I always thought the Led Zeppelin song “Gallows Pole” would make a good movie. Actually, Zeppelin’s version is a cover—this folk song has been around for ages. But either way, it was Zeppelin who introduced me to it, and their version I love. If you’ve never heard it before, take a listen (with lyrics!):

One day I was driving somewhere and this song came on. As I had in the past, I thought, This would make a great movie. They should tell the story of the sister actually bribing the hangman. And then it gripped me by the chest: No. I should tell that story!

And that, my friends, is my excuse for not spending March, April, and May not working on After Exile. I was writing Gallows Pole.

BUT, in the middle of all that, I attended my first RT Booklovers Convention in April.

My friends, I knew practically no one there. I got so lucky that my author buddy Livia Grant was there for a pre-convention event with Blushing Books, and her last day in Vegas overlapped with my first. A friendly face! Woohoo! And the Blushing crew was kind enough to let me tag along with her to some of their event, where I got to meet quite a few new friends who let me hang around them like a dorky kid sister for the remainder of the Con.

During this convention week, I was there to learn. About marketing, publishing, craft, you name it. One of the things I was not there to do, I assured myself, was attend any of the pitch events where authors can pitch their work to editors, publishers, etc. Because I had no complete manuscripts at the time. Because I am a self-publishing warrior. Because my stories are too niche and risky for publishers to accept. Because reasons.

And because of reasons, somehow I still managed to dumbass my way into talking to the lovely ladies at Blushing about this story Gallows Pole I was still writing. “Send it”, they said. “Send us what you have and we’ll take a look at it.”

I was in a daze. An editor said she’d seen some of my samples on Amazon and liked the flow of my writing? I had intended this story as a bit of fun, comfort food for the NonConsent/Reluctance category on Literotica. What’s going on here?

SO. After another six weeks of finishing the book, and some other stuff you’ll want me to fast forward, I can now announce that Blushing Books has accepted Gallows Pole for publication. Cover reveal, release date, and all that are forthcoming. But there it is. My first book out through a publisher.

Now you know this is your friend Eris telling this story, so expect dark, and expect dirty. Badass heroine? Check. Damaged, brooding bad boy? Check check. An assortment of criminals and outcasts? Check. This is another one set in the same time period as The Devil’s Luck & Co., so if you liked those, this one’ll probably be up your alley, as well. So expect news on this one in the next few weeks.

I’ll leave you with the blurb I submitted to the publisher. It may not be the final one that gets used, but at least you can get a sense of the story. Talk to you soon!