Consolidating

Electronic publishing is definitely overtaking publishing on paper, at least according to my sales figures, and so I will soon be retiring the paperback versions of my short stories. Blowing It! will still be available in print, but nothing shorter than around 20,000 words will be published in any format but Kindle.

That said, I am going to offer a "box set" collection of my three short stories, which will include at least two new stories, sometime in the month of September. One of the new stories will also be available separately on Kindle, but there will be at least one flash fiction story, and maybe one or two others, exclusive to the collection.

And for those few of you who prefer something you can hold in your hand, annotate, dog-ear, and easily lend, the collection will also be available in paperback.

As an aside, I have not forgotten about the Tilly balloons, which are coaxing me from my bedside drawer; I just have had zero time alone all summer, and I'm just waiting for the chance to give one a try.

Tilly!

My Tilly balloons came a few days ago, a couple of days ahead of schedule. They look amazing, and I can hardly wait to open them up and try them out. But, of course, I have to wait, because I'll have no privacy until school is back in session.

My wife and I are going to try to arrange some alone time in September, which seems like years away, and balloons are definitely on the menu. I won't report in detail on the alone time (don't think my wife would care for that), but I will report on the balloons.

A reminder, if you're reading this on the day of publication, Popping Out will be available for free on Kindle from tomorrow through Wednesday. Good time to get in on some very stimulating reading.

Gone and Done It

I said I would. Well, at least I said I might. And today I finally did. I ordered a package of Tilly 60-inch long spiral balloons. I've never had any of these before, and I've been fascinated by them for a long time, and, well, I like the company.

I bought them on eBay, from Tilly's own account, and it shouldn't take them long to get here, because they aren't far away. I'm brimming over with anticipation, which is kind of a shame, because even after they arrive I probably won't get a chance to do anything with them until next month, after the kids are in school.

So, that will be torture. And then, when it actually comes time to use them, well, the truth is that I've always been fairly afraid of long balloons. If you've been reading this blog for any time, you know that, while popping balloons turns me on, and watching a pretty lady pop balloons turns me on more, it also scares me.

Round balloons blow up evenly all around, giving me a chance to inspect for imperfections before they get taut enough to pop (in most cases, anyway; accidents happen). But long balloons blow up along their length, and each portion gets fairly tight in very short order.

So buying these balloons that I've never had before, that kind of scare me, might seem an act of foolishness, or an act of bravery. Well, foolish it might be, but as far as bravery is concerned, we'll see when it actually comes time to blow them up.

Just a reminder, if you're reading this on the day it was published, Eric's Secret, my only story so far with a non-popping main character, is free today and tomorrow for Kindle.

Free Stuff and Upcoming Stuff

Well, I did it. Withdrew from all my social media outlets except Twitter and this blog. It's been a little painful, but it has saved me much-needed time and attention for my real job.

Not to say I'm ignoring balloon fetish fiction entirely (and I'm certainly not ignoring my own balloon fetish, just so you know). I'm slowly writing a collection of short stories. I've complete one fairly substantial one, about a New Year's Eve party, and one very short one (short enough to be considered "flash fiction") about the angst before telling someone you love about your fetish.

Probably not writing this month, but when summer's over I will get back to it, aiming to have enough to publish by year's end or soon after.

Meanwhile, as sort of an apology for fading into the background, I'm offering my three short stories for free, starting today with Friends With Fetishes. Eric's Secret gets three free days starting next Monday, and Popping In a week after that.

Remember, you don't have to own a Kindle to read Kindle books; there are apps for pretty much everything, and even an online reader for those of you using devices and operating systems outside the mainstream.

I'll hope you'll enjoy them, let friends know about them, and, if you would be so kind, give each an honest review.

And follow me on Twitter, stop back by the blog every once in awhile, and even drop me a line from time to time.

I'm still here. I'm just being a little quiet.