When I first wrote Painting with Wine, I wrestled with not only how far to take the explicit content—that scene in the wine cellar is a doozie—but also with the fear of having a stigma as an erotic writer.
At one point, I toyed with writing it under a pen name. But then I decided, f*ck that! I want to be real. I want to explore extremes in my writing. I’m not going to hide behind a cloak of morality just because some of the material may offend or is only suitable for adults. Being sexual is part of life. As a writer, I want to depict life as accurately as possible. Whether your gay or straight, having a little “sexy time” is par for the course—well, hopefully!
On that note, I’m excited to say that another one of my stories—which is far sexier than Painting with Wine ever thought of being!—just got accepted for the Juicy Bits anthology at Dreamspinner Press. If you think Painting with Wine is explicit then Never Kiss—a story about an out of work consultant who turns to Internet porn to make a living—will straighten out your perm.
It’s Not All About Sex Though
Sex is only a part of the story. Never Kiss, for instance, is about a man who is down on his luck and in order to make some fast money turns to a seedier side of life. In this world, Tony, the main character, struggles to find love. He gets straight guys off, films it and posts the act to his web site.
In this story, I wanted to get across the conflict that some people have in doing something just for the money. Turning to porn may be an extreme example—stories are often best told and absorbed from the outer edges. But you may be able to relate if you’re stuck in a dead end office job, for instance. To Tony, kissing means you care. And he never kisses his clients.
The Other Work in Progress is Not So Graphic
Then there’s a swing to the pendulum.
On Sunday, I wrote the final chapter to my work in progress, which I’m calling Tim on Broadway. It’s not as explicit as the stories I mentioned above; it doesn’t have to be—the story doesn’t call for it. There is some “sexy time” but it’s much more subtle and not as important to the plot.
Tim on Broadway is about an overweight gay guy in his late twenties who is pretty much a virgin—pretty much, because there was this one time he bought a go-go boy in Las Vegas yet didn’t go all the way. Tim is also obsessed with divas and his favorite one, Carolyn Sohier, is giving a concert in Bar Harbor, Maine that he’ll do just about anything to go to. However, Tim has some issues that he must overcome in order to get there.
Sex When It’s Called For
In Painting with Wine, Jon and Richard’s lack of seeing each other for so long has to have a strong climax—no pun intended—when they first reconnect. In Never Kiss, Tony’s career is in Internet porn. Enough said! As these stories unfold we learn that the character’s struggles—Jon’s submission in letting his ex-husband have his way with him and Tony’s inability to kiss—and their process of dealing with it all is what we like best, not just the hot sex scenes.
Tim on Broadway is about show tunes, New York City and divas. Tim also has a thing for a hot Venezuelan named Javier so there is some sexy time involved. But if you were to rate in on heat index, I don’t think Richard Simmons would need to worry that his hair would suddenly straighten.
Photo Source: RichardSimmons.com
Ah, Richard Simmons and a derivative of the word straight in the same sentence. My life is now complete!
Rick Bettencourt 