Confessions of Erotic Writers Part 1: The Questions You're Afraid to Ask

We are exposed to sex through the media, fine art, and literature, making sex a source of pleasure, pain, liberation, and form of expression as far back as documented history. But what about the people creating the materials we're exposed to? Where do they fit in? How does creating sex effect them?

I've recently interviewed multiple authors (whose info you can find at the bottom) who place themselves within the categories of those who write erotica, smut, or porn. Definition of these categories is irrelevant; the idea is that explicit sex scenes are an element of their work. I've asked them a series of questions that are typically not inquired about due to societal restraint and the inability to broach the topics the world tells us we should be ashamed of. But there's no shame here, only the god's honest truth.

Be sure to stay tuned to this blog for answers from 7 other authors in part two of this post

Where do your ideas for sex scenes come from?

"We live in a world of repressed emotions and desires. The repression fuels temptation, although, most people never yield to it. I simply ask the question "what if...?" and voila! A sex scene." --Blue Spectrum

"It depends on what I'm writing. The funtanari stuff is pure impossible fantasy sex that turns me on. The DD/lg stuff is partly based on my own life." --Bryce Calderwood

"Several of my ideas come from my own experiences, just embellished a bit. Thought sometimes it's a matter of fantasies--whether my own or people that have confided in me. I take them and run."--Chenille Moon

"[They come from] my fantasies usually, although some are based on real life happenings."--Kassandra Wylde

"Mostly [from] what I find hot or attractive in some way. I watch a lot of porn when I'm bored (not for research or personal fun--I'm just bored and I need some noise on in the background), so sometimes I find inspiration there, but that's pretty rare."--Alana Melos

"If I’m creating a sex scene from already-existing characters, then the scene comes from the characters themselves and the situation that they’re in.Other times I start off with a specific sex scene in mind, like a man and a woman having sex on a huge pile of money. Then I work backward, starting with the original image/vision/fantasy, and figuring out who the people are, where the money came from, and so forth. This kind of image can come from so many places that I can’t list them all: dreams, daydreams, a movie or book scene where I want to make my own variation, or finding a new or interesting sexual position (or emotional reaction, or other element) in a sex manual or article."--Richard Bacula

"Two places – whatever serves the story, but also from my own hottest fantasies. For my last book, the idea for the story was created out of my own dirtiest, naughtiest fantasies and what gets me hot. One reason [was because] my husband was like, "All right hon, you have to write under a pseudonym. That’s too dirty and people at my work know I’m your husband!'"--Elizabeth Anastasia

"[Some ideas come from porn] then I adapt them to fit the particular scene that I am writing. [Also from books] I try listen or read the scene carefully and see where it will end."--Anonymous

"My ideas come from the natural progression of a story, adding the type of scenes that organically grow from the personalities/experiences of my characters. Although sometimes I begin a story with the intent to write a specific type of sex scene that I've never written about before."--Angora Shade

What state of mind do you need to be in to write your standard of a "good sex scene"?

"I find that syncing my emotions with that of the POV character in the scene make the words flow easily, and the scene turns out pretty good. Kind of like method acting but with an oomph!" --Blue Spectrum

"I just need to have the time to do it without being interrupted."-- Bryce Calderwood

"For me, it's the getting started part. If I can just get started with a story, I generally get so into it that my mind is in the story deep enough to be turned on to the point that the proverbial juices can pull a good sex scene out." -- Chenille Moon 

"I have to be sex-starved, unfortunately. Otherwise the scenes won't come (excuse the pun)."--Kassandra Wylde

"[My state of mind is] that I need to write and have a quota to fill per day. There's no sexy state of mind, but I know I'm writing a good scene if I keep thinking sexy thoughts. Initially though? [It's] work time." --Alana Melos

"Mostly it’s the same frame of mind that I need to have in order to write anything: I need to be well-rested and clear-headed as a rule, and I need to have some kind of inspiration. Sometimes it helps me to be a bit aroused in order to write a sex scene, but there’s a middle-ground where I’m hungry enough to find the scene interesting, but not so pent up that my own lust is a distraction from my work."--Richard Bacula

"Relaxed - not particularly after just watching a sex scene; that could lead to being lazy and just copying what was on screen."--Anonymous

"Usually I just start writing and that gets me in the mood. I do turn on good music though." --Elizabeth Anastasia

"I have to be calm and able to visualize what I what to happen. This means no distractions (mental or physical). If I can't see the actions and details inside my head, I'm unable to write them."--Angora Shade

Sex writing usually involves research. How far have you taken your research in pursuit of your craft?

"I'd probably be disowned by my family if they ever peeked at my browser history. There are a ton of studies on human sexuality out there and it is hard to sift through the lot to find proper studies. I use the data from these studies to debunk my own prejudices. The hardest thing for me was coming to terms with consensual consanguineous relationships. Just too many 'con's." --Blue Spectrum

"I've interviewed women about what they feel during sex, and I've researched all kinds of crazy things: the late 40's (fashion, cars, guns, technology), myths/apocrypha concerning angels/demons; all kinds of stuff about vampires and blood and how what we feel changes as we lose it; octopuses, BDSM practices, abandoned subway stations...a majorly weird and eclectic list for sure." --Bryce Calderwood

"I often lean towards BDSM-swinger lifestyle-type writing. My research has involved living some of the lifestyles with my spouse in addition to "researching" videos and other erotica to gain perspective." --Chenille Moon

"I write what I know, so I haven't done too much research beyond my own experiences."--Kassandra Wylde

"[I] mostly just research particular positions or BDSM or weird off-niche kinks. I spent an hour or so just last night on macro and microphilia, which is the fantasy of either being ravished by a giant woman, or ravishing a lady who had been shrunk."--Alana Melos

"I already have my own library of books on human sexuality, as well as a respectable collection of various kinds of pornography. A lot of research can be done simply by browsing through my collections, or by searching for information online. Other information needs to be acquired through more direct, physical means, and I have certain volunteers that assist me in that regard.

The farthest I’ve personally gone is expanding the scope of my BDSM experiences, which is not something that I’m naturally into. There are simply certain sensations and physical reactions that should be experienced from one or both ends before one attempts to describe them being carried out on the page. In order to understand BDSM scenes well enough to describe them in detail, it helped a great deal for me to expand my own understanding of the physical and emotional effects giving and receiving pain, as well as of dominating and submitting."--Richard Bacula

"Well, I read a ton, obviously :) I definitely research the more elaborate sides to kink I explore in my writing to make sure I’m doing it justice, including reading real life accounts and watching…er…videos. All in the name of research, of course ;) "--Elizabeth Anastasia

"I'm currently doing a story on a bit of light bdsm, and have spoken to a few practitioners and a dom (anonymously) and have asked them the needed questions."--Anonymous

"I believe that research is essential to not only understand a concept, but to be able to convey a concept to others well. Readers will call "foul" when the details aren't right. No one would believe a description of an orgasm by a person who's never had one. I've taken my research as far as having my partner pee on me in order to try to understand the allure of pee in sexual situations. Turn out that pee is not my fetish, but the experience helped me to more accurately describe the sound and feel of pee within a scene that called for it."--Angora Shade

Are you turned on by your own sex scenes?

"I don't usually write something that doesn't do it for me, but there are times when the story demands something that I don't agree with or find arousing, like doing it in the biotech lab. Disinfectants are not sexy! Neither are deadly bacteria!"-- Blue Spectrum

"Yes"--Bryce Calderwood

"Absolutely! If I can't get turned on while writing/reading my own story, then I'm doing something wrong!" --Chenille Moon

"Oh yes. A thousand times, yes!"--Kassandra Wylde

"Yup. A few of them are recurring fantasies. The one in "The Devil and Delilah" still is my favorite to this day. I think it might always be." --Alana Melos

"Yes, sometimes, to a degree. Early on in my erotica-writing endeavors, I was very much aroused by what I was writing. The more titles and pages that I get under my belt (so to speak), the less intensely I’m affected on a sexual level by what I write, and the more my appreciation of written erotica (my own or the work of others) tends to be an aesthetic and mechanical pleasure derived from the writing itself."--Richard Bacula

"Almost always. That’s when I know I’m doing it right!"--Elizabeth Anastasia

"Yes, because the emotional investment I put into them is what is also important."--Anonymous

"A scene is so much better when I am turned on. If what I've written doesn't come across as sexy to me in some way, it probably won't to my readers either, which is why I typically scrap the ones that don't give me tingles at bare minimum."--Angora Shade

Do you act out any/Have you acted out any of your scenes in order to write a sex scene more effectively?

"Maybe." --Blue Spectrum

"It's more the other way around. Sex with my current partner inspires my sex scenes."--Bryce Calderwood

"Oh yes! In experiencing the act itself, I can more fully understand what my character is feeling. For example, my submissive characters: the right mindset needs to be had when expressing that personality. Plus, writing turns me on to the point that I feel like I need to experience what I've just written about." --Chenille Moon

"My genre doesn't grant me that option, so except for past experiences, the [scenes] come from my imagination."--Kassandra Wylde

"Not intentionally. I know other authors might be like "Oh, teehee I'm writing about hot sex and going to act it out with my SO." Not me. Not that I'm opposed to it, but it's a job. I treat it like a job. In the beginning, when I wrote, I was so turned on all the time it was ridiculous. About two months of writing erotica changed that. Now words are words. I think in the long run, this is good. I wouldn't want to be disappointed if I or my husband couldn't perform as I had envisioned in any particular sex scene, and thus I can keep my person life separate from my professional." --Alana Melos 

"Yes, although I write a lot of stuff involving fantastical creatures, non-humans, and people with superhuman powers. When going into the mechanics of a scene, sometimes a situation becomes complicated enough that it helps to work with real people in order to make sure that everything and everyone can work as described."--Richard Bacula

"I wouldn’t say I’ve staged any exactly, but I’ve definitely been writing a scene, then jumped on my husband as soon as he gets home. We watch porn together and I’ll ask to watch scenes that are more risqué like what I’m writing to get us in the mood, and might talk dirtier to him/request some spanking."--Elizabeth Anastasia

"Not yet - Might seem strange, but my partner is not a very lusty/libidinous person."--Anonymous

"I've never acted out a sex scene that I've written exactly as I have written it. But I have experimented with a handful of elements that are also included in my writing, like the Gummy Bear Game."--Angora Shade

How would you describe your sex life before and after you started writing erotica?

"Growing up in a pretty conservative society, I tended to repress my sexuality and there was a lot of guilt whenever I transgressed. It was absolutely depressing at times. Now, though, I have made the effort to unburden myself of the guilt and enjoy being human. Writing erotica has helped me address my fears and prejudices and has forced me to look at human sexuality from different aspects without being dismissive or judgmental. Yes, I'm talking about necrophilia vampire sex." --Blue Spectrum

"Before I started there wasn't much of [a sex life] as I was single, but after I started, I met my parter."--Bryce Calderwood

"While my sex life was already in "decent" condition, I can say that there was definitely an increase [in sex] as well as heightened pleasure after I started writing. I stopped writing for a bit and noticed a dramatic different [in my sex life]. To put it bluntly, I've been the horniest I've ever been in recent years."--Chenille Moon

"I think writing smut facilitates great sex in a lot of different ways. Giving yourself the freedom to express your thoughts and fantasies is very positive. For me, it also amps up my hormones and puts me in the mood. My husband always know when I've been writing a good scene since he benefits from it. Before writing smut, thing were definitely quieter in the bedroom."--Kassandra Wylde

"[My sex life is] exactly the same. Again, it's a job. It may be unsexy to hear it, but I treat what I write seriously. I want it to be hot and sexy, but being distracted why writing is actually very bad for writing, or at least for me."--Alana Melos

"It was good before, and it’s good now. One of the reasons why I got into erotica in the first place is that sex has always been a rather important part of my life, and I had already invested a large amount of time and effort researching and exploring it in a variety of ways. It’s easier to write about things that you already know and understand than it is to research whole new bodies of knowledge. Granted, my less mundane stories do include things that I never experienced first-hand, things that are physically impossible due to the annoying lack of magic, supernatural creatures, and super-powers in our own world, but even my more unusual stories involve a lot of extrapolation based on my body of real-world knowledge."--Richard Bacula

"My sex life definitely got hotter/less inhibited after I started reading erotica. Writing erotica is a newer venture, but I think it's just the next step. Although I do think writing erotica is helping me get more vocal in my dirty talk in a way I was just too embarrassed about before. It’s thrilling to find fresh things in the bedroom after being married for over a decade, ya know? I might look like a wholesome mom on the outside, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be a slut in the bedroom."--Elizabeth Anastasia

"Before, boring/average - After, definitely better, more emotional involvement, more intimacy and better communication."--Anonymous


"My sex life wasn't awful before I started writing sex scenes, but it's certainly improved tremendously. I think that thinking and writing about sex on a regular basis is healthy. Doing so gives me a larger push to satisfy my natural human curiosity through exploration of my body and partner."--Angora Shade

Meet the Authors

Blue Spectrum

Bryce Calderwood

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Kassandra Wylde

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Chenille Moon

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Alana Melos

Facebook Goodreads       Twitter        Google Plus       Amazon Author Page

Blog        Naughty Book Snitch       Pinterest

Richard Bacula

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Elizabeth Anastasia 

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Story A Day in May Ends

At the beginning of May, erotic fiction author Richard Bacula set out to complete the "Story A Day in May" challenge, requiring himself to write one story each day of a certain word count.   Now that May is over, I wanted to hear all about the process, the stories, and the impact his strict regiment played in his life. You can read about his 2015 May Challenge here.



Find Richard Online: Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, Amazon Author Page

1) Where you able to meet your goal?

Short answer: Yes, with an hour to spare!

The last two days of the contest, I had to scramble to catch up, cranking out five stories per day, but I made it under the deadline.

Long answer: Technically, no, because my goal was to write (or finish) a short story for each day in May, with a minimum word count of 2,500 words. I managed to write 31 short stories in 31 days as planned, but there were two exceptions to the minimum word-count:


1. I wrote a horror story for a small press under a pseudonym. It was under 1,800 words, so that’s a technical foul. I’m not counting it because the point of the word count was to make certain that each story was long enough to be its own title. In this case, the word count didn’t need to be that high in order to get published.


2. My short story “Research Assistant Renee” was about 500 words short of the goal, but I do plan to pad it out to the full 2500 words when I hear back from my over-worked volunteer beta-readers. Enough of my other stories were far over the minimum word count that I am quite content to ignore this technical failure as well.

Next year, I plan to word things more carefully, to make my goal more manageable.

2) What struggles did you encounter while attempting to puke out a story of a certain word count for 31 days?


I encountered many struggles, primarily that my FDJ required much of my time and attention, and I wasn’t able to focus my month solely on writing. Toward the end of the month, I had to request a full day off in order to make the goal, and that plus other compromises meant that I took a minor financial hit in order to commit to this project: More hours writing meant less hours actively getting paid.

In the long run, I am confident that the vast increase in my number of titles will bring in significantly more money than I lost.


Similarly, I have certain dogs and certain women in my life that require regular attention, and I have some making up to do in that regard as well. My social life also dropped essentially to nothing for the duration of the month.

Writing-wise, it was a constant challenge to pick not only a story idea that I could write, but one that I could write Right Fucking NOW. Normally when writing even a short story, there is more time to let things sit a bit while you mull them over in your mind. With this project, I had no such luxury. I had to spend virtually all of my free time either sitting at the keyboard actively writing, or sleeping until I was rested enough to write. The pressure of the deadline made me commit a lot faster to plot angles, and to learn to write more freely with fewer hangups.


At the same time, I did make two or three false starts, where I wrote a thousand words or more on a story, then realized that I needed more time to think things through in order for the story to work. I had to put those stories aside, start a new story from scratch, and finish the new story as soon as possible in order to make up for lost time.

The main challenge toward the end was that I was simply exhausted from writing so much about sex and orgasms for such a sustained time. There are only so many ways to describe the sensation of climax, and only so many useful metaphors and synonyms for special anatomy and sensations.

*Fucking Day Job

3) What types of stories did you write and why?

I focused heavily on my “The Serpent’s Gifts” setting, which is a world in which a giant snake flies around the planet, then disappears, leaving random people with superhuman abilities, or “gifts.” It’s a setting that I’ve wanted to expand for a long time now, and it was nice to have the opportunity. It was also quite fun, allowing me to have characters in unusual situations. In writing a sequel to my Werewolf Erotica story Moonheat, I decided to roll that story into my Serpent’s Gifts setting as well, because it gave me a lot of ideas for future interactions.

I also got to finally crank out a series of short, silly stories that I first envisioned a couple of years ago. These would be the least erotic of all my works, since they involve a deranged backwoods would-be-Romeo who goes around seducing inanimate objects such as a tree stump, a rock, and a bale of straw.

I also did some one-off Beast stories, just for fun and to get titles out. These are silly, fun, quick stories, unlike “Satisfied By A Stegosaurus,” which I had the luxury of expending much, much more time and energy on. I wrote one about a woman who wanders into a Unisex bathroom, and ends up having sex with a sleazy unicorn. Another one is titled “One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple Pussy-Eater,” and I think that says enough about that one.

The third was the very last story that I wrote, when I was dead out of good ideas. I follow @MagicRealismBot on Twitter, which generates random Magic Realism plots. I found one that was as follows: A game show host is climbing up the side of an octopus. But she will never get there. I was inspired, and managed to crank out some tentacle-porn involving Greek mythology.

4) Which stories were stronger or weaker and why?

I think that the best overall erotica that I wrote in May, with the broadest appeal, would likely be a series of four stories that I’m collectively referring to as “The Perils of Nadine.” They’re all fun, kinky sex fantasy stuff. In the first story, Nadine is tied up on the bed by her boyfriend, when her boyfriend’s roommate shows up and seduces her. In the second story, she makes it up to her boyfriend by letting him have a three-way with her and the girlfriend of the guy who seduced her in the first story. The stories just fed on each other, with each story coming as a kind of demented sexual consequence of the last. They were all “I Know I Shouldn’t But I Can’t Help Myself” sort of things. Always fun.


The overall best stories that I wrote--the stuff where more was involved than just the sex and the emotions of the moment, are most of my new Serpent’s Gifts stories. Moonheat #2 has perhaps the best emotional connection. Homewrecker has one of my favorite characters that I’ve ever created. Stuff like the two Granite Jack stories, Hard Cash, and Tomday include appealing non-sexual fantasies--superhuman healing and endurance, free money, and free time--that should be quite satisfying to many readers in addition to the arousing sex scenes.

It’s actually easier to pick my weaker story, as I turned out to be so satisfied with so many of the stories that it’s only the very few that I’m discontented with that stand out. I wrote two Pigmalion stories, which are set in my Serpent’s Gifts setting, and which revolve around a mysterious man named Pigmalion who can transform women physically by having sex with them. The first story is essentially about an older women watching a video of this kind of transformation, and while it’s a decent story, it’s nowhere near as arousing as most of my work. The second story more than makes up for any lack of eroticness in the first, but as it sits right now, the first Pigmalion story might need some editing or reworking.

Off to the side is the Tiny Humps A Trilogy, composed of Tiny Humps A Stump, Tiny Humps A Stone, and Tiny Humps A Strawbale. Because they are so unique in nature and tone, some people will consider them to be my absolute, hands-down worst writing, and other people will consider them to be my best writing. They’re absurd, surreal, and as erotic as they could possibly be… given the premise of each story. Beta-Reader reactions ranged from (paraphrased) “Please never make me read another one of these” to “I don’t get it” to “This is the most hilarious stuff I’ve read.”

Overall, they came out almost exactly as I had envisioned them.

5) Have you learned anything new about your writing abilities after partaking in this exercise?

I learned one hell of a lot of things that are too subtle and esoteric to even understand, much less explain. The more you work at any craft, the better you get at it, even if you don’t fully know exactly how or why.

Of the quantifiable things that I learned during this project, I grew better at hitting a specific target length. As I’ve said in other interviews, my first erotic short story--An Innocent Haircut--was intended to be a short and simple piece, but the sex scenes were so involved that it ended up being 9,200 words long. I tend to be very explicit, and that makes it hard to not go well over my projected or intended word count.

I also realized something new about arousal, or learned how to better put it into words. This was through a combination of listening to some of Reed James’ work via DirtyBitPodcast, and through writing the Perils of Nadine series. Specifically: human arousal and orgasm comes from being overwhelmed by a combination of sensation, thoughts, and emotions. Erotica readers participate vicariously in imaginary sex acts, but the best way to bring their arousal to its peak is likewise to overwhelm their senses with arousal triggers.

That’s why some of the best erotica is some of the dirtiest, because of utility of emotions in overcoming resistance to arousal. This is clear in Romance novels, where a minor sex scene can be incredibly arousing simply because of all of the emotional investment that a reader has in the characters. In dirtier erotica, it often comes from conflicting emotion, often from the kind of “I Shouldn’t, But I Can’t Help Myself” kind of setup that shows up in Reed James’ Fingered Next To My Husband and other stories. It’s the emotional equivalent of pain or ice play, where conflicting sensations heighten the sexual experience. In real life, such emotional conflicts are dangerous, but in a fantasy story it simply allows the reader to safely be overwhelmed.

6) What are you plans for these stories?

I’m looking at publishers, if only because I don’t want to have to come up with so much new cover art, and because I’m not very good at self-promotion. I want them to go on sale as quickly as possible, because the sooner they’re up, the sooner I make money, and the sooner I make money the sooner I can quit my FDJ and write full time.

7) What do you plan to work on now that you've met your goal?

Mostly, I’m going to relax. I need to let my beta-readers catch up to all I’ve written, to go over their feedback, and to make some changes and edits accordingly. As I mentioned, I’m also looking for a publisher. Other than that, I’m planning to avoid doing much writing for this month, although I do have a hefty editing project that I’m doing for another writer.
Also, I’ll probably drink a lot.

Story a Day May Challenge

In 2015, Erotic Romance author Richard Bacula set off to challenge himself in a way that he never had before. He decided to write one short story a day during the month of May. The results of this personal challenge lead him to self-publish his stories as a series, as well as a complete collection. 

You can see all of his work here on his Amazon author page.

As an author, I know how difficult it is to sit down and write each day, let alone finish a project. Personally, I have multiple projects going at once, and they all want attention! I've recently learned that Richard Baucla intends to continue with his May Challenge in 2016. I sat down to interview Richard Bacula to find out more about his project and his motives.

Q: What inspired you to begin your "Story a Day in May Challenge" ?

Bacula: The phrase “A Story A Day In May” just popped into my head. At first, I thought that I’d thought of it all on my own, but later I found out that there’s a website dedicated to the idea: http://storyaday.org. So I must have heard the concept somewhere and adopted it. Or I made it up on my own, but somebody else made it up on their own first. Either way, the idea got into my head, and I decided to go for it. With the website, they don’t have any minimum or maximum word count, so somebody could write a one-sentence story and call it a day. I picked the range of 700-2,500 words, so I had to do at least 700 words per day. Usually I was closer to the maximum count.

Q: What are the specific rules you set for yourself for the stories you write for your May Challenge? 

Bacula: My only goal other than word count is to write something each day that I can call a story with good conscience. It can’t be a chapter in a larger work. It can’t be a poem. It can’t be plotless, characterless sex. But there does have to be sex. I’m an erotica writer after all, and sex is my reason for writing.

Q: We all suffer from distractions. How were you able to stay focused on your goal in your first May Challenge?

Bacula: lol. I’m desperately trying to remember how in time for this year’s challenge! Mostly, it's just a matter of prioritization. I’d wake up early if I had to, or go to bed late, or go to bed early and wake up in the middle of the night to write. I cut back on my already limited social activities, and I just made it my absolute top priority to do one story every day. This year, I’m even busier than last year, and I’ve set my intended word count at 2,500 words minimum! I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it, but the way to improve is to test your limits and to push yourself to do things that you’ve never done before.

Q: What has been the most challenging aspect of writing a story every day for a whole month?

Bacula: The main challenge was just finding the time and energy. The second most challenging aspect came in toward the end of May, when I started to get really, really tired of describing orgasms! I ran the spectrum of the usual metaphors: this one was like being hit by lightning, this one was like a volcano, this one was like an explosion, this one was like a deluge, this one was like an earthquake.... Toward the end, I remember thinking, “Then they had an orgasm. You know what that’s like, don’t you reader? Why do you need me to explain it?!” But, of course, explanation and description is a writer’s job--we use words to create images and sensations in the reader, and with erotica the orgasm is one of the most important parts. So I persevered and managed to get it all done.

Q: Where did your story ideas come from for your May 2015 Challenge? How were you able to keep them fresh & non-repetitive? 

Bacula: There are story ideas everywhere. I went to the dentist at one point last May, so I wrote a short story about a dental hygienist. I walked past a women’s restroom and wrote a short story about an incredibly drunken man who thought that the “Women” sign on the door was advertising a sale. I drove past a fire department one day, and came up with a story about a fireman who is mistaken for a male stripper. Ideas are something that have always happened to me, whether I want them to or not. That’s one of the reasons why I write--to purge some of the ideas out of my brain. The May challenge turned out to be a very good way to do that!

Q: What happened after you finished your May 2015 challenge? What did you learn about your writing?

Bacula: After the challenge, I didn’t write anything else for a month because the writing part of my brain was exhausted. When I did start writing again, my skills had improved. Practice does that! The biggest area of improvement for me was that I grew significantly better at brevity.  When I write especially about sex, I tend to go into incredible detail. For the first erotic short story that I ever wrote, “An Innocent Haircut,” I just wanted to write a simple, short sex scene between a man and his female barber. There wasn’t any real plot--just a guy getting seduced--but that story ended up being 9,200 words long!

With the May challenge, I had to finish a short story every day, and I decided to cap the length around 2,500 words, so part of the challenge was working on my succinctness. I started off aiming for 1,200 words or so, and ended up around 2,000+, but as the month wore on and on, I grew a lot better at gauging my word count. There were so many places where I wanted to elaborate on details--physical or mental--but I got better at staying focused and just cranking the story out.

Another thing that I got better at was the ability to fight my own perfectionism. Like many writers, I have any number of projects sitting on a metaphorical shelf in various stages of production, which I have never quite finished because I can’t get the story just right. My perfectionism gets in the way of actually finishing stories at times. I didn’t have that luxury in this case because any real delay in a given story meant that I wouldn’t accomplish my daily goal. Once I picked a plot and started writing, I had to commit to the plot and just keep writing until it was done.

There was at least one case where I had to abandon a story. I was typing away and I realized that I’d gone over 2,700 words, and the sex hadn’t even started yet! I shut it down, saved that file for later, and managed to crank out an entirely different story on that day to make my goal, but it was a bit taxing to do so.

It was a real challenge to shove aside all of my worries, anxieties, and concerns, and to just finish the story:

“Is it good enough?”
Doesn’t matter. Just write.
“Should this character be explored more?”
Maybe later, in a different story. For now, just finish this one.
“Shouldn’t we describe the sex more thoroughly here?”
That would be great, but we don’t have the time or the word count. Just keep moving!
“Will this one even be good enough to publish?”
Don’t care! Just finish it. If it sucks, we can always clean it up later or pitch it out. Just get the damned story finished.

In order to gear myself up for this upcoming May challenge, I’ve been rereading last year’s stories (my “Short Strokes” collection) and there hasn’t been one story yet out of the batch that I’m ashamed to have put my name on. They all turned out pretty good, and it turns out that battling my perfectionism and anxiety every day for 31 days wasn’t just good practice, it also helped me come up with ten new titles (the nine “Short Strokes” mini-compilations, and “Short Strokes: The Complete Collection”) that I’m quite proud of.

Q: Do you have a sneak peek for us for the 2016 Story a Day May Challenge? (story ideas, themes, etc) 

Bacula: Last year, I warmed up early by writing a practice story or two before May started. That’s why there are slightly more than 31 stories in the "Short Strokes" series.  This year, I haven’t found the time to do that kind of thing, or I’d share one with you!

One of my goals with this year’s challenge is to expand on my “Serpent’s Gifts” setting, and to that end I’ve decided to write an introduction to the general world. That way, any reader can pick up any story in the setting and have an idea what the world is about without having to have read any of the previous stories.

Here’s what I have so far:

It started on December 21, 2012, in the sky over Mexico. Tens of thousands of feet in the air, there was a bright flash of light, and a glowing miles-wide disc of energy appeared. Minutes later, something emerged from the disc: the head of a snake-like creature that nearly filled the portal’s huge diameter.


That head was followed by a body, which was followed by more body. On and on, a giant serpent flowed out of the portal, snaking its way through the sky.

Humanity took notice, and world-wide panic took place. Airplanes were grounded and the whole planet waited in to see what would happen next.

The seemingly endless Serpent ignored humanity’s attempts at communication and violence, and its flight around the globe was uninterrupted. Eventually, the Serpent reached its destination: the other side of the very portal that it emerged from, and that its massive body was still flowing out of.

When the Serpent’s head touched that glowing disc, there was a blinding flash of fire that covered the entire planet. When the flames disappeared, they took the Serpent and the portal with it, and that was the only thing that they seem to have affected. The rest of the world appeared to be unscathed.

It took some time, but soon the truth started becoming apparent: the Serpent may be gone, but it left something behind. People across the planet started manifesting strange, superhuman powers and abilities that seemed to break the laws of physics.

These abilities soon came to be known as “The Serpent’s Gifts.”

Interview with J Thomas Ganzer

J Thomas Ganzer has a wonderful new book out called "Chicago Two-Step" which is the second book in the the "Chicago Secrets" series. I recently sat down with Mr Ganzer to hear more about what to expect in this new addition to his series. I haven't read this new installment yet, but I"m excited! "Chicago Secrets" was an amazing story, and I'm awful damn curious about how this talented author will continue the drama between Jackie Dekker and her murderous boss! 

Click here to read an exclusive excerpt from "Chicago Two-Step"

Exclusive Interview with J Thomas Ganzer

Q: What's your new book "Chicago Two-Step" about?

Ganzer: Generally, it's about something I love to play with: What if a prosecutor was a complete lunatic? What could he do if he had no conscience? Murder? Manufacture evidence? Stalking? So much delicious material to work with! Specifically, this book is a sequel to my first book, Chicago Secrets. The first book features a federal prosecutor who discovers his wife is moonlighting as a high-priced escort. He murders her in a fit of rage and spends the rest of the novel trying to get away with it. Two-Step picks up where Secrets left off. Told from the point of view of the Prosecutor's associate Jackie Dekker, the sequel is about the dance she does with her psycho boss, trying to convince herself and others that he is a serial killer while avoiding his suspicions that she is trying to bring him down. But I wrote the sequel so that it could stand alone if the reader didn't read the first book, which was tricky. I had to summarize things from book 1 without making it feel like a clumsy flashback.

Q: What inspired you to write your book?

Ganzer: I read too many legal thrillers that weren't dealing with the nuts and bolts of the law. Lawyers have a ton of interesting "you're never going to believe this" stories. I tried to incorporate those things so that a lawyer could read the book and instantly identify with an old law partner or a cranky judge they know. I also wanted to write something that non-lawyers would find fascinating.

Q: What was your most difficult scene/favorite scene to write?

Ganzer: The most difficult thing about the book was writing from a female perspective. I had a lot of help, asking my female beta readers, "Would a woman do this?" The answer was invariably, "No, you idiot. Women don't do that." In the end, I had one female professional editor tell me that I wrote in the female perspective better than any male author she's ever read. I did my best. It was incredibly challenging, but I think I got it.

The most fun thing to write was a disastrous first date for the main character. She meets someone who is funny and looks like a cologne model. But on their date, he takes her to a bar/arcade, drinks too much cheap beer, and tries to convince her to do business with him. She spends the entire evening planning her escape; it was the date from hell. My betas laughed because they've have all had a date with "that guy". But in the book, he gets his comeuppance, in spades.


Q: What message does your book covey to readers?

Ganzer: I think the thing I try to convey to readers is the fun in the dialogue and the setups. Too many novels have perfect conversations between the characters or neat and tidy plot points, which is a missed opportunity. The nuance in speech, the pregnant pauses, the realistic scenes where things don't always have a perfect resolution--that is where the good stuff is. I want readers to know if they read one of my books, they are going to laugh or mutter "holy shit" once every chapter.

Q: What is the most difficult aspect of the writing process?

Ganzer: It actually isn't the creative part. I always have the kernel of a novel in my head. In school, I could always write something that could get my entire class to laugh. I write characters and scenes that people ask excitedly, "How the hell did you come up with that?!" But the hardest part for me is the technical aspect of writing. I wasn't an English major and I never did better than a B- in any literature class I ever took. I could't tell you what a split infinitive is if you put a gun to my head. My proofreader wanted to punch me for my constant shifting of tenses, often within the same sentence.That is a real struggle for me. But I'd rather read a legal thriller written by a lawyer with questionable grammar than a perfectly written legal novel put out by a non-lawyer that bears no resemblance to what we actually do.

Q: What's the best and worst part about being a writer?

Ganzer: The answer to both is the same: the unquenched desire to make a living as a writer. Most of us indie writers love writing and dream of having more time and resources. What kind of a writer could I be, how much better could I be, if I did this full-time for five years? Friends are impressed that I am a writer, but I think Stephen King is a writer. I suppose it is like a guitar player who dreams of playing before a sellout crowd at Coachella. People like me see him playing a wedding and think, "Wow, he is amazing," but all he thinks is, "I could be doing so much better."

Q: What can readers expect from you in the future? Any more books in the works?

Ganzer: I am working on the third book in the series and I want to make it the final act. But readers are telling me the characters are too much fun and I have to keep them going. Two years ago I was talked into writing a novel about science and research and the intersection between academia, government, and the private sector. The more I looked into it, the more shocked I was that people with multiple doctorates working to cure impossible diseases make less than a garbageman. The amount of bullshit they wade through is amazing. We spend billions on defense projects no one wants, but we force people to research diseases on a shoestring budget because a grad student put a shrimp on a treadmill for an experiment, pissed off Congress, and everyone saw NIH funding cut once again. I think it is far and away my best work, but I am sitting on it until I can find a national publisher. I think it should be required reading for anyone wanting to make a career out of science and research.

Q: Tell us something interesting about you? Do you have any Hobbies?

Ganzer: Well, coworkers recently asked me to think of two interesting things about myself, so I told them I can say the alphabet backwards as fast as forwards, and as a child, I once called an adoption agency to see if I could get new parents. Other than that, I am a news and politics junkie, I golf horribly, play poker even worse, but I can ballroom dance!

Click here to purchase your copy or "Chicago Secrets" and "Chicago Two-Step"

Author Spotlight: J Thomas Ganzer

Welcome to my fellow author J Thomas Ganzer! 

His new book is releasing this April!

This new release is the second book in the "Chicago Secrets" series. Here's a little about it:

Jackie Dekker is a young idealistic Federal Prosecutor in Chicago. Her career is on a hot streak until she discovers her boss, the esteemed Joe Haise, murdered his wife. Her world begins to fall apart. Will anyone believe her? Is she even right? And when her boss learns she has uncovered his secret, what will he do? When you know the law, you know how to break it. When Jackie dances with the Devil and the music stops, she must decide which one will be left dancing.

Exclusive Excerpt:

“I don’t understand. What did Joe do?”

Nate shook his head. “It’s not important. The point is…I owe him. And not just a little, I owe him everything. He has first dibs on my soul, Jackie. And if you stay here, he’ll get yours too.” Nate’s mood darkened and he refused to look Jackie in the eye.

She took a long drink and stared at the bar as well. “Nate, I have a problem too. I think that Joe, um…”

“Hey, m’lady and m’gentleman!” Stacey bounded up in between them and wrapped her arms around their shoulders. She grabbed her drink and took a swig, oblivious to their altered mood.

Nate drained his beer and put his arm around Stacey. “Well now, I think, dear Jackie, that this young lass is getting the hang of it.” He smiled at Jackie and she fought back tears and returned the smile. They drank for another hour before they all exchanged hugs and headed home.

Jackie decided that, after a lot of drinks, she would leave her car in the parking garage at the office and take a cab home. She made it home late and fifty dollars poorer, but she had enjoyed herself for the first time in months. She fed Burnita, crawled into bed and ruminated on where she was in the Ruby Lester case and where she could go in the Tina Haise case. Ruby’s case is on autopilot. We’ll get a decision on the motion to dismiss and the motion to exclude prior bad acts in a few weeks. I will start arranging witnesses soon, just in case it goes to trial. Maxwell doesn’t need much babysitting, so for now I just have to stay safe. I can’t look into Todd’s murder. Anyway, Buddy will take care of that. But I can keep digging into the Tina Haise murder. Joe made a mistake somewhere, I just know it. Okay, I can do this.

The rest of the week was heavenly. Jackie and the other prosecutors and support staff in the Fraud Section played pranks on each other, engaged in spirited discussions about the meaning of the law, and were generally happier than they had been in months. They collaborated on each other’s work and even held an impromptu Friday afternoon ‘pretzel party’ in the kitchen, a tradition started a dozen years earlier by legal interns too poor to afford to bring anything to share with their mentors but industrial-size bags of discount pretzels. Sadly, the ritual died when Joe took over the Section and no one felt like celebrating anymore. Dave Dunham noticed the renewed sense of cooperation and enthusiasm and on Friday morning he brought gourmet coffee from Starbucks and held court in the kitchen. The attorneys and interns marveled at his intellect and views on the future of federal criminal law over the coming decades. Wick was right, Dave’s a flighty sombitch, but he is brilliant.

Jackie closed a few files that had darkened her desk for months and actually managed to get ahead on her caseload. In federal prosecutor-speak, “getting ahead” really means, “being less behind than usual.” She worked out like a fiend over the weekend, reviewed a number of new prospects on Match.com, and slept like a queen each night. But Sunday afternoon she had an argument over the phone with her mother, snapped at a well-meaning produce clerk and, when a judge on Law & Order: SVU threw out evidence in a rape case, screamed at the television, “That’s total bullshit!” After a few minutes of introspection, she realized that Joe would be returning to the office tomorrow and she was subconsciously dreading going back to work. She called her mother back to apologize and spent the rest of the night mentally preparing to see Joe face to face.

She struggled to convince herself that Joe was a creep and a pervert, but not a killer. It would make things so much simpler if that was true. The more time she spent away from the Tina Haise case files, the more preposterous it all seemed. Yeah, right. Joe murdered two people and attacked Veronica Maxwell. Seriously? Maybe there is a reason no one will believe me, the entire thing is just plain nuts. Or maybe I am writing off these suspicions as paranoia as a coping mechanism. Lucy charged Charlie Brown just a nickel for psychiatric help, maybe I should call Human Resources tomorrow to see if she is in network. Ugh, I’ll take another look with a fresh set of eyes later this week and see if it still seems plausible. Jackie ended the debate in her head and fell asleep.

About the Author

J. Thomas Ganzer is an author and attorney practicing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has experience in both civil and criminal matters in private practice and at the Wisconsin Department of Justice. He currently practices civil litigation for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Armed with a diverse career, J. Thomas offers his readers a unique perspective on the traditional legal thriller, focusing on the odd characters and constant one-upmanship that lawyers, clerks, and judges know all too well.

Find him on Amazon and Facebook 

A Normal Girl

The project is finally done!

Available on AMAZON and Radish Fiction

About this Book

The Blurb:

Ryan, a geeky technology apprentice student, is determined to lose his virginity. Shy by nature, his lack of experience with women has left him unfamiliar with ideas other than vanilla sex. In his search for his ideal girl, he seeks out those he deems normal, only to be faced with and turned off by their sexual kinks. After failed attempts with two classic beauties, Ryan takes a chance on the oddball, discovering that normal is relative, and that he and his ideal girl are anything but vanilla.

The Purpose: 

I hate how sex is portrayed in the negative by society, and I hate how so many people misunderstand so much about sex. There's more to sex than traditional missionary for a lousy 10 minutes and you're done! I wrote A Normal Girl with the purpose of dramatizing the stereotypes and misconceptions that society feeds us, and pointing out how clueless many people are to the vast variety of sexual experiences available. What one person considers "normal" is not "normal" for the next person. Some people do fit into the traditional "vanilla" sex life that society tells us is great and acceptable, but there are so many that have had adventures outside the box. And they enjoy them. And that's wonderful and beautiful. Anyway, A Normal Girl shows what happens to Ryan due to his lack of knowledge and communication with who he believes to be "normal". Ryan only discovers his "normal" at the end, after doing everything wrong, humorously teasing the reader by showing how atypical Ryan actually is.

This book was originally published by Stiff Rain Press in February of 2015, but became unavailable when they went out of business. Now, with Torquere Press, A Normal Girl will be one of the first titles in the "Red Line", which includes books with all spectrums of sexuality and those that contain "taboo" subject matter. Be prepared to read about vouyerism, cum play, BDSM, anal and oral sex, strap ons, plushies, orgasm humiliation, and golden showers. 

Reviews:

A Normal Girl was reviewed by the fabulous Mindy Book Snitch on her blog where she gave the book 4 out of 5 Stars! She also labeled it in her Top 10 Most Memorable Books of 2015. You can find reviews and info on other great books on her site too!

A Normal Girl was given 5 out of 5 Stars by Reed James of Naughty Ladies' Publications.  "Angora Shade writes hot, kinky sex. This tale has femdom, furry, pegging, watersports, and so much more. The characters are interesting and realized, and Angora brings them to life. If you enjoy erotica with a story, as well as kinky sex, you’ll love A Normal Girl." Read his full review on his blog.

Andy Sullivan had this to say about A Normal Girl in his 5 Star review on Goodreads: "I love this book! As evident by me finishing in one afternoon. Anyone who enjoys exciting story and an engaging plot will want to check out this sweet confectionery goodness."

An Excerpt:

“You like doughnuts?”

Ryan looks up, suddenly startled, to see one of the employees eyeing him over. She’s blonde, slender, and he finds her ridiculously pretty, even in her green, flour-powdered bakery smock, which she wears with a cheeky confidence. Grinning wickedly, she squirts a load of jelly into the center of a sugarcoated doughnut and hands it to him.

Ryan clears his throat. “Yeah, thanks,” he says, as he takes the proffered treat.

He can’t take his eyes off the way her smock draws tight around her delicate waist. He’s forced to as she boldly walks her fingers over his hand holding the doughnut and up his wrist, where she stops and grips him firmly like a mother grasping a small child. His eyes widen as she brings the tip of the jelly syringe to her mouth with her other hand and pulls the trigger, sucking and licking at the tip. Ryan’s stomach falls to the floor, mimicking his chin.

“I just love jelly,” she whispers. Bending over, she pulls his wrist upward toward her mouth, allowing her to take a bite out of his doughnut. She licks her lips as she pulls back and releases him, wiping all traces of loose sugar from her face. Turning and retreating toward the back, she winks and disappears behind a swinging door.

Ryan exhales loudly and adjusts his glasses with a shaky hand as he gazes at the huge bite missing from his doughnut. A glob of red goo, smelling unmistakably of strawberry, begins to ooze down the edge. It’s a slow movement that contrasts starkly with the rapid beating of his heart.

Women rarely speak to him, if at all. Shy by nature, he prefers to sit on the sidelines, observe, and be part of the background that hums and exists in the air of the busy world. Slim and lanky, he knows he fits the nerd stereotype, accentuated by his thick prescription glasses, short professional haircut, and the company lab coat with their well-known logo embroidered over the pocket. Even the pocket protector is his enemy. He knows it sends a lot of women running for the hills when they see it, but it’s part of his uniform. Heaven forbid he should suffer ink stains on the company attire. It would make him look sloppy.

He prefers to be the well-groomed nerd rather than a bad-boy grease monkey anyway, having come to terms with who and what he’d become in life after endless years of teasing through most of his adolescence. His timid personality has left him still a virgin at twenty-two. Average looking with above average intelligence, he’s always known success was in the works for him, if not a lot of hip action. He could deal with that.

But that girl.

Ryan taps his pen against the clipboard in front of him and takes a bite of his doughnut, wondering what possessed her to tease him. Maybe she gets off teasing men. Yeah. That’s it. Play a joke on the geeky guy applying at the bakery and see if you can make him squirt.

Ryan looks down and shakes his head. Too bad she took off so fast. Surely she’d have gotten her jollies seeing the big boner she’d made inside his tight, black, company dress pants.

“Tasting the goods?” the owner asks, pointing at Ryan as he approaches from across the room. He’s a large man. Round-faced and balding, his charming dimple indents deeply when he smiles, and his jolly, rotund belly shakes as he laughs.

Ryan feels his mouth tighten to a thin line, hoping the owner won’t study him too quickly and see the tent in his pants. He quickly adjusts his legs, and shuffles his backside a bit deeper into his chair, willing his hard-on to shrink. Mind over matter; that was his motto.

“I’m just teasing you, kid,” the owner guffaws. “Always good to know what your product is.” He takes a seat next to Ryan and looks over the application. Humming and nodding, he scratches at his five o'clock shadow with his old, wrinkled hands, and then looks Ryan square in the face. “Good. All in order. You’re hired.”

Writing: the Madness Drug of the Creative Mind

People of the world: I have come to the conclusion that the job of "writer" is a bonafide illness!

Let me explain:

The job of "writer" isn't one that you choose to do. It's something you're compelled to do, like breathing. And often enough, simply being born a creative mind (writer or otherwise) is cause enough to suffer madness. Here are few creative minds you're probably familiar with who suffered from some sort of classifiable illness, addiction, and/or had tragic lives or deaths:

Rembrandt Bugatti: Famous Italian sculptor and draftsman who offed himself with a ceremonial sword
Mark Rothco: American painter, depressive, heavy smoker and drinker who slit his wrists
Ernest Hemingway: Famous novelist and alcoholic who ate his shotgun
Vincent Van Gogh: Impressionist painter, alcoholic, and heavy smoker who cut off his own ear, spent time in an asylum, and eventually shot himself
Edgar Allen Poe: Famous writer, poet, and alcoholic whose death remains undetermined
Kurt Cobain: Famous 90's lead singer of Nirvana, depressive drug user who died of apparent suicide
Amy Winehouse: Famous singer, depressive alcoholic who died of alcohol poisoning
Whitney Houston: Famous singer, heavy drug user which led to death by drowning

I'm in contact with the book world and I know a lot of authors. We authors talk. Interestingly enough, the majority of people I speak to A) suffer some sort of love affair with either (or both) alcohol or a drug of choice B) are depressed, and C) suffer sleep issues. Rarely do I find an author who loves life and is on top of the world. It's just not a combination that mixes with "writer". We're all "struggling" or "starving artists". As a graduate from art school, I can further testify to other creatives. Everyone smoked pot, drank, smoked, and were eccentric personalities with some tragic life story, desperately trying to change the world or convey a life altering message through art.

NOTE: this in no way applies to all creatives. I'm simply pointing out a stunning correlation between creativity and madness backed by scientific study. You can read about this here.

How this applies to me:

I admit without embarrassment that I have a tragic past life story and have suffered from depression. I do enjoy my alcohol. But I'm not suicidal, drug addicted, or an insomniac. HOWEVER, there are times when I find myself not able to write. This is caused by life obligations, getting the flu, or a simple bout of the "winter blues". But it's a fact that when I don't write (or when my muse feeds me too much)--fantasy worlds, voices of countless characters, sudden plot twists, adventures, romance triangles--build up tighter and tighter inside my skull until they're literally screaming at me to empty them onto the page. I literally hear them coming at me in an angry chorus I want to hide from.

My brain suffers a complete overload. Too many stories want attention! Too many characters demand I hear them! I can't sleep at times like this. I fail to focus. I get depressed, moody, and live on a short fuse. I feel pulled in so many different creative directions that I start to lose it. I drink with the purpose to drown the voices out, and dig deeper into not reaching my goals. It's severe PMS X a billion! I become a hectic looney of a mess that nobody wants to be around.

I'm only able to breathe normally again after a good long session of word dumping. But there's only a moment to relax before the next bolt of inspiration hits, and I have to begin something new, or risk another bout of writer overload.

And it's such a rush! I wouldn't change being a writer and suffering chronic bouts of creative madness. There's nothing that makes me feel more alive and purposeful than when I'm stuck and can't move on, to when I'm rolling out the goods and writing the words "The End" on a story's last page.

Writing is a drug. Creativity is a drug. I get kicks from going temporarily mad. The extreme highs and lows are the dramatic opposites that I live for. Enjoying these bouts of madness is madness itself, and absolutely right up there with a nice pipe full of pot and a memorable orgasm.

Where would the world be without creativity? Can creativity be expressed by those who aren't a little "off"? I think that yes, it's possible, but I'd choose to go a little nuts over being completely sane any day. The monotony of sanity is a dull existence.