It’s been a long time! Thanks to Andrea Zanin for encouraging me back to the herpes blog by asking me to take part in the Blog Hop. The Hop is basically a blog chain letter where writers answer some questions about their upcoming book (or not, as is the case for me), and then include a few other bloggers to take part by including them in the post (see below). Andrea is one of my favorite sex, relationship, and kink bloggers as well as being a lovely human and excellent facilitator!
What is the working title of your next book?
I’m not writing a book, just trying to come up with new blogs more than I have been recently. Sometimes I’m full of the herpes blogging energy, and sometimes I’m not. I’m using the blog hop as an excuse to remind myself that I love talking and writing about sex.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The herpes blog came out of my own personal experience of contracting herpes when I was 18. I was clueless about sex and STI’s at the time and was devastated by the diagnosis. Herpes had a giant impact on my life and it took years to (almost) eradicate the shame I felt from living with the virus.
What genre does your book fall under?
‘Sexual Health Information’? That sounds so dry, maybe ‘Sex Positivity Through Shameless Fucking and Dealing with the (Good and Bad) Consequences’ would be a better, yet slightly more awkward description.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Tilda Swinton and Jennifer Tilley. They would wear a lot of transparent clothing and talk in those fucking sexy voices. They would also have a lot of lovers.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Girl gets herpes and it makes her a better person. Ugh, sorry.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
WordPress is about as self-published as one can get.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The first blog had been rolling around in my head for years so when I finally sat down to write it, things came pretty quickly. Editing, not so much…
What other books would you compare this to within your genre?
Hmm, I’m not sure. There are books out there about herpes but they’re mostly pretty clinical and I’ve never found a blog like mine. Most of the herpes information on line are either ‘how to meet other singles with herpes’, or medical/health blogs.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Like I said earlier, this was very much a project based on personal experience and coming to terms with my life after getting herpes.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
What could be more interesting than first person accounts of people living (quite well for the most part) with herpes?! Also, Midori has contributed, so there’s a little star power to pique the interest.
Here are the writers whose work you can check out next:
Adorkable Undies is the witty and sweet brainchild of Nadine Thornhill. Nadine is an Ottawa girl with a sordid past that involved working for Venus Envy and Planned Parenthood as well as a penchant for taking her clothes off on stage. Adorkable Undies cleverly and skillfully tackles a wide range of sex, feminist and relationship issues plus there’s Fashion Fridays, something that always makes me smile.
Ignacio Rivera is a Queer, gender-shifting, Trans-Entity, Black Boricua, lecturer, activist, filmmaker and performance artist. Ignacio has shared their poetry, spoken word and storytelling for over 10 years. Ignacio’s blog, Poly Patao Productions is a smart and thoughtful collection of personal musings on sex, kink, class, race, gender, and culture as well as sex toy reviews, a Q&A column and events.
Filthy E-Mails is a blog dedicated to publishing sexy, sweet and just filthy messages sent across the web for all to see. A forum for people to anonymously post erotic messages they have sent online (today’s love letter… but more smutty).
Any blog called A Finger in the Pie is going to get my attention. This super cute food blog has restaurant reviews, photos, and recipes for late night (and late morning) creations, as well as some useful and entertaining cooking and food tidbits. And the ice cream on this pie? A kick-ass sound track suggestion for every recipe!
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