Archive
Still Here…Writing and Dreaming: Completed first draft of sequel to MONOGAMY SUCKS
I am still here…writing and dreaming.
Just wanted to leave a short update for the readers of my blog about my current writing and upcoming books. As I hoped, I was able to finish the first draft of the sequel to my novel MONOGAMY SUCKS before the close of 2012. This was a satisfying personal achievement for me considering I don’t have as much time to write these days since taking a full-time public relations job this past August.
However, I will never abandon my writing dreams as I don’t write for a paycheck. I write for me. I could never hope to explain the joy writing brings to my life and how it feeds my passionate and creative soul.
My sequel to MONOGAMY SUCKS I believe will be sexier and even funnier that the original. The narrative follows my protagonist Jake Dalmas’ continuing naughty journey exploring wild swinging adventures, including sexy interracial threesomes and other hot encounters. Jake’s honesty diary and sardonic voice remains the constant as a humorous self-deprecating guide for the readers into these naughty worlds. And I promise you there will be shocking scenes you can’t read anywhere else.
Yet there is a serious side to my writing that rarely gets mentioned in reviews. My MONOGAMY SUCKS sequel also addresses the potential pitfalls of relationships, even open relationships and the limits of love. In the frank way my original novel questioned monogamy, the sequel will take aim at romantic and sexual relationships through the eyes of a male swinger who is a little more wiser but no less vulnerable this time around.
However, dear readers, don’t look for my sequel any time soon. I plan to spend 2013 editing and shaping my MONOGAMY SUCKS sequel toward a possible summer 2014 release. After that, I am planning a sequel to my novel DEAR HEF as well for the fans of that humorous book.
Although I have no plans for a third MONOGAMY SUCKS novel right now, you never know. I am also planning at some point to take on other non-erotica genres such as Science Fiction, work life novels, thrillers, etc.
Please check my blog from time to time for updates on my writing, interviews and the progress of my MONOGAMY SUCKS sequel and other upcoming books.
And thanks for coming along for the naughty ride so far. Get ready. You haven’t read anything yet.
GP
Novel MONOGAMY SUCKS Featured on the INDIE SPOTLIGHT
This past week my novel MONOGAMY SUCKS was featured on the INDIE SPOTLIGHT blog. The blog is run by Gregory Bernard Banks, who is a graphic designer, forum administrator, co-Webmaster for the Speculative Literature Foundation, author of six books, and owner the small press WheelMan Press (wwww.wheelmanpress.com), and the freelance graphic design company, BDDesign LLC (www.bddesignonline.com.)
Here’s a link to my interview and excerpt of Chapter 7 of my novel MONOGAMY SUCKS. This was the 48th interview of my blog tour for my novel.
Enjoy.
As always, more to come.
GP
2011: A Remarkable Year on My Writer’s Journey
This has been a remarkable year for me as a writer.
2011 saw the publication of two of my novels — MONOGAMY SUCKS and DEAR HEF — and a paranormal erotica story Swinging with the Supernatural that was included in the Lazy Day Publishing print anthology INDULGENCE: Tales of the Cirque Romani.
However, the year started in a much darker place with me receiving hostile indifference toward my novel MONOGAMY SUCKS from some critics and readers. Yet through steady persistence of promoting my books in social media and in the mainstream press, I have been able to overcome a lot resistance to the explicit nature of my work.
MONOGAMY SUCKS continues to perform well in the Amazon Kindle sales rankings consistently placing in the top 50,000 out of 800,000 books. My others books are also slowly finding an audience.
I make no apologies. Frankly, I don’t write for the faint of heart. I try to depict sex without the rose colored glasses typical of mainstream erotica. I call it real life erotica with all the messy parts left in.
I must admit I do revel going into other areas that many other writers avoid — male sexual insecurity, disappointing swinging and casual sex encounters, the limitations of monogamy and traditional relationships, the honest truth about the swinging lifestyle, and how the Internet distorts our sex and romantic lives. I try keep things humorous as means to engage my readers as I delve into thorny and uncomfortable issues.
Still, each day it seems I find new readers who embrace my vision. That support is priceless for a writer, and so rewarding when you can find it.
I will have more to offer in 2012 as I am half way through writing the sequel to MONOGAMY SUCKS which I hope to finish by this summer or fall. It will be just as sexy and controversial as its predecessor.
Take a chance on my three books. You will not be disappointed. You might even enjoy yourself and find out something about how other people live.
Isn’t that why we read novels in the first place?
Happy New Year to all my readers, supporters and fellow authors, writers, bloggers, poets, artists, musicians, filmmakers and songwriters.
GP
My Nomination for the The Farthest Reach Award 2012 For Book Marketing Excellence
Today I received the wonderful news that I have been selected as one of the five nominees for the Farthest Reach Award 2012. I am very honored to be included in the very talented company of authors EdenBaylee, Jeremy C. Shipp, Kristen Lamb, and the Indie Book Collective.
The Farthest Reach Award 2012 recognizes excellence in book marketing. The award is presented to individuals, groups or teams who have made outstanding ‘on-the-ground’ contributions to the sector of book marketing and publishing, either through mass efforts that have benefited the entire segment or particular to their own writing and sales goals.
Many thanks to author Jason McIntyre and the Decision Committee who chose me and other nominees out of 50 possible selections.
Look here and on Jason’s site for more news about the final award selection next year.
GP
NOVEL “MONOGAMY SUCKS” 1 YEAR LATER : LESSONS I LEARNED ALONG THE WAY
One year ago today Lazy Day Publishing launched my wild swinger magnum opus MONOGAMY SUCKS on an unsuspecting literary world and reading public as an e-book.
Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. I was just relieved my book would finally see the light of day after 12 years of being afraid to show it to anyone. For those who don’t know the story, I launched the first six chapters of my novel on my blog starting in May 2010, and a few months later I was offered a book contract by Lazy Day Publishing, which was a new digital publisher launching its company in December 2010.
Despite my happiness at finally being published, I naturally expected the worst. And initially anyway, my worst fears were realized as my first two reviews were awful, hit piece attacks by those who completely misunderstood what I was trying to achieve with my novel — an honest and frank look at sex, monogamy and the swinging lifestyle from a an unflinching male point of view.
Even with supportive words from my publisher, telling not to worry about the reviews or to take them personally, I despaired and wondered about the future prospects for my book and my writing career as I had many books planned.
Yet I took my critical lumps, persevered and kept promoting my book on Twitter, Facebook and in the mainstream media. Slowly but surely, I began to find support among my fellow authors on Twitter and ultimately enthusiastic readers — even among women, which I did not expect.
My novel is doing phenomenally well on Amazon Kindle considering its controversial title, explicit erotic content, and its frank real life erotica approach. MONOGAMY SUCKS is consistently ranked around 50K out of 800K e-books on Kindle. So much for the notion of books have a short shelf life in this digital age.
Just as encouraging is that I am halfway through my sequel to MONOGAMY SUCKS and recently I had two more books come out on Lazy Day Publishing — DEAR HEF and INDULGENCE: Tales of the Cirque Romani.
I have learned some valuable lessons in this past year that I wanted to share.
AMAZON IS KING: I am convinced now that securing Amazon Kindle reviews is crucial to driving sales and building up an audience for your book. We all know word of mouth is everything in trying convince readers to take a chance on your writing. Amazon provides a very simple way for readers to leave reviews and for potential readers to check out what other people thought about your book. Once I built up my reviews for MONOGAMY SUCKS, I found it much easier to find new readers.
SUCCESS OF YOUR BOOK IS UP TO YOU: Book promotion is your most important job next to writing. How do you expect anyone to read your book if you don’t tell them about it? Learn all you can from those who know about book promotion and reach out to your fellow authors on Twitter and Facebook for advice. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself. You wrote a book to have readers didn’t you?
TWITTER IS A WRITER’S BEST FRIEND: If you are an author or an aspiring writer, you must use Twitter to promote your book, and reach out of other writers. I found an incredibly supportive writing community on Twitter. In addition, creatively tweet about info and links about your book several times a day if you can. Also tweet out parts of your novel using the #novelines hashtag. It gives potential readers a taste of your novel before buying it. Also realize the importance of hashtags in reaching out to specific #writing #communities that appeal to #authors and #readers. I have found Twitter a lot more helpful that Facebook in finding new readers, but you must have a presence on both.
FREE IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD: My apologies to Wired Magazine editor-in-chief Chris Anderson, but FREE is not always the best price for your book. I know all the arguments in favor of giving away your book for free, but frankly I just don’t buy it. An occasional book give away is fine, but distributing large quantities of your book for free is not an effective way to find new readers. I am exempting book bloggers and reviewers from this since they will in fact review your book at some point. Most of those I gave my book away to never even bothered to read it let alone review it.
I discovered the hard way that those who actually bought my book — particularly on Amazon — were more inclined to read it and post reviews. I believe they valued my book because they actually invested in it — both with time and money. I know again some may not agree, but that has been my experience.
BELIEVE IN YOUR BOOK AND WRITING OR NO ONE ELSE WILL: Don’t be your own worst enemy. Putting down your writing and not believing in your work is a real turn off for potential readers. If you don’t have confidence in your work why should anyone else?
And I know this goes against conventional wisdom, but be ready to stand up for your books and writing when you have been unfairly attacked. Sure, you shouldn’t take bad reviews personally, but you don’t have to stay silent while someone trashes your book. A reasoned, calm and intelligent response to your critics will only make you appear like a writer people should be reading and offers a thoughtful counterpoint to the bad review. But that being said — an angry and defensive response to criticism will hurt you and your book and will give a bad review more credence than it may deserve.
DON’T GET OBSESSED WITH BOOK SALES AND RANKINGS: This is easier said than done as an author’s success and value is judged to a large part by book sales. But reaching readers — any readers — with your book is a success in and of itself separate from monetary gain. It why we write in the first place, isn’t it? Building a readership takes time. Thousands of books are released every day so don’t get discouraged. The advent of e-books and the Internet gives authors more access to get their work out than ever before. Take advantage of it.
HAVE FUN: It may seem scary at times to have your innermost thoughts, creations and writing out there for all the world to see, but it is also very rewarding when readers understand your vision and embrace your book. Being an author doesn’t have to be a daunting experience. It can also be one highlighted by inspiration and joy in the knowledge that you are reaching others through your words.
This past year has inspired me in so many ways and has made me more determined than ever to get more of my work out there. What a wonderful, intriguing and educational ride it has been so far.
I am very thankful for every reader I have. Truly.
Monogamy sucks — at least it does for me — but being an author never does.
I can think of no other job I’d rather have.
Listen to my interview about Monogamy Sucks on the Mancow Muller Show
This morning I was a guest on the Mancow Muller Show to talk about my novel MONOGAMY SUCKS and the topic of monogamy. Mancow’s show is the No. 4 ranked radio in the country and reaches approximately 11 to 12 million readers in more than 200 markets.
You can listen the 11/29/11 show here. My interview starts at the last 4 minutes of the two hour show.
Enjoy. This was the 47th interview for my novel MONOGAMY SUCKS.
More to come as always.
GP
Just in Time for Halloween: My Dark and Sexy Story “Swinging with the Supernatural” is Featured in New Paranormal Erotica Anthology “Indulgence: The Tales of the Cirque Romani” Released Today
What happens when a swinger, a lady sword swallower & a lady midget sword swallower meet?
This intriguing scenario is explored in my story “Swinging with the Supernatural” as part of the new provocative paranormal erotica print anthology Indulgence: Tales of the Cirque Romani being released today just in time for Halloween.
Indulgence: Tales of the Cirque Romani will be available in a digital version on Amazon Kindle, B&N and other retail outlets for $4.99. The print version will be available on Amazon as a print on demand book later this week for $9.99. The new anthology features 10 Lazy Day Publishing authors weaving sexy tales about a fictional carnival troupe called the Cirque Romani. This is the first print offering by the digital publisher Lazy Day Publishing.
This story was a departure for me as I’ve never previously written in the genre of paranormal erotica. I really enjoyed it as it reminded me of the Science Fiction and Fantasy stories I used to write when I was younger. I believe the readers will enjoy the final result as well as the other excellent and intriguing stories in this collection.
My tale in Indulgence: Tales of the Cirque Romani is about swinger Willy Roamer’s unusual and sexy trip to the carnival to watch a performance of the traveling carnival troupe the Cirque Romani. During his adventure, Willy meets a lady sword swallower and a lady midget sword swallower and discovers some supernatural secrets possessed by the troupe.
It’s a very sexy and different kind of story written in the same frank and unflinching manner as my readers of my novels Monogamy Sucks and Dear Hef have come to enjoy. I wanted to combine my brand of real life erotic fiction with a supernatural story, including vampires and shape shifters. I added some new interesting wrinkles to these familiar mythic creatures, too. I am very grateful for Lazy Day Publishing giving me an opportunity to stretch myself as a writer.
Indulgence: The Tales of the Cirque Romani also features the work of authors Alta Hensley (Master of Ceremonies), J.M. Kelley (Laws of Attraction), Amy le Blanc (Til the Day Makes Us), Ty Langston (Coming Home), A ‘Jeeper’Wade (Tiger Tamer), Liz Borino (Jesse), Rae Spencer (Cigany Flame), Ava Riley (The Beast Within) and Elizabeth Thorne (Bound by Silk).
I have read the entire anthology and I’m very taken with all of the stories. The authors all delivered sexy paranormal stories that will intrigue readers.
I highly recommend this collection and you should also pick up additional work from these fine authors.
Also check out the cool book trailer Lazy Day Publishing created for Indulgence: Tales of the Cirque Romani at the end of this post. It’s awesome, too.
GP
REAL LIFE EROTICA: WRITING ABOUT SEX WITHOUT THE FANTASY TRAPPINGS — BY GEORGE PAPPAS, THE AUTHOR OF MONOGAMY SUCKS AND DEAR HEF
This post is also featured today on my publisher Lazy Day Publishing’s Web site.
I thought I’d also share it on my blog.
GP
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Now, this may sound like heresy coming from a so-called erotica author –
But I have no desire or interest in writing conventional erotica based on the typical and well worn fantasy elements.
What I write in my latest novel Monogamy Sucks and also in my upcoming novel about online sex entitled Dear Hef released on Sept. 14 as an e-book, is what I like to call real life erotic or reality fiction. Keeping it real was my mantra during the creation of my two novels.
It was my intention with my raw fictional diary of Jake Dalmas, the protagonist of Monogamy Sucks, was to depict sex, and particularly the swinging lifestyle, as it truly is — not as we fantasize it to be.
I have come to realize through some of my detractors that my kind of erotica is too explicit and honest for some readers, who would prefer the fantasy escape represented by the traditional erotica trappings. I wanted to write a book I’ve never read — at least not by many modern erotica authors. I knew by delving into such controversial areas most writers avoid — problems with monogamy, sexual escapades gone wrong, male sexual insecurities and the real skinny on the swinging lifestyle — I could turn off potential readers. However, I didn’t try to sugarcoat the swinging lifestyle in any way.
Yet as Rick Nelson sang in his song “Garden Party”…”Ya can’t please everyone, so ya got to please yourself…”
Honestly, most conventional erotica seems contrived to me. Yes, we all have great sex in our lives, but that doesn’t mean that every experience is perfect. We all have our share bad sex, too. A lot fantasies have a dark side, and I wanted to include that and keep things as real as possible. I don’t write sex scenes to get people off, but to understand my character’s motivations, and possibly make a bigger comment about how we all live our lives and society at large.
I used the diary format to truly bring the reader into the mind of Jake Dalmas, and to explore the male sexual mind. I wanted the reader to feel they were seeing this hidden, mostly unexplored sexual world of the swinging lifestyle, through his eyes.
Employing a traditional literary approach or writing Monogamy Sucks in the third person I think would have set up a distance between my character and the reader that I strived to avoid.
I was actually influenced by the literary geniuses of Henry Miller, Anais Nin and Charles Bukowski — particularly his frank novels “Women” and his poetry — in developing my novels. I attempted to write modern versions of their brave books. They also didn’t pull any punches or hold anything back in their fiction.
I also relied on humor to enable readers to relate or at least understand Jake’s and my new book’s character Jimmy Rausch’s journey, as I knew I was exploring touchy and controversial issues that might offend some. I worried at times that I might go too far and lose my readers, but I let the truthfulness of the story I was trying to tell be my guide.
I researched and the swinging lifestyle for many years. I didn’t just write this as an outsider. However, it would have been disingenuous for me to leave out the more awkward moments of my and other’s swinging pursuits.
Most of the swingers who have read my book have lauded it for its accuracy. Check out the reviews on my Amazon site as a guide. I have no interest in feeding the myths or lies about the swinging lifestyle or casual sex.
Whether writing about sex or any other human endeavor, I believe it is crucial as an author to not cheat your readers through depicting life’s very real and intriguing implications with concocted characters and scenes that simply don’t ring true. Just because the subject is erotica there is no need for the author to figuratively put their hands over the reader’s eyes and show sex and love in only the most positive light.
My favorite novels from Lolita to Henry and June showed life the way it is with all of its thrilling, absurd, humorous and heartbreaking dimensions.
That is what I strive to do with my frank brand of real life erotica.
GP
My Interview about Monogamy Sucks on Casey Ryan’s Cutting Room Floor Podcast
Today I was an interview guest of Casey Ryan’s podcast The Cutting Room Floor. Our discussion covered my novel Monogamy Sucks and my upcoming novel Dear Hef, swinging, Internet hook ups, the intriguing celebrity angle of my next book (i.e., Hugh Hefner), the writing process and future of publishing.
You can listen to my interview here.
I met Casey through fellow author Eden Baylee, who suggested I contact him for an interview. This was the 42nd interview for my blog tour for Monogamy Sucks, and my first in support of Dear Hef. Enjoy. More to come as always.
GP
