New Author Bio for 2011

Aurora Black is a “dark, passionate and evil” storyteller who made her erotic literary debut with Phaze in 2006. She is a former Literotica author, where she learned the basics of the writing trade and gained the necessary tools to make the transition to professional writing. Having written several well-received poems and novellas for Phaze and other venues since then, Aurora is currently expanding her craft to include photography, video blogging, voice-over work and full novels.

A student of criminal forensics, Aurora is used to the edgier side of human nature and uses her vivid imagination combined with facets of her life experiences as material for her works. Her six year tenure in exotic Greece and other locations made an everlasting impact on the Detroit-area native, and she writes to express the deepest, darkest (and sometimes sweetest) parts of her soul along with her great love of the written word.

I'm on Twitter!

I've been so busy with (sadly) non-writing activities that I haven't been able to see straight, never mind officially blog here over the last several months. Strangely enough, I do have time to Tweet. So as of a week ago, I'm on Twitter! YAY!

http://twitter.com/BlackStarAura

Feel free to look me up. I'm still settling in there and trying to find my rhythm, but the stuff I talk about is pretty random and quirky.

"Butterfly Tattoo," by Deidre Knight

Deidre Knight's novel, "Butterfly Tattoo," is now available in print! A true inspiration, DK's story about writing it. This was actually her very first written novel, and when she first tried to get it published in 2004, it was rejected more than 30 times by editors for being "too edgy." 

Ouch! That's my worst nightmare, especially regarding edgy, dark material. That's what I'm all about.

So last year she released Butterfly Tattoo as an e-book, and it was such a rousing success that people finally started to wake up about the project. Now, it is ready for our (print) reading enjoyment! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just when the darkness seems permanent, fate flips a switch.

Michael Warner has been drifting in a numb haze since his lover was killed by a drunk driver. As the anniversary of the wreck approaches, Michael’s grief grows more suffocating. Yet he must find a way through the maze of pain and secrets to live for their troubled young daughter who struggles with guilt that she survived the crash.

Out of the darkness comes a voice, a lifeline he never expected to find—Rebecca O’Neill, a development executive in the studio where Michael works as an electrician.

Rebecca, a former sitcom celebrity left scarred from a crazed fan’s attack, has retreated from the limelight and from life in general, certain no man can ever get past her disfigurement. The instant sparks between her and Michael, who arrives to help her during a power outage, come as a complete surprise—and so does her uncanny bond with his daughter.

For the first time, all three feel compelled to examine their inner and outer scars in the light of love. But trust is hard to come by, especially when you’re not sure what to believe when you look in the mirror. The scars? Or the truth?

Now available in print at Borders, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million.

Oh my Good Lord...

When I first started this blog, I promised myself that I would keep it strictly professional with the bare minimum details of my private life... but I'm too happy not to share this.

My news, copied and pasted from my Facebook profile:

Exciting news! I just had a long talk with my school counselor this afternoon, and not only am I graduating 3 months early (for my Associate's), but I've gotten a SCHOLARSHIP for when I continue with the Bachelor's program!!!! It's only a 20% tuition reduction, but in this shitty economy, I'll take anything and everything I can get! YAYYYYY.....


This means a lot to me, and I'm on Cloud Nine because I have worked so very hard and basically gave up what I love most (writing) for 2 whole years just to get this far. I'm very proud of what I've accomplished, and I look forward to continuing my education and beginning my daytime career. Who else wants a drink? :O)

I'm on Facebook!

3 weeks ago, I finally bit the bullet and joined Facebook after a long debate over its benefits vs. drawbacks. I guess I was still reeling from MySpace's shenanigans (hackers, wasted time, etc.). But Facebook is a whole different animal, I'm very happy to say. So here's my profile on Facebook:

Facebook, baby! I'm on Facebook! Click click click!

See ya there. *wink*

How Social Media Can Hurt Your Career

Three blog posts in one day? I'm on a roll!

So I was checking my e-mails when I found a link to a CNN/CareerBuilder article, and it talks about Facebook/Twitter/Whatever users who basically go buck wild and get caught by their employers. A lot of the dialogue examples involve the user badmouthing their job, and then poof! Busted, job's gone. OUCH!

Anyway, here's the article. Be careful out there.

How Social Media Can Hurt Your Career

Whipped Cream's Review of "Coming Together: At Last (Vol. 1)"

I meant to post this some time ago, but time got away from me. You all know how that works. Anyway, here is Whipped Cream's review of Coming Together: At Last (Vol. 1), in which I had the great fortune to be included, and the comments about my contribution as well as the entire volume were VERY flattering! *beams*

About my poem, The Colors of Us:

The Colors of Us by Aurora Black starts this amazing anthology off with a seductive and sexy poem. With very few words and vivid imagery, she brings more heat in three stanzas than some authors can in an entire novel.

Oh my God! After I read that, I was grinning like a fool for the rest of the day.

Click here for the Full Review

My Amazon Review of "The Pat Wong Diaries"

Last night, I wrote a review for my friend Pat Wong's novel, The Pat Wong Diaries. Here's what I had to say about it:

Love, Sex & Experimentation

First, a warning: If you're known to like flowery romances with love scenes that fade to black after the first kiss, this isn't the book for you. This novel is about RAW SEX in its purest, animal form. The language used in this novel doesn't wax poetic about "delicate nubbins of flesh" or "steely manhoods," but utilizes four-letter words that say exactly what they mean. It's hot, sweaty and oh so dirty, just like real life. So if the idea of couples exploring their sexuality with other people in explicit detail doesn't appeal to you, this won't be your cup of tea. Now, onto the story.

The book is about a middle-aged Chinese couple (Pat and Harry) who are pleasantly surprised when they discover that their sexy neighbor Paul has a thing for Pat. At first she is dumbfounded at the idea of this thirty-something, virile (not to mention married) man wanting her, but her husband's great excitement over this development helps her get over it quickly. Together, they decide on a plan to learn more about who they're dealing with, and as they get closer to Paul and his wife Carol they realize just how kinky suburban America can be!

Through the use of flashback/background chapters, the reader learns about Pat as a young woman. We meet her college friends and learn how they were all initiated into sex, and how that knowledge and power carries over to the present day. Pat's circle of friends, the Daughters of Mao, are eventually brought into "the Paul plan" in a most delightful way.

In addition to its high eroticism, the novel touches on race relations, gender issues, and challenges the traditional views of love and marriage. It gives the reader a glimpse of what it means to be a Chinese-American woman, and it's empowering and encouraging to all women who want to revel in their sexuality.

The Pat Wong Diaries on Amazon

My Vista is HAUNTED!

So I recently installed the Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista, and as soon as I did, all Hell broke loose.

First, I began to notice a certain... jumpy quality whenever I opened certain windows and attempted to either scroll down or rename files. Ditto for surfing the Internet and trying to use AutoComplete to fill out information in browsers. This same nervous tic also presented itself whenever I had to reboot my laptop. Each time the computer prepared to shut down, the mouse pointer would jerk around as excitedly as a young buck watching his first porno!

If I wasn't so disturbed by these weird changes to my beloved OS (I seem to be the only person who actually LIKES Vista these days), I would have been more amused.

And the worst, the absolute worst thing that happened after upgrading to the SP2 was... *gasp* the complete loss of my PC's SOUND. Anyone who has spent any time with me knows that I'm a total music 'ho, so this was a crushing blow to my spirit. Fixing the situation wasn't easy, but somehow I managed to get in touch with my inner tech geek, stroke his *cough cough* ego a bit so he'd feel special, and then we found a kick-ass solution.

It took two long weeks for me to resolve the problem (sound driver update), but that's only because I was up to my eyeballs in legal textbooks, reading about Supreme Court decisions of the ages.

I miss writing romances. Yes, I have been working on a project off and on (mostly off due to real life) for the past 18 months, but it's not meant for commercial use. I'm writing it more for creative/soul satisfaction than for selling, and when I'm done I'll post it on Literotica just for the hell of it. It's a Fan Fiction piece, over 100 pages so far, titled "Lost Souls."

Anyway, the moral of the Vista upgrade story is this: Microsoft, test your SHIT before releasing it to the public! It has more bugs than the last scene of Creepshow!

Indiana Jones 4 (SPOILER!)

*heavy sigh*

I had such high hopes for this movie. Yes, it's been 20 years and all that, but DAMN! The movie went downhill after the first 20 minutes or so, reaching cartoonish levels of unbelievability during the CGI intense action sequences.

The interaction between the characters wasn't much better. I could have heard a pin drop in the theater during several of the so-called "funny" moments, and it wasn't long before I found more entertainment cracking jokes "Mystery Science Theater" style with my friend than I did watching the actual film.

My friend treated me to this movie, but I still walked out feeling cheated as hell. The Fridge was the real star of the show.

Speaking of cartoons, this is what the new Indiana Jones movie reminds me of...



No, I'm not joking. I honest to God wish I was. There is a real DuckTales episode with the exact same plot as the movie, right down to the...


*SPOILER ALERT*


pointy headed alien skeletons in the South American jungle.


*END OF SPOILER*


Wow. I hope Disney won't sue. *whistles "DuckTales" theme*

"Life is like a hurricane here in Duckburg..."