{"id":6053,"date":"2026-04-18T11:51:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T19:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metaphorpublications.com\/wp\/?p=6053"},"modified":"2026-04-18T12:07:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T20:07:35","slug":"a-behind-the-screens-spotlight-life-at-metaphor-publications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metaphorpublications.com\/wp\/a-behind-the-screens-spotlight-life-at-metaphor-publications\/","title":{"rendered":"A Behind-the-Screens Spotlight: Life at Metaphor Publications"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hey there, Alesia here again. I thought about composing another informative post on writing or fantasy \/romantasy literature this morning, but decided to change tracks instead. Today seemed like a good day to bring you up to date on what\u2019s been happening behind-the-screens here at Metaphor Publications, or \u201cMetPub\u201d to save keystrokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you didn\u2019t already know, MetPub is just Michael and me. Like most other self-employed people we have to wear a lot of hats in one day. So far, we\u2019ve spent a lot of April waiting for results to come back from our beta readers. When we do receive feedback, we read it then collate the actionable stuff for the next round of manuscript revisions. As I mentioned in our last newsletter, so far the returns have been positive beyond my wildest dreams. Apparently, we\u2019re \u201con to something\u201d with What God Has Ordained<\/em>. I can hardly wait to start sharing excerpts with our subscribers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quick Sidebar:<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
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If you haven\u2019t subscribed to The Menelon Gazette yet, you really should! The Menelon Gazette is our way of letting our strongest supporters in early on what\u2019s going on. It\u2019s also our way of giving gifts to our readership in the form of free short stories, novelettes, videos and images from Menelon. We share excerpts from our drafts and novels, give inside information about Menelon and its civilizations. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the time comes that we\u2019re ready to re-open the world of Menelon to other creators, you\u2019ll be right there to step over the threshold and join us in the<\/em> \u201cambitious, richly layered world\u201d we\u2019ve created<\/em>. The signup form is at the top of the sidebar to your right, and another just below this post. <\/em>\u2763\ufe0f<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another activity that’s taking up way more time behind-the-screens than it should is scammer detection. In the years since we published our first two books (see below) and with the assistance of AI, book marketing scams<\/a> have proliferated like rats in a garbage dump. Detecting them is an intricate and complicted process that sometimes requires hours of research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a “good” week, there are only a half-dozen or so attempts to fleece me out of some hard-earned cash; in a “bad” week, that number triples — or more. I’ve re-instituted a policy of marking all unsolicited emails that orginate from a throw-away address (Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook, &c<\/span>.) as scams,<\/strong> regardless of how smoothly written, highly complimentary, or knowledgeable the source appears to be. It’s turned out to be a welcome time-saver!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New News About Older Titles<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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Raven’s Tears<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dead Man’s Trigger!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another matter that\u2019s taking up a lot of Michael\u2019s time these days is in reclaiming possession of our first two adult fantasy novels, Raven\u2019s Tears<\/em> and Dead Man\u2019s Trigger<\/em>. During the years we both spent grappling with depression, it seems that our account with our Print On Demand service got thrashed. In the interim, affiliate marketers have somehow gotten permission to print those books and ship them to buyers\u2014without compensating us. Tracking down what happened and investigating any potential wrong-doing has been tedious and twisty, but he\/we did at last get to the bottom of the problem, and have contacted an attorney to help us get it set right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think good thoughts for us! We can\u2019t even begin to think about finishing that trilogy until both titles are safely back in our possession\u2014but, behind-the-screens again, it\u2019s a topic that\u2019s arisen between us more than once in recent weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What do you think? Once we get the first two books of<\/em> The Legacy of Chandar published, should we loop back in time to complete the tale of Raven and Iris? I\u2019d love to read your opinions in the comments!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Image by Richard Duijnstee<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Behind-the-Screens Weather Report \ud83c\udf1e<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Spring has arrived here on California\u2019s north coast, alternating showers and sun in that way that causes plants, including grass, grow like crazy. The sunshine and clear blue skies are distracting, making it difficult to stay indoors and concentrate on the chores in front of me. It\u2019s still just a little too cool and a lot too windy to take our work out-of-doors. But, if El Ni\u00f1o is kind (when it arrives), we should be able to work outside by the time we begin revising the first manuscript\u2014no later than mid-May, gods willing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What\u2019s the weather been like where you are? Have you been seeing signs of spring, or have the extremes in weather got you buried under snow? Sweltering in unseasonable heat? It would be great to know, in a general way, where you are\u2014give me a shoutout in the comments!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Cute Cat Alert!<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Michael has definitely gotten into a great groove on Instagram. He\u2019s created and developed a cartoon-character spokeswoman named Jessica<\/a>, and has been posting reels (short videos) about Menelon and our stories at least once a week. If you dig IG, you can find him there using this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Libby, our 17 yr old feline supervisor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And because it\u2019s been way too long since I\u2019ve posted a cute cat picture, here\u2019s one of Libby being adorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s all I\u2019ve got for now. I think I\u2019m going to sneak in a behind-the-screens snuggle break with my kitty. Take care of each other out there, and by all means, keep reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013Alesia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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p.s. What are you reading these days? Share the name and author of your latest favorite book with us—in the comments, of course!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today seemed like a good day to bring you up to date on what\u2019s been happening behind-the-scenes here at Metaphor Publications,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":6062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,68],"tags":[70,71],"class_list":["post-6053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-status-updates","tag-dead-mans-trigger","tag-ravens-tears"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t