New Release: The Book Witch

I have finished a new project. It's the end times: I hope you've made your peace with your maker.  Anyway!

"The Book Witch" is the first story in a new contemporary fantasy series set in a fictional neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, where pretty much anything can and will happen.  We've got talking cats, magic bookstores, demons in the attic and more.

Description: 

Bookstore clerk Kat has one magic power--she can hear, smell, and taste books. She puts her skill to work in The Book Witch, finding just the right books for her customers, and sometimes she even finds the one book in the world that completes them--their favorite book. 

When she meets Owen and touches his hand, he smells like paper and ink. She tastes cinnamon and pecans. She has never found her favorite book--but she knew it would taste and smell and feel just like him.

Her magical synesthesia has never reacted to a person before, and she knows immediately that he's something special to her. But Own doesn't believe in magic. At least, not yet.

Contemporary fantasy romance. This is a 12,000-word novelette.

Amazon US

Amazon UK 

Smashwords 

Also, in case anyone has missed it, I released a story under my Rosalyn Coleman name a few weeks ago too.  It's M/M/M/M regency erotica: Three Rakes and a Secretary.  

Mr. Felix Carlisle lives a quiet life as an assistant secretary for a duke...until he meets the Duke's son. The Marquess of Drakewell is handsome, masculine, and instantly attracted to the slightly built, effeminate Felix. Felix is quickly whisked away to the country home of the Earl of Ashart where he learns that he is going to be the party's entertainment. Drakewell is compelling, Ashart kind and beautiful. Felix is even willing to do favors for the repugnant Lord Moore in exchange for their attentions. 

For the first time in his life Felix feels wanted, but it isn't enough and circumstances soon test his willpower. How much can he put up with from this party of rakes? Will any of them give him what he really wants? 

This is a 18+ erotica novella. It contains m/m/m/m sex, one instance of dubcon & light bondge. 

15,000 words.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Smashwords 

Editing for Indies

As an indie living on a negative income, hiring an editor isn’t in the cards. Fortunately we have this glorious thing called technology, and a copy-editor is only a few lines of code away.  This is a rundown of a few of the editing programs I use to tighten and polish my writing.  All of these programs are free in their online form.

I'm not advocating these as replacements to editors--they will make mistakes. They are just machines after all. But these are great for turning out a tighter, corrected draft, and then someone wont have to spend hours circling all your adverbs.

The purpose of the Hemingway Editor is to tighten your prose and eliminate superfluous words and sentences. Simplification is its goal. There is also a desktop version available for $9.99

--Targets hard-to-read sentences and phrases

--Locates adverbs and lets you know if you have too many

--Locates passive voice and lets you know if you use it too often

--Analyzes reading level of your work

--Lets you edit in the window

My favorite part about this one is the fact that you can edit the text right in the window, and its great for simplifying one’s work.  It isn’t great for fine editing though because there’s a lot of grammar related stuff that gets left out in this editing process.

From Dr. Wicked, creator of Write or Die, boon to NaNoWriMo participants everywhere, comes editMinion. This is an online only editor and can only handle small chunks of text at a time (By small chunks I mean a few thousand words--will function a chapter at a time, but not the whole novel.)  It has some ‘just for fun’ stuff like “random writing quote” and a breakdown of latin/greek/germanic words. Covers a multitude of sins.  It hunts down:

--Adverbs

--Weak words

--Over-used words

--Passive voice

--”Said”

--Preposition endings

--Cliches

It does not let you know how many is too many, which is probably it’s weakness. Other weaknesses include an inability to edit within the analysis, meaning you have to stick it up side by side with your word processing program, & your eyeballs feel like they’re watching a game of Pong.  Still, is a great editor if you don’t want to be overwhelmed, because the next one is uber overwhelming.

This is the most complex and thorough of the editors.  It’s crazy how much you can do with the free version of this editor.  It’s so big it has a users manual.

--Overused words

--Writing style check (adverbs, passive sentences, repeated phrases)

--Analyzes sentence length & paragraph length

--Cliches, redundancies, vague wording

--Grammar check w/ suggestions on how to change/fix

--TONS more

The downside to this one is that you again, cannot edit your analyzed text.  You also have to register to use it, which isn't the end of the world, but annoying. It throws a lot of stuff at you at once. The paid version of this program has even MORE stuff, including the ability to edit within the program, BUT the paid version is a subscription starting at $35 a year.

Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, and Why You Should Buy From Smashwords

Amazon has never been friendly to its indie writers.  Their policy of 35% royalties for any book under $2.99 has been annoying from day one.  Many of us, especially erotica writers, write short stories. Readers don't want to pay $2.99 (the point when royalties jump to 70%) for a 5,000 word short.

And then came Kindle Unlimited, where you got a portion of a pooled fund for every borrow.  This was great--after a few months it leveled out to about $1.30 per borrow. Enough for an indie to make a decent living. Now, it wasn't a perfect system. The author got $1.30 if the reader read a 5 page short story, or a 500 page novel. We also weren't allowed to sell our books anywhere else, effectively creating a monopoly.

On July 1 the payout scale changed from per-borrow to a per-page-read system.  We knew there would be some money loss, but we thought it would still be fair. After all, you should get more money when readers read more.

Except, as it turned out, the projected rate is 1/2 a CENT per page read.  A 200 page novel would only earn a dollar and only IF the reader read from beginning to end.

Most of my stories are between 12 and 120 pages.  So I would be making SIX CENTS on a short story. Only 60 cents on a novella.  I'm not a big seller. These numbers turn my sales into next to nothing.

I don't have a day job right now.  Kindle Unlimited was buying my food.

So I have made the decision to pull over 30 stories under four pen names from the Kindle Unlimited program.  Hundreds of other indie authors are doing the same.  (If you are an indie and you want to pull your work, here is the customer support link.)

What now?

I hated leaving Smashwords when Amazon rolled out the Kindle Unlimited program last year, and here's why--Smashwords has always respected the indie artist.

Royalties on Smashwords start at about 53% on a $0.99 cent story and are at 74% on a $2.99 story. And that percentage goes up as the price rises.  Smashwords doesn't censor your work.  You can use the word 'virgin' in your titles.  You can write about step-siblings getting it on without fear.

Smashwords isn't just a store. It's also a distributor.  Publishing through them automatically puts your books into Barnes & Noble, the Apple and Sony stores, Kobo, and more.  You have the option of offering your book to libraries for free.  

The only problem, the only problem, is the fact that Amazon controls almost all of the ebook market--an estimated 65%. So we signed up for Kindle Unlimited. We had to. We gotta eat.

Support indie writers.  Support companies who care about them.  Between now and July 9, all of my titles, no matter what the length, are either $0.99 or FREE through Smashwords.  Even the novellas. Even the new stuff.

You can buy my books here:

Leigh Wilder (Paranormal, Fantasy, Romantica & Erotica M/M, M/F, F/F)

Rosalyn Coleman (Contemporary BDSM/Fetish, Historical M/M, M/F, F/F)

Dominic Rod (M/M Contemporary Erotica, including M/M Incest)

Celestia Dew (Weird Fantasy Erotica--you know, tentacles and shit. mostly M/F)

Create or Die

I will not be content in my place.

I used to work at a "Popular Sub Shop". Not just any "Popular Sub Shop" but the dirtiest, most poorly-run "Popular Sub Shop" known to man. It was filthy. Every employee there did bare minimum, including me, because after 4 years at the dump I had stopped caring.

I am 32 years old. I have a degree.  The store was not where I belonged, except I have problems. I'm extremely introverted.  I don't do well with customers. Or under stress. Or on a phone. I don't do well with anything.  I'm one of those smart people that are too weird to get a real job.

No one taught me how to get a real job. I come from a low-income background and I never had the social tools to learn how to work in an office.  I never learned a marketable skill.  My skills are cooking, cleaning, and writing fiction. Office work is a mystery to me, but I suspect I wouldn't like it any more than I liked making food.

I've been making food for people who don't respect me for 16 years.  The manual labor isn't what bothers me. There is pleasure in creation, even if it is a sandwich or a pizza.  There is pleasure in taking something broken or dirty and making it right again.  But this is a country that doesn't respect those who do manual labor.  We're not good enough, not driven enough, lazy, stupid, weak.

This is how my boss felt about me. And he would let me know, in little ways. Offhand comments. His general attitude of not caring.  (He doesn't give benefits, sick days, vacation days, holiday pay; we never even got a 'Happy Birthday' or a 'Merry Christmas' from him.)

I worked an extra shift last week.  I was sad. I'm usually sad.  The last 3 shifts I worked I was crying thru the whole thing. I was too old, too smart to be there. I was worth more and selling myself so short. Every customer was a mountain to overcome.

Someone complained about me. She called me rude. I remember the customer. It was the end of the night and I was trying not to burst into tears on her like I had the last 3 customers, attempting not to drip into the food while I made their sandwiches in front of them.

I tried to explain my malaise. I tried to tell my boss how unfulfilling the job was. How I struggled. He told me to be content in my place.  He called me weird..  He told me I needed to try harder at being normal because no one respected people who have outbursts.

Try harder.
Be content in my place.
Because he doesn't respect me.

My place is not in his restaurant.  After 5 hours' contemplation I walked out. I locked the door and went home.

For the last 6 months I have been too depressed to write.  You've only seen one new story from me this year (Angel in a Cage), and a handful of lesser stories from my other pen names. (With charming titles like Sex!Zombie and Taken Hard by His Gay Roommate. Okay, the Black Masquerade is pretty damn good actually...)

I want to create. It's all I've ever wanted to do. And I've made great progress here, sharing my writing with the world, but it's not enough.  I can't go back to food service.  My fiance and I talked about it.  I have some money in savings, his job is secure for now, and we decided I should have a go at living the indie life.  I have 3 months to prove I can make a reasonable amount of money without a 'real' job.

Welcome to Day 3 of my Create or Die Summer Tour, or, "let me sell you all the things because I am reckless and crazy."

I'm not begging. I don't want your charity.  I want your business.

I make more money on Kindle Select borrows than on my single under $2.99 titles (most of my titles).  If you have Kindle Select, now is a great time to catch up on my backlist.  If you don't have Kindle Select, it's a pretty good deal and you should get it and catch up on my backlist.  CLICK HERE.  (Note: I only get paid if the borrower reads at least 20% of each title. Read the books. You'll like them.)

Update:  I have pulled all of my stories from the KDP/KU program. CLICK HERE for more info. You can still read me on Amazon or Smashwords.

If you're a new reader, CLICK HERE for links to free books to get to know me.

I have an Etsy store.  I sell handmade jewelry sourced from natural and antique/vintage materials and I also sell vintage junk.  CLICK HERE to buy my shit on Etsy.  I'm also set up on Ebay. If you want to keep abreast on the cool (or lame) shit I'm selling, follow me on Twitter, Pintrest, and Tumblr.  A blog, Rosie Lea's Curio Cabinet is also up and running as a main hub.

If you don't want to buy any of my stuff but you still wanna help, all of the Amazon links on my site are Associates links. That means if you go to amazon thru my site I'll get 6% of the sales price, regardless of what you end up buying. Go forth and buy ridiculously expensive things!

If you've read my work in the past but never left a review, please do so!  Reviews sell books. I need to sell books.

Thank you everyone for your kind words and support these last few days.  It's been keeping me going.

#CreateOrDie

Birthday Freebies

Normally I plan this birthday shit a few days in advance, but I lost my cat George to diabetes a few days ago and my heart just hasn't been in...anything.  You can never imagine a more perfect cat. Ever. I don't have friends...she was kind of it.  I have another cat but she's a loner type and while there is affection there, I'm not sure one could call it love.  I loved this cat.

Last picture I have of her. This was one of her favorite spots.

Anyway, here's some free shit I've scrounged up for you.  Normally this would be fancier with pictures and whatnot, but I 

In the Dark

Drain Me Dry

Addicted to the Bite (Limited time only!)

Fancy & the Mechanical Man

Fairy Lights (Limited time only!)

New Release and FREE Story

My muse is not dead, just severely injured.  Winter took its toll on me in a bad way, but after many struggles I present to you, "Angel in a Cage."

Those who know me know I'm not afraid of writing something unusual (Battle of the Dragon Slayer is doing well this month, btw) and this one is definitely up there in the unusual ranks.  "Angel in a Cage" contains a gender-neutral intersexed character and is erotica.  This is a fantasy, mildly steampunk-esque piece and takes place in Karstenhaven, my struggling steampunk universe.  (It's been in my head in some form for about 5 years now but has yet to produce a fully actualized universe. Baby steps.)

So...intersexed character, and also this story involves having sex with a literal angel of the heavenly variety, so if that might rustle your jimmies you might want to skip this one, but I think I handled that in a fairly respectful manner.  I like playing with religion in stories anyway (there's some comments about the 'New Religion' in the Kingless Lands series too).

So, finally, "Angel in a Cage"
Buy it on Amazon
Buy it on Amazon UK

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
Fancy and the Mechanical Man, my other story set in the Karstenhaven universe, is currently FREE on Smashwords.


Description on Amazon:
Raymond travels to Karstenhaven for one thing only--magic. He finds it in Pandora's auction house, where he buys an angel in a cage. But what does one do with a caged angel? The angel--Cassiel--is vague on the morality of owning an angel and equally vague in their own wants and desires. Cassiel calls Raymond 'Master', but can he really enslave a heavenly being?

This is an 18+ erotica short. It is 7,000 words long. It contains fantasy sex with an intersexed character.

Excerpt:
Raymond’s heart pounded as he approached. He placed his palm on Cassiel’s shoulder and let out a breath. The angel’s skin was warm and soft. Raymond let his fingers slide over Cassiel’s delicate collar bones. He moved closer, caressing the angel’s neck and face.

Cassiel closed their eyes and drew in a sharp breath, lips parting slightly. Raymond wanted to devour those lips. So many new feelings, and he was certain they would probably send him to hell. He wanted to push Cassiel on the floor, to touch every inch of skin, to delve into every orifice. He could do it. Cassiel belonged to him. Raymond had every right to possess the angel’s body.

The thought scared him, but he was far from home, family and church--he wasn’t even sure he had seen a church since arriving in Karstenhaven. “Cassiel?” he said in a hoarse whisper. “Am I going to hell for owning you?”

“You did not purchase me with the intent to cause harm.”

“I’m not entirely sure why I did it at all.”

“The auction house is a strange place. I was there for several weeks before they brought my cage out to be sold. I think they were waiting for you. You were meant to buy me tonight.”

“Is there no such thing as free will then?”

“Yes. But fate is its fickle bedmate.”

Another rush of lust at the word ‘bedmate.’ Raymond ran his fingers over Cassiel’s soft lips. “Do angels have sex?”

“I never have.”

“Not once in thirteen billion years?”

Cassiel smiled beneath Raymond’s fingers. “No.”

“But you have to do as I say, right?”

“Do you mean to rape me, Master?”

Raymond winced at the word. “That, I imagine, is a hell-worthy offense.”

“Likely.”

Raymond sighed and stepped away from Cassiel. “It’s late. I'm going to bed."

New Release! "Scarlet and the Wolf"

Little Red Riding Hood has always been a disturbing story for me, what with the eating people and claustrophobia of being stuck inside a wolf's stomach.  There are versions of the story where Red and her grandmother are not saved by a passing huntsman, and other versions where the wolf makes Red strip and climb into bed with him before devouring her.

The sexual implication is there, suggesting the story is about predators of a different sort than wild animals.

Anyway, while I would have liked to have written a dark story, it didn't turn out that way at all.  Unlike my last release, Snowdrop, this is a happy story with love and romance and all that, though it may not appear to be so from the start. This one definitely falls into the category of erotica instead of romance.  Enjoy!


Buy on Amazon
Buy on Amazon UK

Book Description:
Scarlet has always gone after exactly what she wanted, like the rich and powerful Hal Forrester. She gives him everything, and in return...she is tricked away, sent on an errand to Granny Gertie's house instead of waiting at home for his proposal of marriage. The woods are dark and dangerous--girls have gone missing. Scarlet hurries to return to Hal, but a man waits for her at Granny's. He's not like other men...he's not even human. Ochre is seeking a mate, and Scarlet is exactly what he wants.

This short story is M/F shifter erotica. It is 6,000 words long.

Double Release Day!

Merry Christmas!  I wrote a holiday story for you guys.  It's just a short piece (4,000 words) about Jamie-boy throwing a Christmas party that leads to sexytimez. It's 99 cents or free through Kindle Unlimited.

I don't plan on making the entire series available on KU, but this one is because I'm trying to reel in some new readers.  It is written with new readers in mind so there's gonna be a bit of backstory I wouldn't normally give in a new installment. Apologies for that, but the sex scene is pretty fun.

I think I'm going to re-do all the covers.  This new cover is a much cleaner design.

Buy it on Amazon
Buy it on Amazon UK

"Goodenough" is a high fantasy romance based in the Kingless Lands Universe. (Also containing "Barrendack" and "Dragon's Bride.")  It is the first of three inter-connected books.  The first already published books are stand-alone, though "Goodenough" mentions the events in both.

Nore Goodenough is a maid in Barrendack manor, but she has a secret: dragon blood runs in her veins. She is also the last of the Goodenoughs, who once ruled one of the twelve baronies in the Kingless Lands.  Milo Barrendack is not a Barrendack by blood--his mother had an affair with an unknown man.  He is a magician and recognizes the magic within Nore immediately.

Milo takes Nore on as an apprentice, even though she is too old and a woman.  He brings her back to his home which sits on the edge of Goodenough land, now ruled by the wicked Gault (who is planning war against Milo's benefactor, Lord Rockbell).

As Nore's magic (and her love for Milo) blossoms she longs to take control of her lost destiny and take back her family's lost land, but when her chance finally comes will love and duty prevent her from fighting for her home?

This is a 37,000 word novella (yep--a long one!) and will be listed as fantasy romance.  Don't worry though--it still contains graphic sex scenes.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon UK

The First Fruits of Nanowrimo

This has probably been the most productive and least stressful NanoWrimo I've ever done, and I've been at it for about 10 years now.  The first week was rough--I had a crazy work schedule and a cold--but I wrote steadily after that and even though pretty much the whole month was spent playing catch-up, I did well.

I finished 3 stories that had been sitting on my hard drive for forever (one for over a year). I completed one new short story, and wrote parts of 4 others.  I'm very happy with myself right now.

I plan on releasing TWO Leigh Wilder stories this month since I didn't get one last month. The first will be up by the end of the week, the next hopefully before Xmas.

Some of the things I wrote last month are already up.  They are both available through the Kindle Unlimited program for free.  Check out:

Lady Red's BDSM Dating Service #1: Kira and Luce

Under my Rosalyn Coleman name.  It's my first F/M Femdom story and I'm really happy with it. You'll probably like it even if you're not into BDSM because it's pretty romantic. And dont you just adore the logo?

Amazon
Amazon UK

Alone in the Winter

Pubbed under Dominic Rod. This is a very short piece (2.5k) I started for an anthology last year and never finished. (Bad author!) Well, I finished it, and it's not bad, but there's not a lot of story to it. A nice tidbit of M/M Bear erotica in a historical setting (Canadian fur traders!).

Amazon
Amazon UK

Advice to the New Self-Publisher

A lot of writers new to the self-publishing world come to me for advice on Twitter. This blows me away a little because I don't really think of myself as someone who knows what they're talking about. I have, however, been at this self-publishing thing for over two years now. I'm not making a living at it, but I'm getting there.

So today a tweep asked me for advice and she had a long list of questions. It was easier for me to write a blog post than reply on Twitter, and now you all can benefit. I've never considered writing a how-to book because there's a ton already out there, but if I flesh this out and publish it I can count it in my Nano wordcount...so...that's an idea. :) So, in vague order, here's a bunch of stuff I was asked. It's not a complete guide, at least not yet. Anything else anyone wants to know/have a question about/want to add to, message me on Twitter @leighwilder42. (Don't DM--I never read them.)

Copyright in the United States pertaining to your book: 
 As soon as you’ve put a thought to paper it automatically belongs to you. You do not need to purchase a copyright for your work. In the old days the best way to prove you owned a work was to mail a copy of it to yourself and keep the envelope sealed, the postmark essentially giving you a governmental date stamp. These days our computer files are all encoded with the times they were created and edited, making life much easier for all.

 When you upload a book onto a publisher’s site, the publisher knows which book came first. Amazon also screens incoming books for plagiarism, so if someone tries to rip-off your book they will get caught and have their account deleted. All you have to do to copyright your work is type “Copyright 2014 by Author McAuthorson” on the front page of your work. If you’re writing under a pseudonym you can still use that name if you’d like, or your own.

 Editing your book: 
 There are many many ways to go about this. There are independent editors by the thousands available online. They’re all over Twitter. Prices vary, but its usually at least a couple bucks per page. This can get expensive fast but have no fear! There are other ways. I use http://prowritingaid.com, which has free editing software. You can also try Grammarly, but I can’t vouch for that one. A literate friend with a red pen is also a helpful and free editor.

 Formatting: 
 Unless you’re clueless and have a graphic-heavy book, there is no need to hire someone else to format your book. I follow the Smashwords Style Guide for all of my books, regardless of where I publish them.

 To sum it up succinctly:
--You need a Microsoft Word document.
 --Center your title, byline, and front matter. If you want to re-size it bigger you can, but no more than 16 pts.
--Insert a page break after your front matter.
--For the body of your work, do not use a space between paragraphs. To indent go to “Paragraph” and set it to indent the first line automatically. DO NOT use the Tab key.
 --Insert page breaks after each chapter.
--You can insert hyperlinks into your front and back matter to link to your other books, social media accounts, and web site.

 And that’s really all there is to it. Piece of cake.

 Covers: 
 Stock photos can be had for $20 or less through hundreds of sites. If you’re going to be needing more than one image buying them in bulk is a good idea. I usually spend between $2 and $5 on cover art. If you have a good eye for design you can make your covers yourself for free. I use an online editor called PicMonkey, and an offline editor called Paint.net. Both are free editors. If you have a good stock image and a good font, you can make a good cover for very little money. Fiverr is also a great place to go for cheap covers, usually in the $5 to $30 range.
 DONT use the Amazon Cover creator.
DONT use a photo you took yourself unless you are a professional photographer with professional equipment.
DONT use a font that comes standard on your machine--there are tons of free fonts available for download online. This goes doubly for Comic Sans and Papyrus. Make sure your title is readable on a thumbnail image.


 Where to Sell your Book:
The two big places are Amazon and Smashwords. Smashwords distributes your book to about a dozen online retailers, including Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Sony. You can list your book in both places.

 The accounts are easy to sign up for--you Amazon publishing account links straight to your normal Amazon account. You will need to give both sites your SSN# for tax purposes. They will send you tax forms at the end of the year. It’s a simple process. As for payments both sites will send you checks when you get to a certain threshold. Amazon does direct deposit into your bank account. Smashwords pays via Paypal.

 Royalties: 
Amazon pays 35% royalties on all ebooks listed for less than $2.99. They pay 70% royalties on books at $2.99 and over. This is why $2.99 is usually a sweet spot for indie writers. You should price your work based on length--shorter stories should cost less.

Smashwords pays at least 50%, but up to 80% depending on a bunch of factors.

Amazon’s Kindle Programs: 
There are a lot of plusses and minuses to the KDP Select program. The biggest minus is that you are not allowed to sell your book anywhere else if it’s enrolled in KDP Select. Amazon wants as much of your profit as it can get its hands on, and forbidding you from using other retailers is one way to do it. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use KDP Select. Here are the plus sides:

Five free giveaway days a quarter. This is useful if you have more than one book out. If you give away a book and the reader likes it, they’ll come back for more. If you give a book away but there’s nothing else for them to buy, they will forget you LONG before you get your next book out.

Kindle Unlimited. Basically, Amazon puts a couple million dollars in a pot at the beginning of the month. Readers download your book and if they read at least 10% of your book, you get paid for the download. How much you get paid depends on how much money is in the pot (it goes up every so often) and how many books amazon sold as a whole for the month. Right now authors are getting about $1.50 per download, but we all expect this number to shrink, likely to the point where it’s not lucrative to sign up your book. But right now it is, and you have the option of pulling your book every 3 months. I see Kindle Unlimited ultimately only being useful for any book that would normally be listed for less than $2.99 because of the 35% royalty rule.

About the Author: 
They don’t need your life’s story. Keep it short and sweet. You don’t have to put a picture in the back if you don’t want to, but it cant hurt. Just remember that studio photographs are technically copyrighted by the photographer, even if they are picture’s of you. Ask permission--likely they'll be fine with it as long as you credit them.

Reviews: 
A general rule of thumb is DONT PAY FOR REVIEWS. Offer free copies on Goodreads and visit review sites--they’ll have a submission page. You can find hundreds of review sites on Twitter/Facebook.

You should only pay attention to bad reviews if you get a lot of them and they all say the same thing. If every review you get complains about the same plot hole, or the same editing errors, you might need to re-evaluate your book. People give bad reviews over the stupidest things, but it usually boils down to taste. I have gotten several bad reviews because the reader didn’t actually *read* the description and were horrified to discover my books had gay sex in them. People don’t give bad reviews over one or two honest editing mistakes. They give bad reviews to bad books with zero editing. Relax and don’t worry about your reviews. In fact, its probably best to just not read them at all.

Don’t give your book to family and friends to review. They will likely not give an honest one, and that’s not fair to other readers.

Internet Presence and Marketing:
The best way to get your book out there is to be out there. You should be on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. You should have a blog and you should have a mailing list. You should not use these things to publish ads about your books non-stop. Yes, plug your book. Once or twice a day. Don’t flood your followers feeds with advertisements. CONTENT is key. Post about normal everyday things on Twitter and Facebook. INTERACT with your followers. Make friends.

As for Blog content, you need a theme based on the genre you write in, and blog about those things. Comment on news stories related to your books, review books of the same genre (but don’t give bad reviews--authors who badmouth other authors get into all kinds of trouble). If you write sex stories talk about sex. If you write murder mysteries talk about murder. You can post microfiction. You can simply talk about your life. Talk about writing, about publishing, about reading.

As for paying for advertising, I'm not a fan, personally. I'm sure it works for some people. Participating in blog tours are a good idea, though I've never done it. I think the review sites are gonna be your best bet for getting out there.

Avoiding Scams:
Really the biggest scam is that there are hundreds of companies out there charging for things you can do yourself. If you have money to spend on your book spend it on an editor and cover design. Make sure you do your research. If their website looks tacky, don’t trust them. If they promise big success, it will probably be a let-down.

****

So...that's nowhere near everything there is to know about self-publishing.  I think I will write that how-to.  It'll be called, "How to Publish your Book for Nothing."  Sure to be a best-seller.

New Release: "Snowdrop"

This story is different from what I normally write.  It's got some stuff in it that some readers might not be into, but I've been wanting to write a creepy lesbian version of Snow White for a billion years now, and I finally did it.

Snow White is just a creepy tale in general, as many of the German fairy tales are, especially when you start throwing sexual undertones into it.  This goes back to an earlier version where Snow White (or Snowdrop depending on the translation) ends up hanging out with a group of robbers instead of dwarfs. Not that dwarfs can't be sexy, but that's for another story.

I will spell it out for you here, if not in the Amazon description because god knows they love to censor indie authors: this story does contain creepy dubious consent lesbian vampire sex.  I make no apologies for it--it's just how the tale turned out. It also contains M/F, also not exactly...normal consent but its not non-consent either.  Guys, I don't know what the hell I wrote.  I listed it in fairy tales and horror (note, this is NOT romance), but it's got sex all over the place.  It's 11,700 words long and costs $1.49.

Buy it on Amazon
Buy it on Amazon UK
Buy it on Smashwords

Description (from Smashwords):
This is a dark/horror/erotic retelling of "Snow White." It contains sexual situations and violence. It is not suitable for readers under the age of 18.

 Lavinia married Snowdrop's father for one reason--to take possession of his beautiful daughter. Calling for the death of any man who dares to look at the innocent girl she quickly earns her the name "Blood Queen."

Four years after the wedding Snowdrop has no idea her relationship with her stepmother is anything but normal. Still, she has grown pale and sickly, and has a hard time remembering things. A chance encounter with a robber in the woods forces Snowdrop to look at her stepmother with a critical eye...and she begins to wonder exactly what Lavinia is. Something sinister, and something strong. She realizes escape to her robber's arms is the only way to survive, but Lavinia will not let go of her treasure so easily.

Contains: F/F, M/F, bloodplay, dubcon, defloration.

ALSO!!
I just wanted to remind you that I'm publishing under a few other names now. One, Rosalyn Coleman, has just released two historical novellas-- A Pirate's Life and Miss Catherine Stewart's Fortnight of Debauchery.  Pirate's Life is a converted "Pirate's of the Carribean" fanfic I wrote in 2006. Fortnight of Debauchery is about a Regency-era orgy. Check them out along with my other work under the name Rosalyn Coleman.  Almost all of it is available for FREE through Amazon Unlimited.

New Release!

Over the next few months I plan on taking a bunch of 1/2 finished and nearly finished works and getting them out there under various pseudonyms, depending on the type and quality of the story.  (You can check out more of my work in the "other pseudonyms" link up top there.)

This week I salvaged this story from my 2012 Nanowrimo word count.  I discovered it was really easy to get your words in when you were just writing one sex scene after another and things...got out of hand.

What "Miss Catherine Stewart's Fortnight of Debauchery" lacks in complex plot, it makes up for with an insane amount of sex.  I think it's probably at least 50% of the 33,000 word novella.  So if you're a fan of my sex scenes (and I know many people are) it's definitely worth checking out.  It contains M/F, F/F, and M/M scenes.  There is some light to moderate BDSM, some rough sex (thats the M/M stuff), various toys, some seduction, some reluctance, a fisting scene...just everything. EVERYTHING.

Description:
Miss Catherine Stewart is visiting the home of Edward Linley with the express purpose of landing a husband. But she was invited there to be the plaything of his other guests. There is Miss Fay, who wears men's clothing, and Lavender, who seems to be having relations with everyone but her absent husband. There's Mr. Hale, and of course Edward, so kind and understanding of her naivete.

Catherine finds herself falling into the trap of pleasure and lust, doing things no proper lady would do. When Lavender's sadist husband appears the party takes a sinister turn, one Catherine is determined to survive with her sense of propriety (what's left of it) intact.

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My Bookshelf

I cleaned my office recently, a major undertaking since for the last year I'd been using it simply as a depository for all of my junk.  (It looked like a room from that hoarders show.)  It took me over 5 hours, when all was said and done, but it's totally worth it. I can now sit in it, write in it, watch movies in it...all far, far away from my fiance because as much as I love him, we've been spending WAY too much time in the same room since he lost his job.

One of my undertakings was um, putting all the books back on the shelves.  The piles of books in that room were pretty impressive, I must say.   And not all of them were books I was planning to keep either. Those went down to the basement with the several boxes of "books to eventually get around to selling."

My book shelves were so pretty when I was done, I just had to take a picture and brag about them:

And now you're saying "Leigh, that's it?"  Yep, I'm afraid so.  I used to have hundreds of books. Really, HUNDREDS.  They overflowed 4 large book cases, into closets, into boxes. I hoarded them. I had every book I had ever gotten since about the 3rd grade. (That's when I became a book worm.)

Alas, I lost my job and then had to walk away from an up-side-down mortgage (I bought my house about a year before the market collapse) and ended up homeless for 6 months (well, I was on my grandma's couch). It wreaked havoc on my book collection.  I sold about 400 of them to a book seller for a nickle each, and I ended up leaving a few hundred behind when I had to leave.  (Foreclose on my house? You're gonna have one hell of a mess to clean up. I left almost everything behind.) And this is what I have left, even after 3 years of "recovery."

The two small shelves hold my non-fiction (the sparse one on the left) and my myth/legend/fairy tale section.  Highlights of that collection include a picture-filled biography of Arthur Rackham and a 1930's copy of Anderson's Fairy Tales, which has the most gorgeous illustrations. I've had it since I was a kid and its where I got my love of fairy tales.

The big wooden shelf I got when I was around 12 or 13.  A neighbor of my uncle's passed away and her relatives told him he could go through her stuff. Well, when he saw how many books she had (several layers against more than one wall), he called me. I took home a hundred at least that day, along with this shelf. I wish I'd taken all of them.  I also saw my first Playgirl that day (she was an eclectic old lady).

I have a mix of American and British paperbacks of Harry Potter. I got rid of my first edition hardbacks because they took up a lot of space. I hear they can be worth a lot of money, but mine were terribly battered.  A handful of my teenage books survived the move and most of them are here. M. E. Kerr was a big favorite, Margaret Mahy, and Paul Zindel. I have a 1970's boxed set of a few of his books on the top there.

 This shelf as a few random books, but it also has some of my most prized books. My Robin McKinley books are on the left, including a very early printing (possibly first paperback but I'm not sure) of Beauty. I've gone through 4 copies of that book since the age of 12 and I read it every year.

On the right are my Bordertown books. I discovered them when I was 13. It's a shared universe fantasy world from the 80s/90s created by Terri Windling full of runaway kids and punk elves on motorcycles. Half of them were already out of print when I discovered them so one was stolen (but paid for) from the library and over the years I've paid outrageous sums for a few battered paperbacks. A few years ago they released a new collection for the first time since 1998 and I cried real tears. Some of the novels have since been re-released too, but the cover art on the old ones are better.  Oh, also here are my My Little Ponies. This is collection #2. The first one was lost when I lost my house--I had about a hundred (all vintage), many of them rare too.  With the new show prices have gone up and I just can't bring myself to start collecting again...but I have a few.

I don't have a lot of comic books.  I'm not a
fan of super heroes and as a result just never got deeply into them in general, though I love pictures with my stories. I have the complete Sandman collection, and a couple of the Sandman books Jill Thompson wrote and illustrated. I think those are out of print. I only have some of Neil's books, but I am a big fan.

I have Warren Ellis's Transmetropolitan series, which I have read over and over.  I have Alan Moore's controversial Lost Girls series. It is beautiful and sexy.  I have some Buffy and Firefly comics but honestly season 8 was just kinda creepy.  I have the single-issue comics from when the show was still on the air too, but they're in my special Buffy collection in the closet. (I had a thing...) Oh, and Tank Girl. Actually I love the art but hate the writing. The movie was better.


Here's a few really old books. My prized possession is an 1898 copy of Study in Scarlet (the bottom one). The middle is a 1920's A Christmas Carol and the top is an 1860's (I think) copy of Merchant of Venice.

I used to have lots more old books, but all are gone now. There is a box of children's books in my closet, my very favorites that I can't get rid of. They include my boxed set of the Little House books.

Losing nearly everything I owned (what I had left all fit in a mini-van, and that included 3 cats in carriers, 3 people & a 50cc motor scooter) has really changed my idea of stuff.  I only keep books I really love. These books pictured are either 'To be read' or 'will read again.'  Most research is done with library books and the internet instead of buying more books.  If I can get it on kindle for free/cheap, I'll just have a digital copy.

Sometimes I really miss having an irrational number of books, but then, I miss a lot of things that I left behind. I try not to dwell on it too much. So these are my books. I hope you enjoyed the tour. What's your bookshelf like?

New Release: "The Photographer's Muse"

First off, there's a new page on the site, "Other Pseudonyms." Check it out for more stories of mine you might not have read.

This is my work, but it isn't a Leigh Wilder release, so feel free to skip over it if you're only interested in fantasy and vampires and romance. If you're looking for hot BDSM action, on the other hand, you're in the right place.

"The Photographer's Muse" is contemporary M/M erotica with lots of BDSM, rough sex, and dirty talk. It is 8,500 words.

Buy it on Amazon FREE with a Kindle Unlimited account
Buy it on Amazon UK




Description:
Nick lives a solitary existence in NYC. Invisible. Alone. Until a photographer walks up to him in the park one day and asks to take his picture. Esteban lives in a world of art, sex, and domination. Nick is introduced to this world and he falls in love with it...and Esteban.

Excerpt:
“Are you ready?” Esteban asked. Nick stared at the setup and nodded slightly. “Look, I might have to say or do things that might make you uncomfortable in order to get the shots I need. I promise not to hurt you or molest you, but I might hit or pinch you lightly or say some not nice things. Are you okay with that?” “Yeah.” As long as those not nice things were sexual he was more than okay with it.

“Do you have any triggers?” he asked, and when Nick looked at him blankly he continued. “Words or actions that might provoke a panic attack--anything that might remind you specifically of something bad that might have happened to you in the past.”Nick remembered the sad story in Esteban’s bio. He shook his head. “Nothing ever happens to me.”

Esteban gave him a smile. “Until now."

Library Books

For a life-long book lover and writer, I am terrible when it comes to library books. In 1992 (I was 9) I checked out a pile of books from the library a mere 4 blocks from my house (and this was 1992 so a kid could walk 4 blocks without their parents getting arrested for child endangerment) and I didn't return them for 6 years. I remember it was a handful of Boxcar Children mysteries and a collection of ghost stories.

 For 6 years these books sat on my shelf, not lost, perfectly safe. Finally in high school, when it became my own responsibility to buy my books and not my mother's, I returned the books (with some weird looks from the librarian) and got my card re-instated. But I couldn't hold on to that card to save my life and eventually the refused to give me a new one and they had to look me up in the computer every time I came in.

 Don't even get me started on the library policy at the university I went to. You could keep books all fucking semester, so there was no rush or reminder that they needed to go back. I would find the books in the middle of the summer from early on the semester before. I had to pay fines before they would let me graduate.

 As soon as I moved to Columbus I got a library card and made one trip, but it was kind of far away and Columbus traffic makes me nervous. Long story short, I was eventually sent a letter from a collection agency. I paid it, and I haven't been back since. Okay, full disclosure: Akron library has sent me to collections once or twice too. I'm thinking if I ever get a library card again it should probably be only to borrow ebooks. :/ I'm a terrible person. Forgive me. (And think of all the money I've given the library all these years to buy new books.)

Re-release: Depression, Love, & Swimming Pools

I wrote this story in 2012. It was a response to a call for submission from Storm Moon Press, looking for brother-on-brother incest erotica. I did the best I could, writing a story that had a sex scene in it, but definitely defied the over-all tone of most erotica.

They bought it, but the editors wanted me to change the ending. Everyone who read the anthology it appeared in hated it. I have a feeling they didn't have enough quality submissions to publish and they took mine simply because it was coherent. Not that its a bad story. I think it's a very good story. I had BBC's Sherlock and John in my head as I was writing it, and I took a lot of my own emotions (not the incest part, the depression part) and put them into the characters.

But this isn't a happy romance. When the call said incest I automatically knew it couldn't be happy. You will never catch me trying to claim incest is natural, no matter how often I write about it.  Its really not. But this is fiction, not real life, and that means anything can happen. But I wanted it to feel real. I wanted to write about broken characters, and I wanted the most broken part of their relationship to be the start of the healing process.

I don't have this listed under 'erotica' on Amazon, because it isn't.  It isn't a romance either, not really. It is a story of two fucked up brothers trying to be better. There just happens to be incestuous sex in it.

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Description:
Cale might be the younger brother, but he is also the rescuer, the one who fixes everything. When he comes home for a visit he finds his brother Derrick floating in the pool their father killed himself in years before, unwilling to leave. Cale confronts his brother's depression head-on while dealing with his own demons, leading them to an unexpected shift in their relationship.  Cale and Derrick will never be the same again...and maybe that's okay.

This piece confronts the topics of suicide, depression, loss, recovery, and incest.  It contains graphic scenes. Not intended for young readers.

This is a 9,000 word short story.  This story was previously published in Storm Moon Press's "Fraternal Devotion" anthology.

ALSO AVAILABLE NOW

Like the Chartreuse Fairy Book, I'm releasing a collection of contemporary erotic tales. These are my early works (mostly pre-Deadly Liaisons) and are kind of motley.  It's $3.49 and contains:

Saturday Night (M/M)
Depression, Love, and Swimming Pools (M/M)
Brian is Gay (and so am I) (M/M)
Boy (F/F)
In the Dark (M/F)
The Beauty and the Beast (M/F)
The Red Shoes (M/F)

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Buy on Smashwords

New Releases! Fairy Lights/Chartreuse Fairy Book

This is a double announcement.  First off, my new story, Fairy Lights, is out.  This story plays with lots of concepts of folklore from a few hundred years ago.  People who disappeared without a trace were taken by the fairies. Children born with birth defects were actually changelings--fairy children who had replaced the stricken child.

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon UK

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Also available in the collection mentioned below!

Description:

Lawry was born...different from others. He is aware he is nothing more than a scientifically explainable defect of nature, like a six or seven-toed cat, but the rest of the world calls him demon, monster...changeling.  When his mother tells him that in fact, his father is a fairy, he finds the whole idea ludicrous. But the eve of the Midsummer Night Ball is upon them, and that night everything changes.  He meets a fairy prince, who promises to take him home.

This is a M/M erotica piece. It is 5,300 words long.

Second, if you want a good deal on my stories, now is your chance.  I'm compiling the following stories into a single $3.49 volume called The Chartreuse Fairy Book.  (This is of course a play on Andrew Lang's colored fairy books.)  It is 30,000 words total, all of the stand-alone fantasy and fairy tale stories I've written so far.

1. Fairy Lights (M/M)

2. Roses White, Roses Red (M/M)

3. Price to be Paid (F/M)

4. Battle of the Dragon Slayer (F/F/M Dragon)

5. Goblin Market (F/F)

6. The Summoner & the Satyr (F/M Satyr)

7. Fancy & the Mechanical Man (F/M)

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon UK

New Release! "Another Full Moon: Deadly Liaisons SCD #1"`

Warning: there isnt a single sex scene in this story.  Sorry about that.  My aunt has been bugging me about writing a Detective Nova story, so here it is.  #1 of who knows how many stories. We'll see what happens.

Let me make it quite clear that police procedurals are not my thing. I very much struggle with writing crime-solving, so of course DL has been quite heavy in it.  So why don't I write a story about a cop?

We get into the background of the werewolves in this story & Damian, Jamie-boy, and Simon make cameos.

I wrote this under the assumption that the reader hasn't necessarily read Deadly Liaisons. It's a completely different genre after all. Apologies for any redundant info. This is a 7,000 word short story.


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Description:
Detective Julie Nova's life was ruined three years ago when she was bitten by a werewolf. Now she's the lead detective in New Franklin, Pennsylvania's Supernatural Crimes Division. A vamp tramp (someone who enjoys being bitten by vampires) is found ripped to pieces after a full moon. It's up to an exhausted Julie Nova to fight her urges for a snack and a nap, and bring the wolfish killer to justice.

Excerpt:
...Will post in the morning. I'm on the wrong computer.

New Release: Deadly Liaisons #5: Daybreak

I swear I did not forget about this series.  This took a long time to write. And I'm very sorry. It's also a little different from the rest of the series because it has a 3rd POV.  I don't know if this will happen again. It might, but it might not. I'm sure you won't really mind.

So! Here it is. It's 24,000 words long, which makes it the longest yet (though not by much) and the most important part--a whole bunch of stuff is on sale this week!

Drain Me Dry--FREE (as always) on Amazon US, and Smashwords.  UK, if you report to Amazon that you got this title free at smashwords that would be awesome--getting this story free in the UK would boost my sales a LOT.

The Punishment--FREE on Smashwords.

Deadly Liaisons Volume 1 (the first 3 stories)--Only $2.99

Bloodlines (book 4)--Only $1.99

DAYBREAK
Buy it on Amazon
Buy it on Amazon UK
Buy it on Smashwords

Description:
Both Jamie-boy and Damian have been suffering since their break-up, but they are thrown together when a vampire is brutally murdered. Damian is too depressed to care and ready to let the cops deal with it--Jamie-boy is willing to do some investigating on his own. And then there's Lucas, a vamp tramp with a Daybreaker's tattoo on his neck. Whose side is he on? How many people is he willing to hurt to get what he wants? This is a M/M romantica containing explicit sex, rough sex, BDSM, blood play, and violence.

Excerpt:

Hot blood thinned with alcohol gushed into Damian’s mouth. He drank deep, not even savoring the intoxicating flavor. He didn’t know the name of the half-dressed young man under him and didn’t particularly care. Just some vamp tramp looking to get in with the vampire in charge. He still wore his t-shirt, his jeans around one ankle. Damian had fucked him hard, the boy coming even as he moaned in pain.

The human was gasping in pleasure now as Damian drank long and deep, the alcohol in the boy’s blood adding to what already coursed through his system. He wasn’t sure he even remembered what sober felt like. It wasn’t a state of being Damian was particularly comfortable with anymore.

He took one last gulp and pulled away, not taking much care and ripping the flesh around the two puncture wounds left by his fangs. The tramp lay on the bed, a smile on his face. He didn’t even notice Damian tucking himself back into his pants and leaving the room, not bothering to shut the door behind him.

Veronica met him at the base of the stairs. “Where’s your friend?”

“Taking a nap,” he answered and walked on.

“That isn’t how the rules are supposed to work,” she called after him, but he ignored her.

The club was overflowing with people. It was Saturday night, winter was setting in. Vampires were fond of winter. Longer nights meant more time on the streets, more chances to find someone tasty to spend the night with. The band that night, The Pack, played heavy death core, and members of their mostly werewolf and human fan-base added to the usual crowd.

Damian sat down at the bar feeling heavy and full. Jilly finished filling two pitchers of beer and sent them off with a pair of vamp tramps before turning her attention to him. “The usual,” he said.

“Your old usual or your new one?” she questioned, giving him a disapproving look. “Because I’m not sure you’ll be able to stand if I put much more booze in you.”

“Just get me a drink.”

“No need to yell,” she huffed and waltzed back down the bar, returning with a wine glass dark with blood. He took a sip. There was barely enough vodka in it to call it a bloody driver. He sighed and sipped at it anyway.

Simon joined him. “The same as he’s having, but triple the alcohol,” he ordered.

“You’re cut off,” Jilly told him.

“You can’t do that. Damian, tell her she can’t do that.”

“She’s the bartender,” Damian said. “She makes the rules.”

“You’re cut off too,” she said.

“You can’t do that. I’m the boss.”

“And I’m the bartender.” She stalked away. Damn, the fledglings were getting uppity lately. Of course, Jilly had more sense than the rest of them combined, so Damian let her get away with it.

Jilly returned with a glass of blood and set it down in front of Simon. “What’s wrong with you tonight anyway?” she demanded of Simon. “I got enough trouble dealing with his drunken ass all the time.” She cocked her head in Damian’s direction.

“Has no one ever told you to respect your elders?” he asked.

“Yeah. But my elders need to give me good reason.”

“It’s November thirteenth.” Simon said, answering her original question.

“So? What does that mean?”

Damian knew. He’d forgotten what day it was, but the date November thirteenth would always be burned into his mind. “The Philly Riot of sixty-four,” he answered for Simon.

“You were there?” she asked Simon, slightly impressed. “I thought all the vampires in that riot were killed.”

“All but two,” Damian said.

“He pulled me out,” Simon told her, sipping on his drink. “I would have stayed and gotten myself killed.”

“Why?”

“Angela.”

“His sire was one of the ones killed.” Damian left out the part where she was the one who orchestrated the entire massacre. Fifty-one vampires and a hundred and fourteen humans, all dead.

“I’m very sorry,” she said. “That must be terrible for you.” She reached under the bar and gabbed a bottle of vodka, pouring a generous shot into Simon’s drink. Damian held his glass out, but she ignored it.

“He only knew her for three weeks,” Damian said, annoyed.

“Man, don’t think I won’t fight you,” Simon snapped.

“Boys,” Jilly warned. “If you don’t behave yourselves I’ll cut both of you off for a week. How do you feel about that?”

“I’m in charge,” Damian protested again.

“And I’m…almost in charge,” Simon agreed.

“Bartender.”

Her long brown ponytail flew around her head and she turned briskly and marched away. Damian watched her make drinks with efficient precision, passing them out and collecting cash. Maybe he needed a new protégé. Simon was all grown up now. He could handle himself in any situation and was as capable of running this town as Damian. Maybe he needed a new project to get him out of this rut. Jilly could be that project…she was cute too, in a bitchy sort of way. Maybe she could be two projects at once.

The phone at the bar rang and Jilly picked up. He watched her entire body language change in an instant, from relaxed and playful to tense and still. Damian was on his feet before he could process what he was seeing, and Simon followed suit, stumbling as he got off his stool and knocking into Damian. What a graceful pair of idiots, Damian thought.

Jilly hung up the phone and waved one of the waitresses over to her. Rachelle took Jilly’s place behind the bar and Jilly walked over to them. “That was Detective Nova. Someone’s killed a vampire.”

“Where?” Damian demanded, but instead of answering him Jilly’s hand shot out to unclip his keys from the belt loop of his jeans. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Driving you,” she answered. She waved at Rachelle, who stepped over to their end of the bar. “He’s cut off,” she said pointing to Simon.

“Fuck it,” he said. “I’m coming too.”