A word from the *fourth* beta reader

As you know, I asked for volunteers to beta read my upcoming "Choose Your Own Adventure" story, and the winners were K, Busty Brenda, and Anemone. But there's a fourth beta as well: a longtime friend who's been helping me proof my stories almost ever since I started e-publishing. That's Lady K. While she was helping me with Sleepwalkers, she offered to write an early review for my blog, and I was happy to accept. Now she's offering to do the same for "What Do You Give the Alien Who Has Everything?"

I'll paste in her words below, but before I do, here are a few quick words about the story's progress. My beta readers have been hugely helpful, the story is in great shape and getting greater, I plan to publish it on September 20, and yesterday I created the final (or maybe almost-final) version of the cover. Take a look at it and tell me if you think there's anything else I need to do to it.

And now I'll pass the mic to Lady K.

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Greetings and salutations, readers of thrall's blog!

This is thrall's friend Lady K with another guest blog post. I, along with three other lucky people, am a beta reader for thrall's latest work, a Choose Your Own Adventure tale called What Do You Give the Alien Who Has Everything? Since that's a bit of a finger-twister to type I'll be calling it WDYGtAWHE for the rest of this post. Hmmn. That's really not much easier to type. Ah well, onward!

So, what can you expect from WDYGtAWHE? This is thrall's fiction at its turbo-charged best. thrall has a gift for coming up with different ways to describe the experience of entrallment. As a writer of MC erotica myself, I can tell you that is not easy.

So what can I tell you about WDYGtAWHE? Without giving any spoilers, I'll answer the question this way. Does the story have:

• Squick? Check.
• Latex? Check.
• Blank, staring eyes? Check.
• Blissed-out thralls of multiple varieties, including a few I'd not thought of myself? Check.
• Fetishes thrall hasn't explored/included in her fiction before? Check.
• Smoking hot MC induction scenes? Duh, this is thrall we're talking about! Check!

The coolest element by far is the Choose Your Own Adventure format. Trust me, thrall is using the features of this format brilliantly. There are multiple plot lines, twists and turns and a mcguffin or two.

There's something for everyone in WDYGtAWHE. You can follow plot lines that conform to your fetish, then go back and follow other plot lines that are just as hot. This is a tale of multiple delights.

You're going to love this story. Trust me.

A Peek Beneath the Duct Tape: "Sleepwalkers, Chapter 1"

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to put Sleepwalkers online after all these years. Believe it or not, I first started fantasizing about Paul and Shara when I was about 12. It wasn't quite my first MC fantasy, but pretty nearly. Of course, the plot I came up with as a kid didn't look much like what I've written for the EMCSA, but some of the basic elements remain. The drugs, chips, and imprinting table were there from the start (though without the sex - I was an innocent little thing at the time); and the gloating General was a gloating Master because I had no clue I was gay. I'll say a bit more about that old fantasy when I peek in on Chapter 2. You can see exactly where it's headed already, can't you?

Wizard wasn't a part of the original fantasy. In fact, she wasn't even originally part of Chapter 1. I added her in after the first draft was complete, when Lady K pointed out some holes I needed to fill. Having a character with communications expertise came in handy all kinds of ways, and fleshing her out made me change other parts of the story in ways that will make the whole thing more exciting.

I thought I made her up completely on my own, but not too long ago I stumbled across a website devoted to William Gibson's books and remembered that he created a disabled hacker of his own in Idoru. I'd totally forgotten that. I'd also forgotten that Neal Stephenson did the same in Snow Crash. So maybe it's a trope I'm not aware of. Anyway, I've come to love Wizard so much that she's now my favorite character in Sleepwalkers. That's pretty funny, considering how long I've had Paul and Shara in my head.

It's too early in the story to say much else about the plot, but I will add a few more notes:

1. Wizard's disability is a real one, which I researched in preparation for writing her character. You'll find out what it is before much longer.
2. Despite the current political climate in Arizona, I didn't choose Phoenix to make a political statement. I chose it because I tend to set my stories in the South, and I wanted to go in a different direction for a change. I've actually visited Phoenix, so I thought I could write about it convincingly (not that much action takes place there). It's a gorgeous city, and Camelback Mountain is magnificent, especially in late afternoon.
3. Mount Weather exists. It's so secretive that you can't find much information about it online, but there's this and a few images of the above-ground areas. The below-ground areas I describe are 100% fiction. Probably.

I'm not dead yet!

I didn't post anything last week because I was so intent on polishing "Sleepwalkers" - and getting it out to you fine people - that I couldn't stop long enough to think of a blog topic. This week the writing bug is biting me even harder, but I'm making myself pause because I think you deserve a story update.

The whole first draft is finished, and I had a little laugh yesterday thinking about how, in my introduction, I thank my proofreaders (Lady K, Callidus, and the friendly neighborhood orc) for helping me keep the volume turned to eleven - and then I actually ended up with eleven chapters. I hope that number will give you that extra push over the cliff.

In the meantime, I apologize for being too obsessive-compulsive to publish the story until I have several chapters polished to my satisfaction (I'll probably still end up with a few typos despite that, because I always do - and I can't tell you how much it drives me crazy). I'm not waiting until it's all done, though. I'll post the first chapter on the EMCSA after I've finished polishing chapter 6. That way, I can feel confident of having each successive chapter ready to go live the following week. I'm polishing Chapter 4 right now, so that gives me a rough time frame of three weeks before Chapter 1 goes live. If - and only if - I unexpectedly croak before then, Lady K has my permission to post the rough drafts she's been proofing. I'd hate to leave you all hanging ;-P

And now I need your input. Like I said before, I plan on posting each chapter of "Sleepwalkers" on my blog a few days before I post it on the EMCSA. That's my gift to everyone who takes the time to stop by here. My question to you is which of these options you'd prefer in the meantime. Let me know in the comments section. I've set up this blog so that you don't need a Google account to make a comment, and you can post in total anonymity. I won't delete anything that's not trolling or spam.

So, now, tell me what to do. I am your obedient thrall. ;-)

1. I can tide you over until EMCSA-posting time by giving you the first half of Chapter 1 right here, next weekend. That would give you plenty to get excited about even though it would mean you had to stop reading just short of the induction.
2. I can wait until just before posting Chapter 1 on the EMCSA and then give you the whole chapter in its entirety here so that you don't have to stop before the induction...However, I should warn you that the chapter itself ends on a cliffhanger. Most of the chapters in "Sleepwalkers" do.

Weigh in below.

Guest poster Lady K weighs in again on "Sleepwalkers"

First, a very brief update of my own regarding my upcoming novella...which, I think, is probably technically a novel by now. It's grown to 11 chapters, but thankfully, that's the final count. Yes, I'm certain. I'm down to the final scene now - although there's still lots of polishing to do before I'm ready to post anything. But it's hilarious to look back at the older entries I made about the story and to see how I kept revising my estimations about the length. My original idea was that it would be a whopping six chapters!  Anyway, I'm still shooting for posting the Chapter 1 on the EMCSA in about two months, give or take; and I'll post at least part of it on my blog much sooner than that.

In the meantime, here's a totally unbiased take on what I've done so far (And if you believe that, I have a lovely non-Euclidean bridge to sell you). Lady K continues to be my faithful beta reader, and I've asked her to write another update for you all. This is her response.

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Greetings, readers of thrall's blog. This is Lady K, thrall's friend and fellow devotee of fine MC erotica. How did we meet, you ask? None of your damn business and I'll thank you not to be so nosy. :-)

This is another update on the progress of thrall's MC novella, "Sleepwalkers." thrall asked me to write this earlier in the week and if I'm honest, it's not been the easiest request to fulfill. That's because there's only so much I can tell you without ruining the story and that's the last thing I want to do. You see, this is seriously good stuff. I'm not just saying that because thrall's my friend, either. If it sucked, I'd tell her. It would be hard but I'd do it.

However, after some reflection I've come up with a few tidbits I feel safe letting you in on.

1. This story is very hot. "Duh, Lady K," I hear you say. "This is thrall's MC erotica, I'd expect no less." Fair enough but you didn't let me finish. thrall has managed to do something I didn't think was possible. "Sleepwalkers" is a science fiction MC novella set in a dystopian future. thrall has managed to take the induction method used by the bad guys and keep it fresh and hot for induction after induction. This is not easy to do and it's why we authors normally change the inductions around a bit. thrall has done it and done it nicely.
2. This is a fully-realized science fiction universe. Most writers of erotica pay a touch of lip service to the setting and get right to the inductions. thrall has thought out the setting in fine detail. I'm very proud of her.
3. This is not a stroke piece. I know I said this before in my first update but this can't be said enough. If your looking for a quick piece to jack or jill off to, keep looking.

Well, that's it readers. Anything more would spoil the story. "Sleepwalkers" is thrall's finest work yet. I'm sure you'll agree when she unveils it.

May you find the benevolent (or not-so-benevolent) mind controller of your dreams.

Lady K

Please give a warm welcome to our special guest blogger

As you know if you've been reading this blog for awhile, I'm currently working on my longest story yet - basically an X-rated SF novella. Since the plot is so complicated, I've asked Lady K, with her great eye for detail, to help me keep the plotlines straight.

She was happy to oblige, and when she offered to write a guest entry for my blog describing her experience, I was happy to oblige her. It's a nice teaser for my blog readers, and for me, it's fun to see how someone else describes my writing approach. I'm shy about sharing rough drafts, but when I do, the people I share them with invariably give great feedback.

So now, without further ado, I'm turning the mic over to Lady K.

Hi there, readers of thrall's blog. Lady K here. I've been a friend of thrall's for a few years now and have long been an admirer of her fiction. I've even served as a beta-reader for Ethna Redux. My fascination with Celtic mythology finally came in handy on that occasion. Recently, thrall asked me if I'd like to be a beta reader for her current saga. I jumped at the chance. This was a chance to read one of thrall's stories from its beginning stages. How often was I going to get a chance to do that?

Mostly, thrall has me looking for holes in her logic, whether the inductions are clear and the continuity of the story. I'm very honored. You have to understand that thrall almost never lets anyone read her rough drafts. I'm getting a really Interesting look at the creative process behind thrall's work.

First off, I can safely say that her rough drafts are more polished than a lot of the finished work I see on EMCSA. She really cares about her writing.

So far, I've read the first and second drafts of chapter one and the rough drafts of chapters two and three. The plot has a strong sci-fi theme and it makes sense. thrall has created a new world where a particular type of MC is a logical offshoot of the society. The characters are strong and the inductions are hot. 

In one of her emails, thrall expressed some concern about the continuity between chapters one and two. So she went back and added a new character. This new character fits seamlessly into the story, explains a couple of plot points and answers a problem with the logic. That's how much she cares about her fiction.

However, I should say that this is not a stroke piece. It's MC fiction written for MC fetishists. 

So far it's looking like another winner from thrall. I'm just really happy that I get to see the story as it develops. 

Monty Python meets H.P. Lovecraft by way of Scotland

Thanks to Lady K for the giggles:



And just for the sake of completeness, here's the video I'd shared with her first:

Funny and awesome

Sometimes I wish this wasn't an 18-and-over blog (Okay, yeah, I know there are plenty of people younger than that reading it, but let's pretend). The video below is wonderful for anyone of any age - especially but not exclusively closeted LGBT's. It's funny and and hot and pretty damn dirty: a great combination. But since this is an 18-and-over blog, I can't specifically address this post to LGBT teens. I hope you'll help me share it, though. It really is awesome.



Thanks to Lady K for sharing it with me!

Would China Mieville really destroy the world?

That's the question I kept asking myself as I made my way through Kraken (If you missed my earlier post on the topic, here it is).On the one hand, the three previous Mieville novels I'd read were pretty grim; but on the other, Kraken started off funny and got even funnier as it went along. Really, would an author who gives his protagonist access to a working Star Trek phaser let that protagonist (not to mention everyone else on the planet) die a fiery death? Well, this is China Mieville we're talking about, so I just wasn't sure.

Now I have my answer, so the only remaining question is how much to tell you. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but some of you might feel like Lady K. She read Perdido Street Station at my recommendation and hated the ending so much that she was ready to swear off Mieville completely unless I told her Kraken was a safe read. So, Lady K, here's your answer: YES. By all means, check out this book.

When I blogged about the novel at the halfway point, I said it reminded me a lot of Neil Gaiman, especially Neverwhere and American Gods. I left Anansi Boys out of that post only because it seemed a little redundant to mention when I'd already name-checked American Gods. Now I feel like I have to include it, because Kraken ended up being more like Anansi Boys than American Gods. I say that for a number of reasons, but most of them involve spoilers, so all I'll tell you here is this: a) AB is funnier than AG, while still retaining plenty of horror; and b) Billy Harrow is a lot like Fat Charlie, both in personality and in character arc.

Hmm, I wonder if Gaiman has read much Mieville (I don't have to wonder the opposite, because it's just so clearly true). Maybe they even know each other. Wouldn't it be interesting to have dinner with the two of them together?

I know some hardcore Mieville fans look down on Kraken because it's more lightweight than his Bas-lag novels, so I guess that means I'm not a hardcore fan. But I'm okay with that because it means I got to enjoy a fun novel with real emotional weight, fantastic characters, terrifying villains, hundreds of geeky in-jokes, and "confirmation" of a personal theory I've always held about Star Trek's transporter technology. ;) So what if the ending didn't make me want to stick my head in the oven? Is that a bad thing?

P.S.: The picture at the top of this post doesn't really have anything to do with Kraken, but you didn't really want to see that boring old book cover again, did you? ;) I thought you'd appreciate a bit of stuntkid art instead.

Your assistance, please?

There was a time when I only wrote what I knew, but I seem to be moving further and further away from that era. For instance, with the EMC story I'm plotting now, I'll have to know a lot more than I already do (which is practically nothing) about skating sports. Specifically, I need 1) technical knowledge of pairs skating and 2) comparisons and contrasts between hockey and figure skating.

Make of this what you will. ;-)

Anyway, Jukebox tells me there's a Canadian reality TV show where hockey players team up with figure skaters, but I can't access the YouTube videos because I live in the wrong country. :-/ If you can watch the show and have been doing so regularly, you could certainly help me; and if you have personal experience with both sports, you could help me even more. I'm also looking for people with in-depth knowledge of pairs skating (Lady K already has me covered on the hockey front).

If you'd like to volunteer your services, you'll get advance details and peeks on the story in progress, though of course you'll be sworn to secrecy; and I'll give you credit on my blog and in the notes at the top of the story when it's posted on the EMCSA* - assuming you do want that and don't want to remain completely anonymous. But if you would like a credit, I'll use whatever name you wish.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me!

* I make no promises about when it will be posted, but it'll happen.

The lesbians' Judy Garland and other celebrities

You might or might not have noticed, but I've been on a huge Muse kick lately. I'd heard a few of the band's songs before and liked them (sometimes without knowing it was them), but I didn't realize just how phenomenal they were until I downloaded a few of their albums and saw a few of their videos on YouTube. I didn't realize how phenomenal Matt freaking Bellamy was. So now I've got my beloved totally hooked, and I've found out through conversations that Lady K and another real-life lesbian friend are also fans. And even though my slash-loving friend likes show tunes rather than rock, she at least appreciates Bellamy's talent.

All this has led to some interesting conversations. For instance, I told Slash-Friend about Beloved's joke that we should have Matt come dance around our bed, and I added that it probably wouldn't take Matt long to jump on the pile. So Slash-Friend asked if that would make us jump out, and I said only Beloved would leave. I'd stay; I'd just be careful about what I let Matt put where. ;-P It was at this point that Slash-Friend suggested Matt Bellamy might be the lesbians' Judy Garland.

On a (barely) related note, Lady K and I have also been discussing the pro's and con's of not-quite-out celebrities staying not-quite-out rather than making a formal announcement of their orientation. We talked about newsman Anderson Cooper in particular, but the same would naturally apply to Jodie Foster. They never pretend to date people of the opposite sex, and Cooper is frequently photographed with his partner. So why don't they just come on out and admit it? It would do so much good for the LGBT community, especially for young people who need healthy role models.

On the other hand, it took Johnny Weir ages to make his formal announcement, but was there ever even a shred of doubt about him? I don't think there's much doubt about the other two, either. So maybe, just maybe, they feel as if they don't need to make a formal announcement. Maybe they're making a different kind of statement by not making a statement. Suppose they're saying, "My orientation doesn't define me; it's just a part of who I am. I want to be respected as a person, not a spokesperson." In an ideal world, we all would be respected as people, regardless of orientation - or race, or gender, or any of a thousand other unimportant characteristics. That might be what Cooper and Foster are aiming for. Or I could be totally off the mark. *shrug*

Do we really need every single famous GLBT to make a formal announcement? I'm not sure. Part of me says yes, that we have to make our presence known in order to get the rights we deserve. But another part of me says there's more than one way to make our presence known. I think about the Civil Rights movement of the '60's, when Martin Luther King, Jr., promoted peaceful reform and Malcolm X called for change at any cost. Then there were all the other famous and not-so-famous figures of that time who worked for reform in their own ways. Some marched, some donated, some took or refused particular bus seats, and so on. Is there really only one way to bring about change? Does everyone have to do exactly the same thing?

I have to believe there are as many different ways to promote GLBT rights are there are ways to be GLBT. I do see Anderson Cooper and Jodie Foster as role models, just as I see Ellen Degeneres and Neil Patrick Harris as role models. Furthermore, I pity the celebrities who don't come out because they're not famous enough to get away with it, and I applaud the celebrities who almost come out even though they're not famous enough to get away with it (Queen Latifah and Zachary Quinto, I'm talking to you).

I still wrestle with the issue, but in the end, the only famous GLBT's I condemn are those who preach hate against their own. I could name several prominent politicians and religious figures at this point, but I don't want to make this a "gripe" post. It's more of a "musing" post, with a bit of fun thrown into the mix. Not that I have any real knowledge of Matt's Bellamy's feelings on GLBT rights, but I hope you enjoy the image of him dancing around my bed. I certainly do!

And yes, I'd totally give Matt a blow job.

Goodies *for* me, goodies *from* me

Let's start with the goodies for me, because they're really goodies for you, too. I found a couple of exciting new offerings on the EMCSA today: one from Jukebox and one from Lady K.

I'm so glad Jukebox has been branching out into longer works lately. His short pieces are like scrumptious bite-sized morsels, but a longer story from him is a three-course meal. It gives him time to develop the kinds of characters and situations that draw me in really deeply, time to set up the connections and call-backs that satisfy right down to my core. And the ending of Criminal was indeed deeply satisfying for me. It was exactly the ending I'd hoped for, but didn't dare hope for too much, because I felt sure I'd be disappointed. Nope. Good ol' Jukebox hit my subfetish button square and center with that one. :-D And everything he wrote leading up to that ending was just as much fun. There's a bit of hamminess in this story, but it's entirely deliberate; and it makes a lovely contrast with the stark/dark gray of Yelena's pre-Stradivarius existence. But that's all I really need to say about that story, I think. I'll leave you to discover the rest on your own.

So, then, on to Lady K. She told me some time ago that she was writing a novella-length prequel to The Anlorgash Incident, and I've been eagerly waiting to see it on the EMCSA. Fortunately, today marks the debut of the first two chapters of Ahn-L'or G'ash. They're short and sweet (well, squicky sweet), and Lady K doesn't waste any time putting her Lovecraftian lake monster onstage front and center. She's setting up some lovely serial recruitment opportunities here, and I can guess at least one person who's on the short list! This will be a fun series to watch develop, and since Lady K has already finished writing it, hoping for a new chapter each week might not be unrealistic of me.

But speaking of Lovecraftian lake monsters, I actually have something similar in mind for my upcoming "Union, Reunion." I'm reminded a little of what happened when I posted my Avatar the same week Tabico finished Pea, and how I discovered trilby else's Fruition immediately afterwards. It was like we'd all tuned in to the same EMC wavelength without realizing it. Fortunately, my lake monster won't be the central baddie in "Union, Reunion"; it'll just feature in a single scene. And the fact that I haven't written that scene yet gives me a chance to make sure my creature isn't too much like Lady K's...which shouldn't be hard, considering where my story is headed. Besides, there's always room in the world for another lake monster, isn't there?

But I've teased you enough. Even though the lake monster scene isn't written yet, I have finished the first chapter of "Union, Reunion" in rough draft form. I posted the first half of it on my blog back in May, but considering the pace at which the story is progressing, I think I owe you another sneak peek today. Just to keep you interested, you know. ;-) And because I've polished that first half quite a bit since posting it (including changing several names) I think it's best if I just give you the whole chapter from start to finish, right here. Maybe you can find at least one of those Easter eggs now. ;-)

Share and Enjoy

As I've said already, last week was pretty frantic for me, work-wise. I couldn't do much e-mailing or blogging and only had time to read/watch random snippets of news on the topics that interested me most. But somehow many of the little things I got to do seemed to coalesce around the same theme.

First, there was the Academy Awards. No, I didn't get to see them, but I did read a little bit about them afterwards, including the magnificent acceptance speech from Dustin Lance Black, the screenwriter for Milk. I'd like to reprint the most relevant part here because I think his message is just so important to all of us, both GLBT and straight:

When I was 13 years old, my beautiful mother and my father moved me from a conservative Mormon home in San Antonio, Texas to California, and I heard the story of Harvey Milk. And it gave me hope. It gave me the hope to live my life. It gave me the hope one day I could live my life openly as who I am and then maybe I could even fall in love and one day get married.

I wanna thank my mom, who has always loved me for who I am even when there was pressure not to. But most of all, if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches, by the government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally, across this great nation of ours.

All I can say to that is "Amen."

Then I found this wonderful video response to the current California proposal that all the gay marriages which took place during the brief period between their legalization and the passage of Proposition 8 be nullified. The great thing about this video is that it shows all kinds of gay couples: stereotypical and non-stereotypical; young, old, and middle-aged; people with kids and grandkids, people with parents and grandparents; even coworkers. The more you watch, the more you are struck by the fact that GLBT's are just ordinary people: sweet, loving people with family lives every bit as wholesome as those of straight couples. Breaking up their marriages would just as tragic as the passage of Proposition 8 was to begin with. I encourage you to watch, to enjoy, and to share this video with others. May the people who most need to see it be open to doing so.


"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Finally, there was a little conversation I had with Lady K during one of those brief periods when I had time to answer some e-mails. We'd been discussing hatemongering in the name of religion, and I wondered what ol' Jerry Falwell would have to say about that subject these days. Lady K imagined the following scenario, which I want to stress is not included in the "Share" part of this "Share and Enjoy" post unless you ask her permission first. ;-)

Open scene: Pearly Gates, with St. Peter's desk. A confused looking Jerry Falwell walks up to the desk.

FALWELL: UM, hello?
ST. PETER: Rev. Falwell! Welcome, we've been expecting you. Ah, hello Mohandas, good to see you. I'll see you later. Right this way, reverend.
FALWELL: Wait, was that ...
ST. PETER: Gandhi? Yep, that was him. He's in my poker group, great guy.
FALWELL: But how did he get in?
ST. PETER: How does anyone get in? God sorts through their lives and comes up with a decision. It's actually based on an incredibly complex algorithm. Gabriel says he understands the math but Michael says that's nonsense.
FALWELL: Gabriel? Michael?
ST. PETER: The archangels, you know. Gabriel's a bit of a blow-hard but I guess that comes with the territory. Get it?
FALWELL: Huh? Sorry?
ST. PETER: A blowhard? Gabriel's a horn player. Get it?
FALWELL: Oh, yeah.
ST. PETER: No one appreciates my sense of humor. Namaste, Siddhartha.
FALWELL: Who was that?
ST. PETER: Siddhartha Gautama.
FALWELL: Who?
ST. PETER: The Buddha.
FALWELL: He's here?
ST. PETER: Of course, he's a prophet. Where else would he be?
FALWELL: But there was only one prophet.
ST. PETER: Oh, that's right. You're fundamentalist Christian. It's so hard to keep all of you and your beliefs straight. There have been quite a few prophets down through the ages. Moses, Siddhartha, Joshua, Mohammed ...
FALWELL: My head hurts ...
ST. PETER: It'll pass. Ah, here they are. Gentlemen! Reverend, allow me to introduce you to your guides; they'll show you the ropes up here, basically be with you all the time until they feel you're ready to go solo. May I present Harvey Milk and Matthew Shephard. They asked for you specifically ....
END SCENE

miscellaneous coolness

I found the image at left on Christine Kessler's blog and immediately thought she'd fit right in at the compound of one of Tabico's most famous Mistresses, Diana Snowdon.

Next up is a link Lady K recommended to me via e-mail, an 11-page Flickr album of latex/zentai goodness.

Finally, Antiseptic Fashion now has a website! Yum!

Well, the friends of Dorothy are off to see the wizard

The "wizard" being Simon bar Sinister. ;-) I've just sent the first chapter of "Spy vs. Guy" off for posting next Sunday.

BTW, I mentioned Lady K's new story in my recommendation yesterday, but I'd be remiss if I didn't note that Jukebox also has an excellent new/old squick piece up, as well. Check it out.

Author Recommendation

Okay, I'll admit it: even after six years on the EMCSA, I've still missed a number of extremely worthwhile authors. I don't always have the time to check out everything that sounds interesting in every weekly update, so some very fine stories slip through my cracks. Then there's the fact that some very fine authors have only a few stories on the EMCSA, and the fact that some of those authors haven't posted anything new in a long time, since before I started checking the updates weekly. Given all that, you can see how easily I might miss the occasional jewel.

Such was the case with Lady K. She had six stories on the EMCSA, none of which I knew about, when she responded to my post on the MC Garden seeking fact checkers for my Ireland-set Ethna Redux. She gave me good advice on that one, then wrote me again later asking if I'd return the favor with a story she'd just written, An Appointment to Keep.

Well, friends, there wasn't much advice I could give on a tale that was already so sweet and tempting. It's a mood piece, delightfully mysterious, with a rather different kind of domme than we F/f writers usually dream up. I complimented Lady K on the story and told her it would make a lovely debut for her on the EMCSA...upon which she kindly pointed out that she had several other stories there already. Boy, did I feel like an idiot!

Anyway, I went back and started with The Anlorgash Incident, which she'd recommended to me specifically and which turned out to be a delightfully squicky, Lovecraftian piece with the requisite white-eyed zombies and repulsive-but-irresistible monstrosity. Yum!

After that I read four of her remaining five tales (passing only on the yellow one), and all were more than worth my time. However, the last of the Five Short Stories deserves special mention for a) giving a slimy wannabe-bimbo-maker his comeuppance and b) including a sorority girl who, very much like yours truly, doesn't yet know she's a lesbian. That one gave me a warm little glow.

So there you have it: a batch of fine jewels recovered from the cracks they'd slipped through, and another "Recommended Authors" link in my sidebar. Thanks, Lady K. :-)

A Peek Beneath the Duct Tape: Ethna Redux

I was first introduced to the ancient Irish fairy tale of "Ethna the Bride" through an e-mail conversation that veered from Oscar Wilde to supernatural MC and back to Oscar's fairy-tale-writing mother, Lady Wilde. Her version of the story, for any of you that haven't gotten around to reading it yet, is here.

My first thought, on reading Lady Wilde's version, was, "Wow, those mysterious mid-air voices were almost too helpful, weren't they?" And close behind that came, "I wonder if Ethna was really all that glad to be rescued from a life of ecstatic, immortal slavery."

Then, of course, my authorial gears started turning. It didn't take me long to wonder if there might be some other fairy close to Finvarra - a wife, perhaps - who could take an interest in Ethna and steal her back again, this time for good. So I did some online research; and lo and behold, I discovered that not only did Finvarra have a wife, but she was a goddess! Even better, she had her own separate fairy mound far, far away from her husband's.

At first I thought Oonagh's mound was Knocksheegowna, an actual mountain on the far side of Ireland from Knockma. You can imagine how that tickled me. I even found a lovely panoramic image of the view from the summit here, which I can't resist sharing even now that I know it's not Oonagh's mound, just because it's so lovely. I wrote the first draft of Ethna Redux with Kerovan confronting Oonagh at Knocksheegowna, so it's a good thing I had sara castle to fact-check me (and a good thing I had Lady K to catch another embarassing error). Damn, what a difference a single letter makes! Oonagh's actual mound, Knockshegowna (with one "e") is in Tipperary and is, in fact, only a couple of hundred feet taller than Knockma. But hey, at least it is taller. ;-)

As I said in a previous entry, I modeled Finvarra in large part on Cluracan as depicted by Neil Gaiman in the Sandman series, and also on fetish model Perish. There's also a hint of the Galadriel-Celeborn dynamic in Finvarra's relationship with Oonagh. I've always had the idea, in reading The Lord of the Rings, that Tolkien wanted to give Galadriel a mate who was her equal; but he just couldn't do it. Galadriel is just too glorious to have any equal. Celeborn comes across as a mere hanger-on.

As for Oonagh, details online were scant, but I used everything I could find: the hair, the rainbows, the dewdrop gown - even her reputation for devotion, though I had to pervert that one a bit. ;-) Unfortunately, I couldn't find any images of her that weren't a) inaccurate, b) incredibly cheesy, or c) both; so you'll have to content yourself with the painting of the legendary Celtic queen Medb (a.k.a. Maeve) at left above. I actually did have this image in mind when I wrote the "Bride, meet wife" scene. Medb's attitude here is pretty much what I imagine Oonagh's to have been, and Medb was famously insatiable in bed.

Interestingly enough, Medb is said to be buried atop Finvarra's mound. Funny how these things work out.

And now for Kerovan. First of all, I dredged his name from another, longer version of the Ethna story that I found during my online research. This version is incomplete because it's just excerpts from a book Google is trying to sell you; but if you're interested in having a peek, click here. Anyway, I didn't find anything else in this version that I wanted to use besides the hero's name; the rest of it was just too sappy.

But again, about that hero....Once I really delved into the story, I found myself admiring Kerovan too much to just dump him by the side of the road like I do with most of my other so-called heroes. Kerovan is the real deal. He's very much a product of his time; but he's a good, brave man who will go to any lengths necessary to free Ethna from slavery. He just doesn't understand that slavery is what she really wants.

Oh, and by the way, that's not something I made up for the story just because I liked the idea. You can see Ethna's essential passivity even in Lady Wilde's version of the tale. In fact, she's so passive that I had a hard time making a heroine of her at all, though I did my best. Just as I did with Kerovan. That's why I left his final decision entirely in your hands. Whatever you want for him is what he gets. He deserves it.

Off and running

Well, folks, I'm pleased to announce that I finished the rough draft of "Ethna Redux" mere minutes ago and sent it off to three cheerful volunteers from the MC Garden (sara castle, robotunit8, and Lady K) for fact-checking all the details of Ireland and Irish mythology that my very American mind might have mangled. My plan at this point is to have the finished product ready for the December 14 EMCSA update.

I have also found some success in my quest for information about gay male sex, in preparation for writing that M/m superspy story I've been teasing you all with (BTW, in case you missed it, the final poll numbers came out almost identical in the "for" and "against" columns. That's good enough for me). I have a slash-loving friend who'd probably prefer to remain anonymous here, but who deserves my thanks for coming through for me in an entirely unexpected way. I hesitated to ask her advice at first, since from what I understand, slash is usually written by women who enjoy fantasizing about gay men rather than by gay men themselves. That, I thought, wouldn't do me any good at all. But this friend happened to have a link to a website of advice from an actual gay man about how to write realistic slash, and it's chock full of exactly the kind of details I need most. I doubt many of you out there are all that curious, but if you are, here's the link she gave me.

And as a special thanks to my friend, I'll be tucking her favorite slash pair into my story...but so subtly that only she'll see them for who they really are.

Cheers to all my secret and not-so-secret accomplices!