Sale Season Is Upon Us!

I know, I know. Black Friday isn't until next week, but I thought I'd get a jump on everything since I am off work the next few weeks. I tried to make everything align, but as usual, each platform does its own thing with Amazon being a pain in the ass. Sorry to say, there will be no sale on Amazon because none of my books are in their KDP select program.

But do not despair, you can still get my books for cheap and they'll be compatible for whatever device you're reading on. If not, let me know and I'll rectify it. All right, onto the sales info.

On Smashwords, all my ebooks are 99¢ with the exception of Pool of Lies, which is still pay what you want. The discount is public so no need to type in a coupon code.

Over on Ko-Fi, all my ebooks are 50¢, with the exception of Pool of Lies, which is also pay what you on Ko-Fi. I wanted to make both sales match, but that required doing price changes, and this that and the other, so it's just 50¢ and bright reminder for me to tweak prices at the beginning of the year because that's annoying. Anyways, if you click this link the discount should be applied automatically, but if you get to my Ko-Fi store through other means, the coupon code is THANKS23 so you'll get the discount.

Another thing, ebooks purchased through Ko-Fi are distributed through BookFunnel. Also if you're not sure what book to get, you can read excerpts on my website.

Thank you to everyone who is still with me on this journey, especially since I haven't put out anything since 2018? 2019? I can't remember. But you all are the best, and I'm super excited to come out with new material in 2024, and I hope you will continue to stick me.

To my USians, enjoy the upcoming holiday and please stuff your face, and to everyone else I hope you get some time to chill and enjoy being.

Until next time...

-DJ Small

P.S. - As always please remember to rate and review the books you read, especially the ones put out by indie and self-pubbed authors. You opinion could be the thing to provoke someone else to buy a book.

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

Short September Update

Welp folx we are in that time of year where the next few months either blow by really fast or they go really slow, and you end up spiraling. No? Not you? Hmm. Maybe just me then. At least we're easing into my favorite season of the year. Anyway, on to why I'm here.

Edits for the first book of my novella series are going fantastically. Fingers crossed that I will have them completed by the end of next month. After that, they'll be heading to my editor. Hopefully it will be a quick turnaround time frame from them. Doesn't look like it'll be ready in time for publishing this year, but I feel as long as I'm on the right path to publishing at the beginning of next year then I'm not going to sweat it.

I've been enjoying editing this story and writing the next book for it, so I can't wait until I'm in a good place to finally talk about it.

September is when people start looking to the dreaded holiday season, and I think this year, I will be doing sales on my Ko-Fi page and Smashwords. Depending on where I am, I might even set up pre-orders for my novella. Mostly doing the sales to really get back into being in author mode when I'm not having an off day and not working my day job.

Other than that, I do have any further updates for the month. Just been editing and writing, which is all I can do. Once I'm done with my novella, I'll be hopping back into Fate Unseen, so expect me to start whining about it in a month or so.

Until next time...

-DJ Small

One More Test

 Another test. I'll delete it, but it'll be in RSS feeds forever lol. What's weird is no automation service is supporting Mastodon except Beehive.

Whoops!

August is almost over, and I had this post in my drafts since the beginning of the month and did not post it. Love how my brain operates.

Just a quick check in this time around. I have paused on my Fate Unseen edits to do the edits on the first book of my new novella series IFL Tales. I definitely just made that up since I don't have an official name for the series. I currently have a name for the book, but I might need to change it because there are a number of books titled with same thing, and that's a sure way for my lil ole novella to end up buried even though it's not going wide for awhile. Anyway, I created a cover few weekends ago, and got a two thumbs up from one of my favorite people who I can trust not to bullshit me, which is exciting.

I'm not sure if I've gone over what IFL Tales is about or what this first novella will be about, but I'll hold off on going into them because I want to be in my third round of edits before I do that. By that point, I know I'm pretty much one or two more edits away from releasing it. However, I will tell you all what the series is about. As we all know, well as you all are learning, I love a good series. I've got the Last Pureblood Series, The Detective Miller Series, and now this one. Avery Lawson has an end date, and Eliza and Dax will run for a minute, but I think that series will also have an end date. What I want do is pull of a series like J.D. Robb's In Death one. Like Nora Roberts has been writing those books since 1995, and is still going strong almost 30 years and 69 books later. Do I think I have that kind of staying power? No fricking clue. But what I do know is that the IFL Tales has the potential to be a number of books. Why do I think that? Because IFL Tales is going to be a set of books centered around the International Football League, which is a women's football league. The football in these books will be American football. Sorry to my non-US readers.

And while the primary bulk of the league is centered on women's football, there are offshoots of it for reasons I've planned out in other books, and you'll get a taste of in the first book. So with that in mind, I've got the makings of a decent series because the books can be centered on players of the game, coaching staff, administrative positions, and whatever else my brain develops a yen for. I've already started on the second book for this series, and I want to say I have four more stories partially outlined. Since these are novellas, they're not going to be daunting reads, but emotionally impactful. It's a bit of a challenge for myself considering my writing has taken a bit of weird turn here lately.

Anyway that's all I have to say about IFL Tales (definitely need a better name), but if you''re intrigued and want to be the first to have it, go to my Ko-Fi page and follow it, or you can sign-up for my newsletter.

Once I'm done with my novella edits, I'll get back to Avery Lawson and her wily ways. Before I started working on my novella, I got in a good place with it mentally, so I'm excited to get back to it and knock it out. Because while I know what's going on in the second book, I don't feel safe starting the third one until I get that under my belt. It's a nit-picky consistency thing with me. I don't want to include something in the third book from the second book, which I might have taken out in the 6th round of edits. It could change the whole vibe.

Anywho, I want to say that is it for now, but stay tuned because I actually have something coming out and hopefully this year. Depends on what my editor's schedule looks like. 

Remember to review the books you read, especially those from indie and self-published authors.

Until next time...

-DJ Small

In The Midst Of A Rebranding

Oooh a second blog post for the month. I really must be getting back into this author thing, huh? We'll see. This post is more of a housekeeping/update post. I realized there were a lot of inconsistencies with my branding, so I've decided to eliminate the DJ Small Books, and just be DJ Small - Author. For the most part, it doesn't really change anything. I'm going to be updating my logo and the titling on some of my pages, but there shouldn't be any disruptions. If you run into any issues, let me know and I'll get it fixed.

Work wise, Adventures of Swift will not be happening this year. While I was doing some editing, I realized I put myself in a hole with that one, and as I learned with Avery Lawson: The Last Pureblood, I don't want to leave things in a state where it sort of just ends and leaves people hanging. I got the message on that one lol. So, with that being said, I'm going to work on my novella, which I'm hoping to have out by the end of the year since it's only 32k words right now. I'm just waiting to hear from my friend, who I let read it before, but I asked to her to read it again because I lost her notes about it when I deleted my Twitter account. Which brings up another point, but I'll leave it for the end.

Next up....*looks around* Fate Unseen, the second book in the Last Pureblood series. I really need to find out what I officially titled this series as because some of y'all are probably like "whut?" Anyway, I'm almost done reading the first book and making my notes from it, and once I have done that, I'll be getting back to editing Fate Unseen. I'm not making any promises about it, but as Peggy's physical therapist said after she jumped out of the plane, "Drop by drop, Mrs. Flores." Sorry, not sorry for those who don't watch King of The Hill. But back to the topic at hand, let's just hope I keep the momentum, which is likely since I've remembered why I even started with this series. I love the characters and I love the tale they're going to tell as it all slowly comes out. I won't make any promises about Fate Unseen until I am in the last round of edits. How about that?

Now, onto the point I mentioned earlier. I announced I'm bringing back my newsletter since I am no longer on Twitter. To get people to sign-up, I'm going to be offering a different free book each month, so if you've been yearning to read one of my books, but haven't had the time or money to purchase it, this is a good time to do so. Reason why I'm bringing back the newsletter is that I'm trying to have a central place to make announcements and updates so the most eyes can see it. Email is the best place to do that, Facebook is second. With this being said, Pool of Lies is the first book that's being offered to those who sign-up for my newsletter. It's yours to grab until the 6th of August. Once that run is done, then Murderous Profession will be on the chopping block. It hasn't seen enough love, and I think that is a crime worse than the ones committed in the book. If you're wanting to sign-up for my newsletter and get yourself a free book, follow this link and do the dang thang. You also get a sample to preview to really make sure you want to make this commitment.

Welp, this turned out a lot longer than I anticipated, but thank you for time and patience with everything, and I hope 2023 is the year I get this ship back on track. In the meantime, don't forget to review your books (even the free ones), especially those by indie and self-published authors.

Until next time...

-DJ Small

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.