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Our next interviewee, The Rake, currently has 28 stories posted on the site. He also has the honor of being on both of the Top Author lists. Read on to learn more about the exceptional auhtor...

Tell us about you:

Question: First tell us something about yourself, like name, age, and some other things we would like to know about you...Let’s call it a short bio.

The Rake: A short bio of a longish life ­ that’s a challenge in itself! Let’s just say that I’m very happily married with a grown up son and two super grandsons. I’m retired and live with my wife within commuting distance of London but on the edge of the countryside. The job I had was demanding but rewarding and one that I enjoyed immensely, especially as I progressed into more senior positions and had to face ever greater challenges. My interests, apart from writing, include reading, travel, good food and wine, current affairs, art, history, going to the theatre and sport, although these days I spend more time watching than playing.

Question: What are you wearing right now?

The Rake: Ordinary casual clothes.

Question: Does your spouse or significant other know you write, and if so, what does he/she think?

The Rake: No, and she would be horrified if she knew! I mix this with other writing activities but have to keep this aspect very much apart. The trouble is that it makes the lonely pursuit of writing even lonelier but I would do nothing that might risk hurting or offending my wife. Don’t get me wrong. She’s a super woman and a marvellous wife in every way imaginable. We’ve had and still enjoy a special and fulfilling relationship. She is one who sees the physical side of life as important but very private and I would never criticize her for that.

Question: Is it difficult for you to keep your writing life separate from your professional life?

The Rake: I rarely had time for much else when I was working as my week ran to between fifty and seventy hours. As you will see from my last answer, the difficulty now is in keeping the erotic writing apart from everything else and this often involves some judicious juggling.

Question: How did you come up with your ES nickname?

The Rake: The old fashioned word just seemed to sum up the characters of the men in my stories and, perhaps, said something about me as well. The fact that it’s short and snappy does no harm either.

Question: What brought you to EroticStories.com? What made you want to stay and become a part of it?

The Rake: This is by a long way the best site of its nature on the web. It is comprehensive, well presented, well organized, informative, easy to navigate and very user friendly while the submission of stories is easy. It also has a large library of work from so many authors of different types, styles and interests. On top of this it is structured to give author's the confidentiality they need when they work in this field as well as offering some degree of copyright protection through the archive. Art is to be congratulated for what he has done and achieved with ES and deserves the warm thanks of everyone, authors and readers alike.

Question: What is your favorite part of your body? Why?

The Rake: These days I suppose it would have to be my memory ­ there are so many good ones of all sorts! More seriously, I suppose it would be a toss up between my mind and my general presence.

Question: If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be and why?

The Rake: I have to say that I’ve never been one to pine for what can’t be but guess that if I were to be granted a magic wish it would be to restore the energy and physique of my youth.

Question: Boxers v Briefs? / Panties v Thong?

The Rake: Boxers for comfort, although clearly something tighter when playing sport. Panties because I believe the imagination becomes more vivid when it wonders about something it cannot be sure about: in other words, something that teases and offers hope or promise rather than being blatant and obvious.

Writing Habits:

Question: What do you like the most about writing erotic stories?

The Rake: Very hard to say. To me a credible story line is important as are character development and an identification of the conflicts involved, whether personal or inter-personal, along with a reasonable standard of descriptive writing. In short I think that, as in any writing, an author should make an attempt however flawed to achieve some sort of literary style and presentation. If this sounds too pompous or grand I can only apologise, especially as I recognise my own shortfall in trying to achieving this! The fact remains, however, that writing erotic stories allows one a good opportunity to strive for these high standards. This is a challenge in itself but it’s also an opportunity to remind oneself of what happened, what might have happened or, more often, of my dreams about what could have happened.

Question: How long have you been writing now? How did it all get started and what made you write your first story?

The Rake: I’ve always enjoyed writing. I started when I was still at school and was helped and encouraged by a wise English teacher who knew how to guide his pupils and lead them into the joys of literature. He was never afraid to take us outside the bounds of the syllabus to show us how words could be used in so many different ways whether in fiction or for factual purposes. He showed that language can have a rich and magical quality and that it can paint an image as well as and often better than a picture (for example when conveying emotion, giving a meaningful insight into something, exploring the mind etc., etc.).

Question: Which of your stories is your personal favorite, the one you enjoyed writing the most, and/or the one holds the best memories or feelings for you?

The Rake: That’s a tough one! Each one was my favourite as it was being written! Leaving aside the novels ­ those in the “Circle” series ­ I suppose I would rank “Passion Awoken,” “Seduced by the Camera,” “Silent Seduction” and “Honeymoon Awakening” quite high on my list.

Question: Have you ever gotten so turned on while writing that you had to stop to masturbate? What story was it?

The Rake: At the time of writing I’m usually far too engrossed in finding the right words and the best structure to get too excited. The turn on usually comes when I’m thinking about and developing the plot in my mind or when I read the finished work.

Question: Do you write from fantasy or true stories? Or a combination of both? Please explain or give an example. And are the characters in your story based on real people, did you make them up, or are they a combination of both?

The Rake: Whilst the men in my stories are fictional characters, all of the women are real and some might even recognize themselves were they to read them. Although they may have been much elaborated with a good degree of poetic licence being employed, one or two of the stories are true with the odd one based on what I learned about a woman during our pillow talk but most of them are works of pure fiction and a product of my imagination. The inter-racial affairs that feature in some of my stories are largely although not completely fantasy: they are there because they help to add variety to the plots, permit more flexibility in the writing, allow me to enlarge on my description of the inner conflict that a woman needs to overcome and augments the imagery of the act itself by adding a new descriptive element.

Question: What parts of "Yourself" do you put into your characters?

The Rake: This is a hard one as well. I suppose there must be something of me in the men I describe although I would be hard pressed to tell you what or even identify which character most closely resembles me.

Question: : If there was one trait you could take from one of your characters in your stories, and put it in place in your real life, what would it be and why?

The Rake: You do ask some penetrating questions, don’t you? I would not want to be as cavalier or cold blooded as some of the men are about the act of seduction but I guess I would like to have and show some of the boldness that one or two of them have displayed.

Question: How long does it take for you to write a complete story? How does the process go?

The Rake: Once I have sorted out a storyline, and this can sometimes take a very long time, I would guess that the writing would usually take at least a couple of months. Sometimes the words flow and sometimes it’s hard work. I have written 5,000 words in a full day on a couple of occasions but would think that a day’s work (I very rarely write for much more than three hours at a stretch) is probably measured at something like 500 words. In writing time is taken not just in finding the right words and phraseology but also in thinking about how to develop the plot and in deciding how to build my characters.

Question: How do you come up with your story titles?

The Rake: They tend to be fairly factual as in “The Education of a Virgin Bride” or “The Minister’s Wife.” The use of the word “Circle” in the novels just seemed to fall into place and makes for an easy catch line.

Question: What is the hardest part of writing a story?

The Rake: All of it! Identifying a plot or deciding on a story line usually takes the most time.

Question: Have you ever done research for a part of a story you didn’t have any knowledge about or maybe for a sex scene?

The Rake: Very little.

Question: Do you have any secret stories you don’t want to publish for the public? Do you publish your stories on other sites besides EroticStories.com and if so, why? Have you ever been published on paper?

The Rake: No, I’m afraid I have no secret stories to tell ­ how dull is that? For the reasons I gave about why I like the ES site so much I have never bothered to write for another site. Several readers have suggested that I should copy some of my stories elsewhere but I can’t see too much point in that, especially as the ES archive helps to preserve copyright. Over the years I’ve had numerous articles and the like published in magazines and anthologies but nothing of the sort of stuff I write here. One or two readers have been kind enough to suggest that I should submit some of my work to a publisher of erotica but I’ve not yet done anything about this (nor even tried to find a possible publisher).

Question: When you receive negative comments do you just ignore them, build from them, or let it put a negative image over the story itself, and let it hinder your writing?

The Rake: If the negative comment contains a considered criticism or suggests something I might like to develop I am happy to think about it. I dismiss with total contempt those occasional comments that run to only a few abusive words as these show little regard for the effort that has been put in and more than likely come from sad people who are probably largely illiterate and total ignoramuses as well.

Reading Habits:

Question: Do you also enjoy reading erotic stories? Which categories do you enjoy the most? Do you like true stories or fantasies?

The Rake: I enjoy reading other stories provided they are well written and properly crafted with a decent story line but am only interested in stories of straight sex. Who can say which stories are true and who really cares if it is a good story? If by fantasy you mean ET rather than ES, I have no interest as tales about creatures from outer space or sci-fi type stories leave me cold even though I recognise that these are popular genres.

Question: Do you vote on other author's stories? How do you decide what score to give when you do? And do you send other author’s comments or feedback on their stories?

The Rake: Very rarely and then only if it’s a story that has impressed me or if the plot, characters and portrayal of what is happening appeal to me. A high score inevitably follows and I should certainly refrain from offering any criticism unless it was positive and supportive.

Question: Do you have a favorite author on ES? What makes them your favorite?

The Rake: I rate Poldyvirag highly whether he’s writing under that name or hir other pen name of Poldy the Younger. Stormbringer also writes extremely well but although I’m not always keen on some of his plots he has an impressive and eclectic collection of fine stories in the archive.

Question: When you read a story do you: A. Touch yourself and come around the same time one of the characters do? B. Touch yourself but wait for the end to come? C. Touch yourself but wait until after you finish the story to come, such as after going to bed? D. Not touch yourself until you are finished and then continue thinking about the story and come? E. Any other variation you may do? (Please tell us what it is)

The Rake: Probably C or D.

Sex Habits:

Question: Do you enjoy the visual side of erotica, as in porn movies or pictures? If so, do you have any favorites?

The Rake: Only occasionally as both the plotting and the visualization tends to be so repetitive, often using the same shots and angles with little imagination and frequently with a lack of photographic skill as well.

Question: Do you remember the first pornography you ever saw? Tell us about it?

The Rake: Probably some still pictures when I was still at school but the fact that I’m struggling to remember probably tells you that it made little significant impact on me.

Question: Have you ever participated in erotic photography? If so, please tell us about it. If not, would you rather be the photographed or the photographer?

The Rake: No, even though I was a keen and successful amateur photographer whose work was published and exhibited widely, but, if you’re offering, can I try both?

Question: What do you wear to bed?

The Rake: PyJys.

Question: Do your sex life and writing have any correlation with each other??

The Rake: No save occasionally when I’ve written about my own affairs or what I’ve learned from my partner during an affair.

Question: How would you rate your willingness to try new things in bed?

The Rake: At one time very willing but now I’m somewhat more staid.

Question: What’s the kinkiest thing you have done in your life?

The Rake: Bared my soul to you in this interview!

Question:Do you have any fantasies that you would like to fulfil?

The Rake: Not any more, unless you’re offering Michelle Pfeiffer, Keira Knightley or Maria Sharapova!

Question: What is your opinion about sex toys? Do you have any toys yourself and if so, do you like to use them?

The Rake: A poor substitution for the real thing or for some self-induced self-indulgence.

Question: What do you think about solo sex?

The Rake: If that’s all that’s available, go for it.

Question: What are your favourite; and least favourite positions?

The Rake: Usually the missionary or the woman-on-top positions are the ones of choice. I really enjoy watching the woman’s face as we are making love. Her expressions will tell you whether and when to change your rhythm, vary your pattern, alter the direction or change the intensity of what you are doing. It also guides you as to when to tease and prolong matters or when to try to bring them to a mutually satisfying conclusion. And watching a woman’s face as she nears and then achieves a climax is surely one of the ultimate pleasures in life ­ short of your own climax of course! To know that you have given such gratification can only enhance your own pleasure while adding hugely to the joy of the sex you are both sharing.

Question: Do you believe in one night stands?

The Rake: A cautious “yes” depending on the woman.

Question: What makes someone sexy to you?

The Rake: Different things in different women. They need to be physically attractive, have a good personality, demonstrate a sense of humour and/or fun and be subtle in the way they express their physical appeal. They will also have a suggestion of the sensual about them: even though this might seem innocent in itself it is often a signpost to a woman’s hidden depths.

Question: What is a major turn off for you during sex?

The Rake: The release of wind! By either party! This apart, I’m not very keen on breasts that are either too big (someone once said that anything much more than a handful is a waste) or hang like a spaniel’s ears.

Question: Sex-talk. Do you like or dislike talking during sex?

The Rake: Generally I prefer us to concentrate on the giving and taking of pleasure from and to one another but don’t feel too strongly about it.

Question: In bed or on the kitchen table?

The Rake: Comfort almost every time but if the opportunity is there and the time is right-----!

Question: What is your favourite or most memorable moment in bed?

The Rake: Always the next one! I suppose one of the most dazzling experiences was standing waist deep in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

And Last but not least...

Question: You are #17 on the “Top 100 favourite authors” list. How does it feel to know you have 168 people that have favorited you? **

The Rake: It’s immensely flattering and makes all the hard work worthwhile. In the absence of the normal yardsticks of published and public comment from informed and widely recognised reviewers and without a measure of the sales made (arguably the ultimate test of success or failure), writers in this medium are not easily able to judge how well they are doing.

Question: You are #22 on the "Top 100 best scoring authors with more than 5 stories online, and an average vote higher than 9.0" lists with an average vote of 9.28. How does it feel make the list.? **

The Rake: Brilliant, and for all the reasons I’ve just given. It’s a recognition that would otherwise be lacking and can only encourage any writer in his or her efforts.

Question: Is there anybody on this site, who you would like to see interviewed? Why?

The Rake: Poldyvirag and Stormbringer would seem obvious candidates for me.

Question: Do you notice any differences between the "younger" writers on here, and between the "older writers" of this site?

The Rake: Not certain that it’s always easy to tell them apart. If they can write well that’s all that matters.

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

The Rake: Many thanks for your support. I hope I can continue to do justice to the markings. I have two, maybe even three, more stories in the pipeline but with twenty-seven stories broken into sixty separate parts already published on the site I fear I may be in danger of drying up. I hope not but I’ll just have to wait and hope!

** Please note the statistics noted were current at the time of this interview was done in May. Statistics can change daily, even hourly, so these may not be the exact numbers that you will find on the site when you read this interview.

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Thank you everyone for reading. Please don't forget to take a moment and mail The Rake to thank him for doing this interview for us. As always authors love feed back.

Thanks for reading!

PleasureKitten