Leigh Wilder's Blog, page 5

The Nanowrimo Post

art frm Allie Brosh, stolen with loveThank god it's finally over. Thanksgiving came at the absolute worst time for Nano. I'm very much an introvert and Thanksgiving was 3 days of constant socialization for me, so at the end of every night I was a frazzled mess, and I knew I had to write over 10,000 words to make my word count during that time.  I also kept having to get up early. I havent had more than 5 hours of sleep a night in days.

Needless to say, my writing got really weird towards the end (oaky, it was weird pretty much all the way through). Lesbian fisting, furries, centaur cocks, snuff, and I wrote FOUR children's stories that probably arent fit for children because the squirrels are zombies, I have dudes kissing frogs, and the princess knows Krav Maga.

I wanted to work on "Deadly Liaisons #5: Daybreak" and a m/m steampunk novella called "Made to Love Him" and get both pieces done. Well, DL5 only hit 8,000 words and MtLH is at 15,000 words.  The rest of my word count is spread across ten (finished!) short stories. The kids stories are for my niece and nephew for xmas, four of them are already published under other names (they're not my usual style, but I have sold 10 copies so far) and two more need polishing. One of them might be pubbed under Leigh Wilder (lesbian fisting), but the other (the centaur sex) probably will not.

Below I have made a nifty info graphic illustrating how a semi-professional writer deals with Nanowrimo. (I make lots of pictures when I nano. It helps with the stress.)

A List of Writers

Here is a list of writers that have inspired me of the course of the last 15 years.  Some of them are on the list because of how they write, or what they write.  Some are on the list because of who they are and what they've done.  (Example: I dont like Stephen King's novels, but On Writing is the best book about writing I've ever read.) I even managed a poet in each list. (Very proud of myself for that.)

As a kid:
Robin McKinley
Christopher Pike
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Joss Whedon (yes, tv writers count)
Paul Zindel
L. M. Montgomery
Nellie Bly (19th century journalist--I was a historical kid)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
M. E. Kerr
Judy Blume
Margaret Mahy
Patricia McLaughlin
Shel Silverstein
Terry Windling

As an Adult:
Jane Austen
Neil Gaiman
William Shakespeare
Kate Chopin
Charles de Lint
Warren Ellis
Stephen King
J K Rowling
Alan Moore
Stephanie Meyer & E L James (They proved to me that if their shit can make money, mine can too, and inspired me to seek publication.)

Black Friday Sale!

For Black Friday only I'll be selling all Deadly Liaisons titles for 99 cents each (except of course Drain Me Dry, which will remain forever free).  Save $4.00 when you buy the whole series!  If you're new to the series visit HERE for book trailer and blurbs.

Smashwords "Deadly Liaisons" Series Page
Amazon Links:(prices might not be in effect early in the day--waiting on amazon to process the changes)
Drain Me DryAddicted to the BiteClub MidnightBloodlines
Club Midnight and Bloodlines are normally $2.99.

New Release: Fancy and the Mechanical Man

I am notoriously good at missing deadlines. Almost all of the short stories I've self published are the result ofmonths after I've missed it.  This release, Fancy and the Mechanical Man, is such a story.
finishing a story sometimes

I've been toying with a steampunk idea for years. There are so many versions of this universe floating around. I finally nailed down a few key elements of this world with this story. Decisions were made. I'm currently working on a m/m novella length story set in this universe, the city of Karstenhaven.  I'd also like to eventually put out a collection of stories from this universe, but until that happens, here you go.

This is a very short story, only 2,500 words, and I understand that it might be a little too pricey at 99 cents, which is why I've been putting off publishing it for a while. But I figure, its up to you guys to decide if you want to pay that much for it, not me.

Buy from Smashwords
Buy from Amazon (soon)
Buy from Amazon.uk (ditto)

Description:
Karstenhaven. The city of science, of wonder. The engineers of Karstenhaven could work miracles. But there were no miracles in Storyville, where the shine of the city turned to filth and the streets were populated with opium addicts and whores.

Fancy is a prostitute in Storyville.  When she opens her door one day to a young, attractive, rich man, she knows there's been some mistake. Men like that didn't visit women like her. But this man was different. He has a problem with the ladies, but his problem is Fancy's miraculous gain. He has a mechanical hand, and that hand can do amazing things.

Excerpt: 
Fancy sat on a chair in the middle of her flat, legs spread wide, an electric fan blowing warm air up her raised skirts. “If it gets any hotter my make-up is going to drip off,” she complained to the empty room. She had already stripped off her shoes, stockings, and pantaloons. “This heat,” she moaned. “I would do anything to get out of these clothes—”
A knock at the door interrupted her train of thought. “Like a customer,” she said, jumping up and quickly arranging her wine red skirts.
Her face fell a little as she opened the door, but she tried to hide her disappointment. “Are you even old enough to be here?” she asked her visitor.
The young man at her door scowled. “I could take my business elsewhere—”
“No,” she said, pulling him inside. “Wait.” She shut the door and studied the figure in front of her. His light brown linen jacket matched his hair and eyes. He wore a vest, top hat, and white gloves even in this scorching heat. A ton, on her doorstep? It wasn’t unheard of, no, but they normally were not so young, or good looking. The youth was slight, but obviously well-built even beneath the layers of clothes. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-two,” he said. Does he even need to shave?
“Yeah? When is your birthday?”
“August tenth. 1871,” he answered correctly.
“And you want my services? Can’t find a pretty young thing easily impressed by a bit of flash?”“I am, Madam, at a disadvantage when it comes to wooing young ladies.” He unbuttoned one of his gloves and pulled it off. Fancy saw exactly what he meant. His right hand was smooth polished brass and steel instead of skin, muscle and bone.

“I understand,” she said, her voice softening. She reached out, taking the mechanical hand in both of her own. It was warm and buzzing with the whir of cogs and gears. The city of Karstenhaven was notorious for its mechanical abilities—far beyond the technical innovations of the rest of the world. This young man was not human or machine—he was somewhere in between.

It's Nanowrimo Time!

It's that time of the year again.  I've been doing Nanowrimo since 2003! Usually failing of course, but having fun all the same. The first year I won I was so happy...that book was full of problems and it still sits unfinished (and probably never will be) in my filing cabinet (not even sure if there's a digital copy still in existence).

Now, the smart thing to do would be to start my novel now that I'm 8 minutes into the month, but Procrastination is for winners in this game. :)


So as a veteran Nano participant, here's some tips for making it through the month.
1. Pacing yourself is for wimps. If you feel you can write 5,000 words a day, by all means try. Normally I only write about 2/3 of the days in a Nano month, pounding out thousands in one sitting and then staring at the TV for three days straight.
2. Procrastination is for winners. Sometimes you need a break, and that's okay. Let off some steam by playing mindless video games, or take the time to clean something that hasn't been cleaned in forever.
3. The following sites are your friends: Writeordie and Written?Kitten! Use them every day and you'll get your word count in.
4. Decide what's more important--your word count or writing something worthwhile.  Both are valid goals. A lot of people start churning out crackfic (yes, that's technical term) just to make their word count, but if you're trying to work on a serious piece and you get stuck in a rut, don't give in. Work on another project and keep going, or save your words in a separate document and start ripping it down to bare bones.  I usually count the words of two to five projects during Nano--even my blog. (I'm at 300 words so far! Now 309!)  This summer I did Camp Nano and I wrote a novella, a short story, and worked on two other projects as well.  It was a productive month for me.
5. Make writing friends.  It's a lot more fun to have someone to compare notes with or have word sprints, not to mention someone to race to the finish line.  Find a buddy on the Nano posting boards, twitter, or go to your local IRL write-ins. (I'm notoriously bad at this but I'm going to try this year.)
6. Try not to overeat. Makes you sluggish and sick. One nano I did 18,000 words over thanksgiving weekend eating nothing but turkey and Oreos and I did NOT feel good at the end of it. (That was the first year I won though.)
7. Have fun and do the best you can. Even if you don't hit 50k you'll still have the work you started, and that's better than nothing.

Porn Redux

Here we go.  This train wreck involves UK store WHSmith and the UK branch of Kobo.  I'm linking to the Daily Mail article on the subject because its a more colorful read than some of the other news sources, and it will best help you muster up proper indignation. (Side note: how can they be "Porn is bad!" and yet go all "Hey look! Celebrity boobs!) Also, Kobo's statement is here. Basically, WHSmith has pulled down its entire website and Kobo UK has pulled all of its self-published titles because of the porn I was complaining about a few months back. They are specifically concerned about the "disgusting porn" like incest, rape, and bestiality. My concern earlier was that the badly written trash was "drowning out" my proper erotica.  Now my "proper erotica" is getting taken out of stores because people are offended by the badly written trash.

I'm on the side of the badly written trash here.

As you know I've recently decided to try my hand at some bestiality erotica of my own. (Out now! Buy it here!)  It isn't porn. There is a plot, a love story, and the good guys win.  I have also written a brother/brother incest piece called "Depression, Love, and Swimming Pools".  It is a drama about family and mental illness and it does indeed have graphic incest sex. So even though my work is well written and well plotted, does my subject matter mean my work will not be reinstated?  Will they decide other, more benign erotica or porn pieces fall into the same category simply because it's graphic sex?

I am not a bad person. I'm a very good person. I don't break the law, I don't hurt people, I donate to charities and I pay my taxes.  Yet I kinda like the idea of some incest and there are instances where bestiality and rape can be a turn on. Are these things wrong in real life? Absolutely. But this is fantasy here.

There is concern that reading or looking at sexual violence will make people go out and start raping babies, but that is not the case. Even if you like to read about it, you're not going to do it unless the inclination was already there. And as for pornography warping the minds of children and teenagers, a child that has been raised up properly will not grow up to be a rapist, no matter what kind of porn it happens to stumble onto.

You cannot punish or hold the creators of these works responsible for what the readers do.  Wanna prevent violent perverts from seeing images that might provoke them to attack? You'll have to remove 95% of entertainment--books, movies, video games, television, music, classic works of art, advertisements, fashion, sports--from society. We can watch Sesame Street or stare at paintings of fruit all fucking day long because those are the only things that will be left.

If it's not offensive it isn't art. And that is the bottom line. If a work of art isn't provoking some sort of emotional response from the reader/viewer/listener is doesn't mean a damn thing. It might as well not exist.  You can't keep us safe from art.  It's supposed to be dangerous.

It's supposed to be dangerous.

Now put my books back on the shelf, because I really need the 70 cents I'm probably going to lose over this fiasco.  I'm poor over here people!

"The Battle of the Dragon Slayer" (Update: Available!)

I feel like it's been forever since I released something. We're switching gears here from gay vampires to lesbian dragon slayers. Yeah, I'm not at all consistent.  I started writing this as a joke reaction to the dinosaur porn chicks, but only a few paragraphs in I knew I had a story that was actually real literature (or as close to real literature as my writing gets) so really I was dead serious when writing this...girl/girl/dragon erotica.
I mean it. It's a sweet coming of age lesbian romance with a climactic scene of filthy dragon sex.
I don't condone IRL bestiality in any way, but this is fiction. It isn't real, so when I say anything goes, I pretty much mean it. If you're into torture gore fests, as long as you're not doing it in real life or supporting those who do, watch all the weird Anime you want.  If incest is what gets you off, don't go having sex with your brother, but by all means read about fictional people who do.  
So yeah. Dragon!sex. I wrote it and I'm not ashamed of it. It's a really good story that happens to contain lots of dragon cock.  I need to sell 12 copies of it to make back what I paid for the cover image. Be a pal. Give it a try.  
The Battle of the Dragon Slayer
Contains graphic f/f/dragon sex.  6,000 word short.

*This title goes live Tuesday*
Available through Smashwords.
Available on Amazon.

Description:The village of Breakwell Mountain has been plagued by a dragon for centuries. Every year a virgin must be sacrificed to save the village from certain doom. This year Adelie turns eighteen and she must draw lots with the other village girls, but Adelie has a secret. Deeply in love with the betrothed Bella, she knows there is no place for her in the small town. She has decided to sacrifice herself to assure Bella's safety, her final loving gesture to a girl who can never love her in return.
The day of the sacrifice a band of gypsies appear, claiming the ability to slay the dragon. Gypsy prostitute Rohesia is a new dragon slayer. She's been training since her youth to do what few can imagine--screwing a dragon into submission before stabbing it through the heart. 
Armed with a sword, a knife, and a big jar of lube, Rohesia and Adelie take on the dragon together.  Adelie discovers there are worse things in the world than losing your virginity to a dragon, and that love, acceptance, kinky sex and happily ever after is only a gypsy caravan away.
Excerpt:The moon rose higher, lighting up the clearing. A figure approached Adelie. It was Rohesia, the gypsy girl. “What are you doing here?” Adelie asked.  “I told you, this is my sacrifice.”
“You’re sacrificing yourself for a woman who doesn't love you.”
“I know.”
“Killing yourself isn't the smartest of options.”
“I can never be happy. I might as well make my life count for something. Now go away.”
“What if I told you that we can slay this dragon and live?”
“I wouldn't believe you. And it wouldn't change a thing. I know what I feel for Bella is unnatural, but slaying a dragon won’t make it go away.”
Rohesia grinned. “No, but you are not unnatural. You aren't the only woman who loves like a man.”
“What?” The dragon disappeared from her mind and Adelie looked at Rohesia with curiosity. “But you lay with men, don’t you? You’re a whore.”
“A whore who also fucks women and slays dragons. Do you want my help or not?” 
Overhead a roar like the rushing ocean announced the dragon’s arrival—a dark splotch in the sky that circled and grew larger—a giant, fire-breathing creature larger than any horse or bull in the village. “We didn't come here by chance you know,” Rohesia said, shouting over the roar as the wind whipped at the wheat field behind her. “Granny heard your village had a dragon problem. She was a dragon slayer when she was young, you see, and so was my mother. Now it’s my turn to take up the sword. To save girls.”
“Girls like me?”
“I have a feeling you won’t need to be saved.”
The dragon was close enough to smell, of brimstone and musk. Its scales gleamed of gold in the moonlight. Adelie was too frightened to move, except to take Rohesia’s hand. “What do we do?”
“Nothing yet. Pretend to be the docile little virgin you think you are. We can’t kill him until he’s in his lair.”
“Why not?”
“You can’t kill a dragon while it’s awake. Everyone knows that.”
“And you expect that we’ll survive long enough for it to fall asleep?”
“Yes.”
“Have you done this before?”

“Not even remotely.  Here we go!” The dragon landed with a heavy thud in front of them, it’s tail thwacking the ground....

"The Battle of the Dragon Slayer" is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

Coming Soon: "The Battle of the Dragon Slayer" (Update: Available!)

I feel like it's been forever since I released something. We're switching gears here from gay vampires to lesbian dragon slayers. Yeah, I'm not at all consistent.  I started writing this as a joke reaction to the dinosaur porn chicks, but only a few paragraphs in I knew I had a story that was actually real literature (or as close to real literature as my writing gets) so really I was dead serious when writing this...girl/girl/dragon erotica.
I mean it. It's a sweet coming of age lesbian romance with a climactic scene of filthy dragon sex.
I don't condone IRL bestiality in any way, but this is fiction. It isn't real, so when I say anything goes, I pretty much mean it. If you're into torture gore fests, as long as you're not doing it in real life or supporting those who do, watch all the weird Anime you want.  If incest is what gets you off, don't go having sex with your brother, but by all means read about fictional people who do.  
So yeah. Dragon!sex. I wrote it and I'm not ashamed of it. It's a really good story that happens to contain lots of dragon cock.  I need to sell 12 copies of it to make back what I paid for the cover image. Be a pal. Give it a try.  
The Battle of the Dragon Slayer
Contains graphic f/f/dragon sex.  6,000 word short.

*This title goes live Tuesday*
Available through Smashwords.
Still waiting on Amazon.

Description:The village of Breakwell Mountain has been plagued by a dragon for centuries. Every year a virgin must be sacrificed to save the village from certain doom. This year Adelie turns eighteen and she must draw lots with the other village girls, but Adelie has a secret. Deeply in love with the betrothed Bella, she knows there is no place for her in the small town. She has decided to sacrifice herself to assure Bella's safety, her final loving gesture to a girl who can never love her in return.
The day of the sacrifice a band of gypsies appear, claiming the ability to slay the dragon. Gypsy prostitute Rohesia is a new dragon slayer. She's been training since her youth to do what few can imagine--screwing a dragon into submission before stabbing it through the heart. 
Armed with a sword, a knife, and a big jar of lube, Rohesia and Adelie take on the dragon together.  Adelie discovers there are worse things in the world than losing your virginity to a dragon, and that love, acceptance, kinky sex and happily ever after is only a gypsy caravan away.
Excerpt:The moon rose higher, lighting up the clearing. A figure approached Adelie. It was Rohesia, the gypsy girl. “What are you doing here?” Adelie asked.  “I told you, this is my sacrifice.”
“You’re sacrificing yourself for a woman who doesn't love you.”
“I know.”
“Killing yourself isn't the smartest of options.”
“I can never be happy. I might as well make my life count for something. Now go away.”
“What if I told you that we can slay this dragon and live?”
“I wouldn't believe you. And it wouldn't change a thing. I know what I feel for Bella is unnatural, but slaying a dragon won’t make it go away.”
Rohesia grinned. “No, but you are not unnatural. You aren't the only woman who loves like a man.”
“What?” The dragon disappeared from her mind and Adelie looked at Rohesia with curiosity. “But you lay with men, don’t you? You’re a whore.”
“A whore who also fucks women and slays dragons. Do you want my help or not?” 
Overhead a roar like the rushing ocean announced the dragon’s arrival—a dark splotch in the sky that circled and grew larger—a giant, fire-breathing creature larger than any horse or bull in the village. “We didn't come here by chance you know,” Rohesia said, shouting over the roar as the wind whipped at the wheat field behind her. “Granny heard your village had a dragon problem. She was a dragon slayer when she was young, you see, and so was my mother. Now it’s my turn to take up the sword. To save girls.”
“Girls like me?”
“I have a feeling you won’t need to be saved.”
The dragon was close enough to smell, of brimstone and musk. Its scales gleamed of gold in the moonlight. Adelie was too frightened to move, except to take Rohesia’s hand. “What do we do?”
“Nothing yet. Pretend to be the docile little virgin you think you are. We can’t kill him until he’s in his lair.”
“Why not?”
“You can’t kill a dragon while it’s awake. Everyone knows that.”
“And you expect that we’ll survive long enough for it to fall asleep?”
“Yes.”
“Have you done this before?”

“Not even remotely.  Here we go!” The dragon landed with a heavy thud in front of them, it’s tail thwacking the ground....

"The Battle of the Dragon Slayer" will be available October 15th on Amazon.
It is available NOW on Smashwords.

Coming Soon: "The Battle of the Dragon Slayer"

I feel like it's been forever since I released something. We're switching gears here from gay vampires to lesbian dragon slayers. Yeah, I'm not at all consistent.  I started writing this as a joke reaction to the dinosaur porn chicks, but only a few paragraphs in I knew I had a story that was actually real literature (or as close to real literature as my writing gets) so really I was dead serious when writing this...girl/girl/dragon erotica.
I mean it. It's a sweet coming of age lesbian romance with a climactic scene of filthy dragon sex.
I don't condone IRL bestiality in any way, but this is fiction. It isn't real, so when I say anything goes, I pretty much mean it. If you're into torture gore fests, as long as you're not doing it in real life or supporting those who do, watch all the weird Anime you want.  If incest is what gets you off, don't go having sex with your brother, but by all means read about fictional people who do.  
So yeah. Dragon!sex. I wrote it and I'm not ashamed of it. It's a really good story that happens to contain lots of dragon cock.  I need to sell 12 copies of it to make back what I paid for the cover image. Be a pal. Give it a try.  
The Battle of the Dragon Slayer
Contains graphic f/f/dragon sex.  6,000 word short.

*This title goes live on Tuesday*
Description:The village of Breakwell Mountain has been plagued by a dragon for centuries. Every year a virgin must be sacrificed to save the village from certain doom. This year Adelie turns eighteen and she must draw lots with the other village girls, but Adelie has a secret. Deeply in love with the betrothed Bella, she knows there is no place for her in the small town. She has decided to sacrifice herself to assure Bella's safety, her final loving gesture to a girl who can never love her in return.
The day of the sacrifice a band of gypsies appear, claiming the ability to slay the dragon. Gypsy prostitute Rohesia is a new dragon slayer. She's been training since her youth to do what few can imagine--screwing a dragon into submission before stabbing it through the heart. 
Armed with a sword, a knife, and a big jar of lube, Rohesia and Adelie take on the dragon together.  Adelie discovers there are worse things in the world than losing your virginity to a dragon, and that love, acceptance, kinky sex and happily ever after is only a gypsy caravan away.
Excerpt:The moon rose higher, lighting up the clearing. A figure approached Adelie. It was Rohesia, the gypsy girl. “What are you doing here?” Adelie asked.  “I told you, this is my sacrifice.”
“You’re sacrificing yourself for a woman who doesn't love you.”
“I know.”
“Killing yourself isn't the smartest of options.”
“I can never be happy. I might as well make my life count for something. Now go away.”
“What if I told you that we can slay this dragon and live?”
“I wouldn't believe you. And it wouldn't change a thing. I know what I feel for Bella is unnatural, but slaying a dragon won’t make it go away.”
Rohesia grinned. “No, but you are not unnatural. You aren't the only woman who loves like a man.”
“What?” The dragon disappeared from her mind and Adelie looked at Rohesia with curiosity. “But you lay with men, don’t you? You’re a whore.”
“A whore who also fucks women and slays dragons. Do you want my help or not?” 
Overhead a roar like the rushing ocean announced the dragon’s arrival—a dark splotch in the sky that circled and grew larger—a giant, fire-breathing creature larger than any horse or bull in the village. “We didn't come here by chance you know,” Rohesia said, shouting over the roar as the wind whipped at the wheat field behind her. “Granny heard your village had a dragon problem. She was a dragon slayer when she was young, you see, and so was my mother. Now it’s my turn to take up the sword. To save girls.”
“Girls like me?”
“I have a feeling you won’t need to be saved.”
The dragon was close enough to smell, of brimstone and musk. Its scales gleamed of gold in the moonlight. Adelie was too frightened to move, except to take Rohesia’s hand. “What do we do?”
“Nothing yet. Pretend to be the docile little virgin you think you are. We can’t kill him until he’s in his lair.”
“Why not?”
“You can’t kill a dragon while it’s awake. Everyone knows that.”
“And you expect that we’ll survive long enough for it to fall asleep?”
“Yes.”
“Have you done this before?”

“Not even remotely.  Here we go!” The dragon landed with a heavy thud in front of them, it’s tail thwacking the ground....

"The Battle of the Dragon Slayer" will be available October 15th on Amazon.

Writing Gay Sex (A Ramble)

A few weeks ago I was asked to be a guest on the Gay Sex Cast podcast with Dean Sage, Lichen Craig, and their new host, Benny.  (Link is HERE.)  This was really exciting for me because I got a chance to address my target audience with my for realz voice, and talk a little bit about my series and other topics of interest (fanfic and Anne Rice).

One of the questions I was asked was, "why gay sex?" Which is an obvious question to ask a woman. Some people seem completely blown away with the idea of a woman writing about sex between two men, and question why we would even like it.  (This answer is quite simple: for the same reason men like to watch two women get it on.)

The thing is, non-standard sexual attraction doesn't get much of a reaction out of me either way. So you're a dude who likes dudes. So you like to get it on while dressed up in cat ears or are sexually attracted to cars. Whatever, you know?  As long as no one is getting hurt, do what you want.  I write m/m sex because it turns me on and gets me off. Het sex and f/f sex does too. If you look at my bibliography I'm all over the board.

I identify as bisexual, though some people suggest I need to use the label "pansexual" to include trans people. I'm not comfortable with the idea of separating transgendered people from the rest of us. If you ID as a dude, you're a dude. End of discussion, regardless of whats in your pants.  Anyway, because my sexuality is all-encompassing, I really see all types of sexuality as, well, normal.

I write gay sex because I'm good at it. Because people like my characters. Because I think there needs to be more gay and bisexual characters in fiction. I write gay sex because it's fun. Yep. That's why I do it. 'Cause it's fun.