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SYMPATHETIC DEVIL INTERVIEW

Q: I think most readers will know you for the BimboTech Inc stories - which I absolutely adore! Tell us first, how you came up with the idea in the first place - and for anyone who hasn't read them, what BTI is

A: BimboTech Inc. is a parody of the evil corporations that often show up in SciFi and SciFi erotic

A: Sort of like the one in the Stepford Wives but more biological than robotical, specializing in the modification of bodies and personalities. The stories have taken place either at the main office in Chicago, one of the franchises in Sao Paolo, Brasil, or with people using BimboTech mail-order home use products. I have plans for other franchises but never have finished a story in one of them. The genre would probably be best described as comedic horror erotica, if that's a thing. When it works, the stories are equal parts silly, creepy, and sexy.

Q: Do you model any of the events or people on real life?

A: I have a policy of never basing characters off of people that are currently in my life. That would just be awkward. People from my past might end up in a story in modified form. The events I tend to write about are pretty over the top and would often be morally reprehensible in real life so they are entirely from my warped little brain, not based on actual events.

Q: How long have you been publishing at ES? What and when was the first story you published here?

A: Under my other pseudonym, AMOWAT, I first published Handyman in August of 2001. The first Sympathetic Devil story to appear here was Going Down in June 2002. So I've been here for over a decade, though I'm just recently coming back after a three year dry spell. Life got complicated for a while.

Q: How many stories have you published since then?

A: 18 as AMOWAT, 28 as The Sympathetic Devil.

Q: Tell us about your most recent one?

A: Candy is a relatively short, one scene story that I wrote in response to a fan letter from someone who really likes a recurring character in the BimboTech series. She's a busty blonde with an oral fixation and perhaps the most 'bimboish' of all the BimboTech girls. Unlike most of my stories, I wrote it all in one go on a Friday morning. Most of my stories are long, multichapter affairs but I'd like to experiment with shorter stuff. Sometimes we all could use a quickie.

Q: Now, is there anything you'd like to tell us about yourself?

A: I'm a middle aged, over-educated professional who is happily married to a woman who bears absolutely no resemblance to any of my characters other than being beautiful. I was raised Mormon. Somehow, they thought warning me to avoid alcohol because it turns people into out of control sex monsters was going to convince me to avoid it. It gave me an alcohol fetish instead.

Q: How and when did you begin writing erotic stories?

A: I started writing smut when I bought my first laptop to write up my doctoral thesis. For every 3 pages of genetics I would write one page of story. I was comfortable reading the stuff on a university computer, but not writing it. It was a kinder, gentler internet back then and college computers didn't even require a log in, let alone have blocking software. I happened to be listening to Sympathy for the Devil at the time I was deciding I wanted to share what I had written and from thence both my pseudonyms. AMOWAT stands for ' a man of wealth and taste'.

Q: Have you published anywhere other than ES.com?

A: Yes. Mcstories.com and literotica.com But lately I tend to publish here first, since Art is so very, very nice to his contributors and the readers here tend to give the best feedback.

Q: What is it about writing erotica that you most enjoy?

A: I see it as a way to work out darker emotions and unsafe or immoral urges that I wouldn't indulge in real life. I love creating characters that I think are going to act a certain way but then sometimes in the middle of a story they surprise me. The stories rarely work out the way I expect them to. Sometimes it's a disaster but sometimes they come out better than I expected.

Q: What is your favorite category to write in, and why?

A: SciFi/fantasy. I've always liked it in less erotic form and my first fantasies were often from things hinted at but not explicitly stated in SciFi. (Captain Kirk putting his boots back on after the commercial break!). Plus the unreal aspects keep it distinctly fantasy. I spend most of my life in this reality. Why not spend time in a different reality during my down time?

Q: Is there anything that happens in your stories that you would really like to try in "real life", but haven't yet been able to?

A: Nope. My sex life, though healthy, is not the sort of thing I would want to share with anyone but my partner. Anything I want to pursue in real life I do. I only write the stuff that I'm resolved is not happening in real life.

Q: Does your partner or any of your friends know that you write? What do they think?

A: My spouse knows and while she doesn't like what I write, she tolerates it. All that she asks is that I dash the hopes of any overly flirtatious readers and make it clear I'm not looking for playmates ;-). I have a few friends that know. Some like it, some don't. But it's not usually my first answer when someone asks 'what do you do for fun?'

Q: One thing that I love about ES is that you very quickly build up a community of fans, who enjoy writing to and hearing from their favorite authors. Do you have any favorite topics that have surfaced in these "conversations"?

A: Occasionally readers tell me about fantasies they would like to see played out in one of my stories and particularly about women they would like me to write a story about. I enjoy that. And some stories have resulted. Gift Certificates and Help Wanted and Bioengineering among others. Unfortunately, over the years I've made too many promises that I couldn't keep. So now I tell readers that I'm glad to get suggestions and hear their fantasies but I won't promise a story anymore. I let my muse tell me what to write and my muse is a bit of a bimbo without much of an attention span. If you tell me about your high school English teacher, she might still end up in a story, but I can't say when, where or how. (Though she did have a fine pair of legs, didn't she?)

Q: How do you feel when you receive negative comments or very low votes from readers?

A: I never expect everyone, or even a majority, to like my stories. The cost of writing for particular kinks inevitably means that, while some readers will really, really like it, those that don't have the kink are going to be left wondering ' what the heck was that?' Criticisms of my grammar and spelling with no mention of the story I find annoying.

Yes, I know I'm not great, though I do try to improve. But expecting great spelling in Internet erotica is like expecting great acting in softcore porn. It's nice when you can find it but it's never going to be the norm. Sincere criticism of the story and writing I actually appreciate, even if accompanied by low votes. And people that genuinely hate the stories and have the balls and/or ovaries to tell me why I often find amusing and insightful. I'm not likely to change my writing for them but I'm glad to know their opinion. It's the fives with no comments that bug me.

Knowing that a reader didn't like my story but was too timid or lazy to tell me why just seems pathetic. I don't know why they even bother to finish reading, let alone vote. And of course if they vote without reading, that's doubly pathetic. There's one individual that gives me a five every time I post the story and I doubt s/he reads them at all anymore. I just think it's sad that s/he has nothing better to do. With so many great stories on this site there is on reason to waste time on stories you don't like.

Q: What kind of stories would you never write?

A: The sorts of stories I would never write aren't allowed on eroticstories.com anyway :-). I once thought about trying to write something for every single topic, but I've discovered trying to make myself write anything in particular gives me writer's block. I've never had sex with a man, so I'd probably write really unconvincing male/male scenes, though I enjoy reading them so who knows. I've actually started a couple gay male stories but never finished them. Probably the topic I'm least likely to pursue is romantic. I like my stories warped in some way. I find romance great in real life but boring in fiction.

Q: Do you remember the first pornography you ever saw?

A: A crumpled up page from an x-rated comic book I found in the foothills. First porn I ever bought was also a comic book: the brilliant Cherry Poptart by Larry Welz. The first internet porn story I ever read was a fan fic of Princess Jasmine from the Disney Movie Aladdin doing decidedly unDisney things.

Q: What's the kinkiest thing you have ever done?

A: In college I once seduced a librarian and gave her cunnilingus in the stacks while the library was open. I realized we had an audience of one at some point but the librarian was really close so it would have been rude to stop. Luckily the peeker wasn't inclined to get the woman fired. He (I think it was a he) snuck away once it was apparent the show was over.

Q: What do you think is the best story you have published here?

A: Probably Blame it on Bacchus is the best thing I've written under my AMOWAT pseudonym, but I haven't reread it in a while so I don't know how it holds up. As the Sympathetic Devil, probably Not Guilty By Reason of Omnipotence. It's sillier than most of my admittedly silly stuff, but it amuses me.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers of this interview and your fans? Now is your chance...

A: The views expressed by my characters are not necessarily those of the author. I write some truly reprehensible male characters. They aren't autobiographical, at least I hope. I feel much more empathy towards my female characters if anything.

Q: Finally, do you have a website or a blog, where your fans can visit and maybe learn more about you?

A: I do have a little private group where I share stories I'm working on. If anyone is interested they can ask me about it, but I like to keep it small and intimate so I won't put out a general invitation. I'll post the finished products here at ES.com.

Please read The Sympathetic Devil's stories!