By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I am afraid of sexy Cthulhu. Also, it often seems that erotic and Lovecraft don’t gel, as has been proven by more than one adaptation of H.P.’s works into film. One notable exception is Giger, who with his bizarre artwork, hits the mark. Thus, it seems a difficult job to combine the sensual with cyclopean horrors. But braver souls are wading the oceans for it: Cthulhurotica wants your “short stories of Lovecraft-inspired erotica”.
We caught up with the person driving this mad abomination and asked some pertinent questions:
IFP: Who is the person behind the tentacle? Who are you, what is your experience in publishing or writing, etc.?
CC: My name is Carrie Cuinn, and I am the creator and editor of Cthulhurotica. After working as a freelance writer and journalist, I went to college (as an adult student) in 2004. My work has been primarily academic since then, but with my impending graduation this fall, I am returning to fiction writing, which I adore.
IFP: How was the idea for this antho spawned?
CC: Chatting with Jaym Gates, one of the editors of the upcoming Rigor Amortis anthology, and a few other writer friends, we jokingly discussed what we could do next. RA is an anthology of zombie erotica, and with its submission period closed, where would we send our weirdest tales? Someone mentioned Cthulhu erotica, and I was immediately struck with a strong sense that I knew exactly what I would want from that anthology. I jumped on it.
IFP: What is the pay rate for the antho? If only contributor copies, how many, etc.?
CC: I’m currently shopping for a publisher, which may change the pay rate upwards, but I don’t know that for sure. I firmly believe that writers should get paid actual money, so in addition to a contributor copy, I will be paying one cent per word upon publication. It’s the amount that I know I can afford to spend if I end up paying them, myself. I wanted to make sure that, guaranteed, I could offer writers something in exchange for what I know is work. Writing is a real job and as a writer, I respect that.
IFP: Any other stuff you’d like our readers to know?
CC: This anthology exists because people love the universe that H.P. Lovecraft wrote about and want to see more of it. Though he rarely discussed them, many of Lovecraft’s characters had wives or girlfriends and I want to know what their interactions were. Sex, love, romance – even Lovecraft’s monsters had to have a bit of it in their lives, too. I see Cthulhurotica as adding a depth of understanding to his classic works and I look forward to reading these stories.
Take note: they also want illustrations. Submit from from August 1 to September 15, 2010. Have fun and watch those naughty tentacles.