'Hot Pressed' has been released!

I'm pleased to announce that my first non-erotic fantasy novel, 'Hot Pressed,' has finally been released for publication! (If you're interested in 'Doll Factory,' that one is still being written, I'll have a short update on it at the bottom).

Hot Pressed - Kindle edition by Stockton, James Reed. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

I've released the book under a different pen name, so as to properly separate my different offerings, as I do eventually plan on writing more mainstream novels in the future. Never fear, however, I don't have any plans on deserting my erotic offerings... they are simply different projects, and I never quite know which story idea will be more compelling to work on, or where they might fit in. Today I might be writing more erotica, but in the future I might write more sci-fi and fantasy, depending on what I feel like.

It's been a long journey to get to this point, as the genesis of the idea for this novel came around 2016. At that time, I wrote about 30-40K words, but there it stalled for quite some time. I only picked it up again in 2021, working on it at the same time as 'The Rubber Order', and I believe it was finished a few months after that novella released.

It then languished in editing for another year before I finally had the opportunity to pick it up again recently and get it finished. Significant work needed to be done to create a paperback, as I've never put one of those together (I have notes on this process that I might release as a separate blog post at another time).

Now, it's finally here, my debut novel! Let's dive right in to the details!

Story Tags

MC (Light Mind Control), Snakes, Gods/Goddesses, Steampunk, Airship, Transformation, Masks

Synopsis

"Namzu’s solitary life as a spy ended when a Remenkhemi airship visited the dusty streets of Subartu. The mysterious men and women they sent to find new soldiers to bolster their nation wore metallic animal masks that represented their gods.

Soon after stealing a set of armlets from them, a regal snake goddess took up residence in her head, demanding her loyalty in exchange for information about her past. Worse, she finds that the goddess’ power is changing her, making her more snakelike with every passing moment.

Escaping the city with the King’s guard in hot pursuit, she finds herself mixed up in the power struggles of gods and men alike. Remenkhemi needs a new heir, and her heritage lands her directly in line for the throne.

There are those who seek to use her, including the goddess. It will take all of her wits to navigate the narrow path between faith and family, lest she lose everything she holds dear."

Doll Factory

I did promise a short update on this story, didn't I?

Well, there's not too much to report beyond the fact that it's well into writing. Currently sitting at 65K words, I know for certain that it will be another novel.

It's shaping up pretty well so far, though I've hit a bit of a doldrums with my writing. I think it'll get better once I figure out how to close out the current scene.

The question is, how much more remains? There's about one to two and a half more major scenes to write, then an epilogue. I'm guessing roughly that's going to be 80K max?

That would put completion at around two weeks from now, at which point it will go into editing. I'm guessing a late November release at this point unless something changes on my schedule.

I'm currently posting here monthly, so I'll post an update next month with the progress - or, with any luck, with a release post! Cheers!