My fellow writer and Blujesto Press author Lucretia Mars discusses her new Kindle book series, GASPERS, starting off with a trilogy that is, in may ways, too hot to publish. She and Blujesto are presenting new and innovative ways of getting his controversial work to the public.

Q: Lucretia, tell us a bit about your new Kindle ebook series, GASPERS.
A: GASPERS is a kinky, erotic novel series with a crime story subplot. Or else it’s a crime series with a kinky, erotic subplot. They’re pretty well balanced.
Q: I don’t mean to pigeon-hole it, but it’s a bit like FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, with asphyxia instead of bondage.
A: No, I’ll buy that. I mean, these days, bondage itself is kind of vanilla, kind of mainstream. I mean, it’s common on primetime TV, how taboo could it be? Erotic asphyxia is much more complex, much more fringe. And it integrates perfectly to the sex-crime aspect.
Q: Somebody’s going around smothering women.
A: Well, that is putting it a bit simply. In the first book the focus is on a dominant / submissive sexual balance with the woman in the sub role, and from the point of view of the protagonist, Kaylee St. Claire, it’s all consensual. Then the murders happen. The second book concentrates on the balance of power shifting to a female dominant and a male sub, which is quite common in the world of erotic asphyxia. I think it’s much more prevalent to see women choking and smothering men than men smothering women.
Q: What about the third book?
A: I’ve been asked not to talk too much about the third book right now.
Q: Blujesto Press is planning a new kind of release strategy for that book.
A: That I can confirm. The way it’s going to go is that the first two books each contain half of a special code. A reader who buys both books can send in the complete code and they get the third book for free, direct from the publisher.
Q: Can’t you just give books away for free through Kindle?
A: Blujesto doesn’t want to do it that way. I’ll be able to talk a little more about it when the second and third books come out. The third will be available as soon as the second book hits the market, but I’m not sure if that will be next month or later in the summer.
Q: It’s pretty mysterious.
A: It is. Neat, huh?
Q: Now, the first two books were originally released in paperback as GASPING IN THE SHADOWS. Why the change?
A: When Blujesto bought the rights, they decided to cut the first book, which was already structured in a Book 1, Book 2 manner, and make them separate books. When I pitched them Book 3, they concocted this new marketing strategy. Then they decided to re-brand the whole thing and change the title. I guess the people who bought it in paperback have a nice collector’s item!
Q: Some say that Book 3 is just too filthy to publish.
A: I can’t comment on that kind of idle gossip. It is pretty filthy though.
Q: After that, are you going to move ahead with the GASPERS series?
A: We’ve discussed other places the series can go, and there are plenty. But my immediate plans are for a new series for Blujesto, a horror series. We’re locked in for three books this summer and maybe three more after that. As with your Kindle series, THIS YOUNG JESUS, every three volumes will be released as a collected volume, in Kindle and on paperback. I actually have the second three stories planned too, for a total of six novellas, two compiled volumes. That would take me through the end of 2013, basically. After that, we’ll see about more GASPERS books.

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