Ofelia Gränd's Blog, page 69
December 15, 2017
Friday Reads | Blessing and Light
I'm in an aww state at the moment. I just put my little one down for a nap and sneaked in a few minutes of reading before taking care of the mess in the kitchen (it's still there *sigh*) and opened Blessing and Light by Kasia Bacon - yes, Ms Bacon this week too. Last week I read A Late Bite to Eat.
Blessing and Light is a 15-pages long story taking place during the Night of Winter Lights. Sæbastyn Hyago is watching his Captain work, happy to be there with him instead of being part of the celebrations, but then everything changes and Sæbastyn biggest fear threatens to become true.
For such a short story it's packed with emotions and I tiptoed out of the bedroom with a smile on my face. Blessing and Light is part of The Order series, and I haven't read it so they're definitely going on my to-read list.
Blessing and Light is a free read so check it out if you're curious!
It’s the Night of Winter Lights.
Heedless of the holiday, the Commander of the H’Aren fortress, Captain Torýn Torhdhar, seems to find his satisfaction in work.
Such occurrence hardly surprises his Orderly, Sæbastyn Hyago, even though the young Lieutenant has spent a silent, aching decade wishing his superior officer would pursue pleasure elsewhere—specifically in his arms. But as the evening continues, nothing about it meets Sæbastyn’s expectations. Will the Lieutenant see his secret desires realised, or his heart shattered?
This alternative winter holiday short, which is a standalone set in the Order Universe.
Blessing and Light is a 15-pages long story taking place during the Night of Winter Lights. Sæbastyn Hyago is watching his Captain work, happy to be there with him instead of being part of the celebrations, but then everything changes and Sæbastyn biggest fear threatens to become true.
For such a short story it's packed with emotions and I tiptoed out of the bedroom with a smile on my face. Blessing and Light is part of The Order series, and I haven't read it so they're definitely going on my to-read list.
Blessing and Light is a free read so check it out if you're curious!
It’s the Night of Winter Lights.
Heedless of the holiday, the Commander of the H’Aren fortress, Captain Torýn Torhdhar, seems to find his satisfaction in work.
Such occurrence hardly surprises his Orderly, Sæbastyn Hyago, even though the young Lieutenant has spent a silent, aching decade wishing his superior officer would pursue pleasure elsewhere—specifically in his arms. But as the evening continues, nothing about it meets Sæbastyn’s expectations. Will the Lieutenant see his secret desires realised, or his heart shattered?
This alternative winter holiday short, which is a standalone set in the Order Universe.
December 8, 2017
Friday Reads | A Late Bite To Eat
Back in April, I read
The Poison Within
by Kasia Bacon and now there is a little sequel! A Late Bite to Eat (Inspector Skaer #1.5) is just a short ten pages long, but it still had me giggling. It's told in Eryssa von Brenn's POV and if you've read The Poison Within you know Eryssa is a Furia and she is a delight LOL.
The story starts where The Poison Within ended - Eryssa is with Caylii, her partner, and since Caylii still is recovering from what happened Eryssa hasn't left her side to feed.
She will now, though...
The poor peasant didn't stand a chance, but at least Eryssa was kind to him.
I loved this short little story and I really hope we'll get more of Eryssa in the future because that girl makes me laugh. I'd like to know more about Furias and their role in this world...or perhaps not this world.
If you too want to read A Late Bite to Eat, sign up for Kasia Bacon's mailing list before the 15th of December because that's when subscribers will get this story...I was lucky to get an early peek at it :D
The story starts where The Poison Within ended - Eryssa is with Caylii, her partner, and since Caylii still is recovering from what happened Eryssa hasn't left her side to feed.
She will now, though...
The poor peasant didn't stand a chance, but at least Eryssa was kind to him.
I loved this short little story and I really hope we'll get more of Eryssa in the future because that girl makes me laugh. I'd like to know more about Furias and their role in this world...or perhaps not this world.
If you too want to read A Late Bite to Eat, sign up for Kasia Bacon's mailing list before the 15th of December because that's when subscribers will get this story...I was lucky to get an early peek at it :D
Furia Eryssa von Brenn lives life to the fullest in every respect, so an empty stomach doesn’t sit well with her…
A Late Bite to Eat, a flash fiction written from Eryssa’s POV, takes place after the events described in The Poison Within. It will be offered to subscribers of The Order Newsletter on December 15th, 2017. It will also be added as a bonus read to the back matter of The Poison Within for new readers.
December 1, 2017
Friday Reads: Nobody's Butterfly
December first! The countdown to Christmas has begun and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than read a holiday story? I've said it before, but the absolute best thing with having writer friends it that I get to read their books before you do :p. Today is the release day of Nobody's Butterfly by Claire Davis and Al Stewart...and I read it weeks ago.
Johnny Strong hasn't spoken for two years unless you count the ghost living in the cobweb by his window, of course. But then Finn comes - Finn who's always there, who is loud and eats all the time, Finn who claims to be Johnny's wizard. Finn makes potions and he knows what Johnny is thinking. And then there is the neighbour...
I know many reviewers say Davis and Stewart's writing style is quirky, and it might be, but I'm always thinking it's poetic. No one paints a picture like the two of them do, few highlight the little things the way they do, and Nobody's Butterfly is just as magical as the other stories they've written...it even has a wizard...and a butterfly.
If you like YA, you'll love this. If you don't, read it anyway. If you're looking for erotica, this is not for you!
Cobweb ghosts are so inconvenient—especially grumpy ones with bad breath. Don’t they know silence is golden?
Johnny Strong is the expert; he hasn’t spoken in two years. Not one word to anyone except the ghost. The main purpose of life is to avoid people and not get noticed. Friends? He doesn’t need them; and certainly nobody wants him despite what the ghost says.
Until a new boy appears at Windybank—Finn Lyons, teenage wizard. He eats frogs, concocts potions, and is always hungry. Not only does Finn stand up for Johnny; he actively seeks his company and soon becomes part of life.
First love; family and words; a heady mix to go in the potion but how will it all turn out?
Hubble bubble; Johnny Strong’s in trouble! Silence is not always golden in this sweet, zany story of the purest magic at Christmas.
Johnny Strong hasn't spoken for two years unless you count the ghost living in the cobweb by his window, of course. But then Finn comes - Finn who's always there, who is loud and eats all the time, Finn who claims to be Johnny's wizard. Finn makes potions and he knows what Johnny is thinking. And then there is the neighbour...
I know many reviewers say Davis and Stewart's writing style is quirky, and it might be, but I'm always thinking it's poetic. No one paints a picture like the two of them do, few highlight the little things the way they do, and Nobody's Butterfly is just as magical as the other stories they've written...it even has a wizard...and a butterfly.
If you like YA, you'll love this. If you don't, read it anyway. If you're looking for erotica, this is not for you!
Cobweb ghosts are so inconvenient—especially grumpy ones with bad breath. Don’t they know silence is golden?Johnny Strong is the expert; he hasn’t spoken in two years. Not one word to anyone except the ghost. The main purpose of life is to avoid people and not get noticed. Friends? He doesn’t need them; and certainly nobody wants him despite what the ghost says.
Until a new boy appears at Windybank—Finn Lyons, teenage wizard. He eats frogs, concocts potions, and is always hungry. Not only does Finn stand up for Johnny; he actively seeks his company and soon becomes part of life.
First love; family and words; a heady mix to go in the potion but how will it all turn out?
Hubble bubble; Johnny Strong’s in trouble! Silence is not always golden in this sweet, zany story of the purest magic at Christmas.
November 20, 2017
Writer's Life: How to fit everything in
I was sitting down to do my weekly spread in my bullet journal and apart from all the everyday stuff (that I haven't filled out on the picture because you don't need to know what my kids are up to or what we're having for lunch) I was gonna fit in my writing. Usually, I have my daily writing goals, my blog posts and social media posts etc planned out. But staring at the spread I came up blank.I know what I 'should' do, but then my MIL is coming and she is my total opposite. Should I go visit someone it would be filled out in my calendar in advance, I'd plan around it, fit my writing goals to cover up for the days I won't be able to write, would have prepared my blog posts etc. She? She called yesterday evening to say she hasn't decided if she'll be coming tomorrow or on Thursday. If she's gonna stay Tuesday to Thursday (and then she usually stays an additional day or two) or Thursday to Sunday-Monday. So now, since I'm a bit anal, I can't fill out my calendar.
How am I going to fit everything in when I don't know what days I have to play with?? Yes, that is panic in my voice. My inner planoholic if having a meltdown, because how am I to cross things off when I can't write them down?
Well, I have today, that I know. And now, since I wrote this slightly neurotic good-for-nothing blog post I can cross that off my list, and I will, as soon as I've posted this, post the next chapter of Eight Feet of Magic on Wattpad - two things down!
Now I just need to write 8.375 words to hit the 45k I was hoping to hit this week...preferably before my MIL arrives.
As I'm sure you've figured out, I'm a delight to live with...
November 13, 2017
Writer's Life: Five Things a Day
Do you ever get feeling you're not getting anywhere? I'm one of those people who always has to have a goal. It's not that I'm competitive, I sometimes wish I was more competitive than I am, but I need to have a project, a goal, something I strive towards.
I always say my life is chaotic and chuckle a little, but it really is chaotic. I have a husband who's gone Wednesday to Friday one week, Monday to Wednesday the next, and Friday to Monday the one following that. I have a job where I never know from day to day if I'll be working or not, some days I work 10-12 hours, others I don't work at all. On top of this, I have four kids, one dog and three cats. It's how I live, it's not ideal for me since I'm one of those people who would pack her calendar to bring to a deserted island, but it's the reality.
Sometimes it makes writing hard, it's hard to find continuity, it's hard to keep focus and I often feel as I don't know where I'm at because I somehow fail to see what I'm doing as a whole. The only thing keeping it together is my indefinite lists, stick-its, journal pages etc.
So this month I'm trying out a new thing - Five Things a Day - to help me keep track of what I'm doing, and so far I really like it.
I was watching a video on youtube by Michelle Chouinard where she showed her writer's bullet journal, and she was doing this five things a day thing. You can do that about anything you want, doesn't have to be writing, but it's to keep track and make sure you do five things every day to move you forward towards your goal.
I stole it from Michelle who stole it from Lawerence Block....so feel free to steal it.
I did one in October as a trial and decided to keep doing it. So here's my Five Things November tracker. It's a bit hard to see, but I have writing (of course) plotting, editing, reading, blogging, social media posts because I hate those so they need to go there, mailing to my mailing list, podcasts, info videos etc. You can add whatever you feel like, I'd say, and next month I might have other things in there. I actually have meditation in mine, not really writing related but I put it in there anyway.
And sometimes I don't do five things, but it's something to strive for.
I always say my life is chaotic and chuckle a little, but it really is chaotic. I have a husband who's gone Wednesday to Friday one week, Monday to Wednesday the next, and Friday to Monday the one following that. I have a job where I never know from day to day if I'll be working or not, some days I work 10-12 hours, others I don't work at all. On top of this, I have four kids, one dog and three cats. It's how I live, it's not ideal for me since I'm one of those people who would pack her calendar to bring to a deserted island, but it's the reality.
Sometimes it makes writing hard, it's hard to find continuity, it's hard to keep focus and I often feel as I don't know where I'm at because I somehow fail to see what I'm doing as a whole. The only thing keeping it together is my indefinite lists, stick-its, journal pages etc.
So this month I'm trying out a new thing - Five Things a Day - to help me keep track of what I'm doing, and so far I really like it.
I was watching a video on youtube by Michelle Chouinard where she showed her writer's bullet journal, and she was doing this five things a day thing. You can do that about anything you want, doesn't have to be writing, but it's to keep track and make sure you do five things every day to move you forward towards your goal.
I stole it from Michelle who stole it from Lawerence Block....so feel free to steal it.
I did one in October as a trial and decided to keep doing it. So here's my Five Things November tracker. It's a bit hard to see, but I have writing (of course) plotting, editing, reading, blogging, social media posts because I hate those so they need to go there, mailing to my mailing list, podcasts, info videos etc. You can add whatever you feel like, I'd say, and next month I might have other things in there. I actually have meditation in mine, not really writing related but I put it in there anyway.
And sometimes I don't do five things, but it's something to strive for.
November 6, 2017
Eight Feet of Magic on Wattpad
The air is getting crisper, the holidays are getting nearer, and some of us are dreaming about flying away to escape the end of the year madness. I don't really know why but every year when autumn comes I'm grabbed by this urgency to write a holiday story, and while Eight Feet of Magic takes you on a flight to the Arctic Circle instead of serving you eggnogs by a crackling fire, it is a kind of holiday story.
I'm doing a little wattpad experiment and will post two chapters a week, it's fourteen chapters long, up until Christmas...which only is about seven weeks away :o. If you're not a Wattpadder or don't have the patience to wait for seven weeks, you can always buy the story :).
It's live on Smashwords and will pop up on the other retailers within a few days, but the first chapter is up on wattpad.
There is still magic to be found. Even in the bleakest of places.
Hank Goodenough has spent his entire life in the smoggy streets of London trying to keep his head down and not to get noticed. Not an easy feat when you're the tallest one in the room and have a brass funnel protruding from your head. When he finds himself laid off work once again, his dad wants to drag him away on a crazy quest. Before he can figure out how to get out of it, he finds himself on a steam-driven airship in search of Odin, the old Norse God and sharing a room with Captain Elazar Steel, a man strutting around on one high-heeled boot and one peg leg.
Steel doesn't care that the winks, smiles, and small touches he and Hank share might get them hanged once they land on the ground again. He is determined to show Hank there is magic in the world and that there is no better place to be than on his balloon ship steering towards the Arctic Circle in the search of a Yule miracle.
To Wattpad!
I'm doing a little wattpad experiment and will post two chapters a week, it's fourteen chapters long, up until Christmas...which only is about seven weeks away :o. If you're not a Wattpadder or don't have the patience to wait for seven weeks, you can always buy the story :).
It's live on Smashwords and will pop up on the other retailers within a few days, but the first chapter is up on wattpad.
There is still magic to be found. Even in the bleakest of places.Hank Goodenough has spent his entire life in the smoggy streets of London trying to keep his head down and not to get noticed. Not an easy feat when you're the tallest one in the room and have a brass funnel protruding from your head. When he finds himself laid off work once again, his dad wants to drag him away on a crazy quest. Before he can figure out how to get out of it, he finds himself on a steam-driven airship in search of Odin, the old Norse God and sharing a room with Captain Elazar Steel, a man strutting around on one high-heeled boot and one peg leg.
Steel doesn't care that the winks, smiles, and small touches he and Hank share might get them hanged once they land on the ground again. He is determined to show Hank there is magic in the world and that there is no better place to be than on his balloon ship steering towards the Arctic Circle in the search of a Yule miracle.
To Wattpad!
October 31, 2017
Halloween Reading: Pink Slip by Amy Spector
Halloween - I'm thinking pumpkins, candy, costumes, horror movies and ghost stories...and in Sweden, we have none of that *sigh*. But, I'm not gonna let that ruin the fun. Are you looking for something to read for the holiday? Pink Slip by Amy Spector is a rather short romance story that takes you on a wild ride through the corn maze.
It's the first release in a short story series called The Tattooed Corpse Stories. The tagline to the series is: Different Time. Different Place. Same Body. And that's what the series is - stories taking place anywhere, at any time, with different characters, but with the same recurring body. And I've written one... It's coming soon.
But, back to Pink Slip! Someone really should write a manual about what to do when coming across a dead guy. I mean there are so many options and then there is one thing that you definitely shouldn't do - that's the thing Jackson Winter and Tae Min Reese do.
This story had me laughing so many times. It's sweet, it's funny, and it has a few Wait? What? moments where you wish you reach into the story and tell them that they really shouldn't do that LOL.
I loved that it took place, partly, in a corn maze. I've never been to/in one but it seems so cool. I was imagining the maze scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire but with corn instead.
Check it out!
Jackson Winter loves everything Halloween. He loves the weather, he loves horror movies and he loves his job at Hoffman Farm and Dairy’s yearly Trail of Terror. Now he thinks he just might be falling in love with the trail’s newest special effects artist, Tae Min Reese.
Tae is a disappointment all around. He’s not a doctor like his brother, he’s an art school dropout, and he has no interest in making his mother any grandbabies. Now it even looks like he’s going to lose his job at a second-rate, haunted farm. And he’s not even sure why.
When Tae decides he needs to break the bad news to the good-looking zombie actor who makes up any excuse to see him, a chance encounter gives them both something else to worry about.
Now, two angry drunks, a stinky car, and a dead body could ruin Halloween for Jackson forever. Or could it mean a happy ending for them both?
It's the first release in a short story series called The Tattooed Corpse Stories. The tagline to the series is: Different Time. Different Place. Same Body. And that's what the series is - stories taking place anywhere, at any time, with different characters, but with the same recurring body. And I've written one... It's coming soon.
But, back to Pink Slip! Someone really should write a manual about what to do when coming across a dead guy. I mean there are so many options and then there is one thing that you definitely shouldn't do - that's the thing Jackson Winter and Tae Min Reese do.
This story had me laughing so many times. It's sweet, it's funny, and it has a few Wait? What? moments where you wish you reach into the story and tell them that they really shouldn't do that LOL.
I loved that it took place, partly, in a corn maze. I've never been to/in one but it seems so cool. I was imagining the maze scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire but with corn instead.
Check it out!
Jackson Winter loves everything Halloween. He loves the weather, he loves horror movies and he loves his job at Hoffman Farm and Dairy’s yearly Trail of Terror. Now he thinks he just might be falling in love with the trail’s newest special effects artist, Tae Min Reese.
Tae is a disappointment all around. He’s not a doctor like his brother, he’s an art school dropout, and he has no interest in making his mother any grandbabies. Now it even looks like he’s going to lose his job at a second-rate, haunted farm. And he’s not even sure why.
When Tae decides he needs to break the bad news to the good-looking zombie actor who makes up any excuse to see him, a chance encounter gives them both something else to worry about.
Now, two angry drunks, a stinky car, and a dead body could ruin Halloween for Jackson forever. Or could it mean a happy ending for them both?
October 23, 2017
Writer's Life: Walk into Mordor with me!
“One Does Not Simply Walk into Mordor”
Or maybe one does... As a writer, I spend a lot of time sitting down. If I don't write, I plan, waste time on social media, read, organise my stick-its and lists (don't know if I can blame that on being a writer) etc etc. The only thing I do while standing or walking is thinking and listen to podcasts.
I used to walk a lot, not having a driver's license it's how I get around, but two years ago we moved out into the woods and since then my walking has dwindled considerably.
Before I walked to the shop, I walked to work, I walked to playgrounds with the kids, and just about anywhere I wanted to go. Here there are no playgrounds, no shops, no real destination, really. Before it was transportation from one spot to another, now it's something I do when I can fit it into my schedule, but looking at the raindrops crashing on the window it's easier to convince myself I need to write instead of walk.
But, the thing is that miss walking, and a couple of days ago I stumbled upon a clip on YouTube about a walking challenge.
I'm going to walk into Mordor and I would love it if you did too!
Over at nerdfitness.com someone has calculated the distance Frodo and his mates walked when going to Mt. Doom and back and then to the Grey Havens. It's a short little trip of 1779 miles, and I figured a Monday was a good day to start. To make it a little easier they've divided the distance into several parts:
Hobbiton - Rivendell: 458 miles
Rivendell, through Moria, to Lothlorien: 462 miles
Lothlorien, down the Anduin, to Rauros Falls: 389 miles
Rauros - Mt. Doom: 470 miles
Minas Tirith - Isengard: 535 miles
Isengard - Rivendell: 693 miles
Rivendell - Bag End: 397 miles
Bonus! Follow Frodo to the Grey Havens and return home with Sam: 467 miles
So I'm gonna expose my astonishing drawing skills and show you the spread I did in my journal. Each square represents one (at this point, unwalked) mile, and there are 458 squares. I'll start out easy by walking from Hobbiton to Rivendell *snort*.
See you there!
Let me know if you're walking into Mordor, too.
Or maybe one does... As a writer, I spend a lot of time sitting down. If I don't write, I plan, waste time on social media, read, organise my stick-its and lists (don't know if I can blame that on being a writer) etc etc. The only thing I do while standing or walking is thinking and listen to podcasts.I used to walk a lot, not having a driver's license it's how I get around, but two years ago we moved out into the woods and since then my walking has dwindled considerably.
Before I walked to the shop, I walked to work, I walked to playgrounds with the kids, and just about anywhere I wanted to go. Here there are no playgrounds, no shops, no real destination, really. Before it was transportation from one spot to another, now it's something I do when I can fit it into my schedule, but looking at the raindrops crashing on the window it's easier to convince myself I need to write instead of walk.
But, the thing is that miss walking, and a couple of days ago I stumbled upon a clip on YouTube about a walking challenge.
I'm going to walk into Mordor and I would love it if you did too!
Over at nerdfitness.com someone has calculated the distance Frodo and his mates walked when going to Mt. Doom and back and then to the Grey Havens. It's a short little trip of 1779 miles, and I figured a Monday was a good day to start. To make it a little easier they've divided the distance into several parts:
Hobbiton - Rivendell: 458 miles
Rivendell, through Moria, to Lothlorien: 462 miles
Lothlorien, down the Anduin, to Rauros Falls: 389 miles
Rauros - Mt. Doom: 470 miles
Minas Tirith - Isengard: 535 miles
Isengard - Rivendell: 693 miles
Rivendell - Bag End: 397 miles
Bonus! Follow Frodo to the Grey Havens and return home with Sam: 467 miles
So I'm gonna expose my astonishing drawing skills and show you the spread I did in my journal. Each square represents one (at this point, unwalked) mile, and there are 458 squares. I'll start out easy by walking from Hobbiton to Rivendell *snort*.
See you there!
Let me know if you're walking into Mordor, too.
October 21, 2017
O Gränd - a writer's body double
Yesterday I sent out an email to my Mailing List where I told everyone that I'm cutting myself in half. It's not quite as drastic as it sounds, but I've created another me. Those of you who have read more than one of my stories know that I tend to be all over the place genre-wise.
I've never seen it as a problem, always figured readers will read the blurbs, the categories the story is listed in etc, so despite knowing it goes against all marketing advice out there, I've jumped between romance, horror, weird fiction, gay fiction, paranormal and so on. I've always kept the MC a gay man (except A Christmas Princess where the MC is a transexual kid) and somehow been thinking that the lgbt flag has been enough to keep it all together.
Lately, however, the one-star reviews including warnings to the fellow readers out there about this not being romance story have left me a bit puzzled. Most of them make me laugh, but despite me finding it comic that someone is looking for romance in horror flash fiction the rating is still there and a reader is out there feeling cheated.
I talked to my writer buddies about it, because what more can I do than write THIS IS HORROR? They suggested removing the dark and horror stories without romantic elements from my name and put them on another. I thought about it for a while and then I did, because what do I have to lose? Except for the time of keeping two names going instead of one, not much. So meet O Gränd.
O Gränd—writer of coffee break sized fiction
O Gränd is an introvert living deep in the Swedish woods. She spends most of her days staring at the computer screen and dreaming up characters. Placing her writing in a particular genre is hard, though most of her stories lean towards the dark side and they’re most often short.
She likes the challenge of telling a story in just a few pages and has had some of her works published in a Canadian flash fiction magazine.
When she isn’t caught up in her writing, she is spending time with her husband, their four kids, three cats, one dog, and a various number of fishes.
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Mailing List
Wattpad
I've never seen it as a problem, always figured readers will read the blurbs, the categories the story is listed in etc, so despite knowing it goes against all marketing advice out there, I've jumped between romance, horror, weird fiction, gay fiction, paranormal and so on. I've always kept the MC a gay man (except A Christmas Princess where the MC is a transexual kid) and somehow been thinking that the lgbt flag has been enough to keep it all together.
Lately, however, the one-star reviews including warnings to the fellow readers out there about this not being romance story have left me a bit puzzled. Most of them make me laugh, but despite me finding it comic that someone is looking for romance in horror flash fiction the rating is still there and a reader is out there feeling cheated.
I talked to my writer buddies about it, because what more can I do than write THIS IS HORROR? They suggested removing the dark and horror stories without romantic elements from my name and put them on another. I thought about it for a while and then I did, because what do I have to lose? Except for the time of keeping two names going instead of one, not much. So meet O Gränd.
O Gränd—writer of coffee break sized fiction
O Gränd is an introvert living deep in the Swedish woods. She spends most of her days staring at the computer screen and dreaming up characters. Placing her writing in a particular genre is hard, though most of her stories lean towards the dark side and they’re most often short.
She likes the challenge of telling a story in just a few pages and has had some of her works published in a Canadian flash fiction magazine.
When she isn’t caught up in her writing, she is spending time with her husband, their four kids, three cats, one dog, and a various number of fishes.
Website
Mailing List
Wattpad
September 18, 2017
#BiWeek and Spammers
Today I was planning on writing a post saying 'Yay! It's #biweek and to celebrate Beaten Track Publishing is offering a 50% discount on all the books with a bisexual MCs' but guess what? The Beaten Track Shop has been spammed and is now offline.
I'm not gonna speculate on why someone (or several someones) thought it a good idea to crash a small publishing house's shop but the fact is someone did. When the shop will be up again I don't know, Debbie McGowan is working on it.
But, let's not let this ruin the fun. It's #BiWeek - Bisexual Awareness Week. Are you unsure about what bisexual means? I'm gonna steal Debbie's definition because I think she managed to point out why we need a bi visibility day in her explanation:
In case clarification is needed, the definition of 'bisexual' at work here is this:
an identity marker that refers to the capacity to be attracted to people of more than one gender. It doesn't require someone to have had relationships with more than one gender, and if someone identifies as bisexual, it is not up for question or discussion.
On a day-to-day basis, this causes lots of difficulties for bisexual people because their current relationship status is used as snapshot evidence to argue that they're really gay (if it's a same-gender relationship) or really straight (in an other-gender relationship).
They're really bisexual, and the greatest form of awareness we can show is to simply accept that fact when it is given to us. We are far less likely question a person's gayness or straightness, but in all cases, we don't have that right. It's none of our business.
So, to celebrate, Beaten Track is, as mentioned, offering a 50% discount on the books with positive portrayals of bisexual main characters and since the BTP shop is closed I'm directing you to Smashwords. Head over to Beaten Track Publishing for information about the books and to get discount codes that work on Smashwords.
You can also enter our giveaway where you're able to win three 'bi-books' of your choice and a 10 dollars Amazon voucher.
