Update (Sticky Post)

[1 August 2011]

I'm open to featuring writers (any genre; published or not) on the art of erotic writing. I'll feature these Q&A's as and when under the Interviews | Guests section.

In the meantime, I'll be busy completing Primal Scream--and all the other projects I have besides that ;)

* * * DISCLAIMER * * *

Pardon the long-windedness, but this is Jess's disclaimer to avoid getting this blog flagged/deleted by Google/Blogger--and also to avoid getting her a** arrested on "obscenity charges."

» read the full text on Blog Disclaimer.

(Quality) Erotica Author Interviews

I've been wondering whether to open a new blog for my upcoming (FINALLY COMPLETED--about 10% left) second erotic anthology, Primal Scream.

If I do, it's likely to be a VERY compact, minimalistic blog (I'll have a few Q&A's and some posts on the artwork and inspiration behind certain stories, maybe). I was considering posting on this blog (re: Primal Scream-related material), but I won't if it'll make things cluttered.

I guess the Amazon censorship episode that occurred in Dec 2010 turned out to be okay, because it was from that point that I made it very clear that my (erotic-themed) work "is not porn."

The disclaimer I came up with (on the "erotica versus pornography" debate) is a popular page on jessINK (http://www.jessink.com/porn_vs_erotica.htm).

I've met several other authors who also maintain this perspective with their erotic works. The whole purpose of the labels of "erotica" and "pornography" is to differentiate the two from each other (the former is an art form; the latter's objective is to stimulate arousal from the graphic depictions of sexually explicit scenes, and make money from this), and I personally would like to see more exposure for contemporary, quality, intelligent erotica (or "contemporary fiction with erotic elements," which is what I'm working towards :P).

I'm currently setting up an author Q&A template via Google documents. I'll answer the Q&A too, though it won't be my first interview that's related to Primal Scream. I'll decide later whether I'm going to post Primal Scream stuff here or on another blog.

I'll get back to Switch by the end of the day (last story for Primal Scream!).

LATEST NEWS!

18 Dec 2010: You can get 4:Play (full anthology, 10 stories) for $4.99 @ Smashwords. All my books will be available for direct purchase/download via my website/jessINK, in 2011.

Two of my books, Wicked Lovely and 4:Play, are banned on Amazon, as reported by The Register UK. While 4:Play (which includes the s.story, Wicked Lovely) is still online on Amazon (at the time of this posting), I received an email from Amazon DTP that 4:Play has been "blocked" -- meaning I cannot edit/access my own product in my own account. Wicked Lovely was removed from Amazon's catalog in early December.

15 Mar 2011: I've written some articles on jessINK, with regards to erotic fiction & censorship. I've also updated my works and writings so that the special editions are about "step siblings," not "siblings."

A Word About Ed Drake

Photo by Joseph Brauer

Ed Drake is one of the lead characters (the "step brother") in Wicked Lovely (the second story in 4:Play). The title was "Ed & Julie" initially -- kind of was following a "Romeo & Juliet" type of vibe, but I decided to change it later.

Ed's voice might seem unedited and illiterate. I was inspired by the stream-of-consciousness narrative mode of The Rules of Attraction, by Bret Easton Ellis. I liked the unforced nature of the writing style.

Ed might sound like a whiny brat, and speak like a child (input I have received so far), but I think he manages to get his point(s) across.

* * * * *

Excerpt of Wicked Lovely (Scene 1, Ed Drake) / 4:Play

Peel myself off the sofa. Ed, you sicko.

I wanna tell the voice in my head and the whole world to shut up. They can talk and talk but they’ve not been in the same situation, they don’t even know what they’re missing out on.

That. That’s the exact thing that fuels their disgust and anger. It’s a displaced frustration, that they can never have access to this deranged special kind of arrangement. Go, Ed!

Drag myself up the stairs in a weird mix of dread guilt apprehension and uncontrollable wild anticipation and excitement.

Find myself in front of Goddess Julie’s room. The door is closed but you can’t lock it from the outside. Glare at the morons on the poster. Some lame brothers emo-looking band with way too much eyeliner and black hair dye that really sucks BIG TIME, nothing but pop "rock" crap for 12 year old girls to listen to (Julie isn't 12 -- figure of speech). Their lyrics are about their love life and if those lyrics are indeed true, damn their love life blows. They don’t have one insanely hard and talented guitar solo, no drummer, no bass player, and no talent. They are just another manufactured product and who knows what their appeal is. Where’s a new Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Nirvana, or Guns n’ Roses? Good music is dead. So once again, I don’t think they suck, I KNOW they suck.

Then the paranoia and urgency strikes. Hurry up! Someone might be home any minute!

* * * * *

Inspiration for Playing the Flute

I'd like to write a future blog post on "Book Trailer Tips" -- there are some things I've learned along the way, which might be useful to others who're thinking of/doing the same thing ^^.

Anyway, I just wanted to share/ramble a little, on the inspiration behind Playing the Flute (poem + trailer).

I happened to buy this book when I was 18 years old -- it's one of my most treasured books (along with my collection of Anaïs Nin, D. H. Lawrence, and a couple of erotic art publications -- I've been wanting to add to that collection in the longest time, man):



Love Poems from the Japanese, The Shambhala Library

It's a beautiful, exquisite, gem -- of remarkable quality, and succinctness. The divine simplicity of the short pieces of poetry (no inflated word count to justify the sticker price here) is authentic, uplifting, and speaks directly to the soul.

So...yeah. I wrote Playing the Flute, and a range of freeform haiku (entitled 30 + 2 Haiku, in 4:Play).

I don't know if my chapter of poems was a turn-off to industry professionals, as I've seen variations of the following line on more than a couple of lit agent pages:

"No poetry, please. Poetry doesn't sell."

Okay. So I'm one of those "delusional optimists" that chooses to do whatever they set out to do anyway, regardless of who has to say what, and the pitfalls/obstacles pointed out, and blebbity blebbity bleh.

There are many reasons why I value poetry. Vladimir Nabokov has this to say:

"A writer should have the precision of a poet and the imagination of a scientist."

Which is something I agree with. That's regarding the writerly aspect of myself :)

I've never written a poem in order to sound "smart". I usually like to focus on the content/message, rather than the techniques applied [and that got me into serious hot soup with a self-proclaimed "literary snob" of an editor (names withheld, of course...)].

I think it's the quality of a piece of work that determines if people will like it/be inspired by it/be influenced/etc. Even (or especially, to some) if it comes in the form of a poem.

P.S. A friend asked whether I wrote Playing the Flute. I said yes. And she said, "Oh! It was subtle and different from (the writing style in) your first book!"

I can't and won't disagree with that. Jade Ashton simply has to sound the way that she does in EyeLeash.

Erotic Poem, Book Trailer

Features the poem, Playing the Flute, from 4:Play, and music by the uber talented Kevin MacLeod.

I've 2 or 3 more trailers in mind for this book. This one took a total of about 7 - 8 hours (inclusive of searching for pix, and drafting up the initial concept)...half the time it took for my first trailer ever done for my other book, heh.

I was going for something old world + slightly contemporary, at the same time.