Hello Friends! Al here.
It’s been a long time coming, but I finally did it. As fun and light-hearted as this persona is, there were a lot of dark times in the process of this year+ of trying to finish my first full length novel.
This is, technically, my first completed full length novel. This is not the first novel I’ve worked on. I actually had a project I put a lot of heart in about 3-4 years ago, but I don’t think in its current state it will ever see the light of day. The problem with putting a lot of heart into something that means a lot to you is that the mind and rationality gets placed on the sidelines. Was it meaningful to me? Yes it was. Would your average consumer be able to see past the poor form and shoddy plots just because you put a lot of emotion into it? No, and one shouldn’t expect them to. That said, I’ve had ideas since the initial writing for that book, but it would not be published under this pseudonym anyways, and right now, I’m completely focused on bringing you the supernatural romance you deserve!
Putting that aside, I’m looking forward to where this takes me. My hope is to publish this under romance instead of erotica since there is actually a plot aside from all the sexy circumstances. Good old Amazon loves to sell all kinds of cheap dildos, vibrators, straps, and ball gags, but as soon as you label a book ‘erotic’, you get sent to adult jail… Which is not at all sexy. Ironic.
I’m getting ahead of myself, though. Before all that, I’d like to try and find a publisher. I’m hoping this book has more of a wide-range appeal to it (I mean, it has sparkling vampires, why wouldn’t it?) and that some editor will read it and see dollar signs in his eyes. If not, then it’s back to the self-publishing drawing board. Maybe I’ll be able to actually advertise on Amazon under the romance umbrella. If 50 Shades can do it, why the fuck can’t I? Legit question.
Again, getting ahead of myself, the editing process begins this week. I think I’m ready for it after a week of rest. There is a substantial amount I need to go back and revisit, especially in the first chapters. What I tend to do is force myself to start writing until I find a groove, and then the ideas fall into place. I don’t make charts or graphs to figure out how to get from point A to point B, though I envy the people who can work like that. I’m sure it makes filling in the middle a much less chaotic endeavor. But, there’s nothing wrong with winging it either, as long as you remember to fill in any plot holes that might pop up.
I had, at first, intended the villain of the book to be someone completely different, but the more I wrote, the more I had a character in mind that would be a great antithesis to our protagonist, Elise. I won’t give any specific details, but something I noticed while in the writing process was how inundated the romance/erotica community has become with this idea of ‘alpha’ males and domination. We all have our kinks, and if that’s yours I will 100% not throw shade at you, but some of it is done so poorly and exudes a nasty vibe. This isn’t McDonald’s and I’m not lovin’ it. Further, did you know science has debunked the wolf alpha/beta/omega theory? Just a little tidbit/food for thought.
Much of this is random ramblings. The important part to take away from this post is that 1. I’m done writing my book, 2. I’m ready to start the editing process and 3. I’m going to take another swing at finding a publisher. Lots of exciting things happening and I will of course be keeping you up to date on any news regarding the book. Stay sexy, friends!
Aloyster Crowlay 