posts in
Writing
Update all the things!
July 30, 2019
All the Superpowered Love books + Blood and Clockwork are now returned to existence, yay! The links on all the pages should be sorted out, though I'm still waiting for a few vendors to go live with the last few in the SL series, and print editions won't happen until fall. What a relief, though! Thanks so much to LT3 for making that SO much easier than it could've been by giving us authors our covers and files to use. ♥
The Kanaan & Tilney books will come back to life shortly, too. Summer means when I'm home, Jenna's not, and when Jenna's home, I'm not, of course. But never fear that they'll be back, and book 3 is nearly extant in first draft form. Just a chapter or two to go and we're there!
While updating links all over the place, I decided to turn the faq, which was pretty outdated, into a kind of index for people. If you have any ideas for improvement or comments on what I could do better, please don't hesitate to send them along. I've never tried this before and it's quite tricky to index by identity as it turns out, especially when we're talking relative to sexuality sometimes. Possibly one of you will have a better idea for that.
Now that I'm really done with my old stuff, at long last, it's time to focus on what's up next. I've been dropping hints about a few projects as I've worked over the last year or two, but here's the deal on my two main projects at the moment:
1. The Rise of Virginie. This will be my first full-length contemporary novel! It focuses on my hometown of Wellsburg, WV. Wellsburg is a great, quiet place to grow up for some and frankly harrowing for others--a situation severely exacerbated by the current opioid epidemic. For years now, I've been reading and researching about the causes of the epidemic (spoiler alert: CORPORATE GREED and willful ignorance about addiction), because I've felt super helpless in the face of it. We've all lost people, at this point, and I never know if I'm more sad or angry.
What I can do is write a book, so that's where I am. Virginie is the name of their band, my small town would-be rockstars struggling with all sorts of everyday problems--and a couple that are far from everyday. It stars a poetic preacher's son who graduated from college early and a 19-year-old guitarist who's been couch surfing for a month rather than stay in a home ruined by addiction. It's not been an easy ride for me or for them, but I think it's gonna come out okay. ;)
Any profits from this book (in perpetuity) will go to help people in my home county who have been screwed over by this epidemic: people with addiction and their families. More on this soon, but I'm just about ready to churn out a second draft with the help of my editor, Raven, and so the ball is rolling! Y'all know I don't do angsty stuff often, so it tends to take me longer >.>
2. Superpowered Love 9: Under Siege. Here, at last, we get Kieran Hooper's story! Kieran is the sweet party boy from Losing Better, the sometime lover of Gabriel and Andrew. Three years after Gabriel and Andrew got together, Kieran finds himself staying with them temporarily (probably) thanks to an ugly breakup. And then Gabriel and Andrew bring home Rocco, who's in their protective custody, now, for reasons they can't fully explain.
Kieran, not being awakened (aka not having superpowers) is the only one in the dark in the house, but he's drawn to Rocco, a pretty, genderfluid guy fond of heavy metal and long skirts. As the reader can immediately guess, Rocco's secrets have a lot to do with Andrew and Gabriel's... and Kieran is not altogether happy about being out of the loop, even if he's not sure what the loop IS. Still, lots of good action, sweet confessions, and hot sex are bound to occur. That and, yes, an actual siege.
This one has a first draft that's 2/3 done, and I've been bouncing back and forth between it and Virginie. I might just need to finish this first draft now, then concentrate on Virginie's second draft once I manage that mischief.
Both of these projects are gonna go self-pub. With Virginie that's because of the plans I have for any profits, and with Under Siege, well, the rest of the series has been through two publishers already. That's quite enough! So hang on tight, this should be an adventure.
Thanks for reading my updates! ♥ Katey
And for my next trick...
June 13, 2019
Happy Pride!!!
Here in Dayton we had our festival and parade on the first weekend of the month. JA Rock and Lisa Henry joined me, and we gave away a ton of queer romance novels to people, plus spread the word about great places to find queer books online. It was epic! Thanks to everyone who showed up to make it Dayton's biggest pride crowd ever ♥
Now that all the Superpowered Love Books I already wrote are back out in the wild (yay!), the new stuff is finally getting lots of attention. I've got two projects in the pipeline. One is a contemporary--my first novel-length one ever!--called THE RISE OF VIRGINIE. It's about would-be rock stars in a small town... my hometown, as a matter of fact. I wrote it on request from a friend and editor, Raven McKnight. It was meant to be a short story Christmas gift and... uh. I started reading Johnny Marr's autobiography (SET THE BOY FREE--so good) and this movie about Oasis came out and I was listening to the Clash a lot. What can I say? Stories happen :D
More on that soon, but it's in the early editorial stage. Keep an eye out for a cover reveal in the next few months! I cannot wait to share it.
Also, Superpowered Love 9: UNDER SIEGE is in the works. Draft 1 is halfway written, and I'm so excited to have it up and running. I've been dying to write it for years now, literally since LOSING BETTER came out--because it features the voice of Kieran Hooper, he of the occasional threesome, as he finds his own superpowered babe. As the series comes near to its close (11 books, so only a few more to go!), things are starting to come to a head for the Awakened and their secret world just beneath the surface of ours. Prepare for explosions.
That's the progress update for the moment, but keep an eye out for an upcoming newsletter complete with another giveaway (every time!), this time for something a little different. I'm running on a laptop I generally use just for writing (dead pc D:), so my resources are limited. Bear with me, please!
That said, I'm so excited for this year's Coastal Magic--my first! I've been dying to go, but my timing was always off. Finally, this February, I get to chill on the beach with other authors and readers and talk romance! Yay! Join us, if you can!
Giveaways and PIs
January 18, 2019
Y'all, Kanaan & Tilney: The Case of the Arms Dealers is now out! Details here, but you can get it from LT3 or various vendors. Print edition to come soon! And don't forget, The Case of the Man Eater is already up for pre-order, so check that one out too <3 a="" bout="" how="" href="https://aisha-o.com/">Aisha Akeju
Interested in a juicy, plotty excerpt? Check out our post from yesterday at Joyfully Jay! There's also an exclusive giveaway there which runs for the rest of the week, so drop a comment and hey, maybe that sweet Amazon gift card will be yours.
Book 3 is in the works! Book 1 dealt mainly with the Necromorphs and book 2 was an in-depth look at the world of Beasts. You guessed it, each book will focus on a different Praeternatural faction. This time around? Terrans! Everyone's favorite earth-centric, peace-loving buddies. Nothing terrible could possibly happen in their world, right?
Haha, wrong. Jenna and I are hard at writing on it, and we hope you'll come along for the ride!
Giveaway update:
Superpowered Love: Re-loaded Tour winners have been chosen! Congrats, winners!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Join me in celebrating Superpowered Love 4: Losing Better's release on January 30! Pre-orders are ready and discounted even now <3 p="">
Makeover Time
April 11, 2018
Almost seven years ago, I made a site called "Superpowered Love" when I sold my romance first novel, Equilibrium, to Loose Id. Before that book was even published, I already had the next two sent off to the editor, and I knew this was gonna be a long and awesome road. Late last year, book 8 in the series, The Takedown, dropped. And I'm not quite finished, either. Somewhere in there, people started referring to the series itself as "Superpowered Love"--so Loose Id rolled with it, and I loved it.
Now, as I work on Book 9, Loose Id is winding down its last month of sales. On May 15, all of its books will start disappearing from online retailers. For me, it's an end to an amazing era.
But it's also the beginning of a new one. The "Superpowered Love" series--and all my other work--will be finding new life starting this summer. Partly through relationships with other publishers I've come to know and love over the past few years, and partly through things I'm gonna do with other authors or on my own. I'm feeling pretty good about all this, and I'll have announcements in May for sure, so stay tuned.
In a similar vein, it's been a big couple of months--year, even--for queer romance and romance in general. A lot of issues that need to be more widely talked about, in particular abuse and racism in the industry, are finally getting the attention they deserve. This is mostly thanks to a few brave people, both people who've been directly abused and authors of color who are sharing their experiences, speaking out. I love and support these people and can't thank them enough. I'm gonna boost their signals when and where I can.
A lot of this is part of my decision to take on more self-publishing and independent projects. Those of you on social media might have seen the joint statement issued by authors of the wlw Rose & Thorn series, formerly of Riptide, stating that we'll now be going it alone. But not alone--actually together. ♥ But I'm also excited to keep working with Less Than Three Press, who've always been amazing.
It's a new chapter for me, and so I figured it was time for a site makover. Ta-dah!
And now, I'm gonna fuck off to France for a few weeks, because sweet Jesus, I need a vacation. Catch you on the flipsside--or if you're a social media kid like me, catch you there. More to come upon my return!
Happy Birthday, Babies + A Giveaway
August 23, 2016
I happened to be looking up my publications today, just to get a complete list, and of course I started with Equilibrium. It was my first ever published novel--for any of my pen names or genres.* It all began because I was having a rough year, or couple of years, I guess, and I had been writing strictly horror and dark fantasy--with queer protags, obvs. My best friend, Tara, said to me, "Why don't you write something for me?" Because I guess she didn't like me giving her nightmares or whatever--can you imagine? Some friends had gotten me into romance as a genre (I've always been into romance in general) a few years previous, and so I said, "Yeah, I can totally do that."
And Equilibrium was born. Because superpowers + a character for Tara (Sam is totally Tara's) + fast and hot romance sounded like an awesome idea to me. So five years ago, on August 23, 2011 Loose Id was cool enough to publish it, and the surprising saga of Superpowered Love began.
It's been a wild ride, lemme tell you. Oh, the things I didn't know back then. I made mistakes with Equilibrium, but I'm still really proud of it and think fondly of Sam and Hansen. I knew before I finished it that I had a lot more to do in their weird little world, and I'm also kinda proud it's still going. I'm near to finishing Superpowered Love Book 8 now. Book 8. How even.
So now, I want to reflect on things I've learned since that first, wonderful experience with Equilibrium. Because, hey, it's a blog. That's what they're for, right?
Thing 1: Say the words. Bisexual, trans, asexual, queerplatonic, whatever it is, say it outright. Not only is it empowering to read, but not seeing it there looks like pussyfooting around or hedging bets--and is hurtful. My own specific experience with this relates to "bisexual"... mainly because I was unaware of the gross and bi/pan-erasing "gay for you" trope when I started out writing romance, but that's a whole other thing.
Thing 2: Write it, because someone out there needs it as much as I do. Everyone knows that m/m romance, particularly when it relates to cisgender dudes, is the most popular when it comes to LGBTQIA romance. People have discussed this extensively. When I started out, I was afraid that adding in f/f stories to a series that had primarily been m/m would piss people off. I mean, it probably does... but they're not the ones I wrote it for. I wrote it for the ones like me.
Thing 3: Don't be afraid, just be diligent. So many of my very, very first books contained... so many white, cisgendered protags. There is absolutely no excuse for it. I've tried hard to do better, and I know I'm going to fuck up now and then, but I also know that if and when I get told, I will listen and ask (when appropriate) and I will do better still. And I will work super, super hard not to fuck up, in the mean time.
Thing 4: People are great. Writers tend to burrow, seeing as many of us are introverts and derive our powers from the dark energy from alone-time. But being around book people, writers, readers, publishers, editors, whatever, be it in virtual or meatspace--it's great. The vast majority of people I've met on this wild ride are so supportive and open-minded, and so many of them have become true friends. People are all right, after all.
Thing 5: Hard work pays off. At least in this field, it does. It took me a long time to go from nothing published, to a few shorts, to enough novels that I sometimes forget my own count. It's not luck, though. It's working hard, striving to be better, accepting help, learning from mistakes, and pushing through obstacles. Sometimes it hasn't been possible, due to health or family or whatever, but when it was I worked, and that paid off. Good to know, because sometimes, you have to wonder, right?
Okay, five years, five things. Maybe after ten years I'll be back with five more... okay, no, I'll never remember to do that. It's a nice thought, though!
You know what, if you read through all that, you deserve a prize. Leave a comment here with a way to reach you--or retweet/reblog it so I can see--and I'll give away a print copy of Equilibrium/Riot Boy to someone at the end of Friday, August 26. Because hey, that's my birthday... and I'm a lot older than 5... ♥
*KV Taylor sold Scripped first, but it was published later, so Equilibrium gets the prize~
WIP Wednesday: #justbrothings
July 1, 2015
Adventures in co-writing, starring Carlin Grant and me! We're working on a book about--omg what--superheroes! Writing a scene where they pull off a dirt road and park behind a dilapidated old barn for a quickie, this was our commentary--with tiny (first draft and therefore wholly unedited!) NSFW snippets for color. Meet Beau and Saktivel, dirty south super-endurance trans boy and citified super-speed desi boy. They're vigilante buddies who might be accidentally boyfriends kinda? Whooooops they slipped and totally did it. Over and over and over...
As soon as [Vel's] orgasm finished, Beau pulled off, before oversensitivity could set in. Something weird and warm curled up inside Vel’s belly as he leaned, breathless, against the car door and let Beau straighten him out after so expertly undoing him. He carefully pulled up Vel’s shorts, tucking him gently before fixing his pants. When Beau got off his knees, he wrapped Vel in his arm while his other hand cupped his cheek, and kissed him, soft and sweet. Vel kissed back, eyes shut, and melted into Beau, clinging.
Carlin Grant:
2:00 PM
But he's not in love with you, Vel
not
at all
there are no feelings except being buddies here
Katey Hawthorne:
2:00 PM
just buddies tenderly blowing buddies on the side of the road
as you do
Vel smirked and pressed his lips to Beau’s pink-flushed ear. “Whatever you want, sweetness.” He was familiar enough with Beau’s body now to tell just by feeling it, that perfect level of hot, wet, swollen, and pulsing that meant he could push Beau over the edge or pull him back and make him work his way back up again.
Seeing as they were on their way somewhere, and seeing as he was almost as desperate to feel Beau come as Beau was himself, brat retaliation could wait. Vel turned up the intensity on the pulse and vibration, sliding his hand back to slick it again then up and around, over and over. “Give it to to me,” he mumbled, then bit at Beau’s ear, kissed down his neck as he worked. “I want it. I want you.”
Katey Hawthorne:
3:13 PM
Nope no feelings here either, just one bro telling the other bro how much he wants him to come undone in his hands on the side of a road that's all.
Carlin Grant:
3:18 PM
#justbrothings
So yeah, for anyone who ever wondered what it's like to co-write? It's like this.
PS if you don't know Carlin, you will soon. Their first novel is coming from Less Than Three Press as part of the Solitary Travelers collection I was talking about last week. Want to hear a sneak peek from our soundtrack? Check out their blog from today for some bluegrass Daft Punk action.
Happy New Year! (+a rundown)
January 1, 2015
Hey hey happy new year! And it is indeed a happy one for me, since at the moment my spinal woes seem to be settling down somewhat thanks to what feels like constant PT. Good times! Bonus: I noticed today that ARe is doing their huge Jan 1 rebate sale thing (basically you buy the books you want and then get half of the money back in your account so you can buy even more books. It is epic).
So I thought today might be a good time to do a little rundown of my offerings. For anyone wondering where to start or just looking for something new-and-weird for the New Year.
A series of erotic romance novels about people with elemental-based superpowers. Their culture is sort of just under the surface of the one we see and live in every day. It's there, y'all sleepers just don't know it. These can be read in any order, honestly. Also, there are freebies in this series that anyone can download from multiple sources.
1: Equilibrium
Plusses: Nerdy vegan economist talks a lot and has super cool fire powers. Jock best friend is a well-adjusted adopted kid just figuring out his bisexuality. Having less luck figuring out his electrical super-powers. Plenty of mockery for the 'bi people are untrustworthy' trope. First mention of witch hunters--a theme that will return later in the series.
Minuses: Too many white people. Not enough use of the actual word 'bisexual'.
2: Riot Boy
Plusses: Sleeper (read: non-superpowered) bookshop manager is mega-hot. Punk-ass bass player has cold powers and was raised to be a supervillain. Malory's first incredibly cranky appearance. Handcuff sugarkink. Tattoos. Arthur Rimbaud is quoted extensively. Lots of punk rock--I still listen to the soundtrack to this one a lot. Not a lot of superpowered social stuff, since it's from the PoV of a sleeper, so I've heard it makes a good start. First mention of power augmenters, which will return later in the series.
Minuses: If things like handcuffs are uncomfortable for you, don't pick this one up. Brady is an epic brat, also, but that may be a plus depending on your personality. Also, he smokes. Again with the too many white people.
3: Nobody's Hero
Plusses: Outgoing hero leading something of a double-life--out as a superpowered dude with his family, out as a gay man with his friends, never shall the twain meet. Nerdy, awkward-hot Irish-American boy with a huge, loud family that likes to sing and pick on each other. Fun sex scenes (alcoholic whipped cream comes into play). Also has a kick-ass Paddy Rock/Dance soundtrack. Exploration of superpowered society and how weird and demanding it can get.
Minuses: If you don't like stories heavy on family drama, this one is not for you. Jamie can be frustrating but he means well.
4: Losing Better
Plusses: Snarky FBI agent with electrical superpowers has to infiltrate his one-time summer fling. Superhero guy spent his childhood feeling displaced, but now he's the toast of his small town... except, you know, he's a vigilante. Exploration of vigilantism in the superpowered world and superpowered presence in government agencies. Interracial relationship ftw. A threesome with a super-sweet guy who will be getting his own book later. Poetry, big parties, and coming to terms with your own past. Carries the power-augmenter mentions on.
Minuses: MC is an arrogant bastard--I say that with love but some do not. Also there are some issues between their families--aka their parents' sordid affair--that may make some people uncomfortable. Threesome warning. Slightly less fluffy warning.
5: Re-entry Burn
Plusses: Superpowered ex-offenders on parole trying to find their place in a world that'd rather forget them. Lots of research went into this one in re prisons and parole. Second cranky appearance of Malory, who gets to be the hero this time, in all his angry glory. Bisexual dude takes no shit. His love interest is even more broken than him, but if you're into the kind of couples who balance out each others' madness, this is the one. Also has my favorite soundtrack, since Mal's taste is basically mine. Lots of talk about superpowered people in different government positions, particularly the federal prison system. Discussion of augmenters and inhibitors.
Minuses: Way less fluffy than the rest. Actually it's pretty hardcore. Lots of discussion of what re-entry actually means/takes and the dangers that face someone in prison. Lots of smoking in this one.
6: Missed Connections: In Distress
Plusses: Super fluffy but also has cool action. D&D nerd nonbinary boy has no superpowers, but gets dragged into a superpowered screw-up when he gets rescued from his burning apartment. Mysterious ginger football-hooligan-pretty boy (bisexual love interests ftw!) is trying to clear his name... and being hunted. Lots of plays on the 'damsel in distress' trope, obviously. Also, funny sign board sayings. Part of the Missed Connections collection with Loose Id. More interracial relationships ftw, also. Significant mentions of strife within the superpowered community (all of which will obviously come up again).
Minuses: Moves really fast and is very short, so it's more a bite than a sink-your-teeth-in thing.
(In progress right now is #7, btw. Two girls and a summerstock theater. You know what superpowers are awesome for? Pyrotechnics.)
Plusses: Three books, the first of which is free, the second two are like $1 each with the rebate, so now is a great time to grab them all. Short books, quick reads, but also some complicated world and magic system building going on in there. Human culture based on the Indian Subcontinent. (Look up "Suriya" from the Tamil film industry. Face-spiration, right there.) Fun fae tropes explored: thralldom, arrogance, pacts, fae-napping, madness. Wingsex. (No really, it's fun.) Talking to plants. Gorgeous, evocative artwork by Ruxandra Lache in books 2 & 3. Series is complete.
Minuses: Aeron is an epic fae-brat. Tam, human-boy, is probably way too nice. Tight focus means the world probably doesn't get explored as much as I'd like.
1: By the River
Plusses: Something different. A weird take on magical-realism that's meant to read more like a fairy tale than anything else. Lots of water-lovin--as in, there's a bathtub scene. Sweet, short, magical, like a modern-day Selkie or Merman story... but not. Small river-town USA, family issues, and a lot of love. Bonus: bisexual PoV hero yay.
Minuses: Short, more of an HFN-seeming ending than anything else.
(In progress: #2, totally unrelated "air" element story. Very modern fairy tale in the same way!)
The Mistell
Plusses: Part of the super-fabulous "Designated Bottoms" collection, or available on its own. Short and sweet bit about two gamers who find what they need in a boyfriend through some online accidents. Lots of gaming fun, a few misunderstandings, and some art history nerdery. Interracial relationships ftw! Bisexual love interest! My first and so far only contemporary-sans-magic-or-fantasy-elements! Enough with the exclamation points!
Minuses: You can't see Samir's beautiful face, which my friend Jenna inspired by pointing out how hot Rami Malek is. Just saying.
Okay so even if you miss out on the huge sale today, this is probably still a pretty good resource for me to have on this here internet page of mine, so I'm glad I did that. And glad I could type long enough to do that, more than anything else. Yay!
... I gotta go buy a bunch of books now ♥
Box O' Love
December 18, 2014
Happy winter holidays! I can't believe they're already in swing (Hanukkah came up fast? No, probably it didn't, I'm just losing my mind), but I hope everyone celebrating something has a beautiful one. I know I haven't been around much since GRL, but I have a good excuse: my back problems are being horrible, making typing a pain. Like, literally. Apologies for silence, but I'm working on getting back to form this winter. A long, arduous process, but so worth it.
In the meantime, stories I can't write/finish are building up in my head. So expect a burst of activity the moment my discs start behaving again. I've got more Superpowered Love (obviously!), the 'Air' installment of the Elementals project, and a new series I'm cooking up with a writing buddy of mine that puts a different spin on superpowers.
I just, you know. Need to be able to use my arms to write it all down.
In the meantime, you know what'd make a super-amazing last-minute gift? A Superpowered Love Boxed Set.
Yeah, that's a thing! New from Loose Id, all six of the Superpowered Love e-books in a bundle, for all your holiday needs! Bonus: discounted for ViP members. Shiny, right?
Designated Bottoms and Other News
August 3, 2014
In aid of keeping everything nice and organized here at the site, I've created a little page called 'one-shots', which is where I'll keep links to stories and anthologies that aren't in a series. I'm updating all the places Designated Bottoms can be found there, for those who prefer to get their lovin' from particular places that aren't Torquere itself.
Hopefully I'll have lots of stories to put there someday. I miiiiiight be working on something right now for another anthology, but I'll wait and see if I can pull it off before crowing too much.
The Other News is that I'm also working on the next Superpowered Love book, and the working title is The Playhouse. Which... is not what it sounds like, probably, since it's actually about a theater. Called the Playhouse. However, I've long been thinking it's past time to inject a little f/f into this particular pen name of mine, and so it will be done!
I'm taking next week off, though. So if you don't hear from you, never fear, I'm not disappeared. Just cleaning my house, visiting with family, and playing video games forever because finally my new computer will be here and I won't be exiled to this ancient crappy one anymore!
I might be a little excited yes. I feel like Pete and Samir would approve of that last activity though.
ETA: Totally forgot! Check out the Author Extra in re The Mistell at Torquere's blog for Five Fun Facts ♥
ETA: Totally forgot! Check out the Author Extra in re The Mistell at Torquere's blog for Five Fun Facts ♥
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons