February 18, 2024

Stories and community

There’s a point in the relationship with a rescue pet when it finally clicks and they settle in to their new home. We hit that this week with Jojo and life is a lot calmer now that he’s snuggling with the other dogs - and both humans in the house. I even got lap snuggles in the recliner the other day!

I know some of you are wondering about the whole serializing thing - and another author on my Discord group said something about it that was so perfect, I had to share.

We were discussing the difference between reading serialized stories over a finished book. I said that getting early-access to the story was a hook - and they countered with it being a completely different experience.

Some readers prefer reading something serialized over a finished book because of the communal experience.

"Book reading is an individual thing. You buy the book, read it, and maybe you leave a review, and maybe you talk to your friends about it.

Serial reading is a communal experience. You wait for the next chapter together. You bond with other readers about this or that character, who you’re spending months with, instead of a few days. It’s much more than a story that you read in chapters since the time between chapters is filled with the community around the story.
And when a new reader joins and you’re posting chapter twenty - they get to read not just the previous chapters, but also the comments and predictions of other readers on earlier chapters - which quickly gets them up to date on how the community works.”

With all of this said - put some comments, feedback, ideas, whatever in the comments on those posts that have chapters in them. Talk about how you feel about the story - who you’re rooting for - who you hate - all of it! Get others interested in what you’re reading…for the love of all things good, please get them interested. (I’m laughing here.)

Now - if you don’t like serialized stories, don’t worry about reading them. Just do a free subscription and read the newsletters like you always have. Buy the books when they come out and enjoy things the way you prefer. There is no right or wrong here.

Also - Fate or Destiny is out in the wild! It has been released to my direct sales customers as of February 16th, and will be out to the rest of you on February 20th.

You can buy your copy here, from my shop - or here everywhere else. I hope you enjoy Rowan’s ‘origin story’. Let me know what you think?

Also, here’s a short survey. It would help a lot if you would take it. It will give me more information so I can better tailor my newsletters. Thanks!

Eight men will do anything to protect me, but not even they can protect me from myself.
This is a reverse harem, Snow White fairytale retelling. Paranormal romance.
I had a life once. Before someone tried to kill me.
My guardians say they’ll keep me safe from this killer, who will strike again, but it’s hard to be scared of something you don’t remember.
And the itch to escape is going to drive me crazy.
I have a choice to make. Stay inside where it’s safe, or risk it all for a taste of freedom.
As my nightmares become reality, I don’t think I can resist much longer.

And So It Begins - Chapter Five - College Park, MD 2005

Jo dug her thumbs into the knotted muscles of Blake’s back and chuckled as he groaned out loud.

“You’ve been sitting too long, my love. Time to take a break,” Jo told him. For the past two years, Blake had taken up residence in Jo’s apartment with her and they enjoyed their time together when they could get it.

It had taken Jo a while to get past her hangups about sex. Longer still to get over the trauma from her uncle. She’d learned to have intimate relationships with men, and a few women, but she’d never truly been in love. She loved, but not with the kind of passion and depth spoken about in poetry, songs, and romance novels.

For the longest time, she thought there was something wrong with her. Then a conversation with Sandra had given her some information she’d been missing. Apparently, vampires had one mate and they would know when they met them as there would be a marking that appeared on each one. Gifts and talents would blossom and change for each one, and if the vampire turned their mate, that vampire would be weak as a human for a period of time after the turning. Not that being weak after turning someone was unusual – it was just supposedly worse if it was a mate bond.

Most vampires avoided looking for a mate because they didn’t want to be that vulnerable. The vampire was often killed during the weak time and no one wanted to take that risk just for a mate.

Jo had never found a mate, and sincerely hoped she never would. She also had never been interested in turning someone into a vampire. It explained, however, why Uncle Sebastien had been so reclusive and kept them both hidden for a few weeks after he turned her. They never left the house and had reduced the staff to two trusted individuals while he helped her through that first hunger rage. It had been hell for her. She honestly remembered very little of those days, caught up in the need to feed and the overwhelming grief of losing her family. Even so, she doubted her uncle would’ve told her any of this. He liked her ignorant, dependent, and needy.

It bothered her that it took the loss of Anne Johnson for Jo to understand what had happened. Sandra sat her down and explained it all before they took Joel Jennings, Anne’s mate, and set him up in a place nearby where they could keep an eye on him and let him process his grief. He didn’t last very long, however. He’d taken his own life by walking into a beach bonfire about a month after they’d got him settled. It was just too much for him to bear.

“Have you heard from Kate or Magnus yet?” Blake asked Jo.

“Not since this morning,” Jo said. “They found the shifters that were rampaging through Winnipeg and Magnus challenged the alpha and when he won, the rest had to obey. They’re now on their way to the detention center in Cheyenne, Wyoming.”

“They really need to be working on the terrorist group in Reston, Virginia. I’m not sure why you sent them to Winnipeg,” Blake complained.

She stepped back away from him and folded her arms under her breasts. “Because Magnus is an alpha and he could handle them with the least amount of bloodshed,” Jo replied, her tone cooling. “And while we are lovers and friends, when it comes to business, I don’t appreciate having my decisions questioned.”

Blake rolled his eyes. “Get over yourself, Jolene.”

Jo took a slow breath, then shook her head. “I think it’s time you moved into that apartment across the quad. This isn’t getting better – in fact, it’s getting worse. You’ve had trouble with me being in charge since the first day you were here, but your skill in bed and my enjoyment of you, mitigated most of that. Not anymore.”

Blake got to his feet and turned to face Jo. “Typical woman’s response. I’m challenging your authority and you deny sex.”

Jo reached out and gently caressed his cheek, then slapped him hard enough to make him stumble. “Ever question me again and I’ll remove your head from your body.”

Rage surged through Blake, hands clenched into fists. “If you weren’t…”

“What, darling? If I weren’t…a female killing machine? What would you do, raise your fist?” She walked over to the door and opened it. “Lisa, call Simon and ask him to please escort Mr. Steele from the grounds?”

She then turned back to Blake; eyes locked on his. “You will forget everything you learned about the Network other than that it is an efficient and highly regarded educational facility. You will forget me and what we shared, and Blake? You will never strike out at a woman or child. If you lose your temper and do so, you will be struck blind.”

Blake’s eyes widened, then his expression went slack. “Yes, Ms. Wilder, it’s been a pleasure meeting you. Have a good day.”

He turned and walked to the door and waited near Lisa’s desk for Simon to come get him.

Simon looked at Jo in confusion.

“He’s to be escorted to the empty unit on Rigley,” Jo told Simon. “Make sure everything is set up for him, then send someone back to pick up his belongings. He won’t remember anything about us. Lisa and I will pack things up and he can go on with his life. Maybe find him a job pushing paper for one of the subsidiaries, so we can keep an eye on him.”

“Of course, Director,” Simon said with a tight smile. “Did he lay a hand on you?”

“No,” Jo said with a shake of her head. “But he wanted to.” She sighed and her shoulders sagged a touch. “It’s been a long time coming, but I didn’t want to see it. Thank you, Simon.”

When the men had gone, Jo dropped into a chair and closed her eyes. “Well, shit.”

Lisa brought Jo a cup of tea and patted her shoulder. “You were nicer than I would’ve been. I’ll get one of the staff to bring up some boxes and we’ll get his stuff out of your space.”

“I appreciate you, Lisa. Thank you,” Jo replied and took a sip of her tea. After a moment, she got to her feet and started to collect Blake’s things. “I really need better taste in men.”

“Don’t we all,” Lisa replied. That got Jo to laugh and they made jokes while they gathered his things.

“You need a girl’s night out,” Lisa said as the last box was carted away. “I’m going out with Aisha to a new club in DC. Come with us.”

“That sounds like fun, but not tonight. I need to check in on a couple of the teams that are late on their check-ins and catch up on some paperwork.”

“Liar. You will never truly catch up on paperwork, and the handlers will check on their teams. That’s not your job, and you know it. Come on, Jo. Put on that new dress and let’s go have some fun.”

Jo smiled. “I really do appreciate the invite, but I think I’m going to just rearrange my space and reclaim it as my own – and not shared – once more. Go have fun and tell me about it tomorrow.”

Lisa sighed. “All right. But next time, you will come with us. No arguments.”

Jo chuckled and waved her off, then turned to look at her suite. Hands on her hips, she plotted and planned, then got to work.

One of the advantages of being a vampire was enhanced speed and strength. Another advantage was having over a hundred years’ worth of furniture and décor stored in the attic. By the time she was done, the Scandinavian style furniture was stored and her rooms were done in French provincial furnishings with some quality antiques and a few modern pieces chosen specifically for comfort.

Then Jo settled down in the chaise by the windows with a pot of tea and a new book she’d purchased the other day. The quiet was a welcome respite from the chaos of her work day and the background noise that came from a shared space.

Problem was, she couldn’t focus. Her thoughts kept going back to Magnus and Kate. Blake did have a point in that they were the best pair to handle the Reston issue, but that particular fire was on a slow burn and the situation in Winnipeg had needed immediate resolution. The answer was to find another strong alpha shifter to put on a team, but most alpha shifters preferred to handle their pack business and not deal with non-shifter issues.

She made a mental note to ask Magnus about potential alphas that were not leading a pack, that would be a good fit for the Network. Once she’d resolved that, she could finally get lost in the story.

Did a part of her regret not going out with Lisa and Aisha? Not really. This, to her, was the ultimate luxury. A cup of good tea, a pleasant environment, and a well-written story were, for Jo, the idea of a wonderful evening.

Now, if people could just stop trying to destroy each other, maybe this could be more common?

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Chapter Six next week! Want to read ahead? Buy the book here for less, or everywhere else here.