Sunday Story - Author vs Author

Through the Erotic Readers and Writers Association Call for Submission page, I found a thing that interested me. It's a writing tournament.

Author versus Author

The idea is that 2 authors are paired at random and write a story, chapter by chapter. Then when the story is complete, 5 judges choose the winning author. The book is then released on Amazon and everyone can read the story and see if they would have chosen the same author.

I think that the winning author goes on to the next round, to do the same thing again.

Anyway, it sounded like fun. A way to find readers. Plus sometimes I like to challenge myself! The Naughty Ninjas have done these kinds of things on a small scale and they've been interesting, challenging and fun. So why not!

If you're a bit keen, check out the Author versus Author website for more info and then drop them an email.

I'll let you know when my story is finished - even if I lose :) I'm in an erotica tournament.

Phallic Friday - extremes

I seem to be surrounded by extremes at the moment - maybe it's just the bubble I live in, or maybe the media I'm looking at, so if it's not affecting you, just ignore me!

In domestic and world politics we have the extreme left vs the extreme right - and maybe the extreme left and the extreme right versus everyone else as well as each other!

In various countries, we have extreme religious sects trying to enforce their views.

I'm not one for extremes. Even in sex, I don't go for the softest or the harshest of anything. I like being somewhere in the middle - happy to try most things, but feeling most comfortable when I'm in my safety zone.

I'm all for people trying extremes. If that's what you want, go for your life. Just don't try to force these things on me, or anyone else for that matter. Sure, offer your extreme views, but please accept my decision when I politely decline.

Humiliation is something I really struggle with, as I've discussed before. I also don't really want to participate in serious flogging, or cutting, or knife play, or scat, or necro, or piercing, or tattooing. I'm not into pain in a big way. I'm not really even into Alphas. I'm not a very good Dom or sub, I'm a better switch. See, I like the middle-ground. Those extremes worry me. I'm not cut out for it.

So, while the world is struggling with extremes, and while extremes in erotica is still quite a trend, I'm here on my middle ground feeling decidedly uncomfortable.

While I'm happy for you to live your life, and let me live mine, many times people who like extremes seem to feel the need to force these on others. That makes me squirm.

I worry that as extremes take over the world, will I be silenced? Will erotica/erotic romance be stopped because it offends some extremists' taste? I hope it won't ever come to that...but I'm worried that it will. And if it does, will I have the strength of conviction to write in my prison cell as the Marquis deSade did?

Wildlife Wednesday - Super Moon

This week has seen the November full moon, which is also the closest the moon will get to Earth until 2034 - and it hasn't been this close since 1948.

Monday was the 'best' day. I'm pretty experienced at 'failed' natural phenomena due to unforeseen circumstances, so I figured I'd go Sunday and Tuesday too, just to see if I could get a good look.

Sunday - I was running late. And there was cloud cover, so that was a failure.

Monday - cloud cover. But I sat, freezing, waiting. There was a big crowd at the beach (more people than I usually ever see on the beach!). About 10 mins after the moon rise time, I saw this weird hazy shape that looked like the moon. I took a photo. Then thought I was hallucinating because it was pale, hardly visible. In the end I told myself that we only have 1 moon, so it had to be it. As it went behind clouds, I left the crowds on the beach who were still waiting for the super moon!

Tuesday - later arrival of the moon, which would mean it was dark at moon rise. I was thinking this would be the night. Trundle down to the beach. Once again, there was a decent crowd. As the sun was setting, the crowd made a nice silhouette on the dunes (photo). Then I waited. 8.18pm was moon rise. At 8.20pm I sent a text to Mr E saying I was coming home. And then, an orange glow lit the Eastern sky over the ocean. Snapped a shot (photo) and sent it to Mr E, who wasn't very impressed. And then I watched the beautiful orange ball rise above the ocean, streaming golden light towards my feet as I paddled in the waves.

My photos are crap, but my heart was full. As full as the glorious super moon! :)

Story Sunday - heroes and heroines

I attended a friend's wedding recently and I mentioned to a couple of people that this friend had been a revelation to me and had helped create "Cate Ellink" - the bold woman who writes about sex :)

They hadn't been aware of this, and so I guess my friend isn't either (bloody slack me). So I have penned her a letter, and I'm writing this blog post.

I'd led a very sheltered life and so was quite naive right into my 20s. Add to this low self-confidence, and a girl more used to being mates with guys than sleeping with them, and that's me.

A few things happened within a short period of time to change me, or at least find another side of me. One of those things was going out with a bunch of confident girls. They changed me, and how I saw myself - even though a couple of nasty people had said they only went out with me so they looked more attractive. Sometimes friendship can overcome nastiness :)

One of these confident girls was, well, let's call her Samantha because she was one of the people in my head when I created Sam in Deep Diving. My friend Samantha is not a small girl, definitely no size 8. But she needed to be her size for her chosen sport, at which she worked hard to succeed. And she did succeed, winning an Olympic Gold medal, as well as other Aussie and world championship medals, etc. Sam, my friend, was confident - with her work, in herself, with men.

In the opening scene in my book, Sam wolf whistles at Cooper as she follows him along a beach. My friend would do things like that - sit down and start talking to a famous sports star at the airport bar, pick up the male model at an event, spend the weekend with royalty. Fame, fortune and looks are no barrier to her. She treats everyone alike, and well.

With her, sex wasn't something to be ashamed of - it was to be celebrated. Something that everyone does and should do - and should do well!! She exalted in it - and telling the tales to her friends. She was never embarrassed. It was fun, an adventure, an awesome moment in time. Even bad sex was discussed and laughed over.

She was a revelation. I was in awe.

Years later when I began writing, I told her that I'd write her as a heroine. She laughed and told me she just needed her happy ending. She wasn't embarrassed that I wrote romance, she thought it was awesome.

When I began writing a sexually active, kick ass heroine, the romance world wasn't ready for that. 10 years ago, we were told that heroines had to be virginal, or at least not proud of being non-virginal. That wasn't any heroine I wanted to write. My heroines needed to be proud of sex, proud of themselves, and enjoying life. So I branched into the erotic...I felt better here.

And a couple of books in, I had the confidence to weave a story where the heroine was somewhat similar to my friend. A confident women who wasn't afraid to have sex. A woman who understood sport, competition and striving to be the best. A woman I wanted to have as my friend.

Sitting at my friend's wedding, I was so moved by all the confident kick-ass women there. Women who were having fun, celebrating with her, teary-eyed that she'd achieved her happiness and another of her goals. It was one of the most inspiring weddings I've been to...and I think that's because of the bride - my friend.

And damn, I was so proud to be there. To be among those she called friend.

Do you have a friend who's your hero?