Eric Ross: Blog

Mel’s back—and the jukebox’s not the only thing moaning.

If you’ve been following the Mel series, you know she’s all sharp edges, sharp heels, and even sharper comebacks. In earlier stories, I kept things tight—dialog-only, no narration, all innuendo and sass tossed across yoga mats or cocktail bars. But with The Bell Don’t Ring Itself, I let the scene breathe.

This time, Mel struts into a backroom poker game, settles a score, and drags a tattooed cowboy into a neon-lit alley for a bourbon-soaked encounter that’s equal parts blues song and barroom brawl. The dialogue still crackles—but now there’s sweat on the walls, smoke in the air, and a jukebox humming through every beat.

The story draws inspiration from one of my favorite old blues tunes—Lil Johnson’s “Press My Button (Ring My Bell)”. It’s raw, shameless, and full of heat, just like Mel. I wanted to write a story that felt like that song sounds: dirty, defiant, and irresistible on repeat.

Writing this story was a shift. I realized that while dialog-only stories are fun and punchy, they can also be limiting. Mel demands atmosphere. She demands narrative. She wants the heat of the alley and the glow of the neon to tell part of her story too—and honestly, she was right.

I’ve also started experimenting with OpenArt.ai to create visuals that match the mood of these stories. I’m still learning, but I’d love to hear your thoughts—does the art capture Mel’s fire? Does it hit the right tone?

The Bell Don’t Ring Itself is live now. Feedback always welcome. Mel wouldn’t have it any other way.

Eric

The wild ride of Afterglow continues.

In Chapter 4, Coco trades muddy trails for velvet seats as she and Ginger test the acoustics—and the limits of self-control—in a private opera box. The champagne flows and their bodies collide with the same hunger that’s driven the series so far. But something quieter begins to stir: a note of vulnerability, and a pulse that’s more heart than heat.

If you’ve been following Coco and Ginger since the alley, the coffee shop, and the mountain, you already know: this is more than sex. It’s two people crashing into each other with wit, wildness, and the possibility of something real.

Chapter 4: Opera Boxed is now live.

Missed the earlier chapters? Start from Chapter 1: The Alley.

After the rollicking debauchery of Release the Kraken, I couldn’t resist takin’ another swing o’ the cutlass at the high seas of smut. And thus was born The Lusty Barnacle: A Scholar’s Plunder—a bawdy, wind-blown romp where rum flows freely, trousers vanish mysteriously, and no riggin’ is safe from a thorough ravishing.

Our tale begins when mild-mannered librarian’s assistant Timothy Tiddleton finds himself abducted by the infamous Captain Mad Molly Tugg—red-haired temptress, terror of the tropics, and wielder of a jewel-encrusted strap-on known only as Poseidon’s Wrath. Before he can say “nautical metaphor,” Timothy’s been tied to a mast, licked mango pulp off a map, and charted Nancy’s glowing ass for buried treasure.

What follows is a mess of cannonball oiling, topographical cunnilingus, enchanted sex toys, and a sea shanty so obscene it made a gull drop dead from shock. There’s a sentient doubloon that sings. A parrot with no moral compass. And a finale that involves pegging, poetry, and the phrase “Ego sum pirata!” shouted mid-orgasm.

If ye like yer smut with salt, slapstick, and a hint of sorcery, hoist the mainsail and dive in.

And remember, me hearties—if ye laugh, gasp, or find yer sash suddenly damp, send me a bottle o’ rum or shout “spank me pegleg!” at the moon. She’ll hear. She always does.

Cap’n Eric

For those who haven’t checked out my latest serial, Afterglow, here’s a quick recap.

In Chapter 1, Ginger meets Coco fucking a stranger in an alley. She invites him in. He steps forward. Everything changes.

In Chapter 2, they reconnect in a Bellevue café, and after some filthy talk, they’re tangled together in the bathroom. It’s fast, bold, and impossible to forget.

Now, in Chapter 3, Ginger takes Coco hiking on Mount Rainier. The trail is steep, the banter shameless, the sex spectacularly wet and muddy under a storm-blasted rock. But what matters is what comes after—when Coco lets her guard drop just long enough to show something raw and real… and then pulls the curtain closed again.

The mountain doesn’t offer answers. But it leaves them both marked.

Chapter 3 is live.

—Eric

Some stories burn through you before you even realize you’re writing them.

Afterglow is one of those stories.

I’m thrilled — and a little terrified — to finally introduce you to Afterglow, my latest novel, and to two of my favorite characters I’ve ever created: Ginger and Coco.

What’s Afterglow About?

It begins in a shadowed alley, with a reckless encounter between two strangers — Ginger, the steady, stubborn software guy who’s spent too long burying his wild side under Zoom calls and routines, and Coco, the untamed, silver-haired siren who drifts through life chasing thrill after thrill, never letting anyone get too close.

What starts as raw, physical chemistry quickly spills into something messier, deeper, and far more dangerous: real emotion.

Their story spans coffee shops, storm-drenched mountaintops, mirrored hotel rooms, Parisian rooftops, Rio’s Carnival streets, and the stillness of a glacier in Iceland — always on the edge of breaking, always chasing the afterglow of something they’re terrified to name: love.

Afterglow is a novel about chasing the fire, surviving the burn, and learning how to stay when every instinct tells you to run.

It’s filthy. It’s tender. It’s the kind of love that doesn’t ask you to tame yourself — it asks you to burn brighter.

About the Characters

Ginger — Freckled, stubborn, and more vulnerable than he knows, Ginger is the kind of man who follows the people he loves into the storm — and learns he’s stronger for it.

Coco — Wild, radiant, and haunted by old griefs, Coco has built her life on running. But Ginger challenges her to stop — not by caging her, but by keeping pace with her until she’s ready to rest.

They wreck each other beautifully. And maybe, just maybe, they save each other too.

More to Come

Afterglow is just the beginning.

I’ve been living with these characters for a long time — working through their scars, their triumphs, and the messy, gorgeous ways they grow together.

I’m excited to share that three more novels featuring Ginger and Coco are already in various stages of completion. Their story doesn’t end with Afterglow — it deepens, expands, and tests them in ways they (and maybe even I) didn’t see coming.

If you love raw, dirty, beautiful love stories about two people daring to be seen — and daring to stay — you’ll want to stick around for the next chapters.

Thank you for being part of this wild, wonderful ride. I can’t wait for you to meet Ginger and Coco the way I have — in all their wrecked, burning, stubborn, brilliant glory.

Chapter 1 (and shortly) Chapter 2 are already up. Enjoy!

– Eric