It's My Favorite Time Of The Year!

It's November, which means food and it's also the point in the year where everyone at work starts disappearing for holiday festivities. I cannot wait for Turkey Day. The PWHL also returns this month, so you all need to mentally prepare for me to talk about hockey in future posts until about June or July.

New to the blog, TL:DR. Click the link and you'll jump to a summary of the blog post. Not AI-generated. Just me calling out the important things in the post. 

I don't plan for this to be a long post, just trying to get back into the habit of posting. Still working on Grisly Politics. I've only been able to work on this book in the mornings on the weekends due to the course I'm taking and work, but once I finish my course in the next week or so, I'll be able to dedicate more time to it. I'm actually getting close to the first inciting incident of the book. If you know me, I like to have a couple or a few of those depending on the book. This is excluding the Last Pureblood books. Those will vary in the number of inciting incidents due to the overall arching story. Gosh that series is such a behemoth. Clearly, I just distracted myself and I will be talking about that next because obviously my brain has some thoughts it'd like to get out, but let's get back to the topic at hand.

Full disclosure, and I'm going to have to mention this a few times before I release the book, but the first inciting incident is intense. It's emotional, it's messy, and it's human. With what we know about Dax and Eliza, how could it not be? But you have been warned, and I'm only going to give 3 of those. Possibly 4 if I can't stand the level of emotion I provoke with this incident. But yeah that's what's going on with Grisly Politics.

As soon as I pass my certification exam, I'm going dive head first into Fate Unseen and start re-familiarizing myself with whatever I was trying to get accomplished with that story. And since I can't remember what all I've revealed about this book, I'm going to remain silent.When I start my read of it, I'm sure it's all going to come rushing back. I hope with reading the story, it'll amp my brain up to edit it because that's what I had to do to get back into Grisly Politics. Gotta find the joy before I can do anything, which is a little nice. My brain only wants to do things that makes it happy. Aww.

I've been meaning to mention this, but I kept forgetting. However, now that I'm having multiple conversations a day or having this shit shoved down my throat, I felt the need to make a public announcement.

DJ SMALL HATES GENERATIVE AI.

DJ SMALL DOES NOT UTILIZE ANY TYPE OF GENERATIVE AI.

DJ SMALL DOES NOT WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO USE GENERATIVE AI. 

DJ SMALL BELIEVES WHOLEHEARTEDLY THAT GENERATIVE AI HAS NO PLACE IN CREATIVE WORK.*

(*Unless the creative work is some sort commentary on AI then in that case it's all right, but within reason.) 

If there are any questions about the above statements, please, reach out. I hate Gen AI with a passion and the fact that it's permeating almost every facet of life is just gross.I have no problem with assistive AI, such as spelling or grammar checks or AI used to adjust the volume on a TV when theme song is at 20 for volume, and the show is at a 3. That I'm fine with. Shitty art and books generated with the shit because someone couldn't take the time to try, fail, and then learn from their mistakes is not art. It's a shortcut and it's unsustainable because evil begets more evil. Like, I know I'm not the only one who knows that. I'm hoping Mr. Cory Doctorow is right in his assessment that the AI bubble is going to pop soon, and based on the facts he's provided, it's quite likely. This is all I have to say about Gen AI.

Here's a pallet cleanser:

 

 

  

There. Are we in a better headspace? If no, give it another listen. If yes, let's move on.

I am participating in SWAG4GCLS with five other fantastic authors, who I shouldn't even be on the same team with. At least from a writing standpoint. This is a fun little event The Golden Crown Literary Society is doing to raise some funds for the organization, which is non-profit, as well as having an event for writers to take part in during November so they can achieve their writing goals now that NaNoWriMo is an extinguished dumpster fire. At least one was put out. I'm being glib about it because I don't know the whole story, but from what I've read, it sounded like a dumpster fire.And it's tragic because a lot of authors use this month to really focus on their goals and what not because having others hold you accountable or at least to check-in with is definitely helpful for that process. 

For SWAG4GCLS, I will be focused on completing edits for Grisly Politics, so if you want to raise money for a great organization while giving me encouragement to stick with my editing, go ahead and donate.

Since we're ending on a giving note, if you are not aware or live outside the US, there is currently a government shutdown due to Republicans wanting to snatch healthcare from US citizens, and the Democrats are not rolling over and letting that happen. Because of this many people are going to be without food to feed their families due to them not getting paid or not being able to receive their government assistance. Either way, this is no longer about politics, and its about helping people. If you are able to put your politics aside, and donate to either your local food banks/pantries orgs or even national organizations like Feeding America, I urge you to do so. If you are not financially available to do that, then please promote them. With the holidays arriving, some people and families are going to be stretched financially, and not because of commercialism but due to the shutdown, and, unfortunately, some are not going to recover. So, put your politics, opinions, and whatever aside and help those in need.

And because I am on a soapbox about this, through the month of November if you donate to a local food bank/pantry or a national organization, and you send me proof, I will give you one of my books for free, and you can decide if you want a signed paperback or an ebook. There are some limitations: one (1) book per person. There are no multiple entries. If you enter more than twice for whatever reason, the first entry will be chosen. No payments for shipping. And you have to be 18+.

There, I feel like that sounds reasonable. To enter just fill out this form, which is going to capture your name, email, year of birth to make sure you over 18, and a place for you upload your proof of donation. If opting for a signed paperback, you'll also be asked for the mailing address you would like your book sent to because how else am I going to get it to you? For peace of mind, all books will come in a USPS or a UPS box or packaging. I haven't decided which shipper I'm going with.

So, that's that on that. I know there are a lot of asks in this post, but this is a cause and a org near and dear to my heart, which is saying a lot because I have many of those.

This ended up longer than anticipated, but yay! Main takeaways from this post:

•  Grisly Politics is still being worked on, and I'm hoping for a late winter, early-Spring release.

• Donate to my team, The Uncrustables, for SWAG4GCLS to support GCLS and motivate us to achieve our writing goals.

• Lastly, donate to either a local food bank/pantry or a national one and fill out this form, and I'll send you either a ebook of your choosing or a signed paperback of your choosing. You can only pick 1. Not both and all entries are limited to 1 book as well.

All right, time to end this. Remember to review the books you read especially those by indie authors. And until next time folks!

 

 -DJ Small  

It Has Been A Productive May

By productive I mean, I'm further along in the manuscript for the second Detective Miller book and I've been doing some work on my website. I hope May has been treating you all better than it has me. I got Covid the week before last—thanks to my sister's husband—so I've been in isolation for the last two weeks. It was a mild case and felt more like a head cold, but it left me super tired. Last Saturday, all I did was sleep and it was glorious.

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

*leans against wall, huffing and puffing* Goodness....January Is Almost Over

I would say happy New Year, but at this point, it would be supremely awkward.

I honestly have no idea where this month has gone, but here we are. Just a quick blog post to let everyone know I'm alive.

Fate Unseen is getting put out of its misery this weekend, if not the beginning of next week. I have taken some time off from work to dedicate my life to it, so that is exciting. Once I get it to my editor, I'll be doing a cover reveal. Newsletter subscribers will see it first, and a few days later, I'll make a blog post about it. I hope I don't forget to do that, but I'm sure someone will keep me on track. Teaser chapters will be posted on my Patreon once I review my editor's edits. If I'm happy with the chapter, it'll go up as soon as I'm done with my review. Remember, I only put out 3 teaser chapters.

For book release time frame, I am looking at April or May. Way later than I wanted it to be, but that's fine considering how much I was struggling to ge Fate Unseen edited. I'm surprised I'll get out in the first half of the year.

Once these edits are done, this thing is going to get going like a steam roller, which means I'm going to be gassing up the heavy machinery. I'm plotting a story currently, and I'm going to get the first five episodes of Adventure of Swift written and edited. That will probably be making an appearance around late summer. Since I don't have any big trips planned, I should be able to stick to that. This is a year of frugal living for me since I splurged all last year. Oooh chile!

In exciting news, I'll be doing my first "event." I won't be doing a panel or anything, but I will be at QFX East in May, peddling my hard written books. As we get closer, I'll be able to let everyone know what the exclusives will be and how you can get them. I'm excited and nervous about this, but I think it will be a good time, and I'm excited to meet everyone.

Oh, price drop announcement! All my books are available for $2.99 at all eBook retailers, or it should be. If there are any issues let me know. I'm working on getting Murderous Profession in paperback format. It'll probably come out the same time as Fate Unseen.

Going completely off-topic, I'm sure everyone as heard about a major writers' organization taking a hard nose dive and imploding on itself, and while absorbing the facts and tea spilling of this clusterfuck, it made me wonder why there isn't a dedicated queer writers organization. I know these things take time to get off the ground, but like queer writers have to exist as a subset of  these bigger organizations and fight twice as hard to get some kind of recognition. I know this is the same story with other marginalized groups, and that these bigger organizations have resources and whatnot, but at the same time, why the hell don't we give it the old college try?

I'm sure someone out there is grinding the gears for that, or I at least hope they are. I think my only criteria would be that the organization not be restricted to one genre, because I'm not exclusive to one genre, and secondly that it broadly covers the entire queer spectrum.

I have a lot of thoughts on that, and I'm not sure if I'm going to bite the bullet on that one. I would need a helping hand or two because I want to write, and y'know, do hood rat things with my friends.

This post has gotten away from me, but I actually had thoughts and news this time! Seriously though let's all get excited that Fate Unseen is getting closer to being out in the world, and I'm anxious to know how everyone feels about it. Things get a bit more supernaturally, and Avery faces a whole slew of obstacles.

Also get pumped for Adventures of Swift. This was almost a Swan Queen fanfic instead of being an original story, so there is a bit of a zeal in it because Swan Queen is one of my 5ever ships.

All right, I'm off to edit. Remember to review your books, especially for those written by indie authors like myself. Oh, and enjoy the rest of your January 😊

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

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

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

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

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

January Has Been Unkind To Me

Sigh. Let's rap good people. It has been a craptacular January for me, but I think things are getting back on track, especially after that bout of the food poisoning. I'm waiting to receive my survey on it, would not recommend.

Last Pureblood Book Two

I honestly have been plugging away at it and there is a nice chunk of it done, but I'm finding myself at a point where I feel like the pacing is sluggish and there are some elements I am truly struggling with. I find myself growing frustrated with it, but at the same time I also haven't been able to give it the proper attention it needs. Between the holidays, work, and life in general it barely got my full attention. I'm getting a new work schedule, and life is becoming less intense, so hopefully I can focus on the story and give you all the proper book you deserve considering the first one.

I think my lack of patience is the cause of my frustration because book two is like the second part of laying the foundation, and it requires more exposition and more explanation around Avery's change. So there are no opportunities for me to make it as dark and twisted as I would like, which make me want get to the other books because they'll be more action driven and dark. It becomes a meatier story. But the foundation is important.

At this point, still expect book two in 2019, but I can't give you firm answer of when because of my issues with it.

Other Projects

As we all know I have revamped the site, which included a bit of code learning so I can do what I want do on it. At some point this year, I will be rolling out serialized stories as website exclusives. You'll be able to purchase them of the site and download them directly to your device. I just need to get the first few episodes written out and through a couple of rounds of editing. The first serialized story is written, but I hand wrote it so it's not quite ready yet. I would say expect itaround summer time because it's more or less a side project. Something to give me a break from The Last Pureblood.

Depending on where I am for the Last Pureblood my standalone book for the year is up in the air. I was leaning toward one idea, but then I came up with this whole other idea which is pretty cool too, so I'm probably going to throw a dart to help me decide. What also helps is one is actually outlined while the other one just has loose plot points. Welcome to my insanity. I'm still determined to put out two books out this year, so fingers crossed.

Other than that only other thing I want to add is that I'm going to work on getting the newsletter up and running again, but it may be awhile. Until then I'll try to make two blog posts a month, but don't hold me to it lol.

That was an update kids, and I'll see you all in February!

-DJ Small

P.S. If you have read any of my books, don't forget to leave a review on Amazon or on Goodreads. Help a struggling author out.

New Year, New Site

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a good time ringing in 2019.

Nothing exciting with this post. Just wanted to announce the new site is up and running. I have plans for it which is why I moved to a different provider. I'm downsizing the number of places my books can be bought, and when it is all said and done you will only be able to get them on Amazon and my website. Jury is still out on Smashwords. I'm also going to start selling exclusive content through the site, so the change was a needed one.

One thing on the site I want to talk further about is I put up a form for anyone to fill to become a beta reader for me. I don't have anything yet, but it'll be nice to have people waiting to give me feedback before I put out a story. It'll be pretty cut and dry. You fill out the form, I reach out and let you know I got it. Then once I do have something I need feedback on I'll reach out and see if you can read it. There will be time frames, but they will be loose ones. Everything is covered on the page the form is on, but any questions you can email me.

I caught a wild hair, or I got one, I'm not sure about the logistics of the wild hair, but I acquired one and it has provoked a need to put out three books this year. I came up with a fun idea and really want to explore it. However, time is iffy for me. We'll see what happens because I'm hoping to finish the first draft of the second Avery Lawson book by the end of January (fingers crossed). Once that's done I'm going to start work on my next standalone which is outlined, so we'll see what happens.
 
Okay, that is it for me today. I'm not sure what 2019 will bring, but I'm ready for it and I hope you are too.

Until next time...

-DJ Small

Monday, Monday....

I hope everyone is excited because on Monday, Reappearance of Summer will be available digitally. I hope all those who have pre-ordered will tell me what they think once they finish it. For my folks who pre-ordered a physical copy of the book I have pushed that back due to my poor perception of time. I will send an e-mail about the particulars.

With another book under my belt, more or less, I'm looking to my next once which we all know will be the 2nd book in the Pureblood series. I am diligently working on it as we speak. I think it should be out late March or early April. I'll let everyone know once I'm ready. I'm going to change things a bit in regards to the release, but I'll say more once I have a better understanding of my plan. It may include using an actual calendar.

I've got some things coming in January, but again, I'll talk about them when it get closer. Right now, I'm going to decompress, jump into the Last Pureblood sphere and hopefully come up with a good book for you all.

Happy reading!

-DJ Small

Hello, hello!

I feel like it has been sometime since a blog post, but I haven't been doing anything except working. Kidding, I have been doing book and author things. A newsletter wasn't one of those things because I completely forgot, but October will have a newsletter.

Reappearance of Summer is still with the editor and I should have it back by the end of this week. Once I do my review I think I'll be two steps closer to being ready for the book's release at the end of October. If you haven't done so already you can pre-order the ebook on Amazon, my Gumroad store, and Barnes and Noble. Signed copies can also be pre-ordered through the Gumroad store. I'm only ordering enough to fill the pre-orders I recieve so if you want a signed paperback of Reappearance of Summer do it now because pre-orders end on October 15th.

For the last year or so I've been trying to figure out what to do with my serialized short stories. I was going to do Patreon, but honestly I couldn't justify charging people monthly and if I got caught up in something else then there would be a period of time where I wouldn't be putting out content. So, I nixed the idea in the bud, and kept thinking about what to do because offering the serials is a stepping stone for my graphic novel which isn't in the near future, but definitely in the next two years. I tried to go for Radish, but it seems I don't fit their platform. Fortunately, I rubbed my two brain cells together and have figured out how to offer my serials and will share the details at the beginning of 2019. I want to have the volume one of the first finished first. 

Book two of The Last Pureblood series is being written as we speak. It's sitting pretty at 15k word at the moment, but by the time my weekend is it should be at 20 or more. Things pick up right where we left off. I'm introducing some new characters, Avery meets Jon, and of course Avery's big change happens. There are also some exciting bits in this one. The second book is going to wrap up the groundwork book one started and we're going to start getting to the meat and potatoes of story line which is Avery dealing with her role in the supernatural community and the war among the werewolves. There is going to be excitement abound.

Lastly, my first book Pool of Lies turns two on September 26th, and to celebrate it's getting a face lift along with a nip and tuck. In book terms: new cover and I had to update the insides. The book will be on sale the entire week of the 26th for a dollar so make sure you get the story that drove me into self-publishing.

Okay, so this actually was an informative blog post. Proud of me. Main things to take away: pre-order Reappearance of Summer if you done so especially if you wanted a signed paperback; book 2 of The Pureblood Series is underway; and check out Pool of Lies new cover. Oh, and leave a review if you could on any of the books. They help the algorithms.

Be safe, be happy, and enjoy a good book.

-DJ Small

My Metadata Is Going To Be All Screwed Up

I can't seem to spell the word reappearance and spell check on my browser seems to only want to work 75% of the time. Thus, screwing up my metadata because I have to go back and change everything which takes like 24-48 hours to switch over. Anyway....rant over.

Pre-order your copy of Reappearance of Summer today! Physical copies can be reserved on my Gumroad page. Digital copies can be reserved on Amazon, Gumroad, and Barnes and Noble.

This is me putting my foot in my mouth. I said I wasn't going to do Amazon pre-orders because of how they do them. Well, I figured out if I schedule the book release for two weeks later than the release date then I can compensate for any incidents which may arise and cause me to delay the release. This being said, the release date on Amazon says 11/15/2018, but it is actually 10/29/2018 barring any complications. So, no one is getting jipped. This is me trying to get around Amazon's tight policy in regards to delaying pre-orders.

Any questions let me know. I have updated everything with the correct spelling of the word "reappearance" and you should see the update in like 3 days because everything is sooooo slow.

Oh, small announcement. I am beginning a serial and it will be available on my website. I have decided not to do Patreon because I couldn't justify it. I've deleted my page and if you were really stoked about it, I'm sorry. Maybe I'll work something out in regards to giveaways and what not.

All right, this was a quick update and don't forget to pre-order your copy of Reappearance of Summer especially if you are wanting a signed copy because I'm only ordering enough to fulfill pre-order numbers. Just an FYI for you all.

I'm off to go see where else I need to go correct the spelling of my book. Until next time...

-DJ Small

Book Cover Reveal, Patreon, and Pre-Sales...Oh My!

Before I lock myself in my cave, to finish updating the digital copy of Reappearance of Summer, I've got a few thing to get out there.

To everyone who has read the teaser chapter of RoS, thank you so much! I'm just excited as you are to get to have you read the rest of the story. It is an intense one and you only got a taste of it. If you haven't read the teaser chapters got to my Wattpad and check them out.

Since I am on the subject of RoS, I also want to thank those who saw the many renditions of the cover and my newsletter subscribers for giving me input on it. I'm sorry you had to go through that, but it helped. Went back to the drawing board, stopped being a lazy git, and came back with a cover that does capture what I feel is the essence of the story. It's up on the Wattpad and on my Twitter header, but here it for you to see up close and personal. I feel like the font has a Law & Order feel, but I've come to appreciate it.

Next up, is pre-sales. Let me start by saying I honestly don't know when this book will be out. I'm aiming for late October, but being a realist mid-November will also be likely. There are too many variables involved, but it is what it is. Do know it will be out before December though. Okay, with that disclaimer out of the way pre-sales will go live September 15th. Pre-sales are going to be through my Gumroad store for EPUB, PDF, and physical copies. Pre-sales will also be taking place on Smashwords. Kindle pre-sales WILL NOT be happening. I only capitalized it to make sure it stood out. I've talked about my distaste for how Amazon does pre-sales, and I'm not going to get into it again. Pre-sales will go for probably a month, maybe later if it looks like the book is going to have a November release.

And lastly, and probably something that may intrigue you all, is my Patreon. I plan to launch it on September 1st. You're probably wondering what the hell is going to be on it and what I plan to give people. How about this, go to the preview site and check out the tiers. Some things may change prior to launch, but go look and get a feel of where I'm at. But this is where I'm going to be put my short stories and some of my other smaller projects. I can let you know the first thing I'm posting is episode one of my episodic story entitled The Trials of Swift and the Dark Queen. It's a superhero story. Anyway, I plan to link up with some great artists to get artwork done of my book characters so I can make posters part of the exclusive content. I've already got art of Avery from Avery Lawson: The Last Pureblood and I'm super stoked about it.


Okay, so I'm going to go lock myself in my cave to work on those edits and you all go click the links and have some fun. And before I go, here's the Avery Lawson artwork I was talking about. Done by the talented Nicole and you can find her on Twitter @tealideal. I am super geeked about it, and I do have a poster so I could see how it would look and it is frickin fantastic. I may give it away. Anyway here's the art and until next time....

-DJ Small

The Finish Line Is In Sight

 Yep, that's right. Reappearence of Summer is eight scenes and an epilogue from being done. I should have it done by the end of next week. Which means I can finish reading The Last Pureblood and get started on outlining book two. I started reading it last week, but I'm focused on getting ROS done.

First chapter of ROS will be posted on the blog and Wattpad next week. This also means I'm going to do the cover reveal the same day. Next week will be a big week if you have been anxiously waiting to hear more about this book.

Other than that, Avery Lawson: The Last Pureblood is on sale at Smashwords until the end of July. It is 75% off. An Amazon sale will happen in August, but definitely check out the Smashwords sale.

Update on the super secret project, everything is in line for it being announced in September. There is this and that, and more of this. Okay, I'll be unveiling a new story which will be released in a serial format. There I have said enough. When we get closer to me announcing, I'll release the cover for it.

Oh, I know a newsletter didn't come out this Sunday. I didn't have much to update, so there won't be one for July, but I compensate with more blog posts this month. However, I don't think it'll be much.

End of Year Excitement

Oh my goodness....this week has been a trying time for me, and it has only just started. Not only am I about to get to the second half of Reappearance of Summer, but I had a mild crisis. The crisis involved the second book for 2019. I had no idea what I was going to do. I did have a story idea in mind, but I'm currently writing into a script and I'm not quite ready to turn it into a novel, so I found myself needing a second book for 2019.

Here's the thing I am a series writer. My ideas grow and expand on top of one another until I feel I have reached an adequate conclusion. It's very rare that I come up with a standalone story. It's because of this quirky writer trait that none of my current ideas work for 2019. I don't't want to tie myself up creatively with two series. But! I have circumvented that and have a standalone story for 2019. I just need to outline it and it will be gravy. I think it's going to be on the side of comedy/mystery/drama.

Now about my excitement for the end of the year. I have such amazing things planned, and I honestly wish I could talk about them, but I'm working on that thing where I try not to announce every idea in my head because it may or may not come to fruition. All I can say is if you want beforehand knowledge about what I'm cooking up for the end of the year sign-up for the newsletter because those that receive it will know what's up before blog readers.

All right, I'm going to reel in some of this excitement and work on ROS before bed.

Until next time...happy reading!

-DJ Small

Construction Complete!

I have finished all of the updates for the website. As you can tell I've added a new page where you can go buy my books from their respective stores.Then there is the privacy policy under the About link. If you run into any trouble let me know.

All right so from here on out I am back to author related posts.

-DJ Small