And we turn our nose up and go, “Really?”
There are some really strange fetishes out there – from the harmless to the oh-let-me-ring-your-psychiatrist. The internet is opening up so many new ways to enjoy getting your jollies – and all anonymously.
And a lot of these “kinks” and “fetishes” and even “interests” are so out of left field for our pre-programmed mind that we never knew that we could be turned on by **insert weird (which turns out to be not-so-weird) act here**
I admit to doing it myself – that I didn’t even realise that something was sexy until I read it in a book somewhere. We are so conditioned by movies and advertising to believe that sex only occurs between a man and a woman, in the missionary position, in a bed, under the sheets. Oh, yes – and this man and woman must be of the highest standard of beauty. For most sheltered teenagers, this is all they get to see. Then suddenly there are books and internet websites and magazines… all showing us that different types of people, find different types of sex enjoyable.
I’ve read some strange books in my time – and really enjoyed them. Do you want a romance with a blue-skinned alien? You can find it. Do you want m/m/m/f? You can find it. Do you want coming-of-age? How about a May-December romance?
One thing I enjoy writing (and probably because I enjoy reading it) is normal people. Yes, I laugh as I write the word “normal”, but I guess what I mean is everyday people, complete with their weird and not-so-weird interests. My guys are not necessarily hot, good looking, important, rich, polite or even able-bodied. They are the people you live next door to, or stand in line behind, or who is driving your taxi. Like when Dreamspinner Press put the call out for short story submissions regarding bears, something inside me pinged.
Are bears allowed to fall in love? Absolutely. So do they idolise the thin man and wish they knew how to colour their hair? Oh, no – you have the wrong idea. In a society where we talk about weight-loss constantly, bears enjoy being bears. Do you think that it can’t be sexy? It can. It can be sexy, it can be romantic, it can be right.
You can buy the Anthology A Taste Of Honey from Dreamspinner here or from Amazon here. Then you can see what I'm talking about. Sexy, hairy men. Rawr.
My new release, Safe in His Arms, features a big guy – a big muscle-bound guy. Muscles, not because he is trying to achieve some sort of beauty he believes comes from only the highest standards of fitness, but muscles because he has nothing else to do but work out at the gym. Yes, Lon has an empty life. He doesn’t care about his looks, apart from knowing he can intimidate people when he wants to. Yes, Lon is just an average, hairy, everyday guy.
Casey, on the other hand, wishes to be normal. He suffered terrible abuse when he was younger, and is still struggling with the ripples of that. He hates that he needs medication and counselling to help him cope with everyday life. He feels vulnerable, scared and out-of-control. He needs an anchor – and the big guy in the showers may just be that person.
I hope you enjoy Safe in His Arms. It will be released on the 28th of November and is available for pre-order here.