Writings and ramblings

In the past two weeks I’ve received to bits of news in the erotic publishing world that’s made me quite sad. First, the publisher on Erotica Apocrypha, Freaky Fountain Press, has announced it’s closing, though the store will remain open for a couple of years until the rights of their four, soon to be five, publications run out. Which is such a shame, because Robin and Catherine started something that I think was very interesting and daring in the world of erotica, particularly in the current state of the genre. Freaky Fountain set out to highlight the taboo and the extreme, to not expect a happy end or sanitised sex, but to explore it for every pore, crevice, desire and dark corner of the human (and not so human) mind and body. Whilst I understand the reasons for Robin and Catherine’s decision, they will be missed. As I said, the store is still open, so if you go along to the site, see if there is something (or several somethings!) that might interest you.

And then yesterday I read the news that Filament Magazine would be putting out its last issue next month. Now I read this at work, which might have been a good thing, because I think if I’d been at home I might grabbed a bottle of plonk immediately and guzzled the lot. Now this is not just because it was Filament who published my first professional piece, but because I totally believed in what they were doing. Like Freaky Fountain, they were presenting something different. They celebrated that women have eyes not just for shiny new frocks but for men, and that they wanted to read about many things from history to film critique to societal commentary to a touch of burlesque. That we are both intelligent and sexual creatures. Again, I respect Suraya’s decision to bring it to an end, but seriously, getting these two bits of news quickly upon each other has made me a little melancholy.

But all things end, somehow or another, and so, here’s to both Freaky Fountain and Filament and the wonderful people behind them. You have done something interesting and amazing and got people talking and above all thinking, and entertained people greatly too. You can’t ask for more than that.

Mirrored from jacquelinebrocker.esquinx.net.

Well folks, here is is, Erotica Apocrypha, an anthology of erotic interpretations of myth and the divine from Freaky Fountain Press. It includes my short story, “Storms of Ancient Gods”, and I feel very privileged to be part of it. Catherine and Robin at Freaky Fountain have a clear commitment to pushing the boundaries of erotic fiction, something that I fully support.

“Storms of Ancient Gods” is based on the myths of Perun and Veles, pagan Slavic gods of thunder and the underworld respectively. If you’re more knowledgeable about Norse mythology (as many people are) the rough equivalents are Thor and Loki. I came across the story while doing my dragon research, for Veles (sometimes Volos) regularly is depicted as a dragon, and Perun his slayer/pursuer.

How have I managed to extract the erotic from that, you may ask? Well, that will be for another post. In the meantime, you can read an extract of the story on the site here, and if it intrigues you enough, purchase an e-book copy or purchase a print copy from Freaky Fountain Press. As always, do note the content notes at the top of the page before reading the extract.

Mirrored from jacquelinebrocker.esquinx.net.