A. Regina Cantatis's Blog, page 17

quick and dirty

On this fine Memorial Day (for those of you living in the US) weekend, I'm not going to weigh you down with a big post. I'm just going to let you know what I'm up to, and how some of you can eventually be part of the process.
Inspired by a few other EMC writers who've taken on the challenge, I've begun writing a Choose Your Own Adventure story. It will be huge, because of its very nature, so it will take me a long time to write. I'm not sure how long, but since the finished product will be novel length, I'm guessing a few months.

The plot will be based very loosely on one of my first EMCSA stories, "What Do You Give the Man Who Has Everything?" But now it will be "What Do You Give the Alien Who Has Everything?" There will be two alien-parasite-infested MC'ers, one male and one female; so you can choose whom you might or might not become enslaved to (There are at least a couple of different kinds of "might not"). You'll also be able to choose your protagonist's gender and orientation (The orientation is very loosely defined, so your choice of sex partners isn't locked in by what you select at the start). My original story was set in a South American drug dealer's mansion, but the new version takes place in a much nicer location: the Seychelles, otherwise known as the most exclusive resort location on the planet.

Now here's where you come in. When I reach the end of the process, I'm going to need some beta readers. I'll be looking for people with good proofreading skills and broad enough interests to test the story from all four possible points of view (gay female, straight female, gay male, straight male). No need to volunteer yet; like I said, the story is a long way from being finished. But if you're interested, just keep the idea tucked away in your mind and look for updates as the time approaches.

All beta readers will get a free copy of the finished e-book and a thank-you in the "Acknowledgements" section, but you will have to work for it. ;-P

R.I.P. H.R. Giger

H.R. Giger died earlier this week, after a fall. This is my memorial to an artist among artists. Rest in peace, Sir.

                   

Did I forget to post a notice about Union, Reunion here?

I've just changed the cover, and when I went looking for the original post, I couldn't find it.

At the same time, I also redid the cover for "A Tenpack of Trixies," so tell you what. I'll give you 25% off coupons for both e-books, good for one month. Feel free to share the codes with anyone you think might like the books.

Here's the code for Union, Reunion at Smashwords: ZH73V

And here's the code for A Tenpack of Trixies at Smashwords: JW52V

More out-of-context follies with Clark Ashton Smith

Luis Royo, Dead MoonI'm still enjoying my rediscovery of a favorite author from my teen years, Clark Ashton Smith. He was a contemporary and friend of Lovecraft and wrote similar kinds of stories (Sometimes I imagine their friendship might have been a little like mine with Tabico and trilby else). As I've said before, all CAS's stories are available in full, for free, on The Eldritch Dark. The one I want to quote from today is Necromancy in Naat.

Well, the title kind of gives away the real context, doesn't it? But CAS writes this scene in such a way that it's almost laughably easy to imagine the sorcerers' thralls are alive and just mind controlled. Let me prove it to you. I'm not going to change a single word in the original text of this passage; I'll just trim a few words here and there. Read the setup below, and then, as you read the text, imagine the hero has fallen into the grip of a trio of mind controllers who've half ensorcelled him (which they have) and fully ensorcelled his lover.

The hero of the story, Yadar, has set off to rescue his beloved, who has been kidnapped and taken across the ocean. He's in another galley which gets caught in a current called the Black River and then wrecked just off the coast of Naat. A woman swims out to Yadar and rescues him. Then this happens.

Uttering no word, nor turning to look at Yadar, the woman rose to her feet; and, beckoning him to follow, she moved away in the deathly blue dusk that had fallen upon Naat. Yadar, arising and following the woman, heard a strange and eery chanting of voices above the sea's tumult, and saw a fire that burned weirdly, with the colors of driftwood, at some distance before him in the dusk. Straightly, toward the fire and the voices, the woman walked. And Yadar, with eyes grown used to that doubtful twilight, saw that the fire blazed in the mouth of a low-sunken cleft between crags that overloomed the beach; and behind the fire, like tall, evilly posturing shadows, there stood the dark-clad figures of those who chanted.

Now memory returned to him of that which the galley's captain had said regarding Naat. The very sound of that chanting, albeit in an unknown tongue, seemed to suspend the heartward flowing of his veins, and to set the tomb's chillness in his marrow. And though he was little learned in such matters, the thought came to him that the words uttered were of sorcerous import and power.

Going forward, the woman bowed low before the chanters, like a slave. The men, who were three in number, continued their incantation without pausing. Gaunt as starved herons they were, and great of stature, with a common likeness; and their sunk eyes were visible only by red sparks reflected within them from the blaze. And their eyes, as they chanted, seemed to glare afar on the darkling sea and on things hidden by dusk and distance.

High leaped the fire, with a writhing of tongues like blue and green serpents coiling amid serpents of yellow. And the light flickered brightly on the face and breasts of that woman who had saved Yadar from the Black River; and he, beholding her closely, knew why she had stirred within him a dim remembrance: for she was none other than his lost love, Dalili!

Luis Royo, Dead MoonForgetting the presence of the dark chanters, he sprang forward to clasp his beloved, crying out her name in an agony of rapture. But she answered him not, and responded to his embrace only with a faint trembling. Mortally pale and languid were the lips that he kissed. In the wide, beautiful eyes that she turned to him, he found only a drowsy voidness, and such recognition as a sleeper gives when but half awakened, relapsing quickly into slumber thereafter.

'Art thou indeed Dalili?' he said. And she answered somnolently, in a toneless, indistinct voice: 'I am Dalili.'

To Yadar, baffled by mystery, forlorn and aching, it was as if she had spoken from a land farther away than all the weary leagues of his search for her. Fearing to understand the change that had come upon her, he said tenderly: 'Surely thou knowest me, for I am thy lover, the Prince Yadar, who has sought thee through half the kingdoms of earth, and has sailed afar for thy sake on the unshored sea.'

And she replied like one bemused by some heavy drug, as if echoing his words without true comprehension: 'Surely I know thee.' And to Yadar there was no comfort in her reply; and his concernment was not allayed by the parrotings with which she answered all his other loving speeches and queries.

Luis Royo, Dead MoonHe knew not that the three chanters had ceased their incantation; and, verily, he had forgotten their presence. But as he stood holding the girl closely, the men came toward him, and one of them clutched his arm. And the man hailed him by name and addressed him, though somewhat uncouthly, in a language spoken throughout many parts of Zothique, saying: 'We bid thee welcome to the Isle of Naat.'
Yadar, feeling a dread suspicion, interrogated the man fiercely: 'What manner of beings are ye? And why is Dalili here? And what have ye done to her?'

'I am Vacharn,' the man replied, 'and these others with me are my sons. We dwell in a house behind the crags, and are attended by the people that our sorcery has called from the sea. Among our servants is this girl, Dalili, together with the crew of that ship in which she sailed from Oroth. Like the vessel in which thou camest later, the ship was blown far asea and was taken by the Black River and wrecked finally on the reefs of Naat. My sons and I, chanting that powerful formula which requires no use of circle or pentacle, summoned ashore the company: even as we have now summoned the crew of that other vessel, from which thou wert saved by the swimmer, at our command.'

Vacharn ended, and stood peering into the dusk intently; and Yadar heard behind him a noise of slow footsteps coming upward across the shingle from the surf. Turning, he saw emerge from the livid twilight the old captain of that galley in which he had voyaged to Naat; and behind the captain were the sailors and oarsmen. Stiffly, like automatons, they made obeisance to Vacharn and his sons, acknowledging thus their thralldom to those who had called them. In their glassily staring eyes there was no recognition of Yadar, no awareness of outward things; and they spoke only in dull, rote-like recognition of certain obscure words addressed to them.

To Yadar, it was as if he too stood and moved in a dark, hollow, half-conscious dream, walking with the enchanters through a dim ravine that wound secretly toward the uplands of Naat. In his heart there was small joy at the finding of Dalili; and his love was companioned with a sick despair.

"My Very Own Serial Number" is now an e-book

This is one of the stories I'm proudest of writing, and it's now for sale at Smashwords (where, as usual, you can get a 25% discount for the first month of sales - the coupon code is HV86F). I'll add the Amazon link when that one goes live. 

Here's the synopsis:



Amanda is smart, gorgeous, and not afraid to strip for money; but she’s too naïve for her own good. When she finds a web service that will let her sell nude photos while preserving her anonymity, she doesn’t question the idea at all. It sounds wonderful, and it even allows her to try a host of top-shelf products for free. They seem free, anyway; Amanda doesn’t notice the secret cost to her free will.
Her boyfriend is more skeptical of the scheme, but he doesn’t stand a chance against Amanda’s new friends. Soon she’s involved with a snarky lesbian photographer who helps her make her (anonymous) name in the modeling world and initiates her into the deepest mysteries of One World Future. The boyfriend is long gone by then, but he’s not forgotten – by Amanda or the ones who now control her.
If you enjoyed “Willing Subject,” you’ll love “My Very Own Serial Number.”
This story involves brainwashing, straight sex, lesbian sex, light bondage, conspiracy theories, and a smattering of aliens.

Thank you all very much!

I really appreciate the reviews and linkages to Sleepwalkers that are coming in. You are very kind. :-)

May I ask a favor? I promise it's an easy one.

No sob stories (I could give you one, but I won't because you probably have your own), but Sleepwalkers Deluxe did not have the opening week I needed it to have. Not wanted - needed. I know most of the people who read this blog have also read the novel, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd post some reviews on Amazon and/or Smashwords. Or if you're not able to do that, please at least follow the link to Amazon and click around between my books to create some "People who viewed Book A also viewed Book B" links.

I hate to ask this of you, but I kind of have to. Thanks for understanding.

An interview - by one of you

A few weeks ago I got an email from a semi-regular commenter on my blog, who goes by "K" in these parts. K was taking a writing class which required him to interview a stranger, and he wanted to use me as his subject. After I put the poor guy through the wringer, making him prove he was a real student writing a real paper (as opposed to a random sleazeball trying to make money off my name), I submitted to his very kind, insightful inquisition. As you can see, he produced a fantastic article. So thanks, K, for choosing me as your subject - and for letting me post the results on my blog.



A. Regina Cantatis: A Muse’s Puppet
Imagine for a moment you’ve been put in a chair. People around you are working with various devices you don’t recognize. They surround you and strap you into the chair. A long cord is then inserted into the back of your neck with a slight pinch and a solid click. Then you start feeling parts of your mind being rearranged and altered with the difficulty of reorganizing the files on your computer. Some memories are removed (you never had a dog, so why are they mentioning one?) Memories are altered, some are subtle (of course blue was always your favorite color its why your phone case is blue) or maybe they are less subtle (it is great that people stopped worrying about memory redesign isn’t it?) In the end none of that is a problem as all your memories and personality are stored away in a little file, in case they are ever needed, and all that remains is a drone waiting for instruction. A. Regina Cantatis is an author with a passion for writing stories centering on the concepts of altering the mind and identity. She writes scenes like the above (amongst other things), sometimes they are treated as the unfortunate fate of the villain’s victims; other times the scene is something where there is no victim and the person is a willing subject.  Because the material she writes is of an erotic bent name A. Regina. Cantatis is a pen name chosen for when she writes erotic work. The pen name is to allow her to alleviate her worry about the response it might garner if her real name were attached to these stories, “I’d never do anything that might hurt or embarrass [my loved ones] - and I won’t risk my job, either. There’s no telling what my boss or coworkers would do if they knew the truth.”  The name was picked for two reasons first, one of the possible translations is “enchanted by the queen” and the other point is because it sounds like a real name. Ms. Cantatis is occasionally amused with the response the name gets because of how realistic it sounds. “A lot of people on Facebook call me ‘Regina.’ I always laugh about that because I’m on the opposite end of the dominant/submissive spectrum from the queen.” The name A. Regina Cantatis was created when she began e-publishing. Of the roughly thirty stories she has put out online she has released seven stories as eBooks. There’s  less pressure in attempting to get work e-published as opposed to using a normal publisher as the author is allowed to decide which of their works to release.  The other concern that she had felt when dealing with publishing was that she feared costs trying to get her works published would cost “I assumed there’d be an up-front publishing cost to eat into my profits and maybe even lead me into debt. “ She learned through her experiences with e-publishing that the process is still complex and difficult, but as far as costs go “There aren’t any up-front costs; Amazon and similar organizations just take a cut of your profits. It’s not a huge cut, and it’s completely worth the time you spend in publishing something.” While she wants to get all of her works published eventually, but Ms. Cantatis has started publishing her stories based on how likely she thinks the story is to sell, so that it can help build her name. This means that her stories are not necessarily published by her whether or not a story is her favorite.  Though the first work she published was the story Sleepwalkers, which Ms. Cantatis had been mulling around in her head for most of her life and as a result is her favorite of the works she has written, “That’s my baby. I came up with the original concept when I was about eleven, and since then I’ve spent three decades trying to turn it into a novel. I’m proud to have finally succeeded, and I’m even prouder about the praise it’s received.”Ms. Cantatis has had a fascination with mind control from a young age which she reasons is a result of her upbringing. As a child Ms. Cantatis was always told to be a good girl, and she believes that mixed with her innate desires to please and be responsible. These factors led her to two facts about herself, that she was fascinated with the idea of mind control, and that she found she favored being controlled not controlling. Cantatis believes that while her mindset is mostly the result of how she was raised she does admit that her nature had to have some impact on it, “It’s my desire to please someone else that makes me want to submit: if I’m controlled thoroughly enough, I can never displease. On the other hand, my sense of responsibility can be a burden sometimes. I could shed it if I were someone else’s puppet; then I wouldn’t be responsible for my own actions at all.” It is important to understand that in spite of her fascination and enjoyment of the idea of mind control and depersonalization. They are things she believes should be fantasy only and are not things that should be done or attempted in the real world.   However, in these fantasies the thing that intrigues Ms. Cantatis the most though is not being a puppet or just controlled, but is much more involved with her love of science fiction.A common element in Ms. Cantatis’ work is individuals being turned into drones of one type or another, predominantly robots. As to why she enjoys robots as opposed to puppets. The answer is first that she likes the shininess and second, “it’s a combination of loving science fiction and being fascinated with really deep levels of depersonalization. A doll is more human-like than a robot, so a doll is less interesting to me than a robot.” Ms. Cantatis finds the idea of depersonalization appealing, although she will point out that she is happy with herself and has no self-esteem issues, but it goes along with her interest in the idea of being controlled combined with a desire to not have to deal with the pressures being a person brings. “Standing out in a crowd is stressful, especially when you’re a kid who wants to fit in but doesn’t know how; and that’s how I grew up. I wanted to be like everybody else, so I fantasized about losing my individuality; and those fantasies still resonate with me today because I grew up with them.” Thus she uses her stories to explore and share her fascination with the ideas of depersonalization and mind control. Some of her stories can be used to compare the difference between different levels of being an individual.In her story Willing SubjectCantatis has the main character, Missy at the start of the story, go through different levels of being controlled and experiencing depersonalization. The main character starts out as a fully free individual intrigued by an individual claiming to be an ancient sorceress as part of a stage hypnotism show called the Black Pearl. Over the course of the story Missy develops her submissive personality that wants nothing more than to serve the Black Pearl called m (lowercase is part of the spelling at this point in the characters arc.)  Eventually Missy and m are actually arguing over whether to return to being Missy or continuing to attempt to become a perfect servant like m wants.  In the end there is no Missy or m, there is only a thrall without identity. The thrall, in contrast with m, isn’t striving to serve because it is incapable of wanting anything at all. This story is a good example of how Ms. Cantatis demonstrates the different levels of a controlled individual and how it can be used to play with the idea of identity.  You have the different types and, with the exception of the thrall, the personalities eventually come into conflict over what they want.Ms. Cantatis plans to continue with her publishing and is presently working on a special edition ofSleepwalkers, as she’s trying to get the cover right. For those considering getting into e-publishing she notes that getting the right cover image is very important, and that while the process of getting a book e-published is not expensive it is still a difficult process to get through. “That’s why I gave up on trying to publish anywhere but Amazon and Smashwords. Those are troublesome enough.” She is proud of the works she’s done and is looking forward to getting more of her work put out in the future. For those who have any interest in reading her work look her up on Smashwords or Amazon.

New *Deluxe* Sleepwalkers with lots of sexy bonus content

I am extremely excited to announce that the new Deluxe Edition of Sleepwalkers with Bonus Material is now online at Smashwords and Amazon. I've been working hard to come up with a bunch of extras that you'll all enjoy; and my mystery artist, fellow EMC writer Jacqueline Sweet, has been working hard to design the gorgeous cover you see at left.

As usual, for the first month of publication, you can get the e-book for 25% off at Smashwords. Just use the coupon code EW22A.

Here's a brief synopsis of the story, then a description of all the extras you'll receive - all for the same price as the original version of Sleepwalkers.


Valerie Hawthorne rules the United Americas with a mixture of sex, threats, and mind control. When she brainwashes a young scientist, she expects him to help her achieve total domination of her empire; but Paul Medina has a secret that even he doesn’t know. One day it will cause him to wake up and turn against her.
This edition of Sleepwalkers includes the following bonus content:
“Welcome to Bliss” - a prequel that tells the story of Paul’s parents and their first test of Dreamer on a human subject “The Easter Egg in the Credits” - a certain climactic scene from a different point of view“From Fantasy to Reality” – how Sleepwalkers evolved from a naïve pre-teen’s fantasy into a fetish erotica novel“Paul’s Ill-Equipped Magic Act” – a look at how I write my stories, using the trickiest chapter in the book as my example“Life under the Shadow of Dreamer” – answers to some of the most interesting questions I’ve been asked about Paul’s world“What Now?” – The story is over, but what happens next to the characters you loved an hated the most?Gorgeous new cover art by fellow mind control erotica writer Jacqueline SweetThank you to everyone who helped me compose the original story. I've acknowledged you all in the e-book, and I've included many of your questions in "Life Under the Shadow of Dreamer."

This post will self destruct in three days

I am extremely excited to announce that the new Deluxe Edition of Sleepwalkers with Bonus Material is now online at Smashwords. I've been working hard to come up with a bunch of extras that you'll all enjoy; and my mystery artist, fellow EMC writer Jacqueline Sweet, has been working hard to design the gorgeous cover you see at left.

Here's a brief synopsis of the story, then a description of all the extras you'll receive - all for the same price as the original version of Sleepwalkers.


Valerie Hawthorne rules the United Americas with a mixture of sex, threats, and mind control. When she brainwashes a young scientist, she expects him to help her achieve total domination of her empire; but Paul Medina has a secret that even he doesn’t know. One day it will cause him to wake up and turn against her.

This edition of Sleepwalkers includes the following bonus content: “Welcome to Bliss” - a prequel that tells the story of Paul’s parents and their first test of Dreamer on a human subject “The Easter Egg in the Credits” - a certain climactic scene from a different point of view“From Fantasy to Reality” – how Sleepwalkers evolved from a naïve pre-teen’s fantasy into a fetish erotica novel“Paul’s Ill-Equipped Magic Act” – a look at how I write my stories, using the trickiest chapter in the book as my example“Life under the Shadow of Dreamer” – answers to some of the most interesting questions I’ve been asked about Paul’s world“What Now?” – The story is over, but what happens next to the characters you loved an hated the most?Gorgeous new cover art by fellow mind control erotica writer Jacqueline SweetThank you to everyone who helped me compose the original story. I've acknowledged you all in the e-book, and I've included many of your questions in "Life Under the Shadow of Dreamer."
And now, if you've been tracking my blog for the last few weeks, and/or if you've bothered to read all the way to the bottom of this post, here's your reward: a coupon to get this new edition of Sleepwalkers absolutely free at Smashwords - for three days only. The coupon expires April 24. I'm not requiring you to do anything in order to receive the free e-book, but I do have a request. Please help me publicize the story in whatever way is possible to you - by word of mouth, a blog entry, posts on the MC Forum or MC Garden - whatever. Please don't give anyone the free coupon code, though. That's just for you, for being a loyal reader. Thanks again, and here's the magic number: MJ32X