Saturday 30 March 2013

Where she was going (flash fiction)


She knew where she was going. She’d dressed for it. Dressed for action. The urban-camo pattern skirt that was fourteen inches down the side seam, and six of those were a split. The schoolgirl-style white blouse with no buttons that she’d tied in a tight knot at the front. The guys would go for it.
She knew what she wanted. She was planning on getting it. She headed for the address she’d been given.
The address that was, for her, synonymous with sex and violence.

Abused as a child? Check.
Dysfunctional family life? Check.
Used to accepting violence as normal in a relationship? Check.
Presenting difficult and challenging behaviour as an adolescent, acting out, doing drink and drugs, struggling to find her identity, her authenticity? Check.

But this wasn’t about any of that. She could have been brought up in a wealthy, caring home with no worries, no arguments, a dog and and a pony. She could have been driving up to the house in a Ferrari bought for her by mummy and daddy. She’d still have been wearing the fourteen-inch skirt and the schoolgirl blouse with the buttons pulled off. She’d still have been rocking up to that address, expecting sex and violence.
That was her identity, her authenticity.
What happened in that house was what her dreams were made of. 

***

I might at some point turn this into a longer story, for a self-published collection. For now, the short version will have to do.

Thursday 21 March 2013

Sizzler announce revamp


Sizzler just announced a revamp of their website, which will be temporarily closed prior to a relaunch on 1 April 2013. See Renaissance Sizzler's announcement on their Tumblr account here.

Hanging Around - coverThis only affects one of my books, the story collection Hanging Around - which is still available from a bunch of other places including Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk; Barnes and Noble (Nook edition), AdultEbookShop and Fictionwise.

I've written a bit more that explains how the cover image came about - it's on my other blog, DeliciouslyDeviant. The key to it though is this: turn the cover on its side and you'll see it's actually a full body suspension.

As a writer with multiple titles to my name, I shouldn't play favourites. However if I had to name a single publication I had the most fun writing, I'd say this would be a very strong candidate.

Oddly, though, it hasn't been one of my best-selling titles. Maybe the cover isn't as stereotypically 'erotic' as some others? Maybe the Amazon 'Look Inside' function, which shows most of the first story, is off-putting to some people because it's set on an indie film shoot for a zombie horror movie? There are plenty of other stories that follow it, though, set in locations as diverse as an artist's studio, a library, a lesbian club and a picnic.

What do you think of the cover? Does it suggest erotica to you? Is the fact it's in a different orientation off-putting? And would an erotic story that mentions zombies make you purse your lips and move on quickly?

It's had some good reviews, though - like this one at BDSM Book Reviews.

Its time will come... give it 20 years and someone's PhD will probably cite it as an important turning point in the development of postmodern erotica. Or something.