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Good Morning Monday ~ What’s on in August?
Yes, holy crap it’s August! This year has gone so fast it makes my head spin. It was another busy week in Walkerland, and seriously I need another word for busy. My WIP, Nova Praetorian, is now at 92K and I pretty much only two or three more scenes to write. Then I can start the endless/funless job of trying to fix it. It’s an unholy mess right now. It’s written in third person, which is not my usual MO. And for the first 50K words, I’ve somehow managed to write it from everyone’s point of view, not just the MC’s. I’ve headhopped so much not even Freud couldn’t make sense of it. LOL So that will need a whole lotta fixing.
I’ve also got the second round edits for Private Charter in my inbox, which I will tackle as soon as I get the first draft of Nova Praetorian done. Hopefully editing something that’s not a hot mess will prepare me for editing something that is. LOL
Soooo, what’s happening in August?
Evolved is now available at all retailers!
The audio of On Davis Row is out on the 31st July. Technically it’s not August but woo hoooo!!!! If you’ve been saving an audio credit, I’m saving you the dilemma of what to get! Because you need to hear this <3
Finders Keepers will also be coming out of KU to be available at all retailers toward the end of the next week. Stay tuned for the links – I’ll post them as soon as I have them!
Private Charter will be out on August 24th! It will be exclusive to Amazon (on KU) and there will be no presale links – it will go live on the 24th and I’ll be back to post links asap.
Blurb:
Stuart Jenner’s job is high stress, high stakes, and everything he’s strived for. So why, when the apex of his career is within reach, does he stumble? At his doctor’s insistence, he books a privately chartered yacht to sail around the Whitsundays for two weeks of sun, surf, and sex. When his friend-with-benefits bails on him at the last minute, Stuart decides to go alone.
Foster Knight left the rat race behind six years ago, bought a yacht, and now calls the Great Barrier Reef his home. Sailing tourists around tropical waters is all in a day’s work, and he’s never been happier. When his next client arrives alone, the two-week charter will be the most private job he’s ever had.
Foster can see how stressed and exhausted Stuart is, and he promises him extensive rest and relaxation. Stuart slowly realises his original plan for two weeks of sun, surf, and sex might not be lost yet. Confined to a yacht, isolated by aqua-coloured oceans and the sweltering sun, Stuart and Foster are about to find out just how hot the tropics can get.
I’ll be back with excerpts and fun stuff on Private Charter before release day though, so stay tuned!
Well, as you can see, August is another busy one! Have a great week, folks. Until then!!
<3
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Good Morning Monday!! And a Cover Reveal for Private Charter 😍
Hello all!! Holy crap it’s been one helluva busy week. I know I say that every week, but damn… One day I’ll have a spare minute or two to just breathe. LOL
On the writing front, my WIP is at 80,000 words and realistically, there’s 8-10K to go. I am going to finish it this week. DO YOU HEAR THAT UNIVERSE?? *shakes fist at the sky* I AM GOING TO FINISH IT THIS WEEK! lol
So I mentioned (very briefly) on Facebook about this damned WIP so I can now tell you this: It is set in the ancient Roman era. My main characters are Quintus and Kaeso. Quintus is a lanista (owner of a gladiator school) and he finds himself playing body guard to an ambitious senator. It is there he finds himself the charge of a slave named Kaeso. And love, treason and violence ensues. LOL
The research I’ve done/am doing for this books is extensive. Even more, probably, than what I did for the Cronin Key series. Yep. THAT much research. I’m mostly being cautious with words/dialogue for that era. For example, the characters can’t even say ‘yes or no’ because etymologically speaking, those words didn’t appear until around the 1400s in England. It would be the same as reading a Victorian period piece and having the main character say ‘G’day mate’ – It just wouldn’t have happened. LOL Now, of course I’ve taken some liberties – because the book isn’t written in Latin LOL. But I’m *trying* to get the phrasing and vernacular as close as I can.
If I can do it justice, only time will tell.
The title is Nova Praetorian, and it should be out in October, all things going well and depending on how much work it needs. Which will be a lot. I’m not under any delusion about that. 😉
This week I’ve also completed the first round edits for Private Charter. This lovely little story, full of sailing, sunshine, and sex is due out in just 4 weeks. I know, right?? That came around really fast. Sooooo, it’s about time I showed off this GORGEOUS cover from Book Cover Zone! Oh, alright – and the blurb too 😉
Blurb:
Stuart Jenner’s job is high stress, high stakes, and everything he’s strived for. So why, when the apex of his career is within reach, does he stumble? At his doctor’s insistence, he books a privately chartered yacht to sail around the Whitsundays for two weeks of sun, surf, and sex. When his friend-with-benefits bails on him at the last minute, Stuart decides to go alone.
Foster Knight left the rat race behind six years ago, bought a yacht, and now calls the Great Barrier Reef his home. Sailing tourists around tropical waters is all in a day’s work, and he’s never been happier. When his next client arrives alone, the two-week charter will be the most private job he’s ever had.
Foster can see how stressed and exhausted Stuart is, and he promises him extensive rest and relaxation. Stuart slowly realises his original plan for two weeks of sun, surf, and sex might not be lost yet. Confined to a yacht, isolated by aqua-coloured oceans and the sweltering sun, Stuart and Foster are about to find out just how hot the tropics can get.
<3
Eeeeeeeeeek!!! So. Much. Fun! I loved writing this book. It is 100% pure sunshine, tequila shots, and scorching sex. And just what you need to read to take a break from the worries of the world right now!
I can’t wait for you all to meet Stuart and Foster. Oh, and Stuart wears white Speedos. White, see-through Speedos. And Foster didn’t stand a chance hahaha
That’s it for this week guys!! So so so much love to you and yours.
Until next week! <3
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Good Morning Monday and all the Days In Between
Thank you everyone for the kind words of support from my post last week. Self-doubt in writers is a crippling thing. It’s also a common thing amongst writers apparently. There’s been a quite few posts on social media from other authors saying the same thing. Maybe it’s the moon, maybe it’s some weird planetary alignment mishap. I don’t even know, but damn, there are some authors pulling their hair out this week.
Despite having no clue what I’m doing, and despite this story trying to kill me, I still managed to write this week. I’m now at 70K words and I’m thinking there will be another 12-15K to go. I’m still not saying much about it until I get some feedback and reassurance that it will/should see the light of day.
I’d love to get the first draft done this coming week, but with my kids still off school, I don’t know if that’s possible. Fingers crossed.
So again, I just really wanted to say thank you to the kind folks who reached out this week. It really means a lot. Writing can be so isolating but it’s reassuring and heart-warming to know people are listening. So thank you. From the bottom of my heart. <3
In Audio news!
On Davis Row is up for pre-order on Audible! Release date is July 31st!
You can find it HERE
Joel Leslie is at the mic again, and it’s awesome!!
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Good Morning Monday! And the struggle is real.
This is going to come off as sounding whiney… but writing is hard. LOL As Hemingway once said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” And man, he wasn’t wrong.
But, here’s the thing. Writing is different for every single author. Every author has strengths and weaknesses in their craft, parts they love, parts they loathe. We each have our Achilles heel, and do you wanna know what mine is?
Me.
My own brain tries to sabotage me every damn time. I get to the 75% marker of a manuscript and my brain says “OMG THIS IS THE BIGGEST PILE OF STEAMING DOGSHIT ON THE PLANET – WHY DO YOU EVEN TRY?”
Aaaaaaand, predictably, we’ve hit that milestone in my current WIP.
Self doubt and imposter syndrome are not mutually exclusive. I’m forging ahead with no idea of what I’m doing or whether any of what I’ve written so far makes sense, and that little voice in my head keeps telling me I’m utter shit and to scrap it and write something else.
It’d be easier if I wrote a standard contemporary. Less research, less stressful, less everything. But would it be less of a story? Would I be doing these characters an injustice if I threw up my hands and quit on them? (the answer is yes LOL)
And so the struggle goes full circle. *sighs*
My kids are on school holidays for the next two weeks, so my focus will be even worse, and the time I have without constant interruption will be close to nil. I’d love to finish this first draft by the end of the next two weeks but that’s now looking very unlikely.
Anyway, that’s how my week has been. Fingers crossed this week is better…
Until then. <3
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Good Morning Monday ~ And some other ramblings
So release week of Galaxies and Oceans has been awesome! From the feedback and comments I’ve seen, Patrick and Aubrey have found their way into the hearts of a lot of people. I’m so proud of these boys and thrilled that folks love them too. <3
Over the first two to three days of release, Galaxies and Oceans went to #1 in seven countries in the LGBT categories!! People from all the world over have quoted parts of this book and told me how much they felt these characters. To know I can touch readers with my words is an amazing and humbling thing. I’ll never take for granted the gift I have been given to reach people, and I’ll never take for granted the readers who choose to read one of my books.
There is a responsibility that comes with writing, with reaching out and representing the LGBT+ community. Our choice of words can impact, can heal, can help. They can also harm. It’s important, as an author, for me to remember I have a responsibility to listen and learn – to hear. I hope I can continue to reach out and help others. Not just readers, but other authors as well.
Just yesterday, something on Amazon was brought to my attention. A cover (not mine) looked familiar to some people and questions were being asked. I took it upon myself to contact the author and, privately and politely, asked if they were aware of a possible copyright infringement. The author replied, horrified. No, they didn’t know. No, they were unaware and thought everything was above board. They’re new to writing, to this genre. This poor author was almost physically ill after realising what they’d done. They fixed the mistake, and all is right with the world again.
Do I want a medal? LOL no. Why am I telling you? Because I was a newbie once too. Hell, some days I still feel like I am. I had people help and guide me, and I like to think I can pay it back by paying it forward.
Anyway, after all the drama that unfolded in the M/M world this week, I wrote a long-ass post about author behaviour and responsibility and then, after much deliberation, I deleted it. I try and keep my GMM posts about productivity and fun, and I want to keep it that way.
So, on that note, an update with my WIP: I think I have a title, but I’m still undecided. Currently it’s at 51K words and I’ve sent it to my sister to pre-read because I think it’s a hot mess and at this point I don’t know if it will see the light of day. *sigh*
Oh, I almost forgot! The paperbacks of Galaxies and Oceans are here and they’re gorgeous!!
You can order from Amazon, or if you’d like a signed copy you can order from HERE!
Anywhoooooo, that’s it for this week. Remember, be kind, be safe. Until next week…
<3
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