S.J. Lewis's Blog, page 2
April 19, 2015
True Story 1
It's said that truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense. I can say from experience that real life often produces scenes that would be regarded as too much of a stretch for good fiction.
Years ago, my three sons and I had a family tradition of visiting the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire at least once during its season. One Summer, my ex invited herself along.
Without going into the messy details, the last few years of our marriage had been acrimonious at best. The divorce ended the marriage, but not the acrimony, which my ex continued to generate, but from a distance that made it much more bearable. I was never particularly happy to have her visit, but for the sake of the boys, I always treated her politely and with respect.
No sooner had we passed through the gates to the Faire than the boys scattered in three different directions, each to pursue his own immediate interests. I was used to this by now, and they were all old enough to take care of themselves. Besides, I knew exactly where and when to find them all again. They never missed the Bawdy Songs, a PG-13 portion of the Faire's entertainment, sung by attractive young women in period costumes.
Then my ex told me that as she was completely unfamiliar with the Faire she was going to stick with me for the day. I resigned myself to my fate. It would only be until sundown, after all.
Shortly before the Bawdy Songs began, we happened to pass by the Faire's one an only fortune teller, who announced that she was running a special that day: Two palm readings for the price of one. Since my ex was big on fortune-telling of all kinds, I offered to spring for the deal. She accepted, saying that I should go first. Then she sat down next to me to listen in.
The fortune teller looked at my palm for several minutes before she began.
"I see one marriage in your life...so far," she said. Then, after a pause, with my ex looking on and listening closely, she continued:
"This woman treated you terribly."
Years ago, my three sons and I had a family tradition of visiting the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire at least once during its season. One Summer, my ex invited herself along.
Without going into the messy details, the last few years of our marriage had been acrimonious at best. The divorce ended the marriage, but not the acrimony, which my ex continued to generate, but from a distance that made it much more bearable. I was never particularly happy to have her visit, but for the sake of the boys, I always treated her politely and with respect.
No sooner had we passed through the gates to the Faire than the boys scattered in three different directions, each to pursue his own immediate interests. I was used to this by now, and they were all old enough to take care of themselves. Besides, I knew exactly where and when to find them all again. They never missed the Bawdy Songs, a PG-13 portion of the Faire's entertainment, sung by attractive young women in period costumes.
Then my ex told me that as she was completely unfamiliar with the Faire she was going to stick with me for the day. I resigned myself to my fate. It would only be until sundown, after all.
Shortly before the Bawdy Songs began, we happened to pass by the Faire's one an only fortune teller, who announced that she was running a special that day: Two palm readings for the price of one. Since my ex was big on fortune-telling of all kinds, I offered to spring for the deal. She accepted, saying that I should go first. Then she sat down next to me to listen in.
The fortune teller looked at my palm for several minutes before she began.
"I see one marriage in your life...so far," she said. Then, after a pause, with my ex looking on and listening closely, she continued:
"This woman treated you terribly."
December 28, 2014
NOT MY BOOK
To any and all of my readers on Goodreads:
'Nice 'N Sleazy' is NOT one of my books. I do not know how it came to be added to my books, but I did not write it, and it does not belong there.
'Nice 'N Sleazy' is NOT one of my books. I do not know how it came to be added to my books, but I did not write it, and it does not belong there.
June 10, 2014
Notes On Gordburg 5
Gordburg' comes from the combination of the old Slavic word for a fortified town (Gord, Gorod) and the old Anglo-Saxon word for a fortified town (Burg, Burgh). The resort itself is not exactly fortified in the old sense, but it does have certain protections.
Outside cellphones are not permitted within the resort. If any are smuggled in anyway, they won't work, as Gordburg has no cellphone towers. Neither will outside computers be able to access the Internet while inside the resort. The resort maintains contact with the 'outside world' via protected underground land lines that provide electrical power, telephone communications, and Internet connection. Land lines also connect all of the different hamlets and installations within the resort, but those are usually accessible only to resort personnel. Should someone from the outside have an urgent need to contact a visitor inside Gordburg, or vice versa, special provisions can easily be made.
While some visitors have initial difficulties with being out of 'contact', most find the arrangement relaxing, enabling them to concentrate on enjoying themselves without constant interruptions.
There is also a radio communications net inside the resort, very low-power and also encrypted.
Plans are underway to open another Gordburg-style resort on some unnamed tropical island.
Outside cellphones are not permitted within the resort. If any are smuggled in anyway, they won't work, as Gordburg has no cellphone towers. Neither will outside computers be able to access the Internet while inside the resort. The resort maintains contact with the 'outside world' via protected underground land lines that provide electrical power, telephone communications, and Internet connection. Land lines also connect all of the different hamlets and installations within the resort, but those are usually accessible only to resort personnel. Should someone from the outside have an urgent need to contact a visitor inside Gordburg, or vice versa, special provisions can easily be made.
While some visitors have initial difficulties with being out of 'contact', most find the arrangement relaxing, enabling them to concentrate on enjoying themselves without constant interruptions.
There is also a radio communications net inside the resort, very low-power and also encrypted.
Plans are underway to open another Gordburg-style resort on some unnamed tropical island.
May 23, 2014
Notes On Gordburg 4
The unique resort town of Gordburg has been around for some time, long enough to grow from what may have been an old Western movie set to a sprawling complex that occupies much of the big, shallow valley it's set in. It's also been around long enough for various subcultures to take root and flourish.
The whole point of the Gordburg experience is to live out kinky sexual fantasies. Some submissive females simply turn themselves in at the Slave Market, to be trained by stern and skillful men and then 'sold' naked at auction to eager buyers. Others prefer the thrill of being hunted and captured, and some of them become quite competitive at it, trying very hard to avoid being captured, knowing that they may come in for punishment once they're finally taken.
Then there are the 'Pets'. These kinky females are turned on by being kept naked and collared, crawling along leashed on their hands and knees, following their masters, and being kept in cages when not otherwise engaged. A Pet will not speak, nor walk upright, and will even drink and eat from bowls without using her hands. Pets usually prefer their sex 'doggy style'. They can be in such demand that men will try to recruit new Pets, give them some basic training and instruction, and then 'sell' them to interested buyers.
There is also a male subculture known as 'Girl Catchers'. They enjoy the hunting and capturing of submissives, but only seek out females no taller than five-foot-three, of slender build. While they often 'sell' their prizes to dominant men who prefer that physical type, they've been known to keep some for themselves until their time at Gordburg is up.
The whole point of the Gordburg experience is to live out kinky sexual fantasies. Some submissive females simply turn themselves in at the Slave Market, to be trained by stern and skillful men and then 'sold' naked at auction to eager buyers. Others prefer the thrill of being hunted and captured, and some of them become quite competitive at it, trying very hard to avoid being captured, knowing that they may come in for punishment once they're finally taken.
Then there are the 'Pets'. These kinky females are turned on by being kept naked and collared, crawling along leashed on their hands and knees, following their masters, and being kept in cages when not otherwise engaged. A Pet will not speak, nor walk upright, and will even drink and eat from bowls without using her hands. Pets usually prefer their sex 'doggy style'. They can be in such demand that men will try to recruit new Pets, give them some basic training and instruction, and then 'sell' them to interested buyers.
There is also a male subculture known as 'Girl Catchers'. They enjoy the hunting and capturing of submissives, but only seek out females no taller than five-foot-three, of slender build. While they often 'sell' their prizes to dominant men who prefer that physical type, they've been known to keep some for themselves until their time at Gordburg is up.
March 20, 2014
Notes On Gordburg 3
It takes a fairly large staff to operate the resort during the season. By far the most visible are the male and female staff members in the Old Town and in the small hamlets strung out along the dirt road to the south of it. The male staff are generally older men in their fifties and up, dressed in similar but not identical garb suggestive of modern cowboys. Most have some sort of military or police background. They operate the different slave markets, tending to their naked female charges and making sure that things run smoothly.
The most visible female staff members in Gordburg are the black-clad Proctors. Dressed in long-sleeved, full length black dresses that remind one of Western widows or schoolmarms, Proctors are omudswomen and concierges throughout Gordburg. They are almost always women in their thirties and are selected for their intelligence and experience. If a visitor has a problem, a question or a request, a Proctor can handle it. A Proctor can also step in to protect a female submissive if she thinks it's necessary, and in Gordburg a Proctor's word is law. They can ban people from Gordburg for misbehavior. Usually that's enough to defuse any situation, but if needed the visible male personnel will come to her assistance. In addition, it is said that there are other male personnel around, dressed like other visitors, who will also step in.
Proctors are, in addition, trained submissives. Under those high-necked black dresses each one wears a special black leather collar and very little else. Every so often, a Proctor has the opportunity to shed her uniform and enjoy herself as a submissive for a time. It is considered a rare treat for male visitors to the resort to be able to put a defrocked Proctor through her paces, partly because of the role reversal, but chiefly because she is trained and conditioned for any kind of sexual activity.
In the newer part of the resort, some of the hotel staff are special hostesses. They act as concierges, but are not full Proctors. Guests with access to the special room service menu may order up one of these hostesses for a night of fun and games, if the hostess agrees. Some Proctors began as special hostesses.
Questions are welcome.
The most visible female staff members in Gordburg are the black-clad Proctors. Dressed in long-sleeved, full length black dresses that remind one of Western widows or schoolmarms, Proctors are omudswomen and concierges throughout Gordburg. They are almost always women in their thirties and are selected for their intelligence and experience. If a visitor has a problem, a question or a request, a Proctor can handle it. A Proctor can also step in to protect a female submissive if she thinks it's necessary, and in Gordburg a Proctor's word is law. They can ban people from Gordburg for misbehavior. Usually that's enough to defuse any situation, but if needed the visible male personnel will come to her assistance. In addition, it is said that there are other male personnel around, dressed like other visitors, who will also step in.
Proctors are, in addition, trained submissives. Under those high-necked black dresses each one wears a special black leather collar and very little else. Every so often, a Proctor has the opportunity to shed her uniform and enjoy herself as a submissive for a time. It is considered a rare treat for male visitors to the resort to be able to put a defrocked Proctor through her paces, partly because of the role reversal, but chiefly because she is trained and conditioned for any kind of sexual activity.
In the newer part of the resort, some of the hotel staff are special hostesses. They act as concierges, but are not full Proctors. Guests with access to the special room service menu may order up one of these hostesses for a night of fun and games, if the hostess agrees. Some Proctors began as special hostesses.
Questions are welcome.
March 13, 2014
Notes On Gordburg 2
However it may appear to an outsider, Gordburg is dedicated to fulfilling the desires and fantasies of kinky, submissive females. (There is a persistent rumor that there is a similar resort somewhere that does the same for kinky, submissive males.) A visitor might think, at first, that the resort is geared towards kinky, dominant males, but without the submissive females they would have little reason to go there, and the females would not go there in the first place if they didn't feel a certain amount of safety. Before visiting, both males and females are required to pass rigorous physicals before every visit. A psychological evaluation is also required of all first-time visitors.
There are different levels of participation in Gordburg. Casual vacationers stay at one of the 'modern' hotels. They may visit the old part of town, including the Slave Market, and even observe the evening slave auctions. They are not permitted to venture elsewhere. More adventurous types, who have passed more stringent evaluations, are allowed to travel to the more remote parts of the resort and even participate in some of the kinkier activities available there. A submissive female can voluntarily put herself up for auction as a slave (for a specified length of time) or go a step further and let herself be hunted down outdoors by dominant males. Some of the most hardcore submissives may even turn themselves over to trained Gordburg personnel for strict, stringent and strenuous training.
Gordburg also offers instruction and classes for couples. Since the only rule for couples is that one of the pair must be a female submissive, this means that F/f couples are welcome.
Females generally aren't permitted to visit Gordburg before the age of 25, although some younger females may be granted access based on special circumstances.
There are different levels of participation in Gordburg. Casual vacationers stay at one of the 'modern' hotels. They may visit the old part of town, including the Slave Market, and even observe the evening slave auctions. They are not permitted to venture elsewhere. More adventurous types, who have passed more stringent evaluations, are allowed to travel to the more remote parts of the resort and even participate in some of the kinkier activities available there. A submissive female can voluntarily put herself up for auction as a slave (for a specified length of time) or go a step further and let herself be hunted down outdoors by dominant males. Some of the most hardcore submissives may even turn themselves over to trained Gordburg personnel for strict, stringent and strenuous training.
Gordburg also offers instruction and classes for couples. Since the only rule for couples is that one of the pair must be a female submissive, this means that F/f couples are welcome.
Females generally aren't permitted to visit Gordburg before the age of 25, although some younger females may be granted access based on special circumstances.
March 1, 2014
Notes on Gordburg
Gordburg is a unique resort that figures prominently in most of my 'Prey' novels. The oldest part of the resort appears to be an old Western town, with a wide dirt main street and raised wooden walkways in front of the buildings. The interiors of all the structures, however, have all the modern conveniences, including electric lighting and computers. The most popular feature of the old town is the huge, multistory barn that houses the Slave Market. The ground floor is open to all, and features naked females kept in cages, awaiting the next slave auction. The auctions are held only in the evenings. The upper floor is open only to members or special guests, and females are allowed up there only if they are naked, bound, and collared.
At the eastern end of the Old Town the dirt road changes over to asphalt. To either side of this paved stretch are a number of newer buildings, including a couple of small hotels, a nightclub, and a few stores. On the north side of the paved road, sheltered within a large grove of tall trees, there are many individual bungalows for longer-term guests. The paved road starts out as wide as the main street of the Old Town (about four lanes) but by the time it exits the eastern side of the New Town it's down to two lanes. It remains a two-lane road all the way to the small state highway ten miles or so away.
A narrow dirt road runs south from the Old Town for a couple of miles before it turns east at the first of five hamlets, known locally as One. Two, Three, Four and Five are strung out along the dirt road, about two to three miles apart. Each hamlet is a miniature version of the Old Town, complete with old Western style buildings and a Slave Market barn in each. The fifth and last hamlet along this road is the largest, and is known generally as End. From End, the dirt road loops back to the north and east, eventually returning to the Old Town. In keeping with the Western motif, there's an overland stage service that runs from the Old Town all the way to End and then back.
Most of the land on the north side of the paved road has been left undeveloped, aside from a number of small clusters of buildings scattered around where the adventurous visitor can get supplies, assistance, or maybe just a room for the night.
The whole resort lies in a wide, flat valley between two long, low, wooded ridges that also run east-west. The valley itself is also wooded, with many small streams running through it.
The only road access to the place is the two-lane road that connects to the state highway. The only vehicles allowed to use that road are owned by the organization that also owns and runs Gordburg. Within the resort, most of the vehicles in use resemble oversized golf carts. These are used to distribute supplies and also to transport passengers.
To the northwest of the Old Town is a small airport. The largest aircraft it can accommodate are small twin-engine passenger planes. Some visitors to the resort arrive in this manner.
To the north of the small airport is a restricted area occupied by a number of large vacation homes. Only the most elite are allowed to go there.
The resort enjoys a temperate climate, but is closed to most visitors during the winter months. There are a number of small working farms at the eastern end of the valley.
At the eastern end of the Old Town the dirt road changes over to asphalt. To either side of this paved stretch are a number of newer buildings, including a couple of small hotels, a nightclub, and a few stores. On the north side of the paved road, sheltered within a large grove of tall trees, there are many individual bungalows for longer-term guests. The paved road starts out as wide as the main street of the Old Town (about four lanes) but by the time it exits the eastern side of the New Town it's down to two lanes. It remains a two-lane road all the way to the small state highway ten miles or so away.
A narrow dirt road runs south from the Old Town for a couple of miles before it turns east at the first of five hamlets, known locally as One. Two, Three, Four and Five are strung out along the dirt road, about two to three miles apart. Each hamlet is a miniature version of the Old Town, complete with old Western style buildings and a Slave Market barn in each. The fifth and last hamlet along this road is the largest, and is known generally as End. From End, the dirt road loops back to the north and east, eventually returning to the Old Town. In keeping with the Western motif, there's an overland stage service that runs from the Old Town all the way to End and then back.
Most of the land on the north side of the paved road has been left undeveloped, aside from a number of small clusters of buildings scattered around where the adventurous visitor can get supplies, assistance, or maybe just a room for the night.
The whole resort lies in a wide, flat valley between two long, low, wooded ridges that also run east-west. The valley itself is also wooded, with many small streams running through it.
The only road access to the place is the two-lane road that connects to the state highway. The only vehicles allowed to use that road are owned by the organization that also owns and runs Gordburg. Within the resort, most of the vehicles in use resemble oversized golf carts. These are used to distribute supplies and also to transport passengers.
To the northwest of the Old Town is a small airport. The largest aircraft it can accommodate are small twin-engine passenger planes. Some visitors to the resort arrive in this manner.
To the north of the small airport is a restricted area occupied by a number of large vacation homes. Only the most elite are allowed to go there.
The resort enjoys a temperate climate, but is closed to most visitors during the winter months. There are a number of small working farms at the eastern end of the valley.
September 7, 2013
But What Does It Mean?
Early on, I made a point of checking my rankings on Amazon and Barnes& Noble. Very shortly after I started, I realized that Amazon rankings appeared to change hourly. Very, very shortly after that I realized that the rankings had nothing to do with actual sales, but rather how my books were doing compared to all the other books on Amazon were doing. It would be entirely possible, though highly unlikely, that if I sold only one copy of a book on Amazon in the space of an hour while nobody else sold any, then for one brief, shining moment I would be #1 on Amazon. But I would only have sold one book, for all that.
It's easy to figure out where the 'top' of the Amazon rankings are. I have no idea where the 'bottom' is. It's a lot like floating in the middle of the ocean, able to see partway into the depths, but is the bottom only a few feet beyond my vision, or am I floating above the Challenger Deep? I don't know, and there doesn't seem to be any reliable way to find out.
I also keep track of my ratings on Goodreads. Now this might strike some as strange, but I don't actually mind getting a poor rating from someone I've never heard from before. I tell myself that it means that my titles are attracting readers from across a wide spectrum, and therefore I'm going to get a number of readers who just don't care for my stories. This may be overoptimistic on my part, I admit.
However, the ratings are entirely subjective. A '5' or a '1' rating is fairly definitive, but a '3' rating probably means very different things to different people. So when I get a '3' rating, I ask myself: What does it mean?
When it comes to a review, I don't have to ask myself that question. It may be just as subjective as a rating, but it gives me details.
It's easy to figure out where the 'top' of the Amazon rankings are. I have no idea where the 'bottom' is. It's a lot like floating in the middle of the ocean, able to see partway into the depths, but is the bottom only a few feet beyond my vision, or am I floating above the Challenger Deep? I don't know, and there doesn't seem to be any reliable way to find out.
I also keep track of my ratings on Goodreads. Now this might strike some as strange, but I don't actually mind getting a poor rating from someone I've never heard from before. I tell myself that it means that my titles are attracting readers from across a wide spectrum, and therefore I'm going to get a number of readers who just don't care for my stories. This may be overoptimistic on my part, I admit.
However, the ratings are entirely subjective. A '5' or a '1' rating is fairly definitive, but a '3' rating probably means very different things to different people. So when I get a '3' rating, I ask myself: What does it mean?
When it comes to a review, I don't have to ask myself that question. It may be just as subjective as a rating, but it gives me details.
May 6, 2013
Hypocrony
Hypocrisy+irony=hypocrony: Where hypocrisy is revealed in an ironic manner.
'Too big not to screw up': Applies to any organization, public or private, that grows too large and too complicated for anyone to exercise proper supervision of it.
We are all acquainted with Amazon.
Some time ago, Amazon began deleting certain titles from their on-line book sales. The stated reason was that those certain titles were offensive. In some cases it was the content that was deemed offensive. However, some cover images were also deemed offensive, regardless of the content.
I was personally affected by this policy decision, though I remain convinced that Amazon made it in order to keep lawyers from happening, not out of any sudden sense of civic responsibility. Any organization that becomes large enough runs the risk of becoming too big not to be sued by someone looking for either a big payday or a smaller one in exchange for just going away. Given that going into an American court has become much like buying a lottery ticket, I find it difficult to fault Amazon overmuch on the matter. I'm not happy about it, but what can one do?
One of my books that Amazon declined to offer for sale was a non-consensual story. I assume that that was the reason for Amazon's decision, though I was never given a reason by Amazon. I don't think that Amazon ever produced any guidelines warning people what might get their work similarly declined. I believe that they should have. Otherwise it's not so much a policy as a function of subjective impressions, feelings and whims, which many people will find idiosyncratic and annoying.
Anyway, back to my book. It was removed from Amazon, though any number of other on-line book stores continued to offer it. Then one day it was produced as an audiobook, complete and unabridged, so all of the original content was still present. Amazon picked it up, and offers it for sale, using the original book cover and title. And in the meantime, another non-consensual book of mine that was published after Amazon's fit of public morality was also picked up by Amazon and offered for sale on the Amazon website.
Hypocrony, brought about by being too big not to screw up.
'Too big not to screw up': Applies to any organization, public or private, that grows too large and too complicated for anyone to exercise proper supervision of it.
We are all acquainted with Amazon.
Some time ago, Amazon began deleting certain titles from their on-line book sales. The stated reason was that those certain titles were offensive. In some cases it was the content that was deemed offensive. However, some cover images were also deemed offensive, regardless of the content.
I was personally affected by this policy decision, though I remain convinced that Amazon made it in order to keep lawyers from happening, not out of any sudden sense of civic responsibility. Any organization that becomes large enough runs the risk of becoming too big not to be sued by someone looking for either a big payday or a smaller one in exchange for just going away. Given that going into an American court has become much like buying a lottery ticket, I find it difficult to fault Amazon overmuch on the matter. I'm not happy about it, but what can one do?
One of my books that Amazon declined to offer for sale was a non-consensual story. I assume that that was the reason for Amazon's decision, though I was never given a reason by Amazon. I don't think that Amazon ever produced any guidelines warning people what might get their work similarly declined. I believe that they should have. Otherwise it's not so much a policy as a function of subjective impressions, feelings and whims, which many people will find idiosyncratic and annoying.
Anyway, back to my book. It was removed from Amazon, though any number of other on-line book stores continued to offer it. Then one day it was produced as an audiobook, complete and unabridged, so all of the original content was still present. Amazon picked it up, and offers it for sale, using the original book cover and title. And in the meantime, another non-consensual book of mine that was published after Amazon's fit of public morality was also picked up by Amazon and offered for sale on the Amazon website.
Hypocrony, brought about by being too big not to screw up.
March 12, 2013
Didn't See That One Coming
My sons were all adults when I started getting my erotica books published, which made it relatively easy for me to tell them about it. When I did, I could see the gears working as they worked out the equation: "Dad+erotic fiction=Ewwww!" My youngest son was the only one who wanted to read any of it. He got about halfway through 'Female Prey' before handing it back to me with the comment that he liked how I described things without over-describing them.
I let friends and (some) family know what I was writing and getting published. My sister expressed an interest in reading some of it, so I mailed her a paperback copy of 'The Elusive Prey'. She told me that she'd settled down in bed one night to read a little of it before going to sleep, and the next thing she knew she'd finished the book and it was three o'clock in the morning.
I have two close friends whom I always send signed copies of my latest book to. One later said that at first he was concerned that my books wouldn't sell well because they seemed to be too 'literate' for the genre.
The other close friend is a woman I've known for forty-odd years. Though for much of that time we've lived far apart, we've still seen each other through marriages, divorces, births and deaths, ups and downs. We've seen each others' kids grow up. She recently moved to another state, and called me on the phone recently just to catch up on things. At one point, she told me that her daughter had recently asked her if she could read one of my books, saying that she'd read 'Fifty Shades' found it shallow, and was looking for something with more depth.
I did not see that one coming.
I let friends and (some) family know what I was writing and getting published. My sister expressed an interest in reading some of it, so I mailed her a paperback copy of 'The Elusive Prey'. She told me that she'd settled down in bed one night to read a little of it before going to sleep, and the next thing she knew she'd finished the book and it was three o'clock in the morning.
I have two close friends whom I always send signed copies of my latest book to. One later said that at first he was concerned that my books wouldn't sell well because they seemed to be too 'literate' for the genre.
The other close friend is a woman I've known for forty-odd years. Though for much of that time we've lived far apart, we've still seen each other through marriages, divorces, births and deaths, ups and downs. We've seen each others' kids grow up. She recently moved to another state, and called me on the phone recently just to catch up on things. At one point, she told me that her daughter had recently asked her if she could read one of my books, saying that she'd read 'Fifty Shades' found it shallow, and was looking for something with more depth.
I did not see that one coming.
