Mid-March Upate

Whew, child! It is mid-March and I feel like I have nothing to show for it, which is so far from the truth, but I'm sure some of y'all know how it is. It looks like we might get a quote, un-quote, "normal" spring and summer this year, but we shall see. I'm headed to my first con since September 2019. It's just for a day. I want to see how everything is being handled by the coordinator of these events. If me and my apprehension feel okay with it, I might be headed to Tampa for QFX in May. I hate how everything is contingent on what this virus is going to do, but I'm going to do everything to protect myself, and try to enjoy life as best as I can.

Things Are....Going. Yep. They're going.

I started typing this up while I was logged into work since I was left to my own devices, and thought it was a good time to blog. Priorities am I right? I know it has been awhile, but with Spring being sprung, I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. I fcked up the blog. Fricking blogger changed their customizing page and everything looks horrible, especially with all that Arial font. Psh. Moving on....

Other than that, I would like to say in my absence I have actually been productive. I slowly getting a hang of my chord changes (anchor fingers are key), but more importantly, I have been chipping away at Fate Unseen bit by bit, and I've been outlining the second--and angsty as all get out--Detective Miller book. Can I pause for a moment to talk about this second Detective Miller book for a second? Of course I can. It's my blog. All right, so when I first started this series, I planned for it to be a rom-com that was sort of inspired by JD Robb's (Nora Roberts) In Death series. Something I could work on that would give me a break from the Last Pureblood series, but effin' A y'all. Because I am me, this second book has taken a nose dive right into angst town and it's unintentional but at the same time intentional.

I had to give Eliza and Dax some drama, and man did I bring it. I'm hoping by the time I get to actually writing this part of the story, I'll have figured out a way to make it a little more lighthearted, but it doesn't look like it. Eliza's past isn't the stuff rom-coms are made of, and neither is Dax's, so the best I can do is make sure it doesn't drag on too long. But goodness gracious. Sometimes, when I get an idea in my head, how I execute is so far on the other end of what I was going for that it aggravates me.

Anyways, back to where I was going. I've been putting in some work even though I've been radio silent. I try to post often on Twitter, but I know some of y'all are wondering where I'm at with projects and what my plans are for 2021 since they're always in a state of flux. Fate Unseen, like I said, I'm slowly chipping away at it and I've gotten past a pivotal conversation that happens in chapter 3. Can't say much about the length of it. It's still going to be a long book. I also could be wrong, but we're going to have to wait and see.

I've also been creating PDF, Mobi, and ePub files for the books I don't have these files for. This is part of my effort to use Smashwords and Gumroad as my primary distribution sites. Everything is still going to be on Amazon, but I think I'm going to have delayed releases for my future relases. I'm still trying to figure out how that's all going to flow.

While I've been creating these files, some minor updates happen because if I see something that irks me, I'm going to correct it. Once all those files are created, I'll update them across all platforms, so you might have an update coming to your current copy.

As soon as everything is said and done, the website will be back in action then I can restart my giveaways. For those who have participated in my prior giveaways, they were done through BookFunnel, which I might still use, but I'm thinking about stepping away from them and doing giveaways strictly through my Gumroad page. With BookFunnel it gives me a wider audience to draw in, but I feel some way about it. I'm still ruminating on it, so nothing is set in stone, but I do have to consider my newsletter, which we all know I struggle to put out. If I do come to the decision to end my newsletter, I'll make the strong suggestion for those who do receive it to sign up for updates through my Gumroad page. There's definitely a lot of thinking going on the author-y side of things, but it's nothing I can't handle.

Other than that, I'm just going to continue to eat away at Fate Unseen and we'll see what I can pull off.

In my opinion, I think this was a solid update. If you want to get a jump on everything, hop on over to my Gumroad page and sign up so you can receive updates. You don't have to buy anything to follow me. Now I just need to remember to make posts over there, but that for another day.

As always support your indie and self-pubbed authors by leaving a review, and everyone have a good.

- DJ Small

I Know. It's February.

January came and went. It was pretty wild. The Capitol was bumrushed by terrorist. We got a new president that doesn't look like a bottle of Sunkist gone wrong, and some other things happened, but I cannot recall them. We had some losses too. Larry King, who I didn't know voiced the bar wench in Shrek (thanks for that Tumblr). Cloris Leachman who was always a delight onscreen, and lastly, but certainly not least, the iconic Cicely Tyson. Her most memorable role for me, at least recently, is when she was on How To Get Away With Murder, but that woman was an icon who had bigger and more memorable roles than that.

I know I've been MIA for the last couple of months. I just didn't have it in me to do anything author related. Blogging, the newsletter, writing, editing....none of it appealed to me. Blame it on the holidays, or what, but I just wasn't feeling it, so my holiday break turned into something much longer. However, I did move into my own place at the end of December/beginning of January, so that took up a lot of my time and energy. Seriously the only things I had the drive for was Grey's Anatomy and Sims 4.

With me getting back on the high horse, I've done some author-like things. Website is down because I changed hosting services, but I should have it back up soon-ish. Depends on how much tweaking I need to do to the code. Newsletter is still once a month, but it's going to be used more for announcements and giveaways. My blog and website are going to be the main places to get information this year. It saves me from having to split my focus on a newsletter that usually doesn't have anything in it.

This now brings me to book distribution. Oh, how I would love to not be on Amazon, but it's the larger retailer so it's a necessary evil. I'm going to be doing more sales, giveaways, and name your own price events on my Smashwords and Gumroad pages. Sometimes they'll run concurrently, sometimes one will have something and the other won't. Either way, I would like them to be my primary distribution pages. Might have to come up with something bigger to gain some interest. These events probably won't start until March. I've still got to upload the electronic versions of my books on Gumroad.

I'm guessing it is time to address the elephant in them room...new releases. This year, is going to be the year of Fate Unseen, the second book in the Last Pureblood series. I've started editing again, right from the beginning, and I've decided it's going to be long book. There is no way I can cut out some of the details. If I can tweak something or remove it and put in a later book, then I will, but as for right now, we're looking at a long book. I hope you all enjoy that.

Once that is off my plate, I'm going to be focusing on The Adventures of Swift, which I started editing in December before I fell into a listless state. I know in prior posts I was saying it would be out the first quarter of this year, but since I've flipped my schedule around and decided to bring Fate Unseen to the first half of this year, Swift will be moving to the second half of the year for projected release.

Outside of that, let's just hope I continue on with this train of motivation and get something published this year.

I hope everyone had a safe and healthy start to the new year, and let's cross our fingers and hope we all get some semblance of a social life back this summer.

Remember to review the books you read. Until next time...

-DJ Small

Let's Get Ready To Rumble.....

Hopefully by the time I have posted this the US will have figured out who their president is. I'm sure the number of people that voted for the Orange Stain™ will get swept under the rug and people will proclaim this country has risen like a phoenix from the ash, but minorities like myself will realize that it will be nothing but a crock of shit. I've become bitter about this country, and I would apologize, but why?

All right onto why I'm here—announcements all around! I finished The Adventures of Swift this week. Like actually finished writing it, and not that kind of finish where you still have like two more pages to write, but you say you're done because it's just two pages. No one else does this? Just me? Of course. It came out to 48k words, and hopefully by the time editing is done, it'll be at the 50-55k mark. Each episode doesn't go more than 10k words, and you would think that would cheat the story, but not really. I actually have a little wiggle room in some episodes to give the story some more depth.

I'm going to start editing The Adventures of Swift this weekend, and I think we're still on track for having episodes one and two released during the first quarter of 2021. I've made the decision to make this a Gumroad exclusive. It makes no sense to have people sign up for a subscription for something that honestly doesn't have a schedule. Well it does but it's a real loose one. Like a floozy. I ❤ floozies. In fact, I think all my serials are going to be Gumroad exclusives and I'm going to shut down my Patreon. Again, it just makes no sense for me to have one. I'm going to sit down and explore Gumroad a bit more before coming to a final decision which I should have by the end of next month. I've got other things to focus on.

I inadvertently started writing the second Detective Miller book. I finished reviewing the first one for paperback and it sort of just happened. Murderous Profession got some good traction while it was in the Kindle Unlimited program, and free book day was a hit. For those who are anxious to know, book two starts off three months after book one ends, so Dax and Eliza have been seeing each other for like four and a half months. Dax is preparing to open his own sex firm and Eliza is still trying to make waves in the NYPD. Of course a murder happens, and it's going to test Dax and Eliza's relationship, but so are some other things. We're going to meet some more people from Dax's life, and we're going to dig a little deeper into Eliza's life. I only scratched the surface with her in the first book because that wasn't the focus, but I think it's time we get to know a little more about Detective Legs, right?

Murderous Profession will be a part of the small run of signed books that I will be sending out in January. I'm actually updating the file right now. The polls I conducted in my newsletter and on Twitter we're all favorable, so I'm going to put up an order form on Gumroad, and people can order their signed copies. This will only be for my continental US readers. International peeps I might be able to set something up, but it would have to be like a custom order deal so we can split the shipping costs. Each book will be limited to 10 orders. Anything over will be wait listed, and I'll do a second batch based off of how many people request a book after the initial run. Newsletter subscribers will be notified first of when the order form will be live, and a tweet will go out a couple hours later. This is where I will shamelessly plug my newsletter because if you sign up, you get notified sooner. Click here to sign-up.

For my Last Pureblood readers, Fate Unseen has been moved to a 2021 project. It was too much for me this year. I'm hoping when January rolls around I'll be ready to dive into it and make some serious headway with it.

I'm not sure what else is going on with 2021. I've outlined a couple of stories for a new series that I'm coming up with. This will more than likely be another Gumroad exclusive because I don't think they're going to be long stories. I know I have a stand alone book that's partly outlined that I can work on. I also have my dark and twisted story, but due to that nature of it, it might end up being another Gumroad exclusive. It's kind of messed up lol. It's a bit of a crap shoot. 

I think 2021 will be the year of Swift, Detective Miller book 2, and Fate Unseen. I'm just looking forward to a year of just writing and focusing on my serials. We shall see.

All right folks, that's all I have enjoy your weekend 🙂

I'm An Idiot

The heading of this post doesn't pertain to all of it, but I just realized something. I have my blog set up on the RSS feeds of my Amazon author and Goodreads pages. Why am I an idiot? Because I don't fcking post. All these people could be coming to the blog and all this jazz, but why come if I haven't posted since Obama was in office ( I miss him.). Any ways, I'm going to set up a schedule and blog more frequently. 

If you haven't read my prior post, Fate Unseen, the second book in The Last Pureblood series has been put on hold. I need to reevaluate my approach with it, or I need to do something differently. I won't go into it, but in my last post, everything has been explained. I'm hoping when I go back to it with fresh eyes the problem will jump out at me and I can fix it. We shall see.

In the meantime, I have been working on The Adventures of Swift, which is exclusively available on my Patreon page and Gumroad. I'm up to episode 11, and I've complied all the episodes into one document for editing. I say look for an updated chapter 1, and chapter 2 around the end of January or February. I've also begun developing a novella series centered around the world of professional women's football. How this happened I'm not 100% certain, but I'm sure boredom while being around my football watching family led to this. Anyways, it's just in development, but I'm excited to start working on it.

Oh, I've also continued my review of the physical copy of Murderous Profession. When I tried to put all my focus in Fate Unseen, everything else went to the wayside and this was one of those things. I'm going to be working on that over the next week or so. If I decide to do a small batch run of signed books, it will be a part of that.

Speaking of, I did a poll on Twitter asking if I should do a small batch run of signed books and all 5 participants said yes. I'm going to do another poll in my October newsletter to try and get a better read. If you're interested, sign-up for my newsletter, and you'll get it when I send out the October one on the 11th.

I did an author-y thing this week. Fellow lesfic author, KD Williamson, has a YouTube channel where she and other lesfic authors talk about their work and a variety of other subjects, including rating hot sauces. She had me on her channel this week, and it was a wicked good time! It was my first time doing something like this, and if I had PR people they'd be like, "We think you did good, but could your ass sit still next time?" My sauce was Marie Sharp's Pure Mango Habanero Pepper Sauce. It's a milder sauce because I am not one for anything spicy. I live my life at a 2. But other than discussing hot sauces, we talked about being queer and black, me being a trans man who writes lesfic, and a bunch of other things. If you want to take a look it's below.

Two more things then I will be done. First thing is, after being out for 4 years, I have made Pool of Lies 99¢ on all platforms it's available on. I'm not sure if this has expanded to Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and other platforms the book is distributed to thanks to Smashwords, but I know on Smashwords, it's 99¢. 

Lastly, Murderous Profession will be a part of Kindle Unlimited until the end of October, and is on sale for 99¢ until the end of the month. There will be a surprise free day on Amazon for Murderous Profession. How will you know when it is? Twitter and my newsletter. Newsletter subscribers will know the day before and the day of. 

All right, I actually didn't do too bad for this post. A reminder has been scheduled for 2 weeks from now to post again.

Remember to review the books you read, especially those written and published by indie and self-published authors. And please, please, please, PLEASE! Make sure you're registered to vote and remember to vote, if not early, then on November 3rd. It is crucial. Check your voter registration here. I also implore those who live in states where voter suppression is quite obvious to keep checking your voter registration frequently because things have happened.

Also thank you to the witches and Karma for the miracle you performed 😉

Until next time....

-DJ Small

June Got Away From Me

I was supposed to put up a true update on what I'm doing at the end of June, but then I quit being a human. Shout out to my depression and feeling 100% like crap for that one. I'm trying to work through it with my therapist so I can get back to something that look like a functional person, but it currently remains to be elusive.

Onto what you actually came here for....author ramblings!

Fate Unseen....Fate Unseesn...FATE UNSEEN! It's like Bloody Mary. Say it three times and it'll pop out of nowhere, or so I wished. Still editing it. My editing has been reduced to fits of trying to get it done because I have lost all motivation for it, so I'm doing what I can. What does that mean for the book coming out this year? A miracle. That's it. If I manage to publish it before the end of this year it will definitely be a miracle and I'm gonna have me some peach Jim Beam and tea to celebrate.

My struggle with editing has nothing to do with the story itself because once I'm in it, I'm in it and I'm engaged. The story is still wonderful, but with me being off kilter mentally, it really messes with my ability to focus. So again, the story is not shit. Or I don't think it's shit.

I've been outlining my next book and working on Adventures of Swift when I haven't been editing. Both of these projects are fun and light so they're a form of escapism for me on top of the fanfiction that I've read a million times...anyways...

The new book's working title is called "The Plumber's Daughter." A cute small-town romance about a former investigative journalist by the name of Carolyn Knox who buys a house in a small country town in Virginia as an attempt to escape the evil clutches of Washington D.C. The house of course needs a little love, and when her side lawn gets a sudden toxic pond thanks to her septic tank; she calls the local plumber, Tyler Meade. However, the person who ends up knocking on Carolyn's door is his daughter, Tyshell a.ka. Ty.

This story is going to be nothing but cuteness with a low level of tension. I'm refuse to even call it angst because I'm trying to minimize the angst. If you want angst go read Pool of Lies or Reappearance of Summer.

As for Adventures of Swift, I finished episode five and I'm writing episode 6. I may do a surprise drop on Patreon and post episode 2 since I can't work on what I need to. I fleshed out episode five wonderfully though last week, and I'm in love with the lore I've created for it. This means I'm anxious to share it with the world Squee. I'm also enjoying the fact that I'm keeping to my 10k words or less for each episode.

Oh, I completely forgot! There is a sale happening on Smashwords, and all my books are 50% off until the end of the month, and each week one of them is going to be free. This week it is Avery Lawson: The Last Pureblood. You call can acquire that one while I beat myself over the head and try to finish editing Fate Unseen.

Last thing I have is, put a poll in my July newsletter asking my readers which of my books they would like to see on Kindle Unlimited beginning August. I really don't like the Kindle Unlimited program because it means Amazon gets exclusivity for 3 months, but I'm willing to compromise by enrolling one book at a time in the progam. If you've been anxious to read one of my books and are a part of the KU program, click here to vote. A new window will open, taking you to the July newsletter where you can cast your vote.

I'll count up all the votes on July 31st, so anything that comes in after 12:00AM (EST) on July 30th, will not be counted for. And the book that gets the most votes will be announced on 8/1.

Heyyy, I think this was a decent sized post. I'm going to wrestle my brain and get something done, don't know what, but something. Remember to review the books you've read especially those written by indie and self-published authors. Side note: If you're reviewing my books, please leave a review on Smashwords. No one reviews there, and yeah, sure, Amazon is king, but I prefer Smashwords over them.

Until next time....

-DJ Small

How We All Doing?

The world is a little crazy right now, and times are super hectic, but I hope everyone that is reading this is doing their part and doing what they can to make sure we keep our fellow humans healthy and safe.

Because of the Covid-19, I'm now working from home, and I'm glad that decision was finally made Tuesday of last week. The weeks prior to that, when everything was really snowballing, all the uncertainty had me anxious. Now I can do my work without the anxiety and uncertainty.

As for my other work, my work of bringing you fine folks entertaining stories, I'm going to get episode one of Adventures of Swift up this week on my Patreon. It was supposed to be up on Saturday, but I decided to visit my sister and get the 411 on my older family members to make sure they're being isolated and taken care of. My grandpa is 90-something. This isn't how he's supposed to go out.

I'm still working on finishing the second half of season one for Adventures of Swift, but I'm hoping episode 2 will be ready for posting on April 11th, and the subsequent episodes will post every two weeks after that.

A paperback edition of Murderous Profession is on its way. I got my proof on Friday, and I'll be going through it this week as my bedtime reading to see what I needs to be fixed and get ideas for the one-shots that will be posted on my Patreon for it. I'm not sure when that will be live, but it will go up as soon as I'm satisfied with it.

Fate Unseen has gotten good feedback from my beta readers, but the consensus is that it's a long story with a lot of information, so once I get my editor's edits back we'll see what I can do with it. I'm hoping a mental breakdown does not occur, and that I don't put it on the shelf because it gives me migraines lol, but we shall see. Sometimes you got to put things to the side and come back to them later. It happens.

Other than that, I'm going to try and create some normalcy in the havoc, and I hope you all are able to do the same. If you need something to help distract you from the insanity all my books are a part of the Smashwords Authors Give Back sale, and they are free. Also you can email me if you don't have Smashwords and I'll send you a free copy of one of my books. Just one and one per person.

That's all I have, but before I go, be fantastic humans and review the books your read. It means a lot to authors, especially us indies, on so many levels.

Again, stay safe, wash your hands, and if possible, socially distance yourself so this thing can fade into the abyss or wherever viruses go.

Until next time....

-DJ Small

December, what the fu...?

I know. December is almost over, and I have been incognitus. For you Last Pureblood fans, you can blame your second book. That's right, it's your second book because I am completely through with it. Through.

No major updates today, just thought I'd make a blog post for the month. I'm still elbow deep in typing up my edits for Fate Unseen. Next week will be beyond wonderful because I will have so much time to finish doing that. I might even make some hot cocoa to celebrate. As soon as the edits are typed up, it'll go to my editor. Also at that same time, I'll be doing a cover reveal, and I might have a ball park time frame for a release date. Keyword there is ball park. I know I said by the end of first quarter it would be out, but I'm sort of leaning for an April release just because that's when the first Avery Lawson book came out. So, it would be like, "Oh, here's the second book. Two. Years. Later." Y'know?

I've been going back and forth on my 2020 plans. I want to do book fairs or conventions or whatever, but I haven't found any that I can vibe with, so I think it's going to be a low key year for me. Something that resembles the year after Pool of Lies came out because I had nothing lined up after it. Though to give myself some credit, I think I was working on Avery Lawson: The Last Pureblood at the time.
 
I think that'll be my 2020. I won't be working on anything major, but I'll still be doing things. Like Adventures of Swift needs to be posted on my Patreon. Gotta flesh out some story ideas and turn them into viable stories, so I'll be pretty busy, I don't have any book releases lined up for 2020. If I put anything out, I'll be shocked and amazed.

Also want to get on top of my reading. I've been listening to books at work. Sidenote: Just finished reading Tegan and Sara's memoir, High School, and I highly recommend it especially as an auidobook because the two of them interview each other at the end and it's pretty funny. The book itself is pretty relatable in regards to everything people go through in high school, but having it come from queer perspective makes it even more relatable.

End sidenote. Like I said I've been listening to audiobooks. I started book 1 of Ali Vali's Cain Casey series. I read book 1-4 a long time ago, and I have 5 and 6, but I've never read them. So it'll be nice to get into that, and some new stuff. Try and tackle some classics while I'm doing that.

All right, so this post got away from me. Hopefully you were able to cash in on free book giveaway I did for my newsletter subscribers and on Twitter. Yes, I know I'm going to beat everyone over the head about Murderous Profession, but that book deserves some recognition. I really enjoy it.

Oh, and I do remember someone asking me about a re-visiting Reappearance of Summer in prequel form. I'm not against the idea, in fact, I am all for it because I would like to know who Summer was before she became who she is in ROS, but I'm having a hard time coming up with something. Maybe something will come of it someday, but as of right now, looks like it is just a standalone.

All right, I've rambled enough. Don't forget all my book prices have been lowered for the month of December on Smashwords and Amzon, so be sure to stock up before they go back to their normal prices in January.

And this holiday season give and indie or self-pubbed author the gift of a review 😊

Whew! It has been a minute...

I live! I live! I know it has been a long time since I put up a blog post. I'm so delayed with this that I'm only doing one post this month. I know I put out the newsletter, but I feel like blogging is more intimate. I can ramble a bit, and don't feel like I'm being annoying. With the newsletter I feel like I am even though it comes out once a month.

But enough about me and my thoughts. I have the greatest news ever! I finished the first round of edits for Fate Unseen, which is book 2 of the Last Pureblood series. Next up for me is....more editing! Which is actually me typing up the edits from the first round since I do those by hand, but I also keep looking for ways to tweak the story, and make sure it's consistent and makes sense. But this second round of edits shouldn't be as strenuous as the first ones since I'm not taking a blob of story and turning it into something that you all would want to read.

Because I feel confident that the second round of edits should be quick, I'm hoping it won't take all of December to get through them. I've cleaned my desk off and everything, so I am ready to tackle this thing after turkey day. Once I'm through with the second round, I'll send it off to my editor so she can do her magic.

I'm going to be real with everyone, this second book kicked my ass. I've written series of stories before in fanfic world, but this one was messy, and you know what. It wasn't even regular messy. It was capital M.E.S.S.Y. There were details I had to cover, and when I missed something I had to go back and put it in. Seriously this book had me questioning my abilities as writer. I'm sure some of you know this if you follow me on Twitter.

Long story short, I have learned a valuable lesson with this second book, and I'm going to make sure I remember it for book three. Book three is going to be a late 2021 release. Avery and I need a break from each other before we can continue our journey.

With that said, book two will be done as soon as it is ready. I'm still banking on a release by the end of 2020's first quarter, but we shall see. In the mean time, I'm going to gear up my serials for 2020, and possibly a book release. I haven't decided yet. I was thinking about keeping it pretty low key for 2020, but I am coming up with this story and it has kept my attention, so it there is a chance it might find its way out in the world next year. It's not a story that is for the faint of heart, and it's not even romance. I'll toss it under thriller if I bump up the suspense and intrigue. A few months back I said that I wanted to write another dark and twisted story on Twitter, and guess what, here we are.

In other news, Reappearance of Summer is still on sale at Smashwords and Amazon. It will also be on sale during December along with Avery Lawson: The Last Pureblood, and Pool of Lies. Murderous Profession will see a price drop, so next month you'll be able to get all my books at ridiculously cheap prices.

That's all I have for this post, next month's newsletter will be out on 8th, and I'm kicking around an idea for newsletter subscribers, but I think I'm going to hold off on it. I'll see how I feel after turkey day. Speaking of my subscribers, did anyone check out the the teaser I put up for Fate Unseen a week or two ago? What did we think of it?

I've rambled long enough. Don't forget to review your books. Give an author the gift of reviewing their book this season.

Enjoy the rest of November!

-DJ Small

I have some announcements

Just some quick announcements while I'm jotting them down on my notepad while listening to "We Don't Need Another Hero" by Tina Turner.

First up, and I'm being so serious about this one right now that I've put on my serious face. Okay, here we go, you will want to sign-up for my newsletter. I have a surprise for my newsletter subscribers in November, and it comes in the form of a snippet from Fate Unseen, the next Last Pureblood book. I know some of you have been waiting anxiously for this book, so I'm throwing out a morsel while I continue to gut this story and transform it into something that isn't total shit.

Oh, this also reminds me that the first Last Pureblood book, Avery Lawson: The Last Pureblood, is on sale where ever it's available. This sale will only last until the end of the month, so go get it while it's still cheap.

Next up, is this month's giveaway. It's close to being the end of the month, and if you haven't checked out this free ebook giveaway, which include Reappearance of Summer, then you are missing out. It's features some great lesfic novels written by some awesome indie authors. Go peruse the offerings, and discover a new writer and book

In November there won't be a giveaway because I'm just not feeling any of them at the moment to join, but there will be a sale. To celebrate the first book birthday for Reappearance of Summer, it will be on sale the all month.

I just want to say huge thank you and give a big digital hug to those that have reviewed Murderous Profession. I know it isn't my usual type of writing, and a bit of a gamble, but I'm glad it's being received with open minds and genuine interest. Thank you all for the reviews and enjoying it. It's one of my favorites, and I can't wait to get back to Dax and Eliza, which will probably be sooner than we all realize.

I feel like I had something else I wanted to announce, but I'm not sure what it was. I'm trying to type this out quickly so I can get back to work on Fate Unseen. Such an evil ass story, not literally, but it's the bane of my existence at the moment. Doesn't help that I'm dreaming of other stories. I had a dream last night about a story I'm developing. It was....bizarre to say the least.

All right, I'm going. Remember to go look at the giveaway, grab Avery Lawson: The Last Pureblood while it's on sale, and sign-up for the newsletter; and you have to do it all in that order.

As usual, don't forget to leave a review for the books you read, especially for indie authors like myself.

-DJ Small

Happy Spooky Month 👻🎃

I failed in getting that last September blog post up. I had it drafted and everything, but I never got to posting it. Full stop, I've been in a meh mood lately. I'm not sure if it's because of the weather change or if I'm doing too much, but I think I am getting out of it, and I am making progress.

Before I get into everything, a couple of announcements. First, because it's spooky month, Avery Lawson: The Last Pureblood on the sale the entire month. I know it's not really a scary book, but the themes of it go quite well with the month. Witches, vamps, werewolves....they own October. Go grab a copy if you haven't yet.

Next order of business, I have enlisted Reappearance of Summer in a lesfic/wlw fiction giveaway. I think it is among some great company, and you should check out the other authors' books. Go get yourself a free book. This won't be the last time I mention it.

Okay, I have been editing book 2 of the Last Pureblood series, also known as Fate Unseen, and I am hitting that midway point. Now that I have my motivation back, I'm hoping that I can burn through it, but I have a trip in two weeks, and that might slow me down a bit, but I'm going to do my damnedest to burn through as much of it as I can.

I've been giving editing updates on Twitter. Last night, I tweeted out a line that gave me some feels, and I'm still feeling some kind of way about it, but I think tonight's editing session is going to cause some more excited tweets from me.

For the last couple of months, I have been wanting to write a dark and twisty story, full of irredeemable characters because I miss it. There's something about creating a fucked up situation and throwing equally fucked up characters into it that just takes me to my happy place. It's my own personal drug. Don't get me wrong everything else I write is great and fun, but there is something about a messed up story that really gets my imagination going. Anywho, I have come up with an idea, and I'm still fleshing it out a bit, but if I can get some solid traction on it, it may be a 2021 release. We'll see.

All right, just wanted to give a brief update on the haps and let you know how you can get two of my books for cheap or free.

As always don't forget to review, and enjoy your spooky month!

- DJ Small

The Plight of The Last Four Months of The Year

Is it just me, or does the last four months of the year seem to fly by? We are halfway through September, and this is my first blog post for the month. August ended so fast, I didn't get to post a second one, but I am on it this month. Maybe. I think.

Anyways, despite my inability to grasp the concept of time, I have been busy editing Fate Unseen, the second book in the Last Pureblood series. I want to lock myself in a room until I have it done, but life and work have other plans for me. However, I'm going to focus a lot of my time on getting it done. It is shaping up to be an interesting read.

When the second book starts, there really is no breather from the last one, so if you don't remember what happened in the last one then you'll need to re-read it because I don't do any recapping in the second book. I'm too busy trying to move the story forward lol.

Expect teaser chapters for Fate Unseen in November, and hopefully by the time I start posting those, I will have a release date. Just a friendly reminder, December is no longer the targeted release month. I'm aiming for January, maybe February depending on my edits.

I've officially dubbed 2020 the year of the serials, and all of mine will be available on my Patreon. Doing these will give me a breather from writing novels, and I can put a most of my focus into writing book 3 of the Lost Pureblood series. Also, the serials are supposed to be fun little escapes for me and my readers. They don't require too much thought and energy, and it's just an easy way for me to dabble in something different.

While I'm here, if you haven't seen my Twitter feed yet, there is a LGBT+ Romance Book giveaway going on. I looked through the ones that caught my fancy, and I've claimed them. Yes, Pool of Lies is a part of this book giveaway, but this is also about indie writer camaraderie and I want to support my fellow writers. So go take a look. All you have to do is sign-up for the writer's newsletter and you got yourself a new book. Painless.

Another fun fact, if you sign up for my newsletter through my website or through a random link like this one, you get a free book. However, if you sign up for my newsletter through the above mentioned giveaway, not only do you get Pool of Lies, but I'll also send you another free book of your choosing. I highly recommend signing up that way. Quick disclaimer, Murderous Profession isn't available as a free book, but I've got some plans for it during the Winter months.

Wow, for a blog post that I honestly didn't expect to go anywhere, this definitely got a little long. I guess I will go back to my editing. Before I skedaddle, a shout out to those who have read Murderous Profession, don't forget to review it when you have a chance. Also please review the other books that you have read in support of your favorite indie or mainstream author.

I'm off my soapbox now.

Until next time....


-DJ Small

August is almost over...whoops.

The month has completely passed me by and I feel like September will do the same. Oh, boy. Thought I'd make a quick blog post before the month finishes out.

Tomorrow, August 26th, Murderous Profession will be out on Kindle and Smashwords! I'm still working on the paperback formatting, but that should be out in a week or two. Between life and work, time just got away from me. Lame excuse, but it's surprising how busy I was in August. But anywhoo, grab yourself a copy of the book and tell me what you think about it. I found it to be a quick read and entertaining, as did my editor. Of all the characters, I have a fondness for Dax and Billy. I had a fun time writing them.

I know some of you are waiting with bated breath for the next Avery Lawson book, and I am actively editing it as we speak, however, I'm taking the tortoise route with it--slowly but surely. I don't want to miss something that should have been mentioned in this one, or I mention something that shouldn't be in this book and is actually meant for the next one. Writing this story is funny because I'm working off of the original manuscript I had finished in 2015, but I'm basically re-writing the story and making it more involved as well as making sure it makes some kind of sense. I know we're working with supernatural creatures and magic and all, but I feel like there needs to be some logic to it.

With all this being said, I don't think I'm going to make the December deadline, but I'm confident in believing that the story should be set for a January release. Everything else has been taken care of. I made the cover a couple of months ago, finally figured out a title, and wrote up a blurb. All that's missing is the inside stuff.

As I'm editing the second book, I will be making my outline for the next book in the series with the hope that it will result in the third book coming out in the fall or winter of 2020. We shall see. I'm sort of getting to a place where I can balance multiple projects and put out two books a year. I failed this year because Murderous Profession was an unplanned project that came to me suddenly and took root, and I couldn't let it go.

I'm sure you all have this question floating around in your heads, which is: How long is the Pureblood series? Six or seven books, depending on where the story takes me. Material from the original manuscript is the blueprint for these first three books. After that, I have to look at my notes, but I can come up with fresh material for the series since I won't be working off of that source material anymore. The rest of the series will probably go pretty quick because this isn't supposed to be long and drawn out story. When I was young and foolish, and by young I mean like four or five years ago, I thought I could have the story told in three books, but the world of publishing works differently than the world of fanfiction.

This is where my head is at on the Last Pureblood series. I hope to have to some teaser chapters up on my Patreon in October.

Speaking of my Patreon, Fate Unseen, also known as the 3rd Avery Lawson book, will be the first book where I will start releasing four teaser chapters, but that 4th teaser will only be accessible by subscribers. Non-subscribers will have unlimited access to the first three like always. You can subscribe as much as a dollar on my Patreon.

This brings me to my next point, granted I'm busy with Fate Unseen, but I will be rolling out my first serial The Adventures of Swift in January on my Patreon. The first episode will be accessible by non-subscribers, and the ones after that will be accessible by subscribers. I'm counting this as my second project for 2020 since I plan to focus on book 3 of the Pureblood series.

The Adventures of Swift is a superhero serial with some fantasy elements. It follows Isabella Delgado, who is the vigilante known as Swift who protects the city of Whitevale from crime. When a jewel thief comes to the city, with some high-powered gadgets, Swift's life gets more interesting, and so does Isabella's, but her interesting comes in the form of the stunningly attractive Ainsley Breckenridge. How Isabella will balance Whitevale's newest villain and a new love interest who happens to be her boss's boss's ex-wife will be something you will have to find out in January. I highly recommend subscribing.

This blog post actually got away from me, and I'm glad it did. I hope we're all stoked for everything I have planned because I know I am. Either way I hope everyone enjoys getting back into the swing of things, may it be going back to school or getting the kids ready to go back. Don't forget to take some time out for a good book, and don't forget to leave a review for it.

Until next time....

-DJ Small

End of July Post

August is, literally, days away. Isn't that crazy? Hopefully everyone had a good July—ate some good food, went on vacation, and enjoyed the AC.

With July ending it means the official countdown for the release of Murderous Profession begins. Pre-orders went on sale on the 7/24 at Amazon. The book is set to be released on the 8/26, so go pre-order your copy and you can have the book delivered to your device at the stroke of midnight. I'm going to redo my pinned tweet because I think it fell a little short. It's a learning process this self-promotion thing. Barring any major complications, like network failure and my computer shitting the bed, the book is set to be released on time. Which is a major thing for me since I have an issue with keeping realistic deadlines.

Paperback copies of the book will probably come a week or two later. It depends on some formatting and printing issues. I always strive to get the best version of the book out to everyone, so I'm not going to put out something I wouldn't buy myself.

I have started working on the first "Muderous Interlude." I think the interludes are going to consist of five little stories between each book, and as of right now, I have five books planned. The interludes are going to run the same as my serials. They won't be longer than 10k, but they'll connect with the books and other episodes. These aren't going to be big plot driven stories. They're just meant to delve further into the characters and learn more about them. If any real drama happens it's only to progress things with them. I'm excited for this because I have a few ideas that I'm really anxious to write because they're different.

Speaking of my serials, that will be a 2020 project. and I'm hoping to have the first two episodes up on my Patreon in January. New episodes will be released every two weeks. Each season will have about 10 or 11 episodes. The Adventures of Swift will be the first series I'll be putting up, but I will have another serial up by the end of the year. I'm toying around with a serialized prequel for Reappearance of Summer, but we'll see.

This now brings me to my next point. I have a deviated from what I was originally going to do. The "Murderous Interludes" and my serials were supposed to be posted on my Ko-Fi, but I didn't like the way their text editor worked, so I have re-signed up for Patreon and everything will be on there. Currently there are no tiers, but I'm thinking about creating two of them. I'm also going to start posting my teaser chapters there to get some traffic and I'm going to drop Wattpad so everything is one convenient location. All teaser chapters will be free on my Patreon, so there are no worries there.

Yes, there are a lot of changes afoot, but honestly it's just me minimizing the number of things I have to think about.

I have some good news, and it's for all you Avery Lawson fans.

A few days ago, I finished draft one of the second book. Whoop-whoop!! I'm currently taking a break from it, so when I start editing it, it will basically be new to me. I'm not sure how long the editing process will be. I want to make sure everything from the 1st book carries over gets resolved while also making sure the story is consistent. I'm certain I screwed up on a few things while writing it, but such is life. I'll get it all ironed out before it comes out. My fingers are still crossed for the December release.


 Okay, so check out my Patreon, pre-order Murderous Profession, and sign up for the newsletter. The first one came out in July and though brief I think we're off to a good start. August's edition will be a crapshoot. I haven't compiled my thoughts on it yet, but I've got some time. I think.

I am done here, and please be a dear and review those books you read from indie and self-pubbed authors like myself. May seem like it does nothing, but it actually does a lot. All right get out of here you wacky kids, and enjoy the rest of your summer.


-DJ Small

It is time.

Who is excited? This guy, and hopefully the rest of you are as well.

After several months of writing and editing, Murderous Profession has a release date. Insert drum roll gif...




August 26th is the release date for Murderous Profession. Pre-sales for eBooks will being 7/22 on Smashwords and Amazon. Super excited for this book to come out. Now that we know when it will be coming out, I'll also let you know that there will be a series of standalone stories that to accompany the series on my Ko-Fi.

The standalone stories, which I have been calling "Murderous Interludes," will be—for the most part—light and they'll tackle the in-between moments between books because my main characters are complex people, and I feel like there is much more delve into, but it's too much to put into a single book, hence, the standalone stories.

The first story will be free and the subsequent ones will be available to those that buy me gummy bears. Yes, on my Ko-Fi I have customized it to where you are buying me gummy bears because I don't drink coffee, however, I digress. Monthly contributors will have the option to download each chapter individually. I do have a plan to compile the standalone stories, but I need to see how many I come up with before I do. At the moment I just have two.

Okay, so new book is on the way, and pre-orders start on the 22nd. You can still reserve a signed copy if you are a US based reader on my website up until the book is released.

Obligatory mention of the second Last Pureblood book.

Okay, that's it.

I kid, I kid. I have a title for it! I just need to remember what I titled it because I forgot. Oh!I remember! The title of the second Last Pureblood book is Fate Unseen. I'm in the midst of finishing the first draft because it keeps getting longer for some weird ass reason, but I should have it done by the end of the month.

I'm not sure where that puts us for release wise. I'm still shooting for a December release, but we have to see what happens because it has gotten a bit long in the tooth. Can I use that here? I'm going to.

Okay, so that has been today's blog post. Remember, be a pal and review an indie author's book. Oh, and if you haven't signed up for newsletter, you can do so here. All right, now I'm done.

Until next time....

-DJ Small

June Is Almost Over....

This means I have to write two blog posts before it ends. Great.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful pride month. Learned some queer history, celebrated yourself, and was defiant by being your beautiful queer self. We are definitely in a period of time where people's perception of the queer community is changing, but there are a lot of things we still need to work on, and we can only do that together. So, lift each other up and fight in memory of those that came before for us, those who are currently here, and those who can't fight for themselves.

Sorry, I got in my solitary feel, but the state of the world got me feeling some type of way. Any-gays, this month has been a wonderful month of progress on book two of the Last Pureblood series. I am near the end, and once it is done, I'll take a break from it. By then my editor will be all set with Murderous Profession, but we shall see.

I am at the point where I'm setting up some new plot elements for book three, and because I don''t want to reveal too much, I'll just say that book three is going to have a faster past than one and two. Not saying book two is slow, but it finishes where book one left off and is the launching point for what happens next. It's a transitional book. There are ups and downs.

Teaser chapters for the second book will probably start showing up on my Wattpad mid- or late-August. I should have a title by the end of July because I am tired of calling this story book two or the second Avery Lawson book or what the hell else my brain comes up wuth. I should also have a release date for Murderous Profession around that time too.

All right, so the newsletter was supposed to come back this month, but my week off wasn't as productive as I had wanted it to be, so the newsletter will come back in July. It will be sent out on July 14th. The reason why I'm telling you this is because if you sign up for the newsletter between now and July 14th, you'll get a coupon code for 50% off Murderous Profession when it comes out. Also when you sign up for the newsletter you get a free book. It's like a double win. You can sign up here if I have enticed you enough.

I have a Ko-Fi page. You have probably seen me post about it once or twice. My Ko-Fi page is going to get a lot of activity since this is where I'm going to be posting my serials. As of right now, I have two serials planned. One is tied to Murderous Profession and the other is a new story. First episode of all serials will be free, but subsequent episodes will available as pay-per-post. If you become a monthly subscriber, you can download the entire season for free upon completion. More to come on that later in the year. I was originally going to sell through my website, but I need to change the way my deliverables are handled.

Last thing, Smashwords is doing their bi-annual Summer/Winter sale in July, which means all of my books will be free for the first week. So, if you haven't gotten one my books that you've been wanting to read that's when you should get it. Alternatively, tell your friends if you don't need a book. Exposure is everything in this world.

Well this blog post certainly got away from me. I think there is one big thing I want to stress, which is signing up for the newsletter. I feel like I'm just going to start giving things away to my newsletter peeps. You guys deserve it.

As always, if you have read any books by a small time author, do them a favor and review their book. Every bit helps.

Until next time...

-DJ Small

Whew....May just flew by didn't it?

I guess that's what happens when you're having fun editing. I just wanted to get in a minor update before the month is out. I hope we're all ready for Summer vacation and the heat! I am not, and I wish I was in the Arctic, but even that is getting a little balmy these days. Moving on....

Who is excited for Murderous Profession?!?!?! I know I am super excited for you guys to read it. My second round of edits will be done this weekend, and then I'll send it off to my editor. The story sort of achieves what I set out to do, which was write a romantic-comedy. But when you're dealing with murder, there is only so much room for humor, however, there are funny bits along with some angst, and a touch of romance. It has a happy for now ending. Will this be then end for Eliza? The answer is no. This is going to be an ongoing series, which will not have a set schedule. Unlike The Last Pureblood series, this one could end next year, it could end five years from now. It's just something to diversify my writing, I guess.

I know last blog post I talked about bringing back the newsletter, which I am going to do, probably in June. Maybe. I'm trying to figure out what direction to take with it. I have some smaller projects I want to get out, but I'm not sure how to deliver them, and I was thinking about using the newsletter, but meh. I've got a lot of thoughts about this newsletter, but it is coming back. I just need to get my shit together.

I vaguely mentioned it, but  I will be jumping into the next Avery Lawson book as soon as I'm done editing Murderous Profession. Am I still feeling ambitious and aiming for a December release? You bet your sweet ass I am. Will that work out in my favor? Experience says no, but pride says it fcking will. Fingers crossed.

I know there are questions, especially after how the first book ended, and to give some relief, I'll divulge a little. The first thing I feel comfortable revealing, is that Avery will have her first change. This is what the first book was leading up to, and I'd be an ass to put it off just for kicks. I'm an asshole, but not that big of a one.

Next thing I'm willing to share, is if Rhea and Avery will finally give into their desire for one another. The answer to that one is no. Sorry kids, but this is a major plot point, and it has explosions. Literal explosions. Also, if you're a fan of werewolf books, and have read a lot of them, I think you can read the writing on the wall about what will happen between Avery and Rhea once they do give into their passion.

Lastly, will we learn more about the war between the Order and the Mongrels? Abso-fcking-lutely. However this will be a challenge for me because a lot of history needs to told before I can just dive into it. Avery is also being a pain in the ass, so it complicates things. But yeah, you're going to learn more about the Mongrels, and we're going to also dive a little deeper into their world.

So there you have it. Murderous Profession edits are almost done, you learned a little more about the second Avery Lawson book, and I'm still insane for doing this, but I enjoy it. Comment or tweet me your thoughts. I enjoy talking to my readers.

Another thing, if anyone would like to beta read Murderous Profession comment on this post or contact me on Twitter.

One more thing before I leave, review, review, review. People can't discover my books, and other indie authors' books, if we don't get enough reviews. I think all you need is five and the algorithm does something weird to bump up a book's exposure. Either way please review, and not just mine, but other indie authors that you read. Takes a minute.

All right, I'm done. Enjoy your weekend, and happy Summer!

-DJ Small

Update Lite

*Rises from the foggy sea like the kraken* Argggh...so it's time for an update. I really need to get that damn newsletter back. Twice a month blog posts seems really pointless when I'm just editing and plotting books and  doing publisher type things.

Murderous Profession edits are going swimmingly, and the handwritten edits should be done next week then I move to updating the document and doing vague editing before sending it to my editor. Still on track for July I feel like, but who knows what could happen. Teaser chapters will be up on my website once I have the main copy updated. If you're interested in getting a paperback copy of Murderous Profession, you can go here to reserve your copy. FYI: physical copies are only being sold through my website for US based readers. International readers can still obtain physical copies through Amazon. I'm only doing this to test out a new book printer, and to see how this process works for me.

Speaking of Murderous Profession, I have decided to do accompanying mini stories in-between books. I plan to do these through my Ko-Fi page and my website. More to come on that when I get a better idea of things, and after Murderous Profession comes out.

Book 2 of The Last Pureblood series needs a damn working title. Hmm...we're going to call it the Inevitable Change until I can come up with a legitimate title for it. It's on pause due to Murderous Profession edits, but the rest of it has been outlined and ready for me type it out. I'm excited because so much happens and we get to get out of this beginning part. I've already started brainstorming the third book, and writing down some plot points. Hopefully there won't be a long gap like there currently is with books 1 and 2.

All right, so that was an update-ish, I'll bring the newsletter back. I'm thinking once a month with a blog post. That should be easy enough. What would you all like to see in the newsletter? Let me know in the comments.

-DJ Small

March Is Halfway Over

I blinked, and next thing I knew it was March 16th. Decided it would be a great time to do an update. I think the main reason why March flew by is because I was busy trying to obliterate the first draft of my next book, which as of 10:15pm of March 12th, is finished.

I'm intrigued to see how this book will be received because this will be my first book where my main characters won't be two women who love women. This time I've got a cis, female, bisexual main character, and a trans, sexually fluid, main character who is a person of color. It'll be different, but I hope people will have an open mind about it. I mean you really need to because it's set in a world where sex work is legal, and Dax is a sex worker who loves his job. But all seriousness aside it's a fun book, and there are some serious moments, but overall it is a light read. My goal for it is to be a quick, fun read that also gives you some feels. I'll have more information about the release of Detective Miller after the editing process. Hoping for July, but things happen. The book was originally titled, Detective Miller Meet The Callboy, but I didn't like the feel of it, so it's just Detective Miller at the moment.

During this breather between finishing the first draft and editing, I'm reading what I have thus far for the second Last Pureblood book, and as soon as I finish that I'm going to actually outline that damn story. I thought I could dive into it and get it done, but there are too many moving parts, and I want to make sure I cover all the loose ends from the first book while also closing out this part of the story. Then there is introducing the next arc of the series, and my goodness! There are a lot of parts. I can handle it.

In other news, I'm trying to get my serial out this year. Where it will be posted is still TBD. I want to do it through my site, but at the same time I can't seem to figure out how to do the delivery, so I may just post it through my Ko-Fi. Make the first chapter free, and if you donate you get subsequent chapters. It's a thought. I'm still trying to figure it all out. The serials will be setup where each season will be 10 episodes, and each episode is 10k words, give or take a few hundred. I have the first one written, but I am Sir Does Too Much, and haven't gotten around to getting it edited. So if I have some time near the end of the year I'm going to jump on that.

Before I end things, if you're interested in beta reading Detective Miller after I edit it, please let me know. I only need 2 people, maybe 3, but the more the merrier. I'm thinking of compensation, probably in the form of a signed copy of the book, but it will be greatly appreciated. Just a content warning here, but Detective Miller does have adult content and mentions the deaths of sex workers.

Okay, that was a March update, and I probably won't have another one until April. Until then enjoy whatever books you're reading and make sure you review them. It's not about money, but visibility.

-DJ Small

And Suddenly It Was December

For a year that went by slower than molasses, November went by pretty damn quick

Happy holiday season for those celebrating some sort of seasonal holiday this month, and for those of you that don't celebrate holidays, happy December.

Nothing special this entry just wanted to say thank you to all those who have purchased Reappearance of Summer. I hope everyone has enjoyed it thus far, and if you've finished reading it and want to show a little love you can leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon. For the next few months my books will be available on Kindle Unlimited so if you're enrolled in the program definitely give my books a read without the commitment. With them being in the program I'm going to be able to make the books free on certain days so be on the look out.

I'd like to take this time to allude to a new project that should be showing up in a month or two. It's not the second Last Pureblood book. It's actually something I have been working on for the last few months, and surprisingly, it was easy to write while working on Reappearance of Summer. I'll release the details about it when I'm ready for the world to know more, but it's going to be something that will only be offered on my website and you won't be able to find it anywhere else. Yeah, it's that elusive. This brings me to my newsletter subscribers. Once I'm ready to release it into the world, I'll send those of you who are subscribed to my website newsletter a link for early access to this new project. That's it for now on that, but if you want the early access link subscribe to my newsletter, which gets sent out as infrequently as I update my blog 😒

I've got some changes coming at the beginning of the year, but mostly updating the website and stuff. I'm going to introduce a new logo because I think it's time for a new one.


Last Pureblood book two. There we go. That was my obligatory mention, and you know what they say, no news is good news. Does that work in the writing world? It's being worked on. The beginning is slow, so I'm going to have to do some rewrites, but yeah it's coming along and still on track for 2019.

That is December's blog post. Fingers crossed I make another one. If not, I hope everyone has a good holiday and happy new year. Thank you for making 2018 a great one for me just by reading my books and buying them. I hope to bring you more in 2019.

-DJ Small