Sex and the Single Teenager

Recently, I had a conversation about how “far” can you go in a GBLTQ young adult romance. I’ve beta-read young adult, but I write about adults for adults—this is unchartered territory for me. Can you have open-mouthed kisses, touching with naming of acts and parts? What if both characters are under age eighteen (read: legal consent)?

It’s a bit grey out there folks, and I don’t mean Shades of.

Middle grade fiction is pretty cut and dried in this area. New Adult books (kids 18-25—out of the parent’s house and on their own) can test the limits, just like adults only books. It’s the 14-18 year-old group giving us fits. Here’s my take:

Since both characters need to be under eighteen, I'd prefer them both at least sixteen--fifteen is too close to childhood to me, and at that age, a year can make an enormous difference in maturity. In some states, you can marry at sixteen, and that seems to be more comfortable.

With regard to the sex—shouldn’t have anything explicit. To me, "explicit" means graphic descriptions of the acts and naming of parts. The bedroom door is nearly "closed."

Is it okay to have the characters nervously shed their clothes and retreat to the comfort of the bed, burning with an unfamiliar need? Can one of them say, "Have you ever...done anything with another guy?"

There are YA books out there that push the envelope right past New Adult into eighteen-and-over audiences. To me, these are adult books that happen to be about teenaged characters.

Where would you draw the line?
~*~
BIO:
Once upon a misspent youth, Whitley read and wrote stories under the covers at night. At some point, real life intervened, bringing with it responsibilities and a career in the medical field. After years of technical writing, Whitley became enamored of romance and took on the challenge of giving it a try. Inventing characters and putting them through paces in interesting ways turned out to be addictive, and along the way, Whitley discovered that two heroes is twice as nice. A pot of coffee, quiet, and a storyline featuring a couple of guys makes for a perfect day. Stop by www.whitleygray.com and feed your fix for heat between the sheets with erotica and M/M romance.

Split Personality: Writing Under More Than One Author Name

I’ve seen this come up in discussion time and again. Write under my real name? A pen name? More than one name? And will it help or hurt my marketing efforts?

There’s more than one way to skin this cat (no offense to feline lovers).

First, consider the reason you want to write under a pen name. Do you want privacy from fans? Is the material not something you’d like your eighty-year-old grandmother to investigate? Would writing under your own name endanger your job? Do you have a business in your name, like Mabel Blime’s Plumbing? You may not want to use Mabel Blime, even if it is your own name. Is your name hard to pronounce or spell? Is it too common (Mary Brown, for example. There are over a million of these in the U.S. Census)? Do you have the same name as an already-famous author? This may sound like a huge advantage, but it isn’t—people get annoyed, believe it or not. If the answer to any of these is yes, you may want to consider a pen name.

Second, consider why you might want a second writer name (either a second pen name, or a pen name). Are you planning to write something very different from your first writer name’s genre? For example, are you jumping from erotic romance to Middle Grade? Is your original author name something too suggestive for writing a different genre? Some erotica authors use names that are very suggestive of what kind of books they may write. Are you going to be writing with a co-author? You may want to consider a melding of your two names. If the answer to any of these is yes, you may want to consider a pen name.

And now, a few reasons why you might NOT want to write under a pen name. Do you want to maintain two separate personas, including separate fan emails, Facebook sites, Twitter accounts? Are you organized enough to not cross-post by accident? Do you want to pay a web designer, publicist, and/or promoter to get the stuff in place you for a publishing platform? Do you plan to write more than one genre? If the answer to these questions is “no,” you may not need a second writer name.

In the end, it’s a personal decision. It’s more work, but it can also save you heartache if you choose to go avante garde in your choice of material, or want to write a variety of genres.

Questions? Comments?
~*~
Once upon a misspent youth, Whitley read and wrote stories under the covers at night. At some point, real life intervened, bringing with it responsibilities and a career in the medical field. After years of technical writing, Whitley became enamored of romance and took on the challenge of giving it a try. Inventing characters and putting them through paces in interesting ways turned out to be addictive, and along the way, Whitley discovered that two heroes is twice as nice. A pot of coffee, quiet, and a storyline featuring a couple of guys makes for a perfect day. Stop by www.whitleygray.com and feed your fix for heat between the sheets with erotica and M/M romance.

Queer as Folk as a Resource for Writers

Familiar with this ground-breaking Showtime presentation that ran for five seasons 2000 to 2004? Good. Not acquainted? Here’s a brief introduction.

It’s likely the first time a television show tackled the grittier aspects of gay and lesbian life. There’s quite a bit of nudity in these episodes, including portrayals of sexual practices. Some of the scenes are graphic, but never pornographic in my opinion. The plots are fast-moving and engross the watcher. The characters—gay and straight—are compelling, and range in age from fifteen to a man in his sixties; lesbians are also represented.

The topics presented on the show are still relevant today: clubbing; casual but responsible sex using condoms; long-term love interests; HIV; gay bashing; discrimination; gay marriage; kids. This is only a sampling.

Where the gay/lesbian character stands with his/her family figures in as well. Ranging from a colorful PFLAG mom who embraces her son and the surrounding culture to outright familial rejection, these are believable interactions.

Whether you’ve never seen the show, or want to reacquaint yourself with the characters, it’s good entertainment, and an easy way to get some information. It could inspire your next manuscript.

I'm sure not everyone agrees. Comments?

~*~
Whitley writes erotic and M/M romance. Find her books at
www.whitleygray.com.

Happy New Year! Look what's coming up....

Hello.
It's been a nice break, here with the holidays, but I'm ready to get back to work.
In January, I'll have more stories from the erotic Meredith Medical Center serial, commentary on issues surrounding writing GBLTQ, guests galore with books coming out, give aways and contests.
If there are topics you'd like to see covered, let me know. Research is my forte (one of them, anyway).
Join me in making 2013 a great year!
All the best,
Whitley

Real Men Don’t Say These Things

Well, it happened again. I browsed Kindle M/M books, looking for an author I hadn’t discovered, hoping to find a cache of books to get through the holiday travels. Read a few blurbs, then found a seven book series that looked like a good bet. Downloaded the sample on Kindle.
The first couple of pages weren’t bad—I liked the characters. Then all hell broke loose in the form of head hopping. For the next few pages, I persevered—rereading every bit of dialogue to see whose head I was in. Then the onset of the kind of intimate scene I hate. (Names have been changed to protect the innocent):
“Oh, Johnny. Want you. Need you now.”
“Need you too, baby. Now. Right now.”
“Can’t wait, Johnny-cakes. Pleease.”
ME: Johnny-cakes? Seriously? And so forth. I admit. I caved—couldn’t take any more of the free sample. How anyone made it through seven books’ worth is beyond me.
Real men do NOT have these kinds of conversations at work, then seek out a closet.
Accurate male characters in fiction do not act like this. I’ve read enough to be pretty sure on this point. I’ve written enough to know I’d not submit these two characters to an editor.
Sooo…back to the browsing. Hope something appears.
What are your pet peeves in M/M?

~*~
www.whitleygray.com
Available from MLR Press: Going For Gold
Available from Redhot Publishing: Everything Erotic

Santa Baby, Hurry..

Key Eartha Kitt--Santa Baby.*
For Christmas this year, I'd like a helping of inspiration wrapped up in XY chromosomes. That's medical-ese for "a guy."
Not a real live flesh-and-blood one--a hero.

This month I started a new MS. The last one is on the submission launching pad, and it's time to do something new. I didn't do NaNo as I was fine-tuning the last MS, so I suppose I'm having a private NaNo ala December. Just need a character to get started...

With my head full of the Christmas stories I've read the last couple of weeks (yeah, Christmas anthologies are my favorite) I seem to be at a loss for a hero or two of my own.As far as I'm concerned, he could fall out of the sky in a clump of snowflakes; whatever it takes.
Back to daydreaming. Otherwise, I may be asking for more under the tree than Chritmas cookies. So please, Santa Baby...

*To see Eartha sing Santa Baby, click here: Eartha!

The Next Big Thing

So here we are, talking about the WIP, the work in progress. In this case, the work nearly ready for submission.
What is the working title of your book?


High Concept
Where did the idea come from for the book?


Not sure—just occurred to me.
What genre does your book fall under?


M/M contemporary romantic suspense
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie?


Mmm…Not sure about this.
What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

A detective and an FBI profiler must ignore their past and collaborate to solve a series of deadly home invasions before they become the next victims.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

--Likely a small publisher.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?


Four months.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre.


Mmm…LA Witt, maybe. She's got a couple that are of a similar genre.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?

 A police shooting.
What else about your book might interest the reader?
Blurb:
Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac, and one man will sacrifice anything to have it, including human lives. Beck Stryker, homicide cop and shooting survivor, lives to solve the case that left him with chronic pain and killed his co-investigator four months previous; now his career hinges on his ability to work with the FBI profiler who shut down his advances two years ago. After parting ways with Beck, Zach never anticipated working with him again, let alone on a series of killings that continue after the only suspect died in a shootout. Businessman Isaac Olivetti has his sights set on winning the governor’s race, but he’s behind in the polls—until a series of home invasions leaves his wife and daughter dead. The killer will stop at nothing to protect his investment, and as they zero in on the plot behind the murders, the crosshairs zero in on Beck and Zach.

Link: http://lanirhea.blogspot.com/?zx=9e259c67fcc2d284
Link back: www.sarahmadisonfiction.com