In a recent thread on SuicideGirls people were talking about how they miss the erotic fiction that appeared in the words section. Over the next few months I am going to be introducing you to some of the best erotica fiction writers in America.
In the world of erotic fiction M. Christian is kind of like James Joyce. He is easily one of the most respected and admired erotic fiction writers in the country. People from Rachel Kramer Bussel to Tristan Taormino have cited him as being an influence.
But Christians work goes far beyond the realm of erotic fiction. Gay publishers and regular publishers have both published his work. His latest book, The Bachelor Machine, collects his science fiction erotica.
Check out M. Christians official website
Daniel Robert Epstein: This one journalist called you the Bay Area erotica bard.
M. Christian: I havent seen that one [laughs].
DRE: Are you a pseudo celebrity type in San Francisco?
MC: Ive been writing professionally for ten years. Ive done about 200 short stories mostly erotica but also science fiction, fantasy and horror. Ive edited about 18 anthologies. I also have four collections including The Bachelor Machine.
DRE: I typed The Bachelor Machine into Google not expecting much to come out. But Bachelor Machines turned about to be inflatable dolls from the 18th century.
MC: Well the title comes from a Marcel Duchamp painting.
DRE: A lot of these stories are pretty hot stuff. Is it true erotica?
MC: The stories are designed to be sort of a hybrid between science fiction and erotica because thats the field Im primarily known in. I thought this would be a good excuse to put together a collection of my science fiction stories.
DRE: What story in The Bachelor Machine feels the most personal?
MC: They all feel personal to a certain degree. I like to say that even though I write in all different genres. When I write gay, lesbian and straight erotica I always put enough of my emotional self into each story so they ring true. Thats why I can write gay fiction. I may not know what gay sex is like but I know what the emotions around sex are like. The lead story, Bachelor Machine, is one of my favorites. I also like the New Motor Story just because it was a ball to write it. A lot of them dont deal with sexual issues exactly but are literary experiments. Such as the necrophilia story, Everything But the Smell of Lilies, was a kick to write because it gave me a chance to write in different characters mindsets. I rarely get turned on when Im writing erotica because Im engaging the creative part of my mind rather than the sexual part.
DRE: Most people would imagine that you wear a robe all day, then roll over and write a story.
MC: Its just like writing anything else. The same amount of work goes into writing erotica as it does with anything else. For me the writing is the biggest turn-on and not the subject matter. I just love to write. I fell into erotica because I was a frustrated writer for a number of years then suddenly the opportunity came to write erotica and I just took it.
DRE: What is your sexual preference?
MC: Im straight.
DRE: You live in San Francisco, write gay erotica fiction and youre straight?
MC: My favorite catchphrase as far as my own sexuality is that Im politically gay which means I vote a very liberal gay ticket mainly because for me sexual freedom is very important and key to a society. Socially Im bi which means that I have no problem hanging with my gay friends and play with them all the time as a sign of affection such as when Ill grab their ass. But as far as my sexual buttons, I have a lovely girlfriend who I absolutely adore.
DRE: Was she a fan of yours?
MC: She knew me before we met but only remotely. Since then weve done a number of projects together.
DRE: What kind of respect do you get from the mainstream?
MC: Erotica used to be something you would be ashamed of but thats changed quite a bit mainly because when youre a writer, youre a writer, and it doesnt matter what you write as long as youre professional and deliver good material. Ive had pretty good success branching out into the mainstream. I just finished a novel which isnt erotic for Alison Books which is a gay and lesbian publisher down in LA. I just set up another book to be released by Hayworth Books that has no erotica content. I also edited two anthologies with my friend Maxim Jakubowski. One is called The Mammoth Book of Future Cops which is future noir and the other one is The Mammoth Book of Road Stories. Ive had very little problems branching out.
DRE: How do you put yourself into the mindset when youre writing a transgender story?
MC: Its not a fantasy. It has more to do with imagination, respect and knowledge more than anything. I dont know what it means exactly to be a transgender or a lesbian but I do know what the emotions are and the rest of it is research and calling up my friends in the middle of the night.
DRE: So youve never been confronted by a transgender person and they said what you wrote is bullshit?
MC: Nope. In fact my second collection, Speaking Parts, is a collection of my lesbian stories. When I booked reading tours I would get on the phone with bookstores and tell them I was M. Christian and they were definitely startled that I was a guy. But I got no negative feedback whatsoever. I got very positive reviews in On Our Backs magazine and a bunch of others. A lot of people said that if you pay no attention to the fact that the story was written by a man then its perfectly fine. I take that as a compliment.
My gay collection, Dirty Words, was actually nominated for a Lambda which is a gay literary award. That was a big accomplishment. Its nice to know that no one holds the fact that I am straight against me.
DRE: Is anyone ever surprised that youre straight?
MC: Sometimes. My gay writer friends have always said they never had a problem with it because I never ooze uncomfortable heterosexuality. I dont come off like its a scam. I never talk down to the reader or make fun of them.
DRE: How did you hook with Green Candy Press?
MC: A friend of mine had mentioned them and as a writer you are always looking for new opportunities. I contacted them with my resume and threw out a couple of project ideas. One of them was The Bachelor Machine and they went for it. The publisher, Andrew McBeth, is a really sweet guy and they did a wonderful production job. I hope to work with them again.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
In the world of erotic fiction M. Christian is kind of like James Joyce. He is easily one of the most respected and admired erotic fiction writers in the country. People from Rachel Kramer Bussel to Tristan Taormino have cited him as being an influence.
But Christians work goes far beyond the realm of erotic fiction. Gay publishers and regular publishers have both published his work. His latest book, The Bachelor Machine, collects his science fiction erotica.
Check out M. Christians official website
Daniel Robert Epstein: This one journalist called you the Bay Area erotica bard.
M. Christian: I havent seen that one [laughs].
DRE: Are you a pseudo celebrity type in San Francisco?
MC: Ive been writing professionally for ten years. Ive done about 200 short stories mostly erotica but also science fiction, fantasy and horror. Ive edited about 18 anthologies. I also have four collections including The Bachelor Machine.
DRE: I typed The Bachelor Machine into Google not expecting much to come out. But Bachelor Machines turned about to be inflatable dolls from the 18th century.
MC: Well the title comes from a Marcel Duchamp painting.
DRE: A lot of these stories are pretty hot stuff. Is it true erotica?
MC: The stories are designed to be sort of a hybrid between science fiction and erotica because thats the field Im primarily known in. I thought this would be a good excuse to put together a collection of my science fiction stories.
DRE: What story in The Bachelor Machine feels the most personal?
MC: They all feel personal to a certain degree. I like to say that even though I write in all different genres. When I write gay, lesbian and straight erotica I always put enough of my emotional self into each story so they ring true. Thats why I can write gay fiction. I may not know what gay sex is like but I know what the emotions around sex are like. The lead story, Bachelor Machine, is one of my favorites. I also like the New Motor Story just because it was a ball to write it. A lot of them dont deal with sexual issues exactly but are literary experiments. Such as the necrophilia story, Everything But the Smell of Lilies, was a kick to write because it gave me a chance to write in different characters mindsets. I rarely get turned on when Im writing erotica because Im engaging the creative part of my mind rather than the sexual part.
DRE: Most people would imagine that you wear a robe all day, then roll over and write a story.
MC: Its just like writing anything else. The same amount of work goes into writing erotica as it does with anything else. For me the writing is the biggest turn-on and not the subject matter. I just love to write. I fell into erotica because I was a frustrated writer for a number of years then suddenly the opportunity came to write erotica and I just took it.
DRE: What is your sexual preference?
MC: Im straight.
DRE: You live in San Francisco, write gay erotica fiction and youre straight?
MC: My favorite catchphrase as far as my own sexuality is that Im politically gay which means I vote a very liberal gay ticket mainly because for me sexual freedom is very important and key to a society. Socially Im bi which means that I have no problem hanging with my gay friends and play with them all the time as a sign of affection such as when Ill grab their ass. But as far as my sexual buttons, I have a lovely girlfriend who I absolutely adore.
DRE: Was she a fan of yours?
MC: She knew me before we met but only remotely. Since then weve done a number of projects together.
DRE: What kind of respect do you get from the mainstream?
MC: Erotica used to be something you would be ashamed of but thats changed quite a bit mainly because when youre a writer, youre a writer, and it doesnt matter what you write as long as youre professional and deliver good material. Ive had pretty good success branching out into the mainstream. I just finished a novel which isnt erotic for Alison Books which is a gay and lesbian publisher down in LA. I just set up another book to be released by Hayworth Books that has no erotica content. I also edited two anthologies with my friend Maxim Jakubowski. One is called The Mammoth Book of Future Cops which is future noir and the other one is The Mammoth Book of Road Stories. Ive had very little problems branching out.
DRE: How do you put yourself into the mindset when youre writing a transgender story?
MC: Its not a fantasy. It has more to do with imagination, respect and knowledge more than anything. I dont know what it means exactly to be a transgender or a lesbian but I do know what the emotions are and the rest of it is research and calling up my friends in the middle of the night.
DRE: So youve never been confronted by a transgender person and they said what you wrote is bullshit?
MC: Nope. In fact my second collection, Speaking Parts, is a collection of my lesbian stories. When I booked reading tours I would get on the phone with bookstores and tell them I was M. Christian and they were definitely startled that I was a guy. But I got no negative feedback whatsoever. I got very positive reviews in On Our Backs magazine and a bunch of others. A lot of people said that if you pay no attention to the fact that the story was written by a man then its perfectly fine. I take that as a compliment.
My gay collection, Dirty Words, was actually nominated for a Lambda which is a gay literary award. That was a big accomplishment. Its nice to know that no one holds the fact that I am straight against me.
DRE: Is anyone ever surprised that youre straight?
MC: Sometimes. My gay writer friends have always said they never had a problem with it because I never ooze uncomfortable heterosexuality. I dont come off like its a scam. I never talk down to the reader or make fun of them.
DRE: How did you hook with Green Candy Press?
MC: A friend of mine had mentioned them and as a writer you are always looking for new opportunities. I contacted them with my resume and threw out a couple of project ideas. One of them was The Bachelor Machine and they went for it. The publisher, Andrew McBeth, is a really sweet guy and they did a wonderful production job. I hope to work with them again.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
missy:
In a recent thread on SuicideGirls people were talking about how they miss the erotic fiction that appeared in the words section. Over the next few months I am going to be introducing you to some of the best erotica fiction writers in America. ...