In spite of my best attempts at writing romance, what it eventually boiled down to was that may writing was geared more towards what I originally had listed in my profile, which was the darker side of relationships. But even classifying my writing under that particular niche didn't work, as while the bulk of my stories dealt with relationships, there certainly wasn't any darkness to them.
So back to the drawing board I went, and after spending about a year or two writing a few more stories and getting two of them published (one of which you'll find the link near the top of the front page), I settled on the self-imposed label called "Quirky". But even that, while more than adequately describing my writing, didn't quite cover it all. Resigned to my fate, I decided to accept what my brain, my personality and my various muses have been saying all along about what I write:
I write stories flavored with sex, with amount of flavor dependant on what the scene or plot calls for.
For the past couple of months, I've been singing the hallelujah chorus for my commercial debut novel Line 21. I've been sharing with everyone almost every conceivable item or idea that was connected with the novel, including the cover (see upper left corner of the blog) and a short five page teaser. But then I got to thinking that while some of my hardcore regular readers have experienced what I've written prior to this novel and thus have a solid idea on what to expect, there are those newer readers and the casual drive-bys that may not have any idea on who I am or how I write and thus are asking themselves, "Why should I buy this upcoming commercial debut?"
And you know, that is a very good question to ask yourself, and even to ask the writer. Fortunately, I have a solid answer to that question.
Theirs was a doomed relationship that even a marriage couldn't fix.
Ray was the antithesis of a hairdresser. Handsome, muscular and a natural flirt, he was the solution to every woman's fantasies. All he wanted, though, was to be loved by the mercurial woman of his dreams.
Gwendolyn was a passionate young woman with a temper that ran as dark as her complexion. Desirable to both sexes, she was determined to find love, no matter what the consequences.
Who would be the first to betray their marital vows? Ray, who although was enlightened about the world around him, still had those old fashioned values that made him a hot commodity. Gwendolyn, vivacious and passionate, had the looks and the body that could destroy anyone that got in the way of her ultimate goal.
To be unconditionally loved. Can that particular end really justify the means?
Ray was the antithesis of a hairdresser. Handsome, muscular and a natural flirt, he was the solution to every woman's fantasies. All he wanted, though, was to be loved by the mercurial woman of his dreams.
Gwendolyn was a passionate young woman with a temper that ran as dark as her complexion. Desirable to both sexes, she was determined to find love, no matter what the consequences.
Who would be the first to betray their marital vows? Ray, who although was enlightened about the world around him, still had those old fashioned values that made him a hot commodity. Gwendolyn, vivacious and passionate, had the looks and the body that could destroy anyone that got in the way of her ultimate goal.
To be unconditionally loved. Can that particular end really justify the means?
Betrayed! is my self-published chapbook that I consider to be a very solid introduction to the type of story that my debut novel is about. It has almost everything that one could possible want in a story: romance, heartache, drama, action, and most importantly, sex.
Clicking on the title will give you the basic ordering info (and a nifty journey of the self-publishing process too), and for a limited time, it can be yours for the low price of $6.
Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed, and best of all, you'll have a better idea on the type of stories that flow from my proverbial pen to the proverbial paper.
Let's hope that sex sells. :)
ReplyDeleteI kind of assumed from the cover art for Line 21 that there'd be sex in it! That cover makes definite promises about the content within, LOL!
ReplyDeleteCharles: Sex alway sells, usually to the highest bidder. :D
ReplyDeleteDebra: This is very true, but I'm going by the assumption that no matter how inviting a cover may be, and the cover for Line 21 is just that, a large segment of society will not take a chance on a new writer unless they've read something previously by them.
And since a good segment of readers & drive-bys don't have any idea on what I write, I figured that this would be a nice intro to what I write.
I wish I could write about sex. As you know, I am no prude, but it's damn near impossible for me to write it in fiction.
ReplyDeleteM: Sometimes its easier for people to write certain things than others.
ReplyDeleteFor me, writing violence that isn't over the top is very hard, thus not much makes it way into my stories.
I've read your stuff, and you more than make up your inability to write sex in fiction by being strong in other areas.