One of the problems with writing Erotic Science Fiction is the fact that many potential readers assume the focus is on the erotic elements rather than the underlying science fiction and general plot. To try and overcome this perception, I’ve started posting excerpts from my books that highlight some of non-erotic elements to show characters and conflicts that hopefully appeal to the more mainstream readers. These excerpts will be shared on Mondays and I’ve created a tag “MarketingMondays” to track the postings.
As the excerpts run, I’ll watch sales numbers and see if they are helping.
My fourth excerpt is from Cosimo, a Families of the Empire Story The scene I selected is the second chapter of the book and sets the stage for much of the culture that is explored in the remainder of the tale. I chose this scene since it is the first look into the new world the colonists are establishing. While it skips past a lot of detail on the turmoil and challenge facing the colonists, it provides a brief glimpse at two hidden families who are pledged to work away from the limelight to preserve and protect the fledgling empire they have birthed.
For anyone who has not yet read the books, there are likely a few obvious questions I can answer. If you have additional question I can answer, please leave a comment on this or the excerpt posting.
- What was in the syringe Ayako used? It’s implied to be the compound Ayako developed and used on the colonists in the prior chapter to ensure the mental conditioning remains in place to follow the original colonist leadership’s plan.
- Why would the first emperor need the conditioning? This whole chapter will possibly be expanded into another book in the future. For the scene, I wanted to show that the two hidden families who watch and judge from the shadows are a little ruthless in exercising their powers. Since Ayako and Kira discuss what will become of the Emperor’s daughter and son-in-law who tried to usurp power, they want to ensure Talia follows through on the plan they have in place.
- What’s the club Ayako is considering? Ayako is Cosimo’s distant ancestor. She creates the Amorperdita Club which permeates the future empire as a place to see and be seen. The club organization is run by Cosimo’s family and forms the network of eyes and ears they use to keep tabs on the aristocratic and high guilder families that may attempt to subvert the empire.
- When does the real story start? The book has a prologue and three chapters that set the stage for the main story. All told, the first 7,000 words of the book are stage-setting to get the reader enough context to understand the world Cosimo emerges into and the tale that follows. The book covers approximately 200,000 words, so the stage-setting accounts for about 4% of the overall tale.
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CharlieFoxtrotWriter 