Brag Shelf – Level 1 Achievement

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I know I promised cat pics last time, but this is just as pleasing to me, and I figured it deserved an update all its own.

Many authors have what’s known as a brag shelf… or bookcase… or room, where they keep copies of everything they’d done. I, being a relatively normal person of some small ego, have my own brag shelf, where I can see the tangible, physical evidence that I occasionally accomplish things.

With the arrival of physical copies of Puxhill by Night (you may have heard of it), I have finally filled an entire shelf. Okay, so many of these items are multiple copies, but the principle remains the same. I earned these, fair and square. And I am very very happy. I might even get to start working on a second shelf by this time next decade! 🙂

Okay, cat pictures. Why not?

Gideon: The belly is not a trap.

Gideon: The belly is not a trap.

Molly is not impressed.

Molly is not impressed.

Jenny and Sebastian have important cat bed business to handle.

Jenny and Sebastian have important cat bed business to handle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll close out by reminding people that my Amazon and Goodreads giveaways are still live and going strong, and you too can obtain copies of my books. Just about everything has been linked to Amazon through my Bibliography page, so feel free to check them out.

 

Puxhill by Night Giveaway, Round 2!

As promised, I’m back to tell you all about the many wonderful ways in which you can obtain a copy of Puxhill by Night: Lesbian Erotic Urban Fantasy.

Obviously, you can buy it. I like that option. I like it a lot. Sales mean I, the author, get money for my work. Sales prove that there’s a demand for what I do, give me encouragement to do more, and allow me to occasionally treat myself to luxuries like pants and steak. I like steak. Not so much on pants, but… y’know, society demands.

So you’re thinking, it’s erotica. That’s just porn, right? Bedtime reading? Not for polite company? And to that, I say piffle. Because I write urban fantasy that just happens to have very very sexy bits in it. My stories have moon-crossed lovers, shapeshifters, amnesiac magicians, and half-forgotten gods. I reinterpret lesser-known fairy tales, kink up mythology, and play with pop culture. Puxhill by Night is fun, and I want people to enjoy it.

If you want to buy this lovely book, which contains eight sexy stories of love and lust, magic and mayhem, set in a mysterious North American city, you can go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Circlet. You can buy it in ebook or in trade paperback. All of these options make me happy.

But you’re the gambling sort, and would rather try your luck at a free copy. And again, I have you covered.

Going on RIGHT NOW, until either May 2nd or until all copies are given away, you can try your luck with my Amazon giveaway, which will reward electronic copies to 4 more lucky winners. All you have to do is follow me on Twitter, which is painless and hardly onerous. I sometimes remember I have Twitter, and occasionally say funny things. If you unfollow me…it’s okay, I understand. You’re busy, and some people Tweet a lot and it’s hard keeping up with them. But putting up with me for 5 minutes is worth a shot at a free book, right?

Hey, maybe you’d rather have the physical copy. I dig it. It’s gorgeous. It looks great on a bookshelf. If I had a copy on hand, I’d show you, but I sold my last trade paperback to a wandering evangelist after he asked if I was familiar with the Good Book. But starting RIGHT NOW, and ending on May 25th, you can enter my Goodreads giveaway for one of three physical copies. Which I will even autograph. And that could be worth something, someday. For that, they gave me a widget. Let’s see if it works…

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Puxhill by Night by Michael M. Jones

Puxhill by Night

by Michael M. Jones

Giveaway ends May 25, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Awesome. I expect you ran off to enter that contest also. I’ll wait. I have to do dishes anyway. My wife doesn’t approve of “let the cat lick the plate clean” as a method anymore.

Okay. So there are your current chances. I really want you to win. I like you. Really I do. You deserve this.

And please, I can’t stress this enough: every review, good or bad or indifferent, helps. If you win this, if you buy it, if you read it, please say something about it on Amazon or Goodreads or your blogs. Word of mouth is EVERYTHING for writers these days, and it’s unethical for me to write reviews of my own work while sockpuppeting as my cats. (And the cats object on ethical grounds also, and I didn’t even know they HAD ethics. Furry little weirdos.)

I promise my next post will have cat pics, just you can see what I’m talking about.

So let the games begin.

 

 

 

Updates and Announcements

/tap…tap…/

Is this thing on?

Splendid! So yeah, it’s been a while. Where do I even begin?

Well, let’s talk about new releases. Because I’ve actually had a few of those in the past few months.

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First up, there’s “E is for Eidolon” in the C is for Chimera anthology, edited by Rhonda Parrish. I wrote my story last summer as part of a creative writing class taught by Delia Sherman at Hollins University. It’s about a living shadow that thinks it’s a girl…and it’s about what happens when the shadow stops silently observing the people, and tries to get involved in the life of a lonely teenager. It’s definitely one of my favorite stories, and I love it.

 

 

 

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But say you’re in the mood for one of my spicier offerings. That’s fine, I got you covered there, too. “The Shape of Camelot Today” appears in Nights of the Round Table: Arthurian Erotica, edited by Jennifer Levine. In this story, a modern incarnation of the Lady of the Lake is faced with the task of delivering a certain sword in the stone to the Arthurian figure of her choice. Only her heroine would rather find a woman for the job… Not only can you buy the anthology, you can hear me read from an excerpt of the story in Nobilis Reed’s podcast, which was recorded live at the annual Circlet Press editorial retreat a few weeks ago.

 

 

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Maybe you’re here for an update on my anthologies-in-progress. Well, unfortunately I have no immediate news on either Schoolbooks & Sorcery, or Like a Haunted Trail. They’re still in progress, in various stages of production, and I plan to have -real- news very soon now. Fear not, my friends. Have faith and patience. Editing is hard, and planning a Kickstarter can be a daunting task.

 

 

 

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Lastly, I’d like to end this with the promise of FREE STUFF. In honor of Puxhill by Night’s first birthday, I’m launching both an Amazon and a Goodreads giveaway. The Amazon giveaway is for several electronic copies of the book, and can be found here. Enter for a chance to win a copy of the book. The Goodreads giveaway, which starts next week, will run for a month with several autographed print copies available as the reward. I’ll post here again when that goes live. So again, go to this Amazon link for a chance to win an ebook copy of Puxhill by Night, -and- keep your eyes open for the Goodreads giveaway as well!

 

Oh, and I can tease at a few upcoming things as well. Look for audio versions of “Your Name is Eve” and “Sea of Strangers” coming from Far Fetched Fables at some point in the near future. I’ll announce when they’re available. Also, my story “Home by Halloween” will be appearing in Fitting In: Historical Accounts of Paranormal Subcultures, from Mad Scientist Journal. What happens when a teenage changeling, who lived instead of dying, decides it’s time to return home to a Faerie that abandoned her? Find out soon… I am SO EXCITED about this one.

That’s it for now!

 

 

 

 

Introducing Sebastian

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It is my honor to announce that following several retirements in the past few years, and a lengthy hiring freeze, the Feline Supervisory Committee has finally acquired a new intern. Sebastian, aka the Tiny Tabby Terror, aka Streaky, aka the Mini-doofus, comes to us after a short stay with the Roanoke RCACP. At only six months old, his resume is somewhat light, but he has already proven himself extremely talented in the arts of nose-licking, cheek-rubbing, head-butting, and finger-chewing. He is a skilled wrestler, a champion at hall dashing, and apparently fearless (and perhaps lacking in common sense.)

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Committee members Gideon MacFluff and Professor Virgil the Weird have already taken him on as an apprentice in The Feline Arts, a comprehensive curriculum which will enable him to become a full-fledged member. The female half of the Committee refuse to have anything to do with these shenanigans; they think boys are silly and rambunctious.

We look forward to spending many years with Sebastian.

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Schoolbooks & Sorcery: The Lineup Announced At Last

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I’m pleased as punch and proud to announce that, with all contracts in hand, the final lineup for my upcoming YA anthology, Schoolbooks & Sorcery, is ready to be revealed. This is a project which has been in the works for quite a while, and I’m just so thrilled to share the Table of Contents with you. (Mind you, this isn’t the final -order- but this is everyone who will be in it…)

 

“Finals” by Seanan McGuire
“Protection” by Cheryl Rainfield
“The Grimoire Girls” by E.C. Myers
“Where We Come From” by David Sklar
“Bad Roommates” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
“Dirty Deeds” by Kelly Swails
“Blood Magnolia” by Nicole Givens Kurtz
“Heart of a Fox” by Aaron Canton
“The Delicate Work of Bees” by Emily Horner
“Awaken” by Rain Fletcher
“All That Matters” by Elizabeth Shack
“The Chosen One” by Katrina Nicholson
“Fishing for the Dead” by Eric Esser
“The Nightingale and the Goblin” by Bri Boozell
I can hear some of you squealing with joy, and jumping up and down. “When will it be available?” you ask. “How can I get my hands on this?” you want to know. Well, have patience. There’s a lot of editorial fiddly bits left to be hammered into place. The next step is going to be the Kickstarter so we can acquire the funds to pay these brilliant authors what they’re worth, so keep watching this space!

Now Available: The Circlet Treasure Chest: Erotic Microfictions

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I am pleased to announce that The Circlet Treasure Chest: Erotic Microfictions for Any Occasion, is now available. You can buy it at the Circlet web site, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine ebook retailers. This is a reprint collection of 50 of the many fine erotic microfictions which we’ve published on the Circlet site, many of which are no longer available there due to the site crashing last year. These microfictions cover a wide ranges of genres and sexualities, and all run under 1500 words or so, making them quick but enjoyable, even mindblowing, reads.

As the description says:

“In this collection of fifty short-short erotic tales reprinted from the Circlet Press website, authors explore all permutations of sex and sexuality, pushing the boundaries of gender, theme, genre and tone. From twisted fairy tales to science fiction adventures, these stories introduce readers to worlds of sensuality and satisfaction.

There’s a little something for everyone in this treasure chest of infinite possibility, as authors conjure up stories set in the past, present and future, as they step into fantasy realms and consort with gods, dance among the stars and dabble in dark matters. Romance, horror, mystery, action and more can be found scattered throughout these offerings, each one a full story told in less than 1500 words. And of course they all come with a healthy dose of explicit sex and sensuality, as befits a Circlet collection.

Many of Circlet’s most popular and prolific contributors are represented here, including Kannan Feng, Gayle C. Straun, Julie Cox, Andrea Trask, Cèsar Sanchez Zapata, and Circlet founder Cecilia Tan.”

As Circlet’s Microfiction Editor (on days when I remember the password to the email box), I had the honor of going through every microfiction published to a certain point to put together this collection. I’m not the first to hold this post, so I can’t take credit for originally running many of these, but my tenure is represented with some lovely selections.

I encourage you to go forth and check this out. Please buy, and please leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and personal blogs.

 

 

Puxhill by Night: The Print Version

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I just wanted to add a quick update to let people know that now you can obtain Puxhill by Night as a print (hardcopy) version if you’re so inclined. For those of you who like physical books (and hopefully not to use as doorstops, paperweights, coasters, table-straighteners…)

The real benefit of a physical copy? It looks good on your bookshelf, and if you find me, I’ll sign it for you. So what are you waiting for? Go forth!

Puxhill by Night: An Audio Excerpt!

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For those who enjoy their fiction in audio form, and who like having erotica read to them, I hereby present a very special treat. Nobilis Reed, host of the Nobilis Erotica Podcast, is featuring one of the stories from Puxhill by Night in this week’s episode. Pop on over for a free rendition of the never-before-published story, “The Runic Runaway,” read by the delightful Tia Townes. Apparently, there’s also a discount code available if you listen to the podcast and decide you want to buy the book via Circlet’s website. Hey, good deal! Free audio erotica, and a discount on the book itself.

“The Runic Runaway” started life as an erotic, lesbian mystery, when editor Joselle Vanderhooft put out a call for submissions for lesbian noir erotica. I offered up a tale of the night clerk at a seedy motel who encounters a mysterious young woman with runic tattoos and gaps in her memory. While the anthology never did fully come together, the story was too good to leave sitting around, and so Joselle graciously let me take it back when I put Puxhill by Night together. It’s a fun, strange story, and I urge you all to go check it out.

Now Available: Puxhill by Night: Lesbian Erotic Urban Fantasy

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And at long last, my first book is out, and I am thrilled.

Puxhill by Night: Lesbian Erotic Urban Fantasy, is a collection of short stories, most of which have appeared in previous anthologies, several of which are brand new.

Here’s what the back cover has to say:

Welcome to Puxhill. It’s a quiet little city just a half-step off the beaten path. Everything seems normal, but the walls between worlds run thin here, and magic seeps into everyday life. Forgotten gods and faded myths live amongst the humans, and passions run deep. In Puxhill, the impossible becomes real.

In these eight erotic tales of magic, mystery, and lesbian lust, worlds collide in new and mesmerizing ways. The night manager of a seedy motel unlocks the secrets of an amnesiac girl’s past, while an angry young rocker fights for her life in a back alley. A rogue A.I. assumes human form to romance the new owner of a comic book store, shapeshifting lovers must break an ancient curse or run the risk of killing one another, and much more. Puxhill by Night collects a mixture of reprints and original stories by acclaimed author Michael M. Jones.

Includes the stories:
“The Muse’s Mask”
“Hannah and the Witch”
“Sun Chases Moon”
“Thwarting the Spirits”
“In the Service of Hell”
“The Runic Runaway”
“Doppelganger”
“The Secret Life of Ramona Lee”

 

Puxhill by Night is currently available as an ebook from Circlet, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine e-retailers. A paperback version will be available within the next week or so.

Electronic review copies are available. Just leave a comment here, or email me at highpornomancer@gmail.com if interested. More information to come soon.

 

 

Now Available: B is for Broken

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Today, I wish to announce the release of the B is for Broken anthology, edited by Rhonda Parrish. The second in her alphabet anthology series, this delightful collection features 26 stories revolving around the theme of broken, whether it’s people, places, items, promises, or whatever.

My story, “O is for Oneiroi” is about the city of Puxhill, and the ever-so-odd Theatre of Dreams, in which people gather to play witness to the innermost workings of the mind of a young woman known as the Dreamer. Why does she Dream, and why does she refuse to quit when it becomes too dangerous? Read, and find out….

I’ve been holding on to this story for a very long time, and I’m thrilled that it’s finally out in the wild where other people can enjoy it.