Eva Pasco's Blog - Posts Tagged "realism"
Full Steam Ahead
Warning: Mature Subject Matter with explicit content - Sex Scenes
Whether sublime or seductive, romantic or raunchy—it’s my contention as a novelist who writes in the genre of Contemporary Women’s fiction, to include sex scenes. Taking pride in branding my published works as “lit with grit,” fully-fleshed characters and realism define my storytelling.
Full steam ahead!
While making no apologies for the nature of my writing, I respect potential readers who prefer to forego the steam. Hence, I’ll include a disclaimer referencing mature subject matter or content some may find disturbing.
Mind you, I roll with the punch line, “there’s a time and place for everything”— vis-à-vis steam—expressed with finesse and, on occasion—graced with humor.
From 'Underlying Notes' (First Printing – 2007; Second Printing – 2009) as narrated by Carla:
Joe puttered around in the barn, reorganizing his treasure troves of tools on the bench when I came up from behind, put my arms around his middle, and kissed his ear lobes and the back of his neck, dampened with sweat. Turned out, this gesture was the prelude to crude barn sex devoid of sentiment or foreplay, and consummated as I leaned back against the double stacked bags of fertilizer, grass seed, and bird feed.
With bottom outer and undergarments swimming at our ankles, Joe, fueled with high octane, straddled across my arched pelvis and thrust at full throttle in what amounted to a “short-go-round.” He bucked over me as though I were an untamed bronco in a “sudden death” rodeo championship, then sputtered like the prized John Deere tractor in the corner he rode to mow our lawn.
From 'An Enlightening Quiche' (2016) as narrated by Augusta in reference to Gabe:
Time was of the essence—taking our time! Rather than treating our apparel as mutual trappings obstructing intimacy, or flirting with disaster by distorting fabric beyond repair from tugging, wrenching, tearing, and snagging, we transformed the act of disrobing into the sensual art of foreplay. Slowly and deliberately unbuttoning, unhooking, and unzipping, we kissed and stroked each newly revealed cross section before moving on to the next.
Devoid of concealment, we crossed the equator line, nibbling on each other’s lips before plunging the depths of French kissing, a conduit for channeling the conductive and convective flow of heat originating from the plexus of our blood vessels and nerves, radiating outward to sear our flesh from the fever and fervor of wantonness. Locked in position, our rhythmic motion rocked the blanketed turf beneath us, fracturing and fragmenting the landscape of my psyche as the release of sexual tension shook both of us to the core, shifting and displacing any preconceived notions I had about love before or since.
As for incorporating steamy sex scenes in books—“Sex is a part of nature. I go along with nature.” (Marilyn Monroe)
The Horror of Self-Revelation
The celebration of Halloween nears, festooned with the likes of costume parties, carving pumpkins, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, watching horror films, and telling scary stories.
Personally, I embrace the element of “horror” all year long. More preferable to me than slashers, growlers, or biters—the psychological horror of self-revelation.
An Indie author who writes “lit with grit” in my primary genre of Contemporary, I expose the emotional vulnerabilities and fears of my characters by revealing the darker parts of their human psyche they’ve either repressed or denied.
I take perverse pleasure in creating discomfort or dread through artistic realism:
From Chapter 15, 'Underlying Notes' ((First Printing – 2007; Second Printing – 2009; available: Kindle Edition @Amazon) :
Carla: This marked the end of the worn trail I had advanced and retreated on over the years, too fearful to pass beyond that point into the untamed wilderness that was booby trapped with prickles and thorns. Mindlessly fanning pages of a magazine induced a hypnotic state empowering thistles, blackberry bushes, and wild roses to unleash their fury and stake their claim by tearing at my flesh as I forged past them. The devil’s fetid breath tainted the rose note in 'Paloma Picasso' so she no longer wafted nostalgic enchantment, but spiraled into the nightmarish twist of cloying entrapment. Underlying notes of patchouli and oakmoss flanked the fickle rose, intimidating her to convey the ripe earthiness of a freshly hollowed grave.
I brushed aside tree branches that had shielded me from the vacant stare of death and gingerly made my way past protruding tree roots and ruts along the unmarked trail to that cabin in the woods numbered 237—my father’s barbershop. Just as I willed myself to turn the handle to open the Fury’s door back then, I would summon the courage to do so again surrealistically…
*What are your preferences in the genre of horror?
Eva’s Byte #234: True Colors
In my neck of the woods, the oak and maple trees are beginning to show their true colors in a splendid array of orange, red, and yellow. An artist’s palette to behold, there’s a scientific reason behind it. Simply put, as the days get shorter and the nights become longer, trees are less able to replenish chlorophyll due to receiving a lesser amount of sunlight. So, to fortify against winter and prepare for the next growing season, each deciduous tree seals itself off, which stops the replenishment of chlorophyll. The leaves’ true colors then emerge before eventually falling off their respective trees.
In my capacity as a writer whose primary genre is Contemporary Women’s Fiction, it is my responsibility to show my characters’ true colors in order to create “Lit with Grit”. Just as a New England autumn season evolves before a leaf’s true colors emerge, so must my characters through the trials I put them through.
Actions speak louder than words for the evolvement of character traits. That’s when the reader sees their true colors: Reliable, Loyal, Dishonest, Immoral, Cunning, Unselfish…
Writing novels laced with realism and fully-fleshed characters is a lengthy and intense process for me. Therefore, I find it most endearing when I receive positive feedback from readers on the subject of character development. In that regard, I’m sharing a brief excerpt from a 5-Star review published at Amazon for my multi-award winning novel, An Enlightening Quiche (2016):
It was filled with fascinating, three-dimensional characters who seem to live and breathe on the page, the dialogue between them was honest and believable, a trick many authors never seem to achieve.
Furthering my WIP from Part 2, chapter 35, my characters must be evolving to show their true colors if I’ve become so attached to their personas, they have the wherewithal to incite tears from the situations I’ve placed them in.
No doubt about it, the bold brushstrokes wielded to create credible characters who show their true colors flourish from the writer’s heart.
Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
In my capacity as a writer whose primary genre is Contemporary Women’s Fiction, it is my responsibility to show my characters’ true colors in order to create “Lit with Grit”. Just as a New England autumn season evolves before a leaf’s true colors emerge, so must my characters through the trials I put them through.
Actions speak louder than words for the evolvement of character traits. That’s when the reader sees their true colors: Reliable, Loyal, Dishonest, Immoral, Cunning, Unselfish…
Writing novels laced with realism and fully-fleshed characters is a lengthy and intense process for me. Therefore, I find it most endearing when I receive positive feedback from readers on the subject of character development. In that regard, I’m sharing a brief excerpt from a 5-Star review published at Amazon for my multi-award winning novel, An Enlightening Quiche (2016):
It was filled with fascinating, three-dimensional characters who seem to live and breathe on the page, the dialogue between them was honest and believable, a trick many authors never seem to achieve.
Furthering my WIP from Part 2, chapter 35, my characters must be evolving to show their true colors if I’ve become so attached to their personas, they have the wherewithal to incite tears from the situations I’ve placed them in.
No doubt about it, the bold brushstrokes wielded to create credible characters who show their true colors flourish from the writer’s heart.
Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
Eva’s Byte #236: The Christmas Rush
Oh, by gosh, by golly…
It’s about that time for mistletoe and holly. The Christmas “rush” is on—both the hustle and bustle of anticipation, and the intense—if only, short-lived—absolute joy.
The Hallmark movie channels have already begun their sleigh ride through winter’s wonderland in the pure-driven snow. Stated in their guidelines for author submissions:
We tend to avoid stories with very sad or distressing elements, including but not limited to terminal illness, abuse, addiction, early stages of grief, and children or animals in peril.
An Indie author already behind their closed door of not accepting unsolicited manuscripts, I’d never be willing to suspend my disbelief to write a story fitting even more of their strict guidelines. Because, I like to expose what goes on behind closed doors.
My novels in the genre of Contemporary embrace realism. They portray women over forty who grapple with, confront, and overcome their personal dilemmas to become empowered in making profound life changes for the better. In so doing, my novels are descriptive, introspective, and explore the gamut of inner conflicts: convention vs. rebellion; fate vs. free will; loyalty vs. betrayal; unbridled love vs. sacrifice; death—inevitable or tragic?
For art imitating life—sensitive topics are broached rather than omitted.
More power to those authors whose novels have been adapted to a Hallmark flick. Or, aspire to. A winter wonderland with busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style offers a rush to counteract any holiday doldrums.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
It’s about that time for mistletoe and holly. The Christmas “rush” is on—both the hustle and bustle of anticipation, and the intense—if only, short-lived—absolute joy.
The Hallmark movie channels have already begun their sleigh ride through winter’s wonderland in the pure-driven snow. Stated in their guidelines for author submissions:
We tend to avoid stories with very sad or distressing elements, including but not limited to terminal illness, abuse, addiction, early stages of grief, and children or animals in peril.
An Indie author already behind their closed door of not accepting unsolicited manuscripts, I’d never be willing to suspend my disbelief to write a story fitting even more of their strict guidelines. Because, I like to expose what goes on behind closed doors.
My novels in the genre of Contemporary embrace realism. They portray women over forty who grapple with, confront, and overcome their personal dilemmas to become empowered in making profound life changes for the better. In so doing, my novels are descriptive, introspective, and explore the gamut of inner conflicts: convention vs. rebellion; fate vs. free will; loyalty vs. betrayal; unbridled love vs. sacrifice; death—inevitable or tragic?
For art imitating life—sensitive topics are broached rather than omitted.
More power to those authors whose novels have been adapted to a Hallmark flick. Or, aspire to. A winter wonderland with busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style offers a rush to counteract any holiday doldrums.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
Eva’s Byte #402 – Demises
From a literary viewpoint:
“Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.” Isaac Asimov
From my perspective as a writer, there’s much ado about transitioning for depicting a character’s demise. In order to fit the framework of my story—timing, method, and staging are crucial.
Premeditation! Premeditation! Premeditation!
Always striving to blur the lines of demarcation between nonfiction and fiction in the lit with grit I pen, research has me veering off the beaten path on the Internet. One such detour which led me where I needed to go, pertained to the stages of rigor mortis.
In previously published works of fiction, my characters have met their demise as a result of: a fatal fall, brain aneurysm, drowning, illness, and accidental shooting. Trust me, I’m contemplating other demises for stories incubating in my mind.
At this point in time, I’ve stopped the press at the end of a scene in chapter 26 of my Contemporary work in progress (817 words thus far) to ferret out facts on carbon monoxide poisoning and hypothermia. Until I homogenize the facts with fiction, my sorry-ass character lives on borrowed time.
*May the end justify ethical means for achieving desired outcomes.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
“Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.” Isaac Asimov
From my perspective as a writer, there’s much ado about transitioning for depicting a character’s demise. In order to fit the framework of my story—timing, method, and staging are crucial.
Premeditation! Premeditation! Premeditation!
Always striving to blur the lines of demarcation between nonfiction and fiction in the lit with grit I pen, research has me veering off the beaten path on the Internet. One such detour which led me where I needed to go, pertained to the stages of rigor mortis.
In previously published works of fiction, my characters have met their demise as a result of: a fatal fall, brain aneurysm, drowning, illness, and accidental shooting. Trust me, I’m contemplating other demises for stories incubating in my mind.
At this point in time, I’ve stopped the press at the end of a scene in chapter 26 of my Contemporary work in progress (817 words thus far) to ferret out facts on carbon monoxide poisoning and hypothermia. Until I homogenize the facts with fiction, my sorry-ass character lives on borrowed time.
*May the end justify ethical means for achieving desired outcomes.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
Eva’s Byte # 547 – The Page is a Stage
All of the pages are a writer’s stage, and the characters have their entrances, key roles, and exits.
*My modified version of character Jacques’ opening line from the “Seven Ages of Man” speech in Act II, Scene VII of William Shakespeare’s play, As You Like It)
In the capacity of a writer who stages death by murder, or tragic accident, it’s important for me to blur the lines of distinction between fact and fiction. The content of my plots must have plausibility.
In keeping with the framework of the 1970s, my research garnered information conducive to staging a death:
Most vehicles sold up to 1974 did not have airbags. (Buick Riviera, Electra, and Le Sabre, along with certain Oldsmobile and Cadillac models had them). The 1971 Pinto did not. Like most cars at that time, their seatbelts were manual lap belts.
The Pinto, Ford’s first subcompact car, was known for lacking several safety features, especially the propensity for its fuel tank to rupture in rear-end collisions, causing a fire.
Fuel for thought in staging my page.
At this point in time, I’m in the throes of drafting chapter 24 of my Contemporary work in progress (644 words thus far).
*May each of us set the stage for achieving our goals.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
*My modified version of character Jacques’ opening line from the “Seven Ages of Man” speech in Act II, Scene VII of William Shakespeare’s play, As You Like It)
In the capacity of a writer who stages death by murder, or tragic accident, it’s important for me to blur the lines of distinction between fact and fiction. The content of my plots must have plausibility.
In keeping with the framework of the 1970s, my research garnered information conducive to staging a death:
Most vehicles sold up to 1974 did not have airbags. (Buick Riviera, Electra, and Le Sabre, along with certain Oldsmobile and Cadillac models had them). The 1971 Pinto did not. Like most cars at that time, their seatbelts were manual lap belts.
The Pinto, Ford’s first subcompact car, was known for lacking several safety features, especially the propensity for its fuel tank to rupture in rear-end collisions, causing a fire.
Fuel for thought in staging my page.
At this point in time, I’m in the throes of drafting chapter 24 of my Contemporary work in progress (644 words thus far).
*May each of us set the stage for achieving our goals.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
