And it's now available for preorder!

It's been a bit of a nightmare to get there, and it will take a little while for the episodes to catch up to Radish. (Episodes will always be ahead on Patreon!)

But, the first few episodes are up for free on Vella!

You'll also have the option of leaving a review, which is an interesting feature for something unfinished. But I'd still really appreciate it!

Click here to start with Episode 1 💕

Supporters there will have access to episodes on the same schedule as Radish, and folks will be able to read all posted episodes for 30 days after donating to support my writing.

Money donated on Ko-Fi also has a very specific goal: membership for the Author Alliance. In addition to education and other resources, joining the Author Alliance would make it less expensive for me to create (or update) print versions of my books. Of course, I'll also need to find money for the print covers, but one thing at a time.

I'd love to be able to create print versions of Summer Seduction and Fragments That Fit for you!

I have joined BookTok!

Yes, I know how ridiculous that may seem for someone who doesn't really create visual content and hates social media. But like I said, I'm trying.

At the moment, I'm posting every morning except Saturdays. I'd love it if you'd join me there! There are some sneak peek videos of Unleashed. 😉 

You can also—for the first time ever—hear my voice in this video! 

Lastly, I shared something extra-special!

Sharing Unleashed has given me a little more practice letting people see the rough version of my work. So to thank my Super Supporters, I shared the only written scene from Forging Forever #3, aka Trisha's story. 💕

This is a cropped screen grab, but you can check out all the updated tiers here. 

I say "chapters" because these will not be like book chapters. Rather, they will likely be one or two scenes at a time, so this story in this form might end up with a hundred chapters, though the final book someday will have a more traditional chapter breakdown. 

Is it weird to be thrilled you've made someone cry? (And hope it'll happen again? 😉)

And if you haven't gotten your copy yet, what are you waiting for? Grab one here! 💕

Getting this cover made was the kind of hectic, crazy time that makes you wonder if the universe is trying to tell you something. I hired two different designers. Though I did my due diligence both times, looking at portfolios and feedback from authors, both experiences were disastrous, in truly ridiculous ways. As if the people doing the designs had no actual understanding of basic graphic design principles—and I say that as someone who's terrible with visual design!

Still, after the second designer was a bust, I decided to try to create this cover myself. After all, I had already found both the primary image and font I wanted. Because this is not in my skillset, I spent many hours working on it before I got to a draft that I felt looked all right. 

And then—the very next day, as I was about to keep working on it—I drowned my computer (accidentally of course). Backups are critical, and I was relieved when I thought the online tool I had been using would save the design to my account on their site. Turned out, they don't. They rely on the local computer cache, meaning that entire design—all that work—was in jeopardy. You can understand that week was intensely stressful.

Unfortunately, after waiting for the computer to dry out, it still didn't turn on. Thankfully, though, I was eventually able to get a full bootable copy of my hard drive, which is genuinely great. I'm also fortunate that I was able to borrow a computer on which to boot that copy and pull the draft cover file (among some others).

I still don't have my own computer, but I have been able to use someone's older one to keep doing some work, like redesigning this page on my website, and adding a Heat Level Guide I hope will be helpful. Ultimately, this has turned into a stressful and very  expensive—but not entirely catastrophic—accident.

Still, despite all the setbacks, and with a lot of helpful feedback from a good friend, I was able to finish the cover for my next novel. I can't wait to hear what you think! 

About Fragments That Fit: 

I started writing this book for NaNoWriMo 2015, so you can imagine how happy—and anxious—I am to finally have it be reaching readers! I'm definitely looking forward to hearing what you think of this story. Meanwhile, let me know your thoughts on the cover in the comments! 💕

In other news, Fallen recently received an incredibly positive review from Readers' Favorite! I admit, I blushed 😊 Can you blame me, with comments like: 

If you haven't read it yet, maybe now's the time to grab your copy. 😉

Below, I discuss fatphobia, eating, and weight loss in a way that may be difficult for some to read. If you would prefer not to, skip down.

*I say "conditions," but really these seem to be diagnostic catchalls for: "You have these symptoms and we have no idea why."

For those wondering, I'm comparing the exact same pants from the exact same brand, purchased at the same time (the second one by someone else in my home). It's about as clean an experiment as one can have given how fashion brands make up sizing, and change theirs at will.

And yet, I still constantly heard from people, whether in person (outside, at a distance—stay safe!) or on video calls about how "great" I look. Yes, even people who knew what was going on, that I was literally starving, decided the right response was to compliment me on being that ill, because to them my wellbeing is less important than looking (more like) the way society says I'm "supposed" to. I guess it shouldn't have shocked me considering I've had people calling me fat, telling me the most important thing I could ever do—"for my own health," of course—is lose weight since I was a child. It still brought up emotions I will be sorting through for a long time.

Suffice it to say, this has been a physically, emotionally, and mentally grueling 9 months. Surviving it has been about much more than simply figuring out how to get nutrition into my body, which is still a work in progress. I spent months being unable to read, much less write. At the worst of it, I couldn't even follow a plot in a tv show or movie. Yes, that was as miserable as it sounds.

While I am doing better—as evidenced in part by this long post—there are still severe limitations on what I can eat. All of this has also been less than great for my CFS, making recovery a long, complicated, and unpredictable process with plenty of setbacks along the way. I still have days when I can't handle things like reading or having a conversation, though those stretches now tend to span days rather than weeks or more. Progress, however slow.

I hope this helps you understand why I've "disappeared." There were long stretches where I felt as if I literally had: I wasn't a person; I was barely a body, just misery and pain, trying to find the energy to advocate for myself in a system that insisted on ignoring me while implying I was lying or "exaggerating."

And yes, I believe this is at least in part an issue of gender—1, 2, 3.

I am trying to resume "being an author." I guess, since I've had books published all this time, technically I never stopped. Though in a world where we have to be constantly producing more content (or at the very least spending money on ads) to "count," it certainly felt that way. 

Thankfully, I have started sporadically being able to work on my drafted stories. Soon, there will indeed be book news heading your way. 💕

For those who have read this far and may be so inclined, here is how you can help: 

• Buy my books. Read them, review them, gift them to friends, even talk about them on social media if you're so inclined. 
• Not only will this help by showing people do care about and enjoy my stories—that it's worth the effort to resume creating and publishing—but this will also remind storefront algorithms that I exist. This matters.
• Suggest your local library buy my books! They are available to libraries in both digital and print formats, but libraries do rely on patron requests to decide what to purchase.
• Consider supporting me on Patreon for behind-the-scenes access and sneak peeks. Patrons have even seen the cover for the Dragon Story!
  • Yes, this is currently paused and I post only sporadically. However, it is a priority to figure out how to resume bringing value to my supporters there, and there's plenty of available content.
  • Please note: you will be charged immediately one time, the moment you become a Patron. Following that, I will warn all Patrons before I resume monthly billing.
• If a monthly commitment isn't for you:

• Don't forget to tell me how you're doing in the comments! 💕
• Yes, I really do want to know, and yes this counts as supporting me—it's a reminder that you're there, you're listening, and you care enough to give me the time and effort it takes to read, and respond. 

I've finished the first draft of the Dragon Story! 

Summer Seduction Prize Pack:

Mortal Musings Prize Pack:

Forging Forever Mega Prize Pack:

 

Enter to Win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Everyone in the Benefactor tier or higher (check them all out here) as of midnight 4/30/20 will have a character named after them (or a loved one) in my new Dragon Shifter story!

• Every eligible patron will have one character named after whomever they choose. 
• You, a loved one, an enemy you'd like to see get what's coming to them (see next point)... It's entirely your choice!
• Everyone pledging $5 and up will get to choose your character type: good/neutral or a bad guy.
• At this (the Insider) tier, you'll also get a personal thank you card and free e-copies of every book published while you're a patron!
• There are many currently unnamed characters, but of course the number is still limited. If I happen to run out, your name will be added to a list for future stories! Like possible spinoffs of this one. We'll see. 😉
• Plus all patrons get exclusive early access to chapters of my stories, cover designs, and more!