Procrastinator's Monday Six

From Part 1 of Bottoms in Love: Tails

(Carter is trying to fight through his disappointment that the dime didn't come up heads.)

The firm tone of her husband caused Lindsey to straighten and sit up. "Ooh, are we starting?"

"I guess."

"You can't guess, if we're starting."

Carter glanced down at Lindsey's knees lightly rubbing together. "Lift up your skirt."

Six Sentence Sunday: Bottoms in Love

From Part Two: Heads

The coin comes up Carter's way and Lindsey is in control:

Carter stewed beside her. Lindsey sat primly with her hands on the steering wheel. "Kiss my cheek and we'll be off then."

After an uncomfortable glance at the still grinning team of valets, Carter, rather sulkily, leaned toward his wife and kissed her cheek.

"What's the matter? Not having fun?"

Bottoms in Love

My novelette came out with OC Press! Here’s the synopsis:

Carter and Lindsey, a married couple, are both submissive lovers. On the rare occasions they get to indulge in power exchange, the one who is forced to rule and the one who gets to obey is determined by the flip of a coin.

It features spankings and married sex, a great combination. And it’s available for 99 cents!

http://oceroticbooks.com/ebooks/licorice-whips/bottoms-in-love

Construction of a Story

I thought I'd give a quick story of how my latest story, "Afternoon Ride," came to be. I'll keep it self-contained but also include a link to it if anyone would like to read the whole thing, I'd love to have you read it.

So I guess more successful writers are always being hounded about where their ideas come from. No one's ever asked me that, but I do often try to trace the origin of a story and sometimes find I can't. I think that's just because I have enough bad ideas I discard that by the time I've settled on an idea I like I've forgotten where it came from. This story, I do remember, came to mind when I was following a biker, in my car, and he gave that biker greeting of cutting his left hand through the air to a biker coming the other way, who gave the same greeting in return.

I've never ridden a motorcycle, and I realize, especially when they're going fast, they're fairly easy to balance, but you could hit a pothole or get a blowout, you're better off holding on with both hands. It struck me that was beyond friendly to put your safety on the line to pass this greeting along to a complete stranger, who does the same for you. Kind of cool. The next thought to pop into my mind was a story an old friend told me about fifteen years ago. He was riding a Honda and gave a greeting like that to a biker on a Harley and the guy on the Harley gave him the finger. He explained how there is a friction between riders of Harleys and riders of Hondas.

To this point, I was just thinking but I got interested enough to start to wonder about how I could turn these thoughts into a story. So I took the Harley guy from my friend's story and reformed him from his ways of being kind of an asshole and had him greet a "crotch-rocket" Honda rider coming the other way. He is rewarded for this when the other rider greets him back, not by waving her hand but by opening her vest and flashing him a boob.

Then, of course, he follows her! From there I just tried to observe and let my characters surprise me. I'll leave the link to the complete story at Every Night Erotica, if anyone would like to read it.
 http://www.everynighterotica.com/afternoon-ride-gregory-allen/

Excerpt from Protege Mistress

My new novel, Protege Mistress, is now available, both in print and as an ebook, through Pink Flamingo. Kevin owes Diane a foot massage after losing a card game. They arrive at her apartment.

Kevin ventured across the living room and looked into the kitchen. A bottle of wine gurgled as Diane filled her glass. She passed him on her way by. "Grab a beer from the fridge."

A few bottles were scattered near the back. Kevin twisted the top off one and sipped. He stepped into the living room and stopped short. "What is this?"

Diane gave a slight shrug and smiled. "I'm a stickler about coasters."

"Okay, but why..."

"You're paying up on the bet, aren't you?"

"Of course."

"Well then."

Diane sat with her glass of wine on the wooden armrest of the couch, coaster underneath. The other coaster sat on the carpet just past her feet.

"So you want me to sit on the floor?"

"Not sit." Diane lifted her glass and sipped. With her legs crossed, one socked foot swung above the floor.

Kevin tried to lighten the mood with a sheepish grin, but Diane countered with a confident smile. Kevin wanted to kneel in front of her, to massage her feet, and he knew she knew. He moved forward, leaned his knees into the floor, and sat back on his heels. He took another quick sip of his beer then set it on the coaster as Diane stretched her foot toward him. Kevin took it in his hands.

"Oh yes," Diane said as soon as he began massaging, then giggled lightly. Kevin focused on his task, keeping his eyes down. He squeezed one hand around the top part of her foot and applied circular pressure underneath with his knuckles. He attempted to bring technical proficiency to performing this task to alleviate the straining in the tightening crotch of his jeans. He needed to take his mind off what he was doing before his discomfort got worse, not to mention obvious.

Diane seemed intent on not letting him. "You look so cute down there," she said. "Fitting, don't you think? You lost the bet and now have to kneel before you victor."


This excerpt continues at my publisher's website. I'll leave a link for anyone interested. Thanks!
http://www.pinkflamingo.com/products/Protege-Mistress.html

Acting like you're writing

or writing like you’re acting.

Whenever I watch DVD commentaries, the directors are always gushing over the actors, but it’s kind of cool. The director will say, “There, look at that!” And he or she is talking about a lip curl I wouldn’t have even noticed. “I didn’t even have to tell him to do that. He was just there.”

The degree I’m “there” usually determines how good a writing session I’ll have. I know next to nothing about acting, but I’ve heard the phrase (actors probably consider it a cliché of their art) ‘acting is reacting.’ The same could be said of writing. I usually sit down with an idea of where I’m going, but if I’m not in that zone where I have that heightened awareness of my characters’ thoughts, the story stalls. Whatever is introduced, whether an action or a piece of dialogue, I have to feel everyone’s reaction to it. I’m struggling through a scene right now because I’ve introduced two new characters to a story, and I don’t know them yet. I was thinking I’d be okay, since my main characters would be pushing the action, but until I know these guys well enough to make their reactions believable, the whole scene is going to feel flat.

Often the best shows and movies have a talented ensemble. In fact, the directors in the commentaries will often point out how someone who I barely noticed in a scene gave a subtle gesture or delivery of a single line that really gave the scene its vitality. Sometimes those directors get a little overly artsy in those commentaries, I’ll give you that, but I do think those little moments have an almost subconscious effect on the viewer. With writing, we’re every actor in our play. We sit down and make one act, and make everyone else react until we’re done for the day. Kind of a heavy idea to have that level of control but no wonder, when things are clicking, writing is such a rush.     

Should a title grab or illuminate?

My idea of a good title is probably different from what a publisher might consider a good title. A publisher is going to want to grab a reader’s attention and get them to pick the book up, or click on it in the case of an ebook. This is an important function of a title, but to me it’s secondary. The primary function of a title is to illuminate a central aspect of the story. A good title will hang in the back of a reader’s mind, and sneak up at some point to whap them.

The epitome of titles, in my mind, is from a book by William Styron called Sophie’s Choice. A title that certainly wouldn’t dissuade potential readers, but alone, isn’t exactly flashy enough to draw a crowd. Without giving too much away (slight spoiler alert), you begin this book about a woman, Sophie, loved by two men and you expect the title reflects her choosing between them. When you discover the actual source for the title in the story, you are profoundly whapped. If a title can make a reader slide the bookmark back in at a certain point, close the book, and simply stare at the title on the cover—as I did with that book—that’s a great title, no matter how many readers it attracts from the book’s place on a shelf.

My title theory was tested with my second story published at Every Night Erotica, “Hot and Cold.” As a stand-alone, I found this title rather bland. I didn’t imagine people would see “Hot and Cold” and feel enticed to read. The story was about a couple huddled under blankets on their porch. Some sardonic banter ignited their passions, and they braved the cold temperatures for sex. I thought the story had subtle back story. This was a couple with a lengthy history that made them close friends besides lovers. I imagined they struggled, at times, with feelings that the passion between them wasn’t as consistent as when they were first together. They love each other, but their sex life was hot and cold. So I stuck with the title because I thought it had the chance to expand this snippet of these characters’ lives into a larger whole. I doubt any reader would have felt whapped by it, but hopefully it helped illuminate that untold back story a little.

You might have the best reason in the world for titling a thousand-page novel, Dull and Boring, but chances are good a publisher won’t like it. A title is ideal if it has flash and substance. If it’s flashy but doesn’t function in tandem with the story, then all the word of mouth will be readers talking about this great book they read. “What was it called?” “I forget, something clever, though.” 

  

How do you feel about "The End"?

One of my few disappointments in the publication of Courting Her is the absence of The End at the end. It was in the final draft I sent. I mostly expected it to get edited out, but I was hopeful that, when I finally got the courage to open my copy, I’d find it there, at the end. I understand why it got cut. It’s essentially redundant to end a book and then type The End, but I think it has a certain charm.

I checked a few books on my bookshelf, mostly at random, and found very few that ended with The End. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway ended with The End. I thought of all the books on my shelf, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens would end with The End, but it didn’t. I was most disappointed to find that Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll did not end with The End. That seems like exactly the kind of book that should. Moby Dick didn’t end with The End, it ended with Finis.

I guess I get it. If I were hearing Beethoven’s seventh symphony and as the final notes had faded and were only still being savored in my mind, I would be annoyed if the conductor turned around and yelled, “The end!”

It can detract from the end of the book’s final line, which is where the end really is. Maybe there is an element of nostalgia for The End. I don’t have any children’s books on hand, but I would bet a larger portion of those end with The End. Even if it’s not printed, I’m sure many times my mom or my dad or a teacher finished reading a book to me and snapped it shut, smiling and calling out, “The End!” Maybe it’s about missing that.   

When does your book "get good"?

or How far would you let your mom read?

I was able to let my mom read the first chapter of Courting Her, believe it or not. The book is set up with Alex so enamored with Kimberly he doesn’t notice her subtle gain of control. By the time he puts his feet up on his coffee table in chapter two, after a dinner he prepares her in his home, it’s way too late for him. He’s a goner. ; )

Anyone who knows about female domination would pick up on it, and I think it builds to a nice payoff for people who stick around. But it is subtle enough that I got away with sharing it, even with my mom. The bad part is that the free read on amazon leads basically right up to just before Alex’s first punishment. Which would be annoying if you were debating buying it.

How long for your book? Or how long do you give a book you’re reading to “get good”? It’s a tough call to make because a sex scene needs a good build up, but you also want to start your readers off with a bang (that was intentional, sorry).

Review of Transported: Erotic Travel Tales by Sharazade

This collection of stories involving erotic encounters in exotic locales sounded like a great combination—enough that I made the purchase! What could be better escape than reading about interesting places where people have sex? But Sharazade had a more ambitious project in mind than the first conclusion my imagination jumped to. I realized this as I moved from the first story of a couple playing as strangers in an airport café before retiring to their motel room together, “Schiphol,” to the second story, “Flaws,” about a lone female traveler on a train. I was initially jostled from the first, a smooth, playful romp to the second, a more lurching narrative, reflective both of the locale, a trek across the country on an Amtrak train, and the journey of the character, a woman whose enjoyment of a sexy encounter with not one but two strangers on a train is interrupted by her insecurities with her self-image. Each of these stories is better savored read separately, and for me, that is the pleasure of a story collection.

These are character stories, each uniquely told through a unique voice. They are characters going on journeys who happen to be going on trips. The locales, from a hot springs in Japan to a travel store inside an airport, are described with insider details (I love the joke that everywhere in Japan takes three hours to get to) that gave me a feel for being in places I’ve never been, but these aren’t simply picturesque glimpses, postcard descriptions, we see what the character sees, and feel what they feel. In “Onsen,” the female character uses her relative familiarity with Japan—she has lived there and can read the menus and travel signs—to even the dynamic with her companion, who she feels hasn’t been very attentive to her, but we feel her discontent until the two of them are able to reconnect when they find seclusion in a Japanese hot springs.

I would describe them as more travel-themed than travel stories, and for me that was the most enjoyable part, not knowing from one story to the next if I would get to explore some foreign locale with the characters or get stuck laid over with them, making time in an empty part of an airport, risking getting seen. I’ve already touched on some of my favorites, but I have to mention, “Sales Pitch.” Sharazade sprinkles humor throughout her stories, but this I think of as the comic relief story dropped halfway through the collection. Her humor shines in this first person account told through the character of a cocky young man working in a travel gift shop, who shows an older woman all the advantages of a massage toy, but this humorous story ends up as one of the hottest of the bunch. I highly recommend this collection.  

Great Idea or Greatest Idea Ever?

I found someone on amazon who reviewed his or her (no hints, I’m not revealing who) own books and gave them all five stars, along with brief descriptions and promises of how happy people would be if they read. I admit, I’ve thought about it. I would like to attach a brief bio and personal description of my book to complement the one from my publisher in an amazon review. I wouldn’t be comfortable rating it, but if I had to rate it…yeah, I’d give it five stars. I love my book! Do I really think it could reach readers the way the great books I’ve read in my life have reached me? No. Do I kind of think that? Sure. I don’t think a writer can dedicate the time it takes to write a book, edit it, rewrite parts and edit again etc. without the thought that it has the potential to be great. A love story between a dominant woman and a submissive man isn’t going to win the Nobel prize, but for what it is, I think it’s a five star book. Otherwise, I’d have spent more time on it before I sent it to a publisher. I realize my opinion is extremely biased and I would stop short of promising anyone else would think the same. Everyone is entitled to form his or her opinion, just as the writer is entitled to his…or hers.  

Can Writers be Self-Indulgent?

I’m leery of reading books about writing, since the first time I opened one and read that you shouldn’t read books where the narrator has a strong voice because it might affect your writing style. Say what?? I hope so! I returned that book to the shelf and bought Catcher in the Rye.

Self Indulgence is the ultimate sin of a writer. I found this recently and thought it was an equally irresponsible line to put in a book beginning writers might be using for guidance. I indulge myself every time I sit down to write. I am embedded in every one of my characters. They think a lot of the things I think. In Courting Her, Alex drinks the same coffee I drink. Alex is different from me in numerous ways, but not in how we drink coffee! When I go back through my old fiction, I love that it reflects who I was then and who I am now. It is extremely self-indulgent, but that doesn’t necessarily make it bad fiction. Writers who force details about themselves in at the expense of their fiction are self-indulgent to a fault. Writers who are self-indulgent are just writers. Only the writer can decide where that line is. A reader is welcome to make that decision, as well, and stop reading, but that’s where personal taste comes into play. A writer who loves food might describe tastes and smells for pages every time characters sit down to eat. A reader who only eats when hungry and otherwise never thinks about food might find this self-indulgent. A reader who also loves food might read everything this author writes for the food descriptions that happen to lead to a story. No one is wrong here.

To make a statement like the one above is, at best, a useless generalization, and, at worst, an arrogant dismissal of the creative energy new writers bring to the act of writing. I am still writing today, after over ten years, largely because I found advice to counter the above like this from Kurt Vonnegut Jr., a writing instructor as well as popular writer: “There’s little I can do but tell people to read a lot and write a lot and figure it out for themselves”