Author: Claire Houck

The owner of Duck Prints Press LLC.
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Drinks and Meddling Friends and Pining, Oh My! An Excerpt from “Hockey Bois” by A. L. Heard

A graphic advertising a book. A pint glass of pale beer sits on a wooden surface with wood walls in the background. Overlaid text reads: Slow Burn Pining + Meddling Friends? Pour yourself a tall glass of your favorite tropes with HOCKEY BOIS by A. L. Heard. “Dating anyone?” Max asked. It was casual, the obvious next step in his line of questioning, but Nick could sense Jenna’s meddling at work. “No,” Nick said with a note of finality that he knew none of his cousins would heed. “There’s a hot guy on his team he wants to bone,” Terry said. At the bottom of the graphic, text reads "Pre-Orders End December 10th" and the Duck Prints Press logo is in the lower right corner.

We’re celebrating the success of our plea for signal boosts about our project to fund publishing of a new edition of Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard with a tall, cold pint, some pining, and an excerpt! In the last 24 hours, we’ve gone from 50% funded and in serious danger of not meeting our goals before December 10th to 97% funded and likely to hit our base goal TODAY! A huge HUGE thank you to everyone who helped spread the word – we truly couldn’t have done it without you.

“Dating anyone?” Max asked. It was casual, the obvious next step in his line of questioning, but Nick could sense Jenna’s meddling at work.

“No,” Nick said with a note of finality that he knew none of his cousins would heed.

“There’s a hot guy on his team he wants to bone,” Terry said.

If y’all have been following this campaign, you already know who Nick wants to bone – that’d be Brady, the main love interest! – but if you want to know how his meddling cousins and friends fit in and just how slow this burn ends up being for poor Nick, you’ll have to get the book!

Pre-order Hockey Bois TODAY – Before Time Runs Out!

Reminder: people who back our Patreon at the $10/month and $25/month level get an exclusive bonus – an acrylic standee of Nick and Brady! It’s too cute to skip, so if you love Hockey Bois and you’re not a backer yet, there’s no time like the present to support Duck Prints Press’s indie publishing monthly!

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Help Us Get Our Novel’s Pre-Order Campaign Funded!

There are three days left on our crowdfunding campaign for Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard. This awesome mlm hockey sports-romance novel has been previously published, but we’ve completely revised it and are aiming to publish it in hardcover format for the first time. But we need your help! It’s December 7th, and our campaign ends on December 10th, and we’ve only raised 50% of our funding target of $2,800.

We’re looking to sell approx. $1,400 worth of copies of this awesome book and related merchandise before the campaign ends on December 10th – but you can help us without spending a penny! How? SHARE THIS POST! The deciding factor in every crowdfunding campaign is visibility and exposure – even if you don’t want it, someone who follows you might, but they’ll never know it exists if they never see information about it!

Please, please help us get the word out about Hockey Bois by reblogging/sharing this post on your platform of choice. Thank you in advance!

And, now that we’ve caught your attention…THE BOOK!

A graphic for advertising a book. The background shows an icy water surface, like a rink, in a gradient from deep blue to nearly white. The ice is cut up as if people have been skating on it, and it reflects light. A book cover is centered over the background graphic. The title of the book is "Hockey Bois: A Beer League Romance" and the author is "A. L. Heard." The image on the book cover shows two men from the back. They are in a loose embrace, one with an arm over the other's shoulder, the other with his arm around the first's waist. They're wearing hockey helmets and jerseys that read "Jensen 68" and "Porter 12," and there are hearts in red, white, and blue floating around them. Text above the book cover reads "Hockey Bois: A Beer League Romance by A. L. Heard." The book cover is surrounded by arrows that point to text. This text reads: "hockey players are sexy af" "meddling friends and family" "emotionally constipated idiots to lovers" "m/m" "grumpy x sunshine" "mutual pining" "slooooow burn" At the bottom of the graphic, text reads "Pre-orders close DECEMBER 10th!"

Nick Porter has always loved hockey. Ever since he can remember, it’s been his favorite thing in the world. It’s too bad he never learned to play, he’d tell himself, but it was too late to do it now. Adults don’t just magically learn to skate and join a hockey team. That’d be ridiculous.

Except maybe they do? On a whim, he decides to sign up for an adult beginner’s class. He learns to skate, joins a team, and meets a really hot teammate… and it’s pretty much a disaster from there on out.

What can you get?

Can’t decide what to get? We have bundles for that…

Visit our pre-order campaign page to read all the details, access the shop listings, and get your books and swag NOW!

Want to help us spread the word? Here are some links to platforms where our posts are shareable!

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MC + ML First Meeting: An Excerpt from “Hockey Bois” by A. L. Heard

A graphic with text that reads "Brady and Nick: First Meeting" followed by an excerpt: “How many league games have you played?” Brady asked, eyes narrowed as he gave Nick a discerning once over. “Can I count tonight?” “Oh, for fuck’s sake—” Brady rubbed a hand over his face and mouthed a silent prayer. He focused on Nick again before demanding, “You play D?” Nick blinked in surprise and suppressed a laugh. Him? Play defense? Yikes. Though he probably shouldn’t say “yikes” about his own play out loud, at least not to this guy. Text at the bottom reads: Want to learn how Nick and Brady go from here to OTP? Pre-order Hockey Bois before Dec. 10th and find out!" The background shows a vacant hallway like that found in the performer/athlete part of a stadium, with old fluorescent lighting that casts everything in browns and yellows. The Duck Prints Press logo is in the bottom corner.

Some couples start out with instant fireworks and mutual interest. Nick and Brady, the MC (main character) and ML (main love interest) in Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard? Not so much, unless those fireworks are being caused by the friction…

“How many league games have you played?” Brady asked, eyes narrowed as he gave Nick a discerning once over.

“Can I count tonight?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake—” Brady rubbed a hand over his face and mouthed a silent prayer. He focused on Nick again before demanding, “You play D?”

Nick blinked in surprise and suppressed a laugh. Him? Play defense? Yikes.

Though he probably shouldn’t say “yikes” about his own play out loud, at least not to this guy.

How does Brady get from “loudly judging” to “I love you”? You’ll have to read Hockey Bois to find out! Check out the crowdfunding campaign now to learn all about the book and awesome extras we’re offering!!

We’re only 50% funded with a mere four days left, so we could really use your help – please do signal boost our posts about this project. We want to see this new edition of this awesome book go to print!

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Playing a Pick-Up Game: A “Hockey Bois” Excerpt

A background image of a person in full hockey gear and a plain white jersey playing hockey with text overlaid. The text reads: "Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard: Excerpt." The text of the excerpt is: “Nice of you to join us, Brady,” the guy in charge of the pick-up game barked. “It’s not like we’re paying by the minute here.” “Fuck off,” Brady grumbled. “Ray of sunshine as always,” the guy shot back and, with a wave, dismissed him to the scoreboards. “You’re lucky you make my numbers even.” Brady glided right to Nick as if there were nowhere else he’d go. Nick ignored the way his pulse quickened and how Brady’s presence put him at ease. Text at the bottom of the image reads: "Pre-Orders Open Until December 10th!"

In A. L. Heard’s mlm sports romance Hockey Bois, protagonist Nick spends a lot of time playing hockey…and pining for sexy teammate Brady. Today’s excerpt gives a splash of our main character and main love interest in their preferred environment: a hockey rink!

“Nice of you to join us, Brady,” the guy in charge [of the pick-up game] barked. “It’s not like we’re paying by the minute here.”

“Fuck off,” Brady grumbled.

“Ray of sunshine as always,” the guy shot back and, with a wave, dismissed him to the scoreboards. “You’re lucky you make my numbers even.”

Brady glided right to Nick as if there were nowhere else he’d go. Nick ignored the way his pulse quickened and how Brady’s presence put him at ease.

Curious just how long Nick is going to (claim to) ignore the way his pulse quickens when he sees Brady? You’ll have to read the book to find out just how slow the slow burn is. Pre-order your copy of Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard now!

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Recent Campaigns: Project Updates!

We’ve been working hard on fulfillment our three most recent successful crowdfunding campaigns: Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers,” Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley, and To Drive the Hundred Miles by Alec J. Marsh.

Aim For The Heart: Fulfillment of this Kickstarter campaign is now complete; we updated the Kickstarter to this effect two weeks ago. 95% of backer orders have been shipped; the remaining few, we are waiting for information from the backer. We anticipate the e-book becoming available through our webpage and distribution network in January, and we also hope to be able to offer print options as well.

Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley: You may recall that fulfillment was delayed on this campaign as a result of an error in the initial production run of the enamel pin. I’m pleased to report that the replacements have been manufactured and are on their way to us now! Delivery is estimated for Friday, December 8th. We’ll be aiming to fill purchaser orders over the coming weekend and to put orders in the mail on the morning of Monday, December 11th.

To Drive the Hundred Miles by Alec J. Marsh: this crowdfunding campaign is now complete, the first we’ve ever run from start to finish on our own webpage! Backer rewards went in the mail this morning (December 4, 2023) and e-books were sent to the purchasers’ e-mail address. Thanks to everyone who supported the campaign, and we hope you love your orders.

Our current campaign is Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard; we are aiming to raise $2,800 by December 10th and we’re about half-way to our goal as I type this. Love what we do? Don’t forget to check it out!

Our next crowdfunding campaign is slated for launch on Kickstarter on December 26th, 2023: Aether Beyond the Binary, an anthology of 18 short stories about characters whose gender is outside the binary exploring modern and near-modern worlds suffused with magical aether! You’re not gonna want to miss it, so be on the lookout for our campaign announcement, cover reveal, and more!

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Recent Releases from Duck Prints Press!

An informational graphic with 7 rectangular book covers over a simple gradient background from blue to pink. A header reads "November New Releases from Duck Prints Press." The book covers are: "The Lightkeeper and the Sea" by Zel Howland; "Sarisa" by N. C. Farrell; "Pour One Out" by A. J. Ash; "The Wayward Timekeeper" by Terra P. Waters; "Orchidelirium" by Dei Walker; "What Monsters Need" by Lyn Weaver; and "Pretty 7 Days a Week" by R. L. Houck. At the bottom of the graphic, text reads "Become a Patreon Backer and Read These Short Stories and Many Others NOW!"

November marks the first month when all of Duck Prints Press’s new short story releases are direct to Patreon!

How do short story releases now work?

Formerly, we published two short stories to Patreon and between four and eight short stories to our website each month. However, after considering the purchasing patterns of our customers and Patreon backers, we’ve decided to consolidate these releases and only publish short stories to Patreon (and authors are paid a lump sum instead of royalties). We will aim for six stories a month, though may sometimes publish more if we didn’t hit our target in a previous month (for example, we didn’t publish six in October, so we are publishing an extra in November). The level at which each story is released is determined randomly. What level people back at determines how many stories they receive each month!

All Backers: receive one general imprint short story per month
All backers at the $5/month level and up: receive one additional general imprint short per month
All backers at the $7/month level and up: receive one additional general imprint short story + one explicit imprint short story per month
All backers at the $10/month level and up: receive one additional story per month, which may be from either imprint
$25/month backers: receive all short stories we release every month!

Put another way, $3/month = 1 story; $5/month = 2 stories; $7/month = 4 stories; $10/month = 5 stories; and $25/month = 6 stories.

This is in addition to all the other backer rewards we offer, such as behinds-the-scenes access, Discord membership, webstore discounts, free merchandise, bonus stories, and more!

November General Imprint Releases

A book cover. The background is a mottled tan parchment tone. Blue triangles in each corner bear a simple motif resembling a very stylized peacock. An ornate decorative graphic with elegant swirls is centered at the top. At the bottom is the Duck Prints Press logo. The title of the book is “The Lightkeeper and the Sea” and the author is Zel Howland. Text below the title reads: “Fantasy Horror Dark Comedy * F/NB * Capitalism is the Real Villain * Elderly Main Character.”

Title: The Lightkeeper and the Sea
Author: Zel Howland

F/NB, Eerie Fantasy with a Healthy Splash of Dark Humor, End-of-Life Decisions, Corporations are Evil Actually, Ambiguous Ending

The elderly Lightkeeper of Beaufort Spire is suffering from terminal cancer, so a representative from RIXACOM Corp comes to the lighthouse to discuss the contractual obligations related to her death. Unbeknownst to the corporate crony, though, there is a third presence in Beaufort Spire on this fateful day…

Available to Backers at the $5/month level and up!

Title: Sarisa
Author: N. C. Farrell

Friendship Between the Like-Minded, Bigender Main Character who Uses She/Her and He/Him Pronouns, Mecha and Space Battles

Lu and the crew of maintenance workers she leads in maintaining the mecha Sarisa have been waiting for sometime for Sarisa’s new pilot to be ready to take the mecha’s helm.

Today, Carina arrives.

Lu was expecting someone like the previous pilot who died in the line of duty; he was not expecting Carina.

Available to Backers at the $7/month level and up!

A book cover. The background is a mottled tan parchment tone. Blue triangles in each corner bear a simple motif resembling a very stylized peacock. An ornate decorative graphic with elegant swirls is centered at the top. At the bottom is the Duck Prints Press logo. The title of the book is “Sarisa” and the author is N. C. Farrell. Text below the title reads: “Mecha Science Fiction * Bigender Main Character * Mecha are Creepy.”
A book cover. The background is a mottled tan parchment tone. Blue triangles in each corner bear a simple motif resembling a very stylized peacock. An ornate decorative graphic with elegant swirls is centered at the top. At the bottom is the Duck Prints Press logo. The title of the book is “Pour One Out” and the author is A. J. Ash. Text below the title reads: “Humorous Metafiction * M/M * Commiserating Over Drinks.”

Title: Pour One Out
Author: A. J. Ash

Two M/M Relationships, All Book Characters Can Hang Out Together Metafiction, Two Fictional Men Commiserate While Their Other Halves are Elsewhere, Characters Critiquing the Authors Who Created Them

Whenever Adam and the love of his life Silas aren’t inhabiting the book By Mage’s Might, they hang out in the Between Place for some relaxation and downtime, and even some time apart. For example, this evening Silas is at a weight-lifting meet-up, so Adam goes to hang out at his favorite bar.

There’s someone in his seat.

Available to All Patreon Backers!

Title: The Wayward Timekeeper
Author: Terra P. Waters

M/M, Questing Together, First Meeting to Lovers, Immortality and Gods and Godly Offspring (Oh My!)

Tanyl is the oldest uncapped cleric among all his siblings, the child of Father Death and the Summer Queen. Frustrated that he hasn’t had a chance to prove himself, he awaits the return of his mother from the Underrealm and the mission that will bring him: caring for and rearing the infant she is pregnant with.

It should be an easy mission to earn him his cap, the recognition of adulthood he deserves at his age.

But when the spring equinox comes, and the Summer Queen is supposed to return from the Underrealm, the God Gate instead sits silent and empty.

Available to Backers at the $10/month level and up!

A book cover. The background is a mottled tan parchment tone. Blue triangles in each corner bear a simple motif resembling a very stylized peacock. An ornate decorative graphic with elegant swirls is centered at the top. At the bottom is the Duck Prints Press logo. The title of the book is “The Wayward Timekeeper” and the author is Terra P. Waters. Text below the title reads: “Fantasy Adventure * M/M * Gods and Their Children * Getting Together.”

November Explicit Imprint Releases

A book cover. The background is a mottled tan parchment tone. Red triangles in each corner bear a simple motif resembling a very stylized peacock. An ornate decorative graphic with elegant swirls is centered at the top. At the bottom is the Duxxx Prints Press logo. The title of the book is “Orchidelirium” and the author is Dei Walker. Text below the title reads: “Regency Erotica * F/F/M * Sex Pollen.”

Title: Orchidelirium
Author: Dei Walker

F/F/M, Reunited Lovers, Wealthy Regency Society and the Associated Norms, Consensual Aphrodisiac Consumption

Beatrice’s mother is determined that Beatrice must make a good match before the end of the Season. All Beatrice wants is to get through the last few weeks of social engagements without bringing scandal down on her family.

Three unexpected discoveries in the wilds of Lord Penrose’s hothouse threaten Beatrice’s efforts to maintain an uneventful social presence… but when all is said and done, she can’t say she really minds…

Available to Backers at the $7/month level and up!

Title: What Monsters Need
Author: Lyn Weaver
This story is a make-up for October.

M/M, Dubious Consent, Vampire Point of View with Vampiric Self-Esteem Issues, Sparring Gets Sexual

Lazarus Blythe loves his sister, but sometimes her antics frustrate him and bring him nothing but trouble. Like now, for example, when her seduction of a woman led to the murder of that woman’s husband. Now monster hunters have come knocking on Lazarus’s door looking for Leona. The interruption of his usual daily activities is annoying, but the chance to fight, and win, and prove himself against a member of the powerful Albrecht monster hunter clans?

The arrival of that opportunity on his doorstep, in the form of a blond, burly brick of a man, brings him nothing but excitement.

Available to Backers at the $7/month level and up!

A book cover. The background is a mottled tan parchment tone. Red triangles in each corner bear a simple motif resembling a very stylized peacock. An ornate decorative graphic with elegant swirls is centered at the top. At the bottom is the Duxxx Prints Press logo. The title of the book is “What Monsters Need” and the author is Lyn Weaver. Text below the title reads: “Gothic Fantasy * M/M * Vampire x Monster Hunter * Fighting to F***ing.”
A book cover. The background is a mottled tan parchment tone. Red triangles in each corner bear a simple motif resembling a very stylized peacock. An ornate decorative graphic with elegant swirls is centered at the top. At the bottom is the Duxxx Prints Press logo. The title of the book is “Pretty 7 Days a Week” and the author is R. L. Houck. Text below the title reads: “Modern * F/F/F/M/NB Orgy * Non-Binary Character Point of View * Sex Work * Power Dynamics.”

Title: Pretty 7 Days a Week
Author: R. L. Houck

F/F/F/M/NB and Permutations There Of, BIPOC Characters, Everyone Has Sex With Everyone, Non-Binary Sex Worker Point of View, Pretty Woman Vibes

When Lydia texts Tomas to arrange for an overnight liaison with them, they’re excited. Lydia is their favorite client, and they’ve never gotten to spend the night before.

That excitement fades when they arrive and discover three other people in Lydia’s hotel room.

But, with some TLC and sexy times spread liberally between the five people present, perhaps Tomas can recover those happier feelings, and advance their hope that Lydia will like them enough to keep them…

Available to Backers at the $25/month level!

So become a Duck Prints Press Supporter on Patreon, and let the Reading Commence!

And don’t forget – pre-orders are still running for the m/m sports romance Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard – make sure you come by our campaign page, learn all about the book and merchandise, and order your copy NOW!

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Pre-Order Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard!

A graphic depicting the purchase options for the crowdfunding campaign for "Hockey Bois" by A. L. Heard. Text at the top reads "Pre-order A. L. Heard's Novel 'Hockey Bois'." Beneath this is shown labeled merchandise: Magnets: Two chibi figures in hockey gear skating. Two-sided bookmark: shows both sides, one of a blonde man, the other of a dark-haired man with facial hair. Both are white. Both are dressed in hockey gear. Hockey Bois e-book, trade paperback, and hard cover!: the Hockey Bois cover. Hockey Bois: A Beer League Romance is the full title and the author is A. L. Heard. The base color of the cover is orange, with text and a drawing over it. The drawing depicts two men from the back. They are in a loose embrace, one with an arm over the other's shoulder, the other with his arm around the first's waist. They're wearing hockey helmets and jerseys that read "Jensen 68" and "Porter 12," and there are hearts in red, white, and blue floating around them. Stickers: shows five stickers. Two are the same as the magnets. One is the same as the embrace image on the cover. One shows two chibi men in hockey jerseys hugging. The last shows the blond man in a Capitals jersey and the bearded man in a Penguins jersey holding hands. A divider separates the above images from a lower section labeled BUNDLES. "Just the Book" bundle: Trade Paperback OR Hardcover + E-Book Download. Accompanied by images of the book cover, already described. "Book + Merch" Bundle (includes three random stickers): Trade Paperback OR Hardcover, E-book Download, and merchandise, with already-described images of the book cover, bookmark, stickers, and magnets.

Pre-orders for A. L. Heard’s modern beer-league hockey m/m romance are now open!

Nick Porter has always loved hockey. Ever since he can remember, it’s been his favorite thing in the world. It’s too bad he never learned to play, he’d tell himself, but it was too late to do it now. Adults don’t just magically learn to skate and join a hockey team. That’d be ridiculous.

Except maybe they do? On a whim, he decides to sign up for an adult beginner’s class. He learns to skate, joins a team, and meets a really hot teammate… and it’s pretty much a disaster from there on out.

Almost three years after the debut of Hockey Bois, A. L. Heard returns with a new edition of this much-loved book! The text has been revised and streamlined, the interior appearance re-done, and we’ll be offering an e-book edition, trade paperback, AND hard cover! If your preferred flavor of m/m story is slow burn, mutual pining, and romance-with-plot, you won’t want to miss this, and the hockey hunks are just a lovely, delicious, not-to-be-missed bonus!

What can you get?

Can’t decide what to get? We have bundles for that…

Visit our pre-order campaign page to read all the details, access the shop listings, and get your books and swag NOW!

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Pre-Orders for Hockey Bois Open TOMORROW!

A graphic for advertising a book. The background shows an icy water surface, like a rink, in a gradient from deep blue to nearly white. The ice is cut up as if people have been skating on it, and it reflects light. A book cover is centered over the background graphic. The title of the book is "Hockey Bois: A Beer League Romance" and the author is "A. L. Heard." The image on the book cover shows two men from the back. They are in a loose embrace, one with an arm over the other's shoulder, the other with his arm around the first's waist. They're wearing hockey helmets and jerseys that read "Jensen 68" and "Porter 12," and there are hearts in red, white, and blue floating around them. Text above the book cover reads "Hockey Bois: A Beer League Romance by A. L. Heard." The book cover is surrounded by arrows that point to text. This text reads: "hockey players are sexy af" "meddling friends and family" "emotionally constipated idiots to lovers" "m/m" "grumpy x sunshine" "mutual pining" "slooooow burn" At the bottom of the graphic, text reads "Pre-orders open TOMORROW, December 1st"

Nick Porter has always loved hockey. Ever since he can remember, it’s been his favorite thing in the world. It’s too bad he never learned to play, he’d tell himself, but it was too late to do it now. Adults don’t just magically learn to skate and join a hockey team. That’d be ridiculous.

Except maybe they do? On a whim, he decides to sign-up for an adult beginner’s class. He learns to skate, joins a team, and meets a really hot teammate… and it’s pretty much a disaster from there on out.

Pre-orders for the all-new, revised edition of A. L. Heard’s novel Hockey Bois open tomorrow! We’re also, for the first time ever for this book AND for Duck Prints Press, offering a hard cover edition. Wondering what else we’ll have and how things are priced? The campaign page is now live, so you can preview all the awesome we’ve got for you and get even more excited about this fantastic opportunity to get a great m/m book!

Too excited to wait ’til tomorrow? We gotchu! Join us on Discord TONIGHT, November 30th, at 8 p.m. Eastern time for a pre-launch ask me anything session with author A. L. Heard! Bring a beer, your love of hockey, and of course your plot- or writing-related questions to ask this accomplished, prolific writer!

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DPP Contributor Interview: A. L. Heard

A photograph of an open hard-cover book resting on a white surface. It's sunny and bright. A blurred-out background suggests the outdoors. Text over the image reads "Author interview! Meet A. L. Heard." The Duck Prints Press logo is at the bottom middle of the image.

A. L. Heard is one of the founding members of Duck Prints Press and has been a part of our planning team since before our official inception, offering her advice and expertise to the Press since mid-2019, and she’s been an editor on our anthologies Add Magic to Taste, And Seek (Not) to Alter Me, He Bears the Cape of Stars, She Wears the Midnight Crown, and Aim For The Heart. She’s also a prolific author of stories of all lengths and in all genres, and one of the most active authors involved with the Press.

Pre-orders of the revised edition of A. L. Heard’s debut novel Hockey Bois open on December 1st, 2023!

Want to meet A. L. Heard and ask her YOUR questions? YOU CAN! Join us TOMORROW, Thursday, November 30th, at 8 p.m. Eastern time (converter) on our Book Lover’s Discord server for a very special Ask Me Anything session with the author of Hockey Bois!

A photograph of a slim white woman, shown from the shoulders up, with a forest in the background. She is casually dressed, her hair up, and large aviator-style sunglasses cover her eyes. This is an author portrait of A. L. Heard.

Author Biography: Ashley, pen name A. L. Heard, fandom name jhoom, is a 35-year-old teacher, writer, and mother of two little boys. She’s been writing fanworks since she discovered fanfiction.net back in her middle school days; the platform has changed and the writing’s improved, but Ashley ultimately still spends her free time writing about characters she adores in worlds she’d like to explore. Her first novel, Hockey Bois, was published in 2021. In between writing projects, she works as a language teacher in the Pittsburgh area, plays hockey, and plays trains with her sons.

Links: Bluesky | Instagram

How did you pick the name you create under?

It’s a combination of my [real life] name and family names, making it unique but also still connected to me.

When and why did you begin creating?

I started writing fic during middle school and went through phases where I’d write fic and original work and then long periods with no writing. I’m happy to be settled into writing on a regular basis 🙂

What’s your favorite part of the creation process?

The brainstorming and playing around with a new story and characters, where everything is still possible and I haven’t had to commit to any particular plot point.

Describe your ideal creation space.

An office that’s well lit with an endless supply of tea or coffee or snacks, with no distractions or extra noises except birds. Either that or a brewery or cafe with background noise.

What are your favorite snacks and/or drinks to consume while creating?

Tea, coffee, and baked goods (cookies, scones, that sort of thing)

What’s one thing (style, genre, etc.) that you think you’ll never do, and why not?

Epic fantasy – they’re awesome stories but I don’t have the creativity/brain for a large scale world and magic system like that.

Short Stories A. L. has published with Duck Prints Press: