Odyssey of Versatility
Ever since my inauguration into authorship I’ve been known as an LGBTQIA author. This, of course, does not bother me as it is indeed accurate. However, after a while it was apparent that time told a different tale.
My very first story was “... and we”. It marked the beginning of my writing career. Having been featured in “Concordant Vibrancy: Unity” was only the beginning. My personal odyssey of versatility would eventually take me to places that I did not foresee. I can indubitably say that I have no regrets.
Please, if you will, allow me a tiny juncture of your time to delineate the chronicle of my walk through the path of storytelling.
I knew deep down inside that, at heart, I was a storyteller. Unfortunately for more years than I can count, I did nothing to pursue my calling. Yes, I wrote small tales for personal amusement, but I never endeavored to share those anecdotes with anyone. You see, for some time, I did not see the point. It wasn’t until networking with the representatives of All Authors that I finally opted to allow myself to shine. Even if just for a little while. I am happy to say, that nowadays, I call the All Authors Publishing House members, family. Networking with them has been an adventure and they’ve bestowed upon me a plethora of knowledge and musings. But, I digress.
In 2015 I was invited, after having been signed onto the House, to participate in the anthology collection now known as “Concordant Vibrancy”. For that collection I wrote what I knew. And what I knew was LGBTQIA Erotica.
In all truth, if was very interesting in how I morphed into a multi-genre author.
You see, I had no intention on doing so. It was completely coincidental. Some people I know would call it, “accidentally on purpose”.
While the work I put forth in completing “Syncopation of Ravishing Intensity” was a never ending project, in between said project I found that I had other stories to tell. Other things to say via my writing. So I did.
When I was invited to be a part of “Concordan Vibrancy 2: Vitality”, I knew that I had a message to send. With the theme question being “What moves your spirit?” it was impossible for me to narrate a story that fell under solely the LGBTQIA brackets. The long and the short of it being that LGBTQIA Erotica was not the element that moved my spirit. Self-discovery did. Instinctively, I understood that this was the story I wanted to tell. I just wasn’t sure how to start it.
One morning while accompanying my brother to the barbershop I was immediately inspired by the camaraderie and welcoming feeling of the ambiance. Thus, the story, “Barbershop” was born.
February 14, 2015 marked the birth of a fun flash-fiction tale that I titled, “Let’s Play on Valentine’s Day”. This short tale was meant to be a teaser for the imagination. Something fun and quick that could put a smile on one’s face. It wasn’t meant to have any point other than that. And, due to the nature of the story, “Let’s Play on Valentine’s Day” also fell outside of the parameters of LGBTQIA Erotica as it would be considered more of a Light Bondage story that anything else.
Fast forward myriad stories and anthology participations later, I was presented with the opportunity to be a part of “Divergent Ink 2: Pleasure Prints”.
What is truly curious about this particular event was how everything transpired. When I was first invited I immediately came up with a story that seemed to be a perfect fit. I wrote the story. Somewhere down the line I utilized that same story in the collection found in “Syncopation of Ravishing Intensity”. Once that happened, I knew that I could not reuse it in “Pleasure Prints”.
This had everything to do with the pact that the 6 Divergent Ink authors made with one another. We made a covenant that whatever stories we wrote for the Divergent collection, we would not feature anywhere else. This particular pact was not made until after I’d included the original story in “Syncopation of Ravishing Intensity”.
Now, whether perspective, emotions or soul speak, I find it hard to decipher. What I can say for certain is that after a superabundance of circumstances and the trails that each one brought, I was in an irregular place. Once again, I had a story to tell and a message to send. This message came from a dark place. This mental-emotional niche spawned a plenitude of temporary delirium, whom then birthed a story like no other I’d written before.
When I am in my darkest hours I feel as though my spirit is entrapped within four walls. These figurative four walls threaten to end me. In order to keep them from doing so, I must expongue the darkness and free myself from the tumult. So it is that in this hypersensitive state of mind that I wrote “Odyssey of Rhapsody”.
At first, I was not altogether certain where the story would lead, except to say that I was (A) letting the darkness out, and (B) writing a story for “Pleasure Prints” in the hopes that I could address the theme question.
Before long, “Odyssey of Rhapsody” told the tale of mental illness, the toll it takes on a human being, and the almost inevitable outcome when a person feels as though they are beyond help or the world is against them.
Yet again, I did not write a LGBTQIA story.
Serendipity has stated that I am now a multi-genre author. And it with immeasurable pride that I accept this crown. With that said, I would like to thank each and every person that has ever offered their support. You all have a small part in the creation of Adonis Mann, the author.
Until Soon,
