Newsletter ~ June - October 2010

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Where did the last four months go? Seems like I'm always marveling at the brisk passage of time. I heard someone once say that, as with toilet tissue, the closer you get to the end of your roll, the faster it goes. I hope that doesn't mean I'm nearing the end of my roll! *wink* I think it's more likely that we just get busier. We pile more and more stuff on our proverbial plates until we can barely maneuver around our "TO DO" lists.

I hope y'all had a nice summer and are enjoying autumn. We had a very dry one here in Appalachia, so the fall foliage is not as vibrant as usual. It's still quite gorgeous, though. I'd say peak color was probably last weekend. Temps have been mild. Only one frost so far. Hopefully that presages a mild winter. I'm a wuss when it comes to driving on snow & ice, and last winter was rather hellish in that regard.

You may've noticed that I've been somewhat inactive with regard to writing and promotions. If you're eagerly awaiting my next release, I apologize. Life often pulls us in directions we'd rather not go. Sometimes, it even shoves us off a cliff, and then we have to learn to fly (or, a la The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "forget to fall") damned quickly.

My summer was consumed with non-publishing-related family-type stuff. I managed to avoid eviscerating any young humans under my watch, although it was difficult. I am determined to never allow myself to be placed in the role of "default daycare provider" again, especially when I am also responsible for all of the household expenses.

If you'll recall my last newsletter, I was fretting about Enigma's upcoming spinal fusion. In spite of my fears, he did spectacularly well and recovered quickly. Nevertheless, it's an experience I'd rather not repeat, and I'm certain he feels the same. Talk about stress! I gained more grey hair & wrinkles during those weeks than in all the previous years.

To add injury to insult, on the day after Enigma came home from the hospital, I dislocated my ankle in taekwondo class. I received a delightful ambulance ride to the emergency room, which hadn't happened since 1985. An ambulance ride twice every 25 years is twice too many. I'm happy to report that I didn't require surgery and that I'm healing at a steady pace. I was able to continue training, compete (and win!) in forms & weapons at tournament, and test for my black belt with a cinderblock (a/k/a aircast, although there was nothing "airy" about it) on my foot. Ninja Brio!

I haven't written much more than a blog post in the past few months. My publishing endeavors have instead focused on art. In August, I launched my design business. Yes, yet another creative outlet. It's doing quite well, too. Significant income in less than 3 months! (That's more than I can say for writing, which took years to reach a point where I'd call it "significant" income.) Plus, it's unaffiliated with my erotic fiction endeavors, which enables me to share it with my spawn & extended family without putting them at risk of experiencing the backlash that often stalks anything sexual. The last thing I want is for my kids to be blacklisted from parties & such because of their mother's dirty mind. It's not the kids themselves I worry about. It's their doting parents. Dealing with such prejudices is character-building, I know, but I'd rather postpone the day my kids have to face it as long as possible.

I'm giving myself permission to be a Purple Prosaic "slacker" for the rest of 2010. In 2011, I plan to return my focus to self-publishing. I have all the print titles to re-release as well as quite a few works-in-progress to complete & publish. And Coming Together has much in its pipeline. I'm in the thick of edits for Coming Together: By Hand, a masturbatory-themed collection. The marriage equality autograph book (Coming Together: Against H8) did so well that I'm considering a second edition, perhaps in hardcover this time. And, we'll have Alison Tyler's Smut Marathon collection plus a paranormal ebook bundle from Sommer Marsden.

Did I mention that I'm judging for the EPIC eBook Awards this year? It's interesting to compare the quality of the entries from various publishers, from writing to editing to attention to formatting detail. It's also affirming to note that the quality of my self-published work is on par with that of publishers with stellar reputations. Yes, I also entered titles for both Purple Prosaic and Coming Together, even though I said I was cutting expenses for such things. Only one title (Coming Together: Into the Light) reached the finals, as far as I know. I didn't enter the Next Generation Indie Book Awards this year, though.

I haven't yet decided about EPIC's cover art awards, although I'm leaning toward not entering. Last year I didn't fare well. None of my entries won or even placed in their categories. *shrug* Plus, I'm doing just fine in the cover art arena judging by the only criteria that really matters: my paycheck.

Hope y'all have a terrific holiday season, beginning with Halloween (this weekend!) and lasting through New Years Day. Don't expect to hear from me again in this venue until 2011. I'm rather busy, after all.

Until next time...

peace & passion,

~ Alessia

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New Releases & Coming Soon [TOP]

AVAILABLE NOW in ebook from Purple Prosaic, LLC:

ArtiFactual
ISBN (pending)

The expanded eBook bundle re-release of this critically-acclaimed print collection containing all five ebooks:  Erotique, Switch, Amichu, Closing Arguments, and the prequel At First.

Also coming to print in 2011 (maybe sooner).

[ $3.99 ][ 67,880 words ][ FICTION, EROTIC ROMANCE, PARANORMAL ]

Squeeze Play
ISBN (pending)

The eBook bundle release of this critically-acclaimed print collection contains the novellas Double Header and Spring Training. Winner of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Best Erotica.

Also coming to print in 2011 (maybe sooner).

[ $3.99 ][ 83,700 words ][ FICTION, EROTIC ROMANCE ]

Artistically Bound
ISBN (pending)

The eBook bundle re-release of this critically-acclaimed print collection containing the novellas Artistically Inclined and Bound for Success. Enjoy Passion in Pittsburgh!

Also coming to print in 2011 (maybe sooner).

[ $2.99 ][ 32,100 words ][ FICTION, EROTIC ROMANCE ]

COMING SOON in ebook from Purple Prosaic, LLC:

Beach Magic
Sarah Douglas spent the bulk of her days—and all of her nights, of late—alone. She worked from a small office tucked in the corner of the cozy tropical beach house purchased with an inheritance from an obscenely wealthy uncle who she'd never met. It would be an idyllic life in an idyllic location if she had someone idyllic with whom to share it.

[ $0.69 ][ ~5,000 words ][ CONTEMPORARY, LESBIAN, EROTIC ROMANCE ]

COMING SOON in ebook & print from Coming Together:

The Six Swans
(EXCLUSIVELY IN EBOOK)

Next in the Coming Together Neat line of single-title novellas is a fantasy tale from Annabeth Leong, who made her Coming Together debut in As One (the ménage volume).

Proceeds from Neat sales benefit microlender Kiva.

Tentative release: Mid-November 2010

 

Coming Together: By Hand
(EXCLUSIVELY IN EBOOK)

Masturbation is the safest form of sex, and we want to celebrate it in this collection! Coming Together: By Hand is a multi-author anthology of auto-erotic fiction and poetry edited by Alessia Brio.

Stories up to 10K words & poetry with a masturbatory theme. (Remember: Masturbation is not always a solo event! Sharing it with a partner is HOT!) Exclusivity is not required as long as the author owns the rights. No simultaneous submissions, please.

ALL proceeds from the sale of this volume will benefit the Coalition for Positive Sexuality, a grassroots, not-for-profit, activist organization providing teens with candid sex education materials.

Tentative release: Early November 2010
 

AVAILABLE NOW from Coming Together:

Coming Together Presents: C. Sanchez-Garcia
(PAPERBACK ISBN 978-1-45051-191-9)

Presents is Coming Together's elite line of single-author titles edited by Lisabet Sarai. ALL proceeds from their sales will benefit the charities selected by their authors. In this volume, Coming Together is delighted to present C. Sanchez-Garcia, whose chosen charity is RAINN.

Available in both ebook and print.

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Interviews & Appearances [TOP]

In November, I'll once again be attending the spectacular La Jolla Writers Conference, although that is not a "public appearance" per se. Beyond that, I don't have anything on the agenda until EPICon in early March. I hope to be invited back to BaltiCon (which takes place over Memorial Day weekend), as well.

Links [TOP]

Here are the many places I can be found online. I appreciate all friends-fans-followers, especially for Coming Together projects. Currently, I'm most active on Twitter and Facebook... but I swim with the tides of social networking.