ARC Copies – Free Books for Reviews

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Have I got a magnificent offer for you this week, and I believe it’s a win-win for everyone. As you all, hopefully, know reviews are the lifeblood for an author, even more so than book sales. So, in that vein, I’m offering ARC copies of my books in exchange for reviews. The offer is simple. If you will leave a review of one of my books (see the list below) I will be happy to send you an eBook copy in your choice of MOBI or EPUB for free. The reviews must be posted on both Amazon and Goodreads. It really is that simple.

How I’m going to handle this is, you email me, click here, and let me know which book you want and I will send it to you. Then once you post the review, if you would like a second book let me know and once I verify a review has been posted on both Amazon and Goodreads (and if you are on BookBub that would be a bonus, but not required), I will send you your next book. This is your chance to get all my books one after the other. As long as you read and post the reviews, you are eligible to get the second book. There is no rush, so you can take as long as you would like (or until I’m no longer able to continue this offer). Here are the books you can pick from:

The Calling

Being nobody isn’t Duncan Alexander’s life goal. Juliet de Exter is an Immortal who is undertaking ‘The Calling’ – a search for a human to join the Immortals. How will Duncan navigate a forbidden romance with an outcast, keep the balance between the Light and Dark Immortals, survive vicious attacks while keeping the humans unaware? More importantly, who is this foe Duncan sees in his dreams?

 

The Called

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. The events of his past are finally behind him. But, true magic is gradually taking hold in the world and nothing in the Immortal community is what he thought. Now enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? What does this mean for witches, immortals, and humans?

 

T.A.D-The Angel of Death

When Tad pushes the boundaries of his duties too far, his angel wings are stripped, and he is sent to New York City to live as a human. Lost and alone, he meets Doug, and the two start a friendship that will last a lifetime. But nothing is simple when you’re dealing with a former Angel of Death and a Drag Queen. Could these two cause our world to end, or will they manage to keep the future secure?

 

Contact-A New World (Book 1)

On the cusp of the greatest announcement humankind has ever witnessed, Todd’s personal world is thrown into turmoil when his estranged brother shows up on his front porch with news of alien ships heading for Earth’s orbit, holding a race called the Nentraee. Will this be the start of a new age of man or will bigotry and miscommunication bring this small world to its knees and final end?

 

Conviction-A New World (Book 2)

With Todd’s new appointment as Special Envoy for Terran Affairs by the nentraee, his goal is to build bridges between both people. However, this position brings with it a new set of problems that not only he, but his new allies must overcome. Will humans and nentraee learn to work together despite mistrust and threats of more attacks by a new global terrorist group, or will the terrorists win?

 

My goal for this promotion is to get as many reviews as I can, as I build up to the launch of Conspiracy-A New World (Book 3) and Volaria. Both books are due out later this year. Getting these additional reviews will help more readers find me and my works, and, I’m hoping, make the launch of each of these new books as huge as possible. At least that’s my goal.

There you have it, that’s it for this week. I hope you’ll consider the bargain and share this with your friends, because any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Well, that’s all for now. Until next time, have a great week.

Summer 2022 Update

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. What a crazy couple of weeks it’s been. I don’t know how you all are feeling these days, but honestly, I’ve been up and down. I don’t want to make this a big huge rant (which is why I posted nothing last week) so let’s just keep it at; the world is in flux and I’m not sure how things are going to turn out, but I’m hoping for the best. This week to keep things light. I wanted to share a couple of updates.

There is some news about Conspiracy-A New World (Book3). The draft cover art looks amazing. I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out, so I can’t wait for the cover art to be finalized, so I can share it with you. I think, and hope, you will love the cover as much as I do. My publisher and I are, hopefully, still on target for a late Summer release. Once I have more details, I will let you all know.

Over the July 4th Holiday, I was at BayCon 2022 (click here to find out more). This was my first time, and the conference was a blast. I got to meet and hang out with so many great people, and I managed to catch up with some old friends who I haven’t seen in a while. I even sat on my first panel with the wonderful folks over at HorrorAddicts.Net (click here to learn more). The four days were busy as I’m sure you can guess. While everyone else went off to their panels at the Con, I spent most of my time at the Liminal Fiction booth. For me, this event was all about networking and getting a feel for the convention, which I did. BayCon this year was a restart after the shutdown, so it wasn’t as busy as pre-pandemic, so hopefully next year the event will be even better. My plan is to get myself onto more panels and be a more active participant.

Here are a couple of photos from the event.

The Liminal Fiction booth in the Dealer Room

Horroradditcs.net Panel: Emz, Loren, R.L Merrill, Mark, M.D. Neu, and Laurel

Kim Fielding, CK Parker, M.D. Neu & J. Scott Coatsworth

M.D. Neu and R.L. Merrill sporting their hot pink outfits!

As you can see, we had a good time (can’t you see our smiling faces, LOL). Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello, an even bigger thank you to the folks who came and picked up some of my books. Well, that’s all for this week. Until next time, have a great week.

Save the World – Anthology Out Now

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. This week the anthology I’m part of; Save the World, is out. I’m so excited to share this new anthology with you all today. This anthology is all about hope and ways to fix our planet. Given all the negativity surrounding us daily, this book is an enjoyable break from all the ‘doom scrolling’ around us. Meet twenty authors who have taken different looks at how to save our world. This is the second book in a series of anthologies to share optimism and give us faith in each other.

Book Blurb:

Climate change is no longer a vague future threat. Forests are burning, currents are shifting, and massive storms dump staggering amounts of water in less than 24 hours. Sometimes it’s hard to look ahead and see a hopeful future.

We asked sci-fi writers to send us stories about ways to save the world from climate change. From the myriad of stories we received, we chose the twenty most amazing (and hopefully prescient) tales.

Dive in and find out how we might mitigate climate change via solar mirrors, carbon capture, genetic manipulation, and acts of change both large and small.

The future’s not going to fix itself.

Doesn’t that sound amazing? Just the blurb gets me pumped and excited for what we all can accomplish when we put our minds to it!

The story I contributed to this anthology is called; The Interview, and today I’m excited to share the blurb with you:

Saving the planet isn’t cheap, and it’s not something everyone thinks about. We can’t only rely on the government, so who are the nameless donors and funders that bring green technologies to fruition? What kind of person spends their personal fortune on ways to clean the environment, and make our planet a better home? Find out who in The Interview.

Having this story selected out of over 300 submission is quite an honor and I’m ecstatic the judges decided my story had enough merit to make the cut. I’ve had time to read some of the other stories, and I know several of the authors who are part of this anthology, and I can say for certain that this is a book you don’t want to miss.

You can get the book here or if you want a signed copy, from me, and you live here in the United States, you can pick up a copy here on my website.

Well, that’s all for this week. Please pick up your copy of Save the World and see all the creative ways people have offered to help us save our planet and make our home a better place for everyone. Until next time, have a great week and Happy Pride 2022.

Events (What you didn’t know, you need to know)

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Well, we’ve done it. We are back to attending local and distant events. It’s been wonderful to get out there and see people, make contacts, sign and sell books, and have fun. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been to a few local events with plans for more to come. Today, I wanted to talk about all the things authors need to know, when we plan for, and go to events. 

These are some fun pics from the events I’ve been at. 

As some of you may know, in my former life I did international and domestic events for a high-tech company. It was fun, but it’s a lot of work. So today I thought I would share what I’ve learned and forgotten about doing an in-person event. Keep in mind this is my experience, so what works for me may not work for you and your group. That said, look at all this information as suggestions and tips and tricks to help you out. 

Congratulations! You’ve decided to get back out there and go to a local book event, festival, book signing, etc. Here are some things to plan for and consider. 

Pre-Event: 

  • Create a Check List!!!!!!

  • Get yourself some business cards

  • Make a bookmark with all your social media info on it (you can use this as a free giveaway)

  • Depending on where you live and what you are doing, ensure you have a business license. This is important and easy to get from your local government. Also, depending on the city you are going to, you may need to get a seller’s permit for the day of the event. Some festivals will help you with this, but most don’t and it’s up to you to ensure you have everything you need in case the event management staff come by and ask you to show proof. It’s a pain in the butt, but a necessary evil. Luckily this doesn’t cost a lot, it’s more of a time suck.

  • Get yourself some bins or boxes to carry your books and all your stuff?

  • Get yourself a trolley or a cart so you can easily bring everything to your booth in one trip. Don’t have a cart get something like this (click here).

  • If you have a newsletter? Bring something so folks can sign-up to join.

  • When it comes to payments, people are leaning more towards Venmo and PayPal. Make sure you have QR Codes (you can get this from their apps, download the app if you haven’t already) for people so they can scan and pay you.

  • People use cash, so make sure you can make change.

  • Get yourself a cashbox or a flip binder to keep the cash in (or your pocket works too).

  • Keep your book pricing simple. Round up to the nearest dollar so you don’t have to fuss with change. Also, price your books to include tax so you don’t have to figure that out. For example, I sell my books at $15 and $20 and this price includes tax.

  • If you plan on taking credit cards, make sure you have everything you need to do that (Square works well and works with your cell phone, so it’s easy).

  • If you don’t have one, create an elevator pitch about your writing and your books. Here is an example of mine:

M.D. Neu is an award-winning Queer author of Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal stories who wants to tell epic tales that reflect our diverse world.

All stories are based on ‘What ifs’

All stories take place in the Bay Area

All stories have a diverse cast of characters

 Now for your Books:

  • Okay, so here’s the thing I’ve learned. You won’t have any idea what people will want to read, so if you are going to be there on your own, take all your books (5–10 of each depending on how many books you offer). If you have a book series, bring more of the first book in the series because folks will buy that (and maybe all the books in the series, but typically they will start with book one). Now also regarding your books, if you are going as part of a group, think about the others who will be there. You don’t want to be a space hog, so make sure you don’t make the group space all about you and your books. As authors, we need to support each other and help one another. A potential reader may not be interested in what you write, but they may really love something that the others in your group write, so talk them up. Because what goes around comes around and you’ll want them to do the same for you.

  • If you are going to a specific type of festival or conference, bring books that are in that genre, but bring some of your other works as well because people read more than one kind of book. 

Your Booth:

  • When displaying your books, invest in some book stands. Here is a link where you can find tons of different types get what fits your budget and will work for you. As part of the book display, invest in a tablecloth (or bring one from home) solid colors work best.

  • For each of your books, create a slip sheet that you can stick into the top of the book for folks to read (about a sentence or two), this way they don’t have to read the back cover if they don’t want to. This should be a teaser. Something to get them interested, but not bog them down. Here is an example of one of mine:

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. The events of his past are finally behind him. But, true magic is gradually taking hold in the world and nothing in the Immortal community is what he thought. Now enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? What does this mean for witches, immortals, and humans?

  • Depending on the setup (if you are going to be outside) bring a canopy. Being out in the sun all day is rough and you’ll appreciate the shade. If you’re inside, a canopy can be a nice way to stand out.

  • If you have a banner or can get one, bring it, but you will also need twine or rope to hang it up (assuming that’s allowed).

  • A free-standing banner or sign is a nice marketing piece to have if it’s in your budget, but you don’t need one.

  • Swag. People love free stuff. You probably can’t bring candy or food (check with the event organizers) but buttons, pens, bookmarks, business cards, cards with a free download of your book, info cards about you and your books, you’ll be surprised what people will pick up and take away.

  • Clipboard. You want it to be easy for people to sign up for your newsletter.

  • Pens. Lots of pens (see the above about people taking stuff) It’s even better if your pens are branded.

  • If you plan on giving away anything or hold a contest, have a flyer with that information. You should put it into a plastic stand of its own so it doesn’t get messed up and people can easily see it.

Additional Items to make your long day better:

  • Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. You’re going to be on your feet 8–10 hours, so you want to be comfy.

  • Bring water and snacks. If you are there on your own, you’ll want to come prepared, even if you go with a group water and snacks are a big plus.

  • Bring a box, bag, or bin with these things; pens, pencils, tape, larger binder clips (to keep your table cloth from blowing away), paperclips, notepad, labels to price your books, extension cord (in case you can plug in for power), bandages, aspirin or Tylenol, markers, and any other small thing you think you may or may not need.

  • Smile and talk to people. This is hard, especially after a long day, but people won’t come up and talk to you if you aren’t engaging with them or smiling. Think about when you go to a store. Do you go up to clerks who aren’t smiling or look like they are too busy to ‘see’ you? You want to present as open and as welcoming persona as you can. Practice in the mirror. Trust me, it’ll help.

  • Be prepared to talk to media. Create a press kit for yourself on the off chance the media stops by and wants to chat. This does happen, so be prepared. Not sure what to put in a media kit check out this page here, this is what I have in mine.

  • We all want to sell all our books, but prepare yourself for the reality that you might not sell any books. This happens, which sucks, especially after all the money and effort you put into the event. Take a breath and remember you are doing this for the exposure.

  • Bring a charging rod or brick for your cell phone (especially if you are going to use your devise to take payments).

If you are going with a group of authors here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Try to set up shifts (2 – 3 hours) and have no more then 4 or 6 people in and around the booth at any one time. You don’t want it to look crowded. Sometimes having two people in the booth and two people outside the booth to talk to people works well.

  • Have an elevator pitch for each of the authors who are going to be in the booth so you have a cheat sheet for when you are talking to potential readers.

  • Break down all the books by genre and not by author (unless you want to) this way you can direct people to the genre they like to read and that way they can see all the book on offer.

  • Use your time outside the booth to go around and talk to other authors or vendors. Or go and get some food. Breaks are nice and it’s good to get away from the booth, if you can.

  • Don’t be selfish, you are there to as part of a team, put in the same amount of effort you want others to put in for you. If you need a break fine take it, if you don’t like talking to people, then see what else you can do to help. If you are there and only taking up space then consider doing your next event solo, because no one will want to do another event with you.

  • On the flipside, don’t make yourself a nuisance and don’t make the booth all about you. Step back and give others a chance to spotlight their work and talk to people. When you are in a group setting you all need to be there to support one another.

  • Most importantly come early and help set up, or if you can’t come early plan on staying late to help tear down and clean up. This really helps out.

This is not by any means a complete list of do’s and don’ts. What works for me may not work for you and all events are different. The above info is to help you think through all that goes into an event. They can be a lot of fun, but they are a lot of work (both before, during, and after) I hope this information helps, until next time, have a great week and Happy Pride 2022.

June 2022 Announcements

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Can you believe it’s June 1st? I sure can’t. The beginning of June means we start the month of Pride, and we have so much to be proud of. However, given the state of the world today, there is still so much we need to be better at. So, let’s all promise each other we will do better. We will be better people. We will treat each other with dignity and respect. We will bring light to darkness. We will support each other and be there for each other. And most importantly, we will not, under any circumstances, let the bastards bring us down. 

As part of Pride month, I’m happy to share four of my author pals who all have new projects out this month, or coming soon. I cannot stress enough how amazing these novelists are and how, if you haven’t already done so, you need to pick up their books. I’ve enjoyed each these writer’s works and say to you, today, that these are some of the finest authors out there. Let’s begin, shall we? 

Author J.P. Jackson has a new book out; Cursed, it’s the second book in his Magus Malefica - The Coven Series. If you haven’t read book one, you’re missing out. The novel is wonderful and gives you all the background you need for book two. 

Blurb: 

Cam Habersham is having a hell of a time keeping up with his fae studies in the Ancestral Lands because a certain werewolf constantly interrupts his thoughts. Everton Lilch is the wolfen beast who follows Cam around, but he pushes Cam away every time things get steamy. 

The queen of the fae has had enough and tasks Cam with an impossible feat, an undertaking only Everton can help him accomplish. 

Without his coven, Sparks Gemmell is a lost witch. In desperation, he casts a spell, hoping to reunite his brothers. But he doesn’t count on the wayward route magic often takes. He finds himself wrapped up in a mandate of the horned god and inserted into his Shadow Brothers’ relationship in order to protect his city from the darkest elements of the Shadow Realm. 

As the darkness of the Shadow Realm descends, Cam and his werewolf, along with Sparks and his coven brothers, confront wraiths, mutant werewolves, and witch law enforcement. Chaos erupts in an effort to please queens and gods. 

After all, it comes down to the ley of the land. 

Read my review here. Get your copy here.

Next up, I’m please to share with you Kevin Klehr’s newest audiobook; Winter Masquerade. The narration is spectacular, as is the story. If you don’t have time to sit down and read, but need something to get you through your workout, then this is a must get. 

Pick up the audiobook here.

In the spotlight today is Glenn Quigley (artist and author extraordinaire). This is what Glenn has to say about his newest short story: 

I want to let people know that my first short story is coming soon from Ninestar Press. It’s also my first contemporary story (I usually write Historical Fantasy), so I’m very excited for people to read it. Excited and nervous. Mostly nervous. 

Use as Wallpaper, is a story about a reporter for a seldom-watched LGBTQ+ television channel who travels to the beautiful country of Georgia to film a piece about a polyphonic choir. The reporter’s name is Stuart, he’s just past forty, and recently single. When he arrives, he discovers that the choirmaster is a stocky, gruff, obstinate man named Otar. As the two butt heads, Stuart has to learn a little bit of the Georgian language, perform in front of a crowd with the polyphonic choir, and try to mend his broken heart. Stuart better not mess up this performance. 

Use as Wallpaper is a light-hearted romp filled with sunshine, performance anxiety, and hairy chests. 

It will be released in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on my socials for the exact date and the cover! Use as Wallpaper will be available from Amazon, the Ninestar Press website, and all the usual eBook outlets. 

Find out more about the book and Glenn here. 

And bringing up the rear is author Eric David Roman and his re-released novel Long Night at Lake Never. 

Blurb: 

Welcome to Camp Horizons, where they pray all day…and get slayed all night! 

Nestled against scenic Lake Never, recently outed Tyler Wills has arrived at the secluded conversion camp, where the delusional staff of counselors believes he and his fellow camper’s queer affliction can be healed solely through the power of prayer. 

After a full day spent rallying against sadistic deprogramming therapies, the deranged camp director, and planning his escape, Tyler discovers a larger problem—a mysterious stranger has rolled into camp with a grudge to settle and a very sharp axe. 

When night falls, the terror and body count rise. And Tyler, along with his fellow campers, find themselves trapped between a brutal, unrelenting killer and their holier-than-thou prey as they desperately search for a way to survive the Long Night at Lake Never. 

Find your copy here.

These four authors couldn’t be more different in genres and writing styles, which gives you a wonderful mix of talent and stories to read and enjoy. 

For me this month, I’ll be joining QSac at Davis Pride on June 12th, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be out and about again and meeting folks. If you are in the Davis, CA area, please come by and say hello. Learn more here. Also, this month I’m wrapping up edits on Conspiracy, A New World (Book 3) find out more here. And I have a teaser for the cover art for Volaria. Get your peek here. Both books will be out later this summer and early fall 2022. Also, as I write this, my biggest supporter and harshest critic is editing/reading my new short story; Two Years, that will, hopefully, be part of the Bay Area Queer Writers Association’s (BAQWA) 2022 anthology. Keep your fingers crossed. Once I learn more, I’ll be sure to let you know. 

And I’m thrilled to share the news that The Called (learn more here) was chosen as the 2021 Fantasy Runner up for the Gay Scribe Awards, check it out here. I’m so pleased with this novel and the series. Thank you to everyone for all your love and support.

Wow. There it is. There is so much happening right now for Pride, and for the summer, that I’m sure I missed something. Some food for thought before I sign off this week. If you want to support the Queer Community this Pride month, instead of buying from large companies that slap a rainbow on their products for the month, why not support queer artists and businesses, especially when everyone is struggling economically right now. Supporting a queer local artist or business (oh and look I have a merchandise page, how convenient is that, click here) mean a lot more than buying something from a big company with a rainbow sticker slapped on their merch. With that, I hope to see you at Davis, CA Pride on June 12th, but if not, until next time, have a great week and Happy Pride 2022.

Guest Blog with Emz (Horroraddicts.Net)

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. If you’ve noticed I’ve been doing a lot of posting about Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2 (learn more here) over the last couple of weeks. Well, the reason for this is because I have an article in the publication, and I figured since they were nice enough to include my article the least I can do is support them by offering up some blog space.

So this week, I’m thrilled to have Emz here to share all about HorrorAddicts.Net with us today.

Welcome Emz

Why did you start HorrorAddicts.net? I had been podcasting my vampire novel Night’s Knights and when it was a few chapters away from the end, I didn’t want to lose all my “Biters” which is an affectionate name I made up for my vampire listeners. So, I decided to start a horror podcast that they could follow me over to. I’m so glad I did it, because otherwise I wouldn’t have all these great horror fans to chat with today. The podcast grew into a blog, a site, a publishing house, and we are still growing every year.

What is it like running your site? Busy. Hectic. Enjoyable, but a lot of work. Thankfully I have a lot of staff willing to help and in that way, it’s good because when new people come on, they bring new flavor to the site and help keep it interesting. I’m always sad, but also proud when one of my little baby bats who has learned the business from me, spreads their wings to pursue their own careers. It’s very rewarding, but can also be very lonely. My listeners keep me going with their thirst for knowledge and their love for horror.

When it comes to horror stories, who is your favorite author? I really love Anne Rice. In fact, two of my pieces in the Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2 ended up being about her. I didn’t plan it, but she was my gateway into vampires and cracked open the horror lover that was hiding inside of me. Another favorite is Andrew Neiderman, who most people know as the author of The Devil’s Advocate and the ghost writer for the V.C. Andrews series. His stand-alone novels like Blood Child, Pin, and The Need are fabulously fun. I actually got to interview him on the show way back on episode #84. That was really fun. Sadly, I never got to interview Anne before she passed, but…to be really honest, I don’t know if I could have handled it! How do you sit across a table (or Zoom screen for that matter) and ask a woman who has changed your life questions without totally passing out or having a panic attack? I’m not sure I could’ve done it. Ha!

What is it about Horror that you love so much? Horror to me is romantic. I love stories that weave both the horrific and romance together. It’s fighting the monster next to the one you love. It’s searching the haunted castle to find answers to your past—and perhaps your future. It’s proving that love endures, even after death. It’s something that calls from your soul. It’s a need you are born with. “You may as well ask Heaven what it sees; no ‘norm’ can know.” And if you know where I’ve stolen that quote from, then you are in the club.

There you go. Thank you, Emz, for stopping by today to share a little about Horroraddicts.Net. I’m thrilled to have had a small part in the publication of this newest guide to life. Pick up your copy of the Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2 here. That’s it for this week. Until next time, have a great week.

About Emz:

Author, artist, voice actress, and editor, Emz is best known for being the Horror Hostess of HorrorAddicts.net, an internationally acclaimed horror podcast, now its 17th season. She is the author of the Night’s Knights vampire series and has been published in over 40 fiction anthologies. She has a wide array of books available including a coloring book, a WWII letter archive, a Spooky Writer’s Planner, and a Jane Austen reboot of Northanger Abbey, published under her romance name, Emmy Z. Madrigal. Find out more here.

Spectrum Books

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. It’s been another busy week for me. I hope you saw the photos, or better yet were able to come, and visit at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, CA this last weekend. The festival was amazing, and I was so thrilled to be with my wonderful author group from the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (learn more here). It was a blast; however, the event was a big eye opener on how important our voices are. We were the only queer book group at the whole event. And the book festival is one of the largest in the Bay Area. We need to work on our visibility and ensure all our voices are heard. So, if you have book events in your area, let them know you want to see queer representation at the event. Talk to your local book store about hosting a queer author reading. All our voices matter and deserve to be heard.

In that vein, I’m thrilled to have Andrew and Carl from Spectrum Books a new LGBTQ+ publisher (find them here) with me today to introduce us to Spectrum Books. Andrew and Carl are the Managing Directors of Spectrum Books, and if you missed the news, Spectrum Books signed me on and will be releasing Volaria in the Fall of 2022 (learn more here).

Welcome Andrew and Carl

Andrew May

Thanks for including us in your blog! We’re Andrew & Carl from Spectrum Books – an independent publisher solely focused on LGBTQ+ books. We’re based in London, but work with authors all over the world, from Las Vegas to London to Australia.

We started Spectrum almost exactly a year ago. Being authors ourselves, we felt very under-represented when it came to submitting our books to publishers. Most publishers we approached either wanted us to tone down any LGBTQ+ themes in our books, or rejected it completely, we believe, because of the content. Most publishers are primarily concerned with how many books they can sell. Which is fair enough, it is business, after all. However, they also believe that books with LGBTQ+ themes or characters are worth less to them because of a smaller readership. We want to change that at Spectrum Books! Our aims are for LGBTQ+ books to not only be read by those identifying as part of the community, but by those who don’t as well. We believe that if someone loves a good romance novel, for example, there’s no reason why they can’t enjoy a male/male romance as well. A crime thriller novel with a gay character is still a crime thriller novel!

Going from being authors to setting up Spectrum Books felt really quite natural. Andrew is primarily the graphics designer and marketing expert, and has worked in both roles professionally and as a hobby. Carl is the primary editor, having spent most of his adult life editing either freelance or for various publishers. We felt that we were perfectly positioned to join our skills together and help give LGBTQ+ books the representation and quality work that they deserve. The amount of work we’ve been doing since we started is gargantuan! From reading a huge amount of submissions to working on covers, to the near endless editing process, but we love doing it! We feel that authors are putting their trust in us with their manuscripts, and we’re very grateful for it. We both have very little time for writing anymore, but Spectrum Books has ignited a new passion in both of us.

Reflecting on our first year running Spectrum Books, the hardest part has to be turning down submissions. Over the last few months, we’ve been receiving a huge amount of submissions. Some publishers will accept more submissions than they’re capable of working with and their standards end up falling behind as a result. We want to do the best for each author that we sign – and that takes time. So, we have to be realistic about how many submissions we can accept. This does mean we have to turn people away, but we always try to offer advice on what they can do to be successful in the future, with another publisher, or with us if they re-submit in the future. Also, switching off can be hard! We don’t have any set working hours, primarily because there is literally a twenty-hour time difference between some of our authors!

Our favorite part of running a publishing company is the same for both of us. The joy that authors feel when the manuscript that they’ve worked so hard on for months or years is turned into a book – and when it’s physically in their hands – is a feeling that cannot be experienced in any other way. We’ve been in this same situation, finally getting to touch, to read, to flick through, to gaze at lovingly whilst it’s sat on your bookshelf. We’ve been lucky enough to have signed eleven authors in our first year, and we’ve worked as hard as we can to provide this feeling to each one of them. Also, it has been and continues to be a pleasure to work with such a wonderful, diverse group of authors. We’ve got people from different countries, backgrounds and cultures who identify across the LGBTQ+ spectrum. We can’t be successful without the success of our authors, so we’re thrilled they’ve chosen us to share their journey with them.

We’ve been primarily finding the authors who work with us through social media and word of mouth. It’s been wonderful to have heard such great feedback from our authors so far – to have them recommend us to their author friends is a wonderful thing. I think it’s one of the best measures that we’re doing everything we can to provide the best possible experience for our authors. We’re always happy to hear from anyone who is looking to publish their LGBTQ+ book. We’ve been in your shoes and welcome the opportunity to offer advice whenever we can.

Thanks again for having us, M.D.. If anyone wants to find out more about Spectrum Books, you can find us on our website here. www.spectrum-books.com, or on Instagram here. @spectrumbookpublisher. We’d love to hear from you!

There you go. Thank you, Andrew and Carl, for stopping by today to share a little about you and Spectrum Books. I’m thrilled to be part of this new publishing house, and I’m excited to watch it grow. That’s it for this week. Don’t forget to check out my events calendar (here) as I’m adding new in-person events all the time. You never know when I’ll be in your neck of the woods. Until next time, have a great week.

Three Books and Two Events

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. It’s been a busy week and I have lots to share. Fellow Authors Lee Colgin, Kevin Klehr, and J.P. Jackson all have amazing book announcements. And I have more event news to update you all on, so let’s get started.

If you missed it, this last Saturday, me and several other members of the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA) were at Books on B at the Hayward first annual LitHop. Renee, the owner, of Books on B, is wonderful and runs a beautiful bookstore, so please go and support the store if you can. You can find them on Instagram here. It was an amazing event. So many people showed up and we had a blast. Coming up this weekend (May 7th-8th, from 11am – 5pm) we will be at The Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, CA (Downtown Berkeley, Booth #23), we hope to see everyone there. This should be a lot of fun, and just like at the Hayward LitHop, we’ll be signing books, hanging out, and chatting with folks. So, come and say hello.

Here are some of the group photos from Hayward LitHop.

Next, I’m thrilled to share that fellow author Lee Colgin has a brand-new book out: Over the Emerald Valley 

Here is the blurb: 

Life as a concubine to the devious Viceroy Abasi isn’t so bad. Temaj has food, shelter, and every inch of his skin is draped in emeralds. What’s freedom worth when weighed against the luxury of the palace? 

Solon’s dutiful life earned him the rank of army general to the pharaoh. But when he’s sent on a diplomatic mission to an emerald mine rather than into battle, he senses the end of his career and a lonely retirement. 

Temaj is gifted to Solon for his stay, but the last person Solon wants in his bed is a slave sent to spy on him—even if he is a gorgeous, silver-tongued vixen of a man. 

Trouble brews when emeralds go missing. With only a clever concubine and the viceroy’s harem on his side, can Solon solve the mystery and escape with his life, or are he and Temaj destined to haunt the walls of the palace forever? 

*** 

Over the Emerald Valley is a gay paranormal romance full of snarky banter, dangerous secrets, steamy stolen moments and only one bed. It’s a standalone novel within the Immortal Jewels series and can be read first or last with no spoilers, no cliffhangers, and always a happily ever after. 

Get your copy here.

Also, this week, Kevin Klehr (follow him here) has an exciting book trailer for his new audiobook: Winter Masquerade. This is a wonderful book, if you haven’t read it, you need to. Here is the video trailer to tease you.

Also, coming soon is a new book by J.P. Jackson: Cursed – Magus Malefica – The Coven Series – Book Two.

Blurb:

Cam Habersham is having a hell of a time keeping up with his fae studies because a certain werewolf constantly interrupts his thoughts. Everton Lilch is the wolfen beast who follows Cam around the Ancestral Lands – the fae village where Cam is trying to learn how to be fae. But Everton pushes Cam away every time things get steamy. The queen of the fae has had enough and tasks Cam with an impossible feat, an undertaking only Everton can help him accomplish.

Sparks Gemmell is a lost witch without his coven. In desperation, he casts a quick spell in hopes of reuniting his brothers, but he doesn’t count on the wayward route magic often takes. Sparks finds himself wrapped up in the horned god’s mandate and inserted into his Shadow Brothers’ relationship in order to protect his city from the darkest elements of the Shadow Realm.

As Cam and Sparks’ paths merge together, their lives become intertwined as the darkness of the Shadow Realm descends upon them. Confrontations with wraiths, mutant werewolves, and witch law enforcement are unforeseen consequences in an effort to please queens and gods.

After all, it comes down to the ley of the land.

Check out the amazing cover art.

Pre-orders should be available soon, so follow J.P. Jackson here so you don’t miss out.

There you go. I hope you found this update helpful. There is so much happening right now. Especially with all these wonderful authors and these upcoming events. I don’t want you to miss a thing. I hope to see you this weekend at The Bay Area Book Festival, but if not, until next time, have a great week.

Announcements Spring 2022

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Have I got a lot to share with you today; three different book announcements and two upcoming events. These last few weeks (and months) have been busy. I’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes and today I’m thrilled to share it all with you. First, as you may have heard, I have an article in the upcoming book, Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2. Second, I have a short story in the wonderful anthology; Save the World. Third, this week I signed the contract for Volaria, which will be published through Spectrum Books. Last, I have two in-person events coming up: Hayward Lit Hop and The Bay Area Book Festival (in Berkley, CA) Let’s dive deeper into each of these. 

Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2 is a collection of stories and articles that has been put together by HorrorAddicts.Net. They reached out to me to share my article; When did you know? I spent some time updating the article, diving a little deeper into my personal story, which you will read more about in this coming book. The editors have put a lot of work into this publication and I’m impressed with how the product is looking. This book will make a wonderful addition to your reading library. The book is a fundraiser, so I’m not making anything from the sale of the story, but I’m pleased to be part of this effort and supporting such a great group. 

If you want to learn more and see who else will be in the book, you can learn more here.

Next up, we have Save The World. This is the second book in the series. The first book is titled, Fix the World (you can buy it here). This year I have my short story; Interview, as part of the collection. I’m pleased with this story and I’m honored to have the work included. I don’t want to give too much away about the story, because I’m hoping folks will go out and buy it. Click here for pre-orders.  

Book Blurb: 

Climate change is no longer a vague future threat. Forests are burning, currents are shifting, and massive storms dump staggering amounts of water in less than 24 hours. Sometimes it’s hard to look ahead and see a hopeful future. 

We asked sci-fi writers to send us stories about ways to save the world from climate change.  From the myriad of stories we received, we chose the twenty most amazing (and hopefully prescient) tales. 

Dive in and find out how we might mitigate climate change via solar mirrors, carbon capture, genetic manipulation, and acts of change both large and small. 

The future’s not going to fix itself. 

Next up for the week, I’m so pleased to announce that I have signed a contract with Spectrum Books (learn more here) for them to publish my latest novel, Volaria. We have set the launch for Fall 2022. I will be sharing more information as we get closer to the launch. 

Here is the official blurb: 

It’s been over a hundred years since the Earth went through The Shift. Where once almost eight billion humans lived, the population now holds at four billion. But that wasn’t the only change. Humans are no longer alone; they have been joined by Arcanes, Lycans, and Vampires. At first these new groups were thought of as genetic anomalies caused by The Shift, something to be cured, but later scientists discovered that each new generation of humans born would produce these new variances at the onset of puberty. Finally, the new species of man were welcomed. No longer studied or treated as outcasts by most. People accepted these new humans, and they integrated into society. This allowed the UN Government to focus again on the Moon and on Mars, ensuring the survival of all, as humankind became a multi-planet species. 

Tobin Corsian resides in a newly reopened district of San Jose, California, where his family’s old home stood. He lives there with his friend Mikel, a Lycan, and his dog Begger. Instead of making his mandatory monthly blood donation at the government blood bank for the vampire community, Tobin decides, with the help of his therapist, to visit Biter, a vampire spa. The spa allows vampires to feed from humans directly while providing spa and sexual services, granting the donor a three-month reprieve from their mandatory donations. However, permitting a vampire to feed from you comes with risks, shared memories among them. Tobin’s encounter at Biter opens a window to his past and an experience he had as a child on the moon. Questions abound as he tries to unravel his past and make sense of his life. 

Can you believe it? We are finally going to be doing some local events in the coming weeks. April 30th join me and three other BAQWA writers at Books on B, in Hayward, CA. we’ll be there from 4pm–4:45pm. This will be a great night of short readings and your opportunity to come on by and say hello. Learn more here. 

Then on May 7th and 8th, many of the BAQWA members will be at The Bay Area Book Festival 2022, in Berkley, CA. We have a booth and will be there both days. The event starts at 11am and goes to 5pm both days. Come by, say hello, pick up a book, get a signature or two, and have your photos taken with one of your favorite authors. Learn more here. 

There has been a lot happening and there is still a lot more coming, so keep a wary eye out for more news. I hope you’ll pick up your copy of Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2 and Save The World. These books have many talented authors who contributed, so you won’t want to miss out. And please, if you are in the area, come meet us at either the Hayward Lit Hop or The Bay Area Book Festival, both events will be a lot of fun. Until next time, have a great week.

Reaper: A Horror Novella by Jonathan Pongratz

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Today I have a creepy treat for you. Do you like horror stories? Well fellow author and wonderful friend of this author is celebrating his horror novella’s Reaper: A Horror Novella’s third birthday. This is the story that started it all for Jonathan and I can’t recommend it enough. If you like stories that go bump in the night and offer the reader chills, then you need to get your copy of Reaper: A Horror Novella by Jonathan Pongratz. 

Story Blurb:

How do you fight a monster?

Halloween night, 1992. Promised the allowance he’s always dreamed of, Gregory has to babysit his little sister Imogen and hand out candy.

That was before the basement door opened on its own. Before the strange door appeared in the basement. Before Imogen was taken from him by that terrifying monster.

Now, Gregory has to scramble to put the pieces together before it's too late. Where did the door come from? What was that creature? Can he save his sister, or is she already gone forever?

Book Trailer:

Here is a wonderful book trailer for you to watch.

Excerpt:

I shined my flashlight on the wooden steps leading below, doing my best to stay calm as a frigid chill raised goosebumps on my arms and legs. There’s nothing down here but your stupid little sister. Monsters don’t exist. You’re being a baby.

Ignoring my own thoughts, I forced myself to begin my descent. Each step on the rickety stairs gave a loud squeak that made my heart pound and skin tingle. My flashlight continued to guide me down the steps, but the further down I went, the more it seemed that the darkness was getting thicker. Was that even possible? It’s all in your head.

By the time I reached the bottom of the steps, my nerves were rattled. Imogen had better be down here, and she better be ready to go. I was done playing these stupid games.

An awful smell rose on  my left. I turned my light to it. On top of an old wooden table was an ornate black lantern. Wisps of black smoke came off it, but no light. I gave a good sniff and instantly recoiled.

Who lit this terrible thing? This was ten times worse than the stinky candles Mom lit every year. I plugged my nose and gave the contents of the lantern another glance. Inside was a grey-looking candle with weird flecks of black stuff molded inside of it. My nose crinkled. Whatever it was, I didn’t care. I needed to find Immy.

I turned back around to the rest of the basement. “Immy? Immy!” I shouted. I thought I heard a scuffle up ahead, so I shined my light that way.

Numerous toys littered the floor and old furniture covered with large white sheets took up most of the space in the basement. Something about the odd shapes the unwanted stuff created creeped me out, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I stood still, listening in the darkness. Was that … breathing? It was faint, but what else did I have to go off of?

I maneuvered around a cluster of covered couches, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants as I ventured towards the back. Ahead of me were small rows of sheeted items, but one stood out to me, one particularly little-girl shaped.

I smirked. Nice try, Immy.

I crept up on my toes, and as soon as I was within arm’s reach, I yanked the white sheet away. “Aha!” It was a rusty standing birdcage. But I could’ve sworn ... Damn it!  I kicked the nearest couch and wandered aimlessly to vent off my frustration.

What could I do to draw Immy out? Talking to her wasn’t working; I’d already tried that. I could try the candy route, but the bucket was all the way upstairs and she could hide again by the time I got back. I supposed I could knock stuff around until she emerged, but then I’d have to clean it all up or Mom and Dad would kill me. I walked up to an uncovered desk and wiped my finger along the top, inspecting the layer of dust on my forefinger. Maybe I could scare her out.

Suddenly, something grabbed my ankle from under the desk. I shrieked and yanked my leg back as my heart pounded.

Get your copy here:

***

This is a short one this week. I hope you’ll pick up your copy of Reaper: A Horror Novella. It’s a wonderful story and will definitely make you think twice about our world and what people will do to protect it. Until next time have a great week.

eBook Short Story Giveaway - LandsEnd

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. This week I have a special offer for all my Scribblers (if you are reading this, that would mean you). I’m thrilled to offer each one of you a free eBook copy of my short story LandsEnd. The story was featured in the Bay Area Queer Writers Association anthology; BAQWA Presents: Horror Show 2021. Since the original publication, I’ve worked on the story, added to it, and in general cleaned it up a bit more. I couldn’t be more pleased with how this short story turned out, and now I can offer the novella to you, for free!

What’s the catch you might ask? Well, in order to qualify to get a free copy you have to follow me on BookBub (click here). That’s it. Anyone new who follows me on BookBub will receive this short story eBook, absolutely free. In order for me to know that you are a new member and found out about this offer by reading my blog, once you follow me, send me an email message (info@mdneu.com) letting me know. Once I verify you are following me, I’ll email you your free copy of LandsEnd.

Story Blurb:

Prom Night. The last hurrah before college. Brandon and Ed are the chaperons for the LandsEnd High School Senior Prom, hosted at the LandsEnd Yacht Club. Its a night of dreams until the ground shakes and flashes of light brighten the sky, knocking out everything electrical, casting the dance into darkness. Cut off and alone, the adults and the students have to figure out what to do and what’s happening. Worryingly, what’s that strange clicking sound off in the distance that seemed to scare off the animals?

***

This is a short one this week. Remember to follow me on BookBub to get your free eBook copy of LandsEnd. Well, that’s it. Until next time, have a great week.

Contact-A New World (Book 1) Audiobook Launch

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. It’s here! Today I’m happy to share with you my newest audiobook; Contact-A New World (Book 1), is here. This is my internationally award-winning SciFi novel that starts this exciting series. Steve Connor is here to narrate the story and bring life to all these wonderful characters (learn more about Steve here). He did an outstanding job with bringing the Nentraee characters, language, and culture to life. I can’t wait for you all to dive in and give the story a listen. 

The Story: 

A little blue world, the third planet from the sun. It's home to 7 billion people with all manner of faiths, beliefs and customs, divided by bigotry and misunderstanding, who will soon be told they are not alone in the universe. Anyone watching from the outside would pass by this fractured and tumultuous world, unless they had no other choice. Todd Landon is one of these people, living and working in a section of the world called the United States of America. His life is similar to those around him: home, family, work, friends and a husband.

On the cusp of the greatest announcement humankind has ever witnessed, Todd’s personal world is thrown into turmoil when his estranged brother shows up on his front porch with news of ships heading for Earth’s orbit. The ships are holding the Nentraee, a humanoid race who have come to Earth in need of help after fleeing the destruction of their homeworld. How will one man bridge the gap for both the Humans and Nentraee, amongst mistrust, terrorist attacks and personal loss? Will this be the start of a new age of man or will bigotry and miscommunication bring this small world to its knees and final end?

The Cover: 

Audiobook Sample:

The Reviews: 

“I absolutely loved this book. It has a great theme, and it is so well written. I found I couldn't put the book down.” — Amazon Review 

“Riveting read! Looking forward to reading “Conviction”.”— Amazon Review 

“I generally don't read science fiction books, but this story and author may have converted me. I completely enjoyed this story from start to finish.” — Goodreads Review 

Where to buy your copy:

Audible-US click here.

Audible-UK click here.

iTunes click here.

Amazon click here.

Don’t want to listen to the story. That’s fine, the book is available in eBook and Paperback. Find your copy here. Or get a signed copy here:

***

That is all I have today. I hope you enjoy Contact-A New World (Book 1) its a wonderful audiobook that I’m proud of. If you have read the book please, I encourage you to leave a review. Reviews make a world of difference not only to us authors, but to future readers. Well, that’s it. Until next time, have a great week.

Writing Update – March 2022

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are all doing well. As you may have noticed, I took last week off from my blog. I was dealing with some medical issues. Nothing to worry about, and everything all worked out. Which has been a big relief. I’m happy to say I’m not going anywhere anytime soon!

This week I wanted to provide a quick update for you. Regarding my writing, I’m still moving forward with Conspiracy-A New World (Book 3). However, there has been a delay with my publisher. I’m hopeful this will not slow down the long-delayed release of the book, but I can’t say for sure. In audiobook news. Contact-A New World (Book 1) is about finished and I’m thrilled with how well Steve Connor (find him here) has done with the story. Steve really has narrated the heck out of the novel and brought my words to life. I can’t wait for you all to hear it. Along those lines, once Steve finishes with Contact, he will move on to Conviction (find both books here for signed copies and here for all other editions). I’ll keep you posted on when the audiobooks are available.

Also, on the writing front, I’m about ready to send off Volaria. I have another round of edits I want to make and then I’ll be shopping the story around to see if I can get any bites. Wish me luck.

Lastly, and I couldn’t be more pleased to share; I have in-person event news. With the restrictions being lifted and more and more events coming back. I’m happy to share some of the following in-person events I have planned:

April 2022

Hayward Lit Hop—(April 30th, 4pm) Books on B, 1014 B St, Hayward, CA 94541

May 2022

The Bay Area Book Festival 2022—(May 7th and 8th) Berkley, CA

BeastCrawl—(May 28th) Oakland, CA

June 2022

Davis Pride—(June 12th) Davis Central Park, 401 C Street, Davis, CA 95616

 

I want to say nothing will change, but you never know. So, stay tuned.

That’s it for this week. Remember to check out my events page (find it here), now that more local events are coming online, I’ll be adding more and more events. So, you don’t want to miss out. Until next time, have a great week.

Conspiracy-A New World (Book 3) Teaser

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are all doing well. These last few weeks have been crazy with everything going on in the world and here at home. I considered not posting anything this week, however to provide some normalcy I thought I would continue to post. This week, I’m sharing the first excerpt from my upcoming novel Conspiracy-A New World (Book 3) learn more about Conspiracy here. I will also do a reading this Saturday March 12, 2022 at 4pm. (learn more here). The novel will be out later this year and final edits are sitting with my publisher.

Enjoy this teaser:

Chapter One

The Security Training area appeared ordinary, especially since the space was in a secured part of the ship. Yes the area had grass and a few shrubs outside the façade but the endless sky feeling didn’t exist here; overall this area had been built more for function and less for form. Still, Todd was glad he had access to the location, and the gym had everything they needed for a good workout. He had even managed to have the Nentraee bring up some human gym equipment for his use, as he didn’t want to risk his life on the Nentraee equipment. Sure the human machines got a few odd looks from the Nentraee security when he and Dan used them, but Vi-Narm confided in him several of the security personnel tried the pieces and used them when no humans were around.

He cracked his neck, thinking of his earlier conversation with Brad. Seeing his brother again would be a nice treat, and Brad had been correct, too much time had passed since Todd had seen Brad or the rest of his family down on Earth. The infrequent visits weren’t all his fault, so much had changed over the last year and he had a lot of work to do, especially knowing Liberi Dei continued to lurk out there; waiting. A shudder ran down his spine; the death of the leader of the Liberi Dei haunted him.

Too bad you won’t live long enough to find out. What had they been organizing? Their death was a shame really, killed by their own people before he found out what they and Liberi Dei actually wanted. However, they were still out there planning. Which added to his frustration of late, Mi’ko and Mirtoff no longer included him in anything to do with the terrorist organization, saying keeping him detached from the matter kept him safe.

Todd had no reason to doubt them, but something tickled the back of his mind and he wasn’t sure if this was the only reason they kept him in the dark about Liberi Dei.

He missed the tick of his pocket watch.

So much had changed.

He dug through his bag, pulled out his pocket watch, and checked the time.

“Where is he?” Todd huffed and put the timepiece in his gym bag, his hand brushing along the cool surface of his datapad.

Dan should have been here twenty minutes ago; at this rate Todd would barely have enough time for their workout and for him to get changed and ready for the interview.

A chirp called his attention.

Todd reached into his bag and pulled out his datapad. Now what? He tapped the pad to activate the device.

“Dan!” Todd’s voice called out louder than he had hoped, but no one around him seemed to notice. “Where are you? You’re late.”

“I know.” Dan’s expression remained flat with no Danness to flavor his words. “Listen, I’m heading to Earth, I have to see my family and take care of some things?”

“What? Is everything okay.”

“Fine.” Dan’s tone faltered and his expression sank. “They’re fine, sorry, just a lot going on and my mom isn’t getting any younger.”

“I get it, my parents–”

“Look I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“When you–”

The communications ended and the Nentraee seal appeared.

“What the hell?” Todd shook his head and dropped the pad into his bag.

Todd raked a hand through his hair. Well now he would have plenty of time to get ready for the interview. He made his way over to the lockers to change into his work clothes and ceremonial robe. Once Todd cleaned up he made his way out of the locker room.

“Special Envoy.” A deep familiar voice caught Todd’s attention as he left the facility.

He turned to see Vi-Narm standing there in the equivalent of workout wear: loose pants and a flowy top.

“Hi Vi-Narm.”

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to meet with GNN?”

Todd nodded. “I planned to get in some training with Dan today, but…”

“If you would like to train I would be happy to workout with you, after your duties.” Vi-Narm tossed her long ponytail over her shoulder.

Todd picked at his deep-blue ceremonial cloak, the one given to him by Mi’ko and Mirtoff to represent his standing in Nentraee society. The cloak draped over his shoulders, and the wide embroidered collar with silver stitching sparkled as the threads caught the light. He checked the two large silver clasps with matching deep-blue stones attaching the cloak to his shoulders. The ends of the cloak fell to the floor, revealing the embroidery as the stitching continued down to each of the eight symbols representing the Nentraee clans and the one representing humans.

“Do I look okay?” Todd asked.

“You look respectable for your position and the purpose of your meeting.” Vi-Narm said.

“And with that not so shining endorsement, I’ll head off.” he winked at her. “Thanks for the offer to work out, I’ll have to take you up on the suggestion, especially if Dan keeps ditching me.”

On his way out, he gave one more glance over his shoulder to the facility and the surrounding area. Dan and he were supposed to work out twice a week, and yet over the last several months Dan had cancelled many of their get togethers, not just the workouts. Each time they met, Dan appeared more preoccupied. More distant. He shook his head. At least he still had Brad’s visit to look forward too, even if he would be here for work and not play.

He felt the tick of his pocket watch and marched on in time with each tick. Once he found a viewport he glanced out, seeing one of the Speaker General’s ship’s parks. A group of xĩmé flew by, the deep blue of their feathers a contrast to the yellow leaves of the nabutimaba tree. He chuckled and shook his head. Recent events seemed insane to him, like something out of some sci-fi series.

“What a year.” He sighed as he continued on.

***

That’s it for this week. Don’t forget about the BAQWA Reading this weekend, hope you can make it. Please keep yourself safe. Also, during these difficult times, be kind to one another. Pray for peace and keep those in harm’s way in your thoughts and prayers. Until next time, have a great week.

Creating Audiobooks – Why and How?

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Over the last two years, I’ve taken one of my novels, T.A.D.-The Angel of Death, and two of my short stories, The Reunion and A Dragon for Christmas and had them converted into audiobooks (find them here). Typically, in larger publishing houses, this is something they will work with you on. Even my publisher NineStar Press will assist authors with turning their books into audiobooks. However, for many reasons, I went through the process alone and working through ACX I’ve launched three of my stories with three more in the works, all to be released this year. Today I thought I would share the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ as to creating these audiobooks on my own.

The ‘why’ has multiple layers, but the crucial factors to me taking on the process on my own, came down to three things; economics, timing, and choices. From the economic standpoint, if I were to have gone through NineStar Press to have my audiobooks created, there would be another party to split the already minimal royalties with: ACX, the narrator, NineStar Press, and me. That isn’t bad if you are selling thousands or tens of thousands of audiobooks. However, since my books and now my audiobooks don’t sell in those numbers yet, what I would have lost in royalties didn’t seem to make financial sense.

The next reason for me producing the audiobooks on my own is because of timing. As I’ve learned, working with a publishing house, books and audiobooks (and translations), takes time. A lot of time. And I wanted to see if I could speed up the process by publishing my audiobooks on my own. At first, I wasn’t planning on releasing my books on my own and I worked with my publisher to release them. However, because of many factors, the process dragged on and on. At first, I wasn’t getting any auditions (this took about three months) then we tried again and still no auditions (another three months). Finally, I found a narrator who would produce/narrate my story (The Calling), however there were issues. Leading to my third reason for producing my audiobooks on my own; Choice.

After searching for a year to find a voice actor to produce/narrate my first book The Calling, I found a talented, wonderful person to voice the story, however, because he couldn’t work under a Royalty Share contract (more on that later) so I couldn’t use him, if I went through NineStar Press. Disappointing for sure, as he was the only person to show any interest in doing the project. I ended up asking my publisher if I could produce the audiobooks on my own so I could use this talented person. They said yes. I took back my rights for my audiobook production and went to work on getting these audiobooks out there.

Hold up!

Stop the Presses!

Where is The Calling, you’re asking? We don’t see it as published yet, and you’ve been talking about this audiobook for what seems like years? Yes, that is correct, The Calling has taken a long time, this is for a variety of reason; first it sat waiting for auditions (about a year) and now it’s been sitting in production for a year. The reason for the delay in The Calling’s release is complicated, but the root causes have been the pandemic and other medical issues (all out of my control).

Now let’s jump over to the ‘how’. Creating an audiobook seemed, at least to me, to be a simple process. One, you find a narrator. Two, the narrator creates the audiobook. Three, you review the audiobook. Four, you launch the audiobook. Five, you collect the royalties. That isn’t quite correct. It’s not far off, but there are a lot of other steps involved.

When I started the process with The Calling using ACX (find out more here) I had the producer/narrator I wanted, which was a big help. Still, I had to figure out the basics of how to navigate ACX and what the steps were. Now, keep in mind there are other options to produce audiobooks Findaway Voices is another option (learn more here) but for me I went with ACX because they release the audiobooks on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes, which is where a majority of people get their audiobooks, plus the cost were minimal. Now, with ACX, there are four different options for production/narration of an audiobook; Pay for Production, you pay the producer/narrator for their work and you own everything once they deliver the product and you pay them (this is a costly way to go some producers charge anywhere from $200-$400[or more] per finished hour, a book that is five longs would cost you $1000-$2000 as an example, but you earn 40% of the royalties and you don’t have to share that 40% with anyone); Royalty Share Plus, you pay the producer/narrator a certain amount per finished hour and then you split the royalties (this isn’t as costly but can still be expensive say you produce a five-hour audiobook at between $100-$200 per finished hour, that five-hour book would cost you $500-$1000, however you split the royalty 20% for you and 20% for the narrator/producer); next you have Royalty Share, you pay the producer/narrator nothing up front, however you split the royalties 20% for you and 20% for them. Last, you can narrator the book yourself. You provide the audio files to ACX and you will earn the 40% royalties.

You will also need to pick whether you want to be exclusive through ACX or go wide. This will affect your royalties (typically taking them from 40% to 25% for non-exclusive, but the hope is you will sell more to make up the difference).

Okay, that was a lot, I know, but it gives you an idea of the choices you have with ACX for the production cost. For me I’ve gone two routs; I did the Royalty Share Plus (for The Calling) and I’ve done Royalty Share for T.A.D.-The Angel of Death, The Reunion, and A Dragon for Christmas.

Each of the options have their pros and cons, mainly your selection of producers/narrators. The more you pay, the more options you have in selecting a producer/narrator. I believe this held up finding a producer/narrator for The Calling, NineStar Press will only do Royalty Share, so the first two options weren’t available for me.

Once you decide on how you are going to compensate your producer/narrator, you then ensure you have the rights to create the audiobook by claiming the title in ACX. If all goes well, this should be easy. However, for me I had to contact NineStar Press and have them release the books so I could claim them under my pen name.

After you claim your books, you can post your book so it becomes available for producers/narrators to view in ACX search results. This is when the fun begins, because this is when you can select what kind of person you are looking for to produce/narrate your book. There are a lot of options.

Regarding The Calling, I wanted a younger male in his early thirties. For T.A.D.-The Angel of Death, I needed a male voice actor who could sound youngish and oldish as the story crosses a lifetime. With The Reunion, I wanted a man who could sound over the top flamboyant and serious. For A Dragon for Christmas, I needed a Latinx woman who could voice a young girl and end up as a young woman. Then, with Contact-A New World Book One, I needed an actor who had a vast range in vocals who could make three unique characters come to life and give a large group of supporting characters a set of unique voices.

After you go through these first steps, you then need to upload a script for the producer/narrator to read from. This can be the first chapter of your book, but if you have multiple point-of-view characters, create something so you can hear what the actor does with your characters. I did this for Contact-A New World Book One. I pulled a chapter from near the end of the book where all three of my point-of-view characters share a scene for the actor to audition from.

Once you post the script (and any additional details about the story for the actor to help them with the narration) you wait. This is also the place where you share with the producer/narrator how you plan to market the audiobook. This information helps you find the right person and hopefully someone who will also help market the finished product.

Auditions may take time to arrive, but you can speed this process along by going searching for ACX producers/narrators and sending them a message (assuming you like their samples) to audition for you. With the auditions you receive, you decide who you want. For me, this was pretty easy. I had specific voices in mind for my characters, so I waited to find the right voice (or a voice close to what I imaged) and went from there.

With your narrator selected you make them an offer (this is all the contract information that I’m not going over), but this is where you both sign your life’s away (or at least seven years, depending on which type of production you chose, i.e. Pay for Production, Royalty Share Plus, Royalty Share, or Do It Yourself). This is also where you agree on the timeline for the audiobook.

After the contracts are agreed on, this is when you upload the story and create your chapters and sections (if you are lucky ACX can typically pull this information from the book posted on Amazon). All you’ll have to do is verify the information is correct and maybe add or delete something that is wrong or missing.

Part of the contract includes a 15-minute sample, which gives you the option to see if the producer/narrator and you agree on the performance and you like what they are doing. This is also the time when you and actor work out all the kinks in character development. I found this fun. I spent a lot of time with my narrators on the characters and the story.

Chapter reviews come next. After each chapter is uploaded by the producer/narrator, you get to review the section, ensure the work sounds good, and there are no mistakes. This is a step you do not want to skip, as I’ve found several minor mistakes not only in the narration but in the writing. Now is the time they get fixed, so the story, when being told, sounds good. This also gives you and the actor a chance to hammer out character moments and voice nuances.

Are you still with me?

We’re almost finished.

Once all the chapters are loaded, do another review of the whole audiobook to ensure it sounds the way you want and flows smoothly from chapter to chapter. This is also the time to upload your cover art. You can do this at anytime once the audiobook is under contract, so the sooner the better, because ACX has to approve the cover design. Here I made the choice to go with my current covers (to keep the branding the same) which means I needed to pay NineStar Press for the updated audiobook covers (sadly you can’t use the same format cover you already have for your eBook or paperback, plus you need to include the narrator’s name, so for me having NineStar Press do this made sense) the cost was minimal and, for me, worth it.

As you roll to the finish line, if you haven’t been already thinking about the audiobook launch, you need to. Once you and the producer/narrator complete the audio files and once you pay the producer/narrator (assuming you did Pay for Production or Royalty Share Plus) the audiobook goes to final review by ACX. This can take up to a month (or so they say). Unfortunately, you don’t get a heads up when the audiobook is released, they will send you an email letting you know the book is now live this makes planning the launch a challenge, but what I did was contact some different marketing folks and set up launches after the fact, which worked out pretty well. I also contracted several reviewers. ACX gives you promo codes you can share with reviewers, which is helpful. You get 50 promo codes (both US and UK) per title and you can get more once you sell a certain number of audiobooks.

Here are a couple of places you can get audiobook reviews, but read their policy and procedures carefully:

Free Audiobook Codes: https://freeaudiobookcodes.com/

AudioFile: https://audiofilemagazine.com/contact/

Audiobook Reviewer.com: https://www.audiobookreviewer.com/abr-services/expedited-revew-lk74b

The Audiobook Blog: https://theaudiobookblog.com/contact/

Dab of Darkness Book Reviews: https://dabofdarkness.com/about/

Audiobook Promos – For Authors & Readers of All Genres: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1014732691885069

Now that you have the audiobook finished, launched and out there, finally you get to sit back and collect the royalties. Assuming the audiobook sells, which means you need to keep up the marketing.

I hope this information helps with any questions you may have about the audiobook process. Keep in mind this isn’t everything and there are a lot more details that I didn’t dive deeper in. Overall the process, for me, has been positive and pretty cost affective. That’s it for this week. Until next time have a wonderful week.

$.99 Short Story – A Tended Garden

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. This week I’m thrilled to share that my author buddy J.P. Jackson has a new short story out. It’s $.99 so you can go wrong, and this is a wonderful way to get to know J.P.’s writing. Here is the blurb:

Alyssa is a natural witch whose thoughts have a way of coming true. Her coven is the only one around – well, the only one she’ll practice her beliefs with – but her high priestess, Rachel, is particularly difficult to please.

But Rachel has a secret she hasn’t told anyone in her coven – one that her ancestral witches before her kept from their covens too. If Rachel’s to hold on to her traditions and the immortality she’s been promised, she’ll have to keep the women in her coven returning to the sacred grove, and that includes Alyssa.

But secrets have a way of being revealed, and when Alyssa stumbles across Rachel’s violent and horrifying history with the trees of the grove, the pact between the sacred grove and Rachel’s family may have a price too steep to pay.

Download your $.99 copy here.

You can learn more about J.P. Jackson here on my blog, click on the title to check out some of our conversations:

Witches, Fae and Werewolves…oh my!

Interview with author J.P. Jackson.

Magic or Die.

2020 Interview with author J.P. Jackson.

That’s it for this week. Until next time have a wonderful week.

Bay Area Queer Writers Association – Spring 2022 Reading

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you are all doing well today. A quick announcement this week. Me and several members of the Bay Area Queer Writers Association will be holding a virtual reading on March 12th at 4:00pm (PST). You can find out more here:

Click the link to get more information and RSVP. https://bit.ly/363JJWp

This is a free online event. We hope to see you all there. The readings should be varied and enjoyable.

Until next time, have a great week.

From Art to Pin: Newman is here!

How exciting is this! Newman who has been my mascot since I started can now be yours. The talented Glenn Quigley (who is both a fellow author and brilliant artist) created the artwork for Newman, which is amazing. Find Glenn here. As of this week, you can pick-up your own pin version of Newman to show off. Find him on my website (click here), and have Newman sent right to your doorstep (available in the US only). This is a great way to show your support for me and my writing. With luck, I will add to the Newman collection.