gay
New Chapter
New chapter of My Roommate, Kevin is up. Tomorrow, I'll have a new chapter of Uncle Zach ready.
Also: The Amazon sale for Max, the Sequel is over, but for those who've been waiting to purchase an ebook copy of it NOT on Amazon, it'll be available on May 15th. I'll post links as soon as I have them. 🍆
The Blacksmith’s Apprentice aka the Story of Wex & Eyck
Woke up this morning to a pile of emails and PMs about The Blacksmith's Apprentice, so I thought I would answer some of the questions here and clear up some confusion.
- No, there are no shifters. There is no mpreg. It is not an a/b/o story.
The characters in The Blacksmith's Apprentice are something called Kat'hoondemen and they are divided into different breed castes. There's a page at the beginning of the book outlining the basics of these breeds - if you're curious, you can see the list in the "Look Inside" link at Amazon. The story does not take place on earth. - Yes, there will be a paperback.
Amazon approved the ebook in a ridiculously short amount of time - less than twenty minutes after hitting "publish" it started going live. The paperback is done and submitted, don't worry, it's just taking longer to get approved (ebooks and paperbacks are approved by different teams at Amazon). I will definitely let everyone know once the paperback goes live. - Yes, the book is classified as fantasy, but there are no dragons or magic or elves, etc.
It's sort of hard to explain exactly what the book is about without giving away important plot points. If you're someone who doesn't enjoy fantasy (because of dragons, magic, or elves, etc.) this is not that. You might enjoy it. You might not. :) - No, I don't know if there will be an audiobook.
One of the two MCs is mute and uses sign language to communicate. I'll have to consult with Michael Ferraiuolo (because he would be the one to do it... I really want to hear the voice he'll use for Eyck) to see how that would translate into audio. But, it won't be until halfway next year at the earliest. - So... what is the book about?
Heh - this is the top question I'm being asked. Bottom line, is it's about finding someone when you weren't looking for them. Add to that some abuse and angst, a society on the cusp of revolution, some xenophobia, a bunch of priests being varying degrees of awful, ancient lore, a futile war, pirate brothers who enjoy a good hard romp, a dickish best friend, a very respectable member of the community, and an ex-slave who thinks love is a four-letter word, and you have The Blacksmith's Apprentice.
Available now at Amazon
The Wanderer – Part Fourteen
Author’s Note:
This is an unedited, ongoing serial that will eventually be published in novel form. Plot/characters/elements are subject to change as it is being written. It’s currently in 1st person/present tense, but I may change it to past tense, excluding the first chapter which will act as an intro. Read at your own discretion and take note of story tags below.
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic sci-fi
Tags: prostitution, graphic sex, large age gap, violence, theft, drug/alcohol abuse, depression, rape, gang rape, cannibalism, murder, incest, child/infant death and abuse, general abuse, (more to be added as the story goes)
Apple is no longer straddling my lap—we’re sitting side by side on the bed watching Pytre as he slowly undresses in front of us. He’s keeping his eyes averted and his cheeks are so red they’re almost burgundy. After painstakingly folding his shirt, he places it on the other bed and starts on his pants. Apple lets out an impatient sigh as Pytre fumbles with his belt buckle, but I shoot the naked young man at my side a warning glare.
“Really… you don’t have to do this,” I say to Pytre when I see how hard his hands are shaking. Pytre just lifts a pale, freckled shoulder, the corner of his lips twitching up in a nervous smile. “I’ve been naked in front of other Rimers thousands of times,” he says, pulling his pants off one leg at a time. “This isn’t so different.”
But it is.
His pants get the same careful treatment as his shirt, and then Pytre is standing before us in only a pair of short grey boxers. He folds his arms over his chest for a moment, looking up at the ceiling like he’s looking for guidance from Rime himself, then he takes a deep breath and pulls down his underwear.
“Finally,” Apple says and I elbow him in the side, but he ignores me and crawls forward on the mattress to get a better look.
I’m not sure what I was expecting—Pytre’s the only eunuch I’ve ever seen naked—but it’s not… this. What Pytre has looks like a second belly button, the kind that protrudes a little, surrounded by a short orange growth of pubic hair. I suppose I assumed there would be ugly scarring, something befitting this sort of mutilation, but Pytre’s genitalia—or lack thereof—is as neat and tidy as he is. I lift my eyes and see that he’s staring at me, his chin slightly lifted, like a challenge.
Meanwhile, Apple is peering closely at Pytre’s groin and tapping his lips with his forefinger, his brow furrowed.
“That is a very professional job,” he announces. “I’ve been with a few Disciples of Rime,” he says, looking over his shoulder at me with a grin. “Maybe more than a few.” Apple turns back to Pytre and smiles up at him. “But this is the nicest work I’ve seen.”
Pytre frowns, obviously uncomfortable with the close scrutiny and uncertain about the compliment.
“How young were you?” asks Apple.
“I don’t honestly know. I don’t remember what was there before so I must have been very young,” Pytre replies, glancing at me again. I think he’s looking for reassurance, so I give him a sympathetic smile. But honestly, I feel all sorts of conflicted as I sit there with Pytre naked in front of me. I find his emasculation shocking… but then again… weirdly arousing. Also, I have so many questions, but unlike Apple, I don’t want to pry.
“So?” Pytre says. I know he’s talking to me—the challenge in his tone is unmistakable.
“So… come here.”
I think this surprises him a little because his brows quirk up. Had he expected me to reject him? I’m almost offended he would think me so shallow. He doesn’t move.
“How am I going to put my cock in you if you’re way over there?”
Apple snorts and Pytre’s hazel eyes widen. I like the way his ribcage expands a few times quickly, his breath coming fast between parted lips. I think about the way he was when we met—not so calm and serene are you now, padre? I grin and hold out my hand and Pytre steps forward to take it.
+++
I feel like I’m participating in some sort of weird ceremony, the way Apple is hovering over us. Pytre’s on his back and I’m kneeling between his legs, one hand priming my cock, the other gently stroking the inside of his thigh. He looks as anxious as I feel. I mean, this is downright fucking ridiculous if you think too much about it and I’m trying not to do just that.
“Here,” Apple says, drooling some lube from the bottle onto my dick. My little helper. I roll my eyes.
“Thanks. I think I can take it from here.”
Pytre’s staring up at me, his expression unreadable. I should be kissing him or something but we somehow skipped ahead to the final act. I blame nerves and Apple’s meddling.
“Ready?” I rise up a bit on my knees and point my cock at his pucker, positioning myself over him.
Nodding, Pytre closes his eyes. He’s holding his breath.
“Breathe.”
“Ok.” He smiles faintly.
I push the head of my cock against his hole and for a few anxious seconds I think I’m just going to blow my load right then and there. He’s wincing so I guess he’s in pain—he’s so tense I’m amazed I can get my dick into him at all. I give another little push, and I know this is right around the spot it usually hurts the most if you’re not used to it or aren’t prepared. He gasps and lets out a tiny squeal before grabbing my arms, his nails digging in.
“Breathe,” I repeat.
“Stop!” His eyes are clenched shut and his teeth are bared. I’m painfully aware how difficult this must be for him… and I can’t stop thinking about those fucking cannibals… and I want throw in the towel, but then his brow smooths out and the muscles in his jaw relax, “Ok. I’m ok. Go slow.”
I dutifully ease in as gradually as I can, but it’s driving me mad. He feels so good and the way his breath keeps hitching in his throat is making it hard to pace myself.
“Doing ok?” I ask to distract myself.
Pytre nods, opening his eyes briefly to search mine before snapping shut again as I give into my lust a bit and slide in the last few inches in one motion. I pause again, taking the time to bend my elbows and press my lips to his. It’s like kissing a live wire—my insides go all gooey and I gasp as Pytre slips his tongue into my mouth. All right, this is going better than I expected. Then I feel something something hot and hard against my asshole.
“No,” I try to say but my mouth is slow to release Pytre’s and now it’s too late—Apple’s cock is inside me and I let out a timid little moan, anticipating the panic to hit me like a brick.
But it doesn’t. Huh.
Pytre’s looking up at me, concerned.
“Did you just…”
“No,” I say, my voice a bit unsteady. “Not yet.”
“How’s this?” Apple asks, his hands at my hips as he begins to thrust.
“It’s, uh, good,” I admit. Apple’s motions are driving me deeper into Pytre, and I’m definitely going to cum too soon, but I let Apple pick the pace anyway—I’ve never been on the receiving end for fun, only pay, and somehow that makes it feel different. Not necessarily great, but like I said… good. Helps that I’m balls deep in Pytre while it’s happening.
Pytre’s brows are knitted again and I can tell he’s in some discomfort—he reaches up to take hold of my waist and encounters Apple’s hands. His hazel eyes go wide with understanding.
“Oh, I see,” he says, his face flushed. I can almost see the gears going in his head—is it just me or does he looked turned on by what’s happening?
Apple starts going a bit faster and I grimace. “Ah crap.”
“What’s wrong?” Pytre asks.
“I’m close.” I shut my eyes tight, breathing hard. If only I can think of something to distract me, but my mind is blank except for what my dick and ass are experiencing. “Really close.”
“Ok.”
Is that just acknowledgement or permission to cream his insides? A thought crosses my mind an instant before I let loose and I pull out, spraying Pytre’s smooth belly and chest with my cum. He’s not taking prophylactics like Apple and me—I have no idea whether that means I can spread some disease without having it myself. Better safe than sorry… but if this is going to happen again, and I hope to fuck it does become a regular thing, Pytre’s going to need protection.
Pytre seems a bit shocked that I just came all over him, and I just shrug as I loom over him on my knuckles, trying to catch my breath. Meanwhile, Apple pulls out and gives my ass a stinging slap. I don’t know if he came or not, doesn’t seem likely, but I know that Pytre hasn’t. In fact, he looks sort of… deflated now that it’s over.
“Was that ok?”
Pytre glances away, and when he meets my eyes again, his smile isn’t genuine. “It was fine.”
Fine is not a word you ever want to hear after sex. I start to apologize for the hasty, graceless act I just subjected him to, but Apple surprises me by pushing me out of the way. He gives me a brief, sly look, sits back on his heels, and quickly cracks the knuckles of both hands like a showman. “I’ve got this.”
Apple goes quickly down on his belly on the bed and touches his tongue to the little mound of flesh that used to be Pytre’s cock. Gasping, Pytre tries to sit, but Apple shakes his head, smiling, “Hey, I said I’ve got this. Don’t worry… you just lay back and enjoy. Ok?”
“Uh. Ok.” Pytre sounds uncertain and looks over at me for guidance. Shit. I realize I haven’t thought this through. When Apple had said he wanted Pytre to join in, I’d assumed it meant I’d have the both of them… not that I’d have to share Pytre with Apple. I don’t know how I feel about what’s going on. The smile I offer him is weak, I know, but he seems dazed with what Apple is doing to his anatomy so I guess he doesn’t notice I’m not really on board with this.
Stupid and childish—that’s how I feel jealously watching Apple lap and suck at Pytre.
Teeth clenched, I move up the bed to be beside Pytre and I slide my arm under his neck so at least I can be part of the “fun”.
So far, Apple’s ministrations seem not to have any effect on the ex–Rimer. Pytre’s forehead is creased with confusion and he’s just lying there motionless with his hands clasped an inch above the cooling cum puddle in the centre of his chest.
“Are you ok?” I ask, real quiet.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” There’s that fine again. It occurs to me then that I don’t know anything about the workings of total castration. Can he even climax? Or, will sex only ever be something he’ll tolerate because it makes me happy? That’s depressing as hell.
“Oh.” Pytre’s eyes squeeze shut.
“Oh?” I ask. I noticed the flush is back in his cheeks. I look down at Apple. His mouth is completely covering Pytre’s scar and from the way his cheeks are moving, I’m guessing his tongue is hard at work. His eye opens and he sees me watching. Pulling away, he smiles, showing me that the small, belly-button-like nub is now protruding stiffly from Pytre’s groin, slick and swollen from Apple’s attentions. Apple grins wider and licks his tongue up the bottom side of the hard protuberance and Pytre lets out a soft moan.
Holy shit. My dick’s getting hard again.
I quickly kiss Pytre and my tongue’s accepted without the slightest hesitation. I breathe in his groans and sighs, clutching at him as he writhes against me. Then he goes stiff in my arms, but the noise he makes isn’t one you’d associate with pleasure. I back away, staring down at him with concern. He looks alarmed, his gaze distant, but the way he’s breathing makes me think he’s actually still enjoying himself. I glance at Apple and see he’s still slurping away at Pytre’s tiny boner.
“What’s wrong?” I stroke the side of Pytre’s face, bringing his eyes to mine.
“Apple just put a finger in my uh…”—his eyebrows meet above his eyes—“Oh. Oh.”
“Two,” Apple mumbles indistinctly and I’m impressed with how hard he’s working at Pytre. Is he doing it to make Pytre happy or to make me happy? Maybe both.
“Oh Rime,” Pytre mutters breathlessly, his eyes shut tight again, head shaking slowly from side to side, obviously losing himself to Apple’s touch. I grin, pressing my hard dick against his hip and he shifts to grab it. He holds it, just squeezing in what I guess is the same rhythm Apple is using, and I let out a pleased growl. I run my fingers up Pytre’s hairless chest and find one of his perfect pink nipples. Lips resting against his temple, I grab his nipple and begin tweaking the hardening bud.
“Oh,” Pytre gasps again.
“Like that?”
“Ye—Oh.”
“Harder?” I wish he would stroke my dick instead of just squeezing it, but I don’t want to distract him from what I know is building up inside him.
Pytre nods quickly, so I start twisting and pinching his nipples, going from one to the other. He’s going to be sore later but right now the noises he’s making are driving me wild and I can tell he’s close.
It’s like an earthquake when he finally cums. I feel it in his chest first: a trembling that ripples through him, followed by a long, quiet moan and a shudder in his belly… then bam—he cries out, his hips bucking so hard that Apple has to hold on tight or be thrown off with a broken nose. Pytre’s hand crushes my cock and I gasp in pain, but it’s worth it to be on the frontline watching the ex-Rimer’s first orgasm.
When the last shockwave dies, I wince and pull my dick out of his grasp, rubbing my poor strangled shaft as I watch his eyelids flutter open. He looks drunk and the smile he gives me only adds to the image.
“You good?” I ask, chuckling.
“Mm.” He laughs. He’s slowly swirling my cum around on his belly with a finger and seeing that puts some more vim into my erection.
Apple’s sitting on the foot of the bed, his legs tucked under him and slender cock poking up from his lap. The smile he gives me is a bit smug.
Quickly untangling myself from Pytre, I grab Apple and force him face down on the other bed. I shove my cock hard into his hole, and begin to ram into him, really mashing him into the mattress. I laugh a few minutes later when I look over at Pytre and see that he’s rubbing his scar, his eyes on me and Apple. Apple’s asshole clamps down on my dick, and I hardly hear his moans with his face pressed against the blankets, and I send my second load of the day into his guts with a growl.
Ok… I might be on board with this arrangement after all.
The Wanderer – Part Thirteen
Author’s Note:
This is an unedited, ongoing serial that will eventually be published in novel form. Plot/characters/elements are subject to change as it is being written. It’s currently in 1st person/present tense, but I may change it to past tense, excluding the first chapter which will act as an intro. Read at your own discretion and take note of story tags below.
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic sci-fi
Tags: prostitution, graphic sex, large age gap, violence, theft, drug/alcohol abuse, depression, rape, gang rape, cannibalism, murder, incest, child/infant death and abuse, general abuse, (more to be added as the story goes)
The second his dick pushes into me, I realize this is a serious fucking mistake. Panic hits me like a punch in the gut and I scrabble forwards on my hands and knees, desperate to escape. My vision’s blurry and not just from the sweat pouring into my eyes—I feel like I’m having a stroke. My client, probably wondering what the fuck is going on, doesn’t move for a few seconds. The guy then comes over and puts his arms around me, patting my back gently as he goes tut tut in my ear. I lean right into his embrace and sob on his shoulder for a while, just bawling like a fucking baby.
When the tears have run their course, I pull back, face warm with embarrassment but he’s just staring at me with sympathy in his brown eyes. He’s average looking, maybe even on the ugly side, but there’s something about those eyes that makes me wonder why he has to pay for sex—surely someone else can see he’s a decent guy. That’s scarcer than water around here.
I think about trying again—I mean, he only just got the tip in… maybe after a few thrusts I’d be fine. I need the money. We need the money.
But just the thought of giving it another go has me trembling again.
“Give me your pad,” he says.
I frown. “Why?”
“So, I can pay you.”
“But—”
“Buddy, you look like you need it.”
After some arguing back and forth, he agrees on a blowjob in exchange for the credits. Down on my knees, I go all in and give him some of the best head I’ve ever given… but all the while, I’m wondering what it’ll take to open my hole for business again. What if my whoring days are through? I certainly won’t miss it, but what else is there? I think about Pytre’s suggestion: bodyguard. I did all right with that blaster at Turk’s, didn’t I?
I try not to gag as my throat is suddenly flooded with cum, swallowing down the guy’s load like I enjoy it, then give his cock a quick tongue bath to clean him up.
Satisfied, he thumbs my pad and pays me the original price we’d agreed on for a full fuck not just a blowjob, but he won’t back down.
I watch him walk away as I rub my mouth. Nice guy. Again I wonder what’s he doing on a shithole like Chornoboh-7.
+++
I can’t work the door code with my arms full, so I lean my forehead on the glowing button, waiting for Apple to let me in. After a moment, the door opens a crack.
“Oh, it’s you,” Apple says with a relieved sigh, letting me in. He’s wrapped a towel around his head, half covering his face. As soon as the door closes, he pulls the towel off and tosses it on the bed.
“You don’t look half as bad as you think you do,” I say, shaking my head. “Don’t be so vain.”
Apple’s single blue eye glares at me—the green one was lost to Turk’s violence and the wreckage hides beneath a silver eye patch that he never takes off, even to sleep. Despite the doctor’s nimble fingers and fine stitch work, the right side of his mouth is permanently twisted up, puckering in the corner where it meets the shiny pink scar zigzagging up his cheek.
I could mourn the loss of Apple’s prettiness, but there’s something weirdly appealing about his new battle-hardened face.
“I’m not vain. I’m ugly,” he says, staring down at the packages I dumped on the bed.
“If you were so ugly, would I do this?” I cup the back of his head and plant a kiss on his soft lips while giving his backside a good firm squeeze. I frown, measuring his ass cheek with my hand. He was still losing weight. “Apple, you have to eat.”
“What’s the point?” he says, heaving another sigh, but I can see the way he’s eyeing the package of cookies.
“Go on. I got them for you.”
He grins, pecks another kiss on my lips, and sits down to tear into the cookies. I touch my mouth, shaking my head. Funny how kissing is so… normal now.
“Where’d you get the credits?” Apple asks, his mouth full. He brushes a few crumbs from his bare chest and goes in for another cookie. “You worked?”
“Yeah.” I sit down on the corner of the bed and take a cookie for myself. It’s not very good—it tastes old and slightly rancid, but that’s all I can afford.
“And?”
“And it didn’t go well.”
“Oh.” He stops stuffing his face to take my hand.
Yesterday, when I was starting to mentally prepare myself to go back out on the streets, he shared a few stories about being brutalized by clients at the brothel—an attempt to commiserate over our unfortunate experiences. All it did was make me feel weak. If he’s able to function with all the shit he’s been through, why am unable to? It was one time.
“I panicked,” I say, looking down at his hand holding mine.
“It’s ok,” he says gently.
“It’s not ok,” I growl, taking my hand back and standing. “We’re going to starve to death because I can’t get my head out of my ass.” I pick up the other packages of food, all of them cheap and recently expired, and stack them on the storage unit near the foot of the bed.
“I can—” Apple starts, but I shoot him a warning look. He lets his shoulders fall and stares up at the ceiling. “I don’t know why you don’t want me whoring no more. I been doing it so long I can’t remember not doing it.”
“Because I don’t want you to.” I run both hands over my shorn grey hair, closing my eyes with a sigh. “I’m going to try again tomorrow.”
“Ok.”
“I just… don’t understand why it’s happening. It’s not like they hurt me that much…” I feel Apple’s arms come around me from behind and I hang my head, forcing myself to think about Turk’s men. I feel sweat prickling my armpits.
“It’s ok.” Apple rests his chin on my shoulder. “Tell me what happened today?”
I think about the sheer ball-squeezing, gut churning panic. “I just couldn’t go through with it.”
“Fucking or getting fucked?”
“Getting.”
“What about fucking? You ok with that?”
I honestly don’t know so I shrug.
“Do you want to give it a try?” Apple’s hand slides down my chest and he slips it into my pants, cupping my soft cock and balls. I shrug again, but I know I’m not going to be limp for long.
“C’mon.” Apple leads me back to the bed and has my lie down on my back while he undoes my zipper. “Up.”
I obediently lift my hips so he can strip my bottom half bare and then he straddles me. I’m getting flashbacks to the last time we made lo—
I close my eyes and shake my head. The last time we fucked.
It takes a few minutes before Apple can get me hard enough to penetrate him, but when he settles down on my dick, he tilts his head back with a moan, feeling me swell and get harder inside him. “Oh that’s nice.”
“Mm,” I grunt in reply, holding onto his skinny hips.
“Feel good?”
“Mm.”
“No ill-effects?” He starts to slide up and down my cock slowly like a human piston and my dick gives a happy twitch.
This time I smirk and shake my head.
“Want me to go faster?”
“Yes, please,” I reply.
“Like this?”
“Yeah…”
The door clicks and Apple’s head whips around, his body freezing in place with my dick buried deep.
“I’m sorry I, uh, didn’t realize you were…” Pytre stammers. “I’ll go.” He’s been cleaning rooms for Drenner to pay for our room, sometimes ten hours a day. I figure he’s probably exhausted and wants to lie down, so I start to lift Apple off me, but he puts a hand on my chest.
“I think you should stay,” Apple says to the ex-Rimer. “And join in.”
“What?” I think Pytre and I blurt it out at the same time.
Apple’s laugh jiggles my dick and he turns back to look down at me, his blue eye twinkling with mischief.
“Watching you two dance around each other is frankly exhausting,” he says, jouncing up and down a few times, injecting a little life back into my flagging boner. “You both want it but can’t figure out how to actually get around to doing it.” Apple grins, wiggling his hips.
“Apple, I don’t think—”
“I know what happened at Turk’s is what is fucking you up… but you’ve been acting extra weird since you found out Pytre’s a eunuch,” he says then glances over his shoulder to where I’m guessing Pytre is still standing. “And you’re confused because you thought he wanted you but suddenly he’s backed off and been treating you with kitten gloves and you have no fucking idea how to tell him you want him. I’m just saying you could fix that now.”
I don’t think it’s possible for me to feel any more mortified than I’m feeling right at this moment and I just want to sink into the bed. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look Pytre in the eye again.
“Kid gloves,” I mutter, rubbing my face. “Pytre… I don’t know what—”
“Yes.”
My eyes pop open and my lungs stall and I’m not sure if I imagined Pytre’s answer but his next words remove all doubt.
“Yes… I’d like to join in.” He comes into my line of vision and I see his cheeks and ears are bright pink. His hazel eyes lock with mine. “But I don’t know how.”
Apple tosses his head back, the scar on his cheek becoming a deep crevice as his smile goes wide. “Thank fucking holy Rime,” he says.
“I don’t think Rime would approve,” Pytre says. For a second I think he’s being serious, but then a slow grin creeps across his face and I laugh.
February Sucks Sale – Beauty and His Beast (US/UK) for .99 Feb 8-10
What? Another sale? Why not! And, I'll do another one next weekend. This time, it's Beauty and His Beast that's on sale at Amazon US & UK* this weekend starting today.
It's a take on Beauty and the Beast, but set in space. You know... spaceship instead of castle, comms crystal instead of magic mirror, DNA mutation instead of curse, etc. That sort of thing. There are a few reviews floating around that say it's a mashup of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella... but it's not—the plot follows pretty closely to the Beauty and the Beast of my childhood, not the later Disney version... however, unlike that version, this one is light and silly and I had a lot of fun writing it (and filling it full of classic sci-fi references for the geeks out there 🤓)
From Deborah Apy's Beauty and the Beast
*KDP only does sales for US and UK for some reason. Sorry about that, it's out of my hands. I could change the listing price manually, but it's dodgy as hell and sometimes you can't undo the price change.
Cyber Monday at All Romance eBooks – All my titles 50% off*
All my titles are 50% off for Cyber Monday!*
If you've been waiting to purchase a non-mobi copy of Kestrel's Talon or Max, this is a great time. They'll both be going exclusive to Amazon for the next 90 days (and in KU) starting tomorrow :)
*readers get store credit
I’m back and did you know you could win some stuff?
Howdy! I'm back in the land of snow and cold and ready to get back to writing. I did "cheat" a bit while I was on the beach and did the equivalent of scribbling down scenes on napkins (Notes) and scraps of paper (iA Writer) which I started to sort through yesterday. Kestrel's Talon has hit 60k which is about the halfway mark in the story. I think. I'm a little obsessed with this story... Instead of reading the 10 or so books I had in my pile to read while in Barbados, I spent a lot of time reading over what I'd written of Kestrel and editing. However... the one book I did read was a huge one—Xperiment by Dan Skinner—so there's that.
But mostly, and I really swear, I just relaxed, suntanned, swam, drank, people-watched, chilled out... I have a post in me about Barbados in general, but that will probably be next week. In the meantime, I've put all my vacation pics at the bottom of this post if you want to take a look.
Did you know that I'm running a few giveaways at Goodreads right now? Here they are:
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Caged
by Bey Deckard
SIGNED COPY
Giveaway ends January 31, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Fated
by Bey Deckard
SIGNED COPY
Giveaway ends January 31, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Complications of T
by Bey Deckard
SIGNED COPY
Giveaway ends February 28, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
And finally, I've started to work on the Baal's Heart postcards and hopefully I'll have them done before too long. :)
Anyway - just a quick post to say hi! Back to work....
Questions about Better the Devil You Know
Since I've received numerous emails over the weekend about Devil, I thought I'd lay out the answers here :)
Q: Why is there a paperback but no ebook on Amazon?
A: Two different review processes. Paperbacks go through Createspace and they don't seem to scan for content, only technical specs. Once Devil was accepted in paperback, I figured I'd try for the ebook too - originally I wasn't going to bother because I didn't think it would pass review. I was right. The file was rejected because it violates their submission guidelines.
Q: I thought Smashwords accepted everything. Why is Devil banned there?
A: After some email exchanges with the Smashwords team, it was decided that it violates their guidelines. Their exact wording was:
"We have been reviewing your book in greater detail, and the decision was that it is not a good fit for us. It will remain unpublished on Smashwords."
Why? Too murdery.
Q: So where can I get it?
A: See this post for all the links :)
A huge thanks to everyone who've been sharing links/recommended Devil! Much appreciated :) I'm very happy that it's getting to readers!
Happy Birthday, Sacrificed – 50% off sale
Sacrificed: Heart Beyond the Spires is one year old today! To celebrate, I'm putting the Baal's Heart trilogy on 50% sale for the rest of the month at Smashwords.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/12012
Just enter the following coupons at checkout:
Caged: Love and Treachery on the High Seas: CZ46V
Sacrificed: Heart Beyond the Spires: BN46V
Fated: Blood and Redemption: NY83Q