Today we welcome special guest, Sean T. Poindexter, author of the urban fantasy novel, THE SHADOW OF TIAMAT. The novel not only had kick-ass dragon fights and a sweet love story, it also had plenty of hot dragon sex. :) So I HAD to get Sean over here to talk sex-scenes from a male POV.
So, let my questions commence!
1.) Do you think writing sex scenes is different for a man vs. for a woman?I don't really know...I've only written them as a man. But really, I'm not sure. I know that some people assume that when a man is writing a sex scene, it's because he's just putting his fantasies out on paper. Apparently, they don't think a woman writer would ever do that kind of thing. In any event, I'm sure this happens but not for me. I'm not writing out my fantasies. Especially since in the first book, the love scenes all almost all told from the female's point of view. So, unless someone thinks it's my secret fantasy to be a woman and be made love to by a male dragon in human form, then I'm not just writing out my fantasies. I wrote those parts of the book because I felt that was what needed to happen there. The first love scene between Meg and Garrett occurs after a long--relatively--pursuit that builds tension between the characters. Having a fade-to-black scene that starts with Garrett carrying Meg to bed and then fades back in with "The next morning, Meg couldn't walk..." would have been cheating to the readers.2.)Do you do any kind of research for your love scenes?I guess you could call it research...I've found that an invaluable trait of all successful physical relationship is empathy. You have to be able to understand what your partner likes, doesn't like, and why. And you have to be able to figure out what they want without being told all the time. In order to do that, you have to talk to them, spend time with them, and try things until you find what works for you both. In a truly healthy physical relationship, one person won't enjoy something that the other person doesn't. This same empathetic trait assists in writing the love scenes in my books. Not only am I able to write Garrett as a lover, but also empathize enough with Meg that I can convincingly portray her wants and desires, and predict how she would realistically react to different kinds of touching. When in doubt, I've always been able to ask my wife or one of my female friends to look over something I've written and let me know what they think. Their input has been invaluable.3.) What gave you the courage to break tradition?I wasn't aware that I had broken any traditions. There are many male authors who write books with love scenes. And there are many female authors who don't. I just happen to be one of the former.4.) What reactions have you received from readers?Overall, they've been great. I have had a reviewer say she skipped those scenes because she doesn't like reading them, though she really enjoyed the rest of the book. It is fascinating to me the wide spectrum of opinions on at which point a love scene becomes pornographic. I've had readers tell me the scenes were very tame and tasteful, and I've had others say they were borderline erotica/pornography. It's interesting to me because it shows how subjective the measure is. But my publisher, Crescent Moon Press, does not publish erotica or pornography. So on as objective a scale as possible, I would say that if any of the love scenes in my book came to or crossed the line into erotica/pornography, they wouldn't have allowed them in the book. 5.) What does your lovely wife think of "those scenes?"She loves them! She's a huge fan of my books. I'd say my biggest fan. She loves the scenes as well. And yes, she would tell me if she didn't like something. She always has before.
Sean will be here to answer questions and to give away a copy of THE SHADOW OF TIAMAT to one lucky winner who leaves a comment.
...and if you don't win, you can always get a copy at any of these locations:
Danae and I share the same agent. (Update: As of July 2011, said agent closed shop) We also both live in the Inland Northwest and we’ve added snow to our rants on writing and motherhood. Anyway, it is past time I introduced you all to this awesome wordsmith.
What made you stand up one day and say, “I’m going to write a novel.”?
It was during that ungodly snow we had two years ago, and we were snowed in. We had my 10 year old niece over and she was bitching about not having anything to read since I’m a R.A. Salvatore fanatic, and Pher is a Terry Brooks fan. So I asked her “What do you want to read?” She said she was reading something called the Vampire Diaries. Rakyia gave me a quick rundown and it sounded boring. However, vampires in high school? I’ve never heard of such a thing. I sat down and found a picture on the internet of a pale girl with raven black hair wrapping around her from the breeze and large eyes that were the most haunting color of blue that blended to teal with hints of green in them. Her features were delicate and doll like but there was something about her that made you want to fear her. She was a killer.
That picture, that single, simplistic picture inspired Prophecy. In 4 days I have a 30K story written for my niece and she loved it. However, I didn’t. I took some of the characters and wrote them out better and started over. Five weeks later, Prophecy: Revelation was completed at 247,000 words. Immediately I jumped to the second installment, Contrivance, and the third, Nemesis. But were they any good? I was too scared to ask. My friend at work demanded that I let her read one since she was out of stuff to read, this friend is 50 years old with a book collection that rivals any library, so she read Revelation. Four pages in, she walked around the aisle to my cubical and punched me in the arm and told me that this was brilliant.
In twelve weeks I wrote three full books totally more than 600,000 words. I thought that there was no way that writing was this easy! That is when I discovered this little thing called “WORD COUNT” and that my Prophecy Saga was really long in the printed sense but the stories are quick and addictive and action filled. Either way, it just snowballed from there.
What triumphs and challenges have you faced in your writing?
Overcoming the Twilight comparison was very hard. Since I’m a fellow Northwest Girl, I base my shit off of what I know, and I know the Northwest. Because of commercial success of other vampire or werewolf books based in the Northwest, it causes an automatic Twilight comparison. It is beyond frustrating and two pages into any of my work, the notion is thrown out the window, but it is that initial comparison that drives me insane.
What is some memorable feedback that you’ve received from your fans?
Anytime I hear, THIS KICKS TWILIGHTS ASS is a proud moment for me—I’m über petty like that. There has been many moment. I started writing Jan 2, 2009 so this approaching Jan will mark my two year mark, but in these two years, I have gotten emails from people about how UNDILUTED MINDS helped them laugh again after the sudden loss of their young husband, loss of a friend, mother, father, and so forth. Two fans named children after two of the characters from my books and asked for my blessing and permission—slightly awkward. Ninian and Kellan from Prophecy Saga, their story helped a young man in South America come out to his family, and for the first time he felt happy being who he really is. But I think overall are the comments that they love that a woman is strong and doesn’t need the man. That is my thing; strong women that are smart and independent. Hearing girls and women, even men, make the comment that it’s about damn time that a woman kicked some ass in a book, that makes me smile. Even Kennedi, frail and broken, sick and physically weak Kennedi, is mentally strong and it shows outwardly and she is a fan favorite because of it. Strong doesn’t mean they can bench press a damn Buick, it means that they don’t need a sparkling crutch to give them self worth.
Name one thing you’d do/ buy if you became a mega best-seller?
I want to build an environmentally friendly house with a moat around it filled with dragons to eat people.
Tell us a little about your next project.
At the moment I am working on The Damned of Lost Creek: Requiem of the Damned. I am also brainstorming an epic old school styled Fantasy with my best friend and writing buddy Jolyn Palliata; we spent three hours working on the basics for book one of that project yesterday, and she was amazed that I rambled for over 7,000 words in that time. There is also the Hush Anthology that I randomly pulled out of my ass Saturday while I was supposed to be taking a break from writing. It will be a collection of shorter ghost stories, which I’ve never written before, but I have some ideas in my head for it.
“If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hoper, a prayer, a magic-bean-buyer. If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire, for we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!” Shel Silverstein
I met Sarah-Jane on Twitter. I don’t remember who followed who first, but I do remember reading her profile and saying, “Wow, you write historical vampire novels, me too!” I looked up her novel, THE MIDNIGHT GUARDIAN, read the blurbs and raving reviews, and was intrigued. I ordered it immediately.
THE MIDNIGHT GUARDIAN is set during the beginning of World War II. Five Millennials (vampires 1000+ yrs old) are on a mission to take down the Nazi regime and ultimately stop a war that would diminish their food supply. Also, the Nazis have employed a special class of hunters trained to destroy their kind. Vampires vs. Nazis, who can resist! The story is told mostly in the point of view of the vampire, Brigit, who is a delightful bad-ass. She and her team of Millennials give a whole new meaning to the word “bloodthirsty.” The carnage is as breath-taking as the love-scenes are poignant and erotic. Speaking of love, the back-stories of Brigit and her love, Eamon (who is not a millennial yet, and tragically must stay home) give a depth of character that is rarely seen in vampire novels these days.
This novel was a complete treat to read. It was like INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE meets INGLORIOUS BASTERDS meets NATURAL BORN KILLERS. It kept me guessing the whole way through and the final result, though unexpected, left me wholly satisfied, and there were enough loose ends left over to give me hope for a sequel. I think I dreamed about it the night I finished it. The only issue I had with this novel was that the scenes were not in chronological order, like a Tarentino movie, and I had to check the dates at the beginning of each chapter to keep track of what was going on. But once I got used to the pattern, it was a great ride. To my excitement: Ms. Stratford has volunteered to do an interview. (Thunderous Applause) Welcome, Sarah Jane!
So, my first question is: Vampires vs. Nazis…whatever provided the inspiration for such an awesome concept?
It was all Brigit. The character came to me – this vampire, during World War II, trying to escape Germany – and of course I had to follow her and find out where she had been and what was happening. So in many ways, the story just unfolded before me and I was beside myself with excitement. I was a big Buffy fan, so vampires were in the back of my brain. And World War II is a period I've always found fascinating – humanity at its most monstrous and yet we also see so many ordinary people rising up to be bigger and better than they might otherwise have been in order to fight the horror. So beyond the more intimate story, I was eager to explore the juxtaposition of the perceived evil of vampires vs. the true evil of the Nazis. It was this wonderful question: What does it mean to be "human"? Your story is full of action and evocative description, and I think it would make a kick-ass movie. Any word on that being possible? Could Quentin Tarantino direct it?
Thank you! There has been a lot of interest from Hollywood, so we'll see what happens. I've written screenplays before and would love to turn Brigit's story into a script. Fingers crossed.
I’m sure you knew this one was coming: What made you decide to stray from a chronological formula?
(Grin) I knew there were going to be three emotionally intertwining stories, so it felt natural to weave them together in a pattern, rather than keep them separate. For me – and Brigit – it was all about history. The past informs the present, so it seemed right that Eamon would retrace the past as a way of keeping Brigit in his present, while also trying to assist her now, in his unique idiom. And by the same token, Brigit's most recent past is a tool for attempting to comprehend her utterly bizarre present. I know it's a bit tricky – it was tricky to write, too – but I'm hoping people find it ultimately rewarding.
There were a few loose ends that left me screaming for more. Is there a sequel in the works?
There is indeed. I don't want to say too much, but let's just say we find out a lot about a certain sexy bald vampire.
Mmmm…. Mors. Where was I? Oh, yeah. As I said before, I discovered you and THE MIDNIGHT GUARDIAN from Twitter. Have you bought books because of Twitter?
Bought books, gone to events, met amazing people in real life – Twitter is phenomenal. It's a wonderful community. My only regret is not having gotten on sooner, but I'm attempting to make up for that now.
Thanks so much for coming! The Midnight Guardian can be purchased here:
Welcome, Elise! 1.) First off, to get us all on the same page, what exactly is BDSM?
BDSM stands for bondage, dominance, submission, and masochism. Or a few other different acronyms, depending on who you talk too. Either way it represents a culture where both parties in the relationship are equal, but not necessarily on the same sexual level, meaning one is being used for pleasure by the "top," or dominant partner, and the other "bottom," or submissive, delights in pleasing their partner through consensual, but varying degrees, of pain and pleasure through sex. 2.) What made you choose to write BDSM?
I chose to write what turns me on--that so happened to be handcuffs and then the more I did research, the more I realized I wanted to explore this new world. Fiction is a nice little outlet for me to do that without necessarily experiencing firsthand what I've written--though there have been a variety of testings in our house. I also enjoy the pure emotions that are unleashed through BDSM; there's an openness and a vulnerability that's hard to find in most regular sex that is both a turn on and a sexy revelation.
3.) With all types of erotica, there is naturally a focus on hot sex scenes. What challenges and triumphs do you encounter coming up with steamy scenes and tying them in with a tantalizing plot?
Generally, I don't have any issues with my sex scenes because my characters tell me what to do and what exactly they want, though I really try to push them to the limits in what they are ready to experience. Sometimes they have to come to the brink of being uncomfortable in order to fully experience pleasure. I do really enjoy a scene where I've written it and I know it's good because not only does it turn me on, but I have to go try it at that moment--so that could be considered a triumph. As far as challenges-- word repeating can be an issue so I like to keep a thesaurus handy, and even now I'm still advancing.
4.) I’m sure that you get a great variety of reactions to what you write. Which are the most typical?
For the most part people are very accepting or very embarrassed. I've gotten a few letters telling me how well I've written the feelings of BDSM and then I'll get an email from my mother telling me the family is calling me the "Porn Queen" and they are loving my work, but she's the only one that will read it. Which is perfectly fine with me! Regardless of reactions, I love what I write and I'll keep writing it because it's what I love, but it's always a little easier when there are people cheering you on from the stands.
5.) Is there any advice you can offer those that write for specific niche markets?
Even though in a niche market you can write about the same sex acts or similar acts in a sexual genre, the best thing to do is to keep the emotions high and really engage the characters. Otherwise reader's can get bored or stories repetitive. Also, don't be afraid to branch out. I love what I write, but if at some point I don't think it's working for me anymore I'm not going to be afraid to try something else under a different pen name. Sometime you have to give it a rest or there is epic burnout and that's really bad for a writer--obviously.
And now, for the exciting part: Elise has decided to hold a contest. Here are the details: I'm running a contest where anyone who comments is entered to win two books of their choice from my current e-book back list. Deadline to enter is by midnight ET Monday, April 5th.
Here’s a blurb of the newest release:
Mina knows that after several years with her vanilla husband she's never going to get the hot and heady sexual experiences she craves unless she looks elsewhere. During their divorce Mina is willing to risk everything for a heart pounding, head exploding orgasm. She embarks on a sexual journey of self fulfillment and submission that could only play out in her wildest fantasies. There is no turning back.
Today I have the pleasure of interviewing a character from the Eververse series by Stella and Audra price. Character interviews are a writer’s favorite thing to do =) Arcady Morrison is an incubus. Women call him Mr. Fantasy.
Brooklyn: Arcady, tell us a little more about yourself.
Arcady: Hey sweetheart. Thanks for having me, though you haven’t yet. We might have to change that. *wink* Well lets see… Im 28, Im from California, I like sushi, money and women, not in that order. My parents are in the porn industry and Im a hit man. All my talent love, are for hire.
Brooklyn: What exactly is an incubus?
Arcady: I could show you… *chuckles* An incubus, for all intensive purposes is an energy demon. Long ago my race could feed on all sorts of energy, but these days its strictly sexual as it’s the most pure.
Brooklyn: What are benefits of what you are?
Arcady: Screwing? Longevity? Youth? You name it. A properly fed Incubi can live indefinitely, we don’t have to collect souls like other demons and we are freaking hot…
Brooklyn: What are downsides?
Arcady: Anonymous sex about 98% of your life. You can't feed on a female more then once unless you plan on staying with them. The bond gets too strong. Tell us about the world you live in: I live in the same world you do petal, but I just occupy the darker side of it. Most of the world lives in ignorance of what goes on out there… I don’t. *smiles*
Brooklyn: I can’t help myself: What’s your sign?
Arcady: Me? I’m a Leo, August born baby…
Brooklyn: Sweet, me too! Describe your ideal mate.
Arcady: A woman that is both stalwart and yielding. I need a contradiction. A woman that needs me to love her, but can take care of herself. A woman that isn’t afraid of life. That is the woman for me.
Brooklyn: Favorite music?
Arcady: I'm an incubus, anything that gets a chicks hips moving is good for me.
Brooklyn: Favorite movies?
Arcady: I'm a fan of the horror genre, and action flicks.
Brooklyn: Pet Peeves?
Arcady: When people leave the milk out! Damn it people, milk is supposed to stay cold so it doesn’t curdle! Ooh and I hate finding hair in the sink *shudders* Skeeves me out.
Brooklyn: Thank you so much for your time, Arcady. And a big thanks to Stella Price for bringing her character to life so I could interview him! Readers can get Arcady’s story here:
For an added bonus: Here is a chance to win an e-book copy of SUGAR AND SIN, the first book in the Eververse Series and where Arcady Morrison makes his debut. Here's how to get multiple entries: +1 Comment on this post +1 Tweet this contest or post on facebook +1 Follow this blog +1 Follow Stella and Audra's blog: http://www.stellaandaudra.com/ +1 Follow me on twitter (@annarkie) or you can hit my button, lol. +1 Follow Stella on twitter (@Eververse) Contest ends Monday. I'll do the drawing and announce the results on tuesday. =)
Greeting paranormal aficionados, I'm thrilled to introduce special guest author, Shannon Delany! Her YA Paranormal Romance, 13 to Life: A Werewolf's Tale is to be released June 22, 2010 by St. Martin's Press. Shannon, give us a brief rundown on your story.
Shannon: Told from Jessica Gillmansen's perspective, 13 TO LIFE is a YA paranormal romance exploring transformation--in more ways than one. ;-)
Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction…
When junior Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can only presume it’s for one of two reasons. Either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom.
Although far from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around—but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort. The newest member of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide--secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction—secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early.
Brooklyn: For those of us who don't know, what exactly is a "Text Novel?" (Maybe brief description of the contest) What made you decide to do it?
Shannon: A text novel is essentially the American cousin of the Japanese phenomenon known as cell phone novels. Cell phone novels took off in Asia, being a way people could read or write an entire novel (or parts of a novel) on a cell phone. In places with good public transportation it allows passengers to work on developing their creative vision (or enjoy someone else's) while riding to and from work. In my case, the cell phone technology was more of a perk to allowing readers better access to read in their spare moments. I posted brief sections twice a day, making sure readers could read something within 10-15 minutes each time and remember the gist of it.
The idea of serializing novels has been around a long time, places like Textnovel.com just allow our technology to take it to an even more easily consumable level. In 5 weeks my novel reached a basic conclusion and I'd gained a bunch of curious fans . I didn't expect to win. I was just messing around with technology and a story that began as a title, a thought about werewolves, and no strict plot direction. I let the characters lead me.
Brooklyn: Authors get their characters from different sources. Some spring up from the plot, some find theirs from dreams. Mine used to be imaginary friends. Where did your characters come from?
Shannon: Years back my family hosted two teenage boys from what was then the USSR. There was nothing romantic between us, but they absolutely caught my curiosity with the way they reacted to American culture. They were fascinating. After they left we tried to keep in touch, but didn't succeed. I went on to study foreign languages and history and realized how overlooked our immigrant cultures are (and always have been). That churned around in my brain for years and then collided with the fact that vampires were getting so much attention and where was the werewolf love?
Then the phrase: 13 to Life got stuck in my grey matter and the three things helped make my boy, Pietr (pronounced "Peter"). And that history I studied? It became very useful doing some research--so there. See? What we learn in school *can* be useful. :p my girl, Jess, is closely tied to me (poor kid) and we see things through her eyes.
Brooklyn: The waiting game from idea to seeing the book on the shelf is the agony of every writer. How have you dealt with it? Any recommendations for those of us that are tearing our hair out?
Shannon: Ugh. There were moments right after I'd signed on with St. Martin's Press that I thought the process was taking forever. Now, six months out, I'm going: OMG look what I still have to do! Publishing (like everything else in life) is a matter of perspective. Depending on where you're sitting on the timeline depends on if things are moving too quickly or too slowly. I think the key is to keep moving forward, planning and writing, during those times when the manuscript is out of your hands. There's ALWAYS something to keep you busy (and I'm not just saying that because I also run a small farm).
Brooklyn: Why werewolves? What do you like best about werewolves and what is a special quality about yours?
Shannon: Werewolves. Transformation. Evolution. The battle between our supposedly humane humanity and the beast within... There's so much to play with symbolically. I can't really tell you what my proprietary werewolf blend is (it's a key to Pietr's character and a big part of the overall theme). I can tell you my werewolves have a history based partly in bizarre fact (and that I've learned more recently about science than I intended at my age--again--stuff from school that I build on in weird ways.
Brooklyn: I asked a few aspiring authors what they'd want to know. All ask: What does it feel like to have the dream of getting your book on the shelf realized?
Shannon: Great question! The feeling's absolutely unreal. I still don't think it'll hit until I see 13 TO LIFE sitting on shelves in book stores. When I found out last week that the book was up on Amazon and Books-A-Million for pre-order I called one of my critique partners and all but yelled, "It's real!" I've gone through the contracting stage, revisions, copyedits, blurb gathering and interviews and I was tweaking out 1st pass pages when I heard about the pre-orders but it still blew my mind. Almost every step of the way I've felt like I'm on the top of a rollercoaster just as the track falls away. The feeling is somewhere between giddiness and trepidation. Giddiness because it's a thrill--trepidation because the public has no reason to be supportive of your effort if your book doesn't hit them the right way at the right time. Imagine going through 36 hours of labor (no epidural, cuz publishing's not easy ;-) and throwing your baby straight into the most vicious squabbling cliques of middle school. That's what it feels like.
Brooklyn: This one I've always wanted to know: When in the publishing process does the cover design and acknowledgement page come in? How did it play out for you?
Shannon: I submitted my Acknowledgments pages (yup--plural--Mama raised me to be thankful) when I returned my copyedits to St. Martin's Press, so in my case it felt pretty late in the process. For cover design: My agent got a cover clause put into my contract so I could give some input. My color suggestions were absolutely ignored (which wound up okay considering how gorgeous my cover is--people have confessed LUST over the cover!). As soon as I saw what the designer (Ervin Serrano) did, I was THRILLED. Then I noticed two eensy teensy things I felt we had to have corrected. That beautiful, sexy man-eye? It had a shadow of a branch coming out of it that made it look a little old-school Egyptian god (and sort of effeminate). And the girl? Flat-chested. My female main character is too old to be as flat as she was (considering the average) so we asked if we could get the guy's eye fixed and give her boobs. And it happened. No complaining, no arguing--they just did it. I have to say, I have no complaints about the way St. Martin's Press handles things. They are excited for their authors' success, they’re willing to communicate and compromise--I couldn't have found a better publisher for my debut.
Brooklyn: What are your plans for future projects?
Shannon: I have a spreadsheet that includes around 35 other ideas for additional novels... So ideas certainly aren't in short supply! I have to finish the first three books in the 13 TO LIFE series then I get to suggest additional things. SMP gets a first peek at whatever the next project is I'm shopping. Here's my to-do list: December/mid-January: Finish revisions on book 2 in the series and send it out; Flesh out the ugly (ugh-ly!) first draft of book 3 and send it (by end of February to SMP); fix up the NaNo project which is also YA paranormal but VERY different from 13 TO LIFE and consider submitting it... then it's speaking engagements, blog tours, interviews, book signings and talks as we get closer to the release date of June 22 for my first novel! 13 TO LIFE is currently available for pre-order (and those of you in the biz know pre-orders are VERY important to authors).
