romancewithsass.com

Last weekend, I went to Las Vegas for a writer's conference. An erotic author's conference. I've never spent so much time listening to and talking about explicit sex in my life. In a way, it was freeing. It was also funny, interesting, and very serious business. After all, everyone who attended works in the publishing industry in one form or another, and we are in it to make money. I took classes on publishing, editing, character development, visualization, writing queer, and hands on kink from people who write it, teach it, publish it, live it, are it, love it.

  I've never been flogged (tho some say that's unfortunate), yet I write about flogging characters and spanking them. It was wonderful to hold a floggers in my hands and watch somebody wield them properly, safely. To hear the precise sounds of the leather. To see and hear the reactions of the person being flogged and spanked. To appreciate techniques. To watch someone become trussed like the proverbial Christmas goose. To hear perspectives on gay characters and language choices from gay authors. Which genres were hot and which would be rejected immediately. I couldn't write fast enough. Imagine having the opportunity to ask your burning question-literally no holds barred-and get it answered right then and there. No hours of research. No waiting in query hell. No crazy email exchanges. No fuzzy photos. No relying on incomplete descriptions from other websites. No imagination required whatsoever. That was worth the price of admission right then and there.

I've also recently finished a two-week class on male point of view and character development. I've joked around that the course should have lasted twenty minutes and two weeks was way too long. Seriously. Most of the time when I ask a guy what he's thinking, he says, "Nothing." Do they enjoy conversation? Mostly not. But I digress. This class helped me analyze my previous male characters and their motivations and will help me write fresh characters that had readers can identify with paired with other men or women.

The classes I took on male POV and the hands on kink helped me prepare for writing my next three books, which all have strong BDSM elements in them. I want to grow as an author and continuing education is one important aspect. Especially when the instructors wore lingerie and kilts.

  What's next?

I've enjoyed wonderful success with Hard as Teak, my m/m erotic coming out story. Readers have asked for a sequel and I'm delivering one. The working title is Krewe Daddy and it'll feature Drew – Teak's former love interest.  Kevin and Teak will make appearances in Krewe Daddy, but they won't be an anchor pairing. By the way, for those unfamiliar – Daddy is an affectionate term used in the gay community usually describing an older, well-seasoned lover that men really want to be with. Oftentimes they have much younger lovers, but that isn't necessarily true. Luis is the Daddy in Krewe Daddy. And yes, krewe is an indicator that the book will be set in New Orleans and have elements of Mardi Gras. However, don't expect to read about parades per se. Expect Luis to have a commanding, domineering presence – he will be a Dom with a soft spot for the one who got away – Drew. My goal is to finish the book by the end of the year.

  As of today, Hard as Teak has enjoyed 62 days on Amazon top 100's. Both in erotica and gay/lesbian fiction, the book got there thanks to you. I've so enjoyed having a bestseller – I truly don't want it to end. Who would? But eventually it will and so the best thing to do is keep writing. Nopeming Shores will be out quite soon and hopefully, Krewe Daddy on its heels. I try not to make you wait too long.

I'll be back tomorrow with news about The 18^th Floor, my BDSM romance. In the meantime, get Hard as Teak, The 18^th Floor, and the rest of my titles on Amazon. There's also plenty of reviews and reader comments on my review page of my website RomanceWithSASS.

Until tomorrow.

Margie