Author Interview, Vaughn Shepherd

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Author Interview, Malcolm J. Brenner

Author Interview #2, with Malcolm J. Brenner!

NOTE: Malcolm's novel is of a controversial theme. Please read THE DISCLAIMER, which is in accordance with Google/Blogger's content policies. It's only realistic/honest to present a realistic/honest account. This has been the case with Mr. Brenner and I hope you will find this interview interesting.

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Jess: Why do you write erotic-themed material?

Malcolm: Because it's what happened to me and changed my consciousness, i.e. the way I look at the world.

Jess: How do you differentiate quality erotica (as an art form), from pornographic writing?

Malcolm: As some feminist once said, "Pornography is the literature of dominance." Porn exploits sex for commercial purposes, whereas erotica celebrates the pleasure and joy of consensual sex.

Jess: Totally agree with that definition of 'porn'. ;) I shall now ask how you would respond to the following statement:

“I am very put off by the notion of 'literate smut', as if any porn is intellectual, that erotica needs to have a high and low art distinction. I think this is just a pretentious way for people to excuse their taste for pornography.”
-- originally posted on http://www.barbelith.com/topic/925

Malcolm: I would say the person who made that statement is a prude who feels threatened by his or her own sexuality, but I might be misreading the statement, taken as it is out of context.

Jess: Your diplomacy at giving said person the benefit of the doubt is admirable. What inspired you to write erotic stories/poems/etc.?

Malcolm: I fell in love with a dolphin and ended up making love with her at her insistence.

Jess: Do you always follow the "safe, sane, consensual" credo?

Malcolm: Very little about my life has been safe or sane, but if it's not consensual it's rape.

Jess: Indeed (I always like it when a person is clear-minded about consent). What do you think readers will find most notable about your book(s)?

Malcolm: The fact that it is well-written and appears to have a rather widespread appeal outside the zoophile community (such as it is).  I tried to write the story in such a way so that even readers who are not attracted to dolphins or other species would be able to relate to, and empathize with, the plight of the protagonist.  Judging from the feedback I get, I succeeded.

Jess: In order to write on certain experiences, you would have to either research or live the life. Which describes you as the writer?

Malcolm: I have no talent for fiction or plot so I have to write about what happens to me.

Jess: Do you think erotica caters to a male or female market (or does gender of the target audience not matter)?

Malcolm: I think men are more stimulated by visual depictions whereas women seem to prefer sensual descriptions. I am surprised that my novel of human-dolphin love, Wet Goddess, seems to sell equally well to women and men. I thought it would be mostly men who were interested in it.

Jess: Are there any topics you will NOT tackle, with regards to sexual behaviors and attitudes?

Malcolm: Since I am writing now about my own molestation as a child and getting pissed on by a dolphin, I guess the answer is "no," but come to think of it I wouldn't write Lolita, either. Then again I'm not Vladimir Nabokov.

Jess: (YEAH, Nabokov--the stylistic storyteller!). Please share with us a short excerpt and blurb of your work (10-100 words).

Malcolm:

“Elaine…” I whispered, “Elaine…”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to… make love?”

The question hung on the wind for what seemed like an hour.

“Yes… no… Oh God, Zack, I don’t know,” she said, and grabbed me, toppling us to the sand.

-- from Wet Goddess, of a remarkable female dolphin who convinced the narrator that dolphins have every bit as much, if not more, awareness and intelligence as human beings.

Jess: Share an excerpt of your favorite author’s work (10-100 words):

Malcolm:

"I was determined to have done with conjecture and discover the truth, even if, as I believed it would, the truth proved incomprehensible."

-- Stanislaw Lem, from Solaris (1961). It is the only book I have ever read that kept me up all night reading, because it relates so strongly to my own experience of another, non-human intelligence.

Jess: Please let readers know where they can find out more about you/your work.

Malcolm:

Website: http://wetgoddess.net/
Blog: http://blog.wetgoddess.net/

Jess: Thanks so much for sharing your views on the art of erotic writing :)!

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MALCOLM J. BRENNER:

When Malcolm J. Brenner graduated from Riverview High School (of which he has no fond memories) in 1969, he attended New College of Florida, where the events on which WET GODDESS is based took place.

At an early age, Brenner was sexually molested by an "orgonomist" (orgone energy doctor) trained and certified by Wilhelm Reich--the notorious post-Freudian psychiatrist--to work with children. Brenner plans to document the terrifying child abuse he experienced in a forthcoming autobiography, Growing Up In The Orgone Box.

Of his work, Malcolm J. Brenner says, "I'd rather write fiction, but I have absolutely no facility for plot. Nothing I can imagine is as weird or as unlikely as the things that have actually happened to me. So I just write honestly about my life, which simply reads like fiction." His website is http://wetgoddess.net/

JESS C SCOTT:

Jess is the author/artist/non-conformist behind jessINK (her indie publishing division). One of her specializations is erotic literature.

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and would like to share your views via a similar Q&A, just check out/fill out the form at Author Interviews. Jess will email you with the link once it is posted.

Jess is available for Q&A's too. Drop her a note at missfeyATgmailDOTcom :)

(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."

Interview @ Interracial eBooks

This Q&A was originally posted on Interracial eBooks (they have taken down their blog, and are focusing on their estore at the moment).

1) When you first started writing, was it your intent to write interracial romance?

Jess: When I first started writing professionally, yes. Maybe it's because I'm of mixed heritage -- I've always liked diversity, which includes anything that's "multicultural". I also felt (still feel) that the concept of interracial romance would be good on a social level (a person is a person, regardless of race/religion/sexual orientation).

2) What do you think of the growing popularity of interracial romance? What is the appeal?

Jess: It's great! I think the Internet has opened up the world on a truly massive, global scale. When it comes to mass media, I think people of different cultures/races appreciate seeing their respective ethnic group being represented. Some readers may also enjoy discovering "something new", which one is likely to, when it comes to interracial romance. Perhaps the appeal lies in the underlying message that love is not determined by skin color; it's something that happens from within.

3) Tell us about your first exposure to interracial romance? Was it a book or movie? What was your initial reaction?

Jess: My first exposure to interracial romance was definitely in real life -- my mother is Eurasian, and my father is Singaporean Chinese. I noticed the various cultural differences from a very young age. I guess this helped me foster an awareness and keen interest in culture + social anthropology as well (though I didn't know those exact words, or what they meant, at the time).

4) Do you feel there is a specific sub-genre best suited to interracial romance (contemporary, paranormal, etc.)? Why?

Jess: I don't think so, actually. I think a good writer would be able to fit the right elements into a story -- the interracial aspect could work equally well in any/all genres, depending on the author's intention(s) with the writing project. This is giving me a bunch of ideas right now, to be honest...

Depeche Mode, see point #9 below ;)
Photo from George Velez

5) Will interracial romance become more or less mainstream in the future?

Jess: More -- too much of the same thing gets boring after a while. There has to be more choices on the shelf. It'll also be a reflection of cross-cultural relationships becoming more of a mainstream thing, in society.

6) Do you have any plans for book signings or conference appearances?

Jess: Once I am very famous/notorious, yes. I'm currently focused on getting my name/work out there. I don't know about conference appearances though. I could just record whatever I wanted to say, and upload it onto YouTube. It'd be more convenient and economical for everyone.

7) What are you working on now?

Jess: I am working on a young adult series. There are characters of different races in the book(s), because I'm tired of seeing the same old stereotypical names, looks, and characters, in YA fiction. Young people deserve more challenging, stimulating works to peruse. I got a bit sidetracked with my sophomore novel, 4:Play. It was supposed to be finished "before I turned 25" -- I ended up finishing it at 22.5 years old...

8) Do you have any particular rituals when writing (a special place or time, specific music you listen to, etc.)?

Jess: I have to stretch! -- I don't like for the body to start cramping or stiffening up, due to long hours at the computer. I usually listen to energizing music. Head-banging rock and/or electronica/dance tracks are favorites. I like to do initial draft planning (and as much of the actual writing) by hand too -- it's just more...intimate.

9) Who inspires you?

Jess: Everybody from classic authors (Poe, Oscar Wilde, Anais Nin, D. H Lawrence, etc!), to musicians (Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, K-pop artistes, Chopin, Bach, Vivaldi), and people like you and me.