I Live!

It's been 9 months since I've posted anything, and my goodness am I sorry. I've been in such a hole and have been trying so hard to dig myself out of it that I've completely let everything slip away from me. Which, in all honesty is a disservice to the people who are out there waiting for me to come out with something new or pick up on one of my series. While I know I have no obligation to put out stories and what not, it does make me feel shitty. At least from a reader's standpoint. As a writer, I know I can keep writing for myself because I've been doing that for decades now, but as a reader to get invested in an author and have them just vanish is a little upsetting. So, I want to apologize for the vanishing act and I will try to get better at it.

Let's talk about a huge thing though. I didn't realize how many people followed my author pages on Goodreads, Amazon, and Smashwords. It's not a big number or anything, but there are a number of people following me, which is good to know because I am no longer on Twitter. I can't condone whatever the hell is going on over there, so I left. I did join Mastodon, but not everyone is on there, so if you're looking for me, your best bet is on Facebook. Another tech cesspool, but everyone is there. Just click the link and you'll be taken to my page so like it! I also recommend that you sign up for my newsletter. Yes, it's still around. I'll probably send out a e-mail to current mailing list suscribers go check and see if people still want to receive it. If not, they can unsubscribe from it. I'm going to bring the newsletter back from the dead, and hopefully I'll have some friends with me to keep it going. Possibly. We'll see.

Work wise the world is imploding. Nothing has been edited. Nothing has been sent to my editor or any editor. I mean, I'm writing all the time, but editing is where everything comes to a grinding halt. I'm trying to overcome this mental block with it, but it's hard. I guess the big question is will there be anything coming out in 2023? What do Magic 8 Balls say? Unclear? Or unable to determine or something like that lol. I'm going to try, but we'll see what the fates have in hand for me.

In other news, I went to this year's GCLS conference in Denver, and had an amazing time. Like seeing the multitude of people who write Sapphic fiction sort of alleviated some of my apprehensions about being more involved in the community. It was such a fun and friendly environment to be in, and talking with other authors or hearing them talk about their journeys and experiences on panels was just insightful. I would go back and possibly do a panel or two, especially if it's a fun one like a fanficion one or something. One of the things that crossed my mind while I was there, was that as nice and welcoming the GCLS conference was, there needs to be space for trans and gender non-conforming individuals. Because Sapphic and Achillean fiction isn't strictly for those with binary gender identities, and sometimes those of us who write within those spaces in fiction don't have binary identities. Like the conference did well with giving trans and GNC authors aforum to speak about their works and process, but I think having a panel on what's like to be trans and writing such fiction would be an interesting subject, but that's me.

Either way, if you ever get the chance to head to the GCLS conference, I say go for it no matter if you're a writer, reader, or just a fan of Sapphic fiction.

I want to say that is all I have, and next time I will have some more exciting for you all.

Until next time...

DJ Small

P.S. - Don't forget to rate and review the books you read, especially the ones written by indie and self-published authors.

Oh, October Is On Her Way Out The Door

And here I am late with posting, but vibing out to Beyonce's "RENISSANCE" This is a no-skips album for me, but her last couple albums have also been that for me. I love me some Bey. I know you all didn't wander over to hear me talk about Beyonce. Anyways, this might be the last blog post of the year. Between real life obligation, holiday ruckus, and me plain old forgetting I might not update the blog. I'll try to, but just know it is a possibility.

Have you been to my site? Well, if you haven't, there isn't much happening there. In fact, it has been brought offline. I had originally taken it down to do some changes, but then I was like, "Y'know what? I'm just going to take it down for the rest of the year." It's one less thing I have to think about and I can do the updates and changes at my own pace without having an imaginary clock ticking in the back of my mind. I've provided a link on the landing page to buy books and to contact me, but there isn't much else there.

Why did I do such a thing? Firstly, I've changed how I'm going to do my serials and novellas. They're still exclusives, but they'll be exclusive to my Ko-Fi account. The change is for simplicity. There were too many moving parts for doing it through my site and I needed to cut back on some things. I'm also going to use their store feature to buying experience cleaner. So when the site comes live again, and you all go to purchase a book through it, you'll have Ko-Fi, Smashwords, and Amazon as buying options. Readers going through Ko-Fi will be directed to BookFunnel to download their book to their preferred device. It's pretty easy, but support is available through BookFunnel and me as well. Another change is samples through my site. First chapter for all my books will be available as samples on my site, another feature recently rolled out by BookFunnel, which had me going back to them.

Onto serials and novellas. Goodness figuring out how to distribute exclusive content has been the bane of my author-y existence, but I think I'm content with how I want everything to go for Ko-Fi. Firstly, you all will be able to be one-time supporters or monthly subscribers, and those who choose to subscribe monthly will have different tier levels. Level 1s will get access to all episodes of serials and full novellas along with some other perks. Level 2s will get everything on level 1 along with download capabilities. There are some other things too, but I can't recall them. Level 3s, everything in levels 1 and 2, and some other things. Oh! A free copy of either the novella or serial once they're released wide. If they get released wide. I'll let my level 3s know. I just had an idea.

Now, I know my one-time donators are like what about us? Listen, I love all who support me, so I'm going to give everyone who donates something. One-time supporters will have access to level 1 posts for 30 days from the day of their donation. I don't make the rules Ko-Fi did. Another perk is if you buy something from my Ko-Fi store, you'll get access to exclusive content. So there are multiple ways people can enjoy the exclusive stuff.

All right, since it has taken me forever to get this blog post written, the world of social media has changed--officially. Popular micro-blogging site, Twitter, was bought by a person I don't share the same view points with, and I know some people are leaving, some are staying to see what happens, and others don't care and it's business as usual with them. I am part of the leaving camp, but it's not that easy since the Twitter is so ingrained in advertising and exposure, especially for indie and self-published authors. I'm currently testing out Mastadon as a new home with the idea of cross-posting to Twitter for a little while before letting the account become dormant. I'm also thinking about setting up a Discord server. Once I've gotten everything figured out, I'll let everyone know.

Okay onto WIP updates. Nothing new to report. I started editing The Adventures of Swift, but I've been going into the office recently thanks to my new position (luckily it's only temporary), so mentally I am not ready to edit it, but I'm hoping to hop into it this week. I'm also writing fanfic at the same time, and one of my fics has gotten pretty fun so I've been focusing on it too. I know bad me, but I love writing fanfic. It's just fun playing with these characters I've got attachments to lol.

I think that is all for me. It has been a weird weekend for me, so my thoughts are all over the place. Anyway, I wish everyone a safe and fun Halloween, and for those who are like me, I'll see y'all at Target the day after Halloween buying the discounted candy.

Until next time...

-DJ Small

Welcome To The 'Bers

We've hit the 'ber months (September, October, November, and December), which means there will be a crap ton of holidays coming our way annnnd my birth month! Even though the days are getting shorter and the weather will be colder it's still a great time of the year.

Anywho, it has been a minute! I honestly have no excuse or explanation for it. My mind was elsewhere and I didn't post anything in July or August. I was about to skip September, but then I saw how long it had been and decided against it. I'm certain some of you (maybe 5 people in total. I think mostly bots come to my blog wanting to spread their spam) are wondering what I've been up to. Well, I am proud to announce I've finished writing the second book in the Detective Miller series, Grisly Politics. The fact that it only took me nine months to write is actually a little surprising because, 1) it felt like it was taking forever to write, and 2) my drive has been complete shit the last few months, so I'm shooketh by this turn of events.

Since it's done, it will be going right to the bottom of my editing pile. A pile I'm going to start working on this weekend, beginning with The Adventures of Swift. Hypothetically, editing that story shouldn't take me long, but depending on mental health, work, and life, it could be a while. I'm actually excited to revisit this one since I need to start working on volume 2. Well, outlining it. I think I started outlining the second volume, but I need to find the notebook I started it in. 

I'm reviewing how I'll be distributing Adventures of Swift and my novella series since they're both going to be exclusive to my website. Currently, I'm set on paid posts through my site where people sign-up for a subscription and you'll get access to each episode of Adventures of Swift, my novella series, and any other bonus content I'm fiddling around with. However, on the flip side I'm also considering the option of a paid newsletter. BookFunnel has rolled out some solid features here recently, and I'm tempted to go back to them. This would also give me a reason to get back into my newsletter. Let me know how you feel. I've put a poll at the bottom of this post to capture all 5 of my readers thoughts on the matter. I know no one wants to sign up for another subscription service, but I'll try to make it worth your while.

So, do you all want me to talk about the elephant in the room or should we just ignore it and I'll go off on a tangent about what I'm cooking up? Ugh. At this point I feel like I'm contractually obligated to myself to mention the second book in the Avery Lawson series, Fate Unseen. As I once said, it's an albatross around my neck lol. Depending on how my edits for Adventure of Swift and my novella go, I'm looking at diving into it at the beginning of next year. I know I had started my edits for it, but considering how long it has been since I've last looked at it, I'll be starting at square one. The thing with this one, is momentum. I need not to lose momentum, so I'll have to create a schedule for it. Yeah, nothing new or different, but I wanted to make you all aware that the second book is coming and I haven't forgotten about it.

I think that is all I have for updates. For the one off updates and announcements, be sure to follow my Twitter because that's my go to for announcing things. Don't forget to rate and review the books you read especially the ones from indie and self-published authors.

 Until next time....

 -- DJ Small

P.S. - Don't forget to take the poll below. It'll stay open until 10/4. Thanks!

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The Last Week of Pride!

Goodness it feels like June flew by, but not really. I think I owe it to those two weeks I had off from work. During one of those weeks, I went to Mass to visit some friends, and it was a bit of a culture shock. Back in 2016, Mass legalized marijuana and this is also the same year I happened to move out of the state. When my friend and I got into the Springfield area, there were cannabis dispensary billboards everywhere. It was SO wild, but like I loved it because I'm pro-marijuana.

Then on top of that Springfield got a casino, which I knew about, and when they announced it, I thought they were going to build some gigantic skyscraper thing and mess up all of Downtown Springfield, but nope. They actually didn't do a bad job. The building blends in with the other ones, which have been there since forever, and it's pretty nice. Honestly, if it weren't for the signage, you wouldn't know there was a casino there. I did do a bit of gambling. I had managed to break even, plus twenty, but then I got greedy and everything went down hill. Thankfully I'm not much of a gambler, so I was able to walk away with my tail between my legs.

I'll address the state of the U.S. before diving into WIPs and rambles. Uhhh...so the U.S. has turned into the land of the dumpster fire, and no one is safe from its disastrous flames. I could say vote and donate to candidates and politicians who can prevent us from going back to the days of McCarthyism, but let's face it, it'd be like putting lipstick on a pig at this point. Do what you need to to make your voice heard and get your point across because in the words of Twisted Sister, "We're not gonna take it!" One thing I do want to urge everyone to do is donate to abortion funds. That way those who are in states where they have outlawed such access can get the help and resources they need for a safe abortion. I recommend starting with https://abortionfunds.org/funds/ and finding a local fund to support.

Moving on before I get ragey, let's jump into my WIPs. I'm hoping to finish Grisly Politics, the second book in the The Detective Miller series finished by the end of summer. I was able to write out a good chunk of it during the last week of my vacation, but it's still not finished. Thanks to my poor plotting, I'm only getting into a groove where I've setup my murder-mystery elements. "Editing this story is going to be so much fun," he said with obvious sarcasm. I'm going to have re-write it, take out chunks, and add some things for it to make sense. Good thing that low on the editing docket. I'm still outlining my Scandal-esque story. I've got my cast of characters planned, both the main plot and sub-plot seem captivating enough, and the angst seems to be at the right level. I feel like this one will more than likely be a quick read, but that could definitely change once I start writing it.

The other day, I had a crazy thought, which was I miss writing smut. Before I continue, I would like to add that I think it is a pain in the ass to write a good, sensual, and erotic piece, but I also have fun writing it. Call me a masochist. Anyway, I've started writing a couple of smutty stories, and none of them have gone any further, but I've got a few ideas floating around that I want to flesh out. Once I've got a decent piece written out, I'll post it on my website as a subscriber only post. This is just me spitballing some things, but yeah, I'm going to bring the smut back at some point.

Smashwords's Summer/Winter sale will start on July 1st, and this year I'm going to do flash sales. Each week, one of my books will go on sale for 48 hours then go back to it's regular price. Just a little experiment I want to try out. This bookselling game is nothing but trial and error, even more so when you're doing all the things. 

Other than that, I hope everyone was able to enjoy Pride in their own way. Whether you went to a parade or event or not, just know Pride is what you make of it. I like to indulge on the history of our queer-cestors and just let the gratefulness wash over me. Like I know there are things that still need to be done, and with the recent Supreme Court ruling, we know they're coming after the LGBTQ+ community next; but that doesn't mean you can't pause and appreciate where we are now. Just take a moment, thank those who came before, then pick up the torch and continue on the fight. It's not over until everyone can live their truth without having some sort of ax hovering over their head.

All right, I'm done with my ramblings and my soapboxes. As always, make sure you rate and review the books you read, especially those from indie and self-pubbed authors. 

-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.

Obligatory Monthly Post....At The Last Second

 Wheeeee! It's the end of April, and I'm just getting around to posting a blog. I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago, but I forgot to go back to it. This should be a quick since I don't have much to update on. I'm still whiling away on the second book in the Detective Miller series. I'm going to be real, I can never remember what I call this series.

Mid-March Upate

Whew, child! It is mid-March and I feel like I have nothing to show for it, which is so far from the truth, but I'm sure some of y'all know how it is. It looks like we might get a quote, un-quote, "normal" spring and summer this year, but we shall see. I'm headed to my first con since September 2019. It's just for a day. I want to see how everything is being handled by the coordinator of these events. If me and my apprehension feel okay with it, I might be headed to Tampa for QFX in May. I hate how everything is contingent on what this virus is going to do, but I'm going to do everything to protect myself, and try to enjoy life as best as I can.