INtrinSicliValud: Blog

Okay, double chapter drop for "Owning My Image" today. At a remote location, Laura loses more of herself to the new business as Dave struggles to hold on. We are heading towards the tipping point for both my babies-weee!

Meanwhile, Aiden and Gina continue to explore their new relationship in Chapter 2 of "Aiden and the Ring." Yeh, I know. No awards for the original title. and I am also aware, that it's a slow burn, but I am reviewing chapters based on feedback to ensure they are a bit more polished. Not to worry, all 18 chapters are complete. They are just in various stages of being tuned-up. And, uh, things ramp up pretty fast as we head towards Aiden's destiny.

Once more, my thanks to all of you sending me feedback on these and my other tales. You have no idea how much I value reader inputs and comments. My goal is to do better and keep you entertained…and intrigued. I read and respond to all emails. So, keep 'em coming.

The good news first. I launched the heavily revamped chapters of my first MC yesterday. I would have posted his first chapter on Friday, but my brain had melted due to the Romance Writer Week webinars and working on other projects. Those other projects include a second MC's serialized story, which requires a lot of editing to bring it close to my current standard.

An important point - text upgrading is a grind, though I love rediscovering my old characters. In both cases, I am doing my best to polish them, but I'd rather not waste anyone's time. So, once posted, please drop me an email and let me know if they are good enough to entertain you, or if I should abandon the effort. If the latter, I will figure out a way to start new tales, filling in MC back-story where appropriate.

And now for the bad news. In response to overwhelming demand, I worked up a sequel to "On the Highway," with dear Dan and Daisy. And I hated it. It was a true-to-trope sequel with no burn, no angst, and the characters were cut-outs. Yes, it had good scenes to support the tropes, but my characters demand better of me. As such, I am adjusting their tale to have more gooey goodness.

Which is a good time to point out that those of you reading "Owning My Image" are in for a bunch of twists and angst before the pay-off. Some tropes are smashed and mutated, others not so much, but, trust me, I love every single character. I have accepted a drop off in readership due to the husband/down stuff in the middle, but that is the nature of my storytelling-messy and perhaps a bit uncomfortable. Like, uh, life. Anyway, that's my goal, so please stay with it and then judge if I got close to goodness, or not.

Well, it's time to introduce my first MC in what I hope you will find an enjoyable world. As a bit of back story, I began erotica writing with serialized fiction, more like prose-based comics revolving around good old harem stories with a dash of urban fantasy goodness. While I gained experience getting words on paper, I also found each tale an entertaining exploration of various tropes and kinks. After further mashing of words, I decided to buckle down and write a story with a proper character arc.

At the same time, being somewhat of a glutton for punishment, I wished to experiment with multiple third person deep points of view. And, just to make it more fun/challenging, do a twist on the "mind control" erotica trope, which I enjoy reading. However, most of them seem heavy-handed, i.e. smack person with a magic/tech thingee and fuck. What if the doodad is more subtle? What if the MC gains a range of "powers" but is more rational in their choice of how/when to use them? What if they eventually subsume the powers? What if the targets were, rather than controlled, liberated by the "magic"?

Oh, and because it's me - what if there is love and caring as well as raunchy, sweaty sex.

Welcome to Aiden's world, aka The Ring Saga series. In this case, I wrote the first tale before I even knew he would become a central character in his own universe. Nonetheless, I have already written a pair of sequels and he also appears in several other completed stories.

WARNING: The Ring was formed long before the concept of flavored sexuality and there are scenes of Male-Male activities within this story. As Aiden, under its influence, engages with any he finds attractive, flavors/genders/types/kinks be damned.

So strap in, strap on and let's ride.

My intent is to post each chapter(s) as they complete merciless final editing on Thursday, my normal release day.

Alright folks, Chapter 6 is out and my sweetheart is heating up in this chapter, so buckle up. Warning: there is a bit of husband/down stuff and this will continue until (spoiler). All I can say is I am a romantic, so stay tuned.

I have devoted most of my free time this week to absorbing the Romance Writers Week webinars. However, I have outlined a sequel to "On Her Own Terms" and the first prequel to "The Student." In addition, I continue to update my older works. So you should, fingers crossed, see the first chapters of two projects appear shortly.

The first will introduce one of my favorite MCs and is novel-sized, e.g. 21 good-sized completed chapters, with two sequels underway or complete. While I planned to release the first chapter this week, the webinars are so darned good. I simply haven't had the time to do a proper job. Perhaps a weekend post.

The other project is a continuing serial, also split into "books," the first of which has forty-two complete chapters. It is an urban fantasy-based harem story.

WARNING: And I will repeat this warning as I post them, but in both older projects, while the action is predominantly Ma/Fa, the MCs are what is now called pansexual. Simply put, modern sexuality flavoring strictures don't really apply to them for "reasons."

Once again, thank you all for the support. I am greatly encouraged by your supportive e-mails and love knowing how much you enjoy my scribblings. As of today, this is what is going on. No substantial changes, just some shifting priorities on my end.

Several folks have provided brilliant suggestions for story ideas and I encourage you to submit more. Frankly, my imagination is enjoying the challenge of twisting and merging your ideas with my own. As long as you agree, I own the resulting tale and that I may publish/post, keep sending them in. While I do not know how the site handles private commissioned stories, it would seem to go against the spirit of SOL.

Besides the regular posting of Owning My Image, which is complete with 18 chapters, I will be sharing newer ongoing serials and the updated prose of older serials. In both cases, I have a concept of character arcs, but they are, by nature, incomplete. However, the older serials already number over fifty chapters each, so I've got a pretty good idea where they are headed. The newer serials are percolating in my jangly brain even as you read this and I may delay their release until I have a better goal for them.

As for the standalone story ideas, for these newer serials, I will consider any reader suggested paths. You are just as kinky as me; I am sure. Share and, if it's appropriate to the story and honest to the characters, I will get it on "paper."

Last week's additional tales, "The Student" and "On Her Own Terms" seem to have been well-received. Although there were no requests to continue them, I decided to expand on both stories. As I mentioned before, I have a tendency to want to know my characters' futures. Regarding The Student, I can't even do a solo stroke story! Because now I want to show how they first met, where they went afterwards, and why she ended up liking leather so much. And then how her mom gave him permission, and so on… And… Madness! Argh! It's a character flaw. <shrug>
By the same token, I wish to follow the twists in Naomi's courtship with Ryan, because I think they will turn out to be a dangerously cute power couple.

In any event, older content now being devoured by you or newer content developed with your inputs, together we shall discover what, and who, these crazy characters get into. Stay tuned for details when they are ready for posting.

A final bang on the drum as I clamor for feedback, feedback, feedback. Good, bad, no matter. If bad, I will attempt to fix. If good, I will try harder.