once I realized who Kate really was (or once she TOLD me who she really was 😱), there was no need for the original monster to be on page at all. The original monster sorta wound up in the accompanying story “High Proof,” but was demoted to a supporting role there. Sorry, monster.

to become an antagonist, and be completely written out of any happy ending. In retrospect, I think writing that book was a form of therapy for ME working through the trauma of the pandemic, along with other stuff. “Another Kind of Proof”’s intended pairing went sideways in a much more fun way—

(also, on-page negotiation of boundaries and safety is a bit of kink of mine sorrynotsorry)

haha well it’s a free read if you would like to check it out! medium.com/exceptional-...

spirt takes over your keyboard, it’s probably safest to go with it? And that was a short, so I didn’t have to fit the pivot into a larger plot. In general, I DO subscribe to characters breaking out of original outlines once I really know who they are—but not usually not so far as switching partners.

The other time was in “Another Kind of Proof” which went COMPLETELY off the rails. “Kate” was originally meant to be a foil for Laney as she got lost in the woods, a greek chorus for the inevitable (consensual) monster ravishment. She wasn’t supposed to BE the monster. But I figure if some eldritch—

(Obviously, she shall bang her neighbors, but she hadn’t risked that before.) But I really struggled to write the HEA that included Drew, and as it became clear that the pandy could bring out the best AND worst in communities, I realized Drew had to be someone excluded from the HEA by his choices.

still hoping you might consider a print series of Hades!

a little TOO realistic. I also want to give a shout out to judicious sensory deprivation, I have perhaps too much fun putting characters in situations where they can’t perceive things, like poor Karl alone in the bedroom, waiting for the party to come to him in “Topped by the Language App.”

Terrific! I’ll put a little collection together. (I’ve been meaning to do it anyway, it’s a good impetus. Most of these ran on Medium originally.)

...wait i thought that was just brainstorming the next chapter 😅

2 - I’m an erotica writer, often skewing toward romantic erotica, but not always. Do you only want stories with a HEA/HFN for this collection?

3 - What settings are you looking for? I have contemporary / historical

4 - Do you draw a line between paranormal and monster? Where?

Hi! A couple of questions -

1 - What lengths are you looking for? I want to make sure that writers with longer books don’t feel the split is skewed to books that may be shorter. I might package several of my shorter (<10K or a little over) into a bundle if that would work?

I do have a couple stories that portray an established couple or poly group (usually not the main characters) that participate in on-page spicy scenes but aren’t really changed by them (because they were already open relationships, and still are). but usually I like to tip some apple carts over. 😘

it’s loving sex, not just sex to get off. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) In my less romantic stories there’s either a reversal in the power dynamic or a character gains new awareness of themselves as a sexual being (“whoa I’m not as straight as I thought!” being a favorite) and

oh! no, I meant some books are 3rd and some are 1st. (and some stay in on perspective and some switch between different 1sts, or different close 3rds, so one chapter can “hear” what Sally is thinking but not Harry, and the next one switches)

I’ve never yet switched between 1st and 3rd in the same story, but I could see doing it in a mosaic narrative. It might pair well with an unreliable narrator, even.