Fade to Black or Write the Steam?

Steamy Shower scene

Dear Reader,

I set things up on Substack for paid subscribers, but I'm not quite ready to put out paid subscriber only content. Still, I think it might be time to post a serialized short story. I'm working on part one of Weaver's Tale at the moment. It's an extra tale in the Apocalypse Denied Miniseries. Should I post that one? Or would a short tale from Lyons Gate set in Chicago or Demon Allies set in the dark cold of an outpost kingdom in the Netherworld be better? It's never easy to decide.

Serialized tales are Works in Progress and are subject to change like everything in the dream, considering my baffling muse. But not everyone reads the warnings. The mature content stuff is always a question, too. So deciding what and how to post stories is always a challenge.

Urban Fantasy

I write urban fantasy with steamy paranormal romance. I don't shy away from that. Most of the stories set in the dream are slow burn, and the steamy scenes don't happen often. But when there is one, it's hard to decide if I should fade to black.

I checked, and nothing in the dream would violate the Substack platform's content policy. Still, I prefer that content to be behind a paywall. So, I think I need something a bit more vanilla.

So the problem is what story to post. Shifters? Vampires? Wizards? Demons? Angels. It's hard to choose.

Couple fading to black

Not all the stories in the dream are slow burn. I also have quite a few which fade to black and some are instalove style with at least one steamy scene every ten thousand words. Some of these are perfect for short serials, even if they aren't highly exemplary of my usual writing style. I worry if I post the less steamy tales, the spicier stuff might be offputting to readers later when they buy other stories and vice versa.

This is an issue caused solely by following my muse. She's a fickle witch, laughing insanely while I attempt to unravel the best course of action. How to travel a good middle path is never easy.

Ruler of the Mind book Cover

I had a lot of fun posting a chapter at a time with Ruler of the Mind. The success I had led to the courses being turned into serials. I was hoping to capture some of that magic again. I have taken those original blog posts down, but the audio chapters are still available on YouTube. If I don't put at least part of the posts behind a paywall, I will have to take them down when I collect the chapters into a book.

I have better editing and formatting software than what I had when I posted chapters from Ruler of the Mind. If I did another story that way, it would be even better than Ruler of the Mind. So, I've been toying with trying it again, using Substack as an archive repository for the scenes as I finish the edits and get the tale ready to publish is the issue. Paid or Free. I'll get more eyes on the story if it's free, but will that equal to more people joining my newsletter supporting the dream? Or will it simply mean I have more people reading in the dream?

Witch in the foggy woods

Whatever story I choose and however it's published should be a miniseries introduction tale. I guess that deletes Weaver's Tale and any of the existing tales in Demon Allies or Lyons Gate. How do you feel about dragons and Valkyries?

I have a story in the upcoming Valkyries Ride Miniseries, which might work perfectly. It's far more urban fantasy than paranormal romance, so that would eliminate the stress concerning the steam level, even if it leaves the concern for attracting and then turning off readers who dislike the steam. Still, it fits the rest of the criteria.

Have you met Emrick Driscoll? The Lord of Dragons known as Ash? No? How has that fact eluded me?

Please allow me to introduce to you a man whose life was never easy and has no likelihood of ever being easy. If he can find his Valkyrie, he's okay with that, even if he can't remember all of it.

Emrick Driscoll, the Lord of Dragons, Ash

He was once black-haired, but in the process of becoming a resurrected dragon, the color leeched from his hair, turning it white and granting him his dragon moniker. Ash is the dragon who first contacts Luke and scouts the situation.

When he learned Draoithe was real and Luke was the over king the grey dragons needed, he was off to Ireland to collect his brothers. He has hope, but he must move fast or his one chance at finding and claiming his immortal mate could slip through his fingers. Will the grey dragons arrive in time to rescue their Valkyries and prove their worth to the High King of Draoithe? You'll have to decide when you read Grey Dragons, Valkyries Ride Miniseries Opener.

How to Support authors

Thanks for helping me decide which story to present as a serial in blog post form. I'll post it as part of the Valkyries Ride Miniseries and add it to Just Let Me Read as soon as it gets ready. ***Update: In Case it wasn't clear, I will continue to follow the muse. If the story fades to black, I write it that way. If it turns on the steam, that is what will appear on the page. Character driven stories set in the dream follow their own chaotic paths.*** I must get on with the work. Until we chat again, allow me to remind you to be kind when you read and leave your honest reviews. Please invite your friends to enjoy the stories. As always, welcome to the dream...

Be Careful!

Happy Reading,

Ophelia Kee

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