Writing an Erotic Novel

I've gotten another question via the Formspring box at the top right of this site (go on, try it, it's easy!). This person's question was:

"Do you think you could ever write an erotic novel, and if so, what theme would you go for?"

Could I? Well, sure. I've written several already, actually. The first one I wrote some years ago when I was still with Faith (if you don't remember Faith, go here for the story). It was an erotic fantasy tale, about 39,000 words long (novella length, really) with very thinly disguised versions of myself and her as the two leads in the story. She seemed to enjoy it, but I've never been very happy with it since I wrote it over a period of just over a week and it seemed rushed to me. Since then I've written several more -- two of them fantasy-themed (unconnected with the first, or each other), one of them a paranormal-romance type (years before Laurell K. Hamilton hit the bestseller lists with her Anita Blake tales, I should note -- bad timing on my part), one of them your standard slice-of-life, and one of them a gothic horror tale. With lots of sex in all of them, of course.

Why aren't they in print? The usual. No publisher has wanted to take a chance on them (you think marketing a standard fantasy novel is tough, try marketing an erotic fantasy novel). All publishers I've submitted them to have rejected them. Sometimes I dust them off and send them back out again when I get the rejections, but sometimes I put them away to rework and modify some more.

Anyhow, yes, I've written several, and may write more if I have spare time. I don't have as much of that as I used to.

(And yes, there will be an EFF post later today).

-- PB

Am I a Dom?

Surfacing from the flood of work that has engulfed me THIS week, too. Can't wait till things back off a bit and I can devote more time here.

Some of you may have noticed that I've added a Formspring box on the right for the curious. If you want to know something about me, feel free to ask! You don't need a Formspring account, or anything else -- it's just a way to send me queries if you feel like being anonymous, or if you don't want to send me an email.

As it happens, I got my first Formspring question yesterday. Someone asked me:

"Are you a Dom?"

In the traditionally used sense, where the Dom in question is into BDSM or has a "mistress" or "slave" or "sub" that he controls, I'm not. Oh, I have dominant tendencies -- I think a cursory glance at many of the entries here would tell you that -- but it's not my primary mode of operation.

I do confess a few sexy ladies I've talked to through this journal have expressed a wish to let me dominate them, and it's a powerful attraction. Nothing's ever come of it, though. I talk a big game, you see. :)

Anyhow, there's your answer. Not a Dom in the traditional sense, just somebody with dominant tendencies occasionally.

If you want to ask me something, what's keeping you? G'wan, use the little widget on the right. Or, y'know, send me an email and I'll answer privately. Your choice.

See you all tomorrow for FFF. Thanks to those who've told me they're playing along so far.

-- PB