What was YOUR favorite part of ‘The Taste of Honey’?

The Taste of HoneyWhat was YOUR favorite part of the book?

There are many favorite parts. They include among many, Mona’s dungeon play with Master Charles, the execution scene of Honey’s perpetrator, Mona’s investigation into Honey’s disappearance, Mona’s budding relationship with Renée and Honey’s final scene as she is preparing for her live roasting.

As I look back at each scene and how I felt when I wrote them, I realized that it was Honey’s roasting scene that was my favorite part. While the sex and her spitting is graphic, it was the love story that developed out of it that really captured my interest.

I wrote it from the first person perspective so that the reader would connect with Honey and accept her decision for a live roasting.

What I really liked about the scene is that you’re inside her head, experiencing what she experiences. You feel her final hours as she has her final sex with her Master, loving him as he discovers that he, in fact, loves her also. You, as the reader, experience the spit pushing into her sex, traveling through her body and exiting out her mouth. Ewe! You are right there with Honey as they gut her insides. You see what she sees as she is carried over to the fire pit and begins to roast. Through her eyes, you see her family and friends looking on, before she succumbs to the heat of the fire.

010-ReflectionsBWWhat I really liked about this scene is how I felt as I wrote it. When I started the writing the scene, my mind seemed to divorce itself from my body. My fingers flew over the keyboard. As the scene developed, I got wrapped up in her character. I felt for her. For awhile, I became her.

Ultimately, the scene defines the love relationship between Honey, her Master, her family and her closest friends, including Mona. Her spirituality is so strong that no one can divert her from this course. Even her own Master has told her over and over again that she did not need to do this. In this moment, he realizes that he loves and needs her. He needs her in his life and doesn’t want her to roast.

Honey, however, believes that she has a higher calling. Honey believes that her actions will help save them. She believes that her decision will allow her to live forever in him and her loved ones. As a result, they will live healthier and happier lives.

So, for those and for many other reasons, that is my favorite part of the book. What’s yours?

How I came to write ‘The Taste of Honey’ (part 2)

With a title, I had a really rough idea of how I wanted the story to go. At the time, I wasn’t thinking I would publish it but I want to write a fresh and new story. As I researched the story idea, I found little that someone else hadn’t already written about my idea. Great! Time to get writing in earnest.

So, with a title and a rough, and I mean really rough, concept, I began writing. No outline, no framework that existed except in my head. As the stories developed, I wrote draft after draft refining it as I went along. I wrote a future history and an encyclopedia of the rules and concepts of the universe I was creating. Over the years, the drafts and the supporting material got more and more refined.

This process went on for two years. During that time, I didn’t tell anyone that I was writing a full length novel. As the months went by, I would pick it up and work on it. At other times, weeks would go by without even thinking about it. Six months before I finished it, I resolved myself to work harder at it. Diligently, I would write a chapter a day or so. Then, a funny thing happened.

I started waking up at four in the morning with awesome dialog running through my head of this scene or that one. Like the imagery that invades my thoughts, the dialog my half asleep mind developed was perfect. Instead of trying to fall back asleep, I would get up and write for a couple of hours. On weekends, I would write well into mid-morning.

My lady-love would wake up and begin talking to me and I’d ask her to hang on until I finished my thought. At times she’d be okay and at other times, not. Oops! Not good. But the unwritten dialog was just too good to interrupt. I had to capture it and I beg forgiveness and kept on writing.

Then, while on a trip to Florida, I did a final push and finished the book. That’s when I involved my girlfriend and other friends, editing it again and again. They all told me, “Rich, you need to publish this. It’s too good not to.”

So, I published it and immediately began writing in earnest, driving myself to continue Mona and Honey’s story. Four months later, I released the sequel ‘Broken Steele’. I’ll tell you about how that came to be written in a future blog.

Mona and Honey give thanks

BeautyYesterday, BFF’s Mona and Honey spent the day together, sharing memories and creating new ones. Since Honey is carrying, Mona took it upon herself to go visit her friend. A lot has happened since they first met six months ago.

They talk about everything, from the smallest little details of their daily life to the big ones involving their respective Masters. The one thing they do not talk about is how they came to meet. Honey was stalked, attacked, kidnapped and almost killed. Everyone else thought that she had simply run away from home, shirking her duties to her family and community.

010-ReflectionsBWMona found her, rescued her and saved her from almost certain death. She discovered who the perpetrator, who was later punished. As a result of the events, the traumatized Honey and Mona became best friends. Neither would have it any other way.

In sharing time together yesterday, they relished the opportunity to be thankful for finding each other and their respective lives, their housemates and their Masters. Sharing a superb meal together, they talked, laughed and even cried long into the evening.

Not to be left out, they also included many of Honey’s housemates into their circle of fellowship. Till now, most of them would usually leave them alone, knowing that they needed their time together alone. Besides, most of them were in awe with a bit of hero-worship towards Mona. Their honor restored through Mona’s relentless search to discover the truth of Honey’s disappearance, they believed they owed a debt to Mona. Mona didn’t think so. She was just doing what she does what she does.

So, yesterday, the two women invited them into their circle, answered questions, posed some their own and enjoyed each others company well into the night.

As Mona drove home afterwards, she reflected upon the warm feelings, emotions and fellowship offered her that day. She couldn’t help but feel grateful by their attentions. After all, in her mind, what she did for that family was a very small thing indeed. She would have done it for anyone.

But one thing could be said for the day. She was very thankful that Honey was forever, a part of her life.

What would Mona do?

Mona just found out about a catastrophe in a neighboring community. Turns out it’s the same community that her bed-mate Renee has been getting those terrific custom-made heels that both she and Mona love. The question on their minds are whether her shoe maker who creates these wonderful shoes that everyone raves about survived the catastrophe. Information on just what happened is sketchy but apparently lots of people were involved with an unsanctioned killing spree.  Up-to-date Information is sketchy at best but what they do have is that a small group of people crashed a community celebration systematically went around killing the celebrants.

Broken SteeleHer housemates in shock, Mona puts aside her disbelieve and organizes the house in a show of support for the survivors. The tragedy they suffered ripples throughout the land and everyone vows to find and put down the perpetrators. Gathering her housemates together, just as she would do to honor one of their own recently departed, she calls them into action. Before long, a memorial is planned, a house colors are temporarily transformed to the those of the stricken community and moments of silence are scheduled for repeating days at the hour of the tragedy.


Enlisting the aid of her investigative team, she re-prioritizes her staff to stop whatever they were doing and focus on determining whether their own communities vulnerability to a similar attack. Additionally, she charges several of her key investigators to find the perpetrators and report back to her. Uncharacteristically, she warns them that they must find them, even to risk their own lives. They agree knowing that there must not be a repeat occurrence of this tragedy.

After sending them on their way, she meets with Master Charles and together, they put together a plan to take out the perpetrators. Their ire inflamed, they both feel that this is something they must do in order to protect entire community. Not something either of comfortable with, they both believe it must be done.

Curious about Mona Bendarova?

Who is Mona Bendarova? Let me tell you about her.

Mona is a senior household member and investigator under the Mastery of Charles Bendarova. She is smart and insightful. She has an innate ability to see patterns within the chaos that others cannot see. Theories and their ramifications come easily to her.

Beauty

Her driving force is to find a way for the species to survive without ingesting the only food source available in sustaining life.

She accepts the natural order of their society, life and death yet she would prefer to see things differently. Mona is certain that if society proceeds along the current path, humans on the planet are ultimately doomed to extinction. Her investigations are subtle and unknown to everyone until she discovers someone who shares her fear, The Doctor.

Mona is 29 years old, a medium build brunette with shoulder length straight hair. She works out every day so as to maintain the stamina of her favorite kind of play. Like most people in her community, she enjoys sex often and has few limits during her trysts with various partners.

She is an extreme masochist and enjoys her playtime with her favorite dominate, Master Charles, as he exercises his torments on her flesh. After every play session, she may be achy and sore but she is an extremely happy woman.

She loves coffee, especially the very first cup of the day which she relishes to the point of ecstasy. She also enjoys skinny vanilla latte and Kamikaze cocktails. She loves all kinds of high heel shoes, especially stilettos heels of ten centimeters (four inches) or greater.

She is a submissive by nature but has a dominate side that she is unaware of yet others see. She fears exploring it even when challenged by her Master.

She is the embodiment of a person whose convictions run deep. Others may not recognize these traits until one enters her inner circle.

She has given birth to three children knowing that they will be raised according to the customs of her community. She, herself, was born and raised in a breeding facility and was fortunate to have her biological mother involved with her early years.

The Taste of HoneyWhen she came of age, she was selected at auction to join the Bendarova House. Master Charles had detected the early signs of a star in the making. Their play together opened opportunities for her in other areas of his business and she was eventually promoted to Senior Investigator in the Investigative Branch.

If you are curious and want to learn more about Mona Bendarova, I invite you to read the book, ‘The Taste of Honey’. I look forward to reading your comments.

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Marketing on Social Media

So, I’ve been on social media for a while now, and the more I learn about it, the more I realize that it is an important part of marketing my books and artwork. The folks who I now following have lots of great ideas and thoughts that make a whole lot of sense to me. I hope that my posts do the same for you.

What bothers me is that it seems that I have to pay attention to the feeds throughout the day, everyday. Don’t get me wrong, it can be fun but it can be tedious as well.

I struggle with the idea that I have to post multiple times a day. I don’t believe that I would do justice to my followers. The ones I’ve been in direct contact with, tell me that my thoughts and insights are interesting. They want to read them. Makes me smile. Thanks to all who get this far in my essay.

So, back to struggling with this whole new venture involving social media. I find that I seem to be spending more time marketing than writing or painting. I also have a real full-time job. I don’t want that to be jeopardized by what I do here.

So, how do I balance everything? I presume that in the years to come, I’ll figure it out and it won’t be so intrusive on my time. Yet, I have a driving need to promote my creative works. It’s not so much selling my books or my fine art. It’s more that I love the idea of people appreciating my work enough that they want their very own copy of it, or the original for that matter when it comes to my art.

I’m not saying that I am a world class author or artist. Time will tell in that front. But, I believe I’m good and I’ll only get better by doing what I love to do.

Writing and painting. Right now, writing has the nod. But how do I do that while promoting, marketing and supporting myself on a shoestring budget.

Your thoughts and ideas are most welcome. Please send me your thoughts. I really want to hear from you.

Thanks for reading and have a cup of coffee or tea; a glass of wine or the taste of a good woman or man. Till next time, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, which isn’t much.

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.