Kilt Kilpatrick: The David Bowie of Erotica

Céad míle fáilte romhat, a Kilt!

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PREVIEW

So maybe you can help me with my dilemma - how do you label a writer when all their stories are so different from each other? 

Take my very good friend Kilt Kilpatrick, the author of the new Ravenous Romance anthology UNDER THE KILT. Kilt is a literary chameleon who has written first time gay male erotica, naughty romps of a college co-ed, touching lesbian love stories, and even the occasional straight coupling (or tripling...). And though I have it on good authority that Kilt is a straight male, he certainly has been mistaken for some other sex and /or sexual orientation by readers who’ve assumed that only a gay man, a lesbian, a naughty co-ed, etc., could have written the story in question.

If that weren't enough tomfoolery already, when he’s not gender-bending, he’s genre-bending. I don’t normally look for spicy erotica in my historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, steampunk or horror stories, but damn if Kilt isn't part alchemist and somehow manages to blend the most unlikely ingredients into wickedly delish literary cocktails. Come see what I mean:

A few of the twelve stories in UNDER THE KILT are perfectly contemporary; albeit very hot - but they’re arranged alongside other sneakier stories that seem buttoned down, ordinary and respectable until they quickly slant into the paranormal like a werewolf at that time of the month. Then there are lush historical tales with settings so richly detailed they’re like stepping into another world.  And you’ll also wander through stories set in the strange and scary surreal estate of fantasy, science fiction and horror (Yes, horror - who knew?) The Tiger's Tale is a historical fantasy set in the British Raj, featuring romance, intrigue, danger, tigers and gods in Victorian India.

A feisty Berkeley grad student says Later Days, Saints when two Mormon missionaries come knocking on her door with surprising results.  Next is Handsome and Grateful, a fractured fairytale take on the classic Brothers Grimm story of Hansel and Gretel, complete with a celebrity narrator, a slightly more mature Hansel and Gretel, a wicked witch, and a heroic woodsman – or are they? When the zombie apocalypse hits in Last Times at Ridgemont High, is it a nightmare come to life or a surprisingly sexy dream come true for our high school hero? Maybe a little of both...

What, two zombie stories in an erotica collection? A Zombacalypse horror story is an odd place to have a tender romance, but Kilt’s readers have especially liked the touching, haunting Love Bites: A Survival Guide. A Seattle fireman thinks he may be the last man on Earth after zombies overrun the world – until a mysterious woman appears. But is she real, or just his imagination, or something even worse? Don’t let the title of Humahumanukunukuapua’a scare you. It’s actually a charming story of a mainland girl in Hawaii having to cope with her increasingly powerful girlcrush on her best friend.

For the m/m fans, there are three more treats: Reach Out and Touch Someone is the "lost chapter" of Kilt’s debut novel, The Manny Diaries; in fact it’s the original opening to the book, but it was so hot the publishers decided to make it a stand-alone story. That Afternoon reads like a stand-alone story of a young man’s first time with another man, but it’s actually an excerpt from TMD, as is the sweet and spicy Christmas story Santa Claus is Coming.

Three truly fantastical stories round out the collection, including two never before published: Mutated States Of America is a post-apocalyptic romance-adventure set in a bizarre, savage but strangely beautiful near-future earth changed almost beyond recognition. Lady Cassiopeia’s Amaranthine Palace; or, the Aerial Xanadu is a quirky, baroque little Steampunk tale with a twist, a high-tech Tolkienesque fantasy set in the wild, wild, west of a techno-magical America that never was. Last is a novella, The Blue Morpheus Inn, a magical collaboration between Kilt and another popular Ravenous Romance author, the fabulous Inara Lavey (the bold, brilliant, wicked woman who rocks his world on a regular basis). Three college students heading home for the holidays are forced to spend the night at a mysterious motel where dreams come true, like it or not...

Though set in different times and places, and even different worlds, with varying degrees of fun and seriousness, these dozen Kilty pleasures all share the spicy romance elements that Ravenous readers have come to love. Some are wicked, some are sweet, some feature M/F action, some M/M, some F/F, or varying combinations of hot ménages; something for everyone, really. But make no mistake - these stories aren’t for everybody. Just you.

And btw, true confessions time... As you may have guessed by now, I’m not just an acquaintance who sure knows an awful lot about his very good friend’s anthology: I am Kilt Kilpatrick... and I truly hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed writing them for you!

Kilt Kilpatrick is the pen name of an Irish author sometimes called "the Ferris Bueller of San Francisco." When he's not writing sexy stories for Ravenous he is a nonfiction writer, public speaker, Bay Area event organizer, and somewhat oxymoronically, a biblical historian and atheist activist.

He is linguistically promiscuous; he is conversant in Irish Gaelic and bits and pieces of about two dozen other languages, including Welsh, Breton, Hungarian, Japanese, Arabic, American Sign Language, Cherokee, Klingon and Elvish. He loves reading, movies, dancing, sex, and has been a saber fencer for over 25 years.

He lives in San Francisco with his steady girlfriend and # 1 fencing partner Inara Lavey; who is also a Ravenous Romance writer. And yes, he does wear kilts. If you know anybody like that, it's probably him.

Titles by this author: The Manny Diaries, Bedknobs & Beanstalks: Anthology of Gay Erotic Fairy Tales (Contributor), Hungry for Your Love (Contributor), I Kissed a Girl: A Virgin Lesbian Anthology (Contributor), I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus (Contributer), Threesomes: An Erotic Anthology (Contributor)

You can find Kilt: Ravenous Romance and Facebook

You're A Writer? What Do You Write?

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My guest is Erotica Romance author, Tymber Dalton aka Lesli Richardson. Tymber/Lesli write various types of Erotica, Romance, and, as she says, "other things".

While I've read some Erotica and even critiqued it, there are some forms I've never read and probably never will. Yet, it's an increasingly popular and lucrative genre.

Tymber explains her fascination with certain aspects of Erotica. Why people make the choices they do and how she does her research to make her characters and stories realistic.


When I’m asked what I do and say, “I’m a writer,” I usually get an eyebrows-lifted, wide-eyed, “Oh, really? What do you write?”

Hmm.

Well, frankly, how do I answer that? If I know a little about the person and suspect they won’t be totally freaked out and edge away from me like I’m a rabid raccoon, I’m honest and I say, “Romance, erotica, and some other things.”

Sometimes that response will earn me a semi-confused expression and an, “Oh.”

A lot of the time, however I’ll get an, “Oh! Really? Like what other things?”

Hmm.

Those of you familiar with my writing, you know that I write a lot of—BDSM. I mean, a LOT of it. And you know, again, depending on the circumstances, how I approach the answers (usually while wanting to smack my husband for bragging his wife’s a bestselling author and leaving moi to try to explain to a ninety-something conservative Baptist woman what I write about) varies with the situation.

It’s not that I’m not proud of what I write, because I am. I’m just smart enough to know not everyone wants to read what I write about. The only reason the pen name Tymber Dalton came about was we weren’t sure if my husband’s employer would be…comfortable with him having a pervy writer wife and we decided to play it safe. By the time we realized no one gave a damn about what I write as long as it’s legal, I’d already been published under both Lesli Richardson and Tymber Dalton.

So back to the cocktail conversation of me trying to adapt my explanation of how I research the topics I write about. The truth of the matter is, I just sort of…fell into it.

It’s all my dogs’ fault. Get your minds out of the gutter. I’ll explain, keep reading.

I have six dogs. We used to be service dog puppy raisers. Watching my dogs is something I can sit back and do…forever. Forget shiny object distraction, I have fuzzy furry distraction. There is something fascinating to me about watching dogs interact, the pack hierarchy,the dynamics and interplay between them. Because when you have six dogs like we do, let’s be honest, you have a pack of dogs.

When I read my first BDSM story, it was more a M/s story about a Master and a pet, and I had that brain squeeze speechless reaction that watching the film “Secretary” gave me the first time I saw it.

I wanted to learn more about the dynamics. The more I learned, the more fascinated I became. Much like watching my dogs. To me, the sexy part of BDSM is the foundation of trust the players have to have with each other. To research, of course, I had to meet and talk with people in real life, go to play parties to watch and learn. I’ve met a great group of people, some of whom I’m lucky enough to call friends now.

My dogs trust that I will drop kibble into their bowls every day at approximately the same time. (Although my bulldog frequently tries to start the daily insurrection early if she’s not happy.) My dogs trust I will take care of them. They don’t question I’m “alpha” in the pack. I just am. Yeah, sometimes they act out, but that’s normal and natural.

BDSM is a lot like that, when you’re dealing with the psychological aspects of it. I’ve met people in the lifestyle who are part-time players, and those who literally live a 24/7 Master/slave life. Most people don’t know what they do in private, of course, but I’ve seen a Master drop a slave into subspace just with a touch and a few words.

There is a trust and a bond that is beyond description. To me, that is far sexier than spankings or bondage or anything else.

That’s why when I write about BDSM, my primary focus is on the people, the interplay and dynamic, not so much the toys or the big “O” scenes. Although, yes, I do try to write sexy scenes as well.

My dogs know I am their owner, their protector, their Mom, their world. While I’m not trying to say a M/s or D/s relationship is that simple, because people can think and reason (usually *LOL*) at a much higher level than dogs, in some ways, it is that simple. The reason these people can turn themselves over to their partner is because of one basic and yet extremely powerful thing: trust.

In my latest release “Safe Harbor” (and it’s something I explored to a certain extent in “Love Slave for Two: Beginnings”) the main theme is trust. Lack of, earning, and total complete trust. Trust in yourself and in others. It’s a strong secondary theme in “The Reluctant Dom” as well. In my upcoming release “Cardinal’s Rule” (Captiva Press, early 2010) I explore what happens when that trust is shattered beyond repair and what happens next for the people involved.

I personally find the trust issue to be the sexiest thing, so that’s usually my focus. I like to explore the “real” side of BDSM. It’s not all I write, but you’ll see some common themes appear in my writings across various genres.

Life happens, and it adds the edge of humor and reality to a story that might otherwise be too intense or too…fake. In “Safe Harbor,” a miniature Yorkie likes to steal sex toys. (Okay, so my dogs partially inspired that one. We don’t have Acts of God in our house, we have Acts of Dog.) In “The Reluctant Dom” I wrote the scene where Leah wants to shave Seth in the shower before his first solo trip to the club with her and his less than enthusiastic—but extremely funny—reaction to that.

It’s real people, not cardboard stereotypes, which have the best stories to share. Personally want to read a story that isn’t sex scenes strung together, but a story about people I can invest myself in and see the reality of the world created by the author. That’s the kind of writing I strive to create, and I’m extremely grateful to my readers for their fantastic response to what I do.

Hey, it keeps my dogs in kibble, and I know that makes them happy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tymber Dalton lives in southwest Florida with her husband (aka "The World's Best Husband") and son. She loves her family, writing, coffee, dark chocolate, music, a good book, hockey, and her dogs (even when they try to drink her coffee and steal her chocolate).

When she's not dodging hurricanes or writing, she can be found doing line edits or reading or thinking up something else to write. She's a multi-published writer in several genres (and rumor has it she bears a striking resemblance to Lesli Richardson). She loves to hear from readers. Please feel free to drop by her website to keep abreast of the latest news, views, snarkage, free reads, and releases.
Website: www.tymberdalton.com