INtrinSicliValud: Blog

May the Fourth be with you, always.

I’ve submitted Chapter 18 of “Aiden and the Ring” for posting. Aiden and Kendra spend some quality time in the park and she reveals her darkest secret. Chapter 19 is also now available on my Discord for supporters.

Now that I’m back and have gotten most of the beach sand from my clothes, I’m plugging hard on “Aiden and the Ring” while also continuing to scope out the work needed for “The Immortal.” So fear not, Jim is never far from my mind.

Oh, and as of the 30th, the poll closed for the next major story. It’s a tie: “Aiden Ascending” and “My First Gig.” So…. Hmm, I guess I’ll work both. There’s enough muses to go around.

Before I took my holiday, I posted two short side-stories for supporters on my Discord server. At the end of the month, I’ll be placing them for sale on Bookapy. They’re short, so think inexpensive and any proceeds support both the site and my future writing. The first one describes what happened to Mi right after she left Iakovos. The other provides a glimpse into the life of the previous ring “owner” and explains how it ended up in the muddy, rain-swept field.

Sequels to both will most likely be forthcoming as I rather enjoy the characters and their situations. Think more of a pleasant treat every once in a while, rather than a planned story arc. Embrace the chaos. Once completed, they’ll also be up for supporters on Discord and placed for sale on Bookapy month later.

Oh, and I’ve posted a sneak peek and draft cover for supporters on Discord of the first of an upcoming series of shorts and novellas tracing the rise of a rather talented young man.

And a special shout-out to those of you who’ve been kind enough to buy my works from Bookapy. You rock! Not only am I ever so very grateful for the extra income, but every purchase supports the site to boot. And folks spending hard-earned cash reinforces that I may actually be a sorta, kinda okay writer. Not the best, by far, but good enough that you find my works entertaining. And that to a new writer, dear readers, is utterly priceless. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And I’m sad to say goodbye to them all. Damn, I do love my characters. Sigh. This morning, I submitted the last chapter of “My First Fan” for posting, bringing Devin and Rachel’s “romance’ to a close. Can I call it a romance? Hmm. Also, Jenna and Mark Atwater? Romance? I’ve always wanted to place interesting characters in unusual situations and see what happens. While I love to plan and scribe steamy sex scenes, without enticing context and meaningful impact on the characters, it’s just bumping uglies.

Hence, the first challenge was to develop interesting characters. Behind-the-scenes snippet: in the original drafts, Mark’s character was nameless and possessed no back story. I rather think it worked out for the better. There’s already much more about Rachel and her husband, Greg, in the sequel. Ditto for Mark Atwater.

Second, to do this story justice offered a new challenge, building and running two concurrent fleshed-out tales within one story. Baby steps. I’m sure the more experienced writers out there are laughing. Oh, and write them both so they are at least mostly sorta believable.

For those of you kind enough to purchase it on Bookapy, my eternal gratitude. The funds I earn get turned into muse-generation stuff, and help support the site. Please note that I restored the original longer paragraphs for the ePub version.

Anyway, I’m so glad the story, one of my oldest, was so well-received. I’m continuing development on the sequel, “My First Gig.” Although it’s neck and neck with “Aiden Ascending” in the poll for my next story and its priority may slide. The poll, accessed via #concept-development on my Discord server, ends 30 April.

Right, taking some time off to relax on the beach for my birthday. 21 again! See you all in May for more of “Aiden and the Ring.”

Greetings all. I’ve submitted Chapter 17 of “Aiden and the Ring” for posting. Aiden realizes things are changing in his comfortable little world as graduation approaches and those around him become more needy. To its dismay, the ring discovers its control over him is waning. Oh, and Kendra takes a little car ride with Aiden. Sweet, huh?

Next week I’ll be off the net for my birthday, so no posting after Saturday’s finale of “My First Fan.” In a fitting tribute to that story, I’m heading to the beach to stare at some waves. And find me some ex-supermodels? So, in lieu of posting, I’ve made some minor edits to “The Student” and that short erotic story is now for sale on Bookapy. That’ll give ya’ll something to pick up and read at your leisure during the bye week. And despite it being only ever designed as a stroker, there was quite a clamor for a sequel. Therefore, because I love even my unnamed characters, one is building in the yards.

Similarly, as I’ve been reviewing “Owning My Image” while hashing out a viable sequel plot, I’ve done an editing pass. It’s a longer story at 78k words, but since it’s a bit shinier than the original version, I’ve put it on Bookapy. Like “On the Highway,” its ending is really only the beginning of a longer saga tracing Laura’s struggles within an adult-oriented multimedia enterprise. She’s a genuine hero as she navigates through changing relationships with her husband, employer, and other talent in the amateur porn business. It was both fun to write and fun to read again. Now, all I’ve gotta do is finish the sequel. I need more hours in a day!

Once more a reminder, while both the above are previously requested sequels, there’s a poll available via my Discord in the concept-developments channel. Its results will help me decide on the next story to focus. For those of you kind enough to buy me a cup of coffee (with bourbon or without) I’ve also set-up a Supporters-Area category where I’ll be dropping advanced drafts of upcoming chapters and the occasional short side story. Want to know where Mi went after leaving Jim in “The Immortal”? Or how the ring ended up in that field for Aiden to find? Fun little tales like that. See my profile or SOL page for the invite link. Supporter or not, come on over and chat.

I’ve submitted the penultimate chapter of “My First Fan” for posting this morning. Will Devin and Rachel’s encounter last night be only a one-night stand? Hmm. What do you all think? Well, you know I love my characters. For those of you who wish to skip ahead, the completed book is available for sale on Bookapy. The rest of you must wait another week to find out the, gulp, end?

Likewise, you’ll find the revised version of “On the Highway” on sale there as well. As I updated it with better prose, it really got my muses inspired. As such, I’ve been knocking out words for the sequel after almost a year of rejecting plotlines. Those of you who’ve read it and think you know where it’s going, trust me, you’re wrong.

And a reminder, my shiny new Discord server is open to all and now hosts a link in the #concept-development section to a poll for my next story. Link is in my profile or at the top of my page here on SOL. Join up, vote, stay a while and chat. I’ve got Discord up most of the day as I write and have been updating it with details of my ongoing writing as well as upcoming projects. Speaking of which, I’ve also kicked off an Instagram presence, so look me up there as well, if you’d like.

Hello, all. So, uh, the good news is I’ve submitted Chapter 12 of “The Immortal” for posting this morning. Jim joins the neighbors as they head up to Mt. Aristeia in a crowded—very crowded—car.

Now, the less good news. I’m going to pause updating and posting further chapters until I can complete “Aiden and the Ring.” Why? Well, it’s been exceedingly difficult to bounce between Aiden and Jim as I update the prose, and I fear they are merging into the same character. Aiden, in his sequel, will approach the mindset of Jim at the beginning of this first book of “The Immortal” series, but he ain’t there yet. In addition, there are already a number of other stories that feature Aiden later in his life. As much as I’d love to share them, I can’t polish and post them until ya’ll catch up.

It’s not all bad for Jim, though. I mean he already clocks in at c450k words so, trust me, I really want to share his story. However, having additional time to weave in the newer material and ensure a proper arc is in place before continuing will make it a much better tale. I’ve already done most of the heavy lifting, so it’s only a matter of gaining some breathing space to execute in a more efficient manner. And frankly, I already know I’m gonna cheat and sneak work on his stuff, anyway. Because muses gonna muse.

Oh, and, for those that missed my last blog post, I finally put a book up for sale on Bookapy! What? Actually two. For those who’d like to skip ahead to the end of “My First Fan,” it’s now available for purchase. Never fear, I’m well on the way to fleshing out its sequel.

The other book on Bookapy is the first story I posted on SOL, “On the Highway,” now with updated prose and all-around tweaking. Those updated chapters have been posted, but for those of you who’d prefer a complete download and/or wish to support the site and a bourbon-swigging scribe it’s also available for purchase. The decision to upload it for sale was timely as I’d been scouring it as I draft the sequel. As I’ve noted in its description, “On the Highway” is really only the inciting incident that kicks off the travails of our newlyweds.

Shiny and new!

“The Bourbon, Coffee and Writing” Discord server is live. Check my profile or page header for the link.

Please, feel free to drop in and join the discussion. As you all should know by now, I relish feedback and enjoy a good chat about stories, writing processes, concepts and characters. Indeed, some of your suggestions have turned into stories. In addition, there is now a link in the #concept-development channel to strawpoll.com where you can add your votes for my next story. You’ve got until 30 April—tickety-tock. Those of you who’ve already voted, no worries. I’ve got them recorded.