The social media fun continues! A very special interview I did with Bending the Bookshelf just went live. Check it out here!
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
A Special Interview with Bending The Bookshelf
The social media fun continues! A very special interview I did with Bending the Bookshelf just went live. Check it out here!
I'm An Awesome Author At Erotica Readers And Writers!
This is such a treat: the great Erotica and Writers site just added me to their Awesome Author's listing - with my bio, some fun links and even my story "Four Views of Mount Fuji." Check it out here.
Saturday, January 07, 2017
Announcing The M.Christian Erotic Science Fiction Collection
(from M.Christian's Technorotica)
For the first time, M.Christian’s sexual futurist novels and short story collections are available as both ebooks and special-edition audiobooks!
“Future technology’s ability to alter the very nature of our humanity—and the ways those changes interact with sex—shapes this solid collection of futuristic stories from erotica author M.Christian”
—Publisher’s Weekly on Skin Effect
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Since his appearance in the 1994 edition of Best American Erotica, M.Christian has proven himself to be the premier erotic chameleon: being able to seamlessly write for practically any genre and orientation, fetish and interest.
But it is in the field of erotic science fiction that M.Christian has shown his mastery of both: combining a vivid style, haunting and evocative characters, and carefully crafted structures to not just sexually charge the reader he also examines how human sexuality may evolve in the coming decades—or centuries.
For the first time his premier short story collections and novels are now available as not just as ebooks but—through a special arrangement with Wordwooze Publishing—as audiobooks!
M.Christian’s Erotic Science Fiction Short Story Collections:
Bachelor Machine: Science Fiction Erotica (with an introduction by Cecilia Tan).
The book that established M.Christian as a voice in the genre. Received positive reviews from many, including Locus Online.
Ebook (Renaissance E Books/Sizzler Editions): http://tinyurl.com/gp8cpkt
Audiobook (Wordwooze Publishing): http://tinyurl.com/zw25f7o
Skin Effect: More Science Fiction Erotica (with an introduction by Ernest Hogan).
The positive-future sequel to Bachelor Machine. Received positive reviews from the likes of Publisher’s Weekly.
Ebook (Renaissance E Books/Sizzler Editions): http://tinyurl.com/j9moky8
Audiobook (Wordwooze Publishing): http://tinyurl.com/jzmct5u
M.Christian’s Erotic Science Fiction Novels:
Bionic Lover
A mesmerizing tale of bittersweet desire, lesbian romance, and all-too human frailty
Ebook Print-on-demand (Wordwooze Publishing): http://tinyurl.com/jz54uxr
Audiobook (Wordwooze Publishing): http://tinyurl.com/jsdbzgu
Painted Doll
"A non-stop ride of precise prose and unexpected imagery. Painted Doll is another M. Christian gem; a seamless blend of the erotic with the darkly fantastic. Unpredictable, engaging, and an often startling read."—Marilyn Jaye Lewis, author of Freak Parade
Ebook (Renaissance E Books/Sizzler Editions): http://tinyurl.com/hzx3xyx
Audiobook (Wordwooze Publishing): http://tinyurl.com/j5bvavs
Finger's Breadth
“Finger’s Breadth may well rank as one of the most psychologically astute erotic novels since Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s Venus in Furs, and it deserves to be just as widely read.”—Circlet Press
Ebook (Renaissance E Books/Sizzler Editions): http://tinyurl.com/go8m62p
Audiobook (Wordwooze Publishing): http://tinyurl.com/zufwvav
All books are available for review. Interested? Write M.Christian at mchristianzobop@gmail.com
M.Christian’s Sexual Futurism In Fact As Well As Fiction:
In addition to writing erotic science fiction, M.Christian is a contributor to the well-respected Future Of Sex (“insights into the fascinating topic of the future of human sex and sexuality”): a publication of the Advanced Human Technologies Group!
M.Christian has written on a staggering array of subjects -- from covering state-of-the-art breakthroughs in sexual technology to speculations on the future of human eroticism -- in over 60 popular articles and essays.
Here’s a link to M.Christian’s work for Future Of Sex: http://futureofsex.net/author/m-christian.
About M.Christian:
Calling M.Christian versatile is a tremendous understatement. Extensively published in science fiction, fantasy, horror, thrillers, and even non-fiction, it is in erotica that M.Christian has become an acknowledged master, with stories in such anthologies as Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, Best Bisexual Erotica, Best Fetish Erotica, and in fact too many anthologies, magazines, and sites to name. In erotica, M.Christian is known and respected not just for his passion on the page but also his staggering imagination and chameleonic ability to successfully and convincingly write for any and all orientations.
But M.Christian has other tricks up his literary sleeve: in addition to writing, he is a prolific and respected anthologist, having edited 25 anthologies to date including the Best S/M Erotica series; Pirate Booty; My Love For All That Is Bizarre: Sherlock Holmes Erotica; The Burning Pen; The Mammoth Book of Future Cops, and The Mammoth Book of Tales of the Road (with Maxim Jakubowksi); Confessions, Garden of Perverse, and Amazons (with Sage Vivant), and many more.
M.Christian's short fiction has been collected into many bestselling books in a wide variety of genres, including the Lambda Award finalist Dirty Words and other queer collections like Filthy Boys, BodyWork, and his best-of-his-best gay erotica book, Stroke the Fire. He also has collections of non-fiction (Welcome to Weirdsville, Pornotopia, and How To Write And Sell Erotica); science fiction, fantasy and horror (Love Without Gun Control); and erotic science fiction including Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, and the acclaimed Bachelor Machine.
As a novelist, M.Christian has shown his monumental versatility with books such as the queer vamp novels Running Dry and The Very Bloody Marys; the erotic romance Brushes; the science fiction erotic novel Painted Doll; and the rather controversial gay horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth and Me2.
M.Christian is also the Associate Publisher for Renaissance eBooks, where he strives to be the publisher he'd want to have as a writer, and to help bring quality books (erotica, noir, science fiction, and more) and authors out into the world.
M.Christian’s Social Media:
Site: www.mchristian.com
Twitter: @mchristianzobop
Sunday, December 04, 2016
Roxy Katt Likes Finger's Breadth!
(from M.Christian's Technortica)
Check out this really touching review of my queer/horror/erotic/SF/thriller Finger's Breadth by the one and only Roxy Katt.
And don't forget that Finger's Breath is available as both an ebook as well as an audiobook!
I love noir. I love noir movies. And I was pleasantly surprised by M. Christian’s Finger’s Breadth. Not that I was surprised that it was good, having already read and positively reviewed his Bionic Lover. But I did not think it would be this good. I was surprised to see a complex noir plot so deftly handled. Finger’s Breadth has a great many characters and different story lines in it, and it is difficult to write such a novel without putting the reader off. The risk is that just as one story line gets interesting, another one is picked up and the first line is awkwardly interrupted.
Not so with this book. M. Christian takes us through a gay San Francisco some time in the not too distant future where gay men are being tricked and attacked in an unusual way I will not discuss for fear of spoilers.
The plot is tense, the characters well drawn, and the suspense is strong. The text is certainly erotic, but for me the primary interest was in trying to decipher the mystery: what was going on, and who was doing it, and why. Also, the effects on the gay community add a deeper dimension to the book not usually present in a whodunit. A terrific read.
Check out this really touching review of my queer/horror/erotic/SF/thriller Finger's Breadth by the one and only Roxy Katt.
And don't forget that Finger's Breath is available as both an ebook as well as an audiobook!
I love noir. I love noir movies. And I was pleasantly surprised by M. Christian’s Finger’s Breadth. Not that I was surprised that it was good, having already read and positively reviewed his Bionic Lover. But I did not think it would be this good. I was surprised to see a complex noir plot so deftly handled. Finger’s Breadth has a great many characters and different story lines in it, and it is difficult to write such a novel without putting the reader off. The risk is that just as one story line gets interesting, another one is picked up and the first line is awkwardly interrupted.
Not so with this book. M. Christian takes us through a gay San Francisco some time in the not too distant future where gay men are being tricked and attacked in an unusual way I will not discuss for fear of spoilers.
The plot is tense, the characters well drawn, and the suspense is strong. The text is certainly erotic, but for me the primary interest was in trying to decipher the mystery: what was going on, and who was doing it, and why. Also, the effects on the gay community add a deeper dimension to the book not usually present in a whodunit. A terrific read.
Sunday, October 09, 2016
I'm Not Dead -
- or even a little sick. I know I've been neglecting my site of late but it's for more than a few rather good reasons: in addition to writing up a storm for the amazing folks at Future Of Sex, and continuing to be an Publisher with Renaissance E Books, I'm hard at work on three new novel projects and a special anthology.
Stay tuned!
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Sign Up For The WordWooze Newsletter!
I really do like working with WordWooze Publishing - and here's an opportunity for you folks to follow all the cool things they are up to by subscribing to their newsletter!
Here's the info - in a letter from the man himself, Jim Loftin:
I would like to inform you of Wordwooze Publishing’s response to Amazon’s new review vetting policy. We are supplementing our practice of sending potential reviewers pdf or mobi copies by scheduling days when our books are free on Amazon, which allows reviewers to “purchase” the book and have their reviews display on Amazon as a “verified purchase.” During the first couple of months of this new campaign all of our books will periodically be available in this manner, from then onward at least two books per month.
We will be sending out a MailChimp newsletter to reviewers and bloggers to alert them of the scheduled Amazon promotion periods of each book. You are invited to sign up for our opt-in only mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/b9hVkj To sweeten the deal for reviewers and bloggers, our newsletters will include links to downloadable cover art, blurbs, excerpts, interviews, bios and author photos or avatars.
Whereas we would eventually like this to become the most common means of providing review copies to reviewers, we will also judiciously distribute review copies as we have in the past. Just to be clear, this is only for our ebook editions; Audible doesn’t offer this option. We will continue providing promo codes to interested audiobook reviewers and bloggers.
Regards,
Jim Loftin aka Jim Lyon
Wordwooze Publishing
http://www.wordwooze.com/
Finger's Breadth the Audiobook - Out Now!
(from M.Christian's Queer Imaginings)
This is beyond cool: the great folks at WordWooze Publishing has just released a complete audiobook of my queer/horror/erotic/thriller/Scifi novel Finger’s Breadth (and the ebook version is also available from Sizzler Editions).
You can pick up the audiobook here and the ebook here.
Erotic. Terrifying. Fascinating. Disturbing. Intriguing. Haunting…. You have never listened to a book like Finger’s Breadth.
The cutter is haunting the streets of near-future San Francisco, drugging random queer men and amputating the tip of their little finger.
But so much worse than this brutality is how fear transforms the city, revealing the inescapable nature of society…and the darkest depths of human sexuality.
“It is not that hard to come up with an idea that can be turned into a horror story and that is why horror has been part of the folklore of America and why these stories are so popular on camp-outs as we sit around a campfire. To successfully do this, we need a combination of characters and plot but more important than all else is a novel way to relate the story. For me that is the definition of M.Christian. This book is unlike anything I have read before and I suspect that it will stay with me for quite a while.” (Amos Lassen)
“Finger’s Breadth may well rank as one of the most psychologically astute erotic novels since Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s Venus in Furs, and it deserves to be just as widely read.” (Circlet Press)
This is beyond cool: the great folks at WordWooze Publishing has just released a complete audiobook of my queer/horror/erotic/thriller/Scifi novel Finger’s Breadth (and the ebook version is also available from Sizzler Editions).
You can pick up the audiobook here and the ebook here.
Erotic. Terrifying. Fascinating. Disturbing. Intriguing. Haunting…. You have never listened to a book like Finger’s Breadth.
The cutter is haunting the streets of near-future San Francisco, drugging random queer men and amputating the tip of their little finger.
But so much worse than this brutality is how fear transforms the city, revealing the inescapable nature of society…and the darkest depths of human sexuality.
“It is not that hard to come up with an idea that can be turned into a horror story and that is why horror has been part of the folklore of America and why these stories are so popular on camp-outs as we sit around a campfire. To successfully do this, we need a combination of characters and plot but more important than all else is a novel way to relate the story. For me that is the definition of M.Christian. This book is unlike anything I have read before and I suspect that it will stay with me for quite a while.” (Amos Lassen)
“Finger’s Breadth may well rank as one of the most psychologically astute erotic novels since Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s Venus in Furs, and it deserves to be just as widely read.” (Circlet Press)
Saturday, July 02, 2016
Oort Cloud Reviews Likes Bionic Lover!
(from M.Christian's Technorotica)
Check out this very touching review of my Bionic Lover cyberpunk-ish lesbian romance, Bionic Lover, by Oort Cloud Reviews
Christian’s Bionic Lover sucked me right into the narrative with the very first paragraph. A very well thought out introduction to the events that were to follow. Since the subtitle had introduced it as an Erotic Lesbian Romance, I had a good idea about some of the things to follow and yet I just couldn’t quite stop. The language is so rich and captivating that at times, I was more enamored of the words than their actual meaning and that is not an easy thing to do. The sentences followed each other like pearls on a string and some of what they were saying reminded me of friends and long gone events, in other countries and other times.
I am a hetero male, and like most of the ones sharing my demographic, fascinated with lesbian encounters. Holding my breath, I kept waiting for that double female scent to emanate from my screen and envelope me. When it did occur, I was not disappointed. The strength of the encounter and the way it was depicted got me very excited. It was the middle of the afternoon and I was not alone in the house, so there was nothing I could about it. I thought that perhaps I should continue reading later on, but I just had to find out what was coming up next.
When it did happen again, I was not disappointed. It was tender, passionate, rough and dirty somehow. Without giving out too many details, I can say that besides being a story that will arouse your inner passions, it is also a story of obsession and temporal encounters. So far, so good, I will soldier on for a while though I may not have enough time to finish it all in one reading, which might be for the best. I will continue later into the night, a time when I might find myself awake when all are asleep. Things might happen.
The previously only hinted at environment is finally making an appearance. It put me in mind of a San Francisco that would have been at home in Bernard Wolfe’s Limbo just as much as in Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The sexual encounter that was bound to come reflects that dystopial imagery. It is hard, painful and impersonal. We are looking into an abyss that we hope will never open up widely enough to swallow our heroines. Mercifully, we are granted an almost idyllic interlude.
There is a part that does a great job explaining a lesbian’s thoughts about a hetero male. It contains some sexual connotations, but they are very baffling and confusing (at least to their thinker.) For a second time, fingers find their way into assholes. Not necessarily a surprise, that paints a very arousing picture. I guess it is the socially unacceptable morality and presumed wrongness of it.
In the end, we are left with a strong sense of the wrongness of war. If this was just supposed to be an erotic romance, how did we get here? It seems that we went from Make Love Not War through Love Is War and all the way to Love Me Tender. Finding out from the Author Bio that M. Christian is a male was not necessarily surprising, though I do wish he was a female. On the overall, I have to say that the writing was exquisite, the sex was rousing and the expected ‘end of the world’ kind of scenario did not manifest which made me let out the breath I have been holding for a while – much relieved. Male or female matters not – M. Christian is a master of the craft.
Check out this very touching review of my Bionic Lover cyberpunk-ish lesbian romance, Bionic Lover, by Oort Cloud Reviews
Christian’s Bionic Lover sucked me right into the narrative with the very first paragraph. A very well thought out introduction to the events that were to follow. Since the subtitle had introduced it as an Erotic Lesbian Romance, I had a good idea about some of the things to follow and yet I just couldn’t quite stop. The language is so rich and captivating that at times, I was more enamored of the words than their actual meaning and that is not an easy thing to do. The sentences followed each other like pearls on a string and some of what they were saying reminded me of friends and long gone events, in other countries and other times.
I am a hetero male, and like most of the ones sharing my demographic, fascinated with lesbian encounters. Holding my breath, I kept waiting for that double female scent to emanate from my screen and envelope me. When it did occur, I was not disappointed. The strength of the encounter and the way it was depicted got me very excited. It was the middle of the afternoon and I was not alone in the house, so there was nothing I could about it. I thought that perhaps I should continue reading later on, but I just had to find out what was coming up next.
When it did happen again, I was not disappointed. It was tender, passionate, rough and dirty somehow. Without giving out too many details, I can say that besides being a story that will arouse your inner passions, it is also a story of obsession and temporal encounters. So far, so good, I will soldier on for a while though I may not have enough time to finish it all in one reading, which might be for the best. I will continue later into the night, a time when I might find myself awake when all are asleep. Things might happen.
The previously only hinted at environment is finally making an appearance. It put me in mind of a San Francisco that would have been at home in Bernard Wolfe’s Limbo just as much as in Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The sexual encounter that was bound to come reflects that dystopial imagery. It is hard, painful and impersonal. We are looking into an abyss that we hope will never open up widely enough to swallow our heroines. Mercifully, we are granted an almost idyllic interlude.
There is a part that does a great job explaining a lesbian’s thoughts about a hetero male. It contains some sexual connotations, but they are very baffling and confusing (at least to their thinker.) For a second time, fingers find their way into assholes. Not necessarily a surprise, that paints a very arousing picture. I guess it is the socially unacceptable morality and presumed wrongness of it.
In the end, we are left with a strong sense of the wrongness of war. If this was just supposed to be an erotic romance, how did we get here? It seems that we went from Make Love Not War through Love Is War and all the way to Love Me Tender. Finding out from the Author Bio that M. Christian is a male was not necessarily surprising, though I do wish he was a female. On the overall, I have to say that the writing was exquisite, the sex was rousing and the expected ‘end of the world’ kind of scenario did not manifest which made me let out the breath I have been holding for a while – much relieved. Male or female matters not – M. Christian is a master of the craft.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Blogcritics and I
Check out this lovely interview I just did with Jim Lofton of the wonderful Wordwooze Publishing - who just released by Bionic Lover book - for Blogcritics!
I had an opportunity to sit down for an interview with the prolific author M. Christian, whose work encompasses a wide range of genres. What follows is an abbreviated transcript of our conversation.
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I had an opportunity to sit down for an interview with the prolific author M. Christian, whose work encompasses a wide range of genres. What follows is an abbreviated transcript of our conversation.
At what age did you first get an inkling that you wanted to become a writer, and why?
I’ve scratched my head about this quite a bit, and I think it boils down to two things. The first is escape: growing up, my family life wasn’t exactly pleasant so it’s kind of natural that I would have retreated into books, especially science fiction. Kind of makes sense then that one day I realized I actually might be able to write my own books and stories as well.
But the second reason is even more powerful: after hammering my head against blank pages for close to a decade I actually discovered I liked writing. Not for escape but because…well, I like to say it’s like playing an instrument must be like: the world just goes away and you find yourself transported into words, language, and story.
I still get headaches from smacking my brain against blank pages but after the swelling goes down I still get that transcendental thrill. It’s really what motivates me…that and the money that comes in every now and again, of course.
During your secondary school and college years did you take any writing courses out of the norm that furthered your interest in pursuing a writing career? If so, what courses and how did they influence you?
I took a lot of classes in high school and college but, to be brutally honest, they were a waste of time. None of them were really prepared to deal with someone who really, really, really wanted to write and not just score an easy grade. I think I must have been a bit insufferable towards the teachers―mostly out of frustration: I was hammering away night after night on story after story but all I ever seemed to get were shallow comments, no real meat-and-potatoes help.
That’s why I dearly love teaching my own writing classes: giving people the kind of writing info I wish I’d received back when. The first lesson I think I teach is that―and I know it might be the wrong thing to say in the middle of an interview about myself―is never compare yourself to anyone else. Writing can be extremely challenging, so it’s understandable that we want to learn anything that’ll make it easier.
But hearing that another writer sold their very first story, or their first novel earned half a million in royalties, doesn’t help anyone except the writer. Beginners will often read that and think that’s the way things should go, or should have gone, for them―which is absolute crud. A writer might say they write ten pages a day. Beginners will then think that if they don’t they won’t be successful…whatever that means.
It might sound overly simplistic, but writers write: and the only time they ever fail is when they stop writing. There’s no trick to number of pages, agents, editors, social media, etc.―you work and work and work and work. It gets easier, if you are lucky, but it never gets easy.
The second thing I teach is that if you write hoping to make it big (again: whatever the hell that means) then you won’t: the odds are completely against you. But if you write for the love of storytelling then you’ll be happier than getting any fat royalty check, movie deal, or publishing contract. Fame, money, all of that is nightmarishly fickle: here one day, gone the next. Truly enjoying the creation of books and stories, though, that’s the real reward.
What was the first story or book that you submitted to a publisher? Was it accepted?
Oh, my…I’ve written a lot of stuff and submitted tons more. I really tried to be a pro writer in high school and must have written a story a week for close to ten years (on and off, of course) and didn’t sell a single one (though I did come close now and again). Mostly science fiction but I also dabbled in other genres as well.
It wasn’t until I tried erotica that I sold my very first work, a story to the now-defunct Future Sexmagazine. The story then got picked for Best American Erotica (in 1994) and it just sort of took off from there.
I never really wanted to be an erotica writer. I just wanted to write and sell what I wrote and erotica, back then, was new and hungry. I pitched my first anthology to (also defunct) Masquerade books, Eros Ex Machina: Eroticising The Mechanical and they took it. Six years later I sent my collection, Dirty Words, to the wonderful (and, yes, defunct) Alyson Books and they accepted that.
That may sound impressive but for each success I, like pretty much every writer, must have had ten times as many rejections.
Your writing background is fairly diverse. Did that happen by design, serendipity, or both?
While science fiction has always been a favorite I’ve enjoyed reading, and even writing, all kinds of different things. Erotica was just the door that first opened but I’d be very happy writing pretty much anything.
I’ve always felt that, again, writers write. If someone called me tomorrow and said “Hey, I want to you write a young adult werewolf romance” my first reaction isn’t ‘what the hell’ but sure, why not? Maybe I’d have a blast―and end up being the best damned young adult werewolf romance writer out there. You never know…
When I first started writing erotica, for instance, publishers were very eager for anything interesting and well thought-out, so I tried writing all kinds of stuff: fetish, romance, sexy noir and science fiction, and even gay and lesbian fiction (I’m straight).
I’m extremely touched that the LGBT community has been so accepting of my work. It always brings tears to my eyes to think of the kindness and welcoming I’ve received. I’ve recently begun to move beyond LGBT but only because I think it’s important not to stay too comfortable writing just one kind of thing…stretching your creative wings and all that … but queer fiction still holds a special place in my heart.
Looking back on your body of work, which books that you have written or edited are you the proudest? What about them stands out in your mind?
Not to be evasive but they’re all special―no matter the genre: blood, sweat, tears (other body fluids) and all that. Sure, I think some turned out better than others but I learned a long time ago that what you think is your best work others might read and go meh.
That being said, I really enjoyed the explorations I did with the novels Me2 and Finger’s Breadth―both surreal/dark/gay/thrillers. I still really enjoy writing erotic science fiction, like the recently released Skin Effect (a sequel to my previous collection, Bachelor Machine) and Bionic Lover.
It’s hard to be proud of anthologies. I mean I think many of them are excellent books but when you’re the editor it’s your job to basically pick stories you think would work best for the project―the writers that make the cut are really what makes the anthology special. I do get a thrill when writers say they enjoyed working with me or that they enjoyed writing their contribution. That does mean the world to me.
I’m also very much enjoying writing non-fiction. I’ve been penning pieces for the wonderful Future Of Sex site for many months now. I’ve also written non-fiction on all kinds of other things, and (plug) they are all in a book: Welcome to Weirdsville.
Would you mind telling us how you began gravitating to audiobooks and what your experience has been with them so far?
I’ve always incredibly enjoyed hearing a reading/performance of an author’s work. I’ve done a few myself but, to be honest, my speaking and talking voice is way different than this voice you’re hearing―my writing voice―so it’s not as fun as I’d like.
So when the fantastic folks at Wordwooze Publishing agreed to do some of my books as audiobooks I was ecstatic! So far they have done the already-mentioned Skin Effect, with the also already-mentioned Bionic Lover and Finger’s Breadth in the works.
Jazmin Kensington’s reading of Skin Effect is perfect. It’s odd, but in a lovely way, to hear your words read by someone else―and I can’t wait to hear how the other books turn out.
Thank you for taking the time to share some of the details of your writing career. I’m sure that many of our readers will find your experiences and observations to be of great interest.
I’ve scratched my head about this quite a bit, and I think it boils down to two things. The first is escape: growing up, my family life wasn’t exactly pleasant so it’s kind of natural that I would have retreated into books, especially science fiction. Kind of makes sense then that one day I realized I actually might be able to write my own books and stories as well.
But the second reason is even more powerful: after hammering my head against blank pages for close to a decade I actually discovered I liked writing. Not for escape but because…well, I like to say it’s like playing an instrument must be like: the world just goes away and you find yourself transported into words, language, and story.
I still get headaches from smacking my brain against blank pages but after the swelling goes down I still get that transcendental thrill. It’s really what motivates me…that and the money that comes in every now and again, of course.
During your secondary school and college years did you take any writing courses out of the norm that furthered your interest in pursuing a writing career? If so, what courses and how did they influence you?
I took a lot of classes in high school and college but, to be brutally honest, they were a waste of time. None of them were really prepared to deal with someone who really, really, really wanted to write and not just score an easy grade. I think I must have been a bit insufferable towards the teachers―mostly out of frustration: I was hammering away night after night on story after story but all I ever seemed to get were shallow comments, no real meat-and-potatoes help.
That’s why I dearly love teaching my own writing classes: giving people the kind of writing info I wish I’d received back when. The first lesson I think I teach is that―and I know it might be the wrong thing to say in the middle of an interview about myself―is never compare yourself to anyone else. Writing can be extremely challenging, so it’s understandable that we want to learn anything that’ll make it easier.
But hearing that another writer sold their very first story, or their first novel earned half a million in royalties, doesn’t help anyone except the writer. Beginners will often read that and think that’s the way things should go, or should have gone, for them―which is absolute crud. A writer might say they write ten pages a day. Beginners will then think that if they don’t they won’t be successful…whatever that means.
It might sound overly simplistic, but writers write: and the only time they ever fail is when they stop writing. There’s no trick to number of pages, agents, editors, social media, etc.―you work and work and work and work. It gets easier, if you are lucky, but it never gets easy.
The second thing I teach is that if you write hoping to make it big (again: whatever the hell that means) then you won’t: the odds are completely against you. But if you write for the love of storytelling then you’ll be happier than getting any fat royalty check, movie deal, or publishing contract. Fame, money, all of that is nightmarishly fickle: here one day, gone the next. Truly enjoying the creation of books and stories, though, that’s the real reward.
What was the first story or book that you submitted to a publisher? Was it accepted?
Oh, my…I’ve written a lot of stuff and submitted tons more. I really tried to be a pro writer in high school and must have written a story a week for close to ten years (on and off, of course) and didn’t sell a single one (though I did come close now and again). Mostly science fiction but I also dabbled in other genres as well.
It wasn’t until I tried erotica that I sold my very first work, a story to the now-defunct Future Sexmagazine. The story then got picked for Best American Erotica (in 1994) and it just sort of took off from there.
I never really wanted to be an erotica writer. I just wanted to write and sell what I wrote and erotica, back then, was new and hungry. I pitched my first anthology to (also defunct) Masquerade books, Eros Ex Machina: Eroticising The Mechanical and they took it. Six years later I sent my collection, Dirty Words, to the wonderful (and, yes, defunct) Alyson Books and they accepted that.
That may sound impressive but for each success I, like pretty much every writer, must have had ten times as many rejections.
Your writing background is fairly diverse. Did that happen by design, serendipity, or both?
While science fiction has always been a favorite I’ve enjoyed reading, and even writing, all kinds of different things. Erotica was just the door that first opened but I’d be very happy writing pretty much anything.
I’ve always felt that, again, writers write. If someone called me tomorrow and said “Hey, I want to you write a young adult werewolf romance” my first reaction isn’t ‘what the hell’ but sure, why not? Maybe I’d have a blast―and end up being the best damned young adult werewolf romance writer out there. You never know…
When I first started writing erotica, for instance, publishers were very eager for anything interesting and well thought-out, so I tried writing all kinds of stuff: fetish, romance, sexy noir and science fiction, and even gay and lesbian fiction (I’m straight).
I’m extremely touched that the LGBT community has been so accepting of my work. It always brings tears to my eyes to think of the kindness and welcoming I’ve received. I’ve recently begun to move beyond LGBT but only because I think it’s important not to stay too comfortable writing just one kind of thing…stretching your creative wings and all that … but queer fiction still holds a special place in my heart.
Looking back on your body of work, which books that you have written or edited are you the proudest? What about them stands out in your mind?
Not to be evasive but they’re all special―no matter the genre: blood, sweat, tears (other body fluids) and all that. Sure, I think some turned out better than others but I learned a long time ago that what you think is your best work others might read and go meh.
That being said, I really enjoyed the explorations I did with the novels Me2 and Finger’s Breadth―both surreal/dark/gay/thrillers. I still really enjoy writing erotic science fiction, like the recently released Skin Effect (a sequel to my previous collection, Bachelor Machine) and Bionic Lover.
It’s hard to be proud of anthologies. I mean I think many of them are excellent books but when you’re the editor it’s your job to basically pick stories you think would work best for the project―the writers that make the cut are really what makes the anthology special. I do get a thrill when writers say they enjoyed working with me or that they enjoyed writing their contribution. That does mean the world to me.
I’m also very much enjoying writing non-fiction. I’ve been penning pieces for the wonderful Future Of Sex site for many months now. I’ve also written non-fiction on all kinds of other things, and (plug) they are all in a book: Welcome to Weirdsville.
Would you mind telling us how you began gravitating to audiobooks and what your experience has been with them so far?
I’ve always incredibly enjoyed hearing a reading/performance of an author’s work. I’ve done a few myself but, to be honest, my speaking and talking voice is way different than this voice you’re hearing―my writing voice―so it’s not as fun as I’d like.
So when the fantastic folks at Wordwooze Publishing agreed to do some of my books as audiobooks I was ecstatic! So far they have done the already-mentioned Skin Effect, with the also already-mentioned Bionic Lover and Finger’s Breadth in the works.
Jazmin Kensington’s reading of Skin Effect is perfect. It’s odd, but in a lovely way, to hear your words read by someone else―and I can’t wait to hear how the other books turn out.
Thank you for taking the time to share some of the details of your writing career. I’m sure that many of our readers will find your experiences and observations to be of great interest.
Sunday, May 08, 2016
Win A Copy Of SKIN EFFECT And BIONIC LOVER!
(from M.Christian's Technorotica)
This is ultra-cool: the great folks at Wordwooze have set up a lovely promotion for my two technorotic books - Skin Effect and Bionic Lover!
Just go to this page and enter to win!
With The Bachelor Machine, M.Christian set the bar for erotic science fiction stories. Now he has returned to the genre with a brand new collection that will amaze as well as arouse: Skin Effect – tales that push the envelopes of both science fiction as well as erotica in innovative and stimulating ways. Here are stories voyaging to the near as well as the far future, exploring the ultimate limits of sex and arousal.
Where to buy: AMAZON | AUDIBLE
A powerful and erotic lesbian romance exploring love, lust…and loss.
Pell was lost, alone, and lonely―until Arc appeared. Fiery, enigmatic, and with a mesmerizing cybernetic eye, Arc was everything Pell needed, wanted, and most of all, desired.
The next time Pell saw Arc the eye wasn’t the only thing artificial about her new lover. And the time after that, and the time after that: each time the passionate and mysterious Arc drifted into her life, Pell saw more and more of her being replaced by refined and precise machinery…and with each departure of her natural body for the artificial, Pell grew more and more terrified.
One day, she knew, there’d be nothing left of her lover but the cold, the engineered…the bionic.
Pell knew what she had to do…but the end, when it came, was worse than she ever could have imagined.
****
With Bionic Lover, acclaimed erotic science fiction author M. Christian spins a mesmerizing tale of bittersweet desire, lesbian romance, and all-too human frailty set in a near future San Francisco where cybernetics aren’t just commonplace but the stuff of erotic dreams.
“M. Christian’s stories squat at the intersection of Primal Urges Avenue and Hi-Tech Parkway like a feral-eyed, half-naked Karen Black leering and stabbing her fractal machete into the tarmac. Portraying a world where erotic life has spilled from the bedroom into the street, and been shattered into a million sharp shards, this tale undercuts and mutates the old verities concerning memory, desire and loyalty…truly a book for our post-everything 21st century.”
―Paul Di Filippo (author of over 100 stories and five novels)
“Rarely is raunch paired with such style and wit…this story offers the sizzle of strokebook sex combined with the dark lyricism of the perverse.”
―Lucy Taylor, Bram Stoker award-winning author of Safety of Unknown Cities
“M. Christian’s stories are the fairy tales whispered to one another by dark angels whose hearts and mouths are brimming with lust. He goes beyond the pale, ordinary definitions of sexuality and writes about need and desire in their purest forms. Readers daring enough to stray from the safety of the path will find in his images and words a garden of delights to tempt even the most demanding pleasure-seeker.”
―Michael Thomas Ford, Lambda Literary Award winner
Where to buy: AMAZON
This is ultra-cool: the great folks at Wordwooze have set up a lovely promotion for my two technorotic books - Skin Effect and Bionic Lover!
Just go to this page and enter to win!
With The Bachelor Machine, M.Christian set the bar for erotic science fiction stories. Now he has returned to the genre with a brand new collection that will amaze as well as arouse: Skin Effect – tales that push the envelopes of both science fiction as well as erotica in innovative and stimulating ways. Here are stories voyaging to the near as well as the far future, exploring the ultimate limits of sex and arousal.
Where to buy: AMAZON | AUDIBLE
A powerful and erotic lesbian romance exploring love, lust…and loss.
Pell was lost, alone, and lonely―until Arc appeared. Fiery, enigmatic, and with a mesmerizing cybernetic eye, Arc was everything Pell needed, wanted, and most of all, desired.
The next time Pell saw Arc the eye wasn’t the only thing artificial about her new lover. And the time after that, and the time after that: each time the passionate and mysterious Arc drifted into her life, Pell saw more and more of her being replaced by refined and precise machinery…and with each departure of her natural body for the artificial, Pell grew more and more terrified.
One day, she knew, there’d be nothing left of her lover but the cold, the engineered…the bionic.
Pell knew what she had to do…but the end, when it came, was worse than she ever could have imagined.
****
With Bionic Lover, acclaimed erotic science fiction author M. Christian spins a mesmerizing tale of bittersweet desire, lesbian romance, and all-too human frailty set in a near future San Francisco where cybernetics aren’t just commonplace but the stuff of erotic dreams.
“M. Christian’s stories squat at the intersection of Primal Urges Avenue and Hi-Tech Parkway like a feral-eyed, half-naked Karen Black leering and stabbing her fractal machete into the tarmac. Portraying a world where erotic life has spilled from the bedroom into the street, and been shattered into a million sharp shards, this tale undercuts and mutates the old verities concerning memory, desire and loyalty…truly a book for our post-everything 21st century.”
―Paul Di Filippo (author of over 100 stories and five novels)
“Rarely is raunch paired with such style and wit…this story offers the sizzle of strokebook sex combined with the dark lyricism of the perverse.”
―Lucy Taylor, Bram Stoker award-winning author of Safety of Unknown Cities
“M. Christian’s stories are the fairy tales whispered to one another by dark angels whose hearts and mouths are brimming with lust. He goes beyond the pale, ordinary definitions of sexuality and writes about need and desire in their purest forms. Readers daring enough to stray from the safety of the path will find in his images and words a garden of delights to tempt even the most demanding pleasure-seeker.”
―Michael Thomas Ford, Lambda Literary Award winner
Monday, April 11, 2016
TWO New FutureOfSex Pieces Are Up!
(from M.Christian's Technorotica)
The incredible fun I'm having writing for FutureOSex continues - with two band new pieces live at their great site. Here are some teases:
A Guide to Viewing Virtual Reality Sex Videos: The Hardware
Here’s how to quickly and affordably enjoy immersive sex.
Inarguably, virtual reality—that science-fiction mainstay of the 90s—has gone from being a far off dream to an actual product currently sold in stores in the space of only a few years.
Naturally—human beings being who we are—it wasn’t long before developers saw this three-dimensional technology in entertainment and thought sex!
But it’s really the announcement from PornHub, a giant of adult entertainment, that it will now feature a catalog of virtual reality movies, that’s getting many people really excited about this change in viewing adult entertainment.
A Guide to Viewing Virtual Reality Sex Videos: The Software
Including adult games and virtual erotic worlds.
Following our previous installment guide to virtual reality hardware, you’ve got your rig all set—high-end or Cardboard, whatever suits your needs or budget—so where do you go from here?
More precisely, where do you go to have that immersive erotic experience you’ve heard so much about?
The incredible fun I'm having writing for FutureOSex continues - with two band new pieces live at their great site. Here are some teases:
A Guide to Viewing Virtual Reality Sex Videos: The Hardware
Here’s how to quickly and affordably enjoy immersive sex.
Inarguably, virtual reality—that science-fiction mainstay of the 90s—has gone from being a far off dream to an actual product currently sold in stores in the space of only a few years.
Naturally—human beings being who we are—it wasn’t long before developers saw this three-dimensional technology in entertainment and thought sex!
But it’s really the announcement from PornHub, a giant of adult entertainment, that it will now feature a catalog of virtual reality movies, that’s getting many people really excited about this change in viewing adult entertainment.
#
A Guide to Viewing Virtual Reality Sex Videos: The Software
Including adult games and virtual erotic worlds.
Following our previous installment guide to virtual reality hardware, you’ve got your rig all set—high-end or Cardboard, whatever suits your needs or budget—so where do you go from here?
More precisely, where do you go to have that immersive erotic experience you’ve heard so much about?
Monday, March 21, 2016
(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)
This is going to be fun! If you're in the Bay Area, and are kinky and creative, stop by for the first meeting of the BDSM Creatives Support Group, this Thursday, March 24th!
Here's the info:
BDSM Creatives Support Group
Thursday, March 24, 2016 · 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
SF Citadel181 Eddy Street
Cost: $10
Dress code: Casual
If you like to paint, make music, write, build things, craft toys, or just let your imagination run wild in all kinds of directions ... AND you're beautifully kinky, come join your fellow artistic community members at the BDSM Creatives Support Group!
Here will be a positive, non-judgmental space where you can mix your flair for art with your passion for BDSM. Come share experiences, network, receive encouragement, be inspired, vent your frustrations, share your skills, learn new techniques, or just hang out among other fun people who share your passion for sex AND creativity!
We'll be having regular monthly meetings at the SF Citadel – and working on munches, art crawls, show and tells, special classes, expeditions, and cooperative kinky projects. Make time to make things -- and make friends!
This is going to be fun! If you're in the Bay Area, and are kinky and creative, stop by for the first meeting of the BDSM Creatives Support Group, this Thursday, March 24th!
Here's the info:
BDSM Creatives Support Group
Thursday, March 24, 2016 · 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
SF Citadel181 Eddy Street
Cost: $10
Dress code: Casual
If you like to paint, make music, write, build things, craft toys, or just let your imagination run wild in all kinds of directions ... AND you're beautifully kinky, come join your fellow artistic community members at the BDSM Creatives Support Group!
Here will be a positive, non-judgmental space where you can mix your flair for art with your passion for BDSM. Come share experiences, network, receive encouragement, be inspired, vent your frustrations, share your skills, learn new techniques, or just hang out among other fun people who share your passion for sex AND creativity!
We'll be having regular monthly meetings at the SF Citadel – and working on munches, art crawls, show and tells, special classes, expeditions, and cooperative kinky projects. Make time to make things -- and make friends!
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