All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is Shanna Germain, author of “Deep Waters.”
What made you decide to submit your work for inclusion in The Cougar Book?
I would have to say that it’s because I’m officially A Woman of Cougar-ish Age. While I don’t fit the majority of the clichés—namely, the fancy pants that come in tiger stripes and the actual act of prowling for younger prey—I appreciate the sentiment. And while I know some women are up in arms about the term, “Cougar,” I think it’s about time that society has started to recognize that older woman are sexy, beautiful, and powerful. That knowledge seems to have gotten lost somewhere along the way and I’m glad it’s returning.
Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.
My story is the tale of the “accidental cougar,” one who doesn’t necessarily set out to seduce a younger man. In fact, she’s been the younger woman in a marriage for a long time, and has dealt with the repercussions of that, of being seen as a gold digger. When she takes a journey to the place of her husband’s recent death, she hopes to find a sense of closure. Instead, she gets something that’s much more complicated, in terms of both grief and desire.
Could you see yourself being a cougar?
I don’t find age to be a deterrent to sexual appeal. On the other hand, I’ve never “had a thing” for older or younger men. My attraction is very specific to a person, their mind, their sense of humor, their sexuality. Could I date and fuck someone much younger in years? Absolutely. Do I actually feel like I’m thirty-seven? Hell no. To me, age is such a fluid, relative, ever-changing thing that has little to do with actual years.
On the other hand, could I go out prowling for a younger man just to entice him back to my place? I don’t think so. I’ve never been good at that. I tend to fall in lust with the mind first.
Does your writing turn you on?
Yes. But then most things do. I’m a creature of lusts, in all of its forms. If a story is starting to bore me, then I think it’s going to bore readers too. So that’s the point where I sit down and ask, “Okay, what do I need to do to stretch this, to make it come alive?” I think an erotic story should arouse the writer and surprise her, and maybe even scare her a little bit. That, to me, is when my writing is the best.
The Cougar Book release is in print and ebook formats. With ebook readers becoming more and more popular, what are your views on ebooks and their effect on the publishing industry?
I really love the opportunities that ebooks provide, both for readers and for writers. There is a sense of security and intimacy for the reader, the option to buy right from your own home, and to read it in any format you like. There is also a lot of benefit to the writer: less overhead costs mean that writers have the opportunity to get a larger percentage of what their work earns and that there are more publishing options available.
On the other hand, there is nothing like a real, paper book to hold in your hands, with its beautiful cover and its black and white printed pages. The heft, the feel, the way it smells—there’s something so erotic about that, something that can be lost in the more impersonal e-reader screens.
What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?
The most difficult part is finishing something, seeing it through to the end. The middle, the ending, that’s the part where I want to turn around and trash the whole thing. The thing I’m most excited about is always the thing I haven’t started yet.
Easiest? Coming up with ideas and characters. They’re always in my brain, talking, talking. They want their stories told, and they’re begging me to do just that. I have too many ideas, so many that there’s no way I’d ever be able to write them all.
Your birthday has been declared a national holiday. How do you want people to celebrate?
Get naked and have sex. Real sex, the kind that doesn’t have anything to do with how you look or what you’re supposed to do or how you’re expected to act. The kind that pleases you.
You’re stranded on a desert island and you can only have one book, one album/CD, and one person with you—what would they be?
Oh, hell. That’s just too hard, and it’s an answer that probably changes every day or at least every hour. Right now, I’d take one of Amy Bloom’s short story collections to read, something by Jonathon Coulton to listen to, and I’d have to trade the person in for my MacBook (she’s like a person, I swear it). That way, I could treat it like a writing retreat and get lots and lots done.
What are you working on now? Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon?
I’m always working on about a million things at once. Mostly short stories at the moment, plus one non-fiction book and a variety of articles. I have new stories coming out in collections like Alison’s Wonderland, Fairy Tale Lust and Blood Fruit: Queer Horror.
I’m also teaching an online erotica class called Sexy on the Page, and my publishing company, MindFuck Fiction, has a call out for submissions for a fantastic new set of collections based on the Seven Deadly (or sexy, in this case) Sins. Our first collection is Gluttony, and I’m so excited to see what people do with the idea to make it sensual, sinful and sexy.
Where can we find you on the Web? Do you have a website or blog(s)? Any social networks?
I’m all over the web, for better or worse! My main webpage is at http://yearofthebooks.wordpress.com, my class page is at http://sexyonthepage.wordpress.com, and the MindFuck Fiction site is at www.mindfuckfiction.com
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