The Velvet Mask

When I was contacted about participating in the “Dreams and Desires: A Collection of Romance and Erotic Tales” anthology, I said, “yes,” instantly. The proceeds go to a great cause, helping a battered woman’s shelter, and I immediately had an idea for a story.

I don’t know exactly why, but the name Scheherazade popped in my head. I knew something about the story, but did a little research. For those of you who don’t know, Scheherazade volunteered to spend one night with the king in his chambers. He was murdering a virgin a day because his wife betrayed him. (Men! Sigh.) Scheherazade woos him with her stories and he can’t get enough. So night after night he calls upon her to entertain him and she does. Eventually she becomes queen.

I thought it would be fun if my character became her for one night. Then came the idea for the masquerade Valentine’s Day singles party. My heroine is based on a couple of different people I know who have made major changes in their lives and found an inner power they never knew existed.

My hero is basically the “perfect man.” A man who loves us from afar, he’s wealthy, kind-hearted and absolutely adores us. (Hey, it’s fiction.) He owns this huge gothic mansion, something that I’m fascinated with at the moment. And the hero is the complete opposite of the kind of men the heroine’s been dating.

As for the story, I wanted something a little mysterious, hence the masks. (My friend Rosemary Clement-Moore readrosemary.com says there is a lot of symbolism in this short tale about unmasking and discovering one’s inner power. Of course, that’s all a complete accident.) And I wanted to write a story that you could read right before bed, and go to sleep with Happily Ever After dreams. Some day I’d like to write this couple’s story and answer what happens after this one special night.

There are many wonderful stories in “Dreams and Desires: A Collection of Romantic and Erotic Tales” and I encourage you to check out the book. Again, it’s for a wonderful cause and more than 85% of the profit goes to help the women’s shelter.

I talked a little about inspiration for the other books coming from television and film, but music also plays a big part in my creative process. I use music to get in the mood for characters and there are times when certain songs get me through scenes. One album I listen to over and over for every book is Joss Stone’s Body and Soul. It’s sultry and sexy and I can write and listen at the same time. I can’t wait to pick up her next one.

I want to thank Haven for inviting me to post this week. I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with you guys. I’ll be back to visit often. J I’d like to invite you to visit my live journal blog (http://candyhavens.livejournal.com/) where I give away free autographed books every month and not just mine. I ask a lot of questions and we have a good time there.

Candace Havens
www.candacehavens.com

When I was a child, I had a problem with lying. The more tales I told, the taller they became. I couldn’t help myself. My mind was usually stuck in some perpetual fantasy factory, concocting scenarios to entertain myself and my friends. Mostly myself, as my friends soon caught on that nothing that came out of my mouth was the truth. I blame the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson, since they were my childhood heroes. I could fall into quiet mode for hours, devouring their books and taking myself to faraway places and magical situations.

Flash forward about thirty some odd years, and I get paid for telling tall tales. I love it. Who would have thought that channeling those stories away from everyday life and into a structured format would be so damn rewarding? The very act of taking a tiny kernel of an idea and growing it into an idea that can support a 90,000 word novel is, in a word, amazing. However, problems can occur if more than one voice wants to be heard at a time.

This is the core reason why I write: to exercise the voices in my head.

Note: That is ‘exercise’ and not ‘exorcise.’ – Big difference.

No, it’s not like they’re telling me to denounce God or kill the dog or anything like that, but they are there trying to feed me information about them and their lives and what happened to them on the night of their senior prom.

Usually, this will happen to me in the middle of a shower. A character will step in there with me while I’m trying to lather, rinse, repeat, and start a conversation. (Why do these things always happen when I don’t have access to a pen and paper?) So, it’s straight from the shower, dripping wet, to write a soggy note about the incredible character or scene that just flashed like lightning in my brain pan.

And it really doesn’t matter the topic or genre either. I give equal opportunity to sci-fi, fantasy, futuristic, paranormal, contemporary, and historical. You name the genre I’ll try and write about it. With these multiple genres, I write under multiple names. Yes, nothing like giving each of my voices (not to be confused with the ones in my head) their own writing personality, is there?

Under the name, MK Mancos I write paranormal and fantasy romances. Kathleen Scott is the name I use for erotic romance that for now fall mostly into the sci-fi and futuristic categories. I’m also in the process of taking on a third name, Kate Davison, who will write the contempories. It’s true that I don’t like to read the same genre all the time, so why should I want to write the same? Taking on various pen names has helped me to keep my branding straight and know basically which narrative voice I’m going to use when I write. I also write for three different publishers, Red Sage, Triskelion and Samhain. Don’t they say that good things come in three? Or is that “to those who wait”? Either way, I’ve had a busy and productive year and hope to keep the momentum going the deeper into ’07 we go.

Nowadays, I don’t have to tell lies. As a matter of fact, I am a horrible liar. Even the little white ones I tell my husband about how much I spent at an online retailer, which usually ends with me fessing up. I can’t do it anymore, I’ve lost the knack and the guilt overwhelms me. Luckily, I now have an outlet to properly channel all that liar-liar-pants-on- fire energy. 

Kat lives in rural NJ with her husband, Dave, who writes independent comics and screenplays, and a cat who has no employable skills noted to date.

-Kathleen Scott

www.MysticKat.com 

Releases:

• Fatal Error by Kathleen Scott. Red Sage Secrets Volume 17: Erotic Nights. Available Now.
• Falling Stars by Kathleen Scott. Red Sage Secrets Volume 19: Timeless Passions. July 07.
• By A Silken Thread by MK Mancos. Triskelion Publishing. July 07 ebook release.