Laura Susan Johnson's Blog, page 7
July 8, 2014
Fan Feedback!
Received a couple of nice letters from fans recently. Again, I want to respect their privacy, so no names. These questions inspired some future FAQ Bright youtubes too! Enjoy!
"Hi Ms. Johnson,
My name is ------ and I just wanted to let you know my friend and I read your novel, Crush and we both loved it! I've always wanted to read it, but it took me a little while to actually get my hands on it. I finally bought it a couple of months ago and I finally finished a couple of weeks ago. It's one of the best books I've ever read and definitely the most emotional book too. My friend agrees with me. She actually read it in less than a week, which is good considering it usually takes her months to finish a book. The only thing that was off for us was the condom thing with Jamie after he and Tammy were married, but she saw a video you put on YouTube about that and we understood a bit more. But we really hope they will stop using condoms in the next book (this is just us hoping for more here LOL).
She also read your novel, Bright (which I didn't read because of the cheating content) and she thought it was good, but she definitely preferred Crush. I know she's hoping to mention both books to some of her colleagues and I'm going to recommend it to a friend of mine who loves m/m erotica.
Anyway, sorry if I've annoyed you by emailing you, I just really wanted to let you know what we thought.
Have a nice day."
Perhaps this 2nd letter will encourage readers of Bright to come forth and add their feedback! I really need it! But again, the cheating content has to stay, risking putting Bright into a lesser desired subgenre in m/m fiction. Below this letter you will find my reply to the fan, reassuring her and everyone that Bright is NOT m/m/f fiction (ew!) but rather an m/m story about an m/m couple who is close friends (but not THAT close!) with a woman.
"My name is ----- and I am a huge fan of your writing. I found a paperback version of Crush in a small bookstore where I live and the blurb sounded really interesting to me, so I bought it. Fast forward a couple of days and I was already looking for more of your books and I found your shorts. One, I believe, I read on Wattpad and the others I bought on Smashwords.
I heard from a few people that you were looking for people who have read your books to give you some feedback. If it's okay, I'd be happy to tell you what I thought of both your full-length novels.
Crush:
I adored Crush from the first page, you really have a way of telling a story and it made me fall in love with not only the story, but with Tammy and Jamie too. The abuse was really hard to believe, but it felt so real. You tore my heart out and made me cry so hard. Then, when I finished, I was so numb. It's like I knew these characters and I felt what they felt. Tammy was definitely my favorite because I could understand the struggles he went through, and even though he slept with quite a few people before Jamie, I knew who his heart belonged to. I would really love a sequel to this book to see the boys again. I'd really like to see them go out, go farther in their relationship, and to see them go without condoms.
On a side note, I love the cover! It's beautiful and fits the story perfectly. But I would also love to see the photoshoot scene from the book as the cover. It would be even more beautiful, I think. :)
Bright:
Oh God, I really hate saying this, but I wasn't a fan of Bright. Your writing is still beautiful so it was a three for that reason alone, but there wasn't a lot I liked about it. The book felt very, very long and I think it would work better if you made it shorter. Another thing that didn't work for me was having Natalie's POV. She wasn't who I wanted to read about. I liked her in Crush, but she took from Bright a bit, I'm afraid. Also, the fact she was so close to them made me feel uncomfortable with the story and it felt like it should have been m/m/f rather than m/m. A friend of mine who reads all spectrums of LGBT books (gay, bi, lesbian, transgender and menage) agreed with me. She thought that was the direction you would go in (she read it also). I'm not suggesting you change it because I think some people won't mind or will see things differently. I just thought you might want to know, if you were looking for honest opinions. Walter and Monty were also a bit hard for me to believe. I didn't connect with them the way I wanted to and it was really hard because I wanted to love them! I understand why you added the cheating, but it was very hard for me to see them as a good couple after that. (I'm so sorry!) :(
Hopefully I haven't made you hate me, because I really didn't want to sound like I emailed just to criticize you. But I thought you might want to hear some opinions. Please don't hate me for saying what I said about Bright. I do believe a lot of people out there will love it, I'm just not one of them.
I hope you have a wonderful day, and again, I'm really sorry for the second half of this email."
And here's my reply:
"Please don't worry about anything because honest opinions are what I must have in order to get an idea how people are reacting. Oh Lord I would never write an actual m/m/f book...that's just not my thing. I pretend to be a reader rather than the writer of Bright and if Nattie and Walter would have had sex, I would have hated both of them. Walter belongs to Monty, no matter how flawed Monty is (cheating, drinking too much, etc.) I think that in spite of so many differences btwn them, they understand each other more than they care to admit. Anyways, please have no worries about what you said. I am thrilled that you enjoyed Crush. Have you written a review over at Amazon or goodreads? Those always help so much. And please don't hesitate to post your honest opinions about Bright. Say exactly what you said here. Give it the # of stars you think it deserves. It has gotten some 5 star reviews, but every book will have those who enjoy it and those not so much. Crush has a couple of 1 star reviews believe it or not LOL
Thank you so much for your feedback!!!"
"Hi Ms. Johnson,
My name is ------ and I just wanted to let you know my friend and I read your novel, Crush and we both loved it! I've always wanted to read it, but it took me a little while to actually get my hands on it. I finally bought it a couple of months ago and I finally finished a couple of weeks ago. It's one of the best books I've ever read and definitely the most emotional book too. My friend agrees with me. She actually read it in less than a week, which is good considering it usually takes her months to finish a book. The only thing that was off for us was the condom thing with Jamie after he and Tammy were married, but she saw a video you put on YouTube about that and we understood a bit more. But we really hope they will stop using condoms in the next book (this is just us hoping for more here LOL).
She also read your novel, Bright (which I didn't read because of the cheating content) and she thought it was good, but she definitely preferred Crush. I know she's hoping to mention both books to some of her colleagues and I'm going to recommend it to a friend of mine who loves m/m erotica.
Anyway, sorry if I've annoyed you by emailing you, I just really wanted to let you know what we thought.
Have a nice day."
Perhaps this 2nd letter will encourage readers of Bright to come forth and add their feedback! I really need it! But again, the cheating content has to stay, risking putting Bright into a lesser desired subgenre in m/m fiction. Below this letter you will find my reply to the fan, reassuring her and everyone that Bright is NOT m/m/f fiction (ew!) but rather an m/m story about an m/m couple who is close friends (but not THAT close!) with a woman.
"My name is ----- and I am a huge fan of your writing. I found a paperback version of Crush in a small bookstore where I live and the blurb sounded really interesting to me, so I bought it. Fast forward a couple of days and I was already looking for more of your books and I found your shorts. One, I believe, I read on Wattpad and the others I bought on Smashwords.
I heard from a few people that you were looking for people who have read your books to give you some feedback. If it's okay, I'd be happy to tell you what I thought of both your full-length novels.
Crush:
I adored Crush from the first page, you really have a way of telling a story and it made me fall in love with not only the story, but with Tammy and Jamie too. The abuse was really hard to believe, but it felt so real. You tore my heart out and made me cry so hard. Then, when I finished, I was so numb. It's like I knew these characters and I felt what they felt. Tammy was definitely my favorite because I could understand the struggles he went through, and even though he slept with quite a few people before Jamie, I knew who his heart belonged to. I would really love a sequel to this book to see the boys again. I'd really like to see them go out, go farther in their relationship, and to see them go without condoms.
On a side note, I love the cover! It's beautiful and fits the story perfectly. But I would also love to see the photoshoot scene from the book as the cover. It would be even more beautiful, I think. :)
Bright:
Oh God, I really hate saying this, but I wasn't a fan of Bright. Your writing is still beautiful so it was a three for that reason alone, but there wasn't a lot I liked about it. The book felt very, very long and I think it would work better if you made it shorter. Another thing that didn't work for me was having Natalie's POV. She wasn't who I wanted to read about. I liked her in Crush, but she took from Bright a bit, I'm afraid. Also, the fact she was so close to them made me feel uncomfortable with the story and it felt like it should have been m/m/f rather than m/m. A friend of mine who reads all spectrums of LGBT books (gay, bi, lesbian, transgender and menage) agreed with me. She thought that was the direction you would go in (she read it also). I'm not suggesting you change it because I think some people won't mind or will see things differently. I just thought you might want to know, if you were looking for honest opinions. Walter and Monty were also a bit hard for me to believe. I didn't connect with them the way I wanted to and it was really hard because I wanted to love them! I understand why you added the cheating, but it was very hard for me to see them as a good couple after that. (I'm so sorry!) :(
Hopefully I haven't made you hate me, because I really didn't want to sound like I emailed just to criticize you. But I thought you might want to hear some opinions. Please don't hate me for saying what I said about Bright. I do believe a lot of people out there will love it, I'm just not one of them.
I hope you have a wonderful day, and again, I'm really sorry for the second half of this email."
And here's my reply:
"Please don't worry about anything because honest opinions are what I must have in order to get an idea how people are reacting. Oh Lord I would never write an actual m/m/f book...that's just not my thing. I pretend to be a reader rather than the writer of Bright and if Nattie and Walter would have had sex, I would have hated both of them. Walter belongs to Monty, no matter how flawed Monty is (cheating, drinking too much, etc.) I think that in spite of so many differences btwn them, they understand each other more than they care to admit. Anyways, please have no worries about what you said. I am thrilled that you enjoyed Crush. Have you written a review over at Amazon or goodreads? Those always help so much. And please don't hesitate to post your honest opinions about Bright. Say exactly what you said here. Give it the # of stars you think it deserves. It has gotten some 5 star reviews, but every book will have those who enjoy it and those not so much. Crush has a couple of 1 star reviews believe it or not LOL
Thank you so much for your feedback!!!"
July 6, 2014
In celebration of Digital Book Day...
...my 2nd book BRIGHT is FREE on Smashwords. Digital Book Day is actually on July 14, 2014, and Bright will be featured on the website:
http://www.digitalbookday.com/categor...
Note: Sales links don't go live until the 14th.
But in the meantime, as I am still desperate for kind and constructive feedback for my 2nd book, BRIGHT is FREE FREE FREE on Smashwords until the end of July. No coupon codes needed. It's simply FREE!
Please read it. If you find yourself bored in the middle of it and want to put it on your dnf list, I need to know this stuff LOL Be honest (but pwease be kind too...my little heart is kind of tender these days) I am reading my book and I am in love with my characters, but I need to know what everyone else out there thinks as they read BRIGHT! Help me guys please!
Here's the link to the eBook on Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Thank you, thank you, thank you friends and readers!!!!!! <3
http://www.digitalbookday.com/categor...
Note: Sales links don't go live until the 14th.
But in the meantime, as I am still desperate for kind and constructive feedback for my 2nd book, BRIGHT is FREE FREE FREE on Smashwords until the end of July. No coupon codes needed. It's simply FREE!
Please read it. If you find yourself bored in the middle of it and want to put it on your dnf list, I need to know this stuff LOL Be honest (but pwease be kind too...my little heart is kind of tender these days) I am reading my book and I am in love with my characters, but I need to know what everyone else out there thinks as they read BRIGHT! Help me guys please!
Here's the link to the eBook on Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Thank you, thank you, thank you friends and readers!!!!!! <3
June 26, 2014
Persistent errors in eBook of Bright (ARGHHHH!!!)
Just wanted to let everyone know that I've been made aware of several persistent errors in the eBook for Bright on Smashwords. Not grammar errors most of the time, but display errors. Not sure if it's my word processor or Smashword's uploader, but the ebook seems to want to retain phrases/words that I've edited (such as nail beds for nailbeds). My apologies for this...working to remedy it asap :)
Also, I submitted Bright to the CreateSpace platform a few weeks ago, but since then, I've found a few changes I wanted made. CS makes you re-submit your book for review and proofing each time a new change is made after the initial publication. If you happen to see Bright on CreateSpace (authored by "Miss" Laura Susan Johnson...not sure why they do that) with a gold sunset/windmill/road art, you may be able to buy it if you want, but I can't be sure. If you try to order it, they may tell you it's out of stock or on backorder until such date when I re-submit it for proofing. I plan to do that by the end of this year.
For the time being, I am concentrating on perfecting Bright through Smashwords and Lulu, so I recommend purchasing either of those 2 versions only at this time. We are also working on the UK edition with Beaten Track Publishing. More updates as they become available :)
Also, I submitted Bright to the CreateSpace platform a few weeks ago, but since then, I've found a few changes I wanted made. CS makes you re-submit your book for review and proofing each time a new change is made after the initial publication. If you happen to see Bright on CreateSpace (authored by "Miss" Laura Susan Johnson...not sure why they do that) with a gold sunset/windmill/road art, you may be able to buy it if you want, but I can't be sure. If you try to order it, they may tell you it's out of stock or on backorder until such date when I re-submit it for proofing. I plan to do that by the end of this year.
For the time being, I am concentrating on perfecting Bright through Smashwords and Lulu, so I recommend purchasing either of those 2 versions only at this time. We are also working on the UK edition with Beaten Track Publishing. More updates as they become available :)
June 18, 2014
I just have to share this review/feedback!
Responding to my request for feedback, one of my fans sent me this a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed it and was happy to receive such thorough feedback for BRIGHT, and this gave me the confidence to go ahead and publish the hardcover edition of Bright on Lulu.com today. Bright is probably still not 100% perfect or finalized in the editing, but this review really gave me the forward momentum I needed :D I am honoring this fan's request to remain anonymous, and pasting the review exactly as they wrote it. Enjoy!
"Hello
first of all , I apologize for my bad English in advance .
for your request about the feedback for your novel "Bright"
I'm sending this to you in private, because i never interacted in this site beyond rating books and and adding them to the lists . xD so i'm sorry again if this is not how you want the feedback.
i'm a fan of your style of writing, you absolutely know how to push the right buttons. and for "Bright" there's nothing need to change in it , in my opinion. i'm just going to tell you how i felt
back to the request
Monty's fear of commitment and his inner struggle lead to his cheating, which i understood a little but it's still a bad thing to do.
now for walter , the poor thing made me sometimes want to hug and shelter him, and sometimes i wanted to shake him so hard and give him a waking slap or two to make him come to his senses. his selfless nature made him a lamb among a pack of wolves,and how sometimes i felt that monty took advantage of him.
at the last part of the book i was happy and frustrated at the same " i don't know how is that too , HAHAHA!!!" i just wished that walter would have made it harder a little bit more for monty to take him back, and not , for monty, to take natalie's confession to make it like a switch and vows to never cheats again " oh is this how he feels every time i hook up with someone else, but no this is serious , she love him and, and i was thisclose to lose him , so i'll never hurt him again" that was how i pictured monty's monologue,btw. but again walter's is so much in love with him that he became more ill to the brink of death. so it i guess it worked for them in the end.
i know i made you confused more than ever with my -out of order- thoughts and rambling .xD. but i loved this book to the point of breaking cover and commenting.
i can't wait for your next work!!, a new auto read author for me, yaaay!!!>
have a nice day/night dear author, and excuse my silliness."
Check out the page for the new hardcover for Bright here:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/laura-susan-...
"Hello
first of all , I apologize for my bad English in advance .
for your request about the feedback for your novel "Bright"
I'm sending this to you in private, because i never interacted in this site beyond rating books and and adding them to the lists . xD so i'm sorry again if this is not how you want the feedback.
i'm a fan of your style of writing, you absolutely know how to push the right buttons. and for "Bright" there's nothing need to change in it , in my opinion. i'm just going to tell you how i felt
back to the request
Monty's fear of commitment and his inner struggle lead to his cheating, which i understood a little but it's still a bad thing to do.
now for walter , the poor thing made me sometimes want to hug and shelter him, and sometimes i wanted to shake him so hard and give him a waking slap or two to make him come to his senses. his selfless nature made him a lamb among a pack of wolves,and how sometimes i felt that monty took advantage of him.
at the last part of the book i was happy and frustrated at the same " i don't know how is that too , HAHAHA!!!" i just wished that walter would have made it harder a little bit more for monty to take him back, and not , for monty, to take natalie's confession to make it like a switch and vows to never cheats again " oh is this how he feels every time i hook up with someone else, but no this is serious , she love him and, and i was thisclose to lose him , so i'll never hurt him again" that was how i pictured monty's monologue,btw. but again walter's is so much in love with him that he became more ill to the brink of death. so it i guess it worked for them in the end.
i know i made you confused more than ever with my -out of order- thoughts and rambling .xD. but i loved this book to the point of breaking cover and commenting.
i can't wait for your next work!!, a new auto read author for me, yaaay!!!>
have a nice day/night dear author, and excuse my silliness."
Check out the page for the new hardcover for Bright here:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/laura-susan-...
June 7, 2014
New additions to THE HOUSE ON GLASS BEACH series!
Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't been blogging a lot. Been busy helping my Mom move from Idaho to Arkansas, and PeachHam-Beach Publishing now has a fourth location as it were LOL Fort Smith, Ark.
This is a lovely place, but I will be returning to Calif. in 3 days. I have a lot of commitments there, including my day job of course.
Been so excited to get so many awesome reviews of Crush. Still need a wee bit of feedback for Bright, so don't be shy :D
So the series. It is called THE HOUSE ON GLASS BEACH. It is kind of like STAR WARS: It will be more effective to read the novels/shorts in order they are published, not in chronological or timeline order. Book #1 is CRUSH, #2 is BRIGHT, #3 will be ARMOUR, and I believe the short stories will be placed as book #4. The title of the shorts collection will be THE HOUSE ON GLASS BEACH: STORIES. Book #5 will either be PRICE/PRISON (haven't decided which will be the final title) and will be the story of Peggy, Natalie and Price Mattheis as told by Peggy and Natalie. Book #6 will be FRAIL, the story of identical twins Catherine and Caroline Millhaus, and the final book will be DREAMS, and will be told in the first person POV by all of the characters I've created who end up in said house: Tammy Mattheis, Jamie Pearce, Carly Blankenship, Peggy Mattheis, Natalie Mattheis, Reardon Montgomery, Walter Yarbro, and others. In DREAMS, a brand new character will be introduced: Johanna Loida Mattheis-Pearce :)
I am projecting that this series will be complete by 2020. Here's to hoping all goes well according to plan!
This is a lovely place, but I will be returning to Calif. in 3 days. I have a lot of commitments there, including my day job of course.
Been so excited to get so many awesome reviews of Crush. Still need a wee bit of feedback for Bright, so don't be shy :D
So the series. It is called THE HOUSE ON GLASS BEACH. It is kind of like STAR WARS: It will be more effective to read the novels/shorts in order they are published, not in chronological or timeline order. Book #1 is CRUSH, #2 is BRIGHT, #3 will be ARMOUR, and I believe the short stories will be placed as book #4. The title of the shorts collection will be THE HOUSE ON GLASS BEACH: STORIES. Book #5 will either be PRICE/PRISON (haven't decided which will be the final title) and will be the story of Peggy, Natalie and Price Mattheis as told by Peggy and Natalie. Book #6 will be FRAIL, the story of identical twins Catherine and Caroline Millhaus, and the final book will be DREAMS, and will be told in the first person POV by all of the characters I've created who end up in said house: Tammy Mattheis, Jamie Pearce, Carly Blankenship, Peggy Mattheis, Natalie Mattheis, Reardon Montgomery, Walter Yarbro, and others. In DREAMS, a brand new character will be introduced: Johanna Loida Mattheis-Pearce :)
I am projecting that this series will be complete by 2020. Here's to hoping all goes well according to plan!
May 14, 2014
I gots to have feeback!!!
Please anyone who has read my novel Bright, please be truthful and tell me if you didn't like some things about it, pace, character development, etc. I've read it and liked it, but I really respect feedback from readers. How is it different from Crush? What does Crush give readers what Bright possibly doesn't, and what improvements can be made? Sincere thanks and hugs!!!
Note: I can't remove cheating content...it's part of the story and what makes the characters who they are...sorry LOL
Note: I can't remove cheating content...it's part of the story and what makes the characters who they are...sorry LOL
March 10, 2014
Aw, hell...everything's on sale!!!
Desperately trying to raise money to help stopcrush.org and AELLA with the court case which is recommencing today in Austin TX...this is a cause that is extremely important to me and all who love, care about and cherish their animal friends! So Crush and Bright are now on sale until May 1, 2014 for 99 cents each! Please share with everyone you know!! And all 3 of my short stories are also on sale...FOR FREE!!! Below is info about each book/story along with the promo code you will need to enter as you check out. I will post "trigger" warnings as well for each project! Thanks to everyone who supports my effort to help animals :D
Crush: My first gay erotic romance about 2 men in northern California who meet as toddlers, again in high school, and finally in their early thirties. But just as they are finally beginning the relationship they have always wanted, a terrible hate crime occurs and drives a stake into the heart of their small hometown. Trigger warnings: child abuse, sexual abuse, rape, pedophilia, incest, violence against LGBTQ, hate crimes. It does have a HEA for both protags. Compare this story to the Matthew Shepard hate crime or QAF, in which Justin is attacked with a baseball bat and nearly killed.
See the link below:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Use code: NK48K
Price: $0.99
Burdens: A Short Story about an unhappy woman whose family is aware and accepting of her sexuality. However, Alice has been having a hard time with life in general. Her mother has had a stroke, her job is very stressful, and she is overweight due to stress induced emotional eating. On Easter Sunday, she can't even find a nice dress to wear to church. Life sucks. Then she meets Sylvia, who has burdens of her own. Triggers possible pertaining to eating issues and stress, but overall, this is probably the story I've written with the least amount of "unpleasantness" LOL. Link and code below:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Code: SSW50
Price: FREE
Our House: A Short Story...This is probably the one to warn everyone about the most. It's a very unpleasant story with an unexpectedly uplifting and satisfying ending. For anyone who has ever wondered if true justice will ever be served to evil people, this will at least give you a glimpse of hope. Amelia Blankenship is not even afforded a chance to let the reader know her before she becomes the latest victim of a sexual sadist and serial killer. Triggers: Rape, torture, sexual sadism, hatred against women, lack of remorse.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
code: SSW50
price: FREE
Cold Foot A Short Story revisits the world of Jamie Pearce and Tammy Mattheis. Tammy's attention is captured by the case of an 18 year old woman in Alaska being charged in the slaying of a 67 year old woman. The circumstances in this case compell Tammy, an animal rights activist on the verge of exhaustion, to travel to Alaska in support of the accused. This story, like Crush, explores animal abuse and discusses the crush video industry, so anyone with a problem with violence against animals should consider very carefully before reading this story.
Link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Code: SM77U
Price: FREE
Bright is my 2nd novel, and it is an erotic m/m romance like Crush. Bright could be considered either a "sequel" or a "spinoff" from Crush. 2 men, one a well traveled and self proclaimed gypsy, the other a handicapped recluse, meet during a freak accident in southwestern Idaho, and immediately, a mysterious and powerful bond forms between them. Bright tells the story of a relationship, a marriage, its difficulties and dynamics, and its slow growth to maturity over a six year period. Trigger warnings: anyone who has experienced spiritual abuse by family members, i.e. gay/lesbian/trans youth being "bullied" in their homes. There are numerous trigger warnings: depression, suicidal ideations or attempts, drug abuse, chronic serious illness of a main character and above all, those who cannot tolerate any cheating content, no matter how vaguely written should use discretion when considering this book. Still other triggers include miscarriage while TTC, conspiracies of homophobics against a family trying to grow and live. Compare Bright to A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Michael Cunningham. Even though there is much difficult content in Bright, it does have a HAE for everyone.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Code: RC47A
Price: 99 cents
Please spread and share this sale to your friends who love m/m and gay fiction!!!
Crush: My first gay erotic romance about 2 men in northern California who meet as toddlers, again in high school, and finally in their early thirties. But just as they are finally beginning the relationship they have always wanted, a terrible hate crime occurs and drives a stake into the heart of their small hometown. Trigger warnings: child abuse, sexual abuse, rape, pedophilia, incest, violence against LGBTQ, hate crimes. It does have a HEA for both protags. Compare this story to the Matthew Shepard hate crime or QAF, in which Justin is attacked with a baseball bat and nearly killed.
See the link below:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Use code: NK48K
Price: $0.99
Burdens: A Short Story about an unhappy woman whose family is aware and accepting of her sexuality. However, Alice has been having a hard time with life in general. Her mother has had a stroke, her job is very stressful, and she is overweight due to stress induced emotional eating. On Easter Sunday, she can't even find a nice dress to wear to church. Life sucks. Then she meets Sylvia, who has burdens of her own. Triggers possible pertaining to eating issues and stress, but overall, this is probably the story I've written with the least amount of "unpleasantness" LOL. Link and code below:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Code: SSW50
Price: FREE
Our House: A Short Story...This is probably the one to warn everyone about the most. It's a very unpleasant story with an unexpectedly uplifting and satisfying ending. For anyone who has ever wondered if true justice will ever be served to evil people, this will at least give you a glimpse of hope. Amelia Blankenship is not even afforded a chance to let the reader know her before she becomes the latest victim of a sexual sadist and serial killer. Triggers: Rape, torture, sexual sadism, hatred against women, lack of remorse.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
code: SSW50
price: FREE
Cold Foot A Short Story revisits the world of Jamie Pearce and Tammy Mattheis. Tammy's attention is captured by the case of an 18 year old woman in Alaska being charged in the slaying of a 67 year old woman. The circumstances in this case compell Tammy, an animal rights activist on the verge of exhaustion, to travel to Alaska in support of the accused. This story, like Crush, explores animal abuse and discusses the crush video industry, so anyone with a problem with violence against animals should consider very carefully before reading this story.
Link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Code: SM77U
Price: FREE
Bright is my 2nd novel, and it is an erotic m/m romance like Crush. Bright could be considered either a "sequel" or a "spinoff" from Crush. 2 men, one a well traveled and self proclaimed gypsy, the other a handicapped recluse, meet during a freak accident in southwestern Idaho, and immediately, a mysterious and powerful bond forms between them. Bright tells the story of a relationship, a marriage, its difficulties and dynamics, and its slow growth to maturity over a six year period. Trigger warnings: anyone who has experienced spiritual abuse by family members, i.e. gay/lesbian/trans youth being "bullied" in their homes. There are numerous trigger warnings: depression, suicidal ideations or attempts, drug abuse, chronic serious illness of a main character and above all, those who cannot tolerate any cheating content, no matter how vaguely written should use discretion when considering this book. Still other triggers include miscarriage while TTC, conspiracies of homophobics against a family trying to grow and live. Compare Bright to A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Michael Cunningham. Even though there is much difficult content in Bright, it does have a HAE for everyone.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Code: RC47A
Price: 99 cents
Please spread and share this sale to your friends who love m/m and gay fiction!!!
March 9, 2014
Crush on sale to help StopCrush.org!
Until MAY 1st, 2014 You can purchase my novel Crush for only $0.99! I am trying to raise more money to help StopCrush.org and AELLA with their efforts in the fight against crush videos! Please share and support those who fight animal cruelty!!! The coupon code you need to get Crush at the big discount price is NK48K!
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
February 13, 2014
The Bright FAQ Youtube series is underway!
Hi all, as I did in Crush, I've created a frequently asked questions series for Bright. Here is the playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
I want to stress again that Bright is currently only available as an ebook on Smashwords. I put the very first semi-edited finished version on SW to test drive it with readers. Any questions or concerns readers have, I will be glad to try to answer or provide insight. I did this very same thing with Crush way back in 2011. Once you purchase a book on Smashwords, you never have to pay more than the first time, even if the author edits and announces new and improved editions uploaded to the SW site.
Also, just a reminder...there are 2 days left to get Bright for just $1.00 (80% off) at Smashwords. Just use code: RM48D at the checkout. After this Valentine's Day sale, I may take Bright down from Smashwords temporarily until the UK version is ready from Beaten Track Publishing in England.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
I want to stress again that Bright is currently only available as an ebook on Smashwords. I put the very first semi-edited finished version on SW to test drive it with readers. Any questions or concerns readers have, I will be glad to try to answer or provide insight. I did this very same thing with Crush way back in 2011. Once you purchase a book on Smashwords, you never have to pay more than the first time, even if the author edits and announces new and improved editions uploaded to the SW site.
Also, just a reminder...there are 2 days left to get Bright for just $1.00 (80% off) at Smashwords. Just use code: RM48D at the checkout. After this Valentine's Day sale, I may take Bright down from Smashwords temporarily until the UK version is ready from Beaten Track Publishing in England.
January 31, 2014
Vlog about Crush Videos and Fat Shaming
Had to talk about the 2 foremost things on my mind lately. I am selling my 2 novels Crush and Bright, and also my 3 short stories Burdens, Our House and Cold Foot (a short story that also addresses the issue of crush videos and animal cruelty) and all proceeds are going to help StopCrush/AELLA in their effort to have a very bad ruling in Austin TX overturned. The court will hear this case March 10, 2014 (tentative date). You can buy my e-books from Smashwords at:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...
Support StopCrush.org
http://www.stopcrush.org
In the latter half of this vlog, I say what I think of people who fat shame and people who hate fat people.
Here is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJQfTR...
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...
Support StopCrush.org
http://www.stopcrush.org
In the latter half of this vlog, I say what I think of people who fat shame and people who hate fat people.
Here is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJQfTR...
