Since I’ve been working on this collection, I’ve been asked a few questions.  Here’s a sampling:

You normally write novels; why short stories?

It mainly has to do with my interest in human diversity.  There are scenarios that make great novels.  Other situations people find themselves in can be told on fewer pages.  Born in the Wrong Body, for example, is a story about a woman born in a man’s body who goes through a series of sex reassignment procedures.  Having normal female desire, she falls in love with a man, who doesn’t know her history, before the final operation that will create a vagina from her penis.  Her heart beats just like everyone else’s, yet her circumstances are vastly different.  That’s what makes her story interesting, though the essence of her story can be told in a couple dozen pages.

Who are you writing these stories for?

When I first started publishing, it surprised me such a large percentage of my audience are women.  Why, I’m not sure.  They’re entitled to be as intrigued as men are in man to man relationships.  They get turned-on by reading about two men having sex just as men do with two women having sex.  I think they’ll be equally interested in this collection of tales, especially Two Husbands, a story about a straight wife married to a bisexual man, and the way she deals with the situation in the end.  This is the first time I’ve included women in the main relationship on a sexual basis.  Basically this book is for intelligent people with open minds who are fascinated by the diversity of human nature.

Which is your favorite story?

That’s tough to decide.  Writing them, I was totally into them all.  If I had to chose, it would be Charlene’s Daughter.  Not that I condone incest or sex with under-age girls, but I do understand human nature.  This story gets you in the gut.  Maybe because of the way it’s told.  Maybe because the characters are flawed but endearing.  Maybe because the story would make a good novel.  I am also fascinated by the concept in Two Husbands.

Are these stories erotica?

Although there are erotic scenes in this collection, I wouldn’t classify the stories as erotica.  Erotica is about and revolves around sex and sexual tension.  Short stories are snapshots of certain events or certain chapters in a person’s life; in this case, life changing chapters.  The stories in Erotic Tales for Enlightened Minds revolve around circumstances that lead to romantic self-discovery.

Why don’t you use traditional publishers?

I did, once, my first novel.  The first publisher that read it, bought it.  Thrilling as that was, it turned into the most dreadful experience I’ve had in my writing career, and put a very badly edited book on the market in my name.

What do you like best about writing?

Other than the creative process, I like most hearing from people who have read one or more of my novels.  I like reader input and opinions.  A writer learns from things like that.  I like hearing from people who have enjoyed the story and perhaps have identified with one of the characters.  By virtue of reading my novels, the reader knows me.  I hope the response will be as gratifying for Erotic Tales for Enlightened Minds.

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