Thoughts on Publishing My First Book

OUT IN THE OPEN is officially available for purchase. But before I continue pimping my book, I want to tell a quick story about how I got here.

First, let me pimp my sexy cover quickly. Okay, good. I won't pimp again until the very end.

Last June, I couldn't breathe. 

I'd been reading about self-publishing for years. It was getting bigger and better and more writers were finding success. I got more and more interested...but I never took the plunge. I would read JA Konrath and Hugh Howey and Susan Kaye Quinn and Lindsay Buroker's blogs and get inspired. I can do this.

But I did nothing. 

This went on for years. Read about indie pubbing --> Get inspired --> Do nothing --> Rinse and Repeat

Maybe my mind had reached a tipping point, I don't know. But I was reading about indie pubbing last June, as I usually did on slow work days, and I kept telling myself I should do this. I should take the plunge, take a chance. And then I went out for my lunch break. As I was walking around, my heart began racing. It thumped in my ears and drowned out the traffic. My vision began to go white, like the sun was too bright. I bent over and gulped for air. I couldn't tell if I was going to throw up or pass out. What was happening? Was I having a panic attack?

I realized that I couldn't sit on the sidelines any longer. I couldn't keep saying I was going to do something. I had to freaking do it. I had all this interest and excitement over indie pubbing. I had to get it out of me. 

And so right then and there, hunched over in downtown Chicago taking calming breaths, I made a promise to myself. By my next birthday, I would publish a book. That was 16 months away -- a realistic timeline to write and research and give this book the launch it deserved. I returned to work with a spring in my step. I had a plan.  

And now here I am. Putting out my first book. Indie pubbing has been such an exciting and fun and busy and, most of all, EMPOWERING experience. All of my expectations have been surpassed. I have loved connecting with the M/M romance community. You guys are so enthusiastic, and you know your way around a hot gif! 

I still can't believe I accomplished this. I made a promise to myself, and I kept it. That rarely happens with me. If you are thinking of publishing a book, do it. The time is now. You will not be disappointed. There's only upside. 

OUT IN THE OPEN is about coming out of your shell and discovering your true self. I never realized how much it mirrored my own indie publishing experience. I hope you all have your own Can't-Breathe-in-June/Secret-Sex-in-the-Library moments. The time is now. 

Thank you for reading and supporting me on this journey.

Sincerely,

A.J.

p.s. Oh yeah, here's some info about my book - OUT IN THE OPEN

Libraries are meant for studying – not sex

College sophomore Ethan Follett never says what’s on his mind and never wants to rock the boat. After a high school social life spent anonymous and alone, things are finally falling into place for him. He’s found a group of friends just as studious as he, and is on track for a promising legal career. Out in the open, things couldn’t be better, but secretly Ethan yearns for some real excitement in his life.

He finds it in cocky fratboy Greg Sanderson, who challenges every rigid, preconceived notion Ethan lives by. Soon, their sparring relationship turns sexual, and these enemies-with-benefits get their freak on all over campus. Yet the more Ethan comes out of his shell, the more Greg retreats into his, working overtime to keep his ladies man public persona intact. As the sex gets hotter, and they get closer to getting caught, one part of their arrangement can’t stay hidden any longer: love.  

  

You can purchase OUT IN THE OPEN at these fine retailers:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

AllRomance Ebooks

Smashwords

Author Interview with Zoe Perdita

Today, I have Zoe Perdita on the blog talking about some of her favorite things. (Cue The Sound of Music...) Zoe Perdita writes shifter romances with an action/adventure twist. Her books are crawling with assassins, crime bosses and all manner of sexy bad boys. Her new book Omega in the Shadows (Lost Wolves Book One) is out now.

What’s your favorite movie?

I feel like I should say something deep and meaningful, like The Fountain. That is a wonderful film, and I love it, but it’s not my favorite. In reality, it’s a tie between Hot Fuzz and The Princess Bride. They are both funny, endlessly quotable and have big hearts. And can you say bromance? Hell yeah! Also, I guess Buttercup and Wesley have a thing for each other too.

What’s your favorite TV show?

Currently, Free! Eternal Summer! Because, uh, swimming and Nagisa (how adorbs is he? Really!). I love anime and watch way too much of it. Short list (besides Free!): Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, FLCL, Natsume Yuujinchou, Gravitation and Attack on Titan. All coming of age stories, in their own way. Non-anime wise, I’d say Reign. It has a great cast and really strong storylines. Oh, and it doesn’t suffer from characters making dumb decisions because tension. Also, Catherine is amazing. She’s so much fun to watch.

What’s your favorite book?

This is a tough one. I love so many, but the top spot goes to the one I’ve read the most: The Secret Country Trilogy by Pamela Dean. These have been my favorite three books for years and years. I never get enough of them. Really. The books are fantasy YA about a group of kids that get stuck in their own story and have to deal with the consequences of that story going just as they planned (which isn’t always a good thing). The characters are believable and wonderful. It has my biggest fiction crush – Fence the wizard (complete with a bad haircut). Love!

Who’s your favorite character out of your own books?

This answer would change with every new book, I’m sure. At the moment, it’s Simeon Kane from Omega in the Light (Lost Wolves Book Two). He was so different from anyone else I’d ever written that I sort of fell in love. Yeah, he’s kinda crazy (and a little bit scary), but he’s also funny and sad and sees the world in a unique way. He’s hyper aware of everyone else, but has no idea what he’s feeling. Oh, and he has a very good sense of humor that isn’t all snark. How many mildly suicidal assassin wolf shifters do you know? Not many, I’d wager.

Interview with Piper Kay

Today on the blog, I’d like to introduce best-selling author, Piper Kay. Piper is from Houston, Texas and the author of The Passion Series, Eight Second Cowboy, Twisted Cherry and both sets of The Naughty Box 1 and 2. Piper writes in the m/m genres of romance, erotica romance, LGBT drama and even a western mm. Welcome to the blog. So tell us:

How many books are in the Invicta Series? If everything goes okay, I plan on four or five at least. There are so many characters yelling in my head about having their own story, so I’ll have to see who screams the loudest.

What would you like your readers to get out of your novels? That love is love, period. It doesn't matter your age, gender, race, etc. it’s something you work for. Never give up what you believe in.

Is the book mostly fantasy or do you think these situations could actually happen? It’s completely
fictional, but these situations could definitely happen. Probably have to someone.

Tell us about the book cover of Invicta Salvation. (Image, photographer, designer) For the Invicta Series, all of the covers are being done by an awesome and talented friend named Karrie Jax. The image used for the cover of Invicta Salvation belongs to Jake Jaxson, the CEO of cockyboys with RJ Sebastian as the photographer. The actual image is model/actor Jake Bass, also of cockyboys.

What did you learn from writing your book? That when you try to fight something, your heart and head better be in synch. Your head will send you off in one direction, but your heart always pulls you back and makes you fight for it. Anything is achievable.

You can find Invicta Salvation here: http://smarturl.it/InvictaSalvations http://amazon.com/author/piperkay

OUT IN THE OPEN now on Goodreads

I can't believe OUT IN THE OPEN comes out in 3 weeks! I've been working on this book for so long, and I am so excited to share it with everyone. I've always been interested in writing a book set at college. I really came into my own during college, and it's 4 years I will never forget. 

Around the time when the new adult sub-genre was popping up in M/F romance, I kept waiting for gay new adult to become a thing. I mean, how many gay people came out of the closet during college? I did, and I wasn't the only one. For many people, it's your first time on your own, finding your way, breaking free from the shackles of high school. I like exploring people running from their past because I feel like we're all doing that in some way. Including Ethan and Greg, the main characters in OITO. They're doing their fair share of running...among other activities :)

You can now add OUT IN THE OPEN to your Goodreads shelves. 

How can you say no to this guy? Seriously?

Here is the official description:

Libraries are meant for studying – not for having mindblowing sex

College sophomore Ethan Follett never says what’s on his mind and never wants to rock the boat. After a high school social life spent anonymous and alone, things are finally falling into place for him. He’s found a group of friends just as studious as he, and is on track for a promising legal career. Out in the open, things couldn’t be better, but secretly Ethan yearns for some real excitement in his life. 

He finds it in cocky fratboy Greg Sanderson, who challenges every rigid, preconceived notion Ethan lives by. Soon, their sparring relationship turns sexual, and these enemies-with-benefits get their freak on all over campus. Yet the more Ethan comes out of his shell, the more Greg retreats into his, working overtime to keep his ladies man public persona intact. As the sex gets hotter, and they get closer to getting caught, one part of their arrangement can’t stay hidden any longer: love. 

OUT IN THE OPEN is a M/M new adult romance filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. The book is intended for audiences 18+ as it contains explicit sex and language. It’s perfect for fans of Alexa Land’s First and Forever series and Sara Alva’s SOCIAL SKILLS.

Interview with author Cameron D. James

I'm excited that my first blog post gets to be an interview with a wickedly talented fellow M/M author as part of National M/M Month. Cameron D. James is a writer of both M/M erotic romance and M/M erotica.  After getting started with M/M erotic romance novels, with both Autumn Fire and Silent Hearts released through Champagne Books, he branched into self-publishing M/M erotica short stories, with his free debut short story, Go Deep, downloaded over 9,000 times.  Cameron loves to write about hot sex, but is naturally drawn to the deeper emotion of love, so even his erotica short stories tend to have a romance element to them.  You can find out more about Cameron and his book by visiting his website at www.camerondjames.com.

via Amazon.com

What was it like to have your first book, Autumn Fire, released?

That was... odd.  A lot of people knew I was writing in the M/M genre, so when the official release date rolled around and my ebook was up for sale, there was a sense of joy and accomplishment.  A few days after release, though, I was at a writing convention and was booked to do a live reading – this is where the dread set in.  I soon learned that at this convention, I became known as the smut writer.  (There were other erotica / erotic romance writers there, but I think because I had a sexy postcard floating around on the swag tables, my name began to precede me.)  When the reading came around, I was in a small hotel room with two other authors who were reading, and about twenty women and men, crammed together, hanging on our every word.

Autumn Fire opens with an anonymous bathroom blowjob.  It was... awkward... reading that scene aloud for the first time ever.  I got over it pretty quick when attendees came up to me afterward with positive feedback, and a couple people asked me to sign the smutty postcards.

Which of your works was the most fun to write?

Gaymer – definitely Gaymer.  I was attending a local comic con and wrote a short story in honor of all the gay nerds out there.  It was my first time writing through first person and I just went with it and had a blast writing the whole thing.  The story centers around two college twinks playing some retro video games (specifically Super Mario Brothers 3 on the original Nintendo, but I was careful to avoid naming it) and the dirty things they get up to.

Perhaps because it focuses on a simple but fun game, the story line is fairly simple but fun.  From what I’ve heard, readers have loved this one, especially with the twist at the end, but the downloads of this one lag quite a bit... perhaps because the cover model is fully clothed...  I might need to find a naked gaymer for an updated cover.  :)

Which was the most difficult to write?

I just released Going All The Way, the third volume in the Men In The Hot Room short story series, about the lust between an older yoga teacher and twink yoga student.  I’ve found each of these stories (Go Deep, Go Deeper, and now Going All The Way) progressively harder to write.  I think it’s because I’ve centered it around hot yoga... so I need to always get some yoga in there, some way or another, without it feeling forced.  The first several drafts of Going All The Way didn’t even have yoga, rather just some discussion about yoga, but my editor helped me figure out how to put some yoga in there in a way that is both natural and oh-so-sexy.  Once I got that in there, the process got a little bit easier.