Quick Thoughts - I Ain't Scared of No Erotica

I have, as I write this, actually read through all I wanted to for October 2015! It was an insane month for fiction, with over 80 stories and over 100 reviews for me (including poetry and nonfiction). At the same time, it has also been my busiest month for my stories coming out, with a story in Lamplight at the beginning of the month, another in Betwixt in the middle, and now a new m/m erotic story out just in time for Halloween!

The story, "A Friendly Ghostbusting," is available here.
The anthology it appears in, HAUNTED HOTTIES VOLUME 2, is available here.
A sample of my story can be read here.
A new release extra on the Torquere Blog will be here when it goes live.

Ah, erotica. Somehow I don't think I would write a story with an internet faux-celebrity named Caspar the Friendly Ghostbuster if it was for more "literary" audiences. Which is probably why erotica is fun to write at times. Not that it can't be deep and meaningful and layered, but that sometimes all I want to write is some fun drama with a sprinkle of puns and a lot of hot sex. I swear I want to write like an entire novel with these characters, because they are incredibly fun and because I love ghost hunting shows. I mean, they're all ridiculous but they are also entertaining and they all remind me of Ghost Facers from Supernatural.

As I think back on this story I can already see that with erotica I must have something of a pattern. Of a soft resistance, some sort of small perceived betrayal that turns out to be the product of confusion, guilt, and not being honest. The truth comes out, people have the choice to reconcile, and people normally do. With sex. This story is also kind of informed by reading erotica and the ridiculousness that it can be, sometimes. And loving it and wanting a bit to participate. Both this and "The Assistant's Contraption" were incredibly fun to write and spilled out of me mostly in one sitting, and I hope they are similarly fun to read.

Sometimes I feel very guilty about writing erotica. Because I don't have all that much time to write and this will never "count" toward SFWA membership or anything like that. It doesn't pay pro rates. But then, I'm not really at the point where all of my non-smut stories are pulling in pro rates, and these stories are so fun and I get physical books to hold onto and I will admit they're a lot easier to write and to get published than non-smut stories. I think the key will be balancing the smut at the non-smut. Because I don't think I can stop writing it now. I get too much out of it. It makes me smile and it does bring in some money and in the sea of rejections it's something that gives me some hope that my writing isn't utter rubbish.

So yeah, go check it out if you have the time, money, and inclination. Sadly, it is not free, but if it's something you don't mind spending on, you have my utmost thanks. Stay sexy, people!

All the best,

Charles Payseur