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The RainbowNetwork.com
Interview by Charlotte Cooper
November 19, 2004
Marilyn Jaye Lewis has just published a collection of erotic short stories, entitled Lust. What makes this book stand out from the competition is the fact that it's unashamedly bisexual. Given the plethora of queer girl sex anthologies that are clogging up the market at the moment, it’s astonishing that there are almost none written about and by bisexual women.
That's not to say that Lewis' stories are limited to the perspective of one gender, no sir, her writing is accomplished, imaginative, and her characterisation is always strong and varied. Hardly surprising when you consider that Lewis is the founder of the Erotic Authors Association, which honours literary excellence in the genre. Anyway, Lust is the hottest thing to land on my desk all year, it definitely ranks among my all-time favourite sex writing, and here's Lewis herself to tell us more.
What differentiates bisexual erotica from other kinds of smut? Nothing differentiates it really, besides the obvious. It doesn't stick to one sexual preference. It encompasses male/female, male/male, and female/female.
Which story was the most fun for you to write? I'd have to say 'Anal.' Not that it's strictly autobiographical, but it comes closest to capturing my own nature, my early relationships with women, and it reminds me of how wonderfully depraved and insane New York City was before the days of AIDS. I love the humour of that story as well.
What do you hope your readers will get out of Lust? Entertainment. An escape from the everyday stress.
What do Kinsey 6 lesbians make of your work? It shifts over the years. When I first began getting published in the late 80s, I was published strictly in Lesbian BDSM zines. Over the years, when I moved into the bisexual market and was also less into BDSM, I didn't have many lesbian readers at all - my readers were primarily gay, bi and hetero men. Nowadays, though, I find that younger lesbians are enjoying my work.
I've got a feeling that a lesbian and gay press wouldn't have touched a book like this even five years ago, what do you think? Not at all, I don't think they would have. I was actually (pleasantly) shocked when Alyson said yes to publishing my collection. But I think that overall, "gay/lesbian" culture has merged into more of a "queer" culture that tries to be inclusive and more tolerant of bisexuals and the transgendered.
Who's your favourite queer sex writer? My favourite queer sex writer is probably TruDeviant, aka Rob Stephenson. He hasn't published a whole lot but that is changing. As far as more established writers, the one who had the most profound influence on my thinking, my life, was Jean Genet.
Is there anything else you'd like to say? Readers in the UK have been very supportive of my work over the last decade or so and I really appreciate that. I hope that Lust won't disappoint! |
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