By Harper Bliss (Guest Blogger)
As soon as you tell someone you’re a
writer, it’s often the first question you’re asked. For me
personally, it’s the most daunting one as well. Don’t get me
wrong. I completely understand where the question is coming from. I
live in ex-pat dense Hong Kong and the favourite way of starting a
conversation here is with a casual, “What do you do?” (Along
with: “Where are you from?” and “How long have you been here?”)
I’ve seen many eyebrows arch up in surprise when I reply, “I
write lesbian erotica.” It makes quite a difference to saying
you’re a banker, or teacher, or IT consultant. People are taken
aback by it and it’s as if their brain can only process by
following up with, “Where do you get your inspiration from?”
Every time, I’m stumped for words. Even after having faced the same
question so many times, I never really know what to say because the
answer is always complicated and never clean-cut. It helps that I’m
a lesbian and my wife is usually around so I can just point at her
and quip that we’ve been together a long time and she still
inspires me. Cue awkward giggles. (But they asked for it.)
But, luckily, a solution for this
social predicament I often find myself in (and I bet I’m not the
only one), presented itself when I started writing my latest
novelette I Still Remember
(http://www.harperbliss.com/i-still-remember/). If the title seems
familiar, it’s because it is. I Still Remember is Bloc
Party’s prettiest, most emotional and nostalgic song. And my story
is entirely based on it. The song came on randomly one day when I was
listening to an old playlist and it just clicked. I hadn’t heard it
in a while (possibly years) but I connected with every word of the
lyrics in such a direct and emotional way that I instantly knew I had
to write a story about long lost love and unrequited feelings that
come back to haunt you from your fragile teenage years. This is also
when I realised that inspiration comes in many shapes and sizes, but
what works best for me personally is a strong emotion. Try explaining
that at a cocktail party when you’ve had a few…
The answer is still not
straightforward, but at least now I can confidently say that,
sometimes, I get my inspiration from music, e.g. “Do you know the
Bloc Party song 'I Still Remember?'” (The crowd I hang with usually
don’t.) It makes my life a little easier and small talk a little
more bearable. And it’s the absolute truth, because (as Christina
Aguilera said on The Voice the other night): music without emotion is
nothing. Neither is an erotic story.
If you’d like to know if I captured
the emotion of the song and did its emotion justice, I’m giving
away a free copy to a lucky commenter. (Lisabet says to remind you to include your email address!)
Meanwhile, here’s the blurb:
Successful news anchor Elise returns to
her hometown after running away from a love she couldn't understand
nor act upon twenty years ago. When she bumps into her old best
friend Amy, the one she had to get away from, all that was left
unspoken bubbles to the surface and they revisit the past in more
ways than one.
And here’s an excerpt:
I first felt it when I sat in my
familiar spot by the edge of the pond, timing Amy as she tried to
swim as fast as she could from one side to the other. My job was to
focus on my waterproof watch—something I’d always done with great
determination before—but this time around, I couldn’t keep my
eyes off Amy as her body cut through the water towards me. It was an
afternoon of just us, before Brett appeared on the scene and stole
precious moments of our time together.
I didn’t know what a lesbian was and
I had no idea it was even possible for a woman to fall in love with
another woman. But when Amy pulled herself out of the water, drops
raining down her skin and lingering in her hair, I knew I was in
love. I knew because not only did the sun catching the hazelnut in
her eyes look like the most beautiful sight in the world, but later
that afternoon, when I had to go home for supper, it suddenly hurt
that I couldn’t spend every waking moment with her.
“You weren’t timing me,” Amy
said, her hands on her hips and, to punish me, she swung her head
from left to right so the cool drops of water splattered from her
hair onto my hot skin.
“Stop it.” I looked up at her, at
the grin on her face, which all of a sudden seemed unbearable as well
as totally addictive. Because I had no idea how to handle myself, I
pushed her back into the water, jumping in right after her, because I
didn’t want her to swim away from me.
She ducked under and yanked me down by
the ankles and, just like that, an innocent game we’d played all of
our lives caused my body to pulse in places I’d never paid much
attention to before.
Buy your own copy of I Still Remember!
Direct from publisher:
https://sellfy.com/p/TjkB/
Bio
Harper Bliss has travelled the world in
search of sexual satisfaction. She now resides in a hot Asian country
and dedicates her time to writing down the stories that have inspired
and aroused her.
Harper has had short stories published
in anthologies by Xcite Books, House of Erotica, Storm Moon Press and
Coming Together. She is the author of the High Rise series and
several other titles for Ladylit.
Website: www.harperbliss.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HarperBliss
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/HarperBliss
5 comments:
Hello, Harper!
Welcome to Beyond Romance. Do you really make a living writing lesbian erotica? I'm thoroughly impressed.
And I definitely get the awkwardness. Anything to do with sex - even straight sex - makes people uncomfortable. Throw in the lesbian angle and they want to run away screaming.
Thanks for being my guest!
Hi,
When asked what do I write I tell them the truth.
Lesbian erotica, TS, TV, hot lesbian erotica.
If they have problems with it, it's their problem.
They asked the question.
Hi Lisabet,
thank you very much for having me! I'm honoured.
And yes, I do make a living of it. It always baffles me when people claim that F/F erotica doesn't sell. This has not been my experience at all. Obviously, this did not happen overnight... and if I've learned one thing it's that lesbian erotica readers are a very loyal and lovely bunch who love to support indies.
I have no doubt that it can be awkward answering those questions, but I agree with Jennifer Weisbloom "If they have problems with it, it's their problem" I also must agree with Christina and Harper "music without emotion is nothing. Neither is an erotic story" The reason I have loved every story that Harper has published is because she writes in such a way that you can feel the emotions of each of characters and they feel real.
Wonderful post. I get the awkwardness every time someone finds out I'm a blogger, and then I tell them, oh, I review romance, erotica, GLBT, BDSM...oh, and by the way, I happen to also be a nanny in school to get my teaching degree. Yeah, doesn't go down so well usually. I love your answers and what you said about music. I speak through music, it's a huge part of me, and I think that's the perfect answer you gave. And if they don't like it, tell 'em they can go suck monkey balls. Works for me :)
tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com
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