Hi guys!

So, MFF was pretty awesome. I got to see some very good friends, I got to meet some fans in person for the first time, and I got to drink a whole lot of really good beer. Really, what else does an otter need for an extended weekend away?

I wasn't on any panels at this con, but that was okay, because MFF is a busy social con (over two thousand attendess, yikes!), and so I was always kind of busy anyway. But it was busy in a good way, and often involved lots of crazy wackiness that never happens outside of furry conventions.

I don't have a lot to specifically report on, other than to say that our "FFM" episode of Unsheathed is online now and ready for the downloading. Also, I'm getting close to finishing that story I've been working on, the one I promised would make up for that other story that I decided not to post because it sucked. Hopefully I can get that up before the Christmas rush.

Also, in less-good news, I had promised that I'd get back to that unnamed special project before MFF, and alas, I was unable to follow through on that promise. I'm a bad otter. I'm a bad, bad little otter. And I'm... going to stop that line of thought right there before I get carried away with myself.

But hey, on the plus side, I've got Lady GaGa's new album, and that's proving to be good writing inspiration all on its own, so hopefully I'll get back on track soon!

So, I'm back from MFF. An official con report will be forthcoming, but there's one anecdote I need to share, first.

On my flight back home, I decided to take a crack at the crossword puzzle. I was actually doing a good job, and I was determined to finish it before the flight landed. Then I got stuck on one clue.

A five-letter word for "playful animal," beginning with 'O.'

...

It took me about a full fifteen minutes before I got it.

I think I fail on so many levels for that. Possibly forever.

So, okay, I've made myself a Twitter account.

'KMHirosaki' for those of y'all who want to follow me.

I'll probably use it mostly for updates regarding my writing and podcasting, but hey, you never know.

I finished up the first draft of that story I've mentioned a couple times so far. Honestly, I'm not sure if it'll ever see the light of day, but I'll at least let it breathe for a while before I go back over it again. Might show it to some of my writer/editor friends if I decide it's not too embarrassing.

Other, more fun story ideas are starting to creep into my mind, which is always good. Not sure if or when I'll have the time to work on any of them, but hey, it's better than not having ideas.

I'm finding more time to read lately, too. Might get to talking about that on the podcast, at some point, but not sure. Kyell and Kit and I have to figure out what we do and don't want to do.

Also, this just in: listening to Lady GaGa makes me want to write porn. Not even erotica, really. Porn.

Make of that what you will.

I'm working on a story right now, and it's not going very well.

I'm persevering, though. But not because I think it'll turn out well in the end. More just because I know that, if I switch to writing something else and I leave this one unfinished, it'll just annoy the shit out of me.

So, yeah. I'll finish it, I'll let it sit for a bit, and maybe (hopefully?) I'll polish it up and post it. But more than anything, I just need to write it. Even if it sucks.

I know I'm a little late getting this up, but I was at RainFurrest this past weekend, and the short version of my con recap is that I had an awesome time!

The highlight of the con for me was the live recording we did for Episode 10 of "Unsheathed." kyellgold and I basically kinda-sorta hijacked the "How to Write an Erotic Furry Story" panel (with the convention's permission, mind) and turned that discussion into our podcast—and it went really well! Truth be told, I was really nervous about how it was going to turn out, but the audience was great, we had some great questions, and the applause we got at the end filled me with warm fuzzies that I haven't felt since the last time I ANYWAY MOVING ON.

It was cool getting to meet some fans face-to-face, which hasn't happened very often, what since I've kept a pretty low profile at conventions until this year. Actually, if RainFurrest taught me anything, it's that the line between my real life self and my furry erotica-writing self is getting rapidly more and more blurred, but heck, I can live with that (if I were that shy, I wouldn't make public appearances at all).

Oh, and for those of you who don't listen to "Unsheathed" (and really, why don't you?), a group of two dozen furs all decided that me and Kyell have to write porn of each other again. He's apparently already started his story about me, and I'm finding that having an active challenge is really good at getting my creative juices flowing.

Hopefully y'all'll see more from me on that front very soon!

Help Fight PCD — Read Furry Porn!

For those of you who might be sick of my spamming my own journal with nothing but updates about "Unsheathed" and not doing any actual writing, fear not! kyellgold and I have finally gotten off of our ruddery/swishy asses (respectively) and put together a centralized hub for all your sheath-related writing and listening goodness.

Yeah, so now we're all official and legit and stuff.

The official FurAffinity account is right here (under the cleverly-hidden name of "Unsheathed").

The email address to send in your questions is also simple, though there's a bit of a hitch: unsheathedpodcast@gmail.com -- yes, somehow, for some reason, someone had already taken 'unsheathed' as an email (Kyell and I are rightly curious as to the who and the why, there!).

But, yes, go ahead, keep dibs on us, and keep sending in those letters! In the meantime, Episode 8 is up and available now, as well, all set for your oral aural pleasure.

Once again, I know I've fallen into a rut with the "not much output" thing (which, as a writer, is never a trap one wants to fall into). I've at least been doing "Unsheathed" with kyellgold, of course (and thanks to all y'all who've been sending in emails!), so I haven't gone silent, per se; still, there's a difference between yapping into a microphone and putting out writerly content.

Thankfully, that pesky thing called Real Life has finally eased up a tick, and I should be able to start getting back to my other projects. So, here's a little preview/teaser for y'all, so that you know what's in store from Yours Truly.

I do have one short story in mind that I want to get out there soon (and unlike my failed attempt with "Pressure," I want to make sure to actually keep this one SHORT). In Unsheathed #8, I talk about songs and story inspiration, and this is something that definitely fits in that vein.

Then there's that Secret Project™ I've mentioned a few times, here and again. A certain writerfox has finally poked me with enough sharp sticks that I've finally gone, "Aww, c'mawn, quiddit!" and have thusly agreed to get off my lazy little rudderbutt and get back to task on that. Not sure when that'll ever see the light of day, mind, but I'll be working on it with as much diligence as my webby paws can muster.

Er, when I'm done with that other story I mentioned. And when I'm not busy with other things. And when my life isn't too busy to work on it.

But otherwise, yes. Diligence.

(First off, let me say that hopefully, there'll be an official 'Unsheathed' account for kyellgold and I to use for updates so that I don't have to always spam my journal for people who don't need it. And then maybe I can get back to updating folks on that writing that I'm not doing as quickly as I'd like.)

Tonight's recording went really well, I think. Kyell and I both had some really good discussion on some pretty interesting topics (and also, we were finally back to a decent recording setup, so this episode should sound good!).

There's also some epic hilarity in there, too, but I don't want to spoil the surprise. Suffice it to say that Kit applauds the two of us for having such good rapport.



Oh, and keep the questions coming! The official email address is still forthcoming, but in the meantime, you can use the address in my LJ userinfo.

So, the fourth episode of "Unsheathed" is up and posted and ready for download, now. Unfortunately, for this episode, my audio track isn't of the greatest quality, but luckily, kyellgold's mate was able to polish it up so that it's at least listenable.

As I mention during the podcast itself, hopefully, this'll be the last time either of us will have to record while out of town, and so the quality of the audio should be much better from here on out.

There's also still some confusion, it turns out, on getting the actual podcast files for download. I've had several people ask me where they can download mp3 versions, since they don't use iTunes. The answer is simple: we actually only have mp3 versions, so that shouldn't be an issue!

The RSS feed is here: http://www.kyellgold.com/kkcast/unsheathed.rss

If you have an RSS reader, you should be able to subscribe with any software you have. Otherwise, just clicking through on a browser will at least let you see the individual download links. I hope that helps!

---

Here's a bit of conversation that took place last week (while I was away at that discreet, nondisclosed location I mention in the podcast). It was an RL conversation, so the wording is only as exact as my hazy memory can make it.

Non-Specific Coyote: "Usually I'm a top, but lately, I've just been feeling the real need to just get drilled, you know?"
Non-Specific Otter: "It's funny you should say that, because lately, I've actually been feeling really toppish, but I've been lacking anybody to drill."
(There is a pause.)
Non-Specific Otter: "You know, it occurs to me that there would be a very easy way for the two of us to solve our respective problems, here..."

I shan't be so crass as to reveal any more than that.

So, I'm slow to the party updating with regards to my own podcast, but hey, better late than never, right?

Episode 2 of "Unsheathed" is up and ready to download! For those of you who aren't subscribed to it yet (or who are interested in so doing), the XML feel can be found at:

http://www.kyellgold.com/kkcast/unsheathed.rss

(iTunes users can subscribe super-quick and super-easy by simply clicking here.)

Not only is Episode 2 live and ready for the listenin', but kyellgold and I just got finished recording Episode 3 earlier this evening. You can look forward to that one being available later in the week.

Nothing really major to write home about, but I've put a promo for Episode 2 of "Unsheathed" up online over on FurAffinity.

Scoot on over and check it out for the pre-podcasting scoop!

Unsheathed: This is what you get when you put a fox and an otter in a cozy room together and shut the door.

Well, okay, so it's not as salacious as all that. But it hopefully should still be fun and entertaining to bear witness to, all the same.

That's right: my fellow writer kyellgold and I have started up our own little podcast. So far, we just have a short, innaugural, introductory outing, but in the future (once we have important things like traction, a listener base, and actual content), we should have even more fun and hopefully a lot more to talk about.

You can sign up for the postcast through iTunes by clicking here; otherwise, if you've got some other means of subscribing to feeds directly, the URL is www.kyellgold.com/kkcast/unsheathed.rss.

Feel free to email one or both of us with anything you might want to ask, or have us talk about, or feel like suggesting. And hey, who knows? Maybe this'll take off and folks from all over will want to get in on a piece of the action offered by two smut-writing fellows stuck in the same room together.

Otherwise, hey: you're just left with the most boring conversation about blowjobs ever.

So, there's this meme that's been going around LJ lately, where people post comments and get folks to give them a list of five words that remind them of said person, and then they go and make their own post about those words, all introspective-like.

I sort of accidentally ended up getting some words from drab_makyo, and I figured, heck, might as well. (I won't ask folks to post and request words of their own, since most of y'all are readers and I don't really "know" you all that well.)

Otters: I like otters. I like being one, too, and it's not just because I get to always be slippery and slinky. For the longest time, I had no visual representation of my fursona (just icons with my name in Japanese), and so people just had to take my word for it that an otter was what I was. I actually remember the first time someone asked me what species I was (I think it may have been teirandragon, something like seven years ago, now); it was really confusing on all fronts! Now, though, people can see my webby-pawed goodness for what it is (and wonder how I manage to type with those fingers).

Writing: It's what I do. What I've always done, really. Granted, I didn't already write about animal-people having sex, but hey, they say that you write what you know. I was talking to kyellgold just yesterday, actually, about how writing is one of those things that often isn't even fun: it's stressful and nerve-wracking and makes you irritable when you do it--with the catch being that things are worse for a writer when not writing, and so that's how it goes. (And of course, writing's not all misery not even my writing, or otherwise I don't think any of us would do it.) The long and short of it is that, in the end, I'm happy with writing and what's it done for me, personally and professionally.

Erotica: A few of my fans have asked whether I write things other than furry erotica. The answer is that, yes, I do, but not under this name. That being said, I feel no shame about the fact that I write the things I do; I just find that the things I write compartmentalize better into all of my furry erotica being in one place, anyway. And, like I've said before, I do like to think that most of it as "erotica" as opposed to "porn" (well, with a few exceptions, like my Pizza-Fox story, which is my most popular, which is probably saying something). Sexy and hot doesn't have to mean base and smutty.

Pathos: I'm happy that this is a word that people associate with my work. I always try to put a lot of emotion into my work (and really, to me, sex is always something that's best when the emotional component is taken into account). Now, the sex rarely takes up the bulk of my stories, and often it's not even the emotional center of what's going on, but I definitely try to include that emotional aspect and tie it all together how I can. If my stories incite an emotional response other than "brief arousal," I've done my job.

Published: I had never, ever dreamed I'd actually get published (well, okay, so I might have dreamed it, but not believed it, seriously). I still remember the day that my copy of "FANG 1G" arrived in the mail. I had to go to the FedEx center to pick it up, rushing out to get it 15 minutes before it closed. I remember sitting in my car, just holding the book in my paws, thinking, "This is really it. I've got my work published in a book." And there's something legitimizing about knowing that you've written something that people are willing to pay money to read (which isn't to say that I write things for the money; I've made under $150 in the last five years off of writing, which certainly doesn't qualify as supplemental income!). Nevertheless, having my work published is the greatest honor I've ever had, and I look forward to getting other (hopefully larger and longer) works published in the future.

SnowflakeCat: While browsing Y* the other day, I found a story about a twinky, bottomy, slutty little panther with purple fur.
SnowflakeCat: It wasn't a very good story.
SlipperyWeasel: Aw. And such a promising start!
SnowflakeCat: But it made pretty clear to me that if I ever found a subby version of my fursona, I'd so fuck him.
SlipperyWeasel: You sound surprised to have come to this realization.
SnowflakeCat: I actually kind of am. I'm not sure why.
SlipperyWeasel: I'm more surprised at how nicely you've come to embrace the fact that you're not normally subby already.
SnowflakeCat: It didn't take long to realize I was mistaking inexperience and shyness for submissive tendencies.
SlipperyWeasel: You started out as a tender, delicate seed that needed to be nurtured so that it could blossom into a marvelous, toppy flower.
SnowflakeCat: ...
SnowflakeCat: That was kind of labored.
SlipperyWeasel: Hey, I write sex, not poetry.

So, I'm back, safe and sound, from Anthrocon. As always, I had a wonderful time in Pittsburgh, had great fun hanging out with my friends, and got to meet some new people and see some folks in person for the first time.

On Saturday, I did a book signing at the Sofawolf Press table, signing both copies of "X" and "Heat #5." Most folks were very friendly, and had very nice things to say (though there was this one creepy person who was harrassing me about... something; I'm not even sure what, but thankfully blackteagan came by to save me regardless).

All in all, it was a good con, I was happy to see so many people supporting the world of furry writing (though there was also some lovely art in the Art Show, of course!), and now I'm tired and glad to be home.

See folks next year! Or, barring that, hopefully at Midwest Furfest later this year!

This is a story I wrote many, many years ago. It was originally published in FANG 3 by Bad Dog Books, which was their fantasy-themed gay erotica volume.

It's an older story of mine, but it's one I was always fond of; while going over it before posting it here (to make sure I wasn't going to be embarrassed by it!), I found myself mentally reliving some of the writing process, and while I do think (or hope) that I've improved as a writer quite a bit in the intervening years, I also hope that this story still stands up.

You can read it on both FurAffinity and Yiffstar (which not only didn't eat my story this time, but which also [quite amazingly] posted my story with proper formatting on the first try!).

Also, as mentioned in the author notes, the character of Simon Canopus Artyle (who appears in a unique sort of way) comes from "The Peculiar Quandary of Simon Canopus Artyle" by rikoshi (he's also got another story, set in the same world, "Changes for the Better," which appears in the Summer 2007 volume of Sofawolf Press' New Fables).

Anthrocon is less than a week away, now, which means that the release of "X" is less than a week away, as well!

As one final teaser from my end, the wildly-talented oCeLoT has posted her illustration, which happens to accompany my story.

The thing I like best about this particular illustration (aside from the fact that it's gorgeous, which it is) is the way that it so wonderfully captures the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words." As the guy who wrote the story that goes behind it, I'm amazed at how well this single frame manages to capture the essence of that story; heck, the picture almost tells the story all on its own, in a way, and I hope that when people look at it, they begin to think and wonder what might be behind it all.

But yes, for those of you who are interested, you need wait only another five or six days to get your paws on a copy of "X", if you're going to Anthrocon, or just a couple more weeks if you're not (it'll be on sale through the Sofawolf Press website).

And for those of you who are going to be at Anthrocon, keep your eyes peeled for me! I'll be out and about the convention, and I'll probably be doing a signing for copies of "X" at at least some point (details TBD). If you see me, say hi! And if you see me at the bar, buy me a drink!

This story is dedicated to everyone out there who has ever had their mind wander around three o'clock on a Friday afternoon.

I suspect that this story will mean different things to different people, depending on reader bias and whatnot. I'm curious to see what people think of it!

( It IS Friday, after all. )