Jay Lygon

Oops!

2011-04-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

I knew that it had been a while since I posted, but I didn't think I'd let it get this bad.

So... what have I been up to?

Writing under one of my other pen names. Submitting a novel. Working the day job. Oh! I will have an erotic angel story out in Wings (I think is the title) from Bold Strokes later this year. As soon as I have a cover, I'll post it. Angel booty call, with wrestling.

But what you probably want to know is when I'll get around to writing something new. This is traditionally a dry spell time of year for me. Saints and Sinners Literary Festival is three weeks away, so I'm looking forward to ~~staggering through the French Quarter with a bunch of writers~~ conferring with my fellow writers about deeply serious issues such as ~~should we drink Bloody Marys or absinthe~~ narrative theory.

I know that I have to write Henry's story for the Bonded series. And I'm thinking of another novella. All I need is time, and maybe some crawdads...

Sam and Hector!

2010-12-23T07:14:00.001-08:00

I forgot to mention that I've been blogging at the Romance For the Rest of Us blog. There's a cookie recipe, a snip from the Hamadryad Essence, and this:

Hector in a Santa Suit?

More nice than naughty, Sam tells about the time Hector played Santa while visitng Sam's family. Just a little something extra for the Chaos Magic fan.

Time Is A Sneaky Devil

2010-12-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize that it had been almost two months since I posted anything. Yikes!

I worked on a NaNoWriMo novel that sucked away my time on November like a vampire with a bad case of cotton mouth. And speaking of vampires, my Blood Sacraments anthology editor, Todd Gregory, asked me for an angel story for an upcoming anthology. Another editor liked my Blood Sacraments story so much that he sent me a call for submissions for another anthology. So I've been busy besides the NaNoWriMo mess.

And...

I'm trying to find new D/s characters that I can take into a novel, so I auditioned a pair in the Hamadryad Essence, which appears in the upcoming Toy Boxes: Pine Switches anthology from Torquere Press (It will be released sometime in the next couple weeks. I'll let you know as soon as I have a date.) It's steampunk paranormal, set in San Francisco in 1908 or so. Since it's a historical this is a leap for me. If you read it, let me know if their chemistry works for you. Let me know if it doesn't.

Naughty Boys In The Back Seat

2010-10-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

Naughty Boys in the Back Seat gave Unbound: Bonded II 3.9 whips.

Contest Winner!

2010-10-24T10:15:00.001-07:00

On Torquere LiveJournal yesterday, I asked people to create the best Vampire Reality Show.

Rhyssd won my contest for this entry

- The Best Blood You Ever Drank -
Famous Vampires around the country show us their favorite places to find humans with the best quality blood. We get to see them stalk or seduce some prime specimens every week and hear a panel of celebrity vampires judge their selections.

Thanks all who entered! Rhyssd - get in touch. I have a $10 Torquere Press gift certificate with your name on it.

Unbound: Bonded II is out today!

2010-10-23T09:20:00.001-07:00

Buy it here.

And come join us at Toquere's LiveJournal! I'm hosting today.

I also have a blog entry at Naughty Boys in the Backseat today!

New Review of Chaos Magic

2010-09-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

I am so incredibly flattered by this review of Chaos Magic by A.B. Gayle.

When someone gets what you wrote, it's a humbling and uplifting thing.

Cover art!

2010-09-20T18:53:00.001-07:00

Just got my cover art for Unbound: Bonded II. Do you like?

Chaos Magic Fans

2010-09-15T08:14:00.001-07:00

Toy Box: Public Places was released today! It includes a Hector and Sam short story.

Here's a snip:

Brat
by Jay Lygon

Hector shoved me into the bathroom. Overhead, insects fluttered around bare florescent bulbs. The place stank of stale toilet water and piss. There were five stalls without doors against one wall and three rusty sinks on the other. The grungy floor probably hadn't been cleaned since the rest stop was built.

For a moment, I hoped that Hector would take me into one of the stalls, but he said, "Put your hands on the sink. Boy."

Trembling, I bent down to grip the rust-stained sink. It jutted from the wall at waist height, so I had to bend way over to hold onto it. I couldn't bear to meet my eyes in the cheap mirror over the sink.

"Open your mouth."

Thanks the Gods that Hector unwrapped a bar of soap he’d brought from home rather than using the pink powdery stuff in the dispenser on the wall.

"You know better than to swear, Boy," he said.

One of the truckers came into the bathroom. He paused by the door to watch Hector push the bar of soap into my mouth. A tight grin spread over his lips. Heat spread across my face. Another man came in to watch my punishment.

"Keep that soap in your mouth, Boy."

As soon as there was a small crowd, Hector stepped back. He reached for my jeans, unbuttoned the fly, and yanked them down to my knees. My bared butt brought a murmur of appreciation from the gathered truckers. I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. That was a mistake. The soap coated my mouth.

I heard Hector undo his belt buckle and slide it out of his pant loops. He knew how much I loved to be whipped with that belt.

Freed from my pants, my cock brushed against the sink.

"You're a spoiled brat, and I've had enough of your lip today, Boy. It's time I taught you a lesson." Hector gripped my hair and forced me to turn my head toward the door. "Open your eyes, and don't you dare close them."

Some of the truckers gripped their cocks through their jeans. Rest stops were legendary for roadside sex, but I bet they'd never seen a boy get his ass whipped there before. Lust rolled off them in heady waves. The humiliation was almost more than I could bear. My legs trembled.

Hector leaned close to my ear. "Let me know if this is too much for you," he whispered.

One part of me wanted to turn around and bury my face against his chest. He'd stop immediately, wrap those big arms around me, and take me away from the scene. There was no getting out of the punishment, but he'd finish it somewhere private and safe if I couldn't handle my shame. Another part of me was so fucking turned on that I couldn't bear the idea of stopping, no matter how red my face was. It was up to me.

I Know You're Going To Scroll Past This, But

2010-09-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Torquere scavenger hunters! (if you don't know what I'm talking about, read the entry before this one)

I know, I know, you're just looking for the card and don't plan to spend any time reading my blog. I'm fine with that, but as long as you've read this far, give me a few more seconds of your time.

If you're a fan of my Chaos Magic series (and you should be if you love BDSM), Hector and Sam have a short spanking story coming soon in Toy Box: Public Places. Sam is out of control again, and it takes a good hard, loving spanking from his Papi to get him back in line.

If you love vampires, and sweet, silly, sexy fun, try my Bonded series - The Quality of Mercy, Twice Blest, and Bonded. I just finished the next novella in the series! Brandr's enemy decides to kidnap Kyle, Henry, and Jamie. But he's not prepared for an unending vampire go-go boy slumber party from hell in his tiny apartment. By the time Brandr shows up at his door brandishing a battle axe, he's about at his wit's end. Revenge - it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Also, in November, Todd Gregory's vampire anthology, Blood Surrender (Bold Strokes Books) will feature my short story Kells.

This ends my public service announcement. Thank you for your attention.

P.S. Just keep scrolling down. You'll find what you seek.

Torquere's 7th Anniversary

2010-08-31T17:18:00.001-07:00

From their Press Release:

Torquere Press Celebrates 7th Anniversary!

Seven years?! No, we can hardly believe it either. Seven years of bringing readers the best, the sexiest, the most romantic GLBT fiction. And to celebrate, we're giving away prizes -- great themed gift baskets, gift certificates for free books every day, and a scavenger hunt that will give readers a chance to collect a deck of cards that will win big - -a Nook from Barnes & Noble!

Readers will get the chance to "collect cards" by visiting each participating author's website, blog, or Facebook page. By collecting all the cards and filling in the form, players have the chance to win free books daily, a gift basket once each week, (including BDSM, werewolf and ménage themed baskets), and be entered in the grand prize drawing for the Nook.

We'll also be having random sales via our blog, GLBT Romance, Facebook, and Twitter.

With bestselling GLBT romance authors like Chris Owen, Tory Temple, Kiernan Kelly, P.D.Singer, Sean Michael, and B.A. Tortuga, you'll have a blast playing along. Just log onto Torquere Press website, check out the contest page, and start hunting!

So, ya feel lucky, dude? Let's play!

~~
So here's the deal. One of my Chaos Magic books is in the BDSM basket. Go read the rules, then come back here and search.

And speaking of Chaos Magic... Torquere will release Toy Box: Public Places next month. One of the stories is Pet, a Sam and Hector short story.

But what about the fans of Bonded? You'll be glad to know that the sequel to Bonded is just about finished. Vampire Brian is out for revenge against Brandr, so he decides to kidnap Kyle, Jamie, and Henry. It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Cover for Blood Sacraments

2010-08-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

I found the cover for Blood Sacraments on Bold Strokes Books.

It can be pre-ordered, but it's not coming out until mid-November.

Joyfully Reviewed likes Twice Blest

2010-07-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Read their review here.

Back from Saints and Sinners

2010-05-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Twice Blest is out! That was nice to come home to.

It poured in New Orleans! Thank goodness I packed an umbrella this year. As DL King and I headed back after some shopping around the French Market, we crossed Jackson Square and saw a tarot reader trying to pack up her little booth while it poured. We rushed over to hold our umbrellas over her and help her get her stuff packed away. We didn't even make any wisecracks about her not foreseeing the downpour. But she was kind of surly about the whole thing, as if we annoyed her. Later that night, we were supposed to go to a reading but headed for the Acme Oyster House instead since we hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. We had their roasted oysters. They were so amazing that we ordered another dozen of them instead of dessert. By the time we got back to the hotel it was almost midnight, which meant that Bourbon Street was just warming up. We wiped the rain off the furniture on our balcony that overlooked Toulouse Street, listened to the bar band play (poorly) and critiqued the staggering styles of the drunks on the street below. We eventually went to bed, but our alarm went off at 4AM so we could catch our flights. I was sorry to miss the last day of Saints and Sinners until Cecilia Tan of Circlet Press Tweeted that it rained so hard later that morning that Conti Street was under a foot of water. Having been soaked through the day before, I was glad I didn't have to battle the thunderstorms a second day.

I'm still in recovery mode. I love Saints and Sinners, but it exhausts me. Maybe staying up drinking half the night and waking up early the next morning several days in a row has something to do with that?

Literary Nymphs likes Bonded!

2010-05-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

Such a kind review. Read it here.

Saints and Sinners!

2010-05-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

This Thursday, I'm off to the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans.

I look forward to this all year. It's so fun being in a city that isn't my home, but every corner I turn, I see someone I know. And better yet - they're all writers!

I can never remember the Master Classes I signed up for. If Jim Grimsley is teaching, I'll be in his class. I always take away some piece of wisdom from him that I keep using. The first year I went, his class was upstairs at Napoleon's Itch, and these guys downstairs kept playing the piano and singing loudly (show tunes!). Poor Jim had no microphone, and he's a soft spoken man. Everyone in the class kept inching forward to hear him better until we had him surrounded. But I still refer to my notes from that class and every other one Jim has taught, so you know I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say this year. The funny thing about that first year in Jim's class is that Trebor Healey was sitting about a foot away from me. I'd just read his amazing novel Through it Came Bright Colors, and I was so in awe of his talent that I didn't work up the courage to talk to him. Hah! Now I give him nothing but crap. Poor guy. I adore him, but he brings out my bratty side. Another funny thing is that we live maybe two hours apart here in LA, but I only see him in New Orleans. Hmm. Should drop him a line and see if he's NOLA bound. And if not, give him a major hard time about it. Sometimes, I'll bet he wishes I was still too intimidated to talk to him. (I'm still in awe of his talent.)

Toy Box: Latex

2010-04-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

I'm been quite busy lately, as you can see from my flurry of releases. Today, it's Toy Box: Liquid Latex.

Your intrepid writer, having only heard of the stuff, bought some to experiment with before writing the story. I was surprised that 1) it didn't pull the hair off my arm when I took it off (probably due to the prep lotion I used), 2) that it was so thin, both in the jar and on me, and 3) that it takes a lot of artistic talent to paint a design with it. A lot. Like much more than I have, or my enthusiastic assistant. But we had fun!

And in other news, my next Bonded short story, Twice Blest (that's not a typo. If you read the Quality of Mercy soliloquy, that's how it's spelled) was just accepted. No release date yet. In Twice Blest, you find out how Jamie ended up living (well, not exactly living, since he's a vampire. but undeading sounds weird) with Brandr and Kyle.

Bonded!

2010-04-06T21:18:00.001-07:00

Bonded has been released!

Vampires, silliness, and sex. What more could you want? I had a lot of fun writing this one, so I hope you enjoy reading it.

Bonded released April 7th!

2010-04-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, April 7th, Bonded will be released. To celebrate, I'll be hosting at Torquere's LiveJournal. We'll be discussing the fabulous and the fanged.

Chatting Today at TwoLips

2010-03-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

I'm chatting with a host of Torquere authors at TwoLips Reviews today.

I'll post excerpts from The Quality of Mercy, Bonded, and maybe my liquid latex story too.

The Quality of Mercy (A Bonded Story)

2010-03-20T12:31:00.001-07:00

My vampire short story, The Quality of Mercy, was released today. A bit silly, sweet, and sexy, this story introduces Brandr and Kyle from my upcoming novella Bonded.

Bassackward

2010-03-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

In a non-typical bassackward move, I wrote my vampire novella Bonded first, then in the grip of the characters, wrote a short story, The Quality of Mercy, that takes place earlier.

Lucky for me, Torquere had a slot for Quality of Mercy (March 20th) before the release date for Bonded (mid to late April), so at least they'll be released in order.

Now I'm thinking of writing shorts for each of the vampires that join Brandr's coven (or whatever a group of vampires is called) before Tyler comes into their lives. I have a novella, or possibly a novel, in mind that would be a continuation of Bonded, depending on how the characters are received. So far, my vampires only had to confront circumstances, but if I write the novella that follows Bonded, I need a villain who will their the stories together. *starts casting call*

Escapade 2010

2010-02-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

I'll be at Escapade 2010 this Sunday. If you're in Ventura, California, stop by and say hello. I'll be sharing a table in the dealer's room with James Buchanan, Stephanie Vaughn, Zoe Nichols, and a few other writers.

As well as signing books, we're donating stuff to a raffle prize.

I have Bonded key chains!

Isn't that a great cover?

Yay! A Release Date!

2010-02-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

Bonded will be out in April. The Christmas tree will seem a little unseasonal, but I'm sure readers can look past that little part. The cover is hot.

While I was waiting for word on it, I - dashed isn't the right word because it took a heck of a lot longer than a dash of time to write it - but 'dashed' off a prequel. These are going to be a lot more romancy than my usual. Even though there's a bit of angst, these stories are definitely comedies. And *gasp* no BDSM. That's right. These stories are almost vanilla. A three-way with two vampires and a human is totally vanilla. Right?

Runs Screaming From Room

2010-01-31T09:14:00.000-08:00

For the past three years, I've had the perfect opening lines for a story in my head, and a vague idea of where to go from there, but other projects pushed to the forefront. Now this scene is demanding more of my attention. The problem, and why I know I pushed it back, is that it's steampunk, which means writing a historical.

*Runs screaming from the room*

While you can play a little fast and loose with scientific details in steampunk - it's almost required - I like for as much of the story to be historically accurate as possible. That means research. Ugh. Tons of it. Then there's the prospect of dealing with the arbiters of historical accuracy, who can be a bit self-righteous. And nasty. Lord, are they ever nasty. Gleefully so.

The alternative is to create an otherworld such as Ginn Hale's wonderful Wicked Gentlemen. That's tempting. World building isn't any easier than doing research, but at least no one can make spiteful blog posts about how your character's undergarments aren't period.

I want to mull over this for a while, but the characters want out of my brain and onto the page. We'll see who wins.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

2010-01-04T20:51:00.001-08:00

Huge win! Kells was accepted today for the Blood Sacraments anthology edited by Todd Gregory. Of the vampire stories I've written, it's my favorite.

Todd edited a gay vampire anthology a couple years ago that introduced me to Jeff Mann's writing, so I look forward to seeing who else is contributing. So far, I think Steve Berman (Lethe Press) and Lawrence Schimel.

Now if only I'd hear from... Nope Not going to ruin my happy vibe.

The Coming Year

2009-12-27T09:24:00.000-08:00

Now is a good time to look at my writing for the coming year. Unfortunately, I still have stuff hanging out there from this year. *grrr*

If my vampires sell well, I'll write more of them. I already have a story arc for several novellas.

I need to spend more time on my short stories. I've been so tied up in the rewrite of a novel (different pen name) that I haven't been able to do much else. Once I feel that's ready, I'm going to concentrate on getting some short stories out to editors.

Most of my stories are BDSM, but my vampires aren't. I can't decide if I should concentrate on BDSM or just go wherever my imagination leads. I always wonder if readers follow me because they only want BDSM, or if they just like my stories in general. The non-BDSM ones don't seem to sell as well. Maybe I should look into another Ophir story following The Harem Boy.

Opinions welcome!

drums fingernails

2009-11-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

I'm still waiting on release dates and acceptances (or rejections), so I don't have much to report.

I'm thinking about a story for the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival's short story contest this year. I won last year with a story that I'm considering submitting to Best Gay Romance 2010. Or is it 2011? I'm starting to see pub dates that far out in the submissions calls. With the publishing world in upheaval, those distant pub dates worry me. Too much can go wrong. But back to the short story contest... I'm so wrapped up in another project that it's hard for me to think of short stories now, and I've already promised an editor that I'm thinking of a story for her anthology (checks looming deadline. yipes! better get on that.) So I may skip the contest. But if you write, I urge you to submit something.

Paassing on a Call for Submissions

2009-11-07T22:01:00.001-08:00

Spank!
Edited by D. L. King
To be published by Logical Lust late summer or early fall 2010
Deadline: January 15, 2010
Payment: $25 and a copy of the book in available electronic formats, plus a copy of the print edition, if the book does well enough to go into print.

D. L. King is looking for hot spanking stories.

Sometimes all you need to get hot and bothered is a good bottom warming... Whether getting or giving is your passion, this book is designed to create the same blush on your face as the one found on your bottom after a few good, hard whacks.

What makes for a sexy spanking story? Short, plaid, Catholic schoolgirl skirts? Bent at the waist, a bare bottom with the boxers and pants down around his knees? A stern schoolmarm, or head master, standing in front of a blackboard, holding a rattan cane? A dungeon wall covered with all sorts of paddles, floggers and canes? A scolding? A punishment? A pert bottom settling over charcoal gabardine trousers? A ritualized display of dominance? The crack of a hand coming down on already heated flesh? Send me something guaranteed to make naughty girls and bad boys, the world over, squirm in their seats when they read this book!

I envision this anthology as being primarily heterosexual, but I’ll happily consider GLBT stories, as well. Remember, no underage characters, please. Stories should be between 2,500 and 5,000 words, double-spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman or Courier New. Please indent the first line of each paragraph one-half inch and do not include extra lines between paragraphs. Please make sure your document contains no other pre-set formatting.

Send your story as a .doc (not .docx) attachment and include the title, pseudonym (if applicable) and your legal name and mailing address to spankantho@gmail.com. (If you are unable to send a Word attachment, I will accept an RTF.) Subject line should read: Submission: TITLE. Please include, as a second attachment, a 50 to 75-word bio, along with ways you might help promote the book should your story be accepted for publication. Direct any questions to the same address. Original stories only. You must own all rights to any reprints.

I Need a New Fantasy

2009-10-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

I'm waiting for a new story to grab me.

This isn't writer's block. I have ideas. I'm working on other projects under my other pen names. I just don't have a good gay erotic story lurking in my brain.

Sometimes I get flashes of scenes, but a novel can't revolve around two hot young things making out like kissing is their oxygen. They're so happy frotting on the couch that I hate to break them apart for an interrogation.

Me: excuse me

Hot gothy guy: little busy here

Me: I noticed. If you don't mind sliding your hand out of his shirt for a sec, could I ask a few questions? What's your situation?

Hottie geeky blond dude: I was having the best night ever, then this weird writer broke in, and now I'm losing my hard-on.

Me: I'll write mind blowing sex for you to make up for it.

Gothy: We can take care of that ourselves.

Geeky: I knew I should have locked the door.

Me: Any of you being stalked by a creepy ex-boyfriend? Witness a mob hit? Have meddling family?

Geeky: You're kind of stalkerish. And you're meddling.

Me: *writes notes* Okay, good. You're kind of a smart-ass. I can work with that. How about you, Gothy boy? Are you an artist? Oh! How about a dj at a BDSM club?

Gothy: I'm majoring in life sciences, and I'm not a goth.

Me: dyed black hair, guyliner, black clothes...

Gothy: great. I'm a stereotype. Isn't that kind of lazy writing?

Geeky: don't encourage the crazy writer to stick around

Me: so how did you two get together? Was one of you running from a werewolf and knocked the other one down? Or has one of you been secretly in love with the other one from afar for months and just worked up the courage to talk to him?

Gothy: *rises from couch* let's go to my place. We have security gates.

Geeky: I'm over it. Both of you, out.

Gothy: *gives me a hard look* Oh, I am so going to blog about this.

More On Vampires

2009-10-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

Since I've been writing a lot of vampire stories lately, they're looming large in my writerly musings.

Some people (okay, many) despise Twilight. Most of the people who hate it aren't the intended audience. I think Romeo and Juliet and Wuthering Heights are stupid too, but I don't waste time blogging spite against Emily Bronte or Shakespeare. Come to think of it, I don't blog spite against living writers either.

There's a strong contingent of True Blood haters out there too. I've read all the books, and I watch the show, but I wouldn't exactly call myself a fan. Does anyone like vampire Bill? If there was a People's Choice Award for vampire the public would most like to stake, he'd probably win by a huge margin. What's his big sin? He's boring.

Now I'm watching Being Human on BBC America, and while I have yet to read rants, I'm sure there are people who pour bile on the series. If you haven't seen it, the Being Human vampires can go out in daylight, and they seem to turn everyone they bite, which poses a huge geometric progression problem. Should gaping flaws like that bother the viewers of a series that features a ghost, a vampire,and a werewolf as flatmates? It's pure fantasy, right? It bugs me, but that doesn't stop me from watching - yet.

Then there's the Underworld franchise, the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, The Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon (now in graphic novels too!), Eden Bradley (maybe under a different pen name) has one coming out, and there are about a bazillion m/m erotica tales available in eBook. Torquere picked up my novella Bonded (no release date yet), so I'm part of the problem, er, trend.

With all this grousing about vampires, it's clear that many fans of vampires don't like the way they're being portrayed. It's also clear that many fans love the stories they're reading. But I'm musing on the unhappy legions, because I wonder what it is they want to see.

While some of the grousing I read is about the vampire "rules" being broken - they snort at Twilight's glittery vamps - that's only the opening shot in an increasingly nasty chorus of vitriol. Some of it's aimed at the writer personally, with unflattering tones of religious bigotry. If holy water and crosses are okay, why is sexual abstinence beyond the pale? (Yes, an erotica writer said this.)When a vampire who gets sexual satisfaction from feeding chooses not to feed, it's considered noble. When a waitress, a young girl, or a vampire hunter (all female characters) decides to listens to her head instead of her desire, it's prudery or forcing a religious agenda down the reader's throat. Right.

The biggest complaint against the current crop of vampire tales seems to be quality of writing. A lot of it is jealous writers slinging mud at commercially successful writers, because we all know that this is about art and the ugly aspect of money should never sully the purity of an artistic vision. Unless, of course, the writer wants to eat, pay rent, etc. Writing isn't a community service (hear that, pirates?), and wanting to make a living off it isn't a moral offense. However, I agree that there's a lot of bad writing out there. Saying nasty things about it isn't going to stop the fans from buying it though, and if fans are buying it, publishers will continue to offer it. The only suggestion I can make is: If you don't like the writing, don't buy the books.

So I guess that where all this musing leads me is to the conclusion that readers want a well-written vampire tale that stays within the accepted trope of vampire rules. Oh - and they want sex. Lots and lots of vampire sex. That, I can do.

Crossing My Fingers

2009-10-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

I know next May is far off, but Cecila Tan of Circlet Press mentioned that she might come to Saints and Sinners Literary Festival this year. As soon as she posted it, I sent a reply begging her to come. Hopefully this means that they'll have a science fiction panel. It's been three years since the last one, I think. I remember Ian Phillips leading it, but I'm trying to remember if the rainbow fleur de leis was on the wall behind the panel as I (sadly) tend to link years to the interior decoration.

Which reminds me. I should get off my butt and extend Free Radicals to a novella for Circlet since they expressed interest in a longer version.

Very Productive Past Few Weeks

2009-09-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

After my vacation, I took on a few projects and have been wrapping them up at a good pace.

While I swore I was going to work on Vampires! In Space! I couldn't work up any enthusiasm for it. Then a new vampire crew pushed to the front of the creative line. I'll be polishing that novella this week and submitting it soon. This is an unprecedented turn-around time for me. I started writing two weekends ago, and by the end of the three-day weekend, had almost finished the first draft. I spent Friday night on the final thousand words. Now I have to let it sit for a week, no matter how much I want to jump right back in. A little distance is good for a story.

That leaves me with some time on my hands. I've been bad about writing short stories this year (although I submitted two to Todd Gregory's vampire anthology that's scheduled for release Oct 2010) as I've been writing novels, and those are such a huge time-suck. Short stories don't earn much. Sure, they get my name out there, but so would a good novel. Novels take more time, but have the potential to earn much more per hour invested. I'm trying to decide if I should go scan the calls for submissions to see if one of them sparks an idea. If not, I always have another novel in the creative queue. Sadly, I doubt I'll ever get to Vampires! In Space!

The San Frncisco Adventure

2009-08-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

How did I manage to get sunburned in San Francisco in the summer? It's usually freezing cold and foggy there, so I didn't put on sunscreen.

First stop was coffee with Thomas Roche. I've admired his work for a long time, so it was a real pleasure to chat with him. The only thing that sort of gets me down is that so many writers aren't working on anything anymore - Thomas being one of them. It's as if everyone burned out at the same time.

Friends John and Rory took me to lunch at the Beach Chalet. We sat out on the back lawn on Adirondack chairs and wriggled out feet in the grass while eating mushroom and goat cheese pizza. My face was fried by the time we left.

Later, as Jason, John, Kurt, and I were doing a change of venue bar hop through the Castro, we somehow adopted a lost couple from Winnipeg, Canada, and the next thing they knew, they were in a gay bar playing pool and listening to Kurt's porn star "date" itinerary. To give him credit, at least he's narrowed it down to just two a day.

Saturday, I had lunch with D.L. King and Mike Ford. Great lunch. This is why writers need to hang out together. Most of us are too smart to put anything in writing, but in person, the gossip about publishers, editors, and fellow writers flows. We can't help it. We're storytellers by nature and holy bejezus, do we have some doozies. Besides, who else will wince sympathetically at your latest editorial disaster? Not your significant other, unless s/he writes. Only another writer understands.

So all in all, a good trip. Except that my face is bright red. I'll bet people at my reading thought I was blushing like mad. I would have explained, but who would have believed I got sunburned in San Francisco?

I Saw A Viking!

2009-08-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

I saw a viking while at Tivoli, or at least a guy who fit the image - tall, lean, long blond hair, blue eyes... the complete package, so to speak. He was eating blue cotton candy, which made him perfect in my absurdist's view.

Summer in the Baltic states is apparently berry season. The farmer's markets were overflowing with real blueberries (as opposed to the huge huckleberries we get here that pretend to be blueberries) and tiny, flavor-packed alpine strawberries that are another world compared to the huge, flavorless things we get here. While I passed on the reindeer chili in Helsinki, I couldn't resist the raspberries, cloudberries, and blueberries. Only the apple was a disappointment.

Stockholm was flying their Pride flags on the bridge next to the palace. We watched some of the changing of the guard ritual. The part that will stay with me is the sound of fifty horses passing by on a cobblestone street bouncing off the buildings around us. I can imagine a hundred years ago that sound striking dread in your heart, because it was a bit ominous even in current times. The Nobel museum wasn't worth the price of admission, but sailing through the archipelago to the city was incredible. Some islands were only big enough for one of two houses. Some were much bigger. We could see small marinas tucked away in hidden harbors. A falcon landed on one of our balcony railings for a while.

Last time we were in Italy, we overdosed on churches, so we made a real effort to keep it to a minimum this time. The Church of the Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg was amazing. Every surface was covered in mosaics, as art form I truly enjoy, and the exterior is wild. We also went to a church that I don't remember the name of, but it was in the Peter and Paul fortress in St. Petersburg and featured tombs of the entire Romanov dynasty from Peter the Great to Nicolas, Alexandra, and their children and those who died with them.

The Hermitage is probably great, but it felt as if we were on a forced death march through it. I get opulence burn-out pretty quickly, so between the baroque interiors and the sumptuous art, I was ready to leave an hour before we did. Weirdest juxtaposition - watching people set up the stage for Madonna's concert outside the Winter Palace as we were listening to our tour guide talk about the Siege of Leningrad. BTW, the Russian sense of humor rocks.

Off to the Lands of the Vikings

2009-07-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

I hope for viking inspiration, but I'd be happy with Vampires in Space! or any inspiration.

Vampires. Sigh

2009-07-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

I truly don't enjoy writing vampires. Scratch that. I don't enjoy reading vampire tales. So much is rehashing the same old ground. Very few writers bring anything new to the mythology. The stories are about becoming a vampire, or finding out they exist. I get tired of that.

Despite my reservations about vamps, of course I'm currently writing them. I'm reworking an older vamp tale, working on a "fresh" one, and contemplating a novel. The older work has vampire characters, but it's not about being a vampire. it's about that moment where your first big crush ends. The fresh one is bound to give a certain New Orleans based editor horrible Katrina flashbacks, and I do apologize in advance, but I'm still going to write it. The novel will be based on a short story I wrote several years ago. It's at least a twist on the mythology. Yes, I'm talking about Vampires! In Space! It's more of an action thriller where one of the characters happens to be a blood drinker, but he's not exactly a vamp. I know I've been threatening to write that one for a couple years. Now that the Chaos Magic trilogy is done, maybe I will.

Rainbow Reviews on The Harem Boy

2009-07-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

Rainbow Reviews covered The Harem Boy!

I Didn't Realize

2009-06-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

It had been so long since I updated. Eeep. Sorry. I've been working madly on a novel (different pen name) and it sucked away all my time. Not that it's in the hands of readers, I can join the rest of the world again.

Toy Boxes:Guiche is out. My story is Reading The River, about a couple bears on a barge in the middle of the Mississippi River who like to tussle together.

And for Master Ophir fans - The Harem Boy was just released. Fidn otu how Chris joined Ophir's household. This is the first Torquere Sip to get a unique cover.

Good friend Greg Herren sent out a call of vampire stories. I try to stay away from them, but it's Greg, so I'll at least try. I already have something swirling around the back of my brain.

I'm hosting at Torquere's Live Journal today!

2009-06-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

Come on over and say hi.

Rushes into Room

2009-06-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

A couple exciting things - The Harem Boy, a Master Ophir and Chris story, was moved up in the production line at Torquere. As soon as I know a release date, I'll let you know.

Saints and Sinners was incredible, as always. Met some very cool people and reconnected with some of my favorites. It poured on Saturday, but I still managed to charm Jeff Mann into lunch at the Clover Grill. He humors me, but one swipe of that bear paw would probably knock me on my butt.

But the most exciting thing is that I came back from Saints and Sinner energized as always, and dove right into a novel. It's sucking up all my time, but I'm having fun. Writing is so good when it's fun.

Do You Know What It Means

2009-05-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Do you know what it means
To miss New Orleans...

I do. The first year I went to Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, the big GLBT literary conference, I wasn't a big fan of the city. I loved S&S, but between the piss and puke stink of Bourbon Street, the humidty, and the feeling of unwanted privileged due to the color of my skin, I wasn't exactly smitten with the French Quarter.

When I came home, I decided that S&S would be a every-other year event for me.

Then Katrina hit. How could I stay away? Not because I wanted to see destruction like a gawker looking at a bad traffic accident, but because the No/AIDS Task force, which sponsors Saints and Sinners, had lost it's two biggest fund raising events and needed for this one to break even, and because I knew that frankly, the city need my tourist dollars.

That's the year I fell in love with New Orleans. On the drive from the airport, I saw cars caked with dried mud stacked under freeway overpasses. Many houses still had blue tarps on their roofs - nine months after Katrina hit. Insurance companies were dragging their feet on paying out justifiable claims, and the Federal government let them do it. There were random boats sitting on people's lawns. Finding food even in the French Quarter was a challenge. Restaurants were open for dinner, but didn't have enough staff to open for lunch. Most of the small places were permanently shuttered. Outside the tourist areas, nothing had been repaired. We should never forget the failure of government on every level. But that was a separate issue from the people who faced it every day and still went on.

That year, because I knew how much I disliked the Bourbon Street scene, I explored other parts of the French Quarter and found a different world. One I really liked. The gay bars don't reek of piss and vomit, and the clientele don't act like sleezy fools. The restaurants down that way are quieter and don't serve tourist chow. The pace is different. It's a neighborhood. It has a personality.

Now the longing to return starts in January and only gets stronger as the months pass. Part of it is because I get to see so many friends from all over the US and Canada. Every corner I turn, there's a familiar face. For a person who has never felt as if anywhere is home, that's as close to belonging as I'll ever get. I miss that. I miss New Orleans, every night and day.

This Month Just Keeps Getting Better

2009-04-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

I got word last night that my story Left Unsaid won the first Seattle Erotic Arts Festival short story writing contest.

I've said before, and I'll say again, I never win writing contests. So I'm absolutely floored by this. And thrilled. And I've been secret smiling to myself all day. I'll admit that I love that story. The sex is desperate and angry, because that's the only way he can tell his lover how he feels.

Big kudos to the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival for including written the word this year. They also had a poetry contest and a play contest. An erotic play? Intriguing! I really wish I could go.

Blurbs and Excerpts up on UnTreed Reads

2009-04-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Blurbs and excerpts from Chaos Magic and Personal Demons are up on UnTreed Reads.

Hrrrm

2009-04-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

Eventually, a writer's work will stand or fall on its own merits.

There are bite marks on my tongue, so I had to say something, even if it is cryptic.

Rainbow Reviews Gives Personal Demons 4 stars!

2009-04-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

My thanks to Rainbow Reviews for this wonderful review of Personal Demons.

Amazon Fail (crosspost)

2009-04-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Amazon is pulling the sales rankings on many GLBT books, including those without erotic content, and books listed as erotica. What does that mean? It means that books are quickly becoming almost impossible to find on Amazon, even though they still sell them.

The growing list of censored books

Amazon Fail the definition

Add your voice to the protest

Perks Up

2009-04-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

Yay! A call for submissions that Mr. Simmons might fit!
Oh. Wait. "We are seeking fiction with positive images of queer characters." Code for: the queer characters must be the victims of the horror. Oh, and your queer characters must be saints so that the moral lines are clear.

How very dull.

Mr. Simmons is evil. His gay neighbor Cody is his victim. But Cody isn't good people either. That doesn't make what happens any less horrific.

The Stories Writers Love

2009-04-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

Every writer has a story that they can't get published. Usually, it's the one they love the most. I have such a story. I've submitted it three times over the past few years. An erotic horror magazine told me it was "too disturbing," a rejection that I bear proudly. I suspect the most disturbing part about it (to them) was the gay content. I've never seen a piece with gay characters in their publication. But to be fair, publishers who take gay content have turned it down too.

The last time I submitted it, I did something I shouldn't have. I lightened it up a bit. And why? Just in the hopes that someone might give it a chance. (That editor didn't even bother to write a rejection letter. Lazy bastard.) So now I'm going to work it over one more time, and hone the creepiness back to it's former sharp edge. If I can, I'll crank it up even more. Disturbing? Hah! I'll make them back away from their computer screens while brandishing crucifixes and holy water.

Mr. Simmons may never see publication. Maybe it will only ever be a writing exercise for me. But that's okay. Because, you see, I love it, for all the reasons that publishers hate it.

Cover Art

2009-04-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not against naked men. Far from it. My favorite erotic art is Joe Oppedisano's work (click on the Tom of Finland gallery, and look at picture of the boy clutching the boot on the bale of hay. That would have been a great cover for Love Runes. But copy Oppedisano's work? Never. I couldn't live with myself if I stole his vision. His wonderful, perfect, hot, vision.)

For the Chaos Magic series, I wanted to get away from leather, dark colors, and waxed torsos. Lucky for me, my publisher was willing to humor me, even though sales might be higher with the buff bods. Those muted colors on my covers are soothing and the images are not quite like any other book out there. But that's kind of the point. The Chaos Magic series is one difficult beast to sum up. It isn't a typical BDSM story. If I had to do the thirty-second elevator pitch to an agent, I'd have to slam the alarm button, tell her to get comfortable, and explain that "this is going to take a while."

I wish I could dream up straightforward stories that could be easily pitched. I've tried. It would make my work easier to sell both to publishers and to readers. So I have to offer Torquere a big thanks here for taking the leap of faith on a story that even the writer couldn't do a synopsis for. I also have to thank readers who I know turned to their friends and said, "I can't explain it, but read this."

So for those of you wondering where the hot male models are, go buy Joe Oppedisano's book Testosterone. He's got a whole book of masculine erotic art. I would have only given you a cover, and there would have been words covering the best parts anyway.

First review of Personal Demons

2009-04-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

My thanks to Jean Roberta for this wonderful review on the Erotica Readers and Writers Association website. She covers the whole trilogy, not just Personal Demons. Yay!

I'm Hosting on Live Journal Today!

2009-03-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

Come over to Torquere's Live Journal to read snips from Personal Demons.

Personal Demons was released today!

I'm All Verklempt

2009-03-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

I was sent the link to this review of Chaos Magic, and I am just so speechless and touched that I don't know what to say, except thank you.

Cover!

2009-03-22T08:17:00.001-07:00

Yay!

I'm one of those people who walked out of every class on the first day of the semester saying, "I'm going to fail this class," even though I graduated with honors. So of course when I see an email with my cover, before I even open it, the pit of my stomach drops to the floor. Then I open it, and YAY! It's gorgeous and perfect. Why do I torture myself with expectations of calamity when I'm always wrong? I have no idea.

So to go along with this wonderful cover, I'm going to give you a NC-17 snip from Personal Demons (released this Wednesday from Torquere Press. Read more snips this WEdnesday as I host Torquere's Live Journal)

Personal Demons (Torquere Press, March 09) is the final book of the Chaos Magic series (m/m BDSM). When Hector met Sam in Chaos Magic, Sam was running from his psycho ex-master, the God of Fear. Their turbulent relationship runs into more problems in Love Runes as Sam has to decide between growing up a little for the sake of their relationship or staying forever young. While Sam is finally getting his act together in Personal Demons, it's Hector's turn to face his jealousy or drive Sam away forever.

Sam is a film critic covering the Venice Film Festival and Hector comes along hoping to turn it into a romantic vacation. This scene takes place their first morning in Venice, just before Sam unwillingly becomes the pet project of the God of Fame.

***
I woke to the peeling of church bells. Soft morning light reflected on the ceiling of our hotel room. The day was already warm. I tried to see what time it was, but there was no clock on the nightstand. If I’d been thinking, I would have counted the church chimes from the beginning, but I wasn’t sure if they tolled the hours or simply reminded everyone that it was time for mass. Whatever the answer, it was too damn early to be up. My body protested that it was still the middle of the night, and back home, it was.

Groaning, I tried to put my pillow over my ears to drown out the bells, but the chain securing me to the headboard was too short.

Hector mumbled something. His lips pressed to my neck above my slave collar and ground his hard-on against my butt.

“Good morning, Sir,” I whispered.

Hector growled, but not in an angry way. The sound sent shivers down my spine. Smiling, I wriggled against him. He growled again and tightened his grip on me. Gentle kisses blessed my bare shoulders. I yawned, stretched my legs, and rolled over to face him – not easy with my hands chained to the headboard. His warm brown eyes crinkled up at the corners as he grinned at me.

“Venice.” Hector said it like he was evoking a holy word. Maybe for him it was. He was the God of Love after all, and what city was more romantic than Venice?

“Maybe we could do a little exploring before I head over to Lido to check in with the media people,” I said.

He rolled over and picked up his watch. After squinting at the face for a while, he put on his reading glasses. He groaned and collapsed against the mattress. “Who’s up this early?”

“The bell ringers.”

“Smart ass.” He smacked my butt hard and then released me from my shackles.

Giving him a quick kiss, I got out of bed.

When I came out of the bathroom, Hector stood at the open window. He was nude. His broad shoulders and the dimples at the small of his back were an awesome sight. The light seemed to wrap around his warm brown skin and highlighted the dark hair on his forearms and thighs. To me, he looked like one of those statues of Hercules – masculine and powerful. Even if he hadn’t been a God, he would have been god-like.

“Someone should paint you like that, Sir. Or make a sculpture. You’re so…” I was going to say hot, but the word that came out of my mouth was, “beautiful.”

He didn’t turn from the window, but he extended his hand towards me. I took it. He drew me in front of him and wrapped his arms around my waist. I leaned back against his chest as we took in our first daylight glimpse of Venice together.

Below our window was a canal. Several buildings down, the canal widened into a small lagoon where thirty or so gondolas were tied together. A man climbed across the boats which were tied together in the mooring until he reached the one that was his. He stripped off his shirt, revealing a toned stomach and beefy arms before he pulled on his red and white striped work shirt.

Once that show was over, I took in the rest of the view. The skyline was punctuated with crosses and domes. I knew that we weren’t far from St Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace. The surrounding neighborhood was a jumble of homes and shops. The apartment building directly across the canal from our hotel room was taller than the hotel. Its walls were warm sienna with small wrought iron balconies that were crowded with plants. Several stories down, a black and white cat sunned himself in a window.

We stood in our embrace for a long time as we watched early-rising tourists carefully climb into the gondolas. Soon only a few boats were left in the lagoon. The smell of the sea filled the air. Sunlight bounced off every surface so that the city glowed. Hector’s aura wrapped around me like a cloak. Everything was so perfect at that moment that I didn’t dare speak and break the spell.

Church bells chimed again, but they sounded further away.

“A city of churches,” Hector mumbled in my ear. “A city of Gods.”
***

I Meant To Do So Much More

2009-03-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

For the past few years, I've been writing to the various erotic arts festivals and asking them if they'd consider adding the written word to their programs. No one ever wrote back. But this year, the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival added short stories, plays, and (I think) poetry competitions. The guidelines were a bit difficult. Five pages. No word count, just five pages. That worked out to about 2300 words. (Everything depends on how much dialog you have, and how long your paragraphs run.)

This is a great opportunity, but since it's the first year, gaming it is difficult. What do I mean by gaming it? Well, if nothing GLBT finals, chances are it's not worth sending any GLBT stories in. Same with BDSM. So I meant to send in the limit of three stories: one GLBT, one BDSM, and one vanilla hetero (do I even write those? oh yeah, I did once) to increase my odds. Unfortunately, time slipped away during my "not writing" period from December to the beginning of March. Since they were only taking unpublished entries, I would have had to start from scratch on all three. I meant to, but I ran out of time. So I ruthlessly edited down the one piece I had ready to go, which is gay erotica, and sent it off. I'm crossing my fingers that since this is Seattle, the sexuality of the characters won't be an issue.

I don't do well in contests. Never have. Probably never will. (and I'm always astounded and irked by what does win). But, as I said, I'd been poking them to add written word for so long that I had to do something to support their decision. I got an email saying they had over a hundred entries. That's a great start for the first year. I hope that they continue to run this contest in future years. And I hope that other erotic arts festivals pick up on this idea. I just wish I could have done more.

March 25th release date for Personal Demons!

2009-03-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

Whoo-hoo! Still waiting on the cover, but everything else is ready.

On Wednesday, the 25th, I'll be hosting on Torquere's Live Journal with snips and some other stuff.

Hrmmm.

2009-03-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

A little over three weeks before the release date for Personal Demons, and I'm still waiting to see the cover art. Of all the things I could obsess on (believe me, there are many) this is the one I chose, probably because it's the one I have the least control over.

Later this month, I'm hosting a Live Journal day on Torquere's blog. I'll post snips and I guess I should plan a contest or two. *sigh* I have a good imagination, so you'd think it would be easy to come up with something, but I second-guess myself to death. Is it fair to ask questions that only a fan of Chaos Magic and Love Runes could answer? Or do I want to try to draw a new fan in? And do I limit it to those that series, or include the Toy Boxes? You can glimpse here how I manage to drive myself stark raving crazy.

But on the upside - It'll be out soon!
And even better, I bought my tickets to the Saints and Sinners Literary conference today. So I have that to look forward to. That, and cover art.

Take Heart, It Happens To Me Too

2009-02-20T19:17:00.001-08:00

Writing has a lot of "hard parts." It's hard to write a good story well. Ideas seem simple enough until you sit down to write them and figure out that no, it really doesn't work, or it won't work the way you envisioned it. It's hard to keep slogging through a novel when you've lost your way or when doubt creeps into your brain and takes over. Who has the time to write? Getting past the guilt for taking time away from the rest of the demands in your life can be daunting. It's difficult, even when you're experienced, to hand over your work to a reader (no matter how trusted) and wait for his/her opinion.

And then there's rejection letters.

I decided six months ago that I had too much work at one publisher, (a lovely publisher. great to work with, but I felt I needed to expand my horizons) so I found a few calls for submissions that sparked story ideas and went for it. Most of those submissions were accepted. One I'm still waiting to hear back from, but the longer it goes, the less of a chance I feel it has. And then there's the story the got the rejection letter yesterday.

Considering that I've placed every story I've sent out for the past year or so, I can hardly get upset about one loss. Before the winning streak started, I had my share of rejection letters, so it's nothing new. But, oh, it still stings. No mortal wound, I assure you. Only a prick to my pride.

I think rejection letters are the hardest part of writing. It can feel so personal, but it's not, and that's the lesson every writer has to learn the hard, privately humiliating, confidence destroying way. It isn't how you feel that matters. It's the actions of a writer following a rejection that makes a difference.

Some people never write or submit their work again. That's sad, but frankly, that's the reaction of someone who needs to grow a pair. Delicate feelings are a self-indulgent luxury. They're also annoying as hell. People who react like that aren't more sensitive than the rest of the world, they just want a medal for it.

On the opposite end are the ones who write diva tantrum letters to the editor or publisher. Those high drama letters make the rounds behind the scenes - usually because the poor grammar and incoherent ranting usually make better reading than the submitted story. Angry, abusive, and high maintenance aren't the signs of an artistic temperament. They're signs of immaturity.

So what is a writer supposed to do after a rejection letter? I know that my story was within the guidelines of the anthology, so that wasn't the reason for the rejection. You'd be surprised how many people submit to the wrong place. Don't send your cookbook to a publisher who specializes in gardening books. No editor is going to make an exception for your book, no matter how well written, if the fit is wrong. If you were lucky and the editor said something specific about why your story was turned down, set your pride side and learn from what the editor said. (The letter I got said nothing specific. So I'm going to have to guesss that the editor simply didn't like it, or he didn't like it enough to include it. Nothing personal in that. It's not as if he said he doesn't like me.) Let the story sit for a few days, or weeks. Then give it a critical, detached read. If it still seems fine to you, then find a new place to submit it, and send that sucker out the door. Few stories sit around more than a month before I send them out again. After all, the best revenge, if you want to call it that, is selling it somewhere else.

Valentines Day tips from the Gods

2009-02-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

As you can imagine, Valentines Day is non-stop for the Gods of Love and Sex, but Hector and Sam are taking some time out from their busy schedules to offer some tips to a successful, happy Valentines Day:

Hector says:

Touch is the best way to communicate your feelings, so give a foot rub. Even a shoulder caress in passing, with a little smile, says a lot.

Tell your lover something you admire or appreciate about him/her/hir.

Hold hands.

Sometimes you don't have to say anything. When your lover walks into the room, give him/her/hir a lingering glance that let's them know you're really seeing who they are and like what you see.

Tomorrow, or later next week, call your lover and thank them for the evening. Even if you live with your lover, woo him/her/hir like you did when you first met.

Sam says:

Sex first, fancy dinner afterwards.

***

Hector and Sam appear in Chaos Magic and Love Runes (Torquere Press). Personal Demons will be released in March.

Chatting Tomorrow

2009-02-11T18:58:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow, I'll be in the Latte Lounge chatting and posting a few snips from Personal Demons. With only 5 weeks to go before the release (where is that cover?) it's time to start promoting the hell out of it. I'm also hosting a LiveJournal day for the Torquere LiveJournal site at the end of March. I'll let you know the exact day and include a link closer to the date.

Have you ever noticed in some series - the Laurell Hamilton Anita Blake series is a fine example - how the story starts taking second place to the sex scenes after a while? In a bit of a reverse, there are fewer sex scenes in Personal Demons than there are in Chaos Magic and Love Runes, and they are less intense BDSM scenes. (There is one long punishment scene in the first chapter. I'll warn you now.) So unlike Chaos Magic and Love Runes, I actually have several safe for work snips. Amazing! Although Hector fans will probably hate me. (And on that cryptic note, I think I'm done with this post.)

Still No Word on the Cover

2009-02-07T15:20:00.001-08:00

I still haven't seen the cover for Personal Demons, and Ophir's Single Shot won't be out until the middle of August. Ah well.

In the meantime, I'm amusing myself by researching Vikings. If I write a Viking story, it'll be a historical, which I've never attempted before. I have a lot of respect for writers of historicals who do it well. I belong to a list for authors of historicals, but I mostly hang these as a fan girl and uber geek as I love to read these intense conversations they have. One of the things I love about the group is how they decry being PC. No revisionist history for them. They want accuracy. So I know who to turn to if I take the leap. Having read some TDS - truly dreadful stuff - historicals, I know what I DON'T want to do.

I used to read folktales and myths from around the world before I discovered true crime novels (True crime remains my guilty pleasure. I blame Truman Capote as In Cold Blood was the first one I read. Hooked me for life.) But with all the reading I did of folktales, northern European mythology and folklore seems to have escaped me. I kind of know who Thor, Loki, and the Valkyre are, but not really. I've read Beowulf (on my own, not for a class, which was probably a mistake) but barely remember it. So even if I don't end up writing Vikings, at least I'll fill in that gaping hole (one of many) in my knowledge base. Besides, I need to brush up on my Russian folklore before Helen Madden and I jump into our project. I have to find out if there are Russian fae. I know they have witches. (Hut of the Baba Yaga is my favorite movement from Pictures on Exhibition by Mussorgsky, although the Gates of Kiev is wonderful too.)

Other than folklore and the heroic sagas which I'll no doubt have to read, I'm also turning to TV. Oh dear, I know. No accuracy there. But the Historical Channel had a great show on the Vikings about six months ago. Until I saw it, I never understood the reach of the Viking navies. These were no mere looters. Despite their image, they enforced peace when the disintegration of the Roman Empire created a power vacuum, which made it possible for trade to continue from Russian to the holy lands. That's what made me sit up and think "these people are interesting."

I Have A Strange Question

2009-02-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

Lots of background: the unsinkable Laura Baumbach is starting a GLBT chapter for RWA in the hopes of getting RWA to deign to acknowledge GLBT romance. While I heartily support her effort, I've never thought of joining RWA because I don't think of myself as a romance writer. But then, after thinking about it, while I don't write in the genre style of romance, my stories are about relationships, and more often than not, they end up happily for now (after lots and lots of hot, steamy sex).

So I'm throwing this question out as I try to figure out if I should join the revolution or just wave my pompons from the sidelines: Do you read my stories for the sex or for the relationship?

Waiting on the Cover Art

2009-02-01T08:57:00.001-08:00

Bitching about cover art seems to be the second favorite pastime of authors. I've been lucky. The cover art for Chaos Magic and Love Runes is great. I'm waiting with tapping feet to see the cover for Personal Demons. I hope it has the same feel and color palette as the other covers. Chaos Magic was centered around the Gods, so it was right that the cover was an altar. The climax (heh. in erotica, there are a lot of those) of Love Runes took place during Beltane in the woods, so the forest cover fit. So what are they going to do with Personal Demons? Much of the story takes place outside Hector and Sam's home. Venice, Toronto, Palm Springs, Sundance Film Festival, a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, and the red carpets of Hollywood premiers. There's even a steamy scene in the back of a limo. It's a departure from the homey vibe of the other stories. Yes, they asked my opinion, but I always tell them to ignore me and do something better since I suck at it. I did suggest a gondolier and the Rialto Bridge. But who knows what it'll turn out to be? With only two months to go before release, it has to be done soon. Right?

Whoo-Hoo! and Even Yee-hah!

2009-01-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

Torquere accepted my Ophir story, The Harem Boy. I don't have a release date, but I'll let you know as soon as I do.

So for those of you who like Ophir, you're going to get to see how he and Chris got together. And Sam's ex-master Keith (the one before he got mixed up with Marcus) makes an appearance - as Ophir's Number One! You also find out the source of Ophir's wealth. But will you finally find out where he's from? Only if you figure out the clue I hid in the story.

Like Indiana Jones

2009-01-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

snatching his fedora before the trap door slams shut. Or at least that's how I'd like to visualize my return of the edited copy of Personal Demons this afternoon. The deadline was tomorrow.

*whew*

And I didn't even have to break out the bullwhip.

Now I can't wait to see the cover art.

Sniffle

2009-01-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

So I'm working on the edits for Personal Demons, and I hit two scenes that still make me tear up. You'd think I'd be cooler about this by now, but here I am, reading it through, and the next thing I know, I'm reaching for the tissues. While it has tons of hot sex, this book is much more of a traditional romance than the other two Chaos Magic books.

Is it bad of me to hope you tear up too?

And, We're Off and Running

2009-01-05T21:11:00.001-08:00

I got the first round edits on Personal Demons today. Yay! And doh! It's amazing how much your eye glosses over. No matter how many times you read it, you see what you think you wrote, not what's actually there.

So it's crazy days at work, and trying to get this turned around in six days. Oy. Luckily for me, I have the hovel to myself tomorrow night. Now if only I can convince the cats that I'm not their personal heat rock... (just try to ignore them. after a few polite meows, they sink their claws into my ass if I don't pick them up.)

The other thing about reading through the story again is revisiting all the details. While there's tons of hot sex, there's also heartbreak. It's hard watching the guys fight, even when I'm the one who made them do it.

Replenishing the Creative Well

2009-01-04T17:39:00.000-08:00

I'm not feeling creative right now. That used to bother me, but now I'm used to the rhythm. Creativity isn't a bottomless well. It has to be replenished. Some writers have other creative talents they can turn to, like art or music. I don't. Cooking is sort of a meditation for me, but once the fridge is packed with dinners for the following week I have to stop. So we headed out to the Getty Center today. Honestly, the art collection there isn't all that great, but the garden is spectacular. I've never been able to see it before since every time I go(once every three years or so) it rains and they close the gardens, but today was clear, so I got to spend some time wandering around it. The garden there is all about textures and light and water, not flowers, which is good because it's winter and even here few things are in bloom. That isn't to say there wasn't color. But like seasons in Los Angeles, it was subtle.

Because it was so clear, the view from the museum was incredible. We could see Santa Catalina one of the other channel islands, Palos Verdes, Long Beach, and downtown LA. That new perspective on places I know so well is also good for me. Funny, I live only a couple miles from the ocean, but rarely see it. I forget how immense it is. When I do see it up close, the water looks gray, cold, and angry. But way up there on that hill, it appeared deep blue and tranquil. Perspective changes like that give me themes to dwell on. Like the garden, those ideas might not bear fruit anytime soon, but they're there, and that's all I was hoping for.

Yikes!

2008-12-28T12:19:00.001-08:00

Staring down the end of the year, I'm trying to get everything in order before all hell breaks loose in January at my day job. I got my Ophir story submitted, so that's good. But I expected my edits on Personal Demons about 6 weeks ago and didn't get them. Since my publishers went out of the country for three weeks and left my editor in charge of the shop, I understood why those three weeks went by. Then I got distracted. But once again, the calender reminded me that tick, tick, tick, so I dropped an e-mail to my editor. She's swamped. I understand that completely. As long as she understands when January hits that I'm going to have to choose between sleeping and working on the edits, because even my weekends and nights are tied up. She verified that we have a March release date still. Yikes! So she either has great confidence that the draft I submitted is clean (oh dear) or that we can soldier through this before the release date.

So I guess the good news is that Personal Demons will be out in March, no matter what. The bad news is, it's going to be a head-first slide into home plate to get it in under the wire.

Thanks, Erastes

2008-12-19T18:02:00.000-08:00

Your result for The What type of MAN turns you on Test...

Action movie star

You scored 85% masculine, 53% athletic, 73% exotic, and 63% refined!

You love a manly man and you don't have time for boys. You like someone who looks exotic and who takes care of his body and hygiene. That is a good idea in case you are trying to eat jello shooters off of his beautiful 6 pack. Someone like.....Jean-Claude Van Damme, Belgium's hottest export. But let's face it, the whole point of this was to look at a bunch of hot guys. If you liked what you saw, please rate my test!

Take The What type of MAN turns you on Test at HelloQuizzy

Although I think it's funny that I didn't score high on athletic since you KNOW I have a thing for footballers. (real football, not American football)

Gottcha!

2008-12-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

Oh, this is so sweet. I finally nailed Ophir to the wall and finished my story.

I'm probably never going to try to write one from his POV again.

Ophir: "Wise choice. You shouldn't have tried this one."
Me: "Quiet, or I'll write a scene where your screen saver at work is a basket of kittens and puppies."
Ophir: "You wouldn't dare."
Me: "The next story about you and Chris is going to be that little incident that took place before Samhain."
Ophir: "I know where you sleep."
Me: "Right back attcha. How do you feel about Hello Kitty sheets on your bed?" *starts to type new description of Ophir's bedroom*

So Here's The Point Where I Start to Wonder

2008-12-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

Everything was flowing along so well, and then... nothing. Damn it. *shakes fist at Ophir, who just laughs in his quiet, superior way*

I'm wondering if I should try to rewrite this whole thing from the sub's POV.
Or maybe I should just soldier on and try to figure out why I don't
think it's working. Sometimes, I wonder if writers let their
self-censorship kill their work. After all, a reader might think it
works fine, and I may just be giving myself grief for no reason at all.

So, rewrite the whole thing? Nah. That would be throwing in the
towel and I'm not read to admit defeat. There was a reason why I chose
the Master'sPOV . Not for the whole story. For one line. That's right.
It's because I wanted a single moment of insight into his heart. It's a
fleeting glimpse to be sure, but that's enough. That's probably why the
character is fighting me so hard on this. He wants to stay safely
hidden.Hah! En guard, Ophir . I have you in my sights and I will drag
you, kicking and screaming (he's too dignified for that) into the light
for all to see.Muhahahhahahaha.

What's the Deal With Masters?

2008-12-03T20:32:00.000-08:00

Why are they so frustrating to write?

On one hand, there are the fantasy Sirs who seemingly can read a submissive's
mind and of course give the sub everything s/he needs and push limits
but never ask too much and naturally are rich, gorgeous, and have been
secretly yearning for this one sub is/her entire life.

Yeah. I don't write that kind of Master. Even my Gods have huge personal flaws
and screw up. I'm not about to bestow perfection on a mere mortal.

On the other hand, we have the angsty ones. What is it about the walking wounded Masters? They're so human and so fun to write, but they're not all that easy either, because the greatness in them has to barely outweigh the weakness. Hector isn't terribly angsty, but he can be such a jerk sometimes. (Chorus of voices from my last writer's salon "But that's why we like him.") Syd McGinley's Dr Fell is angsty, hurt, and growly. Again, everyone loves him.

But then there's Ophir. He won't give me a damn thing. If I poke around too much in his past, he gets pissy. Talk about secretive! I'm trying to write him and he simply won't budge on revealing anything about how he feels. Hell, he'll barely even admit what country he's from. (pain of death folks. I swore not to tell.) And he definitely
doesn't like me peering into his thoughts. Of course, I'm writing about how Chris came to serve him, and he's still really touchy (embarrassed is more like it) that he got caught breaking all his own rules because of how he feels about Chris. The last thing Ophir wants me to reveal is how he fell from the start.

("I did not." Ophir is grumbling in the background.
"If you want it told right, you're going to have to give in and tell it to me the way you think it happened," I'm telling him.
Oh great. He went into his study and locked the door.
"Masters don't pout, and they don't run in fear from a few questions! Come out of that study, ya big coward!"
Hah. Maybe that will draw him out.)

Forgot One

2008-11-29T15:04:00.000-08:00

Food, drink, and penis served here, apparently.

Just For Charlie

2008-11-29T14:33:00.000-08:00

Pix from a couple years ago when I was in Pompeii.

Only a geek like me would find this fascinating, but those sink-like wells in the counter were storage for olives, oilive oil, dates, etc. So this place was like the local deli.

This is the one body they have on dispaly. It isn't a good pic, but the sensation that I was violating his humanity was too strong, so I didn't take a better shot.

However, I had no problem snapping pics of shirtless visitors.

Okay, go down this road, and just follow the directional penises and you'll find it...

A couple pictures from the "menu" at the whorehouse. Alas, our tour guide would not slow down on our forced death march, so I had no time to focus better or take flash shots.

This faun statue is famous. It's from the large entryway of the local governor's large house. I think it's interesting that the faun doesn't have cloven hooves. (I think if you click on the pcitures, you'll see them bigger)

Oh, how did that tall drink of shirtless water wander into my pic? *bats eyelashes*

Bonus: A gondolier from Venice.

My Rainbow

2008-11-27T10:51:00.000-08:00

Your rainbow is strongly shaded orange, brown, and violet.

What is says about you: You are a deep thinking person. You appreciate a challenge. Others are amazed at how you don't give up. You are patient and will keep trying to understand something until you've mastered it.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

(Borrowing from Myc and Syd)

Rainbow Reviews on Toy Box: Kitchen Sink

2008-11-24T18:19:00.000-08:00

Rainbow reviews posted this nice review of Toy Box: Kithcen Sink.

It's No Use Forcing It

2008-11-23T19:43:00.000-08:00

A story either works or it doesn't. I wish I knew what made the difference, but it's still a mystery to me.

I was supposed to write a werewolf story for a call for submissions form Circlet Press. I love Circlet and wanted to submit something. But after forcing about three
thousand words, I had no interest in the rest of my story. So I tried a completely different slant, changing the characters, the location, and even the folk legend I drew from. Nope. Nothing. It was worse than my first attempt.

The weird thing is that I like reading werewolf stories. In a way, they're much more interesting than vampires. (Oh I know, perish the thought) Maybe this isn't THE werewolf story for me. I'll have to be patient and wait for that one to bubble up from that mystical place where stories come from. After all, I always swore I'd
never write a vampire story, and now I have three of them published. (Feed, for some incredible reason, was still on the bestsellers list for Halloween Sips atTorquere last week even though it's been there for over a year. I should probably write a novel for those characters. I already know the story. It's just a matter of sitting down and typing it. Besides, you know how much I love saying "Vampires! In Space!")

Well, werewolves might not be working for me, but my Ophir story was pure joy to write. No forcing there. It just worked from sentence one all the way to the end. The only hard part has been keeping my distance from it this past week. It's like a red wine. It needs to breathe for a while after being uncorked. Or before going through rewrites. There's a theme running through it I can't wait to develop fully. Since I already ran it out to nearly 10,000 words, there are two scenes I should probably add. You know. More sex. *contemplates pronoun minefield of a m/m/m/m scene* Sometimes, I love writing. *happy sigh*

Don't You Love It

2008-11-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

Don't you love it when a story just flows?

If you don't write, there still has to be something you do that at times is difficult beyond reason and it drives you nuts, but then there are those times when everything is so right that you remember why you endure the bad times.

The story I'm working on right now is coming to me so easily that it's a rush. I'd promised a fan that I'd try to write another Ophir story. I had an idea. I mulled over it for a couple weeks. I was supposed to be working on another story, but working on that one has been like pulling teeth, so I decided to jot down a bit of this one instead.

So far tonight, I've written over 2000 words. It's all falling into place. Smooth. Easy. Part of it, I'm sure, is that I get to slip back into a universe that I'm comfortable with, the world of Chaos Magic. This time there are no gods. Hector is mentioned, but he's not an active character. This all takes place before Sam enters the picture. So it's just Ophir and Chris.

I've heard that many writers know every little detail of every character in their books, but I've always kept Ophir as a bit of a mystery even to me. My short story in Toy Box:Floggers revealed him a bit. He's a prominent character in the last Chaos Magic book, Personal Demons. But still, he's elusive, our Ophir, because, I suspect, he likes being an enigma. Now he can't hide from me. I'm going to peel back the veil and take a look inside his brain. To make him squirm a lot more, I'm going to peer into his heart, too. Bwahahaha. Poor Ophir, he tries so hard to protect his heart, but this story is about how he met Chris, and no matter how he tries to deny it, Chris is the love of his life. Of course, he won't be able to admit that for years. For now, we'll let him delude himself that it's just plain old lust. Because I'm in a generous mood. It's hard not to be when everything is going so well. Please don't be famous last words

I'll be on Torquere's Live Journal tomorrow!

2008-10-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Most of the writers with Halloween stories coming out October 30th are posting on Torquere's Live Journal tomorrow, so watch for my snip.

Halloween

2008-10-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

I expect that Torquere will have a huge blast for the release of the
Halloween Sips, so stay tuned and I'll let you know what's up. I'll
also be on BethWylde's Halloween bash with a contest. Thing have been
so hectic lately that I'm not sure which night is which. By November 1,
I'll be ready forDia De Los Muertos. Zombie writer, anyone?

style="font-style:italic;">The Bewitching Hour is set
in the French Quarter on Halloween Eve. A mortal breaks his taboo
against doing anything exactly at midnight, especially when it's
Halloween. Pan and one of his fauns decide to play a game with him, but
they don't play nice.

Few of my stories have real life inspiration, but this one did. The first time I went to Saints and Sinners, I was wandering around the French Quarter at night. As I
walked out of the Bourbon Pub, I looked across the street into Oz, and saw a go-go boy wearing a white cowboy hat, white cowboy boots, and tiny white briefs dancing on the bar (I've never seen a go-go boy on the bar any other year I've been there). While everyone else sort of hopped around to thethumpa-thumpa dance music, he was doing this slow dance, hands running down his chest, off in his own little world. It
remains one of the most enduring mental images I have of New Orleans.

Toy Box: Kitchen Sink

2008-10-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

Everything but the kitchen sink or in this case, Anything but the
Kitchen Sink. As in: What do you have right at hand that could be used
as a sex toy?

Toy Box: Kitchen Sink came out today. I'm in great company with Syd McGinley's very popular Dr. Fell appearing in Catch and Release, and Home Team by the great writing duo Anah Crow and Dianne Fox. In my story, A Small Sphere of Influence, the BDSM lifestyle of boy Tim and his Sir is turned upside down by a car accident. It's up to Tim to coax his defeated Sir into physical therapy. What can a boy do? A lot, even with only a small sphere of influence.

Toy Box: Everyday Items

2008-10-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

Mark your calenders. Toy Box: Everyday Items is out October 22. I think Syd McGinley is in this one. I never did ask who our third contributor was, so it'll be a pleasant surprise for me too.

The challenge was to use an everyday household item as a sex toy in our stories. The hardest part was narrowing my focus to an item. The kitchen alone has so manypossibilities. Spatulas, oil, saran wrap... But all that seemed to obvious. So I went for something a little further afield.

For people who like to know how a story takes shape, this is how it sort of went:

Months ago, I had a brief flash of an idea for a story about a guy in physical
therapy following a car accident. Brief meaning that I only had part of
one scene in mind, and even the characters were fuzzy.

Then I read the call for submission on this Toy Box and the gears started
turning on sex toys around the house, but nothing definite came to mind, so I worked on other stories.

I got every story I was working on into the mail and decided to poke around calls for
submission in case there was anything that inspired me. Oh man. Ended up with a huge list I could never crank out stories for. Was driving to work one morning and the guy in physical therapy scene came back to me and somehow linked up with the call for submissions for this Toy Box and said: We belong together.

I have no idea how the alchemy of the creative process happens. All I know is that it does. With those two sketchy starting points, within the space of an hour I had the
characters, the item to be used as a sex toy, and the plot.

I Suppose It Had To Happen Eventually

2008-09-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Almost every well-known writer at my publisher has had their books "shared" at a pirate site, so I guess it was inevitable that one of mine would show up on a list.

For those of you unclear on the concept - sharing files of e-books is illegal. It's theft. Don't get all huffy and self-righteous, because you know you're doing wrong. When you bought the e-book, you agreed that it was for your use only. Not for you and some of your friends, and not for you and whoever has access to your file sharing account. Putting a copy out on the internet for other people to download is just morally wrong. And before you make some snide remark about publishers, or it not really hurting, please understand that there are some writers who make their sole living this way, and some of them have kids with medical problems, or have medical problems themselves. Some live close to poverty. Would you feel it's right to go into their house and take a dollar out of their wallet? No. After taking that dollar, would you then hold the door open so a bunch of strangers could also help themselves to a dollar from the writer's wallet? No. But guess what - sharing files is the same thing. So please, be your better self and stop stealing. Okay?

Rainbow Reviews give Love Runes 4 Stars!

2008-09-01T10:32:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Emily of Rainbow Reviews for her flattering review of Love Runes. She made my day.

Read it here.

Review of Toy Box: Floggers

2008-08-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

For some reason, these don't pop up on my notifications, so I'm a bit late finding this. It's a lovely review. My thanks to Angus Devotee for the kind words.

Interview at Circlet Press (Cross psot)

2008-08-26T18:14:00.001-07:00

My interview with Circlet Press is up. I talk about science fiction/fantasy and erotica.

Impromptu Sex Toys

2008-08-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

I was going to title this Bondage on a Budget, bu there's already an excellent how-to book out with that title, so I went for something more generic.

My editor sent the edited version of my story A Small Sphere of Influence that's going into the Toy Box: Everything But The Kitchen Sink anthology. She'd probably love it if I'd stop using periods after em dashes. That's my most consistent House Style versus Word conflict. Luckily, the number of other errors seems to get smaller each time, which either means I'm getting better at proofing my own work, or she's given up on some of my quirks. I hope I'm getting better at proofing. (Note to self: read Browne & King's Self Editing For Fiction Writers for the umpteenth time)

But what does that have to do with impromptu sex toys? Everything But The Kitchen Sink was an anthology I really wanted to contribute to because I love the idea of improvisation. As much kink as I write, you'd think I was into toys, but I'm not. I like the feel of fingers, lips, tongues, toes, etc. much more than the touch of silicone. Sure, heavy leather cuffs have a great visual impact that helps someone get into the mindset of a scene, but if I want a certain someone to hobble across the room, I'd rather have him do it with his jeans shoved down around his ankles than with a spreader bar. Why? I don't know. It's hot. It says SEX, NOW! instead of We Will Now Begin to Experience a Planned and Scripted Erotic Act. Plus it has an incredible humiliation factor that can take a guy by surprise.

As soon as I saw the call for this Toy Box, my imagination went into overdrive. I thought I'd end up writing a punishment story, or maybe a first time play scene. Spatulas. Drapery ties. Wooden spoons. There are so many things in a common kitchen that have been eroticized that I'm beginning to wonder if that's the kinkiest room in the house. Out of all the wonderful things at hand that can be turned into sex toys, what do you think I chose?

A small rubber ball.
Used three different ways.
If you want to know how, you'll have to read it.

Kells is Up at Forbidden Fruit

2008-08-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

You can read Kells at Forbidden Fruit. The August issue is up!

Love Runes excerpt (NSFW)

2008-08-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

Love Runes, the sequel to Chaos Magic, is out in print and as an e-book.

If you've read Chaos Magic, you know Sam and Hector already. If you haven't, well, this scene pretty much sums up their D/s relationship. It's Sam's birthday. Sam has a spanking fetish, and Hector loves to indulge him.

***

Hector tugged at my hand until I straddled his thigh. He wrapped an arm around my waist and handed me a wrapped gift. “This might come in handy.”

I tore the paper and let it fall to the braded rug under my feet. Inside the box was a heavy but flexible black leather paddle. The five holes in it would add sting to his blows. Another rush of lust zinged through my groin. “Perfect. Thanks, Papi.”

He took the paddle from me. “Let’s put it to some good use. Over my lap, Boy.”

When I’d settled across his legs, my feet against the far end of the couch and my head near other arm, Hector gave my shoulder an affectionate squeeze. He took his time pushing down the waistband of my jeans to bare my ass. That ritual always turned me on. I wanted to be naked so that I could hump against his leg while I was being spanked, but he left me trapped inside my jeans. It was uncomfortable, so I squirmed. Hector put his hand on the small of my back until I stopped. He was in control and I just had to deal with it.

“Now, how old are you again?” Hector asked.

I mumbled into the couch cushion, “Twenty-six.”

“Really?” He forced me to turn my head to the side and look up at him. “Really?”

I nodded. His eyebrows furrowed. He was probably trying to figure out why he was still with me if I was that old. Not that he was a chicken hawk. The guys he eyed were usually older. Still, he picked me to be his boy, and I looked like a boy.

“Baby, one of these days, you have to show me the picture you keep in a closet, because I swear you haven’t aged a day since I met you. I don’t think you’ve aged a day since you graduated from high school.”

I turned my face to the couch. Panic shot through me. He knew how old I really was. Would that turn him off? Was that reference to Dorian Grey just a quip, or did he suspect that I used God powers to stay young? And would he be relieved that I’d never allow myself to grow up, or would he be pissed off that I kept it a secret?

His hand slid over both buttocks and then he used his fingernails until my skin tingled. I let the tension ooze out of my muscles. When he felt that I was ready, he told me, “Keep count.”

The paddled whacked against my ass. “One,” I said.

He waited for the sting to fade before striking my butt again.

“Two.”

He touched my warming skin and scraped it again with his fingernails. It would be a long, leisurely spanking. Content, I relaxed. He raised the paddle.

By the time I grunted, “Sixteen,” my ass was plenty sore, but I suddenly wished I was thirty years old, or even fifty, so that he’d keep spanking forever. We were both hard. His cock jabbed my stomach. “Seventeen!” I yelped. He’d smacked me at my most sensitive spot, right at the top of my thighs. Hot tears slid down my nose, dropped on the couch, and spread. My back arched as I raised my butt for him.

“Your ass is getting pink,” Hector murmured. “Harder?” he asked.

I nodded. Until I was sobbing, it wasn’t a real spanking. Tears were a release for me and he loved it when they streamed down my face. He raised his hand high and hit my butt with the full force of his swing, but it was the last second flick of his wrist that made it sting so bad.

“Eighteen.” I gritted my teeth. “Nineteen.” When the next blow landed on my aching butt, I was supposed to say, “Twenty,” but I thrashed and tried to shove my hand down my pants to relieve the pressure on my cock. Hector yanked my hand away, pushed me back down and landed a harsh blow across my buttocks that made me scream. I fought to rise off his lap, but he held me in place. “It hurts,” I moaned.

His hand slid in soothing circles over my burning butt. “Poor Baby. You’re already sore.” I nodded and sniffled. When I glanced over my shoulder at him, he put a thumb to the fat tear that rolled down my cheek and wiped it away. Then he put his hand back on my aching bottom. “Your skin is almost too hot to touch already, and the blows are only going to get harder.” He slowly goosed me. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No!” I howled. How could he even think of stopping?

Hector chuckled. “I didn’t think so. Give me the count.”

“Nineteen,” I said.

He chuckled. “No, that was twenty, little boy. And just for that, we’re skipping twenty-one.”

I rose off him so that I could look him in the face. Doing the big innocent blue eyes thing, I said, “Honest, Papi. I lost count. I wasn’t cheating.”

“Sure you weren’t, pain slut. Now get back into position.”

Again, I tried to get my hand down my pants for a quick adjustment to my cock, but he gave me a stern look and patted his thigh. I grumbled but flopped back down over his lap. He wasn’t kidding when he said the blows would get harder. I had to suck in a breath and let it out slowly before I could speak.

“Twenty-two.” My voice was so meek that he caressed my hair.

It seemed like forever passed. The only sound was Hector breathing heavily and my pulse pounding. Sharp throbs passed through my butt, and my cock seemed to ache in time with it. Every muscle in my body was rigid. Slowly, I released my resistance and unclenched my butt muscles.

“That’s my good Boy,” Hector said just before the twenty-third blow landed. The sharp retort of the paddle landing on my butt rang through the room. That one was going to leave a bruise. Then he raised the paddle again and made me howl.

The last two blows stung so bad that I couldn’t give him the count. A loud sob pushed out of me. He stroked my back.

“Can you stand up?” he finally asked.

I didn’t want to, but I nodded and rose off his lap. My dick strained at my jeans as I stood before him. Sweat made my clothes stick to my skin. Jagged breaths shook my shoulders. I let my tears drip off my chin.

Hector got off the couch and circled me. He hugged me from behind and ground against my butt until I clenched my teeth. His lips pressed to my neck just under my ear as he mumbled, “Sweet Baby,” and “Sexy Baby.” I heard his zipper go down and felt his cockhead rub against my raw butt. It hurt, but I held still for him.

“You’re so hot.” Hector exhaled the words. I didn’t know if he meant me or my butt. He gripped my ass cheeks with firm hands and parted them so that his cock could bump against my hole. Slut that I was, I tried to spread wider for him. He let go of my ass cheeks but kept his cock shoved between them. His hand slid down the front of my jeans to free my dick, but then rested in a loose grip right at the tip of the head. If I thrust forward into his hands, his cock wouldn’t be pressed against my hole. If I tried to impale myself on his cock, I’d slip out of grip he had on my cock. There was no good choice. Every movement meant I lost contact somewhere.

Hector kept me like that for an eternity and a half. He changed positions just enough to keep me from getting used to the sensations. The kisses along my neck continued, as did the mumbled words of love and praise as I subtly rocked my hips forward and back. I finally decided that I wanted to be fucked more than I wanted him to stroke my cock, so I shoved back against him. He gripped my hard-on and yanked me forward while backing off the pressure on my hole. So I thrust into his hand. He let go of my cock. Lesson learned. I had to hold still and let him tease me forever as my balls ached for release. He bumped his cock against my hole and took a light hold on my dick again. Every little shift of his gave me a fleeting moment of pleasure, but then it was gone. Frustration made me whimper.

“I love to watch you suffer, Baby,” Hector said before he bit my shoulder.

I felt something cool press into my hand. At first I ignored it, but Hector said, “Take your bike for a ride.”

“But...” My balls were going to explode if I didn’t get to come soon.

“When I want you to come home, I’ll call for you,” Hector said. That meant he’d use his God powers to heat up his brand on my ass. Any time I felt it burn, I was to come to him immediately. “I’ll be here when you get back, and we’ll finish what we started. Now go ride your new toy.” Hector backed away from me.

I wanted to stay, but I wanted to go. It was another one of his perfect tortures. Trapped between pleasures, I wasn’t sure what to do. Then I decided that the sooner I left on my ride, the sooner he’d summon me home, so I headed for the back door.

Hector grabbed my elbow. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Not understanding, I blinked. He patted my head. “How about pulling your pants up? And putting on proper riding boots? And gloves?” he shouted as I ran for the bedroom to get dressed.

***

Toy Box: Floggers

2008-07-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

Rainbow reviews gave Toy Box: Floggers a great review.

This series has been around Torquere for a while, but I didn't get involved until this one. It's a cool idea. (So cool that I saw a call for submissions from another publisher using the idea, and the same name, which is bad form, to say the least.) These feature three short stories using a particular sex toy. So far they've covered: Blindfolds, collars, corsets, dildos, feathers, floggers, gags, handcuffs, leather, nipple clamps, piercing, plugs, ribbon, rings, rope, sounds, tattoos, & whips, as well as a special Sappho's Chest. Coming up are Sling, Kitchen Sink (everyday household stuff being used as sex toys), Paddles, Candles, Oil, Fisting, Vibrators, and Beads.

*I see plot bunnies!*

The Betas are In

2008-07-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Okay. Everyone wants the two scenes added. They don't move the story
forward, don't add to the characters, and don't reveal anything
important, but they do help transition from one chapter to another, so
I'm adding them. Then I'm done.Whoo-hoo!

Hector and Sam are finally fading from my mind. I'm going to miss them, but man, they've occupied most of my writing life for over three years now. It's kind of hard to let them go. *sniffle*

But I did leave the possibility open for a forth book sometime out there in
the future. Sam could transition into a top, or at least a switch. When
I was first writing Personal Demons, I thought he might in this book, but it was too much of a change. At the time, I didn't want to bring a third into their relationship, which is the only way that could work. Of course, that meant someone else had to step up to the plate. I think Deal, the Goddess of Negotiation, is enjoying her new leather catsuit and four-inch metal spiked heels. It suits her. And maybe she'll grant me a small boon for putting her in them

Aye! And I'm Supposed to be on Vacation

2008-07-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

I took a couple days off work simply because it's a use them or lose them situation (which technically isn't legal in this state, but there are ways around it, as my employer knows) It's been lovely being home. Everything I've put off is on the to-do list. (I hate to shop. Spent three hours at the mall today. Ick. But it's done now and I won't have to go back for several months. Anything I forgot I'll do without, gladly.)

So of course, as I'm prioritizing my teetering reading stacks, I get edits in on three short stories. I always dread opening those files, which is weird, because I never find much to complain about. It's interesting to look at my stories through an editor's eyes. I've noticed that there seems to be a trend toward more passive sentences. I write about 97% active, which is probably why my gender pings as completely male (not even European male, whatever that's supposed to imply) on those
text analyzers. Recent editors have a habit of making my sentences passive. As long as I don't drop under 80% active, I can live with it, but it's definitely not my style.

But I did get to my reading stack. Huzzah!

Toy Box: Floggers (Torquere) I'm in this one, so can't rate it, but I liked the other two stories by Chris Owen and Sean Micheal.

The Good Thief by Jame Buchanan (Torquere for ebook, I think MLR for print?) Loved it. James evokes parts of L.A. that no one else writes about, and does it wonderfully. James also knows policeprocedural inside and out, so everything rang true.

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger (Back Bay Books) Hey, J.D. didn't only write Catcher in the Rye. Excellent short stories.

Death in Venice and Other Tales by Thomas Mann (Penguin Classics) Classic,
yes. From another time, definitely. His sentences went on about as long
as I could stand, and then a bit more. Maybe it was the translation. Now I've read it. Wouldn't pick it up again.

End of the Affair by Graham Greene (Penguin Classics) It grew on me. I didn't care for it as much as Our Man in Havana - which I read last month - while I was reading it, but on reflection, realised there was a lot to reflect on.

Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis (Vintage) Can you endure a novel if you don't care very much for the characters? I set it aside, but it didn't get the fling under the bed, so I may give it a go one more time.

and a book that I'm reviewing.

Next up: I bought the Lost Girls collection b Alan Moore as a gift to myself when Love Runes came out. There's a William Gibson I've been meaning to get to, a couple Christoher Moores, a series of essays on gender and sexual politics (whee!) and a new-to-me detective series. And about a hundred others, many of which are squirreled away in the trunk of my car because I know I have a terrible addiction and I'm trying to hide it from my loved ones.

Forbidden Fruit

2008-07-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

It looks like my vampire story Kells will be on Forbidden Fruit next month. This was good news for me. As much as I used to fight the urge to write vampire stories, Kells is one of three I have published. Red By Any Other Name is femdomme, Feed is (I so love saying this) Vampires - In Space!, and Kells is, well, I almost hesitate to say Kells is a vampire story because it isn't about being a vampire. It's about that moment where an intense crush swings to hate. I've often thought Kells would make a good novel. So would Feed, actually. But then I'd have to write a suspense/space opera story, and my big dare to myself this year is trying my hand at a mystery. Maybe next year I'll let the guys from Feed escape the ship's sick bay, and then make them fight to stay out of the morgue.

And They're Off

2008-07-02T21:34:00.001-07:00

My two beta readers have been handed Personal Demons. Oh, the nail
biting. One has had it for a couple days and made a comment that I'm
trying to figure out how to handle.

There's a scene that takes place outside a club - yes, it's important that it happens outside it and not inside - and my beta reader said (a bit wistfully), "But I wanted to go inside the club." All the important stuff happened outside. So do I write a bit more that does nothing to move to story forward but satisfies curiosity, or do I leave it out? This reader made the same comment about another event that the characters fight over. The important thing is the fight, not the event. So I don't show the event. I feel that it would be a filler scene, again not moving the story forward or showing anything new about the characters. All it will do is slow down the forward momentum at a time when the story is building up steam to hit a huge
conflict. At least, that's the way I see it. So I'm waffling. Maybe I'll discuss it with beta reader #2. If that reader also feels cheated, I think I'll be writing at least two more scenes. Hmmm. What would a night club in Venice look like inside?

Erotica Revealed Reviews Love Runes

2008-07-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled by this review by Lisabet Sarai.

Erotica Revealed

The Rewrite

2008-06-23T21:32:00.001-07:00

I've started the rewrite on Personal Demons. I expected to set it aside for at least a week but I have so many things in my writing queue that I want to do and this story will not let go of me, so I decided to read through a hard copy.

As I read each scene I'm looking for all kinds of errors. Yes, I'd like to find the nit-picky problems and fix them before a beta reader has to deal with them, but the focus this time through is on bigger picture problems. I'm checking the pacing through the entire novel. But most of all I'm giving serious thought to each scene and asking myself these questions:

Does this scene move the story forward?
Is this necessary to the novel, or is it there because of writerly interference?
Does it need to be expanded?
Can it be cut?
Can it be combined with another scene?
Does this scene accomplish what it needs to?

These questions apply just as much to an erotic novel as they do any other piece of fiction. It is possible to have gratuitous sex in erotica. So even though it's given that there will be sex in my novel, I don't try to have a scene every certain number of pages, and if there is sex, it better 1) move the plot forward or 2) show something important. There's a huge chunk of this novel that has no sex in it because it has no place in those scenes. But my readers seem to get turned on by the emotional connection in the sex scenes rather than just the fact that the characters are grinding it out, and it takes a heck of a lot of work to get a reader emotionally invested in the characters. So I'd rather have a few sex scenes that have a huge impact rather than a lot of sex scenes that mean nothing. How many times have you read an erotic novel and thought "Geeze, they're fucking again. Why? Who cares. Flip the pages until the story starts again!" I never want my readers to have to do that. And if they skim the sex scene, I want them to have missed something important.

So every scene is getting scrutinized. But it isn't a chore. Rewrites can make or break a book. I hope this round only makes my story better.

Toy Box: Floggers

2008-06-22T07:21:00.001-07:00

My short story, Number One, is out now in the Torquere Press Toy Box: Floggers line.

Master Ophir from Chaos Magic and Love Runes takes center stage in this tale. Sometimes things go awry in his well-ordered world, and his boys aren't as perefectly trained as he'd like everyone to believe. Number One is craving a little personal time with his Master, but instead of just asking, he puts together a convoluted plan that gets out of hand. Master Ophir has to interupt his quiet evening to bring his boys back into line, and he isn't happy about it.

When an Ending Doesn't Work

2008-06-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

I promised myself that I'd step away from Personal Demons for a couple weeks before I tried to rewrite it, but I spent this entire weekend fixing the last third of the story. I didn't see any point in polishing something that I felt didn't do what I wanted it to.

Even tough I know this story inside and out, getting from the beginning to the end isn't as clear cut as it would seem. There are many ways to evoke the same emotions and many ways to make the characters reach the same conclusions. I felt I got to the emotional pitch too early. As a result, I lopped off many scenes, condensed a few, moved others, and simply wrote new ones. Now it hits the climax at the right time, and catches the characters in the right emotional state when everythign comes down. And even better than all that, I finally figured out the best ending. The other ending was good and satisfying, but this one, oy, it packs a punch and shows something about my characters that really moves me. So I'm very happy with my work right now. I can't often say that.

I Found The Actual Romancing the Stone quote

2008-06-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Grogan: What's it gonna be, Angelina?
Joan Wilder: [voiceover] It was Grogan: the filthiest, dirtiest, dumbest excuse for a man west of the Missouri River.
Grogan: You can die two ways: quick like the tongue of a snake, or slower than the molasses in January.
Joan Wilder: [voiceover] But it was October.
Grogan: I'll kill you, goddammit, if it's the Fourth of July! Where is it? Uhh. Get over there!
Joan Wilder: [voiceover] I told him to get out, now that he had what he came for.
Grogan: Not quite. [spits]
Grogan: Take 'em off. Do it! Come on! [Angelina kills Grogan by throwing a concealed knife]
Joan Wilder: [voiceover] That was the end of Grogan... the man who killed my father, raped and murdered my sister, burned my ranch, shot my dog, and stole my Bible!

Not bad considering it's probably been ten years since I last saw this movie.

Jay Lygon

Oops!

Sam and Hector!

Time Is A Sneaky Devil

Naughty Boys In The Back Seat

Contest Winner!

Unbound: Bonded II is out today!

New Review of Chaos Magic

Cover art!

Chaos Magic Fans

I Know You're Going To Scroll Past This, But

Torquere's 7th Anniversary

Cover for Blood Sacraments

Joyfully Reviewed likes Twice Blest

Back from Saints and Sinners

Literary Nymphs likes Bonded!

Saints and Sinners!

Toy Box: Latex

Bonded!

Bonded released April 7th!

Chatting Today at TwoLips

The Quality of Mercy (A Bonded Story)

Bassackward

Escapade 2010

Yay! A Release Date!

*Runs Screaming From Room*

Yes! Yes! Yes!

The Coming Year

*drums fingernails*

Paassing on a Call for Submissions

I Need a New Fantasy

More On Vampires

Crossing My Fingers

Very Productive Past Few Weeks

The San Frncisco Adventure

I Saw A Viking!

Off to the Lands of the Vikings

Vampires. Sigh

Rainbow Reviews on The Harem Boy

I Didn't Realize

I'm hosting at Torquere's Live Journal today!

*Rushes into Room*

Do You Know What It Means

This Month Just Keeps Getting Better

Blurbs and Excerpts up on UnTreed Reads

Hrrrm

Rainbow Reviews Gives Personal Demons 4 stars!

Amazon Fail (crosspost)

*Perks Up*

The Stories Writers Love

Cover Art

First review of Personal Demons

I'm Hosting on Live Journal Today!

I'm All Verklempt

Cover!

I Meant To Do So Much More

March 25th release date for Personal Demons!

Hrmmm.

Take Heart, It Happens To Me Too

Valentines Day tips from the Gods

Chatting Tomorrow

Still No Word on the Cover

I Have A Strange Question

Waiting on the Cover Art

Whoo-Hoo! and Even Yee-hah!

Like Indiana Jones

*Sniffle*

And, We're Off and Running

Replenishing the Creative Well

Yikes!

Thanks, Erastes

Action movie star

Gottcha!

So Here's The Point Where I Start to Wonder

What's the Deal With Masters?

Forgot One

Just For Charlie

My Rainbow

Rainbow Reviews on Toy Box: Kitchen Sink

It's No Use Forcing It

Runs Screaming From Room

drums fingernails

Rushes into Room

Perks Up

Sniffle