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updates e-mail lists or blogs.
Parental supervision is strongly suggested for this page. Important information for parents, guardians, and visitors who control their own reading matter.
Subscribe
to one of the
updates e-mail lists or blogs.
This page lists updates to all of the sites at Dusk Peterson's domain. To find the update to a particular site, use your browser's Find function.
The What's New section is updated every few months; more recent updates may be available at the updates blog. If you want to check what stage upcoming stories are at, check the monthly progress report.
—He could not leave this room without his father's permission. And
he could not imagine going to his father and saying, "Please let me go
gather moss so that my slave can have a proper New Year for once."
¶ A novelette in the Three Lands series is presented as a holiday
gift story.
—"Whether or not it's true, the world will believe it. It makes
a good story: Michael the Whore finally bested by one of his betters."
¶ The first volume of Michael's House, Whipster, is released
as an HTML e-book.
—A new community blog opens for prison literature.
—Buried Treasure is updated with recommendations of male homoerotic
fiction, female homoerotic fiction, heterosexual fiction, and friendship
fiction.
—A new LiveJournal blog opens for Main Bookshelf announcements.
—A modified winter schedule begins.
FICTION
>>>
The
Three Lands
* Main Bookshelf. Site content label. A fantasy series on friendship, romance, and betrayal in times of war and peace.
New (online fiction):
Re-creation. What can you give a slave who, by law, can own nothing? . . . A 2008 holiday gift story for Dusk Peterson's readers.
>>> Life Prison
* High Bookshelf. Site content label. A historical fantasy series about male desire and determination in Victorian prisons.
Added to the Reviews page:
Five-star review of Mercy's Prisoner 1: Life Prison by Frost's Fancy at Rainbow Reviews.
>>>
Michael's
House
* High Bookshelf. Site content label. A historical fantasy series set in an Edwardian slum.
New (HTML e-book, with an online sample):
Whipster. Michael is an ex-prostitute, which means that nobody in polite society wants anything to do with him. He believes that the only way to help other male prostitutes is to make their working conditions bearable. His friend Janus is an upper-class gentleman who believes that his duty to the gods requires him to fight against sexual immorality. Now Michael wants Janus to help him run a house of prostitution.
Added to the Reviews page:
Review (with some spoilers) of Whipster by Elisa Rolle at her blog.
OTHER PEOPLE'S FICTION AND NARRATIVES
>>> Prisonlit
* Fiction and nonfiction resources. Site content label.
A forum for original fiction and nonfiction. This community blog is devoted to the posting and recommendation of prison literature: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. Literature about captivity outside of a prison environment is also welcome. Longer description and community rules. (Off-site link.)
* Fiction recommendations. Site content label.
While continuing to focus on online male homoerotic stories and male friendship stories, I'm expanding the site allow for other types of recommendations as well. I've reorganized the navigation to make it easier to browse through and to locate various categories of stories.
New recommendations:
Brideshead Revisited (2008 film). A remake of the classic tale of a university student's romantic friendship with an aristocrat. ¶ Male homoerotic fiction, heterosexual fiction, class/rank themes, family relationship themes, historical fiction (post World War One; World War Two), love stories, mental illness themes, military fiction, spirituality themes. ¶ Trailers of fiction films. ¶ On-screen sex. ¶ Review.
Jane Carnall: Keptverse. Taken from an arena where slaves kill each other for the entertainment of free people, a slave is sent to a household where the rules for survival aren't clear. ¶ Male homoerotic fiction, male/male friendship fiction, male/female friendship fiction, female/female friendship fiction, alternate universe, crime themes, employer/employee fiction, erotic fiction, fan fiction (various fandoms), mental illness themes, prisoner fiction, shared universe (A Kept Boy), slave fiction. ¶ Online fiction. ¶ On-screen sex. On-screen violence. ¶ Review.
Jane Carnall: MirrorM*A*S*H (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14) and MirrorM*A*S*H: Through the Mirror (Author's Website. Later chapters will presumably appear here.) A surgeon seeks to escape from the nightmare of war by buying a brothel slave. ¶ Male homoerotic fiction, male friendship fiction, alternate universe, erotic fiction, fan fiction (M*A*S*H), historical fantasy (Korean War), military fiction, prisoner fiction, prostitution fiction, slave fiction, spirituality themes. ¶ Online fiction. ¶ On-screen sex and on-screen violence. ¶ Review.
Manna Francis: Quid Pro Quo. (Author's Website.) The latest volume in the Administration series, about a pathological torturer and his lover, who despises torture but loves SM. ¶ Male homoerotic fiction, male/female friendship fiction, BDSM fiction, employer/employee fiction, erotic fiction, family relationship themes, mental illness themes, mysteries, science fiction. ¶ Online fiction and online samples of fiction books. ¶ On-screen sex. On-screen violence. ¶ Review.
Diana Gabaldon: Lord John and the Blade of the Brotherhood. Lord John finds himself caught between his duty toward the military and his duty toward a fellow soldier he may or may not love. ¶ Male homoerotic fiction, male friendship fiction, class/rank themes, family relationship themes, historical fantasy (Enlightenment Era), military themes, mysteries, prisoner fiction. ¶ Online samples of fiction books. ¶ On-screen sex. On-screen violence. ¶ Review.
Catherine Jinks: Pagan's Crusade and the rest of the Pagan series. A cynical streetboy pairs up with an idealistic Crusader. ¶ Male friendship fiction, male homoerotic fiction, class/rank themes, historical fiction (Middle Ages), mentor fiction, military fiction, spirituality themes. ¶ Online samples of fiction books. ¶ On-screen violence. ¶ Review.
Ursula K. Le Guin: The Other Wind. Haunted by disturbing dreams of the dead, a widower seeks help from Earthsea's former Archmage, now an old man. ¶ Gen (with a heterosexual fiction subplot), class/rank themes, fantasy, race/ethnicity themes, spirituality themes. ¶ Online samples of fiction books. ¶ No warnings. ¶ Review.
Maculategiraffe: The Slave Breakers. (Latest chapters.) Three slaves deemed difficult are sent to the slave breakers for retraining. ¶ Male homoerotic fiction, male/female friendship fiction, heterosexual fiction, alternate universe, BDSM fiction, class/rank themes, erotic love stories, family relationship themes, femdom fiction, shared universe (The Slave Breakers), slave fiction, spirituality themes. ¶ Online fiction. ¶ On-screen sex. On-screen violence. ¶ Review.
Patricia A. McKillip: Alphabet of Thorn. A book in a mysterious alphabet draws a transcriber and her allies into a mystery of the past. ¶ Male/female friendship fiction, heterosexual fiction, fantasy, class/rank themes, love stories, mentor fiction, war fiction. ¶ Online samples of fiction books. ¶ No warnings. ¶ Review.
Naomi Novik: Victory of Eagles and the rest of the Temeraire series. When Napoleon threatens Britain's future, a captain and his dragon must choose between the claims of conscience and the bindings of duty to one's country. ¶ Male friendship fiction, class/rank themes, gender variance themes, historical fantasy (early nineteenth century), mentor fiction, military fiction, prisoner fiction. ¶ Online samples of fiction books. ¶ On-screen violence. ¶ Review.
Lija O'Brien: Staged Life. A turn-of-the-century girl on the run from her abusive uncle seeks refuge with a company of vaudeville actors. ¶ Female homoerotic fiction, male/female friendship fiction, male homoerotic fiction, family relationship themes, gender variance themes, historical fiction (post World War One), race/ethnicity themes, performing arts fiction. ¶ Fiction books. ¶ No warnings. ¶ Review.
Lucius Parhelion: Acquisitions and Mergers: The Four of Wands. (Warning: The linked blurb at the publisher's site has major spoilers.) As two scientists prepare for the sale of their laboratory, the protagonist finds he must introduce his friend to the undercover portion of his life. ¶ Male homoerotic fiction, employer/employee fiction, erotic love stories, historical fiction (post World War Two). ¶ Fiction e-books. ¶ On-screen sex. ¶ Review.
Dusk Peterson: Love in Dark Settings (assorted stories and nonfiction). My own fiction and nonfiction. Male homoerotic fiction, male friendship fiction, male/female friendship fiction, heterosexual fiction, BDSM fiction, class/rank themes, contemporary fiction, crime themes, employer/employee fiction, erotic fiction, erotic love stories, family relationship themes, fantasy, gender variance themes, historical fantasy, leather fiction, love stories, mental illness themes, mentor fiction, military fiction, prisoner fiction, prostitution fiction, race/ethnicity themes, satire, science fiction, servant fiction, slave fiction, spirituality themes, theater fiction. ¶ Online fiction and fiction e-books. ¶ Main Bookshelf: References to topics of sexuality. On-screen violence (some stories). High Bookshelf: On-screen sex (some stories). On-screen violence (some stories). ¶ Description.
Poisontaster: A Kept Boy. (Latest chapters.) The slave wants sex with his master. The master thinks that would be sexual abuse. ¶ Male homoerotic fiction, male friendship fiction, female homoerotic fiction, alternate universe, class/rank themes, erotic love stories, mental illness themes, real person fiction (CWRPS), shared universe (A Kept Boy), slave fiction. ¶ Online fiction. ¶ On-screen sex. References to topics of violence. ¶ Review.
Scribe: Roman Enslavement. A modern woman is sent back to Ancient Rome, where she immediately becomes prey to plots against her liberty. ¶ Heterosexual fiction, historical fantasy (Roman Era), erotic fiction, slave fiction, spirituality themes. ¶ Online fiction. ¶ On-screen sex. On-screen violence. (Site warning.) ¶ Review.
Mary Stewart: The Moon-Spinners. A young woman visiting Crete stumbles across a young man in hiding from killers. ¶ Heterosexual fiction, contemporary fiction, mysteries, love stories, crime themes, prisoner fiction, race/ethnicity themes. ¶ Online samples of fiction books. ¶ On-screen violence. ¶ Review.
Megan Whalen Turner: The Thief and the rest of the Thief series. There's more to a young thief than his prison-keepers realize. ¶ Male friendship fiction, male/female friendship fiction, heterosexual fiction, class/rank themes, fantasy, love stories, military fiction, prisoner fiction, servant fiction, spy fiction. ¶ Online samples of fiction books. ¶ On-screen violence. ¶ Review.
NONFICTION RESOURCES
>>> Masculinity, Crime, and Everyday Life in Victorian and Edwardian Times
* Web directory.
Added to the Prisons section:
Bidwell, Arthur. Bidwell's Travels from Wall Street to London Prison: Fifteen Years in Solitude (1897). American, but describes English prisons. Available through Google Books. After a brief spell in Newgate Prison, a famous forger is sentenced to penal servitude for life. He is sent first to Pentonville Prison and then to Chatham Prison. The memoir of the forger (who was pardoned after twenty years) includes a helpful description in Chapter XXXVIIII of the hierarchy and duties of prison officials.
No. 7. Twenty-Five Years in Seventeen Prisons: The Life-Story of an Ex-Convict (1903). English. Available through Google Books. Mixes humorous anecdotes with a balance of criticism and praise of the prison officials who watched over the author.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING FICTION
>>> Social networking profiles
New:
warfiction blog. Subscribe to the warfiction feed: RSS.
This blog carries update notices for the Main Bookshelf of this site (which includes all of the contents linked from the Suspenseful Friendship Fiction site), including notices of Main Bookshelf paperbacks, e-books, audio books, booktrailers, and online fiction.
This replaces my MySpace friendshipfiction blog, which I'll no longer be updating. (There's no significance to the name change except that LiveJournal doesn't accept blog names that are over fifteen characters.) Likewise, I will no longer be updating my MySpace duskpeterson blog, which has merely duplicated the notices I was sending out from my InsaneJournal and LiveJournal blogs.
>>> High Bookshelf Cover Art Gallery
A site banner has been added to the Love in Dark Settings section. A reminder: You're welcome to post any of my banners and covers at your sites, for the purpose of telling people about my writings. A link back to this domain would be appreciated.
>>> Winter Break Modified
Well, my time off the Web has turned out to be much more successful than I'd expected it to be. (Fifty-five thousand words written in November. That's my definition of successful.) As a result, I've modified my schedule to allow me to stay largely off the Web year-round. What this means (paradoxically) is that I'm publishing stories this winter. I'm still mainly offline, though, and still most easily reached by e-mail.
>>> Coming Next
The wartime fantasy novel Noble, in the Princeling series.
—Prosper felt the words like a blow. He sensed at once the change
in mood in the surrounding men and youths: the shifting of spear from left
hand to right, the movement of hand to hilt, the tensing of muscles in
preparation. ¶ A fantasy novella on temptation and redemption,
Mystery, is reposted at The Three Lands.
—"He looked as calm as ever, just as he had looked calm when he
spoke in the name of the god and raised the knife over me as I lay upon
the altar. . . ." ¶ Excerpts are posted from upcoming stories
at The Three Lands and Michael's House.
—He could not recognize most of the items before him, which he
instinctively knew was a bad sign. ¶ The first installment of
Whipster,
The
New Boy, is reposted as part of Michael's House, a historical fantasy
series on male prostitution.
—"The brothers of the Lawnville Leather/Levi Club always back each
other, no matter how dire the circumstances. As I was to learn shortly."
¶ Final installments are posted of the fantasy novel Blood Vow,
the historical fantasy novella Debt Price, and the contemporary
erotica collection Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers.
—Status: Private correspondence between first-ranked guards.
¶ Life Prison, Coded Messages, The New Boy,
What Slaves Do When They Aren't Cleaning Toilets, and First Lesson
are released as Amazon Kindle e-books.
—Virtually nobody knew what was happening at the jail. ¶
True
Tales e-zine links to narratives and erotic stories and art about hurricanes.
Need to know which stories and nonfiction feature platonic feelings, heterosexual or gay attraction, mature content, etc.? Read these explanations of the labels used below: What is the Main Bookshelf? | What is the High Bookshelf?
FICTION
>>>
The
Three Lands
* Main Bookshelf. Site content label. A fantasy series on friendship, romance, and betrayal in times of war and peace.
Reprint (online stand-alone novella):
Mystery. Three days ago he faced death by fire. Now he faces a bigger challenge
New installments (online novel):
Blood Vow. He has taken a blood vow to the Jackal God to bring freedom to his land by killing Koretia's greatest enemy. But what will he do when the enemy becomes his friend?
New excerpt:
Excerpt from the upcoming novel Law Links. Few events are more thrilling in a Koretian boy's life than a blood feud between two villages. Or so Adrian thought.
Update (online series resource):
The Chronology of the Three Lands of the Great Peninsula has been updated to take into account the events in Blood Vow and Mystery.
* High Bookshelf. Site content label. A historical fantasy series set in a land where the psychologists wield whips.
Fan fiction by another author:
Links to DevilChild's "In Darkness Chained" and "The Story of a Mouse" have been posted on a new page I've established for Fan Works of Dusk Peterson's Stories by Other Creators.
Yes, that's a hint to the rest of you fan creators. And for those of you who like to translate into other languages, here's another hint.
>>>
Life
Prison
* High Bookshelf. Site content label. A historical fantasy series about male desire and determination in Victorian prisons.
Reprints (online novella and novelette and Kindle e-books; can be read on their own or as part of the novel Mercy's Prisoner):
Mercy's Prisoner 1: Life Prison. In the unmerciful world of Mercy Prison, there is no rule but unending pain. For Merrick, the arrival of his new guard provides hope that he may break beyond the boundaries of his life prison. But appearances can be deceptive, and Merrick does not yet recognize the danger this guard poses to his future.
Mercy's Prisoner 2: Coded Messages. One of them rapes prisoners. The other wants to help prisoners. So why are they talking to each other?
Added to the Reviews page:
Review (with major spoilers) of Mercy's Prisoner 1: Life Prison by Elisa Rolle at her blog.
>>>
Michael's
House
* High Bookshelf. Site content label. A historical fantasy series set in an Edwardian slum.
Reprint (online novella and Kindle e-book; can be read on its own or as part of the novel Whipster):
Whipster 1: The New Boy. Running a business seemed a simple enough matter: you learned what the patron wanted, and you forced an employee to satisfy his needs. Then along came the new boy.
New excerpt:
Excerpt from an upcoming installment of the novel Whipster. Male prostitution has a new face, with an old score to pay.
Added to the Reviews page:
Four-star review of Whipster 1: The New Boy by British Bull Dog at Rainbow Reviews.
>>> Master/Other
* High Bookshelf. Site content label. Assorted stories.
Final installments (online historical fantasy novella):
Debt
Price. No one would pay his debt price to gain him release from prison.
So he sought to pay it himself by offering the only thing he could, his
body. But one man would require more.
Reprint (online stand-alone leather short story and Kindle-ebook):
What Slaves Do When They Aren't Cleaning Toilets: A Tale of Web Accessibility in the Cybersex Era. The first e-book in the world that presents Web accessibility information for the disabled in the form of a leather porn story.
Added to the Reviews page:
"Debt Price" at delicious.com.
Brief review of Twenty Thousand Gold Stars by Kat.
Brief reviews of What Slaves Do When They Aren't Cleaning Toilets at orig_slavefic.
>>> Loren's Lashes
*
High Bookshelf. Site content
label. In the rural town of Mayhill, population 32,000, leather
life is a little different.
Reprint (online novella and Kindle e-book; can be read on its own or as part of the Loren's Lashes series):
First Lesson. "He couldn't remember later why he began talking about bondage." When a security guard walks into the wrong bar in town, he learns about the dark side of erotic desire, and also about the hope that lies beyond it.
* Adults only. Site's warning page. The adventures of a suburban leatherman.
New story (online short story and Kindle e-book; can be read on its own or as part of the story collection Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers):
Leather,
Licking, and Lawnmowers 5: Pinned. A rude top and an interfering
family member prove to be an explosive combination at the Eagle bar.
In addition, the audio book edition of Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers is now available free.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF FICTION AND NONFICTION
>>> True Tales: An Erotic E-zine of Masculinity and Power
* Adults only e-zine. Site's warning page.
The September 2008 issue is dedicated to nonfiction narratives, erotic fiction, and erotic art on the theme of hurricanes.
>>> Essays
* High Bookshelf nonfiction.
New essay:
Editorials from True Tales: "'I Wasn't a Prisoner': Why the Fate of the Galveston County Prisoners Should Matter to Us" (freedom of expression & human rights).
>>> Transcend: Leather Spirituality News and Links
* High Bookshelf nonfiction.
The information on People of Leather Among You (PLAY) Los Angeles has been updated.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING FICTION
>>> Main Bookshelf resource
I've revived my duskdarkling.org domain (with a new title: Suspenseful Friendship Fiction) as an entryway to my Main Bookshelf sites. It has the same links to Main Bookshelf sites as at duskpeterson.com, but in a format specially designed for Main Bookshelf readers. Among other things, readers can now easily locate my Main Bookshelf fiction recommendations and nonfiction.
A reminder to Main Bookshelf readers: If you want to receive updates but prefer not to receive information on High Bookshelf stories and nonfiction, I have a friendshipfiction updates list and friendshipfiction blog for your needs. You can also Friend my MySpace friendshipfiction profile or my YouTube friendshipfiction profile. I try to make duskpeterson.com as friendly as possible to those of you who prefer not to be exposed to High Bookshelf stories and nonfiction; please do let me know if you have any needs I'm not meeting.
>>> Social networking profiles
I've added links to my profiles at LibraryThing, FetLife, and various video social networking sites.
>>> New tags
On the tags page that allows readers to browse by genre and theme, I've added tags for gender variance themes and for time periods (Dark Ages, etc.).
>>> Chronological listing of my writings
I've created a new page with a chronological listing of my published writings. If you're interested in tracing my development as a writer (starting from my preschool years), you can do so through this page.
>>> Credits
I've finally done what I should have done long ago: added proper credit to my beta readers, i.e. my editors and editorial assistants.
This task turned out to be roughly akin to cataloguing all the known G-type stars in the universe. If I've committed any mistakes or omissions, please do let me know.
>>> E-books
As you can see, I went wild and crazy with e-book publication during this past month. In particular, I got the first installment of Whipster reposted and published as an e-book. The novella Pleasure I've had to delay till next year, I'm afraid.
In an attempt to focus more closely on the editions that have been most successful, I've withdrawn all of the e-book editions of Bard of Pain and Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers except for the Kindle editions. If you need a copy of one of the editions that was withdrawn, just e-mail me.
>>> Cover Art Galleries
The Main Bookshelf cover art gallery and High Bookshelf cover art gallery have been updated with covers for current and upcoming stories.
>>> Site Map
If you remember a story's title but can't remember where you saw it at this domain, you can now locate it through the alphabetical site map to duskpeterson.com.
>>> Winter Break
As I did last year, I will be taking a break during the fall and winter from publishing in order to devote full time to research, writing, and editing (plus, the occasional Daily Life entry at my main blog). I'll be back in the spring with new stories.
If all goes well, I'll be on the Internet less. If you need to reach me urgently, please send e-mail to both me and my emergency contact.
>>> Coming Next Year
A reposting of the romantic fantasy story Right or Right at Darkling Plain. An expanded version of the science fiction slave novella Pleasure at Master/Other. New stories at The Three Lands, Princeling, From Hell to the Stars, The Eternal Dungeon, Life Prison, Michael's House, and Loren's Lashes. Plus (cross your fingers) paperbacks.
To receive notice of book publications and free online fiction, subscribe to one of Dusk Peterson's e-mail lists or blogs.
—"Do you have any questions about the instruments of torture I use?"
¶ Fantasy novellas on war, imprisonment, and slavery are reposted
at
Darkling Plain, Main Stream, The Eternal Dungeon,
and Master/Other.
—"They should be shot. Every one of them. Will, if I discover who
they are." ¶ Online excerpts are now available for upcoming installments
of The Eternal Dungeon and Life Prison, and for the upcoming
medieval science fiction novel From Hell to the Stars.
—"I don't believe I have ever spoken to you of my first master."
¶ A new booktrailer for the master/apprentice fantasy novella Crossing
the Cliff is released.
—"I did not say that I would serve you only on condition that you
not give me any hard tasks to do." ¶ The lord/liegeman fantasy
novel Blood Vow continues to be serialized at The Three Lands.
—"Honest to God, Lawnville College's Fall Cotillion isn't my usual
hunting ground." ¶ The next story installment of Leather,
Licking, and Lawnmowers is posted at Leather in Lawnville.
FANTASY STORIES
>>>
Darkling
Plain
* Main Bookshelf. Site content label.
The following novella has been reposted, with an accompanying booktrailer video:
Crossing the Cliff. After ten years as apprentice to a Peacesteward, the one thing Erastus is sure of is that he's ill-prepared to become a master. Unfortunately, he's about to discover just how ill-prepared he is.
When he and his master stray into forbidden territory, Erastus is thrust alone into a community that is on the brink of war. His only hope for bringing peace is to ally himself with a young boy . . . a boy who has stolen what Erastus values most.
>>>
The
Three Lands
* Main Bookshelf. Site content label.
New installments have been posted of the following novel:
Blood Vow. He has taken a blood vow to the Jackal God to bring freedom to his land by killing Koretia's greatest enemy. But what will he do when the enemy becomes his friend?
* Main Bookshelf.
The following upcoming story has been announced, with an online excerpt:
From Hell to the Stars. The tale of a bumbling but well-meaning fan who wants nothing more than to tag at the heels of his favorite author. Reluctantly, he follows that author into the prison of the damned, only to find himself in a world of cold mud, frozen lakes, and icy-hearted spirits. The fan (whose name is Dante) realizes to his horror that he is destined to be imprisoned in this frigid dungeon.
To escape from his self-imposed fate, Dante agrees to journey to the center of the earth, climb the highest mountain in the world, and travel through outer space. In the process, he will search for the man he once was, for the woman he loved and lost, and for the Emperor whose presence brings supreme joy or everlasting torture – depending on where Dante ends his journey.
This loose translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy seeks to restore the epic to its rightful place in early science fiction literature.
>>> Mainstream
* Main Bookshelf. Site content label.
The following novella has been reposted:
The Breaking. The prisoner knew that the Eternal Dungeon was a place where suspected criminals were broken by torture, and he was prepared to hold out against any methods used against him – except the method he could not anticipate.
* High Bookshelf. Site content label.
The first story ("The Breaking") in the following novel has been reposted. This is the same story that is linked above from Main Stream. In addition, an excerpt from an upcoming installment has been posted.
Rebirth. In the queendom of Yclau lies an underground royal prison that embraces the worst of the past and the best of the future. The Eternal Dungeon is old-fashioned in its equipment and ahead of its time in its treatment of prisoners, seeking to put their best welfare above all else. Torture is part of the process of assisting the prisoners.
The High Seeker, Layle Smith, embodies this contradictory institution: a man of deadly impulses, the head torturer binds himself strictly by the dungeon's code of conduct. His efforts to maintain this delicate balance are altered, though, by the introduction into his life of Elsdon Taylor, a vulnerable prisoner who is coming to terms with his own darkness.
This historical fantasy series explores dark aspects of erotic life and includes themes of gay love. But the series goes far beyond that by considering the deeper issues faced by all those who find that their friendships and desires are in conflict with their duties.
>>> Life Prison
* High Bookshelf. Site content label.
An excerpt from an upcoming installment of the following novel has been posted:
Mercy's Prisoner. A cold-hearted murderer. A vicious abuser. A young man hiding a shameful secret. A bewildered foreigner. A pure-minded spy.
All of these men have found their appointed places at Mercy Life Prison, where it is easy to tell who your enemies are. But a new visitor to Mercy is about to challenge decades-old customs. Now these men's worst enemies may be hiding behind masks . . . and so may their closest allies.
>>> Master/Other
* High Bookshelf. Site content label.
The following novella has been reposted. It is currently being serialized online.
Debt Price. No one would pay his debt price to gain him release from prison. So he sought to pay it himself by offering the only thing he could, his body. But one man would require more.
The following has been added to the Reviews page:
General recommendation (skip down to "Dusk") by Nigel Puerasch.
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
* Adults only. Site's warning page.
The following story has been posted to this site:
Leatherdar, part of the collection Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers. The narrator goes on the hunt at a college ballroom dance.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
>>> News on my fiction
Due to heavy family duties this summer, I'll be unable to get Whipster published this year. I'm very sorry for the delay. I'll be publishing the novel next spring.
>>> Coming Next Month
Final installments in the fantasy novel Blood Vow (Main Bookshelf), the historical fantasy novella Debt Price (High Bookshelf), and the contemporary fiction collection Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers (adults only). Repostings of the Three Lands fantasy novella on temptation and redemption, Mystery (Main Bookshelf), and the Master/Other science fiction novella on slavery, Pleasure (High Bookshelf). An excerpt from an upcoming prequel to Blood Vow.
To receive notice of book publications and free online fiction, subscribe to one of Dusk Peterson's e-mail lists or blogs.
—A new fantasy novel has been posted at The Three Lands with
an accompanying booktrailer video.
—The first two stories in a historical fantasy novel have been reposted
at Life Prison.
—A slavefic fantasy novella has been reposted at Master/Other.
—The next story installment is posted at Leather in Lawnville.
—True Tales e-zine plays tribute to a major leather author upon
his death.
FANTASY STORIES
>>>
The
Three Lands
* Main Bookshelf. Site content label.
The following online novel is currently being serialized weekly, with an accompanying booktrailer video:
Blood Vow. He has taken a blood vow to the Jackal God to bring freedom to his land by killing Koretia's greatest enemy. But what will he do when the enemy becomes his friend?
Thrust into exile and pain, young Andrew has no choice but to accept the friendship of the very person he had vowed to kill. When he returns with his friend to his homeland fifteen years later, though, he finds himself in a land of conflicting loyalties . . . where a vengeful god awaits him.
This novel is part of The Three Lands, a fantasy series set in a multicultural world where conflicts over law and spirituality provide opportunities for friendship and romance, and for betrayal.
>>> Life Prison
* High Bookshelf. Site content label.
The first two stories ("Life Prison" and "Coded Messages") in the following novel have been reposted:
Mercy's Prisoner. A cold-hearted murderer. A vicious abuser. A young man hiding a shameful secret. A bewildered foreigner. A pure-minded spy.
All of these men have found their appointed places at Mercy Life Prison, where it is easy to tell who your enemies are. But a new visitor to Mercy is about to challenge decades-old customs. Now these men's worst enemies may be hiding behind masks . . . and so may their closest allies.
Friendship, erotic desire between men, and the costs of corruption and integrity are examined in this multicultural historical fantasy series, which is based on late Victorian prison life.
>>> Master/Other
* High Bookshelf. Site content label.
The following novella has been reposted:
The True Master. In a society where the rank of master or slave defines every aspect of a person's being, what do you do when you're a master and you envy your slaves?
The following has been added to the Reviews page:
Recommendations of The Fool at orig_slavefic.
Recommendations of The Slavefic Plot Creator at orig_slavefic.
Review of Twenty Thousand Gold Stars by e-witness, with follow-up comments by other readers.
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
* Adults only. Site's warning page.
The following story has been posted to this site:
Bad Habit, part of the collection Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers. The narrator shows off his boy to a skeptic.
OTHER PEOPLE'S FICTION AND NARRATIVES
>>> True Tales: An Erotic E-zine of Masculinity and Power
* Adults only. Site's warning page.
The August 2008 issue links to texts, photography, and a video in tribute to Larry Townsend, late author of The Leatherman's Handbook. The issue includes links to interviews by Jack Rinella and Bob Wingate, as well as writings by Larry Townsend, Thomas Roche, Jack Fritscher, and others.
The following has been added to the Honors and Reviews page:
Editor's Pick review at GayDemon.
NONFICTION RESOURCES
>>> Essays
* Nonfiction. Site content label.
The following essay has been added:
Editorials from True Tales: "Bringing Leather Out of the Closet: Larry Townsend and the Legacy of The Leatherman's Handbook" (literary leather history).
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
>>> Blogs
Due to repeated difficulties with the LiveJournal feed to my InsaneJournal blog, I'm re-establishing duskpeterson at LiveJournal as a mirror to duskpeterson at InsaneJournal. Because of this, I'll no longer be posting to eternaldungeon at InsaneJournal, which leads to the eternaldungeon2 feed at LiveJournal. If you're subscribed to the eternaldungeon2 feed, please make the switch to duskpeterson at LiveJournal. If you're uneasy about Friending a personal journal, I also post story announcements at powerfic (but usually not site updates).
My apologies to those of you who joined eternaldungeon2 and now have to switch to duskpeterson.
My profound apologies to those of you who joined duskpeterson_ij, and then had to switch to eternaldungeon2, and now have to switch to duskpeterson.
As for those of you who were originally joined eternaldungeon at LiveJournal, and then had to join duskpeterson_ij, and then had to switch to eternaldungeon2, and now have to switch to duskpeterson . . . Will a free round-the-world vacation pay you back?
>>> News on my fiction
I've been reading online some rather sad comments along the lines of, "Where did my favorite story by Dusk Peterson go?" Alas, it's been taking me longer than I'd hoped to get the removed stories re-edited for book publication, so, from now through September, I'm going to be gradually placing back online the current versions of the stories I removed . . . "gradually," so as not to overwhelm new visitors with reading matter.
For the same reason, I've decided not to let my print publication plans delay my posting of online fiction in the future. I'll do my best to get stories online first, and then worry about getting the stories into print. This should solve the bottleneck problem I've been experiencing in getting new fiction to readers.
I appreciate the patience my readers have shown during my growing-pains period of moving into book publication.
This is all a long-winded way of saying that my first print book won't come out till next year (since my publishing season ends in September). It simply took me longer than I'd anticipated to go through the publishing process; plus, I had an unexpected family emergency that took much of my time this summer.
In addition (I admit shamefully), I continue to struggle to kick my Internet addiction. But I'm making progress on that.
>>> Coming Next Month
A new historical fantasy novel, Whipster (High Bookshelf). The next story installment of Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers (adults only). Repostings of the fantasy novella Crossing the Cliff (Main Bookshelf), the historical fantasy novella Rebirth 1: The Breaking (Main Bookshelf and High Bookshelf), and the historical fantasy novella Debt Price (High Bookshelf).
To receive notice of book publications and free online fiction, subscribe to one of Dusk Peterson's e-mail lists or blogs.
—A new online story is added to Leather in Lawnville.
—Fanvids are recommended at Buried Treasure.
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
* Adults only. Site's warning page.
The following online story has been added to this site:
Spontaneous, part of the collection Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers. Can an Old Guard top survive in a world with safe words?
The following has been added to the Reviews page:
Five-star review of Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers by British Bull Dog at Rainbow Reviews.
OTHER PEOPLE'S FICTION AND NARRATIVES
>>> Buried Treasure: Recommendations of Online Male Homoerotic Stories and Male Friendship Stories
* Fiction recommendations. Site content label.
A link to recommended fanvids (off-site) has been added to various pages of Buried Treasure. The videos are a mixture of male homoerotic and male friendship.
—Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers, a contemporary gay
erotica collection, is published.
—A satire on fan fiction authorship is posted at Master/Other.
—Bard of Pain is now an Amazon Kindle e-book.
—Buried Treasure now includes recommendations of online male
friendship stories and videos.
—Private Parlor is updated with a new slavefic review.
—A brief essay is posted on original gen, original het, and original
slash.
—Hermits' blogs are linked at the Web directory on solitude, simplicity,
and self-discipline.
—Updates are posted to my bibliography of Victorian and Edwardian history:
Boer War, boys' books, clothing, masculinities, prisons, and food.
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
* Adults only. Site's warning page.
The following collection has been published as an e-book and an audio book, with the first story posted online:
Leather, Licking, and Lawnmowers takes leathersex out of its usual bars and back alleys, setting it in unexpected locations: A 5&10. A potluck. A hamburger joint. A waltz party. Even when the leatherman who narrates these stories returns to the Eagle bar, things don't go quite the way he expected. . . .
Written by the former director of the Erotic Authors Association, who is also editor of True Tales: An Erotic E-zine of Masculinity and Power, this five-tale gay erotica collection includes the story "Spontaneous," runner-up for the 2006 Rauxa Prize for Erotic Fiction.
>>> Master/Other
* High Bookshelf. Site content label.
The following short story has been posted:
The Slavefic Plot Creator. When fan fiction writers have had way too much caffeine.
FANTASY STORIES
>>>
The
Three Lands
* Main Bookshelf. Site content label.
The following changes have been made to Bard of Pain:
Bard of Pain is now available as an Amazon Kindle e-book.
The audio book edition and plain text edition of Bard of Pain are now available free.
The price of the remaining Bard of Pain e-book editions has been lowered to 99 cents.
The following recommendations of Bard of Pain have been added to the reviews page:
"I find the characterisations so sharply delicious, dark and shocking and yet engaging. . . . I like to savour each part."
[Letter to the author by Clare London, author of Masquerade and The Gold Warrior, December 2007. See also the brief recommendation by Clare London (skip down to "Dusk") in an interview by Rainedelight.]
Review by K. M. Frontain, author of The Soulstone Chronicles and associate editor for Wild Child Publishing and Freya's Bower, at her blog.
OTHER PEOPLE'S FICTION AND NARRATIVES
>>> Buried Treasure: Recommendations of Online Male Homoerotic Stories and Male Friendship Stories
* Fiction recommendations. Site content label.
As the title change suggests, the site has been expanded to include male friendship stories. Reviews have been posted in the new sections to the following works: Robert A. Heinlein's science fiction espionage novel The Puppet Master; Thomas Mott Osborne's 1914 memoir Within Prison Walls, about a prison commissioner who had himself voluntarily incarcerated; Erich Maria Remarque's classic World War One novel All Quiet on the Western Front, and the film adaptation of that novel.
In the "Homoerotic Videos" section, links have been added to a Swedish video and to songs from a rock musical about bohemians living in Greenwich Village, Rent.
>>> Private Parlor: Online Male Homoerotic Fiction Recommendations by Guest Reviewers
* Fiction recommendations. Site content label.
A new guest review has been posted on the Fantasy page to Blind Scribe's "Slave Vengeance."
>>> True Tales: An Erotic E-zine of Masculinity and Power
* Adults only. Site's warning page.
News: True Tales was nominated for the 2008 Cybersocket Web Awards, in the category of Best Erotic E-zine.
NONFICTION RESOURCES
>>> Essays
* Nonfiction. Site content label.
The following essay has been added:
What is Original Gen, Original Het, and Original Slash? An essay on three genres that originated in the fan fiction community.
>>> The Leather Research Reference Shelf
* Web directory. Site content label.
Like many of my other nonfiction sites, the contents of this section are now available under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License.
In addition, the tables of contents for Midwest Bound have been changed to show the actual tables of contents for that e-zine. Up till now, that page had shown the tables of contents for Brat Attack. Oops.
>>> A Little List of Links on Solitude, Simplicity, and Self-Discipline
* Web directory.
A new section has been added with links to blogs.
>>> Masculinity, Crime, and Everyday Life in Victorian and Edwardian Times
* Web directory.
The URL for this bibliography has changed. A new page has been added on the military (including the Boer War), that is to say, the South African War. On the main index, a new section has been added for Boys' Books, while a Boy Scouts article on chivalry and morality has been added to the Masculinities section. Three books by prison commissioner Thomas Mott Osborne have been added to the Prisons section, two books on food inspection have been added to the Technology and Domestic Science section, and a historical study has been added to the Clothing section.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
>>> News on my fiction
I've had a fruitful winter, with further writing done of three series: The Three Lands, The Eternal Dungeon, and Life Prison. I'm planning to publish e-books and audio books in various series this year – and yes, paperback editions are still coming.
>>> E-mail lists
My e-mail lists friendshipfictionupdate and duskpetersonupdate, which carry announcements of my books and online fiction, will now also carry plain-text posts of all my published fiction. If you prefer not to receive fiction posts, you can join duskpetersonbooks instead, which will only carry announcements.
The store offering my books is now located within this domain.
>>> Contacting me
In my contact information, I've added an emergency contact for urgent e-mail.
Every now and then, I get an e-mail from a reader that starts, "I've been shy about writing to you . . ." Please don't be. I love getting letters on any topic. That line about "idle chit-chat" in my encouragement of e-mail is there for a reason.
If, by any chance, I miss sending you a reply to an e-mail or a blog post (my inbox is a mess at all times), please do send it to me again. Also, if you notice that I haven't replied to someone else's post at my blog, it may be that I've replied to them by e-mail. I don't deliberately ignore posts or e-mails. (Well, unless you're that guy who wants to sell me Viagra.)
Continue to
What's New 2007
This
text, or a variation on it, was originally published at duskpeterson.com.
Copyright © 2008 Dusk Peterson. Some rights reserved. The text is
licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0).
You may freely print, post, e-mail, share, or otherwise distribute the
text for noncommercial purposes, provided that you include this paragraph.
The author's policies on
derivative works and fan works are available online (duskpeterson.com/copyright.htm).
Cover designs: Dusk Peterson. Main
Bookshelf art credits. High
Bookshelf art credits. Permission is granted for the reposting and
reprinting of the banners, covers, and story summaries (blurbs) for the
purposes of providing information on Dusk Peterson's writings. Please link
to duskpeterson.com if possible.
