Mr. Raven Q & A III
Q: Why did you choose the combination of erotica and science fiction?
A: Think of chocolate as an analogy for sex. Most people I know don’t pass up a quality piece of chocolate. The better quality it is, the more it is appreciated and savored. Same for sex. I’m talking about something so delicious that one might be tempted to gorge oneself until it was unhealthy. Clearly, we can’t live on chocolate, or sex, alone. As good as it is, we need so much more to survive.
Q: I think I see where you are going. So you chose the setting of science fiction to balance out the meal?
A: Exactly. Sexual indulgence alone is like comparing a dollar store chocolate rabbit, hollow and fake, to the finest samples from a boutique chocolatier. I had no interest in the empty calories of graphic porn. There is a human story behind what turns a sexual exercise into an unforgettable erotic event. Since Virtual Mirrors takes place in a future setting, science fiction elements naturally fit in the recipe and multi-course meal that is this novel. I just happened to enjoy chocolate and science fiction in the books that I have enjoyed reading in the course of my life.
Q: From reading the books I can see you have an incredible grasp of both hot, umm, chocolate, and futuristic hardware. I both loved, and in ways now dread, the prospect of artificial intelligence. Do you have any particular training in this field?
A: Not any formal training, but I have done significant research. I am from a generation that witnessed the development of AI in video games, from Pong table tennis up to where we are now with virtual “sandbox” worlds filled with computer controlled players. The same type of logic that controls 2D characters contained on a screen are already being used in the brains of robots that interact in our 3D world. Even so, the benign self-driving car is nothing compared to the billions of dollars the world militaries are spending on the next generation of AI powered weapon systems. Keeping a bottle on this Terminator-like future is going to be a challenge.
Q: And you should know. You have a military background don’t you?
A: Indeed. I have served in the Marines and currently still am serving in the Air Force. That’s the main reason I’m trying to maintain a certain degree of anonymity at this point.
Q: I can see how the career of a military officer and erotic writer might clash. However, beyond the sex, I think your experience shows in the detail of certain action sequences.
A: Thank you. I think a high level of detail and realism is important in order for the reader, especially the more sophisticated readers, to be able to immerse themselves in Gemma’s world. For that same reason, we’ve come full circle, back to your original topic of eroticism. Just as in the action sequences, the steamier scenes are intentionally graphic and detailed for the same purpose—total immersion.
Q: Immersion into realism. Yes, the sexual content is explicit, but not overdone. Like you said, it’s a chocolate treat for dessert, right?
A: Correct, but it’s more than simply the physical descriptions of naked humans together. Those are the essential elements of the recipe, but not the whole dish. The presentation and atmosphere are important too, but most importantly there is the mental component. What is going through the mind of Gemma as she grows sexually?
Q: I think the reader will find the answer to that!
A: That is the goal. None of that could have happened without the expert consultation and insight of my own virtual mirror, Adora. Nothing relating to the female mind made it onto the paper without her seal of approval. I did say I cared about realism, didn’t I?
As an author of erotic science fiction, Crystal Raven is an archetypical seeker of sovereignty in all forms and facets whose desire is to ignite and spread the flames of passion and freedom amongst humanity. Walking the self-determined path of the hero's journey, Crystal is committed to personal and planetary evolution.