M. Christian's Blog, page 32

Welcome To Weirdsville: Some of the Biggest Spills And Accidents

(from M.Christian's Meine Keline Fabrik)


 This is exceptionally cool: a brand new piece I wrote for Dark Roasted Blend - on Some of the Biggest Spills And Accidents - just went up. Check out the teaser below - and for the full thing just click here.

And, don't forget, I have an entire book of this stuff available right now: Welcome To Weirdsville!


Some of the Biggest Spills And Accidents
"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes." -Oscar Wilde

What makes this quick look at ten big-time spills, accidents, and boo-boos especially scary is that they far too often involve stuff that you’d think we'd be taking extra-extra-extra special care with: industrial waste, nuclear weapons, molasses, and - more shocking than anything else - beer.

Even though evolution has graced us homo sapiens with two of them, the briefest glances at the history of extremely large scale accidents is more than enough to make us wonder if we should be sporting nothing but thumbs.

10. The Demon Core

It seems as soon as mankind started splitting them, we've been letting atoms slip through our fingers. Even putting aside the sad irony of Marie Sklodowska-Curie dying by her own discovery of radioactivity, our earliest attempts to harness the power of atomic energy are filled with shuddering tales of glow-in-the-dark slip-ups.



Back in 1945, when the scientists of the Manhattan Project were first banging blocks of uranium together, there was a nightmarishly series of accidents involving what - very aptly - came to be called The Demon Core.



Basically just a little-less-then 15 pound ball of plutonium, in August 21, the core went first went demonic when Harry Daghlian accidentally dropped a brick of tungsten carbide into it. Heroically, Harry managed to pull the brick out - avoiding a supercritical reaction - but died shortly thereafter from radiation poisoning.



A few months later, on May 21st, Louis Slotin tried to – and if this doesn't make you shiver then nothing will - "tickle the dragon's tail' by basically pushing the core as far as they could ... his only safety feature being a carefully inserted screwdriver.



All it took was for that well thought-out safety feature to slip and the core went momentarily supercritical: as with Daghlian, Slotin managed to prevent a chain reaction, but fatally dosed himself - and exposed eight other people nearby with enough radiation to seriously shorten their lifespans.



9. The Kyshtym Disaster

American scientists weren't the only ones fumbling and bumbling with nuclear power. On the other side of the world, the Soviets were racing with mad abandon to catch up with their counterparts ... emphasis on the phrase "mad abandon."




In the closed science city of Ozyorsk, they built the vast plutonium manufacturing plant of Mayak. Unfortunately, they were more-than-a-bit fumbling in the dark when it came to nuclear power, and on September 29th, 1957 a radioactive waste tank exploded. While the blast itself was impressive - it tossed the tank's 160 ton lid completely off - the release of toxic materials contaminated the region, resulting in an estimated 8,000 deaths.



What's particularly surreal about the The Kyshtym Disaster is that it didn't officially exist: the Soviets simply erased not just the accent but the town itself. The name "Kyshtym Disaster" is used because Ozyorsk and Mayak were erased from all subsequent maps and Kyshtym just happened to be the closest landmark.



If that makes you shake your head, keep shaking: there are reports that while the Soviets made Ozyorsk and Mayak "go away" the CIA knew of the disaster but kept the information secret to protect the US's own nuclear power industry.

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Rainbow Reviews Likes Me2

(from M.Christian's Queer Imaginings)


Very cool review from Ryes from Rainbow Reviews about my queer horror/thriller Me2:

He looks just like you. He acts exactly like you. Every day he becomes more and more like you, taking away that what was yours until there's nothing left. You may think you've met your match ~ or your double ~ but that's not even close.

Me2 is a psychological thriller about self and identity, written in a unique and interesting structure. The book starts off with an unnamed narrator who works at Starbucks. The narrator mentally labels the Starbucks customers by the flavor/cup sizes of the coffee they order and the personalities he associates with those coffees. This is not different from the way he views the world in terms of brand names. His description of himself also doesn't distinguish him from other men like him. His daily activities are routine, and he even gives his looks a name: a Boy of Summer look.

One of his Starbucks customers tells him about aliens, or clones, amongst us. They blend in with everyone else so you can't tell them apart. He starts wondering if there's someone out there trying to copy him in order to blend in. Suddenly, he starts seeing himself everywhere, and he's not sure why. Parts of the book read like dream sequences as his paranoia grows and he confuses small details like which car is his and which house is his.

The idea planted in his head about doubles and clones begins to consume all his thoughts and he comes to the conclusion that people really are copying details of himself to take over his life. As a result of all this, he begins questioning his identity and wondering what makes him different and what makes him an individual in a world operated by brand names and labels.

Me2 is set up with eleven chapters and three epilogues. Each of the chapters are titled (in order) "Me," "Me2," "Me3," "Me4," etc. The narrator of each chapter is not necessarily the same one from the previous chapters. The epilogues lead up to the publication of this novel, with an amusing letter from the editor to M. Christian (or whoever wrote this book).

Me2 is a well-written and well-thought out take on the issue of identity, and Christian writes with gripping and clear prose. He delivers the "horror" aspect without fail and executes a wonderful build-up. Me2 is an excellent novel that provokes thought and introspection; highly recommended.

I'm Quick & Dirty!

I'm thrilled to be part of my great pal Maxim Jakubowski's brand new anthology Quick & Dirty Erotica! 

Over 130 of the very best short pieces of erotica writing are complied here for a steamy and sensual read of “quickies” in 1,500 words or less, from some of the best loved writers in the field. Fans of The Mammoth Book of the Best New Erotica are sure to enjoy this exciting and edgy new collection.

Fantastic News From A Fantastic Publisher!

Okay, I might be just a tad prejudiced (as I'm also extremely fortunate to be an Associate Publisher for them) but my all-time favorite publisher, Renaissance E Books/Sizzler Editions, has just announced a total and complete and utterly amazing rebuild of their home site. 

Stay tuned - you will be absolutely amazed!

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Thinking Outside Your Box: Creative Adult Marketing Was A BLAST!

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)

 
Just wanted to give a hearty - and heartfelt - thanks to all the fantastic folks who came out to attend my Thinking Outside Your Box: Creative Adult Marketing event at the Center for Sex And Culture.  It was fun to teach and, hopefully, fun to attend!

Thinking Outside Your Box - On KD Grace's Blog!

This is very, very cool: check out a brand new article/essay fun-thing I wrote for the wonderful KD Grace's blog!

Here's a tease, for the rest just click here .

 
 Thinking Outside Your Box...Or Writing Isn't Always About Writing
Sure, we may all want to just cuddle in our little garrets, a purring pile of fur in our laps, leather patches on our sleeves, a pipe at the ready, and do nothing but write masterpieces all day and night – with periodic breaks for binge-drinking and soon-to-be legendary sexual escapades – but the fact of the matter is that being a writer has totally, completely, changed.

I’m not just talking about the need to be a marketing genius and a publicity guru – spending, it feels too often, more time tweeting about Facebook, or Facebooking about tweeting, than actually writing – but that authors really need to be creative when it comes to not just getting the word out about their work but actually making money.

A lot of people who claim to be marketing geniuses and publicity gurus will say that talking about you and your work as loud as possible, as often as possible, is the trick … but have you heard the joke about how to make money with marketing and PR? Punchline: get people to pay you to be a marketing genius and/or a publicity guru. In short: just screaming at the top of the tweety lungs or burying everyone under Facebook posts just won’t do it.

Not that having some form of presence online isn’t essential – far from it: if people can’t find you, after all, then they can’t buy your books. But there’s a big difference between being known and making everyone run for the hills – or at least stop up their ears – anytime you say or do anything online.

Balance is the key: don’t just talk about your books or your writing because, honestly, very few people care about that … even your readers. Instead find a subject that interests you, and write about that as well. Give yourself some dimension, some personality, some vulnerability, something … interesting, and not that you are not just an arrogant scream-engine of me-me-me-me. Food, travel, art, history, politics … you pick it, but most of all have fun with it. Forced sincerity is just about as bad as incessant narcissism.

Okay, that’s all been said before, but one thing a lot of writers never think about is actually getting out from behind their computers  or out of their garret to take in the opening to this. Sure, writing may far too often be a solitary thing, but putting yourself out there in the (gasp) real world  can open all kinds of doors. I’m not just talking publicity-that-can-sometimes-equal-book-sales, eithe. There’s money to be made in all kinds of far-too-often overlooked corners.

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Reminder: Thinking Outside Your Box: Creative Adult Marketing

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)


This is going to be a LOT of fun:

Thinking Outside Your Box: Creative Adult Marketing
Tuesday, March 19, 7:00PM - 10:00PM

Center For Sex And Culture
1349 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
$20

Let's face facts, folks: the adult business world has totally, completely changed – marketing and advertising tricks that used to work simply don't anymore ... which is why, more than ever, thinking outside the box is key to raising above the rest. Twitter? Tumblr? Live Streaming? Facebook? While there are a lot of options, many of the techniques that a lot of gurus and experts say only really work for experts and gurus ... and not for most people. 

In this fun and provocative lecture you'll learn to learn the differences between what other people say you should do and what actually works – including when to play by the rules and when not to, how to rise above the rest, and how to manage your marketing time and dollars.

Had A Blast At Bawdy Storytelling!

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)


Here's a heartfelt WONDERFUL to Dixie and the great readers/performers at the Bawdy Storytelling gig last night - it was a lot of fun and I can't wait to perform again!

I'm Performing for 'The Razor's Edge' for Bawdy Storytelling

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)


Very cool news: I'm going to be peforming as part of 'The Razor's Edge' for Bawdy Storytelling!

Here's the details and such:

When:
Wednesday, March 13th
Doors @7, Stories @8

What:
6 Stories of figuring out what turns you on.

How much:
$12 in Advance, $15 at the door

Where:
The Verdi Club
2424 Mariposa Street
San Francisco, CA

Why:
Because Bawdy shows you a very real side of San Francisco's Perveratti & that person you sat next to last month at the show. Next month, it's your turn!

When you have to choose between a story of someone sneaking out of a zen monastery to attend sex parties on the sly, or a story about a queer person making a deal with God to send her the right beautiful butch - if she only puts up with all those gay exorcisms. This Wednesday: 'The Razor's Edge'
Storytellers include:
- Sexuality Icon & Female Dominance Educator Midori
- Confessions of a Pickup Artist Chaser Author Clarisse Thorn
- Erotica Writer/Publisher/Author M Christian
- TechnoPagan & Seeker of the Divine Darrin Barnett
- Sex-positive Parent & Author Airial Clark
- God-loving Lesbian Sullivan
- Music by Mark Growden

Are you seeking the path to sexual enlightenment? So enlighten us: with so many options out there, how do you choose the one that’s right for you? No matter how you answer, take out that ball gag and get your yogapants-clad ass over to the Verdi Club this Wednesday night. From Doms to Tantrikas, from those who dabble on the weekends to those who live a 24/7 lifestyle, come enjoy an evening of ‘don’t’ ask DO TELL’ from three dimensional people who won’t be adding this information to their Linked In profile anytime soon.

Join us for this month’s Bawdy Storytelling – America’s original sex + storytelling salon featuring Real People & Rockstars - for an aural exploration into the darker, hotter, and REAL-er side of sex with an edge, and the search to find your true sexual calling. Whatever you’re expecting this evening to look like, forget it...remember, this is San Francisco: the truth is WAY more interesting than anything you could make up!

RSVP & See who's going on Facebook:
Or see more on our website at:
http://bawdystorytelling.com/razorsedgesf/

Performer Bios:
- Globe-trotting sexuality educator and writer, Midori is known for her hilarious and practical classes on amping up sexual fulfillment, boosting confidence and expanding personal growth. Originally from Japan, now based in San Francisco, she travels far and wide, teaching passionate bedroom skills. Among her many classes, the ever popular “JoyStick Secrets” is like cock-sucking comedy hour with tons of great tips. “How to Eat a Peach” is pretty much a pussy navigation manual and GPS for owners and lovers alike. On the kinky side – For women interested in cultivating their dominant aspect, don’t miss “ForteFemme” <http://www.fortefemme.com/> weekend intensive. Unique, transformative, elegant and effective.  Rope crazy? Check out Rope Bondage Dojo she leads three times a year around the country <http://www.ropedojo.com/>
Learn more about her at www.PlanetMidori.com & www.FHP-inc.com

- Clarisse Thorn writes and speaks about sex, gender, new media, and communities. Her writing has appeared across the Internet in places like The Guardian, AlterNet, Feministe, Jezebel, Ms. Media, The Rumpus, and Time Out. She has delivered lectures across the USA, from museums to universities to SXSW-interactive. In 2010, Clarisse returned to the USA after working on HIV mitigation in southern Africa. She has also volunteered as an archivist, curator and fundraiser for that venerable S&M institution, the Leather Archives & Museum, and for the social justice site Jane Addams Hull-House Museum. Clarisse's first book is called "Confessions of a Pickup Artist Chaser: Long Interviews With Hideous Men," and she has a collection of her best essays called "The S&M Feminist." Find Clarisse's blog at clarissethorn.com, or follow her on Twitter @ClarisseThorn.

- M.Christian is a renowned - and delightfully notorious - writer, editor, and publisher of erotica. His work has appeared in literally hundreds of anthologies (including Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, Best Bisexual Erotica, Best Fetish Erotica and ... well, you get the idea), magazines, and sites - and he is the author of ten collections and seven novels. But Shar Rednour, author of The Femme's Guide to the Universe puts it best when she says that "M.Christian is a sick fuck: the reason I still read erotica." His site is www.mchristian.com

- Airial Clark is a San Francisco Bay Area-based parenting expert, sexologist and founder of The Sex-Positive Parent. She completed research for her master’s thesis on race, parenting, and alternative sexuality in 2012, all the while raising her two sons as a single parent, who are now pre-teens. Ms. Clark is a contributing writer for several award-winning online media outlets including the Good Vibrations Magazine, Shades Magazine, Oakland Local and Fearless Press where she writes on the intersections of parenting, identity and sexuality. In collaboration with organizations, including the Center for Sex and Culture and the Center for Research and Education on Gender and Sexuality, Airial has led workshops where she provides parents and caregivers with the tools they need to become the resident sexuality expert for their families.

- Sullivan is an aspiring epidemiologist who likes getting the shit beaten out of her, embroidery and communicable diseases.

- Darrin Barnett is a swordsman, itinerant warrior-priest, Pagan, singer, soldier, actor, tech geek, shrilly liberal political hobbyist, and armchair terrorist. Arrogant and erudite and entirely too gleeful with verbal legerdemain. You'd think he'd settle on one or two of these things and dedicate his life, but so far the closest he's gotten to "what he wants to be when he grows up" is a worshipper of Woman.

- "Mark Growden's music combines elements from classical jazz ensembles, New Orleans-style brass bands, cabaret fanfare, and circus troupes with the stark honesty of Appalachian folk ballads and African-American prison songs." - Taos New

Seven M.Christians: Number 3 - My Mission In Life

Check it out: as part of my Seven M.Christian series I just posted the second installment as part of my on-going Confessions Of A Literary Streetwalker column for the always-great Erotica Readers And Writers Site:



My Mission In Life

Being a writer – or, to be a bit more precise, the way I became a writer – has really affected how I view the writing life ... well, actually any kind of creative life. Part of it, of course, is that it took me a long time to actually become a professional -- but more than that I think it's the transformation I went through during that far too lengthy process.
Like a lot of people, when I first began to write with an eye to actually getting published, it was a very painful process: the words just didn't come, I was always second-guessing my stories, felt like my characters were dead-on-arrival, and doubt was around much more than confidence or even hope.
But, as we read in our last installment, I kept with it and was able, finally, to step into the word of professionalism. But an odd thing happened during those years: I actually began to like to write.
Shocking, I know (and, yes, that was sarcasm), as that is what writers are supposed feel, but when I wrote like I should have said loved: sure, the words were still clumsy, the plots a struggle, the characters stiff and uncooperative, and I thought more about being out-of-print than ever getting into-print, but somewhere during those years something just clicked and I began to look forward to losing myself in my own tales, having fun with language, playing with characters ... I began to see the joy in actually telling stories.
But, more than that, I began to see the magic – which gets me, in a rather convoluted way, to the title of this little piece. Working on my stories, before and after being a professional, I developed a real appreciation for what it means to be a creator. Distilling it down a bit, I began to see writing – or painting, music, etc – as very special: what a creative person does is truly unique, incredibly difficult, and immeasurably brave.
Think about it for a second: how many people out there, milling about in their lives, have ever even considered doing what a creative person does. Sure, they may think about it, dream about it, but very few actually take even the simplest of shots at it: a creative person is a rare and special treasure. Now consider this: not only are creative people one percent (or less) of the people walking this world but they are willing to actually get off their day-dreaming clouds and do the work – often against overwhelming odds. We hear of the successes, of course: the award-winners, the 'names,' the celebrities – but we don’t hear about millions of others who tried their very best but because of this-or-that they just weren't in the right place at the right time with the right creation. Lastly, even the idea of stepping into a creative life – especially a professional one – is awe-inspiringly courageous: not only do we do the work, struggle with every element, fail and try and learn and fail and try and learn but, despite it all, we keep going.
I call this installment "My Mission In Life" because I've been there, I know the pain of rejection, the struggles of trying to create something from nothing and so when I work with, talk with, or teach – though my classes – anyone doing anything creative I always remind them of their rarity, their dedication, their courage.
I once wrote a little piece that kind of got me into trouble – especially with other writers. In it I laid it on the line: you will never be famous, rich, or have one of your books made into a movie, no one will ask for your autograph ... but, if you remember that what you are doing is rare, special, and brave then some of that might actually happen. The trick is to remember the magic, to forever hold onto the pure enjoyment that comes from creating something that no one has ever seen before.
I don't use the word magic lightly: when it happens just right, when we put it all together, what creative people do is transport people into another world, show them things that they may never have ever considered, and – if we are very lucky – change their lives. If that is not magic then I don't know what is.
So, "My Mission In Life" is (1) remember my own lessons and not lose sight of the joy in creation, the specialness of what I am trying to do, and the courage I have in sending my work out into the too-often cold and uncaring world; and (2) to tell as many creative people the same exact thing.
Sure, some of us might be 'known' a bit more than others, sell more books, make more money and all the rest of that crap – but I sincerely believe that anyone who has dedicated themselves to creation, of any kind, deserves support and respect. No one who creates is better than any other person who creates: we all face the same difficulties, the same ego-shattering failures, the same Sisyphian tasks of trying to get out work out there and noticed.
What writers do is magic -- pure and simple: we are magicians using only our minds, imaginations, and lots of hard to work to use only words to transform, enlighten, transport, amuse and maybe even enlighten.
As a writer, an editor, a friend, and now as a publisher, it is my heartfelt "Mission" to remind anyone who creates that they are truly special: published or not, 'successful' or not, rich or not, famous or not, we are all magicians – and that we are all in this together and that there is absolutely no reason to make an already tough life tougher through needless competition, arrogance, conceit, or just simple rudeness.
We magicians should stick together – and never forget why we are all here: to experience the joy in telling stories.