#self published author

[writerinturmoil]

The Squish (a poem)

-Kimberly Rivera

I met them at a cowboy-themed party

Stetson hats, flannel shirts, cowboy boots

Fiddle and twangy guitar blasting loud

Scruffy people shuffling in a line

We spent the next three hours discussing Medieval France

(The Hundred Years’ War, The Norman Conquest, Battle of Tours)

And our favorite ice cream flavors

(Zanzibar, lime, Moose Tracks)

We both like The Color Purple and A Clockwork Orange

Apple juice with Corn Flakes

Walks along the bubbling brook

Stargazing on moonless nights

I learned about doo-wop

(The Harptones, The Moonglows, The Five Keys)

I taught them about Victorian poetry

(Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Matthew Arnold, Oscar Wilde)

We exchanged contact information

Boy, do I have a “squish” on them

I hope they have a “squish” on me

Then, the party ended with a yee-haw and a “Hell yeah!”

Note:

What is a squish?

A squish is a platonic crush. It's when you get to know someone and have an intense desire to become friends with them. People in the aro and ace communities commonly use this term.

[hellishrebukesystem]

Do you like obsessive relationships? Folk Horror and The Gothic? Are you interested in shows such as Supernatural, Yellowjackets, The Stand, and movies such as Midsommar, Carrie, and Saint Maud?

Boy do I have the collection of poetry for you!

SEWN, TOGETHER, ANEW is a collection of poetry about an obsessive and codependent relationship that has ended--it deals with themes of cannibalism, religious trauma and religious horror, and the apocalypse. It is a collection of art and poetry which brings together the feelings of yearning, isolation, and desperation that can really only be possible when it is the end of your world.

Find it now on amazon in print or attached to this post for free!

Be sure to check out my ko-fi shop at this location: https://ko-fi.com/hellishrebukesystem

[morganeboydauthor]

GHOSTS OF THE STEEL ROAD: PREORDER LIVE!

There are two kinds of people in life: somebodies and nobodies. Know exactly which one you are. Melandra Godfrey may not have had a good life, but it was at least a predictable life. Her father, the last private detective in Zarothe, may have had his long list of rules and the money never added up right, but at least both of those factors were consistent. But when Melandra’s father goes out of town on whatat first seems like a normal job, Melandra’s world becomes unpredictable. A string of murders stokes fears of cult activity. An on-and-off friend warns of strange dangers. A mysterious man arrives at her door with an even more mysterious letter. The Steel Road, the ever-present crux of trade in Zarothe, holds the key to the mysteries around Melandra and throughout her whole life. Getting the answers she wants may mean doing the very thing Melandra hates most: becoming somebody.

That's right, everyone, I have bitten the bullet and e-book preorders for Ghosts of the Steel Road are now LIVE.

Releasing in both e-book and paperback* format on September 26th, Ghosts of the Steel Road is a fantasy novel about prophecies, cults, and the strange things our parents do.

As my debut self-published novel, I will admit it's a little surreal, but I'm so excited to have these years of work out there, and now it's time to properly work on the sequel!

Also, here's that book cover reveal, finally. Decided to keep it simple in the end :D

Check out the e-book preorder here on Amazon!

*Paperback not available for preorder. Yell at KDP about that one. Link will be given for paperback on Sept. 26.

[transannabeth]

happy five years of less than three!!

less than three is officially quite a bit more than three, with its five year anniversary today!

it's hard to believe it's already been five years since it was first published. thank you so much to everyone who has continued supporting me through the ups and downs. every bit of support i've received has meant so much to me, and whether you are a new or a returning reader, i hope this book will hold a special place for each of you. <3

i still happen to have some merch left over from the release, so if you're interested in getting merch or a signed copy, you can buy it here!

Ren has been in love with his best friend for the past three years. He has no intention of confessing, but he can't seem to move on. Calliope has spent most of her life dancing. She's decided to put other interests before it now, but it's hard to let go of something she fought so hard for. Ingrid plans to start over in college, to go beyond what held her back in high school. It's much easier in theory than in practice. Less Than Three is a collection of three short stories about a group of friends. Together, they shoulder their way through romance, all-nighters, and the occasional dragon.

goodreads ♥ amazon ♥ elsewhere ♥ signed copies

[maverick-werewolf]

Happy Halloween - Nonfiction and Fiction for the season!

It's almost Halloween - now is the perfect time to pick up books both nonfiction and fiction on many scary topics! With my books The Werewolf: Past and Future and my edition of Baring-Gould's irreplaceable 1800s subject-spanning folklore source The Book of Werewolves, you'll learn about the fascinating history of werewolf legends and much more! They're must-haves if you like werewolves or even if you don't know why on earth other people like them so much (seriously, you'll find out).

And for all your terrifying fiction needs, I have a selection of dark tales ranging from horror to adventure-horror and many things in-between, featuring zombies, other undead, ancient mummies, werebears, angry spirits, and much more, and of course - werewolves!

Click here to purchase books on my website!

or

Click here to view my Amazon Author page!

Books are also available across other booksellers and platforms, including many digital retailers. They are available in ebook, paperback, and some are even available in hardback formats.

Dare to pick up some copies and discover new, entirely self-published adventures!

Happy Halloween!

[oatmilk-vampire]

I don’t talk about my books often, but this is something monumental.

My book just made its way to my local library on Friday, and to my atonishment people actually want to read. Are actually reading it.

I'm this close to having a panic attack.

[readingteabooks]

The Stones Stay Silent by Danny Ride

Leiander is an asexual trans man in a world ruled by strict religious doctrine that dictates even stricter gender roles. When a plague breaks out across the land, the priestesses of his village blame him - and his gender non-conformity - for bringing it upon them. With the help of a friendly demon, Kevv'ach, Lei is able to escape their attempts at conversion therapy and flee his village. He determines to make a pilgrimage to the great stone lith in Horizon, said to be a conduit of the gods' power, with the hope that has the power to change his body to match his gender. 

The story follow's Lei's journey from his small village, to a larger town where he spends a winter working for a very nice couple who run a less nice inn. All the while he is confronted with the effects of the plague, and the drastic measures the Church is going to to halt its spread (with little success). When at last he reaches Horizon things there are only worse. And it turns out that the Church may be keeping secrets of its own which, if revealed, could alter the course of history.

This is very much a character-driven story rather than a plot-driven one. It is entirely focused on Leiander and his journey, both physical and emotional. It is meandering and slow, but I never felt like it dragged. The world is so well realized that I simply enjoyed learning about it alongside Lei and Kevv. There are moments of action and excitement, scenes that are tense or frightening, but these are few and far between. Lei's journey is long and sometimes monotonous, as real life often is. I personally enjoyed the slow pace of the novel, the gradual exploration of the world, meeting the diversity of people in it, and the lingering suspicions that lead up to a reveal. If that is the sort of book you enjoy, then I think you would enjoy this one, but if you're looking for an action-packed adventure with a huge climax, this is not the story for you.

Also there are recipes at the end! I wanna make them.

[magerightsyeah]

[author-a-holmes]

Nanowrimo 2023 Wrap Up...

So, I didn't make my 75k or break any personal records, but I'm really not mad about that. I don't know why I thought November was the nano event to try that in, November nano's are almost always a disaster for me. In fact, this is only the second time I've ever hit 50k in November.

But hit it, I did! Final count at 1-minute-to-midnight on November 30th was 51,841 words, which has brought my Darkling Manuscript up to 92,696. That's almost doubled the words I've written throughout the rest of 2023 which is incredible, and I'm so happy.

It also means that it looks like I'm still on track to complete the manuscript by January, which was really my main goal. All in all, I'd call this Nanowrimo a resounding success.

If you're interested in some of my other statistics, I've got some more numbers beneath the cut...

Number of Sprints in November: 132 Sprints Time Spent Writing in November: 43 hours, 45 minutes Estimated Remaining: 20-25k words or 7-10 Chapters.

[booksbybrennon]

✧*:･ﾟ✧ .・゜゜

meet the main character: silas callisto turner

19 // he/him // astrophysics major

ftm, achillean

favorite drink: boba

favorite book: the darkness outside us

favorite color: space cadet blue

quote: “Nothing will change. Your past will be just as traumatic and cumbersome as it was the first time you lived it. You fall asleep nine years ago and hope you wake up in the present. At a certain point, the words “past” and “present” lose their meaning. But you keep a record, because you're a scientist. You track the days and study the data, but there's no pattern.

No equation.

You are at the mercy of the universe and you don't know why.”

✧*:･ﾟ✧ .・゜゜

Falling Into You - LGBTQ+ Romance w/ Sci-Fi Twist

Silas Turner, a Black trans college student in STEM, has been experiencing a strange phenomenon since he was young: his tomorrow's aren't always tomorrow. Seemingly at random, he falls into his past and relives hours, days, or weeks before returning to the moment he left. While dealing with the dysphoria from his time-trips, he tries to learn why this is happening to him and how to fix it. He only begins to find the answers when he meets Jude Forrester, a handsome and familiar stranger, who's been experiencing the same thing.

Visit the link below for purchase options as low as $4.99

[bee-barnes-author]

Hit 10k words on my necromancer manuscript yesterday!

Also the hardback proof for the beast in the glass house showed up last night! Getting my self publishing plan in order in case no agents want it.

[writerinturmoil]

Autism and Friendship

I don’t understand how people have “friends” plural. I only have one “friend” whom I see once or twice a year. Most days, I’m alone, so it’s like I don’t have any friends at all. Maybe, they don’t even exist. 

As someone with AuDHD, I find it difficult to make and keep friends. I often feel misunderstood or unable to understand others. Many social niceties seem unnecessary and pointless. Many social scripts seem clunky and indecipherable. Many social interactions seem enigmatic and incomprehensible. 

When I treat people with dignity and respect, they tell me that I’m a horrible person. When I try to explain myself, people tell me that I’m arguing. When I try to be open and honest, people tell me that I’m being rude. When I try to contribute to the conversation, people tell me that I'm sticking my nose into their business. Honestly, I don’t know what to do anymore. 

What works in one situation never works in the next. What pleases one person never pleases another. What one considers an act of kindness, another considers a stab in the back. What one finds funny, another finds insulting.

Seriously, I can’t do this anymore. I’m tired and exhausted every day even with eight hours of sleep a night. Why should I always mould my communication style to others? Why can’t others mould theirs to mine?

As an AroAce, I crave a friendship deeper than the ocean depths, but I seem doomed to find only those no deeper than a teaspoon of stagnant water. 

I know that I shouldn’t give up. I know that I should keep trying. But at forty-one, I’m beginning to feel that it’ll never happen. I’m beginning to feel that I should just accept my fate. I’m beginning to feel that once my madre dies, I’ll be utterly alone. I’m beginning to feel that I’m a truly unlovable person. 

Perhaps, I’m just being pessimistic and catastrophizing the situation. (Deep breath.) Okay, I won’t give up yet. Once I’ve decompressed and reset my emotions, I’ll try again. What else can I do?

Well, that’s all I have for today. Until next time, take care and stay curious.

[hellishrebukesystem]

why would i like obsessive relationships... it's not a judgement, but a question coming out of honest curiosity, as in what captivated you in them?

I think of obsessive relationships as the corner stone of Gothic Literature--the weird borderline between love and completely being consumed. I don't think they are healthy or ideal and it is not the way I'd want to live my real life (having experience a few relationships that border on eroticmania...) but it is an interesting trope of horror and romance...I think as a poetic device it can be quite beautiful.

[apolline-lucy]

Will you self publish your next book too?

Yes, my upcoming book will also be self-published!

I have loved the process of self-publishing my two previous books and I have learnt a lot from it. I am so much prouder of this third book in terms of storytelling, editing, and formatting. This time, I have received the advice of a literary editor for my opening chapters, which was very helpful. But otherwise I love that I was able to control and do everything on my own from the writing to the design. Self-publishing is a lot of work but the freedom it gives is so worth it. Now I’m just really looking forward to seeing it out there and holding it in my hands!

Add THE HOLLOWS to your Goodreads tbr

Preorder the ebook HERE

[aislingstorm]

Looking for a spooky, supernatural romance for the Halloween season??? Check out my newest release, Halloween Hollow, the 1st in a mini-series of mysteries surrounding an old estate rehab, ghosts who seek justice, and romantic intrigue between dynamic characters. Available on Kindle and paperback. FREE for Kindle Unlimited members!

Get it HERE!

[heylookitsdaryl]

from my novel drown