What if you’d been on the committee that made the decision to publish Harry Potter? The Hunger Games? Even Twilight? What would you have said? A resounding yes? A hearty no? What comments would you have made? What connections would you have wanted to make with the authors? What if you had been the one to help unearth a superstar?

Now, you actually have that chance. Pubslush is a new kind of publisher for the 21st century. Readers decide what books get published, and for every book sold, a book is donated to a child in need. By the people, for the people!

The process is simple. First, authors submit ten pages and a summary of their book. Then, Pubslush lets you, the reader, browse the submissions based on your preferences. You read a brief overview, and if it strikes your fancy, you click through to read a more in depth description. If you’re still interested, you read an excerpt. And if that leaves you wanting more, you support it (which is committing to preorder the book)! You don’t get charged unless the book is published, so there’s no risk. And for every book sold, Pubslush donates a book to a child in need.*

The key however, is support. Reader supporting writer and the writers cannot do it without your help. Publication doesn’t happen without preordering. Writers have 120 days to secure 1000 of those preorders and then, the publication process begins. But what’s great for you, the reader, is that if you pledge to support a book, you get the recognition of discovering something great.

So what does this have to do with me?

Well …

Inspired by the music of Queensryche, Iron Maiden, Queen, Metallica, Judas Priest, and more – Shadows in the Spotlight is the story of Marc Gadling, a young musician who is navigating the waters of the emerging metal scene in Los Angeles, the gay counter culture in the city, and the rising fears of what came to be known as HIV/AIDS. It tells the story of his family – the brother who loves him unconditionally, the lover who dies too young, the best friend who is the silent sentinel, and the young prodigy who proves that even after death, there is life.

Here’s how it works. Shadows in the Spotlight is one of the books available for preorder on pubslush.com. If you like what you read, place a preorder as a promise, a promise that you will purchase this book once it is made available to buy. The thing is, this book cannot get published without your preorder and time is running out. If you’re wondering what you’re getting, Shadows in the Spotlight has a proven track record. An excerpt was published in the 2010 QSalt Lake Literary edition and it won the Honorable Mention in the 53rd Annual Utah Arts Council Fiction Writing Competition (2011).

For the past 40 days, support has been growing. But it isn’t enough. 958 preorders are still needed in the next three months to secure publication. If you like your books peppered with heavy hitting doses of rock music, fairy tales of boys who make it big, and stories of how family is formed through passion and not blood, take note of what Shadows in the Spotlight has for you.

http://www.pubslush.com/book/view/198

*Language taken from Pubslush.com’s website.

Here's what's up:

It hit me the other day, that the message isn’t getting out. So many people have come up and asked me “When is your book getting published?” When I ask them if they have pre-ordered it, they look at me blankly. So let me say this as plainly as I can: Shadows in the Spotlight CANNOT get published without your support. Here’s how it works. Shadows in the Spotlight is available for pre-order on pubslush.com. Pubslush is a social publisher that allows the reader, not the editor, to chose what is read. Authors place the book on the site, and you, the reader take a gander. If you like what you read, place a pre-order as a promise, a promise that you will purchase this book once it is made available to buy. In addition, for every book that is published, pubslush donates a book to child literacy programs around the world. Remember, this book cannot get published without your pre-order. Thank you for your kind words and your hopes for my success, but I need YOU to be an active part of that success. Thank you

http://www.pubslush.com/book/view/198

It's crunch time!

Inspired by the music of Queensryche, Iron Maiden, Queen, Metallica, Judas Priest, and more - Shadows in the Spotlight is the story of Marc Gadling, a young musician who is navigating the waters of the emerging metal scene in Los Angeles, the gay counter culture in the city, and the rising fears of what came to be known as HIV/AIDS. It tells the story of his family - the brother who loves him uncondtionally, the lover who dies too young, the best friend who is the silent sentinel, and the young progidy who proves that even after death, there is life.

Here's how it works. Shadows in the Spotlight is available for pre-order on pubslush.com. Pubslush is a social publisher that allows the reader, not the editor, to chose what is read. Authors place the book on the site, and you, the reader take a gander. If you like what you read, place a pre-order as a promise, a promise that you will purchase this book once it is made available to buy. The thing is, this book cannot get published without your pre-order. If you're wondering what you're getting, Shadows in the Spotlight has a proven track record. An excerpt was published in the 2010 QSalt Lake Literary edition and it won the Honorable Mention in the 53rd Annual Utah Arts Council Fiction Writing Compeition (2011).

For the past 30 days, support has been growing. But it isn't enough. 959 preorders are still needed in the next three months to secure publication. If you like your books peppered with heavy hitting doses of rock music, fairy tales of boys who make it big, and stories of how family is formed through passion and not blood, take note of what Shadows in the Spotlight has for you. Link here!

In 1981, the world shifted. Heavy Metal climbed to the top of charts around the world, displacing older styles and bringing young rebels out of the closet to bond together under cover of ear splitting feedback and chaotic distortion. In a smoky bar in Los Angeles, two young musical brothers meet up with a leader in the scouting world and together they form a band that changed the way Metal was perceived for a generation. More than that, they formed a family that stuck together while drugs and disease brought down the nation.

Marc Gadling and Jared West made no secret of their relationship when they were on stage. As Marc’s soaring vocals took the world to higher levels and Jared’s guitar pushed the envelope with every new chord and riff, it became clear to all watching that they were lovers. But what they and band mates Jason Matthews and Tony Gadling did keep secret was Jared’s own battle with AIDS. After Jared’s death, Marc spiraled out of control and his problems with drugs and alcohol almost ended everything for the band. It took the birth of his son to bring him back from the cliff’s edge.

Even still, the Music Gods had plans for the boys in Time Machine. With guitarist Michael Wilson at the strings, they started over, again changing and challenging the world’s definitions of Metal and Family while being brought to the brink as they face the one crisis they might never recover from.

This is their story.

( Details on how to order below the cut. )

Series: Paris to Serbia
Chapter 10: Answers
Author: vegawriters
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Jethro/Hollis (this chapter)
Rating: Adult
Timeframe: Early 5th season.
A/N: I’ve always had a problem with the idea that Jenny rose to her position in NCIS so quickly. So this series gives some history not only to Gibbs and Shepard, but also to Jenny’s past and where her skills lie.
Disclaimer: I keep falling in love with beautiful characters already written by other people. If CBS is looking for a young, up and coming writer who will devote herself wholeheartedly to the process, I’m the right girl. Otherwise, I make no money from this. NCIS, Jenny, Gibbs, and the team belong to other people. I’m just walking with them for a while.

Summary: She was Jenny Shepard. Who in just a few years would be a blip in the history books, a special page in a fifth grade social studies text, the single page devoted to the women who made history.

( Answers )

Title: Flight
Author: vegawriters
Fandom: Silk Stalkings
Genre: History, Character
Pairing: Multiple
Rating: Teen-16
Word Count: 8,934
A/N: This one is for the character who shaped me more than any other character has. She was there during my formative years and has stayed with me – even when I’ve put her to the side.
Disclaimer: Rita Lee Lance and all the characters in Silk Stalkings belong to SJC and Co. I make no money. The tears I cried writing this were my own.

Summary: She flees to a place of security – the loneliness of the unknown. It is comfortable. It is familiar. She is the girl on the track, the girl on the bicycle, the girl running from the disapproving gaze of a foster family who does not wish to understand her. Flight is all that makes sense to her, that and the subtle movements she can detect from the small life inside of her.

( Flight )

Series: Paris to Serbia
Chapter 9: Between the Shadows
Author: vegawriters
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Jenny/Gibbs
Timeframe: Pre-Series
Rating: Adult
A/N: I’ve always had a problem with the idea that Jenny rose to her position in NCIS so quickly. So this series gives some history not only to Gibbs and Shepard, but also to Jenny’s past and where her skills lie.
Disclaimer: I keep falling in love with beautiful characters already written by other people. If CBS is looking for a young, up and coming writer who will devote herself wholeheartedly to the process, I’m the right girl. Otherwise, I make no money from this. NCIS, Jenny, Gibbs, and the team belong to other people. I’m just walking with them for a while.

Summary: Despite being completely Matt and Kitty, they were also a schizophrenic combination of Jethro and Jenny and he was falling for her as Jenny, as Kitty, as anything and anyone that came along with the package.

( Between the Shadows )

Series: Paris to Serbia
Chapter 8: In Too Deep
Author: vegawriters
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Jenny/Gibbs
Timeframe: Pre-Series
Rating: Adult
A/N: I’ve always had a problem with the idea that Jenny rose to her position in NCIS so quickly. So this series gives some history not only to Gibbs and Shepard, but also to Jenny’s past and where her skills lie.
Disclaimer: I keep falling in love with beautiful characters already written by other people. If CBS is looking for a young, up and coming writer who will devote herself wholeheartedly to the process, I’m the right girl. Otherwise, I make no money from this. NCIS, Jenny, Gibbs, and the team belong to other people. I’m just walking with them for a while.

Summary: A knock on the door and the knob turned, creaking a bit in its setting. Decker and Jethro both reached for their guns; no one was scheduled for a drop off. But as the door opened, Jethro let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Jenny stood there, pale and tired, but whole.

( In Too Deep )

Series: Paris to Serbia
Chapter 7: Marseille Interlude
Author: vegawriters
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Jenny/Gibbs
Timeframe: Pre-Series
Rating: Adult
A/N: I’ve always had a problem with the idea that Jenny rose to her position in NCIS so quickly. So this series gives some history not only to Gibbs and Shepard, but also to Jenny’s past and where her skills lie.
Disclaimer: I keep falling in love with beautiful characters already written by other people. If CBS is looking for a young, up and coming writer who will devote herself wholeheartedly to the process, I’m the right girl. Otherwise, I make no money from this. NCIS, Jenny, Gibbs, and the team belong to other people. I’m just walking with them for a while.

Summary: If Matt and kitty lingered, they stayed in the hallway, giving Jenny and Jethro privacy.

( Marseille Interlude )

Series: Paris to Serbia
Chapter 6: Dancing in Circles
Author: vegawriters
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Gibbs/Jenny; Gibbs/Hollis
Rating: Adult
A/N: I’ve always had a problem with the idea that Jenny rose to her position in NCIS so quickly. So this series gives some history not only to Gibbs and Shepard, but also to Jenny’s past and where her skills lie.
Disclaimer: I keep falling in love with beautiful characters already written by other people. If CBS is looking for a young, up and coming writer who will devote herself wholeheartedly to the process, I’m the right girl. Otherwise, I make no money from this. NCIS, Jenny, Gibbs, and the team belong to other people. I’m just walking with them for a while.

Summary: Marseille was a promise. A break of more than twenty-four hours. The chance to leave Kitty behind and get back into her own head for a while.

( Dancing in Circles )