Trigger warnings ARE IMPORTANT. I've survived a lot in my life and I'm not about to trigger my readers without due warning if I can help it. I respect my readers and their experiences, they are valid. Which is why I make sure to include trigger warnings in the back of the book, on my website, and have asterisks (*) with each chapter title/number to denote that the content might be explicitly triggering.
I'm making sure my readers have a choice to read the harsh chapters. I want them to enjoy my work just like my readers who do not have triggers. If I miss acknowledging a potential trigger, please inform me so I can rectify the error.
There are going to be certain things that I will write about in my stories that may be triggering for some as it is how the story developed in my mind. I like to treat my characters like people and want to make sure they are validated even though they are products of my imagination. Because I know that it will resonate with some readers and I want them to feel validated too.
Survivorship is honorable and everyone copes differently. If you don't approve of how I write my characters' trauma and how they cope with it, that's fine. There are plenty of other authors' works you will love.
There are certain things that I will not ever write about or go into detail about. I will die on this hill. And I will defend my readers who have triggers. We are not snowflakes, we are survivors.
Disabilities:
So yes, I write characters with physical and psychological disabilities and chronic health issues.
No this isn't going to represent EVERYONE in one go. YES I KNOW that disabilities are a spectrum and I do my best to make sure my characters with disabilities realistically fall well within the spectrum. I've drawn much inspiration from my own life and those I know well with their permission and insight. I am NOT a doctor or a psychiatrist, I am an author with human experiences who does the research she can when she's lacking understanding.
Please realize that when I write about CHRONIC issues, that means that it's going to be an ongoing process. Which means it will come up in the story over and over and over again. Because the issues are ongoing, some with no likely cure.
Some readers might find this annoying. I don't care. There's not enough representation and as someone with chronic health issues, I need these stories too. Do not come at me with snide comments or thinking chronic health issues are like character flaws that can and should be overcome. Life doesn't work that way and I will just laugh at you.
Gender & Sexuality:
Gender and sexuality are spectrums. And I am dedicated to writing stories with characters that are as colorful and delightful as a rainbow. Each of my stories has information in the description about pairings (M/F, F/F, M/M, NB and more) and represented sexualities. I include this information so that way readers can easily see if my story is something they'd be interested in.
If my book doesn't float your boat, that's okay. I want to be straight forward with my readers regarding content. And, quite frankly, I write my characters' experiences and romances with the hopes that their love and personhood outweigh what's in their pants or what they prefer in a partner or partners. I hope that my readers are able to come to appreciate such stories.
When I write about characters who are not within the heteronormative norm and who are not part of the gender/sexuality that I personally ascribe to, I make sure to do my research. Representation is important and I want to make sure I do so correctly. Which is why I make sure to have my work reviewed by folk within the queer community for insight.
In regards to kinks - there will be many kinks represented and I am commited to doing my research so as not to pull a 50 Shades of Grey. Not all kinks will be represented and I am a HUGE advocate for consent. Non-consensual situations will be limited if not completely eradicated from the romances in my books. PEROID.
Bigotry is dumb and utter bullshit. So if you come at me about the relationships, sexualities or kinks in my books - I will laugh at you. Because by reading a book that I have explicitly explained the relationship and gender dynamics in the description, you signed up for it. It means you wanted to read it. Chew on that.
HEA & Fated Mates
Happily ever afters are a must for my writing. So are the concepts of destiny and fate and finding your perfect counterpart or counterparts even from across the universe. Why? Because I'm a sap. I am a hopeless romantic and I wanna simp and blubber and build ships, damnnit.
If you don't like HEA and Fated Mates, I encourage you to seek books by other authors that fit your bill. I make sure to include information like this in the book descriptions so my readers can make informed decisions about reading my content.
Target Audience Age:
So, of course, as I write predominately smut... My work is rated 18+. Now - if you're younger than this and reading my work - I can't say SHIT becasue I was reading Laurel K. Hamilton in high school and Piers Anthony in junior high. But I LEAGALLY NEED TO TELL YOU... my target audience is 18+. Read appropriately.
Editing:
As an indipendently published author, I do not have the toolbox of editors that more traditionally published authors have at their disposal. Most of my work is self-edited and edited by those I know. I get loads of feedback from beta readers and I even use editing software like Hemmingway App, Pro Writing Aid, and Grammarly to help smooth out my writing.
If you happen to find any errors and wish to let me know, I'd be happy to make the necessary changes if I deem it appropriate.
Any issues that my readers have with content is a whole other matter. If you read my work and have an issue with a particular aspect - such as how realistic something is or some such - please remember that I write fiction. It's all make believe. I do try to make things as realistic as possible and do my research. But in the end, I'm writing the stories I need and I'm just writing to have fun, letting my imagination run rampant.
AI:
Using AI art is unethical. And using AI for writing is just fucked. I am anti-AI in creative spheres. If they hadn't trained their AI on STOLEN art and writing... If they were relegated to filters and whatnot, or if there was a marketplace creatives could register and upload work they're comfortable with, where they would get a small kickback each time their image was used for the generation of an image, that would be different. The fight against AI would be minimal in contrast to what it is now.
They had a chance to do it right, and they were entitled pricks instead.
I have been open that when AI just came on the scene art-wise, I'd made the assumption that the AI filters on apps were trained on ethically sourced data. I used a cartoon filter in the Prequel App on a few reference photos to then composite and paint over them for the covers of Thorn's Dove and Rhuger's Pearl. What I started with and what I ended with are highly removed from one another as it was utilized as a BASE not a FINAL PRODUCT.
And the reason why I used it? Because it was a time saving hack. And I have worked hard to deconstruct the notion that if I didn't do EVERYTHING from NOTHING then it couldn't be considered art that I grew up with. Hacks to save time are used across all media and is very much an industry standard. Everything from compositing, to paint overs of 3D models and photos, to all sorts of other time saving hacks.
Could I start from scratch from eyeballing reference photos and color picking from them, to then paint? Of course. It just cut hours of time out, getting to a level I would have reached on my own anyway that I could then take it up over 9000 with all of my artistic expertise. Lighting, textures, shading, expressive strokes, every single painted stroke after that being entirely mine. I've only started using art hacks in 2021-22. And that includes different types of brushes, 3D models, perspective rulers, etc that are available as assets in Clip Studio Paint.
It's important to note that shortcuts and hacks are used across every single industry. It's also important to note that in the art and writing industry, the pressure to constantly churn out more and more content for followers to consume is IMMENSE. So using ethical hacks should be embraced, not shunned. But currently, AI generated art and writing ISN'T ethical. So it's one that I stopped using entirely.
You may be wondering why, if I did use the Prequel App to cartoon filter reference images to then composite and paint over for Thorn's Dove and Rhuger's Pearl, why I'm keeping those covers. It's two pronged.
1) Unless I handed you all of the photos that I ran through the Prequel App, you wouldn't know it from the final result. The style is entirely mine. The choices in lighting, textures, etc, completely mine. They were the BASE that I built off of. That I painted over. That I would have gotten to anyway. It just cut out a few hours of time.
2) They're benchmarks. This way, as I grow as an artist, as I fight to stand against the flood of AI in both the author and artist spheres, y'all can see where I started. And that I wasn't lying when I said the end results were mine and have stayed consistent with and without the use of those AI filters.
I do not use AI anything in my creative processes anymore. Not in art, and not in writing. My experience with it was fleeting and I'm proving my abilities without it with each new piece I create. I also DO NOT use AI art in my marketing. Either I create my own marketing in Canva, paint my own art, or commission others.