As uncomfortable as I am with being the center of attention, I’m delighted to be featured this month over at the Erotica Readers and Writers Association:
The charming Ashley Lister interviewed me this month for his Between the Lines column about my writing, my inspiration, my forthcoming stories and even my menagerie of pets! I have been a longtime fan of ERWA and can’t say enough about the site, the resources and the woman behind it all, Adrienne Benedicks:
I stumbled upon writing erotica by accident in 1999. I had just published my first romance novel with Silhouette and I was between novel proposals when I wrote a quirky little story called “Service Entrance.” It was about a woman who pays a man for the privilege of giving him a blowjob. I had no idea what to do with the story and would have filed it away forever if not for a newsletter called Jane’s ‘Net Sex Guide. The newsletter was put out by Jane Duvall, who still runs the well-known Jane’s Guide. The newsletter editor was Adrienne Benedicks and she featured a short story in each edition. I sent “Service Entrance” to Adrienne and she bought it within days, sending me a lovely, flattering note of encouragement. From there, I discovered Adrienne’s mailing list for erotica readers and writers and sent “Service Entrance” off to Marcy Sheiner a few months later for consideration in the inaugural 2000 edition of the Best Women’s Erotica series. Marcy bought the story and I haven’t looked back since. I have such appreciation and gratitude for Jane Duvall, Marcy Sheiner and—most of all—Adrienne Benedicks for starting my career as an erotica writer.
You can read the rest of my interview here. And it looks like I may soon be joining ERWA as a reviewer and possibly even a columnist-- if I can convince myself anyone would want to read my self-conscious musings on a semi-regular basis.
I’ve been Tumbling, but I haven’t been blogging. Not for a lack of stuff to write about, more for a lack of concentrated time. By the time I’m thinking about blogging, I’m also thinking about sleeping. What a novelty! I have had three or four decent nights’ sleep since Jay got home, which is quite amazing. I could still use, oh, another hundred or so to make up for the past couple of months, but I will take what I can get.
I have had conversations about writing lately, both with writers and non-writers, regarding the current era of economic panic and financial strife. (Also know as ”in these dark times”-- a phrase I first read on Mary Anne’s blog, but is quickly catching on.) The stock market is plummeting (woe, my IRA!), the housing market is closed to all but those with the best credit, gas costs an arm and a leg (well, just an arm this week), nothing feels certain or stable or hopeful because, gasp!, we’re in a recession. Perhaps the election in a couple of weeks will turn things around. We all can hope. But the reality is that in these dark times, like in the best of times, us writerly types still keep writing and hoping the next sale will be the one that allows us to remove at least one of the hats we must wear.
What am I talking about? The world of writing-- and I am not referring to the world of King, Steele, Grisham, Patterson, Roberts and a few dozen others who live in an entirely different solar system-- is filled with hardworking, talented writers who wear multiple hats in order to survive in the world. This is true in a boon economy as well as ”worst financial crisis since the Depression.”
There is a reason there are hundreds of books about making a living as a writer (Amazon gave me 1,182 results) as opposed to, say, how to make a living as an accountant, doctor or plumber. Joe the plumber knows how to make a living-- he does so well, he wants to buy the business! Writers, on the other hand, don’t have the cash laying around to buy a publishing house-- or any house at all, in a lot of cases.
I know writers who, in addition to writing full or almost-full time, are also editors, literary agents, proofreaders, copywriters and writing teachers. It’s the lucky writer who can manage to stay in their field and still make a living. And by “make a living” I do not mean “make money.” Anyone who is dedicated to writing will, eventually, make some money at it. Seriously. However, the money they will make might pay for a nice meal but rarely will pay the mortgage. And while one writing check or writing assignment might pay one month’s mortgage, it is a very lucky thing, indeed, if a writer can hope for eleven more opportunities in a given year.
I’m speaking primarily about fiction writers here. Magazine writers, technical writers, newspaper journalists and those who have managed to spin blogging into a lucrative writing income (which is definitely not me!), are often more able to make that elusive living (though I know some writers who still have to write for multiple magazines or newspapers). No, it’s the lowly fiction writers (and even lowlier poets) who wear the many hats in order to make a living, in good times and bad. And, when times are bad (like now), a lot of them contemplate giving up writing to become an accountant, doctor or plumber.
Why aren’t presidential candidates chatting it up with fiction writers in the meet-and-greet lines? Because fiction writers are at home (or in Starbucks) busily writing in hopes that this story, this novel, this proposal will be the one that allows them to have the aspirations of an Ohio plumber.
We all can hope. And keep writing.
I received the lovely news that my story “On Island Time” made the final cut in Alison Tyler’s newest anthology Afternoon Delight. Says Alison: 
Did you notice that there are 24 stories in Afternoon Delight? That is because I wanted a day’s worth of fucking, with afternoon being one segment, but also nooners, midnight snacks, early bird specials, and all of the in betweens. Why am I telling you this? Because I had no idea that would be the format of the book when I started collecting stories. The idea came to me at some point, and many of the stories slotted themselves into the right spots. No, each one doesn’t mention a specific hour. But if you were to read the book from cover to cover, you’d start with an early morning romp and work right around again to dawn.
Alison always does a delightful job of putting together unique, fun and oh so sexy anthologies (and I’m not just saying that because I’m in a few of her collections). I’m delighted to be a part of this collection and sharing space with some of my favorite authors, buddies, friends and some new names, as well. Just check out this delicious lineup of stories and authors:
After Midnight by Nikki Magennis
Early Birds by Rachel Kramer Bussel
Breakfast in Bed by Andrea Dale
Country Pleasures by Teresa Noelle Roberts
Forbidden Fruit by Ric Amadeus
Nooner by Bella Dean
Afternoon Delight EllaRegina
Chloe’s Confession by Sophia Valenti
Back When by A. Silenus
Popsicle in the Library by Zaedryn Meade
Morning, Noon, and Night by Alison Tyler
Welcome to the Neighborhood by Ariel Graham
Disco Queen by Sommer Marsden
StraightLaced by ADR Forte
To Feel Sexy by Jordana Winters
On Island Time by Kristina Wright
View of a Room Jason McFadden
Date at South Station by Xavier Acton
Knit One, Purl Two by Jacqueline Applebee
Matinee by Quinn Gabriel
Black Light by N.T. Morley
Night Shift by Rita Winchester
Square Loophole by Craig J. Sorensen
The Awakening by Jayne Pupek
Thanks for the lovely news, Alison!
So, I’m in the process of answering some interview questions for a website. They are terrific questions and I’m flattered all to pieces that someone thinks others might be interested in me. Me? My writing, maybe, but me? Nahhh… I’m really not that interesting. But for the sake of the very kind interviewer, I will try to be interesting.
Of course, like many writers (or is it just me?), I hate talking or writing about myself. I blog, yes, but that’s kind of a “between you and me, my reader-friends” style of writing and I’m as often writing about my dog or politics or recipes as I am writing about myself. To take center stage in an entire interview is tough and that leads me back to the “People really want to know stuff about me?” thoughts. Ack! Paralysis!
In any case, one of the questions is about what I’m working on now. Oh no! This is the part where I’m supposed to talk about my current writing projects! Ack! More paralysis! Because, you see, the writing has been tough going for the past couple of months. I’ve mentioned it here, of course, but I can’t very well say that in an interview, can I? Hmm.
I am writing again, though. That’s good news. I might falter a bit over the next few weeks since Jay comes home tomorrow (yay!) and I’ll be getting settled into a new routine. For me, writing is like that little bubble in an old-fashioned level-- once I get it centered, I find my balance and the words flow. Then something shifts and it’s off balance once more and it takes a little time to get it centered again. But I always do.
Of course, how do I phrase that for an interview? I guess I’ll think of something-- or just list all the writing projects I’m planning to work on now that I’ve found my center again.
I started writing a new story today. It’s the first story I’ve written (or started writing-- it’s a long way from being finished) in… awhile. It felt good to write some words and then some more words. I even know what words come next and I know how it ends. That, dear readers, is a very, very good feeling.
I think this story will be going off to Alison Tyler for one of her many, many projects. As I struggle with words, she manages to write, blog, edit and send lovely gifties through the mail. I feel like a slug beside her. A snail. A turtle. Something very slow, at least. (I feel the same way next to Sommer, who is-- in my mind-- the writer equivalent to the Tasmanian Devil.)
I know we’re not supposed to compare ourselves to other writers-- like we’re not supposed to read our reviews-- but we do. Writers are (often) an insecure lot and are (usually) solitary creatures. We poke our heads up from our computers and look around (I’m envisioning prairie dogs here), wondering what the other writers are doing. Thanks to the wonderful world of blogs, we can find out. We can then be depressed or proud of our day’s (week’s, month’s, year’s, career) accomplishments based on the blogs (or Tweets) we read. Or maybe that’s just me? 
I’m just happy to be writing. Writing makes me happy.
Life. Love. Writing. Friendship.
Sex. Books. Movies. Travel. Politics. Feminism. Academia. Insomnia. Rants. Raves. Chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Some names have been changed, some stories have been embellished. Thanks for stopping by and beware of the dog. Read more...
