R. Cooper's Blog, page 3
November 2, 2019
I'm sorry
The last–absolute last–thing I ever want to do with my stories is hurt people. I write them for fun escapism or to get some feelings out or for comfort, and I like when people read them for that reason. They should feel safe, reading them. And if that is taken away, that is horrible and wrong.
So when someone says something in one hurt them I take that seriously. A lot of my older stories have stuff in them I would never write now, which I have been trying to remove or change as I republish. Some of them I wrote for specific people who want/ed things that I really should have realized was only for them and not for others. That is on me, absolutely. I am 100% the responsible one here.
Anyway, this is all to say that I took down Butterbean and the Pretty Princess and it will no longer be for sale. (Though I left the cover up on my website to support the artist and direct people their way if they ask.) Just because something is acceptable to one person doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to everyone, or that it should be. I should be more careful. I will be more careful, and I am so, so sorry.
Thank you
So when someone says something in one hurt them I take that seriously. A lot of my older stories have stuff in them I would never write now, which I have been trying to remove or change as I republish. Some of them I wrote for specific people who want/ed things that I really should have realized was only for them and not for others. That is on me, absolutely. I am 100% the responsible one here.
Anyway, this is all to say that I took down Butterbean and the Pretty Princess and it will no longer be for sale. (Though I left the cover up on my website to support the artist and direct people their way if they ask.) Just because something is acceptable to one person doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to everyone, or that it should be. I should be more careful. I will be more careful, and I am so, so sorry.
Thank you
October 19, 2019
Clearing my head
This is a repost from my Tumblr. I made a post to get out a lot of my thoughts and feelings about the troubles with my publisher, and someone suggested I share it with a slightly wider audience so that other authors could know. This was mostly about me trying to collect my thoughts after almost a year of stress. I am not really interested in debating the merits of staying or leaving. Nor do I need people excusing or defending some of the people who were behaving badly. This is about my feelings and my choices. Thank you.
Also, putting it behind a cut because I went on for a while. Well, if the cut works.
<spoiler>...</spoiler>
A thing about me to begin with:
I have no idea where I am as a writer, sales-wise. Am I midlist? Sort of popular with a certain small crowd? Sometimes capable of hitting number one on Amazon but usually for short silly stories that cost 99 cents and never for anything more serious? I honestly have no idea where I stand, but I just want to say that because I am mostly okay with it. It took me a long time to get even this far. I am still learning, and I have no delusions of grandeur (though some very cheesy self-indulgent fantasies of someday seeing TV series of my crap.) Occasionally, I get sad over not being more known or popular or whatever, but also, I couldn’t handle the attention. So, I’m not expecting much of a reaction to this or needing one. I just want to clear these thoughts out of my head. That’s all. I want the poison out so I can write again.
Another reminder: I am not a lawyer or anything close to it. This is based on my experience as well as statements from DSP and other writers. Mostly, I have a lot of questions.
Anyway. Onto it.
Dreamspinner Press.
I submitted something to them in a random, desperate effort to live my nerd dream and be published, and to my surprise, they accepted it. Published it even! I still have good thoughts about that. They took the beings and continued to accept the beings even when they went from fluffy fairies banging hot werewolves into sad crying fairies with severe emotional problems. One of the people who worked there was always very nice to me, and one of my editors I really liked.
However.
I began to consider a plan to slowly pull my stuff from DSP in 2018, about halfway through the year, when my payments were late. I emailed them, always politely, always wondering if maybe I had given the wrong information or something, and I was given some reasons for it. I think something about reports “spooling” one time. However, the payments were only part of why I wanted to leave.
I had always had a few niggling concerns: my first stories with them were proofread, but I wouldn’t say edited like I had expected a publisher to do, they dropped me into their author group on Yahoo where they expected authors to talk amongst themselves to figure out things about the publishing world but there was never any sort of detailed explanation of what to expect or even suggestions as to what a starting author might do for promotion. Things I thought publishers were supposed to do for authors—but then I just assumed that was how either small pubs and/or e-publishing and/or the romance world were.
The concerns got slightly more than niggling as I went on, but I was a half-assed ‘professional’ at best in the beginning (it never occurred to me that I might sell enough to make writing more of a career), so I didn’t press any issues.
That changed as time went on. I would ask questions about policies and get vague answers. I would sign up for “promotion opportunities” and get sent on blog tours of romance blogs that… did not suit my style of story at all and, in particular, did not suit the stories I was trying to promote then. I would not be given specific release dates very far in advance, meaning if I wanted to plan promotion, it would be harder for me. I would occasionally get notes from some editors that were ignorant (“is this character trans or bi?”) or biphobic (“is the scene with –the female character-- necessary? It’s so graphic.” Even though no onscreen sex had happened with her but plenty had happened with male characters) etc. I also started to wonder what sort of publisher has sales and deals so often (questionable) but also doesn’t inform their authors well in advance so, again, their authors could promote the sales and increase their business, a win/win for both parties? My books would be translated into other languages and I would only find out the book had been released when a fan or friend would tell me. (Which, in addition to being just fucking weird, again makes promotion difficult. I sort of wondered if DSP even wanted their authors to sell more books.) Also, the copies of the translated books were only sent to me in one instance without me asking about it, even though it’s in my contracts that I would receive a copy. Every other time, I either had to ask or just bought a copy for myself at full price.
The issue of foreign language rights came up again. I was going through my contracts for some other reason and noticed that though one of my stories had been translated and sold as a paperback, I had never signed anything relating to translation rights for that title. And when I politely emailed them to let them know, assuming they would immediately send me an amended contract to sign, I was essentially told not to worry about it.
I could never decide if that was pure arrogance or incompetence. But I had Real Life Crap happening at the time, and couldn’t deal with legal stuff and so just held onto my original contract and waited to see what was going to happen next.
Which was about when I started to get nervous about some other things, and then mad. The trips the staff would take several times a year to “promote” our books at book fairs that I never noticed any real bump from. The conventions for DSP authors to… do whatever it is these authors were supposedly paying to learn from their publisher, which still seems weird to me because a publisher should want ALL of its authors to learn and grow and do better, since that benefits everyone. But no, only the paying authors got extra coaching or advice or whatever happened at these retreats. (This is not only suspect af to me, with a weird vibe, but is also just a bad business practice).
And then the payments started to get later. And then later.
Sweet Clematis came out, a fact that I was informed of only about a month or so before it to be released. (It was also being released in the middle of December—not ideal for last minute promotion for obvious reasons. Especially for something not remotely about Christmas.) I tried to be calm about that one until I later accidentally learned that some of the bigger name authors know their exact release date months in advance.
Now, I am not a big name author. I don’t expect to be. But it did strike me that instead of nurturing new or developing talents, DSP seemed more focused on existing names. I understand the need to keep the golden geese happy, but it does seem shortsighted for a business about building brands to ignore possible new ones. And again, I wasn’t expecting much. At bare minimum, it would have been helpful to be given some sort of idea about release dates or sales for promotion purposes.
But I don’t think there was that much planning involved. Now, of course, if I trace it all back, I suspect I could figure out when the money started to disappear. Or, at least, when it could no longer be hidden. And it would be when the payments were first late and my book release dates got less and less specific. As if money was needed in a hurry that quarter, so why not release a book now instead of later? But that is just a suspicion at this point.
In any event, by the end of 2018, payments continued to be late. So late, in fact, that I no longer felt confident that I would be paid at all, and I put off writing the next beings book to work on other things that I would actually be paid for. A girl needs to eat.
I was contractually obligated to submit beings books to DSP first, and I admit, part of me wondered if they were going to bankrupt and if I could get my rights back if that happened, to save me having to beg for the rights back since most of them weren’t due to expire for years.
I did not submit anything to them in 2019 but rights reversion requests. To their credit, the first one was answered promptly and without problems, but—payments continued to be late. Then this current mess, which many others have detailed. Payments stopped. Not just to authors but allegedly also to translators, editors, and artists. A lot of different reasons for this were given, none of them consistent. Some authors and artists seemed to still be getting paid. Big name authors were either appeased or satisfied, but not all of the big name authors, which felt even more random. Some of us got paid a percentage of what we were owed. Some got nothing. No one seems to know how the piecemeal payments were decided.
Payments that were promised were to come out of future earnings. I italicize that because I cannot emphasize that enough. Quarter 1 payments (of just this year. I am not going to do the math for last year yet) were apparently “paid” from Quarter 2’s earnings. (Which, btw, still did not cover every single owed payment). Quarter 2’s earnings were “paid” from Quarter 3’s and so on and so on. Which again, still did not cover every single owed payment.
If you think about that for a second, you will see how not sustainable that is.
(It’s also bullshit. But I think everyone knows that, even the people pretending they don’t.)
Meanwhile, there did not seem to be, at least from the outside, any reduction in DSP’s normal spending on conventions, trips, etc. In fact, there seemed to be an increase in spending on new book lines and graphic novels, as well as the Mass Market Paperback venture.
As I said before, the non-payments/late payments were blamed on a lot of things. One of those things was the investment in Mass Market Paperbacks that did not go well. Now, I could talk about what the hell sort of business plan was that, but I won’t. What I will say, is that a publisher is supposed to invest and reinvest in their business using their actual profits. Their profits. Meaning anything left over after their costs and bills. Their profits do not include authors’ royalties. A publisher is supposed to keep author earnings in an account that is not to be touched for any reason. It is money owed their authors. Taking money from this fund, in addition to being morally wrong, is just a foolish business move to, among other things, sully the name and reputation of your business and open yourself up to lawsuits. It also might be criminal. (Ask a lawyer. At this point at least, am relying on the RWA legal people.)
Lots of authors who are supportive of DSP point out that the money was taken for investments in the business. They will talk a lot about growth or taking chances or whatever. They will also talk a lot about family. I don’t know what kind of fucked up families they have, but this is a business, not a family. Businesses need to be run like businesses. Not families, not cliques, not clubs.
The fact is, no author I know of agreed to put their money up for these investments. The fact is, that money was not supposed to be touched. The fact is, there are authors right now who have unpaid bills and no access to their medications because of these ‘investments.’
Do you know what they would call it in a movie if a character took money from someone else without telling them, to “invest” it in something, whether or not the investment paid off? Do you know what they would call it if anyone took money from someone else for any reason without telling them? I do.
A theory has been floated about that someone (a mystery person? The staff member who left?) embezzled the missing money, or perhaps messed things up so badly DSP is still recovering. But if so, why not just say so? That is an explanation that those waiting to be paid might have understood. It’s likely not true, but if it was, it seems like arrogance or ego not to talk about it while trying to move forward. In any case, it doesn’t explain the plan to continue on in this way.
DSP, meanwhile, has released a confusing mix of messages. Strong and clear communication has never been their strong suit, but the statements now are a combination of placation and platitudes, odd math, promises that are broken, defeated short posts, and expressions of faith in the future of the business. That last one confuses me the most.
Maybe it’s because I never felt close to the main clique/staff members, but I can’t read their intentions here. Do they truly believe the business can be saved? Obviously, I haven’t seen their financial records, but I don’t see how that is possible. Even if they scrape up the money to keep going, or get a business loan, if the authors/artists/translators/editors who are owed sue them for everything plus damages? They don’t have the funds to pay out. Also, over a hundred authors have left or have removed some of their stories from DSP’s catalog, including some bigger names.
Are they stalling to collect what money they can before they disappear into the night (A theory I’ve heard a few times now)? Was the m/m romance thing just something they thought they could do to earn money to become a more “serious” publisher? Were the other imprints a grab for legitimacy, or more money, or were they intended to be sincere and well-run lines for more literary books but no one at DSP has the skills?
A question I have often asked myself about Dreamspinner: are they benignly incompetent or maliciously incompetent? (Though, after a certain point, the incompetence becomes malicious, regardless of intention.)
It’s interesting to me that so many defend them. I get it, to a degree. They were the first place to publish me. They let me write and publish a weird little novella about gay steampunk spies. (I say “let me” because I think that was my attitude at the time and it seems to be a common one. I am not sure if that is a struggling writer thing, a queer thing, or both.) They are also one of the few companies publishing gay romance stuff.
Sidenote: They do m/m stuff only, with occasional m/m/m under their romance line. Not LBGTQA, as I have learned to deal with. They want gay romance, but not necessarily queer romance. I’m making that clear here also because some writers were using this to defend them.
The writers sticking with DSP because they feel they have no choice are another matter and I feel bad for them. But the writers insisting all is well, or attacking anyone who speaks up about this—I can’t tell their intentions, either. But then, I don’t have to. They’ve made their choices, whatever their reasons, and have to live with them. This experience has been strange and difficult and stressful but, wow, was I not expecting so many writers to show their asses. (And, btw, if you attack me over speaking up, I will just block you. -insert shrug emoji here-)
This whole thing has been a nightmare, to be honest. Even though I sort of expected it after last year, I was still surprised by the level of nonsense on display. I’ve seen some disgruntled former authors compare DSP to a cult, or a mean girls clique. I’ve seen others talk repeatedly about having DSP ignore them and their questions even before all this. There are authors who I thought would take a stand who have done nothing, and others ending friendships at the mere suggestion that the authors who have not been paid have anything to complain about. I’ve seen so, so many writers give up because they can’t afford to self-publish and they aren’t getting paid, so they are cutting their loses.
My books are out of DSP, except for some nonsense over the translations and audiobooks, which I might deal with or I might just wait and watch for a collapse. I’ve got a lot of anger about my money, that I need, possibly going to either line the pocket of a big name writer to appease them or sitting in the bank account of a DSP staffer. And that anger is after realizing that I will probably be okay. There are a lot who won’t be. (And, as a side note, the help and advice these struggling former DSP authors are giving each other right now in the private group they have formed is clearly more than some of them ever got from DSP. And those are authors who have been with DSP for years.)
Maybe the Mass Market thing did pay off. I have a statement for the last quarter, a quarter in which I released no new works (and hadn’t since Sweet Clematis came out in 2018), and in which I somehow made more than I ever made with DSP in a single quarter ever. This is either very, very late payments coming in at last, a combination of Quarter 1 and Quarter 2’s earnings that I am still owed listed together, or some suspect math.
(Is this the push to Target and Wal-mart ebook sales that just happened and which no authors were informed of until afterward even though we could have promoted that? Is this all the payments from vendors that were supposedly late? If the vendor payments were this late, why wouldn’t DSP just pay us the rest of the money we were owed for each quarter at the time? If vendors aren’t paying them, exactly what sort of contracts were DSP negotiating for us and then not enforcing?)
In addition to all of that, I have to wonder—is all this attention forcing DSP to do their accounting correctly, and is this what I/we should have been getting paid this whole time?
I doubt I will ever know. Or see the full amount of that money. I am already a tense, anxious person so I try not to think about it too much because I’m going through enough as it is.
I’m not going to put receipts on this. DSP authors get the same statements I do. They’ve read them. They can also do math. Most of this can be Googled.
I’m stressed from a year of scrambling to make up the money I have not been paid. I’m stressed from wondering if I would even get my rights back, and taking what little money I do have and putting it back into re-releasing my books so I can have a backlist again. I’m sad because having a publisher is supposed to be the dream, and now I don’t think I would ever fully trust one. I’m exhausted and yet I need to write new stuff while doing this so I can keep going. None of this is my fault. None of this is anyone else’s fault but Dreamspinner’s, no matter how or why it happened.
I could go on with a list of things I have put off doing this year because of money (car repairs, trip to the dentist, new glasses, doctor’s visits, family visits, new tires, to name a few) but other people have it way worse and anyway, thinking about it doesn’t get me anywhere.
I’ll most likely be okay, in my little midlist or wherever spot. But a lot of people aren’t. And I don’t get why more people aren’t talking about it.
Edited to add: I wrote this to get a lot of these thoughts out of my head, and was sort of debating posting it, but then today I learned that though DSP was supposed to request the removal of my books from the French publisher they work with since the rights were expired and I requested it (and also one of the stories they never had the foreign language rights to, as I said above), they did not. I was told by DSP it may take up to 90 days for the French publisher to respond to the request, which I accepted and assumed DSP had made the request, but the French publisher informed me no request had been made.
It’s noon and I need a drink.
Anyway, I hope to get back to writing new stuff soon, as I work on getting the rest of my backlist out.
Also, putting it behind a cut because I went on for a while. Well, if the cut works.
<spoiler>...</spoiler>
A thing about me to begin with:
I have no idea where I am as a writer, sales-wise. Am I midlist? Sort of popular with a certain small crowd? Sometimes capable of hitting number one on Amazon but usually for short silly stories that cost 99 cents and never for anything more serious? I honestly have no idea where I stand, but I just want to say that because I am mostly okay with it. It took me a long time to get even this far. I am still learning, and I have no delusions of grandeur (though some very cheesy self-indulgent fantasies of someday seeing TV series of my crap.) Occasionally, I get sad over not being more known or popular or whatever, but also, I couldn’t handle the attention. So, I’m not expecting much of a reaction to this or needing one. I just want to clear these thoughts out of my head. That’s all. I want the poison out so I can write again.
Another reminder: I am not a lawyer or anything close to it. This is based on my experience as well as statements from DSP and other writers. Mostly, I have a lot of questions.
Anyway. Onto it.
Dreamspinner Press.
I submitted something to them in a random, desperate effort to live my nerd dream and be published, and to my surprise, they accepted it. Published it even! I still have good thoughts about that. They took the beings and continued to accept the beings even when they went from fluffy fairies banging hot werewolves into sad crying fairies with severe emotional problems. One of the people who worked there was always very nice to me, and one of my editors I really liked.
However.
I began to consider a plan to slowly pull my stuff from DSP in 2018, about halfway through the year, when my payments were late. I emailed them, always politely, always wondering if maybe I had given the wrong information or something, and I was given some reasons for it. I think something about reports “spooling” one time. However, the payments were only part of why I wanted to leave.
I had always had a few niggling concerns: my first stories with them were proofread, but I wouldn’t say edited like I had expected a publisher to do, they dropped me into their author group on Yahoo where they expected authors to talk amongst themselves to figure out things about the publishing world but there was never any sort of detailed explanation of what to expect or even suggestions as to what a starting author might do for promotion. Things I thought publishers were supposed to do for authors—but then I just assumed that was how either small pubs and/or e-publishing and/or the romance world were.
The concerns got slightly more than niggling as I went on, but I was a half-assed ‘professional’ at best in the beginning (it never occurred to me that I might sell enough to make writing more of a career), so I didn’t press any issues.
That changed as time went on. I would ask questions about policies and get vague answers. I would sign up for “promotion opportunities” and get sent on blog tours of romance blogs that… did not suit my style of story at all and, in particular, did not suit the stories I was trying to promote then. I would not be given specific release dates very far in advance, meaning if I wanted to plan promotion, it would be harder for me. I would occasionally get notes from some editors that were ignorant (“is this character trans or bi?”) or biphobic (“is the scene with –the female character-- necessary? It’s so graphic.” Even though no onscreen sex had happened with her but plenty had happened with male characters) etc. I also started to wonder what sort of publisher has sales and deals so often (questionable) but also doesn’t inform their authors well in advance so, again, their authors could promote the sales and increase their business, a win/win for both parties? My books would be translated into other languages and I would only find out the book had been released when a fan or friend would tell me. (Which, in addition to being just fucking weird, again makes promotion difficult. I sort of wondered if DSP even wanted their authors to sell more books.) Also, the copies of the translated books were only sent to me in one instance without me asking about it, even though it’s in my contracts that I would receive a copy. Every other time, I either had to ask or just bought a copy for myself at full price.
The issue of foreign language rights came up again. I was going through my contracts for some other reason and noticed that though one of my stories had been translated and sold as a paperback, I had never signed anything relating to translation rights for that title. And when I politely emailed them to let them know, assuming they would immediately send me an amended contract to sign, I was essentially told not to worry about it.
I could never decide if that was pure arrogance or incompetence. But I had Real Life Crap happening at the time, and couldn’t deal with legal stuff and so just held onto my original contract and waited to see what was going to happen next.
Which was about when I started to get nervous about some other things, and then mad. The trips the staff would take several times a year to “promote” our books at book fairs that I never noticed any real bump from. The conventions for DSP authors to… do whatever it is these authors were supposedly paying to learn from their publisher, which still seems weird to me because a publisher should want ALL of its authors to learn and grow and do better, since that benefits everyone. But no, only the paying authors got extra coaching or advice or whatever happened at these retreats. (This is not only suspect af to me, with a weird vibe, but is also just a bad business practice).
And then the payments started to get later. And then later.
Sweet Clematis came out, a fact that I was informed of only about a month or so before it to be released. (It was also being released in the middle of December—not ideal for last minute promotion for obvious reasons. Especially for something not remotely about Christmas.) I tried to be calm about that one until I later accidentally learned that some of the bigger name authors know their exact release date months in advance.
Now, I am not a big name author. I don’t expect to be. But it did strike me that instead of nurturing new or developing talents, DSP seemed more focused on existing names. I understand the need to keep the golden geese happy, but it does seem shortsighted for a business about building brands to ignore possible new ones. And again, I wasn’t expecting much. At bare minimum, it would have been helpful to be given some sort of idea about release dates or sales for promotion purposes.
But I don’t think there was that much planning involved. Now, of course, if I trace it all back, I suspect I could figure out when the money started to disappear. Or, at least, when it could no longer be hidden. And it would be when the payments were first late and my book release dates got less and less specific. As if money was needed in a hurry that quarter, so why not release a book now instead of later? But that is just a suspicion at this point.
In any event, by the end of 2018, payments continued to be late. So late, in fact, that I no longer felt confident that I would be paid at all, and I put off writing the next beings book to work on other things that I would actually be paid for. A girl needs to eat.
I was contractually obligated to submit beings books to DSP first, and I admit, part of me wondered if they were going to bankrupt and if I could get my rights back if that happened, to save me having to beg for the rights back since most of them weren’t due to expire for years.
I did not submit anything to them in 2019 but rights reversion requests. To their credit, the first one was answered promptly and without problems, but—payments continued to be late. Then this current mess, which many others have detailed. Payments stopped. Not just to authors but allegedly also to translators, editors, and artists. A lot of different reasons for this were given, none of them consistent. Some authors and artists seemed to still be getting paid. Big name authors were either appeased or satisfied, but not all of the big name authors, which felt even more random. Some of us got paid a percentage of what we were owed. Some got nothing. No one seems to know how the piecemeal payments were decided.
Payments that were promised were to come out of future earnings. I italicize that because I cannot emphasize that enough. Quarter 1 payments (of just this year. I am not going to do the math for last year yet) were apparently “paid” from Quarter 2’s earnings. (Which, btw, still did not cover every single owed payment). Quarter 2’s earnings were “paid” from Quarter 3’s and so on and so on. Which again, still did not cover every single owed payment.
If you think about that for a second, you will see how not sustainable that is.
(It’s also bullshit. But I think everyone knows that, even the people pretending they don’t.)
Meanwhile, there did not seem to be, at least from the outside, any reduction in DSP’s normal spending on conventions, trips, etc. In fact, there seemed to be an increase in spending on new book lines and graphic novels, as well as the Mass Market Paperback venture.
As I said before, the non-payments/late payments were blamed on a lot of things. One of those things was the investment in Mass Market Paperbacks that did not go well. Now, I could talk about what the hell sort of business plan was that, but I won’t. What I will say, is that a publisher is supposed to invest and reinvest in their business using their actual profits. Their profits. Meaning anything left over after their costs and bills. Their profits do not include authors’ royalties. A publisher is supposed to keep author earnings in an account that is not to be touched for any reason. It is money owed their authors. Taking money from this fund, in addition to being morally wrong, is just a foolish business move to, among other things, sully the name and reputation of your business and open yourself up to lawsuits. It also might be criminal. (Ask a lawyer. At this point at least, am relying on the RWA legal people.)
Lots of authors who are supportive of DSP point out that the money was taken for investments in the business. They will talk a lot about growth or taking chances or whatever. They will also talk a lot about family. I don’t know what kind of fucked up families they have, but this is a business, not a family. Businesses need to be run like businesses. Not families, not cliques, not clubs.
The fact is, no author I know of agreed to put their money up for these investments. The fact is, that money was not supposed to be touched. The fact is, there are authors right now who have unpaid bills and no access to their medications because of these ‘investments.’
Do you know what they would call it in a movie if a character took money from someone else without telling them, to “invest” it in something, whether or not the investment paid off? Do you know what they would call it if anyone took money from someone else for any reason without telling them? I do.
A theory has been floated about that someone (a mystery person? The staff member who left?) embezzled the missing money, or perhaps messed things up so badly DSP is still recovering. But if so, why not just say so? That is an explanation that those waiting to be paid might have understood. It’s likely not true, but if it was, it seems like arrogance or ego not to talk about it while trying to move forward. In any case, it doesn’t explain the plan to continue on in this way.
DSP, meanwhile, has released a confusing mix of messages. Strong and clear communication has never been their strong suit, but the statements now are a combination of placation and platitudes, odd math, promises that are broken, defeated short posts, and expressions of faith in the future of the business. That last one confuses me the most.
Maybe it’s because I never felt close to the main clique/staff members, but I can’t read their intentions here. Do they truly believe the business can be saved? Obviously, I haven’t seen their financial records, but I don’t see how that is possible. Even if they scrape up the money to keep going, or get a business loan, if the authors/artists/translators/editors who are owed sue them for everything plus damages? They don’t have the funds to pay out. Also, over a hundred authors have left or have removed some of their stories from DSP’s catalog, including some bigger names.
Are they stalling to collect what money they can before they disappear into the night (A theory I’ve heard a few times now)? Was the m/m romance thing just something they thought they could do to earn money to become a more “serious” publisher? Were the other imprints a grab for legitimacy, or more money, or were they intended to be sincere and well-run lines for more literary books but no one at DSP has the skills?
A question I have often asked myself about Dreamspinner: are they benignly incompetent or maliciously incompetent? (Though, after a certain point, the incompetence becomes malicious, regardless of intention.)
It’s interesting to me that so many defend them. I get it, to a degree. They were the first place to publish me. They let me write and publish a weird little novella about gay steampunk spies. (I say “let me” because I think that was my attitude at the time and it seems to be a common one. I am not sure if that is a struggling writer thing, a queer thing, or both.) They are also one of the few companies publishing gay romance stuff.
Sidenote: They do m/m stuff only, with occasional m/m/m under their romance line. Not LBGTQA, as I have learned to deal with. They want gay romance, but not necessarily queer romance. I’m making that clear here also because some writers were using this to defend them.
The writers sticking with DSP because they feel they have no choice are another matter and I feel bad for them. But the writers insisting all is well, or attacking anyone who speaks up about this—I can’t tell their intentions, either. But then, I don’t have to. They’ve made their choices, whatever their reasons, and have to live with them. This experience has been strange and difficult and stressful but, wow, was I not expecting so many writers to show their asses. (And, btw, if you attack me over speaking up, I will just block you. -insert shrug emoji here-)
This whole thing has been a nightmare, to be honest. Even though I sort of expected it after last year, I was still surprised by the level of nonsense on display. I’ve seen some disgruntled former authors compare DSP to a cult, or a mean girls clique. I’ve seen others talk repeatedly about having DSP ignore them and their questions even before all this. There are authors who I thought would take a stand who have done nothing, and others ending friendships at the mere suggestion that the authors who have not been paid have anything to complain about. I’ve seen so, so many writers give up because they can’t afford to self-publish and they aren’t getting paid, so they are cutting their loses.
My books are out of DSP, except for some nonsense over the translations and audiobooks, which I might deal with or I might just wait and watch for a collapse. I’ve got a lot of anger about my money, that I need, possibly going to either line the pocket of a big name writer to appease them or sitting in the bank account of a DSP staffer. And that anger is after realizing that I will probably be okay. There are a lot who won’t be. (And, as a side note, the help and advice these struggling former DSP authors are giving each other right now in the private group they have formed is clearly more than some of them ever got from DSP. And those are authors who have been with DSP for years.)
Maybe the Mass Market thing did pay off. I have a statement for the last quarter, a quarter in which I released no new works (and hadn’t since Sweet Clematis came out in 2018), and in which I somehow made more than I ever made with DSP in a single quarter ever. This is either very, very late payments coming in at last, a combination of Quarter 1 and Quarter 2’s earnings that I am still owed listed together, or some suspect math.
(Is this the push to Target and Wal-mart ebook sales that just happened and which no authors were informed of until afterward even though we could have promoted that? Is this all the payments from vendors that were supposedly late? If the vendor payments were this late, why wouldn’t DSP just pay us the rest of the money we were owed for each quarter at the time? If vendors aren’t paying them, exactly what sort of contracts were DSP negotiating for us and then not enforcing?)
In addition to all of that, I have to wonder—is all this attention forcing DSP to do their accounting correctly, and is this what I/we should have been getting paid this whole time?
I doubt I will ever know. Or see the full amount of that money. I am already a tense, anxious person so I try not to think about it too much because I’m going through enough as it is.
I’m not going to put receipts on this. DSP authors get the same statements I do. They’ve read them. They can also do math. Most of this can be Googled.
I’m stressed from a year of scrambling to make up the money I have not been paid. I’m stressed from wondering if I would even get my rights back, and taking what little money I do have and putting it back into re-releasing my books so I can have a backlist again. I’m sad because having a publisher is supposed to be the dream, and now I don’t think I would ever fully trust one. I’m exhausted and yet I need to write new stuff while doing this so I can keep going. None of this is my fault. None of this is anyone else’s fault but Dreamspinner’s, no matter how or why it happened.
I could go on with a list of things I have put off doing this year because of money (car repairs, trip to the dentist, new glasses, doctor’s visits, family visits, new tires, to name a few) but other people have it way worse and anyway, thinking about it doesn’t get me anywhere.
I’ll most likely be okay, in my little midlist or wherever spot. But a lot of people aren’t. And I don’t get why more people aren’t talking about it.
Edited to add: I wrote this to get a lot of these thoughts out of my head, and was sort of debating posting it, but then today I learned that though DSP was supposed to request the removal of my books from the French publisher they work with since the rights were expired and I requested it (and also one of the stories they never had the foreign language rights to, as I said above), they did not. I was told by DSP it may take up to 90 days for the French publisher to respond to the request, which I accepted and assumed DSP had made the request, but the French publisher informed me no request had been made.
It’s noon and I need a drink.
Anyway, I hope to get back to writing new stuff soon, as I work on getting the rest of my backlist out.
September 13, 2019
New f/f story!
Sometimes you gotta write purple alien ladies being clueless lesbians. And sometimes you have to set that against a backdrop of rebellious queer socialist nerds fighting fascism.
Cuz ya gotta.
Tit for Tat
Tat never expected a future. A lower-caste Luudi who left her planet and made a new home with a group of idealistic humans, she spends her time looking out for new family and working in secret to rescue refugees from a neighboring country. She is content with what she has, if sometimes lonely.
Then a Pros arrives their tense little border town. Although mostly human, the Pros were genetically engineered to look perfect and to offer pleasure, both physically and psychically. Beautiful, sophisticated Cin is no exception, which is why when she approaches Tat, Tat knows it can’t be personal. Luudi are big, strong, purple, and impervious to psychic influence—making Tat the safest outlet for someone like Cin. Tat says yes with no expectation that Cin would ever want more, while convinced the danger will eventually drive Cin away.
But the Pros can take care of themselves, as well as any quietly heroic Luudi who catches their eye—if only that Luudi would let them. Tat has spent so long helping others find a future, it doesn’t occur to her to seek out her own even when her silence might cost her the one she wants.
Out September 27th! But available for preorder on Amazon and Smashwords!
In other news, the short Butterbean and the Pretty Princess Make a Home should be rereleased very soon and will be just 99 cents. And Taji from Beyond the Rings, an m/m sci fi romance, will be out in late October (or early November. It's been a year of weird events, and at this point I'm hedging my bets.)
Also, quick reminder that you can sign up for my new newsletter if you like--R. Cooper's Newsletter
Now, back to work for me!
Cuz ya gotta.
Tit for Tat
Tat never expected a future. A lower-caste Luudi who left her planet and made a new home with a group of idealistic humans, she spends her time looking out for new family and working in secret to rescue refugees from a neighboring country. She is content with what she has, if sometimes lonely.
Then a Pros arrives their tense little border town. Although mostly human, the Pros were genetically engineered to look perfect and to offer pleasure, both physically and psychically. Beautiful, sophisticated Cin is no exception, which is why when she approaches Tat, Tat knows it can’t be personal. Luudi are big, strong, purple, and impervious to psychic influence—making Tat the safest outlet for someone like Cin. Tat says yes with no expectation that Cin would ever want more, while convinced the danger will eventually drive Cin away.
But the Pros can take care of themselves, as well as any quietly heroic Luudi who catches their eye—if only that Luudi would let them. Tat has spent so long helping others find a future, it doesn’t occur to her to seek out her own even when her silence might cost her the one she wants.
Out September 27th! But available for preorder on Amazon and Smashwords!
In other news, the short Butterbean and the Pretty Princess Make a Home should be rereleased very soon and will be just 99 cents. And Taji from Beyond the Rings, an m/m sci fi romance, will be out in late October (or early November. It's been a year of weird events, and at this point I'm hedging my bets.)
Also, quick reminder that you can sign up for my new newsletter if you like--R. Cooper's Newsletter
Now, back to work for me!
August 9, 2019
General Announcements
If you have been wondering where I’ve been for the past few months, or why I haven’t been publishing new Beings books, well, that’s a long story we won’t get into today. Just know that I have been working feverishly on new stuff to prepare it for release while also rereleasing lots of old titles. It’s been a stressful, tense year so far and while the stress isn’t going anywhere yet, the tension, at least, should be over.
In the upcoming months, I should be releasing Taji From the Beyond the Stars as well as a small, light sci fi f/f novella (as yet unnamed). I will also be returning to the Being(s) at last. (I have been working on them, but nothing ready to be published yet.) At the same time, I’ll be rereleasing all of my old titles as quickly as I can. I’ve been working on that already, as you might have noticed with Wicklow’s Odyssey and Let There Be Light out with new covers. That will continue until everything is up, including tiny short stories like Butterbean and the Pretty Princess Make a Home and Winner Takes It All, that were previously part of anthologies.
In addition to all of that (yikes), I am going to set up a newsletter. It will feature news about what I’m up to (obviously), maybe some snippets of WIPs, and hopefully fun stuff on occasion. It will also give info about ARCs for book reviewer sites and blogs.
I am already exhausted, but the end result should be worth it. I meant to redo the site this year, but oh well, that will have to wait.
You might also notice that while certain stories are waiting for rerelease, they will no longer be available for sale. Please be patient about that, and remember that there are a lot of authors right now rereleasing books because of publishing houses closing and other issues, and when they get their books back out, they will LOVE it if you take all that pent-up frustration and use it to give their rereleases some hype and adoration. (Dead serious: if an author you like rereleases something and posts about it, retweet them! Talk about it! Rereleases essentially have to start from scratch in the reviews and sales department.)
Things might get a bit hectic for a while. I am, after all, a one-woman operation here, but bear with me and eventually, we will get back to when I just get to write stories and not deal with all this other stuff so much.
Thank you!
R. Cooper
In the upcoming months, I should be releasing Taji From the Beyond the Stars as well as a small, light sci fi f/f novella (as yet unnamed). I will also be returning to the Being(s) at last. (I have been working on them, but nothing ready to be published yet.) At the same time, I’ll be rereleasing all of my old titles as quickly as I can. I’ve been working on that already, as you might have noticed with Wicklow’s Odyssey and Let There Be Light out with new covers. That will continue until everything is up, including tiny short stories like Butterbean and the Pretty Princess Make a Home and Winner Takes It All, that were previously part of anthologies.
In addition to all of that (yikes), I am going to set up a newsletter. It will feature news about what I’m up to (obviously), maybe some snippets of WIPs, and hopefully fun stuff on occasion. It will also give info about ARCs for book reviewer sites and blogs.
I am already exhausted, but the end result should be worth it. I meant to redo the site this year, but oh well, that will have to wait.
You might also notice that while certain stories are waiting for rerelease, they will no longer be available for sale. Please be patient about that, and remember that there are a lot of authors right now rereleasing books because of publishing houses closing and other issues, and when they get their books back out, they will LOVE it if you take all that pent-up frustration and use it to give their rereleases some hype and adoration. (Dead serious: if an author you like rereleases something and posts about it, retweet them! Talk about it! Rereleases essentially have to start from scratch in the reviews and sales department.)
Things might get a bit hectic for a while. I am, after all, a one-woman operation here, but bear with me and eventually, we will get back to when I just get to write stories and not deal with all this other stuff so much.
Thank you!
R. Cooper
July 30, 2019
Let There Be Light rerelease and some announcements!
And onward with the re-releases of old titles while waiting for new stuff to get out of the editing phase. (Meaning the thing that has tormented me for literal years, that I jokingly called Space Gays, is actually done and heading into the polishing part of the process. Yaaay! Meanwhile, I am putting out a bunch of old titles, some with new material, mostly with new covers!)
Let There Be Light! The first thing I ever did that got published and which is officially a decade old!
Here it is again, with a brand new cover and an added short scene at the end, for only 99 cents!
Let There Be Light
By 1872, the wars across Europe have been brought to a standstill, the tentative peace held in place through the work of secret agents and a collection of inventors and scientists. But tensions are mounting again, and agent Robert “Hart” Hartley-Battridge has uncovered plans that indicate someone is planning to kidnap one of their most brilliant minds—the tempestuous Karol Zieliński.
Hart is only too familiar with the hotheaded, beautiful scientist. He spent years working alongside Karol, concealing his love for him, convinced he would have been just one in a string of conquests lured into Karol’s bed. Then a mission gone wrong left Hart scarred and near death, and Karol abruptly quit the Service and never approached Hart again. But the new threat is about to close the distance between them. For one day and one night, Karol will have only a single guard to watch over him, and Hart doesn’t trust anyone but himself to keep Karol safe.
Twenty-four hours in the presence of the man he loves, a man he hasn’t seen in three years. Hart expects Karol to have forgotten him. But Karol remembers their every mission—especially the last. And he has a surprise for Hart so daring and unprecedented it brought danger—and Hart—back to his door. With peace and Karol’s life on the line, Hart needs to accept that he was never a conquest. That for him, Karol would change the world.
On Amazon and Smashwords!
(I'm also working on an f/f short! Hopefully, out soon!)
Let There Be Light! The first thing I ever did that got published and which is officially a decade old!
Here it is again, with a brand new cover and an added short scene at the end, for only 99 cents!
Let There Be Light
By 1872, the wars across Europe have been brought to a standstill, the tentative peace held in place through the work of secret agents and a collection of inventors and scientists. But tensions are mounting again, and agent Robert “Hart” Hartley-Battridge has uncovered plans that indicate someone is planning to kidnap one of their most brilliant minds—the tempestuous Karol Zieliński.
Hart is only too familiar with the hotheaded, beautiful scientist. He spent years working alongside Karol, concealing his love for him, convinced he would have been just one in a string of conquests lured into Karol’s bed. Then a mission gone wrong left Hart scarred and near death, and Karol abruptly quit the Service and never approached Hart again. But the new threat is about to close the distance between them. For one day and one night, Karol will have only a single guard to watch over him, and Hart doesn’t trust anyone but himself to keep Karol safe.
Twenty-four hours in the presence of the man he loves, a man he hasn’t seen in three years. Hart expects Karol to have forgotten him. But Karol remembers their every mission—especially the last. And he has a surprise for Hart so daring and unprecedented it brought danger—and Hart—back to his door. With peace and Karol’s life on the line, Hart needs to accept that he was never a conquest. That for him, Karol would change the world.
On Amazon and Smashwords!
(I'm also working on an f/f short! Hopefully, out soon!)
June 14, 2019
Wicklow's Odyssey (Second Edition)
Wicklow's Odyssey has been rereleased with a brand new cover!
Two years into the Civil War, it is a bloody stalemate—exactly the sort of situation for a brilliant, ruthless visionary with ideas on modernizing spycraft to take advantage of. With an eye to not just winning the war, but to the future of the country, Alexander Rhoades convinces the Union government to let him run a team of remarkable spies as he pleases, mostly to plant brand-new electro-radio technology in Southern cities to aid the work of Northern agents.
While on one of these missions, secret agent Wicklow Doyle’s safehouse is compromised and he’s on the run in enemy-controlled Charleston. The last thing he needs with him is the pampered rich man who runs his team, yet despite the danger, Alexander Rhoades refuses to leave his side. Wicklow doesn’t understand why, or why Rhoades’s very presence makes him tremble. A street rat-turned-soldier-turned-spy, there isn’t much that scares Wicklow. He’s used to men desiring him, but not wicked geniuses offering something he’s scared to name. Wicklow doesn’t understand love any more than he understands Rhoades’s noble causes. He’d rather focus on what needs to be done.
The enemy is all around them and hiding a dangerous secret, the North still needs a victory, and Wicklow has to get Rhoades to safety. Of all the dangers in his path, that is the one that frightens him the most, and with every one of Rhoades’s soft kisses, he’s starting to realize why. But it might be too late. Wicklow may be a man of noble causes too, and he will do what it takes to fulfill his mission, save his team, the country, and Rhoades.
Available as an ebook on Smashwords and Amazon. Available in paperback shortly.
Two years into the Civil War, it is a bloody stalemate—exactly the sort of situation for a brilliant, ruthless visionary with ideas on modernizing spycraft to take advantage of. With an eye to not just winning the war, but to the future of the country, Alexander Rhoades convinces the Union government to let him run a team of remarkable spies as he pleases, mostly to plant brand-new electro-radio technology in Southern cities to aid the work of Northern agents.
While on one of these missions, secret agent Wicklow Doyle’s safehouse is compromised and he’s on the run in enemy-controlled Charleston. The last thing he needs with him is the pampered rich man who runs his team, yet despite the danger, Alexander Rhoades refuses to leave his side. Wicklow doesn’t understand why, or why Rhoades’s very presence makes him tremble. A street rat-turned-soldier-turned-spy, there isn’t much that scares Wicklow. He’s used to men desiring him, but not wicked geniuses offering something he’s scared to name. Wicklow doesn’t understand love any more than he understands Rhoades’s noble causes. He’d rather focus on what needs to be done.
The enemy is all around them and hiding a dangerous secret, the North still needs a victory, and Wicklow has to get Rhoades to safety. Of all the dangers in his path, that is the one that frightens him the most, and with every one of Rhoades’s soft kisses, he’s starting to realize why. But it might be too late. Wicklow may be a man of noble causes too, and he will do what it takes to fulfill his mission, save his team, the country, and Rhoades.
Available as an ebook on Smashwords and Amazon. Available in paperback shortly.
March 18, 2019
Izzy and the Right Answer
(aka, the story that started out as a cutesy novella, turned into an m/m/m small novel, and drove me up a wall in the process.)
Jamie “Izzy” Islington is an ace, femme, neuroatypical college junior with anxiety, an interest in coding and poetry, and difficulty identifying his own emotions. He’s had no interest in romantic love until very recently, when he realizes he has a crush on someone in his circle of friends—although he has no intention of doing anything about it. Izzy thinks every problem through to the correct solution, and he knows that the initial fascination some people have for him quickly fades, and no one is interested in actually dating him. Especially not someone special like Rocco.
Rocco Baglieri is a hard-working, reserved student-athlete. He gets especially quiet with Izzy, although he’s more comfortable around everyone else, especially their mutual friend, Ronnie. Which would bother Izzy more, except that Izzy is all smiles for Ronnie too. Warm and giving Ronnie Acebedo is sunshine personified. He once had a crush on Izzy during their first year, but got over it and is now one of Izzy’s closest friends.
Then a drunken night and Izzy’s new awareness of romantic feelings force him to finally notice some things—like that he isn’t the only one pining.
To Izzy, the solution to this triangle is obvious—if he disappears, Rocco and Ronnie will have a straight line to each other. But brilliant though he is, Izzy forgets that Ronnie and Rocco have minds—and hearts—of their own, and there are more options than lines or triangles. The right answer might be something else entirely.
Available on Smashwords and Amazon as an ebook, March 22!
Will also be available as a paperback on Amazon!
Jamie “Izzy” Islington is an ace, femme, neuroatypical college junior with anxiety, an interest in coding and poetry, and difficulty identifying his own emotions. He’s had no interest in romantic love until very recently, when he realizes he has a crush on someone in his circle of friends—although he has no intention of doing anything about it. Izzy thinks every problem through to the correct solution, and he knows that the initial fascination some people have for him quickly fades, and no one is interested in actually dating him. Especially not someone special like Rocco.
Rocco Baglieri is a hard-working, reserved student-athlete. He gets especially quiet with Izzy, although he’s more comfortable around everyone else, especially their mutual friend, Ronnie. Which would bother Izzy more, except that Izzy is all smiles for Ronnie too. Warm and giving Ronnie Acebedo is sunshine personified. He once had a crush on Izzy during their first year, but got over it and is now one of Izzy’s closest friends.
Then a drunken night and Izzy’s new awareness of romantic feelings force him to finally notice some things—like that he isn’t the only one pining.
To Izzy, the solution to this triangle is obvious—if he disappears, Rocco and Ronnie will have a straight line to each other. But brilliant though he is, Izzy forgets that Ronnie and Rocco have minds—and hearts—of their own, and there are more options than lines or triangles. The right answer might be something else entirely.
Available on Smashwords and Amazon as an ebook, March 22!
Will also be available as a paperback on Amazon!
December 19, 2018
Novella up for Pre-Order
How to (Not) Train a Firecat is now available to pre-order on Amazon and Smashwords. It's a short, fluffy fantasy story I wrote just to have something small and nice and fun during a very rough year.
The firecats of Dua are giant beasts with red-gold fur and lashing tails. They are also loving and loyal companions to the few they choose to serve. Every member of the royal House of Durii has a personal guard and a firecat to serve as a reminder of the greatness of their rule. After all, only the truly extraordinary would walk alongside a firecat. Only the truly extraordinary could.
Not River, obviously. River took the job of cleaning up after the noble beasts when he came to Dua years ago. He’s not any kind of soldier or guard, and he’s too mouthy to belong around royalty. All he wants to do is avoid some of the more resentful guard trainees, care for the very spoiled cats, and try not to get his heart broken by one maddeningly gentle apprentice wizard.
Apprentice Gavin is powerful, brilliant, and probably noble. He’s destined for greatness—and more than likely a guard and a firecat to protect him. He’s not meant for one insignificant little beastminder like River.
But firecats are not the only creatures who are fierce, loyal, and beautiful to behold. River is about to learn that the firecats and the guards who walk with them have more in common than he thought. And he will have to accept that he might be extraordinary as Gavin thinks he is.
99 cents for a limited time!
Amazon
Smashwords
The firecats of Dua are giant beasts with red-gold fur and lashing tails. They are also loving and loyal companions to the few they choose to serve. Every member of the royal House of Durii has a personal guard and a firecat to serve as a reminder of the greatness of their rule. After all, only the truly extraordinary would walk alongside a firecat. Only the truly extraordinary could.
Not River, obviously. River took the job of cleaning up after the noble beasts when he came to Dua years ago. He’s not any kind of soldier or guard, and he’s too mouthy to belong around royalty. All he wants to do is avoid some of the more resentful guard trainees, care for the very spoiled cats, and try not to get his heart broken by one maddeningly gentle apprentice wizard.
Apprentice Gavin is powerful, brilliant, and probably noble. He’s destined for greatness—and more than likely a guard and a firecat to protect him. He’s not meant for one insignificant little beastminder like River.
But firecats are not the only creatures who are fierce, loyal, and beautiful to behold. River is about to learn that the firecats and the guards who walk with them have more in common than he thought. And he will have to accept that he might be extraordinary as Gavin thinks he is.
99 cents for a limited time!
Amazon
Smashwords
November 16, 2018
Sweet Clematis stuff
Official Promo Post reminder that Sweet Clematis will be released November 27!!! The long-awaited (seriously, it's been a year) story of everyone's favorite heartbreaker dealing with the fairy curse Tulip leveled him with.
Available in all the usual places, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble online.
Also, for anyone interested, I have a small interview in the Happily Ever After section of USA Today, due out the 28th! (Weird. I have no idea if I answered okay. But I tried my best!)
And then I will also be sharing a post on the Dreamreaders of Dreamspinner group on Facebook on Thursday, November 29th! (busy week, let me tell you. All this socializing! I will need a nap!) I will be sharing my "Favorite Five" and maybe talking about Clematis a bit. Feel free to comment or just lurk. <3
And now, because I want people to take care of themselves, here are the content tags for Sweet Clematis. These are going to look dark, but people tell me this book has one of the happiest endings of anything I've done. So. There is that.
(Tags should be hidden under spoiler tags. But that sometimes doesn't work for whatever reason. So if you don't want to see, don't read beyond this point.)
<spoiler>Depression
Dissociation
Casual, anonymous sex
Dubious consent (referenced)
Sex as a coping mechanism
Sexual abuse (referenced but not shown)
Sexual abuse of a minor (implied)
The presence of hate groups
Child abuse through neglect (referenced)
Public sex
Hostile work environment
Mistreatment by police/authorities
Light dom/sub feels</spoiler>
There. Hopefully that helps!
That's enough promo for now. Back to writing.
Available in all the usual places, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble online.
Also, for anyone interested, I have a small interview in the Happily Ever After section of USA Today, due out the 28th! (Weird. I have no idea if I answered okay. But I tried my best!)
And then I will also be sharing a post on the Dreamreaders of Dreamspinner group on Facebook on Thursday, November 29th! (busy week, let me tell you. All this socializing! I will need a nap!) I will be sharing my "Favorite Five" and maybe talking about Clematis a bit. Feel free to comment or just lurk. <3
And now, because I want people to take care of themselves, here are the content tags for Sweet Clematis. These are going to look dark, but people tell me this book has one of the happiest endings of anything I've done. So. There is that.
(Tags should be hidden under spoiler tags. But that sometimes doesn't work for whatever reason. So if you don't want to see, don't read beyond this point.)
<spoiler>Depression
Dissociation
Casual, anonymous sex
Dubious consent (referenced)
Sex as a coping mechanism
Sexual abuse (referenced but not shown)
Sexual abuse of a minor (implied)
The presence of hate groups
Child abuse through neglect (referenced)
Public sex
Hostile work environment
Mistreatment by police/authorities
Light dom/sub feels</spoiler>
There. Hopefully that helps!
That's enough promo for now. Back to writing.
November 9, 2018
Updates, and a gift
Just a reminder--Sweet Clematis, Book Nine of the Being(s) in Love series will be out on November 27. FINALLY!
The day after that, I believe, I will have a short interview in the HEA section of USA Today, where I will answer all sorts of geeky writer questions you may or may not care about. :)
This December, probably shortly after the 25th, I will be releasing a smol, fluffy little fantasy short. Something not at all in the holiday spirit, for people who just want a break from it all. It's called How to (Not) Train a Firecat and I will have more details soon.
And in a last bit of news, every year around my birthday, I try to write a fun, easy, short story or snippet for people. This year it got a little out of hand. But I posted it anyway. It's been a stressful year. People should have a nice thing. It's free (or reader sets the price) at Smashwords.
Green Tea and Pink Apples
Hope you all enjoy it! I'll post again in a few weeks to scream about Clematis and other fun stuff!
The day after that, I believe, I will have a short interview in the HEA section of USA Today, where I will answer all sorts of geeky writer questions you may or may not care about. :)
This December, probably shortly after the 25th, I will be releasing a smol, fluffy little fantasy short. Something not at all in the holiday spirit, for people who just want a break from it all. It's called How to (Not) Train a Firecat and I will have more details soon.
And in a last bit of news, every year around my birthday, I try to write a fun, easy, short story or snippet for people. This year it got a little out of hand. But I posted it anyway. It's been a stressful year. People should have a nice thing. It's free (or reader sets the price) at Smashwords.
Green Tea and Pink Apples
Hope you all enjoy it! I'll post again in a few weeks to scream about Clematis and other fun stuff!
