You can find me at alexwhitehall.com.
If you use an RSS feed, this is the new link: https://alexwhitehall.com/feed/
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
New Website - New Blog!
I'm moving off blogspot/blogger and now have my own website (finally!)
If you use an RSS feed, this is the new link: https://alexwhitehall.com/feed/
If you use an RSS feed, this is the new link: https://alexwhitehall.com/feed/
Friday, October 26, 2018
Magic Runs Deep has an audio book!
In exciting news, as the header might have clued you in, Magic Runs Deep has been made into an audio book.
You can find it on Audible, Amazon, or iTunes!
The narrator is the lovely Adam Watson, who was a pleasure to work with, and brought just the right voice to Veier and Elrid. I hope you'll find, just as I did, that he brings the story to life!
You can find it on Audible, Amazon, or iTunes!
The narrator is the lovely Adam Watson, who was a pleasure to work with, and brought just the right voice to Veier and Elrid. I hope you'll find, just as I did, that he brings the story to life!
For the last five years, Veier has been chained to a king’s throne in his bear form. When a neighboring kingdom overthrows the crown, Veier’s imprisonment ends, but true freedom is not so easily earned. With blood on his hands, he needs someone with patience, strength, and trust to help him become the person he was before and prove to the invaders that he isn’t the monstrous king’s loyal pet.
Elrid, the invading king's brother and a powerful mage, is everything Veier despises. He’s also the only thing between Veier and execution, because he thinks he can help Veier change from an aggressive bear shifter into a reasonable man. While the pair have a rough start, with long talks and mutual leaps of faith, they begin to care for each other.
However, the closer Veier gets to his freedom, the closer he is to losing Elrid. He must find balance in his heart and his life if he wishes to truly claim the freedom he’s been given—and the man he loves.
Monday, October 1, 2018
New Release: Hard Truths!
Hard Truths is now available for download at Riptide Publishing and all major vendors: Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple.
He can't have the family he wants, but he
may get the love he deserves.
Isaac didn’t
expect to find love at his family’s Christmas dinner, but that was before he
met his sister’s new fake boyfriend. Tall, muscular, and tattooed, Logan is
what Isaac would love in a partner—and also everything his parents would hate
in one. Not that they know Isaac’s gay.
That doesn’t
stop him from dating Logan—unbeknownst to his parents, and with his sister’s
approval after she fake dumps him. The pair dive into a whirlwind romance of
motorcycle rides, cheesy puns, and hot sex. They meet each other’s friends and
fill their time with happiness and laughter. It’s all perfect.
Until Isaac
suggests they move in together, and Logan asks Isaac to come out to his
parents. Isaac wants to, but he’s scared; he doesn’t want to lose his family.
Unfortunately, he can’t see that his real family has been right beside him all
along.
+ meet-awkward (like meet-cute but with family present)
+ nerdy biker w/ tats
+ more puns than you can shake a dick at
+ emotional struggles
+ sexy shower scene
+ What is family, anyway?
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Coming Soon: Hard Truths!
I'm excited to announce that Hard Truths is now available for preorder on the publisher's website!
He can't have the family he wants, but he may get the love he deserves.
Isaac didn’t expect to find love at his family’s Christmas dinner, but that was before he met his sister’s new fake boyfriend. Tall, muscular, and tattooed, Logan is what Isaac would love in a partner—and also everything his parents would hate in one. Not that they know Isaac’s gay.
That doesn’t stop him from dating Logan—unbeknownst to his parents, and with his sister’s approval after she fake dumps him. The pair dive into a whirlwind romance of motorcycle rides, cheesy puns, and hot sex. They meet each other’s friends and fill their time with happiness and laughter. It’s all perfect.
Until Isaac suggests they move in together, and Logan asks Isaac to come out to his parents. Isaac wants to, but he’s scared; he doesn’t want to lose his family. Unfortunately, he can’t see that his real family has been right beside him all along.
This story is extremely important to me, not just because I love the characters so much (and boy, do I!), but because while my issues aren't nearly as dire as Isaac's, there are a lot of similarities in the questions I ask myself and the mentalities I have to overcome. That said, this isn't all doom and gloom! This book is also filled with my sense of humor (I apologize in advance ;) and some fun sexy times. It also looks at some of the problems that arise in relationships, that might not be high drama but can still put the lovers on shaky ground. I hope it will feel real and honest and touching to all who read it.
Isaac didn’t expect to find love at his family’s Christmas dinner, but that was before he met his sister’s new fake boyfriend. Tall, muscular, and tattooed, Logan is what Isaac would love in a partner—and also everything his parents would hate in one. Not that they know Isaac’s gay.
That doesn’t stop him from dating Logan—unbeknownst to his parents, and with his sister’s approval after she fake dumps him. The pair dive into a whirlwind romance of motorcycle rides, cheesy puns, and hot sex. They meet each other’s friends and fill their time with happiness and laughter. It’s all perfect.
Until Isaac suggests they move in together, and Logan asks Isaac to come out to his parents. Isaac wants to, but he’s scared; he doesn’t want to lose his family. Unfortunately, he can’t see that his real family has been right beside him all along.
This story is extremely important to me, not just because I love the characters so much (and boy, do I!), but because while my issues aren't nearly as dire as Isaac's, there are a lot of similarities in the questions I ask myself and the mentalities I have to overcome. That said, this isn't all doom and gloom! This book is also filled with my sense of humor (I apologize in advance ;) and some fun sexy times. It also looks at some of the problems that arise in relationships, that might not be high drama but can still put the lovers on shaky ground. I hope it will feel real and honest and touching to all who read it.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Spring is pupping
So spring has kept me busy, as usual, with horses to ride and dogs to pet-sit. Plus I've been working on edits for HARD TRUTHS, an M/M contemporary that's 75% sweet, cute nerds (one of whom is a tattooed biker) and 25% feelings. That's nearly done, and I hope to be able to share more soon.
Lately I've been feeling a bit of writer's block. Every time I finish a project, it seems harder to get started on the next. In January I finished writing The Miracle Man and between edits, I managed to start and stop a few pieces, and eventually took two months to write (and submit) a 17K short story for an anthology. It didn't get picked up for the anthology (which has limited space) but is going to be published as a standalone. Then I had a month where I barely wrote 1K. I was a bit of an emotional wreck, so I'm giving myself leeway there!
Then, after some discussion with my writers' group, I decided to write a short story, which was what I spent May doing. That's done and with the group for review. It's only 6K, and it's not the normal stuff I write (it's the closest I've ever been to literary fiction), so if it gets published, it likely will be under a different name.
Then it was June and I was head off to pet-sit these trouble-makers. The mini-dachshund is Guiseppe and the corgi is Lillibet.
Meanwhile I struggled to come up with my next story, told myself I didn't need to write immediately, but I wanted to! And so I just started writing a story (involving a dog, I can't imagine why) and am letting it take the wheel. I've also been starting some brainstorming for revising (and adding a fair chunk) to a story I previously finished involving shifters (surprise, surprise). It's part of a series (maybe), and I'd like to beef up the first in the series before continuing on.
So hopefully you'll see some more of that as the year progresses. I can't believe we're almost halfway through!
Lately I've been feeling a bit of writer's block. Every time I finish a project, it seems harder to get started on the next. In January I finished writing The Miracle Man and between edits, I managed to start and stop a few pieces, and eventually took two months to write (and submit) a 17K short story for an anthology. It didn't get picked up for the anthology (which has limited space) but is going to be published as a standalone. Then I had a month where I barely wrote 1K. I was a bit of an emotional wreck, so I'm giving myself leeway there!
Then, after some discussion with my writers' group, I decided to write a short story, which was what I spent May doing. That's done and with the group for review. It's only 6K, and it's not the normal stuff I write (it's the closest I've ever been to literary fiction), so if it gets published, it likely will be under a different name.
Then it was June and I was head off to pet-sit these trouble-makers. The mini-dachshund is Guiseppe and the corgi is Lillibet.
Meanwhile I struggled to come up with my next story, told myself I didn't need to write immediately, but I wanted to! And so I just started writing a story (involving a dog, I can't imagine why) and am letting it take the wheel. I've also been starting some brainstorming for revising (and adding a fair chunk) to a story I previously finished involving shifters (surprise, surprise). It's part of a series (maybe), and I'd like to beef up the first in the series before continuing on.
So hopefully you'll see some more of that as the year progresses. I can't believe we're almost halfway through!
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
A book release!
If you haven't heard, Magic Runs Deep is now out in the world! It's a fantasy with some sweet romance, hurt/comfort, plus mages, bear shifters, and war!
For the last five years, Veier has been chained to a king’s throne in his bear form. When a neighboring kingdom overthrows the crown, Veier’s imprisonment ends, but true freedom is not so easily earned. With blood on his hands, he needs someone with patience, strength, and trust to help him become the person he was before and prove to the invaders that he isn’t the monstrous king’s loyal pet.
Elrid, the invading king's brother and a powerful mage, is everything Veier despises. He’s also the only thing between Veier and execution, because he thinks he can help Veier change from an aggressive bear shifter into a reasonable man. While the pair have a rough start, with long talks and mutual leaps of faith, they begin to care for each other.
However, the closer Veier gets to his freedom, the closer he is to losing Elrid. He must find balance in his heart and his life if he wishes to truly claim the freedom he’s been given — and the man he loves.
Elrid, the invading king's brother and a powerful mage, is everything Veier despises. He’s also the only thing between Veier and execution, because he thinks he can help Veier change from an aggressive bear shifter into a reasonable man. While the pair have a rough start, with long talks and mutual leaps of faith, they begin to care for each other.
However, the closer Veier gets to his freedom, the closer he is to losing Elrid. He must find balance in his heart and his life if he wishes to truly claim the freedom he’s been given — and the man he loves.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Let's Talk About Expectations
There are many, many things to have expectations for/about in life, but this post is focusing on self-expectations, specifically in regards to goals/resolutions, because these are the expectations we have the most control over.
I set some goals for myself at the beginning of the year and by the second week of February I knew I'd built a pretty high mountain to climb. January went well. Book read, edits done, writing mark hit! Of course I also finished a book, so starting a new one was hard--immediately my word count plummeted. I finished edits, got beta reads, submitted the book...and immediately got developmental edits to do. While I was brainstorming how to fix February's editing case. So my "edit a book a month" plummeted. Reading one book should be easy, right? But after reading all day, editing various books, and struggling to write, the last thing I wanted was another person's words in my head. I read one page of a book and switched to another. Read a page of that and put it aside.
What I realized around the middle of the month, was that I might have burnt myself out by being too productive too fast. I need to reassess and adjust accordingly.
Revising: One book a month is kind of crazy, especially depending on how much work needs done. Especially since I edit for a living (duh, Alex). I think if get 6 books revised this year, I'll call it a win. It's still going to be about 5 more books than I did last year!
Writing: Same basic 10K a month, but I think it'll be a year-end goal of 120,000 instead, which will average out to 10K a month, which is pretty much how I looked back a 2017, so I think it'll work.
Reading: I might need to "cheat" and read another volume of manga, but I do want to at least hit some of my titles on my to-read list. However, I also want to watch a bunch of anime shows (many of which are subtitles), so I'm giving myself flex here. Kind of a "we'll see how it goes". I know it sounds like I'm giving up, but it's more a matter of "how much can I fit into my free time without feeling like it's not fun anymore?"
The important thing, for me, is not thinking of the above changes as failing. Goals and resolutions should be flexible, especially in the beginning, so you can improve while also not killing yourself. Because once you start to fail, you give up. But if you lower the bar, then you might end up jumping just as high as you'd first planned, once the stress of failing is removed.
I set some goals for myself at the beginning of the year and by the second week of February I knew I'd built a pretty high mountain to climb. January went well. Book read, edits done, writing mark hit! Of course I also finished a book, so starting a new one was hard--immediately my word count plummeted. I finished edits, got beta reads, submitted the book...and immediately got developmental edits to do. While I was brainstorming how to fix February's editing case. So my "edit a book a month" plummeted. Reading one book should be easy, right? But after reading all day, editing various books, and struggling to write, the last thing I wanted was another person's words in my head. I read one page of a book and switched to another. Read a page of that and put it aside.
What I realized around the middle of the month, was that I might have burnt myself out by being too productive too fast. I need to reassess and adjust accordingly.
Revising: One book a month is kind of crazy, especially depending on how much work needs done. Especially since I edit for a living (duh, Alex). I think if get 6 books revised this year, I'll call it a win. It's still going to be about 5 more books than I did last year!
Writing: Same basic 10K a month, but I think it'll be a year-end goal of 120,000 instead, which will average out to 10K a month, which is pretty much how I looked back a 2017, so I think it'll work.
Reading: I might need to "cheat" and read another volume of manga, but I do want to at least hit some of my titles on my to-read list. However, I also want to watch a bunch of anime shows (many of which are subtitles), so I'm giving myself flex here. Kind of a "we'll see how it goes". I know it sounds like I'm giving up, but it's more a matter of "how much can I fit into my free time without feeling like it's not fun anymore?"
The important thing, for me, is not thinking of the above changes as failing. Goals and resolutions should be flexible, especially in the beginning, so you can improve while also not killing yourself. Because once you start to fail, you give up. But if you lower the bar, then you might end up jumping just as high as you'd first planned, once the stress of failing is removed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)