending Romance. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Links Sometimes I Want a Romance Without the HEA (bookriot.com) Let’s Talk Bookish | Romances and HEAs – A Book Wanderer 5 Ways To End Your Romance Novel – Writers Write

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The lovely duo behind N.O. One agreed to do an interview with me and I was so excited! The interview questions I made were specifically for them and their series so we can get more behind-the-scenes info. Keep on reading for the interview and thank you ladies for doing this with me!

– What or who brought this dynamic duo together and how? 

Brunette: Lily Wildhart is Tinder for authors. She was all…you need a partner; Blondie needs a partner…go. And so, we went. Now, here we are.

Blondie: Without giving shiz away… yeah, Lily did it! I was all like, I’d love to see what co-writing is like, and she was all like… well… Brunette briefly mentioned a wanting a partner… And bam, here we are!

– Where did the idea for this series come from?

Brunette: It sounds ridiculous when I say it like this but the first kernel was born in the most clichés of places…the shower. Right between the shampoo and the conditioner, I was like…oh shit!

Blondie: We had already plotted and begun writing a why choose under our joint pen names… Then Brunette goes “I had an idea in the shower!” And of course, every time either of us says this… it gets developed into something diabolical! Then N.O. One was born…

– Did you know how the series would end from the beginning?

Brunette: Hahahaha, we thought we did. We plotted this bitch from start to finish and then NOTHING happened like we’d planned. I love how readers are calling us the sadistic duo but to be fair, half the time we’re just as surprised as they are by the turn of events.

Blondie: Nope! Up until we hit the middle of book 1, we didn’t even really plot! Then we plotted hard. Then CAG happened. But the plan was still solid. Then Marco happened and all the planning went tits up lol

– Which one of you goes off script the most?

Brunette: It’s a tie, methinks. Well, maybe more me than Blondie.

Blondie: Brunette probably goes off script more often, although it’s a close one! We both tend to message each other with an “I did a thing…”

– Do you have more ideas that will have you writing together outside this series and its spinoff(s?)?

Brunette: Yes, we’ve decided that we shall write into the afterlife together. Our ashes will keep on writing together. One thing is for sure, for those who started out with us from the beginning, every new book we write will have some type of thread back to the original series even if the story is completely separate. We are big fans of Easter eggs.

Blondie: What she said, lol. We have sooo many plans for all the things!

– Which guy in the series is your favorite and why?

Brunette: I mean, Marco had me from the first sentence he spoke in The Filthy One. It was all downhill from there. He’s the heart in my eyes. Devon, however, is coming in at a very, very, close second.

Blondie: I’m going with Devon… simply because I can let my British freak flag fly with him 😊 But obv the Forever One will always have a special place in my heart!

– Which scene got you so hot and bothered you had to stop and come back to it?

Brunette: I don’t know…to be honest, I’m a huge fan of primal so Nathaniel in the woods got my cheeks nice and red.

Blondie: Didn’t have to stop and come back to any! Hardcore, baby 😉

– Which scene made you facepalm hard?

Brunette: The bathtub with Marco. I couldn’t believe I was writing a romcom feel scene into a dark romance but…here we are.

Blondie: Oh man, er… none in a bad way! I like to think we’ve injected a good amount of humor and humility into all of the characters, so there’s a few facepalm moments.

– What is 1 big plot point that started 1 way in the planning stage and ended up in a completely different place?

Brunette: Honestly? The main freaking plot went out the window as soon as we started writing. By the end of The Rich One we started adjusting a few things and by the time The Filthy One began, the whole plot was back to square one.

Blondie: By the time we got to roughly the middle of each book… we fudged shiz up 😉

This is the end of the interview! N.O. One is having a release party in their reader group and I’ll be attending that AND the live chat!

Links If you’d like to join us in N.O. One’s reader group for their release party and live chat this Friday the 24th, click the following link: N.O. One’s Fierce Reader Group | Facebook

The post N.O. One Interview appeared first on scarlettchase.

I really mean all social media videos, but the ones from TikTok specifically are EVERYWHERE. As some of my readers know, I originally went to Instagram for an account. But they eventually deleted it. When I finally decided to give TikTok a shot, I had to learn how to navigate TikTok. I also had to learn how to make videos on Canva. It took some time but I was finally able to format all these using my own voice. At the beginning of this month, I revamped my video format. So now there’s something playing in the background that connects to the book in some way, not just the song choice.

One of the things I found while doing research before I started making videos was this annoying “flashy video” trend. Which has only gotten worse in my opinion. There are so many videos that pop up that cycle through images or videos so quickly. Add flashy effects or any kind of blurred effect, and it really messes with my eyes. And I’m not even as sensitive as people whose migraines get triggered by flashes. I can only imagine how hard it is for them to navigate through so many of these kinds of TikTok videos. 

Why are so many of these videos so damn flashy or blurry? Wouldn’t the main point of these is for the audience to be able to watch and read without their eyes hurting? All these super crazy effects don’t mean shit if your readers can’t watch what you post. Bombarding 1 single video with tons of effects doesn’t make your video cooler or more professional looking. Not to mention many audience members might just skip watching the whole thing as soon as they see the first crazy flash. Just keep sensitive viewers in mind when making your videos so you don’t hurt their eyes and heads. You could be missing out on potential readers!

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I have been trying to keep up with my reviews all year and think I’ve been doing a pretty good job. Every single book I’ve read this year has gotten a review. And I’ve put up a blog post talking about what the stars mean in my reviews. But I haven’t explained the heat levels! So if you’re curious to know about those, here they are.

Heat Levels5: surface of the sun hot, flooded my place, change of undies required after every sex scene, gave me interesting dreams because of the sex in the book, highlights to key scenes, definitely will have to relieve some sexual desire immediately, 100% ready to get some, Notgeil 1 4: I am sweating, hot summer day heat level, change of undies needed at least twice, highlights for a couple of scenes, might cause some interesting dreams, have to relieve some sexual desire soon, 70 – 90% ready to get some, Notgeil 2 3: Definitely getting a bit wet down there, sitting really close to a campfire hot, may have to relieve some sexual desire soon, interesting dream probability low, 50 – 70% ready to get some, Notgeil 3 2: Heart has sped up, pupils have dilated, standing near an oven hot, interesting dream probability almost nonexistent, 30 – 50% ready to get some, Notgeil 4 1: My sexy time senses are tingling, maybe get a shiver down your spine, candle giving off heat level hot, enough to keep the plot interesting but quite tame, 10 – 30% ready to get some, Notgeil 5Now if you have no idea what Notgeil means, let me explain because I didn’t either until my best friend and work wifey told me. Notgeil is a German word that would roughly translate to extremely horny or emergency horny. Notgeil Levels

1: flash flood warning, need some release right tf NOW before you die, could come almost immediately, will use own devices for release if need be

2: flood warning, need some release very soon, could come pretty damn quick, will use own devices for release if need be

3: rain but no flood, need some release sometime today, could come quicker than normal, may use own devices for release if need be

4: light drizzle, may or may not need release today, the oven has been starting to preheat but needs some action before being ready, can wait to get some

5: that was hot at the time, no real need for release, can wait for some however long, almost pretty much a normal day here, will need all the things going to get oven hot

I hope all this was helpful or at least interesting. In other news, the couple Roban and Catalina that you can find in the F*ck the Patriarchy anthology that I am a part of is going to have their own novel! That’s right. My next novel will be featuring them and how they got to where they are in the snippet shown in the anthology. If you’d like to be one of the first to hear juicy news, come join my reader group. Until next time my dudes.

LinksIf you’re wondering about the blog post where I explain my star ratings, click here: Stars and Reviews – scarlettchase (authorscarlettchase.com)If you want to join my reader group, click here: Between The Sheets | Facebook

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