Wednesday, February 7, 2018

An Interview with M.C. Questgend (#trans #crossdressing)

Every once in a while I get to chatting with an author and realize that, somehow, despite owning most of their books, I have yet to review them. Such is the case with M.C. Questgend, who graciously agreed to forgive my negligence and stop by for an interview! :)

♥ Thank you so much for taking the time to join us, M.C. - we are so very delighted to have you (and I am sorry it took so long)! For those readers who have yet to encounter your work, can you give us a brief introduction?

Sure, I appreciate the time and the opportunity.  I started publishing a couple of years ago, but I’ve been writing since I was a teenager.  I used my old journals as the inspiration to write and that started with my first book about my life titled “Am I Still the Victim” which didn’t sell and I eventually pulled.  Since then, I have been writing fictional erotic stories that have elements of my younger life as a closet crossdresser.

♥ Well, that leads perfectly into my next question. Knowing that you have your own transgender past that influences your writing, how much of your own experiences make it into the stories?

Quite a bit.  When I started I tried to figure out how much “smut” should be part of the story, so I added a lot in a few short pages.  Then realized that the more plot I had in my stories the more interest the piece received.  So, I drew from my past to give the characters and story more depth and substance.  Most of the stories I have written have at least one of my experiences, including some of the sex scenes.

♥ Speaking of sex scenes, your stories often shift into fantasy type situations involving dominance/submission, sexual servitude, and more. If it's not too personal, where does lifestyle experience end there, and vicarious fantasy begin within your more erotic fiction?

To understand that aspect, I think it is important to understand how I was introduced into the alternative lifestyle.  It started very young and not by choice – at least not mine.  I went from confusion, to fear to acceptance in a very short time.  I learned quickly what it was like to be feminized, sissified and dominated… but at my age back then, today this would be known as sexual abuse.  My outings have been very strategic, but in my books, there is a courage within my characters to step out and see life through a pair or dolled up eyes.

As a result, all of my stories start with life experiences in general.  Conversations with good friends, for example, allow me to establish the plot. The erotic or steamy scenes are a lot of me closing my eyes and re-living the moment.  I will admit while I have been down the feminization and sissification roads, they have always been one on one.  I haven’t been with a group since my early days and those thoughts come out in the books as a very exaggerated state moment in time.

♥ I hesitate to ask, what with the spectre of abuse in the background, but what you think is the appeal of ‘forced feminization’ for readers?

Curiosity is a dangerous thing but can also be very productive and fun.  I think the appeal for most begins with that curiosity.  I also think it is a major diversion for some who spend their entire life trying to maintain control and I think it helps people like this by letting them know what it is truly like to be completed under someone else’s’ control.  I also believe that the curiosity breeds a little bit of fear that must be experienced in an effort to find some balance, so stepping out of the comfort zone – at least in private – is a healthy thing.  The danger is when the social norms are left behind in favor of the social taboos and the individual is not prepared for society’s perception.

♥ In addition to romance and erotica, you have also dipped into science fiction and contemporary thrillers. Do you tend to write in the same genres that you like to read, or are you reading tastes more compartmentalized?

To be honest, I hated reading until I started writing.  I read when I had to.  When I decided to start writing, I found myself digging more and more into different books – fiction, non-fiction and even reference material.  To answer the question though, I do like to write what I read about but more importantly what I am closest to.

VR-nica, for example, actually started out as a full-on science fiction book.  I am deeply entrenched in the world of technology and have a passion for it, but I realized that the first draft of the book read like a reference guide and needed something that would punch the reader in the mouth. So, I took the original concept of artificial intelligence and stripped away a lot of the technical geek speak and added something special that I thought would challenge the reader and at the same time keep them coming back for more.  The romance and transgender elements I think allowed the reader to really think about the characters and establish a unique impression of them.

♥ You recently pushed things a little farther with A Victim's Revenge, to the point where it was initially rejected by Amazon. What motivated you to write that story, and does the Amazon experience make you hesitate to take such literary risks again?

I have to admit, I was very angry that the story was rejected.  There were so many elements of my life in that book.  The book was since allowed by Amazon after a lengthy phone conversation and their request to add a disclaimer that was already there, but it NEVER changed my resolve to push the envelope or take risks as I have done.

Writing about transgender topics is taking a risk to begin with, but I wanted to write something I knew a lot about and that others could relate to.  That is why the stories, while graphic also present some of the fear, uncertainty and doubt that others in the community face every day.

♥ I am so glad you were able to work things out with Amazon (I know their human intervention can be hit-or-miss), and I am looking forward to giving it a read soon. The more we chat, the more curious I am about that story in particular.

If we can switch gears one last time, is there a fetish or a fantasy that you have yet to explore in your erotica? Somewhere, maybe, you yourself fear to go?

This is a tough one since there are so many to choose from.  I have written about feminization, sissification, humiliation, S&M – all of which I have experience in. Of course, there are those that would like me to take it further in to the more criminal aspects of rape and sexual assault.  My recent book touches on it but while it is a key element in the book, it is not a traditional erotic book. From a pure sexual fantasy or fetish perspective, I don’t know if I could write about anything else because I don’t know enough about some of the other sexual elements that would be realistic.  I know for sure, I could never go deep into lesbianism, beastiality or necrophilia.

♥ Fair enough - As the old adage goes, write what you know. Since you mentioned readers and their requests, what are some of the weirdest or most wonderful reactions you’ve had from readers?

I have a couple of loyal readers who are always quick with a response.  I love getting feedback – good bad or indifferent.  Nothing thrills me more than receiving feedback on my author page or website, but I think the most wonderful feedback is the feedback that is direct and never published.  I have received feedback from parents and young people who are struggling with gender identity and others around my own age who have written me and told me how they related to a particular story or book.  I get very emotional when I receive this type of feedback.  Not all of it is positive and yes I do get the weird ones too and while I respond to everyone, some of the “proposals” and special requests get a shorter response.

♥ I'm glad to hear that - a lot of people do not realize how cathartic stories liked yours can be, ad how they can allow us to explore our innermost selves. Before we let you go, what can readers look forward to seeing from you next?

Well, I just finished another book.  A Victim's Response should have been released at the end of November but the delay created an issue with the new book Turning TriX: Diary of a Closet Crossdresser and both were released on top of each other.  Both books have a lot of me in them, but they are both fictional.  I am planning to let the dust settle and see how things go, but I have new short stories that I plan to release in 2018 that I think you will all enjoy.

♥ Well, thank you again for stopping by, and for the tips on what to read first. 

I will have my review of Understanding Steve posted this afternoon but, in the meantime, please do stop by and like, follow, or friend M.C. - and be sure to leave a review if you get the chance to enjoy a story.

@MCQuestGend
http://mcquestgend.com/
Amazon
Goodreads

No comments:

Post a Comment