FREE Because I Need More Reviews

Lake Arcadia is free on Amazon for a few days. I would love to get your thoughts on my new gay romance novel. It has strange fiction elements for those of you who want more from a book than just steamy sex scenes.

Download the eBook HERE.

My book is out and ready for reading.

I thought I should make a quick note here:

Lake Arcadia: A Sex-Magic Novel is up on Amazon in eBook and paperback.

It already has two 5-Star reviews. I’m very happy about this. It seems some people are reading it very quickly!

It’s a contemporary gay romance with strange fiction elements like a pagan cult and time travel. The reviews sell it better than I ever could. It makes me feel really great that readers are really loving it.

You can see for yourself HERE.

My First Romance Novel

So Lake Arcadia, my first romance novel, took me about two and a half years to write. Though, I’ve kind of lost track, to be honest.

How do people write romance novels so fast? Some romance writers produce a book a month! I tried to write mine fast, and it took me two years longer than expected.

There are probably a few factors as to why this is the case.

• I’m new to the romance genre.
• My book very clearly rejects some of the romance novel formula.
• There are some strange fiction elements that complicate things.
• I’m trying to hold my third-person prose to a high standard and didn’t want to compromise.
• My novel is fairly ambitious for something with erotic content.
• Oh yeah, and I’m a slow writer, rewriting everything over and over.

I’m not sure I’ll ever write an erotic romance again. I feel like I’ve left everything on the table with Lake Arcadia, but who knows what ideas will strike me in the future. That said, there will probably always be erotic and romantic elements in most of the stuff I write. Sex and romance are basic elements of life. But they aren’t ALL of life.

On the up side, this book is the longest I’ve written, and it took me the shortest amount of time to write. I’m making progress.

I definitely think Lake Arcadia taught me a lot. I can’t wait for you to read it.

The Great God Pan

Lake Arcadia: A Sex-Magic Novel is tangentially inspired by The Great God Pan, a novella by Welsh writer Arthur Machen, who inspired much of H. P. Lovecraft’s writing. Stephen King described The Great God Pan as “Maybe the best [horror story] in the English language.” I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s worth reading.

Thanks to Project Gutenberg you can read The Great God Pan for free HERE. And you can get a free audio version through LibriVox HERE.

To be clear, Lake Arcadia isn’t at all horror. In fact, it’s fairly lighthearted, but inspiration can come from the strangest places.

Public outdoor sculpture at Columbia: The Great God Pan

More Work on Lake Arcadia’s Cover

Brief update: The proof copy of Lake Arcadia came in the mail today. I’m still going through the inside, but the outside looked too dark and muddy, so I worked on making it brighter. I also added some back text. I’m liking it more and more.

Work on Lake Arcadia’s Paperback Edition

The release of my romance novel is fast approaching, even if I don’t have a date locked down yet. I’m currently working on the paperback edition. Here is a preview of the cover layout. I used free to use photography from this website and my limited Photoshop knowledge (mostly experimentation). I like the cover a lot, but I still need to test how it prints out.

 

With the cover out of the way, at least until I see the proof copy, I’m onto the synopsis I’m using to sell my book. Here is what I have so far.

James Bennet has no time for love or even lust. He has a book to ghostwrite before the end of the month. When his wealthy friends offer him a cabin to stay at in the remote Eagle Cap Wilderness, he can’t resist. Complete isolation in the mountains at Pan’s Lake Arcadia might save his career. But when Hamed, a handsome packer, turns that isolation into a chance at love and passion, will James learn what’s really important before the deadline?

Nope.

Maybe Lake Arcadia and sex magic can give James one more try at love. Stranger things have happened in the name of the Great God Pan. After all, what’s a little time travel to a hedonistic god?

That’s where I am at right now. If you have any feedback, I still have time to change things. Thanks for following my progress.