How Transfixed Ends, Plus Some Other Stuff

It's time to stop fooling myself. I'm in no shape to write right now, and trying to keep myself accountable by posting blog entries and updates isn't helping. I hope that one day I'll be well enough to finish all these stories I've been talking about, but I don't think that day is coming soon, so I'm putting my blog back on hold.

However, I do feel responsible to all of you, particularly with regard to my unfinished story "Transfixed." I can't just leave you with that cliffhanger. Fortunately, I outlined Book 2 before becoming unable to write, so I can give you a synopsis of the conclusion. Then I'll wait a week before removing Book 1 from Amazon and Smashwords, in case any of you still want to buy it.

But there's one other promise I made, which I want to fulfill: sharing that hot-as-hell vintage EMC story by C.L. Moore, the author who wrote the mind-blowing "Shambleau." This story is called "Yvala," and you can download the PDF directly by clicking this link (I've downloaded many other things from this site, and as far as I can tell, it's safe). I don't want to say too much about "Yvala," but it does feature beautiful, submissive seeming-clones who lure two space explorers into a trap. If you like it and want to read more C.L. Moore, you can follow this link to the website where I got the PDF and type "C.L. Moore" in the search box. You'll be able to find works by plenty of other vintage authors here too, but you won't find any current writers. You also won't find the text of "Shambleau," but there's a link to a YouTube reading of the story.

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And now on to "Transfixed." Note: I really am about to spoil all of Book 2 for you, so you might not want to read this if you don't already have Book 1.

Where we left off: Captain Michiko Sato (of the ship Ajisashi) has been enslaved by a spiderish/scorpionish alien race that humans call the "ticks." If a tick lands on a victim's head and spears them with its scorpion-like tail, it can then control them. The larger the tick, the more important and more powerful it is.

The ticks have both wormhole technology and biotechnology that gives them the ability to spear one ship with another without causing air leaks, and to create armor for their slaves made out of a gel produced by tiny starfish-like creatures. Jason Ellis, an assessor aboard the Ajisashi, has a crush on Michiko and was torn between trying to escape the ticks and trying to save Michiko. In the end he could do neither.

Meanwhile, Michiko was tricked/seduced into submission by her lover, Capt. Alec Stone of the Myrddin, who was already under the ticks' control. They had been torturing him for months by enslaving him, freeing him, and enslaving him again to milk him of as much mental energy as possible (They use this energy for fuel). At the end of Book 1, he's enslaved again and given a tiny tick, indicating that he'll never have free will again. Michiko ends up in a similar state as a result of the ruse used by the ticks to enslave her quickly.


While on the run, Jason hid in a walk-in refrigerator, where he came across a half-crazed Swede wearing a Myrddin biosuit. The man wouldn't give Jason his name or let him follow him, but he did tell Jason how to kill the ticks by shooting them at just the right point along their bodies. Jason was later able to free Chief Engineer Rebekah Bol using this method. They hid in a disabled escape pod just before the ticks used the Ajisashi and Myrddin to ram a third ship.

Before Jason and the Swede parted ways, Jason told the Swede about a hiding place he'd used earlier: an alien globe with a secret opening, large enough to fit one person. Something in the globe had given Jason a severe allergic reaction, and he had passed out for several hours, but he recovered.

Where the story goes from here:

1. Nils: The half-crazed Swede is Nils Madsen. He is a highly trained soldier from a fascist planet. He became disillusioned with the system and deserted, hiding aboard the Myrddin in a secret compartment in a shipping container. None of the crew knew he was there, so the ticks don't know about him either.

When he leaves the refrigerator, Nils heads in the opposite direction from Jason. He takes off his biosuit because Jason pointed out that it made him too conspicuous, something Nils was too far gone to notice on his own. Nils ends up hiding in the same globe Jason used; and he too, has an allergic reaction that causes him to pass out. He wakes up when the Ajisashi and Myrddin spear the third ship. Eventually we'll learn that this ship is a medical vessel called the Edward Sayers, and that it was responding to a distress call from another planet being attacked by the ticks.

Nils goes to the point where the Ajisashi and the Sayers intersect, and he crosses into the Sayers, hoping to find an escape pod that hasn't been disabled or booby-trapped yet. He runs across a small group of tick-slaves and fights them off, but in the process one tick lands on his head and spears him with its tail. This should bring him under the tick's control, but instead the tick detaches and falls dead at Nils' feet. Then he feels another stab as a second tick lands on his head. This time he seems to feel its thoughts for a moment: it knows it's dying. It tries to detach, but Nils is in a rage and holds it against his head, hoping to make it suffer more. Instead, the tick becomes catatonic and Nils realizes he can access its mind in full, just as the ticks normally access their slaves' minds. He can understand tick language and control the "starfish" that create gel armor; and more importantly, he learns that the tick Queen is hiding in another shipping container aboard the Myrddin. She's hatching more eggs, including more queens, in preparation for conquering a new planet. Nils still doesn't know why he's immune to the ticks, but he doesn't care; he has a more important mission now.


His original plan was just to get away from all the fighting and settle down on a peaceful planet, but now he knows the ticks are planning to conquer all of human space; their attack on the Myrddin was the first move in what's meant to be an interplanetary war. That means Nils can't find a peaceful new home unless he destroys the ticks before they get any further. So he makes himself a suit of gel armor, using starfish from the suits of the slaves he's defeated and making sure the armor keeps the tick attached to his head. He then tranquilizes the ex-slaves and locks them in a closet because he doesn't trust anyone but himself. He can't afford to have them running around loose later on and being recaptured.

He heads back to the Myrddin and finds the shipping container holding the Queen. It's full of slaves locked in orgiastic worship, and he has to get through them to reach the Queen and the eggs plastered to the wall behind her. He has a gun and a small blowtorch, but he has to leave them with guards at the door before he enters. Then he crawls through the crowd, pretending to be part of the orgy, until he reaches the Queen's dais. Quickly he rises up and, with one hand, chops the Queen's head from her neck. The slaves fall into disarray, and none of them try to stop him as he goes back for his blowtorch. He destroys all the eggs; then the Queen's body; and leaves. Suddenly he remembers that the Sayers was going to help another planet in distress, and he wonders what to do about that; but he just doesn't know.

2. Jason and Rebekah:
Like Nils, Jason and Rebekah realize their only hope for escape is to find a working escape pod on the new ship, but as they're walking toward the junction, they find a video screen playing Michiko's downfall over and over: it's an attempt to demoralize any remaining Ajisashi crew members. Jason is heartbroken but not entirely convinced that Michiko can't be saved.

They board the Sayers and head toward the escape pods, which seem to be in place and undamaged. But as soon as they open one, a tick that was hiding above the door drops down onto Jason's head. It stabs him but then dies and detaches. Jason and Rebekah examine it, trying to figure out why it died. Since it is dead, Jason has no access to its mind (and of course he knows nothing about Nils' experience). However, Rebekah retains a few memories from her time as a slave. She knows that whenever the ticks take over a planet, they destroy everything that might be toxic to them. From there, they deduce that Jason's bloodstream contains something toxic, and it must be unique to him since the rest of the Ajisashi has been enslaved. Eventually they think about the globe he hid in.

They go back to it and find traces of mold inside - then lots more mold on the currency that was extracted from it. They debate having Rebekah get into the globe so she can absorb the toxin too, but the process took several hours for Jason, and they can't afford to waste time. They know now that the ticks can be killed, and they want to save Michiko if they can, so they stuff two bags full of currency and hurry onward.

The most likely place to find Michiko is on the Myrddin's bridge; and they know, from looking out windows, that the three ships are joined in a rough I-shape. The Ajisashi has pierced the Sayers near its aft end, and the Myrddin is near its fore. That means they'll have to walk the length of the Sayers to reach the Myrddin. Their only chance at making the trip safely is to disguise themselves as slaves.

J&R ambush a small group of tick-slaves, sedating them and stealing their gel suits; but to their dismay, the suits won't stick to them (They don't know why, because they don't know Nils' story: it takes a living tick to command the starfish). Their solution is to use epoxy from a storage closet and glue gel and dead ticks to themselves. The epoxy's label says the stuff should be kept away from human skin, but Rebekah knows that it isn't deadly; it just causes slowly-building burns. The pain will be bearable, but they won't suffer lasting scars if they can remove the epoxy within a day or two. They do what they have to do.

Like Nils, they sedate the group they've ambushed and hide them in a closet; but unlike Nils, they don't lock the door. Then they move on toward the junction with the Myrddin. On the way they pass the Sayers' science department, where they find a scientist who's still free and tried unsuccessfully to hide from them. Her name is Dr. Faber. She examines Jason's blood, the currency, and the tick that died on him, and she confirms all their conclusions about the mold. Then she suggests trying to culture it and make an aerosol spray that can kill several ticks at once. The process will take a long time, so J&R leave her to her work and continue exploring.

They come to the hospital wing. It has large windows facing the corridor, and inside they can see several tick-slaves searching for people trying to hide from them. One of the tick-slaves is Alec Stone. He doesn't look as incapacitated as J&R expected, and the tick on his head is larger than the one they saw riding him in the videos. This suggests the ticks were tricking Michiko and her crew, making them think Alec wasn't as far gone as he seemed. They decide to rescue him in hopes that he can help them with Michiko.

Rebekah still has some memory of tick language, so she lures Alec outside, where Jason ambushes him and kills his tick. Alec is unresponsive. They take him to a nearby room, where they can lock the door, and spend a long time trying to wake him up. What finally does the trick is telling him that only he can save Michiko. He's still not at his best, but he can function well enough to help them, and he knows where she is. The ticks have stuck her to a wall on the bridge like a sort of trophy.

They go back to check on Dr. Faber's progress. The mold is growing fast and she gives them two aerosol canisters, but that's not enough to disable all the ticks on the bridge because it's a large space. Alec wants to attack right away anyway, to free Michiko, and Rebekah thinks of a way to disable the ticks while leaving the canisters behind. That way, Dr. Faber can make a stockpile for later use.

Rebekah's plan is to plant moldy currency at several strategic points in the air vents around the bridge, then turn on the ventilation full-blast. To do so, she and Jason and Alec have to split up, fake their way past several guards between the science department and the bridge, and crawl unnoticed through the air vents to the locations Rebekah described. They succeed, but not all the ticks on the bridge are killed; and when they open the doors onto the bridge, they have a brief firefight, which they win.

They pull Michiko down from the wall, and after a long time, Alec finally succeeds in waking her. Then the group begins planning how to free the joined ships and warn all human territories about the coming attack.

...And the lights are officially back on!

Last night began writing again, working on the new vampire story I've told you about. I've changed the title slightly to "Beware of Damsels in Distress," which I think sounds a little more provocative. As I said before, this story is based on an unfinished poem - which was pretty obviously lesbian-erotic to begin with. It'll be easy to jack up those scenes from PG-13-rated to X-rated; and then, since the poem is unfinished, I can make the ending just as wild as I like. Which will be pretty damn wild. ;-P I told you about that dream I had, remember?

At this point, I'm thinking my next story after this will be "Dummy," a non-EMC story with roots in Lovecraft's "The Whisperer in Darkness." After that I'm going to try finishing "Transfixed" as a service to those of you who bought the first book expecting to get the second one pretty quickly. Then I'll just follow my gut instincts about what to do next. I told you I had a couple of other Lovecraft stories on the back burner, as well as the unfinished EMC story "The Power of Positive Slavery." And I totally forgot to tell you that I'm thinking I could easily rewrite "Spy vs. Guy" as a lesbian story rather than a gay male story. I'm not sure what I'd call it, though. Any thoughts?

Based on my poll, it looks like almost everyone would be willing to check out my Lovecraft pastiches, so that's good to know. Remember, I'll be posting them under a different pen name, but if you don't mind being spoiled about the author's real identity, you can find my other name easily enough. Just keep the secret! ;-) I want to keep my online identities separate.

I'll be writing the Lovecraft stories under the pen name M.K. Addison.

My dream...and what comes after

When I first came back from hiatus (not long ago), I told you I'd had an incredibly hot dream about vampires, and that I'd give you the breakdown in another post. This is that post, and besides the vampire dream, it's going to include my ideas about where to go from here - and how you can help me decide.

First, the dream.  I was part of a vampire's banquet. I and several other people had been enthralled by a vampire who had undressed us almost completely. I was wearing nothing but an under-the-breast corset made of white rubber with artistic cut-outs. She'd programmed us so that the longer we kept our eyes rolled up, the more aroused we'd become, which meant we were all just wallowing in blind lust and seeing nothing around us. We lay on chaise lounges while our Mistress' guests - other vampires - came in. Some of us had been given special food or drinks beforehand to flavor our blood, and all of us were really just living bottles at a vampire wine-tasting: meant to be tasted and enjoyed, but not killed. We'd serve to this Mistress forever. First we'd be human slaves; and then, before we lost our looks, she'd turn us into vampire slaves. We'd never have free will, and we'd never be more to her than party favors.

Now, I can't remember whether I ever told you about a story idea based on a steamy-but-incomplete lesbian vampire poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. If his name sounds familiar, that's because he's the guy who started writing his most famous poem, "Kubla Khan," in the midst of an opium bender and then got distracted by an unexpected visitor. By the time he got back to his writing desk, he'd lost both his buzz and his inspiration. So that poem went unfinished too. Anyway, I think my first post-hiatus story is going to be an eroticized takeoff of Coleridge's vampire poem; and the climactic scene will be based on the dream I just described to you. I think I might use the image at the top of this post to make the ebook cover, but I'd like some opinions about that. Is it hot enough for an X-rated story?

That's my first question for you; I'll get to the others in a second. I hope lots of you will add comments to this post. Remember that my blog is set up to allow 100% anonymous commenting, and I don't censor anything except spam and troll posts.

Now, my next question is where to go from the vampire story (Which I think I'm going to call "Damsels in Distress"). I'm torn over several choices:

• There's "Transfixed," which is still waiting out there half-finished on Amazon. I hate to leave the people who've read Part 1 hanging, and I do have an outline that will get me through Part 2, but I think this is going to be a "heavy lifting" project. That's one of the reasons I wanted to start with something short and new first, to get my mojo working again.
• Another option for my second project is "The Power of Positive Slavery," which I've teased here before and which is sitting half-written on my laptop. But again, with this one, I feel like it's going to be heavy lifting...and at least I haven't published anything on it yet, so I don't have to worry about anyone fretting over cliffhangers.
• Another choice would be to start in a new direction after "Damsels in Distress," writing Lovecraft mythos stories under a different pen name (which you'll be able to discover if you read my future posts carefully). I have three stories in mind so far. They'll be horror with a bit of humor and/or some eros - but no actual erotica. Under the US movie rating system, they'd be classified as PG-13 or R. I've planned out one of these stories (working title: "Dummy") very thoroughly already, and it's practically screaming at me to start writing it now. Actually, I wish I could write it alongside "Damsels in Distress," but I'm not good at juggling two projects at once; and I figure I'd better start with a sure success rather than something experimental.
• Besides "Dummy," these are the two other Lovecraft stories I have in mind. One is based on "The Mound," but told from the point of view of the pervy humans who served as the villains in the original story. This story would definitely involve some eros (and suggestions of orgies). The other story is actually based on the "King in Yellow" series (written by Robert Chambers) which were written before Lovecraft started his career and greatly influenced his mythology. If you want a taste of how freaky the King in Yellow stories areyou can read The Yellow Sign here. Actually, all Robert Chambers' writings are in the public domain now, but "The Yellow Sign" is the best one to start with. Then, if you like that, check out "The Repairer of Reputations" next.

Now here's my last question. I'd like to know whether fans of my EMC erotica would be interested in reading non-EMC Lovecraft mythos stories by me, so I'm setting up a simple poll in the sidebar up top. Please take a moment to tick a box - and again, please add some comments below.

Thanks!

Hiatus

You've probably noticed that my posts have become fewer and farther between; and if you've been following my blog for a while, you know I'm struggling with some very serious and painful real-life issues. I'm not the kind to spill my guts all over the internet, but if I did, the result would look like a scene from Brain Dead. It's bad.

I've been struggling to write despite everything, but it's been like winching words out of a hole that goes down for miles. It's just become impossible. I'm going to have to take a break until things resolve - which will take some time. For those of you waiting on the Transfixed sequel and The Power of Positive Slavery, I'm sorry, but you're going to have a longer wait than any of us anticipated.

Please keep a kind thought for me as I go through all this.

Feedback received and decided upon

A couple of weeks ago I asked readers for feedback on three questions related to two stories I'm currently juggling (A question I'll have to ask myself soon is whether to keep juggling or just work on one till it's finished and then move to the other). I've had lots of input now, so here are the things I've decided.

Let's start with Transfixed Part 2. I said that while I'd originally planned to write it as a Choose Your Own Adventure, I was beginning to feel like I was in over my head. So I asked you all how you'd feel about getting a sequel that was an ordinary novelette instead. Nobody was displeased by that idea, and in fact, it sounds people just mainly wanted to get the book quickly. Well, that's what I want to give you, so we're in agreement. Transfixed 2 will be a novelette and not a CYOA.

Now on to the other story. First - and this relates to a post prior to the "feedback" post - I have an official tittle now. Thanks, Jock! It's going to be called The Power of Positive Slavery, and Jock will get a free copy for gifting me with the idea.

As for my questions about the story, this what I've decided based on the advice of people who know a hell of a lot more than I do:

1. The rare form of lighting will be an LED black light. That's a real light source that would damage human eyes in real life, but I'll handwave a filter that makes it safe.

2. The latex worn by the catsuited slaves will be lubed on both the inside and outside because that allows for maximum mobility and shine. It's also nice to know that latex doesn't get too hot too quickly. Really, folks, no matter what kind of kinky shit I write, the only latex I've ever worn were gloves! I'm glad some of you out there are bolder than I am!

Thanks, as always, to everyone who takes the time to comment. :-)

Feedback needed - really

I have three questions to ask you, and I need lots of answers so I can make the right decisions concerning the two e-books I'm working on now. Really, I do need answers, and I need them to be honest answers. So before I ask, remember that I've set up my blog so that you don't need a Google profile to comment, and you can reply in total anonymity. Now, here are the questions.


1. I need (for a story, not in real life) a kind of light source that's rare but not dangerous - something like an LED black light, except that I looked those up and they can damage your eyes. What I'm looking for doesn't have to change the color of the room it's in, but I don't mind if it does. If you know about light sources, what do you suggest?

2. What does it feel like to wear latex, particular a whole catsuit covering face and all? Do you get hot and sweaty? How long can you wear one before you have to take it off? Do you need to be powdered down or lubed up before you get into one?

3. Due to real-life shit storms, it might take me a very long time to write the Transfixed sequel as a Choose Your Own Adventure, which is what I originally planned and what I said I'd do in the "Afterword" section of the book; but I know the people who bought Part 1 are probably annoyed at having to wait so long for a conclusion. So tell me honestly, how would you feel as a reader of Transfixed, Part 1, if I decided to write Part 2 as an ordinary e-book instead? If you haven't read Part 1, just pretend you have and tell me how you'd feel.

Answering these questions will help me complete my next two stories more quickly, so please do answer. Too often I ask for feedback and get nothing.

Thanks, folks.

Okay, so here's the plan

I am now officially off hiatus and back to writing.

One thing that kept me from announcing this earlier is that I couldn't decide what to write. I know a lot of you are waiting for the CYOA sequel to Transfixed, and I want to give it to you as soon as possible. But writing a CYOA is like climbing Mount Everest: it's a huge task, and the events of this year had left me feeling very intimidated. Meanwhile, for about the last month, another story had sprung up in my mind without any conscious decision to write something new. It began with a vague idea I'd had for years, but then out of nowhere characters and scenes started writing themselves in my head; and they did it mostly at night while I was trying to get to sleep. That meant, of course, that I wasn't sleeping, not very well anyway.

So here's what I've decided. I'm going to do the new story first and try to use it as a base camp, acclimatizing me for the CYOA which will be my climb up Mount Everest. But right now I'll try to give you enough details about Transfixed to settle your cravings, I'll tell you a bit about the new story, and I'll offer a tease about a little side project I might do.

Transfixed first. My previous CYOA was sort of an exploration: you could do a lot of different things, sometimes just for fun; and you could reach a lot of different endings, none of which were technically wins or losses. Depending on your tastes, any of the outcomes might float your boat. But the Transfixed CYOA will work more like a game with a definite objective. If you play as Jason and Rebekah, your objective will to save Captain Sato. It can be done - and you can also save Captain Stone and stop the ticks for good, if you play well enough. Alternately, you can play as Nils (the half-crazed Swede from the refrigerator) and have a more mysterious adventure. You can only learn about Nils by playing as him, and his original objective will change as the plot moves along. His story is a bit more like a typical video game, with more strategizing and more shooting (if you want shooting, that is); and he, too, has a chance to stop the ticks for good.

Now about this new story. My working title is "Brainwashing of the Rich and Famous," but I'm not sure what percentage of my readership would get that reference. Please leave me some comments about that to help me decide, and if my plot description gives you an idea for a different title, let me know. If I use it, I'll give you full credit and a free book. This story is going to have a little bit of a trilby else/Dormignonne vibe, in that vacationers travel to an island paradise where they're gradually sucked into slavery. But in my story, the vacationers are all rich and famous, and they've come for a half hippy, half New Age retreat that promises to make them better people...and to give them lots of sex along the way. But everything they say and do, everything they eat and drink, is really designed to suck them into a cult. I'm trying to use real-world methods for this part of the story (sleep deprivation, for instance), so that will be a change for me. Then there's a second, more intensive retreat where they're completely stripped of their personalities; and since they've already been brainwashed into believing everything the retreat leaders tell them, they go along with the new, stricter agenda and never question what's happening. As for the ending, well, I think you can guess.

Finally, there's another quick project I'm contemplating. I feel sure I'll do this at some point, but I don't know when. It could be this year or next. I've said before that I have a YouTube channel, and recently I uploaded some clips from an old B&W movie called White Zombie. It can be taken as a story about MC just as much as a story about zombification, and the female lead has a wonderful trance face. Well, the movie is in the public domain, and I've been thinking about how I could edit and rearrange some scenes to erase the happy ending and give it the kind of slap-in-the-face MC ending that pervs like us prefer. But don't worry; my new story will have first priority. I might do the White Zombie thing one weekend if I need a break, but it's definitely on the back burner. You can see the original clips on my YouTube channel now, though.

You know there's MC in Captain America: Civil War, right?

But before I start talking about that, here's a quick announcement: I think I'm ready to start blogging and writing regularly again. My personal life has stabilized a bit and that has allowed my creative juices to start flowing again. I had to put that Transfixed CYOA aside for a couple of months, but I'm ready to pick it up again. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's expressed their sympathy for me, both here and by email. It really does mean a lot. I want you to know that.

And now on to the new Captain America movie, which I can't help thinking of as the new Avengers movie because, hell, almost all of the Avengers are in it. I won't talk about anything you couldn't infer from the commercials and trailers, so you don't have to worry about spoilers in this part of my post unless you want to go into Civil War with your eyes and ears completely virgin. You'd just better have seen The Winter Soldier first if you plan on that, because otherwise you'll be totally lost.

So anyway, as you could see from those trailers and commercials, Bucky still hasn't broken free of all his Hydra conditioning. He remembers who he is most of the time, but it turns out that Hydra programmed him with trigger words that can revive the Winter Soldier in his mind (Those triggers reminds me of the nonsensical phrases trilby else used to employ; "ammonite contraband" was one of my favorites). But in Bucky's case, it's a whole string of disconnected words, so when he gets triggered, we get to watch him scream and struggle until he inevitably but oh-so-slowly falls back into drone mode. And then, stone-faced, he chants that most perfect of slave mantras: "Ready to comply."

IMO, these scenes (Yes, there's more than one) are much hotter than the single reprogramming scene we saw in The Winter Soldier. I thought of writing about that one when the movie came out, but in the end I decided against because the process was painful and pain turns me off instead of on. However, I did like the brainwashing rig from that movie, so I'm including a picture of it here. You can make up whatever scenario you like to go along with it. Or, hell, if you are into pain, you can just fantasize about the movie scene itself. You have watched The Winter Soldier, right? I can't imagine any MC fetishist would give it a pass. Well, I'm here to tell you that Bucky's programming scenes in Civil War are things of heat and beauty. It's just a shame he got rid that faceless, dehumanizing mask. I'd love to have seen him in that again (Oops, was that a spoiler?).

But now let me switch topics and talk about the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse. I will have to drop some medium-sized spoilers here, although they're rumors and guesses that might prove false, so it's your gamble whether to bail out or keep reading. I'll be back next weekend anyway with a scorching hot new fantasy I've been toying with. But for now Apocalypse is on the front burner, and I'm hoping he'll give us plenty of heat. Already we know he collects powers by taking over the bodies of mutants with abilities he covets. We also know from the trailers that Magneto kidnaps an unconscious Charles Xavier by pulling his wheelchair toward Apocalypse and the horsemen. What you might not know unless you caught the most recent YouTube featurette is that there's a scene in the movie where Charles is lying on a slab like the one Oscar Isaac was on in the earlier trailers, and Oscar-as-Apocalypse is looming over Charles. The implications seem obvious. In fact, I've read that Apocalypse specifically covets Charles' telepathy, but you have to dig a little to find out how he wants to use it. This might be a false rumor, but I've read that Apocalypse wants to use Charles' telepathy to MC every person on the planet. Well, you can imagine how desperately I want that to be true. Unfortunately the trailers make it look like Apocalypse is more interested in killing people than enslaving them...but maybe he plans to kill the weak and MC the strong. That would make sense because in the movie, Oscar-Apocalypse was betrayed by his last set of horsemen, and I'm sure he doesn't want to risk that again (Plus, in the comics Apocalypse does MC his horsemen). So I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll see some MC action in the new movie before the X-men inevitably take him down. The premiere can't get here soon enough for me.

Back in the Gimp Suit

Or the GIMP suit, if you prefer. Here's a bit of what I've been working on and getting ready to work on lately.

I follow a site called the Astronomy Photo of the Day just because I like astronomy, but from time to time I also find images that I can incorporate into my manips and book covers: star fields, nebulae, individual stars with clear points, etc. Since the images come from NASA, they're generally public domain. The image at left is of the star Proxima Centauri, and as soon as I saw it, I noticed how much the circle of gold and blue looked like the iris of an eye. Naturally, that got me thinking, and the final results are at right. I've always loved this image of Kumi Monster because it's just about the most submissive, potentially mind-controlled image I've ever seen even before you add in the latex, bald head and bare breasts. This was my process, just in case you're interested in playing with the same effects. I made one copy of the central circle, including the iris; and a second copy of the whole star minus the background. Then I inverted the copy, made it white, blurred it, and put that layer underneath the iris layer. Et voila.

Next up is an image I'm getting ready to work on. Early next week, possibly even as soon as tomorrow, I'll be starting on a publishable version of my "woman turned into a living doll" story, originally titled "Raggedy Anne." Since I don't want to get sued, I'll be renaming it "Ragdoll Annie." That should be close enough to clue readers in to which doll I actually used for my template. I love this model's blank expression and curly hair, but I haven't decided yet whether or not to make that hair red the way it is in the individual story. If I do, I should probably recolor her lingerie so it'll stand out more - maybe a bluish-purple color. Then I'll probably use a red spiral in the background...and don't worry; I will absolutely make her bra skimpier. That'll probably be the easiest part of the process, although you know what they say about famous last words.

In the meantime, don't worry about the Transfixed "Choose Your Own Adventure." That's still in process. It's just that CYOA's take a hell of a long time, and I need to get something else on the market before readers forget I exist.

Hidden Treasure

This is a post about both my "Choose Your Own Adventure" stories: the one you probably already own, and the one in production now.

I'll start with the one in production, "Transfixed." As you know, the first half of the story is already on sale as an independent ebook with a semi-cliffhanger ending. But the thing about the cliffhanger is that you already know you can resolve it in whatever way you please, because the sequel is a "Choose Your Own Adventure." If you want to save Character A, who got enslaved in Part 1, you can save them - and you can also save Characters B, C, D, and so on. You can save everybody, if you do it right. Or if you prefer, you can doom everybody to a life of blissful slavery. Whatever floats your boat. My point here is that you shouldn't be afraid to buy Part 1 before Part 2 comes out. You can already imagine whatever finale you like and know that you can make it happen. Meanwhile, you've got a 77-page all-new story with lots of hot sex and creepy brainwashing bugs.

You'll also be pleased to know that I have an enthusiastic new volunteer (in additional to my usual cohorts) helping me brainstorm plot threads for the "Transfixed" CYOA. That means I'll be able to get up and running pretty fast. At this point I have a clear idea of the overall picture and several interesting story paths, and I'm just working out the fine details before I start writing. I think I'll be able to put this one together much faster than What Do You Give the Alien Who Has Everything?, partly because of my volunteers and partly because this time I know what the hell I'm doing.

So, moving on to "Alien," it has come to my attention that some readers who think they've read the book pretty thoroughly still haven't found the game-changing hidden plot line; and that makes me wonder what else readers might have missed. Well, the book's been out for over a year now, so I thought I'd give you a few helpful hints. Only the last one is a real spoiler, so I'll put it in spoiler text. You can read the other bullets points freely - and refer to the map above to refresh your memory of what's where.

• I intentionally built this story in a way that forces you to follow many paths and interview many people to get the whole story about the Imperators. 
• Visit each location more than once and make different choices each time. There's no way you can gather all the important information in one walk-through; and aside from the statuary, every location has at least one "lesson" you can't get anywhere else.
• You can interview the Imperators in detail if you can make it into the observatory, but you have to ask the right questions before they'll let you even start to interview them, and you can't trust everything they tell you. To get the true story in all its dirty details, you'll have to find that hidden thread.
• There's no advantage to choosing one reporter or orientation over another, but there's exactly one choice where the guide you picked could make a difference.
•  No doubt you'll make a lot of bad choices and end up getting sent to the brainwashing chamber a lot. When this happens, don't skip past the text without reading it each time. There are lots of different ways you can be transformed in those chambers, and everything depends on who sent you there and why. My personal favorite result is getting turned into a mer-person.
• And now here, in spoiler text, are the directions for finding the secret story line. Just be warned: it's a game-changer, but it's also a game in itself, and it's not easy to win. All I'm telling you here is how to start playing. Highlight the next bit to find out: [Go to the lily pond, let the mer-people grab you and take you under, but don't fight them a second time. Instead, look for a hatch in the pond wall.]

Updates, answers, questions, and maybe a way for you to make money

Best wishes to all of you out there celebrating whatever holiday(s) you celebrate. I hope you get to be with the people who make you happy and to do things you enjoy.

I see that a lot of folks have already downloaded Transfixed at Smashwords, but for those of you who were meaning to do it and didn't get around to it yet, I've extended the coupon's expiration date to December 25. So if you want it for 25% off, just go here and enter coupon code ZG53J.

If you have any questions about the story, I do hereby declare the comment section of this post a spoiler-friendly zone. Ask whatever you like, and I'll answer it as long as it doesn't give away any secrets from Part 2.

But I'll keep spoilers out of this post itself. Here's what I can tell you about what's next for the "Transfixed" storyverse without spoiling anything for those of you who haven't read the first book yet. You can read Part 1 alone, but if you do, you'll be left with a cliffhanger that's larger than (just as a random example) the one at the end of the first Matrix movie but smaller than (again, just an example) the cliffhanger at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. It's my hope that you'll leave Part 1 knowing that this time it's the good guys who'll be striking back; and because of the nature of the CYOA, they can win. If you figure out all the secrets, you can not only rescue everybody who was enslaved in Part 1 but also put an end to the tick menace once and for all.

Also, Part 2 will give you the option of following the story from a second point of view: the crazy Swede from the fridge in Part 1 (His name is Nils). If you "play" him, you'll find out his backstory and motivations, and you'll see how his goals dovetail a lot with the goals of the better know "good guys." That means Nils can win the big prize just like they can, but he can also get into some pretty nutty situations.

Now, about that ship hanging around at the top of this post. For the cover of the "Transfixed" CYOA, I need three realistic-looking ships depicted at angles that will allow for me to fuse them the way the Ajisashi and Myrddin were fused in Part 1. I've found lots of great spaceship art on Dollar Photo Club, including the above, which might work nicely for the Ajisashi if I tweak it a little. The problem is that I don't play video games, and I discovered entirely by accident that a lot of the best-looking ships I've found on Dollar Photo Club are close reproductions of ships from famous games and movies (Even the USS Enterprise is in there. I can't believe no one's been sued yet.). Obviously I can't use one of those ships for my cover, but how can I be sure I get something original? I'm going to need your help. Here are a couple of ways you can assist me:
1. Does anyone out there have the expertise to look at my potential choices and tell me whether they're ripoffs or true originals? If you can help, I'll give you full acknowledgment in the book and a cameo if you want one.
2. Does anyone out there have the skill to make three spaceships for my story from scratch? I would pay you for that, and we can work out the details of the payment in private. Email me if interested.


Sorry to anyone hoping to make money. ;-) I've got a couple of volunteers now, checking my sample pictures.

You don't mind if I titillate you, do you?

This is a passage from my new book, "Transfixed" (available on Smashwords and Amazon, but you
have a few more days to get 25% off at Smashwords with the coupon code ZG53J).

---

"Alec?" said Michiko. He was standing right in front of her, nude aside from patches of silvery gel. His was thinner than the armor she'd seen on the soldiers who stormed the bridge, and it didn't look like it was meant to protect him so much as to arouse him. Every strip covered an erogenous zone: his chest and shoulders, his navel, a broad diamond that stretched from his navel to somewhere behind his balls, and the inside of his thighs. The gel rippled almost imperceptibly, massaged by starfish-like creatures not much larger than a pinhead.  Alec's cock was at half-mast, his body trembled, and she recognized his smile from more than a decade of foreplay.

But she couldn't look at that for very long, because the real horrors lurked above the gel. Her husband's eyes had rolled up so far that she could see only the barest blue sliver of iris; and a…a monster…had spread itself across his head and forehead. The thing's body was white, chitinous, and divided into eight narrow segments. Its scorpion-like tail curled backwards over the top of Alec's head and seemed (Michiko prayed she was wrong) to be buried in his skull, while its head was level with Alec's nose. Its multi-jointed legs – sixteen in all – pressed against, or possibly through, Alec's temples and other sensitive spots around his face.

The creature raised its head on a narrow stalk-like neck and looked at Michiko. Its eyes were blue-black and fathomless.

Hatred welled up in her. She'd never been a violent person, but seeing this…thing attached to her husband, she wanted to rip it off his head and tear it apart with her teeth.

But Michiko couldn't move. She was standing motionless, just like Alec; and looking down at herself, she saw a pattern of silvery marks across her own erogenous zones. Thankfully, her starfish weren't massaging her into unwanted arousal. That would have been too disgusting to bear.

She looked at his face again, and a sudden, horrible though struck her. Although she couldn't raise her arms, she could blink and frown, and by doing so she was able to confirm that there was an alien like Alec's on her own head. "Alec," she said tightly, "get this thing off me."

He flashed his most charming smile, but it didn't work without his eyes, and she sensed that he wasn't really the one smiling anyway. "Sorry, sweetheart," He said. "We can't resist our owners." His voice was softer than usual, but the ecstasy she heard in it sounded all too real.

Michiko ground her teeth. "These things are not our owners. They're aliens – enemies – slavers!"

"Poor Michiko," said Alec. He still hadn't lowered his eyes, but she could swear he was looking at her. Maybe the alien was looking at her for him. "I know you're scared, but don't worry. You'll feel better just as soon as your owner connects to you."

She could guess what that meant. "Look at me, Alec! Do I look like I want to feel better? Look at me!"

His upturned eyes didn't waver. "I can't, darling. I'm in such ecstasy that it's all I can do just to stay my feet. But that's all right because my owner keeps me focused. It even sees the things I can't and feeds the images into my brain, so there's nothing to worry about. Really, sweetie, it's okay. You're going to feel just as good as I do before long."

"Transfixed, Stage 1" is now available for purchase

I've just posted "Transfixed, Stage 1" at Smashwords, and as usual I'm giving you a coupon (good for one week) to get your copy at 25% off. Here's your code: ZG53J. You can also buy it at Amazon here.

This story turned out to be pretty long and lots of fun to write. As I told you, I developed such a fondness for one character that I changed the whole ending to accommodate them. I also had fun learning Swedish curse words, and I tossed in a bunch of clues that will make you go "hmm" now and "aha!" when you read the eventual Choose Your Own Adventure.

Here's the synopsis. I hope you'll enjoy the story. :-)

Captain Michiko Sato is quite literally in an impossible situation. Her ship has been attacked by another vessel under the command of mind-controlling alien “ticks,” and now their human slaves are after her crew. Still worse, those slaves came from her husband’s ship, and he’s at the head of the brainwashed attack force. It’s not that slavery has turned Alec into her enemy; he still loves her. He just wants her to join him in the bliss of thralldom.

Before long Michiko is separated from her crew and held captive aboard Alec’s ship, where he tempts her to submit and unwittingly tortures her with memories of the man he used to be. Meanwhile, the crew on Michiko’s ship are no match for the invaders, and everyone’s on the lookout for a wet-behind-the-ears assessor who could be the key to breaking Michiko’s will. Then the crazy Swede in the refrigerator….

This ebook is not only a story in itself, but it’s also prelude to a “Plot Your Own Adventure.” In Stage 2 of “Transfixed,” you’ll be able to play some of these characters, rescue others, and (if you’re clever enough) stop the tick invasion for good.

Mozart, Mesmer, and Me

About a week ago, I found an article that claimed Mozart had written his opera Cosi fan tutte entirely in a state of mesmeric trance. Franz Mesmer, in case you don't know (although you probably do know if you're into EMC) created an early form of hypnosis and was very popular in his day. If' you want to know more about him, here's his Wikipedia page.

Now, Mesmer was a patron of Mozart, and as I said, this article implied that Mozart wrote a whole opera in a state of trance. I thought about linking to the article here until I actually read it. Then I discovered it was really just a discussion of Mozart's weirdness in general, and it didn't have much to say about mesmerism. The most interesting detail, apart from the above, was that Mozart once wrote a little ditty called "Lick Me in the Ass."

Anyway, the article is still worth mentioning because it makes me wonder whether Mozart could have written coherently while in trance. I sure can't. Writing under post-hypnotic suggestion is definitely possible, but while you're deeply hypnotized, you're clumsy - and you enjoy the clumsiness because it's a sign of how deep you are. Of course, it's possible that the right hypnotist could get you to write neatly and clearly while in deep trance. I just haven't experienced that.

But by now you're probably asking what this has to do with "Transfixed," the story I've been talking about for a few weeks, and which will go to press on or around December 8 (That's an in-progress cover above. I'd love some feedback on it). Well, I came up with most of the plot for "Transfixed" while I was in trance. I didn't write it that way, but that's where the ideas began: in my subconscious mind. I just kept them in my head until I had time to write.

Here's how it came about. If you've been reading my blog long enough, you know that I have trouble with insomnia and developed a Virtual Hypnotist program designed to help me relax and get to sleep. I still use it every night, and it still works very well; but I'm so familiar with it now that my mind wanders a good bit while I'm using it (To those of you who've never been hypnotized: yes, your mind can wander while you're in trance). Since I've been so focused on this story, even writing right up until bedtime, my mind often wandered over to "Transfixed" while I doing my nighttime trance thing.

I've also written before about how some of my best ideas come to me in dreams, or while I'm lazing in bed on a Saturday morning, half awake but too lazy to get up. I guess all three states are similar, in that they allow me to tap into my subconscious - and my subconscious is usually more creative than my conscious mind. I've been wondering whether anybody will notice anything different about "Transfixed," or whether it will read pretty much like the rest of my stuff. Again, I'd love some feedback once the book comes out.

In the meantime, I can tell you some places in "Transfixed" where I've noticed contributions from my subconscious mind. The subconscious communicates in symbols, sometimes but not always sexual in nature; and since I'm writing erotica, my thoughts are headed in a sexy direction right from the start. Now, "Transfixed" begins with one ship getting run through by another ship. The second ship has been taken over by mind-controlling aliens (but of course!), and now they're invading the first ship as well. I explained in a previous post how that part of the story grew out of a failed collaboration between myself and several other EMCSA authors, so you can't blame trance-plotting for that. But now let me throw out a new non-spoilery details regarding the finished story. See if you can work out all the Freudian references:

• The ship which gets pierced has a female captain (Michiko), and the ship doing the piercing is captained by Michiko's husband Alec.
• Alec, under the influence of MC, constantly tempts Michiko to give in to the aliens' control and he tells her how hot it feels.
• Part of the alien MC process involves piercing the skull of the victim - in a way that causes orgasm rather than pain.
• When Alec's ship first appears, it emerges from a wormhole; and it carries Michiko's ship into another wormhole - which is where the piercing occurs.
• The guns fire darts instead of lasers or bullets. This actually makes sense from a "preventing hull breach" standpoint, but darts are still more phallic than lasers or bullets.
• At one point a character on the run hides inside a large egg-shaped object.
• In two other scenes, crucial information is shared by two people talking inside small, enclosed spaces.
• And as a bonus for you Jungian fans, a white man* receives help from a black woman who is his opposite in almost every way.

*Actually, you don't have to assume he's white; I often leave characters' races unspecified so that readers can imagine people who look like them, and I encourage you to do that with this guy. But in my mind, he has pale hair and skin.

This, that and the other

Here's what I've been up to lately.

As I said last week, I am now taking story commissions. I should have added that I'm also taking commissions for creating ebook covers, proofreading/copy editing other people's stories, and photo restoration/colorization. So far I've had takers on the first three of those four options, and while I can't share the clients' names, I can tell you they've all been very happy with my work. I'm especially surprised that the story commission came off well, since what the client asked for was waaaaay outside my wheelhouse. It's nice to know that I can take someone else's ideas, which are very unlike my own, and turn them into a full-fledged story that the pleases the person who asked for the story. And writing it went very quickly, too. I'm normally a slow writer, but I turned out this commission in less than a week.

I'm more than halfway through the first draft of "Transfixed," and it's coming along very well. I'm in the zone and writing fast. I've also decided to follow it up with a "Choose Your Own Adventure" that will be set after the events of "Transfixed"and will allow you to [spoilers ahead, so highlight the text if you really want to know]save some or all of the characters who've been brainwashed and even stop the alien invasion[/spoilers]. Of course, writing a CYOA takes a lot more time than writing a straightforward story, but I'm going to try to zip through this one pretty quickly. I learned a lot from writing What Do You Give the Alien Who Has Everything?, and I think I'll be able to turn this one out a lost faster. I might also take suggestions from fans of the "Transfixed" short story as to what I should include in the CYOA. If I go that route, I'll be sure to give credit to anyone whose ideas I use. There will also be opportunities for several beta readers, who'll get cameos in the story as a reward.

I also have an idea for updating and sexing-up a lesbian vampire story called "Christabel." The original version is by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, whom some of you might remember as the opium addict who got interrupted in the middle of writing his best poem ever ("Kubla Khan"), lost his high, and was unable to recover the dream. Well, "Christabel" is a lot longer and sexier than "Kubla Khan," and I've already figured out how to turn it into the kind of fetish-filled EMC story you've grown to know and love (I hope) from me. I plan on writing "Christabel" and the CYOA at the same time so I can get the former on the market quickly while still working on the latter.

Finally, speaking of markets, here's something I threw together that you might or might not be interested in. I've been keeping track of all my sales over time, and I wanted to see which books were most profitable and why. The chart below includes everything I've written except Slave-Bride of the Sidhe, which hasn't been out long enough to take a proper measurement, and the two anthologies I took part in. For those of you who publish your own ebooks, or who are thinking of getting into publication, here are my biggest takeaways: 1) CYOA's sell like hot cakes, and 2) sexy covers make all the difference in the world (Colonized has only been out since August, and it's already in third place, beating out books that have been on the market since 2013; and Willing Subject is still raking in the money after three years on the market - thanks, as always, to Callidus, who is also taking commissions BTW). I can't help wishing Sleepwalkers was higher up the list since it's my baby, my epic, and the story that got me into self-publishing. But what can I do besides encourage you to buy it if you haven't already? If you like my stuff, Sleepwalkers is quintessential thrall.

I don't know if this info or the pie chart will interest anyone besides me, but I'm throwing it in here just for the hell of it.

This and that

My postings might be irregular lately, but don't worry: I've been very busy behind the scenes. I told you recently that I was working on a new story called "Transfixed," which began life in 2009 as a collaboration that fizzled and was recently resurrected by me as a solo effort. I'm still working on it, and I'm having great ideas; but I'm putting it on hold for about a week. I decided that it would be a good move to publish something quick during the layover before "Transfixed" lands. So I've polished up "Ethna Redux," retitled it "Slave-Bride to the Sidhe" (total clickbait, I know), and am preparing to release it on or about November 2. Be on the lookout, as I'll be offering my usual 25% off coupon here.

On a different subject, I was recently pointed toward a collection of Lovecraft audiobooks adapted and narrated by a professional named Julie Hoverson. I've heard her narration, and she's excellent; I've read her writing, and it's also excellent; and I've spoken with her about her take on the Lovecraft stories, which is pretty brilliant. For instance, as much as I love HPL's stories, I can't get past his racism or his ignorance of the fact that women exist; and one of his best stories, "The Rats in the Walls," has a (very) offensively named cat in a critical role. Well, Julie found a very interesting way around both problems. If this piques your interest, and if you want to hear some great free narration of Lovecraft stories and other interesting stuff, click here.

Finally, on a third subject, Callidus has shared a clip from a video game featuring sexy drone women wearing half-Borg/half-bikini outfits. It's cool, but it's also kind of hilarious the way the "camera" zooms in on their tits and asses. Their armor is anything but practical...but since they're lightning fast and seem to be able to teleport or something, I suppose they'd be just as safe if they were naked. Anyway, here's the clip. Enjoy.

What's up next

My posting schedule might be a little irregular for a while, but don't worry; I haven't forgotten you. Life is complicated right now, but one part of it involves a brand new story that I'm just about ready to start writing. It took me quite a while to work out the details of this one because of its origin.

Some of my long-time blog readers will remember that a few years ago, I was planning a second collaboration (after publishing the Quick and Dirty Anthology) with trilby else, Tabico, Iago, and some others; but our lineup was constantly in flux, and ultimately we had to drop the project. But I can tell you more about it now, because I've gotten permission to write up my part of the story, with some changes, as an independent piece.

In the epic we originally envisioned, a human spaceship had been invaded by insectile aliens that attached to and enslaved its crew, and they'd forced this ship to ram into another one for the purpose of taking it over. Each of us was going to follow a few characters aboard the second ship as they scrambled to hide and/or escape into space. We were going to call the story "Transfixed" because it made a nice triple entendre (The two ships are literally transfixed, the victims are transfixed by MC, and "transfixed" is a play on "trance-fixed." Don't say I never gave you anything).

My part of the story had the captain of the second ship being captured and tempted by the captain of the first ship, a woman who had once been her lover and was now the aliens' eager puppet. Then I had a third character, an innocent peon with a crush on my heroine, whom she was trying to protect while he tried to avoid capture. Never mind the "whys" of all that, because the situation has changed a bit, and I don't want to spoil the parts that haven't changed. I'll just tell you this: the aliens are still somewhat insectile, although not what we originally envisioned; and  my three characters still exist, though in altered form. The biggest difference is that the ex-lover is now a man. I decided to change his gender as a way to stretch myself. It'll be fun to write a different kind of seduction scene (For the record, this will be nothing like the Paolo/Shara scene in Sleepwalkers. It'll be sexy rather than horrific.).

I'll admit I'm curious to know how my longtime fans will react to the new direction. You wouldn't keep reading my stuff if you weren't into lesbian sex; but judging by the comments and emails you send me, you're evenly divided between genders, and a lot of my male fans are subs. That being the case, I hope you'll like seeing an MC'ed man tempting a free woman to give in.

As always, feel free to leave comments below. I've set up my blog so that you can comment in total anonymity, and I never delete anything but spam and troll posts. Let me know what you think.