Sorry -

- to have been kind of out of touch.  Been a crazy week and then-some: first I was at the YNOT Summit in San Francisco (on panels and helping out the great folks at YNOT) and then I turned right around and went down to San Jose for Westercon a week later.  Whew!

But now that I'm behind my desk again expect a lot of project and anthology updates and more cool stuff very, very soon!

Never Dusty!

We (Heart) New York

How To Wonderfully WriteSex (11)

Check it out: my new post at the fantastic WriteSex site just went up. Here's a tease (for the rest you'll have to go to the site):

There’s no doubt about it, things are really tough right now: aside from the depression/recession that seems to be killing publishers daily—and making life even harder for writers—there’s the too-often- painful transition from print to digital books, and the problem of getting yourself heard in a world full of other authors screaming for attention.

So it’s only natural that writers would feel a lot of pressure to write books and stories to fit what they think is the flavor-of-the-moment, to work only to spec.

So, should you do it? In my opinion the answer is a definitive, absolute, certain … kind of.

Before getting too far into it, I should back up a tiny bit and say that stories are very different—no duh—critters than novels. Aside from the obvious length thing, the big difference between the two is that with stories getting the out into the world usually depends on if you’re writing for a specific anthology, Web site, and such. If that’s the case then, absolutely, you should work to try and meet the guidelines set by the publisher or editor.

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Dr. Faustus Likes The Bachelor Machine

The cool news keeps coming!  Check out this very touching review of my science fiction erotica collection, The Bachelor Machine, from Dr. Faustus of EroticMadScience.com!

 

It is with great pleasure that I can report that Circlet Press has now made available a new e-book version of M. Christian‘s short story collection, The Bachelor Machine. For thaumatophiles, it is a do-not-miss.

The new edition consists of nineteen stories and two appendicies from the 2003 on-dead-tree edition plus a new foreword.

Many — though not all — of the stories are set in a gritty cyberpunk world, one which at times makes even the imagination of William Gibson look somewhat tender by comparison.  Radical forms of body modification, virtual realities, biohacking, and so on are explored in all sorts of permutations of gender and practice, or beyond gnder and practice.  Some are just exquisite.  The backer’s tale “Heartbraker” plays like X-rated version of Ghost in the Shell.  I hope M. Christian will forgive me for offering a taste:

Their cunt was on fire—molten, their lips and their clit steamed in a thumping beat as both their bodies moved over each other. Nipples stroked across soft breasts, bellies glided on a sheen of fine synthetic sweat.Their cunt was rapidly melting in a pool of vibrating wine, a tub of jiggling butter.They weren’t just hot or steaming—they were
burning in their roaring lust, combining in a echoing, reverberating bonfire. Linked, each hardwired into the other’s genitals, mixed and matched, they surged and merged.

(And if, after reading that, you don’t want to run out and buy this book right now, I should wonder what you’re doing on this blog.)

It’s not all cyberpunk.  “The New Motor” has a superficially steampunk feel, but what it actually seems to do is take a cyberpunk erotic sensibility and project it backwards into a real nineteenth-century America that was full of eccentric and goofy spiritual movements, with rather delightful results.  And there is dark political satire here as well, in a story like “Guernica,” in which closeted BDSM enthusiasts derive pleasure in parodying the grim, oppressive police state in which they live.

These are often edgy stories:  I am full of admiration for M. Christian’s willingness to “go there,” wherever “there” is.  Consider “Everything But the Smell of Lilies,” a story of a sex worker who has been modified so that she can be killed by clients who get off on that sort of thing has to be one of the squickiest things I’ve ever read…and read, and read, and read again.  So fair warning, these are not stories for the squeamish or the easily offended.   And they’re challenging in other ways as well, full of twists and non-conventional narrative structures and devices.  This is erotica for advanced readers.

And yet for all the edginess, for the cyberpunk grit and the sense of a brutal world, there are touching moments, bits of tenderness in the oddest of places.  The final story, “The Bachelor Machine,” about an encounter with a deteriorating, way-past-her-prime sexbot contains a twist that left me with a catch in my throat.  As usual, I won’t give it away.  But I shall urge you to read it yourself.  You can order a copy from Circlet here.

Don't Bother To Knock

More Finger's Breadth Praise!

I can never say this enough: I truly have wonderful friends -- just look at these two amazing Finger's Breadth blurbs I got from Theda Hudson and Jardonn Smith (and who are both amazing writers)!  Thanks so much!

“M. Christian is a writer whose style reminds me of film director J.J. Abrams -- quick edits, flash scenes shown from varying angles and distances. Unlike Mr. Abrams, however, M. Christian holds his camera steady. No jerking you around. His carefully-chosen words take you to the scene, allow you time to absorb and analyze, and then he gets you the hell out of there so he can repeat the process elsewhere. When you read M. Christian, nothing is wasted, everything is gained.

“His latest, Finger's Breadth, centers around a serial sicko who has a funny way of treating his tricks. First he drugs them, and then he severs their pinkie finger. Yes, gay San Francisco is terrorized, and a cross-section of those involved are psycho-analyzed by M. Christian -- victimizer, chasers of the victimizer, victims, victims of the victims, and wannabe victims. Sounds like a heavy load of information, and it is, but with the no-bullshit storytelling style of M. Christian, this hair-raising roller coaster is all whoops, no loops. So, take my advice: do not miss this ride.”
- Jardonn Smith, author and pornographer

“M.Christian dives into the mystery and horror of act engenders and explores in loving, poetic detail how it tears lovers and the gay community apart with no apologies and no lube beyond his lush descriptions of his beloved San Francisco, relationships, flirtations, and sex, always hot and honest however, deceitful or hidden the people or circumstances.

“He carries us along slickly through the coarser, ugly, and sorry details of the ways the victims and the community cope with fear and need and intimacy all the way to an ending as surprising as it is unexpected.”
- Theda Hudson

Ernest Hogan On Finger's Breadth

Remember how I was just saying that Ernest Hogan - who is one of my all-time favorite authors - is a real star-in-the-heavens for his wonderful blurbs for The Bachelor Machine and Love Without Gun Control?  Well, he just sent me ... hang on, I have to sit down for this ... okay, my head's cleared a bit: a fantastic blurb for my brand new novel, Finger's Breadth:

“FINGER'S BREATH is a real wild ride, the sort of novel you turn to when the apocalyptic mayhem out your window gets dull, and you lust for something to remind you of what it's like to live life at full-throttle. M. Christian sends the reader hurtling like a hockey puck through a world of crime, out-of-control passions, mutilation, and madness. Terms like noir and hardboiled don't quite fit -- this is more like ultraviolet, the invisible light that makes the scorpions glow in the dark.”
- Ernest Hogan

What Folks Are Saying About Finger's Breadth

As I'm starting to ramp up the promo for my new queer erotic thriller/horror novel, Finger's Breadth, I thought I might start by sharing  some of these flat-out-fantastic pre-release blurbs some of my favorite writers (and people) were good enough to do for me.

 

"M. Christian is constantly expanding his game, giving us stories which joyfully play with genre while remaining as literate, complex and human as any mainstream work.  He is far more than an erotica, SF or horror writer; each new book bearing his name should be anticipated, acquired and savored by those who love good fiction."
- Jason Rubis, author of STRANGELY MADE

"'Fingers' Breadth' creates a vivid portrait of a community torn apart by suspicion, where the thrills of hot, anonymous sex go hand in mutilated hand with the chill of fear, and no one is entirely what they seem. M. Christian skilfully mixes a dark, potent cocktail of lust, longing, paranoia and an overwhelming need for acceptance..."
- Liz Coldwell, author of TAKE YOUR SLAVE TO WORK

“To be effective, the act of literary intercourse between horror and erotica should be deeply unsettling. It should leave the reader feeling uncomfortable, overwhelmed by equal parts dread and anticipation. M. Christian understands this better than most, weaving a tale that permits the reader but a finger’s breadth of space between fear and arousal. His deft control of the story makes us feel the blade, but it's his subtle manipulation of our emotions that makes us want the cut.”
- Sally Sapphire, BELLASBOOKSLUT

“M.Christian is irritating the hell out of me. It’s bad enough that he’s such a prolific writer but why does he have to be so damn good? I try to keep track of where he’s going, but it’s impossible. He’s written novels about vampires, “Running Dry” and “The Very Bloody Marys”. He’s turned me on with his sexy erotica. “All Eyes On Her,” then he writes science fiction in “The Bachelor Machine.” He delves into contemporary angst with the fast paced “Me2”. Did I mention “Brushes” and “Painted Doll”? He skips happily and effortlessly from genre to genre, like a gazelle on crystal meth.

“As if that weren’t enough he’s now written what I think is his best work to date, “Finger’s Breadth”. A mystery that could come straight from the pen of Agatha Christie. As much as a whodunnit it’s “what the hell is going on”? Why so many gay, three fingered men around? Who’s responsible? Who is amputating fingers?

“M.Christian’s “Finger’s Breadth” is as compelling as it is a piece of carefully crafted writing. He knows how to keep his reader’s attention and he does it beautifully.

“I’d use words like “talented” and “gifted”, I know he doesn’t believe in that kind of stuff, but hell, who cares what M.Christian thinks? I’m going to use them anyway.”
- Billierosie, author of FETISH WORSHIP

“Finger's Breadth is a tale of what happens when accident begets fetish, what happens when that fetish turns fad, and how a near-future city of queers reacts to change. I couldn't put it down!”
- Kit O'Connell, author and editor

"The work of M. Christian is extraordinary not only in its quality and originality, but also in its versatility. This is a writer who goes beyond the mere challenges of writing convincingly from different genders and orientations and psychologies and walks of life, in different settings, subgenres, moods, and tones; this is a master of the craft who can thoroughly reinvent himself, as a voice, every time he picks up the pen—always with glorious results."
- Jeremy Edwards, author of ROCK MY SOCKS OFF

"M.Christian has seen the future -- and it is hardboiled! If you love crime stories -- gay or otherwise -- and you love science fiction, you will love Finger's Breadth. No other storyteller nails it quite like M. Christian does. This is a real page turner."
-- Marilyn Jaye Lewis, author of FREAK PARADE

“M. Christian delivers a tale of terror, suspense and erotic gay love in fresh, satisfying ways.  No other writer combines genres like this master storyteller.  A gorgeous thriller and a thrill to read!”
- Olivia London, author of SAN FRANCISCO LOVIN’

“M. Christian has done it again!  He's managed to successfully throw queer, horror, suspense, and science fiction with a dash of erotica to create a total mind bender of a book, "Finger's Breath".  

“Missing fingers + Queer men = Determined cops who want to end this horrendous crime sweeping across their town.  “Finger’s Breath” is a total mindfuck and will leave you gripping your covers tight (that's if the criminal mastermind hasn't claimed them already) – just so you can ensure no one will come after your digits.  But remember – the men who lost their fingers did the same and fell prey.  So, I ask you – how well are your fingers protected when you’re not looking?

“Are you sure?”
--Dr. Alyn Rosselini, author and editor

“M. Christian is a force to be reckoned with. Just when you think you understand the path that his narrative and characters are taking, Christian throws a monkey wrench, or a limb, or a head into the works and you have to get your bearings and start all over again. No matter which book of his you pick up, prepare for an intoxicatedly weird ride.”
-Ily Goyanes, author and filmmaker

"Strange and sexy, Finger's Breadth is a seductively suspenseful read."
- Paula Guran, Darkecho

“Finger's Breadth is as dark and rich and well-blended as good bourbon. Sexy, suspenseful, and believable in the details and elements of its world. Great stuff!”
- Angela Caperton, author of DARKNESS AND DELIGHT

“Finger’s Breadth is mesmeric storytelling, riveting in execution and appalling in implication.  M. Christian’s tale of erotic terror in a near-future San Francisco is imagined so skillfully that it grabs the reader with its easy familiarity, then refuses to let go as it careens to its shocking yet completely believable conclusion.  Evoking such Grand Masters as Armistead Maupin, Thomas Harris and Rod Serling while remaining strikingly original, Finger’s Breadth is Christian at the height of his considerable powers.  Like Charon the ferryman, the author takes the reader down the dark rivers of human sexuality and shows us things that would normally never see the light of day.  Ultimately the most compelling aspect of this fiction is how fascinatingly and terrifyingly plausible it is. Finger’s Breadth should come with a warning label: Read this before clubbing.”
- Christopher Pierce, author of ROGUE SLAVE, ROGUE HUNTED and KIDNAPPED BY A SEX MANIAC

"M. Christian is one of the most fantastically inventive authors out there. And do I mean out there!  Buckle up for another ride into a great imagination.  Don't miss FINGER'S BREATH."
--Adam Carpenter, author of DUDE RANCH and the European Flings Trilogy

Tumbling We Will Go!

Just a reminder, folks, that I have a wee little hobby of running a bunch of Tumblr sites.  Check them out if you're curious about the bizarre, the strange, or the just-plain-fun images I come across and put up on them:

Rude Mechanicals is a cyberpunky land of cyborgs and androids ... kind of a visual compliment to my Bachelor Machine, Love Without Gun Control, and (naturally) Rude Mechanicals books.

Meine Kleine Fabrik is a picture-postcard take on my weird-but-wonderful-stuff-in-the-universe blog of the same name.

Lust For Glory is a ... well, 'lustier' place that acts as a kind of slideshow for my erotica blog, Frequently Felt.

Love ya, Stephen -

"I began writing seriously when I was about thirteen. Out streamed poetry, stories and novels, the latter of which were always aborted early, usually half way through the second chapter. It took my friend Douglas Adams to encourage me to go further and he did this by pointing out that the reason I had never managed to finish a novel was that I had never properly understood how difficult, how ragingly and absurdly difficult, it is to do. “It is almost impossibly hard,” he told me. It is supposed to be. But once you truly understand how difficult it is,” he added, with signature paradoxicality, “it all becomes a lot easier.” It was many years later that Clive James quoted to me Thomas Mann’s superb crystallisation of this. “A writer,” said Mann, “is a person for whom writing is more difficult than for other people.” How liberating that definition is. If any of you out there have ever been put off writing it might well be because you found it so insanely hard and therefore, like me, gave up and abandoned your masterworks early, regretfully assuming that you weren’t cut from the right cloth, that it must come more easily to true, natural-born writers. Perhaps you can start again now, in the knowledge that since the whole experience was so grindingly horrible you might be the real thing after all. Of course finding it difficult and managing to complete are just the first stages. They are what earn you the uniform and the brass buttons, as it were. They don’t guarantee that what you complete is any good, or even readable. That is quite a different kettle of wax, a whole other ball of fish." 

- Stephen Fry

Bibrary Bookslut Likes Finger's Breadth

OMG!  The good - nay, the great - just keeps on coming: the fantastic Sally Sapphire at Bibrary Bookslut just posted this very touching review of my brand-new gay/erotic/thriller Finger's Breadth.  Thanks so much, Sally!

To be effective, the act of literary intercourse between horror and erotica should be deeply unsettling. It should leave the reader feeling excited by uncomfortable, overwhelmed by equal parts dread and anticipation.

If you’ve ever read any of his work (and shame on you, if you haven’t) you know M. Christian understands this better than most. With his latest, he has woven a tale that permits the reader but a finger’s breadth of space between fear and arousal. His deft control of the story makes us feel the blade of the assailant, but it’s his subtle manipulation of our emotions that makes us desire the cut of the victim.

The story starts out with simple, if deliciously perverse, premise. A mysterious figure is haunting the underground community of San Francisco, abducting young gay men and cutting off the tip of their little finger. That’s it. No other torture or mutilation, just that missing tip of a finger. With his ounce of flesh taken, they’re free to go.

As creepy and unsettling as the abductions are, it’s what comes after that comprises the bulk of the story. Suffice to say, things get weird, for both the abductees and the community at large, as the story develops in directions that you can’t begin to imagine. It’s a testament to M. Christian’s writing skill that we never question what happens, no matter how weird it gets. Instead, we’re encouraged to embrace the guiltiest of pleasures by indulging in the tale, until we’re so deeply involved that we can’t pull away from the final horrors ahead - and then are left delighted, and deliciously spent.

I had a chance to give this an early read (I’m actually quoted on the publisher’s website, which is very exciting!), and only a desire to take a break and collect my thoughts prevented me from reading it in one sitting. If you’re at all intrigued, then I urge you to give it a read – you won’t be disappointed.