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 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.
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