Tag Archives: publishing

December 26, 2016 · 9:04 am

On The Road To The Jersey Shore

Just thought I’d make a quick post today. As per my family’s holiday tradition, I’m doing a lot of traveling. I’m making my way up to the Jersey Shore where I’ve got some relatives with which I spend most of my holidays. There’s beach bars, there’s restaurants, and there’s enough Christmas candy to put anyone into a diabetic coma. It’s a beautiful thing.

While I’m on the road and have limited access to Wi-Fi, I’ll be contemplating a few other topics to discuss before the end of the year. I’m still waiting to hear from Crimson Frost Publishing on news of “Embers of Eros.” Due to the holidays, I’m not expecting to hear much. If I do, however, I’ll make a big deal about it on this blog. That much you can count on.

I also have a few sexy topics that I hope to discuss, which should get everyone in the mood for 2017. I’m still reading “Sex At Dawn,” a book that seems to give me a new sexy idea with every chapter. So expect plenty more discussions about that.

Also, I hope to finalize a plan for my next novel. Depending on how my work with Crimson Frost Publishing and “Passion Relapse” go, I want to go in a specific direction, one that will create that perfect blend of romance and erotica.

So as I remain on the road around the Jersey Shore, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and are recovering as needed. We’ve got a brand new year ahead of us and I’ve got plenty of sexy stories and discussions to share.

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December 22, 2016 · 8:34 am

Quick (Non) Update On “Embers Of Eros”

Just wanted to give a quick update on “Embers of Eros.” By that, I mean I want to vent a few concerns and for once, they have nothing to do with the holidays. I’m not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing.

A few weeks ago, I finally made the announcement I had been hoping to make for years. I announced a release date for my long-pending novel, “Embers of Eros.”The date the publisher game me was December 20th. I still have the email sent to me by Crimson Frost Publishing.

I don’t think they’ve forgotten about it. If you go to their website, the cover of Embers of Eros is shown as an upcoming release. However, I’ve checked both their website and Amazon and found nothing. Near as I can tell, the book hasn’t been released. I haven’t even gotten an email from the editor.

This is somewhat par for the course with Crimson Frost. I’ve tried again and again to get in contact with them. I know they’re a small-time publisher with limited resources, but this is my first published book. It’s a big deal for me and their lack of responsiveness is troubling to say the least.

Now that they’ve basically reneged on a release date, I’m more than a little concerned. I’ve sent an email asking for details. So far, I’ve gotten nothing back. I know it’s the holidays. I know things come up, people get busy, people have to travel. I had hoped that all this had been taken into account when they gave me the December 20 release date. I guess I had hoped for too much.

I’m not going to rant or whine here. I’m still willing to give Crimson Frost a chance. Hopefully, they’ll release the book before the end of the year so I can finally say I’ve published something with someone. That’s a big step for me and I one I want to take before heading into 2017, where I’ve got “Passion Relapse” in the works.

I hope I can take that step. I’m still not sure what the deal is. I’ll be sure to provide updates as they come in. Fingers crossed I can end 2016 on the highest of notes by releasing my first book. If not, then I guess I better work extra hard to make 2017 more awesome. Stay tuned.

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December 13, 2016 · 5:58 am

How I Would Spend A Million Dollars (And NOT Go Broke)

We’ve all dreamed about it. We’ve all fantasized about it. In fact, other than having an army of naked bikini models or an army of Ryan Gosling clones, it’s probably one of our most frequent fantasies. What would we do if we suddenly became rich?

I know I’ve fantasized about it. Then again, I fantasize about a lot of things. It’s kind of necessary when you’re trying to be an erotica/romance writer. You need to be able to conjure the kinds of potent fantasies that make women need to change their panties and men wish they hadn’t worn such tight jeans. It’s a skill I’m developing and one from which I hope to gain greater success in the future.

Now I know the odds aren’t exactly in my favor right now. The odds of any writer of any genre, regardless of sex appeal, becoming as wealthy as Stephen King or Stephanie Meyer is right up there with scoring a date with Taylor Swift. However, with the recent interest I’ve attracted from publishers, those odds are improving. It’s not much, but any improvement is better than no improvement at this stage of my publishing career.

Even with the odds still not in my favor, I often find myself entertaining various scenarios on what I would do if one of my books became a best seller. Specifically, I often wonder what I would do with the money I make.

First off, I would not immediately get on the first flight to Las Vegas and spend three nights in a hot tub with five strippers, a keg of beer, a buffet of deep-fried Twinkies. Unless you’re a billionaire, that sort of thing is best left to pornos and low-budget skin flicks on Cinemax.

Second, it’s worth pointing out that a whopping 70 percent of lottery winners end up going bankrupt. On top of that, according to Sports Illustrated, over 60 percent of professional athletes go bankrupt after their careers are over. Even if you suck at math, you should know that those are not trivial figures.

Here’s a good way to illustrate that point: imagine you ordered your favorite pizza, but over two-thirds of it was eaten before it got delivered. That’s a lot of pizza you’re missing out on. Now imagine you were supposed to live off of that pizza. Losing over half of it now feels a lot more serious, doesn’t it?

So why does this happen? Who do people who strike it rich go broke? Well, it isn’t just a matter of owning pet Tigers, owing child support to multiple women for multiple children, investing in failed business ventures, or buying one too many cars, although that’s part of it. There’s a psychological component to it.

Unless you’re born rich or become rich through skilled business savvy, which only applies to a fraction of the population, you don’t know how to be rich. Yes, there is a certain amount of skill to being rich. Like any great talent, not everyone has it. As such, not everyone knows how to deal with it.

There’s even a psychological term for it. It’s called Sudden Wealth Syndrome and it’s pretty prevalent among lotto winners and professional athletes. When someone gets a sudden influx of wealth, it causes a great deal of stress because their brains aren’t wired to handle it. They’re so used to being not rich that it just feels off.

This is why it’s so easy for lotto winners and professional athletes to go broke. Their brains aren’t wired to see all this money the same way Bill Gates of Warren Buffet sees it. In some respects, they look at money the same way they look at milk. They need to spend it or it’ll expire.

That’s what leads them to just throw it away, giving it to friends or investing it in businesses that have the organization of a 6th grade science fair project. They don’t realize until it’s too late that money doesn’t go bad. It’s okay to actually save it and it’s possible to invest it in a way that’ll ensure you don’t need to dine on Ramen noodles and hot pockets.

Now to be fair, most people don’t know squat about finance or investing. It’s not a class public school teaches to kids at a young age. I get the sense that administrators understand that most kids in public schools aren’t going to strike it rich so it’s not worth the effort. It’s cynical, but understandable.

Given these odds and the tendency for non-rich people to piss their money away like an incontinent monkey, I’ve already crafted a plan on how I would invest a million dollars if I ever achieved that kind of success. This isn’t a fantasy. This is a plan. I may never get a chance to implement this plan, but like a condom, it’s better to have one and not need one rather than need one and not have one.

For this plan, I start with about a million ($1,000,000) dollars. I know Bill Gates can probably find that much money in his couch cushion, but it’s a nice even amount to work with. Since the human brain is terrible at dealing with large numbers, it helps to keep things even.

With this million, here are the simple steps of my plan. Any future lotto winners or professional athletes who want to follow this plan are welcome to do so. It’s free, it’s easy, and anyone who knows how to work a cell phone can do it.

Step 1: Pay off ALL the taxes first, if possible

This is, by far, the most important step anyone with money can take. The IRS is, in many respects, the ultimate dominatrix in that she’ll hurt you in ways you didn’t know were possible. You do not want to defy her.

Step 2: Set up an investing account with a reputable bank and pick one with the lowest fees

This is fairly easy for someone with money. If you have a million dollars, most banks will roll out the red carpet for you. Some will even waive certain fees if you have a lot of money in the account. Depositing a million dollars will usually get you a lot of leeway in that respect.

Step 3: Buy either an index fund (VFINX) or buy a blue-chip stock with a healthy dividend like Verizon, Exxon, or GE

The key here is not to buy a stock you’re going to sell for a quick turn around. The key here is to buy the stock and just basically forget about it. From here, you focus entirely on the dividends. They’re basically Wall Street’s version of masturbation. They’re the gift that keeps on giving.

Step 4: Build a budget around the dividends

From here on out, I focus on the monthly or quarterly dividends that the stock or index fund pays. With a million dollars, it’s usually not enough to just live in a mansion and never have to work again. You usually need several million for that. However, it’s still pretty considerable.

For example, let’s look at how $1,000,000 pays with buying Verizon. As of this posting, the dividend yield is %4.49. Do a little basic math and that comes out to $44,900 a year, which is paid out quarterly with four payments of $11,225 over the course of a year.

Take a breath now. That’s the most math you’ll need to do with this strategy. With this means is that you’ll have a yearly income of over $40,000 for doing absolutely nothing. It’s basically a slacker’s wet dream.

Now unless you want to dine on caviar and snort cocaine off a supermodel’s ass every week, you can budget $44,900 a year to live fairly comfortably. For me, this means taking that $11,225 quarterly dividend and budgeting it for three months at a time.

In most areas that aren’t New York City or San Francisco, you can find a decent home with decent amenities for that sum, plus utilities. That’s the ultimate endgame for this plan of mine. I invest the money in a way that gives me a passive income I can use to pay for the essentials, ensuring that any money I make beyond that is just icing on the cake.

There is one more step though and it’s also quite essential. If you followed the first step, then it should be easy to figure out.

Step 5: Pay all the necessary taxes associated with your investment and dividends

Again, it’s worth re-emphasizing how much you do not want to mess with the IRS. They don’t care if you take your money and throw it at a flock of pigeons. If you don’t give them their cut, they’re going to come after you and you will be in a world of legal trouble that no amount of money can make easier.

There you have it. That’s my plan if and when I ever become rich from either my publishing efforts, by winning the lottery, or by marrying Jennifer Lawrence, whichever comes first. I hope I get a chance to implement it one day. Until then, I hope others take the wise advice of Warren Buffet.

When it comes to money and investing, nobody can beat the market. The best you can do is not lose to it, but unlike gambling or sports, not losing can still be pretty damn profitable.

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December 12, 2016 · 6:01 am

Success, How To Get It, And What Nobody Tells You About It

We all want it. We all work our asses off to get it. We all go to great lengths, learning whatever we can and doing whatever we must, to achieve it. For many of us, it’s a lifelong obsession that can be both agonizing and exhilarating.

No, I’m not talking about sex for once. I’m talking about something that is often associated with sex, albeit indirectly. I’m talking about success. It’s a relevant thing to talk about for me. I’ve got my first non-self published book coming out this month and another in the works for next year. Sure, it’s not the kind of success that’ll have me swimming in a pool full of champagne, but it’s a start.

I write erotica/romance novels because I want to make a living doing this. I want this to be my career. Naturally, I want it to be a successful career. I want to be able to pay a mortgage and an electric bill with this career. I’m not there yet, but I’m hoping I’m on the right path. However, in pursuing this career, I’ve realized something about success that often gets overlooked.

Nobody has any goddamn clue how to achieve it.

Sure, there are self-help gurus, scam artists, and Gwyneth Paltrows out there claiming they have some sort of secret. They claim they know how to find success, seize it, and hold onto it. They make it sound so easy. They make it sound like the lottery winners who lose all their money have no excuses.

Well, as much as I despise excuses, there are exceptions when it comes to success. If you’re lucky, you don’t have to learn the hard way. For most people, they don’t even have to learn it. It’s just something you tend to realize through experience, but even when we realize it, we don’t want to put it into to words and for good reason. When you break down the components of success, it’s kind of depressing to say the least.

Now I don’t claim to know squat about success. If I did, I’d be sending signed copies of my novels to Jennifer Lawrence and Natalie Portman on a weekly basis. I only know what everybody knows to some extent, but refuses to acknowledge.

In that knowledge, we understand that success has three vital components.

  1. Having talent, which not everybody has
  2. Being willing to work, which not everybody is
  3. Having a certain amount of luck, which not everybody gets

It’s the giant caveat that grade school teachers and “Back To The Future” left out. We’re all told as kids that we can do anything we set our minds to. Doc Brown gave that advice to Marty McFly on more than one occasion. That works great in the movies. In real life, it has the same effect as rubbing goat piss on your feet.

Maybe it’s because we want to protect our children from the harsh realities of the world and I can understand that to some extent, but that doesn’t make those realities any less harsh. When it comes to success, we’re often at the mercy of forces beyond our control.

I’m not just talking about the luck aspect either. For some people, it doesn’t matter how determined or dedicated you are. You could wake up every morning at 4 a.m. and practice throwing a football until 3 a.m. You’ll still never be as good a quarterback as Tom Brady because he just has a unique talent for it.

The same goes for skills beyond throwing a football. You can be the most charismatic actor or actress in the world. You could have all the talent you need. However, if you don’t have the body of Jennifer Lawrence or the sex appeal of George Clooney, you’re not going to get the same chances. That talent just isn’t enough. It isn’t fair, but the real world has a knack for kicking fairness in the ass on a daily basis.

There are even people who do have immense talent, but they’re just not willing to work at it. We never hear about these people, but we probably know someone in our lives who has uncanny talent in something, but just chooses to do nothing with it. It’s tragic, but it’s another one of those forces that are beyond our control.

Even if we do have the sex appeal of George Clooney, the talent of Tom Brady, and the body of Jennifer Lawrence, there’s still that nasty thing called luck. This is, by far, the most frustrating component of success because it’s “kind of” random to some extent.

I say “kind of” because I’m not talking about the luck that involves lottery tickets, Las Vegas, or the NFL draft. Luck can be guided to some extent, but only to a point. Tom Brady was a 6th round draft pick that nobody thought could play as more than a backup. There were 31 other teams who had a chance to draft him, but didn’t. Instead, he ended up going to New England.

Whether by luck or toil, Brady ended up on a team with a coach and a system that perfectly complemented his talents. Would he have succeeded as much as he did if he went to another team? That’s hard to say, but most can’t see him doing what he did with the Cleveland Browns.

Sometimes we have to put ourselves in a position for luck to find us. Sometimes we have to gamble that the luck will be there if we seek it. It doesn’t always pay off, but again, it’s not like the lottery or Las Vegas.

This is where the advice of someone like Scott Adams, the Dilbert guy, comes into play again. He often says in his books that success likes to hide in the ashes of failure. When you take into account the three ingredients I mentioned earlier, that makes perfect sense.

The thing about the lottery is that you have to pay to play the game. As such, it’s set up so that the odds are so remote that the math is just never on your side. It’s how Las Vegas makes its money and how the lottery is a $70 billion industry. With most other forms of success, there’s no ticket to buy. It’s free to keep playing.

That’s the key to some extent. If something is free to play, then the math is suddenly on your side, no matter how remote the odds are. Play an unlimited amount of times and eventually, the most unlikely outcome will occur. This isn’t always possible for fields like acting, modeling, or basket weaving. However, it does help balance out the depressing outlook.

With publishing, the odds are against me. I don’t deny that. However, it’s another one of those games that’s free to play. Sure, it comes with a lot of rejection, but you can make the law of averages work for you.

Other writers have done just that. The book, Twilight, was rejected by 14 publishers before it got picked up. The hit show “Breaking Bad” was rejected by multiple networks, including HBO and FX, before getting picked up by AMC. Ironically, it seems as though there’s a lot of failure that goes into success.

I didn’t keep track of how many times I got rejected. I’d rather not sift through that many emails. However, I don’t use this as an excuse to get discouraged. I use this as an incentive to get better. That’s something else that teachers and after school specials never taught us as kids. We have to keep improving.

It kind of clashes with the whole message that, “You’re so great, no matter what anyone else says!” The truth is that we are all a work-in-progress. If we don’t keep improving at whatever we do, be it writing erotica/romance or learning to deep-fry a turkey, we’re not going to find success. We’re only going to fall into the same pit as those who think they have a chance at winning the lottery.

For the record, though, I do buy lottery tickets. I don’t buy many. I never spend more than pocket change on them, but again, the odds of playing are better than zero, which are the only odds you get if you don’t play.

Success is an unpredictable force and one that not everybody achieves in life. However, it is possible to put yourself in a position to experience it. It often takes more than your teachers and favorite movie stars ever told you, but it’s something worth pursuing. We only have one life to live, after all. Why not make the most of it?

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December 10, 2016 · 8:54 am

Marketing My Novels (And Why That Scares Me)

I have a confession to make. No, it’s not one of those confessions that involve the absence of pants, the presence of cameras, and a companions who may or may not be getting paid by the hour. This is the kind of confession that would make a Catholic Priest yawn and roll his eyes.

In wake of the news that my first published erotica/romance novel, “Embers of Eros,” will be released on December 20, 2016, I feel I need to make something clear. I know nothing about marketing a book or being a salesman. In fact, if there was a way to know less than nothing, I would. My experience with sales is restricted to the traffic I generate on this blog, which is every bit as limited as it sounds.

I make this confession in hopes of establishing where I’m coming from as I try to build my career as a published author. As I’ve said before, I know I’m behind the curve. I know I have a long way to go before I can achieve the success I want. “Embers of Eros” and “Passion Relapse” are just small steps, but they’re still significant.

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A more significant step, though, involves actually selling these steamy hot romance/erotica books I write. I’m not going to mince words. That kind of terrifies me. Asking me to be a successful salesman is like asking me to do brain surgery. I’m woefully ill-equipped.

That’s not to say I have no experience whatsoever in convincing people to buy something. In my youth, I did a few odd jobs here and there that involved some light selling. I even dipped my toes into those dumb get-rich-quick-schemes that seem to flood the internet like updates to the iPhone.

Thankfully, I never got suckered into a scheme that cost me a lot of money. The problem, or benefit in this case, is that I tend to overthink a situation and I usually end up finding a flaw. That’s often why my writing, as well as my depictions of seamy love scenes, are so thorough. It’s just a quirk I’ve always had.

It’s a good quirk if you’re writing detailed, intricate love scenes in a romance/erotica novel. It’s not a good quirk when you have to think on your feet while convincing a total stranger to buy your crap. I’m not the Wolf of Walls Street and not just because I don’t pop Quaaludes off a stripper’s ass.

This is why I’m so determined to get the support of a publisher. It’s my sincere hope that they employ people who actually know a thing or two about selling a book, or anything for that matter. All of the self-published books I’ve written have little to no marketing behind them. This blog, and my social media feeds, are pretty much all I’ve got.

I’m hoping that, with the publication of two erotica/romance books, I can change that. I understand that if I want to be successful in this endeavor, I need to learn new skills. I need to learn how to sell myself and, more importantly, I have to know how to do that while keeping my pants on.

I hope that the publishers I work with will give me some help here and hopefully it isn’t the kind of help that makes for lousy late-night infomercials whose pitchmen tend to end up in prison. I have some ideas. Unfortunately, I have no idea if they’re any good.

Those ideas include things like doing a few more YouTube videos, like I did for “Skin Deep.” They also include something akin to a podcast. Hell, I’m willing to make T-shirts and do crazy publicity stunts at this point if it’ll help me become a more successful writer. I just have to do this while dealing with my inescapable predilection to overthinking a situation.

To anyone and everyone who has some experience in this field, I seek your guidance. Just understand that my skills in selling a book are woefully inept compared to my skills in crafting a book. I can make the product. I just need someone to help me sell it. I just hope I don’t get flagged by the DEA for writing those words.

I’ll provide more updates on what happens with my publishers and “Embers of Eros.” For now, I’m taking a wait-and-see-and-adapt approach, not forgetting that I lack certain skills at the moment to carry me forward. I hope 2017 gives me a chance to change that. Only time will tell. If it means being able to share my sexy stories with more people, then I say it’s a worthwhile endeavor.

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November 18, 2016 · 6:05 am

Possible Project Changes After “Passion Relapse”

Just wanted to do another quick follow up on the big news that one of my novels, “Passion Relapse,” has been accepted by a publisher. At the moment, I’m just waiting for a contract and a release schedule. Naturally, I’m as giddy as a school girl in a kitten farm. This news has already made my holiday in a big way. It may also very well affect my resolutions for 2017.

I promise I’ll get back to discussing random sexy topics, but I wanted to touch on some of the far-reaching impacts of this development in my aspiring romance/erotica career. Make no mistake. This development with “Passion Relapse” will impact my plans. It’s just a matter of degree.

Prior to this development, I had been entertaining various ideas for novels. Some were focused heavily on romance. Some were focused heavily on erotica. Some even incorporated elements of BDSM. I had no shortage of ideas and plenty of desire to develop them all. However, the success of “Passion Relapse” may require that I be more selective.

A book like “Passion Relapse” focuses heavily not just on romance, but heavy melodrama. This is not the kind of drama you’ll get in badly-acted softcore porn. The melodrama here is intended to be intense, heartfelt, and emotional. Me being a natural hugger, this kind of melodrama has a unique appeal to me. I also feel like it makes me uniquely qualified to write these kinds of stories.

As such, I intend to focus on these themes in 2017. Now don’t worry. I’ll still include plenty of sexy bits. There are more than a few in “Passion Relapse,” but if you’re looking for something of the more Hustler variety, you’ll have to be content with some of my previous works like “The Final Communion” or “The Secrets of Sadfur Island.”

That’s not to say I won’t tell stories like that. Before I got the news about “Passion Relapse,” I had been working on a novel that has romantic elements, but focuses far more on erotica elements. It doesn’t boast the same melodrama as “Passion Relapse,” but there is some drama. There are some elements for fans of love, romance, and boy bands to appreciate. A lot of those elements are just done without clothes.

Now I intend to finish this story. It’s already so far along that it doesn’t make sense to end it now. However, it may be one of those stories that I opt to self-publish so I can focus on building my brand around more romance-heavy novels. I already have a few ideas in mind that I hope will make your heart race and your panties moisten.

If that’s to be my slogan, so be it. If the brand of Jack Fisher novels is built around racing hearts and moist panties, then I’m okay with that. My method for building that brand will depend largely on how this new publisher I’m working with handles “Passion Relapse.” Between this novel and “Embers of Eros,” I think I have a foundation for a passionate, sexy brand and I hope to develop that brand in 2017 and beyond.

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November 17, 2016 · 6:13 am

Big News: “Passion Relapse” Accepted By Publisher!

I was going to look for another fun, sexy topic to discuss on this blog, but something big has come up. It’s so big that it may very well be a defining moment in my aspirations to become an erotica/romance writer. I hope I can look back on this day and say to myself, “It all began on that fateful day! Now why am I still wearing pants again?”

A while back, I got a promising email from a publisher that I had sent a manuscript to. This alone is a big deal. I have no fewer than four finished manuscripts gathering dust on my hard drive. I’ve sent out query letters to dozens upon dozens of publishers and agents. For the most part, I get a quick and brief rejection letter. So getting an email that was promising in any capacity is a big freakin’ deal for me.

With this particular publisher, it was not an outright rejection letter, nor was it a fat royalty check the likes of which would make Stephen King blush. Instead, this publisher informed me that the manuscript I pitched, “Passion Relapse,” had some potential. They were interested in developing that potential, but only if I was willing to make some edits.

I was definitely willing. I put aside nearly all of my other side-projects, stayed up late, and drank a few extra glasses of whiskey to do those edits. These were not simple grammar tweaks either. I actually had to rewrite the entire ending of the book.

Now I can understand how some writers may take that personally. Some writers see that as a knock on their talent. Seeing as how I’ve accomplished little outside self-publishing my novels and talking about sex-positive superheroes on my blog, I literally can’t afford that kind of ego. As such, I assume every manuscript I write is flawed and needs edits. This publisher gave me a chance and I seized the opportunity.

Those late nights and extra glasses of whiskey paid off. After sending the edited manuscript back to the publisher, I had to wait a while for them to review it. As always, that wait was pretty damn agonizing, but so worth it. This is the response I got:

Congratulations! We are going to offer you a contract for Passion Relapse. You did a superb job on your rewrite and we love your author voice. Bravo! I have to tell you that we don’t accept a lot of new authors without a proven track record, so you should be very pleased.

Naturally, I’m very pleased. I had to fight the urge to do a backflip when I got that email and not just because it probably would’ve ended with me falling flat on my face. Finally, someone is taking a chance on me. Finally, someone is giving me the opportunity to share my work with a larger audience.

It’s an opportunity I hope to seize. This novel, “Passion Relapse,” should make hearts race, pants tighten, and panties moisten. I will continue to work with this publisher, whose name I’ll keep private until everything is finalized, but I’ll definitely post updates here on this blog.

This is an exciting time in the world of Jack Fisher. I look forward to sharing that excitement with many others.

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November 6, 2016 · 9:08 am

“Passion Relapse” Edits Complete And Sent!

Well it took several late nights, a few extra glasses of whiskey, and more than one setback along the way, but I did it! I completed the edits to my “Passion Relapse” manuscript and sent it to the publisher. Now, it’s back to my least favorite part of the process, which is waiting for a response/rejection.

To date, I’ve endured mostly rejections and/or frustrating delays for other books, namely “Embers of Eros.” I’m really hoping that this response from “Passion Relapse” is a sign. The publisher I’m working with has been a lot more responsive than others. They’ve actually taken the time to discuss revisions with me rather than just rejecting it outright. To me, that shows they’re serious to some degree.

It still remains to be seen just how serious they are. I don’t want to get my hopes up too much. Like I said, most of my efforts to get a publisher on my side has ended in rejection. While I am frustrated, I am not discouraged. I have plenty more ideas for sexy, romantic stories and I intend to pursue those ideas.

However, I understand that I still cannot get my ideas out there without the aid of a publisher. As much as I enjoy talking about crazy sexy issues on this blog, I would like to make a career out of writing erotica/romance novels. I’m not Stephen King (yet) so I’m a long way from that goal at the moment. I really do hope that changes soon.

With “Passion Relapse,” I think it’s a solid demonstration of what I can do. It’s a story that emphasizes both romance and erotica fairly equally. It has characters that are complex, three-dimension, and genuine. There’s no magic, superpowers, or aliens in this story. It focuses on two ordinary people with an unusual problem that brings them together.

This story has something for romance fans to enjoy. This story has something for erotica fans to enjoy. It has moments men will enjoy. It has moments women will enjoy. It’s a story that has something for everyone. That’s why I sincerely hope something comes of this. If “Passion Relapse” is to be my first published piece, then I think it’ll be a great way to introduce my sexy brand to the world.

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October 29, 2016 · 9:22 am

Update On Publisher Response For “Passion Relapse”

It’s been a while since I’ve updated everyone on the status of my manuscripts. There’s a good reason for that, albeit an infuriating one. That haven’t been many updates. In fact, the deadline for Crimson Frost Publishing to set a schedule for “Embers of Eros” is fast approaching. I really don’t want to run out of patience with them, but I’m getting uncomfortably close.

For that very reason, it was a breath of fresh air when I got another email from a publisher who is taking a look at another one of my unpublished manuscripts, “Passion Relapse.” This one has much more promise. I might dare to get my hopes up. Even though I’ve been burned before, I want to stay optimistic here.

Out of respect for the process, and to ensure I don’t upset anyone’s legal team, I won’t name the publisher or the name of the person I’ve been corresponding with. I’ll just say they’ve been very responsive and very constructive in their efforts to make “Passion Relapse” a real product. I’m not used to that sort of thing with publishers at this stage in my career, but I’d love to get used to it down the line.

It’s not going to be easy though. They’re not going to treat me like the next Stephen King, nor would I want them to. They’ve made it clear that “Passion Relapse” has some potential. Before they decide anything definitive, though, they want me to review it one more time and make a few edits if possible.

These edits aren’t large. They’re not asking me to rewrite entire sections or add ten new characters. They’re just asking me to tweak the mix of erotica and romance so that it has just the right blend. I can totally understand that and I’m definitely willing to make those edits.

I never write anything that I assume can’t be improved on some level. It’s not just about being your own harshest critic. It’s acknowledging that writing awesome novels is an ever-improving process. You have to keep improving, refining, and polishing your skills. You can’t ever just be satisfied with one novel or one particular writing style. You got to keep improving. That’s what I try to do with every book I write. Hell, I do it with each word I write.

The publisher told me there’s no strict timeline on this, but I intend to set aside some of my other projects and blog posts to do these edits. I want to get them back to the publisher as soon as possible, if only to let them know that I’m also responsive.

I sincerely hope something comes of this. I’d like this to be a stepping stone for other novels, past and present alike. I’ll provide more updates as they come in. For now, it’s all about the editing. A little extra romance here and a little extra sexiness there and “Passion Relapse” should get everyone’s blood flowing in all the right ways for all the right reasons.

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September 25, 2016 · 8:22 am

“Embers of Eros” Edits Have Arrived!

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Well, it took a little extra patience and some coaxing (as well as repeated emails), but I finally got the edits of “Embers of Eros” back from Crimson Frost. This is somewhat of a relief because it means they’re still putting time and energy into releasing this book, which would still mark my first ever book that wasn’t self-published. I don’t expect it to be a best seller, but you have to start somewhere.

According to the editor (who has not exactly been punctual, mind you), “Embers of Eros” will be released in time for the holidays if I can get these edits back within two weeks. It’s a deadline I gladly intend to meet. After that, I have to play the waiting game again and hope they release it in the time-frame they promise. That’ll require more than just hope, I imagine, but if it goes through, it’ll be something worth celebrating.

Given my current status as an aspiring erotica/romance writer, the bar for success is somewhat low. I didn’t get into this with the expectation that I would be the next Tolken or Rowling overnight. I understand that publishing is a tough business to break into. However, it’s one of those industries that is basically like a lottery that’s free the play. The odds are against you, but so long as you keep rolling the dice, the law of averages will eventually turn out in your favor.

I really do hope that Crimson Frost at least cracks the door or even a window into the romance/erotica market. I just need a little bit to get some attention for my work. From there, I hope I can get more publishers and/or agents to take note of my work.

As I’ve said before, I’m currently sitting on several manuscripts that I haven’t published yet. I have sent some to prospective publishers and agents, but so far only Crimson Frost has responded. With one publication under my belt, I hope this gives my submissions a bit more weight.

So for now, my main focus will be to complete these edits and get them back to Crimson Frost. Once I know more about the release schedule, I’ll be sure to announce it. Until then, I intend to explore other sexy topics on this blog. I haven’t decided which I’ll focus on, but I’ll figure it out once I’m in the mood. That’s exactly as dirty as it sounds.

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