Daz James Writes

This site is showcasing my current and future works, engaging with readers through blog and news updates.

You can follow me on Instagram and Threads @earthboy3777 or dazjames1970 on X.

Hi, Hello and How Are You - 14/12/2024

I can't tell a lie. Being a newly published author is daunting. The only indicators that let you know you're doing well are positive reviews, and the odd royalty's statement that will come twice per year. My first one will be in a couple of weeks so for now I am in a kind of limbo world. Have I done enough to reach my intended audience and does that audience still crave the type of literary hero that I depict in my book?

Of course, I am going to get neurotic! I am going to let my negative self-talk erode my confidence! It is my constant companion through life. It was there before my self-affirmation period, and will still be there, eagerly waiting, whenever I doubt myself. That inner saboteur that likes to fuck with me from time to time just to make sure I don't get any airs and graces about myself. You know, the voice that likes to keep you small.

So, of late, that voice has been bitch-slapping me about my self-worth. Telling me I misjudged. I got it wrong. No body wants their 16-year-old self-soothed. They don't care about reluctant queer heroes. That was all last decade. Now, they want teen dramas that would rival a Thai BoyLove serial, not some space-age nonsense trying to preach a message, and getting it lost in the maelstrom. They want cute and frothy. Sweet and virginal. Hot and heavy. Oh, and if your famous, even more so.

But what was my saving grace from my inner saboteur? Those friends who support me. No question. I was planning on giving them a copy of my book as a Christmas gift, only to find out one such friend got her own copies, without telling me, and proudly sent me an image with them. I was so touched I couldn't help but well up. It was the boost I needed to keep going. Never losing hope. Fighting back against my inner saboteur. At least I know, my royalties' statement won't be a big fat zero now. And I may get a review on Amazon yet. Hope restored.

So, whatever path you tread, if your inner saboteur rises up, just look for something to give you hope. It may be kindness of friends or the accolade of a stranger. Just something to give you hope. To keep going. Because, who knows, maybe dreams really do come true....

Until next time,

Daz James.

PS: If you would like something a little different and imaginative to read over the festive season, why not click the link below to my book. You'll have unearthly good time.

Daz James

I grew up in a small country town in Australia where being different wasn't celebrated. I was made to feel like an alien on my own planet because I was feeling and thinking differently to my peers.

I looked for escapism through the world of books searching for where I belonged. They were my respite from the real world. Yet still didn't find people like me.

I started to write to express myself and hopefully wonder provide an imaginative world for someone else to escape. This became a struggle as LGBTIQA+ books were not in favor by publishers until recent years, so I suffered the pain of rejection letters until I had my first short story published in a short story anthology series.

This was the boost that I needed to keep writing, to never give up, and never give in. Now, here I am promoting my first novel called Earth Boy.

Earth Boy - Daz James

Alfie runs away from his father, who bullies him because he won't take off his new rainbow socks or his mother's nightie - it is all he has left of her. His desperation to escape leads him to a desolate train station and a Kate Bush wannabe called Daphne.

She drags him onto a train that shouldn't be there, transporting them to an unearthly destination, The Caravansary, a pit-stop to the wider universe. He is stranded in a strange world where inhabitants want to enslave, possess and even fatten him up.

His only saviour is a bewitching hottie called Charisma Junt who looks good in everything he wears.

Alfie soon becomes embroiled in a fiendish plot that could have dire consequences for humanity. How can an underachieving daydreamer, who spends far too much time in his own head, stop environmental terrorists and a psychotic real estate agent?

If this is your cup of tea, please follow these links to get a copy:

Olympia Publishers | Earth Boy by Daz James

Earth Boy by Daz James, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

Earth Boy by Daz James | WHSmith

You can also find the book online at Amazon.