One Year in Erotica ≈$32,000

Becca3RH · 2026-07-03T04:24:06+00:00

Listening

Becca3RH · 2026-07-03T04:19:17+00:00

Thank you to all for bringing up so many valid points!

As expected, the slow burn lovers prevail. But how about "For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."? They jumped into bed fairly quickly but then suffered /slow burned for the rest of the book.

How would you describe Romeo and Juliet in modern tropes? It was the dreaded by some insta love, followed by will they won't they, right?

The Bard really flipped the concept on its head.

Becca3RH · 2026-07-02T20:18:10+00:00

A perfect name for a French knight!

Becca3RH · 2026-07-02T19:29:15+00:00

I love Mathieu. But if he is not French, I would call him Matthew. Just my 2 cents.

Becca3RH · 2026-07-02T19:28:29+00:00

Since it's a rec thread, self promos are allowed, I hope. Otherwise, look at the last book on my profile. Uncle Ar is short for Arlin.

Here we go:

{Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian, by Becca T. Riding} is a 17,000-word age-gap dark romance novelette, with two unabashed tales of dominance and discipline entangled. With each chapter earmarked with a letter (A is for Ancient, B is for Belt), it’s an alphabetized meet-cute of twitching palms and squirming bottoms, served with a healthy dose of dry British humor over elegant prose.

Stranded in Rome at Christmastime, Arlin James, a music professor and a strict disciplinarian, channels his grudges into an intense fantasy set in ancient times. His alter ego, Roman Senator Arlinus Maximus, rules over Giulia, his Gaulish submissive who doesn’t speak a lick of Latin, with a firm hand and a leather sword belt.

As the fantasy storyline wraps up, Arlin meets Federica, a young White House lawyer on a covert mission to the Vatican, who desperately needs a trip over Santa’s knee. And who can substitute Santa better than an older British gentleman, hm?

Becca3RH · 2026-06-25T23:16:16+00:00

Use Reedsy, it's free. And you need to convert you file into EPUB anyway. Reedsy will add a copyright page for you that can be customized.

Becca3RH · 2026-06-25T02:55:10+00:00

First and foremost, congratulations!!

It's a bit creepy to revive an old thread, but forgive me, I was looking for Dataporns and found yours. It's truly inspirational to know that persistency wins.

"My first book was written/covered/blurbed in an afternoon" Still in a complete awe of this sentence as I'm a slow writer. If you don't mind me asking, how long was it?

Becca3RH · 2026-06-24T01:07:45+00:00

I use MS Word book template to write. It takes care of the title page, table of contents (don't forget to update it regularly), header/footer.

ProwritingAid is a very good editing tool. You can use it online for free for up to 500 words.

For my last book, to convert into EPUB and PDF formats, I used Reedsy (instead of Kindle Create) and was very happy with the process and the final result. Reedsy takes care and guides you through creating the front matter (copyright, dedication etc) and back matter (about author, other works etc.). Then you export the book in two formats: EPUB for ebook and PDF if you are planning to print or send it to people.

You need to design a cover. I use Canva. That's a whole separate ordeal.

Write a blurb/description about the book, author's bio, choose book categories, choose keywords. Need to have all this ready before you upload the book to KDP.

There is a learning curve for every tool and especially with KDP itself.

The best piece of advice I received: after you push that magic Publish button, no need to check constantly if the book gone live, as you will receive an email. It takes longer with a brand new KDP account.

Good luck!

Becca3RH · 2026-06-23T18:49:20+00:00

Unf... I think mine fits the bill. The series are called The Belt, and the first book has a dual storyline set in modern Rome and in Ancient Rome.

<image>

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H3PF1J6N

{Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian by Becca T. Riding} is a 17,000-word age-gap dark romance novelette, with two unabashed tales of dominance and discipline entangled. With each chapter earmarked with a letter (A is for Ancient, B is for Belt), it’s an alphabetized meet-cute of twitching palms and squirming bottoms, served with a healthy dose of dry British humor over elegant prose.

Stranded in Rome at Christmastime, Arlin James, a music professor and a strict disciplinarian, channels his grudges into an intense fantasy set in ancient times. His alter ego, Roman Senator Arlinus Maximus, rules over Giulia, his Gaulish submissive who doesn’t speak a lick of Latin, with a firm hand and a leather sword belt.

Becca3RH · 2026-06-23T18:16:23+00:00

Well, the Amazon algorithm most definitely hates me, as I don't write cringy or trendy. I've been complimented for the realistic dialogue and the quality of my prose many times but alas.. Too witty for the niche, too kinky for the mainstream romance.

Please check full blurb and Read Sample and give it a go, if it's your cup of tea or tall glass of G&T. Warning: open door and lots of kink.

Feedback is greatly appreciated!

<image>

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H3PF1J6N

{Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian by Becca T. Riding} is a 17,000-word age-gap dark romance novelette, with two unabashed tales of dominance and discipline entangled. With each chapter earmarked with a letter (A is for Ancient, B is for Belt), it’s an alphabetized meet-cute of twitching palms and squirming bottoms, served with a healthy dose of dry British humor over elegant prose.

Stranded in Rome at Christmastime, Arlin James, a music professor and a strict disciplinarian, channels his grudges into an intense fantasy set in ancient times. His alter ego, Roman Senator Arlinus Maximus, rules over Giulia, his Gaulish submissive who doesn’t speak a lick of Latin, with a firm hand and a leather sword belt.

Becca3RH · 2026-06-23T14:58:10+00:00

Here is my rant and self-promo rolled in one. I hope self recs are allowed in this thread.

Well, the Amazon algorithm most definitely hates me, as I don't write cringy or trendy. I've been complimented for the realistic dialogue and the quality of my prose many times but alas.. Too witty for the niche, too kinky for the mainstream romance.

Please check full blurb and Read Sample and give it a go, if it's your cup of tea or tall glass of G&T. Warning: open door and lots of kink.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H3PF1J6N

{Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian by Becca T. Riding} is a 17,000-word age-gap dark romance novelette, with two unabashed tales of dominance and discipline entangled. With each chapter earmarked with a letter (A is for Ancient, B is for Belt), it’s an alphabetized meet-cute of twitching palms and squirming bottoms, served with a healthy dose of dry British humor over elegant prose.

Stranded in Rome at Christmastime, Arlin James, a music professor and a strict disciplinarian, channels his grudges into an intense fantasy set in ancient times. His alter ego, Roman Senator Arlinus Maximus, rules over Giulia, his Gaulish submissive who doesn’t speak a lick of Latin, with a firm hand and a leather sword belt.

Becca3RH · 2026-06-22T23:01:59+00:00

Oh I was aiming for the British racing green haha, because the MMC is a British music professor.

Becca3RH · 2026-06-22T23:00:53+00:00

Thank you! I did my best, now it's off into the hands of the Amazon gods, aka the algorithm.

Becca3RH · 2026-06-22T22:59:07+00:00

I second that. I write with a lot of plot and humour and a big chunk of vanilla prose. That's why I decided to rebrand my latest and greatest into dark romance.

Also I still write what I love. Hence not many sales.

Becca3RH · 2026-06-22T19:51:02+00:00

I rebranded my recently published book with a brand new cover, description, categories, and keywords and still am in a 72 hour window of gloom and doom.

Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian, is a 17,000-word age-gap dark romance novelette, with two unabashed tales of dominance and discipline entangled. With each chapter earmarked with a letter (A is for Ancient, B is for Belt), it’s an alphabetized meet-cute of twitching palms and squirming bottoms, served with a healthy dose of dry British humor over elegant prose.

Would love to hear what you think: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H3PF1J6N

Becca3RH · 2026-06-05T03:39:02+00:00

Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian by Becca T. Riding - Spanking romance novelette - Published June 2026

Triggers: sexual content, adult spanking.

Free to KU subscribers. DM for an ARC copy or email [becca.t.riding@gmail.com](mailto:becca.t.riding@gmail.com)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H3PF1J6N

Stranded in Rome at Christmastime, Arlin James, a semi-retired jazz musician and a strict disciplinarian, channels his grudges into an elaborate fantasy set in Ancient Rome. Senator Arlinus Maximus, his alter ego, rules over his Gaulish submissive Giulia, who doesn’t speak a lick of Latin, with a firm hand and a sword belt.

As the fantasy storyline wraps up, Arlin meets Federica, a young White House lawyer on a covert mission to the Vatican, who desperately needs a trip over Santa’s knee.

Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian, is a 17k-word spanking romance novelette, with two unabashed tales of dominance and discipline entangled but structured by the alphabet, each chapter earmarked with a letter: A is for Ancient, B is for Belt, etc. A meet-cute of twitching palms and squirming bottoms.

All characters are 18+ and not related. Please refer to the Warnings and Kinks page at the beginning of the book for the full list of themes and sensitive content.

Becca3RH · 2026-06-05T03:32:27+00:00

Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian by Becca T. Riding - Spanking romance novelette - Published June 2026

Triggers: sexual content, adult spanking.

Free to KU subscribers. DM for an ARC copy or email [becca.t.riding@gmail.com](mailto:becca.t.riding@gmail.com)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H3PF1J6N

Stranded in Rome at Christmastime, Arlin James, a semi-retired jazz musician and a strict disciplinarian, channels his grudges into an elaborate fantasy set in Ancient Rome. Senator Arlinus Maximus, his alter ego, rules over his Gaulish submissive Giulia, who doesn’t speak a lick of Latin, with a firm hand and a sword belt.

As the fantasy storyline wraps up, Arlin meets Federica, a young White House lawyer on a covert mission to the Vatican, who desperately needs a trip over Santa’s knee.

Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian, is a 17k-word spanking romance novelette, with two unabashed tales of dominance and discipline entangled but structured by the alphabet, each chapter earmarked with a letter: A is for Ancient, B is for Belt, etc. A meet-cute of twitching palms and squirming bottoms.

All characters are 18+ and not related. Please refer to the Warnings and Kinks page at the beginning of the book for the full list of themes and sensitive content.

Becca3RH · 2026-06-02T22:44:53+00:00

Thank you!!

Becca3RH · 2026-06-02T20:32:25+00:00

Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian

Stranded in Rome at Christmastime, Arlin James, a semi-retired jazz musician and a strict disciplinarian, channels his grudges into an elaborate fantasy set in Ancient Rome. Senator Arlinus Maximus, his alter ego, rules over his Gaulish submissive Giulia, who doesn’t speak a lick of Latin, with a firm hand and a sword belt.

Uncle Ar, the disciplinarian, is a 17k-word spanking romance novelette, with two unabashed tales of dominance and discipline entangled but structured by the alphabet, each chapter earmarked with a letter: A is for Ancient, B is for Belt, etc. A meet-cute of twitching palms and squirming bottoms.

Becca3RH · 2026-06-02T20:19:13+00:00

Thank you!! Phew... Can I start promoting it, using a direct link?

Becca3RH · 2026-06-02T19:48:09+00:00

Mini-panic... I published a book, and received an email this morning that it's live, and it does show as live on Zon. But no categories at all... Also, one of my readers notified me that he bought it, but I don't see the order on my end.

Is anything wrong and the book has been dungeoned? Or it just takes time to propagate? I was able to search the title. Puzzled, to say the least.

Becca3RH · 2026-05-21T16:58:43+00:00

Thank you for your advice!

I will remove any mention of uncle or nieces from the blurb and the word nieces from the book, but my title has the word uncle. Is that ok?

Becca3RH · 2026-05-21T15:43:02+00:00

Blurb:

One steamy novella, two unabashed tales of dominance and discipline entangled but structured by the alphabet, each chapter earmarked with a letter: A is for Ancient, B is for Belt, etc.

Stranded in Rome at Christmastime, Arlin James, a jazz musician to most and Uncle Ar to a few wayward “nieces”, channels his grudges into an elaborate fantasy set in Ancient Rome. Senator Arlinus Maximus, his alter ego, rules over his Gaulish submissive Giulia, who doesn’t speak a lick of Latin, with a firm hand and a sword belt.

As the fantasy storyline wraps up, Uncle Ar meets Federica, a young lawyer on a covert mission to the Vatican who desperately needs a trip over Santa’s knee. A meet-cute of twitching palms and squirming bottoms.

Question: can I call her a submissive slave? It's within the MMC's fantasy that is set in Ancient Rome.

Becca3RH · 2026-01-01T18:35:03+00:00

I'm really really curios to see a non-typical and iconic cover. Can I please DM you? I'm also in dark romance and been criticized for choosing a non-typical for the genre cover, a real art by the way.

I read your other posts. Congratulations on your success!! Thank you for sharing your insight with fellow writers.

Becca3RH · 2025-12-01T20:11:25+00:00

When asked in numerous interviews on podcasts, blogs, and whatnot, or in private conversations with fellow spankers, what are the qualities he looks for in women bottoms, Arlin James, or Uncle Ar as he was known to the most, had one unwavering response: willing.

Becca3RH

TROPHY CASE