Posted in Blog

New Year’s 2025 and Catching Up

What’s up, it’s been awhile!

I haven’t the faintest idea what was going on the last time I posted. Between my POTS diagnosis, stepping away from my dream jobs, and finding myself in the world’s most unhinged living situations, it’s been a bit of time since I could really sit down and chat on this website.

All that aside, I’m bringing my love of writing back in the best way I know how: Episodic writing posts. Last year I started posting Deadmouth Quarry, only to forget to schedule some ~10 chapters that I’ve just had sitting here, read exclusively by my beta team. When I came back to update all of that, I realized I wasn’t happy with the way DMQ flowed in its current posting formats, as one huge chunk of chapter. I wanted to post quicker sections for my audience, with more posting times each week; in other words, I want to give my readers more to look forward to each week. Like posting comics to Instagram or Webtoons, but the story version. (Am I over explaining this? Probably!)

In case you’re new around here, you might be wondering what’s up with the inconsistency. Unfortunately, this bitch has ADHD, which (with the POTS issues) is currently untreated. I’ve never loved anything more than the schedule ahead function on this website; bulk uploads, consistent drops. My old Blog from 2016-18 was more of a “hey here’s a 10k chapter I just wrote and didn’t edit, enjoy” model, and quite frankly I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed that kind of writing, but nowadays I’d like to give y’all something a little more polished and professional. (Which, to me, means DMQ will probably be spree-written in the drafts of this website and published months later, after at least one round of editing).

Enough about DMQ. One of my books hit the shelves in Barnes and Noble! Except it was an Omegaverse Novella that had been commissioned by eGlobal, so it’s “mine” but it’s also (mostly) theirs. It’s a bit of a hard left from my usual content, VERY heavily in the Erotica genre, but for those of you interested, I’ll have it linked on my products page with my other novels. Apparently only the extra-huge B&N’s carry it since it’s considered indie publishing, so online is the way to go; still, the story behind that one hitting shelves is unreal and HILARIOUS. I’ll have to do another post about it.

2025 is certainly looking like… a year. That will happen. Best I can say about it right now, all things considered; I’ve got a million ambitions and the energy of one geriatric sloth (with the vertigo and brain fog considered). I’ve had two new novels half finished since 2021 I want to finish. I’d like to take up streaming on Twitch (both gaming and reading my own stuff, maybe some other ideas too, tbd). I’ve gotten so wrapped up in trying to fix myself post-diagnosis that I’ve forgotten how to function normally, so I’ve decided to Go Feral (in other words, go back to the bare minimum with none of the fluff or fancy shit) until the good Doc and I find a way to manage the ADHD without stimulants/putting me into cardiac arrest. I’m hoping to take a few free online classes, learn a couple of new hobbies, and tackle some of the projects that I’ve had on the back burner since I got sick in 2022. We’ll see how things go, but I’m hoping this year is as productive and educational as the few months in Quarantine were back in 2020 (when I wrote my first 2 novels, started cosplaying again, and tried a dozen new things).

Anywoozles, keep your eyes peeled for Blog Posts every Wednesday, and check out my socials (Instagram/Threads and Bluesky right now) for updates and other fun things.

Happy New Year!

Posted in Uncategorized

“Around Your Finger”, Vacation, and Some Other Stuff

It’s been a heck of a first month of 2024, hasn’t it?

I’ve been cat sitting for most of the last month, which means I’ve also had time to– finally– get around to finishing Around Your Finger (the sequel to Your Hand In Mine). You’d think I would have, with all that free time, but alas! Turns out marketing and doing my secondary jobs of Not Writing also take up a lot of time! Who’d have thought 😂

SO! For those of you who are interested, there’s a Facebook Page for my books (Steph Surma Books), where I post a collection of my other media (including BookToks, screenshots of funny texts between my beta readers and myself, incorrect quotes based on my stories or my pen names, etc). I’ve been posting to my TikTok more, fun little snippets from all of my stories with whatever music UMG hasn’t ripped away from the app (salty? Who’s salty? Certainly not everyone!) I also have a very barren Book Twitter (X? Are we calling it X now?) where you can find my incorrect quotes and the occasional unhinged rant.

Meanwhile! Around Your Finger will be sent off to my darling Beta Reader, Calvin, in a few days here, which means it’ll be getting revamped in March and (Hopefully!) published this summer, in June or July, depending on the length of the rewriting and editing process. I won’t make any hard commitments, because, you know… ADHD. (If I’d stayed on my original timeline, I’d already have two finished book series by now. ALAS.)

Deadmouth Quarry is now posting right here on my site on Fridays! Feel free to have a look on the Deadmouth Quarry landing page to find the chapters in order 🙂

I’ve gotten really into bookbinding TikToks recently, and, listen– I’m not making actual promises, because I haven’t tried my hand at it yet (doubtlessly with a fanfic so I don’t ruin one of my own novels and have a meltdown about it)– but I’m thinking Patreon might be seeing some exclusive opportunities to get their hands on hardback, unique covers of my books. I’ve thought about giveaways, too, and anniversary editions– just throwing it into the abyss of the internet to see if anybody’s interested, or maybe to hold myself accountable? Whatever works, man.

Also, anyone interested in a podcast? I stumbled across one called Anything Goes by this girl named Emma, and she just!!! Talks!!! About stuff!!! I never shut up (as is evident by this blog post) so like. I think it’d at least be cathartic, if not popular. Who knows? Not me!

Personal updates, I’m writing this with a ten year old desperately begging for my undivided attention (she has just had it for over two hours. This is not my child, btw), and three cats with separation anxiety following everyone they see around, and a mountain of work for my other jobs that I keep Not Getting To, so! It’s been a bit of a day (TM). I’ve read a horrifying amount of fanfic for a fandom I am Not Actually In, and I’ve started spiraling into the vast abyss of insanity, but it’s good for my storytelling. I guess.

At any rate, I’ll have more updates for you next week. Hopefully with more story-related stuff!