Celebrating 10 Years of Publishing

Today is a big day for me. Exactly 10 years ago I took one of the biggest chances of my life and hit publish on one of my stories for the first time. There aren’t enough words to describe how terrified I was to put myself out into the world like that. I’d been writing for years, but I never shared my stories with anybody – until Taking Lance. I allowed my best friend to read it, and the rest (as they say) is history. I’ll forever credit her for every single book I ever publish. If she ever gets tired of me and dumps my butt as a friend, I’ll still credit her for everything. 😉

Goodreads says I’ve published 25 books total since then, but I didn’t manually count them before typing this. That doesn’t even count my pen name stories that I’ve published.

My original plan to celebrate my publishing anniversary was to write a quick update telling the readers what Rick and Lance are up to these days. Unfortunately, a serious health issue prevented that. I’ve recently spent close to a week in the hospital, with 3 of those in ICU. While I won’t say I’m 100% right now, I will say that I’m doing better. I could say it wasn’t anything serious, but it damn sure could’ve been. I had a bad internal infection that could’ve easily turned into sepsis had my husband and doctor not insisted I go to the emergency room when I did. There’s a lot more to it, but that’s the gist of it.

I’m a very private person when it comes to my real world. I’ve discussed my ADHD and migraines in blog posts, but there are other issues I’ve never gone into. I’m happy to finally have a diagnosis, but I’m also frustrated because there’s no cure or real treatment for it. It’s not fatal, just frustrating to have to live with. Even so, I’m doing better now thanks to the hospital stay, antibiotics, and my husband and sons who have taken good care of me.

With that being said, no Taking Lance update. I had really hoped to do something special to celebrate my 10th year, but unfortunately that’s off the table for now. What I’ve done instead is make the Taking Lance complete series available free on Amazon today only.

I can’t tell you how much I adore Rick and Lance, Lance especially. Those were my first guys, and they’ll forever hold a special place in my heart. Just note that their stories were written before I started writing M/M almost exclusively, so don’t go into these books expecting more of the same. It’s not there. There’s a massive age gap, and lots of sex with others on-page. Rick is bisexual and hooks up with quite a few women and men before he and Lance are exclusive – often at the same time. Once they’re exclusive, no others are brought into their beds.

If that’s not your cup of tea, please don’t read it. Shoot me a message and I’ll gladly send you an e-copy of one of my other books, your choice. This does not apply to the Purrs series that has been put on hold.

Thank you to every reader who has picked up not just the Taking Lance series but any of my books. Without you I wouldn’t still be doing what I love a decade later.

Thank you BIG to my best friend who fell in love with Rick Preston long before I did. 😉 Lots of love, my friend. Also, a big thanks to my husband who may not understand it, but he supports it anyway.

You can find the link for the full series on Amazon here. Remember, it’s free today only.

Until next time,

Candi

Eros Freebie & Cupid Pre-Order

Hi, all.

To celebrate Cupid (Love Gods, #2) being published on February 1st, Eros (Love Gods, #1) will be free on Amazon on January 31st and February 1st. It’s also in Kindle Unlimited. Cupid will be in KU as well. You can find Cupid on Amazon here if you’re interested in pre-ordering.

Cupid takes place a year after Eros ends. With Eros and his man (Psyche/Sy) being important to Cupid’s story, they are in it quite a bit, as is Aphrodite. For that reason, I would consider Cupid’s book as more of a continuation of the first book. Other than Peit, a couple of other new characters are introduced in Cupid, Mercury and Venus. Venus is… well, let’s just say she doesn’t have a nice bone in her body. As for Mercury, he’s amazing and flamboyant, and I absolutely adore him. Maybe someday he’ll get his own story. I had way too much fun writing him to let him go. No doubt he’ll definitely be demanding more page time.

Cupid is loosely based on the Roman mythological god Cupid. I stress the word loosely, as this is a contemporary story with the main characters both being male instead of male and female. A lot of liberties were taken in my interpretations of Cupid and Peitho, the secondary characters – including Eros, Psyche, Aphrodite, Venus, and Mercury – and the story behind them. Nowhere in my research does it even hint that Peitho (a Greek goddess) and Cupid were an item. That’s simply a product of my imagination.

In my fictional world Cupid and Eros are two separate gods.

Any similarities to actual Roman or Greek mythology are minimal.

While I’ve always had a fascination with Roman and Greek mythology, I am by no means an expert.

I hope you enjoy Cupid and Peit’s story!

Check out the blurb below.

Cupid is the Roman god of love and desire. Unlike his Greek counterpart, Cupid only shoots his magical arrows for true love. Their differences don’t end there. In contrast to Eros, who hooked up with any guy he could before being reunited with his beloved Psyche, Cupid is waiting for his happily-ever-after, not a happy-for-right-now. Despite the challenges of remaining a virgin for more years than he’s willing to admit, he refuses to take that final step until he meets his one and only. Finding that forever love, however, is a challenge. Cupid could easily find a man for sex, but the one he secretly desires most is forbidden.

Peitho is the Greek god of seduction and persuasion. Bringing others together is a piece of cake. Helping himself get the man he loves is a different matter altogether. Not only is Cupid Roman, but swatting him like a flying insect during their first meeting didn’t exactly win Peit any favors. In Peit’s defense, he had no clue it was Cupid at the time, and Cupid is quite small in his true form. Nevertheless, the human version of the hot god made it clear he was not interested, not to mention that Cupid’s all about following rules. Hooking up with Peit would be breaking the biggest one of all.

Everything changes when Eros asks Cupid to take on one of his assignments, which he rightfully declines. Despite knowing it could cause major problems, Eros can’t be swayed. When Peit is enlisted to help change Cupid’s mind, Cupid’s well-ordered world is suddenly thrown into chaos. It’s one thing to be tempted by the gorgeous Greek god. To fall in love with him could be disastrous.

Cupid is book two of the Love Gods series. Although Cupid could possibly be read as a standalone, it’s best to read Eros first to understand the backstories and secondary characters who are key to Cupid’s story.

Happy Publishing Anniversary to Me! and Taking Lance Giveaway

On April 5, 2014 I took a huge chance and published my naughty little bi-erotica story, Taking Lance. I’d never published anything of mine before. Hell, I’d never let anybody read anything I’d written before. And here I was putting myself out there.

It was by far one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done in my life. It published, ended up doing much better than I expected as far as sales, and I’ve published many more books since then.

The fear never really goes away, but that doesn’t stop me from continuing to put myself out there, albeit not as often as I used to as far as publishing.

In the past nine years, I’ve been thrilled with great reviews, knocked down a bit over harsh ones, and been told privately (more than once by some readers who REALLY hate Willy the kinky elf…) not to quit my day job. 😉

Even the lack of love doesn’t make me stop writing. It’s part of me, even if I’m a little slower these days in publishing anything.

To celebrate my 9th publishing anniversary, I’m making Taking Lance (The Complete Series) free on Amazon from April 5th through April 7th. It’s already in Kindle Unlimited for those who subscribe, but now non-subscribers can check it out as well.

If I could go back nine years, I’d do a lot of things differently. My writing style has chanced DRASTICALLY since that first little story was published. There’s still a scene in Keeping Lance that I’ve regretted leaving in since I hit PUBLISH on it. There are other things I’d change as far as the series as a whole, but I don’t regret publishing those books exactly as they were published. Rick and Lance will always hold a special place in my heart. Maybe I’ll revisit them someday.

To everybody who’s been on this ride with me, thank you! To those who are just now discovering my books, welcome!

Most of all, thank you to my best friend in the world who I will forever credit for every single book or short story I publish. She’s the one who encouraged me to take a chance with Taking Lance, and she’s continued to encourage me with everything in my life, not just my books, since the day we became friends. She’s also the one who found the perfect photo for Lance (above) and Lance, Rick, and Mandy (below).

I’ve never had a photo look so much like a character in my head before. That is totally my Lance. 😉

I appreciate you, my friend.

To get a free e-copy of Taking Lance (The Complete Series) – that covers the first book to the last, Finding Alex, including the short stories in between – pop on Amazon here.

Make sure to read the blurb below before downloading the book. There are a lot of things in the series that some readers hate, including the two main characters having sex with others on-page before they’re fully committed to each other. If this bothers you, please don’t download the book. Shoot me a message instead via email (candikayauthor@gmail.com), or on any of my social media pages, and I’ll gladly send you a free copy of any book in my catalog that you feel like you would enjoy. You can find a list of them here.

If you have already read the Taking Lance series, you’re also welcome to send me a message asking for a different book.

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Check out the blurb for the series below.

Instant lust between the much older Rick Preston and his stepson Lance quickly becomes complicated when feelings start getting involved. From greedy mothers, crazy exes, Rick’s insecurities, and some other major detours, the road to their happily-ever-after doesn’t run smooth. Throw in a rent boy with family issues, a former stripper, and even a closeted politician, and their journey takes some interesting turns. Follow along as Rick and Lance fight like hell for each other and for that of their friends.

The Taking Lance Series is bisexual erotica. Some characters have sex with others outside of their love interests as they work toward their individual happily-ever-afters. Rick, who’s openly bi, has sex with both males and females on-page before he and Lance commit fully to each other. If you’re put off by that, substantial age differences, or cheating, this series is not for you. Each story is linked to the next one so they’re best read in order.

The full series includes:

Taking Lance (#1)
Keeping Lance (#2)
Being Karen (#2.5)
Finding Travis (#3)
Trusting Lance (#3.5)
Marrying Lance (#3.75)
Finding Alex (#4)

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Note that the individually published stories are not free, only the complete series, though they’re all in Kindle Unlimited.

Thank again for being a part of my publishing journey. Here’s to another 9 years!

Until next time,

Candi Kay