Pepper Anthony's Blog: Wednesday With Pepper

Hi Readers: Just a quick check-in today. I am on the mend from a bout of pneumonia. I'll be back next week with a post. Have a great week!

- Pepper
"Let's read something spicy!"

My latest story – Amber’s Fantasy – involves a couple who meet in the workplace. I don’t know what the statistics say, but you gotta figure a certain percentage of couples do meet this way, right? Where it gets tricky for erotic fiction writers is the whole sexual harassment issue. How do co-workers flirt without entering the danger zone of “inappropriate verbal statements”? In my story, the hero definitely does cross the line at one point, but only because he believes the heroine will be open to his advances. As it turns out – happily – she is.

Readers, what do you think? Should the issue of sexual harassment between co-workers be addressed in an erotic romance? Or should writers just ignore the possible legal ramifications and go with the fantasy of unbridled sexual attraction? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Alpha males. Most of us love ‘em, at least as readers of fiction. There is just something about a strong, decisive, ubermasculine hero that makes for scintillating reading. If you’ve read any of David Deida’s works on sacred intimacy, the sexual appeal of alpha males make sense. Deida says there is something innate in a woman that longs to be “taken”, that women are designed to submit and men to dominate, at least sexually. (Of course this is a generalization, and even Deida says some people don’t fit the mold.)
I totally get the whole “submissive in the sack” thing. Yeah. Make me yours, Caveman. Ravish me. Leave me breathless, with no doubt in my mind that you find me irresistible. Yum.
And I’m certainly not alone. I think the submissive/dominant qualities that define the sexes are why so many of us are reading BDSM stories these days. It’s finally okay to admit to our baser desires. And it seems being sexually submissive is a common desire in modern women. (Maybe it’s because we’re assuming more masculine responsibilities in the rest of our lives?)
But here’s the deal. I’ll go for an Alpha in the sack, (or in an erotic romance), but I really do want a Beta guy around the rest of the time. Give me a soulful, sensitive man as my helpmate, partner, father-of-my-children. Hey Mr. Sensitive, stir up those pancakes, change that diaper, write me a love song, bring home a paycheck, would ya’?
Time to weigh in, ladies. Do we need two different guys? Or can Mr. Sensitive learn to be Caveman between the sheets? What do you think? What is your preference and what has your experience been like? I’d love to hear from you.

Last week I gave you a sneak peek into my soon-to-be-self-published story, Amber's Fantasy. I've added another couple thousand words this week, and I'm hoping to have the story completed, polished, and ready to be published on Amazon within a couple of weeks.

This is a whole new process for me, since I've only worked with e-publishers in the past. Now as a self-published author, I'm responsible for editing and formatting my manuscript, as well as providing a cover. I was really lucky to get to work with an awesome cover designer at Fantasia Frog Designs. I just love the design Tara came up with. You can see it on my website at http://www.pepperanthony.com/2012/05/.... I think it really captures the mood of my story and the sizzling attraction between Ray and Amber. Oh, in case you're curious, that's Ray's cousin Cal standing behind them. I wonder what naughtiness the three of them might be up to. I guess you'll just have to use your imagination for now.

See you next Wednesday! Have a great week.

- Pepper
"Let's read something spicy!"

Hi readers! I finally took the plunge and decided to add a Goodreads blog. I'll be stopping by every Wednesday to share what's new and to connect with friends. Please feel free to chime in with comments and questions any time you feel the urge.

Sneak Peak: Ever had a naughty thought about being with more than one man at a time? How does that even work, anyway? Well, Amber Jackson, my latest heroine, has certainly had those thoughts. When she gets the opportunity to act it all out with sexy Ray Ferris and his cousin Cal, will she take a chance?

That's the dilemma facing our heroine in AMBER'S FANTASY, a short interracial menage story I'll be self publishing on Amazon later this month. It's my first venture into self-publishing and I'm very excited to see how it all goes.

See you next week!

~ Pepper
"Let's read something spicy!"