For inexplicable reasons, “Bruised” and “Back in the Saddle”, my two-story download at Amazon Shorts (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KHX8RA/?tag=vincentdiamon-20) is back at #1. Since this two-fer was released almost three years ago, I’m more than a little surprised that it still has some life in it.

It’s too bad Amazon seems to have let this program drift away, a lonely ice cube in the vast sea of e-publishing. Amazon Short was a *really cheap* way for people to try new authors. I mean, geez, for 49 cents, you’d try almost anything, right? Of course, it’s not an income-producing venue for authors, more of a marketing/promo strategy than anything else. I think I’ve earned thirty bucks or so from Amazon so not a way to get rich:).

But then, writing fiction in general is not a way to get rich. Ahem.

And in other Really Cool News, Richard Labonte emailed the authors who contributed to Best Gay Erotica 2009 to let us know that the antho won in the Best Gay Erotica category last night at the Lambdas! Woo hoo! Quite the compliment, and I’m please to see Richard and Cleis doing well.

Now, I’ve told people before that I’m a bit of a technodweeb. I’m not phobic about tech stuff but, for the most part, I don’t much like it. For example, I’ve lived nearly two years in a house with some sort of dish thing-y that hangs off a wall outside and only just this week discovered that it gets the Horse Racing Channel.

Oh. My. God.

What a potential disaster this could be. I could spend way way way too much time on this. Fortunately, the combination of my stellar self-discipline, and the fact that it’s obviously oriented towards bettors, as opposed to people who like horses, I shall overcome this ribald temptation. If it were equestrian TV, with dressage and show-jumping, I’d be in trouble.

And in amusing news, I got a check this week from Amazon for my royalties on the sales of “Bruised/Back in the Saddle”. $10.20. Yeppers, I am rich.

What that means is 51 people bought the stories. 51! That’s incredible! I don’t think I even know 51 people, much less that folks would buy the stories. Which means people who don’t even *know* me are taking the chance of blowing their money. Okay, so 49 cents isn’t a huge risk, but still. This is just too cool for school.

And, my goodness, they’re still available right here!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KHX8RA/?tag=vincentdiamon-20

They’ve bounced around the Gay/Lesbian shorts list ever since going up last year. Usually they’re in the top 3, not that I, um, er, like check that weekly or anything. And they were Number 1 for quite awhile. It’s been an interesting experience.