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First week of the new job is done!

Overall, it’s going great. Most everyone I’ve met is really nice, and my “immediate” coworkers are really lovely. There are four of us in a smaller office within the department and it seems like we all fit together pretty well. The atmosphere in the office seems pretty normal. By that, I mean, you know there’s always going to be office politics and small issues whenever you have a large group of people together for an extended period of time, but nothing out of the norm.

The only sticking point was the department manager. I didn’t meet him at my interview because he was away that day, but I did have an inside scoop as to how he was. My work bestie from my previous job, who abandoned me there to move on, works for the practice (which is how I knew about the job in the first place) and she told me things, so I was prepared for him. But there were red flags immediately upon meeting him. Ten minutes in to my first day, sitting in his office, I get that creeping uncomfortable feeling as he shares things he shouldn’t be saying to a brand new employee. Among other things, he was speaking badly about other employees. I chalked it up to his personality, and though I was uncomfortable, I reminded myself it was just one person, not the company as a whole. The company picnic was this past Friday, and he flat out told me that it was mandatory (which I couldn’t imagine to be the case, let alone for a new employee of four days) and when I asked to be excused, given the circumstances, he agreed but told me I would have to attend in the future. When we had a meeting, he spoke over me and others, and ultimately agreed with what I was saying…but not before it had been repeated by his right hand person.

Because of the inside intel I had, I knew that he was a recurring problem. There had been rumors that things were being documented for possible action. But I’m not going to lie, given my previous experience for pretty much my entire working career, I didn’t expect anything to be done about it. I consoled myself with the thought that not only were the majority of coworkers good people and that the practice as a whole seemed like a good place to work, but that my team lead actually has been working for the practice the longest of everybody there, including the doctors, and she had our backs. She repeatedly told us she would run interference and give support.

So imagine my surprise when I arrived at work on Friday morning to be told that problematic manager had been let go the previous evening. And that his right hand person had quit in protest. The department was already understaffed, largely due to people quitting as a direct result of problematic manager (which, it was implied, was a major reason for his dismissal) and now we’re severely understaffed. But both the CEO and HR rep were supportive, understanding, and cared about how we all were feeling and reacting to the news.

It’s that last part that solidified that I made the right choice with my new employment. I’m still slightly skeptical, as conditioning as made me such, but it’s a major green flag for the practice. Things are going to be bumpy for a while as they hire new people, both for regular roles and managerial ones, but I feel good about how it will all shake out.

All that is to say it’s been a rather eventful week! The biggest bonus is that while of course I’d love to be able to stay home and write full time instead of going to a day job, I don’t dread going into work every day like I have for the past…many years.

In writing news, a new serial will start on here soon, I’m hoping upcoming Friday. Expect more shifters, because that’s my love, and I have many ideas to explore there.

As Luck Would Have It is out in the world and people really seem to like it, which makes me so incredibly happy because I adore Kyle and Xavier so. Kyle is a hit, as I knew he would be, and I’ve gotten some positive feedback on Xavier’s T1 diabetes rep, which warms my heart as I worked hard to make that as accurate as possible.

As far as my next release, expect a holiday story in December. I haven’t quite got my brain around the story yet, as I had one idea I started writing but hit a major wall, but I have some other ideas as well. Don’t worry though, there will definitely be a holiday story, because holiday stories are one of my favorite things and I always want to write one. I just have to figure out if it’s going to be another Landry’s Fall book or something else entirely. Anyone have any thoughts?

As Luck Would Have It is now out in the world! You can get it directly from JMS (with a discount!) or from your other favorite retailer here.

Kyle Swansie loves his hometown of Landry’s Fall. An extrovert who loves talking with people, managing and serving at his family’s diner is the highlight of his day. Even when he has to deal with the occasional cranky patron. When a stranger cops an attitude, Kyle doesn’t hesitate to put the beautiful man in his place. But Xavier Ormsby is so much more than Kyle’s first impression and it doesn’t take long for the two men to find common ground. Neither Kyle nor Xavier expected to find a connection.

Xavier might be in Landry’s Fall on a forced vacation of sorts, their time together quickly moves from friends to more. Xavier is everything Kyle never realized he wanted. Kyle provides a light Xavier didn’t know he needed. Though their worlds are very different, there’s no denying the depth of their attraction. With each day that passes, both Kyle and Xavier start looking to a future.

Things that should be obstacles — their age gap, Xavier’s diabetes, the financial disparity — simply aren’t. But it’s still not easy to find a way to fit their lives together. With their love on the line, can they find a way to have their happily ever after?

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Kyle’s adorable, Xavier’s a sweetheart. It was a blast being back in Landry’s Fall, and I’ll probably head there again soon (wink). In the mean time, enjoy this celebratory story and all the fun it has.

And just a note: we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming here very soon, with maybe a few extras. It’s been an incredibly stressful couple of weeks and I’ve had to focus on other things. But with some time off looming, hopefully I’ll be able to bring you the conclusion of Jace and Ian’s story, as well as more!

After 5 and a half years (or thereabouts), I’ve quit my day job.

Now, sadly, I didn’t do this to write full time. That’s the dream, right? But that’s not feasible. I do have another job lined up. And after a couple of weeks notice, and a couple of weeks off, I’ll start there. I’m looking forward to it as much as I can for any day job.

The job has been…stressful to say the least. For quite a while now. And I’ve been doing the best I could but it’s been taking it’s toll. The result is that I haven’t had many spoons for anything else. The writing, in particular, has suffered. It’s hard, for me at least, to fall into a created world when I’m so burnt out that all I want to do is potato.

On the upside, between ending this job and starting the new one, I do have two weeks off. I need to decompress badly and I’m so looking forward to that. My hope is that this will translate to some words being written. Among other things to just relax.

And I’m hoping that with a less stressful job, I won’t be as tapped out at the end of the day and at the weekend, so that I can write more words then too.

But most of all, I’m just happy to be leaving a job that takes all that I have so that I can devote more of me to things that I love.

When I wrote that first flash fic for Gareth and Owen, I never expected this to turn into a whole thing. But it has. The world building has grown and expanded. Characters have taken on a life of their own. Stories have gotten more involved than I ever anticipated. I love spending time here with the characters I’ve created. And I love throwing them up on the blog.

But I also really want to see where these stories can go.

To that end, I’m going to self publish these stories. With the state of the publishing world for this genre such as it is, I’ve wanted to delve deeper into self-pubbing. So Gareth and Owen and Lane and Walker are going to get a professional polish, go through editing, get covers and new titles, and be available for a wider audience. I will be adding some new content, things that I’ve kept out of the stories to keep them SFW, as well as some additional development scenes.

My number 1 goal as an author is to provide enjoyable entertainment to readers. But this is also my career, and I have to think about that part of it as well. And while my original intent was to keep these stories free here on the site, ultimately this series has grown bigger than that. I hope everyone can understand that.

So what does that mean for stories here? The stories will remain available here on the blog until the end of the year. After that, I will be removing them so they can have a new home elsewhere. It is absolutely my intent that Aeron…and others…will get books as well. Just not here on the site.

But don’t worry. Because there will still be flash fics on Fridays here. Some of them will be actual one shots, some will probably be shorter serials. You’ll still get plenty of free content, I promise.

Looking for a new book? I’ve got one of those! It’s got the holiday feels and hurt/comfort and soft kink and friends to lovers and just all the good feels. And it’s a Landry’s Fall book to boot 🙂

Garrett Corrigan loves the holiday season. All the trappings, the lights, the festive spirit. But as the holiday cards start to arrive, it’s hard to see all the happy families and smiling faces. At thirty-eight, he thought he’d be sending those out himself, but instead, he’s alone. Again.

To make matters worse, his family has the tradition of taking photos in Christmas pajamas. The group photo isn’t bad, but when he has to stand by himself in pajamas that match no one else’s, he can’t help the sadness. Garret is made to be a partner, but he hasn’t yet found the person who will want to stay.

But then there’s Mason Mills. Garrett would have never asked his friend to pose as his boyfriend, but Mason has a different proposal. The attraction between them has always simmered in the background, and Mason take the opportunity to make his move. They agree to date for the holiday and see where things go. Garrett is shocked to learn that Mason long ago figured out that Garrett is submissive in the bedroom, and Mason pushes every one of his buttons. The move from friends to lovers, and Dom and sub, works so well, Garrett wishes they’d pursued something sooner.

The only sticking point is Garrett’s mother’s attitude, and Garrett’s anxiety keeps him from sharing all his thoughts. Mason is determined to show Garrett that nothing will come between them. With Mason’s unwavering support, this just might be Garrett’s best Christmas yet.

You can buy it here from the publisher (where it’s currently on sale!) or click here for a different retailer of your choice.

Enjoy and happy reading!