Back in June, I submitted a story proposal for the Many Hands anthology of polyamorous erotica by Duck Prints Press. I’m a bit late to report that the proposal has been accepted, and I’ve been working on the story every day since!
Duck Prints Press (DPP from now on) is an indie publisher focusing on works written by fanauthors, like me! Another such publisher is OFIC, the recipient of my first ever original fiction submission. But my entry for Many Hands will likely be the first piece of original fiction I will be paid for. DPP crowdfunds the printing of their anthologies through Kickstarter, and so far, every anthology campaign has been a success. But even if Many Hands does not get funded, I will still be paid, provided I finish the story in time.
It will be about three friends who meet again after years of separation that resulted when two of them became a couple and the third realized he’s not indifferent about it. It’s got all my favorite ingredients: hot gay men, pining, second chances and threesomes. Needless to say, I’ve been having a great time with it.
But there’s more to this than ticking the long-coveted “traditionally published author” checkbox. DPP is a diverse community of fanauthors and fanartists with a lively Discord server where I feel very much at home. Apart from talking shop with other fans, writers and artists (many of the delightful people there are all three at once), there’s a book club, sprints, prompts, sensitivity reader volunteers and witty, well-worded conversations all around. Moving at my glacial pace, I only partake in these things rarely, but knowing where to find them is a serious upgrade of my perpetually shrinking social life.
I expect I’ll be posting again about this, and often, when the crowdfunding campaign for Many Hands begins. Stay tuned!