Published: October 29th, 2014
Cover Artist: Rafido
Description:
Second novelette in the Fantasies in Color series by RWA RITA-nominated author Sharon Lynn Fisher ...
Pearl knows it was Raven who stole her mama's heart -- a beautiful quartz stone given to her by Pearl's father right before he died. She sets off alone to the crow-man's keep determined to bring back the stone, but she's caught by a servant and taken to the tower.
The dark-winged ruler of the keep isn't at all what she imagined, and he isn't about to let Pearl go before unlocking all her mysteries -- mysteries she never dreamed her body possessed.
The first novelette in the Fantasies in Color erotica series, by RWA RITA-nominated sci-fi romance author Sharon Lynn Fisher ...
Sylva swallows an acorn sweetmeat at the Garden of Earthly Delights Fair. No garden-variety recreational drug, the acorn transports her to a fantasy forest where she must successfully face three trials before she can earn the title of Nymph.
Her sponsor and handler for these trials is the faun Leander. He forces her to call him Master, giving her pleasure but refusing her the thing she most desires.
What she views as a temporary escape from her static life becomes a lesson in having the courage to take what you really want.
GUEST POST
Raven: Master of Change
I can't tell you how pleased I was to be given such a geektastic topic for my guest post (significance of the raven in my steampunk erotica novelette, RAVEN TAKES A PEARL).
First, a confession. The main reason I chose a raven-man for the hero of this story is I thought it was a really cool visual. Here’s a bit of description from the heroine, Pearl:
He’s both more and less than what I imagined. Less of a monster … yet my heart races. The chill bumps rise along my bare arms and prick the back of my neck.
The dark wings have their effect, tips brushing the floor while the upper joints rise up even with his head. The satiny feathers look real to me, but I can see that the frame supporting them and binding them to his body is not of bone, but metal.
From the neck up he could be any man. His face is framed by wavy hair the same color as my own, and at his crown rests some sort of eyepiece — a small magnifying scope whose services are apparently not required for greeting visitors. His marble white flesh looks smooth to the touch, but sinuous muscles work just below the surface. His bare chest is crossed by a complicated pattern of black leather straps connected by metal buckles, perhaps a system for supporting the enormous wings. Over the spot where his heart would be, two straps join at an angle, and the disk at the joint is a clock.
This story is sort of a dark sister to a sweet steampunk romance I wrote for SilkWords earlier this year: A HEART FOR COPPER (https://www.silkwords.com/stories/a_heart_for_copper). The stories are set in the same world, and both have an inventor for a hero. In both, the heroine experiences an awakening.
And that’s pretty much the way I roll creatively. I love to explore a concept from every angle. I love coming up with a cool title or some interesting visuals and then watching a whole story spring from that. And I especially love re-reading that first draft and finding higher-concept stuff I had no idea I put in there.
In this second novelette in my Fantasies in Color series, Master Raven is more than just a sexy dom with a touch of absent-minded professor. In Pacific Northwest Native American mythology, Raven is a trickster.
Shortly before writing this story, I read TRICKSTER MAKES THIS WORD, a book on mythology by Lewis Hyde. Hyde’s book explores the creative and transformative power of tricksters. You find them at the crossroads. On the cusp of change. Their antics may seem foolish, selfish, or even evil at times. The other players in the story are often injured by their actions. But tricksters are game changers. And from a cultural perspective, even the most painful change is ultimately purgative and rejuvenating.
So how does that play out in RAVEN TAKES A PEARL? The actions of Master Raven trigger Pearl’s sexual awakening. Her sexual awakening is symbolic of an intellectual awakening — putting away childish things, embracing her individuality and independence. Setting aside the shame she’s felt over her father’s death (indirectly linked with her sexuality), which, in her mother’s words, is “stealing the life out of living.”
Raven is also well known as a thief — a procurer of “shiny.” Pearl’s town interprets Master Raven’s thieving as simple greed. But his motives are more complicated, and Pearl herself becomes symbolic of the role he plays in his world. (I’ll stop there to avoid spoilers!)
Are there any mythological creatures or figures you can envision as sexy and/or heroic? (Bonus points for tricksters!)
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About the author:
An RWA RITA Award finalist and a three-time RWA Golden Heart Award finalist, Sharon Lynn Fisher writes stories for the geeky at heart — meaty mash-ups of sci-fi, suspense, and romance, with no apology for the latter. She lives where it rains nine months of the year. And she has a strange obsession with gingers (down to her freaky orange cat). In addition to her erotica stories, she’s authored three science fiction romance novels for Tor Books: Ghost Planet (2012), The Ophelia Prophecy (2014), and Echo 8 (2015).
Awesome cover love it wow great job.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Rafido is a wonderful artist.
ReplyDeleteI was very curious about the GP, but I think is a good one! I like the connection you made and of course the visual is always important.
ReplyDeleteThank you,