The Story that started it all

We all have a story. Stories make us interesting. Stories shape who we are. Stories make us confident. I am no different. I just happen to use my experiences as fodder for my writing…well, some of those experiences might just be fantasy, but I’ll let my dear readers decide what’s possible and what’s probable. 

The story that stoked this flame of erotica literature, Just Call Me Confidence (JCMC) was basically a lark. Publishers were not interested in my traditional literary works, so I did something drastic for (this) writer: I switched genres. And I was successful. In fact, more successful than I’ve ever been, as evidenced by my first novel in the till. Fantasy met reality…not in more ways than one. 

I wrote this story so I wouldn’t cheat on my partner—and it worked. I kept all of my naughty thoughts up inside my head, until I put them on paper. The first version was a little rough around the edges, but it had bite; it had an energy that kept me awake at night, blood pumping through my veins. I began writing more and more erotica, and it was hard (pun intended!). Writing sex scenes that are realistic and different each time is some of the most challenging writing work I’ve ever done; it’s made me a better writer though. My partner ended up leaving anyway (not a bad thing), yet I kept the story. I put my erotica writing away until one hot day in July. 

A publisher had contacted me about a traditional short story in an anthology. These little bites of success left me less than satisfied. So, I began wanting more…(not unlike my heroine Jenna in JCMC). Surging with confidence, I submitted JCMC and my lark…became my life. 

While not every story can have a happy ending, every story has the potential to be mixed with fantasy. What you do with that is your business. But I know this: fantasy can sometimes be the one thing that keeps us sane, and our inner stories that we tell ourselves alive. And sometimes, fantasy and reality collide. In that case, I’ll channel my inner Jenna and leave you with some wise words of advice: Not every story is meant to be a reality, but every story can be the chrysalis for a newfound confidence.  

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