Waterlines 10

I spent the last three or four weeks putting the finishing touches to a novel that's in an entirely different genre from my usual comfort-zones, and writing under a different name.  On the whole, it wasn't a very enjoyable experience - the story was too dark - and I'm glad to get back to the kind of settings that I write about here.

So I'm very pleased to announce the publication of Waterlines 10 on Amazon Kindle and on Smashwords.  Links to other outlets will follow soon - but Lord Apple and Barnes & Noble like to read the dirty bits first before they approve them for sale.  Here's a sneak preview of a few lines from the book:

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Warning: these two stories are for over-18s only and contain elements which some people may find offensive. If you aren't interested in watersports (golden showers) or oral sex, or aren't remotely curious, then please don't buy or read this book.

A Special Offer (5,600 words)
(A Sequel to “The Girl in the Room Next Door” in Waterlines 8)

When Colin and Fiona meet again at an unlikely place - a men's toilet - she arranges to keep in touch with him, and to help him find a new girlfriend.  But each of these girls have particular interests which coincide with Colin's own personal fetish.  The first girl to whom she introduces him turns out to be quite bizarre... he's not sure that he wants to meet any more like her.

Shut Your Eyes and Pretend (5,400 words)
(A sequel to “...And I’ll Show You Mine”, in Waterlines 2)

When Brian is moved out of his job, his girlfriend Jazz is most unhappy.  She hopes to attract Mike, his successor, and offers him lunchtime temptations in the woods near the office.  But she has a rival - Karen, an Alpha-Female who wants Mike all to herself, offering him similar sexual delights.  Mike is ambitious and is attracted to Karen for all the wrong reasons.  Someone is going to get unstuck....

EXTRACT:

        She sat next to me, and I tried to engage her in conversation.  “Jazz is short for Jasmine, I take it?” I began.
        “Yes, but Jasmine wasn’t my original name. It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you sometime.”
        “I can see you’re going to miss Brian.  But I’m sure you’ll still be able to see him at weekends.”
        “Not really.  He’s moving to London, and he reckons he’ll have to work most Saturdays.  It won’t be worth my travelling up there just for a few hours on Sundays.”
        It sounded as if their relationship was doomed.  I wondered how Brian felt about it.
        We continued talking in general, about her job, about other mutual acquaintances at the bank and, before we knew it, it was time to leave.  I hadn’t been counting, but I considered that Jazz must have downed four Martinis before switching to beer after Brian left, and she’d had three pints.
        “Are you coming?” I asked her as we all got up to leave.
        “I’ll be along in a minute,” she said.  “I just need to think.”
        I sat down again.  I could see she was close to tears.
        “I pleaded with Brian not to take the job.  But he’s so ambitious, and it’s a good step up for him.  I shouldn’t be so selfish.”
        Her eyes were red.  “I’m sure you’ll get over it.  Time is a great healer, you know.”
        “So they say.  All right, let’s get back.”
        We left together; when we were halfway there, she put her hand to her crotch.
        “I need a pee.  I should have gone while we were at the pub.”
        “Do you want to go back?”  I noticed her speech was slurred; the drink had taken its effect.
        “No.  I’ll go in the woods.  Nobody will see me there.  Are you coming?”
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I'm busy with a couple of stories for Waterlines 11 and I'm hoping to get that out by the end of October - if I can persuade my editor to give the draft a fair wind when it's finished... and get my designer to come up with a suitable cover for the work.

Best,
Chrissie

"Write About What You Know..."

Writers are always told, at the outset of their literary careers, to "write what you know".  That way, you're not going to get out of your depth.  That's good advice, as far as it goes.  I couldn't write a sci-fi novel that relied on a thorough knowledge of advanced rocket science.  But I can write about sex, because I have a little experience in that field (over forty years) and, more importantly, I enjoy it.

But today I want to deal with writing about who you know (or, more properly, whom you know).  Let's discuss some of my stories. 

Waterlines (the original unnumbered publication)

Pictures of Janet
I was on that army course with Janet, many years ago, and I watched the soldier getting turned on as he was taking pictures of her, posing with her legs spread to show off her underwear.  They went off one afternoon to the woods together - with his camera - and we never got to hear what happened.  That's the true part of the story; the rest is my guess....  But one thing honestly did happen at the end: the real Janet seduced an army chaplain (no kidding!) and was thrown out of the army soon after.

A Train Ride With Lorna.
I got this story from one of the other guys who happened to be travelling with the lucky pair - he was married to a friend of mine.  The fantasy part of my story takes over when the couple leave the compartment to look for a bed together.  The first part of the story really happened.

Waterlines 2

...And I'll Show You Mine
The names have been changed to protect the innocent; the girl in this story got drunk with me one evening and opened her mouth a little too much.  She was born Jewish, and had only slept with three guys - none of whom had been circumcised.  When she found one guy who revealed that he'd been circumcised, she got curious and made him an offer he couldn't refuse.  The rest is my fantasy.

Fun At The Bank
When I worked at a bank, I overheard a conversation between a couple over lunch in the staff room; they'd only just met.  He wanted it, and she wanted it.  My story takes over from that point, suggesting what might have happened.

Waterlines 3

An Accommodating Landlady
This story was created from something I read in the local newspaper; how a landlady seduced her new lodger.  It really did take place in Oxfordshire, but  I leave it to you to conjecture what else was fact, rather than fiction.  I don't want to risk getting sued.

Away From Home
I knew the leading lady in this story very well: she worked in the office next door to mine.  She was larger than life, was good at her job, but... oh, the adventures she had (some of which were corroborated by others).  She was totally obsessed with sex (sadly, her husband wasn't).  I met her in the street, some fifteen years after I left the department... and she will still surrounded by men. 


There'll be more commentaries next time about some of the other titles in this series.

Best,
Chrissie