Interviews with
The Queen and King of Erotica
Featuring Dani Brown and M. Christian
Dani Brown
Suitably labelled “The Queen of Filth”, extremist author Dani Brown’s style of dark and twisted writing and deeply disturbing stories has amassed a worrying sized cult following featuring horrifying tales such as “56 Seconds”, “Ghetto Super Skank” and the hugely popular “Ketamine Addicted Pandas”. Merging eroticism with horror, torture and other areas that most authors wouldn’t dare, each of Dani’s titles will crawl under your skin, burrow inside you, and make you question why you are coming back for more.
https://linktr.ee/DaniBrownQueenofFilth
M. Christian
M.Christian loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and
technology. A highly regarded erotica writer, they have six novels,12
collections,100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies to their name.
M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert,
Queer Majority, Killing Kittens, Sex for Every Body, Future of Sex, and dozens
more where he covers topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior
sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, as well as reviewing a variety of
sextech products and adult entertainment sites.
Website: www.mchristian.com
Twitter and Instagram: @mchristianzobop
Mastodon: mchristian@mastodon.social
CounterSocial: mchristian@counter.social
Facebook: mdot.christian.
collections,100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies to their name.
M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert,
Queer Majority, Killing Kittens, Sex for Every Body, Future of Sex, and dozens
more where he covers topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior
sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, as well as reviewing a variety of
sextech products and adult entertainment sites.
Website: www.mchristian.com
Twitter and Instagram: @mchristianzobop
Mastodon: mchristian@mastodon.social
CounterSocial: mchristian@counter.social
Facebook: mdot.christian.
***
Introduction:
Welcome, readers, to the February 2023 issue of the Servante of Darkness Blog. With us we have two premier writers of Esoteric Erotica, Dani Brown and M. Christian. Our authors, who are well versed in the language of Noir, Horror, Science Fiction, and everything in between, have agreed to interview each other for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.
Anthony Servante
***
Dani Brown Interviewed by M. Christian
Christian: I have to ask, how much of your stories are true to life or the product of your fantastically and outrageously sexy imagination?
Dani: This is probably the hardest question I’ve ever been asked. I didn’t write much fiction until I took creative writing at university (the picking of the course involved running my finger down a list). I was always really private and the general misconception of people was “writers bleed onto the page” or write what they know or from their lives. And I didn’t want to do that. My university lecturer as one of our first exercises in year one had the class create a character that was very different to each person, so everyone added elements that were opposite of themselves. And in university, I carried on writing characters that were very different to me. I also learned about different writing techniques and carried those into fiction many years later.
Then you take me in person, despite the sexy writing, the dancing (currently classical ballet, which is oddly very erotic, especially compared to the contemporary ballet I did in the past), and the visual art, I am very prude (and also squeamish). Granted, the prudishness only extends to myself. I don’t care what other people are up to in the bedroom as long as it isn’t in a morally wrong area (such as involving those who are underage, can’t consent, etc). That’s their business, not mine.
Unfortunately, my mind your own business attitude has resulted in personal problems for me. Just because I don’t judge something, doesn’t mean I want to partake in it. But a lot of people rather unfortunately see that lack of judgement as wanting to take part (trust me, I really don’t). So, especially while living in Liverpool, the more horrible the people around me would become, the more abusive and messed up the characters in my story would become so I started getting into horror territory. Then extreme horror.
And chances are, if I’m writing it, I really don’t want to participate. Obviously, some of what I’m writing is impossible. Like it really can’t happen in this reality (ket taking pandas – for a start, ketamine isn’t strong enough for a panda) or the science isn’t there (cloning in Reptile), etc.
But there’s some pretty intense scenes in my writing, especially in 56 Seconds where they could technically happen, or were written in such a way as to get the reader off. A lot of those more realistic scenes are heavily influenced by song lyrics. So I hear (or mis-hear, as is often the case) something in a song, mull it over and create a story. Mis-heard and altered song lyrics are the origin of Stef and Tucker.
Then add in that until five years ago (this week – sometime between Christmas and New Years), I was surrounded by people with cluster b personality disorders (either diagnosed or strongly suspected) and as my writing career advanced, I started adding in some of the symptoms of these disorders into my stories. So, extreme black and white thinking can be a symptom of borderline. So, at that point and immediately after gaining my freedom from these people (the law changed, making it much easier to escape) I was adding in symptoms from these disorders. A lot of my characters only see things in black and white. They have no grey areas. And it is a result of being surrounded by people that think in that way.
I would say with what I’m writing right now, there’s a good mixture of my squeamishness, influences from pop music, the outlandish and characteristics of people I’ve met. But that could change when I write something else.
Christian: You obviously really enjoy - and are extremely talented at - pushing things far, farm FAR their normal limits. Care to share if there's anywhere you won't go?
Dani: Pushing things far from their normal limits is how I mentally deal with being around people who liked to push things too far and wouldn’t stop until I was broken. Obviously, I’m no longer surrounded by people like that so some of my writing has become more subtle.
I guess in fiction, there aren’t really any limits because it isn’t real. The characters aren’t real. If any of my books were to be filmed, that’s what SFX are for (whether analogue or CGI).
Although I’m not uncomfortable writing rape, or killing animals, etc. etc. I do get a bit uncomfortable as the ages of my characters get lower. So I probably wouldn’t write about teens in sexual situations. I do have two teen girls in the stories I’m currently working on, but they’re never around when the sexy stuff is happening. And neither are presented in a sexual way. I guess that’s where my limit is. Preserving childhood innocence. And there’s enough nasty people in the world that take that innocence away long before it should be.
Christian: Would get a kick from learning more about your process, especially what weird, wild, and wonderful things inspire you.
Dani: Most of my ideas originate as song lyrics from whatever I’m listening to. Lately, I’ve had one of the nasty winter viruses that are circulating. This made my ears swell so my hearing is even worse than usual and I thought I heard in a song “hack the future” (knowing full well that isn’t the actual lyric because it wouldn’t work with the song or any of the band’s songs, but it sounds cool, I did eventually look up the lyric and it is very far from that and I’m sure there’s a song somewhere that uses something along the lines of “hack the future”). I’ve been mulling that over for the last few days and eventually I’ll have a story that explores hacking the future in some way. Not sure how yet, but there will be something.
Stef and Tucker are probably the most noticeable of misheard lyrics. Well, they weren’t really misheard. I just changed them after my boyfriend at the time had listened to the same album for about the fifth time in a row. Then I made the guitarist and vocalist have the hots for each other based on the improvements I made to the lyrics of their songs. Then I wrote them as a series of stories. I’m taking a bit of a break from writing them for now as the last one (Mile High) seemed a bit tired.
Another thing I’m getting back into is writing cut-ups with found text. I used to always do this before moving to Liverpool. I felt that it really helped my fiction. I did actually put a few lines from Dav Crabes’ Trafficking and Sexual December into 56 Seconds (which I wrote five years ago in March). For all I know, the lines I lifted could have been lines I wrote originally. So I’ve been slowly getting back into doing cut-ups. Even if I never publish the actual cut-up, it gets me thinking about sentence structure and the way the words flow around each other, how they interact, how the meaning changes depending on what words are around it. It makes my writing more effective, which is something I missed while writing extreme horror and torture porn.
Christian: Of all your books and stories are there any that needed to be beaten into submission? Conversely, which was the easiest to write?
Dani: I’ve had stuff published that still needs to be beaten into submission. I know readers like them, but for me, most notably would be Reptile and Middle Age Rae of Fucking Sunshine. I’m not satisfied with either one of these books. I’ve spent a few books now trying to rewrite them. It wasn’t on any conscious level until I started to notice the similarities between them. I think at the time I wrote both of these books, I had too much stress with too many people with their cluster b personality disorders floating around me to write the deep sort of books I wanted to write with these two. I think after these two were written, I started and stuck to very shallow-surface level things (not to say they aren’t entertaining).
Prior to publication or even sending out onto slushpiles, I did have some problems with Sparky the Spunky Robot. I was burned out when I started to try to write it but it was an idea that wouldn’t rest and when it come out, it was easy. This was only a few months before I escaped the people with their cluster b personality disorders as well. I think I had tried writing it as sci-fi, then as horror, probably tried as erotica as well before I went with bizarro. It was the adding of the keytar player that really made this one work. So I guess the whip here was the keytar. And even with the horrible people floating about, it went a bit deeper than the books before it.
By far the absolute easiest books to write were 56 Seconds and Becoming. I wrote 56 Seconds in two weeks and Becoming took five (mainly trying to keep the rhythm along with making sure that the story is in there with that one). 56 Seconds was the second book I wrote after the escape. I don’t talk much about the first, mainly because it really sucks. I think this second one was probably in me all through the years between graduating and the law changing but it never had the opportunity to come out, until it did. Even out of print, it remains one of my most popular books (I will be putting it back into print soon, it is formatted and covered and ready to go). And Becoming is like a prequel to that. 56 Seconds had Marcy in her Angel of Death role. Becoming is what killed her and brought her to that point. I did have more stories planned with Marcy, but I needed a break after rapidly writing two winners and one loser in a row and unfortunately, the creeps that like to prey on relatively newly single women were targeting it me and that caused a lot of stress even with my new found power of being able to phone the police. So those books were never written. I’m working on some of those now.
Christian: Do you have any sexual (ahem) "interests" you haven't explored yet - but would want to?
Dani: It depends on what song lyrics I hear, I guess and then how I can subvert what (I think) is relatively normal bedroom behaviour. Some of my more memorable scenes involve screwing pillows or having eyeballs licked. The eyeballs are from a creepy comment left on my Instagram account many years ago, but the pillows are just in the story because of the flow of the words. I’ll be focusing more on the way the words work with each other so it’ll definitely push sexual “interests” into unchartered areas.
That and I’m also a somewhat petty person. If someone has pissed me off, but hasn’t done anything worthy of going no contact or phoning the police, I might find out who they work for and write their boss into tentacle porn. So I’m doing that right now too. That’s actually kinda fun. It is turning something pretty gross and weird into something sensual. In that story, I’m trying to make eating mutant cockroaches sexy as well. And I think there’s other sexual situations involving a character somewhat based on searchable information about someone’s boss that are equally as bizarre.
Dani: It depends on what song lyrics I hear, I guess and then how I can subvert what (I think) is relatively normal bedroom behaviour. Some of my more memorable scenes involve screwing pillows or having eyeballs licked. The eyeballs are from a creepy comment left on my Instagram account many years ago, but the pillows are just in the story because of the flow of the words. I’ll be focusing more on the way the words work with each other so it’ll definitely push sexual “interests” into unchartered areas.
That and I’m also a somewhat petty person. If someone has pissed me off, but hasn’t done anything worthy of going no contact or phoning the police, I might find out who they work for and write their boss into tentacle porn. So I’m doing that right now too. That’s actually kinda fun. It is turning something pretty gross and weird into something sensual. In that story, I’m trying to make eating mutant cockroaches sexy as well. And I think there’s other sexual situations involving a character somewhat based on searchable information about someone’s boss that are equally as bizarre.
Christian: What kind of tree would you like to be? Seriously, what directors do you want to film which of your books?
Dani: Ooo, what kind of tree? One loved by pigeons and doves. I like pigeons and doves.
I haven’t really thought about directors. Certainly not Quentin Tarantino. I can’t stand his films. Jeez, if I wanted to watch foot fetish porn, I would watch foot fetish porn without a bunch of filters over it so it looks like a grindhouse movie right down to Tarantino’s films having fake missing scenes. Trust me, foot creep, none of your scenes will go missing. You’re every film student’s wet dream and must have the same symbolism book that Dan Brown uses. Your scenes will be protected for that very reason. And if not for that, then I’m sure people with a foot fetish will preserve them.
I do wonder if maybe Selene Kapsaski would be able to pull off Stef and Tucker, but I’ve never actually asked her.
With some of my more experimental stuff, the intention was always to go multi-media with it so I might film some of that myself, but it wouldn’t really be a movie. More like a full immersive experience. Like in a box with scenes projected onto the walls and sound pumped in.
Christian: What else do you enjoy doing - aside from writing delightfully twisted tales, that is.
Dani: I think I’ve already mentioned ballet. I don’t have the space in my house to train in contemporary ballet right now, so I’m stuck in classical. When you start doing ballet, when you’re really young (I started when I was around six or seven) you’re trained under the assumption that you’ll want to do classical. So I have more classical training and can do it in place while I don’t have access to a dance studio. And you still need a classical background to do other types of ballet.
When I’m not dancing or writing and have spare time, I’m trying to regain skills I lost over the years. I’m feeling pretty confident with visual art once more. Now I need to hone those skills, which is just constant practicing and sketching. I like to circuit bend as well. I’m hoping the upcoming 12 months will have space for more of that.
I also have a career outside of writing. I work in marketing. I could probably work on marketing my own stuff a bit more, because it is something I genuinely enjoy. In terms of my visual art, I’m hoping to finish the year with a few freelance clients over in the world of print media advertising. I know it is much less of a thing now with the decline of print media but billboards and the side of buses are still things. But right now, I’m in content marketing, where I intend on staying for quite some time. So when I’m not writing, I’m analysing page views and SEO. I think I’m going to take that to the next level by practicing with my own website and social media, which really could use a bit more effort and attention from me.
Dani:
1. Some of your stories have a real overt sexuality, but others are more subtle and sensual. How do you find the balance with the subtle ones?
Christian:
Well … it's usually because an editor or publisher requested more or less explicit content or—and this is going to sound considerably less precise—the story or book "felt" better with more or less implicit language.
As for which I prefer … It's tough to say. Bumpy-grindy can be a bit of a chore to slog through as there are only so many ways to describe our various body parts and the sexual activities that can be done with and/or to them.
Likewise, our anatomy, kinks, fetishes, and whatnot can be equally tough to write when I can't use all those wonderfully dirty words.
Though neither is a huge issue, mainly because I try to focus not on the act (or acts) themselves but how sex feels emotionally.
I think that's why my LGBTQIA2S+ erotica has been (so far) pretty well received. I mean, I may lack the experience (or the equipment), but as with everyone else on this planet, I know sex can be scary, embarrassing, disturbing, and regretful and be really, really, really hot.
I love exploring what sex is and can be in an erotic story, how it doesn't have to be penetrative or even orgasmic to be arousing—and why I'm so fond of putting the peanutty saltiness of science fiction into the chocolatey sweetness of erotica.
Whether it's playing with gender non-conformity, dreaming up new kinks and fetishes, or having a hoot-and-a-half imagining what, how, and why (and where) we may find pleasurable in the near or far future, if I had to limit myself to a single sub-genre erotic speculative fiction would definitely be it.
Dani:
2. Hard Drive is the first distinctly sci-fi I have read in years (possibly since my son was a baby). The technology ideas in the stories seem so advanced. So, firstly, where do they come from?
Christian:
It all started with Thunderbirds, Space Ghost, Jonny Quest, and Star Trek and will be with me long after my consciousness is uploaded (or my head gets stuck in a jar)
Aside from the whizz-bang, "final frontier," and blast-off grooviness of it, sci-fi always feels hopeful—even when it's dark and broody.
So naturally I really, really, really wanted to write it. Ten years and some fifty unsold stories later, I made my first erotica and sci-fi sandwich… which Lisa Palak bought for Future Sex Magazine and was then reprinted in Susie Bright's Best American Erotica, 1994.
Six novels, twelve collections, 50+ stories, 25 anthologies edited, and 700+ non-fiction articles later, here I am—and, having barely turned sixty-three, hope to finish ten or more novels, a couple of anthologies, another dozen collections, and a buncha new stories (along with various "out there" projects) before my mind's digitized or my noggin's pickled.
But to answer your question, part and parcel with being such an unabashedly passionate sci-fi enthusiast—for me at least—is a fascination with science and technology.
When I stumble across something exciting, I immediately begin speculating on what it might mean for humanity as a whole—or, specifically, human sexuality—and from there, if it would make a good story.
My early stuff was noir-ish, as cyberpunk was all the rage in the 90s, but since then I've favored a more optimistic future.
It's not that I'm a hundred percent certain things'll get better. Rather, dystopias are over and done with as a genre. Two, I'm worried they've been so ingrained into our social consciousness we can't imagine a brighter, happier world without first destroying the one we’re living in right now.
So I'm doing my best to show that we shouldn't automatically fear the future—and how social, technological, and sexual changes could make life, and its pleasures, better for everyone.
Dani: Ooo, what kind of tree? One loved by pigeons and doves. I like pigeons and doves.
I haven’t really thought about directors. Certainly not Quentin Tarantino. I can’t stand his films. Jeez, if I wanted to watch foot fetish porn, I would watch foot fetish porn without a bunch of filters over it so it looks like a grindhouse movie right down to Tarantino’s films having fake missing scenes. Trust me, foot creep, none of your scenes will go missing. You’re every film student’s wet dream and must have the same symbolism book that Dan Brown uses. Your scenes will be protected for that very reason. And if not for that, then I’m sure people with a foot fetish will preserve them.
I do wonder if maybe Selene Kapsaski would be able to pull off Stef and Tucker, but I’ve never actually asked her.
With some of my more experimental stuff, the intention was always to go multi-media with it so I might film some of that myself, but it wouldn’t really be a movie. More like a full immersive experience. Like in a box with scenes projected onto the walls and sound pumped in.
Christian: What else do you enjoy doing - aside from writing delightfully twisted tales, that is.
Dani: I think I’ve already mentioned ballet. I don’t have the space in my house to train in contemporary ballet right now, so I’m stuck in classical. When you start doing ballet, when you’re really young (I started when I was around six or seven) you’re trained under the assumption that you’ll want to do classical. So I have more classical training and can do it in place while I don’t have access to a dance studio. And you still need a classical background to do other types of ballet.
When I’m not dancing or writing and have spare time, I’m trying to regain skills I lost over the years. I’m feeling pretty confident with visual art once more. Now I need to hone those skills, which is just constant practicing and sketching. I like to circuit bend as well. I’m hoping the upcoming 12 months will have space for more of that.
I also have a career outside of writing. I work in marketing. I could probably work on marketing my own stuff a bit more, because it is something I genuinely enjoy. In terms of my visual art, I’m hoping to finish the year with a few freelance clients over in the world of print media advertising. I know it is much less of a thing now with the decline of print media but billboards and the side of buses are still things. But right now, I’m in content marketing, where I intend on staying for quite some time. So when I’m not writing, I’m analysing page views and SEO. I think I’m going to take that to the next level by practicing with my own website and social media, which really could use a bit more effort and attention from me.
***
M. Christian Interviewed by Dani Brown
Dani:
1. Some of your stories have a real overt sexuality, but others are more subtle and sensual. How do you find the balance with the subtle ones?
Christian:
Well … it's usually because an editor or publisher requested more or less explicit content or—and this is going to sound considerably less precise—the story or book "felt" better with more or less implicit language.
As for which I prefer … It's tough to say. Bumpy-grindy can be a bit of a chore to slog through as there are only so many ways to describe our various body parts and the sexual activities that can be done with and/or to them.
Likewise, our anatomy, kinks, fetishes, and whatnot can be equally tough to write when I can't use all those wonderfully dirty words.
Though neither is a huge issue, mainly because I try to focus not on the act (or acts) themselves but how sex feels emotionally.
I think that's why my LGBTQIA2S+ erotica has been (so far) pretty well received. I mean, I may lack the experience (or the equipment), but as with everyone else on this planet, I know sex can be scary, embarrassing, disturbing, and regretful and be really, really, really hot.
I love exploring what sex is and can be in an erotic story, how it doesn't have to be penetrative or even orgasmic to be arousing—and why I'm so fond of putting the peanutty saltiness of science fiction into the chocolatey sweetness of erotica.
Whether it's playing with gender non-conformity, dreaming up new kinks and fetishes, or having a hoot-and-a-half imagining what, how, and why (and where) we may find pleasurable in the near or far future, if I had to limit myself to a single sub-genre erotic speculative fiction would definitely be it.
Dani:
2. Hard Drive is the first distinctly sci-fi I have read in years (possibly since my son was a baby). The technology ideas in the stories seem so advanced. So, firstly, where do they come from?
Christian:
It all started with Thunderbirds, Space Ghost, Jonny Quest, and Star Trek and will be with me long after my consciousness is uploaded (or my head gets stuck in a jar)
Aside from the whizz-bang, "final frontier," and blast-off grooviness of it, sci-fi always feels hopeful—even when it's dark and broody.
So naturally I really, really, really wanted to write it. Ten years and some fifty unsold stories later, I made my first erotica and sci-fi sandwich… which Lisa Palak bought for Future Sex Magazine and was then reprinted in Susie Bright's Best American Erotica, 1994.
Six novels, twelve collections, 50+ stories, 25 anthologies edited, and 700+ non-fiction articles later, here I am—and, having barely turned sixty-three, hope to finish ten or more novels, a couple of anthologies, another dozen collections, and a buncha new stories (along with various "out there" projects) before my mind's digitized or my noggin's pickled.
But to answer your question, part and parcel with being such an unabashedly passionate sci-fi enthusiast—for me at least—is a fascination with science and technology.
When I stumble across something exciting, I immediately begin speculating on what it might mean for humanity as a whole—or, specifically, human sexuality—and from there, if it would make a good story.
My early stuff was noir-ish, as cyberpunk was all the rage in the 90s, but since then I've favored a more optimistic future.
It's not that I'm a hundred percent certain things'll get better. Rather, dystopias are over and done with as a genre. Two, I'm worried they've been so ingrained into our social consciousness we can't imagine a brighter, happier world without first destroying the one we’re living in right now.
So I'm doing my best to show that we shouldn't automatically fear the future—and how social, technological, and sexual changes could make life, and its pleasures, better for everyone.
Dani:
And secondly, do you think any of it could be developed for proficient use?
Christian:
Absolutely! In fact, I sincerely hope so as there are so many awesome and ultra-fun technologies under development.
Especially of the sexual variety, of which I'm fortunate to get the inside scoop on as a senior columnist for FutureOfSex.net, "The world's leading publication on how technology is changing human sexuality," as well as with the other sextech and sexual education sites I write for.
I've written nearly seven hundred articles, primarily for FutureOFSex, on everything from next-generation smart sextoys to erotically out-there tech such as virtual and augmented reality, sexbots, neural networks, artificial intelligence research, and stuff like that there.
Augmented reality is a personal favorite. Unlike virtual reality, which replaces the so-called real world with an artificial one, augmented reality enhances or modifies what the wearer is looking at.
Need to repair something? Slip on a pair of AR shades and see what part goes where. Now picture a world where you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about a person—with a glance.
More accurately, "whatever they want to share." As in their pronouns, native language, interests, and what they enjoy doing in bed.
Think how amazing it'll be to socially and sexually connect with each other as never before. Or, if you're into that sort of thing, conjuring a virtual playmate like a genie from lamp or voyage to an as-real-as-real-life erotic wonderland.
Anyway, it's pretty obvious I'm an embarrassingly enthusiastic devotee of all things sex, science, and science fiction so, yes, absolutely, positively, my fingers are very firmly crossed this sort of technology will become both widespread and affordable; because the future and all of its marvels should belong to all of us and not merely the filthy rich.
Dani:
3. What sort of process do you use when writing? Any weird rituals or special objects (i.e., lucky pen)?
Christian:
None per se, though I have a somewhat usual routine: up at seven, fool with some of my hobbies until ten, have a bite, and then get to work.
Unless I'm on a roll, I quit from three thirty to four. Afterwards it's paperwork (emails, etc.) followed by a thirty-plus minute walk and an evening of playing video games while watching bad horror movies.
The latter sounds weird, but ADHD makes it hard to concentrate without additional stimulation—except when I'm working.
I'm not a pen-and-paper writer. Back to my hardcore geekiness, my desk is fitted with a pair of high-def monitors: the left is vertically oriented and hooked up to my MacBook Air while the right is horizontal and connected to my PS4.
My technofetishism doesn't stop there. No siree! I may live in a large-ish studio apartment here in Eugene, Oregon, but I get a rush out of making it as smart as I can—er, "afford."
So I guess telling Siri to activate Work Mode, which switches my iPhone, computer, and iPad to Do Not Disturb could be considered a writing ritual. But I wouldn’t call it essential—just cool.
Dani:
4. Is there anything you find particularly inspiring?
Christian:
Hum … in all honesty, I think everything, to some extent or another, does.
Scrolling through my newsfeed, checking social media, watching documentaries on YouTube, stumbling across an interesting show or movie, or a million other things can kick my imagination into overdrive.
I also get off by challenging myself by "writing" (in my head, that is) an episode of a TV show, book, or film in a particular style or imagining life in the past, future, or in a wildly different alternate reality. Another is to "fix" a show, book, movie, or whatever—which often inspires an entirely new project.
I love to create … anything. Stories, books, articles, anthologies--but it doesn't stop there.
Dani:
5. What brought you to this point in your career? And where do you go from here (or where would you like to go)?
Christian:
I've always been, for lack of a better word, enthusiastic. I suppose it's rooted in it taking such a long time for me to move from amateur to professional, so I jump at any and every opportunity which comes my way.
That and I'm a staunch believer in stretching myself creatively, as in you’ll never know what you might be good at until you try.
Such as writing erotica, mysteries, thrillers, romance, non-fiction articles, editing anthologies, or teaching how to do kink safely—though I'm admittedly better at some rather than others.
That I'm going to keep doing for the rest of my life. Sure, there’s the ten novels, twelve collections, and the other things I want to complete—not to mention the ones I haven't thought of yet.
Interactive fiction or experimenting with game-design springs to mind but , excuse the cliché, the sky's the limit when it comes to what I, you, or anyone, are capable of.
Dani:
6. And finally, who are you when you aren't a writer? What are you doing (other than reviewing sex toys on your website)? What interests you?
Christian:
I enjoy collecting hobbies. You name it and I've probably dabbled in it: computer graphics, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, architecture, interior design, fashion, wearable technology, and, for the last year, having a helluva good time fooling around with CAD software and 3D printing.
Not forgetting my attempts to be anything but a less-than-basic cook; playing with my kitty, Sweet Pea; traveling (though COVID poured cold water on that); popping a cap in your ass in GTAV; attending and teaching at BDSM events; doing Licking NonVanilla podcasts with my bestie, Ralph Greco, Jr.; or (gasp) maybe even finding someone to play with.
For reviewing sex toys, they're more a vocation than an avocation, though test-driving the newest, brightest, and oh-so-very-smart ones never fails to tickle my sexual—and geeky, sci-fi loving, futuristic—fancy.
Christian:
Absolutely! In fact, I sincerely hope so as there are so many awesome and ultra-fun technologies under development.
Especially of the sexual variety, of which I'm fortunate to get the inside scoop on as a senior columnist for FutureOfSex.net, "The world's leading publication on how technology is changing human sexuality," as well as with the other sextech and sexual education sites I write for.
I've written nearly seven hundred articles, primarily for FutureOFSex, on everything from next-generation smart sextoys to erotically out-there tech such as virtual and augmented reality, sexbots, neural networks, artificial intelligence research, and stuff like that there.
Augmented reality is a personal favorite. Unlike virtual reality, which replaces the so-called real world with an artificial one, augmented reality enhances or modifies what the wearer is looking at.
Need to repair something? Slip on a pair of AR shades and see what part goes where. Now picture a world where you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about a person—with a glance.
More accurately, "whatever they want to share." As in their pronouns, native language, interests, and what they enjoy doing in bed.
Think how amazing it'll be to socially and sexually connect with each other as never before. Or, if you're into that sort of thing, conjuring a virtual playmate like a genie from lamp or voyage to an as-real-as-real-life erotic wonderland.
Anyway, it's pretty obvious I'm an embarrassingly enthusiastic devotee of all things sex, science, and science fiction so, yes, absolutely, positively, my fingers are very firmly crossed this sort of technology will become both widespread and affordable; because the future and all of its marvels should belong to all of us and not merely the filthy rich.
Dani:
3. What sort of process do you use when writing? Any weird rituals or special objects (i.e., lucky pen)?
Christian:
None per se, though I have a somewhat usual routine: up at seven, fool with some of my hobbies until ten, have a bite, and then get to work.
Unless I'm on a roll, I quit from three thirty to four. Afterwards it's paperwork (emails, etc.) followed by a thirty-plus minute walk and an evening of playing video games while watching bad horror movies.
The latter sounds weird, but ADHD makes it hard to concentrate without additional stimulation—except when I'm working.
I'm not a pen-and-paper writer. Back to my hardcore geekiness, my desk is fitted with a pair of high-def monitors: the left is vertically oriented and hooked up to my MacBook Air while the right is horizontal and connected to my PS4.
My technofetishism doesn't stop there. No siree! I may live in a large-ish studio apartment here in Eugene, Oregon, but I get a rush out of making it as smart as I can—er, "afford."
So I guess telling Siri to activate Work Mode, which switches my iPhone, computer, and iPad to Do Not Disturb could be considered a writing ritual. But I wouldn’t call it essential—just cool.
Dani:
4. Is there anything you find particularly inspiring?
Christian:
Hum … in all honesty, I think everything, to some extent or another, does.
Scrolling through my newsfeed, checking social media, watching documentaries on YouTube, stumbling across an interesting show or movie, or a million other things can kick my imagination into overdrive.
I also get off by challenging myself by "writing" (in my head, that is) an episode of a TV show, book, or film in a particular style or imagining life in the past, future, or in a wildly different alternate reality. Another is to "fix" a show, book, movie, or whatever—which often inspires an entirely new project.
I love to create … anything. Stories, books, articles, anthologies--but it doesn't stop there.
Dani:
5. What brought you to this point in your career? And where do you go from here (or where would you like to go)?
Christian:
I've always been, for lack of a better word, enthusiastic. I suppose it's rooted in it taking such a long time for me to move from amateur to professional, so I jump at any and every opportunity which comes my way.
That and I'm a staunch believer in stretching myself creatively, as in you’ll never know what you might be good at until you try.
Such as writing erotica, mysteries, thrillers, romance, non-fiction articles, editing anthologies, or teaching how to do kink safely—though I'm admittedly better at some rather than others.
That I'm going to keep doing for the rest of my life. Sure, there’s the ten novels, twelve collections, and the other things I want to complete—not to mention the ones I haven't thought of yet.
Interactive fiction or experimenting with game-design springs to mind but , excuse the cliché, the sky's the limit when it comes to what I, you, or anyone, are capable of.
Dani:
6. And finally, who are you when you aren't a writer? What are you doing (other than reviewing sex toys on your website)? What interests you?
Christian:
I enjoy collecting hobbies. You name it and I've probably dabbled in it: computer graphics, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, architecture, interior design, fashion, wearable technology, and, for the last year, having a helluva good time fooling around with CAD software and 3D printing.
Not forgetting my attempts to be anything but a less-than-basic cook; playing with my kitty, Sweet Pea; traveling (though COVID poured cold water on that); popping a cap in your ass in GTAV; attending and teaching at BDSM events; doing Licking NonVanilla podcasts with my bestie, Ralph Greco, Jr.; or (gasp) maybe even finding someone to play with.
For reviewing sex toys, they're more a vocation than an avocation, though test-driving the newest, brightest, and oh-so-very-smart ones never fails to tickle my sexual—and geeky, sci-fi loving, futuristic—fancy.
***
Thanks, again, to our visiting authors, Dani Brown and M. Christian, for their dual interview. Fans of our writers will be happy to hear that both Dani and Christian are scheduled to be featured in Unthinkable Tales Anthology Volume Five. So look for that hopefully in June 2023 on Amazon Kindle. Until then thanks for joining us. See you soon.
