R.N. Jayne's Blog: Inq Idly, page 3

I’m having that nightmare again—the one where I’m lost in the woods. Only I’m not on dry land: I’m underwater. The forest grows tentacles. These wooden jellyfish have arms like boughs. They reach for me. Tangle my hair. Pull me down.

Drowning, I choke on my love’s name. 

***

Phelia’s trying on a headpiece for her dungeon mistress Halloween costume. She fiddles with the formidable crown of spikes. I wonder who she wants to repel with this getup. Maybe she wants to pe...

Apartment by Teddy Wayne 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars, rounded up.

This page-turning character study, ode to loneliness, and quasi-exploration of toxic masculinity’s detrimental effect on guy-guy platonic relationships makes for a fascinating read. Author Teddy Wayne has an aptitude for displaying painful truths and sharp observations with candid, witty prose. Of all his novels, this is my favorite to-date.

I’ve often wondered at the inscrutable bonds shared between men, especially str...

Author’s Note: the following short story is a 500-word flash fiction. It contains allusions to violence and sensitive thematic material related to hate groups. Reader discretion is advised.

Daniel always did what he was told: Brahms told him to follow that liberal woman home, so he didn’t protest. When she pulled out her pepper spray, he was already goggle-clad to protect his eyes from the burst of ocular irritant. If Brahms had instructed him to speak, he would’ve asked th...

The day has finally arrived: my LGBTQ vampire novella Crimson (MASTER, Book 1) has returned to digital shelves worldwide (and, for the first time, it’s available in paperback on Amazon). I seriously cannot believe I pulled off this book revival at nearly 29 weeks pregnant, but this proves I’m tougher than I think. Rawr.

Last night, I debuted a book trailer to whet your appetite. It’s my first time out of the gate creating a video teaser on my own. I’d love to hear your opinio...

Luster by Raven Leilani

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Phenomenal read.

Raven Leilani possesses an offhand brilliance. Her prose flows smoothly, naturally; seemingly without effort. As a writer, I’m hyperaware of the hard work that goes into preparing a book for publication. But as I was reading this novel–nay, experiencing it–never once did I consider how many edits Luster must have endured to arrive at the completed stage.

Over a two-day period, I immersed myself in this modern tale of a doom-and...

‘Tis the season for things that go bump in the night (with a little bump ‘n’ grind on the side). Take a gander on my award-winning hybrid-genre novella: reimagined, re-edited, re-packaged…remastered. If you don’t mind a bit of bite to your read, Crimson might be just the thing to get you in the mood to scream.

Warning: Crimson contains triggering subjects such as sexual assault, violence, and various forms of abuse. In addition, the story features a couple of brief, yet explicit, sex scenes....

Eleven years ago, Crimson (MASTER, Book 1) was wrenched from the mewling cavern of my cacophonous brain, wiped free of bloody afterbirth, and sent sprawling into the chaos of the World Wide Web. This niche vampire novella seemed destined to remain an experiment in online-only publishing; until Summer 2020, when I decided it was time for my tween to gain substance–and a physical body, via paperback print-on-demand. The version of Crimson set to r...