Iridescence Blog Tour- June 28th 2006

Five Questions from Jolie du Pre, editor of Iridescence, for Terri Pray, author of After the Door Closes

1. Why do you write erotica?

It was all my husband's idea (Don't you just love being able to blame someone else) I'd written short stories before but never erotica. Unless you count erotic scenes in text based rpgs. But he had this great idea that I should take part in an erotic flash fiction competition so as a giggle I went for it - and came in joint third place. It was for Katy Terraga's site, which I think is now gone. Either way I had a blast and decided to see what else I could write. Since then there has been no stopping me.

2. What do you like best about lesbian erotica?
There's something beautiful about writing scenes between two women, but once you get past that, to the story, it's the emotions involved. After all, who understands how a woman thinks and feels better than another woman?

3. What is the theme of your story After the Door Closes in Iridescence: Sensuous Shades of
Lesbian Erotica?

Lisabeth and Shayla run a sex toy store together, and they have been life partners for some years. But even a committed couple has to remember to seize the moment and enjoy life, find the spark and enjoy those delicious sensual moments together. Even it that means closing the store and having a little fun...

4. Name some other books where we can find your work.

You'll find my work all over the place, from contemporary erotic romances in Barnes and Noble (Whispered Secrets, Sweet Deceptions and Focused on Love) through to shorts in the Forbidden Love series http://www.underthemoon.org/ and ebooks with http://www.loose-id.com/, http://www.mojocastle.com/ and more! I also have stories coming up in Superquerioes and a lesbian erotic romance with Mojo Castle called Green Dreams!

5. Just for fun! Gym Shoes or Stilettos?

Gym Shoes. Heels EVILLLLLL. Seriously, anything more than a 3/4 inch heel and I'm crippled.

Terri Pray

Triskelion's closure

In light of the news that Triskelion Publishing is filing chapter 7 on July 2nd I have officially asked for my rights back for the book Play for Me, released April 4th 2007. I have never been paid for this book, and hereby reclaim my Intellectual Property.

Triskelion have a FedEx next day delivery letter en route to them which will be with them 10am Thursday June 21st. I am expecting them to refuse to accept the letter.

I strongly advise no one buys from the website, which is still up and running as they are unlikey to pay any authors and cannot once paperwork is filed.

Please DO NOT buy anything from the site.

Terri Pray

Plumbers, ceilings and black mold ...oh my...

We’ve had problems with the upstairs bathroom since we first moved into this house a year ago. Since December it’s slowly become worse, with floods, water pouring through the kitchen ceiling and finally we’d had enough. We’d asked the landlord to get a plumber in back in February, then again in April. Once again he sent someone just to snake the toilet and this time the man took a good long look at the problem, shook his head and did the ‘you need a plumber love, I can’t fix this.’

So on Thursday of last week the plumber arrived and took a look see.

The news wasn’t good. The pipes were cracked. He’d have to be back on Monday to fix it as he’d need to rip out part of the kitchen ceiling.

All through the weekend there was a slow drip, drip, drip onto the kitchen floor, even after the plumber had turned off the water up there, so when he arrived this morning the look of horror on his face was a sight to see. After digging his way into the ceiling the swearing and ‘oh shit’ commenced. It was a mess. Black mold in the ceiling. The boards and plaster were sopping wet and it was lucky it hadn’t caved in on us all. But, after 5 hours work he had the pipes replaced. Unfortunately we now have a large hole in the ceiling and mold to deal with.

We have to wait a week to help dry it all out, then call a contractor in to fix that. Which could mean all the boards up there being removed, the ceiling replaced and dust everywhere. Including some of the kitchen cabinets being removed whilst they work.

I don’t think the landlord is going to be very pleased. But he should have had someone out months ago after the first flood. And this is coming out of the rent we pay him.

On top of that a week ago our room mate, John, left, without warning, to run off to his latest fling. At first I was very hurt by this. We’ve put a roof over his head and paid his way for the most part for the past 16 months. But now I realize just how much stress his growling, scowls and shouting at the children had caused. I feel lighter. I’m also physically lighter as well. We’ve also found out many of the lies he’d told us. Including work on the chat site I own that he failed to do. Some of it dating back up to six months as we’ve now found out from room controllers on the site.

I wish him and his new lady luck. But I’m reminded of the fact that a leopard can’t change his spots.

Do I miss the friendship with him? Of course I do. He was a big part of my life and the lives of my husband and children for a long time. But we’ve learned that it meant little or nothing to him by the way he’s acted towards us. Perhaps, in time, he’ll finally make amends by treating us as human beings, not disposable people.

However – I’m not holding my breath.

So onwards and upwards. My husband now has to work longer hours as John isn’t here to do the work he gave his word to do. I now have to juggle things even more as he isn’t here to help with the children and give me the dedicated writing time he promised, yet again, only three weeks before he left. And I’m not going to go into the rest of the details as – well the lady he is with deserves a chance to see if he can change, without having my doubts whispering at the back of her mind.

Triskelion, one of the companies I am with, has lost some of its best and brightest, so I’m watching to see what will happen there. I have to admit being a little uncertain as, despite comments on list, I’ve yet to see a royalty statement for a book that has now been out 2 months. I’m hoping this is just a glitch.

Loose-ID. I’ve got two releases coming soon with them. And they are still a joy to work with. I’m currently working on the second in, I hope, a series for them.

Mojo- what can I say. I love working with Stef. She’s a hoot. And she treats her authors like people instead of cattle.

Chippewa/Lady Aibell. Major issues there. One book was published without a contract it appears. And efforts to sort this out have been met with silence and apparent ‘email’ issues. Oddly enough I didn’t have any problem with Catherine Chant, the editor I was working with there until recently. Add to that the lack of royalty statements and the haphazard way payments show up (when/if/maybe) I’m at the point of pulling everything from there and washing my hands of them. I don’t like that. Rebecca is a nice person, but she currently seems unable to manage the situation.

So that’s where things currently stand and now I need to go back and focus on my writing. I’m 10,000 words into Magic’s Line right now and hoping to get the first draft finished by the 15th.

Terri Pray