Updates and changes

To my readers,

Sorry that I got so far behind with the blog and keeping you updated with everything that was going on. Life has been rather hectic as of late and I've been lucky just to find the time to sit and write, much less do everything else that I should be doing. Over the last couple of weeks I've been working out a routine that will hopefully allow me to get back into the groove. For all of you who have been reading my books, thank you so much for your support!

So here's what I currently have going on:

1) I'm working on the 5th book in the Shelley series, Shelley: Halloween. This one is going to take a more serious tone by the end and alter the series quite a bit. I was asked what's different between this and Roommate's, this book will answer that. Roommate's will remain a lighter fare, touching here and there on concerns in the transgender community, but Shelley is really going to deal with some of the bigger issues.

2) Speaking of Shelley, as soon as I can figure out a 3D boxset cover in GIMP, there will be a boxset of the 4 previous books coming out. The series through those four books comes to over 42K words, which means Shelley has now entered novel length, woo!

3) As you've probably noticed, I have a story in another anthology with the writers behind Hot Summer Reads. This one is called Erotica After Midnight and should be coming out within the next week or two. We're currently putting the final touches on all of the stories and the format. 

4) For the fans of the Fluffer series I am working on the next book, tentatively titled Sophomore Summer. It'll cover one weekend in summer where the girls get together with a few of their frat members for a weekend away from parents and summer jobs.

5) Finally, with the sales of Roommates doing as well as they are, I will be working on a sequel to the story, and do plan to have that finished before the end of the year. 

Thank you again for all of the support and if you have any questions or concerns you can always reach me through e-mail, admin@jcwinchester.com.

Cover Reveal - Shelley: The Resort

Coming next weekend (7/10-7/12) the third book of the Shelley series, Shelley:The Resort!

Erotica and changes in subscription services

Wow what a double whammy to start off July. Two weeks ago Amazon announced a change in the Kindle Unlimited payment system which went into effect on July 1st. While bloggers and authors gnashed their teeth and either bemoaned or cheered on the changes, another platform quietly announced a large change soon to affect many an indie author of erotica or romance. Scribd will be removing the bulk of their romance and erotica offerings as they are no longer able to afford the appetite of readers in those genres. These two changes will have a hard impact on your favorite erotica authors.

As far as the Kindle Unlimited thing goes, I’m going to let it play out and see how things work out next month. For those who aren’t aware yet, Amazon used to pay authors about $1.30 once 10% of a book had been read and will now be paying authors per page read. For authors of longer books this could be a boon while for authors of shorter books, which many erotica books are, it could be a disaster.

There are enough people dissecting this issue and debating both sides that for now I’ll hold my thoughts, at least until I have more solid numbers to see how this works out for me. With the numbers I have seen and the speculated amount of money to be paid per page, it could cut my income to as low as 10% of what it was under the previous system. For longer books though, it would mean making more money in line with the work and time that went into producing a longer story.

According to the Smashwords blog Scribd will be eliminating up to 90% of their romance and erotica ebooks, supposedly to balance out their offerings. In reality they aren’t able to financially afford keeping a large romance section. The announcement came out today, conveniently enough while authors were cursing out Amazon. What this means for erotica and romance authors, I can’t put in better words than what Smashwords has already blogged about: http://blog.smashwords.com/2015/06/scribd-cuts-romance-catalog.html

While I understand Scribd having to make the decision to try and stem the financial loss, I think there are better alternatives out there than slashing the amount of books offered. To me this is a warning sign about Scribd and a problem that Oyster may face in the near future. This also potentially explains why Amazon made the move to paying per page.

Either way, the start to July has been a rough month for erotica writers between Amazon’s changes and now many ebooks being removed from Scribd. 

Amazon Browse Categories and Keywords

So you’ve written your book, you have your blurb down pat, and your cover should be framed for an art gallery. You’re all set, right? As you enter the book information in, you come across the categories you want to put it in and realize that the particular category you want isn’t listed. So you instead grumble and choose the closest related category before moving on to the next line, keywords. If you’re like many authors, you learned to write using a free site and do the usual keywords before moving on. This is a mistake that many authors make, those precious few keywords define your book and can place it exactly in the category you wanted in the first place.

Amazon has lists of keywords available for each of the major categories: Romance, LGBT, Erotica, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Literature and Fiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Teen and Young Adult, Business and Money, Children’s Books, History, Religion and Spirituality, Comics and Graphic Novels, Mystery, Thriller and Suspense, and Fiction and Literature.

These keywords will help you reach specific audiences through subcategories that Amazon calls browse categories. For example, if you wrote a piece of erotica that featured a transgender character you would find that in the category listings that there isn’t an easy checkmark for transgender erotica. However if you select the erotica category and in the keywords list transgender then your book will be listed among the transgender erotica category. Or say your book is about a billionaire that reveals a new world to the protagonist, using the keyword billionaire in the Romance category would have your book placed into the browse category of Romantic Heroes > Rich & Wealthy.

By properly utilizing the keywords you can target your book to the specific audience. Spending a few minutes to be sure that you have your ebook in the correct browse categories can be the difference between making sales and being ignored as potential customers flick through titles.

A list of the browse category keywords can be found here: https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A200PDGPEIQX41

Title photo by eGuldry, no alterations made, used through Creative Commons licensing, original can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eguidry/4010965162

Guide to Sexual Identities

So one of the first things that you become aware of as an erotic writer is that there are a variety of different sexual identities. As someone who has been in the BDSM and fetish scene for a few years I knew a number of them, but I’ll admit to falling short on my knowledge of all identities. This post is to help clarify some of the sexual identities that I’m aware of and that you, as a reader, may encounter within my stories.

Something to bear in mind is that not everyone will identify as a particular sexuality. There are also some people who identify as a flexible form of sexuality, where they are a primarily on form but in certain situations can flex to another, such as heteroflexible people. It is up to each person to decide if they want to be identified and how they wish to be identified.

Heterosexual: This is the most well-known identity, it is the sexual attraction between people of opposite genders. Typically this is between a male and female, however there are some debates that include transgenders, such as a male-to-female transgender who now is female and attracted to men.

Homosexual: This is the second of the three most well-known sexual identities. It is the sexual attraction between two people of the same gender.

Bisexual: This is the third of the most well-known sexuality identities, it is also known as ambisexual. Simply put this is being attracted to both men and women. There are many varying degrees of bisexual people, some who are attracted for relationship purposes, some only for sexual purposes, and some for specific sexual purposes. They are not, however, necessarily attracted to all genders.

Asexual: Simply put, this is someone who experiences no sexual attraction. This means they are not sexually attracted to any gender or any person. It does not mean that they are celibate, as they may choose to have sex for reproduction, emotional intimacy, or pleasing a partner just to name a few. They are also not adverse to romantic relationships and may form a deep bond with a partner just without the desire to express that bond sexually.

Gray-asexual: This is someone who does not normally experience sexual attraction to others but may, on occasion, experience it. They may experience some sexual attraction to others but have a low sex drive and desire to act upon the attraction. They could also be someone who does enjoy sex, but only enjoys the sex under certain conditions.

Pansexual: Some also prefer the term omnisexual though pansexual is the more common of the two. Someone who identifies as pansexual generally does not place limitations upon the gender, biological sex, or gender identity of potential partners. Essentially they are attracted to all people no matter how they identify.

Demisexual: Someone who identifies as demisexual is someone who needs to form a deep emotional bond with a partner before becoming sexually attracted to them. The level of the bond depends upon the person, some may become attracted to close friends and some may need emotional intimacy. The creation of a bond does not guarantee sexual attraction, it is just a precursor to the attraction.

Polysexual: Someone who is polysexual is a person who is attracted to multiple genders but not necessarily attracted to all genders.

Images: Each group has their own flags and many have specific images or symbols used to identify themselves. The above flag is a symbol for heterosexuals who understand and support the rights of all groups of sexual identity and are against the various phobias that are faced by those who are considered outside the normal.

Comments: Feel free to comment below if you have further information about specific groups or any other groups that I may not have been aware of. All helpful comments are welcome.

Helpful Links:

www.demisexuality.org

www.asexuality.org

Straight Ally image used with Common Core permissions: By SVG file authored by User:AnonMoos, abstract flag design by http://straight-allies-for-equality.tumblr.com/ [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Coming this Weekend - Shelley: Cruise of Lust

Coming this weekend, June 27-28, the second book of the Shelley series, Shelley: Cruise of Lust!

Matt has booked a cruise for the duo to escape away from the stresses of work and school only he won't tell her what kind of cruise it is. Out in international waters the organizer makes a surprise announcement about the nature of the cruise, taking Shelley into a new world of experiences. 

Yoga in the Buff - Free

This weekend, 6/20-6/21, Yoga in the Buff will be available for free at Amazon. I hope you enjoy the eBook and please, do leave a review.

Have a good weekend!

Those characters you love to write

There are those characters you just can't help but love to write. They grow on their own, guiding your hand and sometimes driving you insane with changes midway through a story. Those characters are often the hardest to write, as they clamor for your utmost attention. Yet, it is these characters that are the most rewarding. Shelley is one of them.

As a character she makes me a better person, someone aware of their surroundings and the feelings of others. She isn't some mindless fuck machine but someone with feelings, anxieties, desires, hope, and yes, fear. It was she who made me pay more attention to the struggles that the transgender community faces and for that I can never spend enough time writing her stories. 

Her story is one that takes all sorts of twists and turns as she adventures through life, seeking new experiences and figuring out just exactly what she wants. This first book is an introduction to her and her long time friend, Matt who has no idea of her secret. It's a story of taking risks and dealing with what comes of those risks be they for good or for bad.

I hope you enjoy meeting Shelley and getting a taste of her world. As always, please feel free to leave comments as they help me to become a better author. 

Stolen Stories: The dark side of free ebooks

Imagine having crafted an object, perhaps a new invention, or the perfect WarCraft character. Think of how many hours you would have to put into that object, the research that went into it, the time spent working on one little problem or the hours spent lying in bed while trying to work out a bug instead of sleeping.  Writing is like that, a story is almost always sitting in the back of your mind, awaiting the chance to be worked on and loving crafted. Many writers simply enjoy the process and love the feedback to help them become better, so they offer up their work to the world for free. I was one of those writers, posting many of my stories on a free erotica site for the enjoyment of others, naive to the dangers those stories could face.

Sure, I expected the usual amount of backlash. For every story you write there are bound to be people that don’t enjoy it, and honest criticism by them can be the best help as they point out flaws. Then there are those who choose to troll the stories, taking out their anger at the world upon the author without fail. But beyond them are those who offer words of encouragement, that give feedback telling what they felt worked and what they didn’t enjoy. Bringing that bit of happiness to them is often thanks enough alone. And so with that in mind, I wrote and posted, reveling in the positive feedback, working on the negative, and generally trying to not let the trolling bother me. But there is one more type of person on those free sites, and they are the worst kind.

There are people who feel that it is only fair that they go about and steal other people’s stories off of the free sites. Years ago the primarily culprits were other adult themed sites looking to bulk up their offerings. When caught many of them would either offer to properly tribute the story before agreeing to take it down, or simply take it down as requested. Only a couple of sites gave much in the way of headache but they oft bowed down to the owner of the free site.

Now those days are gone, replaced not by sites that often had something to protect, a larger whole than a simple story. Instead we have solitary individuals who have found that by flooding the ebook market they can reap large gains with minimal work. They troll through the free sites, pulling out story after story. Some bother to make a few changes to names of characters, titles, or layout, and others simply use the entire story. These begotten goods are then posted to ebook retailers, generally in large amounts over a short period of time.

These actions leave the hobbyist writer at a disadvantage, often finding their precious work stolen only when a loyal reader reports it to them. They then have to track down every site their book has gone to, with some sites taking their pleas to have it removed seriously, and others making the author jump through hoops to protect their work. Nothing is more insulting than having your story stolen and then having to fight, often being required to reveal your true identity which is a big roadblock for writers of erotica.

This is where I find myself. I started on a free site and I certainly enjoyed the site. For all the lumps I took, I gained much more in knowledge and friends gained. Yet, in the last couple of years I’ve seen the number of stories stolen from that site rise dramatically. The thieves are often blatant, stealing a hundred or two hundred stories, slapping a quick cover on a stolen photo and publishing it. These works mean a lot to me, many hours go into each one.

There isn’t much the average reader can do to help with the problem, except that if you notice a work you know to be by a favorite author, please let them know. Maybe, perhaps, the more that readers know this happens it can be slowed. Most likely not, but as they used to sign off with on GI Joe, “knowing is half the battle.”

Author Spotlight: Jaz Cullen

Biography

Pen names: Jaz Cullen, J.C. Gordon

Genres: Sci-Fi/Steampunk & Retropunk, Romance, Erotica, Non-human Romance

Works Available:

·        Fighting the Inevitable

Available at the following locations

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1B3qXsH

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/544989

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fighting-the-inevitable-j-c-gordon/1122070390?ean=2940151951760 

I-tunes: https://itun.es/us/mP_U7.l 

Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4462364

·        Gypsy Soul.

Available at Amazon and Smashwords

·        Scent of Fear (Doherty Brothers Book 1)

Available at Amazon and Smashwords

·        Art of Seduction (Doherty Brothers Book 2)

Available at Amazon and Smashwords

Profiles and links:

·        Facebook Author page - https://www.facebook.com/JazCullenWrites

·        Facebook Book club page - https://www.facebook.com/JCBookclub

·        Amazon Author Profile - http://www.amazon.com/J-C-Gordon/e/B00NB1S5U2/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

·        Smashwords Author Profile - https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JazCullen

Works in Progress:

·        Wattpad - http://www.wattpad.com/user/JazCullen

·        Blog - http://jaz-deardiary.blogspot.co.uk/

·        Literotica - https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=1159372&page=bio

This week I am pleased to introduce Jaz Cullen, author of Fighting the Inevitable and Top 10 author on Literotica, the world’s largest free erotica website. She was kind enough to take a break writing to answer a few questions.

1. What do you read in your spare time?

I don’t get a lot of time to read these days but when I do, I tend to stick to the paranormal romance genre. I love Nalini Singh and have most of her work but I am behind on some of her recent books just from lack of time.

2. What do you write? (As in what genre - novel, poetry, series, etc.)

I mainly write in the paranormal romance genre though I have tried my hand at contemporary romance and I have a Steampunk Sci-Fi eBook out too.

3. How long have you been writing?

Off and on for many years, though I have only been out here among the masses for the last five years.

4. What do you have published to eBook or paper back? What genre(s) can those stories be found in?

 My contemporary romances, Scent of Fear and Art of Seduction are in eBook format.

My Steampunk Sci-Fi romance is Gypsy Soul
Fighting the Inevitable was released last week in ebook and also my first ever paperback which is incredibly exciting for me.

5. Where is all your work currently available to read or purchase?

The bulk of my work is currently free on Literotica. I also have one of my books on Wattpad and some bits and pieces on my Blog.

My self-published works can be found on Smashwords and Amazon

6. Do you have any upcoming events?

 I have just completed an event for the release of FTI which was great fun. Currently, I have nothing else planned but hope to have more projects coming to fruition this year.

7. Do you have any contests or giveaways at this time?

 Nothing at the moment, though as FTI has just released, I would most definitely be willing to offer a couple of free ebook copies to your readers for an honest review on either Amazon or Smashwords if they might be interested.

8. Do you have any upcoming book releases and when?

The FTI book launch as mentioned above. I am also hoping to have one or two eBooks ready for release soon too however they are still in the pipeline.

9a. Have you read any of Jaz's work?

I would hope so…seeing as I am Jaz ;)

9b. If yes, what do you think of her work?

I rock???? bahahahahahaha

Hot Summer Reads returns to kick off Summer!

Hot Summer Reads returns to the Amazon Free list this Friday and Saturday, June 12th and 13th!

Returning just in time to kick off the official start to summer, Hot Summer Reads will be available for free on Amazon for two days only. Hot Summer Reads is an anthology of ten stories by ten writers of erotica. The stories vary greatly, offering something for every reader. From the mature romance of Steve Williams, the youthful teen science fiction of Shea Mara, the gay scene in Washington D.C. with J. Kendall Dane, and divorcee love at the campsite with Patient Lee.

What others are saying about Hot Summer Reads:

·        Romance Lives Forever Blog - http://romancelivesforever.blogspot.com/2015/05/lange.html?zx=b5b757a305b71a91

·        A Readers Review Blog - http://areadersreviewblog.com/2015/05/23/release-blitz-hot-summer-reads-an-anthology-of-erotic-stories/

·        Cara Sutra Blog - http://carasutra.co.uk/2015/06/erotic-author-spotlight-series-freya-lange-the-hot-summer-reads-anthology/

Find your own copy here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y1ZDLO2

The Beauty of Creation

We raise ducks and chickens on our property, and occasionally when we’re feeling a little crazy, think about raising more species of poultry. Today I came outside to find the eggs that one of our ducks has been sitting on for about five weeks now have started to hatch. She’s doing her best to keep the little ones under her, letting them warm themselves with her body but every now and then you can see a hatchling peek out at the world.

Mama duck started her nest about six weeks ago, just starting with a hollowed out, covered area and tucking her eggs away into it. As time went on she added bits of straw and shavings that we provided and down from her own coat, building it up until the eggs were surrounded in a warm bed. From there she sat on it, leaving only to feed herself, and even then she would take her time to cover the eggs up with down and straw to ensure that they were cozy warm. She kept a vigilant eye upon the nest, never straying too far from it, and always on the lookout for predators, though she was helped by being in a nursing pen with only other ducks nearby. Now she’ll have the fun of watching her little ones explore the new world around them, teaching them how to exist within it. It’s stressful work, they’re bound to drive her crazy with all the energy she’s going to have to put into it, but for her it will be worth it in the end.

What she is going through is kind of like what writing a story is to me. You start with an idea, just an egg in a hollowed out area. Maybe it’s a scene, a certain phrase, a setting, or a character. But soon it’s joined by other eggs, characters, settings, dialogue, and a plot. Soon, it becomes the nest being cultured as an idea. Not all of the eggs will make it, much like mama duck removes the bad eggs, the author will remove parts of the idea that just don’t make it. I sit on the idea for a while, be it a week or a couple of weeks, always letting it just sit in the back of my mind. Every now and then when I have a few quiet minutes I let it come out and work out a few details. Slowly but surely it forms until finally it gets typed out, put to actual words. From there the story is sculpted, grammar edited, phrases and sentences changed, sometimes even removing whole paragraphs till at last it is ready for release.

Ah, but like mama, the work is not done once released upon the world. Marketing comes into play, trying to show off to the world your creation while hoping that the world accepts what it is. You watch the numbers, read the reviews, and hope for the best. Some days you’re proud of what you’ve done, and some days you see the imperfections, but every day it’s yours. Overall though, it is a joy to show off each story I create and to hope that I brought a little bit of happiness in your day with my work. Thank you for being a reader and thank you for taking the time to read my work. 

Trail Magic Update

Just a quick update, I finished writing the draft to Trail Magic and have sent it off to my beta reader to start the editing process. Currently I am planning to post the story to Amazon on Friday and have it available for purchase Friday in the evening US Eastern.

Trail Magic is a story about a young pair of best friends Dan and Jillian, told from Jillian’s perspective. It is about her longing for her bestie as she calls him but having always put it aside for whatever flame he was currently with. Finding him newly single right before his birthday, she takes him on a backpacking trip to their favorite peak under the guise of reminiscing and getting away from his sorrows. Jillian, though, has much larger plans in mind for the weekend than she lets on. Once at the peak she lets her plans begin and her hands to slip into his pants, taking them down unfamiliar territory.

Happy Memorial Day!

Thank you to all those that have served and all those who have sacrificed for our freedom. I had the honor to see Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day a few years ago and it is truly a humbling experience to stand amidst the rows of headstones for those who gave it all for our country. And a thank you to the families who have had to overcome the loss of a loved one.

Be careful out there

In the past couple of weeks a teenage girl and two hikers on the AT have had encounters with wildlife much closer than they ever desired. One person is now hospitalized with serious wounds and two others are very thankful that they are not in a hospital themselves.

If you haven't heard about the young woman in Yellowstone, she was seriously injured but the injuries are reportedly not life threatening. She was standing 3-6 feet away from the bison to pose for a picture, way, way too close. For the hikers they were awakened by the bears tearing into their tent to steal their packs. The two women hiked out through the night to get away from the campsite and to a known safe area.

Both of these incidents could have been easily prevented by people learning to respect wildlife. Last month I was in the Smokies and fortunate to catch a view of a pair of bull elk, then of the idiot who decided to try and get as close as he could to them. Fortunately for him, they remained docile but they can and have been known to attack. Their hooves can split skulls and break bones. But people need to learn to respect them and maintain a distance. The National Park Service recommends a distance of 25 yards whenever possible.

For the hikers, do not sleep with tasty scents in your tent. Yes I know it's the AT and you want to go light but bring something to hang your pack away from your tent. A pound is not worth your life. 

Catching up

Slowly getting around to things and catching up here. The last time I ran a webpage was way back in the heyday of Geocities so please do bear with the sawdust. At least htmlgoodies is still around!

Spent the weekend in Shenandoah doing some research and trying to get in some much needed relaxation. The best was getting to spend a little free time on my favorite trail, the AT. Somehow, no matter what state I'm in, the AT always feels a little like coming home for me. 

Currently I have two stories in progress, one is a stand alone story tentatively titled "Trail Magic" and the other is a sequel to the Fraternity Fluffer series. Depending on how this week goes I'm hoping to be able to add one of these for the upcoming weekend. 

New website

So finally getting around to starting up a website to keep everything under one roof. Bear with me as the dust is growing rapidly. Hope soon to have a few more features launched and will let you know how things are going.

In the meantime I have a story in an anthology that will be coming out shortly. The story is called "Tryst in the Trail Shelter" and is one of eleven stories collected in "Hot Summer Reads". It will be available on Kindle Unlimited starting May 23rd, just in time to kick off summer!

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Summer-Reads-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00XDSA4NY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431185183&sr=8-1&keywords=%22hot+summer+reads%22

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope all my fellow Americans have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Lit Winter Contest 2014 Story Posted

My entry into the Literotica Winter 2014 Contest has posted - www.literotica.com/s/christmas-redemption-1 I will forwarn you it's a little lengthy, technically a novella, clocking in at just shy of 21k words and by far my longest story to date. Enjoy!