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The Ultimate Guide to Fetch Beyond
This would probably be a little easier if I actually read a blog instead of imagining Sex and the City scenes I never saw every time I touch a keyboard and think, "I'm going to blog now..."
All my life, I've been a writer. Just not this type of writer (or any type, really). It's always been me off in my little world, minding my business and making up all the rules. Now that I'm 30-something, broke as hell, and have nothing else going on, quite frankly. I have been trying hard to be that type of writer. The kind that gets paid.
These days, I'll do anything to get paid. Other than work. I no longer want to do that; I'm just being honest. Since I was nineteen, I have worked in factories and warehouses. Don't pull out your tiny violin just yet, and please come back. I wasn't about to drop my Cash App. (I'm saving that for the end.)
If you've ever done that type of work, you already know the top complaints; the hours are long, and you get treated like a number wherever you work, especially as a temp. The working conditions vary but typically suck ass. You're either working in a freezer keeping hot food cold, or working in the heat, making cold things hot. Did I mention the hours? Because soon enough, that's what drives you crazy. You're sleeping when everyone else is up and up when everyone else is asleep. Do you know who else is up, though? Your co-workers! And that's why I say, go ahead, laugh all you want. Cause boy, did we have time at 4 AM!
I became a mother at 26, and something in me changed. It wasn't always for the good, but I still hope it leads me to better. Becoming a parent will always deserve a blog of its own. It's the one thing that no matter how prepared you get for it, you have no idea what you're doing. Parenting often feels like you're raising the child in yourself instead of the tiny person asking you questions about everything every five minutes. You start to realize things that you once thought were okay - weren't. You fear things you never feared before, and suddenly everything yo momma said about yo black ass was right.
It was December 2019 when I first said the words out loud. "I was gonna publish my short stories, The Echoes Collection." To me, myself, and I, I have been working on the collection since 2002. I still stand by my work today when I say it's such a vibe. But I never completed the collection. I just kept adding characters, scenes, and, as my incorrigible baby daddy would say, "concepts."
Little did he know even my guardian angels had gotten tired of me wasting my potential. And as soon as he said 'concepts' - a light bulb went off in my head. (Well... It was more like a voice arguing, "What's wrong with concepts? We all gotta start somewhere.") Needless to say, he was right, though, and it was time I slid away from the drawing board and put some action behind my daydreams.
The first person I told about my "get so rich, not quick at all scheme" was my best friend. I vaguely remember her joking about Abriyah being our baby when I was pregnant. Well, bitch, (like you always are), I guess you were right! All through the pandemi, I was manifesting, organizing, creating, and healing. And I'm proud to announce two of my 'concepts' are here today - Scary Hours and Rocket Drop.
So, maybe, I have an addiction to Microsoft Word 2010. (or something stranger) Either way, this is my corner of the Internet. And in case you missed it, this is where it all started.
..... Okay, so Rocket Drop was never a concept and came out of nowhere. But I am broke! I've been all over Beyoncé's Internet looking for jobs, opportunities, guidance - help! Everything. And the more information I took in, the cockier I became as the finish line finally became clear. It's about 7,207 miles away, but I see it!
This isn't my first time virtually panhandling. I've been waiting to try this influencer thing for a while, but like so many of us, I was embarrassed, didn't know where to start, and was more worried about stepping out of my comfort zone and 'making it' than actually stepping out my comfort zone so I could make it—giving up on everything over something so trivial before I even started.
But my remnants here and there left the perfect blueprint for me to follow back home. I've had this same dream since Mario met the chick with the braids. I wanted to tell stories about people who looked like me and felt how I felt in a world that only we could imagine. And I wanted to share those stories.
It's the way I communicate.
I started working on this blog last August and haven't updated it since. Hopefully, you won't have to get used to that. But I did a thing last October! It was my sister's anniversary. I was cute..?.
Again, I'm having an SJPM (Sarah Jessica Parker Moment) and fear I may have gotten too ahead of myself. Because to do this right, I have to go back to this day. The day everything did change - and I missed it.
In the literary world, my world, we would refer to this as the catalyst. The moment everything for the protagonist changes, pushing them out of their comfort zone and onto their journey.
And I've had quite a journey between losing Devin and giving birth to Abriyah. I spent the next eight years of my life on auto-pilot. With way too many nights filled with faces I can't remember and names I never learned. (And didn't make a dollar. Tsk.) In 2021, after making my angels a promise, I learned that I have been battling against major depressive disorder. And the fight had begun long before half of my heart stopped beating.
Devin and I weren't boyfriend and girlfriend. We were best friends - (which is somewhat worst.) That day, August 9th, 2008, I lost the one person I could share my stories with. Up all night, talking each other to sleep. I slobbed into three phones talking to Devin. (Sorry again, Momma) Then he was gone. I lost the one person I trusted enough to let in and get to know the real Deidre. I never let another person close to me like Devin and began to push the ones I had away.
The next time I felt anything real was when my daughter came bursting out of my 'you-know-what' :-) And again, when I told Symone my plan. Finally, seeing all the people I still had here with me.
Living with depression and anxiety, not even Whitney can explain how powerful it feels to exhale. I may have had a few false starts, but I finally think I'm ready to write a straightforward blog and explain how this thing called Fetch Beyond Entertainment works.
I've also been a graphic designer this whole time too! And now I'm ready to help you develop your brand. Well... I'll design the logo.
I began developing the Fetch Beyond brand in 2010, along with The Mason Universe.
Writing has always been my first love, but I soon fell for all the other creative ways you can tell a story; art, fashion, television, stage, and dance. Each one found a special place in my heart and became more than an intrusive thought.
It was August 24th, 2021, when I hit yet another wall, threw my hands up, and began filling out job applications. Until that voice went off in my head - Devin's voice - "GOOGLE MANIFESTATION! BUY A JOURNAL. WRITE IT ALL DOWN AND BE REALISTIC!"
I'm not so broke that I can't afford another planner. I'm a 90s baby, so I revel best in nostalgia and have loved tracking my progress, over and over, between August 24th and today.
Has your mother ever played "Helen's Testimony" at max volume during one of those Saturday morning clean-ups? If she hasn't, Helen Baylor is a gospel singer. And her song, "Helen's Testimony," describes the day she turned away from drugs and gave her life back to God. She opens the song by describing the moment she was high and in a bathroom when she felt herself lose consciousness. She knew she was dying and began praying to God to save her. Needless to say, God did just that. Saving Helen and even delivering her husband as well.
If I told you the same thing happened to me, you'd think I was crazy, wouldn't you? Well, it did. After 13 years of never seeing his face, hearing his sweet smile, or feeling his vibrato rumble through my skin, Devin was right there in my bathroom as I lost consciousness and was heading headfirst into my bathroom sink. I felt him once again, saving me from myself, as something pushed me back and wiped away the tears.
For the next week, I talked to myself like a crazy person. Making a list of what I wanted and saying goodbye to anything I didn't. At times I still think I fucking lost it, so I wouldn't be surprised if you did, too. But, "we all gotta start somewhere."
This is Devin - my co-pilot.
My imposter starts speaking before me when I think about Fetch Beyond. It's a parent company and my alter-ego for taking over the world one Instagram post at a time. I was pretty sure it would end up on the cutting room floor when Devin was done haunting me. But I dream big. And the next step on our list was to learn the difference between a brand and a business.
I get frustrated every time I have to admit that I'm Googling half of this and flying by the seat of my pants. And I won't quote Devin again because we all know it's true - 'somewhere.'
My 'somewhere' was exactly where I left off - The Echoes Collection. Ever since I could spell words, I've been writing stories. I used to keep my younger sister up at night telling her these elaborate dreams I had. We both knew I was lying, but the story was too damn good to stop!
In high school, I began posting on fanfiction boards. And yes, I had one of those annoying role-playing Tumblrs. When Wattpad took off around 2010, I moved over to their platform. Still, I found it difficult to break through all the noise. Most of the popular black authors on Wattpad came with a pre-established fan base from Tumblr and the forums. Meanwhile, I struggle to talk to people in real life and have an anxiety attack whenever I come across a box asking, 'What's on your mind?' (Baby! A lot!)
The bane of my existence and the reason why I breathe. The Mason Universe is my 10-part series about the fictional Field County. When I started, it was just Echoes... Then I got a little carried away.
The Mason Universe was the first project I swore I was ready to launch. I pushed down all my anxiety, turned off my thoughts, and did the bare minimum to put together a Patreon, start an Instagram, and began writing.
Spoiler, no one came. - No matter how my times I quoted Field of Dreams.
Honestly, if I were you, I would stick to Patreon. Them other two... "Scary Hours"
The hardest part of chasing this dream will always be putting myself out there. 2019 was a bad enough year for me without the pandemi lurking around to fuck us all over.
In December, I split up with my daughter's father and moved back in with my mother. I start d working at Amazon, and my car broke down the same day I got fired. It wasn't my first time working at Amazon, and I immediately used all of my UPT with everything I had going on. I was s tired of working in warehouses.
All over the Internet, you can find random memes and thoughtful posts reminding us of the American Dream and how you should do what you love and love what you do. With one look at my resume, you would think I loved warehouses, and they loved me back. But that couldn't be any farther from the truth.
I felt (and still feel) a little silly putting my cart before the horse, feeling like I was being misleading or dishonest about what I could offer and what I had accomplished. I started to feel like I was saying anything in those little boxes to get it over with. And I'm glad I did.
When something didn't work, I just went back to the drawing board. Once Devin joined the team, he didn't let me overcomplicate my plans. Instead, I broke them down into small obtainable goals.
This may not look like a small obtainable goal. But they're podcasts. Easy peasy... Now, I just have to film them.
See, the problem is I spend a lot of time alone out of fear and comfort. I'm used to feeling invisible, and I struggle with my image. Aside from my best friend, I'm pretty much my only fan.
So I took some time away from Fetch Beyond to build my social following. Then I topped and started 'Scary Hours.' (I still believe you, Ray Kinsella.)
Canvas Media is my second brainchild and where most of my focus is these days. Because I have so many thoughts running rampant in my head, starting a podcast was the perfect place to start dumping them all out.
After a quick Google search and a small check out of the competition, another side of the Mason Universe was created, and I call it The Beyond.
Available now wherever you listen to podcasts! :) One project down - 22 more to go.
As of right now, I still only have one episode out and feel a bit like a fraud nearly a year later. But I'm back to square one - building that following.
The golden rule of influencing is to stay consistent, right behind finding your niche, and being true to yourself. I've completed three out of two steps. Then I started worrying about what other people would say... like usual.
After working on "Scary Hours," I figured I'd take this work-from-home thing up and notch and began working on my design portfolio and started a few dropshipping sites. I started to apply to be a freelance writer and then remembered, "Oh yeah, I have a blog."
I'll always blame myself for dreaming so big and getting caught up in the "what ifs" of creating and not producing anything other than a list of hopes and wishes.
Just another quick peek into my mind. One of y favorite movies is "I Don't Know How She Does It." If you've seen the movie, you know all about women and our time before bed, where we make our list for the next day. Here are my three greatest hits.
The great thing about social media is that you can fake it until you make it. I really do need to record the next episode of "Scary Hours," but like all of my plans, "Scary Hours" isn't my only podcast. (and is only part one of my makeover)
You can see the full picture somewhere. It may have even led you here. [left to right: Scary Hours: Safe House, GRACELAND, As Told By Daisy, The Enchampionments]
I mostly spend my days on Spotify. Please don't ask me why cause then I'd have to explain it. Okay, I'll tell you. Basical y, everything I create begins with the perfect playlist, and somehow along the way, I made up a storyline where Devin and I communicate through secret messages hidden in the playlists. #kanyes rug.
Now that I had aligned my playlists, I was ready to start writing. I kept reminding myself writing would be the "easy part" after all the days I spent scribbling on paper and Googling 'songs that start with Hi.' My goal with Fetch Beyond and Deidre Annette Presents is to bring my stories to life on my terms. Using tools and skills that I Googled. Cause ain't nothing wrong with that.
I get so caught up in things because it's hard for me to brag. As a writer, I know you need to present facts over opinions, and I am far from somebody's expert. I was officially diagnosed with major depressive disorder in February 2021, and it has pretty much bummed me out ever since then. Thankfully, I've had my universe to focus on and pull me out of my rut.
I'm more than just an unpublished author or another hopeful creator. And I believe, with just a little elbow grease, we can build the empire of my dreams - together!
See how crazy that sounds? But, don't worry, I have a plan.
Welcome to The Nine Islands. Follow my serials on Kindle Vella to see what I mean. Hopefully, you won't log in and see "The 9 Islands" If you do, it'll be quick. And I can't wait for you to read it.
Let's all think of this blog as a pillar post. I want to come back and update it as I continue growing. Referring people back to this very moment. When I - somewhat - spoke the words aloud (and had the proof to back it up.)
My name is Deidre Annette, and I'm a writer and entrepreneur. In 2021 I created my digital brands, Rocket Drop, Scary Hours, and Cocos Vision, and I founded Vicarious Publishing, Canvas Media, and Deidre Annette Presents. A parent company, Fetch Beyond Entertainment, has been a passion project of mine for a little over a decade now.
Inspired by my urban fiction series, The Mason Universe, Fetch Beyond specializes in content creation and digital wellness. Coming soon, The Slumber Party will be a live experience curated by women for women, covering everything from our mental health to our art, fashion, music, food, and culture. I want to build a community where women can learn from each other, inspire others and start building a better tomorrow today.
Not to beat a dead horse, but this is why it's hard for me to scream from the mountains that I'm an author, and I have a narrative podcast on Spotify right now. (Really, I do.) The real reason I get heartburn whenever I try to refer to myself as an artist, attempt to share my concept designs, or even write my damn short stories!
Since I'm just stringing together a bunch of apps and filling out little boxes everywhere I sign up. It feels pretty fake to me, and I'm just waiting for someone to call me out. I know I'm not the only person whose had a dream like this. But this is the only dream I've ever had, and I keep making it bigger and bigger as this crazy cool world we live in continues to shift and change.
I forgot all about my blog until I came across Compose.ly. I don't know if I'll get chosen as a writer since I'm more of a creative writer and bullshited my way through my samples at 3 AM. But I will be blogging more. It will help me build that social following, and it is a great practice for keeping my skills sharp. Why didn't I think of this before?
I'm not ready to fully put myself out there just yet. My living situation could still use some work, and I am a single mom. I barely got through recording that one episode of Scary Hours with my baby trying to out-snore the smoke detectors.
I'm a blogger now.
If you're still with me, here's where things will make more sense. However, it may require a little imagination.
I've been influencing and building my brand for three years now. I get e cited when I think about all the progress I've made since making this decision in 2019 and officially tweeting out my Patreon link in 2020. I still have no followers and have made zero dollars. But that's because all the progress has been on the inside, with me.
I last updated this blog last August, and there have been quite a few changes here at Fetch Beyond. Coco's Vision is my latest project and creative focus. I don't know how long I'll be working on Coco's Vision, but that's the beauty of a brand and the power of the Internet.
Writing has always been the easy part for me, and I've been looking for a way to make money from this passion for years. I've let my depressed imposter keep me from chasing this one dream for so long that it's now turned into a nightmare. I can't promise regular updates or a wide variety of posts. But I spent way too much time on Spotify and Photoshop not to share what I worked on. And what I learned.
Starting with, "Everything is not a story."
I didn't graduate from anybody's college for anything. And to be honest, I don't take up much space anywhere I go. Put your tissues away. I don't want to be a crying girl on the Internet no more than you want to read about one. I get preoccupied with making my dream a reality that I'm often my own worst critic and would rather get this over with.
I depend on Google to help guide me toward my goal. Because what I ultimately want is bigger than just one novel. I needed to figure out where to start without those hopes and wishes I was once so willing to throw out. This will be the first time I've officially written anything for the public. Since my brands are digital, I love the idea of being this anonymous username channeling Carrie Bradshaw as a mature and overworked gossip girl ready to spill this season's secrets to the people before the band starts playing us all out.
Nonetheless, it's still just me here, and I filed my taxes as self-employed, so this is it. Heading into year three, I have a lot of writing projects planned. I start d working on The Echoes Collection again, and The Prelude will be available soon. I still plan to drop ship and want to create more content about my progress, as I'm learning a lot through trial and error.
I hope to get accepted as a freelance writer. That way, I can balance my writing projects and another income stream because baby! DoorDash ain't gon be enough. I also want to try out Fiverr and some other WFH schemes. I figured; I'll try them out, see if it works, then come back here and let you know.
As I said, I spend a lot of time on Spotify. Whatever you plan on creating, it usually starts with an outline or a rough draft. For my writing process, I like to set up a soundtrack that goes along with my story's structure. Once I started working on Scary Hours, things got a little complicated.
At first, I wasn't sure why I was pouring so much effort into my playlist. And soon, like my ideas always do, one turned playlist turned into eleven, and eleven turned into nineteen. With the challenge of creating a few writing samples, I'm almost embarrassed to admit I found another missing piece in my pursuit of happiness.
A blog! Since the new year, I've been working on my seven streams of income. I was DoorDashing for a while, but it's not the most reliable source for an earned income. I swear I've been applying for work despite loathing the idea of ever stepping another foot inside a warehouse. You'd think I was crazy if I told you I thanked God every day for not having to work.
Since I don't have the restraints of a typical 9 to 5, I'm back to full-time influencing. But this year, I'm going to make content and not usernames.
So now is the moment we've all been waiting for. Or at least I have. (Hopefully, you're still reading along.) If not, goodbye. If so, Hello, this is the Ultimate Guide to Fetch Beyond. Or at least it was; this is the end of the blog now. I've already explained everything once.
VICARIOUS PUBLISHING
When I discovered Kindle Vella, I thought the universe had begun wiretapping my dreams. One of my first questions was finding an audience dedicated to reading serialized fiction like back in my All-Star Fanfiction days.
Wattpad has paid options for stories, but they must be completed and require a certain amount of updates before they can be considered. I haven't yet used Kindle Vella, but all episodes need to be unlocked after the third update. - complete or not.
Since I want to take a shortcut and get the most I can from my writing, I plan to release four serials on Kindle Vella, two more podcasts, and all new chapters to The Prelude on my Patreon this year.
BREAK IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
A poor South Paris family who suddenly makes it big, acquires power, wealth, and/or a mate, loses it all, and gains it back, growing as a person as a result.
Remy Schmidt was thrilled when she landed a spot on Say Less with Say Less and the keys to a suite on top of The 600 Building - until she moved in. Realizing there was something terminable about her new digs. Now curious about her neighbors' predictable habits and strange names, Remy soon remembers the underwater city is overran with fae with no body of their own, or "talking bodies." Cursed with red-blood shapes, shards for hearts, and casings they cannot control, Remy, her lovesick bestie Blossom Pope, and an abandoned Eiko, learn the real meaning behind "home is where the heart is."
AVAILABLE NOW ON
I'll be releasing these on Kindle Vella soon as well. I tell myself I'm doing too much every day, but I'm just trying to cover my bases and check all the necessary boxes off the How to Become an Influencer with zero followers checklist. My niche is writing, and as far as becoming an influencer from writing ghost stories overnight goes, my chances are pretty slim. So here I am, head in the cloud and knee-deep in debt, WFH, and writing whatever the fuck I want, 'till the very end. (Do you think you could refer me to a friend, at least? My designs are kind of fly, right? And follow me on Medium. It's basically my Instagram.)
CANVAS MEDIA
I hear the world's smallest violin trying to play me out. And if you're still reading this, it's not too late. (Although I'm no longer sure what I'm still blabbering about myself.)
But here we go...
THE MARATHON
Starts here. Like I said earlier, most of my focus is on launching my media company and producing my own podcasts. Narrative. Narrative podcasts. I can barely write a blog. My intrusive thoughts are best left Beyond.
As I might have mentioned once or twice, I struggle with my mental health and anxiety, and doing "this" this way feels like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute and screaming for everyone to watch me. But, say it with me this time, "We all gotta start somewhere." Words like "started," "founded," "core values," and "created" send me down that dark road to chain-smoking and warm blankets. Still, it was time to put up or get put out, so I started calling everything "The Marathon."
KILLING TIME WITH DEIDRE ANNETTE is coming soon. In my daydreams, that's the name of my Twitch show, but we're not quite there just yet. You can follow me there if you want (wuzykiwi), but for now, I'll be Killing Time on YouTube because, who am I to start a podcast, right?
SCARY HOURS. The one that started it all. I came up with the concept for Scary Hours while under some severe stress. Now I use it like a spinning top whenever I think about giving up. (Because I've seen what y'all watch... and this is just like it.)
Safe House is the first installment of my fantasy series. Told through the ears of the Queen Princess, COCO3XS, and the second Noel, listen along as Trinity, Onyx, and the Last King race across the collapsing timeline to find the brave hearts who already died once protecting the Queen. You can find Safe House here and everything else here.
Scary Hours: DFMU will be starting soon. Because of "The Marathon" (and this blog), I find myself morally obligated to tell you all about Pilot Jones, "a handsome tramp with a bottomless bag of secrets." I don't know if it's the anxiety or undiagnosed adult ADHD, but my short stories are all most always connected. And before my brain can clear us for takeoff, I'll feel better if you visit all nine islands. But don't worry; we're still not there yet.
THE SLUMBER PARTY is another podcast you're gonna have to wait for. In the meantime, I'll tell you all about it... in pieces. It's all I can handle right now. But if you really love me (or at least like me enough to watch my stream), you won't be disappointed because The Slumber Party is only missing you. You can find more about The Slumber Party on Reddit, join The Slumber Party there, or "support" me here.
THE TRAFFIC JAM
If you're still reading (and by any chance, I've actually explained any of this right), all of the above is what I've done so far, this is what I'm finna do, and the rest is still coming up. The Traffic Jam V is my newest podcast, and the twisted mystery tells five parallel stories of a new world where modern life and magic collide. Linked together by the relationship between a young woman with a troubled past and her new flatmate; a widow and her sweet but aimless daughter; a plump and lonely shut-in who is galvanized by the prospect of appearing on a game show; and a young couple trying for a baby who moves into The 600 Building where they find themselves surrounded by oddly familiar neighbors. If this all sounds like you've heard it before, it's because you have.
The Laundry Room is an exclusive serial only available on viuponline.com. If you don't want to read it, you can listen to The Traffic Jam V anywhere you listen to podcasts. Otherwise, we're pretty much done here.
NOEL BOOK CLUB is... you guessed it. Coming soon. I wanted to create a narrative podcast without a complicated soundtrack, I don't know... like an audible, so I'll be starting my anthology series, the Noel Book Club, very soon. It'll be the same story, taking excerpts from The Laundry Room, Break in Case of Emergency, Garbage In, Garbage Out, BOYS, and PHYS-ED, but in a different season.
Also, it may be too early to mention it, but Noel Book Club is a limited series. The (only and) official prelude to Hymn & Ay. It'll be replaced by HIM +1 and tell an all-new story starring separated pairs, Hymn Brandon Michaels, Imyn Vee, and Mars Memphis. Those aren't real people, by the way. But if I complete this marathon right, it'll seem like it.
BTW, AS TOLD BY Dasiy, Taffy, and The Last King of Stallind is also coming. (Hopefully, by then, I'll have some followers.) Otherwise, it'll be awkward, and I'll probably just cancel.
DEIDRE ANNETTE PRESENTS
Pretty self-explanatory. I'm Deidre Annette, and this is everything I'm presenting. If I were to break down DAP's upcoming projects, I'd basically be starting the blog over. So I'll drop all my links here, and hopefully, I'll see you later?
Vicarious Publishing - viuponline.com
Deidre Annette Presents - deidreannettes.com
Krate Raiders - youtube.com/@krateraiders
Patreon - patreon.com/deidreannette
OnlyFans - onlyfans.com/thisaintcoffee
Wattpad - wattpad.com/user/offideann
YouTube - youtube.com/@deidreannette
Medium - deidreannette.medium.com
Fiverr - fiverr.com/deidreannette
Spotify - COKOA COLAH
Facebook - facebook.com/deidreannettepresents
Instagram - instagram.com/thisisdeidreannette
Twitter - twitter.com/CocoRaspy
TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@deidreannette
Merch - cocoashops.com
Discord - The Slumbums Project