I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has responded so warmly to "Occasions of Sin."
Yesterday, however, I received feedback from a reader who was not so receptive. In fact, he was offended by what he saw as my insensitivity toward victims of sexual abuse by priests. He said he gave the story a low rating, and ended with a plea: "Please consider employing other methods of writing that doesn't offend a particular group or
religion."
I'm not quite sure just what the reader found so insensitive: the fact that I was writing about abuse, or the fact that, in the story, the victim manages to enjoy herself. If the former, then I would say that any topic is legitimate grist for a story, and it is part of a writer's job to shine a spotlight on the darker corners of our existence. If the latter, then I would say that perhaps not all victims regard themselves as such, and this is, after all, erotica. I have always believed sex should be fun, if only for the girl. For this reason, I have never written about an unequivocal instance of rape.
All writers mine their pasts, and a rich vein of my past is the experience of Catholic school. "Occasions of Sin," like much of my other work at SOL, refashions my memories with an erotic twist -- and if that means depicting members of my former faith as sexual beings, even as sexual predators, then so be it. It's the best I can do.
I also can't be the only writer in the world who thinks girls in school uniforms are hot.
To paraphrase Scott Fitzgerald, my material might not be to your liking, but, my God!, it is my material, and all I have to deal with.