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 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?

How did you come up with the title ‘The Taste of Honey’?

The Taste of HoneyHow did you come up with the title? Did the title come first or did the story?

For months, I had a concept of what I wanted to write. I had developed the idea of a future history of the human race dependent upon consuming themselves to survive. Originally, I had thought at it would be the result of a devastating war that put the species on the brink of extinction. It wasn’t until later, that I came up with the GMO angle running wild, systematically wiping out all protein based biologically life on the planet.

Yet that didn’t help me decide on a specific story line. I wanted a story in which I would highlight a main character who would by the end, decide to be live roasted and her meat consumed by her family and close friends. I wanted the live roasting to be the character’s choice and not forced upon the character. Further, I wanted the other main characters to feel comfortable with consuming the meat of one who had been one of their own. I struggled over months to find a way to carry out that goal.

In that time, I wrote draft after draft but none of them spoke to me. Then one day, while sitting on my deck, enjoying roasting under the summer afternoon sun, the phrase ‘The Taste of Honey’ hit me. It was a eureka moment. As I reflected upon the phrase, I decided immediately that it would be the title of the story.

Blonde with open back tshirt facing wallNow, at that time, I wasn’t even thinking about publishing the story. I just wanted to write it. Now that I had a title, the rest of the story came together in a flash. Within minutes, I was furiously writing notes, capturing thoughts and ideas before they flashed out of existence. For me, it was a race to document the ideas, never mind whether I would use them all.


A couple of hours later, I had a clear concept of what I wanted to write and I began writing anew. Honey was not only to be the subject of the title but she would be a main character in the story.

It was a journey of self discovery, of retrospection and of desire. Desire in the sense of curiosity of seeing the story come to its conclusion. I knew what I wanted to write but I wanted to see it written on paper. The story took on a life of its own and before I knew it, it was no longer a short story but a full length novel.

Inspirational Authors

Inspirational Authors

I woke up this morning with thinking about my early days of reading. They started out when I was about seven years old. I read lots of YA books in those days, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew (yep her too), Tom Swift are some of my more memorable books. I grew from those quickly and looked for more interesting stories. I soon discovered authors Arthur C. Clark and Isaac Asimov.

Robert A HeinleinIt was when I discovered Robert A. Heinlein that I found my favorite author of all time. My very first book of his that I read was ‘Methuselah’s Children’. I was immediately hooked. I still have that particular 1958 edition in my library. It’s been republished over and over since it was first written in 1941.

Methuseulah's Children 1958 book cover‘Methuselah’s Children’ was Heinlein’s early stories into what became his ‘Future Histories’ books. Over the decades, this author managed to weave many of his other books into the ‘Future Histories’ line.

It was his character, Lazarus Long and his many incarnations, that really captured my interest. He was a ruthless yet caring character who could live, love and protect his family and friends. His story lines are filled with polyamorous love and sex of various flavors and experiences. Lazarus Long was a loaner and a family man. He was a father, a son, a husband, a widower, a soldier, a tradesman, a lover and a sinner. Deep down, he was a pacifist but would ruthlessly act to protect the worthy and the needy. He loved life and abhorred violence for violence sake.

As I read everything I could find, I was enamored with his books. I couldn’t get enough of Robert A. Heinlein. I was saddened when he died.

As I think about those days, reading his stories, I now realize that Heinlein helped shape me to be the person I am today. Instinctively, I’ve always known that about him. Now I understand it.

Who is the person that most influenced you in becoming who you are? I would enjoy reading your comments on my site www.richardverry.com.

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.

Why “Broken Steele” Will Dominate the LGBT Book Category on Amazon.com

Pretty confident title… right? So is the first chapter of “Broken Steele”.

Amazon.com readers and Kindle eBook buyers are simply going to love the uninhibited approach that “Broken Steele” offers in the exploration of a lifestyle that is well known in the LGBT arena. Instead of  gently easing into a lesbian sex scene, the first chapter is an explosion of intimacy, domination and sets the tone of the entire book.

As Leah Hart said “Ok, so we’re going there – right now! Alrighty then!”

I think she might have been surprised.

It’s not often that books have a sex scene smack dab in the front of the book, let alone the first few paragraphs. The LGBT audience will love it and rave because it celebrates sex and puts it right “out there” instead of shying into it. It’s not like other books on the market.

What can you do to get the word out to help “Broken Steele” dominate the Amazon.com LGBT market? Spread the word. Thanks for sharing!

The Start of a Great LGBT Series

“The Taste of Honey” and “Broken Steele” are breakthroughs in the LGBT book audience because of their ability to portray an honest depiction of real human love and sexuality. These two books are the start of a fantastic series, with many more books to come. I have really enjoyed delving into the characters of both books and often find myself getting lost in their world as a writer and reader.

These books are not going to be for everyone. What I write is very specific to an audience of readers that enjoy provocative scenes and sensual writing. I have enjoyed catering to an audience that has often been misunderstood, mistreated in today’s society and have, until this point, gone without literature that identifies and celebrates their love and desires for physical touch.

While my books are intended for mature audiences, I know that many teenagers who are LGBT will find my books and want to read them. I’m sure you may remember instances in your own life where you might have read romance novels under the covers with a flashlight at an age that might have been considered “too young” for the contents. I truly believe that my books open up an opportunity for teenagers and parents to have honest, open discussions about the kinds of lifestyles my characters have – along with the safety precautions that need to be in place with this lifestyle… because it does exist in today’s world. LGBT relationships can be committed ones as well as polyamorous, and these are great discussions to have with others, regardless of religious or spiritual beliefs and preferences.

I also believe that my books satisfy a lot of curiosities out there about dominance/submissive sexual relationships, and no one should feel ashamed or embarrassed about wanting to read my books. I’m happy to entertain constructive criticism and discussion. I encourage anyone and everyone who is curious about what has been a somewhat hidden world to read any of my books – you’ll enjoy them very much!