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

A Little More About My Upcoming Book

Last week, or the week before last, I posted an update saying I would be publishing my standalone book before the second Last Pureblood book. The story isn't one I have talked about with really anyone. I think I've spoken with one person about it, and that is about it.

Then I posted an excerpt of it on Twitter to give my followers a taste of it. In the excerpt one of my main characters is talking about my other one, and though it wasn't the best sample of the story, I'm sure it piqued everyone's curiosity. Especially since one of my main characters is a sex worker, so I'm going to go into it a little bit more here.

The story is set in present day New York City, but in a universe where sex work has been legal for the last two years. Readers are first introduced to Detective Eliza Miller and her partner Billy Chilowski, and we dive head first into the murder of a sex worker. As Eliza and Billy work the case they discover a link between the victim and an individual by the name of Dax Collins, who is my second main character.

As the case progresses, Eliza and Dax cross paths more than she would like because she finds him irritating. Dax is a well-dressed, overconfident, flirtatious pretty boy, and he hits on Eliza whenever they are in each others presence. Over the course of the story things happen, and you know because I'm making this a rom-com crime book, there will be--what I hope--hilarity, and a happy for now ending.

This is a big story for me, for several reasons. As I posted a few weeks ago this will be my first published book where one of my main characters is a transgender individual. I'll break with my usual tight-lipped stance and let you know who it is. Dax is a black transman, and I'm super excited about him because he is such an amazing character no matter how much of a little shit he can be.

In my writing "career" I have written one other story where one of my main characters was trans and that was a piece of fanfiction I wrote in 2017. Writing that story was an incredible experience for me because when it was finished, it turned out to be something I needed do. Despite it being a piece of fiction set in a land with magic and sword fighting, being able to write about my character's experiences as they faced numerous challenges, dangers, and hardships due to them being trans turned out to be a cathartic experience for me. Now, I'm hoping for more humor with Dax, but I do address his trans background and his history surrounding it.

The inspiration for this story actually hit me while I was listening to JD Robb's Naked In Death while I was at work. It's book series my sister introduced me to when we were younger. There is a character in it by the name of Charles who is a sex worker, and he flirts with Eve, the main character , who just ignores him and ends up falling for the tall, dark, and handsome gazillionaire. But I've flipped the script and made Dax the Roarke in my story as well as making him a sex worker. There is a lot to tackle, but I'm up for the challenge. The story so far has been fun to write, and I'm sure I'll be super geeked about it by the time I finish it.

A little mention before I go, and I'll bring it up again once I have the logistics in place, but you will be able to buy digital copies of my books off my website soon. I'll also sell signed copies through it as well. I'm trying to get everything in one spot (outside of Amazon), and slowly but surely I'm getting there.

All right until next time....

-DJ Small