Dammit! It's fricking October!

This post has gone through multiple iterations since I've come back from the GCLS conference back in July, and it's only because I'll think of something while typing, and I either get distracted or hold off on posting because my idea is a good one, thinking I would use the post to announce it because I'm always working on something. Usually that's not the case, but this time, I have a couple of things to announce lol.

Uh...since this is going to be a recap of my summer pretty much I'll put this under a cut so it's not a freakishly long post. I hope you all had an enjoyable summer, and I hope the next few months are a complete nightmare. Onto the good stuff!

Newlsetter Is Out On The 10th

(If you're reading this on Facebook or through my Goodreads page, I recommend visiting my actual blog so you have access to the links)

I have this issue where I do something, and another thing is effected by the thing I'm doing, but I don't realize the connection until it's too late or like minutes before the thing I'm doing takes effect. In this case I'm talking about my newsletter dropping on the 10th, and me needing to post a blog post before it does. Fortunately, math irritated me into doing something else and I realized I needed to make a blog post before it does come out.

Reason for the early newsletter is because I enrolled Murderous Profession into a group promotion event on Bookfunnel, and it doesn't go past my preferred newsletter sending date of the 15th. So it's coming out on May 10th. If you're in the market for a new book and/or looking for a new author to check out, click on this link to peruse some books featuring queer characters. Oh, and they're all FREE! I made sure this group promo was well rounded and wasn't inundated by MM fiction with hard-bodied half naked men on the cover. So go take a look.

Speaking of Murderous Profession, I've started edits on Grisly Politics the second book in the Detective Miller series. I am super excited to be back in Eliza and Dax's world. These two are just so much fun to write and develop. I'm also going to be working with the same editor, so hopefully the second book should flow seamlessly into the first one. At some point this week, I'll take a pause on editing it so I can edit the short story I've written as a freebie for my newsletter subscribers and exclusive on Ko-Fi. If you'd like to receive it once I've released it, you can sign up for my monthly newsletter or become a supporter of my Ko-Fi page.

Other than that it is going to be a mellow month, especially since the PWHL playoffs are happening and the championship game is going to be around the corner, so I am super distracted, especially if I'm entering the bloodbath that is going to be getting tickets for the championship game.

Before I end this just wanted to say I out out a call for pre-release readers. If you're interested in becoming an Alpha or Beta reader or want to join my ARC Team, go to this page and sign up. I figure I might get a few pre-release readers established since I'll have a couple of books ready for critiquing soon. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me or reach out to me on Facebook or Discord.

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

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

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

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

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

Hey, you wanna read something?

All right, since I haven't finished editing chapter one of Murderous Profession like I wanted to (there was a massive scene rewrite, and this is after my handwritten edits), I'm going to treat you all to the first two scenes of chapter one. I should have chapter one fully edited on Monday or Tuesday. I'm not going to build it up. I'm just gonna give it to you. FYI this is after two rounds of editing, and it still needs to go to my editor, so it's still a little rough, but I couldn't wait to give you guys something.


Content Warnings: Adult themes, sexual references, murdered sex workers, bad and crude language.

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

The Store Is Live!

The store is back up on my website. A couple of call outs; if you're an EU based reader, sorry, but VAT gave me a headache and you can't purchase from the site. However, you can still order through Amazon and Smashwords, and when I start up the serials, you can purchase those through my Gumroad store. Any tangible items, like signed copies, are only shipped to US readers, and if you try to purchase a signed copy, Paypal will say, "Sorry, but this seller doesn't ship outside the US." This may change, but the landscape of selling things online is changing, so who knows. I have thoughts on it, but they have nothing to do with this.

We have a cover for Murderous Profession, and it is below. For those who voted for Cover B, a winner has been chosen and has been contacted. If they want me to announce their win publicly I will, but they will remain anonymous. The winner is getting a signed copy of the book that will be printed by the new book printing company I'm going to go with. That's exciting because I plan to do fancy things with this book.

Oh! Reservations for Murderous Profession are also live. Fill out the form and your information will be retained, and once the book is released and I get it out to you, I'm destroying it. Read the blurb above the form so you know how reservations work. I'm working on a better synopsis for the book, but as of right now, it's a bit flat (terrible). Reservations will probably run until the end of June. If that changes I'll make an announcement.

I'm super anxious to see how selling through the site goes. If you have any problems contact me and I'll get squared away as quickly as possible.

Who wants an update on Avery Lawson book two? Yeah, me too lol. Just kidding. Okay, I've read what I have so far for it, and I think I have an idea where I'm going to go. This is my summer project, so I'm gonna take my time with it. There are a few more points that I think I need to accomplish so we can get carried into book 3 and the next arc of the story. You're probably wondering how many books are in this series. When this began, it was supposed to be five. At this point, it's probably going to be six or seven . It depends on what my imagination does, but sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride because I think it's going to be a fun and intense one.

Okay, so go to the store and check out things. Any comments or suggestions anyone has, you can fill out the contact form on the website, comment on this blog post, or hit me up on Twitter. I want this to be as easy as possible for everyone. You can also contact me through the store front as well.


That is it this round, and I bid you adieu. Keep on reading and reviewing. Not just me, but other authors too.


-DJ Small

Aw, Snap! A Second Post For March

I must be doing things if there is a second blog post this month. Hello all, I hope we've had a great month so far. I'm enjoying this little break before I start editing Murderous Profession. Trying to do take care of some updates on the website and preparing it to take orders, so I took down the store while that is going on. It'll be back on April 1st, and it is live once again you'll be able to purchase signed copies of Reappearance of Summer and start reserving your signed copy of Murderous Profession.  By then the cover finalized. If you want to try you hand at winning a free, signed copy of Murderous Profession you can vote on which of the covers you like here and if your cover wins you'll be entered in a drawing with everyone else who voted for the same cover. Voting ends on the 31st and is open to those in the US.

In regards to book reservations, if you follow me on Twitter I said I was playing around with a new idea to have my books printed by a new company because I wanted better quality books. However, since this isn't like print on demand where you the reader can buy a book and Amazon prints it and ships it out to you, I have to buy stock.

I will only start with a low volume of books, and once that is gone that'll be it. Will physical copies be available on Amazon? No for US readers, but yes for international ones. This is because of shipping, and I'm still trying to find a way to ship internationally without going broke. I know I stated that once I'm out of books that will be it, but there is a caveat. There will be a book request form on the website and every few weeks I'll fulfill the requests received.

Why am I telling you this when I'm bringing up book reservations? Because if you are a US based reader, and would like a physical copy of Murderous Profession, you will need to fill out the reservation form to make sure you get one.

This new change will only be for new books. My current titles on Amazon will remain where they are. At some point I will update those books to the new printing company, but we'll see how that goes.

Another change I will be rolling out on the website is the ability to purchase digital copies of my books. They'll still be available on Amazon and Smashwords, but I want my website to essentially have everything someone visiting the site would be looking for.

Lastly, I'm setting up a page for my serials to be on, so I'm going to be quiet busy the next few days, but it's all for a good reason.

Okay, to recap changes are coming to the website. You should go vote on a cover for a chance to win a free copy of Murderous Profession, and lastly thank you for reading and the support. If you've read any of my books don't forget to review them. Or at least tell me what you thought on Twitter lol. Next time I should have some details on book 2 of the Last Pureblood seris.

Until next time...

-DJ Small