Tag: Tales of a Stranger Sister

Another trip around the sun…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on July 13, 2025

The character No-Face from "Spirited Away" eating a slice of cake

It’s my birthday weekend! I’m now, officially, in my “Late 40s.” So, um… yay? Yay.

No, seriously, yay! YAY, even! This has been a, let’s say, interesting year to say the least, but I’m still kickin’ and I’m still moving forward every day, even if it’s only a few measly millimeters (Yeah, I’m throwing metric at all yinz.)

This year has been marked by some drastic life changes for me and my spouse, some health drama, and, of course, *wildly gesticulates out the window at the world* all THAT. But in the end, my spouse and I are still standing and even, dare I say, thriving.

Probably the thing that had the biggest impact on my life in the last year was that of some upheaval in my professional life. I prefer not to go into the specifics here, but it looks like I’ve come out the other side of it finding myself in a similar, if possibly slightly better (in some ways) place. The second biggest thing was some medical drama involving my awesomely amazing and amazingly awesome spouse. Again, we’ve managed to come out the other side of it relatively fine, everything considered, to which I’m extraordinarily grateful to the universe for.

Which brings us to the third most impactful item of the last year: Finally publishing my first novel. But what do I mean by impactful? Do I mean it has impacted my life financially? Uh… no. Not really. I’ve sold maybe a dozen copies in the last 4 1/2 months. Has it impacted my life in terms of fame? Again, no, because A.) I write under a pen name, and B.) even if I didn’t, I’ve, again, sold maybe a dozen copies so the number of people who are even aware I wrote a novel could all sit comfortably on a city bus.

The characters Chihiro and No-Face sitting on an empty train at night — Conceptual depiction of the fans of my book all gathered in one place

And yet, I can’t help but feel like the simple act of creating a book and putting it out there has changed my life forever, even if I can’t define how in easily tangible ways.

Anyway, as it is my birthday, let’s talk gifts. I decided to give myself a gift this year and bought my spouse and I our first high-end dedicated gaming PC. I have been a console gamer for years, but was getting steadily frustrated with not being able to play everything I’ve wanted to because it was either A.) exclusive to a console we didn’t own (e.g. The Last of Us), or B.) already on a console generation beyond what we already own. So, instead of dropping money on yet another console that won’t have like 35% of the games we want to play/try available for it but will cost several hundred dollars and take up space we don’t have on our entertainment center, I decided to make the investment to buy a gaming PC. The biggest benefit of which is that like 97% of console exclusive titles are available on Steam for PC and I’m now set up to play all the upcoming games in the franchises I love or have been meaning to try for years, but couldn’t due to lack of correct console.

In any case, I’m practically giddy with anticipation about playing Borderlands 4, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Silent Hill 1 Remake, Silent Hill F (Wait, a non-Remake Silent Hill and it’s written by the team behind Higurashi?! Well, sign me the eff up!), The Last of Us I & II remasters, Grand Theft Auto VI, The Outer World 2, and somewhere in the far, FAR distant future, Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5. Oh, and the library of some like 200+ games we’ve already accumulated from Steam, GOG, and Epic. Also, I love watching my spouse play some of their favorite games, so even when the joystick’s not in my hands, I’m being entertained. That’s the classic win-win.

Moving from gifts for me, let’s talk gifts for YOU (Yes, you reading this!). That’s right, I’m pulling a Hobbit and using my birthday as a chance to give gifts to others For the next 24-hours or so, the ebook version of Tales of a Stranger Sister will be 0.99¢. That’s nearly 66% off! Heck, let’s be generous and say it’s practically 67% off! If you’ve been thinking of checking out my debut novel, or you have and know someone who might enjoy it, then today’s the day to grab a digital copy!

So, looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for the next trip around the angry flaming ball in the sky? Well, besides all the gaming I’m about to do? This next year will be interesting as I try to balance marketing the book I’ve already written while continuing to try and pen the next one. Do I expect to have a second book out by the time we meet back up here in a year’s time? Honestly? Probably not, but I do fully expect to have a clear idea when it will be ready for release as I hope to be fully engaged in the revising, rewriting, and editing phases of that project by that time. I’m not making any promises other than I’ll work hard and try my best to not make anyone hoping for another book wait an unreasonable amount of time. As I get closer to a finished draft I’ll more likely than not start sharing details of the next story, so there is that to look forward to.

So, let’s put a bow on this chat and close it out by telling anyone reading this the following:

Thank you!

Thank you for checking out my site and blog. Thank you for following me on social media. Thank you for checking out my book. Thank you for especially buying it. Thank you extra especially for reading it. Thank you extra EXTRA especially for rating and reviewing it. A year ago, I wondered if any of the previous statements could ever be true, but they’ve all happened and that might just be the best gift of all.

It’s time for another go-round on this 584-million-mile ride on a ball spinning at 1,000 miles per hour as it flies at 67,000 miles per hour through effin’ SPACE.

Anime characters riding and screaming on a roller coaster

So, please, keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times.

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Navigating down the river and into a much larger ocean…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on July 2, 2025

The character Anne Shirley, a red-haired girl in a simple dress, sitting in a small boat that has sprung a leak and is filling with water.

Ever since Tales of a Stranger Sister debuted in March, it has been an Amazon exclusive. In terms of ebook sales, that will continue to be the case until at least the end of August, at which point I will have to make a decision as to whether I should leave Kindle Select and start selling on other ebook retailers.

However, as my Kindle Select membership only impacts the current availability of the ebook version, that does not prevent me from announcing that the paperback version is now available for sale outside of the Amazon ecosystem through Draft2Digital.

So, if you’ve been holding off on trying my book on the principal of not handing one of the frankly too many creepy billionaires another penny of your money, then this is some, albeit probably tempered, good news.

Full disclosure – the paperback is more expensive outside of Amazon. However, I am by no means trying to get rich off my audience. I chose a price that simply kept the same royalty-rate as I earned on Amazon, the paperback version already being smallest royalty of the three options currently available. Honestly, this is not so much about trying to make more money (I am barely making any as it stands now) and more about offering my potential audience an alternative if they are not comfortable shopping Amazon under the current world circumstances (which, hey, I totally get.)

As I am no longer on only one marketplace, I have created a books2read page and link to make it easier to see where my book is currently available for sale. As of this posting, it is still only Amazon, but in the next two weeks, it should (hopefully) begin showing up as a print book for sale from a number of different book retailers worldwide. I will be updating the links as these retailers start listing it. Anyway, here’s that link:

https://books2read.com/stranger-sister

I hope this minor tweak in availability will help those looking for a story like mine find it. And of course, to those who have already found and read it – Thank you for giving my book a chance. I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Update: Tales of a Stranger Sister is now available as a paperback at Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and Booktopia (for our friends down under.)

Moving on, It’s July, so that means a whole new batch of sales data for the previous month. Let’s see if I managed to top my Scrooge McDuckian fortune that was last month’s take of one cent…

A sales chart showing 1 book sold for the month of June

Another sales chart showing 804 pages read through Kindle Unlimited in the month of June

Okay… This is a lot better than a penny. After not selling a single copy in almost 2 months, it’s nice to see the blip of life on the sales chart again. Honestly, I’m more intrigued by the KU page reads this month. It appears that someone tore through the book over the course of a 4-5 days at the beginning of the month and a second person has started it at the end. So, at least the kindle select exclusivity isn’t totally going to waste.

Well, that about wraps up this update. I always feel at a loss as how to end these posts, so… Cats?

Two grayish-brown American shorthair cats laying on a blue couch. — Cats.

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Midsummer!

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on June 22, 2025

Hi again! A happy, and hopefully not-sweltering, midsummer/summer solstice to everyone who reads these little snippets of my thoughts. May the longest day and shortest night of the year bring you good times with good weather and with great people.

A field of yellow dandelions under a cloudless blue sky with the sun shining down on everything

Without going into spoilers, midsummer features very prominently in Tales of a Stranger Sister, so I wanted to talk a little bit about that here. Honestly, those chapters were probably my favorite to write during both the initial draft and subsequent rewrites, and it was one of the few times during the whole process where I never struggled to move from one word to the next. A chance to put into words those feelings of pure, unadulterated joy is one of the memories I’ll most treasure as I look back on creating this book in both the near and distant future.

More than anything else, those chapters were definitely the most fun I had during the whole process, and I certainly made sure to indulge in describing as much wonderful summer food as possible. Much of it was based on, or at least heavily inspired, by the food I would indulge in as a younger man during the long summer months, and while we’re still a few more weeks away from the best sweet corn of the season here, every time I re-read those passages while editing, I could taste it in my imagination.

The other part that was an absolute joy to write was the midsummer night bonfire sequence. Again, without giving any spoilers, that whole sequence has been something I’ve wanted to do in a fantasy story for a long, long time, so I’m eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to do so with my debut novel.

Anyway, to those who’ve read it, I hope you felt the joy that I felt crafting those chapters, and to those who may be thinking of giving my story I try, I hope it brings to mind pleasant memories of long warm days, short warm nights, good food, and better company.

And to help set a mood for those chapters and for summer in general, here’s a piece of music from The Gothard Sisters that will hopefully inspire thoughts of summer festivals full of merriment and wonderful food under clear, blue skies.

Until next time, stay cool, everyone!

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Pride and Joy…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on June 6, 2025

The Intersex-inclusive Progress Pride Flag

It’s June and that marks the start of Pride Month, a celebration and recognition of the LGBT+ community.

This marks my fifth pride month as an out bisexual man. I came out on my fortieth birthday which fell after pride that year. Obviously, I’ve been bisexual for a lot longer than six years. My whole life, actually, though I wasn’t comfortable expressing or even acknowledging that part of myself for large part of it.

I’m a member of the microgeneration known as Xennials. One of the defining aspects of my adolescence was the constant fear of being called “gay.” Not stupid. Or weak. Or poor. Or weird. No, it was that three-letter word, or it’s three-letter slur sibling that drove many boys from my generation to throw hands or undertake attempting something either dangerous or stupid. Usually both.

If you were branded as being “Gay” or “Queer”, you were a social pariah, especially in my rural community. I wasn’t exactly popular as it was. I wasn’t athletic. I wasn’t rich. I didn’t have cool things. I wasn’t particular attractive. I was a doughy boy who grew up to be an equally doughy man. So desperate was I to never have that label tattooed on my person, that I refused to do any introspection about who I was as a person at a time when that’s the most important thing we as humans can do for ourselves.

So, for the first few decades of my life, I simply turned a blind eye to the internal thoughts that should have made it obvious that I wasn’t 100% straight. By the time I finally acknowledged my own thoughts and attractions, I still had difficulty being able to vocalize it to others. There were a lot of reasons why, which I don’t want to rehash here or now, but when turned forty, I gave myself the gift I should’ve given that adolescent who was terrified of simply existing as they really were. I came out and stated to my friends and family, clearly and proudly that I am bisexual. From that day on, I refused to hide who I am. I don’t lead with it or make that aspect of my life the focal point of who I am, but all the same, if someone asks, I never deny it. That’s all I really, ever wanted. To simply be and not deny any part of who I am.

While things are, to put it lightly, not particularly great for the LGBT+ community right now, especially for our Trans and non-binary siblings, I am grateful that more young people are willing to not only announce who they truly are, they’re willing to accept and support those around them who do so. I have to believe this current environment of hatred is the last, futile gasps of a dying breed of bigots who will eventually be buried and forgotten, replaced by a better generation of humans.

Until the day those better humans finally claim their rightful place at the top, I’ll be here, getting Bi.

Er… getting by.

Moving on, let’s talk a little about LGBT+ representation and my own work. I would never claim that Tales of a Stranger Sister is a LGBT+ story, because those themes and issues are not the focus of the story. However, that doesn’t mean that LGBT+ representation wasn’t important or relevant to this story.

The most obvious example of this is the character of Dr. Rinaldi, who is a gay man that is married with a husband. Again, as the book wasn’t about him or his life, that aspect of his life was not fully explored, but in the same vein, it was never denied or treated as something lesser. That’s ultimately what I wanted to do with Streamhaven and Litia. I wanted to create a world where LGBT humans can simply exist in the world as themselves, and it’s not seen as strange or weird. I’ve heard such settings described as “Queernorm,” so if someone were to ask, then yes, Litia as a world is very much Queernorm.

There were four other characters who identify as LGBT+ in Tales, but I refuse to announce who they are (for now.) I don’t want to be seen as pulling a Joanne, claiming representation cred without actually stating it clearly in the work. Even though I’m the author, I don’t believe that something is truly “canon” until I put it down on paper and share it. In any case, those aspects of these characters’ lives were not the focus of my first novel.

Though, with that said, if I ever decide to return to that world and those characters, I have planned to make those aspects very relevant to the story, so I did lay out some context clues in Tales about who those particular characters are or will become if we continued to follow their lives. If you ever want to take a guess, feel free to email me or DM me on BlueSky and let me know your insights. I won’t lie if you get it right, though I may ask that you keep the info to yourself until I choose to share it.

Anyway, I hope one day we achieve not only a queernorm world, but one of fairness and justice for all humans, regardless the color of their skin, the gods they do or don’t worship, who they love, or how they express who they are. I’ll take a great amount of pride if we can achieve it in my lifetime and it’ll be a true joy to live in that world.

The “Intersex-inclusive Progress Pride Flag” and “Bisexual Pride Flag” graphics were created by the Human Rights Campaign and the whole collection along with information can be found here.

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Now with 5% more website content!

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on May 10, 2025

Illustration of Fraceska Kristavale. A girl in a yellow dress and wide-brimmed sun hat reading a book

Al Illustration of Samantha Robertson. A woman in professional attire holding a cup of takeout coffe while holding a tablet computer

Well, as promised, I’m back with some new website-exclusive content. This time, I wanted to give a little background on not only why I even attempted to write a novel in the first place, but why I wrote the novel that I did. You can find all the riveting details in the Trivia and Miscelania page for Tales of a Stranger Sister.

Honestly, I pretty much spent all my energy tonight on finally putting this all together as a webpage, so I’m just gonna cut things short here. I’ll try to come back in the next few days and provide some thoughts on whatever I’m having thoughts about at the moment. Probably after I actually manage to get some words down for the next book.

Take care of yourselves, folks.

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A little bit of catching up…

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on April 20, 2025

Nenene from the anime R.O.D-The TV. A young woman in her 20s sitting as a keyboard, staring blankly at her monitor.

Okay, so this update is gonna be a little all over the place, so please forgive the random jumps in tangents.

First off, what have I been up to since the release of Tales of a Stranger Sister? Well, besides constant promotion of the before-mentioned debut novel, and occasional posts here, I’ve been working on the next book. I’m about three chapters in, so that’s still a ways off. I prefer not to start talking about details of the story itself until I have an alpha draft complete, but the goal (absolutely not a deadline) is to have that step done by the end of the year. This one will likewise be a light fantasy, but also very different from Stranger Sister.

Writing on this new one has been slower than my debut novel for a couple reasons. First and foremost, I’ve spent the last two years in “Rewrite, Revise, and Edit” mode for my debut, so it’s been a while since I had to pen a true first draft. Second, circumstances occurred that forced me to change careers recently after nearly twenty years at my previous employer. Part of that entails adapting to not only a new work environment and new responsibilities, but also a new routine outside of work. Thirdly, my amazingly awesome spouse (and fellow author) has been dealing with some health issues, which has obviously impacted both of us as writers, if not to say as partners and human beings. Lastly, the world is on fire. I mean, it’s been on fire for a while now, but lately it seems like some people are breaking out the gas cans and marshmallow skewers. It’s… distracting.

I’m still getting in some writing every day (even if it’s something like these blog posts) but until I fully find that balance between work, life, and art like I had before everything went a little crazy, my output will be a little less than what I prefer. Still any output is better than no output, right? Right.

We’re two-thirds of the way through #IndieApril and my promotions have run their course. first, the positive: My 0.99¢ US promotion generated 5 sales, so that means I have now surpassed last month’s sales. *Tosses single handful of confetti in air* The negative: The 0.99£ UK promotion netted a big fat goose egg. I also haven’t sold any copies outside the promotions this month. *Sweeps up confetti and tosses it in the bin* Last-minute positive: Tales of a Stranger Sister received its first five-star rating and review on Goodreads. *Pick up bin and dumps slightly dusty confetti on self* Thank you, kind reviewer. I try not to attach the value of my work nor my own self-worth to outside validation, but still, it is nice to hear that someone liked what you put out in the world.

Oh yeah! If I can turn the conversation back around to my crazy-talented spouse: their own amazing books are currently either part of an awesome bundle promotion or will soon be on sale as part of another promotion. If you seriously want touching, heartfelt, and incredibly fun reads, this is a perfect opportunity to try their stuff.

Now, seeing as I had to install the air conditioner in our bedroom today to prevent it from becoming an unbearable sweat box, I will declare that spring is officially here. I hope yours is a season of renewal and new growth. Be kind to each other and to yourselves.

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Happy Promo Day to All Who Celebrate!

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on April 4, 2025

The day is finally here! If you’ve been holding off on venturing into the world of Litia and meeting Riv and Sam, then now is your chance to do it at a great discount! The E-book version of Tales of a Stranger Sister is on sale for .99¢ USD from now until the end of April 10^th!

And to celebrate both the promotion and my first month as a self-published author, I’ve also published my first batch of BONUS MATERIAL for Tales! So, if you’ve bought (and hopefully read) my novel, and found yourself wondering just what the origins of that card game they all enjoy are, then check out the history and rules of Poor Man’s Fortune.

A Happy #IndieApril to one and all!

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Good news, everyone!

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on April 1, 2025

Welcome to April, folks! That means one thing! #IndieApril is here! Time to support Indie and Self-published Authors by loading up your various devices with the interesting and unique books. Warmer weather is almost here, so maybe grab a book or dozen to enjoy under a tree by a babbling stream, on the beach, or in a gently swaying hammock.

Like, for example, the awesomely amazing books by my amazingly awesome editor and spouse, S.E. Robertson/ C.A. Moss. They have created two wonderful and unique worlds that you will lose yourself in and love the experience. If you like character-focused stories about the people most fantasy novels tend to relegate to the background, then The Healers series is must-read. If you long for new take on the isekai formula with a diverse cast, fairy tale aesthetic, and not a single mention of levels or harems, then the How I Became a Therapist in Another World series is an absolute treat to read.

And that’s just one of the many Indie Authors out in universe putting out amazing work for readers like you to enjoy. Hey, wait a sec… I’M also an Indie Self-published author with a hopefully unique and interesting book, and it, coincidentally, just happens to be going on sale beginning this weekend!

That’s right! From April 4^th to April 10^th, the digital version of Tales of a Stranger Sister is only 99¢! That’s a 66% savings! If you’ve been on the fence about trying a debut novel from a new author, maybe now’s the time to give it a shot? Emotions and Feelings! Non-power-fantasy Isekai! Ghibli-vibes! Food Porn! All for the same price as an AriZona Iced Tea!

Okay, enough about the sale, let’s talk about… um, sales…

April 1st also marks one-month since I officially published my debut novel. So, how did I do as a newly self-published author with no promotional experience and a book in a unique genre niche? Well, let me pull out the ol’ TI-82 and crunch some numbers…

Four.

Four copies sold.

Futurama meme featuring Fru and The Professor. Fry seems disappointed that he only sold 4 books, but he's actually thrilled to have sold 4 books.

Look, from the moment I hit the “Publish” button, I was unsure if I would ever sell A copy of this book, and now, for reasons that still elude me, I’m averaging a book a week sold. In a world that loves to shit all over tiny achievements, I will treat this as the win it is. Feel free to laugh at the tiny writer and his pocket change, but I’m still gonna go buy me a sundae this weekend from the most awesome ice cream shop under an overpass and enjoy the F outta of the fruits of my labor.

Now, back to working on the next one. Maybe by this time next year, I’ll be able to get sprinkles on my sundae, too.

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Covers and GenA.I.

Published by J. Robert Matthewson on March 29, 2025

Okay, so two updates, one large and one small:

First, I have added a new article to the Trivia and Miscelania page for Tales of a Stranger Sister. This article, ahem, covers the creation of the gorgeous cover art and title design. Its chock full of original sketches that any cover art aficionado will appreciate.

Second, I have updated my About the Author page to include an official statement about the usage of Generative A.I. in regard to this website and my books. (Spoiler: I don’t, I won’t, and I don’t ever plan on starting.)

Big news next week! Have a great weekend everyone!

a rough sketch of the character Sam from Tales of a Stranger Sister. A woman in professional office attire lounging with a cup of takeout coffee and a tablet computer

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