mind blown

23
May
2022

Thirty

Late Friday night, I posted this to my socials:

That’s the final wordcount for Heir to the Firstborn: The Way Home. It’s done. This marks the end of the Heir to the Firstborn series, too (although it won’t wrap up in Patreon until sometime in November.)

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

164465 / 170000 (96.74%)
Not gonna lie. It’s weird being done with this series — it’s been a constant in my life since June of 2018, when the worldbuilding started in Patreon. The first chapter of Written in Water went live in August of 2018, and I’ve been working on it ever since. Four years with these characters, who’ve grown and changed and amused me to no end.
I’m still getting my head around the fact that I’m not going to be writing Owyn anymore. Yes, he is my unabashedly favorite fictional child, and he took over darn near the entire series.
So… what now?
Would you believe… new edits? And new covers?
See, in March I was introduced to Book View Cafe (and by introduced, I mean I was very firmly told “You need to be working with them!”) Book View Cafe is a co-op publisher, and after their vetting period, I was welcomed into the fold, and the Heir to the Firstborn series will be my first books released under their aegis. The first three books are currently being read, and I’ll be making edits to them. I have the new cover for Written in Water and IT. IS. AMAZING!!!! And no, I’m not showing it to you yet.
Soon.
Now, I’m going to do something that I haven’t done in four years.
I’m taking the summer off. Not entirely — I’m horrible at doing nothing. But I’m not actively going to work on fiction this summer (with the exception of one short story that I started and haven’t finished.) I’ve got research to do, and a pile of fiction to read that is taller than I am. I have one more part to my business plan to finish, and a class I want to take. And vacation. I’m taking a vacation.
No writing fiction. On August 10th, when school starts up again, I’ll be diving back into The Sea Prince, and I’ll be starting edits on The Way Home.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be new fiction this summer, though. The Chronicles of John Zebedee starts on May 30th on Kindle Vella with John Zebedee and the Heir to the Elvenlands.
(One week from today!)
And Where Home Lies drops July 12th, to finish out the re-release of the Rebel Mage trilogy. (You can still preorder this!)
Downtime. I’m not sure I know how to downtime anymore.
I think I need more practice.
Posted by EASchechter in 2022 plans, Adavar, Elemental Project, forthcoming works, Heir to the Firstborn, John Zebedee, mind blown, post novel ennui, publishing, Ta-da, The Sea Prince, thirty, upcoming books, upcoming work, WIP, wordcount, Worldbuilding, writer on writing, 0 comments
18
Dec
2016

So… this happened…

I went to check on Heart’s Master this morning (because I’m a dork like that) and I found this:

heart-s-master-kindle-edition-by-elizabeth-schechter-romance-kindle-ebooks-amazon-com

It came out Thursday, and it’s broken the top 100 on Amazon for Gay Erotica. (It premiered at 154, I think.)

Wow!

 

Posted by EASchechter in Eek!, Heart's Master, KermitArms, kvelling, mind blown, SQUEEE, yippee, 0 comments
28
Sep
2015

Wow…

 

 

What wow? Umm… this wow.

Amazon Best Sellers Best LGBT Fantasy Counsel of the Wicked Rebel Mage Book 1 Elizabeth Schechter Amazon.com

If you can’t see it, try this one.Counsel of the Wicked Rebel Mage Book 1 Elizabeth Schechter Amazon.com

Broke the top 100 for LGBT ebooks for Fantasy.

I am… awed. That’s what I am. Wow.

Thank you.

 

Posted by EASchechter in Blessed, Counsel of the Wicked, Grateful writer is grateful, kvelling, mind blown, 1 comment
26
Sep
2015

Today at SFSE!

Today I have spoken to a packed room on the ins and outs of writing sex, sat in an empty room that was supposed to be a reading/signing, gave an intimate talk on fanfiction, and been interviewed for YouTube.

I gave a copy of House of Sable Locks to Jacqueline Carey, an author who I admire greatly, and told her it was all her fault (for my career, and for the career of Moira Katson, who also started out writing on The Night Court.)

Now I’m sitting at my table, decompressing and watching the tables of two friends who are on a panel. I’m thinking about going and getting some tea, and I just said hi to Orson Scott Card and his wife as they went past my table.

Tomorrow, I have a panel on writing cross-genre, and we’ll see what else happens. But I am truly having an awesome convention!

Posted by EASchechter in Blessed, mind blown, SFSE, wow, 1 comment
06
Mar
2015

You mean me???

Today was the third grade field trip. 120 8-and-9-year-old kids went to Legoland, and I had charge of two eight-year-old boys all day (one mine, one borrowed). Really, we had a BLAST. The Legend of Chima ride involves waterguns, and many truth in advertising warnings that you WILL get soaked. The Dragon roller coaster wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be — roller coasters and I don’t get along, but this one was actually fun. Lots of rides, lots of walking, lots and LOTS of Legos, 120 very tired kids on the buses home. So, given this, I had very little online time until we were on the bus to come home. Looking at my email, I found that I’d been tagged on Facebook by Cecilia Tan: Hey, have you seen this?

This, for anyone who doesn’t want to click through, is Cliterati’s list of 100 Modern Erotic Classics that You’ve Never Heard of, a list curated by Rebecca Black in honor of the first ever Erotic World Book Day (March 5th).

House of Sable Locks is on that list.

I appear to have written a modern erotic classic. That’s pretty mind-blowing, especially since Sable Locks is only my second novel! And that list also includes the two people on whom I fondly blame all of my writing — Laura Antoniou and Jacqueline Carey. If I wasn’t completely wiped out, I’d be squeeing all over the place.

It’s also a little terrifying. Because now I have to do it again.

You know what? Given a choice between jubilation and terror, I’ll go for the jubilation. I’d much rather squee!

 

 

Posted by EASchechter in Good news, happy-happy- joy- joy, heady praise, mind blown, Sable Locks, SQUEEE, wow, 0 comments
05
Aug
2014

Add another to the list!

Mind. Blown.

I just got the call that House of Sable Locks is a finalist for the Published Maggie Award for Excellence in Erotic Romance!

 

Posted by EASchechter in award-winning, mind blown, Sable Locks, SQUEEE, 1 comment
25
Jul
2014

I…. won? I WON!!!!

And I’m in shock. Oh, my God…

Passionate Ink is Proud to Announce its 9th Annual Passionate Plume Winners!

Historical

  1. Pleasuring the Lady by Jess Michaels
  2. Her Lovestruck Lord by Scarlett Scott
  3. Her Husband’s Lover by Madelynne Ellis
  4. Let’s Misbehave by Stephanie Draven
  5. Unhinge the Universe by L.A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

  1. House of Sable Locks by Elizabeth Schechter
  2. Legend Beyond the Stars by S. E. Gilchrist
  3. Fueled By Lust: Drusus by Celeste Prater
  4. Glory Dogs: Forged Through Glory by Dezré Storm
  5. Something New Under the Sun by L.A. Witt

 

Paranormal

  1. Masque by Lexi Post
  2. Ghostly Persuasion by Dena Garson
  3. Hero Unmasked by Anna Alexander
  4. Edge of Night by Crystal Jordan
  5. That Pearly Drop, Murphy’s Law of Time Travel #1 by Jianne Carlo
  6. Symphony of Light and Winter by Renea Mason

Novella

  1. A Night at The Cavern by Anna Alexander
  2. The Dom, the Switch and the Sub by Diane Leyne
  3. Decadence by Karen Stivali
  4. A Christmas of Coal and Mistletoe by Bobbi Romans
  5. Rebound Baby by Tobi Doyle

Contemporary

  1. Capture and Surrender by L.A. Witt with Aleksandr Voinov
  2. Making Over Maris by Sabrina York
  3. Daring Miss December by Maggie Wells
  4. Heart of Ash by Sabrina York
  5. Second Chance Sam by Bren Christopher
  6. August Awakening by Maggie Wells
  7. The Princess and the Porn Star by Lauren Gallagher

 

Posted by EASchechter in award-winning, mind blown, Sable Locks, 1 comment
16
Apr
2014

An eventful day!

First, I found this fantastic review of both House of Sable Locks and Tales from the Arena: Opening Gambit. I particularly like the reference to the House as “a… Victorian BDSM Disneyland.”

Then… I found out that House of Sable Locks is a finalist for Best Bisexual Erotica in the Bisexual Book Awards!

(Is it petty for my second reaction to be “Take that, RITAs!”  Second reaction because my first was “Holy crap, I finalled!”)

Posted by EASchechter in Bisexual Book Awards, easily amused writer, Good news, KermitArms, mind blown, reviews, Sable Locks, Tales from the Arena, 1 comment
25
Feb
2014

Signed, Sealed, Delivered…

Today is a wonderful day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I just was informed that the signed contract has arrived at Circlet Press.

Wait, what signed contract?

I am pleased, proud, awed, and still more than a little gobsmacked, to announce that the audio rights to  House of Sable Locks have been acquired by Audible.com.

Yep. I’m going to have an audiobook.

Now, I’ve never done this before. So I know NOTHING about the process. This is going to be a learning experience for me, and I’ll post what I can as we go.

Breathe, Liz! Breathe!!!!

Posted by EASchechter in a-writers-life-is-never-dull, Good news, happy-happy- joy- joy, mind blown, Sable Locks, SOLD!, SQUEEE, wow, yippee, 3 comments
06
Dec
2013

Frozen sexuality

If you’ve been anywhere on the internet today, you know that Disney released a video of the big number from the new movie Frozen. If you missed it, here. I’ll wait

Now, I haven’t seen the movie yet. We’re waiting for Winter Break, so we can all go together. But I’m VERY interested in this movie. Not only is this Disney’s first stab at feminism (and, from what I’ve heard, they do it very well. What took you so long, Disney?), but Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) is being heralded as Disney’s first queer heroine.* Granted, it’s all subtext. But if this video is any indication, that is some really durned loud subtext.

Now, I’m not going to comment on that. I haven’t seen the movie, and I’m basing this all on a three-and-a-half-minute showstopping song. What I noticed in that 3:38 is Elsa’s sexual awakening. When we first see her, she is completely covered from neck to toes (minus the one glove). Her hair is bound up tight, and she reads as being very young (and isn’t it something that you can get pixels to project body language?) She’s completely repressed, and admits it: “Be the good girl you always have to be. Conceal, don’t feel.”

Be the good girl.

Remember. Good girls don’t do that.

Then she turns her back on what she’s been taught, turns away from everything she’s been lead to be afraid of, and accepts herself without worrying about anyone else : “I don’t care what they’re going to say.”

And then the cloak goes. That first layer of repression is gone, and she blossoms, casting off her old world for the one that she creates.

Then she lets her hair down. And we go from little girl to siren in one swell foop. Cleavage and dress slit up her thigh, possibly barefoot (hard to tell in the clip). And that swagger! This is a woman who has claimed her sexuality, and isn’t afraid of herself any more.

Honestly, if I can get that out of three and a half minutes, I wonder what I’ll get out of the rest of the movie???

 

*(We’re not counting what they’ve done with Once Upon a Time here. OUaT is for adults. They have a lot more leeway with what they’ll do with sex and sexual innuendo after 8PM)

Posted by EASchechter in ex-cathedra from my navel, Frozen, mind blown, music, 1 comment