(This text was first published in “Claiming the Omega” by Ada Stuart)

Everybody says the second book is the worst to write. For me, it’s the fourth book that has proved the greatest struggle. Mostly because I want it to be perfect, and that goal for perfection keeps increasing for every book I write. I cringe when I read the first stories I published on Literotica, but at the same time, I like to know that my writing is constantly evolving.

Still, outside sources have dampened my writing. In July 2023, Amazon started banning my titles, one after the other. In retrospect, it was a prewarning of what was to come. Eventually, they kicked me out and banned all my books. Overnight, I lost 75% of my income. It was a brutal shock, particularly when they also withheld payments for the last three months. Money that I had already paid taxes for.

Needless to say, I wondered if I should just quit writing and spend my time doing something else. But just before this happened, I considered reducing my day job and starting to write full-time. Now, it was no longer an option I could consider.

Anyway, I’ve learned a lot from this experience. First and foremost, I know that I need a savings fund in case it happens again.

But I’ve also learned that you have to fight for what you believe in, even if fate doesn’t always give you what you want and doesn’t go your way. These lessons made it much easier for me to write Anya’s character in this story and describe her pain when forced to adjust to the forces around her. It also makes me realise how painful it is to change and how beneficial it might be to find new routes.

In Anya’s case, it worked out (because I wrote it that way – it’s one of the benefits of writing your own stories).

In my case, it has led me to sell my books directly from my website. That way, I will always be able to publish what I write. The alternative would be to start writing vanilla stories with no sex, and that is not an option.

So basically, I think Amazon did me a major favour. Particularly when I see 24 of my titles on the best-seller lists at Apple. It just tells me the most important thing: You and the rest of my readers are still there. And you keep buying and reading my books, which continues to astound me. I’m so grateful to each and every one of you. And the only way I can repay you is to keep writing.

In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy reading this story and become as fond of the characters as I have after living with them for two years.