Poem of the Day

"Curiosity"

Swelling in one’s pit

Growing like a weed

An envious exhale too intense to

inhale again and breathe

Rush of blood and thoughts

Internal whirlwind uncontrolled

Sinking, falling, erupting from each

dark and tender fold

Here and where? I am

Hesitant to push, to try

Testing forbidden waters which I’ve

always sought to find

Dizzy with delight

Fun, nervous, attention whore

Shaking with adrenalin and still

Not enough, give me more

Drown it with a drink

Still the heart before it bursts

Tame the inner beast always

hungry for her firsts. 

Choose Your Own Erotic Adventure

A friend and I were discussing point of view recently. A lot of fiction is written in third person point of view (she went to the store…), and sometimes first person point of view (I went to the store...), but rarely do we see much written in the second person (you went to the store…). It’s uncommon, and something my friend had interest in exploring.

This got me thinking. The only types of stories that I’ve ever read in a second person point of view have been Choose Your Own Adventure. I so loved them as a kid! I was that eight year old at the library downing my eyes in words and plot that I was able to choose myself. I always cheated. I would choose one option, and then if I didn’t like it, I’d immediately switch. There was always some way to die in a story—a path I almost always chose first due to the danger and excitement surrounding the different plot options. The stories have made a lasting impression on me…

Now I wonder how this can relate to my erotic fiction. HOLY COW! The more I think about it, the more I realize what a wonderful experience this type of story could be when applied to erotica. Who wouldn’t want to choose their own erotic adventure? At this eureka moment, I googled “Choose Your Own Adventure Erotica” and was saddened that it had already been done.

Whoopdie-fucking-do. It hasn’t been done by me!

I can’t focus on anything else. My other numerous projects have been put on hold. I want to explore where this tangent to my typical writing might take me. So far I’ve come up with a list of all the pros of writing this type of story.

1. Allows the reader to place themselves in the story-This is usually the overall goal with erotica. It’s written to arouse, to allow a reader to visualize themselves in the character’s place. In this story, the reader is the character.

2. Allows the reader to choose their own path- We all want to have crazy adventurous sexcapades. This style of story can help a reader have these fantasies (if only in their head) without the fear of real life consequences. There’s also plot control. If you don’t like one path, say fuck it and choose another option for a more appealing outcome.

3. It doesn’t matter whom the reader is- “You” can be male, female, transgender, or other. So long as the author creates enough options to choose from, the sexual orientation of the reader shouldn’t matter. Instead of writing a book aimed at one audience, you could—in theory—reach all populations of people.

4. Plot Freedom & Experimentation-OMG. There have been so many times I’ve wanted to write other outcomes: bad, good, FUBAR, weird, sick & twisted, soft & sweet. This type of story allows an author to do all these things, satisfying the wide range of pathways where a story could naturally evolve.

5. There’s some of it, but…-Dude. I mean, really. Sure it’s been done, but it hasn’t been fully tapped yet. This should be have been popular enough for me to have heard of and not to have googled! If it’s not yet popularized, then I sure as hell am going to make it so.

It won’t be an easy task to complete. I start thinking of all the things that can go wrong, the multitudes of paths a reader could choose, and all the pathways I’d have to write in order to appeal to the wide audience I want to reach. It gets complicated.

I’m thinking it’ll look something like this:

Male Reader option --> Male lover 

                                    --> Female lover 

Female Reader option --> Male lover 

                                         --> Female lover

This could already have 4 different plot lines, but I could use the same plot and just switch the "he" to "she", or "she" to "he" to satisfy orientation preference.

Here’s an example of what could happen:

Male Reader --> Chooses orientation --> Plot option 1 or 2
                                                                  --> Plot option 1 has option A or B 

                                                                       --> Plot option A has option X, Y, Z
                                                                       --> Plot option B has option x, y, z
                                                                  --> Plot option 2 has option C or D 

                                                                       --> Plot option C has option ...

                                                                       --> Plot option D has option ...

                                                               
Crazy right? To satisfy readers and to keep them coming back for more, essentially rereading the book and choosing other options, there would have to be a happily ever after option, death option, and maybe a happily ever after for now option. I might go as far as having an option would be “bad” but not death.

Needless to say, plotting a book like this will take a fuck of a lot more concentration and planning than anything I’ve ever done before. To be a good story, each pathway must be solid storytelling, complete with description, character development, and creativity. It’s a bit overwhelming, but I will rise to the challenge.

Erotic Publishing Houses

The following is a list of active publishing houses and links to their webpage/submission guidelines. This list is in no particular order, nor do I personally recommend one of another. This list is intended as a resource for those seeking publication.

1. Erotic Writers & Reader Association (with links, open calls--good place to start)
2. Carina Press
3. Less Than Three Press (LGBTQ)
4. Phaze Publishing 
5. Storm Moon Press (LGBTQ & alternative)
6. Totally Bound (which has many imprints) 
7. Dreamspinner Press (Gay fiction)
8. Deep Desires Press
9. Rooster and Pig Publishing
10. Xcite Books
11. Loose-id
12. Passion In Print
13. Blushing Books Publications
14. Secret Cravings Publishing
15. House of Erotica
16. Siren Publishing
17. Samhain Publishing
18. Dark Hollow Press
19. Evernight Publishing
20. Bella Books (Lesbian fiction)
21. Champagne Books
22. Sweetmeats Press
23. Cleis Press
24. Resplendence Publishing
25. Wilde City

Should Have Been a Rap Star

"Untitled" by Angora Shade

Drained
Your touch demands elaboration
Pained
The reason for my mastication
Of such a thought
That forces my dear devoted muscles
Taught
Like another lover deep inside and
Sealed
Woe to my imagination-You're not
Real
Existing only in the dreaming
State
Lost to fantasy while screaming, fuck you
Fate
The bitch that simply will not
Die
Alone--not loved--makes love a
Lie

Poem of the Day

"Untitled"

Come closer
Move under me
around me
throughout me
Let me pull the smell of
your arousal to me
Let your flavor invade
Surround me
Flood my mind with
thoughts of your deliciousness
Let me touch the
heaven I see and
plant my lips to
curve and flesh
Soft and warm
Give me your
Taste
Tangy nectar
Salty sweet
Lifeblood of
lovers
Entwine me in you
Free my mind
Become that breath
I breathe and
possess me as I
possess you.

Response to Stimuli

I stand on the
edge of a knife
Wavering; that
misstep that sends me
off kilter
Causing me to 
Pause
Look
Blink again
Reset
Slice through my previous thoughts
Distracted

Every line of
your form
Each curve and shape
Little hairs out of 
place
Movements of your 
frame
Purposeful
Meaningful
Distracting 

Calm
Graceful
Confident in silence
Eating up the sun and
pleasant wind
Unaware of 
the hustle bustle, the
roar
Floating 
Drifting in all that
lives around you
Perfect in your head, the
Elsewhere that takes you
Away
Beyond

Belonging to the
space
Part of it, you
Breathe
Exist 

Distracting is the 
Simplicity and I 
love it
Your uninterrupted
complete power over
accepting all that
is 

You look up
Seeing me 
Seeing you

You smile.

Thoughts On My Fetishes

Over the last few days I've been having entertaining conversations with several people about fetishes. We all have them. From leather and whips, to chains, food, brown hair, boots or feet… We're all aware of what turns us on, but do we know why? I don't usually go into a lot of detail about my own sexual likes or dislikes because I prefer to keep my focus on writing, but for the purpose of satisfying myself and this topic, I simply must discuss myself. I’ve examined my own peculiarities, and have come to the conclusion that my specific tastes stem from what I do.

In addition to being a writer, I'm also a teacher and hold a degree in art, which I think explains a lot of my own personal fetishes.

Fetish #1: I’m a texture junkie.

Clay, paint, stone, or textiles of lace, tweed, or spandex; they all send signals to the brain when touched. I love the smooth and tacky feeling of acrylic between my fingers when I smear it over a canvas, and I enjoy the primal hunk of clay I get to throw onto the potter’s wheel. I live for the feel of lace on my skin, and even the itchy wool of a winter sweater on my neck. It’s pure sensation. How does this apply to sex to make my love of texture a fetish? Well, use your imagination…Or just cover me in body paint and paint the walls with me naked, and I’m probably yours.

Fetish #2: Tattoos

There is such a thing as a bad tattoo, but take for a moment that I’m only speaking about well-drawn and artistic tattoos. They’re beautiful, expressive, and they also draw attention to the body wearing them. They are images that float and move over the skin with the body, they're fluid, and always in a state of change. Intricate detail makes my brain wild, and I want to come close to examine every dot, swirl and color. I want to touch them and discover the illusion of depth behind them. I want lick them. Yes. Big turn on for me.

Fetish #3: Curves & Belly Buttons

This probably stems from my love of the human form. I've studied the human body at length through hours of Life Drawing and sculpture. I've learned to enjoy the shapes and lines of the body. I'm attracted to large curves and prominent structure in human beings. I like to trace these with my eyes, and feel them in my hands.

I'm also drawn to the well that is the navel. It's a sensitive area on the body, both in and around. I'm ticklish here, which is a wonderful sensation, but sometimes a nice painful flick right to the center is nice too. I like how navels move like dimples over a face. I like hot and cold sensation applied to the area (giving or getting), and I love kissing and being kissed here.

What turns you on? Surely a lot of people are more than eager to share. I'd LOVE to hear about really unusual fetishes that others have and why they believe they have them... I'm no stranger to the world and the ideas, thoughts, and activities that go with it, so don't worry about scaring me. TELL ME. I'd love to discuss with you.