Names I Call My Sister

by Mary Castillo

  Where does that leave Anita?

  Anita gets what she really wants—a new direction in life. She’ll stay in Las Vegas, working a job for which she’s uniquely qualified, and she’ll be surrounded by great men. Chris will probably be in and out of her life. She might even take up boxing. So the question is, tighty whitey or boxer?

  Will we ever find out?

  I’ve been thinking about Anita’s crazy life. Her new job might be more thrilling (and definitely crazier) than she imagined, and it would be a fun story to write.

  What inspired you to write about Las Vegas?

  I’ve only been to Las Vegas once, and then it was on business, but I was awed. It’s all about indulgence. Big fun, big food, shows and glitz everywhere, but only at night. By day, unless you’re in a casino, it’s like any city. If you’re in a casino, you don’t know if it’s day or night, and there are so many opportunities to sin! It would be the first place that “big sister” thought of when she wanted to give in to dreams of decadence.

  Do you have a sister?

  I do. My sister is only twenty-two months younger than me. That means that part of the year she’s one year younger than me, and then she’s two years younger than me. When we were little, I gloated over being older. Now I cringe.

  Are you anything like Anita and Susana?

  A little bit. But I doubt my sister will ever run off to Vegas. She’s more into cozy cottages, good books, and a nice glass of white wine. She has her wild side, but it comes out on the dance floor, and when she’s not dancing with her husband, she’s dancing with our mother and me at wild and loud Atlanta Cuban Club holiday parties, where the music is live and the beat is irresistible.

  What’s next for you?

  I just wrapped up a funny romance about a poor girl who wins the biggest lottery jackpot ever in the United States and proceeds to raise hell and spread the cash around with the help of her grandmother and her cousin—all the family she has. She’s not very good at being rich.

  Do you write to music?

  Absolutely! My son Tony usually burns me a great mix, usually of house music, but for this novella, I had other ideas. I listened to Elvis Presley and Tom Jones, trying to catch that floor show/ glittery décor/all-you-can-eat buffet Vegas vibe. I prefer music that after a while just blends into the background, so that when I turn it on I’m immediately “there,” in my story. But it was hard to ignore Elvis and Tom. I like to sing along.

  What’s different about writing a novella, rather than a full-length novel?

  You have to jump right into the middle of the action, since you have so little space to tell the story. It requires some thought so that the story starts and ends where you want it to and within the pages you have to cover. Fortunately, I’m into puzzles.

  Playlist

  Tom Jones

  “Help Yourself”

  “Love Me Tonight”

  “Can’t Stop Loving You”

  “Sexbomb”

  “It’s Not Unusual”

  “Delilah”

  “Thunderball”

  “Kiss”

  Elvis Presley

  “Viva Las Vegas”

  “A Little Less Conversation”

  “Good Luck Charm”

  “(You’re the) Devil in Disguise”

  “Burning Love”

  “All Shook Up”

  “Little Egypt”

  “Blue Suede Shoes’

  Bonus tracks

  “Las Vegas” Los Creepers (punk)

  “Leaving Las Vegas” Sheryl Crow

  “Danke Schoen” Wayne Newton

  Best Friend Bootcamp

  My sister was my best friend when I was little. Sometimes my only friend. As our parents moved us, trying to better our lives, we found ourselves the new kids in school, the new kids on the block. We hated it. Once, newly arrived in Manhattan, we found ourselves the only kids in the building and weren’t allowed to play outside, either.

  Because we were also sisters, it was tough to stay out of each other’s way when we were mad at each other, especially when we shared a bedroom in a little apartment. She thought I was loud, messy, and lazy, and that really got on her nerves. To me, she was a tidy, no-nonsense goody-two-shoes, and that got on mine, but we also had many things in common. We had a shared love of reading, and loved to introduce each other to new authors. We looked a lot alike, and because we were so close in age, for a time people often thought we were twins. That was both fun and annoying. I still have great sympathy for twins. They put up with a lot of inane comments from strangers.

  I was jealous of her side of the room, which was always neat. She could cook anything and it always tasted marvelous. She was, and still is, fearless. Once, when someone at a family gathering said something unkind about one of our relatives, I rolled my eyes, mentally calling the person a jerk. My sister jumped up and with jabbing fingers and fierce eyes told them off. I was astonished and proud. She’s always been that way.

  My sis married young and moved away, living in several interesting places before returning to Atlanta. Meanwhile, I married, too, and had a busy life filled with children, work, painting, and later, writing. Allergic to moving after all that early travel, I stuck to Atlanta.

  We wrote letters (this was before e-mail) and saw each other at holidays, but it was a struggle to remain close. Now we’re lucky to live five miles away from each other.

  She’s recently started writing, and she’s really good. The other day I dropped by her house and she was making beaded necklaces, as beautiful as some of the high-end jewelry I’d seen at Nordstrom. So, I can’t be singled out as the artistic sister anymore.

  I’m still messy and loud. She’s still tidy and fierce. We’re both artists, writers, and voracious readers. We love each other very much. I think we make a pretty good team.

  I love you, Laura. If I ever run off to Vegas, come get me. I’d do the same for you, hermana.

  Cuban-American author BERTA PLATAS was born into a family of educators and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, New York City, and Charlotte, North Carolina. It wasn’t until high school that her family settled down in Atlanta, Georgia.

  She listened avidly to the stories her friends and family told, enjoying the rich cultural mix of each city she lived in. Summers were spent in Miami and Key West, where she recharged her Cuban batteries.

  The mother of three teenaged boys and an eleven-year-old daughter, Berta is crazy in love with her husband, media producer Gary Rowe, and still lives in Atlanta with all her family close by.

  Berta writes contemporary women’s fiction with a strong dose of humor.

  “Whipped”

  Sofia Quintero

  Are any of the characters in your story based on real people?

  Cuevas is a composite of some of the most outlandish politicians I have met through the years. Yes, some of the nasty things he does and says in the story were actually perpetrated by people we have voted to represent us. As for Jennifer and Michelle, however, they couldn’t be further different from my sister and me.

  Tell us a little more about your relationship with your sister.

  My sister is nine years older than I am, so growing up, she was either spoiling me with cute shoes and ice cream or terrorizing me. When she and my brother would go at it—which was often, considering they’re only two years apart—they would try and make me choose between them. I should’ve exploited the hell out of that, but instead I would just sit in the middle of the hallway and bawl.

  From the time I was eleven until I left for college, I had five foster sisters, which finally gave me a shot at being the older sister. I was pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. One day I’d be giving them hell for going though my stuff, and the next I was issuing threats to whoever was bullying them at school.

  What inspired the BSDM storyline? Is your sister a dominatrix? Are you?

  No, I’ve never been a dominatrix, and as far as I know, my sister hasn’t been one either. I’
d like to think that we’re close enough that she would tell me. Anyway, I can’t remember what made me curious about BSDM, but I, too, used to think, “Oh, those people are sick.” Then I started reading up on it, and once I even interviewed at a dungeon. I was just starting my novel writing career and was really strapped for cash. I might’ve gone through with it if they didn’t require me to put a photo on the Internet. The woman who interviewed me said, “You’ll have so much makeup on, no one will know it’s you.” Like I wanted to take that chance! Instead I started selling sex toys for a pleasure party company, which happens to be part of another story I’ve written.

  Do tell!

  It’s actually a short story for an anthology of erotica by Latina authors. The heroine in my story is a teacher’s aide who is a “romance consultant” on the weekends. The problem is that she brings her business into the bedroom, and it actually has a negative impact on her marriage. While there are humorous moments, that story is much more of a drama than a comedy.

  Besides that, what will we see from you next?

  I wrote another short story for another erotica anthology, this one featuring lesbian romances. That one’s about a closeted movie star who is trying to revive her fading career by teaming up with the latest “it” girl. Just as they fall for each other, however, the younger starlet decides she wants to come out. Don’t ask me who inspired that because I’m not telling. I’m also working on my second novel, which is about a woman who enters into an “arrangement” with three men. Each of them claim they want the benefits of a relationship with none of the obligations, but the novel poses the question, “Is there really such a thing as casual sex?” Geez, I’m sensing a pattern here. Anyway, to read excerpts and stay posted, visit me at www.myspace.com/sofiaquintero or www.sofiaquintero.com.

  Bondage & Discipline, Domination & Submission, and Sado-Masochism (BDSM)

  Myths versus Facts

  Myth: People who enjoy BDSM fantasies or activities are mentally ill.

  Fact: Psychiatrists once considered BDSM fantasies and activities pathological, but that’s starting to change. Remember, there was a time when the American Psychiatric Association deemed masturbation unnatural and considered homosexuality a mental illness. In order for a particular behavior to be deemed unhealthy, it must interfere with a person’s ability to function normally from day to day. Let’s put it this way: the woman who puts in a hard day’s work and then goes home and ties up her husband (with his consent, of course) doesn’t have a problem, but the guy in the next cubicle downloading porn even though he knows it could get him fired does.

  Myth: BDSM is for cruel people who get their sexual kicks out of causing others pain and humiliation. What could possibly be erotic about that?

  Fact: This is untrue on at least three counts. First of all, BDSM covers a vast range of sexual behaviors that includes things like light bondage and erotic spanking. Many individuals and couples engage in some form of BDSM. Second, BDSM is consensual. A successful scenario or relationship requires a tremendous amount of trust, and you can’t deny that trust is damned sexy. Three, it’s the submissive who actually sets the limits. No wonder most of them are men!

  Myth: Dominant women hate men.

  Fact: There are always going to be people who are drawn to particular sexual activities for unhealthy reasons, but the average dominant woman has tremendous compassion for men. Not only does she understand the constant pressure that society places on men to always be in control, she derives her own pleasure from being their escape from those pressures. A hateful or abusive woman would have no regard for a man’s needs, feelings, or boundaries. Because negotiation and consent are the anchors of any BDSM scenario or relationship, however, the lady dominant not only learns and honors the submissive male’s desires and limitations, she actually gets a sexual charge out of pleasing him.

  Myth: Any man who wants to be dominated by a woman is unworthy of respect.

  Fact: Many men who are sexually submissive in the bedroom are intelligent, assertive, and therefore successful in the board-room. Or on the athletic field. Or on the stage or screen. When we see their accomplishments in the public realm, it would never occur to us to have anything but respect for them. Now, for such a man to then be able to hand over control to a woman in the most intimate arena of his life, he has to have tremendous respect for her. Would you respect this man less than, say, the guy who blows half his paycheck at the strip club?

  Myth: All those BDSM fetishists are polygamists.

  Fact: People who participate in any kind of BDSM are like any other. Some are monogamous and some are not. They have children and careers. And, no, not all of them wear leather.

  SOFIA QUINTERO is also the author of Divas Don’t Yield and the co-founder of Chica Luna Productions in New York City. She also writes hip-hop fiction under the pen name Black Artemis.

  “Diss-Connected”

  Lynda Sandoval

  Cristy Avila’s Ten Tips for Giving Good Phone Sex

  1. Get comfy. While this doesn’t necessarily apply to phone sex work, you should be focused and in the mood to have phone sex with someone you love. If candlelight and music work for you, go for it. Wine? Sure. Lingerie? Whatever puts you in the mood.

  2. If you aren’t sure how to launch a phone sex habit with your partner, or if you’re nervous, call him and say one sexy thing, then hang up. A simple example is, “I was just thinking about your sexy body, and I got so hot, I had to touch myself.” Seeing how he reacts will guide you to further phone encounters.

  3 Call your partner at work and ask him, “What’s your fantasy?” When he tells you, flesh it out for him as if it’s really happening, and let him interact. Who knows—the fantasy might happen for real later. (Be sure he’s not in a meeting and on speaker phone, though!)

  4. Use detailed description and hot language to convey what you are or aren’t wearing, why and how you’re aroused, and what exactly you plan to do about it since he’s not there. Balance the soft and sensual with the downright raunchy, and always base it on your partner’s preferences.

  5. Sound effects really heat things up. Moaning, breathing, whimpering, as well as other sounds that mean sex to you. (Use your imagination!) Learn how to fake a good orgasm vocally, keeping in mind that if you and your partner are doing this right, you probably won’t have to fake it.

  6. Read good erotica and don’t be afraid to borrow scenarios. This will help you keep up on all the modern sex lingo, too.

  7. Try out a story fantasy once you are both comfortable. Don’t dampen the effect with a “Hi, how’s your day?” type of beginning. Launch right into the conversation with “I have this fantasy….” and then pull him into it with as many of your senses as you can over the phone.

  8. Stay in the moment for each phone sex session so it feels to both of you like it’s actually happening.

  9. Remember “show and tell” in kindergarten? Try touch and tell over the phone with your guy, especially when he’s somewhere that he can’t fully react. It amps up the sexual tension like crazy. He can’t touch you, so tell him what it would feel like if he was touching you right then.

  10. Don’t be afraid to keep a notebook of erotic words, phrases, prompts, and so on to help you out at first. Soon this will become second nature.

  11. Bonus suggestion: Never leave a hot, nasty, erotic message on your partner’s voice mail or answering machine unless you are a hundred percent certain he’s the only one who will be listening. Enjoy!

  Questions for the Author

  What’s your full name?

  Lynda Sue Sandoval.

  Do you have any sisters?

  Yes, I have the two best sisters in the world, Elena and Loretta, hence my dedication. We’re very close, a lot alike, and a lot different, too. Before you ask, no, neither of my sisters have ever embarrassed me like Marisol embarrasses Cristy. I’m just not that easy to embarrass, for one, and they aren’t like Marisol. It’s usually me doing the embarrassing. My sister Elena
has always told me that I actually say things that the rest of us think about but are either too polite or too afraid to voice aloud. This always cracks me up. And it’s true.

  Have you ever done phone sex?

  Uh, nope. Sorry to disappoint. I hate the phone, hate talking on the phone unless someone has information to convey (I don’t chat), and I rarely answer my phone at home. In a bit of irony even I don’t understand, I work part-time as a 911 fire/medical dispatcher for the fire department. Can’t really ignore those phone calls. Maybe that’s why I don’t answer the phone at home. Hmmmm. Anyway, I got the phone sex idea because one of my sisters had a college roommate who did phone sex during under-grad. I was a lowly freshman, hanging out at their apartment one night to escape the sardine can that was my dorm room—shared by four girls, mind you. This roommate, in her jammies and studying, was, uh, performing, right there in the living room. I always wanted to put that in a book because it blew my nineteen-year-old mind.

  Oh, but I have to share a humorous story. Loretta was in Colorado visiting in July, and we were on www.Amazon.com picking out some yoga DVDs she thought would be good for me (she’s a yogi, too). Anyway, my “recently viewed items” popped up and the list was all stuff about the phone sex industry, how to break in, etc. She looked at me all horrified and said, “Lynda!” I told her, “Book research! That’s all!” It was funny as hell.