Max D.'s Blog

2021 March: Danielle Releases New releases - Cherish Desire Singles titles featuring Danielle

It's been a long wait, but the wait is over! Danielle titles "Intensity," "Satisfaction," and "Submission" have now been released in digital and print editions.

Danielle was smart, aware, and very good at her work. But she never understood that plans and structures exist to provide people comfort, and Ronin operates without needing that kind of security blanket. This is her story of what she was willing to do to win his sexual interest, and the price she paid for saying "I do..."

Starting with "Intensity," Danielle's pursuit of Ronin gets off to a very demanding start. For many years, "Intensity" stood on its own without any explanation for Ronin's reluctance and indifference to Danielle's sexy propositions.

Now we find out what was really going on! "Satisfaction" and "Submission" prove how far Danielle is willing to go to both retain Ronin's interest and explore her own suppressed sexual desires.

Cherish Desire Singles:
Intensity (The Complete Five Part Series) featuring Danielle

Ronin isn't an easy sexual conquest, and Danielle's narrow sexuality is the opposite of what attracts him to women!

Proving herself to Ronin, showing up at his door, urging him to transform her into what he desires, pushes Danielle's limits and openness to pleasure until she has to embrace the impact of her demands.

"Intensity (The Complete Five Part Series) featuring Danielle" plunges directly into her demands of the man who could have been her boss. Danielle should have known he works hard and plays hard!

This sexy professional redhead will need to balance their office conflict with private sexual passions to motivate his interest!

"Intensity 1 (A Danielle Story)"
Positioned for Ronin's intentions, the ball gag goes in and Danielle waits. They take the first step for lasting changes to her sexual passions. "Intensity 2 (A Danielle Story)"
Anything less than three inches wide doesn't interest him. Danielle encourages Ronin to take her beyond her narrow limits! "Intensity 3 (A Danielle Story)"
She kept coming back for more, so Ronin continued to stretch her with his tools. At four inches wide, Danielle discovers a new level of openness to perverse suggestions. "Intensity 4 (A Danielle Story)"
With the Balfour Retractor spreading her open, Danielle achieves her goal. Her fingers release her and then she enjoys Ronin's ease of entry. "Intensity 5 (A Danielle Story)"
Ronin spent so much time opening up Danielle that he didn't ask what she enjoys. Luckily, he has no complaints about how she plays with her bottom. [Includes: MF, Fingering, Vaginal & Anal Penetration, Object Insertion (Balfour Retractor), Double Penetration, Stretching, Bondage & Restraints, Exhibitionism (Photo), Implied Exhibitionism (Video), Female Masturbation, Vaginal & Oral Sex]

Buy on Smashwords: Planet Earth

Buy on Amazon for your Kindle: US | Canada | UK | Australia | Deutschland | Italia | España | France | Nederland | México | Brasil | India | Japan

Buy the Paperback on Amazon: US | Canada | UK | Australia | Deutschland | Italia | España | France | Nederland | México | Brasil | India | Japan

Buy on Rakuten Kobo: US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand | EU | Hong Kong | Japan

Buy on Apple Books: Worldwide

Borrow on SCRIBD: Select Markets

Buy the Print or eBook on Barnes & Noble: North America & Europe

Cherish Desire Singles:
Satisfaction (The Complete Four Part Series) featuring Danielle

Will Danielle's infatuation with Paul jeopardize all the hard work done to win Ronin over?

Their time together has been so focused on her demands that Danielle is only now discovering how her big, bad wolf perceives her.

"Satisfaction (The Complete Four Part Series) featuring Danielle" gets dangerously close to Ronin's heart. When his past - and Paul's - expose the motivations for their passionate hungers, she has a choice to make.

Luckily, her big, bad wolf understands the multiplicity that leads to polyamory to match Danielle's need for divergent sexual satisfactions!

"Satisfaction 1 (A Danielle Story)"
Danielle's guide to how she enjoys her massive blue dildo. Enjoy her hardcore play time as much as Ronin treasures her intense sexual passions. "Satisfaction 2 (A Danielle Story)"
Can she have the man she needed to prove herself to and the man she wants to desire? Danielle discovers the complications behind Ronin's lust while Paul pursues her pleasure. "Satisfaction 3 (A Danielle Story)"
There are benefits having a big, bad wolf watching over her. How he touches her, exposes her, and enjoys her communicates his lust and trust. "Satisfaction 4 (A Danielle Story)"
Satisfaction comes from knowing how good it feels to embrace intensity. That definitely leads to very kinky sex for Danielle! [Includes: MF, Female Masturbation, Vaginal & Anal Sex, Rough Sex, Dildo Play & Wearing, Fingering & Fisting & Double Fisting, Vaginal & Anal Penetration, Double Penetration, Stretching, Enema Play, Implied FF, Implied Group Sex, Implied D/s, Implied Bondage & Restraints, Implied Femdom, Implied Strap-On Sex, Bad Dragon, Implied Pegging, Implied Tattoo]

Buy on Smashwords: Planet Earth

Buy on Amazon for your Kindle: US | Canada | UK | Australia | Deutschland | Italia | España | France | Nederland | México | Brasil | India | Japan

Buy the Paperback on Amazon: US | Canada | UK | Australia | Deutschland | Italia | España | France | Nederland | México | Brasil | India | Japan

Buy on Rakuten Kobo: US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand | EU | Hong Kong | Japan

Buy on Apple Books: Worldwide

Borrow on SCRIBD: Select Markets

Buy the Print or eBook on Barnes & Noble: North America & Europe

Cherish Desire Singles:
Submission (The Complete Five Part Series) featuring Danielle

Danielle thought she understood what submission to Ronin would mean. Turns out, she had a lot to learn!

Exploring her suppressed interest in other women, she's enabled by the delightful submission of her boyfriend and her big, bad wolf's alpha demands.

"Submission (The Complete Five Part Series) featuring Danielle" gets socio-political when corporate acquisitions develop into ill-fated trysts within this twisted office romance. Ronin leads Danielle to the pleasures of decadent indulgence within thirsty covens and feral passions.

The pursuit of sexual submission inks her skin with enticing eroticism and soaks her fingers with bisexual bliss.

"Submission 1 (A Danielle Story)"
Acting out her fantasies, Danielle happily explores how Ronin visualizes her sexuality. Her boyfriend's on the bottom, and her big, bad wolf is definitely on top! "Submission 2 (A Danielle Story)"
Everything about Paul's lust will be hers. What she truly needs requires promising more of herself to entice Ronin's hunger for her perverse passions. "Submission 3 (A Danielle Story)"
Would she dare pursue women to prove her eager lust? Ronin has his doubts, but Danielle already has a corporate acquisition in mind. "Submission 4 (A Danielle Story)"
Not all mergers and acquisitions are on the books. Her corporate girlfriend is definitely a dud, but Danielle's big, bad wolf knows a special place for her to meet thirsty ladies. "Submission 5 (A Danielle Story)"
I thought submission would mean a permanent state of servitude. Instead it was full of comfortable moments in pajamas, my lovers snuggled in close, and being teased with naughty whispers. [Includes: MF, FF, FFF, Group Sex, Vaginal & Oral & Anal Sex, Fingering & Fisting, Vaginal & Anal Penetration, Strap-On Sex, Dildo Play & Wearing, Bad Dragon, Exhibitionism (Photo, Surveillance, Video, Window), Implied Rubber & Latex & Fetish Wear, D/s, Implied BDSM, Femdom, Submissive Male, Bondage & Restraints, Implied Feminization, Tattoo]

Buy on Smashwords: Planet Earth

Buy on Amazon for your Kindle: US | Canada | UK | Australia | Deutschland | Italia | España | France | Nederland | México | Brasil | India | Japan

Buy the Paperback on Amazon: US | Canada | UK | Australia | Deutschland | Italia | España | France | Nederland | México | Brasil | India | Japan

Buy on Rakuten Kobo: US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand | EU | Hong Kong | Japan

Buy on Apple Books: Worldwide

Borrow on SCRIBD: Select Markets

Buy the Print or eBook on Barnes & Noble: North America & Europe

2021 March: New Releases & Updates New releases - Very Dirty Stories and Cherish Desire Singles

February marked a decisive move forward releasing new print and digital content for Cherish Desire Singles titles. The first wave of new titles included some awesome story arc completion sets as well as planned titles. And the second wave is already underway.

Cherish Desire Singles: Sexy Identities Collection 3, Cherish Desire Singles: She Comes First Collection 1, Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions Collection 9, and Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions Collection 10 were all planned for February release. These collections mark the continuation of Sexy Identities and Object Confessions, and the new Femdom focused series under She Comes First.

In addition, four other new titles were released. Cherish Desire Singles: Lust And Dildos (The Complete Six Part Series) featuring May is the first full length book covering Max, May, and Nicole's misadventures. Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions: Husband And A Master, Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions - Number Nine, and Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions - Yes are the first three completed story arcs for the Ladies of Object Confessions.

For readers who aren't familair with the series, Object Confessions stories include a number of recurring ladies whose full story arcs have previously required buying multiple Very Dirty Stories, Very Wicked Dirty Stories, and Cherish Desire Singles titles. Introducing novella to novel length titles which each include a single completed story arc is a new approach to align with reader requests for longer novella to novel length titles and making these specific stories more accessible to readers who aren't as interested in the shorts that are typical within the deligthfully sexy adventures (and mistakes) of the Ladies of Object Confessions.

The next wave of new titles will include Cherish Desire Singles: The Studio (The Complete Seven Part Series) featuring Priya, Cherish Desire Singles: Indoctrination (The Complete Seven Part Series), Cherish Desire Singles: Satisfaction (The Complete Four Part Series) featuring Danielle, and Cherish Desire Singles: Submission (The Complete Five Part Series) featuring Danielle.

Re-releases of revised titles Revised releases for Cherish Desire Singles titles

With so much progress made in February, we're hoping to maintain the momentum in March. That's going to be tough because there's a huge number of titles that need to be touched for revisions. Sticking with the Max-verse, March plans include Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions Collection 1, Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions Collection 2, Cherish Desire Singles: Her Boyfriend's Submission (The Complete Six Part Series) featuring Priya, and Cherish Desire Singles: Secret Fantasies (The Complete Six Part Series) featuring Priya.

With the new releases of Cherish Desire Singles: Satisfaction (The Complete Four Part Series) featuring Danielle and Cherish Desire Singles: Submission (The Complete Five Part Series) featuring Danielle, we start to get into the TomRonin-verse. Cherish Desire Singles: Intensity (The Complete Five Part Series) featuring Danielle completes that set of three books. Cherish Desire Singles: Tom's Plan (The Complete Eight Part Series) is a stand alone title that makes sense to revise before moving into the more complicated Angel titles.

Reviews of additional revisions prioritizing Cherish Desire Singles and Cherish Desire Divinations titles have provoked discussions around how much editing should be applied to titles published in the early years of Cherish Desire. We want to do more than a reformatting of titles from prior to 2016 as there are numerous inconsistencies with the quality we now expect from content. That means some titles will run into late April if they need re-writing to apply consistency and better structuring

Site refreshes Revisions to WWW and Blogger hosted sites

February was spent addressing items that came up like Merchandise and Catalog entries. Moving forward, a review of supporting content off the main catalog page is scheduled for March. That means some menu and page updates. We also need to add Bandcamp titles into the catalog, so we'll be revising links and providing a dedicated audio erotica performance page.

The Ladies and Stories subsites have been lagging. With the big publishing push for new and revised content, the overall catalog has been touched for story coding and description consistency for supporting back material in digital editions. That needs to start flowing into the Catalog pages which then flow to the Ladies pages. Ladies page updates are raising questions on whether those updates should be prioritized based on Cherish Desire Singles title releases. We're looking at inputting new and revised published content with roughly a month lag for Stories. We'll see what there's time for since publishing takes priority.

Paperback editions and Audio narration Moving toward bingeable content

With the substantial push in February, print editions of titles are now the new standard. Over a dozen print editions are now available, and updates on print editions will be part of the new release and revision information starting in April.

Our first real promoted and publicly pushed Bandcamp First Friday on 5 March was a big happiness moment! We saw a fivefold increase in our Bandcamp followers. Not hard when it was only two of us testing the waters for the last few months. LOL.

Seriously though, the response to Bandcamp releases has been great for a brand new channel. We have four stand alone short stories and one full length novella on Bandcamp now. Kenzi Reads provides serious performances of Backseat (An Angel Story) and She Comes First 2: Scorned. Her FICS GONE WORSE reads of Object Confessions 85: Faith Based Belief (FICS GONE WORSE Read) and Sexy Identities 4: Wanting The Bat (FICS GONE WORSE Read) are definitely worth the laughter at a time when we all could use it. The intensity of her emotive performance of Object Confessions - Distinct is well suited to such an intense novella.

We're hoping by producing bingeable audio content, people can pay what they can afford to support us while also benefiting from being able to stream the audio erotica performances without worrying about the cost. Times are difficult right now for a lot of people all around the world. Hopefully a distraction, a relief valve, and an outlet for all that's happened over 2020 and 2021 so far can make a positive difference as we all continue to face the unknown with this pandemic.

"Author To Author: Finishing Touches"

written by Max D

Every story has an ending. It just takes a long time to get there. Because of how I write, both non-sequentially and across multiple character arcs, I'm often dealing with pieces from multiple puzzles all thrown into the same box. Teasing out which pieces belong together, which pieces are the chapters of the next Cherish Desire Singles title, is not always easy and definitely not predictable.

And that's top of mind as I revisit, revise, and publish Object Confessions titles.

There are stories within these collections which link together. Stories here which were supposed to have a common first word in the name so I'd remember they were linked together and chapters of the same book. And some are so close to done. Finishing is an effort unto itself though, and finishing can only begin when you acknowledge what you've forgotten.

Happily Ever After

Discovering what you've forgotten to find closure

Somewhere, some when, you probably created a character that was meaningful and important. Unfortunately, other characters were more important. They took center stage. They became what you obsessed about. They became the loud voices screaming to be written out. And that other character faded into the background.

With over two and a half million words published now, I probably have dozens of these. I anticipated the one-offs and orphans of my writing process and created series for characters that were really adjacent or simply participants in the broader universe setting of Max-verse and TomRonin-verse. Object Confessions was the first. Sexy Identities came later for stories that didn't quite fit the Object Confessions Penthouse Letters styled format, and now She Comes First covers Femdom and Domme content. If I had really planned ahead effectively, I would have aligned these with genres for easier marketing, but I'm ok with the cross-overs.

Working on Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions Collection 1, I really ran into the first big challenge around these unfinished story arcs. Hindsight provides insight. Out of eleven stories, Object Confessions Collection 1 contains seven stories that are the beginning of story arcs. I'd already identified and finished two of those, Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions - Number Nine and Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions - Yes, but I was struggling with introducing five story arcs which would predetermine writing work to be done within the Object Confessions series. Keep in mind, I have over forty additional stories in progress or complete for Object Confessions already in addition to the one hundred published. Piling on more is self-harm at some point. And did I really want an Object Confessions collection title dominated by stories closing off story arcs? Seems like that wouldn't be a great reader experience.

So I looked at each one. Closely. Of the five remaining starters, three had well defined narratives across continuing stories and would need multiple chapters to find closure. One was a stumble across which I had thought was a stand alone story but turns out to be linked to a second part that left things very open ended. The last though...

Here's where opportunistic writing works really well. What was destined to become Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions - Happily Ever After already had four chapters written. It includes a major named character and has intersections with other major characters as well. It was probably conceived as a way to provide clarity on the PDX context within the Max-verse. Somewhere along the way, maybe 2017 or so, I'd moved on to writing other things and never come back to this. Most likely because I wanted the major name character's story arc leading this arc completed. That wasn't stopping me now.

First draft to finish was probably eight to ten hours of effort. Reviewing and aligning all five chapters, including doublechecking the major name character's story arc so these dovetail nicely later, took slightly more time and thought while I was tackling publishing. With some revisions, I had a full stand alone title that took advantage of my distance from the primary character to allow her room to grow, mature, and see her past through more informed eyes. The start to finish read was very good across with all five chapters fitted together. Very much a blend of action, adventure, misadventure, and emotional impact.

The Goddess and Empress honestly prefer complete story arcs. For me, life is a bit more open ended, so I tend to write scenes or within a context of specific events. There's a balance necessary between both styles. That's really where finishing matters. Where being able to take a character from who they were to who they are is relevant. Like ordinary life, a lot of repetitive things are discarded along the way, but that evolution is what makes characters compelling for many of us. Relatable. Familiar. Sometimes... annoying. Something more for readers like Goddess and Empress. A tale of someone who experiences growth.

I couldn't have written the last chapter of Happily Ever After sooner. Now was the right time. I find that to be important across a lot of my writing as well. To know when you can't finish something, when you'd be forcing the writing down an unnatural path, is critical to acknowledge. I write a lot of things for a lot of audiences, and nothing good has come out of trying to rush something. Only regret and revisions. That makes it even more important to go back, to make notes on dangling storylines, and ask if now is the right moment to find a conclusion or resolution to what remains.

All said and done, finishing for finishing's sake probably isn't a great idea. Revisiting those characters you created but never had the time to conclude, the characters you had a vision for but couldn't quite see the path they walked, is a good way to explore the universes you've created while keeping an eye on how you might provide your readers with more. It's a way to break out of the drive to create new and to reinvent, and a way to refocus on expanding and sharing the deeper experiences involving understated presences that had meaningful impacts on your main characters. It may even leave you with a feeling of satisfaction and a sense of closure.

Until you find out how many more endings you need to write.

2021 March Author To Author "Author To Author: Finishing Touches" written by Max D

Every story has an ending. It just takes a long time to get there. Because of how I write, both non-sequentially and across multiple character arcs, I'm often dealing with pieces from multiple puzzles all thrown into the same box. Teasing out which pieces belong together, which pieces are the chapters of the next Cherish Desire Singles title, is not always easy and definitely not predictable.

And that's top of mind as I revisit, revise, and publish Object Confessions titles.

There are stories within these collections which link together. Stories here which were supposed to have a common first word in the name so I'd remember they were linked together and chapters of the same book. And some are so close to done. Finishing is an effort unto itself though, and finishing can only begin when you acknowledge what you've forgotten.

Happily Ever After Discovering what you've forgotten to find closure

Somewhere, some when, you probably created a character that was meaningful and important. Unfortunately, other characters were more important. They took center stage. They became what you obsessed about. They became the loud voices screaming to be written out. And that other character faded into the background.

With over two and a half million words published now, I probably have dozens of these. I anticipated the one-offs and orphans of my writing process and created series for characters that were really adjacent or simply participants in the broader universe setting of Max-verse and TomRonin-verse. Object Confessions was the first. Sexy Identities came later for stories that didn't quite fit the Object Confessions Penthouse Letters styled format, and now She Comes First covers Femdom and Domme content. If I had really planned ahead effectively, I would have aligned these with genres for easier marketing, but I'm ok with the cross-overs.

Working on Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions Collection 1, I really ran into the first big challenge around these unfinished story arcs. Hindsight provides insight. Out of eleven stories, Object Confessions Collection 1 contains seven stories that are the beginning of story arcs. I'd already identified and finished two of those, Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions - Number Nine and Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions - Yes, but I was struggling with introducing five story arcs which would predetermine writing work to be done within the Object Confessions series. Keep in mind, I have over forty additional stories in progress or complete for Object Confessions already in addition to the one hundred published. Piling on more is self-harm at some point. And did I really want an Object Confessions collection title dominated by stories closing off story arcs? Seems like that wouldn't be a great reader experience.

So I looked at each one. Closely. Of the five remaining starters, three had well defined narratives across continuing stories and would need multiple chapters to find closure. One was a stumble across which I had thought was a stand alone story but turns out to be linked to a second part that left things very open ended. The last though...

Here's where opportunistic writing works really well. What was destined to become Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions - Happily Ever After already had four chapters written. It includes a major named character and has intersections with other major characters as well. It was probably conceived as a way to provide clarity on the PDX context within the Max-verse. Somewhere along the way, maybe 2017 or so, I'd moved on to writing other things and never come back to this. Most likely because I wanted the major name character's story arc leading this arc completed. That wasn't stopping me now.

First draft to finish was probably eight to ten hours of effort. Reviewing and aligning all five chapters, including doublechecking the major name character's story arc so these dovetail nicely later, took slightly more time and thought while I was tackling publishing. With some revisions, I had a full stand alone title that took advantage of my distance from the primary character to allow her room to grow, mature, and see her past through more informed eyes. The start to finish read was very good across with all five chapters fitted together. Very much a blend of action, adventure, misadventure, and emotional impact.

The Goddess and Empress honestly prefer complete story arcs. For me, life is a bit more open ended, so I tend to write scenes or within a context of specific events. There's a balance necessary between both styles. That's really where finishing matters. Where being able to take a character from who they were to who they are is relevant. Like ordinary life, a lot of repetitive things are discarded along the way, but that evolution is what makes characters compelling for many of us. Relatable. Familiar. Sometimes... annoying. Something more for readers like Goddess and Empress. A tale of someone who experiences growth.

I couldn't have written the last chapter of Happily Ever After sooner. Now was the right time. I find that to be important across a lot of my writing as well. To know when you can't finish something, when you'd be forcing the writing down an unnatural path, is critical to acknowledge. I write a lot of things for a lot of audiences, and nothing good has come out of trying to rush something. Only regret and revisions. That makes it even more important to go back, to make notes on dangling storylines, and ask if now is the right moment to find a conclusion or resolution to what remains.

All said and done, finishing for finishing's sake probably isn't a great idea. Revisiting those characters you created but never had the time to conclude, the characters you had a vision for but couldn't quite see the path they walked, is a good way to explore the universes you've created while keeping an eye on how you might provide your readers with more. It's a way to break out of the drive to create new and to reinvent, and a way to refocus on expanding and sharing the deeper experiences involving understated presences that had meaningful impacts on your main characters. It may even leave you with a feeling of satisfaction and a sense of closure.

Until you find out how many more endings you need to write.

2021 February: New Releases & Updates New releases - Very Dirty Stories and Cherish Desire Singles

The initial releases of Very Dirty Stories #206 to Very Dirty Stories #259 are now available on all three retailers we directly publish to and trickling outward to their distribution networks. They can be found on Smashwords and Rakuten Kobo and Amazon.

The transition to working on Cherish Desire Singles and Cherish Desire Divinations is proceeding slowly. Lots of formatting. Lots of revisiting standards to update them to work better within print editions. Overall things are going well, it's just a lot of work. Anticipate Cherish Desire Singles: Sexy Identities Collection 3, Cherish Desire Singles: She Comes First Collection 1, Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions Collection 9, and Cherish Desire Singles: Object Confessions Collection 10 by end of February. More new titles are in flight as well, but we're allowing time for corrections and processing revisions of related titles.

Re-releases of revised titles Revised releases for Cherish Desire Singles titles

Cherish Desire Singles titles are being clustered based on their resepective universe and links to new titles. Almost all the new titles are set in the Max-verse, so TomRonin-verse is taking a backseat. February plans include revising Cherish Desire Singles: Fade To Grey (The Complete Four Part Series), Cherish Desire Singles: Sexy Identities Collection 1, Cherish Desire Singles: Sexy Identities Collection 2, and Cherish Desire Singles: Responsibility (The Complete Nine Part Series) featuring Rachel. These will include print editions.

Further revisions will continue to prioritize Cherish Desire Singles and Cherish Desire Divinations titles. We're hoping to have the full sweep of Cherish Desire Singles titles completed by the end of April.

Site refreshes Revisions to WWW and Blogger hosted sites

Lots of good progress though we're frustrated with a few glitches that need to be sorted out.

The latest big addition has been promoting SCRIBD in catalog links. It's a slow process as we address these links title by title, but we're excited to acknowledge an additional retailer making Cherish Desire titles available for readers. SCRIBD's model is more of a subscription format, and they typically only carry lower cost titles. That works well for binge reading Very Dirty Stories and Very Wicked Dirty Stories titles.

Paperback editions and Audio narration Under way!

Cherish Desire Singles and Cherish Desire Divinations titles in print? YES. It's a very time consuming process, but we've got a grasp on basics so these print editions are coming out!

Audio erotica performances are happening! The collaboration with Kenzi Hale aka Kenzi Reads of FICS GONE WORSE has produced lots of good content for Bandcamp. We've got the first full length Cherish Desire Singles title in recording and production. Target for first week of March release of lots of gems for Bandcamp First Friday. While we're happy to recieve financial support for these audio erotica performances, we'd really like to boost followers and get the word out to people that we have sexy content for them to binge.

2021 February Author To Author "Author To Author: Brutal Trial And Error" written by Max D

I just published and republished the same title to Smashwords 21 times. I just iterated through the same title 8 times on Amazon KDP. I just tested the same title 5 times on Rakuten Kobo. Each time finding something wrong. Each time seeing a new glitch. Each time needing to tailor the Word document source further to suit a specific retailer.

This whole process sucks.

While I had hoped there would be a better convergence over time for retailers supporting self-publishing, I'm finding the opposite it true.

Time Consuming Repetition Publishing isn't easy without accurate documentation

Rakuten Kobo seems to be the cleanest transformation from Word doc to EPUB, but somehow they glitched the configuration so the conversion throws an error if the cover isn't in JPG format or another image exists in the Word doc. Even though Kobo Writing Life supports PNG formats for covers. Even though there is not supposed to be any issue with embedding another image in the Word doc. None of this seems to be documented. I wonder if they even know.

The folks at Smashwords know. Boy, do they know. I had links vanishing issues - because I missed a warning on formatting that says all Word doc hidden links need to be deleted before uploading. I still have Table of Contents menu order issues because Meatgrinder is putting my Table of Contents link after all the book contents links. We've bounced it back and forth, but the Smashwords engineering team isn't sure what's going on and neither am I. I'm ignoring that Meatgrinder adds a second Table of Contents to the eBook content in MOBI format. It's annoying, but probably unavoidable.

Of course, Amazon KDP is the worst offender of random conversions because they are so well-funded. *headdesk* I found out the hard way that Very Dirty Stories #201 to Very Dirty Stories #259 didn't properly generate device navigation menus. By hard way, I mean that Empress told me how frustrating it was to get to the Table of Contents and navigate to stories. Much reading later, I figured out what chicanery the Amazon KDP developers had done around expecting specific heading types to map to the Table of Contents, and their intention for every book to have a Word autogenerated Table of Contents for them to consume for the navigational Table of Contents. Stabbing in thte dark, I thought I had this sorted out. Nope. Many frustrating attempts later, I figured out that if you style the Table of Contents text at all then the Amazon KDP transformation processor doesn't consume and convert it. So my whole Word doc for a title is styled, as anyone who uses Word professionally does, EXCEPT the Table of Contents because that breaks Amazon KDP's engineering team's transformation assumptions. How annoying. And undocumented. Amazon Kindle University has an entire video pretty much dedicated to showing people how to copy and paste sections in a Word doc, but left out that styling the Table of Contents will break generating device navigation? WTH.

Then... because we're not done yet... tack on dealing with Amazon KDP's Print On Demand format. Their downloadable template files are great for the margins and gutters, but they don't use styles properly. There must be a note somewhere in their documentation, but I'll save you from making the wrong assumption I made about fonts being used as provided in the Word doc. What actually happens... is your Word doc fonts are converted to something else - I have no idea what - which means your pagination for your interior Table of Contents will need to be checked against the PDF proof they provide. And then update your Word doc to match the Proof page numbering, save the changes, and reupload the doc because there is no way to predict in Word what the pagination shift will be. Their cover creator is no less difficult to work with. Sometimes my changes stick, but sometimes they don't. It's very difficult to get the cover image aligned well, and I'm going to have to live with the best I can do since they have no mechanism to specifically fit the cover image I upload to the printable area on the book cover. Or even center align it. Pigpile onto that the Amazon KDP description HTML coding doesn't work for Amazon KDP Print On Demand because Print On Demand requires explicit line breaks in the coding. Having done HTML coding for Print On Demand in a way that does work, it appears it only works on Amazon's site and not their distribution channels for Print On Demand books. *ugh*

All told, this has been a crazy frustrating exercise in trying to get things right and finding out how many things are undocumented and poorly supported across all three retailers. If you need Word document samples for KDP, Rakuten Kobo, or Smashwords though - I have ones that largely work now.

Until they change stuff again.

2021 January: New Releases & Updates New releases - Very Dirty Stories #206 to #259 and more

Retailer requirements change. It's unavoidable. Reviewing the output from Smashwords and Rakuten Kobo releases, it became clear that the divergence has become more profound rather than less. All three major retailers - Smashwords, Rakuten Kobo, and Amazon KDP - are using different engines to generate MOBI/EPUB formats for titles. All three are parsing and producing outputs differently with mutually exclusive expectations specifically around Table of Contents. So we're moving forward with Very Dirty Stories #206 to Very Dirty Stories #259 on Amazon KDP, but anticipating we may need to do a formatting patch once we've experimented enough with the Amazon KDP Table of Contents generation to correct for how Amazon KDP is generating their MOBI format.

Re-releases of revised titles Revised releases Very Dirty Stories #201 to Very Wicked Dirty Stories #205 on Amazon KDP

With the pivot to validate formatting and test differences in expectations, the initial Amazon KDP wave will take a small step backward to update Very Dirty Stories 201 to Very Wicked Dirty Stories #205. This may be an imperfect process to identify what needs to change in the releases for optimal presentation. Then the systematic updates to the back catalogue can proceed once we have a stable format template.

The revisions will prioritize Cherish Desire Singles and Cherish Desire Divinations titles first. There are things that occur within longer titles - like story cross-referencing - which are ideal to factor in before tackling large numbers of Very Dirty Stories titles for updates. There is also overlap where any editing or revisions to stories in Cherish Desire Singles titles ripples outward to the Very Dirty Stories titles that those stories were originally published in.

Site refreshes Revisions to WWW and Blogger hosted sites

A lot of work on fundamental aspects of the sites has been completed. On-going tweaks and tuning are being incorporated as we add new retailers and additional content. There are specific site areas which are still presenting in older layouts while transitioning pages and content forward.

One big addition has been the introduction of Bandcamp for audiobook and audio erotica performances. This will slowly replace our presence on SoundCloud and YouTube. Bandcamp provides a streaming support with apps for iOS and Android as well as via a browser. There is no ad or other interruption to listening to the audio content. And there is a way for listeners to buy and download content they enjoy. This is a vast improvement over the direction YouTube has taken and much more accessible than SoundCloud.

Paperback editions and Video narration Moving forward

As mentioned above, the focus on Cherish Desire Singles and Cherish Desire Divinations releases with new formatting means there will be a lot of work being done on our longer titles. As a result, we're bundling in the effort to produce much improved print editions with the re-releases.

This is a huge undertaking. Based on the initial review of what needs to be done for KDP's Print On Demand service, how poorly conceived their baseline templates are, and the nature of the content structure, it's going to take a good amount of time with each title to get this right. However, there is a pent up demand for print paperbacks of many of the longer titles and collections. And we'd like to make sure the Wulf Daughter has a print copy of Cherish Desire Singles: Sexy Identities Collection 1 for her portfolio. These print editions will begin to come out toward the end of January.

The collaboration with Kenzi Hale aka Kenzi Reads of FICS GONE WORSE continues to move forward. Setting up Bandcamp has established a place for audio streaming, and we're looking at video streaming options after releasing some initial content on YouTube. We're working our way up to longer titles while practicing with short stories first. Anticipate more content in the late February and early March timeframe.

2020 December: New Releases & Updates New releases - Very Dirty Stories #206 to #259 and more

Best laid plans... and many other euphemisms come to mind. After two years of writing, editing, proofing, and dealing with innumerable challenges, the new Very Dirty Stories releases are largely complete. The first wave publishing for Very Dirty Stories #206 to Very Dirty Stories #259 is complete. The titles are available on Smashwords. Ratuken Kobo and Amazon will follow. Then the new Cherish Desire Singles releases.

Re-releases of revised titles Revised releases starting with Very Dirty Stories 1 and working through the Cherish Desire catalog

Revisions to modernize formating and descriptions will follow with Cherish Desire Singles and Cherish Desire Divinations titles, promotional titles, Very Wicked Dirty Stories, and a systematic progression through the Cherish Desire catalog.

Smashwords and Ratuken Kobo format requirements have stayed consistent so the majority of changes are geared toward a more enjoyable reader experience. Amazon Kindle has implemented new tooling which may require some trial and error testing since the documentation is poor or altogether lacking any details concerning what Word tagging and styling aligns with its automated eBook TOC and formatting functions.

Site refreshes Revisions to WWW and Blogger hosted sites

There simply hasn't been time to do maintenance on the sites with major hurdles like migrating to SSL and touching every point of presence. Reviewing the long list of work to be done in November, immediately running into issues with Bit.ly when trying to create links for new titles, and looking at the transition from Audible which has never brought in any revenue... timing ended up working out for a major revamp anyway. So many things have to be migrated and fixed that it's almost a complete overhaul.

Changes will continue until they are done with a Jan 1, 2021 target. WWW is refreshed and simplified. Catalog is staged for the title additions and updates though other Blogger subsites are lagging. Retail options for SCRIBD and Apple Books are being implemented. Social Media links are changed, though we continue to have issues with Facebook (and therefore Instagram) because Zuckerberg has created a platform with poor operational controls and even worse accountability for correcting the errors its bots make. Bit.ly is being actively phased out for private domain short links hosted on T2M. Yes, the wulf.fun links are for real.

I'll also be backfilling the News posts that never got proofed and posted. Four or five years of history never made the cut-over last time.

Paperback editions and Video narration Still planned for "soon"

The acquisition of CreateSpace by Amazon did not create a better or more effective print on demand solution. Quite the opposite. Amazon support for paperbacks relies on ancient forum references to out-of-date CreateSpace options and an absolute mystery around formatting and structure. Once the revisions for Cherish Desire Singles and Cherish Desire Divinations are complete, we'll be revisiting print options. There are writing projects underway at the same time, so I'm not confident when paperbacks will be something there is time to investigate and pursue.

At the same time, collaboration with Kenzi Hale aka Kenzi Reads of FICS GONE WORSE is proceeding well. Her sleep schedule may actually be more messed up than mine, but we've completed and published one react read already. Two serious reads are in my hands for minor edits and branding. The plan is to complete another three or four stories and then a multi-chapter novella. Since Audible has turned out to be a non-starter, the initial stories will be released on YouTube as promotional and then Pay What You Want on Bandcamp. I anticipate all future book length pieces will also go to Bandcamp, but we'll cross that bridge when we reach it.

2020 June Coping "Coping: Isolation and Continuity" written by Max D

I've seen most of my work colleagues' pets now. Their kids, spouses, partners, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and a few accidental very candid scenes which none of us will ever actively remember but can't forget either. I'm not coping well. I'm extraordinary fortunate to be well situated despite the pandemic tearing the world around me to pieces. It's too hot to go outdoors. Too hazardous to risk any incident that might mean interacting with people. The denial is strong here, but the elderly Hispanic ladies have bought all the bleach. All of it. There's this terrible sense that they know it's breaking down, but clinging to denial might make it less real.

I spent 30 months on anti-virals and powerful antibiotics to try and address infections which have plunged deep into my organs and may be responsible for my accelerating memory loss, and blood tests say the meds achieved next to nothing. This COVID-19... it may do the same to these foolish people. People who are so used to their fastfood medicine and routine "stay home a few days and be better again" fevers and colds. People who cannot imagine a lifetime of chronic illness or recurring suffering. Even the idea that some weeks will simply include days spent exhausted, running random fevers, and being drenched by night sweats is unfathomable to them. The idea that there's no actual medication or treatment that will ever fix some things is utterly lost on them.

So none of that will convince them to wear a mask or socially distance. I am safely in deep isolation until there's at least a treatment regimen, but that means I'm rapidly going feral. Feral. A nice way of saying that I had to learn not to destroy human obstacles on my path wherever I turned, and now I'll have forgotten how I managed to deal with them in person. My natural aggression comes out on my once every three weeks trip to the grocery store. The urge to simply put them out of their potential misery sooner than later since their mask is covering their chin instead of their nose and mouth. I know it's suppressed anxiety feeding the fury, but it's not something that can be turned off. There's a guy intentionally coughing on people to see if he can provoke a response, but it's still not socially acceptable to grind him facefirst into the checkout lane conveyor belt. How did this species ever manage to survive this long in the first place?

I'm reminded over and over again that they think I'm the one outnumbered and surrounded by them. The truth is that they are stuck here, within my reach, and too stupid to run. Because they never did social distance enough to be safe. Not before and not now. The Goddess and Empress will try their best, but there's very little they can change about the world. More naps are probably the best solution for now. And redoing my entire home office since I'll apparently be working out of it for the forseeable future.

2019 January 19 Zara DuRose London Event Zara DuRose and Black Tiger Sex Machine in London!

Zara DuRose is throwing another awesome party in London, this time with Black Tiger Sex Magic headlining. Should be fantastic, and ZDR members have access to a Private Kink Area. Definitely worth checking out!

Ticket link here: Zara DuRose hosts Black Tiger Sex Magic in London