I have a new book out! kermitflail

You Thought You Wanted to Be Level 99, But Really You Wanted to Be a Better Person

Three Gamers, Two Ex-Lovers, One Comedy of Errors

When Griffin met a gorgeous young woman in a Guardians t-shirt, he shouldn't've led her to believe he was an expert at the Guardians MMO -- which he hasn't played in years. Now he's desperate to make up for lost time and level up before Kalisha returns from her vacation and expects to play it with him.

After Rachel stumbled into a group in Guardians with her ex, she should've told him who she was. But it's wonderful to game with Griffin again, especially since the two of them found the perfect sorcereress to complete their tank-healer pair. How can she tell him now, and ruin the trio’s synergy?

When Kalisha decided to play Guardians on her vacation, she didn't want her friends to tease her about it. But using an unknown alt to group with her housemate wasn't the most ethical plan. Especially not given that Kalisha already has a crush on her. Rachel is bound to find out someday, and it's growing more awkward the longer Kalisha waits.

Meanwhile, the three players grow closer as their characters level together ...

Author Commentary

A Discord conversation about litRPG themes inspired this book. We were discussing what drives characters, and one of my friends, Tuftears, said, “You thought you wanted to be level 99, but really you wanted to be a better person.”

Me: “That’d make a good light novel title.”

Tuftears: “You should write it.” =^_^=

Me: “All right, but you all have to help me brainstorm.”

I assembled various ideas from the server* into most of an outline. But it was early in the pandemic, and the story began with two people who had traveled for a vacation. It’s common for contemporary fiction to ignore current events, including global pandemics, aiming for a ‘timeless’ feel. But I could not convince myself to set it in 2019, or in a fictional pandemic-free world.

I started writing Level 99 as vaccines first became available, and I grounded the book in a specific period. It opens in May 2021, as it became possible for any adult in the USA to get vaccinated. When it looked as if the pandemic was almost over, before the Delta variant brought a new surge of cases.

But this isn’t a book about the pandemic. It’s about three gamers living online, and finding a love there that carries them into the real world. This is the first contemporary romance I’ve written, but as a polyamorous gamer, the story is intimately familiar to me.

It’s a short, sweet, cheerful novel, about the joy of gaming with good people, the uncertainties of falling in love online, and the mistakes humans make in their efforts to find both companionship and love. I had a great time writing it. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it.

*To my regret, I did not write down the names of everyone who volunteered suggestions at the time, and the server has since gone down.