Madeleine Strays: A Wife-Watching Romance (22 page)

Acknowledgements

The writing of this trilogy was something of a journey for me, in exploring ideas I inadvertently uncovered in the writing of my earlier novel,
Anarchy of the Heart
, and at the end of it all, I’d like to thank a few people who have helped me along the way.

Firstly I’d like to thank my beloved wife who spurred me into writing
Anarchy of the Heart
in the first place by stating her verdict on my earlier stories as “a little tame” when first I revealed the shocking truth that I was an author of erotic fiction. That story was supposed to be a straightforward account of group sex, to hit back at my “tame” label, conceding that most of my previous stories had been one-on-one “vanilla” erotic romance. I decided on a partner-swapping scenario set in the relative safety of a foreign vacation, and, reluctant to toy with the concept of marriage, opted for protagonists who were merely engaged to be married.

In the writing of
Anarchy
, I had assumed the big thrill for a male writer such as myself would have been the opportunity for my hero, Leo, to explore his desires with more than one woman—separately, and together. Perhaps as a younger, single writer, that would have been the case. But as I wrote the story, trying to really imagine what it would actually be like for a committed couple to consider such a challenge to monogamy, it seemed to me that the more significant concerns in the mind of my leading man was how he would cope knowing his beloved fiancée was going to be sleeping with another man, and how she might feel about him sleeping with another woman.

It was this inner conflict that caught my interest as a writer, and to my surprise as I was writing the story, it appeared that for a man like Leo, the jealousy and fear that comes with giving up your true love (albeit temporarily) to allow her an earth-shattering experience in the arms of another man could actually enhance the sensations for him, and even strengthen the desire he felt for his beloved, and the romantic bond they shared together.

In taking forward this concept in a story about such feelings within an established marriage, I have found the writing of authors including Kirsten McCurran, Kenny Wright and Ben Boswell enormously enlightening and enjoyable, along with countless blogs written by real people out there exploring “semi-open” relationships. Mainstream culture doesn’t imbue these kind of journals with much value, but in revealing the thoughts and experiences of people leading lives different than the norm, they do hold a great deal of value.

I’d also give a nod to the impressive and highly readable academic examination of “insatiable wives” within David J Ley’s book,
Insatiable Wives: Women Who Stray and the Men Who Love Them
, which also proved hugely helpful and informative regarding relationships where the husband enjoys the sexual freedom of his wife.

In the actual production of the Madeleine Trilogy, I’d like to give particular thanks to Kenny Wright, who as editor has been invaluable in discussing the story, the subject of insatiable wives in their various guises, and the inner workings of erotic fiction. This would be a far poorer story without his input.

And finally, special thanks above all to you, Dear Reader, for honoring me with your time and attention. In this day and age, the reader has never been more important to an author, not merely in shelling out for a book in the first place, but in recommending it to friends and strangers through online bookstores, social media and even by word-of-mouth.

If you’ve enjoyed this trilogy, if it’s not too much trouble I would urge you to share your honest review with others via the ebook store where you made the purchase, or on Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads or your favorite discussion portal for fiction. You’ll not only help others to find this story for themselves, you’ll be actively helping in the production of more stories from your humble author.

About the Author

Max Sebastian lives in London with his wife and child, and has been writing erotica for more than 10 years, winning awards including Literotica.com’s Best Erotic Couplings Story, Reader’s Choice Sci-Fi & Fantasy Story and Best First-Time Story.

Breaking into the world of indie publishing in late 2011, with his first full length erotic novel Anarchy of the Heart arriving in 2012, and Submitting to Her a year later, his writing explores various erotic fantasies and kinks, from sweet vanilla erotic romance to spicy ménage stories, revealing voyeurism/exhibitionism, scandalous wife-sharing, sensual femdom and light BDSM. His stories particularly focus on sexy, independent and empowered females along with the strong, sensitive men who can help them find their happy ever after.

You can find Max online at
maxsebastian.net
, on Twitter
@MaxSebastian
, on Facebook at
facebook.com/writermax
, and on GoodReads at
goodreads.com/maxsebastian
.

And, readers are always very welcome to contact Max by emailing
[email protected]
.

Also by Max Sebastian

Novels

Anarchy of the Heart

Madeleine Wakes

Madeleine Plays

Madeleine Strays

Submitting to Her

Short stories

Inside Source

Sexual Healing

Two Anonymous Souls

The Wives with Benefits Collection
(Wife-sharing short stories)

Retribution

The Other Guy is Paying

The Female-Led Collection
(Light femdom short stories)

In Her Service

Stockholm

She was a Good Girl

The New Adult Collection
(Coming-of-age short stories)

A Girl in the Library

A Kiss is Just a Kiss

Waiting in Line for a New iPad