TRACI L. SLATTON
Author Blog
In the iBookstore: THE ART OF LIFE
THE ART OF LIFE by Sabin Howard and Traci L. Slatton is now available as an eBook, exclusively on the iBookstore (iTunes).
(BBC’s SHERLOCK)
A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill….
…
Being so caught up,
So mastered by the brute blood of the air,
Did she put on his knowledge with his power
Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?
William Butler Yeats, Leda and the Swan
I love sonnets. They are the most passionate of poems: convex with energy pushing out, straining against form. A sonnet possesses 14 lines only, to say everything.
And when the valence shatters–O.
In my own experience, poetry comes from the inarticulate place. It is an Orphic activity, because the poet descends into hell and looks back and leaves language behind, and brings back things that can not be said any other way.
So, sonnets, so exquisite because of their restraint.
I read Yeats when my soul is hungry and predatory like a vampire and wants to feast. I read Rumi when my heart is sick and I founder, when despair threatens everything. I read sonnets to feel amorous. It’s all that restraint and boundedness–a big turn on.
Because when the restraint breaks–the sublime sweeps in.
But I think few Americans get it about restraint and how sexy it is. Our culture is so boringly obvious.
A friend of mine in the TV & movie industry recommended the British show Sherlock, saying, “It’s by smart people, about smart people, for smart people–and they don’t care who doesn’t get it.”
That was a kind of challenge. Naturally, I soon logged into Neflix to find out for myself.
Sherlock exceeded my expectations. The plots are intricate and interwoven, juicy and satisfying. They’re just so darn intelligent.
Enlivening the whole hour and a half is restraint: the restraint on which is founded the curious, brilliant character of Sherlock Holmes, played superbly by Benedict Cumberbatch. The restraint of Martin Freeman’s grounded, likable, heterosexual Dr. John Watson, who is constantly mistaken for Sherlock’s better half. Andrew Scott plays a chilling and unexpected Moriarty, not at all obvious. Louise Brealey plays a hapless but good-hearted pathologist who assists Sherlock in the laboratory. Mark Gatiss ably and well plays Mycroft Holmes.
A whole cast of intelligent, restrained actors bringing vivid yet thoughtful life to their characters.
When I wax rhapsodic about intelligence and restraint, some readers may incorrectly think, “lacking suspense.” To the contrary, each episode is breathtakingly taut and absorbing. Each episode flies by, holding the viewer rapt.
What a treat! Don’t restrain yourself, go immediately to Netflix and see firsthand what I mean.
Today’s thought:
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha
Here’s the link to my recent HuffPo Blog on Censorship, Eros and Assplay.
And here are some recent great blogtour stops:
Chicklitcentral, Review and Giveaway: “I really enjoyed reading The Love of My (Other) Life… My favorite part was how Traci L. Slatton decided to end the book, it was a bit of a twist and made me happy to read. I look forward to seeing more from Traci L. Slatton in the future!”
The Little Black Book Blog: “I loved the concept behind the story. Every decision you make can lead you on very different paths in your life. I also enjoyed the way it was written.”
Chicklitclub posted my thoughts on why Tessa is a strong female character.
And coming soon, FALLEN in Spanish. Already available in Kindle.
Censorship, Eros & Assplay
I wrote an article about my iTunes censorship experience and the HuffPo ran it.
iTunesconnect ticketed my new novel The Love of My (Other) Life, denying it access to the unlimited pleasures of worldwide distribution through iTunes. The reason: the cover art was deemed “inappropriate.”
Truthfully, it is a saucy cover: a woman’s slim, sinuous back, dropping into the juicy plumpness of her ass.However, as I pointed out in an email to the iBookstore, there isn’t even real nudity, just the fleshy part of a derriere.
This cover is not explicit. It’s artful, taken from a black-and-white photo. The faceless woman’s back spirals around a bit, as if she’s turning with an unseen, but beguiling, smile. You can see more any day on the side of a city bus, or watching Jersey Shore. It’s what’s suggested that is suggestive, eg, inappropriate. This is a lush, sweet ass, begging to be fondled. By the eyes, and by whatever else.
This is the invitation of eros. I think it’s still a forbidden frontier, even in our over-exposed, boringly unsubtle, 50 Shades of Grey culture. It’s all too confusing, this softness and sweetness, the playful surrender of a woman to her lover. Not because he’s spanking her and tweaking her nipple and she’s a hapless virgin at the mercy of some kinky damaged billionaire. But because sex is neither politically correct nor is it hapless.
For many women, falling off the cliff into bliss requires boneless surrender.
. …
Check it out here.
CENSORED BY ITUNES
Make my day: I’ve been censored! I’ve arrived as a novelist.
Specifically, the cover of my novel THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE has been censored. iTunesConnect has deemed this cover “inappropriate.” See below.
By the way, if you click on the title, it will take you to the Amazon sales page.
Here was my initial response:
“To my surprise, there is a ticket on this title, that the cover art has been deemed inappropriate.
The Blog Tour continues. Andiamo.
Lily’s Xanga posted a review and a guest post written by yours truly. Her review was honest: “I wasn’t sure what to think of it at first, but it certainly grabs your attention. It has ebbs and flows, highs and lows, intrigue and, of course, romance.”
It was also stirring: “It explores how far a person would go to say “I Love You” one more time and have a chance to say goodbye….What I really enjoyed about the book is that Ms. Slatton, like the artist that her character is, blends all of these elements like an artist’s paints to create in words a painting that explodes across the senses. Very enjoyable read.”
Nette’s Bookshelf hosted THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE via a Character Q & A. It was fun to write and I hope it’s fun to read.
