Monday 12 May 2014

baton blog hop

It's time for my Baton Blog hop post. Last week, my friend Huck Pilgrim answered these questions, and now it's my turn.


What am I working on? 
I started to answer this, and had to delete my reply. I can't talk about what I'm working on until it's done! I just can't. Instead, how about I tell you about some stories I've recently had accepted for publication? A woman who goes to a performance art piece and finds herself 'exhibited' as part of the artwork. A young medical resident learns a new, hands-on sexual therapy and uses it on a patient for the first time, as his mentor and fellow residents watch. A woman finds a man lying beside the road, beaten, hypothermic, and near death; she rescues him, and now the people who tried to kill him are after them both. Two young women are getting a little wild on vacation, when they decide to flash the prison bus; the next thing they know, they're on the bus, entertaining the convicts in person. 

Okay, some of those are conditional acceptances (publisher gets final approval of the anthology). But ALL of them are supposed to come out before the end of the year. I'm stoked.

How does my work differ from others of its genre? 
The most successful erotica is erotic romance, and I just can't seem to write erotic romance! I don't like alpha males -- hate them in real life, despise them in fiction. I'm not very good at happy endings, either. For me, the sexiest stories are the ones that can't last, like a rock star passing through town on his way to the next gig, because the sweet memory is never going to be spoiled by the conflicts, hurts and baggage that inevitably happen in a long-term relationship. Looking at the stories I've had published or accepted, 4 have a happy-ever-after and 5 don't. However, most of my stories with happy endings are about resolving a conflict in an existing long-term relationship. They're not the Cinderella-meets-Prince-Charming tales that every girl loves. 

My erotica has a strong thread of exhibitionism/voyeurism and outrageous, hyper-real fantasies. I try to write well enough, and with enough internal consistency, that readers will willingly suspend their disbelief. 

Why do I write what I do? 
An interest in sexuality has been a thread throughout my life, from when I worked as a striptease artist and topless dancer, to my involvement with women's sexuality as a midwife and breastfeeding counselor. In between, I worked in several traditionally male fields, including the military. This gave me a real appreciation and admiration for men, and, I think, a much better understanding and sympathy for male sexuality than most women have. Erotica is the genre where all this experience and these interests comes together.

How does my writing process work?
I love writing to calls for submission. They've been my biggest source of inspiration. I'll read a call, mull it over for a few days, and suddenly a scene or plot will flash into my head. For example, I recently saw a call for an anthology of lactation erotica. I'd never considered that genre before, but I do have plenty of real-world expertise, since I spent several years as a volunteer breastfeeding counselor. Bam! I was smacked by an outrageous plot involving the NSA, biological weapons, and erotic milking. I wrote a draft that evening, and can't wait to edit and submit it.

Some of my stories come from a mixture of my fantasies, my real experiences, and stories people have told me that stuck with me.


Next week I'm passing the baton to Corvidae, so please check out her blog for her answers to these questions. I'll be very interested to read them! Here's her bio:


Corvidae is a biologist, a writer, and a near-lifelong fan of scandalous storytelling. She is an active proponent of sex-positivity, polyamory, and BDSM, both in her work and in real life. When not writing, what spare time she has is usually filled with yoga, dancing, and table-top gaming. Her first published work can be found in the Big Book of Submission coming out this July from Cleis Press.


Last week, Huck Pilgrim posted his answers. Looks like he has a new book coming out from Excessica Press! Here's a little info about Huck:


Huck Pilgrim is the pseudonym of a minor author, who craves readers, and doesn’t mind working hard on his books. He is a father and a husband, enjoys his family, writing, and watching movies.


And Elliot DeLock is also scheduled to post today. Elliot was the winner of the contest for Valentine's Day, the first anthology I was published in (I got an honorable mention). 


Elliot was born in small town Australia and raised in big city Asia. He works in an office by day and writes by night. He’s interested in fantasy, horror, feminism, history, and how sexuality connects them all together. He’s battled wildfires and insomnia to be here and is grateful to have the chance to share his stories.





2 comments:

  1. I am familiar with most of those stories you've got coming out! I'm with you on endings. The story shows you the ending it wants, not the other way around. Great post.

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  2. Yes, I totally agree about the endings. Also, I can't write stories unless they make sense according to me, which doesn't mean they're realistic (my stories aren't realistic at all). But the romantic comedy plot of boy and girl hate each other, then, through a series of misadventures, realize they love each other, and then their lives are perfect, I can't get my head around at all.

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