I’m having a give away over at Stumbling Over Chaos. By entering, you’ll have the chance to win copies of “Mark of the Familiar” and “Gift of the Familiar”: http://www.stumblingoverchaos.com/archives/25074
Check it out!
GotF
New Release: Gift of the Familiar!
Normally on the winter solstice I make a list of those people who have brought light into my light…and I may do that, but the list isn’t going up today. I’ve been super busy, kind of depressed, and unmotivated in that regard.
But I do have other exciting news! Ellis and William (From “Mark of the Familiar”) are returning for a holiday adventure in “Gift of the Familiar.” The short story is part of Storm Moon Press’s holiday anthology, Milk & Cookies & Handcuffs. You can find it at all the standard stores, and at Storm Moon Press’s website. Below is more information 🙂 Be sure to check it out!
Milk & Cookies & Handcuffs anthology
“Gift of the Familiar”
Ah, the holidays. Gifts and songs. Tinsel and lights. Whips and chains? That’s right. This holiday anthology is all about BDSM, filled with characters who know that sometimes it’s Nice to be Naughty. This collection of five stories includes gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans*, and straight couples (and moresomes) that share a common desire for the kinkier side of sex: sensual bondage, sexual domination, and genuine, loving submission. And what better time to explore this dynamic of giving and receiving than the holidays? ‘Tis the season, after all!
Shapeshifting Ellis learns from his new master William about the traditions and true meaning of First Day, stories kept from him by his spiteful former master. The day of celebration becomes even sweeter when Ellis opens his presents and receives the Gift of the Familiar — and then has William try it out on him!
Happy surprises
First, business: You can read my story “Soups and Diners” as part of Dreamspinner Press’s Advent Anthology. There’s a story for every day in December. The release date is December 1st! I think eventually you can buy it individually, so I’ll link to that when it happens.
Also, Storm Moon Press, which has another of my holiday pieces in their Milk & Cookies & Handcuffs anthology, is putting out the anthology on December 21st. So expect more about that later!
Second, the word-dulling depression has lifted. It’s been come and go since Thanksgiving, but it’s been fairly gone the past two days. I’ve written 11,000 words in November, 3,600 of them today. Although I wasn’t aiming to write a story, I wrote one short piece and then an idea just kind of took hold and I’ve been running with it. We’ll see if it gets an end. If it doesn’t get a conclusion, at least in my mind, I’ll post it here for anyone who wants to read my raw stuff.
Third, Christmas is coming. Which means birthdays, parties, and holidays. Are you excited? I’m pretty excited. It’s a cheery season with gift giving, cookie baking, etc, etc. It also makes me want to write a holiday story, but whenever I think of holiday stories, I think of this one. I know I’ve written others, many of them happy. Three of them published (and all happy). But I normally don’t write the happy ones. But we’ll see what I can come up with!
Reading, writing, and worrying
Blankets, books, and brewed tea
all a reader really needs!
Isn’t that some lovely poetry? 🙂
Enjoy it, because it’s practically the only writing I’ve done recently 😦
OK, not really, but there hasn’t been a ton. Partly because of work, partly because of muses, partly because I’m not really feeling inspired on any of the three pieces I’m working on. One involves sexual abuse and asexuals (which I will eventually finish, but can’t get in the right headspace right now), one involves sibling sexual abuse and some weird repercussions, and one is a follow-up story involving the previous character’s father. That one I’m actually kind of enjoying, as it’s light and will eventually have a very happy ending.
But not much writing has been actively happening. My two Christmas submissions were both accepted, and the submission I sent in at the end of October has come back as “This needs to be an actual full book.” Which makes me cry a little (a lot). I can agree with the editor, and I knew the story had some issues, but just thinking about having to broaden everything makes me groan and curl up in a ball. And while I can objectively say to myself, “Well yes, but she’s willing to work with you, which means the writing/idea must be good enough,” most of my sensitive writer parts shriveled up.
We’ll see how and where that goes. For now, I’m just trying to balance work, my job, my writing, and my life. And getting sleep. Getting sleep is important.
Victory doesn’t mean the war is over
As I anxiously await the second edits that I’m assuming are coming on my submitted piece (the print date is listed as Sept 14)…
I got two submissions out the door, both for Christmas/Holiday-theme calls. One is straight up soft, gooey marshmallow fluff, contemporary Christmas story, the other is a fantasy continuation of the already accepted submission. So I got both out, which means victory.
Of course, I still have plenty of work ahead. I made a spreadsheet of my writing to-do list and it’s terrifying how many stories I want to write. Having the time to realize those stories is another matter. I worked this weekend on doing a quick edit on a story (to see if there were plot holes, inconsistencies) and want to write the sequel now (thankfully it was already on the list)…but have a submission due In November that is uber priority.
And I started writing a romance with an asexual lead, but got horribly distracted, so it’s on the back burner for now.
Now to bury my head in edits 🙂 Happy apocalypse edits. Woo!
when no one's looking 