Hibernation Season Is Upon Us

Hope we're all fattening up and getting ready for a long winter's nap. Ha! Wouldn't that be fantastic? Just be like a bear or a chipmunk and get fat over the course of fall then sleep my way through winter. Ugh. Such a good life. The closest thing humans get to hibernation is the food coma we fall into after a big meal. Speaking of big meals, Turkey Day is coming up for USians, so I'm excited to stuff my face and the 2 weeks I will be off during November. It's much needed.

A couple of weeks ago, instead of editing the first book of my novella series, I read the second book in the Detective Miller series, which is titled Grisly Politics. I hadn't meant to do that, but I completely forgot how the story ended since it has been a year since I finished writing it. I opened it up, and I was cool with reading just the ending, but when I did that, I was like what happened here? So, I ended up reading the whole thing. I am really happy with how that story turned out. Like Eliza and Dax's relationship gains so much depth, and we get more of Eliza dealing with her shit, and of course let's not forget the murder! The murder is an intriguing plot point, and definitely one that challenges Eliza. I have a feeling people are going to get frustrated with Eliza in this next book because I certainly did, but considering her history it sort of turns that frustration into a simmer instead of a full on boil.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading it, and as apparent from my weekend, I wasn't able to put it down. Hopefully I can get to editing it Summer of next year, but I've got to see what hell that albatross Fate Unseen is going to put me through. After reading it, I don't think it will be that much of a challenge editing wise, but there is a couple of things I do need to fix. Like me providing a more coherent path when Eliza is trying to solve the case, and some other things, but it's all pretty minor.

Okay, while I'm super excited about Grisly Politics, let's talk about Outside The Game the first book in my novella series centered around a fictional football league. This is US/Canada football for my global folks. First, I had to change the title because there are way to many books titled Beyond The Game. I think one of them was a Charles Barkley book. Second, I'm almost done with editing round one. I've got three chapters left then I've got to review my changes then I'll be done. You all can thank my therapist for this. She challenged me to have either my embroidery project done or my book edited. Clearly we see which one I have put my focus on.

During editing, the word count went up 7k words, and I can no longer call it a novella. This is why I struck through the word novella in my prior mentions of the series because I can't call it a novella series when the first book out the gate is probably going to end at 45k words. While it is no longer a novella series, I still plan to keep the word count for each book in the series under 50k words, so a novella will get tossed in the series at some point.

The increased word count is due to some added scenes and I'm going to rewrite the ending. I think. It's fine in its current iteration, but I feel like it falls flat. We'll see how I feel when I get to it.

In other news, during the week that I'm off in November and not around my family, I'll be running a sale on Ko-Fi and Smashwords. So, if you've been looking to get my books for free or at a cheaper price, that will be the time to do it. I'll announce when the sale is on my socials and website.

Speaking of my website, a couple of week's back, I changed who was hosting my site because I've been trying to get away from Wix forever. I just don't like the way they do things. They're more focused on e-commerce, and I'd just like my website to be more than that. It's my spokesperson for when I'm not available and gives people into a peek of who I am as a writer. I'm sure you're all thinking, but that's what social media is for, but 9 times out of 10, I can't be bothered with social media author wise because I feel like I need to be saying something exciting, and my life is pretty boring. So, that's why leaving Wix was important to me.

I eventually found Webwave, and while there is a bit of learning curve, I do like how everything is laid out and you can do absolutely everything you need to do with it. Not an ad, but I'm definitely glad that I found them. If you do go to my site and find something off, shoot me a message. I haven't looked at it in a while after I launched it, so I'm sure something is wrong with it.

Goodness, look at this post doing the most, but it's also been a while. Oh, newsletter will be launching 2024. Not sure what is going to be in it, but it's launching lol. Key takeaways from this post: there's a sale in November, I'm still editing, and the newsletter is launching. Sign up here to make sure you get the 1st edition.

Other than that, remember to rate and review the books you read, especially those written by self-published and indie authors because boy you're missing some gems there.

Until next time...

-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.

Site Has Been Launched!

 As of 9 something PM EST on 02/05/2022, my updated site has been live. I was hemming and hawing about it because I'm a nervous Ned, and I don't do well with these things. Anyway, the new site has a shop, great contact me page, a listing of books available and what's coming soon. Everything under coming soon is either being worked on or will be worked on. Seriously. I haven't started anything new, and I'm really trying to get at least a full length book out in 2022 along with either my serial or my new novella series.

June Got Away From Me

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time....

-DJ Small

How We All Doing?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time....

-DJ Small

Whew! It has been a minute...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy the rest of November!

-DJ Small

I have some announcements

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-DJ Small

Happy Spooky Month 👻🎃

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- DJ Small

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 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.

Upcoming Sales And Some Rambling

While I'm busy plugging away at Reappearance of Summer, I wanted to let everyone know that Avery Lawson: The Last Pureblood will be be available for 3.99 on Smashwords during their July 1st - July 31st sale. I will hold a Kindle sale in August for it.

I want to have more traffic going to my Smashwords page because I am kicking around the idea that all future releases will be on it and my Gumroad store before heading to Kindle. They have a kinder pre-order program than Kindle does, and by kinder I mean it's flexible and offers more freedom. Plus it has this nice local business feel to it lol. But this decision also hinges on my ability to print physical books. I love Createspace, but, I want more options in regards to printing. This doesn't mean I'm going to go HAM, but I'm going to do some more research before making any final decisions.

All right so the Smashwords sale starts July 1st, and I will remind you all on Twitter when it gets closer.

The sale for Pool of Lies has ended, and it's now at the set price of $3.00 for now until I make it forever free.

Oh, I forgot! Who is excited for the super secret project? There isn't much I can tell at the moment. All I can let you know is that it's one of my Swan Queen fanfic ideas that I have turned into an original. There are other parts of this, but I'm keeping mum on it. But do know...

 Okay, that was a brief blog post. I'll hopefully will be coming back with another here shortly with some Reappearance of Summer news. I'm rounding the 3rd part of the book and I'm developing some immense feels for the characters which means they are suffering, so yeah enjoy that.


Until next time...


-DJ Small