N.R. Walker's Blog, page 14

Good Morning Monday! Special Print Editions of Upside Down

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I’m very excited to announce that Upside Down is getting a limited-time only, special edition covers with metallic foil on the cover! Made by Kaligraphic, an Australian company, and I’m just a little bit in love!!

I’ve only seen photos so far, and I can NOT wait to see these in real life! But check these beauties out!

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I don’t have any point of sale information at the moment, only that they will sell through me, not a retailer. I will have more details as I get them. I just wanted to share my excitement with you!

It’s only the purple that is metallic, not the whole cover.

In other news, I’ll be having a cover and blurb reveal soon for my next release, but in the mean time, there’s this…

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The title you might not have been waiting for!! LOL

The Hate You Drink is with my editor as I type and I’ll be looking to release around May 23rd-ish (subject to change). It’s the story of  Monroe and Erik, a recovering alcoholic and his best friend. It’s friends-to-lovers, angsty, and full of N.R. Walker goodness!  Actual cover reveal coming soon!!

Current WIP is going well. Words are flowing fast and I’m not going to say any more than that in case I jinx myself LOL.  Only that the MC’s name is Sig, he’s one sexy motherf*cker, and he’s about to have his whole world turned on its head. LOL

Until next week!!

Good Morning Monday! One Manuscript Ends, Another One Begins…

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I feel like I should be holding up a baby lion to the theme song THE CIIIIIRCLE OF LIFE! This writing cycle never ends. One manuscript ends, one begins, betas start, edits start, proofing starts, one releases while one goes back into edits, and it all ebbs and flows and neverrrrrrrrrr ends. LOL!!!

But I really wouldn’t have it any other way. I love what I do. Even on the shittiest days, I still have the best job in the world.

Autism Awareness Month! Childhood Memories, Blog Hop, and Giveaways!

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Autism fact: Autism is not a disease.

It’s always a great honour for me to take part in RJ Scott’s Autism Awareness Blog Hop. And this year I took a trip down memory lane, waaaaaaay back to my childhood, and my favourite toys that I remember. I was never into anything overtly ‘girly’ (I’m still not LOL) and while my sisters would play dress-ups and cook and sew, I played with trucks, and explored the countryside with my cousins (who were all boys). We lived in a small country town, so I spent every spare minute outside, up trees, in gullies, making tree houses, and would only ever come home to eat.

I can set rabbit traps, skin rabbits, make bows and arrows from weeping willow trees, ride motorbikes, skateboards, and horses. I can’t sew, I hate cooking, and the only two dresses I own are my wedding dress and a bridesmaid dress.

But as a child, I don’t recall it ever being an issue. No one ever said (to me, anyway) that I couldn’t have something because it’s just for boys. I wasn’t bound by stereotypical gender roles. Maybe growing up in the 70s was different… I don’t know. But also as a child of the 70/80s, we didn’t have much of anything and the only time we ever received presents/gifts was on birthdays and at Christmas. It was also the only time we ever ate lollies and chips and fizzy drinks.

Different times, indeed.

Anyway, these are the toys I remember the most.

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The Tomy Tuneyville Music Train was my first Christmas present ever, and it worked for years and years. I got the Tonka Truck for my second birthday – apparently it was all I wanted. The Family Tree House belonged to me and my sisters, so I can’t claim it as mine alone but I did enjoy playing with it. And as I got a bit older, I loved Lego. I had the entire “Moon Landscape” series and I LOVED it. I would use my dad’s pool table and make an entire moon and if I needed extra villains I’d use my sister’s Strawberry Shortcake dolls and the big purple guy with the cool/evil moustache (I think his name is Purple Pieman LOL) and my moon Lego heroes would use their mineral detectors and laser tractor beams to catch him.

Good times. (LOL! But clearly, my love for science fiction started at an early age….)

I hope you’ve enjoyed my little trip down memory lane. It’s been fun!

For the giveaway, I’d like to give one lucky reader the chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card. To enter, simply comment on this post and tell me what toy you remember from your childhood.

Also, if you haven’t checked out my latest release UPSIDE DOWN yet, you can find it at Amazon

And see for yourself why everyone is loving Jordan and Hennessy’s story!

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Good Morning Monday! April Already? How is that possible?

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Yes, it’s April. I don’t know how that happened, and I don’t know why the speed of time passing always surprises me. One day, I’m making a schedule for the new year and the next thing I know, the year’s almost half over.

Yet here we are.

This week has been crazy. I’ve been struggling to get words down in my WIP. It’s just not going as well as I’d hoped. I’m up to 64K words, but it’s nowhere near done. And to be honest, I’m not sure what I’m doing is even right. I kinda feel way out of my depth on this one, but in the words of Dory, I need to ‘just keep swimming’.

*sigh*

In other news, my website is down temporarily. I wrote out a really long ranty post about why, but decided to delete it LOL. To make a long story short, my website is coming back to me. I’m not a control freak, this is the LAST thing I wanted or needed. I don’t have time for this. But here I am anyway. The address should remain as it was nrwalker (dot) net. Hopefully by next week’s post it will be back up.

So on a somewhat related note, and to put it quite frankly, 2019 is the year where I’m cancelling all incompetent people. I’m sick of being nice, understanding and concerned, only to be shit on.

AUDIO NEWS

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ANYWHOOOOOOO, on a much nicer note, I’ve proofed the audio to Thomas Elkin, Elements of Retrofit and OMFG IT IS PERFECT!!!!!  Nick Russo is amazing and I’m in love with this audio like holy shit it so good I can’t believe it. I’m hoping to have it go live in the next coming weeks. I can NOT wait for you guys to listen to it.

PAPERBACK NEWS

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Upside Down is now available in paperback, and it is utterly gorgeous. I have copies ready for signing as well, so if you’d like a paperback, you have a few options:

You can buy from Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble. Aussies can check it out at Booktopia. You can check with your favourite retailer.

OR

If you’d like a signed copy, you can check out my Google Form and order one. Cost of the book is $15AUD plus shipping to wherever you are. As a guide, to the US and to the UK, for the book and shipping, it will cost approx $32AUD which is approx $23USD and $17GBP (guide only).

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That’s it for this week. Hopefully next week I’ll have a completed first draft and a new website. *crosses fingers/toes/all the things*

Until then…

Good Morning Monday ~ Upside Down is OUT NOW!!

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Yes, Upside Down has been released, and I’m SO thrilled with the reactions and the feedback I’ve received. Jordan and Hennessy have connected with a lot of readers, and that makes my little ace heart so very happy!!  On release day, Upside Down reached #1 in six countries, #2 in two other countries, and #3 in another!

I’ve had private messages and emails from a lot of folks who just wanted to reach out and say thank you, and for a writer that’s an amazing compliment. I’m very honoured to be able to be able to do this, and to know I connect with people through words is pretty freaking awesome. So thank YOU, the readers, who make it all possible.

Okay, enough with the sappiness!

Here’s the details:

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Universal Amazon Link

Blurb:

Jordan O’Neill isn’t a fan of labels, considering he has a few. Gay, geek, librarian, socially awkward, a nervous rambler, an introvert, an outsider. The last thing he needs is one more. But when he realises adding the label asexual might explain a lot, it turns his world upside down.

Hennessy Lang moved to Surry Hills after splitting with his boyfriend. His being asexual had seen the end of a lot of his romances, but he’s determined to stay true to himself. Leaving his North Shore support group behind, he starts his own in Surry Hills, where he meets first-time-attendee Jordan.

A little bewildered and scared, but completely adorable, Hennessy is struck by this guy who’s trying to find where he belongs. Maybe Hennessy can convince Jordan that his world hasn’t been turned upside down at all, but maybe it’s now—for the first time in his life—the right way up.

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Quick WIP update:

It was a slow writing week last week (release weeks usually are) but it’s currently at 50K words and I would really LOVE to finish it this week. I’m not sure that’s likely, given there’s probably 15K to go, but I’m running out of time. I have my editors deadline, but also my kids will be on school holidays in two weeks and having people in my writing space kills my mojo.

The story itself is angsty and about overcoming demons and finding your own strength. It’s a little different to my usual style (I think, anyway) but it’s friends to lovers, and fighting to be together, but they need to fix themselves apart first. It’s also a hot mess right now and I need to pull all the threads together to make it worth anything LOL.

I will be doing a cover reveal in the next few weeks so stay tuned for that!

Okies, that’s all for today! Until next week!

Good Morning Monday! An Upside Down Excerpt!

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It’s almost release day for Upside Down!!  So to celebrate, and to help get you excited, here’s an excerpt!  This is Jordan’s POV – he’s a rambler, and he’s funny

Good Morning Monday! And some info on Upside Down

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I wrote this post for Love Bytes Reviews  and I wanted to share it with you as well, because it’s important to me, and I’m too lazy to type out another post that’s basically the same as this one LOL

My next release, Upside Down, is the story of two asexual men who are trying to navigate their way through life in a very sexualised world. Everywhere we look, on TV, in books, movies, music videos, YouTube, Instagram (the list is endless) sex is front and centre. We’re told sex sells. And it does.

But not for everyone.

The over-sexualised world we live in has been normalised to the point where asexuality is considered ‘abnormal’. I’m here to tell you that asexuality is not abnormal. It’s just not common.

It’s estimated that Asexuality accounts for approximately 1% of the general population, which isn’t a lot in the scheme of things. But those 1% of people are still important, are still valid, and still need to be respected.

This story hit home for me. It’s something I’ve been struggling with, and trying to get my head around. I’ve been at odds with myself over this for years but it wasn’t until I began reading into what asexuality means that I began to see myself for what I am. And here’s my truth: I am somewhere on the asexual spectrum. I lean more toward the grey (like my hair LOL) and I realised there’s more me in Jordan (a main character in Upside Down) than I probably realised before I started writing.

Guys, I didn’t know how much I needed to write this book.

Will everyone love it? Probably not. There is NO sex in this book. And I know some readers won’t even consider reading it because of that fact. And that’s fine. It’s totally their call.

All I ask is that readers remain respectful. If reviews start to come in saying “OMG there is no sex in this story, why did I bother!!” then they’ve missed the point of the story, they’ve missed the message, and to me, that means I’ve failed as a writer.

Only time will tell.

So there it is. I said it. This book is my story. Much like Henry in the Weight of It All was my weight/fitness story, Jordan is my asexuality story.

This book is not a gospel, or a guide, or a check list to tick off. Everyone’s story is different. I just hope to give some other asexuals a voice, and some characters to identify with.

Upside Down will be out later this month. There will be no preorders, and it will be in KU for the first three months. If you’d like to keep updated, follow me on Amazon, and you’ll be notified when each new book is released!

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Blurb:

Jordan O’Neill isn’t a fan of labels, considering he has a few. Gay, geek, a librarian, socially awkward, a nervous rambler, an introvert, an outsider. The last thing he needs is one more. But when he realises adding the label asexual might explain a lot, it turns his world upside down.

Hennessy Lang moved to Surry Hills after splitting with his boyfriend. His being asexual had seen the end of a lot of his romances, but he’s determined to stay true to himself. Leaving his North Shore support group behind, he starts his own in Surry Hills, where he meets first-time-attendee Jordan.

A little bewildered and scared but completely adorable, Hennessy is struck by this guy who’s trying to find where he belongs. Maybe Hennessy can convince Jordan that his world hasn’t been turned upside down at all, but maybe it’s now—for the first time in his life—the right way up.

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A quick WIP update: Currently at 32K words. Being away and not writing for 2 weeks slowed me down but I’m back to writing this week and will try for ALL the words!

Okay folks, that’s it for today. Until next week…

Good Morning Monday! Travelling All Over The County and Book Signings

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It’s been a hectic two weeks – I’ve travelled a few thousand kilometres, taking some friends from the US to see three different states and attended two book signings, one in Sydney, one in Brisbane.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d only ever done signings overseas at LGBTQIA+ events, and I’d never had books for sale. I’d only ever done pre-orders and never sold books over the table (for tax reasons being in a foreign country) so I was clueless as to how Australian book signings would go.

The signing in Sydney was predominately male/female romance, so I wasn’t expecting to be overly busy. I’d had a decent amount of preorders and had some great interest in over the table sales. It was great to be present in an Australian signing, and to represent the LGBTQIA+ genre. I write Australian LGBTQIA+ romance so it means a lot to me to be present.

This was my table at the Sydney event, Books By The Bridge.

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The Brisbane signing had more LGBTQIA+ authors present, and a lot of amazing readers. I had a great preorder list and sold almost ALL the books I’d bought with me to sell on the day. It was busy from the opening minute, and I had an amazing time!

Here’s a pic of my table at the Brisbane event, Book Marked and Sexy.

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I’d really like to thank everyone who attended these events and made it such a special experience for me! I’m really hoping to make it to more Australian signings in the future and being more present to represent my genre.  

I’ve taken some books out of KU and they’re now at all retailers:

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You can find these books at the following profiles:

B&N

iBooks

Kobo

Smashwords

Imago and Imagines, The Weight of It All, and Switched will be available at these sites for a short time only!

I’m still travelling but will be home this week. I’m behind on my schedule (I haven’t written a word in 2 weeks!) so I’ll be busy trying to get back on track. Upside Down is still scheduled for the 28th March and I’ve been trying to get that proofed in between airports and tours and sight-seeing.  My WIP has been sorely neglected and I intend to remedy that this week! I need to write ALL the words.

Okay, that’s all I have time for this week! I should be back to regular posting next week!

Until then…

Good Morning Monday!

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This will be a super short post this week. I spent all weekend running around like crazy with real life and kids’ sport, then finally got home last night and felt like crap so I went to bed. This week is craaaaazy busy. I have a to-do list as long as my arm of everything I need to do before I leave home on Thursday for 12 days.

I’m trying to get everything sorted for the two signings I’m doing in advance, plus everything my kids will need in my absence. Yikes! Sometimes it makes you wonder whether leaving is worth the hassle LOL.  But I am super excited about my signings and my travels with some friends who fly in from the US on Thursday!

I also have edits for Upside Down to get done – and my editor said she thinks it’s her favourite of all my books so far, so YAY!!!  I love Jordan and Hennessy so much and I can’t wait to share them with you!!

Next week I’ll share some photos and my experience from the Books By The Bridge Sydney event. I’m really excited – and really nervous! I’m sure it will be fine once I’m there.

Also, if you’ve been following me for a while you’ll already know that I can’t attend GRL in the US this year, and in all likelihood, not the next two years either. I do have other signings booked for 2020 but just not in the US. I’ll share more on that at a later date…

WIP update:  Currently at 25K. I had a shortened writing week because of real life but the story is coming along nicely. Monroe and Erik have quite a road in front of them and it’s a little weird to go from fun and humour (in Upside Down) to nosedive into angst and heartbreak in this new book. But I don’t really get much say, apparently. They tell me their story, I just type. LOL

Okay folks, have a good week! I’ll see you all next Monday – we fly from Sydney to Melbourne on Monday so not sure *when* on Monday I’ll get to post, but I will try.

Until then…

Good Morning Monday! Upside Down Cover Reveal!

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Good morning! This will be a suuuuuper short post this week. If you follow me on social media, you will have probably seen this already, but last week I promised to show the cover for Upside Down, so here it is! And you can have the blurb as well. LOL

It’s a cute and fun cover because the story is, though there is a message in this book I hope people recognise and accept. Asexuality is a group that is often left out of the LGBTQIA+ community, or simply discredited.  So, I’d like you to meet Jordan and Hennessy!!

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BLURB

Jordan O’Neill isn’t a fan of labels, considering he has a few. Gay, geek, a librarian, socially awkward, a nervous rambler, an introvert, an outsider. The last thing he needs is one more. But when he realises adding the label asexual might explain a lot, it turns his world upside down.

Hennessy Lang moved to Surry Hills after splitting with his boyfriend. His being asexual had seen the end of a lot of his romances, but he’s determined to stay true to himself. Leaving his North Shore support group behind, he starts his own in Surry Hills, where he meets first-time-attendee Jordan.

A little bewildered and scared but completely adorable, Hennessy is struck by this guy who’s trying to find where he belongs. Maybe Hennessy can convince Jordan that his world hasn’t been turned upside down at all, but maybe it’s now—for the first time in his life—the right way up.

GRL2019

Most of you know already, but I can’t attend GRL this year. I did say last year I couldn’t attend for the next three years. I love GRL and I love travelling the world and getting to spend time with my people, but real life and kids take precedence. I will say though, if you have the chance or the opportunity to attend, you really should. It’s awesome!!

(For those who don’t know, Gay Romance Lit, is a huge get together of the community – authors, readers, reviewers, bloggers, cover artists, narrators – all together for 3-4 days of awesomeness. It’s in a different US location every year, and it’s SO much fun!)

Translation into Thai!

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And OMG!!! Finders Keepers is being released in Thailand very soon, and this is the amazing cover!  Is it not the CUTEST thing you’ve ever seen???  And also, branching out to the Asian market is SO exciting for me!!  I will post buy links when I have them.

In WIP news, my current writing project is at 17K words. I’m getting to the angsty/gritty part of the story which is never easy for me to write, though, that being said, I’m hoping for a lot of words this week!

Okay, that’s it for this week. Told you it was a short one! Until next week!