7th Inning Stretch

7th Inning Stretch

7th Inning Stretch

It’s the 7th Inning Stretch, and I need it. What does that mean, you may ask? It’s a baseball term. It means to stop, rest and reset, and then finish the game. Fans and players take advantage of this tradition. It’s also a chance to hit the concession stands and buy a last round of beer and snacks—any way to make money. Yes, I’m being cynical, but that’s okay too. I’m allowed to have an opinion. 

If you don’t follow baseball, that’s okay. I only follow it during the playoffs, although I’ll occasionally go to a game now and then. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve gone.

Why the 7th inning stretch?

Now, you may ask why I am bringing up this? It’s because I’ve been on a marathon of writing during my vacation. I had eight straight days to apply myself to book five of the Consortium Series. As I reported in my last post, I made excellent progress. I hoped to finish out the time with three more chapters.  more “7th Inning Stretch”

Prolific

Prolific

It seems I am very prolific this week. I took time off from work to burn some vacation time. You know the saying, ‘use it or lose it.’ Since I don’t want to lose it, I’m using it too great success in working on Book 5 in the Consortium series.

You, my readers, will be happy to know that so far this week, I’ve written several chapters totalling twenty thousand, four hundred twenty-four words. That’s 20,424 in case you need the numerals. And I still have four days to go until I must return to work. I wonder just what I can accomplish in that time.

Definition

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of the word prolific is:

pro·​lif·​ic | \ prə-ˈli-fik \ adjective.

1: producing young or fruit especially freely: FRUITFUL
2: archaic: causing abundant growth, generation, or reproduction
3: marked by abundant inventiveness or productivity, a prolific composer.

Prolific Time of my Life

Working on this book over the past six days has been fun. I go to bed the night before, and I wake up knowing exactly what the next chapter or two will entail. Then, it’s just writing… writing… and more writing fleshing out the scenes and incorporating the dialogue and injecting the emotions appropriate to the moment.

prolific progress on Consortium Book 5

I’ve gotta say I’m having fun with this book. The action is getting intriguing. Of course, it’s as hot as ever, incorporating a couple of sexual scenes that will make you blush. But isn’t that what all my books incorporate.

The story picks up with Sir and the Consortium forced to deal the crash of their cargo plane full of new prey to auction off and the exposure of their cabal. Sir discovers he cannot contain the media and lost control of the situation. Never in his life has he not been in control of something important to him, and it frustrates and tortures him. I say, ‘Good!’ Serves him right.

The media, discovering the crashed plane’s cargo of naked humans spread across the crash site, sensationalizes the public. National and global media outlets pick up the story, tantalizing their viewers, and awaking powerful people world-wide not affiliated with the Consortium into action.

Can you imagine how the world would react if this happened for real? A violent riot stays fresh in the media for weeks and months. What would you do if you knew that your missing cousin, son, or daughter were among the victims? Would you sit back and say, “Oh well.” Of course not.

I know you’re eager to read this next installment. Rest assured, it’s coming and at a faster pace than the last book. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Okay, I’ve got to get back to writing the story. I’m too excited to leave it alone for longer than necessary.

Finally

I want to thank everyone who wrote me, in response to my post, ‘Quite the Ride.’ You shared stories dealing with medical issues and trauma similar to what I experienced over the past month or so. I appreciate you sharing your heartaches, and I strove hard to write to everyone thanking them for their well wishes. Some of those that wrote me had it even harder than I did. I feel for you; I do and I’m sorry, and you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

 

The Trafficking Consortium released

The Trafficking Consortium released

These last several weeks have been hard, but I have some good news. I completed the final steps in order to submit for publication my latest book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ I uploaded it to Amazon last Wednesday. Sales for the first three days are off to a great start, selling numerous copies in the U.S., Great Britain, and Germany in only three days. This without any real marketing.

I’m ecstatic.

The Trafficking ConsortiumOh yes, I have been talking about it for months now, but now it is a reality. Now begins the daunting task of marketing the book. Seeing the early results, I’m trying something new. I’ll let you all know in the months ahead how it goes. All that is left to do is the prepare the paperback version and upload it to the printers. If you get a chance, check the book out. It is available for free on Kindle Unlimited or just $2.99 to purchase it outright for your Kindle or your favorite eBook reader.

It’s a brutal erotic suspense thriller about Avril Gillios, a young woman in her mid-twenties, who get’s caught up in an international organized crime ring specializing in human trafficking. The thousand-year old organization call themselves ‘The Consortium.’ Their affluent and influential members can order or acquire anyone, men and women alike, to satisfy their unique needs and desires. From organ acquisition; to perverse sexual satisfaction; or feasting upon their prey, they seemingly operate above the law all across the globe.

Told from Avril’s point of view, the story describes how this criminal organization targets her, kidnaps her right off the streets of NYC and sells her to the highest bidder; marking the beginning of a new life, forever barred from returning to the only life she ever knew.

The Trafficking Consortium
Copyright (c) Richard Verry 2016

She must navigate the perilous events that threaten her life to survive her ordeal and attempt escape. Sold to a sadistic monster, her captivity is relatively comfortable. Locked in a luxurious suite with all the trimmings included in the most elegant high-end luxury apartments enjoyed by the upper one-percenters, a cage is still a cage.

She endures brutal beatings and violent ravishments as her new owner trains her to be compliant to his demands and needs. Along the way, she discovers that her sadistic owner loves her, in his own way.

Confused and bewildered, she must figure out how to navigate the ever narrowing serpentine path to escape the growing threat to her life. Her captor eventually gives her an impossible choice, one that takes away all doubt of what he intends to do with her. However, he requires that she select the path that her life will take. Failing to choose is the same as choosing a horrific, slow, and painful death.

Will she choose life or death? I encourage you to find out for yourself.

How do I think of these things in such detail?

How do I think of these things in such detail?

Yesterday, I received this intriguing comment from one of my readers. My life partner girlfriend also wants to know the answer to this question. She cringes at many of my stories. As many times as I try to satisfy her with a reply, sooner or later, she brings it up once again. I figure everyone of my readers is thinking the same thing. So I thought I would give it a stab and try to answer the question.

The reader asked the following question.

“Just finished the 2nd book. [‘Her Overseer,’ book 2 in the ‘Her Client’ trilogy] and I need time to think about this one? Guess my question is how do you think of these things in such detail? It was pretty gruesome. Are there things you write about that you’ve done or want to do? Just wondering.”

Her OverseerThe book, ‘Her Overseer’ is gruesome. It is brutal and graphic. It is the second part of a three-part story within the ‘Her Client’ trilogy. There is a twist in book 3, ‘Her Essentia’ which I think readers will enjoy. My girlfriend cringed reading the first two books, but by hanging in there, she found redemption in the third book.

Frankly, I don’t know how I think up these scenes and describe them in such detail. They just appear in my head as I write them. To me, it is a natural progression of the story that seems obvious as I write.

I’ve been an avid reader all my life. From a young age, I’ve always been interested in mystery/suspense and true crime novels. Later I added science fiction to the list. The more fantastic the story, the more out there the characters behaved, the more I liked it. However, I’m not referring to fantasy stories such as depicted in today’s graphic novels and the like. I like realistic stories that are plausible and could happen in real life. Some of my favorite books from my early years included the true crimes of the FBI, which depicted the thoughts and reasonings of characters on both sides of the law.

 18" x 24" graphite on 50# matte paper
Today’s Challenge

My paintings and drawings reflect a naturalistic world. I love realism in my creative works. I don’t do abstract or fantastical creatures, such as depicted in much of today’s art. The one exception would be my love of mermaids.

Mythical, yes. Naturalistic, yes. Plausible … absolutely.

But fantastic creatures that nature could not possibly develop on this planet through natural selection … no.

I also believe in monsters. Not the kind thought up by the creative minds of scary movie, no, I mean the human kind of monster. The kind that actually exists.

I write what I believe could naturally occur, here on earth, by humans. Nature is uncaring and brutal. Sharks and other predators don’t care about the feelings of their prey. They kill and eat what they want and move on. Orca whales have been observed playing with and tormenting their prey before killing them. From the lowliest of life on earth to the king of the jungle, this is how nature developed life on our planet.

All humans have this drive built into our DNA. Societal norms try to adjust us to not act upon our baser instincts but wInterview Snippets on Mona's Storiese all let it out, at some time or another. A husband beating his wife to belting a misbehaving child when a simple spank of the hand would do, are just two examples of human instincts struggling for release. I could list thousands of examples supporting my belief. Fortunately, most of us suppress this impulse as best as we can.

My stories delve into the realm of humans who drop their shields and let out their baser instincts. My monsters are real, and I have little doubt that the monsters depicted in the ‘Her Client’ trilogy, are real and they exist. They hide and stay out of the limelight, but they exist. In the real world, a rare few are discovered and make the news, but I believe that the known monsters are a small percentage of the total out there. No one can convince me otherwise. My scenes are gruesome and describe a realistic interpretation of the human monster hiding in all of us.

As to the reader’s follow-up question, no I don’t write about what I’ve done, nor what I want to do. Like 99.99999% of the population, I suppress my inner instincts in everyday life. However, I will grant you, that perhaps it is possible, that as I write, I allow a tiny fraction of my basic human suppressed instinct out, enabling me to write in such detail.

I’ve been told that writers write what they know. I don’t believe this. Look at Stephen King’s novels. Do you really think he did all that he wrote about? Do you think he thinks about really doing it? I doubt it. Do I wish I could actually do what I write about in my scenes? Definitely not. I’m a pacifist at heart. It’s all in my imagination, knowing full well that these monsters do exist.

On thing I discovered in my writing journey is that I like to write from the character’s point of view, rather than a third party, observers point of view. I like to write what the characters think and feel. At times I will bounce from the protagonist’s point of view to the antagonist’s point of view and back again. I find it interesting to reveal their thoughts and ideas. I like to expose their emotions of surprise, love, lust, anger, fear, rage, bloodthirst, relief and revenge as the scene develops.

Find out how the human race survives 3DIn ‘The Taste of Honey,’ I wrote a scene where one of my main characters goes through an ordeal of her own choice. She is offered many opportunities to avoid the tribulation. Yet, she chose to go through the ordeal, knowing she would die in the end. All because she loves her family more than she loves herself.

I wrote the scene from her viewpoint. I tried to capture her every thought, fear, and desire she experiences. I tried to capture everything she endures, moment by moment, from her point of view. I attempted to convey all of her senses; taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell; as she lived and died throughout her ordeal. I believe I was successful and again, all from the characters point of view.

A Mermaids Irresistible CuriosityJust know that not all of my books are gruesome. My free short story, ‘A Mermaid’s Irresistible Curiosity’ is a love story with a twist. It’s not gruesome nor brutal. It’s a story about a misguided mermaid who lives a life of instant gratification who falls in love with a fisherman. You can find the short story on my website, RichardVerry.com. It free and you can download it and read it at any time.

I hope that this explains the question and alleviates any concerns about my writing. More importantly, I hope this explains things to the love of my life, my girlfriend, and committed partner in love and life.

Winter has arrived

Winter has arrived

Winter Snow Fun
Source: 7-themes.com

After a very hot summer and a mild autumn, winter has finally arrived at my house. Friday and early Saturday, temperatures were in the low seventies. In fact, we broke an all time temperature record on Friday. Now, it’s in the low thirties, snow is covering the ground and wind is whipping it in a fury.

In preparation, last Friday I did all of the household grocery shopping and finished decorating the outside of the house for the holidays. Afterall, I’m done with hanging lights in subfreezing temperatures.

With chores done, I’m back at writing, trying to finish up my latest novel. The storyline magically appeared in my mind October 25. After months of a non-existent creative stream running through my consciousness, it returned with a bang, an entire story begging, no demanding release.

I am consumed with getting it out of my head, into a form you can enjoy it. In the spirit of ‘Her Client’ and ‘The Breakup’,  this story follows the ordeals of my heroine as she deals with trials that she inconceivably is forced to deal with.

Trafficking of Women
Source: epthinktank.eu

The book, tentatively titled ‘Trafficking Consortium,’ follows a woman who finds herself caught up in the world of human trafficking. A scourge on our society and a hated subject of my girlfriend, a centuries old élite organization discovers, pursues and kidnaps my protagonist, eventually selling her into a life of slavery and submission. Her new sadistic owner believes there is something special about her, and his consuming desire to have her, overwhelms her before starting to  slide into a role of acceptance and submission, only to be shattered by a new demand he places upon her, her body and most importantly, her soul. A demand in which she, must choose between life and death. And don’t be fooled, it’s not an easy decision for her.

I can’t wait to finish this erotic and suspenseful story. If I stay on track, it should be released sometime in the next month. Of course, editing and book cover design may impact that schedule, with the world on the cusp of the holidays.

Thanks for following me. Now, back to the story.

This is Richard Verry, signing off for the time being so I can document my heroine’s fate.

Cultural Changes of The ‘Purge Plague’ (Part 5)

Cultural Changes caused by The Purge Plague

Over the last four segments, I wrote about the roots of the plague and the causal effects on Mona’s community. In this segment, I cover the cultural effects which resulted.

cultural changes due to gene splicing 58592066 - abstract education and science backgrounds for your designIt should be noted that while the plague was halted, it was not eradicated. Over centuries, people made many attempts to revive the extinct species. Huge stores of seeds were set aside on the chance that one day, they could be replanted. Attempts to germinate these seeds failed. A millennium later, survivors made little progress finding an alternate source of high protein food stores.

In the early days, societal controls fell apart as starving people sought ways to find the nutrition they needed. Populations started to diminish once more. On the verge of succumbing to extinction, the survivors banded together to deal with the stresses of trying to live. Through trial and error, often violent, they eventually settled on a systemized process to select candidates for conversion through random selection. Over centuries, everyone accepted that one day, they would help feed the future generations.

Population Disparity

Due to the disparity of numbers between men to women, it became commonplace for sterile women to supply the bulk of those converted for food. Afterall, they represented more than three quarters of the population. Still though, everyone submitted to conversion processing at some point in their lives. There were no exceptions. From birth to conversion, people lived their life based upon this eventual fate. In between, everything they learned, did and produced was focused meeting the needs of society. They became the primary producers, workers and sex toys. In short, each person lived to serve and contribute.

In summary, due to the inability to satisfy basic nutritional needs, they turned to each other. To manage the conversion process, a complex society arose to fairly deal with the new reality. No one was immune from this fate but a culture developed to de-horrify the practice. In time, the stigma of consuming themselves disappeared. It became a simple fact and accepted as a part of life.

 


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Excerpts

Excerpts from an interview I gave some months ago. The question explored dealt with the ‘Purge Plague’, a vehicle I invented to explain how Mona’s culture came to be. This is the final installment in a five-part series published over the past several days. Feel free to comment on the link at the bottom. I welcome your insights and opinions.

I Saw Stars

Good morning world. I’m looking forward to a new week that ends better than the last.

Why? Let me tell you.

Reflective in the title of this post, last Friday, I literally saw stars. No, they weren’t a bunch of five-star reviews of my books. One can hope. No, I didn’t see the stars of the night, sweeping across the sky. I wish it was just this.

Nope, I saw stars when I banged my head against a very large, low hanging pipe designed to carry conditioned air. I was straightening a set of small boxes that I was stacking, knowing that there four hundred similar boxes arriving in moments. Yup! I was at work, doing my job. Mind you, I knew the pipe was there. However, in that moment, bent over focused on my goal, I had forgotten it was there.

21193608 - starry sky in the village and orange sunset
Source: 123rf.com

Then I stood up and saw a galaxy of stars.

I wacked my head hard. The room around me went dark and I saw untold stars flashing behind my eyes. Think of a lot of mass against an immovable object. In that split second, as pain walloped my head, my brain bounced around inside my head. Expletives galore rang out as I fell to the ground, supported on all fours.

It was several minutes before I could stand up again. Bent over, recovering, I could only think, “Stupid, I knew it was there. Why the fuck didn’t I move first. ‘Stunad!’ (Italian slang for moron)”

Eventually, I seemed to recover and finished stacking the boxes. An hour later, sitting at my desk, my headache grew, despite the overdose of Tylenol I took to combat what I knew was coming. An hour after that, my thoughts stopped focusing and I knew I was in trouble. I went home early and called my doctor.

A short time after that, I’m in the Emergency Department at the local hospital being treated for a concussion. Oh, how can athletes play their sport with a concussion? It must be the millions they make doing it.

Me, I’ve been suffering everyday since. The headache hasn’t gone away, and I get nauseous getting driven to the pharmacy for meds. I’ve been planted in my recliner, getting up to use the bathroom or getting a bite to eat.

The treatment? Seven to ten days of rest and I can return to work when I am no longer symptomatic. Three days later, and I still am. It’s hard to concentrate just writing this post. Imagine what it would be like at work where my job is to sit at a computer and write code, et. all. Before I lose it, I’ll sign off and find my favorite chair and rest, doing mindless, brainless stuff.

All I can say is thank you to all my fans for reading this. I appreciate you.

Good books are friends

My girlfriend and I had chinese food for dinner the other night. I’d like to share with you what my fortune cookie had hidden inside.

“Good books are friends who are always ready to talk to us.”

For the readers out there, I think you will agree. Good or bad, they talk to us, reach into our souls and stimulate emotions. I don’t know about you, but I have conversations with my books. Yes, the books themselves. I talk to them and they respond.

IMG_20160617_111433I also have conversations with other readers about books, either mine or someone else’s. We can debate whether it was a good read or a bad read. We can argue about the elements of the characters, the plot or the outcome.

My favorite books are those that I cannot predict where the story is taking me. Not just the ending either. I want to be surprised and jolted all along the way. Just when I think I figured out ‘who done it’ or whether the couple will final get together, the best stories for me those that change direction. By the time the last page is turned, I want the story wrapped up. I want all of the pieces to fit, like a jigsaw puzzle.

So far, from what people tell me, my books fit that criteria. However, I would be interested in what you, the reader of this blog, thinks. Write me. Fill out the comment field below and lay it on me. Tell me whether your favorite books talk to you and what it is about them that makes the book one of your favorites.

Till next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow.

Your’s in reading and writing, Rich.

Sales are the best review but are they really?

Hello friends and fans. Yesterday afternoon I got a pleasant surprise. Someone bought a copy of my book, ‘Broken Steele‘ from Smashwords. Thank you.

Book-2D-loopHowever, that one little revelation got me poking around all of my sales outlets. To my surprise, over the past three months, unbeknownst to me, hundreds of copies of all of my books have been downloaded from various sites. Many are free copies of my book ‘Her Client’ but many of you out there bought your own copies of my other books from various sources. I noted sales on iBooks for the Apple platform, B&N for the Nook platform and even Kobo for who knows what eBook reader.

I’m ecstatic.

Thanks to all who have purchased and downloaded one of my books. I hope you enjoy them. Please, I would be interested in a review or two from you. Of course sales are the best review so I must be doing something right.

Read what others have said about my books. Many are summarized right here. Feel free to read them and decide for yourself. Thank you for giving me a slice of your valuable time. I appreciate it.

[good-reviews]

 

Thank you, one and all

Thank you, one and all

A big thank you to David who gave me a pair of reviewsreviewsreviewsreviewsreviews for The Taste of Honey and Broken Steele. You’re awesome man. A big thank you also to everyone who bought my books these last couple of weeks. Apparently, the ‘Her Client Series’ is quite popular and a lot of you around the world are reading them.

My books and more, including another free one, are available on my website, RichardVerry.com as well as on Amazon for your Kindle, Smashwords, B&N, or at your favorite eBook retailer for your iPhone, iPad, Nook or what have you. You can even purchase paperback copies from these sites.

To get a taste of my stories, feel free to read the opening chapter from ‘The Taste of Honey‘.

Taste-Of-Honey--advert4aAs one reader wrote:

I’ve been under the comforter most nights, reading Richard Verry’s title, “The Taste of Honey” and calling out from under there, saying “go ask Daddy” and returning promptly to my hot and steamy read.

Hot and steamy? I couldn’t agree more and I’m confident you’ll agree. Right now, I’m working on the third book in the series, ‘Lucky Bitch’ which promises to be just as hot and steamy. All three books have intrigue, suspense, mystery, kink, and lots of sex with a healthy dose of romance.

As another review wrote:

The plot is intriguing and kept me spell-bound throughout the book. I found it to be well-written & the author draws you in with not only his clever storyline but also his complex characters. The more I read, the more I understood the emotional turmoil the various characters were going thru. I am excited to see where this author takes us in the next adventure!

So, if you are looking for a good book to read this weekend, download a copy of ‘The Taste of Honey’ and it’s sequel, ‘Broken Steele’. You’ll be sucked-in and captivated all weekend long. Then, be sure to look for ‘Lucky Bitch’ which is in the works.

Thanks again for your support and drop me a line with your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.

Suitable for readers 18+.

FrankenFood, are we playing with fire?

USAToday published an article entitled “Genetic ‘frankenfood’ found not harmful to human health”. The article goes on to state that a committee of 50+ experts compared disease reports from North America where Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are commonly used in food sources with disease reports from UK and Western Europe. According to these experts, there is no significant difference or increases in the incidence of specific health problems.

Good news, right?

Not so fast. I do understand that GMOs are being used with good intentions. They are being introduced to promote greater yield per acre, more drought & insect resistant, and other similar reasons. All good on the face of it.

For me, the problem is more to do with those behind the modifications being made to the genomes of our food supply. They are run and paid for by major corporations. Their motives are not to benefit the human race (or their customers). Rather, they are profit motivated. The stockholders in these corporations want bigger and bigger profits so they can increase their overall wealth.

I’m sorry but that is not a reason to mess with our food supply. I disagree with the practice. I would prefer that it stop but I know it won’t. I can only hope and pray that nothing goes wrong.

While I am not a fanatic on a cause, I can’t believe this report. Why you may ask?

Taste of Honey book cover small
Find out how the human race survives

Something going wrong is the underlying basis of my ‘Mona Bendarova’ series of books which opens with the ‘Taste of Honey’. Granted this is fiction but I based the books on the very concept that something goes wrong with playing with the genomes of our food supply.

To me, there are too many unknowns. My books are set a millennium in the future where we lose control of GMO’s and they wreak havoc on the food supply. We lose control of how the organisms replicate and they destroy our food sources ability to provide the proteins we need to survive. The ‘Purge Plague’ as it became known in the stories, caused the extinction of every consumable protein source on the planet. Every insect, plant, and animal died out within 100 years. Towards the end, humans managed to survive with a last-ditch effort to prevent their own extinction by radically changing their genome. However, to survive and move forward, a major sacrifice was required. A thousand years later, a social system arose to ensure the long-term survival of their species. Read ‘The Taste of Honey’ and it’s sequel, ‘Broken Steele’ to find out more.

In the meantime, I am a staunch believer that playing with our food sources and their genomes is akin to playing with fire. One day, we will get burned. I believe we will suffer a major catastrophe related to this practice. I only hope that we or our children never see the day.

On Re-Reading Favorites

I’m curious. Do you re-read your favorite books? Would you ever even think of re-reading a book? Has the idea of re-reading a book ever crossed your mind?

I do. Over the years, I’ve re-read my favorites many times over. Books from my younger years are favorite re-reads. Many I’ve kept in my personal library, moving them from home to home over the decades. Others, I check out of the public library or lately, buy the eBook version even though I have the paperback or hard copy of the book.

They are my friends, my companions, and never once have they ever disappointed me. I’ve never regretted reading them. I’ve never regretted re-reading them. When I re-read a book, I realize a new innuendo to the story that I hadn’t realized before. It’s amazing. I still learn something from these books years after I last read them.

What are your favorite books or stories? Here are a few of mine.

The Harrad ExperimentAs I wrote awhile back, I am a sci-fi, erotic, mystery & suspense, and paranormal aficionado. My all time favorite author in the genre is Robert Heinlein. Kim Harrison, the author of the ‘The Hollows’ series, is another favorite. Charlaine Harris, the author of the ‘Sookie Stackhouse’ books and later ported to HBO’s ‘True Blood’ is among my all-time favorites. An obscure favorite later made into a movie, is ‘The Harrad Experiment’ by Robert H. Rimmer. To this day, I wish I had been one of the students in that story.

Another favorite is ‘Logan’s Run’, a cheesy movie but the book was so much better. In fact, I remember writing a similar short story years before this book came out. Of course, I was still in primary school at the time. I’m sure it’s just a freak coincidence.

Tess Gerritsen is an author I enjoy reading again and again. So are John Grisham, ‘Along Came a Spider’, and the early works by Tom Clancy such as ‘Patriot Games’. There are many, many others.

However, I do have a problem. There are so many new books and authors that I enjoy following, that it’s getting harder to enjoy these older books again and again. Do you have the same problem? Or, do you just wing it and read the next thing that captures your fancy?

Then there is the problem of the books and stories that I write. I love them dearly. A bit of my soul is in each of them and again, I like to re-read them as well. What am I to do?

What’s your opinion?

The Day After

The Day After

Christmas girl delivering presentsAs I deal with the day after hangover and fatigue from celebrating the holiday I can’t help but reflect upon all the good cheer I saw and experienced these last two days.

Forget about the gifts people exchanged. They were all very nice and appreciated, not only by me but the members of my family and friends as well.

Rather, it was the fact that we were all together, sharing ourselves with each other. The bar took a major hit, that’s for sure and I certainly did my share of imbibing. The meal we prepared was a hit and everyone got their fill. From the snacks, appetizers, the main course, the deserts and the after dinner drinking, no one seemed to be wanting.

For me, while it was a lot of work to host this gathering, the day ended with a smile on my face, a lightness in my step and warmth in my gut. Taking care of the needs of my guests and family was a joy. Thank you to all who came and those that could not. Thoughts of you were in the forefront of my mind. Thank you one and all for a very pleasant time.

And yet, as I write this, I can’t help but think of those not so fortunate out there. I can’t imagine how it must be for those with no one to share the holiday with. I can’t fathom being alone, hungry and destitute. I know many who tried to help the less fortunate over these last few days. However, I am worried that many missed the opportunity for even the smallest spark of hope and cheer in their lives.

Come next month, will we even remember the good deeds that we did this last week? Will we remember to continue doing goods deeds for others? I am uncertain as to the answer to these questions. They will still be hungry and alone. It is my hope that we remember those less fortunate every month, every week and every day and continue to strive to help as we can. Can we do that? Can I do that? I hope I can. I hope you can too.

‘Her Client’, a woman reader’s perspective

1-Her-Client-3DFrom a reader regarding ‘Her Client’

A lesson was learned when reading ‘Her Client’ than just the terror and fright I felt. Now that I completed the series, I can reflect on a small part of the initial novella. It is the knowledge of making each person I meet to feel special and to take the time to make that happen.

I am not saying if Jolene did that, it might have prevented her subsequent torture. I am just referring to myself and saying I need to stop and take the time to make my family, friends, co-workers and the consumers I come in contact with every day to feel special from our interaction.

I know it is harder than just writing these words and we all have days like Jolene. We all feel we are busy and we just want to go home, make a drink or have a good soak. Yet, the point Jolene and I need to understand is that everyone is important.

I need to make my clients feel special even when I want to leave the office and go home like Jolene. Money may not be lost in my business like in Jolene’s case yet for all our clients they need to know they are being heard and how they feel matters.

Janet Maggio

How did you come up with the Mona character?

The Taste of HoneyHow did you come up with the Mona character?

When I finally figured out the title of the story ‘The Taste of Honey’, I knew how I wanted the story to end. Honey was a main character who wanted to live forever in her family and close friends. In her mind, for whatever reason, she firmly believed that her spirit could only continue on through a live roasting on a barbecue spit. Gruesome, I know, but in Honey’s universe, it’s a common practice among the community.

Knowing how the story was to end, I needed to create characters with whom Honey would share her meat. As I thought about how Honey would meet her end, I needed an avenue to get there. So, I hit upon the idea that she goes missing and someone hired to go find her.

BeautyIntroduce the investigator, Mona. Since my universe incorporated pervasive bdsm play, I decided that this character would be a masochist who enjoyed extreme play. So, her first name became Mona. Mona would be a play on the sound ‘moan’, which she would do a lot during her play.

To come up with her surname, I wanted her name to reflect her sexuality. Eventually, I came to the concept of ‘bend her over’.With a hidden message decided, I contracted it to Bendarova. To date, only one person I know has made this relate and called me on it. She smiled as she told me.

That’s how Mona Bendarova came into existence. She’s a smart, masochistic investigator who loves sex. Who’s your favorite character?

Who is Honey?

Who is Honey? Hmm … Let me tell you about her.

Honey is an intelligent, complicated woman and a bit naïve. She sees the good in everyone. She has no concept of others having self-centered personal agendas. As a result, it gets her into trouble at times, yet it doesn’t stop her from believing in others. She holds no animosity towards those that transgress against her. She is quick to forgive and forget.

The Taste of Honey

In a society that has forgotten the past and had to rewrite all the societal rules in order to survive as a species, Honey embodies the concepts of love, family, honor and service. She is a sharing woman, happy to help when called upon.

Her goal in life is to live forever in the bodies and cells of her family and close friends. By living on in them, she hopes to help, advise and assist whenever they are in need or in trouble.

Honey is approximately 29 years old. She is a tall high-waisted, blonde with green eyes. She has a good figure, exercises regularly and cares for herself as well as her family. She’s a lusty bitch who never gets enough sex from either gender. She prefers giving pleasure rather than receiving it.

On the surface, she may seem superficial yet when you get to know her, it becomes apparent that there is much more to the woman than meets the eye. She is open and approachable. People gravitate to her as they feel warm and happy just by being near her. No one seems to understand why but they simply accept it.

She is a respected senior member of her house and leads by example rather than by direction. The junior members look to her for guidance of their own fates.

She is a spiritual person, believes strongly in life after death, but only in the right circumstances. In a society where spirituality is an extinct concept, others don’t understand her spiritual belief. No matter, Honey has the confidence to believe what she believes and will not force her beliefs upon others. If asked though, she will be open and honest in expressing her values.

She loves her Master. He is the love of her life. Like most people in the community, the concept of a binding love is foreign to him. All she knows is that she loves him and will do whatever she can to make him happy.

She has a vision for the future of the human species, contrary to the rest of the community that she keeps to herself. It’s not until she meets Mona, that she finds a kindred spirit and a key instrument in bringing her vision to reality.

So, why is the book entitled ‘The Taste of Honey’? I invite you to read the book and find out. I look forward to reading your comments.

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Writing is awesome

Something happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I was well into writing the third book in the Mona Bendarova Adventures, ‘Lucky Bitch’ when a question arose in my mind. I had a vision of where the books were going to go but then I asked myself a fundamental question.

‘What was the end goal of the antagonist?’

  • Yes, what was their end goal?
  • What was their motivation?
  • What did they hope to accomplish?
  • What was driving them to do what they were doing?

Since they were only recently discovered, no one seems to know, including me. I thought I did. But did I? Are they striving for power? Glory? Control? Something else?

Are their goals the same as Mona’s with the exception of how they are trying to get there? Does it really matter to the community how they accomplish those goals as long as they get there? Or is it something subtler.

I really wanted something more subtle. Hunger for power and glory? It seems everyone does that. I want something different. Both sides appear to want change. Mona certainly is trying to find a way to change their food source production for something better. Is that what the antagonists are doing?

Without giving too much of the plot away, I got momentarily stuck trying to answer this question.

So I did what I do best. I put the book off for a while to ask questions, gather data and do research. The research is well on it’s way and I think I have answered the key question. I have to rewrite some of the chapters I have already written but so what. It might even be better then it was before.

As the ‘Riddler’ said. “Questions, Questions. I have so many Questions.”

So, while my subconscious continues pondering the question, I turned my attention to a diversion. I decided that I would write a story that was bouncing around in the back of my mind. I really thought that it would be a simple story about a single night.

Then a funny thing happened was as I was writing it. What started as a short story, turned into a novella and then into a regular novel. Then, as I was completing it, I had an inspiration of what would happen to the main character the following day. Voilà, I ended up writing a total of three novels as a trilogy. None are as long as one of my full fledged Mona Bendarova novels. But they turned out to be novels in their own right and I think a good read.

Right now, they are going through editing and I hope to publish them very soon. ‘Her Client’ is first book in the series is be called ‘Clients’. Be sure to look for them. I have a web page on these books right here on this site. Check out the links to my library.

Now, these books are a big departure from all of my other works, published and unpublished. They aren’t for everyone, in fact, they will attract a much smaller audience. However, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head so, ergo, I wrote it down.

But enough of this digression.

What I found amazing was how clearly the direction of the characters appeared in my feeble brain and how easily the words flew from my fingers. It was almost as if I couldn’t write fast enough. In about two weeks, I wrote something on the order of 60,000 words. There was no struggle, no issues with plot lines or dialog. The action is hot and heavy, and rife with disturbing concepts that will sure get people talking.

What was so f***ing  amazing was, I had the best time while writing these stories. It was fabulous, exciting and I could think of nothing better to do in my day. Writing these stores gave me a high better then just about any high I’ve ever had. It was wonderful. I’m only sorry that their done.

If only I could write like this every day. Instead, I have to balance it with my real job that pays the bills. Damn.

Well, it’s back to the grindstone. More to write, more to publish and more to market. And then there’s my job. Don’t get me wrong. I love my job and I enjoy my work. But it has been my career for decades and while I love it, I just don’t have the passion as I do for my other ventures. The writing and my painting, well that is my passion and I welcome any opportunity to enjoy either.

Writing is awesome and I couldn’t be happier.

Thank you for reading my books and as always, I appreciate the precious time you spent reading my posts.

Regards, Rich

maggicalExpressions

Thank you

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015BNI1D8 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015BNI1D8

Broken-Steele

Thanks to everyone to purchased ‘Broken Steele’. The following is growing and I am ecstatic. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Available from Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle reader and in Paperback, I believe you will find the story an exciting and fun read.

 

A big thank you

Broken-Steele

‘Broken Steele’, released last Thursday, is selling well. Thank you all who purchased my latest book. More in the works.

And huge thank you to ‘Miss TC’ who gave me my first five star review on only it’s second day of release.

Available from Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle reader and in Paperback, I believe you will find the story an exciting and fun read.

Check it out. I welcome hearing from you.

Broken Steele Released

Broken-Steele
Broken Steele

‘Broken Steele’, the sequel to ‘The Taste of Honey’ Released.

It is available from Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle reader and in Paperback.

Check it out. I would enjoy hearing from you.

Thank you for your support. And thanks to everyone who purchased it during pre-sale. You’re the greatest.

Broken Steele’s Official Release is Tomorrow

Broken-Steele
Broken Steele

‘Broken Steele’, the sequel to ‘The Taste of Honey’ officially launches tomorrow on Amazon.

It is available for your Kindle or Kindle reader or in Paperback.

Check it out and let me know what you think of it.

As always, please accept my heart-filled thanks for buying my books. It’s people like you that allow me to continue my efforts in writing and delivering quality work.

Thank you.

Thank you

Thank You

The Taste of Honey

Thank you to those who bought my book ‘The Taste of Honey’ this past week. You’re awesome. Thanks for your support. I hope you like it. I would appreciate it if you would write a review.

Broken-Steele
Broken Steele

In the meantime, ‘Broken Steele’ is now available on Amazon.

The official release is Oct 1, 2015, but you can order it today and it will be automatically delivered to your Kindle or Kindle reader on Oct 1. The paperback version should also be available by then.

Check it out and let me know what you think of it while I am busy writing the third book ‘Lucky Bitch’ in the series. Stay tuned for word on that one.

Broken Steele is available for pre-sale

Broken-Steele
Broken Steele

Yes, that’s right, Broken Steele is available for pre-sale on Amazon. Broken Steele is the sequel to The Taste of Honey.

The official release is Oct 1, 2015, but you can order it today and they will automatically deliver it to your Kindle or Kindle reader on Oct 1.

Check it out and let me know what you think of it while I am busy writing the third book in the series. Stay tuned for a word on that one.

As always, please accept my heart-filled thanks for supporting me by buying my books. It’s people like you that allow me to continue my efforts in writing and delivering quality work. Thanks.

On Sale Now!

My book, ‘The Taste of Honey’ is now On Sale! at a reduced price.

If you haven’t bought it yet, now is the time to try it. Get to know Mona Bendarova and her friends and family in time for her followup adventure, due out October 1 in the sequel ‘Broken Steele’. I think you will find it a wonderful racy, risque adventure filled with intrigue, mystery and love of family and friends.

Be sure to read it. It’s available from Amazon in paperback and eBook. My website, wwww.maggical.com has all the details and a direct link to the book.


What’s it about, you may ask? Well, read on.

GMO’s mutate uncontrollably and wreak havoc with the Earth’s genome, killing off the entire population of the planet’s human and animal life and ultimately, become extinct. During the final days, scientists successfully modify the human genome to save themselves but at a significant cost. A millennium later, human society has recovered but only survives by consuming the only known source of protein available … themselves.

When Honey Lee-Marks; a senior member of the Marks estate and favored bedmate to her master Lee Marks; fails to appear in answer to her conversion summons, everyone assumes she has runaway. Her failure to appear throws the entire household into disarray and Lee is punished by randomly selecting several other household members to take Honey’s place.

Eager to find the runaway and return her to face her summons, Investigator Mona Bendarova follows the leads only to realize that something is not right. Using her instincts, Mona realizes that there is more to this disappearance then just a simple runaway and her investigation takes a surprising turn.

Seeds of doubt and rebellion are planted as Mona comes into conflict with her upbringing and training in direct contrast to the facts that she uncovers. As her investigation concludes, a decision that her best friend embraces, forever shakes her foundation of everything Mona has ever believed. She now has to deal with her internal struggle and what to do next.

The Taste of Honey

A new racy, sexy, risque novel with just a little bit of kink.
The Taste of Honey by Richard Verry
To purchase, click on the book cover

It’s the tale of a woman who disappears and everyone considers her a runaway, shirking her duties to her family and community.

It’s the tale of another woman who is charged with finding and returning her to face her fate only to find that realities are not always what they seem nor expect.

It’s a tale of family, suspense, intrigue, love, honor, sex and sadomasochism.

by Richard Verry, © copyright 2015, all rights reserved.

Available for your Kindle from Amazon or paperback from CreateSpace, an Amazon affiliate.