How Do You Like It?

When you are reading a story, do you ever notice (on a conscious level) who is talking? If the story is written well, most readers don't even notice who is doing the narrating or telling of the story. If you do notice these things, who do you prefer tells the story.

I know that most of the time, the story is told through the main character--either through the eyes of that character or a narrator that pulls you into the head of the main character. I've noticed that many stories nowadays are told in first-person with the use the "I" with all events filtered through that person. I've also noticed a trend toward telling the story this way and moving from one character's viewpoint to another at some point in the book. Use of the first-person seems very common in erotica.

Funny thing, very few of my stories are written in the first-person. If I recall, my Wendy Parker, Sex in Pubic series is the only thing written this way. Of course, for whatever reason, this series remains most popular among my readers.

I've written another story, Lexi's Run using multiple viewpoints and it seems (through sales, anyway) this the least favorite among my readers. Although this is one of the stories I personally enjoy the most. Of course, this stories lack of popularity could be because this story is not erotic, and it considered romantic suspense with the main character a virgin throughout. But hey, it is paranormal and the main character does end up with a mate of her choosing for life.

I personally think the reason for the popularity in the use of first-person in erotica is two-fold.

First, I believe it brings the reader into the main character's head--the reader sees what the character sees and feels what the character feels. Essentially, the reader becomes the main character through intimate identification.

Second, the nature of much of the erotic story is confessional. Confessional is best read through the person doing the confessing. Think about the popularity of the Shades of Grey series.

I've come to believe that the popularity of this series is due partly because of the confessional nature of the story. I mean, let's be honest, how many readers actually believe that this virginal college student just happens to meet a billionaire in a hardware store and then almost immediately agrees (by contract, no less) to his odd terms. I know it is a very romantic notion but I suppose, for me, anyway, I cannot be made to believe that this virgin's first time is the best she ever had (well, duh) and that her lover's appendage is now the biggest she's ever seen. Really? How many has she seen at this point? and how does she suddenly come into all this sexual knowledge to become such a sex kitten?

But I digress.

How do you prefer a story be told. Are your preferences different between say erotica and fantasy? Paranormal or suspense?

Or, does it depend entirely on the story being told? What say you?

Dabbling in the Dark Side

Many of you have done it, if only in your fantasies. I'm talking about all things encompassing the BDSM lifestyle.

I use the term 'lifestyle' because I've found through my research that those practicing this with the highest level of commitment, are into the entire lifestyle. For most of us though, this phrase is often thrown around with the act of tying your partner up, or spanking them to spice things up.

I've been researching this for quite some time now because I've wanted to learn about this lifestyle in order to write a story about someone involved in BDSM or getting involved in it at some level, from simple spanking all the way up to becoming a live-in Dom or Sub.

For those of you like me-on the fringes, looking at this lifestyle-peering in for just a sample of what it's all about, let me explain some things.

The term 'BDSM' really encompasses six things, not just four, as the acronym would imply. First there's bondage and discipline. Of course, bondage is the tying up part but the lifestyle goes beyond that. For the true BDSM aficionado, bondage is about control-ownership. Discipline goes along with bondage as a means of supporting that control and ownership.

The 'D' and 'S' in the acronym also mean 'Dominance' and 'Submission.' This means that, in this relationship, one partner plays the dominant role, while the other plays the submissive role. Some people are good at (or enjoy) one role or the other. A person that can play both roles is called a switch.

The 'S' also stands for 'Sadism' along with the last letter 'M' for 'Masochism.' This deals with the blurry borders between pleasure and pain. Specifically sadists gain pleasure (most often, sexual pleasure) from inflicting pain upon others, while masochists gain that pleasure from receiving pain.

Keep in mind here that the key to this lifestyle is consensual participation.

There is so much more to BDSM than I can possibly discuss here but know that it is mostly about power play, ownership, and control by all parties involved. The entire lifestyle is very psychological in its very nature, and explores what some might consider, some very Freudian issues.

It is important to understand though, that when you read, or write in my case, about tying up a partner, or spanking, or even some taboo issues such as daddy/teacher play, you are dabbling in the realm of BDSM.

Is that necessarily a bad thing? No, I don't think so. I just find it interesting how all these practices are considered so taboo by many, yet so worth exploring if for no other reason than self awareness.

What are your thoughts?

Note: Thank you to anonymous for pointing out that I had originally written the definition of sadist and masochist backwards.

Back From The Nether

I Bet you thought I was gone to never return. It is somewhat true. I've been 'out of sorts' in more ways than one these last few weeks. I only hope my small following hasn't given up on my, and left me for dead because I'm still very much alive and kicking.

I took some time for a short vacation, driving nearly thirteen-hundred miles to see my son in the West Texas town of El Paso. We stayed there for a week, visiting Carlsbad Caverns and a small Winery in New Mexico. We toured El Paso pretty extensively, and even ventured to San Antonio to see the Alamo while visiting. We made a couple stops in Louisiana on the way back home. We visited the Tabasco headquarters on Avery island and ate a feast of a lunch at a great Cajun restaurant in the city of Lafayette. We also hiked up a very steep mountains to visit some old Navajo caves that turned out to be little more than depressions in the side of a cliff, but the walk was nice. We went to a Brazilian steak house where we were fed so much meat, we were all sick to our stomachs. It was a fun time had by all!

It was a great little vacation - and much needed - but it ended too soon. Also, we kept so busy, and the hotel was so nice that I barely got any writing done. I know, it's strange for me not to write on the road as I usually do my best writing while tucked away in some raggy little hotel somewhere.

But not this time.

Although my laptop remained plugged in, turned on, and perched on the granite table top in the lavish hotel room, I only managed to pound out about thirty words the entire week. THIRTY WORDS! What's wrong with me?  Well, nothing, really. I just stayed too busy and was so exhausted each night upon returning, I would simply fall to the bed.

I decided to suspend my weekly work in progress post. I realized that by posting work in a draft form, I was doing myself, and my readers, a disservice. Plus, I've struggled with the current major work in progress, and I'm beginning to wonder why, from a psychological standpoint, why I am still unable to come up with a title for the story. Those who know me will understand that psychology goes into much of what I do ... or do not do. I think that's true of most writers.

Anyway, to rest my mind and unfurrow my brow, I'm working on some shorter stories while I gather my thoughts. Expect to see some short, more-or-less plotless, fun, sexy stories out soon. The first, I've tentatively titled, Surrogate for now. Another, which is still stewing around in my head, I will title, Threshold.

Surrogate concerns a woman agreeing to take part in a scientific study revolving around the theory and/or practice of remote viewing/remote influence. She is given instructions to simply go into a dimly lit room, undress, and get comfortable. In another room, a woman, advanced in the art of remote influence will attempt to physically manipulate the unknown subject in the room next door. She will attempt to influence the subject sexually. In order to do this, she needs a surrogate - a real physical person with whom she can physically touch and pleasure in order to project her tactile feelings onto the unknown subject. The story will be told through the point of view of all three participants individually.

Threshold will involve a woman into the BDSM lifestyle. she will come to the same clinic as the previous story to take part in a study on determining the threshold between pleasure and pain. She intends to prove the threshold lies far beyond conventional wisdom. But, the clinic has found just the man willing and able to take her to that threshold, and beyond.

I haven't worked out all the details of the second story yet, but I've had other ideas that dabbled in this realm and have done much research on the subject.

Hope you all haven't forgotten me in my absence. Thank you for your patience. I'm now back in the game again.

Compare and Contrast

I've been watching a new show on the SciFi channel on Sunday nights. It's called "Lost Girl" and, I swear someone read my novel, Lovestruck Succubus and stole many elements of my character for the television show.

Okay, I'm not coming out and accusing anybody of anything here, but the similarities are striking.

In the television show, Bo (the main character) is a Succubus who feeds off men through sex (well, just kisses, since it is television, after all) with fatal results. My Succubus, Azra, feeds off men for her very survival. She needs their energy like a mortal needs food.

Bo, the television Succubus, found herself a love interest that she manages to not kill, a Werewolf. Oddly enough, Azra, my Succubus, finds a Werewolf boyfriend, who, like the television show, happens to be a police detective-go figure! Of course, my Succubus actually tries to kill the detective, unaware that he is a Werewolf, only to shift into his form.

Okay, so maybe that's where many of the similarities end. My Succubus, has the ability to shape shift into a womanly form the man she is with finds most desirable. She is not looking for her parents, but she is trying to break the bonds of a highly regimented society with a tyrant for a leader.

Also, in my story, her kind (demons) actually created Werewolves many millenia ago, in an attempt to rid the Earth of mortals. Of course, she does not know this. Only her clan leaders know this, and they're angry that it didn't work. Now her own clan leader is even angrier that she's fallen in love with one of them.

But don't take my word for it. Watch the television show, and read my novel, then decide for yourself if those darn television writers stole my idea.

Find my novel at amazon by clicking HERE It's even available in paperback HERE

Find my novel at Barnes and Noble by clicking HERE or in paperback HERE

Poetry and Prose

My lover's eyes

They guide my hands

Telling them

In some secret lustful language

Where to go

And when my lover's eyes close

And words come in moans

Our loving now complete

But desire only grows

This is not a famous poem. I wrote it myself by way of demonstration. My goal here was not to just tell a story, but evoke emotion by use of particular words.

When you read a story, do you look for a rhythm in the words? Do you like to get a sense the author gave some thought to how the words were placed in the story?

I like to incorporate special words in my stories that do more than just provide narrative and dialogue. I like to use words that evoke emotion. I feel words have within them, a color, a smell, a feeling when said out loud or within one's mind.

Next time you read a story, or one of my stories, in particular, see if you can tell where the author used specific words to evoke emotion.

I find word choice extremely important in fantasy and erotica. In fantasy, I pepper my stories with words that I hope give the reader a sense of place and atmosphere. Dark words for those dense forest lands. In erotica, I feel that word choice is the greatest and also the most difficult.

Look again at the poem above. I know it may not be the most professional piece of work, but I wrote it using specific words to evoke emotion. I even used alliteration and loose, or non-rhyming words on purpose to make the reader stumble, forcing them to think back to the previous phrase or sentence.

My challenge to you as a reader is to look for these patterns in the stories you read. It is, after all, the choice of words, and the emotions they provide, that give a story that little extra magic that makes a reader think "that's a great story" even if they cannot pinpoint why they feel that way.

Getting the Groove Back

I must admit I've been neglecting everything lately. I've been neglecting my website, facebook, twitter, and even my writing. Truth is, I've been stalled on a current WIP and could not figure out why.

Then, last night I had an epiphany. I was stalled on chapter three where I introduced a new character, Joseph Johnson, to the story. For those that have read my novel, Lovestruck Succubus, you may already know Joe Johnson as the male half of the hunter team chasing Raif Lungren as he pursues Azra Barsonus. This WIP is the story of how they met.

I realized last night, the reason I was having such a difficult time introducing Joe to the story was due to a lack of background for him. He was just kind of making an appearance - not good for a main character. So, I gave Joe a background of his own, and this accomplished two things for the story.

First, It provided some motivation for Joe to move into the story. His background now includes a short career in the military in some unit that exists echelons above consequence. We're talking super top secret, underground, black ops, hero kind of stuff. I thought I could provide more background and explain why he is not still there by adding in that his mother was in ill health and he had to leave the military to care for her. She was his last living relative. Although she lost her battle with cancer, Joe was still left with the bills, so he took a job at the Hyundai plant as a security guard and supplemented his income rounding up bail jumpers for a local bail bondsman. I will begin the scene with him being called into his supervisor's office and told that they are letting him go because of cutbacks. He simply does not have enough seniority in his current job.

Now, I've added some immediacy in his decision to take on more risky skips. This action will put him on a path to meet Lexi. Also, I think that this will provide Joe with his own subplot within the story.

I'm considering posting portions of this story on my website as I write with some notes to provide insight into my thinking. What say you? Would you like to read this new story in small bits, or would you rather wait until it is completed and read the whole thing?