Author: FORTHRIGHT

Author Signed Copies

Pimiko and the Uncharted Island. A partial delivery has arrived, and according to my courier’s emails, I should be receiving the balance of my book order on Monday! ::confetti toss:: In advance of Bk6’s impending release, I’m opening up for pre-orders of Pimiko and the Uncharted Island. The print editions you get from me come signed & stamped. I usually sneak in an enclosure or two (swag), and I only include the summary of the NEXT book in the back matter of the print edition. Worth? I hope you’ll think so!

Release Day: October 22, 2022

Regarding payments. This year, I changed my price by a couple of bucks. All the print books are now $27 (includes shipping in the US). I nudged the price up to help cover printing & shipping costs, plus taxes. Now! For this, that, and the other reason, I closed forthy’s PayPal account. Let’s just say it became redundant when they insisted on slapping my real name on everything. ::le sigh:: You can still use PayPal if that’s easiest, but you have to send funds to a different email address. It’s such a jumble, I’m going to have to ask y’all to simply email me with the basics. I’ll direct you from there.

always.forthright@gmail.com

The Basics:

  • Your Name
  • The Name/Nickname you want on the flyleaf
  • Your Mailing Address
  • Payment Method: Zelle, PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Gift Card

Backlist Inventory. Yes, I do have copies of all my other books onhand. (This includes the Galleries of Stone trilogy.) So if you want to order multiple titles, I’m equipped with various sizes of mailers and boxes. If you’re in the mood for a splurge, I gotchu.

Bookplates. I do have signed/numbered bookplates available. These are stickers that fit neatly over the bookplate on Pimiko’s flyleaf. (That’s why they’re all different shapes.) While I intended them to be an alternative for folks who buy my book elsewhere but still want to add a personal touch … many of you order them simply because you want ALL THE THINGS. To cover the cost of printing/postage, those are $3 for US sales, $4 for international.

More details can be found on the SIGNED BOOKS PAGE >>

by Categories: Amaranthine SagaTags: , 1 Comment

Bard & Barbarian

Narrated Edition. Bard and Barbarian has been posting slow and steady over on my Patreon account. Reading along is great, but supporters on some tiers can now listen along. The story is being narrated by Travis Baldree. Ch39, “There’s a Trick to It” just went live for those in qualifying tiers. AND Ch35, “Nest and Swarm” has unlocked for the Twinkle and Sparkle tiers.

New narrated chapters will arrive every other Wednesday, which means … there’s always something more to look forward to! Learn more about my Patreon here >>

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ART: Samesies

Countdown. We’re one month away from the release of Pimiko and the Uncharted Island, so I’m doing a character reveal. Here’s a teaser. Full illustration is under a cut in case you DON’T want to know anything more before you get to read the book. ::twinkle::

Pim Moonprowl, the titular character for Book 6, is an American actress. But you knew that already. Or did you? Pim has been around for a while. In fact, she was first mentioned in Bk3: 

A commercial was running for some new drama in the fall line-up. The old man kept it muted, but his gaze never left the screen. He was long and lean like the other Armstrongs she knew, but his hair was pure white, and his blue eyes were partially obscured by reading glasses.
“You see that?” he asked.
She shook her head in confusion, then realized he wasn’t looking. “No, sir?”
He pointed with the remote. “Pim Moonprowl. First openly Amaranthine actress on primetime. Get this … she plays a wolf.”
Melissa stared blankly at the clip. The actress was clearly meant to be part of a team of investigators. A tracker with bare feet and baubles at her throat and ankles, clad in a form-fitting corset and a furry miniskirt the same color as her tail.
“Ever seen the like?” he demanded.
“She’s very beautiful,” Melissa managed as she watched that tail flick and curl.
The old man gave her a disappointed look, then harrumphed. “She’s very feline.”
Uncle Abel asked, “Does it really matter? Rivven all look the same to me.”
“Next time you ask for a puppy, you’re getting a kitten,” groused the senior Mr. Reaverson.

Tamiko and the Two Janitors
Amaranthine Saga, #3

::twinkle::
by Categories: Amaranthine SagaTags: , , , , 5 Comments

Fandom Anniversary

Sixteen Years. As many of you know, I learned the ropes of writing fiction in fandom. I’ve always left my old stories, even the ones that make me cringe, posted. It’s sort of like … proof of where I came from, how I developed, what I achieved. But it’s also because I love those stories. I’m proud of them.

Forthright’s Doku-sona (from the Dokuga website)
Gift!art by FoxOfTwilight (kinda how we met!)

This week, I received a flurry of emails from folks because fanfiction.net, the only site where all of my stories are posted, is teetering on the verge of extinction. Abandoned by its administration, the dinosaur may soon vanish, taking everything with it. And my long-time readers, the ones who go back to regularly reread my fanfics, don’t want to lose their favorite stories.

It’s a shame. I’ve often joked over the years that fanfic writers are paid in reviews. Oh, there’s a stats page, too. My numbers are crazy. If you do searches for the most-reviewed and most-favorited stories in the InuYasha fandom, I have 6 titles in the top 20.

  • forthright is on the favorites list of 6,700~ members
  • my accumulated stories add up to over a million (1,230,000+) words
  • my most popular story, Unspoiled, is on the favorites list of 10,785 members
  • my most reviewed story, Lord Charming, has 24 million reads and has just shy of 20,000 reviews (uh, that’s spread over 800 chapters, for context)

Assorted gift!art | ARTISTS: lila-me, rikayu-chan, j_lianne, janey-jane
Oodles more art on dA: Forthright Fanclub & Unspoiled Fanclub

I’m so grateful that some of my long-time readers followed me here … and trust my storytelling enough to have picked up the Amaranthine Saga. In a very real way, I wrote the series to tickle my fandom friends. A “-miko” for every main character, familiar plot set-ups (an enslaved butler, two janitors with a big secret, a hoarder and a home organizer, an accidental engagement involving a comb, and even a marooned wolf on an island with a resort), and borrowed settings (apple orchard, college campus, Founder’s Coffee Shop, and even Stately House). And Hisoka-sensei, of course (he’s an OC from Unspoiled). Early on, I used to say that I plotted the entire Saga because he deserved a story of his own.

I’ve been asked (again and again) to post my fics to AO3 (An Archive Of Our Own), which is where all the cool kids hang out these days. I did claim a profile, which is “forthrightly” since someone audaciously snagged my penname ahead of me. Here’s a link. If the worst occurs, I’ll migrate my stories to AO3. Nothing of importance will be lost.

“Miroku” | Commissioned Art by PurpleRebecca

I mean it when I say … thank you for supporting my stories wherever you find them. And happy anniversary to me! ::confetti toss::

by Categories: FanArt, FanFic, Random Asides 16 Comments

Books Ordered

Pimiko and the Uncharted Island. All of the final checks are done with my printer, and I’ve ordered book boxes! They should arrive in plenty of time. If you’re interested in purchasing author-signed books from me, I’ll begin taking pre-orders on October 1.

Release Day: October 22, 2022

Pre-orders should begin showing up in all online bookstores within the next week or two. (Digital editions might already be there. Probably.) Ah, this is so exciting! :: confetti toss ::

by Categories: Amaranthine SagaTags: 1 Comment