Jack Fisher's Official Publishing Blog

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!

So I’ve been hard at work on my next book, which I’m still hoping to sell to a publisher. I’ve been making great progress, but there’s one issue I’m still undecided about. It has to do with the ending.

When I started this book, I already knew how most of it would play out. I know how I wanted to portray the characters, the relationships, and the overall structure of the story. However, I’ve learned in my many years of writing that when it comes to writing endings, I have plenty of room for improvement.

It goes like this. We all know how frustrating open-ended endings can be. Anyone who saw “The Sopranos” finale can attest to that. However, there are many ways that kind of ending can work. Sometimes it’s good to leave certain details up to the reader. Otherwise, you risk having the story drag when it doesn’t have to. Nobody wants their stories to drag. I, like every other writer, want to hold my reader’s interest.

In the past, I’ve opted to be more detailed with my endings. In Skin Deep, I went so far as to provide an epilogue that skipped ahead in time to depict the aftermath of the main story. I did something similar in The Escort and the Gigolo, albeit in a less detailed manner. For most of my stories, I’ve tried to provide some extra layer of detail to help add polish to the story. Sometimes it work. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Make no mistake. There IS such a thing as an ending that’s too detailed. When you lay everything out all neat and clean, it ceases to be much of a spectacle. There’s no room for discussion or speculation. As such, it becomes forgettable, like a movie you only see once and never feel inclined to see again. That might work for some stories, but I don’t want my stories to be that forgettable.

The story I’m working on now is one of those stories that can go either way. No pun intended. I’ve already identified a certain point where I can stop and leave the readers to fill in the rest. I also have a few notes that I could turn into an epilogue of sorts, one that’ll explore what happens beyond the main story. I can’t decide which approach to take this time. It depends on the tone of the book once I get closer to the end. Like I said though, this is one area in my writing I think I need to improve more than most. I’d like to start that process with this book. If I can get a publisher to sign on, maybe I can get that process moving.

Hope to have more updates on this and my other projects soon.

As I wait for news on “Embers of Eros” and start work on my next project, I’ve been doing a little experimenting in between. Whenever I read novels that involve sensual, romantic themes, there are any number of styles for depicting these themes. Some are purposefully vague, using all sorts of colorful metaphors to depict these basic acts. I think anyone who has read “50 Shades of Grey” is very familiar with the concept of the “inner goddess.”

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, there are styles that leave little to the imagination. They try to paint a very vivid, very graphic scenario between lovers. They describe everything from the shape of a man’s penis to the presence or absence of pubic hair on a woman’s body to the taste of various sexual fluids. Needless to say, the verbiage here can be pretty crude. Some of it sounds like it comes from a porno set, but in some respects that makes it more real and vivid. When done right, it can really put the reader in the scene.

I’ve learned after writing over a half-dozen books that I can write on both ends of the spectrum, but I’m not adept at navigating the areas in between. As my style of writing has evolved, I’ve learned to use both styles. Whichever style I use depends on the story. Some stories, like “Embers of Eros,” require that I be more vague. That story is heavier on romance than it is on erotic themes. So for that reason, I emphasize the romance more than I do the intimate moment.

For a story like The Final Communion, however, there’s just no way that being overly vague can work within those themes. That story is built around concepts of reckless indulgence and overt decadence. It needs to be vivid to get the theme across. Nothing can be left to the imagination. The reader has to see, hear, and smell the scenes it depicts.

So far, I’ve used a more vivid approach for my stories, but that’s largely due to the theme. The next story I write will be fairly graphic in that respect. It’s going to have little romance, but a lot of erotic themes. So this will be a chance for me to refine that approach.

At some point, however, I’d like to work on my romantic writing skills. “Embers of Eros” is a good point of reference right now, but I want to see how it turns out before I start another story. I do have a few ideas brewing that are more romance heavy, but they’ll require a bit more brainstorming before I start putting pen to paper.

So for fans of romance and fans of overt eroticism, I hope to give you plenty to enjoy moving forward. I also hope to continue improving with both themes as time goes on.

Still no word yet from Crimson Frost Books. With a holiday weekend coming up, I’m not expecting much. It is still my sincere hope that I can get “Embers of Eros” released sometimes this summer. Given the themes of this book, I think it’ll be a great book to read in the summer heat, especially for those lucky enough to take a trip to the beach. It all depends on how much Crimson Frost can do with their current manpower.

In the meantime, I already have another project in the works. I want to take a break from telling longer, more elaborate stories and do a few shorter stories. My hope is that a tighter, more concise plot will allow me to refine a certain set of skills. What kind of skills will this plot require? Well, that’s a tough question to answer.

My new project will combine two of my great loves: football and sexy undertones. It’s true. I love football and I build a big part of my weekends around football from August to February. It’s a very manly, aggressive sport. Those same themes can translate well into a sexier, more intimate situation. But how? Well, that’s what this new project will explore.

I don’t want to get into too many details just yet. I’ll try to throw in a few teasers in the coming months, depending on how much progress I make. But I might try to sell this short story to a few small publishers before I self-publish with Lulu again. I’d like to see if there’s a market for something like this. Football is an easy sell these days. Maybe this story can tap into it. Only time will tell. If I can finish this story while getting “Embers of Eros” published, then this will make for a very productive year.

Just a quick update on what I hope will be my first published book through an actual publisher. The book is entitled “Embers of Eros” and for the past couple years, I’ve been coordinating with the fine folks at Crimson Frost Books to make it my first major collaboration with a publisher. They’re a small publishing house, but they are the first to review one of my manuscripts and accept it. They’ve had their share of challenges over the past year, but it seems they’re finally on track.

Just last night, I submitted what I hope is the last round of paperwork. So I guess from here on out, I’ve just got to play the waiting game as best I can. Everything seems to be falling into place. I’ve already seen the cover art for “Embers of Eros.” I’m not sure I’m allowed to share it just yet, but as soon as I get the go ahead, I’ll post it here. It’s appropriately hot. That’s all I can say.

I’ll be sure to post more information as I get it, which I hope includes the cover art. I hope this is the start of a bold new partnership and another important step in my writing career.

I know. I know it’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted on this blog. I admit. I’ve negated it. In my defense, I’ve been trying to re-organize my writing efforts. After publishing Skin Deep, I spent the next couple years looking for more efficient means of publishing my work. I’ve tried self-publishing services like Lulu and I’ve been sending out query letters and manuscripts to no end, hoping I can build a foundation or a career. It has been slow going to say the least, but I think I’m ready to start taking this blog seriously again.

Recently, I got word from a small ebook publisher called Crimson Frost that they’re willing to publish one of my books, which I call Embers of Eros. It’s a book I wrote a while back and hope to expand on if all goes well. I’m currently in the process of coordinating with Crimson Frost. I hope they can help me establish myself in the publishing world.

In the meantime, I’ll be doing my best to catch this blog up on all the items I haven’t posted over the past few years. Please be patient with me. It’s going to be a bit chaotic, but I’m going to try and make this work.