Revising old work

Is what I’ve been doing in my spare time for the past six months. An old novella called “Taming the Fox” which I had published in 2013. I’m planning to re-release it this April.

Why? I guess it was one of those stories I loved that I knew I just didn’t tell very well. I wanted to do better, and made the mistake of starting to revise, and then before I knew it I was neck-deep in this thing, adding chapters, tweaking plot, deleting old writing mistakes. The story captured me again, and I had to finish it.

Now I’m nearly finished drafting, just a few more words to add here and there to tighten it up and it will be off to beta readers. So now I need to decide – what next? Do I promote this, try to get sales and reviews and be a “real” author about it? Or just quietly update the old amazon listing, and be satisfied that I produced something I am proud of?

I’ll probably do a half-hearted promotion and then let it fade, as per usual. I can’t summon the self-confidence to sell myself. Part of me wonders what would happen if I actually put the money and time and effort into promotion. Would it be well received? Or would it still flounder with mediocre reviews at the bottom of the lists? I’ll never know.

Now I’m going to figure out a cover. I wish I could use the original cover, but I think it would get banned from Amazon these days:

I think it was a stock photo, believe it or not. I just added text and slapped it up on kindle. Those were the early days of e-books, and obviously there wasn’t a lot of polish in my author game (some things never change lol) but I do think this photo still fits the story well. Maybe I can adjust the butt crack? I’ll see.

Have you ever read a re-released and revised story? Would you? Or would it depend on if you had read the first version?

Cover Reveal: The Raven & His Selkie

Getting closer and closer to the release date of this one! Preorder is live, if you are so inclined. Also I should note I will keep this one in KU, at least for a while.

This story is about a pair of “fated mates” who have a little bit of a struggle coming to terms with the mate bond and what that means for each of them. It is possible I will write a book 2 for this world, I’ve written a little already and I’m liking it, but no promises yet. Either way, this is a standalone with a HEA.

I will definitely post more about this story and these characters as my release date (August 20) creeps closer. Stay tuned! And as always, I’d love to hear from you so feel free to leave thoughts and comments if you have them 🙂

Work in Progress

I’m chugging along on it! About 3/4 of the way done, I’m thinking. Though who knows 🙂

I’m really trying to be healthier about writing and publishing, and not get swept up in the tidal wave of self-doubt that usually consumes me. I think I have pretty much come to terms with the fact that my stories are just a bit quirky, and will likely never have a wide audience, and that’s okay. I’d rather write what I enjoy and not market too much anyway. Let’s be honest: I suck at self-promotion and marketing!

Sometimes as I’m writing I hit a little wall and need a distraction, so I work on cover design ideas. Mostly this is a waste of time, as I’ll likely purchase a cover image in the end, but it’s a fun sideline.

Current dilemma: shirtless dude on the cover, or not?

I like the idea of a shirtless guy (or preferably, two) because my work is fairly erotic, and I like to be clear about that. But then I feel like maybe its too shallow. My work is explicit, but I think I also give a good story, with lots of emotion. So I’m not sure if the shirtless dudes help me or hurt me, marketing-wise.

This is the guy I’m liking for the cover, if I design it myself. He kind of looks like how I picture one of my MCs (Murdoch) who is a seal shifter (Selkie!!) Though his hair is longer in my story, and I don’t describe him with facial hair. He is meant to be super muscular, and has a great sense of humor.

If anyone is reading this and has an opinion about shirtless men on the covers of steamy Romance novels, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

More Than Love

My m/m contemporary More Than Love is live!

I hope people like this story. It’s not very action packed or dramatic: it’s a quiet story of love. I know that is not as popular as other styles, but I hope maybe some people will enjoy it anyway.trustme_cover_v3

The two main characters are Dan and Ian. Dan is the point-of-view character the whole time, he’s a cop in his late 30’s who is longing for a relationship. Ian is a guy he dated in college and never forgot, and this is the story of their second chance at love.

If you are looking for a gentle love story with a happy ending, give it a try!

Thanks ❤