Wednesday, October 09, 2013

I'm Going To Be At Dark Odyssey: Surrender

(from M.Chrstian's Classes And Appearances)


There's cool then there's cool: I'm very (ahem) 'excited' to be a teacher/participant at the renowned kink fest Dark Odyssey: Surrender here in San Francisco. Stay tuned for what I'm teaching and on what day but in the meantime check out their wonderful site.

On a side note I'm worked with a lot of events but the folks at Dark Odyssey are a real delight to work with! Thanks!
Bridging Kink, Sex and Spirit

Nearly a thousand people came out for Dark Odyssey's West Coast debut last November, and now we are thrilled to announce the return of DO: Surrender to the City by the Bay for 2013! Come learn, explore, and play in a no holds barred, sexually charged atmosphere. Interactive workshops fill your days, while at night you'll explore dark dungeons, powerful rituals, passionate scenes, and mind-blowing ecstasy all under one roof in a proven scene friendly hotel in downtown San Francisco.

Join us as we combine sexuality, spirituality, education and play in an immersive environment where fantasy becomes reality. We are omnisexual - straight, gay, bi, queer, trans, and genderqueer. We are leatherfolk, kinksters, swingers, cross dressers, sex educators, Tantra practitioners, Pagans, and perverts. We are vanilla and kinky, beginners and veterans, singles, couples, triads, and more.

Dark Odyssey: Surrender features:
  • Over 40 local & national educators, authors & activists
  • 80+ unique & dynamic workshops & special events
  • Classes on BDSM, polyamory, sex, tantra & spirituality
  • 20,000 sq ft of fully equipped dungeons
  • Sex-O-Rama play space
  • Parties, events & open play until 3:30am
  • Little Miss Littles SF contest
  • Animal show & agility course
  • Meet & greets, speed dating and sensual exploration events
  • Queer & gender queer mixer
  • Sacred sexuality rituals
  • Hook suspension experiences
  • Burlesque, drag & kinky performances from local & national talents
  • Downtown San Francisco kink friendly hotel
Join us on an adventure where we play, discover, and learn to achieve more ecstatic states of love, awareness, and personal sexuality. Dark Odyssey Surrender will immerse you in an atmosphere of sexual energy and experimentation that will add excitement and passion to your relationships and create deeper levels of connection between you and your partners.

For notices about future events — just ask to be added to our mailing list!

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

I'm Going To Be At Convolution

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)


This is going to be a blast: I'm going to be attending - and on various panels, etc - at the upcoming Convolution event here in the Bay Area.  Click here for more info ... and when I get my schedule I'll post it here, of course.



Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Confessions of a Literary Streetwalker: Save the Frog


The coolness continues!  Check out this brand new column I just wrote for the fantastic WriteSex site - where I'll be contributing a monthly piece.  Here's a tease - for the rest you'll have to check out the great site.

#

For new writers, the temptation is obvious: after all, if you don’t know something, shouldn’t you seek out a way to learn about it? The question of how to educate yourself as a writer is a necessary and important one, of course, but an often-invisible second question follows: how do you sift through the piles of would-be writing coaches, teachers and other purveyors of advice to find the ones who will lead you toward genuinely better writing? The problem isn’t that there are over-eager teachers galore, but that far too many of them are preaching from ignorance—or just dully quoting what others have already said.

This is particularly true of erotic romance. Now, I have to admit I’ve been more than a bit spoiled by other genres, where you can write about whatever you want without much of a chance—beyond clumsy writing—of getting rejected for not toeing the line, so approaching erotic romance has been a bit more of a challenge. Romance authors, after all, have been told time and time again that there is a very precise, almost exacting, Way of Doing Things … and if you don’t, then bye-bye book deal.

But times have changed, and while a few stubborn publishers still want erotic romantic fiction that follows established formulas, the quantum leap of digital publishing has totally shaken up by-the-numbers approaches to romance writing. Without going too much into it (maybe in another column…), because ebooks are so much easier to produce, publishers can take wonderful risks on new authors and concepts, meaning that they don’t have to wring their hands in fright that the new title they greenlit will go bust and possibly take the whole company with it.

Because of this freedom, erotic romance can be so much more than it ever was: experimental, innovative, unique, challenging, etc. These are no longer the Words of Death when it comes to putting together a book.

One of the great, underlying tasks of teaching—one I love, but with some reverence and an occasional pang of dread—is challenging the boring, formulaic, way that so many talk about writing (which is also to say that a huge part of the reason I love to teach is that it’s a weird form of revenge against all the bad writing teachers I’ve had over the years). There are, however, far too many writing teachers who relentlessly parrot that erotic romance has to follow a strict formula to be successful. They spell out this formula in stomach-cramping detail: what has to happen to each and every character, in each and every chapter, in each and every book.

[MORE]

Monday, September 30, 2013

A Better Teacher: Step Off The Cliff

 

This is very fun - especially with the re-release of my erotic romance Brushes by the wonderful Sizzler Editions: a brand new column on romance writing by myself just went up at Romance Beat.

Here's a tease - for the rest just click here,

#

“Love is a better teacher than duty.”–Albert Einstein

It’s unfortunate that romance has been labeled … well, let’s be blunt and say ‘formulaic.’ Part of this, of course is more than a bit true – but then it’s the truth for every genre in every form of entertainment: the audience wants what it wants and so the business side of things wants to give them that.

From comic books to television, from science fiction to erotica, from movies to food … if you want to create it there always seems to be ‘the way’ to do it. In the case of romance, though, ‘the way’ for many authors/editors/publishers seems to be been boiled down to such a A to B to C to D formula that there’s little, or absolutely zilch, room for innovation. Even more than quite a few publishers of romance have taken to spelling out this recipe for success in their Call For Submissions or on their Write For Us websites.

Now there’s nothing wrong with knowing your audience – in fact it’s a universal key to success both critically and financially: if you look, say, at blockbuster or bestselling [Insert Genre Here] you can see, in hindsight, how the creator(s) looked right into the heart of their readers/watchers/eaters and delivered exactly what they were looking for.

Which is where those formulas always seem to spring from: hindsight. But the problem with hindsight – and I know this is an old chestnut – is that it means looking backwards. The books/movies/TV shows that rocket off into the stratosphere, yes, may have known and respected their audience but they also did something that’s even more important:

They took risks.

[MORE]

Friday, September 27, 2013

Brushes - Out NOW In A New Re-Release From Sizzler Editions

Okay, I'll try to gush too much but, to be honest, I've worked with a lot of publishers over the years and one of the very, very best - and not just because I work with them as an Associate Publisher - has got to be Sizzler Editions. 

Just take a look at this gorgeous new edition of Brushes - my erotic romance - they just re-released.  Wonderful!  Check it out ... and if you want to get a review copy don't hesitate to write me.

"We can never know how lives will intertwine; the mystery of it is one of the hidden joys of life. M.Christian has captured perfectly the symmetry and surprise of lives that mesh together -- whether the people living them like it or not. …a gorgeous tapestry of words."
– Gwen Masters, author of One Breath at a Time

To most of the world he's a genius, a master of color, form, and shape, a brilliant talent who stormed the art world and shook its pillars with his talent. But some, including his wife Constance, see him as undeserving of his fame, others as arrogant, and a few even as a fraud. But Escobar is misunderstood. Lost, alone, he longs for the simple life he once shared with Constance before he allowed his lust for talent and success to come between them, He wants her back desperately but doesn't know how to put his feelings in words. Is it possible he can reach out to her with the most powerful language he knows, the very art that came between them, and reconnect with Constance before it is too late?

"A multi-layered treat for the mind and the senses. M.Christian transports us to glittering Paris where we follow the adventures of… an acclaimed artist … his muses … and desperate wannabes. As their lives brush up against each his, serendipitously, inevitably, all experience a compelling sexual encounter that changes their lives forever. A deliciously sexy tale of mystery for anyone who’s intrigued by the power of the creative - and the erotic-spirit." –Donna George Storey, author of An Amorous Woman

Brushes is a romantic, erotically-charged portrait of a master artist, a stroke-by-stroke look at a man who lost his love and then made a last reckless gamble to win her back. It is also the story of the sexual and romantic currents that run through the lives of the people around him - his manager, his model, his brother and others – who all played a role in his break-up with Constance and in keeping them apart.

"Great erotica set in a romantic setting. A multi-layered look at love, Paris and the world of art. The intriguing characters and the way they come in and out of each other's lives is handled brilliantly. All is not always what it seems to be and surprises lurk and wait. This is a gorgeous book to be savored." – Amos Lassen

"Compelling, masterful, complex, fascinating..." – Nobilis

I'm Going To Be At Convolution

(from M.Christian's Classes & Appearances)


This is going to be a blast: I'm going to be attending - and on various panels, etc - at the upcoming Convolution event here in the Bay Area.  Click here for more info ... and when I get my schedule I'll post it here, of course.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

WONDERFUL WriteSex!



This is tremendous news: WriteSex - which I've written for in the past - is being ramped up to 11 with a new look, fantastic new contributors, amazing new features ... and more!  A big round of applause goes to Jean Marie Stine for her spearheading of this new and improved WriteSexWay to go, Jean!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Confessions Of A Literary Streetwalker: "Oh, How Beautiful-"

Check it out: I just posted a Streetwalker column on the always-wonderful Erotica Readers And Writes site. It might be an old one but it's also something a lot of writers need to hear. Hope you like!
 

Funny that these columns are called Confessions of a Literary Streetwalker because ... well, I have a confession to make.

I'm very much on the fence about the whole thing, and am still dealing with doubts about whether or not I've made the right decision but - in the end - I think it will end up being a good thing.
I've joined Facebook.

I know, I know: I've been a rather vocal - if not strident - opponent of that particular corner of the social media universe, but a very good friend of mine pointed out that, to call down The Bard, I "doth protest too much."

It hasn't been easy: I tell ya, nothing like having a nearly (gasp) twenty year writing career resulting in only 433 'friends' and 68'likes' on my author page to really make the dreaded depression demon really flare up.

But I'm sticking with it - not because I think that I have to, or that Facebook is the end-all, be-all solution to all my publicity needs - but because it was something I really, honestly, didn't want to do.
Obviously, explanations are in order. See, I'm a firm believer in pushing yourself in all kinds of ways: as a person and, particularly, as a writer. Sure, you have to like what you are doing - both in how you live your life as well as the words you put down on 'paper' - but growth comes not from comfort but from adversity, from challenge.

I didn't set out to be an pornographer, but then an opportunity presented itself and (surprise!) I was actually pretty good at it. I didn’t plan on being a 'gay' writer - because, no duh - I'm not, but (surprise!) I not just did it but came to really enjoy it. I didn’t think I could be a teacher, but (surprise!) I've found that I really get a kick out of it.

I may have hated Facebook - hell, I still hate Facebook - but I had to at least try it. Maybe it will work out, maybe it won't, but at least I'll have stretched myself.

[MORE]

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

A Taste of "On The Rooftop" from Von Gutenberg Magazine: All the Words a Rage!

Here's a fun little teasing taste of my superhero fetish story from the extremely-excellent new release from Von Gutenberg Magazine!

You definitely cannot say Internationally known photographer and publisher Erik Von Gutenberg hasn't worked diligently over the past decade to present his unique vision though his quarterly magazine, social media presence and interactive website. Von Gutenberg showcases provocative, cutting edge styles paired with fashion trend reporting and featured writing by acclaimed writers, designers and photographers. Von Gutenberg's brand encompasses everything “fashion, latex, and lifestyle”, says Erik.

Now the Von Gutenberg brand is branching out to publish its first eBook aptly entitled All The Word’s A Rage featuring the same themes such as ‘comic’ ‘steampunk’ and ‘fetish’ that have made Von Gutenberg a world wide read.

“The eBook focuses on the most popular fiction, expert columns, photo-essays, reviews, 'how-to' articles, model interviews and of course the most loved photos from the past 7 issues of the printed magazine and our multitude of blog fashion posts. We combined what our readers enjoyed the most into one best-of-the-best eBook.” explains Erik. “It's perfect for the existing fans and also for those new to the Von Gutenberg brand. It gets them up to speed.”

Erik continues, “We did add one or two pieces commissioned specifically for this eBook to give our regulars some unique content. Being unique is something we always strive toward.” he chuckles. “I think the mix of the old and the new works perfectly to make All the Word’s A Rage a definite one-of-a-kind offering.”

Look for All The Word’s A Rage today on Amazon; For Kindle Fire Readers, at Barnes and Noble for Nook and Apple

Special offer for Apple customers: Buy All The Word’s A Rage for an introductory low price of $4.99 until August 31, 2013 (reg. price: $7.99)
#
 
On The Rooftop

Dust flew, sparks – lingering flashes from the ignition and subsequent explosion of a car or two -- streaking along with the debris, up and over the brick-lined rooftop: a brown and firefly storm blasting dramatically up from the street below.

Wiping the back of her hand across her forehead, FoxFire glanced down at the result, seeing far too much of the explosion mixed in with the sweat she'd already worked up ... well, working over Doctor Ghostly's less-than-ghostly thugs.

Her whistle at her realization she'd been standing far too close to the edge of the roof was surprisingly loud, especially against the lingering cacophony that was the last, smoldering remnants of the battle. 

"If I may be so bold," came a voice from behind her, "you performed quite ... effectively, señorita.  Bravo!"

"As did you," she said, not immediately turning around.  There was only one man working the circuit who sounded like he could be an announcer for the local Spanish cable channel. 

As The Eel smoothly glided up, weaving in and out and in and out of the forest of dishes and useless aerials, as-always skating elegantly on his near-frictionless shoes, she finally swung a bit to smile at him.  "Always a blast to see you work."

He bowed, deep and smooth, arms swaying out from this lithe, latex-clad, body ever-so.  "A feeling I do hope el doctor's minions also appreciated."

Stepping away from the edge of the roof, also moving between the rusting antennas and the this-way, that-way, cants of the dishes, she flicked her head back towards the dying glow of that last, though still echoing, explosion.  "Oh, I think they'll be talking about tonight for a long time – depending on good behavior, of course."

The Eel grinned, showing the corners of his slickly precise mustache rising in accompaniment to the brightening of his bright blue eyes – or what she could see of them around his classic domino mask.  He canted his thin body to lean back against the battered roof access door.  "Ah, the satisfaction of a job well done.  I take it the ... shall we say, 'heavy hitters' took care of the el doctor?"

FoxFire sighed, catching herself only towards the end of the sound that she might be sounding less-than-professional ... well, she thought immediately after, screw that: "You got that right.  The Big Bomber took him down – subtle as always -- with Razor Wing and Cutter right on his tail."

"Ah, yes," The Eel said, his grin widening by a touch.  "Luckily there are always enough of the fodder for us humbler ones to deal with – and, of course, the usual street delincuente."

Knowing enough Spanish to understand what he meant, FoxFire nodded as she rubbed her forehead again.  With the gesture came a wince from her wrenched shoulder.  "I don't know where he's getting them, but Ghostly's got some higher-class stooges.  That one with the mustache was a real motherfucker."  With the profanity, she blushed.

 [MORE]

Out Now: IN CONTROL!

Remember how just I mentioned my upcoming brand new collection of outrageous and extremely kinky short stories, In Control?  Well - ta da - this very special book has just been released by the fantastic folks at Sizzler Editions!  It will be up in all kinds of ebook markets very soon - but right now you can get it on amazon for the kindle!

And, naturally, if you want a review copy - just ask.

Not merely kinkier than you think, but kinkier than you can think!

M.Christian’s fiction has a sexy logic all its own. He’s inventive and he’s irreverent. His language can seduce, surprise, and body-slam you.
-Cecilia Tan

From M.Christian – the acclaimed ... and rather notorious writer of such books as The Bachelor Machine and Dirty Words – comes this brand new collection of his short BDSM and kinky straight erotica. In these pages you'll find hardcore male doms and luscious female subs, tough-as-nails Lady doms and obedient male submissives, plus a wide variety of other outrageous fetishes and sexual adventures. In this very fun – and very, very hot book – you'll also discover delightfully twisted stories such as the lesbian vamps of "The Curse," the heartstring-tugging erotic romance of "The Waters Of Biscayne Bay," the sexy ghost story "The Tinkling Of Tiny Silver Bells," the bisexual heat in "Watercolors" and many, many more!

"M.Christian is one of the finest living writers of erotica. Between these covers is a wealth of imaginative, well-crafted, smoothly written fiction that sings with joy. It's yummy."
-Patrick Califia

Friday, August 30, 2013

Out Now: IN CONTROL!

Remember how just I mentioned my upcoming brand new collection of outrageous and extremely kinky short stories, In Control?  Well - ta da - this very special book has just been released by the fantastic folks at Sizzler Editions!  It will be up in all kinds of ebook markets very soon - but right now you can get it on amazon for the kindle!

And, naturally, if you want a review copy - just ask.

Not merely kinkier than you think, but kinkier than you can think!

M.Christian’s fiction has a sexy logic all its own. He’s inventive and he’s irreverent. His language can seduce, surprise, and body-slam you.
-Cecilia Tan

From M.Christian – the acclaimed ... and rather notorious writer of such books as The Bachelor Machine and Dirty Words – comes this brand new collection of his short BDSM and kinky straight erotica. In these pages you'll find hardcore male doms and luscious female subs, tough-as-nails Lady doms and obedient male submissives, plus a wide variety of other outrageous fetishes and sexual adventures. In this very fun – and very, very hot book – you'll also discover delightfully twisted stories such as the lesbian vamps of "The Curse," the heartstring-tugging erotic romance of "The Waters Of Biscayne Bay," the sexy ghost story "The Tinkling Of Tiny Silver Bells," the bisexual heat in "Watercolors" and many, many more!

"M.Christian is one of the finest living writers of erotica. Between these covers is a wealth of imaginative, well-crafted, smoothly written fiction that sings with joy. It's yummy."
-Patrick Califia

Reminder: I'm Reading At The Godless Pervert Story Hour!

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)

This is gonna be a blast: I'm going to be reading for the every fun - and totally godless - Pervert Story Hour on Saturday, August 31st.  Here's the info:


Godless Perverts Story Hour

August 31: 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm | $10-20 Sliding Scale Donation

Center for Sex and Culture 1349 Mission St San Francisco, CA

Join us for another evening of blasphemy and depravity at our next Godless Perverts Story Hour on Saturday, August 31. The Godless Perverts Story Hour is an evening about how to have good sex without having any gods, goddesses, spirits, or their earthly representatives hanging over your shoulder and telling you that you’re doing it wrong. We’ll be bringing you depictions, explorations, and celebrations of godless sexualities, as well as critical, mocking, and blasphemous views of sex and religion. The evening’s entertainment will have a range of voices — sexy and serious, passionate and funny, and all of the above — talking about how our sexualities can not only exist, but even thrive, without the supernatural.

As of now, our lineup for August 31 includes Molly Weatherfield (aka Pam Rosenthal), Victor Harris, Jen Cross, Virgie Tovar, M. Christian, and Simon Sheppard — plus your charming hosts Greta Christina, David Fitzgerald, and Chris Hall. Other readers and performers will be announced as appropriate. Hope to see you there!



Thursday, August 29, 2013

Coming Soon - Brushes, The New Edition

The great news keeps on a'comn: remember how I said that the fantastic folks at Sizzler Editions is going to be releasing - very soon - In Control - The Short Kinky Fiction Of M.ChristianWell, they are also this close to putting out a brand new version of my erotic romance novel, Brushes

Here's a look at the new cover - and some nice blurbs about the book:



M.Christian is an author of formidable talent and impressive flexibility.  He writes equally convincingly from straight, gay or lesbian perspectives, and is a master at seamlessly melding multiple genres.
- Lisabet Sarai, author of Raw Silk and Rough Caress

As convoluted and erotic as a skein of pure silk.
- Ann Regentin, author of Second Sight, and A Foolish World

Brushes is my favorite kind of novel—a multi-layered treat for the mind and the senses. M.Christian transports us to glittering Paris where we follow the adventures of eight denizens of the art world, from an acclaimed artist and his muses to desperate wannabes. As their lives brush up against each other, serendipitously, inevitably, all experience a compelling sexual encounter that changes their lives forever. A deliciously sexy tale of mystery for anyone who’s intrigued by the power of the creative--and the erotic - spirit.
- Donna George Storey, author of Amorous Woman

Evocative and carnal, M.Christian's Brushes portrays multiple perspectives on the life of an artist in Paris, from the gloriously hot sex that he indirectly inspires in his models, his gallery representative and the forger of his work to the  embittered fantasies of his estranged wife and brother. Christian has captured the feel of a European art world that draws the reader in, leaving them wanting to learn more about this man, his virtues and faults. Brushes is that rarest of combinations: a marvelous erotic novel and a good read, full of intriguing characters.
- Catherine Lundoff, author of Crave: Tales of Lust, Love and Longing,  and Night's Kiss

Those who follow the prolific M.Christian will not want to miss this latest addition to his published work.  Brushes is a straight, erotic, mainstream novel arranged in a collection of novellas.  It's the story of an artist and the various people in his life.  As is typical of M. Christian the quality of Brushes does not disappoint.
- Jolie du Pre, author of erotica and erotic romance.   

We can never know how lives will intertwine; the mystery of it is one of the hidden joys of life. M.Christian has captured perfectly the symmetry and surprise of lives that mesh together -- whether the people living them like it or not. In following the life of a painter and everyone he touches, Brushes proves everything is not always as it seems. Just as Escobar creates masterpieces with canvas and paint, M. Christian creates a gorgeous tapestry of words. 
- Gwen Masters, author of One Breath at a Time

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Had A Wonderful Time Teaching Magic Words For Good Vibrations!

 (from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)

Here's a hearty (and heartfelt) thanks to the great folks at Good Vibrations and all the fun folks who made it to my Magic Words: Using Erotic Writing To Explore Your Hidden Sexuality & Spirituality class last night - it was a lot of fun (if I do say so myself).



The Cat Who Came In From The Cold - On The Cud

(from M.Christian's Meine Kleine Fabrik)

Here's something very, very fun: a brand new Welcome To Weirdsville piece I wrote on the infamous "Project Acoustic Kitty" just went up on the delightful Aussie Cud site.

Here's a tease:


"Good morning, Mister Phelps. Your mission, if you decide to accept it, is to read the following without either shaking your head in absolute wonder or collapsing to the floor in hysterics. As always, should you or any of your IM force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck, Jim. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds..."

I mean, come on: it's bad enough that fun and weird history writers like myself can't just relax when people bring up ghosts or UFOs, ridiculous, conspiracy theories, or astrology without collapsing into hysterical giggles, gasping for air trying to get out, "You think that's strange? Wait until you hear this--" without that same bizarre universe throwing out yet another example of how truly, honestly, and totally surreal the planet really can be.

Okay, to be honest, the 1960s were a total benchmark for the odd ... especially in the world of already-far-too-odd world of espionage. It was, after all, when the CIA was drawing up plans to make Fidel Castro's beard fall out with hormone-tainted cigars or blow him up with booby-trapped seashells as they were dosing unsuspecting US citizens with acid – while on the other side of the world their opposite numbers were killing people with poisoned umbrellas and (by plan or their own stupidity) convincing the US that psychic remote viewing actually worked.

It should come as no surprise then that somewhere in this fuming cauldron of bizarre, someone, somewhere in Langley – the Directorate of Science And Technology to be precise – began to dream of a totally new information gathering technique.

What put this technique into the surreal, if not utterly insane, column were the recruits for this project. To be fair, animals had been used quite successfully by covert, as well as overt, operations for hundreds of years: horses have been used in combat since human beings first climbed on the back of one, birds – carrier pigeons to be precise – have been used for a very long time to get information from remote locations back to base, dogs have been trained for both combat as well as stealth assassinations, and -- adding to the crazy of the crazy the 1960s – trained dolphins were first imagined as Flipper with a suicide pill.

[MORE]

Monday, August 26, 2013

I'm Reading At The Godless Pervert Story Hour!

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)

This is gonna be a blast: I'm going to be reading for th every fun - and totally godless - Pervert Story Hour on Saturday, August 31st.  Here's the info:


Godless Perverts Story Hour

August 31: 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm | $10-20 Sliding Scale Donation

Center for Sex and Culture 1349 Mission St San Francisco, CA
Join us for another evening of blasphemy and depravity at our next Godless Perverts Story Hour on Saturday, August 31. The Godless Perverts Story Hour is an evening about how to have good sex without having any gods, goddesses, spirits, or their earthly representatives hanging over your shoulder and telling you that you’re doing it wrong. We’ll be bringing you depictions, explorations, and celebrations of godless sexualities, as well as critical, mocking, and blasphemous views of sex and religion. The evening’s entertainment will have a range of voices — sexy and serious, passionate and funny, and all of the above — talking about how our sexualities can not only exist, but even thrive, without the supernatural.

As of now, our lineup for August 31 includes Molly Weatherfield (aka Pam Rosenthal), Victor Harris, Jen Cross, Virgie Tovar, M. Christian, and Simon Sheppard — plus your charming hosts Greta Christina, David Fitzgerald, and Chris Hall. Other readers and performers will be announced as appropriate. Hope to see you there!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Take The Class: Get A FREE Book!

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)

Here's a very fun treat for folks coming to my Magic Words: Using Erotic Writing To Explore Your Hidden Sexuality & Spirituality coming up on Tuesday at the Polk Street Good Vibrations store  - everyone attending gets a free ... yep, totally free ... copy of any of my available ebooks!

Here's info on the class - it should be a real blast!




Magic Words: Using Erotic Writing To Explore Your Hidden Sexuality & Spirituality

Tuesday, August 27th, 6:30PM - 8:30PM
$20 in advance, $25 at the door

Polk Street Good Vibrations Store
1620 Polk Street (at Sacramento Street), San Francisco, CA 94109

There are many ways to reach your inner sexual and spiritual self -- but one of the most surprisingly powerful paths is through the written word. In this workshop with prolific erotic author and sexual skills teacher M.Christian, participants will hear how erotic writing (fiction as well non-fiction) can reach hidden places that often lay unexposed, help make surprising and important self-discoveries and to assist in a personal journey of identity and sensuality. Participants will learn how to free their erotic writing voices, how to develop their writing towards discovering their erotic spirits within, and when to silence (and listen to) the inner critic. For more about the presenter visit mchristian.com.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Coming Soon - Magic Words: Using Erotic Writing To Explore Your Hidden Sexuality & Spirituality

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)

Just a reminder that next week I'm going to be teaching my very fun - if I do say so myself - class on writing and sexuality for Good Vibrations next week:



Magic Words: Using Erotic Writing To Explore Your Hidden Sexuality & Spirituality

Tuesday, August 27th, 6:30PM - 8:30PM
$20 in advance, $25 at the door
Polk Street Good Vibrations Store


1620 Polk Street (at Sacramento Street), San Francisco, CA 94109


There are many ways to reach your inner sexual and spiritual self -- but one of the most surprisingly powerful paths is through the written word. In this workshop with prolific erotic author and sexual skills teacher M.Christian, participants will hear how erotic writing (fiction as well non-fiction) can reach hidden places that often lay unexposed, help make surprising and important self-discoveries and to assist in a personal journey of identity and sensuality. Participants will learn how to free their erotic writing voices, how to develop their writing towards discovering their erotic spirits within, and when to silence (and listen to) the inner critic. For more about the presenter visit mchristian.com.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Coming Soon - In Control: The Short Kinky Fiction Of M.Christian

This is very, very, very cool: the fantastic Sizzler Editions is this close to releasing a brand-new collection of my (ahem) rather out-there erotic short stories: In Control - The Short Kinky Fiction Of M.Christian.  More on it when it comes out but in the meantime here's the kick-ass cover:




Friday, August 16, 2013

Had a Blast Teaching Cupping For The Citadel!

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)


Just wanted to toss out a hearty wheeee! to all the great folks who came out last night for my Cupping: Using The Ancient Medicinal Technique For Erotic Play class at the Citadel last night - it was a blast and a half!

Stay tuned for new classes coming soon ... including the following very fun event for the great folks at Good Vibrations:
Magic Words: Using Erotic Writing To Explore Your Hidden Sexuality & Spirituality

Tuesday, August 27th, 6:30PM - 8:30PM
$20 in advance, $25 at the door

Polk Street Good Vibrations Store
1620 Polk Street (at Sacramento Street), San Francisco, CA 94109

There are many ways to reach your inner sexual and spiritual self -- but one of the most surprisingly powerful paths is through the written word. In this workshop with prolific erotic author and sexual skills teacher M.Christian, participants will hear how erotic writing (fiction as well non-fiction) can reach hidden places that often lay unexposed, help make surprising and important self-discoveries and to assist in a personal journey of identity and sensuality. Participants will learn how to free their erotic writing voices, how to develop their writing towards discovering their erotic spirits within, and when to silence (and listen to) the inner critic. For more about the presenter visit mchristian.com.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Von Gutenberg Magazine: All the Words a Rage - and I!

This is extremely cool: I am tickled and then some to be in the brand new ebook release from the fetish-fantastic Von Gutenberg Magazine: check it out and read my never-before-published story "On The Rooftop."

You definitely cannot say Internationally known photographer and publisher Erik Von Gutenberg hasn't worked diligently over the past decade to present his unique vision though his quarterly magazine, social media presence and interactive website. Von Gutenberg showcases provocative, cutting edge styles paired with fashion trend reporting and featured writing by acclaimed writers, designers and photographers. Von Gutenberg's brand encompasses everything “fashion, latex, and lifestyle”, says Erik.

Now the Von Gutenberg brand is branching out to publish its first eBook aptly entitled All The Word’s A Rage featuring the same themes such as ‘comic’ ‘steampunk’ and ‘fetish’ that have made Von Gutenberg a world wide read.

“The eBook focuses on the most popular fiction, expert columns, photo-essays, reviews, 'how-to' articles, model interviews and of course the most loved photos from the past 7 issues of the printed magazine and our multitude of blog fashion posts. We combined what our readers enjoyed the most into one best-of-the-best eBook.” explains Erik. “It's perfect for the existing fans and also for those new to the Von Gutenberg brand. It gets them up to speed.”

Erik continues, “We did add one or two pieces commissioned specifically for this eBook to give our regulars some unique content. Being unique is something we always strive toward.” he chuckles. “I think the mix of the old and the new works perfectly to make All the Word’s A Rage a definite one-of-a-kind offering.”

Look for All The Word’s A Rage today on Amazon; For Kindle Fire Readers, at Barnes and Noble for Nook and Apple

Special offer for Apple customers: Buy All The Word’s A Rage for an introductory low price of $4.99 until August 31, 2013 (reg. price: $7.99)

Will Eisner And I?

As a long-time comics fan - and, if you remember, I even wrote one - this is extra-special: the great Renaissance E Books (who I'm an Associate Publisher for) has just stepped into graphic novels ... beginning by releasing classics like The Phantom Lady.

Well, one of the titles they also just released is a little-known treasure by the comic legend Will Eisner called The Flame - and guess who was asked to write the introduction?



EISNER'S FLAME OF INSPIRATION

If you were to create a Mount Rushmore for comic creators they'd certainly be a lot of controversy on who to immortalize.  Alan Moore?  Winsor McCay?  Art Spiegelman?  Osamu Tezuka?  Robert Crumb?  But the one that everyone – and I mean everyone -- would agree should have his face etched in stone is Will Eisner.
To say that Will Eisner, famed for his groundbreaking noir creation The Spirit, made comics what they are today is like saying the sun is just that warm thing in the sky.  Born in Brooklyn in 1917, Eisner made his first tentative steps onto the comic book stage at 16 by sending his artwork, with prodding from Batman creator Bob Kane, to Wow, What A Magazine!
Back in the late-1930s comic books were still deciding what they were and where they were going – it was a real wild west for writers and artists, with publishers, editors, writers, artists, and characters coming and going almost daily.
It was during these crazy times that The Flame was created by Eisner and Lou Fine – another illustrious member of those Golden Years.  Their brainchild, first appeared in Wonderworld Comic #3, July 1939. The Flame was so popular the character soon graduated to his own comic – but, alas, it was snuffed out after only eight issues, going dark on January 1942, a victim not of a vividly costumed menace or even the Nazis, but of the publisher's bankruptcy.
While The Flame's run in the superhero game was a short one the comic still – excuse me – burns quite bright for its originality.  In fact, you could easily trace a lot of The Flame forward to many now legendary comic characters.
Just look at his origin story: poor little Gary Preston was the only survivor of a flood that killed his father, Charteris Preston – a missionary in China.  Little Preston was saved by a benevolent order of Tibetan monks who taught him the mysterious power of heat and fire.  Gary knew that power must be used for good and The Flame was born.

[MORE]

Monday, August 12, 2013

Excerpt From Running Dry: The Complete Series

(from M.Christian's Queer Imaginings)

Wheeee!  This is very cool - the very fun Gay/Lesbian Fiction Excerpts site just posted a teasing taste of my newly released Running Dry: The Complete Series (from the fantastic Sizzler Editions).  

Here's a bit of it - for the rest just click here.



EMPTY

 "You want some?" came a voice from the next-door stall: deep and mature, but not old; faintly lyrical but not threateningly exotic; alluring and tempting, but not shallow or jaded.

"S-sure," he stammered as he leaned forward to undo the latch, gently push the door open.

The similar sound of a cheap bolt being drawn back made his heartbeat race, a stroboscopic cascade of imagination making his eyes blur.

When he did appear, Vince saw that his voice was ... and could not be anything but, his: a face with lines of experience, but not aged; unique features, but without the fear of being too foreign; a sensually wry smile on delicate lips, but not mockingly lecherous.
Not old, but he immediately put his nearly-elegant and almost-refined face between thirty and forty; not local, but he dreamed of Cinzano umbrellas and waiters with thick mustaches ... a land within sight of an-always-turquoise Mediterranean; and a truly happy grin and an honestly playful dance of gray eyes. He wore simple but too-clean clothes, to be working simply: dark jeans, a pair of new-ish tennis shoes, and a black, well-washed, turtle-neck.

Standing, framed by the battered metal of the narrow bathroom stall, he looked down at Vince for a moment, as if doing the same cascade of imagination – and, as he did, Vince felt himself faintly blush: wondering how this handsome-but-not pretty man, who maybe (maybe-not) came from a warm land on a side of that southern sea, and who had asked to come over and suck his cock, saw him.

The floor of the bathroom was tiled, smudged and streaked here and there with whatever the owner of the Crooked Crow couldn't, or wouldn't be bothered, to clean, but it didn't stop him from kneeling down in front of Vince. The blush, at which Vince's face further warmed, didn't go away as the stranger put one hand, and then the other, on either side of Vince's thighs and gently – almost lovingly – parted them.

"You're new at this, aren't you?" the man said, with humor – but not laughter – in his voice. It matched the calmness in his touch; his playful, but not catty, tone. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"O-Okay," Vince said, his own voice coming out too many stepped-up octaves high.
From his right thigh, the man's hand deftly slipped further up, between Vince's legs to wrap firmly, but still kindly, around his hard cock. Vince's blush remained – but then faded quickly: he'd half-expected (and half-not) that his cock would fail him, that his naïveté would leave him at half-mast, and less-than-full-steam.

This time the other man did laugh – but with and not at – and squeezed Vince's cock ever-so tighter. "I think we'll have a good time," he said.

All Vince could do was nod – and that came as a basic, deep-down reflex.

Then the other man, the stranger, dipped his head down and – with a neat, smooth, and Vince suspected well-practiced gesture, put his lips around the head of his cock. The contact was almost an electric shock: a bolt of sensuality that made – another basic, deep-down reflex – Vince hiss, and then softly moan.

[MORE]

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Confessions Of A Literary Streetwalker: Self Or Not?

Check it out: I just posted a Streetwalker column on the always-wonderful Erotica Readers And Writes site.  It might be an old one but it's also something that a LOT of people have been talking to me about - so I thought it was worth posting again.



Before I begin, a bit of disclosure: While the following has been written in an attempt to be professionally and personally non-biased I am an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books. 
Now, with that out of the way...

So, should you stay with the traditional model of working with a publisher or go the self-publishing route?

I'd be lying if I said I haven't been thinking – a lot -- about this.  The arguments for stepping out on your own are certainly alluring, to put it mildly: being able to keep every dime you make – instead of being paid a royalty – and having total and complete control of your work being the big two.  

But after putting on my thinking cap – ponder, ponder, ponder -- I've come to a few conclusions that are going to keep me and my work with publishers for quite some time.

As always, take what I'm going to say there with a hefty dose of sodium chloride: what works for me ... well, works for me and maybe not you.

Being on both sides of the publishing fence – as a writer, editor, and now publisher (even as a Associate Publisher) -- has given me a pretty unique view of the world of not just writing books, working to get them out into the world, but also a pretty good glimpse at the clockwork mechanisms than run the whole shebang.  

For example, there's been a long tradition of writers if not actively hating then loudly grumbling about their publishers.  You name it and writers will bitch about it: the covers, the publicity (or lack of), royalties ... ad infinitum.  Okay, I have to admit more than a few grouches have been mine but with (and I really hate to say this) age has come a change in my perspective.  No, I don't think publishers should be given carte blanch to do with as they please and, absolutely, I think that writers should always have the freedom to speak up if things are not to their liking, but that also doesn't mean that publisher's are hand-wringing villains cackling at taking advantage of poor, unfortunate authors.

[MORE]

Thursday, August 08, 2013

Reminder: Cupping - Using The Ancient Medicinal Technique For Erotic Play

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)

Just a reminder that my very fun - if I do say so myself - on Cupping is coming up next week, here in San Francisco:


Cupping: Using The Ancient Medicinal Technique For Erotic Play

Thursday, August 15, 2013, 8:00 PM –10:00 PM
Cost: $20 at the door, $15 in advance- buy advanced tickets on WePay

SF Citadel Community Center
181 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA

For thousands of years, Asian cultures have been using 'cupping' as a remedy for a variety of ills – from muscle strains to just a wonderful way to relax. In this unique class, participants will not just learn how to use cupping safely but also how to use it to enhance all kinds of erotic – and kinky – play. Demonstrations will include not just how to use cupping on various parts of the body in new and exciting ways but also the different types of cupping sets that are available and what type is right for everything from advanced BDSM play to just soothing an achy back.

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

M.Christian In August!

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)

August is going to be a very fun month for classes and events - for me, for sure, and hopefully for anyone out there who wants to attend one of my classes or readings!

Check it out:

Cupping: Using The Ancient Medicinal Technique For Erotic Play

Thursday, August 15, 2013, 8:00 PM –10:00 PM
Cost: $20 at the door, $15 in advance- buy advanced tickets on WePay

SF Citadel Community Center
181 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA

For thousands of years, Asian cultures have been using 'cupping' as a remedy for a variety of ills – from muscle strains to just a wonderful way to relax. In this unique class, participants will not just learn how to use cupping safely but also how to use it to enhance all kinds of erotic – and kinky – play. Demonstrations will include not just how to use cupping on various parts of the body in new and exciting ways but also the different types of cupping sets that are available and what type is right for everything from advanced BDSM play to just soothing an achy back.

#

Magic Words: Using Erotic Writing To Explore Your Hidden Sexuality & Spirituality

Tuesday, August 27th, 6:30PM - 8:30PM
$20 in advance, $25 at the door

Polk Street Good Vibrations Store
1620 Polk Street (at Sacramento Street), San Francisco, CA 94109

There are many ways to reach your inner sexual and spiritual self -- but one of the most surprisingly powerful paths is through the written word. In this workshop with prolific erotic author and sexual skills teacher M.Christian, participants will hear how erotic writing (fiction as well non-fiction) can reach hidden places that often lay unexposed, help make surprising and important self-discoveries and to assist in a personal journey of identity and sensuality. Participants will learn how to free their erotic writing voices, how to develop their writing towards discovering their erotic spirits within, and when to silence (and listen to) the inner critic. For more about the presenter visit mchristian.com.

#

Godless Perverts Story Hour

Saturday, August 31, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
$10-20 Sliding Scale Donation

Center for Sex and Culture
1349 Mission St San Francisco, CA United States

Join us for another evening of blasphemy and depravity at our next Godless Perverts Story Hour on Saturday, August 31. The Godless Perverts Story Hour is an evening about how to have good sex without having any gods, goddesses, spirits, or their earthly representatives hanging over your shoulder and telling you that you’re doing it wrong. We’ll be bringing you depictions, explorations, and celebrations of godless sexualities, as well as critical, mocking, and blasphemous views of sex and religion. The evening’s entertainment will have a range of voices — sexy and serious, passionate and funny, and all of the above — talking about how our sexualities can not only exist, but even thrive, without the supernatural.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Amos Lassen Likes Running Dry

(from M.Christian's Queer Imaginings)

Now here's a treat: my great pal, Amos Lassen, just posted this review of the new edition of Running Dry - just released by Renaissance E Books/Sizzler Editions as part of their M.Christian ManLove special imprint.


Ernst Doud is non-human and 154 years young. He lives quietly in Los Angeles and all was fine until he got a letter from a lover he has not seen since 1913 and it was then that he killed him. Now that is a way to start a story as you soon realize that you are reading about the undead. Most of us love a good vampire story and I have often wondered why that is true. I suspect that there are two major reasons and a bunch of lesser ones. Vampires are very sexy and mysterious; they are dark and live forever.

This is a vampire story without all of the “vamping”. M. Christian writes stories that are quite far out yet maintain a sense of truth. This is his way of showing that our worlds can come together. We tend to fear that which we do not know and here is where vampires gain ground. We have never seen a vampire but he has a sense of mystery which is exciting and sexy. In this story we see the themes of vengeance, loyalty and “the humanity of the inhuman”. I believe vampires made a comeback with the AIDS epidemic when gay men’s lives depended on blood tests. The fact that blood is so essential in vampire lore has been a conundrum and an enigma for me especially when you consider the importance of blood in Christian religions and in Roman Catholicism when at the act of transubstantiation, wine turns into blood. Yet it is those very same religions that condemn vampires because of the emphasis on something that is so integral to what their members and religious leaders believe.

Unlike other vampire stories, here is one that will get the reader to think. This in one of those stories in which sex is not important but thoughts are. M. Christian is known as an erotic writer but this time he chose to forego sex and concentrate on the mind. Instead of using his literary skills to write vivid sex scenes, he chose not to write about sex this time and develop characters who not just sexual beings but who have minds with which to think. Instead of a lot of sex, we get a lot of adventure so this is not like other books in this genre. It may just be that M. Christian has begun an entirely new genre but I guess we may have to wait awhile to see if that is true. In the meantime there are many other opportunities to read M. Christian. He is always new and never bores.



Friday, July 19, 2013

Orphans From Love Without Gun Control

(from M.Christian's Technorotica)

I always liked this story - so I thought I'd share it with you. "Orphans" first appeared in Talebones Magazine and now, of course, is in my science fiction/fantasy/horror collection, Love Without Gun Control ... out in 'e' and paperback from the great Renaissance E Books.

 
 Orphans

Outside of Atlanta, after standing under the flickering fluorescent lights of a sprawling truck stop for almost an hour, he was picked up by a heavy faced man driving a ratting sixteen wheeler.  Red hair an angry mop on his head, brushy beard all wild and unkempt, the driver said “Glad for the company” before they’d even pulled out onto the dark highway.
#

     In a little town somewhere just beyond the Louisiana border, he was picked up by a middle-aged woman in a green station wagon, who seemed to delight in creating herself as the perfect housewife:  housecoat, hair in curlers, kid’s seat in the back.  She spent the first few miles prattling nervously, obviously just wanting companionship but frightened with herself for choosing the young hitchhiker to try and sate it.  He listened, hypnotized by the landscape blurring by.  Finally she asked, “Been on the road long?”
     “Not long,” he said, wishing again that it had been someone else who’d picked him up, “just getting out.  Meeting people.”
     “That’s good,” she said, innocently.  “Nothin’ worse than being alone.”
     To that he just nodded, still staring out the window.

#

     He’d never heard of a nut log, and would be damned if he was going to try some.  But the salesman, Lou Phillips, was so insistent that -- before he was even aware of it -- he had some on the end of his fork.
     “Now me, son,” Lou said, smiling broad and bright, “I ain’t a flincher.  You take that shit there on the end of your fork.  What’s the worse that could happen?  It taste like crap -- but that ain’t gonna kill you, is it?  But maybe it’s gonna be the best damned shit you ever tasted.  Ain’t gonna know till it’s in your mouth, right?”
     He didn’t answer, and instead stared at the tip of his fork, at the brown sticky mass.  Before he was aware of it he was categorizing diseases, vectors and transmission rates.  Closing his eyes, he breathed in, out, in and again, then put it into his mouth.  The sweetness was almost alarming, and without conscious control he opened his eyes -- and stared into Lou’s sparking brown eyes.  “See, that ain’t so bad!  Fuck it, son -- life’s too short to be scared.”
     A cup of coffee later, Lou confessed that he was a widower.  His wife of twenty-six years having passed away that spring.  “Some kind of virus got her.  By the time she went to the damn doc it was she was thin as a rail.  Didn’t last more than a month.”
     Sipping hot, bitter -- with a touch of slightly turned cream, he hung his head down, mumbling, “Sorry” like it was his fault.
     “I mean we all got to go, right?  When it’s our turn.  But what pisses me off is the shit those damned doctors put ya through.  Pretend that they know it all when they don’t know shit.  Tell ya what, kid, if I ever get something I’m just gonna drive out to the desert somewhere and just lay out there in the sun.  Damn sight better chance then letting them touch ya.”
     It seemed such a positive act that he smiled, despite himself -- masking it by sipping the foul coffee again and saying “Sometimes it isn’t that they don’t know -- it’s that it’s just not worth knowing.”

#

     Another big truck -- this time cleaner, almost polished.  Like a fighter plane, sporting a elegant pin-up on the driver’s side door.  Haulin’ Ass, scrolled under a cheesecake girl with golden blond hair.  The driver was gaunt, a narrow sketch of a man.  Peppered hair and the ghostly scar of a hair lip.
     They didn’t speak for many miles, then the driver said, unexpectedly, “What cha’ runnin’ from, man?”
     His first reaction was so say, “nothing” but the word didn’t come.  Was he running?  When he thought about it, watching the double-yellow vanish under the windshield, the direction wasn’t right.  “Not from, towards.”
     “What cha’ goin’ to, then?”
     He didn’t know.  He did know, though, that he couldn’t stay in Atlanta.  It was such a lonely place ... no, not right.  It was where he discovered loneliness. A dusty little room and files -- at first just one or two then more.  Some of them had faces, pictures charting their progress -- images to match the declining graphs.  Aside from the wasting, he’d seen something else in those faces, the sunken eyes, the fallen features -- loneliness.  In their worlds they’d been too few, not enough to matter ... to save.
     He’d managed a rough smile, trying to put a comedic face over tragedy.  “Just makin’ friends,” he said.

#

     Texas was hot, ghostly heat hovering above the roadway.  Sky too blue, too pure to be stared at for long.  Sitting in a McDonald’s, slowly sipping a shake to avoid going out into the hot, dry, he struck up a brief conversation with a young couple.  Too pressed, too clean.  A few miles beyond, the air conditioner in their older car cranked up to full, they started to talk about Jesus.
     He responded noncommittally, but soon their tone started to irritate him.  Looking out at the hot land, he could too easily see the ghostly hopelessness, the abandonment he’d first seen in Atlanta overlaid on every face they passed.  Maybe the harried father in the RV -- stricken with something that struck one on ten thousand.  Maybe that old woman, all blue hair and cautious hand on the wheel -- catching something that would waste her, slowly, horribly but only affected one in a hundred thousand.
     He listened, for a moment, about what they were saying -- instantly realizing that they were following a well-hewn grove.  Something like Parkinson’s, a horrible inlaw to the more popular disease: a gradual wasting of the mind -- something affecting one in a million.  He could too easily see them, parroting their beliefs till they had no more will, no more strength left to even move their lips.
     At the next town he asked to be left off, dismissing their offer of finding him a shelter, a meal, but he did take the money they offered, more than anything to get them to leave.

#

     Too many miles.  Still in Texas but the weather had changed -- high, turbulent clouds casting deep shadows onto the flat land.  Too many miles.  Maybe that was it.  A pressure.  They all saw him the way they wanted to, a young man traveling.  A bum, a threat, a homeless person, an object of pity, something to hate and blame.  The pick-up truck full of teenagers, throwing a half-empty can of beer as they passed, the too-helpful families that desperately wanted his absolution.
     So he told some of it to the bald man, the man in the jeans and stained tee-shirt.  He knew he’d been picked up for rough trade, but didn’t care.  He avoided his inquiring eyes and, at first, answered with only a few words, but as they drove and the driver’s interest became more and more obvious he found himself talking more, stringing together fact and fiction.
     To “-- where are you headed?” he said, “Los Angeles, my mom’s in the hospital.  Something wrong with her liver.”
     To “-- that sounds pretty serious.  What does her doctor say?”  he said, “They know what it is, some kind of hepatitis variant.  Rare, though, like one in a hundred thousand get it.”
     To “-- at least they know what it is.  They got all kinds of drugs and shit nowadays” he said, pausing “They know what it is, but not enough people get it.  So they don’t make a cure, not cost effective.  They call them ‘orphan diseases’ -- too rare to bother curing.  She’s going to die.”
     They rode in uncomfortable silence till the next town.  This time he was asked to leave -- and he did, stepping out into the darkness of a cloud’s shadow.  It had been the shortest trip he’d been on, but he felt lighter, less burdened.  That it had only been part of the truth didn’t matter; he’d spoken enough of it to get someone to understand, if maybe just a little.

#

     A long time and New Mexico.  He felt the fever start as he walked down dusty streets, passing stores selling fake Indian art, plastic tomahawks.  In a narrow alley, an old man with heavy features slept out the hot afternoon, a bronze-colored bottle by his hand.
     He went into a dark bar and sat in the corner, feeling his core temperature rise, his skin shimmy with cold shakes.  Taking deep breaths, he sipped a warm beer.
     He remembered its pathology, its transmission rates, preferred vectors.  He thought he’d have more time, and silently felt a heavy sadness at not being able to see the Pacific.  It hadn’t been a real goal, but had begun to be a kind of benchmark, a saccharin epitaph.
     He’d met some good people as he’d traveled from Atlanta, and felt sorry for them.  But he also remembered those faces on all those files.  It wasn’t virulent, but it did spread.  Airborne was tough, but it could manage.
     Too few to care about.  Not enough to bother curing.  It had almost been gone, at least to the Center for Disease Control.  Exiled to its refrigerator, the vault.  A rarity that claimed maybe a hundred, maybe two each year, almost just a memory.  So rare that they’d passed judgment on it:  extinction.  It had been his job to destroy the samples, to consign the virus to a few sad cases scattered around the world.   
     The faces on those folders.  Too few to care about.  As the shivers began in earnest, he tried to think about them, to hold each and every one of them in his mind.  Coldly told their wasn’t enough of them to bother, to care about, to cure.
     Sipping his beer, feeling his strength drain, he hoped that now -- after all those miles he’d managed, those rides, those hands he’d shaken -- they wouldn’t be so alone.