E is for Edits

Warning: explicit text at the end; an excerpt from Streetwalker.

 

E is for Edits. Now how sexy is that? This is adult content? Well, when you write erotic romance, it can be tricky approaching people to be beta readers or giving manuscript pages to your critique group for edits and revisions. They’re such nice ladies. Respectable. One writes children’s stories. Sigh. And just where is YOUR mind???

 

 You hem. You haw. You say, “It’s really, really, really explicit. I will totally understand if you’d like to pass on editing. Or edit but not comment on the sex scenes.”

 

Still, they can’t quite believe it’s true. After all, you’re a mom, a grandma. Happily married. (Or, a thought niggles, is she? Another thought niggles their minds. I’ll bet HE’S happy.)

 

Really, how bad could it be, they wonder?

 

Umm. Really, really, really explicit.

 

I happen to love writing sex scenes, some more than others. Loving scenes are easy. Violent sex, brutal sex, callous sex--those are harder. Still, oddly enough, I find it easier to write the scenes than to use what my mother would call “bad language”. You know--f**k, sh*t, and variants thereof. Don’t you find that strange?

 

I know when I get edits back from my Sizzler Editions editor, Sascha Illyvich, he’s going to tell me Carrie sounds like a Sunday School teacher (well, not quite). And I am going to have to write words I never say aloud. Those edits have to happen for verisimilitude. I get it. But it won’t be comfortable. Sex? Great! Language? Uh oh!

 

Here’s how Streetwalker opens:

 

“Oh, Baby! Oh, yeah, Baby. Oooh, oooh, yeah, oooh. Unhhhhh!” The dock worker held her down while he screamed his release, his hot breath redolent with beer. The smell of diesel fuel on his hands sickened her, dandruff showered her face from patches of thinning hair as he hard-rode her, pinning her shoulders to the thin mattress. The biting jab of aching muscles meant she’d be swallowing another Flexeril after he left. Her skin split where his broken fingernails dug in. He threw back his head and jerked into her two more times before he collapsed, the bulk of him spilling onto the space on either side of her body.

Long ago, Carrie learned to go to “not here” during sex. She tolerated the body pumping into hers if she went somewhere else.

She looked down at his greasy hair covering her tits. She restrained herself from lifting off the dead weight of her john. She knew the rules. He initiated the withdrawal of his limp cock from her pummeled body. He owned her for the remainder of his fifteen minutes. Nine minutes to go.

She waited, still beneath him, afraid her stirring would get him going again. While waiting out her time, she rehearsed the steps of her escape from this hellhole of a whorehouse. After tonight, if it went as planned, everything would be different. No. More. Fucking. Ever. Ever. Again.

 

Edits anyone? You can do so in the comments section. And thanks!

D is for Danger

Did you ever notice that “danger” has “anger” in it? What does that say to you? When we’re talking relationships, chronic anger can be a deal-breaker.

 

As Romance Righter on Twitter (@RomanceRighter), I sometimes get questions from Tweeps about relationship issues. I try to answer them in a practical, commonsense way. Here’s what I have to say about anger and danger.

 

Anger is a normal human reaction to certain situations. A little anger, once cleared away, can lead to great make-up sex. Or not. But anger in itself is not danger. Chronic anger is.

 

What are the deal-breaker anger signs? From my perspective as a student of human nature and as one who has read lots and lots about what makes relationships healthy or unhealthy (dangerous), I have three signs for deal-breaker anger danger. If your relationship has even one of them, please consider ending the relationship. Run, don’t walk, to the closest exit out of the dangerous person’s life.

 

1)   If he/she EVER puts hands on you in anger, even if apologies follow, this signals danger.

2)   If he/she in anger ever emotionally targets you to humiliate, embarrass, or demean, this signals danger.

3)   If he/she, while angry, talks about wanting to hurt you physically, even if it doesn’t happen, this signals danger.

 

Sometimes chronically angry people try to smooth things over by giving you presents or assurances or apologies. If this happens frequently, end the relationship.

 

Don’t risk association with toxic people. Chronically angry folks are destructive of their own souls and those around them. Don’t put your mental or physical health in danger by staying with them.

C is for Carrie and Cinnamon

Betcha can’t pick just one. This is a continual problem I encountered when trying to figure out possible topics for this blog series.

When I got to “c” (I didn’t get very far, did I?), I wanted to write about Carrie, my twenty-something streetwalker in my soon-to-be-published erotic romance by Sizzler Editions, an imprint of Renaissance E Books. But I also was drawn to cinnamon. Now, I love cinnamon. The smell evokes so many wonderful things for me, and as I wrote Streetwalker, I found I had given Carrie a characteristic scent. A bit of cinnamon about her intrigues Harlan Ledbetter, the male madam of a high end brothel she bargains with for part-ownership.

This was inadvertent. I was halfway through the book when I became aware of what I had done (or, rather, what Carrie had done; I remain convinced she wrote this book, and I only channeled it for her.)

But when I came to the realization of the cinnamon scent associated with her, I determined to create a cinnamon perfume. Hey, I could market that along with the book, right?

I’d dabbled with perfume creation a long time ago, so I figured, how hard can it be. I will make this, wear it to book promotion events, everyone will notice, and I can sell “Carrie-the cinnamon scent that harnessed Harlan”. Yeah. Right.

On both counts. Does she really harness Harlan? And why in the hell is this perfume burning my skin and creating little blisters. How unattractive is that to my future customers?

Sigh. Back to the lab (well, my bathroom sink), to try again. I’ll let you know when “Carrie”, the cinnamon-scented perfume is available.

B is for The Big, Fun Sexy Book of Sex

I get two “b’s” for one today! The Big, Fun Sexy Book of Sex.

Put together a sexy TV star, Lisa Rinna, and a sex counselor, Dr. Ian Kerner, and how could you not produce a book that attracts attention?

The Big, Fun Sexy Book of Sex is, well, all of these. I mean with chapter topics like:

Foreplay, Not “Boreplay”

Why Porn is So Popular

Comings and Goings: Ejaculation Issues

From No Go to the Big O

The Ten Step Sex Workout

         The Match Game: Your Libido Type

how could you not love this book?

What kind of lover are you? A Thrill Seeker? A Comfort Creature? If you're opposites, can you meet in the middle?

But this is not just an entertaining sex manual that pulls no punches. The research and insights from the research make this a compelling read on a whole other level.

Pick up The Big, Fun Sexy Book of Sex, 336 pages of interesting stuff about getting your mojo on . . . or back on!

A is for Anticipation

Today’s letter should be “C” for CRAZY! Am I crazy to do this A-Z blog challenge? Twenty-sex, er, -six blog posts in April??? Yes, probably, but that would be no surprise to friends and family!

But today is the beginning of the blogging, and beginnings mean anticipation. I love starting things (not so good on the finishing if I get bored along the way). So today is Anticipation.

Remember the Carly Simon song that includes these words?

“Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' me waitin' “

I am filled with anticipation. My cup runneth over with anticipation.

For what, you ask? (another “a” word, by the way)

Looking forward to 25 more blog posts? Well, not so much. No, I am anticipating the publication of two novels. I have been a full-time writer for four years. And this year is my breakout year. This is the year I am officially validated--in my eyes--as a professional writer.

I’ll be telling you more about what’s coming up, but for now, let me say that I an anticipating publication of my first erotic romance. Streetwalker (first book in the “Sex Sells” series) will be out an an e-book this spring from Sizzler Editions (an imprint of Renaissance E Books).

A very different book is anticipated for publication from another small press (to be named later). Mission Impastable is the first book in the culinary mystery series, “Dinner is Served”. If you like you mysteries in a sort of cookbook, you’ll love this one.

What are you anticipating? Both the large and the small engender a shiver of delight. Revel in your anticipations.

Who Doesn't Love a Challenge?

I did NaNoWriMo in November 2012 for the first time. It was a hoot. I succeeded and ended up with a credible entry that I am in the process of re-working.

Each February at my foodie blog (www.sharonarthurmoore.blogspot.com) "Parsley, Sage, and Rosemary Time", I do a Month-of-Recipes. A year ago it was a Month-of-Soups. This year it was a Month-of-Chicken.

So when one of my FB writing group friends mentioned the Blogging A-Z April Challenge, how could I not sign up to be part of the ultimate blog hop???

The way it works is each of April (except for Sundays), I post a blog entry connected somehow to the alphabet letter of the day. For this blog, "S" is easy, right?

No, not that "S"; I mean the other "S"--Streetwalker, my first book in the erotica romance trilogy to be published soon by Sizzler Editions.

So come back soon to see what I'm up to here, but for sure bookmark me for April. You just never know what an alphabet letter is going to trigger for me!

Peek-a-Boo Time at the Grammy's

CBS, outraged, do you hear me, incensed at the inappropriate attire worn to past awards events, issued a directive to attendees to button up and cover up and show up camera ready sans skin.

I’m sure the concern was for their health. It is winter, after all.

Here are some snippets from the e-mail sent to attendees:

"Be sure that buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered."

"Thong type costumes are problematic." (Missing hypen not my fault!)

"Avoid sheer see-through clothing."

"Avoid exposing bare fleshy under curves of the buttocks and buttock crack."

“Avoid outfits that could expose female breast nipples."

"Be sure that the genital region is adequately covered so that there is no visible

'puffy' bare skin exposure."  (Huh?)

Now who could forget Jennifer Lopez’s dress at last year’s Grammy’s? So maybe they had a point, yes?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/09/opinion/obeidallah-cbs-grammys/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7  

Still, the guidelines were clearly aimed at women. Now admittedly we have seen few men flaunt convention to bare it all for art; still, blatant sexism is just wrong.

Stars being stars, I wonder at the conversations with their designers to see just how far that envelope could be pushed. Clearly, some stars did that, or they didn’t get the memo, or they didn’t read the memo, or maybe they just can’t read. Beats me!

Some of the dresses from this and other award shows could easily show up in Streetwalker (soon to be published by Sizzler Editions) at Harlan’s salon as his whores wait to be tapped for the evening. Carrie described the attire as x-rated prom dresses.

So, Carrie and I viewed the various outfits worn to the Grammy’s last night, and we identified a slate of envelope pushers. Who flaunted best and who were just wannabe’s?

The Also-Rans, in our opinion, were Miranda Lambert for some breast plunging, but, not so much; Solange Knowles and Jennifer Lopez for lots of leg action, but not really enough to take the prize; and, Ashanti for some leg and breast action, but ultimately she was more tacky than taunting.

http://music.yahoo.com/photos/2013-grammy-awards-red-carpet-report-card-slideshow/

Who flaunted best? It was a tie! Kelly Rowland wore gauzy see-through patches over her body, accenting her, ahem, assets. And Kimbra donned a tulle, gauze, and sequins number that left us, well, without words.

http://music.yahoo.com/photos/2013-grammy-awards-red-carpet-report-card-slideshow/

So how well did that work out for them? What do you think?

Why now is the question? What pushed CBS to relay a dress code to the stars? Is America really unable to tolerate these extravagances, these absurdities that celebs choose to wear? These are performers, after all. They are ALWAYS on when in public. And clearly some want to keep that edge that brings them fame and fortune.

Carrie and I really don’t care. It’s an extravaganza, and if folks are offended, fine, turn it off or change channels. As long as they are not forcing themselves on me, I can make a choice to watch or not. Live and let live.

That said, we did find ourselves attracted to a few gowns we really liked. Here is our “Best Dressed at the Grammy’s” List and a couple of their dresses to show off our good taste (and theirs)!

We really liked the classy and classic look of the gowns of Nicole Kidman, Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kathy Griffin, and Faith Hill.

http://music.yahoo.com/photos/2013-grammy-awards-red-carpet-report-card-slideshow/

What about you? What were your faves and hates?