Sometimes I joke with folks that I was born about fifty years too late—that I should have been in my late-twenties and early-thirties during the 1950s. I suppose I have a fascination with that era, probably just like many of you. I enjoy watching re-runs of Happy Days or Leave it to Beaver, and love gazing at pinup girls like Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe. And who doesn’t get a little wet in the palms when viewing a photo of Leslie Brooks? Sigh. Those soda fountain shops, jukeboxes, and big American cars were quite the rave too, and Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Holly ruled the airwaves with their high energy Rock & Roll music—you know, the stuff that gets your foot tapping and booty shaking!
So when I was having a conversation one day with Celeste Castro, the brilliant author of Homecoming, she brought up the historical erotica section I used in Side Out. Celeste told me that she wanted to read some more Victorian age smut from me, and jokingly said I should be sure to include words like “settee” in the writing. And while my latest novelette is a far cry from Victorian age erotica, Celeste’s comment got me heading down the path to writing my latest, the pulp erotica piece I entitled Kitty Katz and Her Pink Cadillac. Penning “Kitty” was a labor of love. It had elements of so many things I enjoy: fiction, erotica, the 1950s era, and a character I could model after my favorite pinup girls! Enter Kitty Katz!
But Kitty Katz needed a special flair, and I had just the idea! I’m a southern girl, born and bred. As some of you know, I often post tweets introducing those of you who aren’t “from around these parts” to my Southern Vernacular with Amber feature. Yes, I really do use some of the vernacular that pop up in my posts, and yes, I really do prefer sweet tea and swoon over well-prepared fried okra! Don’t judge. So what better place to set my story than central Georgia? I suppose my story is loosely fashioned around the city of Macon, but I don’t mention it by name in the writing.
It was no trouble coming up with the physical characteristics of Kitty—she became sort of a southern version of Marilyn Monroe, but with the sharp mind of a woman who knows exactly what she wants and just how to go about getting it. It was the character of Mary Kate Watkins that eluded me. Enter another erotica author pal, the lovely Wednesday Noir. During the time I was about to embark on sitting down with pen and paper (metaphorically, of course) to begin writing Kitty, Ms. Noir changed her profile picture on Twitter from an animated likeness to the real Wednesday Noir!
“Yowza, she sure is purdy!” my mind shouted.
Then I thought to myself, now if that ain’t Mary Kate Watkins, I don’t know who is! Redheaded and slender with blue eyes and porcelain skin, Ms. Noir is quite the hottie! And those pink, pouty lips! Within an hour, I had her permission to use her image as Mary Kate, and she even dolled herself up and made a little country girl picture for me—whisk and all. What a sport!
But I needed a book cover. I must admit; this is not my strong suit. And then I remembered the super talented C.M. Blackwood is not only a terrific author, but she does some pretty nifty book covers too! I couldn’t have been more pleased with the design she produced. It was perfect—exactly what I had envisioned! Now I just needed to write the story.
I decided that I wanted the novelette to be in three parts—three adventures if you will. After a brief introduction to Kitty and her loyal driver, Amos, we jump right into the action.
Kitty’s first adventure takes place on a Friday night following a high school football contest when folks of the small Georgia city gather at a local soda fountain shop after the big game. And that’s where Kitty lays siege to her first prey. Sybil just got dumped by her boyfriend, and she’s beside herself with hurt and anger. But don’t despair! Miss Kitty knows just how to lick her wounds. After a little whiskey and some kind comfort, courtesy of Miss Kitty, Sybil is up for anything.
And then it’s on to Mary Kate Watkins, the second installment.
Miss Kitty is serving supper to the Reverend’s family on Saturday night, and she’s decided to drive out to the Watkins pig farm in the country to select a fine ham for the evening’s meal. But when Miss Kitty arrives at the farm, old Joe Watkins is nowhere to be found. So it’s his twenty-year-old daughter, the kooky yet lovely Mary Kate, who assists Miss Kitty…and boy does she.
The third story begins on Saturday night when Kitty hosts the Reverend’s family for dinner. The ham is delicious but so is the Reverend’s voluptuous daughter, Miss Virginia Olson! Kitty is struck not only by her beauty but also by her polite charm and courteous demeanor—a true Southern Belle! But it will take some finagling on Kitty’s part to get her new love interest alone. And maybe…just maybe, the relationship between these two will go a little further than just hot sex!
In the end, though, I enjoyed creating these characters for you through their dialogue. I find that works best for me. I surely hope you will take a look at Kitty Katz, and if you like it, I’m certainly open to penning more stories about her and the sultry southern babes she pursues! Yes! I would enjoy writing that for you very much. In fact, it would just dill my pickle!