2012 Lesbian Fiction Appreciation Event: Emily Cale: Public Display of Affection

When I originally started thinking about this blog post, I had all sorts of ideas about what I might write. Most of them involved my books, not sharing an extremely personal experience with a bunch of strangers. While thinking about it, I received a reply to another post I'd written from a Twitter follower who had some not-so-kind words for me about my lesbian characters. So I changed my mind and decided to tell you one of my experiences that shapes how I write.

I'm going to start by telling you that I'm not a lesbian. Do you care? Probably not, but I think it's important for people to know where I'm coming from. When I was in eighth grade, my best friend stopped speaking to me. By the end of the day, my entire middle school was passing around the rumor that I was a lesbian. To this day, I have no idea what prompted this story. I grew up in middle-of-nowhere, super-conservative Wyoming. Being different in any way got you treated like total crap. I was tortured by my classmates for the entire year. No one would change near me in the locker room, I ate lunch by myself, and generally had one friend (who did not have my lunch period or share any classes with me) the entire year. And, of course, not a single guy would date me. I was clinically depressed and extremely confused.

This experience shaped a large portion of my life. I hated going through it, but I know that the person I've become is partially based on this year. Twenty-something me knows this, but she'll never be able to explain it to the fourteen year old version of me. I tell you this because I think writers put a little of themselves into everything they write. No one character is based on me, but I can pick out my own experiences that I give to each of them. When I started writing, some of my story ideas manifested as f/f. I never thought twice about whether I'd be able to sell them or if I should change one of the characters to be a man. I'm writing romance. To me, that's two people (or more) who against all odds find love. Notice I said people. Whether it's two men, two women, a man and a woman, or any other combination

When I started writing Public Display of Affection, that's exactly how the characters came to me. Two damaged women looking to find love in an unlikely place. Sure, they both start out hoping for a night of great sex, but they find so much more.

Thanks so much for having me!

Available now from Decadent Publishing for $1.99

You can also purchase at:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Public-Display-Affection-Night-ebook/dp/B006ZIHUBS/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1327005499&sr=8-12

All Romance ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-publicdisplayofaffection-673179-144.html

Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/public-display-of-affection

Blurb: After a heartbreaking end to her relationship with her girlfriend, Lucy Stark is looking to try something more adventurous. She turns to Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand service to help her find the perfect woman to push her boundaries and introduce her to the more daring side of a sexual encounter.

Samantha Taylor’s helped more than one woman explore her sexuality, but Lucy’s the first to really get to her. Keeping her walls up and the women she dates from getting inside is a skill she’s managed to master. After one night of unbridled passion, she has to decide whether to give up her hard exterior or let the woman of her dreams slip away.

 Excerpt:

“I’m Samantha, but you can call me Sam.” She paused, hoping for a response, then shrugged. “Can I come in?”

Lucy—assuming it was Lucy?—shook her head and blinked a few times, as though she’d been in a trance. “Of course.” She stood back, holding the door open.

“Seems like a nice enough room.” Nothing extraordinary, but it didn’t need to be with the scenery that surrounded it. No one came there to see the inside of a hotel room. Well, no one except for them, and they’d be doing very little of that. The king-sized bed decked out with a forest green and brown duvet and pillows took up a majority of the room. The whole set-up looked comfortable and inviting. Too bad the activities she had planned didn’t require a mattress. Setting her duffle bag next to the dresser, she turned back toward Lucy. “So what are you up for tonight?”

Like a deer in headlights, the brunette looked puzzled by the question. “Well, I’m not sure. I thought maybe you’d have an idea or two and we could go from there?”

As timid as Madame Eve had described in her email. She’d expected the woman to at least have a few ideas, an erotic act she’d found on the internet that intrigued her. Sam bit her tongue to keep from making a sarcastic comment. No judgment. This evening was to be an introduction to the more adventurous side of intimacy. Aside from that, she hoped to quell the sexual frustration that had been brewing deep inside her. “I have a few things worked out. After that, we can see where the night takes us.” She imagined it would have them in bed before late night TV even started. “Does that sound agreeable to you?” She half expected the wide-eyed woman in front of her to back out. From her expression, it was clear she contemplated her options.

“That sounds good.” Lucy played with the edge of her black, knee-length skirt.

Sam doubted the truthfulness of that statement, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. “Then I suggest we get started. We are on a tight schedule at the moment.” Crouching down, she pulled a small box from her overnight bag. “Why don’t you go put this on?”

Lucy took it and turned it over in her hands. “What is it?” The pink color of the paper matched her sweater, Sam noted with amusement.

“Open it and you’ll find out.”

Emily Cale is a writer of erotica and erotic romance. You can find her on her blog (http://www.emilycale.blogspot.com) or on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/emilycale).