Podcasting on Substack - September 13
Dear Reader,
I've collected all the bits of posts of news from the dream here. There are lots of shenanigans happening, even if the day job has slowed down the works. I hope you'll scroll through and check out the posts which interest you. Click the link in the titles and watch the video versions on YouTube. Or head over to Substack and subscribe to the podcast to listen/watch all these episodes as they air!
Thread Audiobook Serializing on Substack Podcast
This doesn't correct the issue with audio storage for the Draoithe Saga, but it was one idea. So, I'm proud to announce it. I created a podcast. Some of the Draoithe Saga audiobooks will air on Ophelia Kee's Dream. Chapter 1 will begin the story on Thursday, September 12. Leading up to the debut, I'll post the story description, character introduction, and other behind-the-scenes content.
The steamy scenes in many of the stories are still up in the air. If they post, they will need to hide behind the paywall. So my original plan to publish them for free on a platform, so serial readers could access them without me needing to store them, remains an issue. But exploring other options has led to learning about podcasting, so I'm counting a win and continuing the dream a new way.
I hope you will join me in the dream and explore the possibilities with me. Welcome to podcasting the dream...
Why is Giving it Away so Difficult?
I don't write gratuitous scenes. I enjoy a good happily ever after, and steamy scenes are excellent action scenes in romance, but I prefer them to add to the story. The steamy scenes must be an integral part of the storyline or character development.
Some steamy scenes are graphic, others are innuendo, fade-to-black, shadowy grey, and a lot of everything in-between. Either way, the muse demanded the complete narrative, so I didn't shy away from writing it all the way the characters showed it to me. But considering the length of the Draoithe Saga, gratuitous scenes seem redundant and ridiculous. Altering the Draoithe Saga stories, which are purely intended for adults no matter the steam level, would significantly damage the stories in such a way as to ruin the original vision.
Steam isn't the only reason for the mature audience designation, either. There are scenes involving graphic fantasy violence which are not for immature readers. That's why the stories have a dark urban fantasy label, along with the steamy paranormal romance label. These scenes aren't of the gratuitous kind any more than the other scenes. They too must enhance the story in a way which gives an insight into the minds and behaviors of the characters or move the story toward its inevitable conclusion.
To give stories away for free means I would need to strip out parts which are necessary. If the tales are for sale, it's an effective deterrent to those not mature enough to appreciate them as written. The warnings always appear in the description to avoid offense where possible for those mature enough to have preferences.
Why Short Pieces Instead of the Long Saga?
My lack of education in the literary world doesn't hinder me. I never claimed to seek literary fame, nor do I have any desire to become famous at all. Long ago, I realized, I'm more of a storyteller. The need to tell the story drives the passion for writing, always. It also drives the creativity to explore storytelling in ways beyond the written word.
I hope only to share the dream with others who enjoy dark urban fantasy and steamy paranormal romance tales. That many of the romances come packaged as books or collected miniseries belies the truth of the dream as one long story. The Draoithe Saga is an attempt to tell the complete story of another world eerily similar to our own, but one in which magic exists hidden from most of us.
This idea is counterintuitive to the write shorter and scroll faster ideology prevalent in modern society. So, I broke the Draoithe Saga into the pieces which form the books and miniseries only for the convenience of the modern reader. Those pieces are often novellas as a nod to the need to not only read a story in a short amount of time but also the desire to edit and publish on a quicker timeline.
The Learning Curve
I'm not afraid of edits, corrections, or critiques. But years after writing the first Draoithe Saga tales, I no longer pursue perfection in my writing. Rather, I chase excellence in the escape into an immersive world and the creation of the multifaceted characters which populate it.
Thread is one of my first works in the dream. There are issues. I acknowledge them, even if I can't name them all. Those issues are a testament to my need to tell a story, no matter how inept I was at it, and a testament to how much better my writing is now and how much better it might one day become.
Refined and rewritten many times, Thread is what I needed: a permanently free lead-in story for the dream. Too many more characters plead with me to tell their tales, so as every writer must, I choose to leave Thread the way it is. It will also remain what it is, a free lead-in short story.
Indeed, all the published tales have received as much care, editing, and refinement as I could give them. I have read and re-read them all a thousand times in pieces and totality. None are perfect, but to pursue the telling of the tales, I choose to move forward rather than forever looking back and torturing myself with an unobtainable perfection.
If the dark urban fantasy and steamy paranormal romance intrigues you, if you enjoy shifters, vampires, angels, demons, witches, and wizards in a grand setting, then perhaps the magic of the dream is for you. If immortal fated mates whose love affairs must become the stuff of legends to save their world sounds like the next happily ever after you crave, step into the dream with Thread.
That wraps up the week. I hope you enjoyed the recap of all the musings and posts. If you enjoy podcasts, subscribe to Ophelia Kee's Dream and listen to Thread and other tales for free. Before I head off to tackle the laundry and the dishes I've been avoiding, allow me to say a heartfelt Thank You for stepping into the dream this weekend and anytime you visit. Readers always make the dream better. I appreciate your support. Readers make the desire to continue exploring the dream much easier than it would be alone. As always, when you read, be kind and leave your reviews. Welcome to the dream...
Be Carfeul!
Happy Reading,
Ophelia Kee
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