Tag Archives: C. Margery Kempe

Make Your Characters Suffer?

24 May

swan princeby C. Margery Kempe

My brother and I had been watching a lot of Austen and Dickens while I was still in NY. He’s been especially happy to see the era of furniture he’s been buying for our 1810 house (which is slowly coming together, though there’s lots of work to be done). Seriously: in Sense & Sensibility (the BBC miniseries version from a couple of years ago, which he insists on calling Sense and Sensible Shoes) there was a dresser exactly like the one he bought at auction a couple weeks ago.

Day made for him!

For me, I’ve been thinking about why I love these 19th century novels (and miniseries) and I’ve decided that it’s the suffering. The characters go through so many reversals and terrible things and unfortunate mishaps that when the end comes — for those who survive! — the pay off is that much sweeter.

Think about it: poor Elinor! Not only does she have to put up with her mother’s and sister’s histrionics and impracticalities, the death of her beloved father and the poky little cottage in Devon with the chimney that smokes — but she also has to put up with the insufferably asinine Miss Lucy Steele who flaunts her secret engagement with Edward Ferrars, the man with whom Elinor felt an instant connection. Surrounded by people who injure her genteel sensibilities (the book is so much more vicious about their neighbours and relatives), it’s a struggle to keep finding the will to live.

And worst of all, she is not appreciated! Everyone dismisses her: the only one who recognises her worth is the similarly suffering Colonel Brandon, hopelessly in love with her sister. When they both finally get happiness, it’s almost more a relief than a joy. Their suffering is over!

Likewise most Dickens’ characters. Poor Nicholas Nicholby — that horrible school! The horrible uncle (played with real smug cruelty by Christopher Plummer in the recent version) who torments his entire family and the poor, similarly suffering Madeline Bray. His life has ups and downs: no sooner does he win a respite than he is thrust once more into horror. You know by the end he will come out all right, but this is Dickens, so not everyone will make it there with him (sob! Poor Smike!).

There’s something engaging about putting your characters through the wringer. I need to make mine suffer more . Do you like to see characters face a lot of heartache before getting their happy outcome?

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Friday Fun: Gender Play

17 May

by C. Margery Kempe

I recently took in the “David Bowie is” exhibit at the V&A in London. One of the most fun aspects of Bowie of course is his gender play. From early on, the audience confusion — “Is he a girl? Is she a boy?” — was part of the provocation. I remember the label on this video saying it was banned in the US, but I know I saw it at the time, so perhaps it was only banned from certain mainstream avenues.

There’s a drag tradition in Britain that’s different from what it is in the States: from the days of Shakespeare, where the theatre was far too scandalous to allow women on it, right up to the relatively modern public (i.e. private) school tradition that segregated genders and made it necessary that school plays include boys dressed as ingenues, it has been largely accepted as okay for straight men to dress up.

By Bowie’s time in the midst of glam rock the fluidity of gender had much more playful aspects to it that many found confusing; it wasn’t the easy identification of an old comedian dressed as a ‘battle axe’ or ‘pepperpot’ but very attractive (and overtly masculine) men in eyeliner and glitter — as well as more slippery characters like Bowie who didn’t necessarily make it clear where their gender identity lay.

Tilda Swinton is the perfect foil for Bowie, isn’t she?

I wrote a medieval story with the ‘heroine’ really being a boy, whose mother had raised him as a girl. How do you like to play with gender?

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A Free Taste

10 May

Man City Lizzieby C. Margery Kempe
I thought as I am (or should be) at present running around London having fun before I head back to my sweetie up north in Scotland, that I would give you a little freebie teaser of my latest book, Man City: Lizzie. Like the original Man City, it’s a ménage story. At the center is the red-headed Lizzie, an art historian. But Lizzie’s being pressured into a choice:

Lizzie had been grateful for the impromptu docent duties that morning as it had mostly kept her from thinking about her own potential trap. Seated behind her desk once more with a lot of paperwork waiting, it became impossible not to ruminate on ‘the Nigel problem’ as she had begun to think of it.

Six little words.

“I want us to be exclusive,” he had said to her last night, taking her hand across the table. She hoped the dismay didn’t show too clearly on her face, but he had at least recognized surprise. Studying his earnest face, Lizzie had to admit not many women would say no to that offer.

Nigel was tall, dark and handsome for sure. He cooked like a dream and he had a laugh that warmed like a stove on a winter’s afternoon. Lizzie enjoyed the strength of his arms and the concentration in his face when they made love. Nigel made sure she was satisfied, whether he was preparing dinner or eating her out.

So why in the world wouldn’t she want to have that all to herself?

Her phone buzzed and Lizzie saw the number she had been half-expecting to flash there.

He was why.

“Hello, Jake,” Lizzie could almost hear herself purr.

“Can you meet for lunch?” His tone was casual, but that didn’t fool her.

“Where?”

“My place.”

She snorted. “Will I get any food out of this?”

“You could pick something up on the way!” He rang off without even saying good-bye.

That was Jake: impetuous, fun-filled, demanding and unpredictable.

And that was why she didn’t immediately agree to Nigel’s proposal. She had strong feelings for both of them; why did she have to choose? A gorgeous guy who cooks? A life-of-the-party guy who thrilled her? She had three favourite restaurants and at least a dozen favourite artists. Why only one boyfriend? It made her want to stomp her foot and cry in her best two-year-old voice, “It’s not fair!”

These thoughts were still churning in her head when she got to Jake’s. He lived on the top floor of a gorgeous nineteenth century building. The stair was narrow and dark but when you got to the top, it was all light and windows. He had an enviable view of the cathedral and town centre.

If he asked me to be exclusive, would I have leaned toward yes just because of this flat? Lizzie wondered, but then immediately laughed to herself. Jake could never be exclusive to anyone!

As she rang the buzzer Lizzie realised she had forgotten to pick up any food. Ah well, Cup-a-Soup back at the office. But when Jake opened the door, she smelled something delicious. She saw something pretty delicious, too. His loose tie and his work shirt half unbuttoned invited her hand to slip inside and caress his chest as they kissed. His cowlicked hair stuck up in fashionable disarray. No doubt about it, Jake was a dish—even paler than she was with jet black hair and eyes the colour of Caribbean waters.

He pulled her close as he shut the door behind her, running his hands down her back to her bum and giving the cheeks a squeeze. The warm kiss became something hotter as his tongue thrust deep into her open mouth. Lizzie felt the stress of the morning slip away as her skin thrilled to his touch…

Check out more on my author page at Tirgearr Publishing.

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Friday Fun: Sexy Movies

3 May

by C. Margery Kempe

What are your favourite sexy films? What does it take to get you in the mood on movie night?

Okay , it’s noir, so you know not everyone’s going to come out of it well but oh my are the scenes between Turner and Hurt hot hot hot.

 

There’s not actually any sex in this film, but there’s such a sensuality built into the story, yum.

 

This romance isn’t to everyone’s taste, but those who love it, adore it.

 

And of course, my inspiration! Anaïs provides plenty of oohs here.

 

No sexy list would be complete without Joanne Harris’ lovely Chocolat. Mmmm!

What would you add to the list?

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Pros & Cons of a Pseudonym

26 Apr

PainTreasureby C. Margery Kempe

Did you know my name isn’t real? Okay, it’s real but not my given name. I write — at present — under three different names. The original Margery Kempe was a medieval mystic; she was a real rebel and forged an entirely new way of showing her faith, which annoyed a lot of people. The one sin she struggled with was sex. If she lived now, she wouldn’t have that struggle I suspect, but embrace her lust without shame.

I figure I’m channeling that alternative history of Marge.

I know a lot of folks take noms de plume for writing erotica and erotic romance because they’re afraid of the scrutiny of others, but I mostly took it on as branding. Under my given name I’ve struggled with finding an audience because every thing I publish seems to be different than what came before it. People who like one of my books don’t know if they’ll be interested in the next one.

I advise not doing that (>_<) but I can’t seem to help it — except with the pen names.

With C. Margery Kempe you know you’re getting the sexy. Sometimes with love, sometimes without, but always with the hot and steamy. With Kit Marlowe, on the other hand, you might be getting love and sometimes a little suggestive heat, but no sex. I’m considering a fourth name for my crime writing, largely to distinguish it from main identity and its elusive, eclectic nature, but also because the crime writing I do tends to be very dark noir. You may not be surprised to find that it’s a genre still largely perceived as ‘masculine’ despite the many female readers and writers.

But it’s harder to get reviews and word of mouth buzz because most men don’t like to be seen praising women; praising someone is seen as putting oneself in a subordinate position. Even interviews go badly for women writers in a different way than they do for male writers, who are more likely to be challenged on their expertise than asked about their shoes, weight or children. I’m really grateful to the crime-writing guys like Paul D. Brazill and Richard Godwin, who have always generously supported my writing. But I’m also frustrated that so much of the field seems so matey. I’m often made to feel as if I am intruding on conversations if I offer an opinion.

There are many aspects to consider. Sometimes it’s fun to have an argument between my selves on Facebook; it amuses me. Sometimes fellow writers are nonplussed because they don’t remember that I’m these different names (“It’s me, logged into my other account!”). And maybe I am splitting my audiences when I should be trying to join them together. I just don’t know. They’re not secret identities — I always make sure to be as transparent as possible — and they’re not sockpuppets, so I like to think of it as “my team” (does that sounds weird?). I will use saltier language as CMK than I generally will as Kate, mostly because my dad is on Facebook and I don’t want to give him a heart attack.

What do you think? Are pseuds useful? Do you want to keep a distance between your personas?

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Sexy Saturday Round-Up

20 Apr
Photo by Dollen

Photo by Dollen

Hello, sexy! We’ve got a fascinating group of blogs lined up for your weekend reading. Once again, we bring you a group of diverse and lively topics. Yep, we’ve got posts on penises, vampire facials, and the psychology of love. Where else are you going to see Kim Kardashian’s name in the same post with Brain Pickings? Hmmm? Kick back and enjoy!

From Liz:

Do you still need an agent?

Bella Andre and her story.

Why you might choose NOT to self-publish.

Great post from Misty Dietz on seeing and loving yourself.

Science proves women want men with bigger penises?

Growing a mid-list author. Robyn Carr.

From Elizabeth:

In the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy, a beautiful article by Time Magazine’s Jeffrey Kluger on why heroes risk it all for strangers.

Need a little comic relief? The annual results from the Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest are out.

Lighten your hair the natural way, using cinnamon.

Say it isn’t so! Death of the cupcake.

From Madeline:

I was definitely saddened and even felt anxious after the horrible news from Boston this week.  If you find it hard to get out of that anxious/sad mode once you’re in it–here are 16 ways to feel not so sad.

Still worried about what photos you can use on your blog without getting sued? Not to fear, the answer is here.

Are you sexy and you know it?

I love guest blogging–here are 9 tips for being a good guest.

No she didn’t–did you hear about Kim Kardashian’s vampire facial?

From C. Margery:

The best muse EVAH! She’s fierce.

Frida Kahlo: not just a great artist, but turning everything around her into art.

I reviewed a gorgeous book of fairy tales aimed at YA but totally satisfying for grown-ups too; this is why print books will not disappear. We want beautiful books!

From Brain Pickings: 5 Must Read Books on the Psychology of Love

Stay hungry,

Liz

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Writing Advice from the Sisters

19 Apr

by C. Margery Kempe

I’m a member of Sisters in Crime and the 2012 Publishers Summit Report has come out. This is the advantage of belonging to writer organisations: insider info. I’m a member of the upper Hudson (NY) chapter, Mavens of Mayhem, too and act as their social media wrangler. I’m giving a talk on Saturday about using Twitter as a writer.

The perks of membership: you get a lot of useful information and mentoring that might cost big buck as a conference or workshop, but are included in your membership fee. I know there are lots of chapters of Romance Writers of America across the States and the Romance Novelists Association in the UK.

I can’t give away all the secrets in the report, but I thought I would mention a couple of things that will get you thinking about how the writing field is changing:

Agent and President of the Writers House agency, Simon Lipskar suggests among other things that you surround yourself with people who give you good advice. If people like your editor and agent are not being honest and tough with your work, they’re not really going to help you in the long run. Lipskar puts it bluntly: “Get a different agent and editor.”

You may think that the Library Journal is only going to be interested in big names, but editor Barbara Hoffert says that they know libraries will buy big names, so they do look for smaller presses and debut authors. They need a big lead time, however; libraries may do their ordering six months in advance.

Sarah Weinman of Publishers Marketplace affirms that e-books remain the fastest growth area for publishing revenues and “bringing major change” to the field (sorry, but having been published in ebooks since 2008, can I say duh!). There are concerns about how the current cases under review by the Department of Justice may affect Amazon and Apple, but you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. She does think more short stories will appear online from major publishers.

There was a spotlight section with Shawn Nicholls, the Senior Digital Marketing Director of HarperCollins talking about marketing and how much of the responsibility now rests with the author. Nicholls talks about Facebook and Goodreads, putting excerpts on Scribd and running contests on Goodreads (they do print only). Not a word about Twitter, which shows where the Big 6 5 4 are on technology –

– behind their authors!

Where do you find your next read? Where do you find your readers?

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Mature Lust

12 Apr

old-acquaintance-2by C. Margery Kempe

I had an unexpected moment of connection in teaching this week. In the medieval course, we were talking about the Wife of Bath and watching the BBC modernised version of the tale and prologue with Julie Walters. In the writers-on-film course, we were watching the Better Davis film, Old Acquaintance. Both deal with older women lusting after younger men. Walters’ embodiment of the bawdy wife is markedly different than the genteel lit’ry author Davis plays, but the tension around their desires is palpable.

Chaucer’s medieval icon has had five husbands, the last two considerably younger than she; in the adaptation, Walters plays her as a much married-soap star who falls for her decades younger co-star. Her fame only increases as the program’s audience seems to think she’s pulling off quite a feat, but her young lover’s star falls precipitously because people can’t imagine him falling for a much older woman.

Huh.

Davis’ film follows the friendship of two women, Davis’ Kit Marlowe (though my first inspiration for my other romance nom de plume was largely the Elizabethan playwright, it’s also for this film) and Miriam Hopkins’ Millie Drake. When Kit first makes a splash as a controversial literary author, the envious Millie decides to pen a novel, too. Of course she writes a romance — and then another and another and before you know it she’s rich and successful while Kit struggles with her follow up.

The wrinkle is that Millie’s neglected husband falls in love with Kit who spends more time with him and Millie’s daughter. Being a good friend, Kit won’t let anything happen, but she suffers. Millie makes her suffer more when her husband leaves, though she’s as oblivious to his love for her friend as she is to pretty much everything that is shiny stuff for herself. She’s so incredibly callous that she deserves the famous shake when Kit’s armour of self-sacrifice finally cracks a little.

 

This happens in the last half of the film where it’s clear Kit is “old” — she has s stripe of white hair to prove it! Her 10 year younger beau pines after her, trying to persuade her to marry him, but she find it too absurd to consider, although she wants to very much. Everyone agrees it’s absurd. When she decided to say yes anyway — well, you can guess things don’t go well.

I suppose I’m sensitive to the issue because I’ve mostly always been with younger men. I did have one boyfriend who was a week older. It didn’t work out. ;-) So am I being ridiculous?

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Sexy Saturday Round-Up

6 Apr
Photo by Dollen

Photo by Dollen

Hello, sexy! We’ve got an interesting line-up of blog posts for you this week. Once again, a wide variety of writers and reads. The Lady Smut writers have covered much ground this week—blogs posts from Kristin Higgins, Rachelle Gardner, and Kathy Kulig. (Not sure where else you’d see those three names together!) We also have some advice posts on vibrators and how to make a million dollars from your writing.

Enjoy!

From Liz:

Kristan Higgins on upping the stakes in your writing or “just kill someone already.”

Fun list from the Washington Post about some hot new romance novels for spring.

How not to write smut.

Rachelle Gardner on what happens when the sales guys run the company. Great responses on this post.

On respecting your process.

From Elizabeth:

Erotic romance author Kathy Kulig on why erotica is not a dirty word.

Shop talk on the best vibrators.

A video (!) on what guys think about cleavage.

From Madeline:

On the kindness of strangers in Paris when you need some lube.

Jennifer Armentrout made a million dollars from her writing.  Here’s how.

We romance folk aren’t writing “rape-tastic” any more.  How Romance Embraced Feminism.
From C. Margery:
Stay hungry, my friends,
Liz

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Romance with Discipline

5 Apr
Mask by Leonor Fini

Mask by Leonor Fini

by C. Margery Kempe

I gave a paper at the Popular Culture Association Conference last week called, “Knocking from Inside: Forging Strength through Pain in V for Vendetta and The Story of O” and it seemed to go over well in the BDSM/Kink area panel, despite the fact that I was the only panelist who turned up. (O_o) The title comes from a Rumi poem about struggling with your own constrictions:

I have lived on the lip of insanity, wanting to know reasons, knocking on a door. It opens. I have been knocking from the inside!

But at a romance panel the next day I was disturbed to hear a lot of negative attitudes toward the erotic. One speaker described the arc of Fifty Shades‘ narrative as starting out as ‘BDSM’ and then ‘becoming romantic’ — as if it were not possible to have romance in anything but a vanilla relationship. I don’t know if the ignorance or the arrogance annoyed me more.

O’s voyage is one of self-discovery, but it’s also one that allows her to finally love without being dependent on her lover, as she is at the start of the book. When he sends her to the chateau in Roissy to undergo ‘training’ her only concern is pleasing him. She needs repeated assurances that he loves her, that he is pleased with her. But with all the floggings and bondage, she begins to transform and find a peace within herself:

And yet nothing has been such a comfort to her as the silence, unless it was the chains. The chains and the silence, which should have bound her deep within herself, which should have smothered her, strangled her, on the contrary freed her from herself. (38-9)

Pauline Réage [the pen name for Dominique Aury] herself seemed to find a powerful release from writing the book and discovering the truths which lay inside her heart, truths she had not heretofore acknowledged. Her essay “A Girl in Love” which is usually packaged with the otherwise lamentable follow up Return to the Chateau (which may have been penned by her lover and not Réage herself) demonstrates this power:

“The girl was writing the way you speak in the dark to the person you love when you’ve held back the words of love too long and they flow at last. For the first time in her life she was writing without hesitation, without stopping, rewriting or discarding, she was writing the way one breathes, the way one dreams.” (Return 7)

I have found this happening more and more in my writing as I stopped fearing what I could write or whether I could write and just wrote without censoring the thoughts that arose. Anything can exist on the page. It can also be edited or simply tucked away if it doesn’t fit into a coherent narrative. But the more we refuse to hold ourselves back, the more truthful our living. What exciting things can happen.

Even love. Are you still knocking from the inside?

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