I’m excited my good friend Caraway Carter is here to talk about his new release 7 With 1 Blow. This is a redemption story and after reading this compelling work, I had a few questions I wanted to ask Caraway. So let’s get to it, shall we?
What made you go down this path?
It was originally a prompt from a publisher. You told them you wanted to write a retelling of a fairy tale and they’d send you one. I was given The Giant & The Tailor, which most people have heard as The Brave Little Tailor.
It’s my least favorite fairy tale ever, because the tailor is a braggart and boaster, lies and cheats his entire way through the story and still gets everything in the end. There is no real moral. And very hard to turn into a love story, let alone a mm version.
The one thing that kept coming back to me was how could I give it a better moral, and 7 With 1 Blow was born, A tale of redemption, with a satisfying end for my MC Taylor Little
Do you have follow up books planned?
7 With 1 Blow evolved into a trilogy – Three Wise Monkeys – cool thing, for now the first book won’t have the series title. Future editions will have the series title added, so just think… These first editions will become collector’s items one day… LOL, ok, I’m thinking big.
I decided to have each book be about a different aspect of BDSM – Book 1 deals with Sadism & Masochism, even if it deals with different parts, it’s primarily about the SM. Book Two – Hitting the Mark, will deal with a Dominance & submission relationship. And book three, tentative title I’ll Be Your Reason will deal with Bondage & Discipline.
What did you find was the hardest to write in this book?
Being true to the experience. I wanted to have the reader feel immersed in what Taylor was going through. At one point the book was huge, touching on so many aspects of BDSM and then I realized I needed to tell a story, not be an instruction manual.
Something else, was accepting that this book wouldn’t call to everyone. Initially, I had an epilogue that gave the reader a romantic ending, but several of my beta readers said it didn’t feel realistic after everything that Taylor had been through, to toss in a romance just felt like it was something stapled to the end of the book.
I understand that this book won’t call to everyone, but I’ve said from the beginning, I don’t write inside the box, I’ve cut a hole in the side, slipped out and taken people places.
The easiest?
Some of the scenes have actually happened to me, so letting go on the page was easy, getting the reader to feel the sensations, the emotions, the experience of being under a flogger, the sounds, the thrum of energy, the teasing and the rhythm of leather landing. Also, feeling the enthusiasm of being in a room with people all committed to the scene.
Favorite part?
I’ve got so many favorite parts in the book. I love the kitchen scenes; one of my favorites has to do with the kitchen utensils I’m handing out at my table. In fact, I’ve attached an exclusive excerpt just for your readers, Posy.
“I’m sure you’re wondering about those spoons,” Chef said, amusement in his voice. “Let me clue you in. The number on each tool is the number of times you’ll be hit with it. Each one is a gift from a different individual. For example, this one is from boy Bob.”
The heavy spoon Chef had plucked from the pile had a three drawn on the back of its shallow bowl. The wood slapped against his skin in a fast pattern of three hard smacks. The sting made Taylor jump, but as the pain registered, a cool sensation came with it, and his groan turned into a purr.
The next tool Chef picked up was a wooden spatula with the number five on it. “Remember the juice girl? Well, this comes with her compliments.” Chef stood to the side and brought the spatula down on the backs of his thighs, with two hard strokes on each leg and a fifth strike right across his ass.
He groaned again. There were ten of them. The numbers weren’t all single digits, either. Could he even take this?
AVAILABLE 10/21
7 With 1 Blow
Cover Artist: Caraway Carter
Genre: Erotic/BDSM
Blurb
When Taylor Little, who styles himself “Dom Seven,” is unwillingly taken into custody by the Cadre, he is put between a rock and a hard place. Either he will go to jail for his abuses against the local BDSM community, or he will accept retraining from the bottom up, learning to be a slave before he ever lays a flogger on another human being again.
In this tale of redemption, Taylor must face his demons as he learns to accept his status with mouth, mind, and heart.
WARNING: This story contains scenes of sexual intimacy and BDSM.
Excerpt
The man of the evening arrived—late as usual, but no one was surprised. It was just his style. During his few short years in the Scene, Taylor Little had gathered quite a following between customers, hangers-on, flatterers, and the occasional scene partner. It wasn’t the most experienced or the most prestigious crowd in the local Scene—in fact, many of Little’s followers were even less experienced than he was—and people had noticed. Important people, people who could make or break a new Dom.
Not that Taylor Little cared. He’d ruined munches, crashed play parties, and generally acted like an arrogant banty rooster in a too-small hen yard. It wasn’t surprising when he would show up at a munch, poach an inexperienced boy, and put him on the web in a BDSM porn shoot a week later; it was just inappropriate.
His lateness was also par for the course. Taylor Little—who called himself “Dom Seven”—made his elaborate entrance. Normally, his slaves crawled before him, regardless of the venue or whether it was appropriate. The sharper-tongued members of the Scene whispered that it was because of his height, which, even with his heavy boots, topped out at five foot seven. But this time, his current slave walked in front of him, shirtless, his neck enclosed inside a black leather collar. A chain snaked away from the collar’s single jump ring and into Taylor’s black-gloved hand.
In an uncharacteristic nod to propriety, Taylor had had this slave wear dirty white Converse tennis shoes and tight black jeans, with a thick black leather belt. As they entered the room, a scowl crossed Taylor’s face. It were as if no one had paid attention to anything he had done with his slave; the crowd was still looking at Mistress Joan.
Taylor and his slave were the only ones not looking at Mistress Joan. Instead, Taylor looked around the room to see if anyone was checking out his new boy while the slave kept his own eyes focused on his shoes. Not a single soul was looking their way. With a frown and a muttered command, Taylor tapped the slave on the shoulder. The boy nodded his head and dropped to his knees as Taylor looked around for an open chair. As the boy fell to the ground, the door of the backroom swung shut so that no one, aside from those gathered in the room, was witness to the slave boy’s further humiliation.
About the Author
Caraway Carter has worn numerous hats. He’s been a furniture salesman, a dresser, a costumer, an actor/waiter, a rabble rouser, a poet and most recently a writer. He married his husband on Halloween and they are the loving parents of an adorable cat, named Molly. He loves words and stringing them together, he loves sex and sexy men. He loves seeing how far his muse will take him and he’s looking forward to entertaining you.
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Blog Tour Schedule
September 30th: Mann Ramblings Lila Leigh Hunter
October 7th: Dawn Sister
October 14th: A.M. Leibowitz
October 17th: Hans M Hirschi
October 20th: Posy Roberts
October 21st: *RELEASE DAY* Aisling Mancy Louisa Bacio Tammy Middleton April Kelley
October 22nd: Nic Starr
