Couch Time With Tracy St. John

 

I'm super excited to have one of my all time favorite authors, Tracy St. John, here with me today! She is answering some questions and sharing a tantalizing excerpt from her new book Michaela. This story is part of the Clans of Kalquor universe, and features an intersex human heroine. I can't wait to talk to Tracy about Michaela and possibly get her to tell us about what she's working on now.

Aubrey: Tracy, first and foremost, who are these delicious men you've brought with you today, and can I touch them?

Tracy: These are the Clan-destine Strippers, straight from Kalquor. Their act consists of thumping their chests, stomping about, and taking clothes off. I still can’t convince these guys they should try dancing, but by the time they’re down to their G-strings, I no longer care.

Touch all you want, but be advised that they expect to be allowed to touch back!

Aubrey: I can live with that. <eyes up wall of man and tries not to drool> Right. Where was I?

 We first met Michaela Blake in Clans of Kalquor book two, Alien Rule. She's kind of a fan favorite. When you wrote Michaela as a secondary character, did you know you were going to write her book?

Tracy: That was nowhere on my radar. My publisher at the time had very strict rules about manlove – it was a no-no. Having intersex Michaela in Alien Rule was kind of pushing my luck with getting it accepted, but the acquisitions editor was very cool about it. She sent me a contract immediately. However, I knew the boundary of Michaela getting her own book was one that could not be crossed with that publisher. At the time, I couldn’t imagine taking Kalquor to anyone else or self-publishing, so I never thought she would get a book of her own.

My first inkling that I should write Michaela’s story was after I published the short story collection Alien Interludes. I asked readers in a poll which of the short stories was their favorite. ‘Michaela’s Child’ won hands down.

Aubrey: This is the first book you've ever written with an intersex human as the main character. I imagine there had to be challenges writing her story. Plus, much of the story runs parallel to Alien Rule. It seems like it would be a massive undertaking. Was there anything especially challenging? Anything that surprised you?

Tracy: The hardest part of writing Michaela as a character was to not sensationalize or over-sympathize. Doing those could have made her a caricature instead of a believable person. She was simply a normal woman in extraordinary circumstances. I approached her like most of my characters: how do I feel I would behave in her place? How does one behave when she has been forced to hide her true identity, lived in fear, and pretended to be someone she is not? How does she act when she is finally allowed to be herself? How much of the internalized suffering comes out?

Keeping the continuity correct between the two books was the bigger headache. Matching up dialogue and action sounds like it should be easy, but it’s not. Two people never hear the same conversation the exact same way. There are a few differences between the viewpoints in the books. The tricky thing was that I had to write the same scenes over from a different perspective of a different woman with a different history coloring her experience of the event.

I had to decide, do I maintain everything word for word in Michaela that was written in Alien Rule, knowing that this is not the way life in the real world works? Or do I stick with hearing and feeling and seeing from that character’s unique perspective? I went with unique perspective, which is why alert readers will find some small inconsistencies between the two books.

Aubrey: I really enjoyed how you intergrated Alien Rule into the story from a different perspective. Phenomenal job. On a lighter note; Kalquorians have two penises each. On top of that Michaela has her own little penis. Have you ever caught yourself forgetting to add a penis?

Tracy: No, I can honestly say I’m always well aware of every single penis I’m playing – er, dealing with.

Aubrey: That's just another reason I greatly admire you, Tracy. You're always on top of things. I love your Kalquorians and I always pick favorites. Dramok Korkla, Nobek Raxstad, and Imdiko Govi. Do you have a favorite? Be honest.

Tracy: I love each of the guys for different reasons, but I almost always go with the Nobek. It’s the same with this book, particularly after I saw the model my cover artist used for Raxstad – yow. Bring me Lidon from Alien Conquest and sandwich me between those two, please!

Aubrey: Nobek sandwich? That sounds as delightful as it does dangerous. I feel like that should come with a “please consult your doctor before participating” type warning.

You just put those of us following Shalia's Diary through the ringer. Which you warned us you were going to do. I have to ask: What can we expect for this next installment? How far along are you in the series?

Tracy: I needed a break after all the darkness of Shalia 4. I decided to go with something not so intense, and this fifth installment fits that nicely. That being said, with Halloween looming before me as I wrote the latest storyline I wanted to play with something a bit spooky. I’m a fool for ghost stories and things that go bump in the night...we’ll see plenty of that in the next few weeks of Shalia’s Diary.

I’m working on the sixth storyline now, and I’m not that far into it yet. For that one, I was inspired by a common trope in science fiction television shows. I’m a huge fan of Star Trek, Stargate, and Babylon 5. I took a page out of their playbooks for Shalia 6, and it’s shaping up nicely. That’s all I’m going to divulge for now. Saying any more will give away too many surprises.

Aubrey: Eek! I can't wait. I know your next Clans of Kalquor book is Alien Indiscretions with Cissy and Clan Diltan. On behalf of FoKs everywhere, I have to ask, when do you think we may have this one in our greedy little hands?

Tracy: Well, you know I’ve had some delays with my writing this past year due to personal issues. On top of those, I had a ton of book rights reverting to me. That meant re-editing and formatting to release my own independently published versions. Some of those books demanded major re-writes. That meant Alien Indiscretions, which I had originally hoped to publish this past summer, kept getting delayed.

I’m still dealing with re-issues, plus I’m working on getting all my books on All Romance eBooks’ site. However, I have made Alien Indiscretions my priority, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will get it out early in 2015.

Aubrey: You write a lot of kink. Delicious naughty, dirty kink. Do you have a favorite? Spanking? Anal play? Bondage? Getting your toes sucked on?

Tracy: I like a lot of things, but the most important ingredient for me is being dominated. I love submitting to someone who is strong and confident. Power exchange excites me because it goes beyond the physical ... it involves a mental quality. Kink that starts in the brain makes all the other body parts respond much better.

Aubrey: Your own personal top three fantasy scenarios? Go.

Tracy: You said ‘fantasy’, so I’m assuming these are not scenarios that have to be possible in reality. In that case:

First – abduction and seduction by a Kalquorian clan. Yes, I fantasize about my own creation. All the time!

Second – being a virgin princess with a harem of men tasked with teaching me all the ways of lovemaking.

Third – me and the men of True Blood. Please and thank you.

Aubrey: Wowzers. I especially like number two. Personal favorite scene in Michaela and why?

Tracy: When Raxstad and Michaela get busy in his hospital bed. Raxstad, despite being injured and flat on his back, is so in control of Michaela. That kind of sensual power and knowledge of what makes his lover surrender to his demands ... I find that incredibly sexy.

Aubrey: That was my favorite, too! Clan Korkla really turned up the heat in this story. You have some scrumptious scenes peppered throughout. <sigh>

Okay, random question; if Clan Korkla went to the movies, what movie would they go see and why?

Tracy: I think they would love Shaun of the Dead. After a day of dealing with political intrigue (Korkla), emotionally-wrenching trauma (Govi), and getting shot at (Raxstad), I see the boys wanting to kick back and laugh. An uncomplicated, hilarious comedy would be the perfect escape.

Aubrey: I could see that. They are a humorous bunch. 

Thank you for stopping by and letting me pick your brain! As always, feel free to leave any of the guys here.

Tracy: I think you have your pick of the line-up. Try not to wear them out too fast!

Aubrey: I'm not making any promises. 

All right everyone, if you're looking for a sci-fi hot enough to melt your Kindle, look no further! 

Michaela is now available from Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Nook, and in. print

Michaela Blake has lived with a secret her whole life. Born an intersex, she’s hidden in plain sight from Earth’s religious tyranny, posing as a male to avoid being discovered and executed. Now that she’s escaped to Plasius, she is free to explore the other side of the intersex coin and be the woman she’s always felt she is.

Being both genders has left its scars on Michaela, however. She cannot imagine any man loving her ... never mind a Kalquorian clan made up of three men. Yet joining a clan is her only hope for salvation, her only sure way to escape Earth’s judgment.

Korkla, Govi, and Raxstad can’t believe their luck. They’ve been given the opportunity to court the rarest being in the known universe by the Crown Princes of Kalquor. However, to win the captivating Michaela, they must first get past her despair and self-doubt ... not to mention a jealous ex-girlfriend and murderous kidnappers. Still, saving the intersex Earther from others is not half as daunting as saving her from herself.

Please note: this story contains graphic depictions of men loving men and men loving an intersex (male/female) individual. Elements of BDSM, including discipline and bondage, are included.

This is a companion story to Clans of Kalquor 2: Alien Rule.

Excerpt:

Michaela had never danced with such passion before. Maybe it was because of the thousands of intoxicating flowers ornamenting the city’s center. They sent their aphrodisiacal scent to fill her lungs and erase her nervousness of sexual promise. Maybe it was the sight of the stone altar across the square. It was upon that surface where she’d watched Plasian youths give their virginity in celebration of reaching the age of consent. Maybe it was the sheer joy of dancing a wild entreaty to violent sex, with light manacles and chains around her wrists.

More probably it was the sight of three Kalquorians at the foot of the stage, glowering at her with barely contained ferocity.

Seeing those purple eyes riveted on her made Michaela’s head swim more than the aroma of the flowers. Korkla, Raxstad, and Govi were obviously pissed off. They were also blatantly aroused.

Michaela was barely aware of anything else. She knew Jessica danced on the other side of the stage with the Crown Prince Clan watching her. Many Plasians crowded against the massive Kalquorians and the stage, watching them perform. Some fucked each other in broad daylight. The festival looked primed to descend into a mass orgy at any moment. It probably would the moment the dance ended.

Michaela paid the Plasians no mind. She didn’t even think about the hideous statue that loomed over the altar several yards away, though it was the vision of nightmares. To Michaela, the thing looked like a winged Plasian, if said Plasian was half bat and half dead oak tree. Jessica had said it was one of the planet’s ancient and forgotten deities. Michaela thought the thing should not just be forgotten, but also destroyed. Seeing the young people shedding their virginity under the leering creature had been downright creepy.

Then Clan Korkla had shown up, and all of Michaela’s thoughts of the ugly statue had ceased to exist. Her heart leapt with savage joy to see them arrive, looking furious enough to storm backstage where she watched them while hidden behind curtains. Her plan to make them jealous had worked. Now she had to make them mad with lust as well, mad enough to claim her without any more caution.

She’d taken the stage with a vengeance, matching the men’s black stares with her own. They had courted her and turned her away. They had teased her and left her wanting. Spurred by agonized wanting and the inhibition-killing flowers, Michaela was determined to have her way.

I will have you, she thought at the men as she defied their anger with a dance every bit as ferocious as their expressions. Every step she performed was a blatant dare for them to take her.

You cannot resist me. Make me yours.

She’d watched the newly matured Plasian girls give up their virginity on the altar. Now it was Michaela’s turn. She would not be denied. Not this time. Not ever again.

You want me. Take me now!

The fierce drumbeats suddenly ended, finishing the dance. Michaela dropped to the stage, playing the role of the reluctantly vanquished slave girl, overcome and submitting to her masters. Tumultuous applause crashed against her ears, applause she cared nothing for. She lay gasping for air, waiting to see if fantasy would consent to become reality.

Something low and dangerous rumbled over the cheers. It started off like a distant roll of thunder, and then grew to the sound of an enraged animal growling. Michaela’s heart, already galloping from the exertion of the energetic dance, pounded faster than ever. She raised her head and looked toward the bestial noise.

There was the blurred motion of something leaping from the ground onto the stage. Then Raxstad appeared, standing over her with fangs bared. The huge Nobek looked bigger than Michaela remembered him being. His muscular shoulders were a mile across. His reaching hands were bear paws. He resembled nothing remotely civilized.

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Nook, and . print