I recently had the opportunity to interview a very talent writer and poet for my blog. Please welcome George Pappas author of the book “Monogamy Sucks”.
George Pappas is Los Angeles-based novelist, blogger, poet and lyricist. Lazy Day Publishing is released his second novel of erotic fiction Monogamy Sucks as an e-book on Dec. 1, 2010. Pappas launched the first six chapters of his novel on his blog in summer 2010 after more than 12 years of writing and researching his work. His novel explores intriguing notions about monogamy, relationships, casual sex and the world of swinging.
Pappas is a lifelong resident of southern California and has been writing fiction since he was 15. When he’s not writing, Pappas enjoys traveling, music, reading his favorite novelists Henry Miller and Anais Nin, watching films, exploring life’s many adventures and pleasures, and living near the ocean.
1) Are you a poet or writer by nature?
I’ve always been creative and wanted to tell stories for as long as I could remember.
So I guess you could say I am a writer by nature. I write novels, short stories, poems, but I think of myself primarily as a novelist.
2) Do you write at home?
Well, I write at home a lot, but not always. I like to write in different settings. Actually, I can write anywhere -- at the beach, at a noisy Starbucks or cafe, bookstores, on a plane. I am constantly writing in my head, thinking of new stories or working out new scenes for projects I am currently working on.
3) Do you have a special place you steal away to that is a particular source of inspiration?
One of my favorite places is a hidden strip of bay in Belmont Shore. It is nicknamed “Horny Corner” by the locals. In fact, I write about the place in my novel Monogamy Sucks. I like to sit against the small concrete wall facing the bay and write. I wrote a lot of the chapters in Monogamy Sucks while sitting at “Horny Corner”. I guess there is a sort of fitting symbolism in that.
Santa Barbara, California is also a very inspirational place for me. I consider it my writer’s retreat. I like to go there by myself every few months to get away and focus only on my writing. The place rejuvenates my writer’s soul.
4) Do you feel that the California
No, not necessarily. I think the California beach town lifestyle that I love in Belmont Shore in Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Santa Monica have the reputation of being swinging towns, and there is some truth to it. But swingers come from everywhere. I met swingers from Riverside, Ontario, Bakersfield, Claremont, Torrance to name a few cities. There are swingers in every town, city, and state and in every country. Swinging is a state of mind, not a destination.
5) You mentioned in another interview that your novel “Monogamy Sucks” is loosely based on personal experiences, but you “enhanced” the experiences with your main characters uninhibited thoughts. Isn’t it still a reflection of you untethered by societal norms? Free to express what actually goes through a man’s mind while meeting and sleeping with a woman?
Well, my intention was to reveal through my character Jake Dalmas what I believe a lot men think about during casual sexual encounters with women. I don’t think this has always been explored in fiction. I wanted the scenes to hold nothing back in their explicit nature so it would make my character’s sarcastic, and even sardonic comments about what he was going through even more powerful and controversial. I wanted to bring the readers into the male mind as a way to explore sexual myths about monogamy, marriage, swinging, desire and potency. My character chooses to be untethered from social norms because of his unhappiness with monogamy and conventional relationships. I believe a growing number of people in our society share his dissatisfaction.
6) In the excerpt, your main character, Jake Dalmas, suggests that the drive for physical intimacy is so strong at times that he is willing to put aside his “standards” for the sake of fulfilling his desires. Do you see this as a common dilemma for many men?
Oh yes. Lust is a very powerful thing. It can make us men (and women, too!) do things we could later regret. In my case, the regret was only short-lived. Lust was only one of the factors that let me on my own erotic journey into the swinging lifestyle. But when I participated in a regrettable experience, I could always write about it later. So in the end I have no regrets. However, I detail the pitfalls of unchecked lust quite effectively in my novel through my character’s commentary.
7) You are clear that monogamy doesn’t work for you personally, but in our discussions you said that you feel swinging can strengthen a relationship. Would you care to elaborate?
Swinging is not for everybody, but neither is monogamy. The swingers I met during the research and writing for my novel told me that expanding their sexual lives through swinging did improve their relationships. They no longer felt the need to stray or cheat. If they had sex with someone else, their partner was right there to share the experience with them. Everything is out in the open. No sneaking around or lying to the other person. They are realists in dealing with the natural sexual boredom that settles in long time relationships and marriages. The thrill of the new as I call it in my novel is powerful. It takes down a lot relationships and marriages. Always has. Yet these swingers still loved each other, had kids and stayed together. A lot of swinger couples also stressed to me that if they didn’t open up their sexual lives, they probably wouldn’t have stayed together. They were already cheating before they started swinging and were fighting about it. Now, one couple told me all they do now is fight about money not jealousy.
It is apparent that monogamy isn’t working for a lot people. I mean just look at the headlines. So what’s wrong with discussing alternatives.
8) Do you ever see yourself moving away from the swinging lifestyle permanently?
I would hardly consider myself a full time swinger, but I think I’ll always keep an open mind toward the swinging lifestyle. All I know is that monogamy doesn’t work for me, which led me to write this novel. Swingers and swinging still fascinates me as much as it ever has.
9) Where will “Monogamy Sucks” be available for purchase?
Monogamy Sucks is available as an e-book by Lazy Day Publishing -- www.lazydaypub.com My novel will also be available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Borders.com and other online retail sites.
Follow George on Twitter: @gpwriter @jakedalmas
Blog: http:\\www.monogamysucks.wordpress.com
Publisher: http:\\www.lazydaypub.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monogamy-Sucks-An-Erotic-Fiction-Novel/171812426178729?v=wall
Available for purchase at these fine retailers:
The real key to a swinging lifestye for a couple is the the total commitment of both the husband and the wife. When we first entertained the thought of swinging, I considered it a dream come true--I could have sex with lots of other women and my wife would accept that. What I did not realize, is that it wasn't just a matter of me and my sexual desires. It turned out that my wife was not only as excited as I was but was capable of a far deeper involvement than I ever dreamed.
ReplyDeleteFor one thing, women are capable are going on and on in sex and having multiple orgasms. Men have a momentary thrill, but women, they can go far beyond and outlast us.
For another, women are great organizers. My wife and other swinging wives would get on the phone for hours and discuss this session and the next session and this event and the next event and who was invited and who was great and who was a bitch and who they wanted to have sex with next.
Wow. I would come home from work and learn that next weekend we would be going to Key West or Key Largo or Ft. Lauderdale or -- and you'll believe this one -- to our neighbors across the street who where nudist, swingers and bi-sexual. Best weekend of my life!
But here's the point. My wife and her circle of female friends and wives were totally committed to swinging--and it was they more than we, the husbands and boyfriends--that sustained the lifestyle. The failures, those that tried it and dropped out, were those where the women were not committed and in truth, were probably only doing it because they thought that that was what their husbands wanted.
Hi Dan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment.
I do agree that swinging is truly a woman's world. I discovered this in the research for my book "Monogamy Sucks."
Women called the shots in all instances. Swinging is truly liberating for both women and men.
If you read my novel "Monogamy Sucks," you will meet a female swinger near the close of the novel, who represents the strong women I encountered.
Thanks again for sharing your interesting and intriguing story about you and your wife's fulfilling life as a swinging couple.
George Pappas
Author of novel Monogamy Sucks
www.monogamysucks.wordpress.com
You may consider yourself as more of a novelist, but your poetry is mesmerizing. I very much enjoy reading your poems on twitter and look forward to reading "Monogamy Sucks".
ReplyDelete