Isolation

Wow, has it really been a year since my last post? I suppose I've been in some kind of self-imposed isolation.

Well, not really self-imposed. I must admit to the shallowness and self-doubt of authors, myself included. At the height of production for me, I was part of a small group of other authors gathered together in mutual support. That group has since dissipated and I, as with the other I'm sure, moved on to other more pressing matters in life.

One should know that I have not stopped writing. I'm still working on several projects. "Feast of Fools" is still in development and will introduce a new character into the Immortal Desires series. Her name is Kaliska, and even though she is rather small in stature, she may be the baddest, most deranged character yet. Of course, Azra is still growing within her story as she lives among a demon werewolf pack in northern Georgia and prepares for the coming war. I'm still kicking around a story that keeps calling to me and then running away about a woman that finds she is an integral part of greek myth after being swept through a portal to the land of Atlantis.

So, I'm still working but relying solely on my own will and motivation to move forward. Of course, it must be said that writers in general are not the greatest at providing their own motivation.

Anyone care to join me to provide mutual motivation and kick ideas around? Just find me on twitter or facebook, or leave a message here.

Beginnings

I offer this for your perusal and opinion. I will be publishing another work of short erotic fiction soon. The story is a continuation of my Sex in Public series. This series has become quite popular for reasons unknown to me. Well, I guess one reason is that it explores the world of exhibitionism and voyeurism. I try to get into the mind of my main character, Wendy Parker, as she embarks on a new experience, and grows increasingly dependent upon the rush of adrenaline, the excitement of risk and exposure that comes with engaging in sex in clear view of others or in public places.

Presented here is the draft for the first scene in the story I've tentatively named Center Stage. In this story, Wendy will take her experiences to a new level. Sure, she's already enjoyed engaging in a kind of competitive sex dual with the couple across the street but now she will be presented the opportunity to actually participate in sex for the entertainment of others. I've done some research on this and found the activity does exist.

Anyway, please read if you would like and do not hesitate to give me your thoughts; good, bad, or other than beautiful. Also, for those interested, I will be giving those on my mailing list a free copy of this when it is published.

"All the world's indeed a stage, and we are merely players, performers and portrayers. Each another's audience outside the gilded cage."

~Rush, Moving Pictures

 

 

My body stiffened from the jarring noise of the door buzzer--something I was not used to hearing, especially now that Rick was living with me. Even more bothersome to me was that someone was actually standing outside our door at such a late hour. Rick was startled too, his hand coming to a sudden stop just over the inside curve of my lower back. I gave him a couple of knowing pats on his shoulder and he withdrew from me with a sigh. I looked to the lighted apartment window across the street and saw Trip Tanner and his wife, who's name I still did not know, had stopped their lovemaking, probably wondering why we had stopped our own exhibitionist show.

"Just a minute," I yelled toward the door, as I slid off the back of the couch, my core already feeling cold and wanting of Rick's marvelous lips and tongue.

I grabbed my robe off the floor, glancing at our wall clock as I threw the robe around me and cinched it closed. It was nearly midnight and again I wondered why the hell someone was buzzing my door at such a late hour.

"Who is it?" I reached for the locks but held back, waiting for a response.

"Courier service, ma'am," sounded from the other side of the door.

I opened the door to find a young dark-haired man holding a rectangular box in one hand and an electronic signature board in the other. He thrust the box and the signature board to me at the same time, while mumbling "sign for the package ma'am." and staring at my breasts so hard I had to check to make sure my robe was closed. Rick slid in beside me, squeezing through the door frame to take the box, then disappearing again as he brought it into the apartment. The young courier broke from his stare and looked up at me. His eyes flashed disappointment, probably because I wasn't alone, and then sank back down to my chest again. The courier pulled a little plastic stylus from the side of the board and I signed for the box in an area too small to make my signature look anything but childish. When I was finished, he took the board from me, haphazardly throwing it under his arm, while cranking his stare up my eyes again. This time his eyes reflected impatient waiting.

"I don't have any money on me for a tip," I patted my bathrobe as if checking for hidden pockets full of money, immediately embarrassed at my own gesture.

He said nothing, only returning his gaze at my chest and shifting on his feet.

"Maybe this will suffice for a tip," I said, as I pulled the collar of my robe apart, slowly revealing my breasts to the courier. I felt a smile spread across my face, and a devious thrill raised the hair on my arms and pinched my nipples tight. I caught a glimpse of the young man's mouth falling open as I turned, allowing my robe to fall as the door eased shut behind me. As soon as I heard the click of the door closing, I scooped up my robe, nearly running to the kitchen table where Rick waited to open the mysterious box.

The box was a standard cardboard affair, brown paper wet and stick tape holding it closed. Rick pulled the tape free and opened the box. inside was another box but not of cardboard. This box was made of dark wood with a solid clasp on the front and two brass hinges on the back. It was the size of a large shoebox. Together, we swatted the cardboard box away and gently placed the wooden box in its place on the table. I rubbed my hands together at the anticipation of what might be inside the box. I could tell Rick was excited too by the way his tongue slipped out the side of his mouth and he held it in place with his teeth. The wooden box was stained dark with ancient-looking carvings on every side. There was no note or return address from the cardboard box. I began to wonder who sent the box, and why. Was this some kind of cruel joke, or an anonymous gift from some unknown past acquaintance?

Rick placed the wooden box ceremoniously on the table and unfastened the clasp, while I squeezed in beside him and wrapped my arms around his waist. My body warmed to a tingle with the thought of what might be inside the box. I was strangely excited, my skin bristling with nervous anticipation. I certainly was not expecting such a delivery, and I could not help but wonder if Rick's reaction was just part of some devious plan he'd conjured up--some surprise he planned. He'd already proven his ability to plan surprises of epic proportion with his proposal in Seoul. Now, the suspense and wonder had me standing on my toes until they cramped, and squeezing my arms around Rick so tight it had to be hurting him. He gave not indication of pain, only smiling at me as he opened the clasp, deliberate and painfully slow, to reveal the contents inside.

Inside the box was a simple envelope seated inside an elaborate frame atop a false bottom. On the envelope in gold was the word "Invitation" handwritten in a fancy script style.

"Do you know anything about this?" I gave Rick a probing look, knowing that I would see through him if he was keeping something from me.

He looked directly at me and said, "I know nothing of this. I'm as surprise as you."

His look and demeanor did not falter. I knew he was telling the truth. One thing I'd learned about Rick through our relationship was that he was too proud to properly hide his sly smile when he was trying to surprise me. I took the envelop from the box and turned it over. It actually had a wax seal hold the flap closed. Till then, I'd only seen an envelope sealed with wax, like in the movies. I broke the seal, opened the flap, and pulled the folded weighty paper out. On the paper was written:

 

An invitation from a friend.

Accept, and intrigue will soon begin.

So, join us on the morrow's night,

and immerse yourself in voyeur's delight.

From this, you'll find your only sin

is wishing it would never end.

Under the poem was an address and instructions stating that the masks must be worn throughout the night's events. Masks? I ripped at the false bottom of the fancy wooden box, pulling it away to reveal two stunning masquerade masks. They were both simple but elegant. They did not have brash feathering or long beakish noses. Instead they were both tasteful, with golden piping around the edges and eloquent scrolling. I felt Rick's hand moving down my side, over the curve of my hips before circling my ass and squeezing.

"Should we go?" He asked, as if he didn't already know the answer.

"Of course we'll go." I turned and brought my hands up to his broad shoulders. "Sounds exciting, doesn't it?"

"Yes, I'm excited." a smile worked its way across his face and his eyes flashed devious. "Can't you tell?"

I could tell. I felt his hardness pressing against my stomach through my robe as he pulled me into him. I had a devious thought of my own, and pulled away from him, searching his eyes for sign of agreement before continuing with my request.

"Let's put on the masks." I watched as his smile stretched further and he moved his head slowly in affirmation.

We grabbed the masks out of the box, nearly running as we headed to our bedroom.

So, please tell me what you think of this opening. Does it pique your interest? is it sexy enough? Can you understand the characters even if you had not read the first two stories? Again, I'll provide this story free to those on my mailing list for those interested. Thank you.

A Little Taste



Photo from rogerblazic.com

 Holly made the connection. Her mind was transported to the room next door. There was a body lying on a bed and she felt her soul, open and ready for communication. Her mind was let into the person easily but maintaining the connection would take all of her concentration. She opened her eyes and saw Katrina standing at the edge of the bed. She nearly lost her concentration at the sight of Katrina's beautifully luscious body, closing her eyes again to flush the sight from her mind. Katrina was a hard vision to push away. Her dark skin and curvy form was like a neon sign flashing take me, I'm yours. Nonetheless, Holly tried to imagine her as the subject while waving her hand at the camera for Doctor Mueller to kill the lights.

She leaned forward, her eyes still closed, until she sensed Katrina's abdomen, inches from her face. She was close enough to smell the essence of Katrina's perfume. She breathed in Katrina's aura, and it brought a fire to her senses. Reaching forward, she drew her arms around Katrina and ran her hands slowly up her back as she stood.

The room lights dimmed and the darkness brought a great sense of Katrina's body into her soul. Embracing Katrina, she focused on the subject in the next room, trying to deepen the connection with her and get a sense of her body. She needed to feel the subject's body in her mind. Finally, Katrina became the subject to her, and she knew, from this point forward, she would hold that connection using Katrina as the surrogate.

Holly allowed her hands to explore Katrina's back and neck until her fingers became entangled in her hair. She pulled the scrunchy from her head and Katrina's hair fell to her shoulders. Holly ran her hands over Katrina's shoulders and down her arms before bending to let her hands fall down her legs to her knees. As she bent down her cheek brushed across one of Katrina's extended and rigid nipples. It was warm across her cheek, seemingly producing a heat from some unknown source. She circled Katrina's knees twice before inching her fingers back up her legs along her inner thighs, barely skirting the outer edges of her pubic hair and upwards along her torso. Katrina sucked in her breath as Holly circled her breasts until her fingers skipped across her nipples.

Holly concentrated on maintaining her connection with the unknown subject in the next room. She projected the feel of Katrina's smooth skin through the air along a fragile, invisible string to her subject. She could not be sure the actual feeling was making it into the next room but was sure her connection remained intact. The thought of actually being able to influence this subject on such a personal level spurned her on. emboldened by her initial success, she leaned in and found Katrina's lips.

Just thought I would post a little taste of an upcoming story.

Amazon KDP Select - My Thoughts

For the last ninety days I've had two books listed in Amazon's KDP Select program. This post serves as a short analysis of my experience with the program.

My analysis will, of course, be short and without a bunch of graphical data. I choose to just post my own personal experience.

The two books I selected for the program were: Window Treatment and All the Right Places.

The number one advantage to enrolling in the program was it allowed me to list my books free for a total of five days out of the ninety day enrollment period. While I saw a marked increase in purchases while the books were listed as free, they also fell under the free ebooks category for sales standings. When they reverted back to their ninety-nine cent price, they saw only a temporary rise in position.

As most of you know, position is everything in marketing ebooks on Amazon, or any other online sales channel. Once a book climbs to the lofty top one hundred position, it tends to stay there awhile. I've yet to see any of my books (except The Fifth Beauty, offered free) make it into this top one hundred position. My sales tend to be slow and steady.

The major downside to enrollment in the KDP Select program is the exclusivity clause. Books enrolled in the program cannot be marketed through any other sales channel. For me, this one disadvantage far outweighed any positive the program may have provided.

I believe the potential sales I lost at Barnes and Noble, ARe, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Diesel, Smashwords, and other markets were more than any possible gains through Amazon, Although their literature made it seem as though my sales would skyrocket because of the the ability for their Prime members to "borrow" books in the program.

I think it was a sham. I had less than ten books borrowed throughout the ninety days of program enrollment.

For this reason, I will not continue with this program, and republish my two test books into their previous channels.

Now, I must ask the readers out there, How does Amazon's Prime program affect you? Is it worth the money to enroll? If you have enrolled, do you borrow many books?

I believe it was worth it to try this program with a sample of my work, but was not overall impressed with the results. Although, I certainly liked the ability to offer my work free for a limited time, the results did not justify the effort.

Next, I may try offering my books (and maybe a select few others) for sale from my website.

Oh, and by the way. Here's a sneak peak at my next project, available soon

To Honor King

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

First off, I stole this from another blog. It's ok though, I know the person writing that blog.

I would like to dedicate this special post to the memory of a visionary, and in celebration, not of his death, but his life.

This Monday we all enjoy the holiday of Martin Luther King's birthday. Of course, his birthday actually fell on January 15th, but in order to allow as many holidays as possible to land on a Monday, we instead, celebrate his birthday on the third Monday of January.

We should all be thankful for this holiday as it traveled a rocky road coming into being. Campaigning for this holiday began shortly after King's assassination, but many resisted it. Some believed that King's contributions did not warrant a holiday. Others were dead-set against it because of King's personal opinions on the Vietnam war.

The state of Arizona nearly lost its hosting of the Superbowl when it cancelled Columbus day to be replaced by MLK day. Virginia attempted to combine MLK day with the holiday celebrating the birthdays of General Jackson, and General Lee. They finally realized, years later, that combining holidays for two confederate generals with a black civil rights activist would not be ... prudent?

Even Ronald Reagan, the President signing the bill into law in 1983, was not convinced of the need for the holiday. He begrudgingly signed the bill after it was passed by overwhelming majority in congress. The first official MLK holiday was observed in 1986, although all of the United States did not honor the holiday until 2000.

I believe the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. is deserving of a national holiday.

King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his efforts to bring about civil change in a non-violent manner. Think he did nothing to bring about non-violent change. I'll just say this: If it weren't for King, we'd be witnessing change through the likes of Malcolm X and other (not so non-violent) activists.

I would also say that he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace back when it meant something - for things he accomplished.
Okay enough rant. The bottom line here is that, we should all take the time on Monday, even if it is only a few minutes out of the day, to honor Martin Luther King Jr. for what he was able to accomplish for this country. We should thank him for always striving to bring about tough social change and equality through peaceful protest.

I believe that he did more to educate people on social issues than anyone since. Sure, we can't say we live in anything close to a perfect society yet, and we probably never will, but we're a lot further along then we would be if it weren't for Martin Luther King Jr.

We should all strive to see others by some measure beyond skin color.

We should learn to rejoice in the diversity, and struggles of all people in our society, rather than squabble over such petty things as the pigment of one's skin.

Okay, sir. You can have your soap box back now.

The New Office

This year for Christmas, I received a new office. When I say new office, I really mean first office. I'm already loving this writing space, and find it soothing just to sit at my desk.

This first picture shows my new desk from the door of the room. The room itself is a spare bedroom, vacated by one of our, now grown, children. The walls were repainted, new curtains, chair railing, with a new coat of light green on top, and a Venetian plaster effect on the bottom.

This view shows the room from the other side of the desk looking back. The lamp and motivation picture are new. I know it looks a little sparse now, but I assure you, in six months it will look like the standard writer's space - not fit for public viewing.

I'm so happy to have a dedicated space for writing. Now, I feel the pressure to make some major accomplishments this year. I'm working on that right now, with a few projects in the works. I will likely publish only two erotic projects this year, while I concentrate on some fantasy/paranormal stories. So, look for a paranormal fantasy, a historical fantasy, and a historical/mythical fantasy to be completed this year.

Again, to my few followers out there, thank you for your support from the bottom of my heart. Happy New Year!