"Don't Ask, Don't Tell", by MLR Press (July/August 2010)
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is a co-written story and was sold in early 2009 to MLR Press for release in the anthology "Illustrated Men". The ebook was released in late July 2010, the print book is now available.
A thousand words, a single picture...
Since artists are often called upon to turn prose into a visual for such things as book covers, I wondered, would writers be able to pick up the creative torch and run in the opposite direction? I had little doubts they could and it got me excited wondering what they would come up with for my own pastel paintings.
So with that it mind I though it would be fun to launch a contest and invite friends, fans of my art, amateur scribes, professionals writers, really anyone who wanted, to pick a painting from my body of work and build a short story around it.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. I wanted to find out if that was true.
A thousand words, a single picture...
Since artists are often called upon to turn prose into a visual for such things as book covers, I wondered, would writers be able to pick up the creative torch and run in the opposite direction? I had little doubts they could and it got me excited wondering what they would come up with for my own pastel paintings.
So with that it mind I though it would be fun to launch a contest and invite friends, fans of my art, amateur scribes, professionals writers, really anyone who wanted, to pick a painting from my body of work and build a short story around it.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. I wanted to find out if that was true.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell
The liaison guy was standing there, droning on about the most recent changes in policy and about the British viewpoint look on what they were doing here. That was what the liaison thing was all about. The Brits were in different areas, the camps too far apart to work together, so there was some exchange going on. Gathering info about the American way of operating, giving talks about their own, while working alongside for a while.
Scott wasn’t taking notes – this wasn’t fucking high school anymore. All he wanted to do was get something cold to drink and get away from a room full of people. People, all the time, too fucking close in the Hummer, too fucking close on patrol through the city, too close in accommodation, when showering, shaving, even pissing, and he’d give his right arm to be left alone, but no. Obviously they were in need of a lecture instead, or that was what the higher-ups thought. He wouldn’t re-up anyway – at least if they let him get out of the Army. He’d signed up for two years, then got stop-lossed and forced to serve another two. Finally getting the Corporal rank didn’t make that any better. He just didn’t need this shit anymore.
He leaned back, legs stretched out, didn’t care whether the British sergeant noticed he was bored and half asleep, or at least that was what his posture suggested. He had to fake that, too, because he wasn’t actually tired. Just angry, yeah, and horny, but that was hardly new. He felt like a trapped rat inside, ready to bite, or get himself into trouble. But he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t start a brawl; he’d just sulk off and try to find some privacy in this place. Somehow. He stared at the guy, head lowered a bit, which made him look right at the Brit sarge’s groin and ass whenever he turned and moved.
(...)
Reviews
"If your book budget is not stretched to the limit, the pictures alone are very much worth the price in my opinion. They are beautiful, and very hot. Stories however are very different bag. I bought the book because I wanted to splurge on the erotic art and I am a fan of Alexander Voinov and his (...) story certainly delivered what I was looking for." - Sirius at Amazon.com
"My only wish would be that all of the stories give his paintings the forum they deserve. In my experience, they don’t. I had a difficult start getting into the anthology. Though the first few stories aren’t very long, they failed to excite me. They either lacked distinct characterizations, or had editorial issues, or fell on the crutch of telling not showing. I read through the first four works and wondered if I had to satisfy myself with the art rather than the prose. It would have been a shame. This is an anthology of short stories, after all.
But then I reached the work inspired by Breyette’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” (...) It’s the story of the British Rich and the American Scott, two soldiers who discover a common need amongst their straight comrades. The UST in this is sizzling, largely because of the sharp, insightful characterizations that come almost at the very top of the tale. I was as worked up as Scott was by the time the tension exploded, ready to break because of the razor’s edge the authors created. I can’t claim to be any kind of expert on military life, but every aspect of this felt authentic, placing me in the milieu from the very first paragraph. I even bought into the potential of what could come with these two. I honestly can’t choose between this and one other as my favorite of the anthology. I’ve decided I don’t have to." - Book Utopia Mom at Three Dollar Bill Reviews
"My only wish would be that all of the stories give his paintings the forum they deserve. In my experience, they don’t. I had a difficult start getting into the anthology. Though the first few stories aren’t very long, they failed to excite me. They either lacked distinct characterizations, or had editorial issues, or fell on the crutch of telling not showing. I read through the first four works and wondered if I had to satisfy myself with the art rather than the prose. It would have been a shame. This is an anthology of short stories, after all.
But then I reached the work inspired by Breyette’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” (...) It’s the story of the British Rich and the American Scott, two soldiers who discover a common need amongst their straight comrades. The UST in this is sizzling, largely because of the sharp, insightful characterizations that come almost at the very top of the tale. I was as worked up as Scott was by the time the tension exploded, ready to break because of the razor’s edge the authors created. I can’t claim to be any kind of expert on military life, but every aspect of this felt authentic, placing me in the milieu from the very first paragraph. I even bought into the potential of what could come with these two. I honestly can’t choose between this and one other as my favorite of the anthology. I’ve decided I don’t have to." - Book Utopia Mom at Three Dollar Bill Reviews
