The First Draft of Batter's Box

On the night of April 11th--a little before midnight, I believe--I finished the first draft of Batter's Box, my m/m rivals-to-lovers romance novel focused on two players in Minor League Baseball (currently called "Small League Baseball" in the novel, for some fun, slightly "off" world-building).

I started writing Batter's Box back at the start of December 2025. Before then, it had never even crossed my mind to attempt writing romance. My past explorations in long-form prose were centered around dark fantasy and horror. Those are the genres I still gravitate toward when I'm writing plays. I'm not entirely sure why the romance bug hit me. Perhaps, though, it's a wish to the universe, an attempt at manifesting some sort of gay happy ever after into my own life.

If you were to ask me why I went with baseball for my first romance novel, given that I'm not a particular fan of any sport, I could spew forth some answer about the easy gay slang of pitcher & catcher. I mean, that's the type of silly wordplay that I adore. I could point to the craze of Heated Rivalry and say I was possessed by the market to write a sports romance. But if we're invested in honesty, there's one true reason behind it all: baseball pants.

As a gay man, baseball pants are... Whew. Wow. What a great invention.

The original plan was to write the entire novel within a single month. I would put it away for January, return to it in February with fresh eyes for revisions, and then self-publish it in March. Then life happened. I spent time on research and other projects. There would be weeks I wouldn't touch the piece, and then days I would write 10,000 words for it. Those days often involved high-heat chapters exploring their dom/sub dynamic.

I currently do not have a release date planned for the novel. It will be released in 2026. Of that, I'm confident. For now, I'm taking a break from it to work on other projects once more. I need it a bit out of mind so I can properly edit it. Are there pacing problems in the final chapters, or do I worry about that because I wrote them at a higher speed than other sections?

I also want to work on promotional materials--drawings, baseball cards, a book trailer. Do I want to draw my own cover or commission one? There are a million design questions around that, too. Do I follow the trend of those flat illustrations? Do I return to the genre's roots and go with stock images of hot guys with their shirts off? Decisions, decisions...

Batter's Box is the story of Felix Jenson, a starting pitcher for the Garden City Bushes. Baseball is the center of Jenson's world, and it has been ever since his father walked out on the family when he was in middle school. For Felix Jenson, the sport is sacred. It's serious. That's part of why he can't stand Colby Harris, outfielder for the Louisville Ligers, who thrives on TikTok, posting ridiculous videos all the time. After a brawl at a charity event, the two are forced to go on a PR tour across the country. Between the constant travel, the harsh reality of trying to comfort sick children, and lonely hotel rooms, who is there to turn to for comfort besides each other?

I'm already excited to write my next romance. Batter's Box opens itself up for some fun sequels involving the supporting cast. Or maybe I'll go with my doomsday romance or the innocent incubus x naughty angel romance. Then again, I have horror novels to write, as well. Maybe I'll bounce between the two, writing a romance and then a horror and so forth. I'm not sure at the moment, but I know I'm proud of Batter's Box, and I can't wait to get it out into your hands. ^.^