Hi, all of my reader-friends! It’s Tuesday, and as I (kind of) promised on Friday, I wanted to give everyone a sneak peek into ‘Jacob Michaels Is Not Here (A Point Worth LGBTQ Paranormal Romance – Book 4).’

If you haven’t read any of the ‘Jacob Michaels Is…” books yet (there are 3 so far), you can read about them here. The series begins with Robert Wagner (a.k.a. ‘Jacob Michaels’) going back home to visit his grandmother/Oma in Ohio after a decade being an international A-List celebrity. He’s worn out, tired, underweight, lonely, and needs the love and attention that only family can provide. But, when he gets home…strange things start to happen. Home isn’t the way he remembers it. Then again, can he trust his own memory? A foul-mouthed grandmother, sexy love interests, paranormal happenings, and lots of humor are what you will discover if you jump into the world of ‘Jacob Michaels Is.’

These are the newly redesigned covers by Dean Cole (@DeanColeWriter) for the first 3 books–just in case you need to be enticed.

However, why don’t I show you the first few lines from the 4th book?

High heels with red soles were rare in places like Point Worth, Ohio. I only knew one person in the entire town who owned a pair of Louboutin heels, and that was because I had gifted them to her. The dead body laid out in the street was wearing a pair of Louboutin heels, and I knew without looking too closely that they were on the feet of the person for whom I had purchased them. Point Worth was on fire. Well, maybe not in a ‘Sir Thomas Bloodworth was indecisive after a baker’s house went ablaze’ way, but fires were scattered throughout the town. It was the only light to illuminate Main Street as I stood there, my eyes lingering on the red soles of those shoes.

For those of you who have actually read the first 3 books…are you wondering how we got here? How did book 3 end the way it did and now we open to this scene?

***SPOILER ALERT*** (ignore the red writing if you have not read the first 3 books)

At the end of book 3, Rob fell into the well in Oma’s basement, though she pleaded with him to just go back up to bed and cuddle up with Lucas. The book ended with him falling into the ominous green light, arms spread wide, accepting whatever was to come. Now book 4 opens with him seeing a pair of Louboutins on a dead body on Main Street in Point Worth. Hmmmm. Interesting, yes?

Well, we all know I’m not going to explain. I’m a tease and this is just a “sneak peek,” right? As of right now, I don’t have a pre-order or release date set for book 4, so this truly is me being a “tease.” However, book 4 is high on my list of priorities–so don’t you worry! I hope all of my current readers are excited and ready to pre-order and anyone who wasn’t sure about trying the series will come on board!

FYI – I’ve noticed that some people may be confused about this series. Book 4 will not be the last book. Right now, I have more books planned (though, I refuse to say how many!), so you will be able to keep visiting Point Worth, Rob, Lucas, and Oma for a while to come!

Tremendous Love & Thanks,

Chase

One thing that has always stood out to me, even before I signed up for Twitter and joined the #WritingCommunity, was that being a writer is never as lonely as people like to say it is. Not to say that anyone is trying to stir up drama by saying, “being a writer is sooooo lonely,” or they are looking for sympathy. They’re speaking to the fact that all of us spend countless hours, day in and day out, burning the midnight oil, waking up hours earlier than others, secluding ourselves with the voices (characters) in our heads. We spend a lot of time not being with other real, living human beings. So, in that way, it can seem lonely. Writing, in and of itself, is not a social activity. You can’t really write dialogue and have one of your own in real time, can you?

However, there are so many communities available for writers. The Writing Community on Twitter is exceptional (depending upon how you view it and use it) and can provide a lot of support, education, and camaraderie. I’ve “met” so many wonderful people who make me feel super awesome that I write. Sometimes we talk about our projects, writing, our WIPs (work in progress)…and other times we have full conversations utilizing only highly inappropriate and sexually charged .gifs. It’s fun. It’s like Tinder, except no one is actually trying to get laid (in fact, a lot of us are asexual, demisexual–or just too tired to even consider it). It’s a very safe place and a lot of fun–belly laughs every minute.

That is the other thing about writing communities–unlike some other groups, they are (usually) an extremely welcoming group to all genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, religions, and so forth. We have LGBTQ+ folks, male, female, agender, gender queer, gender nonconforming, black, white, brown…we only care if you are friendly, kind, helpful, and want to write. Arbitrary characteristics do not matter. It’s very inspiring. I love that group of amazing weirdos with all of my heart and hope that they know that.

When it comes to my friends (especially my IRL friends), I don’t often mention them in dedications or here on the website. Mostly because they do not demand or require that I do so–in fact, many of them do not want recognition, just friendship. I have so many wonderful friends who help me learn to write better, teach me tricks, do work for me (shout out to the piece of shit who maintains this site and uploads my blog posts–and makes them more readable–for me because I am hopeless), beta read, on and on and on. Friends point out things like “work on using more contractions” or “maybe educate yourself on passive versus active voice” or “have you thought about such-and-such?” I love them. Especially since, if I say, “Fuck you, I do what I want!” they don’t take it personally. Which is another reason I don’t mention them by name much–I don’t want people to think my mess ups are their mess ups. Recently, a friend uploaded work for me and did a bunch of formatting so I could use the weekend to have an actual personal life. I am so grateful!

I’m going to create a page (okay, okay, my website guy is going to create a page) called “LGBTCrew” full of suggestions of people you should follow on Twitter if you are thinking about joining the #WritingCommunity, so, just look in the header for that link!

One person I do want to mention today is Dean Cole (@DeanColeWriter), an integral member of the #WritingCommunity. First and foremost, he is the sweetest guy (and I want to hump him, obviously), but he also did some work redesigning the covers for my “Jacob Michaels Is…” series (also known as ‘A Point Worth LGBTQ Paranormal Romance’ series). You can read about that series here. The covers are just amazing and will, I think, elevate the series and make it more visually appealing to current readers, future readers, and potential readers.

So…let’s do a cover reveal and title for the fourth book in the series, shall we?

Ready?

Sweet, right? Dean Cole is amazingly talented! I’m so glad we partnered up to redesign the covers. I never hated my covers for the series, but I knew that having a professional design them would be so much better–and Dean was just the pro to do it. I’ll be forever grateful he slid into my DMs–sexy British guy that he is! You’ll also see the new covers for books 1-3 appearing on Amazon soon!

So…if you are looking to have a cover designed, maybe reach out to Dean. He’s easy to talk to, doesn’t take suggestions or rejections personally, and LISTENS. At the very least, maybe you’ll become friends on Twitter? Just like all of my other friends, I’m so glad to have “met” him and gotten to know him. He’s a great guy and obviously crazy talented. Also, he wrote an amazingly fun, funny, and heart-warming M/M Romantic Comedy called ‘His Boy’ that you have to check out. You can find it here:

You won’t regret it! You can read my whole Goodreads review here.

I know, I know. This is the second post for this week and I promised I would only do one a week. I’m a liar. Please accept my heartfelt apologies. Next week will be a regular Tuesday post. It may or may not be a sneak peek into ‘Jacob Michaels Is Not Jacob Michaels.’ I guess we’ll all see on Tuesday, right?

Tremendous Love & Thanks,

Chase

Another blog post is expected this week, or so I was told. I’m not really great with deadlines and a commitment to having something written on a specific day every week. I’m a storyteller, not a blogger. Schedules are not for me when it comes to writing. But I’m going to do my best–as the title of this post implies.

One thing that a lot of my reader-friends don’t know about me and my “method” is that a lot of the books of mine they have read were written years before they were even published. Just a Dumb Surfer Dude was written when I was still technically a teenager. Gavin’s Big Gay Checklist? I was barely out of my teens. A Tremendous Amount of Normal I began writing three years before I finished and published it. Don’t get me wrong–I can type pretty quickly and I have stories I want to tell gushing from my ears. When inspired, I can pound out a first draft of a story lightning fast. Sometimes, though…the muses give me the cold shoulder. Any writer can tell you that is a very frustrating situation.

That is where “blogging” turns into my mortal enemy. As I mentioned, I am a storyteller. Fiction is where I shine, I think. Writing a blog post about my writing, myself, or my books is nearly a Herculean Task. If I task myself with writing a book like A Surplus of Light, where I get to write concise prose that is flowery and romantic, I get overwhelmed with excitement, my body one big lightning rod in the middle of an electrical storm. I know how to do that! Though, I suppose it depends upon which review you choose to believe. HA!

Write a blog post about me and my “method?” We may as well look at a blank computer screen. It might be more interesting. So, this is where I will plead on my hands and knees (you may take that in any naughty way you please) to my reader-friends. Give me ideas of what I should blog about.

Is there a character from a book you have questions about?

Do you want to know if I have thoughts about what happened to the characters after the story ended in a book?

Do you want to know where I got an idea for a specific story or book?

Do you want me to just “shut up and write?”

I’m open to listening to anything you have for me, my friends. By using the “Contact Chase” link at the top of the page, in the menu bar, you can reach out to me. But, in the meantime, I will go back to working on my stories.

Tremendous Love & Thanks,

Chase

Did you know that I sell all of my ebooks for $2.99? Did you know that some people think that I’m a complete moron for doing that?

You’re part of the problem! They like to tell me.

Your time and work is worth so much more than *gasp* $2.99! They proclaim.

You’re the reason authors are expected to work for nothing! They demand.

These people are rarely those who read my books. Where they are coming from is easy to understand, so I don’t get mad at them for their way of thinking. I also (maybe arrogantly so) feel that my work is worth more than a $2 royalty per ebook sold. I also feel that all writers should be able to make a livable wage, especially if they are decent, good, or great at it. Additionally, I don’t feel that all authors’ works are worth the same amount.

I started publishing my books in July 2018. Most of them fall in the area between being a novella and a novel. Somewhere between 35,000 words to 50k+ words. Also, I am working hard to become a better writer, a better storyteller, a better formatter (is that a word?). Improving my techniques in every facet of indie publishing as I go means that you will probably not get a perfect book from me (though, perfect books are rare indeed).

Because my books are on the short side, I am still learning, and I want readers to have access to affordable books from the comfort of their own home, I have priced my books accordingly. This does not mean that I think the new Stephen King or J.K. Rowling or Neil Gaiman should be going for the same rate as mine. Conversely, I do not feel that I have reached that level (if I ever do) that I can charge $12.99 for an ebook. And let’s be honest, I am no competition for these authors. No one is going to say: “Well, I spent $2.99 on the newest Chase Connor, so I am not going to spend $12.99 on a new Stephen King book.”

As my writing improves (I’m the only person who can judge that), the overall product is better, and, depending upon length, I may price a book higher in the future. However, I do not feel that I am a problem in the indie author community. I feel that the books that I have written being priced at $2.99 is fair to both me and potential readers. Additionally, I think that this price point makes a potential reader give me a chance. I am confident that most readers, after reading one of my books, will feel that having spent $2.99 for hours of entertainment from one of my stories was worth it. This will also make them realize that if I one day price a book at, say, $4.99, they will be less likely to waffle.

I have enjoyed Chase Connor’s books so far, I’m going to take it on faith that he has priced this new book accordingly.

I want my readers and I to trust each other. To know that the few hours we spend together (in the form of my stories) will have been time and money well spent on both of our parts. Even my worst story was not a waste to them. They were still entertained and not gouged on price. The readers and I are on a journey together, and I hope we’re still together at the end–whatever that end my be. But that can only be facilitated through trust that the money and time they are spending is not being wasted.

So…call me a “problem”–and while I respect your feelings and thoughts–I am not listening.

P.S. ‘A Tremendous Amount of Normal’ (2nd edition) was recently released. You can check that out here.

Tremendous Love & Thanks,

Chase

Hi, everyone! It’s me, Chase! Let’s start today with a big group hug! It’s not creepy. We’re all friends here! I’m so overwhelmed at having my own author website. It may not seem like it’s a very big deal to most authors, but considering the fact that I never expected to sell a single book when I started on my independent publishing journey, this step feels monumental to me. I am so glad to be sharing it with all of you because that just makes it even more gratifying.

Today is the release day for ‘Jacob Michaels Is Not Jacob Michaels (A Point Worth LGBTQ+ Paranormal Romance – Book 3)‘ and the launch of this site. It would take a lot to ruin this day!

If you have not pre-ordered the book, or you have not even read any of the books in the series, you can find all of the information and links to purchase the books on Amazon here. I will not pressure you into buying any of my books–I’m happy to have you here, even if you are not interested in any of my books. But…if you like episodic LGBTQ+ Paranormal Romance with foul-mouthed older women, mysterious/mythical creatures, worn out (yet still sexy) A-List celebrities, cliffhanger endings that have you dying to read the next book, and just the right amount of romance, it might just be for you!

Since today is the launch date of this site, my site maintenance guy told me to write a post telling you what I expect for the future of this site.

Seeing as I needed a “site maintenance guy” to begin with, I don’t know if I know what to expect. However, I hope that this can be a place where I can keep you up-to-date about books I have published, projects I am working on, answer questions you have, talk about life and love, and create a community around the characters and stories I love writing. Most importantly, I want this to be a space where I can connect with all of you–my reader friends.

There aren’t words to express how much it means to me that people have read my books and actually enjoy them. I hope that I don’t let you down!

I suppose for now, I will just point out some things I’ve been told to point out to you by my site maintenance guy (he is pushy, but taking care of me is a big job, so I do not hold that against him). In the menu bar, you can find an “About Chase Connor” link if you want to know more about me. Just so that you are not disappointed, I’m a somewhat private person, so I do not give out too many personal details. We will see what the future brings…

There is also a link to “Contact Chase” if you have questions, comments, or concerns. I would love to hear from all of you, so do not be afraid to click, type, and send!

On the right sidebar, you will find a box to enter your email address so that you can “Follow” my site and get an email whenever there is a blog entry posted. If you have a WordPress account, you can just click that “hovering” follow icon. WordPress members know what that means, so says my site guy.

Lastly, I will be checking the site each day (at the end of my day), so if I don’t respond to a comment, like, or question very quickly, it just isn’t the end of the day for me yet. I will answer, though!

For now, thank you again for visiting the site, reading my books, and just being a friend! I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us!

Tremendous Love & Thanks,

Chase