Friday, October 14, 2005

Keeping It Separate

Well now, I went to all the trouble to choose a pen name to keep my romantica separate from my mainstream stuff. But, it doesn't seem to matter. The two keep blending until now, I wonder if it even matters.

“When can I read it?”

“My heart thundered between my ears. I wanted to scream I don’t want you to! But my father-in-law was being nice, supportive even. So I shined him on, making excuses about editing and not knowing my release date.

How had he found out in the first place? Well, you see, I have a very big mouth. Night of Inspiration was to be my first published fiction, ever. Since then a flash I wrote was picked up by Writers Resources and Help. If only that had been first, I might have kept my erotica to myself.

But no, my mother-in-law had to call seconds after I got the email saying Phaze would like to contract my short story. My sensual romance short story. Just this side of actual porn.
I am proud of what I write. It is terribly difficult to weave a story together with sexual tension, not to mention the actual act. I did it well, which is why it sold. But, do I want everyone I know reading it, looking at me and wondering…

In a strange twist, that’s what Night of Inspiration is about. A husband worried his romance author wife is showing too much of their private lives in her stories. Will my in-laws wonder if my tale is fact or fiction? Would they want to even go there?

And what about my neighbors? Night of Inspiration is a Desperate Housewives type of thing - and we have a close knit neighborhood -- BBQs once a week, girls nite outs, birthday parties, the guys all golf together. Will they think I'm peeking in their windows?

The cat’s out of the bag, thanks to my blabbing, so I only have myself to blame if there is any personal backlash. But if they are offended by the content I can always ask – yes, but how was the writing? Wait, that only works for other writers…