If ur romantic f/o has any siblings, they're ur in law(s) now!!! How do you feel about them? How do they feel about you? What does your f/o think about you guys? Do you hate eachother, or are you friends?
hiiii! have you considered releasing tradewinds as a single purchase through a site like gumroad?
Hi anon!
So the reason Tradewinds was shelved and not published like 8 years ago, is because I couldn't find an Aboriginal sensitivity reader willing to read m/m with disturbing themes. I had sensitivity readers for the other side of things (like Matan and his heritage), but I kept either not finding anyone, or the one person I found took my $200 USD deposit and vanished and never spoke to me / responded to any of my emails.
As a result, I was uncomfortable distributing it anywhere broadly, even though I was relatively confident the novel isn't offensive, because I just don't know 100%.
I am a lot more confident releasing it via subscription as an exclusive novel, because the people who pay for subscription are often folks who are a) already used to my style of writing and b) generally know what to expect from me, vs. cold audiences who don't. I'm kind of kicking myself that I didn't realise that Tradewinds would make a great exclusive/paywalled release for subscription, because it means it's only ever going to find a very narrow bandwidth of readers.
Basically if I could release it for single purchase - as basically an ebook - I would have released it like 8 years ago, anon. And the reason I have actually released it this specific way is down to the fact that I'm just not really confident offering it for broader distribution.
That might change one day, if I happen to stumble across a sensitivity reader who is okay with my style of writing, who is reputable + has references (i.e. so I know I won't lose a fair chunk of money in the process, because that burned me pretty badly, not gonna lie). But until then, having Tradewinds be limited is the only way I'm comfortable releasing it at all.
Folks are more than welcome to sign up for one month, download the book (and read any other early access they want) and then leave. They can even just put 'I only wanted one thing and now I have it' in the exit survey so I know what they were there for if they want. Then it's still a single purchase (with some early access extras), and they still access the downloadable file. :)
having mommy issues be like I hate that you know me I hate that we’re related I hate that you birthed me I hate that you don’t know how to love me properly I hate that you can’t see how much you hurt me I hate that I’m expected to love you
Postwar Levi was struggling to adapt to his new life in Marley. He used to be a busy captain, but now crippled and wheelchair bounded, he lost the ability to do normal daily chores.
Pathetic, he thought.
And then you got pregnant. Levi's self esteem dropped even more when he could not help you like other able-bodied husbands helped their wives during pregnancy. To rub salt on his wounds, you were also the breadwinner at home. He felt useless, and he was terrified of the birth of your child.
'Wha- What can I do for the child? I couldn't be a fa-' Levi choked, '-ther.'
It broke your heart to see your husband like this. You talked about being parents before the war when you were still his cadet and he was still your captain. Caressing his cheeks, you kissed his soft lips tenderly.
'Well, what did you wanted really bad as a child? You could give our baby that.' You smiled as you placed his rough palm on your slightly swollen belly.
Levi was frowning in focus, thinking hard about his long-lost childhood. Hesitant, he said quietly, 'toys. The brothel owner's son had a toy horse and he carried it everywhere. I- I really wanted one..'
Beaming warmly at your shy husband who was embarrassed about his childhood dream, you kissed his forehead. 'You can make toys for our baby.'
Even though he lost his Ackerman awakening powers, he still had his skills with knives. You bought him a set of well-used wood carving tools and some wooden blocks from the flea market, you knew how Levi would react when you bought him brand new items. Onyankopon bought Levi a guidebook on wood carving when you told him about your baby and Levi was going to make toys.
With new hopes for the baby, Levi started to cheer up bit by bit. His knife skills and his analytic skills helped him mastered wood carving very quickly. Before you knew it, Levi already had 6 little kittens in different positions lining up on your dining table. One evening during dinner, he told you that he planned to make a crib toy with different animals hanging from the crib for your baby. Seeing the gleam in his eyes and the hopefulness in his tone, you couldn't be prouder of your husband. You always knew he would be a great father.
Gabi and Falco would spend the weekends varnishing and painting the little wooden animals as you knitted next to your husband who were concentrating on carving his 7th puppy for the week :)
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So here's one of the videos I'm obsessed with right now!