December Drake | Pepper Dane

A banner which reads: Ream closing to new members on October 22nd. Three months of Ream for the price of one. Lock in access to: All published books (binge & luxe tiers), all WIP updates (Luxe tier), non-dark books plus WIP updates (Sweet+Spicy tier), completed dark works only (dark tier). The website is https://reamstories.com/decemberdrake. The background is black, against which a dried rose is shown on fire.

I'm on semi-hiatus to support my terminal cat through the last stages of his journey. On Oct. 22nd, my Ream will lock to new subscribers/upgrades. After which, all members will enjoy two months free.

All the sweet, spicy, and very dark, on Ream. 🌶️📚

reamstories.com/decemberdrake

The ideal outcome of the Visa/Mastercard campaign is not that they let most NSFW back on Itch, and cede most points. It's them changing policy in a way that gives us more than we started with.

That's how you combat a moral panic. You recognize how the fence is being moved, and *you move it back.*

Sadly, this particular market has no direct pub avenue for me in my country. But yeah, they're all frustrating 😩

This morning I had a publishing distributor email me a screenshot of a paragraph in one of my short romances where I dared to mention genitals in an open-door love scene. I was taken to task for not labeling it as erotica

I'm so tired

Also wondering how that review of my books on Itch.io is going

‘I feel violated’ - Queer Creators Lose Livelihoods in Itch.io bans The recent Itch bans on queer and NSFW content have damaged careers and put countless people out of work. Though some are now on the verge of homelessness, they’re still organizing and fighting back. TNN delves into what’s at stake on the frontlines of the fight against anti-queer censorship.

Over the past month, independent content hosting platform Itch.io has been systematically banning queer & NSFW content. We talked to creators about how this impacted them, and how they’re fighting back.

Written by @thefreeradical.org and edited by @davidforbes.bsky.social

A marketing graphic for YOLO WITH KOBO featuring an open book with its innermost pages curved into a heart, against a black background. A red bookmark is visible in the pages. The graphic says, YOLO WITH KOBO, August 8th, Free with Kobo Plus, and Support Indie Authors. The two URLs are linked separately on this post.

Happy Friday! It's a fine time to check out some great romance and spicy reads from indie authors today on Kobo Plus! 📚🌶️

Be sure to browse BOTH links this time, because there's no overlap.

koboplusromancebinge.com

www.kobo.com/us/en/p/kobo-plus-romance-binge

Yeah in the terms of marketing...they brought it on themselves. Had they done nothing they'd been alright. Even Stripe knew better and said straight up "We can't process NSFW material because of Visa and Master Card"

I'd love to say Legend, but truthfully? Minority Report

Everybody runs

Screenshot of part of my newsletter welcome email, which also mirrors the wording on my author site. It says, "Below, I list my most dangerous stories in the Bad category, which all list relevant trigger warnings. Feel free to avoid this category if it isn't your cup of tea." The screenshot then shows two images for two different story categories of my books: Romance & Spice, featuring a rose lit on fire, and Bad Stories, featuring a set of woman's hands tied behind her back.

I'm extra cautious about triggering any readers, so I separate out my work with morally grey/black male leads into a category called Bad. Warnings all over it.

In my newsletter welcome sequence and on my site, everyone clicks it. Everyone. 😳

I might as well have labelled it: Don't Click This Link

"The terms and conditions of global payment service providers such as Visa, Mastercard, or Paypal must not conflict with European values such as freedom of expression or artistic freedom."

Go off. Wish we had this kind of backing in the US

I like how you played with word flow on this cover!

I had "make a red velvet cake" slotted under Tentative Goals for the day, but being as I spent all night dreaming about mixing up cake batter, I guess the cake must happen

(This cake is absolutely coming out of a box)

This is a good thread that breaks down the relationship between Visa, Mastercard, and payment processors which rely on them

For selling fully-sanctioned "adult" content, Steam, Itch, and even individual creators would need a high-risk processor with higher fees. It also requires full underwriting

For people who don’t know/believe this - there are still romance book sites that will list all queer romances regardless of heat level (closed door, a single kiss) at their highest heat level because they view queerness in media as a kink designed to shamefully titillate straight cis people.

A story I've heard too many times: You're a romance/erom writer. You set up a direct author store using Shopify or Lemon Squeezy (now owned by Stripe)

They ask you the nature of your writing. It goes into review, while they decide if your romance is explicit enough to be rejected as adult content

this entire thing with Itch is so depressing beyond even the baseline infuriating thing with NSFW works. Itch has become a big source of revenue for a lot of indie writers, devs, etc. and whether you make NSFW or not, people will turn away from Itch (understandably) and hurt everybody

Me: I can do this. Just write and get these hard chapters done. Zero distractions. Don't let the world in.

Teenager: THERE'S A BIRD IN THE HOUSE

An internal window temperature sensor reporting 102.0F (39C) and 44% humidity

Not the best week to have a huge, west-facing picture window

(Sensor is registering 102F/39C behind the window curtain; the rest of the house is limping along on AC)

Do not put that thing "in a safe place"

Put it in a stupidly obvious place so you don't forget and lose it forever

Tape it to the damn wall

A marketing poster for my direct store grand opening sale, at https://store.decemberdrake.ink. The featured book is STOLEN VALENTINE, which is currently free to buy. The cover features a martini glass with a tiny red heart inside. Beneath the book are several other titles from my Primal Regression and Rogue Cupid series, as well as The Investor.

Want a freebie from my new author store? STOLEN VALENTINE is free to buy right now. A silver fox steals his son's neglected girlfriend during a carefully crafted Valentine's Day dinner in this ultra short romance 📚🌶️

All other titles (including audiobooks) are also 50% off!

store.decemberdrake.ink

As an introvert, I keep endlessly going through this cycle

Positive Juneteenth vibes only today

This cover on Being Neighborly is both playful and intense and I love it

We've encountered four brown recluse spiders in our house in the last week. Two of which were in my bedroom, late at night. The other two were found in the last hour

I've now committed to just staying up forever and writing

Romance Books with Dark Themes Among Leading Growth Categories | Circana This year, I am watching a shift away from rosier romance subjects like romantic comedy and new adult romance in favor of authors and titles with darker themes. Combined with the growth in other more ...

Dark romance/fiction trends:

"These subject matters provide an outlet for readers to safely explore negative emotions such as sadness, anger, or anxiety – allowing them to feel connected and perhaps even comforted. I expect to see continued interest in these darker subjects in the year ahead.”

Claiming His Professor is FINALLY out and only $0.99 through Monday! books2read.com/u/3Rg0wR

This ends the original Primal Regression series, long live Primal Regression: Aftermath! Mafia, assassins, MCs, and there's something in the water..?!

So excited for the new spin-off! 🌶️📚

I took a social media break to get writing done and, predictably, everything is burning

A poster featuring all three released #books in the Rogue Cupid series, along with some store icons: Amazon, Google Play, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Plus, Smashwords, Eden, and Ream. In one corner, Cupid is seen in a leather jacket with sunglasses on while lighting a cigarette. The first book, Fated to Strip, shows a woman's legs in a provocative pose with red leg warmers over platform heels. The theme is a secret office crush. Fated to Suck, the second title, shows a woman licking a lollipop. In love with her best friend is this book's theme. Fated to Steal shows a woman in a purple velvet dress wearing rubber gloves, while wearing mask over her eyes. She looks nervous with her hands up, as though caught in the act of stealing. The theme is stealing from her fated love, a mafia boss.

Cupid's patience is exhausted. He's not afraid of a little blackmail to unite some fated loves in these spicy short romances! I've (finally) added the Rogue Cupid series to all stores. books2read.com/b/492ok8 📚🌶️

These were fun to write and design. Now brainstorming the fourth book!

Reminder that this is still available and proceeds are split between Planned Parenthood, Brigid Alliance, and Lilith Fund!

#Romancelandia #SmutSky #BookSky