Okay...I don't usually post in this forum, but...

[Mythsaje]

I need some help. I've just started work on my next novel and it's going to be something of a departure for me. It's the story of how two of my most formidable female characters met and fell in love. It's probably going to be out of left field for many, considering that romance and its sub-genres are primarily dominated by women, as readers AND authors, and while m/m erotica in particular is growing increasingly popular, this is most definitely NOT what this is going to be. It's f/f and NOT erotica in any sense. I don't DO sex scenes.

I'd like to establish a contact who'd be willing to consult for me as I write it, to help me avoid any stereotyping and other literary pratfalls as I build the foundation of the relationship. It won't be a new one to readers, since I'm going back in time a little to write this story, but it'll be far more emotionally intimate since it'll be written from the 1st person points of view of both characters.

A little background:

Jasmine Tashae is one of the most powerful mages around. She's immortal, but recently so, and her personal history of abuse has left her emotionally scarred and wary of ANY intimacy. She has developed an innate fear of being vulnerable and keeps everyone at arm's length but her servant and creation, the asexual imp Quickfingers. She has friends, but there are places all of her friends know not to tread.

Nikki Sanchez, who will become Nyx Deathweb, is a young woman who shares some of the same past as Jaz. She too ended up on the street at an early age, but she did not suffer the kinds of abuse Jaz did. While Jaz is emotionally distant and shielded, and certainly not sexually or even emotionally attracted to anyone (with one exception that's no longer an issue, as detailed in the novel "Lady of Blades," Nikki/Nyx has been aware of her preferences for a few years and also has to deal with the fact that they created a rift with her late father that never completely healed before he was murdered by a powerful corporate cabal that wanted to use his genius for their own ends.

The relationship will develop slowly, with Jaz at first not recognizing in Nyx someone she can allow inside her protections. The fact that Nyx is considerably younger (something like two and a half centuries, because Nyx is just approaching her majority when the book starts). For the most part Nyx is comfortable with who she is, but she'll still feel some guilt because of the rift between her and the father she idolized that will never been repaired.

I have no intention of writing something trashy, or in any way disrespectful. I mean this to be a book about emotional healing, and the redemption of the heart and spirit. I mean it to reflect real love, not some pale and insincere fictionalied version. I'm at least wise enough to know I'll need help.

So basically I'm looking for someone who'd be willing to help me write the book I wish this to be and not some bumbling attempt to tell a story of something so obviously outside my experience. If you're interested, please feel free to PM me or contact me via my website at http://www.sajewilliams.com