Book Title: First Encounters
Author: Charming Man (aka A. S. Wilkins)
Genre: A Romantic-Erotic Story Collection
Synopsis
First Encounters offers a male insight into the realms of sensual romance, exploring the thought provoking world of liaisons between strangers.
On a hot summer’s night, a man awakes from a peaceful slumber, roused by a mysterious beauty appearing at his bedside. Is she real or merely a Night Vision?
Escaping the stresses of daily life to indulge in a little rest and recuperation, a weary businessman man unexpectedly engages a gorgeous exhibitionist in a voyeuristic Beach Encounter.
A chance meeting at a busy airport sees a young entrepreneur in the company of a seductive stranger for the duration of his flight to New York. She has a sexy secret to tell, but only if he shares one first; a Mid Air Collusion he’s unlikely to forget in a hurry.
Headmaster Peter Thompson is faced with a predicament when he summons a troubled sixth form student to discuss her latest misdemeanour. Refusing to accept her fate, Ariana takes control of the situation the only way she knows how.
While island hopping around the Cyclades, a backpacker is lured off the beaten track by a sexy local girl he meets on his travels. Was the need to satisfy his curiosity a good idea or A Greek Tragedy waiting to happen?
A college student embarks on a road trip, but didn’t envisage making the journey with a sexy hitch-hiker in tow. Two strangers find themselves thrown together in a slow-burning, tortuous tale of boy meets girl, set to the sounds of the new wave era. Will it be the end of the line when he reaches his destination or will The Hitcher lead him down another path?
Charming Man’s journey starts here; dare you join him?
Buying Link
About Charming Man
A S Wilkins has been writing sensual romance for over fifteen years. It all started quite by accident, following the tragic death of his wife in 1998, when he was left with two small children to bring up alone, as well as manage his own software consultancy.
While still in a state of shock and running on auto-pilot, he settled into a daily routine of dropping the kids off at day care, fulfilling his nine to five obligations, collecting the kids in the evening, feeding them, bathing them and putting them to bed with a night-time story, before collapsing in front of the television and crying into a large glass of red.
He had neither the opportunity nor desire to meet anyone new, yet he craved companionship. Posing as Charming Man, after the name of his favourite song by his favourite band The Smiths, he began to trawl online chat rooms, striking up conversations with anonymous individuals who may or may not have been who they said they were; it made little difference to him.
A S Wilkins wears his heart on his sleeve, and it soon became apparent he was able to engage openly with people from all walks of life, be they male or female; but mostly female it has to be said. Many of his early conversations on the net were innocent in content; he would pour his heart out to anyone who would listen, and in return he would provide a shoulder to those who were equally going through difficult times. He found the process very therapeutic and saved him a fortune in counselling!
Before too long, these intimate exchanges left him wanting more, such is the nature of making a new acquaintance. However, charming by name and charming by nature, he chose never to cross the line until encouraged to do so by others. This led to many a cat and mouse war of words with many a like-minded soul, which both intrigued and excited him. It was during this time he wrote his first short story, Night Vision, detailing his longing for the next love to enter his life.
The more he chatted, the more he became obsessed with the notion of sexual encounters between strangers. Still not in a position to embark on a new relationship in the real world, he continued to engage women in cyberspace, and together they would contrive a variety of scenarios from the respective comfort of their laptops. Many of these scenarios were later to become short stories; Beach Encounter, Mid Air Collusion, Ariana, A Greek Tragedy and The Hitcher, to name a few.
Fast forward several years and A S Wilkins has found happiness once more, having settled down north of London with a new partner and their combined family of four children. The release of Fifty Shades of Grey in March 2012 prompted him to dust off his short stories for his partner to read. She was impressed and managed to persuade him to publish them. Shortly after, charmingman.com was born.
Writing as Charming Man, A S Wilkins is always on the lookout for the next encounter to write about. When two individuals make eye contact across a room or on a crowded train, and a connection is made, this is often the green light that sets his imagination on fire. A knowing look is all it can take; a word might never be spoken. However, the minute an affinity is perceived, a scenario is hatched in his head, which is then honed over the coming days and weeks into a believable idea for a story.
And this final point is key; whereas it’s true to say that many of his works are clearly fantasies, it’s important to him that these fantasies are believable. The idea of a twenty-seven year old billionaire meeting a twenty-one year old virgin just doesn’t cut it for Charming Man.
Interview
Do you have any “strange” writing habits? Lucky socks or PJs? Superstitions?
I wouldn’t say I have any strange habits per say, but I do like to write in an ordered environment. I can’t usually start my writing day until I’ve dealt with other daily issues of the day, such as answering emails, paying bills or filing away paperwork. It’s hard for me to focus on writing if I know I have other things to attend to; I have to get them out of the way before I start. I’m possibly anal in this respect, although as a self-confessed procrastinator, it’s possibly my excuse for not getting my head down and cracking on with work!
What are you working on now, and what is your next project?
In March of this year I released First Encounters, my first sensual romance short story compilation, in time for the Orchard Book Club Author Signing Event in Peterborough. However, it was an unofficial launch; the cover was ill-thought out and I failed to market its release very well. I’ve recently rebranded the Charming Man concept, redesigned all book covers and upped my marketing game.
First Encounters officially launches this week, complete with a new cover that was revealed last week, backed by a full launch campaign, and supported by over thirty bloggers and reviewers. The book comprises my first endeavours as a writer, namely Night Vision, Beach Encounter, Mid Air Collusion, Ariana, A Greek Tragedy and The Hitcher.
Once the excitement dies down, I plan to return to the task I started prior to the rebranding exercise, that is the completion of my second short story compilation, Final Encounters. This will conclude the publication of all short stories that appear on the charmingman.com website, hence the title, and will comprise Peeping Tom, A Country Caper, A Tension Seeker Calls, The Hostess, The Attic and The Secret Garden.
Pick any of your books – and tell me how you became involved with the subject or theme of the story?
During my chat room days, while engaging in role play in a room known as The Hot Tub, I was challenged by someone, purporting to be female, to write a short story based on an initial paragraph she presented to me. Rising to the bait, I duly responded with a 2000 word reply. She thanked me, and I never heard from her again; I assumed she was grossly disappointed with my effort. Many years later, and those words form the opening chapter of Ariana. Without doubt contentious in subject matter, I refused to tread the path my provocateur imagined I’d pursue, preferring instead to deliver a tale of longing, solace and love. Much to my relief, many who’ve read the story believe I handle this potentially controversial scenario with impeccable decorum. Should you ever find the time to read Ariana, I hope you too will agree.
How does your writing relate to your life path in general? Is it an escape or does it represent something else to you?
Writing is an escape, just as my music is too, but a big part of me lives through this escapism. I don’t consider myself a conformist, I’ve never been comfortable working a 9 to 5. I love to people watch and ponder scenarios, based on what I see or hear. As I explain in my website About page, I am always on the lookout for the next encounter to write about. I’m a hopeless romantic and a firm believer of love at first sight. As I grow older, I feel I have so much I want to tell the world through my writing, should the world wish to listen.
What do you think most characterizes your writing? What makes your style or storytelling stand out from the crowd?
Apparently over 90% of erotica is written by women. As a male writer of sensual romance, I pride myself in the fact that I write predominantly from a male perspective. And given the fact erotica is read predominantly by women, I think this adds a novel edge to my writing. Haven’t women been trying to understand what makes us men tick since time began?
If a film was made about your life, who would play you and why?
I asked my partner who she thought, and without hesitation she answered Ralph Fiennes. I’ll go along with that.
You’re throwing a dinner party. Which three authors would you invite? Famous or infamous, past or present… and why?
I’d love to sit down with Woody Allen, the late Iain Banks and Ian McEwan.
I’ve been an admirer of the works of Woody Allen since the age of 13. In my opinion he’s the founder of observational humour, I have recordings of his stand-up shows in the early 60s and it’s still fresh today.
When a friend handed me a copy of Iain Banks’ The Wasp Factory in 1987, I was blown away by his dark and twisted narration, and I’ve devoured every word he’s written since. I was deeply saddened by his untimely death two years ago.
Similarly, The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan left a profound effect on me when I first read it in 1985. Atonement has to be one of the best heart-wrenching love stories of all time.
I’m not sure what meal I’d prepare, but the wine would flow, as would the single malt afterwards, and I feel sure we’d put the world to rights with our combined takes on life.
What are your pet peeves as an author?
I have no peeves as an author per say, but as an ‘indie’ author, I bemoan the constant struggle balancing writing with self-promotion. It’s a Catch-22 situation; write all day long and I’ll end up with an amazing body of work, but very few will discover it. Spend all day shouting about my first novel and I’ll never write a second.
Where do you go to escape from reality?
Behind my drum kit, especially when playing live. I simply get lost in the moment.
Find out more about Charming Man by visiting his website at charmingman.com.
Stalker Links
Twitter @charmingxman
Email – mail@charmingman.com
Giveaway!
Thank you so much for posting and for adding an interview! Beautifully formatted!
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