Fan Fiction for Beginners (or for snobs)

Years back (in June 2006, actually), I wrote a piece on my own blog called The Snape Theory, finally, wherein I correctly asserted before it was revealed at the end of the series that Snape was a double agent working for good, and that it was for the love of Harry's mother Lily.

Of course, getting the Snape Theory right by the end of the fifth Harry Potter (The Order of the Phoenix) was hardly a stretch for a romance writer, it being our business to discern and delineate secret smoldering passions. Still, it got me much cred with my then-eleven-year-old niece, who could horcrux me under the table when it came to minor Harry Potter details and characters, but hadn't figured out the Snape thing yet.

And it also got me a fascinating piece of fanmail, directing me to some down-and-dirty and really rather well-written Harry Potter BDSM fan fiction -- about an intellectual relationship that (just as she becomes chronologically old enough) becomes an erotic one between Snape and Hermione.

I kinda enjoyed it, and was grateful to be pointed to it. I liked the idea of Snape wearing tight black jeans under his robes (not what Rowling intended, of course, but certainly a compassionate compensation for that heart-rending scene in the pensieve at the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). And everybody who plays for the smart girl team will be gladdened by Hermione having an erotic partner who matches her in intellect. And then there's the strange point, which I have never quite understood, but which I feel to be absolutely true -- that BDSM is a kink often preferred by wonky types (I'll write more on this someday, I promise, but if anybody has any ideas I'd love to hear them now).

Anyway, I searched around in this fan fiction site, and followed links for a while... but then I went back to the book I was trying to write at the time and didn't think of fan fiction again until recently. Partly I was reminded of it when I read this quip from the supersmart lit-and-culture blogger Caleb Crain, who said he couldn't claim "to have read much fan fiction, but I feel as if I've been reading academic papers about it since I was an undergrad."

It's true -- particularly in the 90s, hip lit critics adored fan fiction, because it seemed to point to new and interesting aspects of the reading-writing continuum -- and perhaps also to point to a truth not generally acknowledged about a certain kind of reading, the adoring fans' desire to imagine characters' untold stories. We like to give them the breaks their authors never gave them (for Snape, something a whole lot better under his robes than the "skinny, pallid legs" and "graying underpants" Rowling gave him in the pensieve scene).

Sometimes, in the romance world, minor characters get their own books (sometimes this is sincere, sometimes market-driven, c'est la vie capitaliste, I guess). Sometimes, perhaps, it's the urge to continue a job well begun -- read the tough-love justice meted out on the final page of Pride and Prejudice: perhaps (I suppose this series assumes) England would be a better place if Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were solving all the unsolved crimes and dispensing rewards and punishments a la Lord and Lady Peter Wimsey. (I haven't read any of those Darcy mysteries -- have any of you? -- but I'll confess to a real adolescent wonky romantic thing for Peter Wimsey.)

And sometimes, as in the case of our own Colette Gale, the ending of The Phantom of the Opera just can't hold without the real lovers getting together. Colette, of course, writes in a "classics retold" subgenre. Retold and re-eroticized. Or perhaps (this is the fan fiction connection, I think) picking up on hints of eroticism in the original...?

Sometimes the eroticism really is there in the original -- or almost. The first time I read about fan fiction, it was (possibly like Caleb Crain) in the 90s, in the work of literary scholar Constance Penley. I think the word was slash fiction -- though I'm not sure what that meant. But in any case, Penley was gaga (her word) over stories of sex between Kirk and Spock by Star Trek fans. And whereas I don't believe that Gene Roddenberry had intended a sexual relationship, certainly there's an erotic vibe between two polar modes of macho -- Kirk the impetuous and Spock the remote, repressed, and contemplative. Which probably has something to do with the popularity of m-m couplings today (crumpet strumpets who mine this vein, please comment!)

Which brings me to the real reason I'm writing about fan fiction, because what I'm playing with right now is my own retelling of a classic novel -- to tell the "real" story that it's my pleasure to propose that the author was too proper to reveal. Perhaps like Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead -- well, that's a literary and hifalutin example. Or perhaps more like fan fiction. Where are the boundaries?

Boundaries or not, right now for me it's a journey and a challenge. The sex parts are pure pleasure. Righting injustices that I perceive in the original is a delight. Knowing how much to reveal about the "original," ostensible plot is a headache -- because some readers will have read the original and others will not have. I want it to work for everybody.

And I also want to know what you think about this farrago of partially digested ideas. I know that at least one of the crumpets (Celia) has written fan fiction. And that others of you have written m-m erotica and classics retold stories. Readers, what do you think? Writers, what have been your experiences?

Summer Lovin'

Margaritas are, hands down, the best summer drink. (And enough of them can lead to what I call 'summer lovin', hence the title.)

They're cool, they're pretty, they're sexy, and they can be sweet or sour.

And I'm here to tell you how to make super simple designer margaritas.

Ready? Okay.

All you need is sugar, ice, tequila...and Kool-Aid. That's right--Kool-Aid's not just for kids anymore. No sirreee.

Pick out your favorite, most intriguing Kool-Aid flavor. Ice-Blue Raspberry Lemonade, anyone? Swirling Strawberry Starfruit? Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade? You get the idea.

Make the packet of Kool-Aid (I usually don't add as much sugar as the packet calls for) as directed, and then simply use that as your margarita mixer. Add tequila and ice to taste...and voila!

Designer margaritas.

Let me know how it goes and how much of the pitcher you drink yourself, okay?

PS You can also do the same for martinis by simply adding vodka (flavored vodka works too!) instead of tequila.

Yo ho yo ho: Calling all bloggers.

What a blast to meet those of you that I saw at the Romantic Times convention last week. (I'm still recovering. You?)

In the midst of all the craziness, it's completely sneaked up on me that I have a new book coming out a week from Tuesday!

My latest "seduced classic" is an erotic twist on Dumas' brilliant revenge story The Count of Monte Cristo. My count is tortured, sexy, and hell-bent on revenge....whew! Makes for some hawt scenes.

I loved the original book--all 1247 pages of it--and other than giving the story a happy ending and lots of sex, I pretty much followed the original storyline (unlike the deviations in my Phantom of the Opera book, Unmasqued).

I'm looking for a few bloggers who'd like to receive a free copy. All I ask in return is for you to read and blog about the book before May 15. If you're interested, email me at colette at colettegale dot com and I'll get one shipped off to you posthaste.

For those curious-minded folk, you can find out more info (and read an excerpt) on my site at colettegale.com. Here's the back cover blurb:

Edmond Dantés spent years imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Now free, he has returned to Paris in the guise of the powerful Count of Monte Cristo seeking vengeance on those who sent him to jail. But his plan also includes a different kind of revenge on the woman he has never forgotten, the lover he has made it his mission to possess.

Mércèdes Herrera was devastated when the man she loved disappeared. Trapped in a loveless marriage, her passions are reignited by Edmond's return. She alone sees through his disguise...but this harsh, angry man sends chills down her spine even as his very touch reminds her of the passion they once shared. She realizes soon enough that his plan to avenge himself on the men who incarcerated him also includes another sort of revenge...on her.

From the seaside town of Marseille, to the exotic caves of Monte Cristo Isle, unfolds an erotic battle of wills in the most electrifying game of love ever played between man and woman, between master and slave.

Cold blowy wintry day

Is anyone else sick of winter?

(Well, I know some of you don't have to deal with winter, but humor me.)

It's cold and blowy here today, but at least the sun is shining. It literally looks like diamonds on the snow--I know it's cliché, but it's a cliché for a reason. Right?

So tomorrow is Valentine's Day. As an erotic novelist, that holiday should be high up on my list of favorite days, right? *snort*

Yeah, it's there with my red-silken boudoir and candle-lit bath and cabinet filled with a variety of whips and other accoutrements.

No, seriously. The cabinet is there, but the other stuff....well, all right. You caught me. How about piles of laundry and rows of shoes in my boudoir?

So what's your favorite way to stay warm in the winter? Me? I take a hot bath every night. Then when I climb in bed with HEN (Husband of an Erotic Novelist), my feet aren't cold and neither are my hands. Or other areas.

What about you? And how will you celebrate Valentine's Day tomorrow? Chocolate and champagne? Whips and chains? Dinner for two with some good under-the-tablecloth foot (and/or finger) action?

Come on. Spill!

An O by any other name...

Well, Happy New Year to everyone!

Congrats to Celia for her RT Reviewers Choice nom! That's fantastic news, and I'll be at RT cheering you on!

I was in a restaurant over the holidays (eating, of course...oh, dear...eating, and eating and eating...)...anyway, there was an item on the menu (dessert, of course) that was described as orgasmic.

I sort of nodded. Yeah, it was chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Some (real) whipped cream. More chocolate. Mm-hm. Yes, I could see it being orgasmic.

Especially if one is suffering from PMS. (We all know how that works, don't we, Strumpets?)

Anyway, I was wondering what other treats could be considered "orgasmic"--ones that are of the food variety (and, yes, I know that food and sex are oft combined, but I'm talking about food-only. Treats.).

So, what's your favorite non-sex orgasm?

I'll take a good chocolate anyday...Godiva or Milka, with caramel. Or...oh, yes...the Great Wall of Chocolate from P.F.Chang's. Yu-ummmm.

And PS: here's the cover for my May release, Master: An Erotic Novel of the Count of Monte Cristo. Pretty, yes?


(Yes, I know there's a typo. They've fixed it; I just don't have the new version yet.)

Crumpet Strumpets in NYC tonight!

Jane Lockwood (Forbidden Shores) and Colette Gale (Unmasqued) are reading from their books tonight at Virgins'* Night at the In the Flesh Reading Series hosted by Racher Kramer Bussell. It's free! There will be free books (Colette's) and cupcakes and all sorts of good naughty stuff:

8 PM
Happy Ending Lounge, 302 Broome St., NYC
Hope we'll see you there!





* Don't get too excited. It means writers who haven't read their work in public before.

Want to meet Jane and me masquerading as virgins?

Heh heh heh. Thought that would get your attention.

Now don't laugh, but it's true...Jane and I will be appearing at Virgin Night this month! (I know it's hard to believe, but it's true: we still do have some virginal aspects.)

What's Virgin Night, you ask? Well, it's an event in New York City at a club appropriately named Happy Endings Lounge.

Every month, on the third Thursday, erotic writer Rachel Kramer Bussel hosts an evening of erotic reading. Authors such as Jane and I attend and read from their published works.

We'll be two of the guests on October 18th, which is also Virgin Night--for erotic writers who haven't read their work in public before. (Which would be me.)

So, we'd love to see you there if you're in the NYC area and can come by. There might even be some free books and other prizes there!

For more info, check out Rachel Kramer Bussel's blog.

The Book that Polarizes.

Oh yes, indeedy. My innocent little tome, Unmasqued, has been gleaning reviews like crazy!

What I've found the most interesting is that, with few exceptions, people either really love it...or really hate it. Since this is my first published erotic novel, I'm new to the game--I assume that's the case with most erotic novels.

It doesn't surprise me at all, though, and I'm actually glad when people post reviews like this on Amazon by Calsgirl:

"If I could give this book ZERO stars - I would!...This book merely takes our beloved characters and puts them into scenes of bondage, whips, chains and sex with no feeling. It is sad that the writer felt they had to put someone having sex onto every other page - - the story line itself (excluding the sex) was not that bad - and the writing was okay - but the calousness [sic] of the sex throughout the book just ruined it! If you like S & M/Bondage and Animal lusts - then you'll just love this book."

A review like that actually sends up a red flag to those readers who aren't going to like the erotic aspect of the book, and helps steer them away. Because, after all, erotica isn't for everyone--and messing with the classics isn't either. Personally, I'd rather have people know what they're getting when they pick up my book.

Here's another one that does a great job of letting people know what they'll find between the sheets of UNMASQUED (a one-star review from Katiebabs):

"...Mrs. Giry is a nympho involved with both of the owners of the opera house. At least the old gal has some fun in this book!

Erik, the Phantom uses a mirror and harp to introduce Christine to his way of teaching. He lurks around the opera house pouting most of the time.

Raoul and his brother Philippe force Christine to have sexual acts with them both at the same time. Big brother Philippe likes rough sex... really rough sex. (He even has a special room for playtime)

And Christine, well she walks around in a sex induced state through most of the novel. With three men following me around, I would also!"

Bookfetish.org did dueling reviews, too, and once again the polarization happens: a 4.5-star review versus a 1-star review.

But here's the thing, and YA Librarian says it perfectly in his/her review on Amazon:

"I find it odd that people's knickers are in a knot when reviewing this book. I'm not sure how this book could have fooled anyone into believing it was a nice wholesome tale about POTO when the title is: Unmasqued: An EROTIC Novel of The Phantom of The Opera. People should know that this book is going to have sex in it; a lot of sex in it and people are having sex with each other in different ways. If you are not a fan of erotica then this may not be the book for you."

Hear, hear!

So, tell me....other Spiced Tea Party gals....do you find this kind of polarizing effect on your books because they're erotica, or is it less of an issue because you're not blatantly messing with classics as I am?

And for non-erotica writers....what would make it easier for you (other than labeling a book "erotica") to help you determine whether it's your cup of tea or not?

And finally--don't forget you have until September 10 to use the $1-0ff coupon from Borders for Unmasqued or a host of other books!

Indulge me?

Well, the reviews are starting to come in...and pardon me if I'm a little bit tickled about the response to Unmasqued.

I knew I was playing with fire, messing with a classic novel and romanticizing--er, eroticizing, I mean--a well-known, beloved story. And, yeah, there are people who aren't going to care for the book...but check out this lovely review at Blogcritics.

And since I want to make it easier on you, you don't even have to click over...here's just a little snippet:

"Unmasqued, a retelling of a classic, is an erotic classic in its own right. Charged with erotic images, sensual passion, fiery longing, and steamy scenes on and off the stage this is a book to be devoured in one seating. Then opened again and read slowly just for the pure pleasure of it."

(Thank you, Ms. McNeill! You've just made my day.)

Release Day, An Award, and a Coupon--oh MY!

Well, this is it! The release day for Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera. Yay! Now I can walk down the street, hiding my face, wondering who's read it, and if that's why they're looking at me like that.

Someone equated publishing an erotic novel to taking off one's clothes and running down the street--your street, not some anonymous one--naked. Pam, based on your post of last week, I'm wondering if it would also be like walking naked through one's place of work.

Not only should Unmasqued be in stores (bookstores, I mean--I highly doubt Wal-Mart and Target will carry a book that clearly states "erotic" on the front cover) everywhere, but Borders is offering a $1-off coupon for the hefty, hot trade paperback.

Not only has Pam graciously read and raved about Unmasqued (you can see her quote right on the cover of the book!), but our own dear Jane Lockwood has bestowed an award on the tome.

Last week, she emailed to tell me Unmasqued won a Missed Metro Stop award. And since only three other authors (Pam, of course, Eloisa James, and Vicki Lewis Thompson) have garnered this award, I'm feeling pretty happy about that! I'm in great company.

(Although I do have something to strive for, as Ms. James also got a Wrong Line Honorable Mention.)

Better late than never.

Sorry for the delay in drawing the winner of an early copy of Unmasqued...got a bit caught up in the Harry Potter thing this weekend, but now that I've finished it and caught up on sleep, things are back to normal.

So, I drew the winner from my newsletter subscribers, and I'm happy to announce that
Lynda Coker
has won an early copy of the book!

I'll be in touch with you for mailing instructions, or you can email me at colette at colettegale dot com.

In the mean time, who read Harry Potter this weekend? And what did you think? (No spoilers, please.)

The Phantom is in the House.

At last! I have a copy of Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera sitting here on my desk, just dying to be read...before its official release date!

(Let me just say that the cover....is breathtaking. Really breathtaking.)

So, I'm going to be pulling a name from my newsletter list....if you'd like a chance to win (and believe me, there aren't too many people on the list now), head on over to ColetteGale.com and sign up for my newsletter....and you'll be entered to win.

That's it! I'll draw a name on Friday night.

My Phantom's Sexier Than Your Phantom

Some time ago, someone asked me if I'd read the original Phantom of the Opera by Leroux. I did. I have. And said person asked if I followed the book when I wrote my--ahem--dirty version of it, and what I thought about it.

And, well, my answer is: sorta. I didn't love the book as much as I loved the Webber musical (that's the romantic in me)...and here's sort of a comparison for the curious-minded.

Before I go any further, I just want to state this disclaimer: my first experience with The Phantom of the Opera was Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, which I saw in Toronto eighteen years ago. I had never watched a movie version or read the book or knew anything about it other than what the title told me before I saw the Webber musical.

I immediately fell in love with it.

The music. The costumes. The set. The story! Which is why it's probably impossible for me to write any objective review of Leroux's book, which I read twice: once for research for my own version of Phantom, and second, as I finished up the book, I reread parts of it as I did my final run-through of the book.

Really, what I'm going to do more than review the book is to compare the two versions: the original, and what is arguably the most well-known version of the story of Christine Daae, Raoul, and Erik (the Phantom).

Before I do that, let me give a very brief synopsis of the story for those who haven't read the book or seen the movie or play.

The story is about Christine Daae, an orphan who performs spectacularly at the Opera House in Paris, upstaging the reigning prima donna La Carlotta, and becomes the obsession of not one, but two men. Erik, also known as the Phantom of the Opera, and Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, one of the gentry.

Raoul is a childhood friend who comes back into her life at the beginning of the story, and Erik is a man with a deformed face who hides beneath the Opera House in his lair, and "haunts" the theater. Erik becomes Christine's singing tutor, under the guise of pretending he is an angel sent to her by her father, who died several years earlier. That's the crux of the story. As to how it ends, well, I'm trying not to give away spoilers.

So, on to the comparison.

First, let me say that Webber was quite faithful to Leroux's original story in many ways, some of which surprised me. For example, Christine does call the Phantom her "Angel of Music," which I had wondered about.

And the Opera Ghost (Erik) does send letters to the managers of the theater, asking for his salary.

There is a masquerade ball in both versions. There is a graveyard scene in both versions where Christine visits her father's grave and the Phantom is there, trying to lure her to him. Erik does write an opera called "Don Juan Triumphant." Lots of basic similarities.

In the film version of the Webber musical, there's an additional scene: of Raoul in the circular room with mirrors, trying to fight the Phantom. That, too, is taken from the book.

There are some things that Webber left out, understandably so, due to the constraints of his choice of medium.

In the book, the Vicomte de Chagny (Raoul) has an older brother, the Comte. The Comte actually is the so-called villain in the original book, along with the Phantom, in that he does not want Raoul to marry beneath him--he tries to obstruct any possibility of marriage between Christine and Raoul.

Also, in the book, there is this mysterious character known only as The Persian. He comes in about halfway through the book and is a device used, through his conversations with Raoul, to fill us in on Erik's (the Phantom's) backstory--where he was before he was in Paris, how he comes to know so much about torture chambers and engineering, and how to navigate from under the theater to the Phantom's underground lair.

After being immersed in the Webber version (I've owned the soundtrack since I first saw the musical, have seen the musical a dozen times, and also own the movie), I must admit I found the book to be a disappointment to my romantic's heart.

The main reason is that the book is not the love story that Webber turned it into; it's more of a mystery, told in what I would call a dry precursor to our popular police procedural novels. I didn't find it particularly suspenseful or creepy. It's not really a thriller. It has a gothic feel to it, but in a removed sort of fashion.

It is a love story between Raoul and Christine. And the story of Erik's obsessive love for Christine, although in the book, there's very little sympathy built in for Erik.

Webber romanticized Erik and his passion for Christine, and I'm not ashamed to say that I prefer his version.

And, I am sorry to say, there is no scene in the book that even slightly relates to the famous Point of No Return scene from the film/musical.

I think Leroux must be given his due, however. He wrote a novel with a storyline that has fascinated us for over a century now, inspiring the creation of many different movie versions, and the most lucrative entertainment enterprise of all time (src: Wikipedia).

He wrote a type of novel with a unique (at that time) structure in which the story is told mainly through a series of interviews with the characters, as in a police procedural. I expected more suspense, and more of a ghostly feel to the book.

But, as I said right off, I know my expectations have been colored by my first exposure to the book. It would be impossible for me to judge the book based on its own merit, unfortunately.

So. For those of you who have read the book, what do you think? What did you like about it? Dislike? The phone lines are open.

It's all in the wearing of the trou...

I have a thing about the way men wear their pants.

Have you ever sort of noticed that some of them wear them...well...well, and others...not so well. It's not only the way they walk, but the way the pants hang from their hips and the way it covers their crotch.

A guy like Brad Pitt wears his trousers. See what I mean? Unself-consciously, yet fully aware of how he cuts a dash (to borrow a phrase from Mr. Brummel). I mean, Pitt owns those jeans. See?

And his good friend Mr. Clooney has the same appeal. Lean and long and cut perfectly. Casual elegance. Love it.

But then there's someone like Gerard Butler...and you know I think he's hot as hell (why else would I write a version of the Phantom of the Opera after seeing the movie?)...but the man's pants just don't look right on him. Ugh. Check this out: too tight, too short, just...not...right. Sorry Gerry.

So that got me to thinking about the men of days gone by, where they had to wear...well...breeches. I'm trying to figure out if I would have liked that...shall we say...insight into their...hm...package. Or not.

I mean...well, it probably was quite interesting and enlightening for the viewer (not to mention embarrassing for the man in question).

(And I thought Speedos were bad.)

I can only imagine how Byron or Brummel wore their breeches. Nicely, I'm certain. Quite nicely.

So what do you think? If it's all in the wearing of the pants....breeches or trousers?

My Phantom of the Opera v. Webber's

Some of the questions commenters asked a few weeks ago about Unmasqued got me to thinking about of my favorite scenes in the Webber musical/film.

My all-time favorite song is The Point of No Return, particularly because of the way it was done in the movie version with Gerard Butler as the hottest Phantom ever, practically making love to his Christine there onstage in front of everyone--including her beau. *fans self*

Alas, however, when I was writing my version of the story, and I actually read the original novel by Leroux, I learned that that onstage-switcheroo (in which the Phantom secretly takes the place of the actor playing opposite Christine in a romantic scene) never happened in the book.

And since I didn't want to annoy Mr. Webber (and his lawyers), I decided I didn't want to recreate that scene in my book, and instead stayed with what happened in the original: the Phantom appears, and he does kidnap Christine from the stage, but not as a fellow actor.

Anyway, my point is that for those of you who really loved The Point of No Return scene from the Webber movie...well, you won't get that in my book. But what happens with the harp more than makes up for it....right, Pam?

More Phantom Questions Answered...and the Winner!

I'm back! Some great questions popped up in my previous entry about my forthcoming Phantom book, and so I thought I'd post the latest that I didn't answer herewith, answer them, and then get to what you're really wanting to know: who won the bloody copy of the book!

So...here we go:

Robyn asks: I'd love to see the movie The Phantom. With your book, who did the cover art and chose the title of the book? Thanks.

My publisher's art department did the cover design. Originally, we thought there might be that signature mask on it that's so familiar to Phantom fans, but they came up with this design and I love it!

As for the title...I had always wanted to title it Christine & Erik: The True Story of the Phantom of the Opera because I felt certain that Phantom fans would know immediately who that was, and what it was about, but my editor didn't like the idea of names in the title, and so then we had to think of something else. That was about a month-long process of emails back and forth between my editor and myself.

We just could not come up with a title that we liked, that we felt worked. We wanted to make sure that people knew it was an erotic novel--so they were prepared for the very explicit sex in the book....and so the official title is actually: Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera.

tetewa said... I am so looking forward to the release of this book. I took my mom to see the play for Christmas. She'd never even saw the movie and didn't know what to expect. She loved it, so my question for you is what is your favorite song from the play?

First, you should know that I have the double CD version of the original London cast, and I know every single note, breath, and word of them. Love it!

I love all the songs, really...but some of my favorites are "Music of the Night," "The Point of No Return," and I can never remember the name of it, but it's the song Christine sings when she's walking through the graveyard, thinking about her father. (Incidentally, there is no graveyard scene in my book. Just FYI.)

Caffey said... Oh I'm so excited about this release! Can't wait to read it! With Phantom being one of your favorites, is there another legend, or history related story you'd like to write like you did with Phantom?

Funny you should ask! I'm currently at work on a very erotic version of The Count of Monte Cristo, which should be released next August ('08). It's going really well, and I'm loving it. I have a few other ideas that I'd like to write about too, so we'll see if my publisher goes for it!

Caffey said... Another quick question :) If you had a reader who is new to Phantom, what sites would you recommend for them becoming familiar with it?

I think there's a site called ladyghost.com that is just chockfull of Phantom info. But the best thing to do, in my opinion, to get a feel for the reason I wanted to write this story is to rent the movie version that came out in 2004. That was the reason I wanted to write this book....because I hated the way it ended!

julietwoods said... Hey Colette! Wow, people have really asked some good questions. This book looks sooo good. I really can't wait to read it. I've always loved the story and always wished it had a different ending. Plus, the story is so dark, sexy and romantic--the perfect tortured hero romance.

A quick question: Did you write this book while you were writing the historical romances you were contracted for, or in between books?

They have asked good questions!! And you're right about the story--and why I felt like I really wanted to write it: so dark, so sexy, and romantic. And, boy, is Erik tortured! :-)

Anyway, on to your question: I actually wrote this book for myself, just for fun, during the time my agent was getting ready to submit my first book that actually sold. I had nothing to work on (because I didn't know if I was going to want/need to write a sequel), and I had no other ideas...but I knew I had been wanting to write about what really happened during The Music of the Night scene, and why Christine did leave Erik at the end of the movie...and so I just started writing it for fun.

I finished a shorter version of it, and mentioned it to my agent, figuring she wouldn't be interested in repping it and that I would submit it to an epublisher...and lo and behold, my agent took it to my editor and my editor was very excited about it and immediately bought it.

However, since I had written it mostly for myself, it was shorter on plot than the final version, and I had to write another hundred pages to flesh it out (no pun intended) and to wrap some things up. But other than that, it's the same book.

Paola said: Did you take into account other elements fron different retellings of the story (such us Susan Kay's Phantom) to write your story or draw your characters?

Actually, I've never read the Susan Kay book (although I'm familiar with it), and the only book I took into account or drew from was the original Gaston Leroux book. In fact, I took great care to make sure that, while I had the "feel" of the Webber musical/movie in my mind as I wrote (meaning the heavily erotic, passionate relationship between Christine & Erik, and the lush sense of the movie/play), all of the events, the characters, the whole story is really derived from Leroux's book. Not from any other source.

I wanted to be careful not to "borrow" anything from Webber that he hadn't already borrowed from Leroux, because of course the original book is in the public domain...but the Webber version is not. :-)

Okay, so here we are! The winner of the ARC of Unmasqued is:

Rhonda Stapleton!

Email me at colette at colettegale dot com and I'll get your info and get that baby out to you!

Congratulations and thanks to all for playing!

Changing the genre

Recently Colette asked us to share our sexual fantasies, and there seemed to be one recurring common theme--of being forced and helpless while Mr. Naughty with or without his friends, had his wicked way with you. And naturally it got me thinking about how erotic romance is probably the only place you could go in genre literature to have those fantasies addressed without judgment or moralizing.

And that's refreshing, considering what a very preachy genre romance is, or has been, with the emphasis on the "good" marriage (read any Harlequin contemporary and it saves you having to read Pamela by Richardson); or, the bend over backward virgin heroine--and by that, I don't mean an exotic sexual position, but a heroine who is a virgin under extremely unlikely circumstances. Working in a brothel? Check. Widowed? Check. Accompanying an entire regiment on campaign? Check (bless her, she's been darning socks and writing letters home for the lads). A critic of my Signet Regency with bondage scenes complained that one of my characters didn't get her come-uppance (I'm not sure which one she meant since so many of them were behaving in less than stellar ways.) But I digress. It's always struck me that not only has there to be a HEA but order restored to the universe, the good rewarded and the wicked punished--no messy loose ends flapping about.

I hope that the rise of erotic romance can give us a little more moral ambiguity and a little less political correctness. Don't we want men to behave badly between the sheets (of a book)? Look at all the flap online about Anna Campbell's marvelous Claiming the Courtesan which had, gasp shock, a forced seduction and a heroine who was a courtesan. If the book had been written and published as an erotic romance I don't think anyone would have turned a hair (because those who don't read that sort of thing wouldn't have read it and/or felt compelled to be shocked online whether they'd read it or not).

I'd also like to think it would give us a little more tolerance for the loose ends-ness of it all; that our notion of "a love story" might become less simple HEA than together and facing the complexities of what lies ahead (which certainly doesn't lead to a good acronym). Will we erotic romance writers make the genre grow (or grow up?)? I'd like to think so.

What changes do you think erotic romance will make on the romance genre?

The Big O and other related thoughts from Hollywood...and a chance to win

Awhile ago, dearest Jane brought up the Big O and how does one describe it, over and over and over again...?

Well, I'm still working on that (I really do need to post an example, don't I?), but here's something Candice Bergen said about it that made me laugh (and think of Meg Ryan):

"I may not be a great actress, but I've become the greatest at screen orgasms. Ten seconds of heavy breathing, roll your head from side to side, simulate a slight asthma attack, and die a little."

And here's another one of my favorite quotes from a Hollywood seductress:

"Let's forget about the six feet and talk about the seven inches." (That's what Mae West said when she was told that a new male acquaintance was 6'7". Go Mae!!!)

Okay, last one. This gem is from the wild Bette Midler: "I'm as confident as Cleopatra's pussy."

Yeah. Does that mean she's going to welcome that asp or not...?

Okay, sorry. I'm punchy. It was a weekend filled with laziness, junk/comfort food, and lots o'sleep...so I'm feeling a bit out of sorts.

So.

I think it's time I livened things up a bit. How about....a chance to win a copy of my erotic Phantom of the Opera novel, Unmasqued, which our own Pam Rosenthal said was a "labyrinth of dark, extravagant eroticism." (Thanks again, Pam!) It's coming on August 7th, from NAL, and here's your chance to win....

Ask me a question in the comments section about the book or the Phantom movie/play, and you're entered to win! I'll draw a winner on Thursday morning, and answer the questions in the comments.

Friday on a Friday

I don't know about the peanut gallery (that would be you), but when I read erotic fiction, I read it for the titillation. For the fantasy, the escape, the way it makes me feel.

Isn't that the point?

Which means, that for me, yes, the plot is important, but also pushing the envelope in the scenes is important too. Erotic fiction is where I live out my fantasies--things that I'd never in a million years want to have happen in real life (well, except the one with me and Johnny Depp and Clive Owen and Brad Pitt all naked in a shower together).

That's because for me, and for many women, those fantasies totally push the envelope of safety, control, and pain. The "forced seduction" is a big one--not just for me, but for other women. The orgy. The whipping and spanking. The domination and bondage and submission.

And so when I'm writing my erotic novels, I do research not only things like how the clothes in 1840 Paris worked (those blasted skirts! too wide to fit through a door, let alone be easily lifted for simple access) and what society was like...but also women's fantasies.

Since I have the golden rule (that's rule, Jane, not shower) in my books that there must be at least one orgasm per chapter (yep, it's my guarantee!), not only do I have to find, say, twenty ways of describing The Big O, but all the ways of getting there. (And, yes, I get paid to do this. I keep pinching myself.)

One of my best resources has been Nancy Friday's books My Secret Garden and Women on Top. For those of you who don't know, Ms. Friday has gathered and analyzed women's fantasies from women of our generations and collected them all in these, and other books. They're great.

So if you're worried that your fantasies are...shall way say...wayyyy over the top, that you're warped, disturbed, or otherwise messed up...check out her books. You'll be surprised at what you find.

Anyone want to share their favorite naughty fantasy? Feel free to be anonymous....in fact I encourage it. So, what is it?

Let's be Ms. Friday on a Friday here at The Spiced Tea Party. Who knows, your fantasy might just be brought to life in one of our books!

(And, no, Pam, getting tied to a harp wasn't one of my fantasies...but it worked just the same didn't it?)

Last night I dreamt about Brad Pitt.

Unfortunately, it wasn't what you might think. No...no...instead of hot, sweaty images that left me with the sheets twisted around my body and drool leaking into my pillow, I dreamt about me giving Brad Pitt parenting advice.

No joke.

Yes, I really do write erotic novels, even if I can't dream them!
Sheesh.
I have had erotic dreams about celebrities that really surprised me, though. Such as Mick Jagger. I mean, how can I dream sexy things about Mick, but not Brad? There's so much more to work with there!

Oh, and the other one that shocked the hell out of me was my erotic dream (years ago--no, decades ago!) about John Travolta. At the time, I thought he was creepy and weird (now I find out he's gay), but I had a sexy dream about him. Ugh. That still gives me the creeps.

What about Johnny Depp? Gerard Butler? Daniel Craig?

No. I have to pick Mick Jagger and John Travolting. Who's next? Tom Cruise? (Please, no!)

Okay, so 'fess up. What celebrities have been in your hot dreams?