Hello, Delilah! Thank you for inviting me here today to share my good news! Well, news. As your readers know, I write a lot of books.
A lot.
Which means writing an insane number of words.
Nuts.
In 2014, I wrote a million words. In 2015, I found an editor and worked with her to edit those words, so my word count decreased. In 2019, it started to creep back up. Come 2020, and the pandemic, and I was in my sweet spot. Last year? 832k words.
So, a crap-ton of words.
My first short story was published in 2016. My second short story was published in 2019 with The Wild Rose Press. My first toe dips into the world of traditional publishing. 2020 was my breakout year in terms of getting out there — I had two novellas under one pen name and a novel under another. Plus, a short story in a charity anthology. For me, this was HUGE. I was so freaking happy. My dreams were coming true.
Reality hit pretty soon that publishing a novella with a small press, although very gratifying, wasn’t going to help me break even with all the things I was discovering writers needed (website, newsletter mail service, marketing just to name a few). I kept at it, though. I wrote another novella and a novel for them. Then I wrote a novel that I wanted to keep for myself. That book, Ginger Snapping All the Way is still my best seller.
Yet I continue to work with The Wild Rose Press because they gave me a start. My Past, Your Future was my debut novella. February 2020. I was watching cable news and seeing worrying things across the globe. Little did I know what was coming. Or that the next few years would be all virtual releases. I attended my first signing in summer 2024. By then, I had a table full of books I’d published during the pandemic. COVID was good to me in that I discovered things I didn’t know about myself. Like that, I could, in fact, write at home (I always believed I had to be at a café or restaurant). That I could self-publish (I always believed I needed a publisher). That I could find some success writing in a subgenre I never anticipated (those million words in 2014 were not gay romances).
And now I’m celebrating 5 years in the publishing business.
What does that look like for me? Across my three pennames? 24 novels, 19 novellas, 35 short stories, and 23 audiobooks published as of this month. Plus, tons more to come.
Yeah. That.
So, I’m here to wave and say, “Yeah, I did that.”
Quickly — I was offered the opportunity to write a story to enter a promo where I could collect emails to send interested people my newsletters. I’d never done that, but I sat down and wrote a 32k story. If Catch a Tiger by the Tail is the HEA for Peter and Thomas, then Solstice Surprise is what happens after the happily after ever. I love the novella and have given away thousands of copies for free. I’m offering you a link to that story and encourage you to grab it.
Thank you, Delilah, for hosting me and letting me raise a glass of bubbly (although I don’t drink – does sparkling apple cider count?). Here’s to five more years of insane writing and publishing schedules as I share my stories with everyone. I would love to hear your readers comments. Drop a note in the chat — how often do you want to see your favorite writer drop a book? What’s too much? What’s not enough and you lose interest? I’d love your perspective. As a thank you, one winner — chosen by random — will win a copy of my novella Catch a Tiger by the Tail. Good luck!
Catch a Tiger by the Tail
Thomas Walsh knows the number one rule in the film industry. Don’t get involved with the talent. But resisting the urge to take the big screen to the bedroom can be hell when the lead actor on the set looks good enough to eat…one slow lick at a time.
Peter Erickson’s latest role as a gay man hits a little too close to home. He’s still in the closet and secretly grieving the death of his lover. Then an enchanting production assistant catches his eye, and he’s surprised by the instant attraction that stirs more than his wounded soul.
When the two men are caught on camera in a very intimate pose, both Thomas and Peter are afraid they’ve caught a tiger by the tail.
Links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Catch-Tiger-Tail-One-Scoop-ebook/dp/B088QS34BX
Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/m0vKLJ
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/catch-a-tiger-by-the-tail-6
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/catch-a-tiger-by-the-tail-gabbi-grey/1137046121
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/catch-a-tiger-by-the-tail/id1517323369
Publisher: https://www.thewildrosepress.com/books/catch-a-tiger-by-the-tail
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Gabbi_Grey_Catch_a_Tiger_by_the_Tail?id=0NDpDwAAQBAJ&gl=US
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54021421-catch-a-tiger-by-the-tail
Solstice Surprise (Free book!)
A blizzard, an urgent plea, a desperate journey, and the most important moment of their lives. Action movie star Peter Erickson is spending the Christmas holidays ensconced with his in-laws and his new husband. In the wilds of Northern British Columbia, they are as far away from the bustle of the city as they can get. Thomas Walsh and his famous husband are deeply in love. Although he prefers the intimacy of their city house, he’s come home to face the reason he left ten years ago, and to finally tell his parents the truth. A desperate phone call has the couple scrambling. Will they get back to Vancouver in the middle of a snowstorm in time for their solstice surprise?
Links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Solstice-Surprise-Gabbi-Grey-ebook/dp/B092RPV9GL
Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/baZBzq
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/solstice-surprise-1
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/solstice-surprise/id1563607945
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/solstice-surprise-gabbi-grey/1139304336
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1295009
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Gabbi_Grey_Solstice_Surprise?id=qh1gEQAAQBAJ&gl=US
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57765791-solstice-surprise
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.
Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up: https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1M
Audible Profile: https://www.audible.com/author/Gabbi-Grey/B07SJVFX1M
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
