Naked Reader Book Club Discussion: Foreign Affairs, Edited by Mitzi Szereto (August 23, 8-10 PM EST)

Contributor: Mitzi Szereto Mitzi Szereto
Quote:
Originally posted by Sacchi
Replying to my own post to add, with some degree of guilt, that I was almost tempted to see if I could write a good story using mainly phrases scrawled on the walls of public toilets, but the challenge wasn't enough to justify the rather icky ... more
Thank goodness for that!
08/23/2011
Contributor: Blue Koi Blue Koi
Quote:
Originally posted by Sacchi
I'm an Austen aficionado, and I have some opinions on the book, but I'll save them until we feature it here. (on the whole, I liked it very much.)
I'll look forward to that discussion, and put a lid on the Austen conversation for now.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Yaoi Pervette (deleted) Yaoi Pervette (deleted)
Quote:
Originally posted by removedacnt
I haven't read it, but from your description, I'd say that can be very true in life as well.
Agreed. I can think of at least one instance when that happened to me.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Top Kat Top Kat
Quote:
Originally posted by Petite Valentine
I think the unsettling part of Foreign Affairs is that many of the characters achieved sexual fulfillment, but were mentally left yearning. It transformed the mood from nostalgic or wistful, to sad.
I think that there can be an erotic element to a little melancholy. But then again, my wardrobe is mostly black!
08/23/2011
Contributor: Sacchi Sacchi
Quote:
Originally posted by Liz Langley
Nice to see you, too, Laurel!

Liz, that's a really good question about the writers' experiences in the places they're writing about...I'm curious about that, too (trying to figure out how to reprint the ... more
Since you happened to ask, I happen to have an answer from Lisabet Sarai about that very subject.


About "Vows"

By Lisabet Sarai

I've only visited Luang Prabang, Laos, once, back in the mid-nineties. At the time, the ancient capital of the Lao kingdom possessed a quiet magic that seduced me. I vividly recall the flight there from Vientiane, on a propeller plane that barely cleared the forested mountain terrain. Looking down, I could make out the threads of foot trails winding up and down the rumpled emerald slopes and the sparkle of waterfalls tumbling off cliffs.

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its centuries-old Buddhist temples. Wat Xieng Thong, home of the monk Souvannaphone in the story, is one of the most renowned. During our stay, we watched the saffron-robed monks from the wats make their serene way along the unpaved streets. We were touched by the sense of timelessness they left in their wake.

The story began with the character of the monk. His beauty transcends desire and yet inspires it. The fact that monastic discipline forbids monks from touching women adds an element of taboo to the tale. Red-headed Dani, the uninhibited woman who sets her mind on seducing Souvannaphone, came next, and finally Michael, a conflicted bisexual who is unable to refuse his outrageous wife.

I think that the tale is pretty hot, personally, but it also has a spiritual dimension. We can't be at peace while we are denying our true needs. The Buddha taught that attachment leads to suffering, but accepting our desires and then releasing them is better than fighting them.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Mitzi Szereto Mitzi Szereto
Quote:
Originally posted by Petite Valentine
But would you agree there is a fine line between sparking emotion and going for shock value?

(And it should have been positive note in the post above. Blast the lack of ability to fix typos on this forum!)
I am not talking shock value per se. That is too contrived. But I like to see stories that represent life in all its many facets (and people).
08/23/2011
Contributor: removedacnt removedacnt
Quote:
Originally posted by Top Kat
I think that there can be an erotic element to a little melancholy. But then again, my wardrobe is mostly black!
LOL!

That's true though.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Mitzi Szereto Mitzi Szereto
Quote:
Originally posted by Yaoi Pervette (deleted)
I can understand your position. Many of us read erotica for fantasy and escapism. A depressing ending sort of shatters that.
I guess I'm a bit of a renegade!
08/23/2011
Contributor: Mitzi Szereto Mitzi Szereto
Quote:
Originally posted by Mitzi Szereto
Well, the gentleman in "Melinda" was a British Asian, whereas in Dubai we're full-on Arabic. I had travelled to Dubai on two occasions, and my story was inspired by a trip I'd made during Ramadan. I suppose I have some sense of ... more
I mean "they're" full-on Arabic. I'm not Arabic. At least I wasn't the last time I checked.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Yaoi Pervette (deleted) Yaoi Pervette (deleted)
Quote:
Originally posted by Sacchi
Since you happened to ask, I happen to have an answer from Lisabet Sarai about that very subject.


About "Vows"

By Lisabet Sarai

I've only visited Luang Prabang, Laos, once, back in the mid-nineties. At the time, ... more
That sounds like a great story.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Top Kat Top Kat
Quote:
Originally posted by Sacchi
Since you happened to ask, I happen to have an answer from Lisabet Sarai about that very subject.


About "Vows"

By Lisabet Sarai

I've only visited Luang Prabang, Laos, once, back in the mid-nineties. At the time, ... more
This is a wonderful story.
08/23/2011
Contributor: removedacnt removedacnt
Quote:
Originally posted by Sacchi
Since you happened to ask, I happen to have an answer from Lisabet Sarai about that very subject.


About "Vows"

By Lisabet Sarai

I've only visited Luang Prabang, Laos, once, back in the mid-nineties. At the time, ... more
That is so interesting! Thank you for sharing that!
08/23/2011
Contributor: Blue Koi Blue Koi
Quote:
Originally posted by Sacchi
Since you happened to ask, I happen to have an answer from Lisabet Sarai about that very subject.


About "Vows"

By Lisabet Sarai

I've only visited Luang Prabang, Laos, once, back in the mid-nineties. At the time, ... more
Reading that one as soon as we're done here! Thanks so much for posting these author commentaries, Sacchi.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Sacchi Sacchi
Quote:
Originally posted by Mitzi Szereto
LOL! Yeah, I sorta recall some zombies somewhere... They did get some grief, but I think I'm getting a lot more! What a bunch of tight arses!
The author of the zombie book went on to do Sense and Sensibility and Sea Serpents. I don't even want to remember the cover image for that.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Mitzi Szereto Mitzi Szereto
Quote:
Originally posted by removedacnt
I haven't read it, but from your description, I'd say that can be very true in life as well.
Precisely. Writers allow us into other worlds and allow us to experience many things. You can learn a lot about life from reading. I truly believe that.
08/23/2011
Contributor: removedacnt removedacnt
Quote:
Originally posted by Mitzi Szereto
Precisely. Writers allow us into other worlds and allow us to experience many things. You can learn a lot about life from reading. I truly believe that.
I completely agree! That's why I very rarely watch television, and own more books than my apartment can hold. LOL
08/23/2011
Contributor: Liz Langley Liz Langley
Wow...."Vows" does sound like a wonderful story! Thanks for posting that!
So, do you write from the location itself, Mitzi, or do you wait and let it steep awhile, get some distance, literally and figuratively?
08/23/2011
Contributor: Petite Valentine Petite Valentine
Quote:
Originally posted by Sacchi
The author of the zombie book went on to do Sense and Sensibility and Sea Serpents. I don't even want to remember the cover image for that.
You forgot Android Karenina
08/23/2011
Contributor: Mitzi Szereto Mitzi Szereto
Quote:
Originally posted by Petite Valentine
You forgot Android Karenina
I simply must pick that one up!
08/23/2011
Contributor: removedacnt removedacnt
What were some of the favorite places visited in this book? Where do you want to visit now after reading an erotic tale about it?
08/23/2011
Contributor: Yaoi Pervette (deleted) Yaoi Pervette (deleted)
Quote:
Originally posted by Mitzi Szereto
Precisely. Writers allow us into other worlds and allow us to experience many things. You can learn a lot about life from reading. I truly believe that.
Since I first learned to read, I probably learned more from reading than going to school, talking to my friends, or spending time with my parents. Reading allowed me to learn about a lot of subjects that others weren't exactly willing to discuss with me, particularly sex.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Top Kat Top Kat
Quote:
Originally posted by removedacnt
I completely agree! That's why I very rarely watch television, and own more books than my apartment can hold. LOL
That sounds familiar! So many great books to read.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Sacchi Sacchi
Quote:
Originally posted by Blue Koi
Reading that one as soon as we're done here! Thanks so much for posting these author commentaries, Sacchi.
So far I've been I've been requesting comments from writers that I know personally (at lest in the sense of having written for my books,) but I may look farther afield for other anthologies.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Mitzi Szereto Mitzi Szereto
Quote:
Originally posted by removedacnt
I completely agree! That's why I very rarely watch television, and own more books than my apartment can hold. LOL
Good for you. Television is a good way to NOT learn about life. Stick with books.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Petite Valentine Petite Valentine
There was also Wuthering Heights and a Werewolf...and a Zombie too
Not that I'm surprised, by each entry in the series is by a completely different author.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Mitzi Szereto Mitzi Szereto
Quote:
Originally posted by Liz Langley
Wow...."Vows" does sound like a wonderful story! Thanks for posting that!
So, do you write from the location itself, Mitzi, or do you wait and let it steep awhile, get some distance, literally and figuratively?
I wrote the story after I got home. I was able to conjure up things I'd seen and experienced, and that was that - it manifested itself into this story.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Sacchi Sacchi
Quote:
Originally posted by Petite Valentine
You forgot Android Karenina
Well, I was keeping to the Austen theme. Someone else I know wrote quite a good riff on Mansfield Park--Mummies and Mansfield Park, I think it was, with a great deal of accurate research on the Egyptomania that infused British styles in that period.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Mitzi Szereto Mitzi Szereto
Quote:
Originally posted by Petite Valentine
There was also Wuthering Heights and a Werewolf...and a Zombie too
Not that I'm surprised, by each entry in the series is by a completely different author.
It might be the same guy, but wearing different disguises!
08/23/2011
Contributor: Sacchi Sacchi
Quote:
Originally posted by Top Kat
This is a wonderful story.
It _is_ a great story. I have to admit that I was nervous at first when the blurb talked about seducing the monk, but Lisabet, as always, handled things beautifully.
08/23/2011
Contributor: Yaoi Pervette (deleted) Yaoi Pervette (deleted)
Quote:
Originally posted by Petite Valentine
There was also Wuthering Heights and a Werewolf...and a Zombie too
Not that I'm surprised, by each entry in the series is by a completely different author.
I actually find the werewolves and zombies and other creatures less bizarre than when I saw a copy of Wuthering Heights that had a sticker on it proclaiming, "Bella and Edward's Favorite Book!" I mean, they are using the characters from a not-so-well written book aimed at teens to promote a timeless classic!
08/23/2011