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There are a number of themes I like to play with when writing romance and erotica. I like to think I’ve made those things abundantly clear, sometimes in a very graphic manner, with my writing. Some concepts just interest me. Issues like repression and venting pent up feelings make for great drama and inspire the vast majority of my stories.

These themes fall within two categories:

1. Realistic manifestations of romance, drama, and passion
2. Manifestations of romance, drama, and passion that exceed human abilities, if not through magic then through some other means

They’re very different methods of developing a story. Stories like Jackpot and Holiday Heat have nothing in it that doesn’t exist in the real world. However, a story like Skin Deep injects superhuman abilities into the mix. These aren’t superhuman abilities in the same mold of superhero movies. These are abilities that allow men and women to carry out feats that normal people can’t carry out in the real world. In the case of Skin Deep, it’s an exotic kind of science that fuels the story. It’s a science that doesn’t exist in the real world…yet. So in some sense, the passions I explore in these stories are thought experiments.

I bring this up because lately, most of my stories have opted for realism. That’s going to change once “Embers of Eros” comes out. That story will do a lot more than Skin Deep. It will deal with forces to stretch our ability to perceive and process such feelings. It deals in forces that might be construed as magic, but doesn’t anything we can’t understand seem like magic?

It’s a difficult concept to wrap your head around. It’s also a major challenge, which I’m proud to take on. These days, a romance/erotica story involving superhuman abilities usually involves vampires or werewolves. I think market for those stories is a bit crowded. I hope “Embers of Eros” can offer something different for those who seek a more fanciful story.

Over the next few days, we can expect every angle of the Orlando Shooting incident to be dissected, broken down, and misconstrued. It happens after every mass shooting. The media, pundits, and commenters on message boards will come up with theories as to how and why someone can become so deranged that they would commit such a terrible atrocity. They’ll blame bad parenting, religious indoctrination, godlessness, poor education, easy access to firearms, and drug abuse.No matter what the excuse, it’ll be impossible to know what drove the shooter to commit these atrocities.

However, one explanation in particular is interesting and unorthodox. It is most likely wrong to some degree, but it has a certain level of validity that’s hard to ignore. Bill Maher brought it up last year on his show, Real Time. I’ll let him explain it.

It’s oddly compelling, the idea that unrealized sexual desire could drive someone to commit such atrocities. We cannot forget that sex is a powerful drive. It’s very much akin to the drives that make us seek out food, water, and shelter. Our brains, bodies, and minds are wired to satisfy these drives. If someone is denied food or water, then it’s very likely that they will behave irrationally to satisfy these needs. So if someone is denied a means of satisfying their sexual needs, it makes sense that it would lead to some irrational and dangerous behaviors.

It’s important to remember though that these mass shooters are on the extreme end of a broad spectrum. Not everyone who is denied their sexual needs will become a mass shooter. However, it is an interesting notion that denial of basic needs can cause so much inner distress.

Like many over the past day or so, I’ve been following the terrible story of the shooting in an Orlando nightclub. It is both a tragedy and an atrocity in the highest order. It’s truly unconscionable that a man could see a group of people dancing and having fun, yet feel the kind of hatred and anger that would drive him to commit such an atrocity.

The fact that the targets were LGBT individuals makes this act especially hateful. This is an already-maligned minority who has been the target of hatred and bigotry for years, sometimes from leading presidential candidates. Hatred is bad enough, but when that hatred manifests into carnage on this scale, it is truly horrific.

I think it says a lot about the flaws in the human psyche that we are capable of having such hatred and hostility towards our fellow human being. At the same time, it is important to maintain  ascertain perspective. There’s a reason why these terrible atrocities are such huge news stories. They’re rare. They’re very rare. If they happened all the time, then they wouldn’t be news. So those tempted to adopt a more cynical view of mankind should pump the breaks. This madman, whose name I refuse to acknowledge, is an aberration and should be treated as such. His hatred for a vulnerable minority should not overwhelm our love for our fellow human being.

My thoughts and condolences are with the victims and their families. I hope more share in the outpouring of support. I also hope it encourages others to stand against those who preach and encourage hatred.

Since I’ve been writing romance and erotica, I’ve noticed a number of themes emerging in my stories. Some of these themes are intentional. There are certain elements I want to include in my story and the characters within those stories. However, I’ve noticed that some of those themes are a bit more indirect. I’ve also noticed similar themes in other stories as well. One theme that seems to creep up more than most is the concept of repression.

We all know what the dictionary definition of the word is. Repression is, “the act of not allowing a memory, feeling, or desire to be expressed.” It’s most commonly used as a political term or a psychoanalytical term. Anyone who has been in therapy is probably familiar with that concept. In writing romance and erotica, repression takes on a very different context and it happens to be one of the chief guiding forces of a story.

The struggle of any love story or any erotic tale is often built on repression. A character struggles to deal with romantic feelings towards someone. Another character struggles to deal with powerful sexual desires. Few forces instigate conflicts in passions more than repression. Prevent someone from feeling an emotion or experiencing intimacy and it causes conflict, both internally and externally.

I’ve dealt with both in my writings. In Skin Deep, Ben Prescott struggled to express the emotions he felt for his best friend, Mary Williams. He was basically forced to repress those feelings because she ran with a different crowd and left him behind. It showed in his jaded personality early in the story.

However, I took this concept to an extreme in my recent book, The Final Communion. This story focuses more on the suppression of erotic desires and this is where things get even messier, both literally and figuratively. Grace Maria Goodwin lived her whole life in an isolated compound, segregated from other boys and conditioned to repress her natural urges. Except she wasn’t alone. Men and women alike had to suppress all these urges throughout their youth. It’s the kind of extreme repression that has the greatest effect, but it’s a repression that occurs in the real world.

So what happens when repressed individuals like Grace are allowed to vent all this repressed desire? Well, The Final Communion shows just how much she vents in graphic detail. In many ways, it’s a sobering experience, writing about this kind of repression and how it affects someone. It’s also part of a real phenomenon.

It’s true. These themes of repression were inspired by things in the real world that interested me. I read a number of stories about young men and women in repressive countries like Iran who find ways to throw secret, decadent parties. It’s enough to make me wonder just how far the effects of repression can go.

It turns out I’m not the only one curious about this. An article in Psychology Today says it far better than I ever could:

Nothing inspires murderous mayhem in human beings more reliably than sexual repression. Denied food, water, or freedom of movement, people will get desperate and some may lash out at what they perceive as the source of their problems, albeit in a weakened state. But if expression of sexuality is thwarted, the human psyche tends to grow twisted into grotesque, enraged perversions of desire.

It’s a sobering thought and one that makes me worry just how much real-world repression inspires real-world problems. For now, it’s an interesting idea to explore in my writing. Some of the projects I have in the works will deal with this issue directly and others indirectly. However those stories turn out, I think it’s still clear that the forces of repression will continue to affect us all, whether we like it or not.

I’ve been wrestling with another decision lately. It has to do with my efforts to find a publisher and/or an agent. Since I began trying to build a career as a published author, I’ve been stumbling around in the dark. I never took a class on being a published author. I have attended a few seminars and panels, but most of that deals with marketing, business, and other areas of expertise that I’m not skilled in at the moment.

To date, I’ve gone about finding a publisher the same way I go about finding a good pizza place. I Google publishers that specialize in romance and erotica. I review their submission requirements. Then, I submit. It’s a simple approach and doesn’t cost much, but I guess you get what you pay for in that respect. To date, I’ve received rejection letters from every publisher except Crimson Frost. And I’ve been waiting a long time for them to deliver.

So what other options are there? Well, one service I’ve been looking at is Writers Market. In the pre-internet years, it was the go-to guide for aspiring writers. It contained a list of publishers, addresses, and submission requirements. I even remember seeing this book at libraries, back when I still went to libraries. Needless to say, the internet has changed the publishing industry. However, new editions of this book keep coming out.

In addition, the website offers a subscription service that basically helps writers access the same information. At least, that’s how it’s advertised. I’ve learned to be weary of such claims because it’s rare for those claims to be met, at least in my experience. It’s this service that I’m interested in checking out. Perhaps it can link me to agents and publishers that Google cannot.

It is a risk, but only with respect to the subscription fee, which is considerably cheaper than some of the seminars I attended. Since I still have manuscripts I’m sitting on, this might be a risk worth taking. I don’t know if anyone here has experience with the Writers Market subscription service, but I’m willing to take a chance if necessary. Being a success at anything means taking chances. This is just one of them and I doubt it’ll be the last.

Thanks to the time spent at the beach and away from home, I feel refreshed and energized for the summer. That means I’ll be recovering from sunburns the next couple of weeks. It also means I managed to finish the first draft of my manuscript for my next story. I don’t want to make an official announcement just yet because I’m still tweaking the title. I don’t like to finalize the title of a new book until I’m absolutely sure it fits.

Now this is not going to be a story with the same scope or scale as Skin Deep. This is a much shorter, more compact story. It’s focused in that it gets right to the point, delivering everything I hope to deliver for the intended audience. Just what audience will this book appeal to? Well, I’d like to keep that under wraps for the time being, but I will say it’ll have a very specific appeal.

While I wrote this book with every intention of self-publishing through Lulu again, I am going to try and get a publisher to publish it for me. It would likely have to be a niche publisher of sorts, but I’m willing to start small and work my way up to the big time. First though, I need to edit and refine my draft so that it’s as polished as can be. Don’t know how long that will take, but I’m willing to be patient. Great things cannot be rushed.

I find myself in a difficult and unfamiliar situation. For a lot of writers, just finishing a manuscript feels like a daunting task. I still remember how I felt when I was working on “Skin Deep.” There were times when I thought I would never get it done. Then, I finished it and suddenly, the act of completing a manuscript became the easiest part of the writing process, at least for me.

Since then, I’ve completed over a dozen manuscripts. So far, they’ve all been self-published through Lulu. Two more are in limbo with Crimson Frost right now and I have no idea when those will come out. For that reason, I do have a few that I’m basically holding in reserve. One in particular has me especially conflicted.

So far, many of the stories I’ve told have been exercises of sorts. They’ve been a way to help me learn and refine this craft that is still quite new to me, even though I’ve been writing every day for nearly two decades. Self-publishing is easy thanks to Lulu, but getting the backing of an actual publisher has proven very difficult. I’ve submitted queries for pretty much every manuscript I’ve written. To date, only Crimson Frost has responded and I’m still waiting on them to deliver. However, I’m still looking for that one opportunity that will help me turn this passion into a legitimate career.

This brings me back to the manuscript in question. It is complete. It’s been complete for over a year now. I’ve edited and refined the hell out of it to a point where I really can’t do much more with it. This manuscript is not like some of my self-published work. It’s a much longer, more detailed story than something like Jackpot. It’s also not a story that fits solely within the category of erotica. It is, more than anything else, a romance story and one that I believe appeals to modern romance readers.

Essentially, I look at this manuscript as being my most mainstream story to date. It’s a story that doesn’t require a mature audience. Young adults can enjoy it every bit as much as the elderly. It’s built around several well-developed characters, a major conflict, and a few significant twists. I really believe that this story is something that can build a franchise. I know every writer thinks that about their story, but I’ve put a great deal of effort into actually delivering.

So far, no agent or publisher has responded to my queries with this story. I haven’t given up on it though. I understand that sometimes it takes a while to get your foot in the door in this industry. My only concern is that I’ll sit on this manuscript for too long. Is there such a thing as too long? Again, I’m new to this industry so I’m not sure.

I’m not sure what I’ll end up doing with this. I still want to wait and see how things pan out with “Embers of Eros” at Crimson Frost. However, at some point I’ll have to change my approach. I’m just not sure how I’ll go about it yet. Hope I figure it out soon. I still have so many stories I want to tell.

I’ve returned from my vacation and it was every bit as relaxing as I had hoped. Sure, I got sunburned in a few areas, but it was worth it. This is important to me because as both a writer and a person, I am a creature of habit. I have a routine and I like to stick to it most of the time. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to switch things up every now and then. This has helped me mature. Again, both as a writer and as a person.

Being on the beach, soaking in the sun, and admiring the sights did a lot to relax me. It also helped inspire me. It’s easy to feel disconnected from people when you’re so focused on writing out a story. A big part of what makes any story work, especially one with romantic and erotic themes, is making the people feel real. Not every character can be a superhero. Not every relationship can be Shakespearean in its purity. There are places for stories like that, but they’re too easy to resort to when a plot breaks down. I don’t want my stories to be that bland. I hope it shows once “Embers of Eros” and my other pending books come out.

Like many others, I intend to hit the beach this holiday weekend. I’m meeting with family and friends. I hope to catch some sun, cruise the boardwalk, and admire the bikinis. It’s been such a long and dreary winter. I think a trip to the beach of overdue.

It is also my hope that any vacation will help inspire another book. It only took one trip to Las Vegas to inspire two books, The Escort and the Gigolo and Jackpot. I hope a trip to the beach can do the same. Granted, the beach isn’t quite the spectacle of a place like Las Vegas, but it involves sand, surf, and valid excuses for wearing less clothing. Those are all key ingredients for sexy inspiration in my book.

So on behalf of me, Jack Fisher, and all those who enjoy a fun and sexy time, have a great Memorial Day holiday!