So great news today!  Feral Craving is now out in print format!  As of today it is available here, and within the next week or so you'll be seeing it on Amazon as well. 

I'm running a promotion on Goodreads as well and giving three free copies out at random.  If you get a chance, make sure to input your entry below. 

This summer comes a lot of exciting times.  As many know, I've ventured in romantic suspense and currently have my first two books of a series completed.  This series is called the Empire Blue series and it's slated to have a total of seven books (possibly more) by the time it's completed.  The first book, Different Faces of Danger, has been requested with three separate publishers and an agent, so hopefully in the next few weeks we'll have some huge news with that project.

I've also started in on book two of the Justice Demon series, which will tell Mike's side of the story.  Here in the next few weeks there will be a few postings so many of you can learn who Mike is and why his story is going to shock everyone, himself included.  So in the essance of time, I will apologize now.  "Mike, I'm sorry, but it's gotta be done, buddy."

The erotica project is still in the works, and more postings on the different phases will be up soon. 

As many know, about ten weeks ago I quit smoking and since that time I have been focusing on keeping myself tobacco free.  As a result, my attention was shifted from my writing, to my body.  I've been sucessful in my attempts and plan to keep it that way.  There are a few other projects that are coming up and one I'm really excited to announce, which I will, as soon as it's ready. ;)

In the meantime, I'll be out at two signings within the next three months and will be announcing those shortly.  Keep watch and if you get the chance, please stop by.  Would love to get the chance to discuss your favorite characters and your thoughts on just where you think the series is going next.  *grin*

DC

Last week we talked about Building Sexual Tension, in Operation Between the Sheets, Phase 1. Tension, no matter what the genre is important. This struggle holds your reader’s attention and drives them to want to turn the page. 

As many know, I have taken under task to write an erotica. It is an exciting and very interesting adventure.  This week I wanted to concentrate on the reactions of desire between a man and a woman.  Let’s just get this out of the way … there is always going to be individuals who are outside of the norm, meaning they will go against what a majority of the population does.  It’s just a fact of life, and more so, called individuality. 

When you think of the reactions between men and women with desire, almost everyone knows that men are visual creatures, whereas women deal with more things on an emotion level.  Women are less likely to initiate sex, whereas men are generally the more aggressive of the sexes. Does that necessarily mean that a woman won’t out right tackle her man to the ground and demand some loving?  Of course not, but in the general scope, research has shown that these are the ways of desire between a man and a woman.

While writing out my novel, I decided to make my heroine a little out of the norm and stretch her boundaries.  Instead of needing that initial connection, establishing that baseline rapport, she’s going for what she wants, and for lack of better words, thinking with her sexual drive, or when referring to a man, with what’s in her pants.

I decided to switch the pars to play with these two (hero and heroine) so I can push their responses a bit more extreme, have them stand out as individuals and not the everyday norm.  This is my way of saying, “Hey, look at my book, it’s different, but still believable.”

Establishing your reactions to your hero and heroine can be anything you want. The key points to remember, or as I would suggest when it comes to desire with a man and a woman are the following:

- Realistic

- Likeable

- Consistent

It’s just like using your creativity to establish your reader’s world and your characters, be creative, but make it understandable. 

Here’s a little tidbit of desire and reaction from my latest scene.  I would love your feedback and hope to have you all following along in the future weeks as I share more. 

As a heads up, what we’re creating here in the very near future is something called the “Stoners.” The Stoners are a group of readers, and individuals like yourself who will have access to my work first, be able to get advanced copies of books being released, be able to watch and give input as the process occurs, and have says in the naming of books, and/or characters.  If you’re interesting in becoming a Stoner, please use the contact form to send me a quick note advising as much.

Without further ado:

“She ordered a drink, and the sound of sin that came out of her mouth went straight to his cock.  The sudden painful jolt brought him back to the bar, into reality, and snapped him out of the sensual fog.  He was a trained cop and STS member. Taught to take in details and pay attention. This woman scattered all of his brain cells and sent the blood he needed to think in his head, down to his cock. 

Christ.

When she slid onto the stool next to him, gave an easy smile to the bartender, and took a sip, Nate felt his body temperature skyrocket. Sweat dotted along his nape and his skin grew damp. Thoughts of what he wanted to do to this woman, words he wanted to beg, all swam through his mind.  When she licked her lips, he forgo any thoughts of self-preservation and simply stared, panting like a dog in heat. She didn’t look his way, though. No. Instead, she only had attention for the bartender. Her eyes sparkled under the low light above and just like he thought, a hint of amber sparked inside of that whiskey gaze.

Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. The Delta Alphas from down the bar practically puffed their chests like roosters going for their hen.  The loudest of the group stood, a man about five foot ten, with blonde hair and brown eyes. The guy adjusted his trousers, itched his balls, and leered at his friends as he took a step toward the woman. 

This … was about to get interesting.”

© 2013 by D.C. Stone. All rights reserved. 

I’ve promised many I’d write about my experience in developing this erotica manuscript and now that I’ve caught up with deadlines and submissions, I’m tossing myself completely into it. My goal is to be finished with the piece by late summer and be able to submit it to “Mr. Insatiable” by early fall.

As many know, I write mainly in the genre of romance, specifically focusing on the categories of contemporary, suspense, and paranormal. I’ve got eight completed stories under my belt, two published, and two more under contract. In my books I do have erotic content. So what’s the big deal about writing an erotica, you ask? In case anyone missed it, I gave examples and definitions of the differences in this blog post a few weeks back. Erotica is everyone’s little indulgence, their secret pleasure, and something that isn’t discussed in public.

Well, I’m taking the behind the scenes making of, and turning it very public in my blog. *winks* I have no shame, that’s right.

What I want to address is this won’t be specifically a project about “How to Write” a book or an erotica novel. More so, this will just be my path of discovery, research, and development to show how my piece came together. Again, if you have any questions on exactly what I’m writing, make sure you check out this post before you read any further.

So, that being said, I have my plot (because yes, there really is one in an erotica), my characters, and my opening scene outlined. The initially question that popped in my mind was, “Just how quick do I want to introduce sex to the book?”  If you cringe when you think about sex, then maybe an erotica isn’t for you. To me, sex is sex. It’s fun, it’s normal, it’s a connection, and most of all, a part of life.

Again, no shame. ;)

I opened my untitled erotica with sex. Hey, just get it right out there in the open right away. That way, in case you were wondering what kind of book you’re reading, you now know. In this scene, though, the sex isn’t between my two main characters. My hero is having some fun, but the female he is with is only a secondary character. And I doubt she’ll make another appearance after this.

With the opening scene out of the way, sex introduced, and the basic story set up, my mind raced to discover how best to proceed. Here’s where each romance author struggles. The Art of Sexual Tension is no joke. You can’t have it go on too long, and you can’t make it come on too quickly. (Pun intended) The build-up needs to be just right. This is important to me in an erotica novel as well. I don’t want to just see two characters pound into each other, erotica or not. To me, that doesn’t make for good writing, and more so, for a good read. Yet, in an erotica, I can’t take the speed of tension at the rate I normally would for a romance. This creates a problem for me.

How can I build the tension between two characters and still keep them likable, and still keep my reader interested?

Well first, what is sexual tension?

Sexual tension is the buildup of attraction between the hero and the heroine. Sexual tension is NOT the act of consummation between the two. No, that is called sex.

Sexual tension, however, can be present even in a sexual relationship. So even after the two have sex, keeping the tension going is very real, and an important part of the character building process. Say she’s the only thing he can think of, and I’m not saying thinking in terms of he’d like to take her to dinner with his mother. No, more so fantasizing about what she’d look like stripping for him, or *coughs* that little secret move she did with her hips last time they had sex.

In order to make the sexual tension, both before and after sex, real and unforced, you need to have two characters that are attracted to each other. Believe it or not, this is tougher than it sounds. If you have to keep forcing the two together, then not only will your editor pick up on it, but your readers will as well.

So say you have your two characters who are attracted to each other; how do you move to start building that tension?

Well, what is the ultimate goal of your characters? They each need to have one, and it can’t just be that they are horny. Dig into their heads, and show your reader just who they are. Make your reader connect with the character on a primal level. Get them understanding just why sex is popping into your character’s head each time they come in contact with the hero or heroine. Give your characters a reason to need the sex, as this is still an erotica, and start the growth of their relationship based on desire.

Some ways of building sexual tension:

Through dialogue

Attraction or desire

Friendship

Simple touches/turned erotic

Underlying goals

While my novel starts with sex; that may not be the best way to establish your developing plot. One could also argue that sex can be repetitious, so to start off my work with a sexual scene might not be the best. Well, this is all true. However, as a writer, I’m going to give one more piece of advice in Phase 1 of Operation Between the Sheets: Avoid, avoid, avoid clichés. In writing we must come up with new ways to describe the same things over and over again. Erotica is about sex. Thus sex needs to be in it. And often. Over-using the same descriptions or explaining things over and over again with the same words will have your reader rolling their eyes and your editor cringing. Dig deep—as you ARE a writer—and find fresh material. Put yourself in your character’s shoes and experience the scene through their eyes.

If you understand your character, the rest will come that much easier.

Next post, Phase 2 of Operation Between the Sheets: The reactions of desire between a man and a woman