INtrinSicliValud: Blog

After discussions with several readers over the past few months, I’ve changed my stance on selling stories on Bookapy. Frankly, from the very beginning of this whole writer-y thing, I’d never intended to ask for money for my writings. However, I hadn’t realized that apparently only premium members can download stories.

In addition, I’ve invested a hefty amount of gold doubloons into bourbon, books, standing desk, new wide-screen monitor, etc. to support this crazy hobby. Furthermore, the site benefits from each sale. So, it’s a win-win if I hang my stuff on Bookapy for a nominal charge. And I do mean “nominal.” This ain’t “War and Peace” stuff.

All of which means I’ve updated my very first story “On the Highway” in order to bring it up to my current writing standard. The newly revised chapters have been submitted for posting and the complete story should soon be available for purchase on Bookapy. This is timely since I’ve been reviewing it while working on the sequel, which is far more intricate and longer than the original. Indeed, readers should really consider “On the Highway” the inciting incident for a much larger tale following Dan and Daisy through the fallout of those events.

Likewise, “My First Fan,” the first in “The Author” series, will also go up on sale. I’m only waiting to ensure I worked all the Bookapy wickets correctly with “On the Highway.” So those of you who want to get the jump before I post the final two chapters, go for it.

Otherwise, my processes have not changed. All other stories, bar “Aiden and the Ring” that’s being reworked as I prep for posting and “The Immortal,” which is a bazillion quasi-chapters long, will be completed prior to being posted. They will then be formatted for Bookapy and chapters released as I’ve always done. However, every purchase helps—good bourbon ain’t cheap.

In that light, absolutely no pressure at all, but I’ve updated my profile and home page header to reflect my shiny new kofi.com page for those of you who’ve so generously asked about ways to support my writing. Help fuel the muses, as it were.

And finally, I’m starting up a Discord server; stay tuned for link. Many of you have found the SOL email system clunky and with Discord…. Well, I generally have it running even as I write, so I look forward to having another avenue for your comments and requests. As well as maintaining a place to hang out and chat with readers.

I’ve submitted Chapter 16 of “Aiden and the Ring” for posting. Time for Aiden and Gina to spend some time together. Meanwhile, the ring’s lingering effects….

I’ve been pushing hard to build a reserve of updated “Aiden and the Ring” content and the new chapters look good. Well, a heck of a lot better than they did when I first wrote them. Now that I’ve got a cushion, I’ll be flipping to focus more on “The Immortal,” the story requiring an order of magnitude more work. Challenging, but fun.

In other news, your votes continue to arrive for the subsequent story. “My First Gig” remains the front-runner, however the numbers are tight—very tight, so let your voice be heard. 23 days remain.

One more shout-out to those of you who’ve been kind enough to show your support and provide feedback. As a crappy hobbyist writer, it’s not book sales that drive me forward; it’s knowing I’m entertaining readers. On behalf of my barely contained muses and bourbon-addled mind—thanks.

See my 3/24 blog post for the full list but as of today, the front-runners remain, in order:

“My First Gig” - Sequel to “My First Fan”
“Aiden Ascending” - Sequel to “Aiden and the Ring”
“After the Highway” - Sequel to “On the Highway”
“By My Own Rules” - Sequel to “On My Own Terms”
“Collateral” - Husband in debt to Russian mob; forced to loan wife until he pays

I submitted Chapter 8 of “My First Fan.” Devin is surprised—several times, and Mark teases Jenna. It was exceedingly fun to write and I hope you continue to enjoy their interwoven tales.

Hope your Spring is going well, dear readers.

I submitted Chapter 11 of “The Immortal.” It’s a fun one. As I edited and updated it, I had a grin on my face, remembering how much I’d enjoyed drafting it several years ago. Anyway, your turn to experience Jim drawing a map, or two. Good times.

In the yards, I’m doubling down on “Aiden and The Ring” as there are a number of dense chapters that need unpacking, better prose, and clearer alignment with the rewritten characters. So far, so good. They read a lot better. It’s amazing how much better a crappy writer I am than I was three years ago. That’s, uh, progress I guess?

To those of you who’ve sent feedback, thank you ever so much. I will never stop banging a drum to hear from all of you. Votes are nice, though the system is “curious,” but the email conversations I’ve had with readers are simply the best for fueling my muses. Priceless, as it were.

Wow! Okay, so I’ve received a lot of votes for the subsequent story to Aiden’s first book. Thank you all so much. Others have asked when the deadline is since they’d like time to read stories before deciding to vote for its sequel. Well, yep, that makes sense. As such, tada, the deadline is Camerone Day—30 April 2022. I’ll compile all the votes and announce the top three selections. Then we can all gnash teeth and throw stuff to decide which one should arrive first.

FYI, the current top picks are, in order:

“My First Gig” - Sequel to “My First Fan”
“Aiden Ascending” - Sequel to “Aiden and the Ring”
“After the Highway” - Sequel to “On the Highway”
“By My Own Rules” - Sequel to “On My Own Terms”
“Collateral” - Husband in debt to Russian mob; forced to loan wife until he pays

I admit to finding the first two interesting, since both are sequels to stories that have yet to be posted in their entirety. I guess ya’ll like them enough already, huh? I’m leery, because “Owning My Image” scored well until the end, when it tanked. So, hmmm, I hope you find these endings more to your liking.

“After the Highway” is coming along quite nicely; I found the hook and the plot to pull that into a much deeper tale, so that’ll be fun to finish if it wins.

“By My Own Rules” will also be fun. What did Ryan do next? I know. And I also know Naomi’s plan to get him back on track.

“Collateral” was fantastic fun to build. Yeh, it may sound a bit cucky, but all the characters have their motivations and the husband does just fine.

Frankly, I can’t wait to see which one you decide I should finish first. They’re all so amusing.

Oh, and a timing note. I unpacked all of “Aiden and the Ring” to lay out the prose into new chapter structures. I woefully underestimated its size. As of today, the story has 39 chapters, which at my current posting rate carries us through about this time next year. What does that mean? Well, there is no way in Hell the muses are gonna keep silent enough, so whatever story we select will most likely appear before the end of “Aiden and the Ring.” It’ll be a surprise post like “My First Fan” and I’ll submit as I’m able.