Neil Plakcy speaks about his Mahu series

I love to write about sex. One of my first published stories was a piece of erotica published in Mandate magazine called “The Cop Who Caught Me,” a little fantasy I cooked up on the long drive between Albany, New York, where I was living then, and New York City, where the boys were. And here I am, all these years later, still writing about cops and sex.

When I began writing the Mahu series, about a gay cop who’s dragged out of the closet while investigating a dangerous case, I wanted my hero, Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka, to get laid. After all, the best part of coming out is the opportunity to go out and start having real fun with other guys.

For him, it’s like standing outside the candy store window, looking inside—and then the door opens, and there are free samples everywhere.

But I have to keep reminding myself that I’m writing a mystery series, and that means that the sex has to take a back seat to the plot.

So what’s a boy to do? I wanted Kimo to have lots of interesting, hot, fun sex, but I couldn’t put too much of that in the mysteries. So I went back to my roots in erotica and started to write sexy short fiction about him and his exploits.

I often try to incorporate his police background in those stories. In “Island Ball,” which is included in Alyson’s Fastballs collection, Kimo is assigned to special duty as bodyguard to a baseball player with a multi-million dollar contract, who’s just proudly stepped out of the closet. He and the player get it on in the player’s hotel room, the locker room… you get the idea.

Every gay man’s coming-out story has an arc to it. You begin by admitting to yourself, first. Then maybe a trusted friend or two, perhaps a family member. Ideally, you tell each of these people yourself, controlling the situation as much as possible.

In Mahu, which Alyson will be reissuing next spring, Kimo loses control of things fast, and gets outed on TV and in the papers. Because he’s trying to regain control of his life, and his sexuality, it’s important for there to be some sex in the book. A friend of mine once said that each of my books has a scene in it that makes straight men go “Eeeee!”

Eventually coming out gets a little easier, and you get more open, starting to develop a group of gay friends. In Mahu Surfer, the second book in the series, Kimo makes friends, and fools around with different kinds of sex, including a very hot threesome. It’s probably sexier than most mystery readers want to see, but it was important to his character development to show that he was willing to overcome his fears—and also give in to temptation.

At least in my case, after playing the field for a while, I wanted to find a boyfriend, and after two books, readers seemed to want the same thing for Kimo. So in my newest book, Mahu Fire, I hooked him up with a hunky fire inspector as they both look into the causes of an explosion at a charity event in support of gay marriage.

And then I was faced with a challenge. All the erotica I’d written so far began with that electric moment when you meet a guy you’re attracted to, and you discover the feeling is mutual. The story builds from there. Part of the sexual tension comes from the thrill of the new—what does he like? What can he do for me?

But I believe in monogamy, both for myself and for Kimo. If he’s going to start dating Mike, the fire inspector, seriously, then I had to find a way to write erotic fiction that involved the two of them. When you’ve been with a guy for a while, though, and you know what he likes and doesn’t like, what he does to you, what he feels like and tastes like and smells like, how do you recreate that magic you first felt?

I gave it a try with a story called “Lomi-Lomi Massage,” which I wrote for Alyson’s new anthology, Island Boys. Taking Kimo and Mike to a new setting, a bed and breakfast on Maui, and having them learn how to give each other a sensual massage, one that relies on a deep knowledge of your partner, gave the story that sexual wow factor that I look for.

I’m still writing erotic stories about guys other than Kimo, because I still get a charge out of that moment of impact when two sexy guys collide. But I hope I’ll be able to keep writing about Kimo and Mike, too, both in mystery novels and in erotic stories. There are still a lot of challenges ahead for both of them—in and out of bed!

Comments

[Laura Baumbach]

I love a good mystery that allows the author the opportunity to reveal the characters inner most layers by showing readers the intimate side of their personality and life. I think it adds to a story, brings out a richness. Thank you Neil, for making your hero a fully dimensional and realistic man. Love the books, by the way.

Laura

[Neil Plakcy]

Thanks for the kind words, Laura! I think by setting Kimo on a coming-out journey, I was able to get into his head, and to see him change and grow as he gets more comfortable with his sexuality.

[robin]

Just saw this post mentioned in my myspace panel.

Its all about balance I guess. One thing that I like is that there's authors who are adding gay erotica to their stories -- heck actually just the fact that authors seem to be actively writing about gay characters more tickles me pink. Or maybe I'm just paying attention more now... ;)

[neilplakcy]

I think you're absolutely right, Robin-- I see a lot more gay and lesbian characters in books of all types these days. Often they're supporting characters rather than main characters, but at least their visibility is growing.

[Josh Lanyon]

Great essay, Neil. As you know -- as everyone probably knows by now since I've blogged and written enough on the topic -- it was a difficult choice for me to decide to mix erotica with mystery. I didn't want to do it to merely titillate, and -- frankly -- I feared I would lose my credibility as a mystery author.

But as I picked up more and more straight female readers I heard again and again how frustrating it was for them when I "closed the bedroom door." At first I thought they were just talking about sex. Then I listened to what they were really saying about the insight such scenes of intimacy offered into the characters, their relationships -- and often the themes of the stories at hand.

With the end result that I gave my characters their sex lives back. I don't know whether I've lost credibility as a mystery writer. I still put as much care and thought into writing my mysteries as I ever did, nor do I ever write a sex scene that doesn't have purpose and genuine emotional content.

What I can tell you is I tripled my readership base. Sales -- and reviews -- have never been better.

[neilplakcy]

Very interesting comments, Josh. Certainly straight authors have mixed sex with mystery for years-- where would James Bond be without all the Bond Girls? I think our readers are willing to accept sexuality because it makes our characters complete human beings.

[howard]

Neil, I wouldn't worry much about erotica incorporated in your stories. A story without sexuality in it is like vegetable soup without the spice. The road to love is paved with lust and trust and therein I think lies part of any story. It is my opinion that when we can use love to replace the brutality of the evening news, the better off we are. I was just introduced to your work through MAHU, murder and coming out, and loved it and will read them all. Howard.

[neilplakcy]

What a terrific idea, Howard-- replacing brutality with love! Glad you liked the book.