If you
follow me on twitter, you might know that I've been working with a new co-writer, namely
Rachel Haimowitz (she of the
Powerplay series), who is an author I've admired since first getting into the M/M genre. I'm absolutely bloody stoked to be working with her. You have no idea. Every morning I wake up and fangirl anew.
So what is this thing we're working on? Oh, oh, it is
so exciting you guys! The long and short of it is, Riptide Publishing is venturing into the brave new (okay old) world of
serialized fiction and Rachel and I are their flagship series in this cool format.
If you're not familiar with serialized fiction, you can read
this great Dear Author post all about it. But think of it like a TV series, especially one with season long arcs. You've got individual episodes with their own arcs, seasons with
their own arcs that the episodes fit into, and then an overall series arc. Basically, the long and short of it is, it's a great format for certain genres that are best read a bit at a time rather than in one long marathon read (which let's be real, how many among us have never just gorged on a book, like me with a bag of Oreo cookies?).
So for our foray into the format, Rachel and I are doing what we both do best: writing an intense
darkdarkdark character-driven
psychosexual thriller called
The Flesh Cartel. Here's the blurb for the series:
Sublime service, made to order.
The Flesh Cartel: an international, multi-billion-dollar black market that trades in lost souls. Or more specifically, their bodies.
Highly organized and frighteningly efficient, the Flesh Cartel could teach even the KGB a thing or two about breaking a human mind. Fortunately for their ultra-rich clients, they’re just as skilled at putting people back together again—as perfect pets, well-trained and eager to please.
No matter what your secret tastes or dark desires, the Flesh Cartel—for the right price, of course—will hand-design the plaything of your dreams.
We're starting off with a short first season made up of two "episodes", to give readers a taste of the story and the format and also the content. On that note: this story does come with some pretty heavy duty warnings, which Riptide clearly lists. Please don't ignore them! They're there to help you make an informed choice about your reading, which is super important when it comes to stories like this with triggering content.
If that hasn't scared you off, here's the relevant details about the two episodes coming out this year.
Episode 1: Capture comes out October 1st:
In this first installment of the exciting new psychosexual thriller, The Flesh Cartel, orphaned brothers Mat and Dougie Carmichael are stolen in the night from their own home. Taken to a horrifying processing facility, they are assessed, microchipped, and subjected to unspeakable brutality—all in preparation for sale to the highest bidder.
In a world where every person has a price, the beautiful and subduable PhD student Dougie is highly prized. His brother, a rough-edged MMA fighter, is less desirable—and potentially too dangerous—but he still has his own appeal.
Abused and locked up under round the clock surveillance, with no idea where they are or even why they’ve been taken, escape seems impossible, which leaves staying together their only hope. And after being separated once by the foster system, they'll do anything to keep it from happening again. Anything at all.
Episode 2: Auction comes out November 5th:
In episode two of The Flesh Cartel, the dark purpose behind Mat and Dougie Carmichael’s abduction is revealed. Though Dougie is protected from the worst of the guards’ brutality, he’s disgusted to find himself halfway to broken—despairing of escape and terrified of pain. Mat holds onto hope despite repeated rapes and beatings, but threats toward his brother teach him well to lay aside his pride and pick his battles carefully.
Worn down by days of unrelenting fear and abuse, Mat and Dougie are packaged and marketed with the same ruthless efficiency as any consumer product: Dougie the prettyboy twink, Mat the rabid pit bull. They are led to the auction block as the showpiece of the house’s collection.
Mat would rather be beaten to death than play the role of obedient slave for sale, but Dougie, desperate not to be separated from his brother, strikes a deal with the pitiless Madame who runs the auction house and controls both their fates. It might just be enough to keep them together—slaves, but together—assuming Mat even wants to be after Dougie fulfills his end of his deal with the devil.
You can buy each episode separately on-site (and on the usual e-tailers) for $2.99, or
subscribe to the season for $4.99 (and get the episodes two days early
and be entered in the free-books-for-a-year draw, as with all pre-orders through Riptide).
If the content's up your alley, we'd be thrilled to have you reading along!
Are you a history buff? A fan of Rome or Spartacus, or other narratives about ancient Rome or gladiators? Do you like slave/master and enemies-to-lovers M/M stories? Murder mysteries?
