Being a Busy Bee

I can't believe it's March!  YAY!  Means I'm about a month and a half away from my schedule going back to normal when I'll be able to write more.  I'm also finally not sick as a dog - I'm like 90% healthy at this point I think.  So close to being totally good again!!!!

I spent this past weekend doing little things for the writing... the Poker Loser trilogy has new covers (and I just realized that I need to update them on their blog page).  Amazon is being slow about getting them up, but Barnes & Noble and Smashwords has them.  Thank you RaineyCloud9 for doing such a gorgeous job!  She and I have also been talking about the next two Stronghold covers, after which she will be retiring from doing my covers, which makes me super sad, but she's been a phenomenal help and I'm so thankful for all the amazing covers she's done for me.

Venus Desiring is going to be available as a paperback soon, and hopefully Venus Transcendent won't be too far behind.  Once they're all out, I'll probably do some kind of giveaway.

In the meantime, I am SO CLOSE to finishing Hathor: Milking Meggie (that's what I've decided to call it), the first book of the Worlds Apart series.  That's for my Dark Angel penname.  Pretty excited about it because it's the first totally new story that I've done for Dark Angel, the others have all been based off of Lit stories.

Speaking of Lit stories, I had another author feel inspired by my Witch series on Lit that she emailed me, asking if she could write a story that popped into her head as she was reading it.  I'm super flattered to know that my work inspired someone else's, because I'm inspired by others all the time.  The first chapter is now available and I really enjoyed reading it, and seeing both the similarities and the differences between our stories.  Check out A Tale of Revenge on Lit if you get a chance.

If you're curious about what's going on with Stronghold, check out the previous blog post... I put up a lot of hints about what's coming up in the next novella =)  Pretty excited about it!  I'm looking forward to really sinking my teeth into it as soon as I finish these last two chapters of Hathor!

Hints About Stronghold

Omgoodness...

This past week is basically one big blur, during which I got very little done thanks to what was probably the worst winter cold I've had in years.   I'm still not 100%, although I'm a lot better than I was.  It's been a rough week.

There is some good news though... I think I'm two chapters away from finishing my Dark Angel novella... it might even be just one chapter and an epilogue away =)  Which is definitely exciting!  I don't think I'll have it out before February is over, but I should def be done by the beginning of March!  After that, I'll be starting work on the Stronghold novella, which omgoodness I'm getting so excited about!  The fact that I didn't have the energy to write this week means that all my creative juices have been stewing like mad and I've had so many ideas for the novella!!!!

Since I don't have anything better to write about (since I haven't gotten any more work done on Marriage Training or Homeschooled this week), I'm going to give you all a little sneak peek about some of the things I'm planning for the novella...

- First of all, I'm not sure Jake's going to get a POV.  There's already a lot going on in this novella, but he is going to eventually get his own novella, and we will, of course, be getting to know him better through the eyes of the rest of the group.

- Olivia teaching a class of newbie Doms... because the best way to learn is to experience things firsthand (like what a flogger feels like)

- Patrick's got a new toy in the club, a Sybian, and one of our couples is going to test it out for him.

- Someone's ex is going to be causing serious division among the group

- Lexie's struggling a bit with the whole 24/7 submitting thing, especially when what she wants doesn't exactly line up with what Patrick wants

- Jess is determined to have it out with Justin and Chris about their excluding her from their discussions about where their relationship is going

- A closer glimpse at both Master Michael and Ellie

- Jared and Leigh's first date... or is it a date?  Or just a hangout?  Can a first date be a first date if it's perfect and romantic but doesn't end with a first kiss?

So yeah... hopefully that all sounds intriguing to you all =)  Otherwise, well, I'm screwed LOL.  Lexi Blake, one of my favorite authors, had a facebook post earlier this week when her latest release came out, asking if there were other authors who had 20+ books out that still got nervous that no one was going to buy the new one.  Which, I am definitely one of those.  I'm always afraid that my latest idea is terrible and people either aren't going to buy it, or are going to buy it and return it and leave 1 star, angry reviews about how terrible it was.  Constant author fear.

Friday the 13th

Funny enough, I love Friday the 13th.  Not the movie.  The day.  I usually have really good days on Friday the 13th.

Today... eh.  Mostly cuz I woke up not feeling well at ALL.  Unfortunately, I can't call sick out of work because it's THAT TIME of year and I didn't have a fever and wasn't throwing up, and my stupid sense of morality wouldn't let me lie about it and call out sick.  An overactive conscious can be seriously inconvenient.   Hubby's been feeling not-so-hot too.  We might be skipping the "going out" Valentine's Day plans and staying in if I don't end up feeling better by tomorrow morning.  Which I'm not too optimistic about because we can't miss my father-in-law's birthday tonight, which will probably keep us out somewhat late, and I have to get up and come into work tomorrow.  Because it's THAT TIME of year.

In the meantime, I'm drinking lots of Bolthouse Farms' Green Goodness (which, if I'd been drinking on the regular like I usually do, I bet I wouldn't have gotten sick), Yogi tea's Throat Comfort, Dayquil, etc. etc.

I'm also getting some writing done.  I think I'm about 2/3 of the way through my Dark Angel book... which I'm probably just going to call Hathor.  No, most people don't know who Hathor is, but if they google it then I'll look clever for calling a hucow book that.  LOL.  Cuz I'm all about making sure that people know that I'm clever.  Btw, as far as I can tell, "clever" on Doctor Who means freaking genius, so there ya go.  Anyway.  I'm hoping to have that done and released sometime next month and then I'll be focusing on the Stronghold novella.  Yes, of course I'm also working on Marriage Training, but I have no idea when that might be coming out since I'm trying to do the traditional publishing route for that.

There are soooo many ideas percolating in my head for the Stronghold novella that I'm really excited about.  Since I'm breaking it up into so many different POVs, I'm figuring out what's going on with each couple and what their POV chapter is going to be about.  If you didn't get the YellowSilkDreams newsletter with Will & Gina's short, that's also going to be included in this novella =)  Since I'm doing the diff POVs anyway.  I'm having a blast coming up with everything that's going to be packed into this novella.  It's nice to be working on the Dark Angela novella while I let all this stuff whirl around my head, like it's a stew that's cooking and the longer it's cooked, the thicker and more complex all the flavors become.  That's how I tend to think about my stories while they're evolving inside my head, and that's why I always take breaks in between the books to work on a different series.  Gotta give the characters time to stew.

Should have the next chapter of Homeschooled submitted sometime soon too.  Feeling super accomplished about finishing these previously started series on Lit. This one is going to be especially fun, because Becky is a dirty dirty girl and she's eventually going to be a hot little slutwife.  That's where I'm headed anyway.  I swear, I don't have anything against home schooling, although I know it might seem that way from some of the stories that I write, my issue is with the people who use homeschooling to try to brainwash their children and keep them from certain realities of the world, because, from what I've seen (having known quite a few people who were homeschooled), the ones whose parents did it for those reasons are INCREDIBLY easy to take advantage of in some ways.  They're also kind of crazy sometimes.  Fortunately, I've mostly met totally normal ones who have totally normal lives... but there are some out there whose parents have done them a major disservice, all in the name of controlling them completely.

Anyway.  I think that's enough of my Dayquil-induced ramblings.  I hope you've enjoyed.  I was like THISCLOSE to calling this blog "boobies" and just rambling on about Hathor, hucows and other boobie related things.  Hooray for boobies!  (that's a song, FYI, in case you didn't know. Bloodhound Gang.  Look it up.  Great song.)

Homeschooled Ch. 3

So, in case you missed it, the third and final chapter to Tomboy Tease was posted on Literotica, and now Chapter 3 of Homeschooled is available as well... which is def NOT the final chapter of that series =)  It is a bit of a short chapter, but the next one will be longer.  I'm looking forward to playing more with Becky.  In some ways she reminds me of Chryssa =)  Lots of passion and curiosity, but she's not quite as brazen.  Plus... she's not in the future or far far away LOL.

Definitely having fun closing out these old series, although I'm also looking forward to the day when I'll be able to start something totally new for Literotica.

I've been having an overwhelming influx of ideas which has made it hard for me to focus on any one story.  I actually had to get out the beginnings of an entirely NEW story (a fairly dark version of Beauty and the Beast from first person POV) just to get the voice out of my head so I could concentrate on the stuff I'm supposed to be working on.  I'll probably go back to that on once I'm done with my current Dark Angel piece.  I've just gotta sort things out in my head and keep that voice quiet until I can finish the other stuff.  Stupid voices in my head.

Right now I'm trying to focus on the Dark Angel Meggie Gets Milked (working title lol) and Marriage Training, with a side focus on Homeschooled for Literotica and then working on Broken when I feel like it.  Although I think I need to change Broken's title, but we'll see.  Since it's going to be from multiple Stronghold POVs, I have no idea what to call it now.

I hope everyone's having a good weekend... anyone doing anything fun for Valentine's Day next week?  Hubby and I are going on a V-day date for the first time in years (last year we stayed in, ordered Chinese, turned on Big Bang Theory and played Magic all night); going out to a nice restaurant and then to see The Kingsmen.  Super excited about that =)  Of course, this will be after a day of work for me.  *sigh*  But at least we get to have a nice evening together and I'm really looking forward to that!  Esp because we have a gift certificate for the restaurant... el cheapo! hahahahaha

Hathor Teaser

So, here's another glimpse into the book I'm writing for my Dark Angel pen name, the hucow / breast milk fetish one.  Granted, it's probably not for everyone, but hopefully some of you will find it interesting =)

"Welcome aboard, welcome, thank you," said Warden Kase, a stout man of middling age with a large bald spot on the front of his forehead.  He was a remarkably cheerful Warden, probably Leo's favorite.  

Leo had been representing Hathor and choosing the new cows for about five years now, and the prison ships came around about twice a year.  So far he'd met four different Wardens, but he felt that Kase had the best handle on the inmates' states of mind and on recommending their placements.

He smiled a greeting at the other representatives, whom he all recognized; Carolina from Hebe, Morgan from Xanthos, and Brock from Seirios.  Carolina had been a representative for about ten years, but she never seemed to tire of it.  A lot of representatives eventually got bored with finding new immigrants and placing them, or they found their own reason to stay at home in the form of a special pet or (in Hebe's case) a little.  But Carolina remained unattached.  Morgan had started representing Xanthos around the same time as Leo, and this was Brock's second time on board one of the prison ships.  Still, privately Leo thought that Brock had done well last time, choosing who he would be taking back to Seirios with him.  He was sure Brock would do well again.

It was important work.  All of their worlds needed new blood coming in to cater to the citizens' desires.  But they had to choose carefully.  After all, the men and women they were choosing from were criminals.  None of them hardened, but they weren't innocent either.

The Allied Worlds preferred a humane approach to dealing with most criminals.  Most established planets, unless they rigorously controlled immigration like Hathor and the others did, had an overpopulation problem.  They didn't want to house inmates in prisons.  Besides which, the Allied Worlds also had an abhorrence for unproductive members of society.  Everyone was expected to contribute in some manner to the betterment of humanity.

Criminals were, therefore, either sent to places like Hathor - where at least someone would getsome use out of them - or on to the Colonies where they'd be forced to be productive just to survive.  Non-violent criminals got three chances, and then they were given the choice: one of the four prison planets or the colonies.

Thankfully, most of them chose one of the prison planets.  

Well, thankfully for men and women like him.  Leo knew that his own fetish wasn't considered normal by most of the Allied Worlds, but it didn't matter.  On Hathor, he wasn't alone.  And there were enough people on other worlds buying their product to make their herds well worth the effort and money put into them, also proving that quite a few people had their own secret fetishes.  Of course, some of the milk was used for children in hospitals or orphanages, etc., but some of it also went to private buyers.  Leo happened to know that the Hegemon of Earth was one such.  When the man retired, it wouldn't surprise Leo at all if he emigrated to Hathor.

"Good to see you again, Kase," Carolina said briskly.  Then again, she did everything briskly.  Her slick, straight red hair was cut at her chin so that it swung back and forth when she moved her head, making her movements seem even more staccato.  "How many do we have this time?"

"Only twenty-five, but I think it's a good batch," Kase said cheerfully as he closed the airlock behind them.  "I'd be surprised if any of you go home with no one, and even more surprised if any of them end up heading to the colonies."

"Good," said Brock with relief in his voice.  The others looked at him, and he blushed.  Although he was obviously a dominant man, he knew that the others had far more experience than him in this situation, and it made him slightly shaky on confidence.  Plus, he was young, Leo estimated only in his mid-twenties.  Leo himself was thirty-one, and he was the closest in age to Brock.  "We've had an influx of new citizens lately, and all of them have been clamoring for pets.  Unfortunately, we haven't had a similar influx of citizens desiring to fulfill that position."

They all nodded their heads in understanding.  That was the way of it sometimes when it came to new citizens for worlds with such particular customs; there was rarely a complete balance of dominants to submissives.  The inmates from the prison ships helped out some, of course.  They weren't always entirely eager, but they were voluntary, and most of them ended up quite happy in their new situations.  If they weren’t, they could always go to the Colonies instead.

"Well then," Kase said, leading them down the sterile grey hallway, towards the main part of the ship.  "Let's get started then."

From Terra - Last Chapter

Wow, I can't believe I've finished From Terra!  The last chapter is now out on Literotica =)  It definitely feels like an accomplishment considering I started the series almost a decade ago and I'm just finally getting around to finishing it!  I can't remember how I had originally planned to have it go / end, but I'm really happy with what ended up going on in it.  Good practice for playing with alien cultures too.  It's very possible that, when I get around to writing books set in the future, Brik might show up in them =P  He was definitely one of my favorite characters.

I've also written a last chapter for Tomboy Tease and submitted it.  I won't lie, it's not at the same level as a lot of the other stuff I've written lately, but that story was always meant to be a "quick jerk" kind of story.  So the last chapter is short.  Some people might be disappointed if they were hoping for a more involved story line.

However, the third series that I'm going to finish, Homeschooled is definitely going to be longer.  It's kind of funny, because the main character in that reminds me of Chryssa in some ways, although she's never going to be quite as blatantly sexual.  But she's definitely curious, passionate and motivated by pleasure.  Good times!  I'm looking forward to getting started on that, and if I manage to finish it this year (which, I can't imagine why I wouldn't, at this point), then I'll have completed one of my goals for 2015!  Which will be great =D

In the meantime... I'm hard at work on Marriage Training.  Facebook fans are getting occasional tidbits from the new section of the book.  Unfortunately, I'm not going to have a release date for this one for a while, even as I get closer to finishing it, because I have an agent that's interested in the book which may mean that it will go through a traditional publisher, rather than being self-published.  Which I'm super excited about, but it does mean that things are a little more up in the air about when it will come out.  But, I've got plenty else going on in the works...

I'm close to being 1/3 of the way through my Dark Angel novella.  I'm also starting to work on an outline for the Stronghold novella, figuring out what's going on with all the characters and what's going to be happening from their POV.  Should be fun!  Hopefully I can keep up the writing pace that I've had going for myself the past couple of weeks, because I've been feeling VERY productive.

Round Robin Rambling

I feel like I'm playing Round Robin with my stories.

I'm basically concentrating on one chapter at a time of each.  So far it's working out well though!  I'm getting a decent amount of writing done =)  I've finally finished From Terra, and that should be coming out sometime this week (yay!) and so I'm going to finish Tomboy Tease next.  I'm only going to take one chapter to finish that one before moving on to Homeschooled, which is going to be a longer series.  I'm definitely looking forward to that one, because I've come up with some interesting ideas for it =D  A little different than stuff I've done in the past.

Marriage Training and my Dark Angel book are coming along.  Haven't decided what to call the Dark Angel book yet.  I think the series is going to be called either Planets Apart or Worlds Apart.  I just don't know what to call each individual title.  I feel like it should have something to do with what the story is about, to indicate... but I've never named a story like this before.  Planets Apart - Hucow Heaven.  Heh heh... except that it's not supposed to be heavenly exactly.  Blech.  These are the weird things that go through my head when I'm trying to decide on things like titles.  If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to shout out!

I've decided to make the next Stronghold novella a compilation of different POV.  Leigh and Jared will have a lot of it, but the rest will be divided up between the other characters.  I'm looking forward to getting a peek into some of the old characters lives, as well as finally getting a glimpse of those who haven't had books yet!  Plus, it will be a good way for me to introduce some characters that are around, but who haven't gotten much attention (like Mike and Ellie).  Thank for everyone who put in their opinion on that one, it was pretty clear what people want and that always helps me out a lot!

In the meantime... I've got the busy season of my day job going on, which means working extra hours, trying to put together cosplays for the two Conventions I'm going to this year, my best friend's 30th birthday party, bridesmaid duties for another friend's wedding in April (shower and bachlorette party in Feb), ack!  Things are a bit crazy right now.  I'm excited about all of it though.  I'm taking my bestie on a surprise trip to Vegas (SO EXCITED), which I've never been to before... this is kind of my year for doing some big trips before hubby and I stop preventing children.  I say it that way because we're not exactly going to be ACTIVELY trying to have kids, but I'm going to go off my birth control this fall.  Eep!  utterly terrifying is what that is.

Anyway, since I know some of you are nerds and might appreciate this (okay, won't lie, I kinda just wanna share because I'm so freaking excited about my Cosplays)... for the Conventions I've got a variety of outfits going on.  My Black Canary outfit (which if you're a facebook fan, I'm pretty sure I posted a pic of myself in it last year) is completely finished - I was going to try to make a new jacket for it, but that's on the back burner until I'm done with my other stuff.  My Harley Quinn Burlesque outfit is complete, just waiting for the hat, which is on order.  I'm almost done with my River Song outfit, I just need the right wig and to make the belt and gun and do some easy alterations on the dress I have (I'm doing her green dress outfit).  My next big project is making a Death Eater outfit for hubby and Bellatrix Lestrange's dress for myself.  Pretty damn excited about ALL of that.

My friends and I are going in groups.  Black Canary and Green Arrow are what hubby and I did last year (and this year I'm particularly excited because Stephen Amell from CW's Arrow is going to be at DragonCon and you'd better believe we're planning on getting our pic with him while we're in our cosplay) and was a major hit.  Two of our other friends are doing Hawkeye and Black Widow so that we have a DC vs. Marvel thing going on =D  For the Batman stuff, we're doing a Burlesque / Victorian thing - bestie and I are doing Harley Quinn and Catwoman, the guys are doing Joker and Riddler.  And for HP we've got two death eaters, Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Umbridge.  I'm really looking forward to kid reaction on that one.

So yeah.  This is what I do with my free time.  Honestly, sometimes I'm amazed I have free time with which to do this shit.