Leigh Wilder's Blog, page 9
January 22, 2013
Review Copies Available
If you review books for a website or blog and are interested in reviewing the Deadly Liaison series, I'm giving out free coupon codes to anyone who promises an honest review. You'll get "Drain Me Dry" and "Addicted to the Bite" in one file (any type). You can review them separately or together.
Combined they are 20,000 words, a nice few hours' read.
Just send me an email with a link to your review site and I'll send you a coupon code and link for Smashwords good for 100% off. leighwilder000@gmail.com
January 20, 2013
New Release: Addicted to the Bite
To be released 1/21/13, "Addicted to the Bite" is the long-awaited (well, 3 months awaited) sequel to "Drain Me Dry."After a night of passion Jamie-boy has decided he prefers the seductive bite of master vampire Damian to suicide, and begins to pursue him. Damian is distracted by a murderer leaving bodies all over his town and on top of it, werewolf cop Detective Julie Nova is keen on harassing him. He doesn't want Jamie-boy pulled into the middle of the mess, yet it is so very hard to stay away.
Jamie-boy wants a night of blood and passion, and if Damian won't give it to him, someone else will.
"Addicted to the Bite" is a 13,000 word erotic novelette (almost twice as long as "Drain Me Dry") It involves m/m, blood play, sexual violence.
If you haven't read "Drain Me Dry" it will be free on Amazon 1/21 and 1/22. Link HERE.
Buy "Addicted to the Bite" right HERE.
From "Addicted to the Bite":
Damian’s eyes flew open at the piercing scream of a woman, and the surprised yelp of Jamie-boy beside him. He was getting very sick of being woken up abruptly. Midnight Star stood in the doorway with her broom and dustpan, on time for work just as he requested. Jamie-boy clung naked to Damian, the sheet falling away to reveal his nudity.
Jilly was right behind her. “Why are you screaming now—oh. Good morning, sir.”
Wonderful. “Good morning Jilly,” he said. Would he ever get to sleep again?
The two young vampires hovered in the doorway. “Um,” Jilly said, “does this mean we get another bribe?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he snapped. “I always sleep with naked teenage boys. Get out please.” Jilly gave a nod and pulled Midnight Star behind her. As soon as the door closed Damian heard both girls giggling. He fell back on the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. Jamie-boy crawled into his arms.
“You came back.”
“Yes, well, you looked cold.”
“Damian, do you like me?”
He sighed. Teenagers. “I want to possess you. It’s not the same thing.”
“It’s kind of better, isn’t it?”
“Not if you have any sense.” He knew he should get up and leave, but instead he held Jamie-boy close, breathing in the smell of young man. His cock began to stir, but he was so exhausted…
Jamie-boy twisted in his arms to face him. “I’m not dumb. I just want you.”
I want you too.“You don’t want to be a vamp tramp. Go live your life in the sun. Don’t get swallowed up by a world you can’t even begin to understand.”
“It’s not any better out there,” Jamie-boy insisted. “I need you.” He pressed his lips against Damian’s neck, and the vampire took in a sharp breath. Oh, if he were a lesser man. Jamie-boy kissed his way up to Damian’s mouth, and there he gave in. A moaning growl rumbled in his throat as he captured the young man’s lips, forcing his mouth open with his tongue, invading the warm cavern.
Jamie-boy kissed with an unpracticed eagerness, his tongue exploring, tasting, learning. The excitement of discovery, Damian loved this about young men. He couldn’t remember what it felt like to be young, but he could still watch and participate. He wanted to take them, teach and mold them, and in exchange, they worshipped him. It had been quite a while since he had taken on a lover that lasted more than one night. Attachments were weaknesses that could be exploited—he was the authority of the entire city—but it had been so long since he had let himself care.
Jamie-boy pulled at Damian’s tie, wanting to undress him, but that was not what Damian had in mind. He grabbed at Jamie and forced his hands down. “Behave,” he said.
“But I want—”
“I’m not here to give you what you want,” Damian said.
Damian studied his young lover. Pale, slight of build. Not someone who exercised much. The bruises he had received at the hands of his father had almost faded, and except for the healing bite mark on the inside of his thigh, the cuts from Damian’s knife were all but gone. He would have to make new ones sometime.
Jamie-boy could be attractive if you looked at him the right way. At the moment he looked like a dog that was used to being beaten. His dark hair fell across his forehead, long lashes rested on his cheeks when he closed his eyes. Everything about him was small.
Damian pushed Jamie-boy down on the bed. He slid a flat palm across his torso, feeling every rib through his skin. He traced around his navel, danced his fingers across the bite on his thigh. Once it scarred over Jamie-boy would have a permanent reminder of the night he tried to kill himself, and found Damian instead.
Jamie-boy quivered under his touch. His lips parted in a soft moan…oh to be so young…Damian wrapped his hand around Jamie-boy’s small cock. It did not fill his palm even as it grew hard. Jamie-boy arched into his hand, and Damian bent over to kiss him…
Somewhere in his jacket pocket Damian’s phone screamed at him. “God fucking dammit,” he swore, pulling away. What a terrible week.
January 13, 2013
Leigh Wilder Designs
So I've decided to try my hand at designing ebook covers. Premade or custom. Check out the new site here or in the navigation bar. All covers on special until Valentines Day.
Guess this means I can't put off re-designing this site any longer. I can't sell art with this place looking hideous, can I?
January 7, 2013
A Note on Indie Ebook Pricing
I know everyone goes around in circles about this. Is $0.99 too cheap? Is $2.99? How expensive is too expensive? The way I see it, ebook pricing for the indie writer can be looked at two different ways--marketing and length.
Marketing
It's a good idea to have a cheap or free story available, even several. I have three free stories listed on my site at all times. One m/f, one m/m, and one f/f. Two of the three I consider too short to comfortably sell for a dollar, and one was a good example of pure m/m sex. It gives potential readers a chance to decide if they like my writing style without losing any money in the deal.
I've read a lot of bad free books, and if I'd paid for them I probably would have stopped reading indie books altogether. It's hard for a reader to know if they're getting good quality, especially since even professional publishing companies publish drivel like Twilight and 50 Shades. When it's free there is no risk.
As a struggling artist whose skills and training outside of writing and literature are service oriented, I don't like to spend money on something that isn't worth it. Most of my money goes towards things like food and rent. I rarely buy books new, implement my public library, and download ebooks when they are offered for free. When I like them, I buy more. Poor people buy books. They need the distraction. Give them a reason to buy yours.
If you are writing a series I think it's a great idea to have a free short story that is either stand alone or a prequel, and then offer the first book for 99 cents. If your plot is good and it is well-written you can pretty much assure more book sales at a higher price from the following installments.
Length
A few months ago I bought three novelettes from a fairly popular indie writer. The first story was free and it pulled me in. The second one was $1.49 and it was equally awesome. The third one was $2.99 and I almost didn't buy it. That's a lot of money for a novelette. I read a free short story by another writer and was excited to read more of her work, but she was selling all of her shorts for $2.99 and I decided not to buy.
Whenever I see a short story marked at $2.99 I cringe, and a lot of the reviewers do too. "I didn't realize how short it was" is a common complaint and cause for low ratings. Why spend so much for 5,000 words when so many people are selling full-length novels at that price?
So what makes a short story and what makes a novel? It is not definitive. Every writer will give you a different number. These are the numbers I'm comfortable with.
Flash Fiction: < 1,000 words
Short: 1k to 8k words
Novelette: 8k to 17k words
Novella: 17k to 50k words
Novel: 50k words and up
I think it's near criminal to charge for stand-alone flash fiction. Who wants to spend a dollar for six minutes of their time? I really have a hard time paying $2.99 for less than novella length. I figure novelettes should fall into the $1.50 to $2.50 range.
"Drain me Dry" is on the line between a short and a novelette, so I priced it at 99 cents. It's sequel, "Addicted to the Bite" (to be released mid-month) is almost 13k. I plan on pricing it at $1.50. I hope that the more I write about my main characters, Jamie-boy and Damian, the longer the pieces will get and the more I can charge, but I plan on always pricing in accordance to length. 50k is worth $2.99. 75k might be worth $3.50 or $4.00.
In the end, it comes down to readers. If I wanted to make money writing I would have given up long ago. I hope to make money writing, but what I really want is readers. I used to write fanfic just for the praise. In the past I've written several online serials on a donations-if-you-feel-like-it platform. I want my stories to be read by as many people as possible, so I plan to always keep my prices reasonable, especially for poor people like myself.
Marketing
It's a good idea to have a cheap or free story available, even several. I have three free stories listed on my site at all times. One m/f, one m/m, and one f/f. Two of the three I consider too short to comfortably sell for a dollar, and one was a good example of pure m/m sex. It gives potential readers a chance to decide if they like my writing style without losing any money in the deal.
I've read a lot of bad free books, and if I'd paid for them I probably would have stopped reading indie books altogether. It's hard for a reader to know if they're getting good quality, especially since even professional publishing companies publish drivel like Twilight and 50 Shades. When it's free there is no risk.
As a struggling artist whose skills and training outside of writing and literature are service oriented, I don't like to spend money on something that isn't worth it. Most of my money goes towards things like food and rent. I rarely buy books new, implement my public library, and download ebooks when they are offered for free. When I like them, I buy more. Poor people buy books. They need the distraction. Give them a reason to buy yours.
If you are writing a series I think it's a great idea to have a free short story that is either stand alone or a prequel, and then offer the first book for 99 cents. If your plot is good and it is well-written you can pretty much assure more book sales at a higher price from the following installments.
Length
A few months ago I bought three novelettes from a fairly popular indie writer. The first story was free and it pulled me in. The second one was $1.49 and it was equally awesome. The third one was $2.99 and I almost didn't buy it. That's a lot of money for a novelette. I read a free short story by another writer and was excited to read more of her work, but she was selling all of her shorts for $2.99 and I decided not to buy.
Whenever I see a short story marked at $2.99 I cringe, and a lot of the reviewers do too. "I didn't realize how short it was" is a common complaint and cause for low ratings. Why spend so much for 5,000 words when so many people are selling full-length novels at that price?
So what makes a short story and what makes a novel? It is not definitive. Every writer will give you a different number. These are the numbers I'm comfortable with.
Flash Fiction: < 1,000 words
Short: 1k to 8k words
Novelette: 8k to 17k words
Novella: 17k to 50k words
Novel: 50k words and up
I think it's near criminal to charge for stand-alone flash fiction. Who wants to spend a dollar for six minutes of their time? I really have a hard time paying $2.99 for less than novella length. I figure novelettes should fall into the $1.50 to $2.50 range.
"Drain me Dry" is on the line between a short and a novelette, so I priced it at 99 cents. It's sequel, "Addicted to the Bite" (to be released mid-month) is almost 13k. I plan on pricing it at $1.50. I hope that the more I write about my main characters, Jamie-boy and Damian, the longer the pieces will get and the more I can charge, but I plan on always pricing in accordance to length. 50k is worth $2.99. 75k might be worth $3.50 or $4.00.
In the end, it comes down to readers. If I wanted to make money writing I would have given up long ago. I hope to make money writing, but what I really want is readers. I used to write fanfic just for the praise. In the past I've written several online serials on a donations-if-you-feel-like-it platform. I want my stories to be read by as many people as possible, so I plan to always keep my prices reasonable, especially for poor people like myself.
December 30, 2012
Coming Soon!
The people have spoken, and they have demanded more Damian & Jamie-boy. Well, ask and you shall receive. The sequel to "Drain Me Dry" will be out sometime in the next few weeks. It is currently in the editing process. It is a 12,000ish word crime and sex drama called "Addicted to the Bite." As you can see to the left, "Drain Me Dry" has gotten a cover update to reflect the series, yes SERIES, Deadly Liaisons. Book 3, tentatively titled "Daybreak" will be out sometime in the spring, or as soon as I figure out what it is about and write it.
In "Addicted to the Bite" Jamie-boy decides he needs more sex and violence, and goes looking for it at the popular vampire night club, Sanguine Moon. He finds Damian there, but the vampire is a little too preoccupied with a series of dead bodies and a persistent cop to find the time to give to the needy teenager. If Damian can't give him what he wants, Jamie-boy is going to get it somewhere else.
Contains: m/m, masturbation, blood play, oral sex, anal sex.
December 11, 2012
New Story: The Beauty and the Beast
This story is a little hard to label. Technically it is not BDSM--but it is. Yeah. Sort of. It's sex, just read it!HERE for US
HERE for UK
(also available everywhere else on amazon, just do a search for me)
Description:
The Beauty is a dominant...but so is the Beast. Nathan invites Kate to dinner with one thought in mind--to ask her to marry him. Their like personalities struggle for control. Will the beast be tamed, or will the beauty be devoured?
Short story. 4300 words. M/F, explicit sex, power exchange, very light bondage.
A funny note about this story--I named the characters Kate and Richard, not even thinking that those were the names of the main characters of Castle. Clearly my inner fanfic writer is trying to tell me something. (Castle and Beckett are begging for a kinky fanfic treatment.) So of course I changed the name to Nathan. :)
November 20, 2012
New Freebie: Saturday Night
"Saturday Night" is now available to download on Smashwords for free. Since I do not yet have a m/m freebie listed this title will stay free...FOREVER. It is about Charlie, a small town cop, and a very pleasurable run-in with ex con Jake. It involves handcuffs. :) Link is here.
November 16, 2012
FREE this weekend only!
Offering Drain Me Dry, a gay BDSM vampire short, on Smashwords for free this weekend. Just use coupon code EH68X here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view... Will expire on Sunday, read it while it's hot and enjoy!Nanowrimo is going okay. 5000 words behind, but that happens. Gave up on my paranormal romance and am now writing Regency smut. Jane Austen is rolling in her grave. :)
October 31, 2012
New Story & Nanowrimo
I'll be releasing a new story in the next few days. It's a m/m story called "Saturday Night" which is not a particularly fascinating title, but there are handcuffs. :) Its about a cop who pulls a guy over and gets a little more than he bargained for. I wrote if for an anthology last month but missed the deadline. It's been languishing on my computer with hopes that another call would crop up, but I don't see that happening any time soon. So, "Saturday Night", coming out as soon as my copy editor gets off his butt and double-checks my grammar. I'm thinking about bundling it with "Brian is Gay (and so am I)" for a limited time as an incentive to buy.
And Nanowrimo starts in a few hours! I'm doing a paranormal romance between a werewolf and a witch set in the Dead End Streets universe--the same world as "Drain Me Dry." I'm excited to write about the werewolves because they are pretty different from most weres. The characters are Stella Child--a witch who is trying to find companionship in a world where she keeps her powers a secret even as vampires and werewolves wander out in the open--and Max is a wolf rebelling against the constraints society has put on him and his kind. They meet on accident, or fate, and Stella is pulled into the were subculture...and a murder investigation.
So, busy month! I'm also working on a novella and a full collection of erotic fairy tales.
October 11, 2012
A Post on Cover Design
I don't buy my covers. Sure it would be great to be able to pay a professional designer for a cover, but these are all one dollar short stories, that frankly I don't sell many copies of. I can't afford to buy a cover for every single one of them. So all of the covers are my own work. To tell the truth I think some of them look better than the 'professional' covers on some of the anthologies I've contributed to. The art on Fraternal Devotion for example is...iffy. The cover of Riding the Rocket is downright scary.
Not that I'm some brilliant graphic designer. I think the covers for 'Boy' and 'Shoes' are lacking immensely. 'Cherry Bomb' is my favorite which is amusing because its my least favorite of my works that I have up here. I really like 'Drain Me Dry' but there are a few problems with it. The first is that I wanted a completely different cover image. A bare back is so easy and cheap. The problem is, there really is no such thing as a free stock image that features kinky gay vampires. The second is that it shrank very badly on most sites for some reason. Here the image is clear and easy to read, but its kinda blurry everywhere else unless you blow it up. Ugh.
I know I should be trying to design my covers so that they are fairly uniform, branded, as it were. But I'm still learning what works and what doesn't, and I'm limited by the art that is available for free. For example, I wanted a gender-neutral bare back and full cover image for 'Boy'. I couldn't find any--the one I ended up with was a woman in a dress and I had to crop around all of the clothing, leaving me with a tiny image that couldn't be blown up. So I had to improvise. It's not perfect, but it's not bad. The font isn't over-used and it is fancy while still being readable. The sub-heading font is what I use on most of my covers for my name. I know simple is better when it comes to this kind of thing.
I have another story coming out soon. It is one of those very little plot mostly porn stories, but the cover I've designed doesn't look like porn at all. So I think I will have to dump it and try again, even though it is a very nice cover:
Not that I'm some brilliant graphic designer. I think the covers for 'Boy' and 'Shoes' are lacking immensely. 'Cherry Bomb' is my favorite which is amusing because its my least favorite of my works that I have up here. I really like 'Drain Me Dry' but there are a few problems with it. The first is that I wanted a completely different cover image. A bare back is so easy and cheap. The problem is, there really is no such thing as a free stock image that features kinky gay vampires. The second is that it shrank very badly on most sites for some reason. Here the image is clear and easy to read, but its kinda blurry everywhere else unless you blow it up. Ugh.
I know I should be trying to design my covers so that they are fairly uniform, branded, as it were. But I'm still learning what works and what doesn't, and I'm limited by the art that is available for free. For example, I wanted a gender-neutral bare back and full cover image for 'Boy'. I couldn't find any--the one I ended up with was a woman in a dress and I had to crop around all of the clothing, leaving me with a tiny image that couldn't be blown up. So I had to improvise. It's not perfect, but it's not bad. The font isn't over-used and it is fancy while still being readable. The sub-heading font is what I use on most of my covers for my name. I know simple is better when it comes to this kind of thing.
I have another story coming out soon. It is one of those very little plot mostly porn stories, but the cover I've designed doesn't look like porn at all. So I think I will have to dump it and try again, even though it is a very nice cover:
