Tracy St. John's Blog, page 206

September Update

It’s that time again, to let you know where everything stands as far as my writing endeavors.  So without further ado:

 The Netherworld Series:  If you would like to win signed print copies of all three books (Drop Dead Sexy, Blood Potion No. 9, and Once Bitten Twice Dead) I will be posting details on a contest next Saturday. 
Alien Redemption(Clans of Kalquor 6):  Finished with the second draft.  With another round of editing to go, getting my proofreader to put his stamp on it, and final corrections, I am aiming for mid-November for the release.
 Clan Beginnings 1:  To Clan and Conquer:  First draft is well under way.  Tranis, Degorsk, and Lidon continue to surprise me with their backstory.  And the m/m/m action is hot.  Coming this winter.
To Protect and Service:  Ravenous Virtue:  Check out this past week’s WIP Wednesday for a look at this first installment of a new trilogy I’m currently outlining.  Interdimensional alien cops and lawgivers ... how can this not be fun?
The Phucket List:  A few more delays have slowed this down, most notably my co-author Megan Ziese’s new baby.  Congrats on that little cutie, Megan!  Here’s hoping he’ll let you get some sleep soon.
I am also working on something special (I hope) for all my blog followers.  It’s a surprise, but I will tell you it involves Kalquorians.  That's Dramok Dusa above, who figures in what's about to happen.  He should whet your appetites, not to mention get you yelling at me yet again for being a tease.  Look for your special treat starting in October.

First Four Friday - Alien Redemption (Clans of Kalquor 6)

 Chapter 2
             Erybet commed ahead to the Matara they were supposed to be meeting this very moment, a woman named Maria.  Fortunately she was running late too.  “No problem,” came her bright voice over the com.  “I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”
Coming in November

WIP Wednesday: To Protect and Service: Ravenous Virtue

I'm now outlining the first of a planned trilogy of interdimensional BDSM stories.  The basic premise is  National Park Service Ranger Raven Virtue is on patrol when she gets involved in a gun battle with a strung-out war vet.  Dying on the side of the road, she's offered a chance to live by a man she thinks she knows.  There's one catch:  she becomes the protector and property of another man on an alternate dimension.  And the guy making the offer?  An intersex alien who can take on the appearance of anyone he/she wants to.

Raven ends up in an alternate universe where frontier justice rules.  There she finds a ruthless adversary she thought had slipped through her fingers.  With her savior Daagiis and their owner Vandeen, she has the chance to stop her enemy and a monstrous interstellar corporation from taking people from Earth to make into slaves.  However, her companions are not the most gentle of creatures, neither with her nor each other.  Daagiis and Vandeen are embroiled in a battle for supremacy even as they cling to one another with fierce devotion.  Caught between the two dominants, Raven must come to terms with a new life and a new definition of love that sometimes leaves marks. This book will be full-on BDSM with punishment, questionable consent, bondage, D/s, so on and so forth.  If the rougher situations of the Clans of Kalquor series made you squeamish, this won't be for you.  If homoerotic aspects are not your cup of tea, this also won't be for you.  For the rest of us, I'm hoping you'll enjoy the ride.

Tutorial Tuesday - The Naughty Bits: Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right?

Okay, so we’re writing erotica. That means sex plays an integral part in the story. But how much sex? How do you gauge how often the characters should be intertwined in lustful pleasuring?

There’s no real formula for this, unfortunately. Figuring out when a romp should take place really depends on your story, as well as on your preferences. Only you can make that call, because in my opinion, this is truly a subjective issue. I cannot tell you that because your novel is 75,000 words, sex should take place xnumber of times. You have to listen to your story’s flow, feel its beat, and let the characters fall on the bed (or whatever horizontal surface they find themselves conveniently near) where they will.
Yes, I realize I’m not being a big help here. But I’ve seen novel-length erotica with only one scene of full intercourse taking place at the end (with plenty of hot near encounters sprinkled liberally through the story). There have been books with sex happening every few pages. It’s all labeled erotica, and reader comments on sites like Amazon have all taken issue with there being too much or too little steam in many of this genre’s offerings.
Case in point: I freely admit to being on the ‘more is better’ side when it comes to sex scenes. I love these encounters, and I make sure sensual pleasure is a high priority for my characters. My scenes are detailed for the most part and explicit with every nuance. Sure, the story is important to me but in my view, this is erotica so let your freak flag fly and fly often. Some readers have taken issue with that. If you want to see a funny tug of war going on, head over to Alien Embrace’s Amazon page and read the reviews. Several readers complained about there being too much sex, like this comment: “I think this writer has great potential and overall it was enjoyable, but this had waaaay too much sex in it.” Then others countered with the advice that perhaps those readers who had found the amount of sex objectionable might be better off reading another genre: “The sex was intense, and there was definitely a lot of it. If that isn't your cup of tea, maybe try browsing titles not labeled 'erotic'? hmmm...” My thoughts exactly, especially when I read the critique that one reader at the Goodreads site flipped past all the sex scenes to get to the story, and complained about having to do so! But that’s not the point here. The point is, the amount of sex you put in your erotica is going to have to please you, because you can’t make everyone happy. We all have different tastes, and no one book is going to meet those tastes. So write your story, write it well, and let your characters have as much sex as they and you like.

Six Sentence Sunday - Alien Redemption (Clans of Kalquor 6)

             Erybet gave her a surprised but delighted smile.  “You speak Kalquorian?”            Rachel showed him how little by holding her hand up and indicating with a bare inch between her thumb and index finger.  That elicited chuckles from all the men, even the Nobek.
            Conyod asked her, “May I explain?”
            If he trusted them, she reasoned she could too.

Coming November

Waterlogged Electronics and What Turns Out to Be Important

So as you all know, I recently destroyed both my cell phone and my ultrabook in water-related disasters.  First of all, I utterly despise the phone.  The instant it rings, I automatically turn into a grumpy Nobek, snarling at this hated disruptor of my life.  I attribute this deep-seated antagonistic attitude to having Asperger's.  One of my many aspie quirks is an intense dislike of being interrupted.  And since I'm in the middle of doing something at all times, the phone ringing ALWAYS interrupts me.

So I honestly did not miss my cell phone and was a little chagrined when hubby got me a new one.  It is a necessary evil, especially since I need it on hand in case my autistic son's school has to reach me quickly (which happens about twice a month -- the kid gets into everything and it's usually the school nurse on the line).  Doesn't mean I like it though.
The computer though -- ouch.  Especially since I got it so recently.  I hate wasting money even more than my phone ringing.  That was an expensive dunk it took.  Even now, I could kick my own ass for being such a klutz. 
In all honesty, the computer had several glitches that drove me a little nuts.  My advice to you all is to avoid Acer products -- this is the second glitchy computer I've had from that brand.  I am not going to buy them again.  Anyway, cantankerous or not, it was a brand new computer and I had several little items on the hard drive that I hadn't backed up.  Not the books -- good heavens, no.  I back up my books and WIPs in several different places after each and every change.  If I lost any of that work, I'd swan dive off a tall building somewhere.  But I did lose some stuff I would have rather kept.  I still might get it back; my trusted tech gal is trying to salvage the hard drive.  I can't depend on that though, and I have cried over the loss of work and money. 
So I was stuck for a few days on the oldest Toshiba laptop in existence.  Talk about a dinosaur.  And it hates the Internet.  It took patience, a collection of curse words, and pixie dust to make it connect to the web at all.  Then to keep it up for more than two minutes?  Yeah, right.  So I had to limit my forays into the world wide web.  No blogging.  Next to no Facebook.  Checking email once a day.  All the Tosh could reliably handle was Microsoft Word and me upping my word count on various projects.
The first day of this five-day enforced exile was a little shaky, I admit.  I wondered what I was missing.  What everyone else was doing.  Who had sent me a message.  How my book sales were going with me not there to check them twice a day.  I wondered if anyone missed my blog. 
But it wasn't too bad, to be honest.  I concentrated on my writing.  By Day Two, my life was humming along quite smoothly (when the phone didn't ring).  Though I didn't have those pieces that had been taking up a large portion of my day, I had what really mattered.  I had the books I was working on.  I had lusty aliens, horny women, and situations sexual and dangerous.  I had a serial killer to catch, Tragooms to kill, and men to seduce.
I'm glad to be back among you again in this 'net world we live in these days.  I can get back to promoting and marketing, which for me equals grocery money.  But I had gotten to the point recently where I worried how much of my writing I was doing for the cash.  I don't have another job.  This is how I make my living.  And I had begun to wonder how much of it I still did for the simple love of creating. 
It turns out allof my writing is done out of love.  Separated from the business end of producing books for a little while, I found supreme delight in writing just because I was writing.  Because I love my characters.  Because I love the worlds I construct.  Writing really does make me happy.  Deliriously happy.
Money is good.  The occasional glowing review is good.  Hearing from the readers how much they enjoy my work is GREAT.  But in the end, I'm writing what I love and love what I'm writing.  I know now for a fact if no one ever bought another copy of my books, I'd still be doing it.
RIP, you poor drowned Acer ultrabook.  And thanks for the sacrifice to let me know I'm still in this for all the right reasons.  Plus, I got a really awesome Samsung with no weird glitches now. 
And Tracy wrote happily ever after.

First Four Friday - Alien Rule (Clans of Kalquor 2)

 Chapter 10
            "I hate it," Jessica grumbled.            "Really?  Which one?" Michaela asked, her surprised voice bringing Jessica back to her surroundings.

Available through Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords

WIP Wednesday - Clan Beginnings 1: To Clan and Conquer

 Longterm relationships all endure their bumps.  It's when a sense of apathy creeps in that one might question if it's worth pursuing.  Lidon doesn't exactly seem like a devoted Nobek when he contemplates longtime lover Dramok Piras:
He looked over at Piras.  The Dramok slept like a rock, fortunately.  He lightly snored now, arms and legs slung wide, hogging the sleeping mat as he often did.  The bed surface was clan-sized, big enough for three men and their Matara, should they be so lucky as to have a rare female in their number.  Still, Piras managed to take up most of it.  Lidon had rolled to the edge to escape, ending up on his bad right leg.
The Nobek’s gaze wandered over the other man’s body, uncovered by the linens to the waist.  Piras was a long, lean, graceful male, tall and elegant to look at.  His strong jaw was somewhat at odds with the rest of his delicate face.  It probably came from the fact he ground his teeth together so much in near-constant frustration.  Those jaw muscles had gotten quite the workout in the last three decades.  Piras was easily annoyed, and it was often because of Lidon.
Lidon’s expression as he looked over his longtime lover was a mix of affection and irritation.  He debated waking Piras for sex, since he knew he wouldn’t be sleeping for the rest of the night.  It would be good to fuck out some of the angst from the nightmare, and Piras was never adverse to being on the bottom.  However, he was adverse to missing out on sleep.  Deprive him of even an hour of his usual rest, and he would be a vicious brute to his crew during his entire shift.  For such a docile lover, the captain was an unmitigated bastard outside the sleeping room.
 M/M/M erotica coming this winter
 

Tutorial Tuesday - The Naughty Bits: Pulling a Double

A rule I’ve heard when it comes to writing is to make sure that at least two things are going on at once.  Such as during dialogue, incorporate action.  During exposition, insert some characterization.  During sex, have something else happening at the same time.  Yes, even sex has to pull double duty in your story.
I covered this a little bit last week when I discussed how characters must want something besides just the physical thrill of getting it on.  Besides the wants, what other things can the sex scene show us?For one thing, it can bring character strengths and weaknesses to the fore.  From the selfish lover who ignores her partner’s pleasure in achieving her own to the selfless girlfriend who incorporates every trick in the book to satisfy hers; sex should tell us more about the people we’re dealing with.  Is Ms. Perfection more worried about how she didn’t get a chance to shave her legs today than enjoying her carnal encounter?  Is Mr. Lack of Self Esteem apologizing for his mere seven inches of manhood?  Is Ms. Obsessive-Compulsive thinking about her to-do list while her partner sweats to make her come? In Alien Embrace, Rajhir and Flencik’s differing personalities are highlighted as they make love to Amelia.  Rajhir is commanding and take charge, while Flencik’s softer mien comes through:                Flencik covered her face with kisses.   “It will no hurt in bad way, little one,” he said.  He cupped her head in his hands and smiled gentle reassurance.  “Relax.  Enjoy.  You discover great pleasure.  We satisfy needs you are no told.”            “I’m not allowed.  It’s against Earth law to ...”            “We are no on Earth,” Rajhir said, his tone no-nonsense with finality.  He pressed himself against her, and his slick members inched their way into her, forcing past the tightness.  His hands gripped her hips, holding her still for his invasion.                The sex scene is also a good way to bring to a head all that has brought the characters to this point.  Are they delighting in being together after a long separation?  Realizing with disappointment that this was not what they were hoping for after all?  Wondering what in the world they’re doing here having sex with this person?In Alien Rule, Jessica’s temper keeps getting her in trouble with the Imperial Clan.  Pissing off Prince Egilka, who already doesn’t like Earther women, has resulted in him taking her to a private place where he can show her the error of her ways.  Both are in for a surprise when anger turns into arousal, leading them to knowing each other better than either had planned or wanted:Egilka withdrew moments later, holding her swaying body upright.  His long fingers ran over her lips.  “Soft,” he breathed.  She closed her eyes, enjoying the butterfly sensation of such a delicate touch.  Swept up in the bite’s euphoria, she ran her hands over his torso.  He was the tallest of the clan, his muscles leaner than the other two.  She liked the sinuous feel of him.He bent towards her, and she lifted her mouth to his.  His lips stroked over hers, and his mustache and goatee were luxuriant against her face, not bristly as she’d expected.He kissed her with slow tenderness, as if savoring a fine wine.  As his lips moved over hers, her lower body tightened in anticipation.  His hands cupped the back of her head.  She wrapped her arms around him, feeling the hard muscles of his back.  She traced the line of his spine with her fingertips as his hands drifted down her neck, shoulders, and back.  His touch slid over the roundness of her buttocks and pulled her even closer to himself.His tongue slipped into her mouth.  He savored her so thoroughly she was left gasping.  She’d never expected gentleness from one of his kind.  He stepped back and tugged at her blouse, untucking it from her skirt.  She raised her arms over her head, and he lifted the fabric from her.  She shivered, the brisk air chilling her.“I’ll warm you,” his voice soothed.  She sensed movement in the dark, heard small sounds as he undressed.  His arms came around her to wrap her in his embrace, and she snuggled into the heat of his bare skin.  His penises were hard against their bellies, sandwiched between their bodies.He returned to sipping kisses from her lips while his hands busied themselves with her bra clasp.  He set her breasts free, and the soft mounds flattened against the steel of his chest.Jessica’s hands roamed everywhere she could reach, seeking to devour him with touch alone.  Egilka’s body was a delight, his hot skin smooth and corded with ropey muscle.  She couldn’t get enough of feeling his hard body against her.
The sex scene can also be a jumping off point for what comes after in your story.   The way a character feels she’s being treated by her lover will go far in how she relates to him in the future.  Think about how a woman who was made love to with apathy will cope afterwards with a non-sexy, but intellectually stimulating person who adores her.  What about the guy who has caused her no end of grief in her professional life, but behind bedroom doors is the greatest lay she’s ever had?  What cans of worms will these scenarios open once the sex is done?In Alien Salvation, inexperienced Lindsey doesn’t expect much when it comes to sex with the Kalquorians.  When they prove to be adept and conscientious lovers, her reluctant attitude about the three men changes.  This sets the tone of the book as their relationship grows.
Both shuddered as the last spasms rippled through their bodies.  Japohn pulled free of Lindsey, laying her down fully before crashing onto the bed beside her.The other two Kalquorians joined them, laughingly applauding as they too lounged on the bed.   Lindsey found herself sandwiched between Japohn and Bacoj, with Vax curled against Bacoj’s back.  They snuggled with her like a litter of companionable puppies.            Lindsey wondered how long it would take them to repair their ship and continue on their way.  She found herself hoping it might be awhile.  She wouldn’t mind hanging out with this particular clan a little longer.
Have your sex scenes pull a little extra weight for your story, and you’ll find them not just fulfilling but exceeding expectations.  As the saying goes, ‘double your pleasure, double your fun’.

Trying to Come Back

Okay, so doofus, klutzy me accidentally dumped a big glass of water all over my ultrabook (Christmas prez from the hubby).  Two weeks ago, I sent my cell phone through the washing machine.  Apparently, my subconscious wants to drown all technology. 

I am now trying to make things work on an ancient laptop that weighs almost as much as I do and jumps off the web every minute or so.  I will attempt to get back to blogging on this dinosaur, and hope it doesn't go extinct before I get a new computer.  At least it allows me to keep up on my writing, which is going quite well, by the way.  Alien Redemption is ready for a round of filling in the story, corrections, and re-writes.  To Clan and Conquer's first draft is underway.  New book To Protect and Service:  Ravenous Virtue is being outlined (more on that later).  And I have a surprise for you all up my sleeve that you will find out in a couple of months, if all goes well.

So Tutorial Tuesday will hopefully be up tomorrow if this hideous beast I type on now can hold out.  If a blog doesn't show, you know I'm burying another body -- oops, I mean computer -- in the backyard.