This is number 136 in the blog series, “My Life in Erotica.” I encourage you to join my Patreon community to support my writing.
I AM AWARE that this is not the post promised three weeks ago about AI and writing. That post will start the New Year of 2026, but might not be the first Sunday of January. In fact, my blog posts will no longer attempt to be weekly, but will be topical as I come across additional topics that I think merit my attention.
The topic of AI and writing is huge and will require some additional research. I’m not particularly enthusiastic about the subject, but it seems to be interfering in nearly every aspect of my life, including my writing and I have to deal with it every day. So, later.
Instead, I’m using this simple post to wish you all a Happy New Year—a season’s greetings I’m confident won’t offend too many people. I’m tired of being frowned at for wishing people Happy Holidays, though most have no concept of what I’m talking about when I say Joyous Yule or Happy Solstice.
Nonetheless, I’ll say I had a wonderful Yule celebration with friends and family gathered around our table and I hope you are privileged to have such a joyous occasion in your winter.
It’s typical for me to do some form of year-end recap, but I think this one will be shorter than some in the past. I released only three new books this year and tallied a total of only 653,000 words written this year.
Soulmates was the first book I released this year and I was happy to also release it as my first Signature Edition paperback. It sold two more copies than the one I expected. Of course, the eBook sold much better, but not as well as some former books I’ve released. Can’t please everyone.
Forever Yours was my second serial release and my fourth Signature Edition paperback. It will carry through serialization into mid-March 2026, but both the eBook and paperback are also available. I’m happy with this book and content with the criticisms that have come with it. They are good ones.
Third, final, and least successful release this year was the novella Alienable Rights, a Political Satire in which everyone gets screwed. This was my contest entry in the 2025 SOL Halloween contest and came in a very respectable last place. I celebrated the honor by releasing it as my sixth Signature Edition hardcover. Why? Because I believe no matter what political opinions you have and how much you believe in them, you have to be able to see the humor in it. I saw the humor by making an expensive hardcover out of a very insignificant book.
You might ask what all this about the Elder Road Books Signature Collection is. This is my personal vanity project, and while I appreciate you visiting the page, I don’t expect anyone but me to actually buy a copy. I released six Signature Editions this year, including the three mentioned above. You will also find Signature Editions of The Art and Science of Love (paperback), Drawing on the Dark Side of the Brain (paperback), and Bob’s Memoir: 4,000 Years as a Free Demon, in a massive single-volume hardcover of the entire trilogy.
These six books have taken residence on a special little book rack where I can look at them and feel like I accomplished something in the past twenty years of writing and publishing. My 2026 Signature Editions will include some of my Nathan Everett titles, as well as at least one new Devon Layne title.
Remember, all my books are available for free online reading. You don’t have to go buy the expensive Signature Editions. I don’t think I’m a collector item for anyone but me.
In addition to released books, I’ve written the first draft of a new book titled The Inheritance Paradox. I’m in the process of rewriting and expect to release it by March 2026 or thereabouts. I expect to launch the rewrite of my aborted draft of Nathan Everett’s (Wayzgoose) A Place Among Peers, the long-overdue sequel to A Place at the Table.
The public doesn’t see these books until they have been written, rewritten, and fully edited. However, my Patrons do get to see works before anyone else. My Sausage Grinder Patrons ($10/mo) get whatever I’m writing at the time in weekly installments. It’s a risky proposition. Sometimes, I don’t finish a book or decide it needs to be completely rewritten. What they read is raw and unedited and subject to change. But they like it and get to give me ‘alpha reader’ feedback as I’m writing. That is a great dialog between me and my readers.
My Sneak Peek Patrons ($5/mo) get a pre-release edition of my stories, including both online serialization and pre-release of eBooks. Pre-release editions are only available until the final is released to the public, but that is always at least two weeks ahead of time. I greatly appreciate the continued support of my Sneak Peek patrons.
I don’t discount the importance of any patron. My Library Patrons ($1/mo) also receive benefits. I release one of my backlist eBooks in a Special Patrons Edition each month. It is available for all patrons to download at no additional charge during that month. Everyone wins by being one of my patrons!
And even Followers of my Patreon page are included in my monthly offering of book cover desktop wallpaper they can download at no charge. I just want to give something to everyone.
So, I feel like the past year has not been a complete waste. It has been difficult to remain productive with the kind of light reading I offer when it often feels like the world is crumbling around us. I hope that you find my stories enjoyable, even when I can’t help but let my social consciousness seep through. Whether it is equal rights, constitutional freedom, human dignity, or human value, it will always be present in what I write.
I’m hoping perhaps that in 2026, I can get on the FBI’s wanted list as a Trans Activist. I don’t need to be trans to believe they should have every right afforded to cis-gendered people. If it only takes promoting that to get arrested, bring it on.
I hope your New Year also brings you all you attract.
I won’t promise that my AI and writing series will start in the next week, but it will come soon.