The 15th Is At The End Of The Week!?!?

Found out the 15th is at the end of the week, and it blew my mind. March will be halfway over next week. Like damn, and I'll be going to Pittsburgh on the 16th to watch PWHL Toronto take on Montreal on the 17th. Hopefully their streak will be alive and well by then. Because of that, I have this month's newsletter rearing to go, and if you haven't signed up for it, well, you will get your chance to at the end of this post.

If you haven't been lurking around on my Mastodon profile or Facebook page, the first two chapters of Outside The Game are available to read until the end of this month. So, if you want to see how E.J.'s story starts, head on over to Bookfunnel and read those first two chapters. I also encourage you to sign up for my newsletter while you're there because release date and pre-order information will be announced to newsletter subscribers first and everyone else a week later. Maybe later. I sometimes forget to do things.

I'm 5 yards and goal to finishing my second round of edits. As soon as chapter fourteen is edited, I'm going to hit the ground running in finding an editor. There are a couple of editors I had my eye on, but I have completely forgotten their information. I'll put an APB out on Mastodon and also ask around. Being in this post-Twitter life is such a mess because I have to rebuild most of my connections. Just like I'm rebuilding my reader base. I know there are some people who are still aware of me as an author, but I also haven't published anything in six years. So, like a newborn foal, finding their legs, I'm going to have to put in the work and rebuild my little publishing fiefdom.

But fear not dear blog reader, I've got some things planned to get this ship back on course, and to be quiet honest, most of it is centered around just putting out the books, short stories, and serials that I have been working on these last few years.

Next up on the docket after Outside The Game is done will be Grisly Politics, which is book two of the Detective Miller series. In between, I'm going to type up a quick short story, which will be an exclusive for my newsletter peeps. If they want more of it, then it's going to become my first Ko-Fi exclusive. So, if you want to get your hands on this newsletter subscriber exclusive, then make sure you sign-up for my newsletter.

Speaking of my Ko-Fi, last month, I set up a goal on there to get a copy editor for Outside The Game to make sure it's as good as can be for publishing. If you want to help out with that, just go to my page, and donate. Easy peasy, and you don't have to sign up for anything I don't believe.

Lastly, I'm going to go on a quick Bookfunnel rant because I love the site. I do, but using it for self-promotion has left me a bit jaded. They have a features where you can sign up to join a group promo to giveaway books or do a book swap with another author, and I get a bit annoyed with it because I don't find categories that my books fit in, and when I create my own promos they get little attention, which I will take the blame for because I don't promote them as well as I can, however, at the same time they are listed on the public Bookfunnel promo page. I'm tempted to switch over to StoryOrign, and see if I have any luck there. I need to mull it over a bit more.

Oh! Before I end this if you're interested in becoming a beta reader for me, please fill out this form on my website, and I'll get in contact with you about being one.

 That's it for today's post. Sign up for my newsletter here. Contribute to my Ko-Fi goal here, and learn about pterodactylus here. Full disclosure, not my favorite dinosaur. That would be the stegosaurus, which you can learn about here.

March's newsletter will be out on the 15th folx! Remember to review and rate the books you read, especially those written by indie and self-published authors.

Until next time...

-DJ Small

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-DJ Small

Update Lite

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

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

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

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

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

-DJ Small

March Is Halfway Over

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

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

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

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

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

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

-DJ Small

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chages

First and foremost happy February and happy black history month. May we all learn something this new.

So, the reason for this post is because I'm changing things up. I originally wanted to release book two of the Pureblood Series the first half of the year, and my standalone book the second part of it. I've accepted that releasing three books in 2019 isn't going to happen, but I knew it was a lofty dream.

Thechange in my releases is due to the second Avery Lawson book being more involved the further I get into it. When I started writing it I was using the"pantser" method, and it's gotten complicated. For those who don't know what the pantser method is, it is when you are flying by the seat of your pants while writing with little to no outline. In my case I know what points I want to include but the in-between bits are a little dicey, and it leads to me staring at a blank screen. I've got a decent amount of the story written, but I want to take some time to plot out the rest of it along with making sure it jibes with book one. There are a lot of elements being introduced and I want to make sure it all makes sense.

In short, book two of the Pureblood Series will be released in the second part of 2019.

Now you all are probably wondering what the hell is coming out in the first half of the year. I am currently outlining a book that is rom-com at it's core, but there is a some mystery involved. This will be the first book where one of my main character's is trans, so I'm excited about it because I've been wanting to put out a book where the main character is trans* for awhile now. Fingers crossed that it will be out before in or around June.

So the changes aren't anything drastic, but definitely a deviation from what I wanted to do. Though I'm not to keen about it needs to be done because I want to make sure you all get a good story. Okay, I'm off to do something writer like. Everyone have a good one, and until next time...

DJ Small