Does sex have the power to raise the dead? That’s the question asked in this joyous rollicking romp through the life of one Tim Jacoby, cursed from birth with the label, “cute.” The answer is … well, maybe, however, one clever and compassionate caregiver soon realizes that she definitely can raise one particular body part, even in a comatose patient. Alternately hilarious and poignant, the story follows Tim’s sexual maturation from preschool through adulthood, as he falls from a silver-spoon childhood to the dregs of alcoholism and hustling. Left in a vegetative state from an attack outside a pool bar, Tim begins a slow, arduous recovery, aided by his nurse’s ingenious method of using sexual “carrots” and “sticks” to urge him on.

“Cute is a compellingly realistic story that kept me up all night turning pages. Chapters, like “Groin Up,” had me nearly rolling on the floor with laughter, while others elicited tears with their sad tales of juvenile sexual abuse. This book delivers a profound emotional whack in the heart; an impact unlike any novel I have ever read. An incredible reading experience!”
- Hack Taylor: Book Review Editor, bleepthem.com

If you would like to read more about CUTE by R. LeBeaux, you can visit the website at:

http://www.cutethenovel.com/

CUTE is available in trade paperback and Kindle versions from Amazon at:

amazon.com/Cute-Sexual-Perils-Growing-U ... amp;sr=1-2

And in all other electronic reader formats at:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/64353

Thanks for sharing your book.

Sounds like fun. If I can get it in an electronic form I can read on my computer, I'll let you know what I think.

Found it in PDF on Smashwords. Loved "Death." It'll take me a while to read, since I have to be in front of the computer, but I'll let you know how it goes.

Great! Thanks for looking it up. I hope you like it.

About halfway through and having a blast. "Groin Up" was hilarious, and Betty's story was really sad (I hope there's more to it). I'll keep you updated.

I finished it, and Wow! I’m going to buy the paper version and add it to my permanent collection, because I really don’t like reading full-length books on the computer, and I don’t yet have a Kindle. Anyway, I really enjoyed it, sad and poignant parts included. It was a kind of weird experience, going from laugh out loud to choked up sad, but the overall read was great, and the story is one of the most unique and original I’ve ever read. I’m buying "Barbara" next, despite the graphic sex warnings (I read your forward on the Amazon “Look Inside” feature). Anyway, I’m really glad I signed up for Booktalk, if for no other reason than it led me to CUTE!

Thanks for keeping in touch, and for taking a shot on CUTE. I’m glad you weren’t disappointed and that it provided a few hours of pleasure for you. I might reiterate that Barbara is quite sexually graphic, so you should be prepared for that. It is far different from CUTE: not humorous or lighthearted, and about a much more serious subject, one that is seldom broached in today’s fiction. In any case, if you can get through it without throwing it against the wall, please let me know what you think.

I just wanted to let you know that I finished "Barbara," and I never once thought about throwing it against the wall. In fact, the only novel I ever read that evoked that type of reaction was "Sophie’s Choice," when she was forced to make the choice referred to in the title.

Anyway, "Barbara" was one heck of an experience. I now understand the warning about graphic sex, however, even though the intimate scenes were visually detailed, I found them to be loving and innocent, rather than anything that could be described as sleazy or crude. I remember reading a quote somewhere from a reviewer, who said something like it could be seen as a textbook for teenagers going through their first sexual experience, and I have to agree with that assessment. In fact, I almost wish that my first partner could have read the book, because it might have saved us from a lot of trauma and an eventual breakup. I was reminded a little of another novel I read some time ago (and I hope this doesn’t offend you) called "The Thornbirds." It was an entirely different story, but the comparison comes in the sort of lifelong forbidden love affair between the two main characters.

I don’t know if you still monitor this thread, but if so I’d like to know if you have any other novels, or anything coming up. Also, "Barbara" seemed so realistic and personal, I was wondering if any of it was autobiographical. I completely understand if you don’t want to discuss such things in an open forum, but I thought I would ask just in case.

Whatever you decide, I wanted to say that I loved the novel, and will be recommending it to several of my (more liberal minded) friends. Thanks for the read!

I published a couple of non-fiction books many years ago that are out of print, though one of these was purchased by my current publisher and now appears (in slightly altered form) as a section called “Help For Writers,” on their website. To explain the gap in book writing: I started out in the ‘80s writing short stories (mostly SF) and working on a few book projects, but it wasn’t long before I got hooked up with OMNI Magazine through the fiction editor there and suddenly found myself swamped with work writing articles for various science, medical and health magazines. This left little time for writing books, so with the exception of fulfilling two non-fiction book contracts, I continued as a magazine writer until about five years ago, when I finally decided to back off that career and return to my first love, which is writing fiction. (During the early part of my career, I wrote under my real name, however, for my more recent work, I decided to use the pen name R. LeBeaux.)

As for new novels, I have two in the works, one in first draft form and the other in the early stages of editing. The latter is scheduled for release sometime next year, and the working title is “Gravity,” though my publishers and I are currently in a rather heated debate over that title (I like it; they don’t). If you keep an eye on my Amazon page, you should see a new novel appear there, hopefully before June of 2012.

On your other question, you are right about my being reluctant to discuss the specific origins of Barbara, but it’s not because I want to be secretive. It has to do with possible legal problems that might arise were I to say that some characters or scenes were actually based on specific persons or happenings. Speaking in general terms, however, I can say that there are some characters loosely based on real persons, and some situations based on things that actually happened in my life.

I mention in the forward that my motivation for writing the novel was rooted in my need to do a bit of penance, and this is true. When I was a teenager, I had an experience with a lovely young girl, during which I acted like an unfeeling jerk, and this is something I have regretted all my life. Barbara (not her real name) was written in honor of this wonderful person, hopefully to show other young lovers how honest communication and sincere caring can make such an experience pleasantly memorable, rather than traumatic. Oddly, however, judging from the general feedback, the majority of those who read and recommended Barbara turn out to be more mature adults, apparently because it evokes memories of their early experiences as adolescent lovers.

In any case, I do appreciate your taking time to comment on the novel and I am glad you seem to have enjoyed reading it. And, by the way, I am not in any way offended by being compared to Colleen McCullough, who is a more successful novelist than I might ever hope to be. Though I cannot honestly say that I am a reader of her novels, now that you mention The Thornbirds, I think I will look it up and give it a read.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Thanks for the response. It was interesting to hear the story behind "Barbara" and about your career. I will definitely keep an eye on your Amazon page and look for “Gravity” or whatever it’s going to end up being called. I’d love to hear something about it if you wouldn’t be giving too much away. I’m interested in the writing process itself, so anything along those lines would be appreciated as well. I know you’re probably getting tired of all this back and forth, so I’ll definitely understand if you don’t have time to keep replying. Anyway, thanks again for taking time to respond to my posts here.

Without getting into specific details, I can say that “Gravity,” as it is now titled, is made up of a combination of themes. The novel is framed with a humorous (I hope) narrative by the protagonist about the problems and consequences of growing old, while the interior story centers on flashbacks to his early love affairs and marriage (related during sessions with his shrink), and his subsequent efforts to right some of the wrongs of his youth and young adulthood. In contrast to the humor, there is a stronger element of philosophy than in either Barbara or CUTE, and an examination of the emotional and psychological problems he experiences as a result of his youthful foibles. The complexity of the plot and its intertwined stories has led to a long and careful editing process involving a lot of back-and-forth (read: debate) between me and my editors; but hopefully, the extra time we’re putting in will result in a better novel.

As for the writing process itself, I was going to recommend that you take a look at a thread started by Interbane called “Introspection on editing,” however, I was there a few minutes ago and noticed that you had already posted something. Oddly, for a site like this, such topics do not seem to receive much interest, which is why I’ve been reluctant to start my own threads on things like the writing and/or editing process. If you have some specific questions in this area, I might suggest that you post them as new topics in the Author’s Lounge section, or elsewhere if you think there are more appropriate spots for a particular point of inquiry. I’ll keep an eye out for them, and I’m sure Interbane and others will be happy to lend their help as well.

Once again, thanks for your interest in my work, and I look forward to seeing more posts from you.

PS: Just for kicks, here’s a preliminary version of the cover for “Gravity,” designed before the title controversy came about. I kind of liked this one, but unfortunately, it now seems destined for the dustbin.

Nipple.

Thanks again for the response and info on the story. The cover looks interesting and I'm curious: noting the magician, I was wondering if there was some kind of magic or fantasy involved in the story. As for specific questions on writing/editing, there would be far too many to list, but I've always been interested in how different writers work. I attend authors' lectures and book signings whenever I can, and the questions I ask tend to run along the lines of, "What is your workday like" and "How do you plan and develop a novel." If you get the chance, maybe you could answer those two questions for me?

Gravity, as it is now known, is not a fantasy, however, there is a major segment from the protagonist’s pre-teen years when he was a magician and escape artist, performing professionally at local events and magic conventions. Thus the magician on the cover.

Concerning my typical workday, at this point in my life, I would have to describe it as somewhat disorganized. It is certainly far different from my earlier career as a freelance writer and magazine publisher, which required an extremely structured and efficient schedule in order to meet deadlines and generate article ideas. When I decided to slow down and shift my focus to writing novels and other creative endeavors, this structure was replaced by a sort of mish-mash of activities, dictated by what projects I was working on at any given time. For example, I may sit down at the beginning of the week with plans to dedicate the next several days to working on a novel, when on the second day, one of my clients will call with a request for me to handle a graphic art or Web design job. Or, my musical partner will send me a track of something he has come up with, and I find myself putting the novel aside to write lyrics for it. This may seem a bit odd and confusing, however, after decades of having to adhere to a set schedule, I am really enjoying the freedom to do what I want when I want.

When it comes to planning and developing a novel, this is something I have been doing in increments ever since I was in my early twenties. I have always been a people watcher and a lover of fiction, so I spent a good deal of my spare time jotting down story ideas, doing character studies, and learning the techniques and craft of fiction writing. Along the way, I managed to publish a few short stories, but my career was so demanding that I never had the time to write full-length novels. That is until about five years ago, when I decided to “retire” from the grind of freelancing and try my hand at becoming a novelist.

I began by going back over all my old notes and ideas, sorting and organizing them into compilations, while typing those that were handwritten into the computer. As this process went along, some central themes and characters began to emerge, from which I worked up several preliminary outlines for novels (six in all). I then read over all the outlines, lined them up in what I felt was the most natural order, and started with the first one on the list.

From there, my writing process gets a bit unorthodox, in that I do not set aside a particular time of day or period for writing; I just wait until I feel like working on the story, then, regardless of the hour, I sit down at the computer and write. For first drafts, I usually read the outline first, but after that I don’t refer it any more. Instead I work completely from memory, spilling words out on the page as quickly as possible, for fear of interrupting the natural flow of the story as I have imagined it in my head. I usually write between two and four thousand words during each of these sessions, and I always add some notes at the stopping point to remind myself of any thoughts I might have had concerning the direction the story was heading. Once I have the entire first draft finished, I try to let it lie for a while and work on other projects, in order to come back to it with a fresh perspective. And it is when I return to this rough first draft that the real work begins.

When calculating the time it takes me to complete a novel, my guess would be that the initial writing constitutes perhaps one fifth of that time. The rest is spent in the editing process, during which I first revise and rearrange various passages and chapters, and follow this with a preliminary check of things like composition, grammar, syntax, continuity, etc. I then send this secondary draft to a small group of friends and colleagues for their comments and suggestions (which are usually quite extensive). As these copies come back, I make the changes and incorporate the suggestions I agree with, sometimes entering into detailed debates with my readers in order to clarify and/or convince myself one way or the other that the changes are or are not necessary.

The next phase is dedicated to cleaning up the prose, cutting for length and clarity, and what I like to refer to as the “search and destroy” process. This has to do with searching a list of words and phrases I tend to overuse or use improperly, and also certain punctuation marks that I have found can lead me to errors of omission, capitalization, spacing and other typos. Once this process is complete, I send the corrected manuscript back to my readers for final approval and checking, making any additional changes and corrections they might see the need for.

All this occurs before I submit the manuscript to my publisher. Having worked on both sides of the desk, I like to send in manuscripts that are as clean and free of errors as I can possibly make them. This not only keeps my editors happy, but it cuts down on the possibility of typos getting past the proof readers and making it into the published work. The final phase involves making any changes the editors convince me are necessary, then checking the galley proofs before the book goes to press.

The entire process, including developing the outline and character studies, can take from one to three years, depending upon how well things start out with the story and the amount of editing that must be done. The actual writing of the novel in first draft, usually takes only a few months. In the meantime, I am also serving as a reader and editor for some of my colleagues, which, along with several other creative projects, helps clear my mind from time to time and allows me to come back to the novel with a more objective attitude.

So, that’s about it. Hope I didn’t bore you with the long story, but since you asked, I wanted to provide as much detail as possible. I should say here that my methods have nothing to do with the correct way to go about writing a novel. Many authors do things entirely differently. Isaac Asmiov, for example, claimed toward the end of his career to write and submit first drafts with the demand that they not be touched in any way by any editor. And many other authors leave the reading, editing and proofing process up to the editorial staffs at their publishers.

In the end, writing is a solitary and very personal endeavor, and, though you might want to read several books on the subject and take ideas from other writers, you should never force yourself into a pattern or set of procedures just because someone else has been successful using it. Always adopt only those methods that work best for you, and weave them into your own personal plan of action.

Thanks again for your interest in my work, and I hope this rather long treatise was worth the time it took to read.