6/25/2026 - Jan Stryvant, The End

 Okay, I wasn't going to put anything about this up, because I prefer not to make a big deal when I quit. I prefer just to leave. In essence, the Cat's Goodbye. But I realized that I owed it to you to say something.

The short reason: Writing Stryvant novels isn't fun anymore.

Longer explanation: I started writing Stryvant novels because they were fun and I wanted to. They were fun for me and they were fun for my readers. It was all about the fun. Yes, I tell involved stories with detailed characters. Yes I spend time on it. Yes, I've probably created a hell of a lot of tropes. I've been copied endlessly. I don't really care about that as long as I wasn't being plagiarized.

 On the recent series, the sales were pretty poor. So I wrapped the first arc up in the third book, instead of the fourth because I didn't want to make people unhappy as I'd decided to set the series aside. If sales picked up, I'd come back. If it didn't? That was fine.

 What I hadn't expected was the hate.

Oh, I got a lot of hate about that series. A LOT of hate. Harassment too.

Understand I've always had haters out there. People who lie about me, the stories, etc. It's just part of being successful. But this time? It got unhinged. Lots of stuff directed at me, and a lot of lies about the story told by people who never even read it (and admitted to not reading it).

No, there are no married women in his 'harem'. Yes, the 18yo protage is engaged in a couple of relationships with women in open marriages. Because he's 18 and he could, and he starts to learn he shouldn't.

 For the people who said 'I don't like that' - that's cool. For the people lying about the story? Not so cool. For the moderators and admins giving me shit? Bye!

 What many of you probably don't know that back when I was one of the biggest and leading 'Harem' writers (me and two others founded this genre) I got a lot of harassment from people at Amazon, even some execs at Amazon. You all know about how one of us got banned for life from Amazon. Other things happened too.

 My SciFi does very well. Very well. However because of the stuff I wrote under my pen name, I cannot be a guest of any scifi convention, much less a GOH. Because what I wrote (that whole genre) is 'bad'. There are places I cannot ever buy advertising. But I was having fun writing the stories and people were having fun reading them, so I didn't give a damn.

I wrote the books to be fun. I did all of it to be fun. I wanted to make people happy and I wanted them to have fun. And I was and they were. Now? It's not fun anymore and I have other stuff I can write that is still fun, and which people are having fun reading.

So, not a hard choice.

I will remember the fun and the good times. I will remember the people who were nice to me and who were helpful. I will miss them.

And, as always, read what you enjoy, whatever that is. 

Book 3 of (How) To Be A Werewolf: Resilience is now live on Amazon!

 First the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GXDRM934

Joshua is starting to find his way. His most pressing problem has been dealt with, and it turns out that wasn't the trial or the trust fund. School is out however, and now it's time for the four of them, Patricia, Kathy, Vicky, and him, to try and spend some time together before college starts up in the fall.

Patricia is still going to Stanford, Joshua still wants her to get the education her brilliance deserves. While Joshua is still hoping to be able to go to Austin in the fall, the writing on the wall isn't exactly all that hard to see, so he's making a backup plan to play for Midwestern this coming year so at least he's not sitting on his ass. True, he won't be able to play in any away games, but right now he'll take what he can get.

 On the positive side, he's continuing to meet new and important people and make new friends. Some perhaps a bit better and closer than others. He's gaining allies in his quest to find out just who is running his trust and why they're not paying it out. And maybe, just maybe, he'll finally find out not only who is behind everything that happened, but why.

 Of course getting a little revenge along the way won't hurt, and those who need to pay are definitely going to. However, he's been warned, more than once, that a wolf tearing people to shreds in the middle of the city is probably not a wise move. So more creative methods are going to be called for.

 WARNING: As you can no doubt see, no money was spared on this cover! Yup! We have all the characters and boy are they doing the kinds of things that you all wish you could! We know that putting those kinds of things on a cover definitely will invite scorn and the purity police, but gosh-darn-it, sometimes you gotta go all out and actually show the big production scene where everyone is d—wait, what? The censored it? What do you mean it's all black now? This was suppose to be it! The cover of all covers! The one that would be rem—sigh, well, you'll just have to imagine it I guess. It was just a little off color... or maybe, maybe a lot!

Question about covers

 Would you have preferred this cover, to the one I actually used. 

(I generated this using some old artwork I have using AI)

I asked on my patreon and subscribestar and those people liked the other cover (which I paid one of my artists for.)

So, would this have been better?

(Oh, so far book 2 is selling better than book 1 did.)

Book 2 of (How) To Be A Werewolf: Epiphanies is now live on Amazon!

 First the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX32NW8K

Joshua not only missed the big game, had all of his scholarships pulled, and been banned from just about every college in Texas, but he's been expelled from his high school and has a court order barring him from even setting foot on school grounds.

And adding insult to injury he's got to finish high school in Electra!

However, he quickly learns that Electra isn't everything it's been made out to be. Sure there's more crime, but that's only because Wichita Falls sends all of its problems there. As towns go, it's small - bordering on tiny. The high school is poor, and the school body is less than a tenth of what he's used to. But they've got a good baseball team and Joshua's a fairly good shortstop as well as a power hitter.

Joining the team definitely helps Joshua with making friends at the school as well as connections in town. However he's still got problems to deal with: A deputy who hates him, a judge who is blatantly on the take, and someone with a lot of money or influence who no longer just wants Joshua to go to prison - now he wants him dead!

Then of course there's the small matter of his being a werewolf. While he's not sure exactly what it means to be one, he's starting to learn, and his newest girlfriend's mother it turns out knows a lot more about these things than he does.

WARNING: This book is probably far too tame for what normally goes on now in this genre, why we barely have nudity! Much less those group things everyone goes on about! There is however a fair bit of mayhem and a person or two getting the surprise of their lives, (because well, they die!) a young man in well over his head, and a graveyard with a name you'd never believe, even though it's real! 

I Really Can't Do This Alone...

I made a post here the other day wondering if I had any fans left following this blog. The only response I got was someone being snarky. 

But what the hell, if that's what my fans have become, that's just life, right?

Sales on the new series are bad. It doesn't help that Amazon hasn't sent notifications out on the release. So the people following me via Amazon have no idea that I've put anything out. 

Now here's the point that Mr. Snarky didn't understand: If it doesn't sell, I stop writing.

I mean, why would I write if nobody's buying? What's the point? That's just basic economics. It's not whining, it's just the truth. If y'all think I now suck, that's fine! I guess I suck. If y'all have better things to do, again, that's fine! The Customer is always right, and that kind of thing.

Now, I'm not going to stop writing tomorrow (well actually, I'll never stop writing, but I will eventually stop publishing). The first three books of this series will be released, regardless of what happens because they're done. But if no one buys them, kinda pointless to write book four.

Right?

Now if it's a matter of y'all don't know that I'm putting out new books, well that's on you. I've got a mailing list, two blogs, a substack, two X pages, two goodreads pages, a discord, and two facebook pages plus a fan page. I'm doing everything I can to make sure all of ya' know.

Now if it's just that I suck? Well that's on me. Though the reviewers all seem to feel differently. They seem to like the book.

As to what happens next? About what you'd expect to happen next. I do hope folks learn about the new series and check it out. I had a lot of fun writing it. But if you're not reading, then you've all made it clear my time here is done. Which I'm fine with. Nothing lasts forever after all. I'll always be happy for the things I've done which y'all clearly enjoyed.

And if you want to be an asshole and make some insulting or snarky reply - well that's on you. I'm just trying to make a living here and entertain folks in the process.

New Cover

 After talking to a number of fans I went with a new version of the cover:

 

I have a new series starting today!

 (How) To Be A Werewolf! Check it out on Amazon!

www.amazon.com/dp/B0GT7CRSVX

Joshua's had to learn to take the good with the bad. Orphaned at six when a deadly car accident killed his parents and older sister, he's been kicking around the foster care system of Wichita Falls for the last twelve years. While not having a family sucks, and having to deal with some real losers at some of the homes he's gone through, he can't complain. Or at least he won't complain.

Because, life is good. He's the star quarterback and team captain for the Coyotes and they're definitely championship bound, and in Texas, where football is a religion, Joshua practices it seriously. He's got scholarship offers left and right, and has every intention of becoming a Long Horn down in Austin. He's dating the smartest, and one of the hottest girls in school, and as a 'three-letter-man' - being on the baseball team and the track team - life is great.

But there are storm clouds on Joshua's horizon. Someone doesn't want him to play in that game no matter what it takes. There are other forces, mundane forces, unknown forces, which are aligning against him. On top of all that, there's a secret that's been hidden from him since his parents died that's about to be unleashed. All of these things are about to turn Joshua's life upside down and take away from him everything he's ever wanted. Everything he's worked so hard to earn.

For a young man who has always been polite and played by the rules, things are about to change. He's about to change.

WARNING: You all thought I was gone? Didn't you? Well, I'm not! And now somebody's going to pay (hint—buy the book!)  Yes, this book does feature something called an 'alternative lifestyle'. Or does it? There's people getting punched and other people getting loved and remember, when you're at a crossroads, that's often where the wise woman lives. And don't ever forget: This is Texas, manners are important!