BODYSHARE is OUT NOW!!!
All the updates about Bodyshare that you could want!
Hey Gang!
Before I get to ahead of myself, the most important thing: as the title suggests - BODYSHARE IS OUT NOW!!!
Bodyshare has been a labour of love for the past nine years of my life. On the 6th September 2015 (and yes, I do know the precise date), Luke Milton appeared in my mind. He wasn’t quite fully formed. There were many things that I did not know about him—his romantic orientation, the layout of his family, the nature of the creature he would bond himself to—but I knew three important facts almost instantly: firstly, that he is a musician; secondly, that he was a wandering boy who liked to travel but always checked in with his family for important events; and, thirdly and most importantly, that he would share his body with the devil.
Over the years since his arrival in my mind, Luke Milton has unveiled a number of details about himself that surpass, expand, and develop from those key tenants. I have learned the depths of his insecurities and how they are influenced by him being aromantic and his not-quite-absent father. I learned the specifics of the kind of music he makes, the things that tie him to his family even while he travels the country, and the hows and whys of his bodysharing arrangement.
I wrote the first draft of this novella in two weeks. I wrote the second in just under a month. The third, fourth, fifth, and beyond have been picked away at, reordered, edited, and added to over the course of nearly two years, ending in the version you’re looking at now. After so many years of working with the character, letting him percolate in the recesses of my mind and occasionally pulling him out to prod at, wondering what shape his story would eventually take, it is with great joy (and no small amount of apprehension) that I pass him on to you now. I hope you connect to him. I hope this story reaches you, in one way or another. More than anything, I hope you enjoy this work as piece of fiction and of art.
In addition to the book itself, there is also MERCH available now!
My favourite kind of merch is always the kind that looks like it could exist in world that it comes from, so all of the Bodyshare merch is made to look like the sorts of things you’d find on a merch table at a concert. T-shirts, hoodies, crewnecks, and hats (okay, only one hat design so far—although my dad has asked for more, so stay tuned) are all up on TeeSpring for your perusal.
If you’re looking for a place to discuss the book, see some incredible art, and join in for a release party, you can find all that and more in the LIONOFSTONE DISCORD!
As usual, about a month after release, we’ll be holding a post-release party where we’ll discuss the book and everything that went into it. It’s a great time to discuss your thoughts and ask questions of the author (me!) and it’s always a great time. The discord is also full of talented people who create works of art and analysis that I will never get over.
That’s all for now, but stay tuned across my socials over the next month or so for more Bodyshare content and updates!
With love & excitement
LJ xx