Fierce Dolan's Blog: Writing Utopia, One Word at a Time, page 11

ARe’s WildFire Interview

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of being interviewed by ARe Wildfire’s Behind the Books with Julie.  Check it out!

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Wildfire would like to welcome Author Fierce Dolan!

 Julie: Welcome, Fierce. Please tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been writing. Have you always gravitated toward being an author?

Fierce: Thanks, Julie. I have always been a writer. I never questioned what I wanted to do, and all of my life that’s been to write books. In a way it’s been secure knowing what I want to do, though as all authors know, it’s tinged with a lot of insecurity. Having the dream and drive is one thing. Having the stamina is another. I’ve learned a lot in my nine-year publishing career, and overall, I’m very pleased with it.

Julie: If you could trade places with a character in one of your books, who would it be and why?

Fierce: I would trade places with Wo, a young Navajo man in Traveler Through Darkness. He’s so calm, so self-assured, and knows how to flow with life. Those qualities are really important to his role in the plot, and they are traits that I admire and aspire to embody more thoroughly, particularly with intimacy.

Julie: Anything your fans would be surprised to know about you?

Fierce: Probably that I write across genres. I’ve published quite a lot of nonfiction, write regularly in national venues, and am embarking on a huge project in magickal realism. That will be the thread that ties it all together. Wish me luck!

Julie: When you’re not writing, what do you like to do to just kick back and have fun?

Fierce: I don’t kick back much. Seriously. The best I can do is to unplug a little every day, which is as high priority as writing. I enjoy watching films, so I keep a supply of enthralling movies to watch, and the occasional TV series, in the Netflix rearview. TV just isn’t as interesting as it used to be, though I find that a lot of my motivation for characters and plot comes from visual media. So, my downtime is really still work…

Julie: Is there something special you do to celebrate when one of your books is released?

Fierce: I’m a very spiritual person and I experience that books are life force. So when I have a new one out, I speak with it and bless it on its way, check in with it now and then. I also say, “Thank you!” to the Universe!

Julie: What’s next for you?

Fierce: I’ve never really thought of myself as having a niche, in terms of genre, though I always strive to create characters and circumstances that relate to life between the lines. For instance, gender, orientation, relationship and lovestyle are all mutable qualities in my world. I suppose in a way that is a niche, though this year my plan is to hone in on what I want to write, not just the stories springing around in my head, but as an author, focusing my body of work. I’m making plans instead of just pulling stories out of thin air.

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Author Bio

Fierce is the gender-lite erotica author of as many pansexual, genderneutral, life-loving configurations as zhe can think of.

 Links

Website
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Backlist

Partner Swap , Xcite Books
Belle de Nuit, Xcite Books
Gigolo Seduction, Decadent Publishing
Traveler Through Darkness, Decadent Publishing
Journal of a Lycanthrophile  (Book One, The Scattered Dark Series), Fierce Desires

Coming soon

Alpha (Book Two, The Scattered Dark Series), Fierce Desires
The Fangirl’s Dream, Decadent Publishing

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TwoLips Stay at Home Party

It’s always fun to Hop with other authors and see what everyone is doing.  I’m happy to participate in TwoLips Reviews’ Stay at Home party, introducing lots of new authors, new books, and reacquainting us with old favorites.

My latest release is Journal of a Lycanthrophile, a risky Book One in the Scattered Dark Series. An awfully dark story with lots of paranormal boundary pushing, I’m thrilled to say it’s done exceptionally well, leaving me wondering how on Earth I’ll push kink thresholds further in Book Two…

Blurb

A dark tale of forbidden love, insatiable lust, and desperate need. Jesse Holloman only feels alive with werewolf lovers, yet he discovers a terrible secret that’s destroying them, and will possibly ruin him, as well.  When the kink most forbidden is the monster that sates, can he overcome his shadow proclivities to intervene, or will he risk the only thing that’s ever been important to him?

Excerpt

After a few moments of staring at each other, I slid off the rock and stood in front of him. If he’d reared up straight, he would have been a good two heads taller than me, and I was six foot two. Hunched down, he came maybe to my shoulders. His collar bones and chest tapered angular and gaunt to the vest of his ribs. He was all solid, lean muscle, with huge thighs and claws that curled into the soft snow. I couldn’t help peering behind him to see that there was no tail.

I was shocked when he came within inches of my chest. My heart raced, but still I didn’t think to run. Eyes black as his gums, when he inhaled, his insanely long tongue curled out from his leathery, stretched lips and licked at the air. He lapped several times, and I stood there thinking nobody would believe me, and I had no way to prove I’d seen him.

 What readers are saying about ‘Journal of a Lycanthrophile’

“Erotica in the truest sense of the word; sex is an integral element of it, the story wouldn’t exist without it, and yet the sex is not the focus of it, just a means of exploring the story’s themes…”  5 Paddles from BDSM Book Reviews

“The dirtiest shifter sex ever! Not read anything like it before and loving it!”

“This book didn’t just exceed my expectations, it completely shattered them. It was not what I was expecting, not at all.”

“A brilliant journey into the world of kink.”

“Not for the faint of heart.”

“Dark, primal, taboo, hooked me and read it in one sitting. Then went back and read it again.”

Giveaway

Think you can handle a walk on the dark side? If you are 18+, comment here for a chance to win an ebook of Journal of a Lycanthrophyle.  You have been warned…

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The Fangirl’s Dream

 

Coming soon from Decadent Publishing’s 1Night Stand series!

About The Fangirl’s Dream

Siler Dunham would do anything to have Farraj Reza, hero of the smash TV drama, Hunted. When her one night stand with him isn’t what she expected, she’s forced choose between unbridled lust and compassion… or is she?

 

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Hawt New Cover- The Fangirl’s Dream

Actually my exact words when my submissions editor showed me the cover art for my new 1Night Stand release, The Fangirl’s Dream, were, “Holy shit!” They remained my only words for a good ten minutes. The bliss of the face of my book conveying so well what’s inside is indescribable. And affirming. And really fucking hot.

Not to tease too much, but you’ll see.

Without further adieu, meet…

About The Fangirl’s Dream

Siler Dunham would do anything to have Farraj Reza, hero of the smash TV drama, Hunted. When her one night stand with him isn’t what she expected, she’s forced choose between unbridled lust and compassion… or is she?

Are you a fangirl? Who’s the TV boyfriend you’d do just about anything to meet? No really, what would you do?

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My Decadent Journey Hop

Thanks to Joanne Kenrick for putting this Hop together!

My journey as a Decadent author began in 2012, with the publication of Gigolo Seduction.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, as every publisher is different.  I’d been long-published in nonfiction, and had mostly good experiences with a range of publishers. My first foray into publishing erotica was 2010, and while the response to my work was great, I wasn’t very impressed with the publisher’s business model. Shortly after, Decadent came on my radar.

I’d heard nothing but good things about working with them, though their focus was largely romance. I don’t write romance, have no desire to, so I hesitated. I sat on my completed story for a few weeks, then decided to submit it to their 1Night Stand line.  The heat rating for them had a broad range, and the series sits comfortably without HEA (my other bane), so I thought, “What the fuck. Let’s do it!”

That story is Gigolo Seduction.  ”But it’s not in the 1Night Stand line,” you say.  Quite right. The Acquisitions Editor didn’t think the elements aligned for that series, though she liked the story and said they had nothing else like it in their catalog. It was released 1 May, and I was thrilled. Gigolo enabled me to test the waters with deep psychological BDSM, and to write first person from a perspective very different from my own.

As I said, I’d worked with a lot of publishers before that, mostly of the traditional old school, pre-digital variety, so I was completely surprised when Decadent not only remained in contact past the initial 6-week release, but fostered an open dialogue with its other authors (and the editors) through a private forum. They also provided basic initial promotion.

Pleased with my initial acceptance into the fold, I submitted a second story to The Edge series.  First off, it’s called “The Edge.”  Guitars play in my head every time I think the name. Second, this particular series is totally focused on erotica, romance be damned.  I was in! Traveler Through Darkness  splashed on the scene (literally, if you’ve read it) 14 August, and was my first published m/m erotica.

 

I’m pleased to say that The Fangirl’s Dream comes out later this year with Decadent, finally netting me a spot in the 1Night Stand limelight.  Suffice it to say that if you’ve ever had a TV boyfriend or filled the memory on your Tivo with your favorite show, Fangirl enables your fix.

I’m thrilled to work with Decadent, and hope to do so for a long time to come.  It’s great to be on this Hop in great company with other authors, and to show some love to a wonderful publisher.  Don’t forget to get your Daily Does of Decadence and check out the rest of the amazing authors on this Hop!

Find them on Twitter at #DecadentAuthors #DecadentJourney

 

 

 

 

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Introducing: About Face by Amy Lee Burgess

Visiting today is author Amy Lee Burgess, author of About Face. Check out what she has to say about world-building and orientation dynamics in her series mythos:

The other night a friend and I were discussing world building issues in my Wolf Within series. She asked, “I know your shifters need hetero sex to shift, but is there any room for you to write about a gay couple? Can two guys or two girls bond?”

I thought I had the answer. “Well, they have triads in packs to deal with this. They can’t shift without hetero sex, so two same sex lovers can bond with someone of the opposite sex to provide that angle.”

“Yeah,” she said. “But what if that opposite sex bond mate dies? Do the two same sex mates have to find another opposite sex mate? Are they even still mated by Pack law?”

“Why wouldn’t they be? You can only break the bond on birthdays or if you are exiled,” I said, but wheels were turning in my brain. “The only reason they’d need to find another opposite sex bond mate is if they were young enough still and hadn’t been Alpha yet. Because the only people who can be Alphas in their packs are those who can still have children.”

“What if they already had been Alphas and they had a child? Can a same sex couple bring up a child in the pack?”

“Absolutely,” I said. “At least one of them is the biological parent of this child and the Great Pack doesn’t have a hang up about kids being brought up in a father/mother environment. Hell, the whole pack brings up the kids, not just the parents.”

“What if there was duo, a man and a woman, and they were killed? They had a child. Could a same sex duo adopt this child?”

I thought about that. “Sure, why not? If they had a good home to offer the child. Especially if one of them was related in any way to one of the dead parents.”

My friend grinned at me. “So maybe you’ve got a plot for your next Stanzie novel?”

“Maybe the one after the one I’m already writing,” I said. Which, oddly enough, features a little Pack girl and her father who have spent years on the run because of something the little girl can do that can be potentially exploited.

I have awesome friends, don’t I?

At the time I made the rule that it takes a m/f pairing to shift, I had a good reason. Of course, two years later I can’t remember what it was. Probably it’s tied to the idea that only Alphas can have children and I wanted everyone in a pack to have the option to be an Alpha and to have a child if they wanted.

I suppose two guys who never want to be Alpha and never want children could bond, but they’d have to find a woman to help them shift when they wanted to let their wolves out to run. Since sex outside bonds is not only tolerated in the Great Pack, but encouraged, they wouldn’t have a problem finding a willing partner.

I wonder if this scenario has ever happened in any of the packs in my Wolf Within world? I suspect it has. That might make fun novella to write someday.

This is what I love about a series. The possibilities are nearly endless.

About Amy Lee Burgess

Amy Lee Burgess is a transplanted New Englander living in Houston, Texas with two dogs and lots of DVDs. In an attempt to bond with the city after being forced out of New Orleans post-Katrina, she turned to her writing. Determined to finally finish that novel she’d been hacking away at since high school, Amy managed to come up with a wolf shifter character named Stanzie Newcastle. She and Stanzie have been BFFs ever since.

In addition to Stanzie, Amy has also forged a relationship with several vampires, a witch or two, and other assorted supernatural creatures she hopes will entertain her readers. But she will always have room for coffee and butterscotch squares with Stanzie.<

About Face (Book #5 of The Wolf Within Series)

Stanzie’s job as Advisor to the Great Council is discovering other people’s secrets. When those secrets are being kept by the ones she loves most, can she find the courage to expose them?

Under orders from a Councilor, Stanzie journeys to Dublin and the MacTire pack. Her mission: warn her estranged bond mate, Liam Murphy, to abandon his overzealous search for the man responsible for the death of his first bond mate. Not only is he endangering himself, but also disrupting the delicate balance between opposing factions in the conspiracy threatening to tear the Great Pack apart.

Liam needs Stanzie’s help to protect their Alpha, who has entangled himself in the conspiracy’s deadly web. But he also desperately wants her back. In a race against time, Stanzie and Liam discover enemies often wear the faces of friends.



CONTENT WARNING: Vulgar language, sexual situations, some violence.

A Lyrical Press Paranormal Romance

About Face by Amy Lee Burgess

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Mystery

Amy’s Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page
About Face  is available at   Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes
Publication Date: April 1, 2013

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The Making of Gigolo Seduction

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Literary Lagniappe, a site devoted to the behind-the-scenes exploration of stories. In case you missed it, check out the Making of Gigolo Seduction an interracial erotic novella by Fierce Dolan

The Setup

Long in passion’s service, confident Asif enjoys his life as a thirty-something escort, bringing romance into the lives of metropolitan socialite cougars. Gifted at seducing wealthy white MILFs and bringing them endless pleasure, the arrogant Persian eschews investing in a personal life. A chance meeting with young artist, Cass, while on the job at a gala event, changes his perspective on women forever, and unleashes desires Asif never knew he had.

The Hook

“Are your works always so intricate?” She shakes her head, again scanning the tower, though my eyes stay on her.

“Frescoes are always detailed and hard work, but this is way above and beyond. Layering in kinetic elements to give moving light and dimensional depth is my dream project come true. Most of my projects are just frescoes.”

“Just frescoes.” I laugh. “They’re noble and valiant relics in the art world.”

“They’re actually in high demand.” Her tone is matter-of-fact. “Though few people can afford them.”

“Well, you’ve outdone yourself here,” I affirm. Her smile is sincere, her pride evident, elegant, enchanting.

“It’s taken quite a long time to come together, and I’ve left the plasterer more than a little frustrated on several occasions.”

“I can’t imagine him staying angry for long….”

“They’ve given me deep creative license over the project, so that’s saved my ass a couple of times. It’s kind of mind-blowing to work on something so limitlessly funded.”

Our eyes lock for mere seconds and the silence is disturbing. “I was just going for a bite to eat. Would you care to join me?”

Cass nods. “I’d like to, but I need to finish this section. This medium doesn’t wait well.”

She’s genuinely interested and I want her to be. I want her to be as affected as I am. Before I can prod further she asks, “Maybe another time?”

Reluctantly, I follow her to the elevator. She opens it with a pass card attached to a cord coiled on the drawstring of her pants. My eyes linger on the brilliant green gem in her navel.

“What’s your name?” “Asif,” I reply without hesitating. The sound is bare, like a secret revealed, though I don’t understand why. I always use my real name.

“Another time, Asif.”

The doors slide closed, and I agree…

Behind the Scenes

What made you create a story around a thirty-something Middle Eastern American gigolo, and a young American frescoista? They seem an unlikely pairing…

I was entreated to write this piece after watching an episode of Showtimes’s Gigolos. The sex trade is feminized and charged with all sorts of stereotypes about women being drug addicts, poverty-stricken, sexually depraved victims. However, male sex workers are fun-loving guys in the game of pleasure. If anything, their lives are presented as a party all the time. Culturally we depict men as empowered in the sex industry. While the TV show perpetuated some of those stereotypes, it showed the men juggling personal issues. It left me intrigued by what the real lives and emotional needs of such men may be, Gigolo Seduction was born.

What issues is Asif dealing with, that Cass helps him resolve?

Well, that would give away the key conflict of the story. Suffice it to say that he’s very confident and sure of himself, and he truly is, until another kind of pro shows him aspects of himself and women he wasn’t aware of. The story is about unspoken expectations and needs. You can’t fill needs you don’t speak, and you can’t speak what you don’t know you need.

Does he get a dose of his own medicine?

If by “medicine” you mean someone who goes hard and long, and leaves him begging for more, of course! Inside, though, is his real confrontation and resolution. He’s intensely needy and in need of being adored, though he doesn’t realize that until a very secure, though unlikely woman cherishes him. It’s a deeper kind of romance, and sweet in a very sensual way.

Available from:

Fierce Dolan.

5 Paddles for Journal of a Lycanthrophile, from BDSM Book Reviews!!

I’m so stoked from this review of Journal of a Lycanthrophile by BDSM Book Reviews!

“Erotica in the truest sense of the word; sex is an integral element of it, the story wouldn’t exist without it, and yet the sex is not the focus of it, just a means of exploring the story’s themes…”

Needless to say, this series was a risk, and I’m so pleased with its reception. It’s my first indie release, and it’s gotten really great reviews and garnered a lot of insightful discussion on various forums.

Sometimes I forget this thing is on! Thanks for the reminder!

“This book didn’t just exceed my expectations, it completely shattered them. It was not what I was expecting, not at all. This is, essentially, a very competently-told and dark urban fantasy story with pervasive sexual elements, and in terms of quality it’s every bit as good as anything I’ve seen in any of the better specific magazines.”

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Introducing: “Secret Desire” by Susan D. Taylor

About Secret Desire

The problem with twins is that they look so much alike…

By day, Claire Robertson is a staff writer for a small publication in Seattle. But when the lights go down, she writes sizzling and oh-so-naughty erotica. She keeps these stories safely tucked away, hiding her secret fantasies of her hero, Dustin Murray. The man who stole her heart six years ago. And then jumped into bed with her twin sister.

Dustin never forgot Claire, or her twin sister’s lies that tricked him into sleeping with her. Nor has he forgotten that her sister’s threats have kept him silent for six years and cost him the woman he loved. Now that Claire’s returned home, Dustin isn’t about to lose her again. But it’ll be another thing to convince Claire he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to win her back.

When Claire accidentally sends the wrong story to her editor, things really heat up. With hot the new black in publishing, her editor thinks he’s struck gold and queues the story for publication. The last thing Claire needs is for everyone to learn that she’s got secrets of her own…

About Susan D. Taylor

“I love the concept of falling in love. The type of romantic journey that is so intense, it’s borders on insanity.”–Susan D. Taylor

After growing up in Miami, she moved to Nashville where she taught biology and special education. No longer a public school teacher, Susan now writes about consuming passion, how attraction plays out, and characters that are either going to incinerate or meld like warm caramel.

Susan lives with her husband, two blue heelers, two cats, a gecko and a snake. An RYT 200 (Yoga Alliance) practicing in vinyasa flow when she’s not writing her next hot romance.

Meet Dustin Murray

As an extra special treat, Susan has left us with an interview with her desirable hero, Dustin Murray.

Dustin, Why are you back in Mill Spring?

I returned when I sold my company’s cellphone technology licenses. I’m required to provide consultation services for a year. Limits my motocross riding because extreme sports aren’t covered by the required life insurance policy as part of the patent sale.

Do you plan on returning to Palo Alto?

I’ve a condo there that will be sold if Claire isn’t interested in living there.

What’s it like with a girl friend who write erotica?

Definitely a turn on. She reads to me and it’s all I can do from not throwing her down, and giving her something to think about. But seriously, I told her I’m proud of her. The people with problems aren’t in her corner and not to worry. Without getting too personal, what happened with Fran way back in high school? I made the mistake of asking her about Claire. Then the shit hit the fan. Fran came on to me and I wasn’t interested. She asked what was so special about Claire. Her own sister. That pretty much did it. After that, it got worse. She had some of her friends invite me over and I got drunk. Afterwards, I don’t remember much except waking up next to her. She was a mess. Like she’d been in fight and said I did that to her. She said either act the part of her boyfriend or she’d go to her father. Eventually, I found out about Fran and what was going on in town. It was a nightmare for all of us, but Claire never knew the truth until I told her the part that mattered.

Why didn’t you ever go after Claire when she left?

She’d never forgive me. At least that’s what I thought. I didn’t want to hurt her further, not when the truth was so awful. I knew eventually I see her again. What do you see happening between you and Claire in the future? Marriage. I’m asking her but giving her a chance to get over grieving. Then I fully intend to ask her.

Finally, just to get into his mind a bit more…

Boxer, Briefs, Commando? Boxers, Some days commando

Favorite Ride? Honda Elsinore 1977 Vintage Moto

What turns you on? Long blonde hair

Special skill? Mechanical, tearing about motorcycle engines

Drink? red wine, uncorked

Vacation Spot? Sardinia

Secret Desire by Susan D. Taylor, a contemporary erotic romance

Website
Blog
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Secret Desire on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance
Available 1 February 2013

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Challenging the Reader

A few months ago I raised some discussion on my Facebook page about Stephen King’s Youtube interview in which he says (48:30) regarding Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey -esque books that ‘readers don’t want to be challenged.’  As well, King goes on to speak of a ‘snob’ contingency in the industry, where if a book shoots to stardom, audiences at the more intellectual end of the spectrum will outright reject it as literature.  Where in the world can the middle be in such polarity? If authors shoot for such a middle, are they dabbling in mediocrity?


I confess, I’m curious about such dispersion and projection.  I really like cerebral writing, not necessarily in the hardcore mechanical Samuel Beckett/Joseph Conrad sense (though obviously I remembered their work well enough to dredge them up for reference), but most definitely in a Storm Constantine/Neil Gaiman arena. I like to think about what I’m reading, and without question what I’m writing.  In erotica particularly there remains the idea that sensuality can’t be smart, it can’t prompt catharsis, and it most certainly can’t be self-aware. How dare the pr0n-minded author understand his/her craft, thus conventions, and intentionally drive the reader through every cringe, gasp, heart thud, and clench of thighs? If anything, for me it takes a  delicate balance between intricately crafted prose and the space amongst which I can insert my imagination to really come away from a book feeling that an author is gifted, that a book is mind-blowing.  As a result, most of the YA, chicklit cum erotica just doesn’t do it for me.


What does it for you? Where is your balance between intellectual and genital stimulation in literature?


Authors, in your writing process, how aware are you of challenging your readers? Is challenging readers a goal of your writing legacy? Your process?


Readers, do you feel his statement is true for you, for the general population?  What do you expect from authors?  What challenges you? How challenged do you want to be by what you crave to read?

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