Shades of ... Purple?

By L.M. Somerton (Guest Blogger)

As a relative newbie to the publishing world and the wise comments of my editor, I’ve got accustomed to her references to IBPs, zombies and distracting rhymes - too many references to the ‘tube of lube’ are apparently not advisable. However, I have never been accused of the dreaded purple prose… until recently, when one of my phrases was singled out as being ‘tinged with purple – suggest reword’.

I browsed the web and found loads of blog posts talking about the topic, some of them with brilliant, hysterical examples. I’m never going to forget the line “Lash me to yer throbbing purple yardarm, Hop’n jack me, Whip the pony, butter the biscuits, take me if you must, grease me with deck-wax, pin me flat and ravish me on your thick commanding masthead.” (See Redlines andDeadlines for more!) It’s reassuring to know that I am not the only writer who has strayed towards the melodramatic. But couldn’t one person's purple prose be another’s vivid description?

It's subjective – a colourful debate between editor and writer. But do erotic story writers ‘get away with it’ more? Sex scenes are hard to make original. I write MM and it’s difficult to avoid making descriptions too clinical or too crude. So, whilst waving the rainbow flag, must indigo and violet be avoided at all costs? Personally, I think my readers would laugh themselves silly if I started talking about ripe globes and straining manhood. Fortunately BDSM doesn’t lend itself to prosaic self-indulgence, but just occasionally I might see if I can’t sneak something colourful past my beady-eyed editor. Surely a delicate shade of lilac is better than grey?

Check out the lack of purple prose in my latest release, Reaching the Edge.

Blurb

Joe Dexter leads a complicated life. In one world he is a consultant criminal psychologist; in another he runs The Edge, a successful corporate training company. He’s also an active Dom in the London BDSM scene.

A social call to The Underground, a club owned by an old friend, turns into much more when Joe is introduced to a prospective sub. Falling hard for the boy’s tumbling blonde curls, huge blue eyes and desperate need for protection Joe carefully coaxes him out of his shell. By the end of an intense weekend, unbreakable bonds have been forged and Joe is well on the way to becoming Olly’s master.

Joe knows that there is trauma in Olly’s past, but it is not until his professional and private lives collide that Joe discovers the truth. He knows he shouldn’t have let Olly out of his sight but it’s too late – Olly’s old master is back on the scene and he’s not in the mood to forgive and forget.

With Olly’s life on the line, Joe risks everything to save him. Has Joe found his perfect submissive only to lose him in a horrible twist of fate, or will love win the day? They’ve reached the edge and there’s no avoiding a leap of faith.

Excerpt

Angel was slim, his body smooth and firm. The short leather kilt he wore sat low on his hips and emphasised the gentle curve of his arse. Joe judged that he must be around five feet ten. Apart from his spectacular eyes, his hair was his most remarkable feature—a tangle of unruly, loose golden curls that cascaded onto his neck and around his face. No wonder his nickname was Angel.

Joe knew that he must look intimidating and tried to move slowly. He reached out and tackled the buckle that held Angel’s kilt closed. Angel didn’t move, but there was obvious tension in his stance.

“It’s all right, I’m not going to hurt you.”

With the buckle undone, Joe allowed the scanty strip of leather to slip to the floor. The tiny net thong that held Angel’s dick was doing a very poor job of containing his burgeoning erection. Joe allowed himself one more circuit, drinking in the sight of a perfect arse, before he headed across to the cupboard and pulled out a big, fluffy robe.

He wanted to test Angel’s willingness to be naked in front of him, so he ordered him to remove the thong. There was no hesitation, but as Angel clasped his hands behind his back again Joe could detect the trembling he was trying to control. Angel’s cock bounced just a little, then settled into position, jutting firmly from his body. His chest was completely smooth and hairless, his cock and balls in perfect proportion to his body, nesting in delicate golden curls.

“Beautiful.” Joe handed over the robe with some regret. “Put this on, Angel, and take a seat.”

Angel looked at the robe in his hands as if it were a totally unfamiliar object. “I don’t understand, Sir.”

“It was a simple instruction. Do as you’re told.”

The firmness in Joe’s voice did the trick. Angel looked almost relieved at the tone of command. He slipped the robe on and wrapped it around himself, then took a seat on the sofa as far away from Joe as he could get, tucking his bare feet beneath him in an attempt to make himself as small as possible.

“Relax, Angel. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Big blue eyes glistened with tears. “Do I displease you, Sir?” His voice shook.

Joe gave a small smile. “Quite the opposite, I can assure you.”

Buy links:

You can buy Reaching the Edge today from Total-E-Bound at:

www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?P_ID=2200

It’s also available on general release at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance Café etc. just search for the title.

Bio

L M Somerton lives in a small village in the English countryside, surrounded by rolling hills, cows and sheep. She started writing to fill time between jobs and is now firmly and unashamedly addicted.

She loves the English weather, especially the rain, and adores a thunderstorm. She loves good food, warm company and a crackling fire. She’s fascinated by the psychology of relationships, especially between men, and her stories contain some subtle (and not so subtle) leanings towards BDSM.

Links

http://lmsomerton.wordpress.com

http://www.facebook.com/lmsomerton

http://pinterest.com/lmsomerton

Things That Go Bump in the Night

By L.M. Somerton (Guest Blogger)

I recently read an article by Susan Hill, author of The Woman in Black, about what makes a good ghost story. It made me wonder if the same principles would apply to an erotic ghost story. How do you create the atmosphere needed when the core of the tale is an MM romance?

It’s one thing to sit around a campfire spinning spooky yarns and controlling your audience with the drama of the moment. Unfortunately it’s not possible to rely on readers to create the appropriate atmosphere for themselves or to issue instructions in the preamble to the book:

1. 1. Do not read unless you are situated in an appropriately spooky setting. E.g. graveyard, abandoned asylum, haunted house.
2. 2. Weather must be atmospheric – fog, heavy rain, thunder and lightening are all acceptable.
3. 3. Watch a really good horror film to get yourself in the right state of mind i.e. ready to jump out of your skin at the least provocation.
4. 4. Switch off all lights and read with a torch.

I have to confess that when I wrote The Portrait I wasn’t consciously considering which elements would work when it came shivers of fear. I was more worried about shivers of desire between the two main characters. In either case there is a fine line between giving your readers a thrill and sending them into fits of laughter. How do you avoid the traps and pitfalls of stereotypes but still give your readers what they need to really feel the atmosphere you are trying to create? In this day and age we are exposed to every imaginable take on the supernatural. Films and computer games bring our worst fears to life at the touch of a button. Is it even possible to create that kind of atmosphere any more or are readers immune to anything that isn’t in 3D?

I think the same thing that makes a story erotic can make it scary. Imagination. It’s the author’s job to put the pieces in place, to lay the foundations for the reader to then build their own picture – to really see, hear and feel what the characters do.

By happy accident, many of the ‘required elements’ of a ghost story snuck their way into The Portrait, so all those 18^th century gothic novels I’ve read must have been lurking in my sub-conscious. Hints of a spectral presence, unexplained noises and shadows, an old house where the memories of past horrors linger – they are all there, aided by the natural atmosphere provided by the wonderfully gloomy British weather.

It only takes the smallest hints and suggestions to capture an intelligent reader’s imagination and I think that works so much better than launching into a full-blown terror-ride from the first line. Shakespeare put it well in the Scottish play:

 By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.

My characters, Garrick and Tristan, know that something evil objects to them being together. Finding out why and working out what to do about it is intertwined with the story of their developing relationship. I wanted my characters to tingle in all the right places; the fear and anticipation of what might happen adds something unpredictable to their romance and turns the heat up just a little bit higher!

So if you like your erotica with a hint of the supernatural, I think you’ll enjoy The Portrait – here’s the blurb to tell you a bit more:

When Tristan Lindsay takes a job cataloguing the library at Faversham Park, home of rock star Marcus Balen, he also accepts a role as companion to Balen’s artist son Garrick.

Garrick is beautiful and talented, he’s also demanding and infuriating. He uses Tristan as an unwilling model, shamelessly manipulating the shy boy’s emotions to draw out his submissive tendencies.

Drawn in to the enigmatic artist’s world, Tristan discovers a side of himself that he didn’t realise existed. Afraid of his own feelings, he learns to trust Garrick and falls deeply in love.

But Garrick has a secret that could tear them apart. A ghostly rival objects to Tristan’s presence in Garrick’s life. As the spectre’s malevolence increases, the young lovers must search for clues to the haunting and find a way to exorcise the jealous ghost. What they find leads them down a path that challenges the dynamics of their relationship. Will their love be strong enough to overcome its supernatural opposition or will there be no happily ever after?

And a short excerpt to tempt you:

Garrick was bent over a large drawing board, skimming over creamy paper with a soft-leaded pencil. His strokes were confident and he was utterly focused on what he was doing. Suddenly he looked up, his breath steaming in the unnaturally cold air. He cringed and swiped at his neck, rubbing away the sensation of clammy fingers exploring his skin.

“Leave me alone.” His voice was tight with a tension that was mirrored in the set of his jaw. After just a few seconds, the temperature reverted to its normal level and Garrick relaxed with a sigh.

He sat back and took a critical look at the drawing in front of him. A perfect likeness of Tristan stared back and Garrick licked his lips. The image captured the expression that appeared on Tristan’s face every time Garrick looked at him—a cross between fear and desire. A calculating smile curled Garrick’s lips as he pinned the picture to the wall. “You’re mine, Tristan Lindsay. You just don’t know it yet.”

Order your copy of The Portrait by L. M. Somerton here: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?P_ID=1902

Bio: Lucinda lives in a small village in the English countryside, surrounded by rolling hills, cows and sheep. She started writing to fill time between jobs and is now firmly and unashamedly addicted.

She loves the English weather, especially the rain, and adores a thunderstorm. She loves good food, warm company and a crackling fire. She’s fascinated by the psychology of relationships, especially between men, and her stories contain some subtle (and not so subtle) leanings towards BDSM.

You can read more about L.M. Somerton at her blog http://lmsomerton.wordpress.org or write to her at lmsomertom - at - aol.com.