Cornelia Quick

I’m in the middle of preparing “The Contours of Desire” for release at the end of the month, rounding out my “Mapping the Boundaries of Love” series: “A Dip in the Lake,” “Off the Leash,” “Madeline’s Awakening,” and “Casey’s Story.” As I’ve noted in a previous essay, these characters — especially Casey, but in the current project, also Jessie — are a little resistant at times to my plot demands, wanting to have more say in their fates than seems reasonable for a fictional character. That makes these stories a little more exhausting to write than usual.

For my next project, I’d like to do something a little lighter, with characters whom I already know to be of the “good, giving, and game” variety. I’ve got a survey you can fill out (with an optional signup for my weekly sales newsletter), or you can leave a comment here — I love getting reader feedback! The end of the survey includes a link to a free ebook download as a thank you for your attention.

Here are my ideas so far (subject to my wild whims, of course):

• Bobby and Roger from the Fox Run Swingers’ Club go on an adventure of their own, a bit like Mia and Vanna’s from “The Betwixtmas Switch”, but possibly with an appearance by a Swedish women’s golf team (tossing something fun and silly out for the guys …)
• Patrick’s wife, Patrick, and Zacharias from “A Siren’s Tales” go on a tour of the Greek Islands; there will be a mystery at the heart of this one, plus some interference from the gods. Also, Patrick’s wife is going to need a name — I’m open to suggestions!
• A cam girl and her journalist gal pal go on a van trip across country, destination Joshua Tree — road trip hijinks in the desert abound! These are new characters to me, though I plan to have Victor, the tattooed bad boy stand-in for Owen Grey from “Pounded at Pirate Land”, make an appearance.
• A couple of stories to bookend “Beach Volleyball Bump”, one exploring the relationships among Dani’s teammates, and one featuring a re-match with the lads who were clearly bested by Dani in her solo outing.
• Tiffany from “How I Won Spring Break” hits the slopes with her friends for some ski resort shenanigans — I’m picturing a ski instructor getting schooled in the arts of love in a sexy après–ski …
• Journalists from competing publications — one male, one female — visit exotic locations to report on sensuous vacation destinations, and repeatedly find themselves in compromising situations together. New characters, new situation (though probably some familiar venues).

There’s a good chance that I’ll slot all of these into my schedule at some point, but it’s helpful to have the next idea churning in the background while I’m editing the current project.

Also, to give everyone a little heads up on other future projects, I’m planning to do a followup to “Matin, Midi, Minuit,” my Mardi Gras erotic fantasy, for February: the same mysterious shop will be featured, but this time with two protagonists and a pair of magic items that are the ticket to a wild time in the Big Easy.