Kickstarter

Mar

2022

This Post is Late.

But it’s here, which counts, I suppose.

I spent most of last week at ICFA (the International Conference for the Fantastic in The Arts), which was wonderful! Take an academic conference, and smash it together with a science fiction convention. Papers presented on animation and video games and fairy tales and movies and just about any other media in which you find science fiction and fantasy. Bring in some luminaries and legends, and finish it all off with a formal award banquet.

Which I suppose is a way of saying that I have not written a WORD since last Tuesday, and I haven’t touched The Way Home since last Monday!

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

110386 / 170000 (64.93%)

I finished up the synopsis for Tales from the Arena: Dead Man’s Hand on Tuesday, so I’ll dive into that at some point. But for now, I have The Way Home to work on, and the other, smaller project that I have going.

I forget if I mentioned that? I could go back and look at last week’s post, I suppose, but I’ll just say it again. I’ve got a series of BDSM short works planned, under the name E.A Butcher. Why the pen-name? Because there’s nothing paranormal about these, and they’re written in second person point of view. The premise is a pair of lovers, who take turns being the one in command. He calls her Pet, and she calls him Poppet. I’m about half done with the first one, and we’ll go from there and see how they go.

On the downside, the Kickstarter failed to fund. Not a shock, really — it had started going backwards, and the early traction never really picked up again. So I’ve learned a thing or two about Kickstarters, and I know for next time. What does it mean for the audiobooks? That they’ll be coming out more slowly than I’d originally planned. That’s all. We’ll still have all four, and I will try my hardest to make sure that Mark is the one reading all of them. Production is still underway, and we’re still working on getting the voices right.

There isn’t much else to talk about right now. I’m still trying to wake up and catch up from a long few days away, and tomorrow is am early morning because school is back from spring break. Which means there’s two months left to school, so I really need to get to work on finishing The Way Home before school gets out!

One last reminder — I’ve got a freebie out in the Worlds of Fantasy giveaway. Written in Water is free, just for signing up for my newsletter. There are over thirty other book in the giveaway, too, as well as the chance to win a $20 gift card! Click the graphic to check it out.

Mar

2022

Fitting an entire week into two and a half days

Or at least, I’m trying to.

The International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts starts Wednesday, and I’ve been looking forward to it since i attended the October conference. It’s local, so I’m commuting Wednesday and Thursday, but I’ll be staying on site Friday and Saturday. Which means getting everything I usually do in a week done today, tomorrow, and Wednesday morning. All while trying to make sure I get in some words, finish up some things, do laundry, and pack.

Speaking of words, if you’ve been paying attention to the wordcounter, you might notice a change this week…

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

109552 / 170000 (64.44%)

I bumped the total words for The Way Home. It’s going to be massive, but it’s also going to be complete. There will not be a book seven for Heir to the Firstborn. That thump you heard was my foot going down.

If you haven’t yet started the Heir to the Firstborn series, and you want a low-entry way in, Written in Water is a freebie in the Worlds of Fantasy giveaway, which runs until the end of March. All you have to do is sign up for newsletters, and you also have the chance to win a $20 gift card!

I’m working on some stunt writing — some purely erotic non-speculative BDSM short reads that will be going up in KU under the name E.A. Butcher. The pen name is because this is very different from my existing work. The title of the first one will be Tell Me, and I’ll let you know when it’s available.

In other news, unless there’s a miracle or a sudden, INCREDIBLE boost of pledges in the next six days, the Kickstarter for the audiobooks for Swords of Charlemagne will not fund. In the past week, it’s gone backwards. But I’ve learned a thing or two (or six,) and the next time will be better.

And that’s about everything, I think? Even if it isn’t, I need to go cram some more things into a day that’s already way too short.

See you next week with a conference report and possibly a sale link for Tell Me!

Mar

2022

Reflections

This past weekend, I did something that I haven’t done in a while. I sat down and reread one of my older works. Not because I was researching anything, or checking details for a sequel. Just… read it.

I re-read House of Sable Locks.

It’s a daunting thing to go back and read the second book you ever wrote, and realize that it’s possibly the best work you’ve ever done. That you’ve written twenty-four books since that one, and that none of them have reached the benchmark that led one outlet to call House of Sable Locks a modern erotic classic. (that outlet no longer exists — it was Cliterati, for the curious.)

Now, that’s not saying that the rest of my work is crap. It definitely isn’t! (House of Sable Locks isn’t my only award winner, after all.) But I think that they all are a step below that level. Well, maybe Hidden Things is closest. Or Written in Water. Or maybe not — House of Sable Locks was something truly special.

And it was my second book. That’s really kind of mind-blowing. You’re not supposed to front-load your writing career!

While I’m pondering this, I’m also working on book 26:

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

105627 / 150000 (70.42%)

(If anyone just happens to be looking at my Goodreads or Amazon book list and thinking — hey, there aren’t 25 books here? The Rebel Mage books are being reissued this year — see below. I have one under contract with Circlet/Riverdale, three in the Circlet/Riverdale queue, and three set up for another project.)

Counsel of the Wicked drops tomorrow, and I’m really looking forward to having these books back out in the world. Yes, the Rebel Mage books are dark. No, I’m never going that dark again. But I did it once, and I did it well.

Written in Water is free in a couple of places this week. Smashwords is having their Read an Ebook promotion this week. And I have a Book Cave giveaway for this entire month — sign up for newsletters, get free books!

And the Kickstarter is… well… going backwards. I have to say, it’s very disheartening. I’m trying to put my mind to how to turn this around and go forwards again, and not coming up with much. But there’s still time. And hopefully, my appearance today on the These Mums Write podcast will help!

Not much else to report in. Time for me to go back to trying to exceed my early brilliance and write a new modern erotic classic.

Feb

2022

Who Let It Be Monday Again?

I’m seriously not ready for Monday, y’all. It’s taken me until past 2:00 PM to even come up with that much.

Focus? There’s no focus today. There is only coffee. Well, there was coffee. I finished the coffee. Now there is only tea. (Chocolate Mint “Like-the-Cookie” Oolong, from Plum Deluxe.)

And… well, I’ve bee thinking about writing. But not actually doing it. I have to get these words down before I get those words down. Right?

So here are these words about those words. Those words from last week — of which I had a fantastic word week. Sitting in the car dealership for two hours appears to be my word place — there were twelve pages handwritten in my notebook. Which was fun when it came time to transcribe because my handwriting is… creative. There was a bit of “What the heck does that say?” But it came out to just over two thousand words written in just about two hours.

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

101619 / 150000 (67.75%)

Too bad I only have to take the car in for regular service twice a year. Imagine how fast I’d finish a book if I had to bring it in more often!

I have heard the first sample of the Hidden Things audiobook and I am so excited over this! There were a few little tweaks that needed to be made (Roland sounded too young, for example), so Mark is making adjustments. Once I get the redone sample, I’ll see if I can share it. Reminder –the Kickstarter is still ongoing, and needs to really get up and go if it hopes to fund! So if you’d like to get all four audiobooks read by the incredibly talented Mark Oosterveen, then share and maybe throw something into the hat!

Next week, I’ll be appearing on the These Mums Write podcast, a podcast about supporting mothers in achieving their writing dreams and goals. My interview with show host Jackie Amsden I talk about the Kickstarter, share my experience pushing through fear and breaking boundaries as a sex-positive story-teller and as an introvert navigating the extrovert world of author marketing.

You can find this show on Apple or Spotify.

Today is also the last day to grab books at the Red Hot book giveaway. The last day to grab Hidden Things for free by signing up for my newsletter. The newsletter comes out once a month, on the first Friday.

I feel like there’s something else I’m missing, but I honestly can’t think of it. One of those Mondays, right?

More tea!

Feb

2022

We’re Doing What? When?

Some variant on this question was repeated a few times during Boskone on Saturday. Why? Because the Writing the Naughty Bits panel was scheduled for 12 noon.

During the day.

I don’t think I’ve ever done this panel during the daylight hours! Ever!

So, for the first time ever, we began the panel by asking “Is there anyone in the room/Zoom who is under the age of 18? Will you please leave?”

It was a fun panel. Writing the Naughty Bits is usually is a fun panel, but this was also a Circlet Press reunion panel.

Being a virtual guest at a convention is fun, but it’s not nearly as much fun as actually BEING at the convention. For one thing, I’m not really there, so I get distracted by things around the house, and things that are a little more immediate, and whups! Con is over!

The recordings of the panels that were offered via Zoom are still up, though. So I’ll be able to go back and see the panels that I missed. (If I remember to do that before they take them down in 30 days…)

I didn’t get a lot of work done on The Way Home this weekend, but I did a decent amount last week.

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

97128 / 150000 (64.75%)

I also have a good idea as to where Tale from the Arena: Dead Man’s Hand is going, so I may start writing that in the next week or two, and finally bring some closure to that series.

The Kickstarter is… well… it is. There are three weeks left, and it’s nowhere near where it should be. I’m starting to resign myself to only getting book one out this year. Unless a bag of money falls into my lap, that is. I do have a sample to listen to in my inbox, though. I’m saving it for after dinner.

The Bookcave giveaway is also still ongoing. There’s one week left for you to grab a bunch of free books and samples, and all you need to do is sign up for some newsletters.

The entire Rebel Mage series is now up and ready for preorder, and will be exclusive to Kindle Unlimited for the foreseable future. I’ve also set up a box set, which will be available a month or two after Where Home Lies (Rebel Mage 3) releases.

And that’s pretty much where I am at the moment. Also, it’s late and I need to go make dinner.

Feb

2022

So Busy!!!

This past week feels like I’ve been running from pillar to post all week, and yet I’m not sure I have much to show for it. Strange.

I didn’t get as many words down as I’d have liked, but I did get to write some interesting scenes that revealed once again that my characters keep secrets from me, and only tell me when it’s the right time. If you’ve seen “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” you probably remember the scene where Roger slips the handcuffs? And Eddie demands to know why he couldn’t do it before, only to have Roger reply that he couldn’t do it before. He could only do it when it was funny.

My characters only reveal things when it’s going to complicate the plot. However, I like this complication, so it stays.

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

94275 / 150000 (62.85%)

Then again, I usually like the complications, and they usually stay. My characters have more of a direct line to my subconscious, which is where these stories start. I figure they know what they’re talking about.

The Kickstarter has another month to go, and I really hope it picks up. If you want to see audiobooks produced for the Swords of Charlemagne books, please share the graphic and the Kickstarter link?

Another thing that’s still running is the Red Hot giveaway! You have until the end of the month to grab your free books!

The last thing that I’ve been working on is the revisions on the Rebel Mage books. Counsel of the Wicked and Haven’s Fall are ready, and I’m putting the final polish on Where Home Lies. All of the books will be out this year, with Counsel coming next month, on March 8th! You can preorder now on Amazon — these ebooks will be Amazon exclusives for purchase or for reading through Kindle Unlimited.

I was also interviewed for the These Mums Write podcast, which was an enormous amount of fun. As soon as I know the date that the episode will air, I’ll let everyone know. I think it’s in early March.

Okay, so maybe I did get a lot done last week. And I have even more to get done this week, including attending Boskone virtually this upcoming weekend, and finding out the results of the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewers Choice Awards!

Wish me luck!

Jan

2022

That was Quick

Tomorrow is February.

How did THAT happen?

Part of it was that last week was a blur — I was sick for a few days of it, and then it was over. It wasn’t anything major, and I’m fine. But time and words both ceased to exist.

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

87541 / 150000 (58.36%)

Not quite as many words as I’d have liked, but there was some forward movement. That’s a plus.

Tomorrow, the Swords of Charlemagne box set drops. There’s still time to preorder.

Also tomorrow, the Red Hot giveaway begins — you can sign up for my newsletter, and get a copy of Hidden Things absolutely free! The promotion runs the entire month of February.

And on Wednesday, voting begins for the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewers Choice Awards. I’m nominated in two categories. The Lady and the Sword is nominated for Best LGBT Fantasy Romance, and Swords of Charlemagne is nominated for Best LGBT Fantasy Romance Series.

The Kickstarter is ongoing, and is slowly moving in the upwards direction. The project is 5% funded, with 47 days left, and has been picked up as a Project We Love by Kickstarter itself. I’m updating regularly over there, with things specific to the books, and that I have never shared anywhere else. So check it out, and maybe throw something in the hat!

And finally, preorders are now open for the Counsel of the Wicked re-release, which happens on March 8th. The ebook will be available as part of Kindle Unlimited, which means it will NOT be for sale anywhere but Amazon. The paperback, however, will be available everywhere.

And I think that’s all the news I’ve got this week! Busy, busy, busy!

Jan

2022

On a Cold and Frosty Monday.

How cold was it?

My car door froze shut.

Let me repeat that. MY CAR DOOR FROZE SHUT!

In Florida.

As a friend of mine put it, Florida has forgotten how to Florida.

So, while I try to stay warm (Florida houses are not built for this sort of weather), let’s see what’s going on in the weird, wild world of writing!

I have an upcoming promo — the Red Hot book giveaway. It runs the entire month of February over on My Book Cave. You can click the link now, but nothing will be live until next Tuesday.

Also on next Tuesday, the box set for Swords of Charlemagne drops!

This will be ebook only, and will be available wherever ebooks are sold!

The Kickstarter to fund the Swords of Charlemagne audiobooks is off to a slow but steady start. I have some newsletter mentions upcoming, and a podcast although we haven’t yet set a date for that. If you’re interested in seeing audiobooks for the Swords of Charlemagne series, maybe toss a coin to your writer? And share the Kickstarter with your friends!

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home continues.

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

85073 / 150000 (56.72%)

Slightly more than halfway on my anticipated words, and we’re slightly past the halfway mark, so this is good.

I have virtual Boskone coming up in February- virtual for me, anyway. There is an in-person convention, but I’m not going north in February. It might be warmer, but there will almost definitely be snow! I’ll be on two panels:

The Name Game

18 Feb 2022, Friday 19:00 – 19:50,
If you think baby names are hard for Earth parents, try naming characters for a fantasy realm or a totally alien planet. Let’s ask our panelists where they find sources of inspiration for the name game. What are your favorite memorable names from fantastic fiction? Are there any rules for painless name generation?

Writing the Naughty Bits

19 Feb 2022, Saturday 12:00 – 12:50,
With the increased popularity of erotic romance and erotica, more and more genre authors are trying their hands at adding sex to their stories. Let’s discuss the differences between romance, erotic romance, erotica, and pornography, and talk about how to incorporate sexual scenarios into a story. [This panel will contain frank language.]

They’ve put the naughty bits panel at NOON. The programming chair may need to put their asbestos underwear on because having this panel during the day? Um… okay?

Should be interesting! And hey, I’m virtual, so if there’s outrage, I won’t be there when they come for me with the pitchforks and torches!

Although a fire might be nice right about now…

Jan

2022

New Things!

It’s been a WEEK, y’all. Three new things to discuss today, and only one of them is on the usual radar.

New Words!

Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home
(Heir to the Firstborn, book 6)

81461 / 150000 (54.31%)

Of course there are new words. I’ve been working away at Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home. If you follow me on Facebook, you may have caught a glimpse of some of those new words — there was one phrase in particular that struck me as amusing enough to share:

“You might as well spit on a fish for all the good it will do.”

Patreon readers haven’t yet met the character who says this, so that’s all you’re going to get.

There’s also been some more planning on Tales from the Arena: Dead Man’s Hand. I will hopefully get to that book late this year, but there are some other things that have to come first. Like finishing the revisions and re-release on the Rebel Mage books, for example. And prepping for the next thing on my list….

New Audiobooks!

Friday evening, I got the approval from ACX to start accepting auditions for the Hidden Things audiobook. I immediately sent the audition page to a narrator whom I’d picked out months ago… AND HE SAID YES!!! So Hidden Things will be narrated by Mark Oosterveen. I’ve already told him I’m interested in having him read all four books.

Putting together an audiobook is not cheap, even under royalty share. So I’m starting a Kickstarter to fund all four books. The Kickstarter will go LIVE on Wednesday, and we’ll have 60 days to raise $5000. You can click the link to follow on Kickstarter, which will notify you when the page goes live for bids.

New Awards!

I got an email out of the blue last week telling me that Hidden Things has been nominated for the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewers Choice Award for Best of 2021 (I’m not sure what category), and that Swords of Charlemagne has been nominated for Best Series. I have no other information on that but OMG!!! More to come when I know more.

New Shop!

Conventions are starting to say, “Um…. maybe meeting in person isn’t a good idea” again. So, because I probably won’t have that many opportunities to get out and meet people and sell signed books this year, I’ve gone ahead and made a virtual dealer’s table! You can buy print books and I’ll ship them directly to you, personalized however you like. You can also buy the limited edition Swords of Charlemagne thumbdrive, which is a 2GB thumbdrive that contains all four books in mobi, epub and pdf formats.

And that is, I think, everything that happened this past week.

Wow!

Kickstarter

This Post is Late.

Fitting an entire week into two and a half days

Reflections

Who Let It Be Monday Again?

We’re Doing What? When?

So Busy!!!

That was Quick

On a Cold and Frosty Monday.

New Things!

Works in Progress

Appearances

Find My Books!

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