I’m ashamed to say that it took me way too long to approve distribution of the collected first four books of my Lords and Undefeated Ladies series.
It’s a virtual box set – there aren’t physical copies available (someday!), but it does collect the first four books together, on all the major bookstores.
Why so long?
I admit it’s because my fan reaction to Anthony’s book threw me. I was expecting some people not to like the revelation that Anthony is gay. I wasn’t expecting so many people – people who had previously loved my books! – to leave my mailing list, or to leave reviews saying that they couldn’t support men in love, or that I was only writing it because it was trendy, and other things designed to be hurtful.
I’m still really not used to the reality of the modern day, when people feel comfortable just flipping their bigotry cards right out in other people’s faces. As if it’s okay to be prejudiced, and as if they expect other people to go along with their bigotry.
It’s not just hateful; it’s a hate that assumes their hate is the norm. That the world is that cold, cruel place.
It really damaged my sales, and damaged my confidence.
I had to get my feet under me and commit. Because if my author career is going down, it’s going down holding on to its principles.
Obviously I am writing books in which it’s clear that everyone deserves love. Moreover, that people you wouldn’t expect to have a sweet, tender, sexy love story, absolutely do.
Lords and Undefeated Ladies books feature main characters with disabilities. Being gay isn’t a disability. Crown of Hearts definitely is a Lords and Undefeated Ladies book; the disability of one of the characters isn’t revealed in the book description (because it’s, wait for it, a hidden disability). But obviously the book exists because my readers wanted Anthony’s story (at least some of them did). Anthony is gay, and he has always been gay (that person in your life who never mentions their love life to you? Yeah, I have some news to tell you), and in my world, love is around every corner.
(Looking back I realize I should perhaps have signaled Anthony’s gayness from the beginning. But I’m glad I didn’t. You know why? Those people who loved Anthony from the beginning, and wanted to know more about him? Well, turns out they didn’t want to know more about him once they knew for sure he was gay – and that’s not my fault. My job is to write characters who are fascinating and entice the reader into wanting to know more. My job is not to put up signposts so readers know whom they’re allowed to like. If you dislike my books, or me, because you dislike Anthony after finding out more about who he is, trust me, that’s not on me – or Anthony.)
Every time I sit down to write I want to give you a sweeping story of the most romantic love you’ve ever seen. Every book is different because everyone’s love story is different. If your fantasy is for the characters to end the book being the richest, most powerful, most beautiful, most popular people in their world, I won’t be the writer you want. If your fantasy is for the characters to wind up the most perfectly in love, with the person who is perfect for them… I gotcha covered.
So, full disclosure, I didn’t think readers would care much about Anthony when my first book came out. (I was stupid.) By the time Not Like a Lady had found a readership, and everyone was asking about Anthony’s story, I realized that what I had thought was a trilogy had better be a quartet.
So when David Castle first appears, in my second book?
Yeah.
When he and Anthony dance around who’s going to help the Duchess in What a Duchess Does?
Yeah.
There was no book to write but the book that got written, and people who don’t want to read it don’t have to read it.
Or buy the collected set.
For people who’ve been waiting for a way to get all four books in the set as they were always intended to be: well, it’s here!
(And by the way, if you haven’t picked it up yet? Anthony and David’s book is awesome. And here’s my very favorite review:)
For people who want Anthony’s love story, even if it’s not the type of thing they usually read, I think they won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for your patience, and just rest assured, I won’t apologize for Anthony’s love story. Just maybe for how long it took for me to get it out where it was always supposed to be.