In two months, my first self-published novel will be out. Well, at least it will be at the time I write this blog. It's titled Grayson's Magical Mishaps and is part of the Haunted Hearts: Season of the Witch collaboration - eleven Urban Fantasy romances written by gay authors. I usually spend years on a …
How harsh should a beta reader be?
When I first beta read, I was harsh. Not in my criticism. In my tone. Since then when I'm asked, I share both praise and critique, preferring to share my notes on a video call so the right tone is applied to my comments. Last week, a beta reader contacted me after reading my first …
Author News Update – 26 July, 2025
My pre-order is live! Although at time of writing this update, the Amazon link thinks this is a young adult novel. Hopefully that will be fixed soon. Grayson's Magical Mishaps, my new comedy MM Romance, will be published on 28 October (US/UK) / 29 October (Aus/NZ). But you can pre-order HERE. Right now, I'm waiting …
In the hands of my beta readers
My first self published novel is being assessed. It's part of the Haunted Hearts series of books to be released leading up to Halloween. All have been written by a different gay male author and each is an Urban Fantasy MM Romance. This is also a project with a tight deadline so my initial draft …
Book Review – Caught in the Act by Shane Jenek a.k.a. Courtney Act
I'm not the audience for this autobiography. But this doesn't cloud my judgement about how well this is written for the readership it is intended for. So I'll start by explaining why it didn't totally capture my attention. I was thirty-three when out football star, Ian Roberts' autobiography came out. And while I enjoyed it …
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Author News Update – 23 June, 2025
Welcome to another author update. I can now announce that I'm one of the gay writers who are collaborating on the second series of Haunted Hearts novels. Last year, a group of queer male authors released the first series, one by one, leading up to Halloween. You can find them HERE. Last year's books centred …
As an author, how are you perceived?
Several things happened recently which made me reevaluate. I had an email conversation with one of the staff of our local queer book store. In his last reply he encouraged me to submit manuscripts to certain publishers. But they were all Romance publishers. My books are rarely in their store while self published friend's novels …
How long does it take to write a novel?
This is a tale of two novels. One I started five years ago and is still a work in progress. It’s set in the 90s around the gay scene of Sydney’s Oxford Street. Eight drafts have been written, but after it failed to spark interest, I had it assessed. I found the State Library research …
Writing to a deadline
I have a deadline. A novel I'm writing needs to be published in five to six months. I usually take years on my manuscripts, working on a draft, then putting it aside for a few months. When I pick it up again, I'll see what needs work, fix, then put it aside for another few …
So, you’ve lost interest in that book you’re reading.
I admit, it takes me a long time to ditch a book. I always get into a story, admiring the prose, until there may be a point three quarters in where I lose interest. But at least I've given that novel a decent read. Sometimes I'm still keen to know the ending and skip to …
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kevin klehr 