With us today is Captivatex, Owner of Logical-Lust Publications.

Thank you for being with us today.

Can you tell us what prompted you to start Logical Lust?

Amazingly, Logical Lust started off as simply a personal project in August of 2003; a place to put up my own writing and erotica details. Not long after, several author friends were invited as guest authors and their work appeared too. Being instinctively ambitious, I decided to put out calls for submissions. Even though I was unable to pay authors the response was incredible and I soon had an ongoing process of updating the site with new, excellent erotica. I ran our first contest, the Logical Lust 2004 Erotic Flash Challenge at the beginning of 2004 and had the pleasure of publishing some of the hottest flash erotica I've seen. For the first anniversary, I decided to go a step further and move into publishing as a professional concern. Hence it is now Logical Lust Publications, publishing online free-to-read erotica and erotic ebooks. I'll soon be starting a quarterly e-magazine too.

What are some of the things you look for in an Erotic work?

Creative and imaginative writing. Almost all erotic writers can write a good sex scene, but to write an erotic story properly requires a creativity and use of imagination that wraps the sexual activity or erotic sensuality in a plot or story line that captures the reader and keeps them reading on with writing that invokes imagery.

What do you think makes for a good story to be published?

It's been proven that sex sells. Look at TV ads, soap operas, etc. But what do you do when the subject IS sex? When you think about it, acts of sexual activity are finite so the challenge for the erotic author is not the acts or the erotic content themselves, but how the author takes the reader there, how they draw the reader into the plot, how they define and develop their characters and their plots. I've read, and written, erotic stories that have no actual sexual activity in them at all. They rely purely on the way the prose plays on the reader's mind.

Tell us about some of your companies coming releases.

Well, the first in the 'Eternally' series of anthologies (Eternally Erotic - an anthology) is out now and the next two in the series, 'Eternal Bonds' and 'Eternally Noir' are due out at the end of November. In addition to that I have another anthology planned plus I have secured the rights to two author collections which are projects I am really excited about. These will appear early in 2005.

How long have you been writing?

I began writing during recovery from an illness 5 years ago and soon found I had a talent for erotica. When a friend saw it and recommended an erotica author resource group, I joined, and it took off from there. I now have many contacts, friends and colleagues around the world who are erotic writers.

You list some of your companies goals on your site, http://www.logical-lust.com, could you tell us how you follow those goals currently?

Erotica is a niche market, and it may well continue to be that way for the foreseeable future, but it's also a 'backstreet' market in many ways too although that is improving. Erotica publishing too has its detractors, especially with authors. If I can have an effect on that, I will, and if I can bring erotica more to the fore as an accepted adult product, I will. So, as a writer myself I'm aware of what a writer looks for in a publisher, and try to make my publishing side of the business as 'author friendly' as possible.

For new authors, making that first step up to being published, or simply getting noticed, is a difficult one. If a writer's standard is promising and shows potential I'm happy to showcase them on Logical Lust in a section called 'UP & Coming' where they can tell all about themselves and show up to three pieces of their work.

I have also, in partnership with Carrie White who runs Hentracks running the ERB (Erotica Resource Board) which is a resource and discussion board for both readers and writers of erotica but mainly a resource for erotica writers and authors with a variety of discussions, exercises, resources, fun, etc.

For readers, Logical Lust is constantly updating the site with new, free-to-read erotica that is of a very good standard. The free part is still very well subscribed to by authors seeking exposure for their work.

How do you intend to follow them in the future?

Well, I have several plans and ideas for the next year or two, the most recent of which will be the addition of a quarterly e-magazine with very high standards of erotica and related topics. This will be available online by subscription at a very reasonable price. There will be another contest early in 2005 with more to follow throughout the year.

I think it is vitally important to writers and authors to have a reliable publisher and source of resources and information. It is the aim of Logical Lust to always be that and to find ways to keep abreast of all things erotic in the literary world.

Can you tell us about the Eternally Erotic Anthology?

Oh I sure can! I loved doing this e-book. It was exciting as it was the first one published by Logical Lust. I thoroughly enjoyed a great many of the stories that I received, though I obviously couldn't use them all (I'll discuss rejections in the answer to a later question). It ended up as a collection of 14 stories by 14 authors, each story as varied as the styles of the authors. There's a story of an L.A. Wiccan who conjures up a prom date for a young customer, a gay guy and gay girl who decide to settle their curiosity about heterosexuality, a best man who falls for the bride before he knows who she is, the poignant reality of lost love in an affair, etc. It's a wonderful collection and has already been well received with some very praising reviews.

Your site says your company is open for submissions. Can you tell us what you're looking for?

There will always be new, on-off, calls for submissions for either web content or e-book content that ask for specifics in the guidelines, but as far as general submissions or applications for publication are concerned I'm very clear about what I like. It's relatively easy to write a sex or smut story, but far more difficult to write good, readable erotica. What I look for in most submissions is the use of creativity. Imaginative plots, authentic well developed characters in a variety of settings with 'erotic' being the overlying tone.

Is there any piece of advice you'd like to offer to those aspiring writers out there?

I'll give a few, if that's ok. Firstly, always check guidelines before submitting. Secondly, edit your work closely before submitting. Do these two and you’ll avoid immediate rejection. Thirdly, don't take rejections as a sign that your work is not up to standard. For example, most rejections I make for the e-books are because the submissions don't follow the guidelines I put out (i.e. word count, subject matter, etc.), but many other rejections are done because the material isn't quite what I'm looking for. It might be a very well written piece and if I can I will say that to the author. Rejections are simply a part of literary life. What's rejected by one publisher may well be welcomed by another. Don't lose faith in your talent!

Thank you Sir for your time today. If you'd like to visit the newly redesigned Logical Lust, you may do so here, http://www.logical-lust.com.

Interviewed by: Mary