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rojack99
Over 90 days ago
Straight Female, 40
United States

About

Thirty-One Days

By: Ronan Jefferson

Reviewed by Lisabet Sarai, WWW.EROTICAREVEALED.COM [edited] June E-Edition

ISBN: B00JGVWYFS
April 2014

Erotica is about the journey. Whereas romance focuses on the end of the road, the elimination of obstacles and the consummation of desire, erotica frequently concerns itself with the twists and turns required to get to that point, and sometimes, with the mishaps that send you hurtling off the highway and over the precipice.

Thirty-One Days details the erotic journey of its narrator, a self-absorbed, egotistical, insecure young man, from het-sex god to gay submissive to (possibly) mass murderer. Related in an informal first person that's not quite stream of consciousness, it's a harrowing trip indeed. To call this book “raw” would be an understatement. Yet I would not say the book is pure exploitation. I don't think Ms. Jefferson wrote this tale purely to shock. There are nuggets of truth buried in even the most outrageous scenes. The main character (dare I call him a hero?) feels real, with his alternating doubt and bravado, his continued attempts to resist the temptations of his dark side and his continued failures. The book definitely made me squirm at times, yet I wanted to keep reading – not because I particularly like the violent and degrading sex, but because I was fascinated by the protagonist's downward spiral.

As the book begins, it's the first of December. Derek Helton and his drinking buddies dream up a crazy challenge. Each of them will have sex with thirty-one different women, one per day until the New Year. The three other guys who take the pledge last no more than a day or two. Derek, on the other hand, is a chick magnet. All he has to do is smile, and the women are in his bed.

The book gleefully recounts the details of each encounter.

Initially, Derek targets women his own age – ex-girlfriends, the bartender at a local watering hole, visiting coeds he meets at holiday parties. As Christmas approaches, his conquests become more ambitious and risky. He beds a sexually curious sixteen year old one night, then her insatiable forty-something mother the next. He stalks the classy, curvy, middle-aged librarian, who just happens to be his next door neighbor, taking her among the stacks. At a company party, he tempts the pregnant wife of a colleague into the restaurant kitchen.

Ms. Jefferson has a finely tuned sense of timing. The structure of Thirty-One Days is deliberate and artful. The fateful thirty-one days of debauchery unfold in flashbacks, interspersed with scenes from the present, where Derek haunts the narrow, dark corridors of gay sex clubs, trying to convince himself he's not a homosexual. Despite his determination to do nothing more than prove his dominant masculinity, he is repeatedly drawn into situations where he allows himself to be bound, beaten and sodomized by other men, particularly a skinny, effeminate but intelligent character named Stevie who is both his nemesis and his mentor. The book alternates between Derek's confused, increasingly violent homoerotic adventures and his heterosexual pre-New-Year's sex, which each day grows more extreme but less enjoyable.

The narrator hints at a crisis, but only in the last quarter of the book do we discover what event has sent him spinning into the world of leather, poppers and glory holes. Of course, we suspect (as does he) that a sexual attraction to men and a craving for abuse (as both receiver and giver) were latent in his nature all along, but something had to snap before he could consciously consider such a thing.

So, is this so-called erotica arousing?

Thirty-One Days is powerful, visceral, uncomfortable, disturbing and disgusting at times. Many readers will find the blatant misogyny of its narrator acutely offensive. Although his thirty-one women ostensibly consent, many of his conquests deserve to be called . He doesn't kill any of his women – quite – but he comes close in several cases. He's concerned at first with both about their pleasure and their safety, but as the month goes on, his cruelty and callousness reach almost unbelievable levels. Some readers may feel he deserves the rough handling he gets at the hands of the “queers” to whom he finds himself attracted.

With all these caveats, I have to admit that some parts of the book pushed my buttons. The encounter with Cindy the librarian, was one of the hottest scenes I've read in a while. Then there's the protagonist's barely remembered meeting with “God”, the mysterious Uber-Master of the most vicious club he attends. God, it turns out, is trans, and exquisitely powerful and alluring. The dream-like interlude perhaps sums up the narrator's sexual confusion. The Master's dualism is a mirror of his own nature.

Ultimately, I'm not sure it was the author's intent to arouse, or at least, not exclusively. Some readers will call this book pornography of the worst sort, the kind that glorifies the abuse of women and equates sex with violence. Perhaps they're correct. On the other hand, Thirty-One Days is also a well-crafted, thought-provoking novel that asks difficult questions about the nature of desire. If it's porn, it's some of the best-written porn I've ever read, though not necessarily the sexiest.

Interests
Interview with Ronan Jackson Jefferson


What's the story behind your latest book?

[p.s. visit me on Facebook @ RONAN JACKSON JEFFERSON, or email me: ]

Okay, here we go.

I crossed paths with Derek Helton 3 years ago. Truth be told, I heard of Derek Helton, 3 years ago, in Minneapolis. In a bar. From a girl. From a girl who had been caught up in the Thirty-One Days of December, the latest urban legend cycling through the great states. Thirty-one days. Thirty-one different girls. One guy. The December to Remember.

I could not believe what she was telling me. Was she insane? Infatuated? Seeking vengeance? Stoned on some drug I had never heard of? Her story was crazy. This guy Derek Helton, was proving to be some kind of legend. Good, bad and evil.

As a student of writing and journalism, I decided to track him down, to see if any of this could be true. I chased the legend of Derek Helton to a small, upper mid-western town. The stories were fantastic! The women. The scorecards. The rankings. The scandal. The defeat. The heartbreak. The loss of his job, his reputation, his family and friends. The days and weeks after, the mental break, and the voyage into the underground. The monumental struggle to survive against an incredible foe. A true life and death struggle.

UNBELIEVABLE, was the one and only thought running through my mind. I spoke with people who knew of him, and people who knew him. People who were intimately connected to the Thirty-One Days. Corroboration, indeed. This actually happened! Holy shit. Not just an urban legend, anymore.

This was mind-bending for me. And that's when the book idea was born. And not just any book. Not a candy coated version. Thirty-One Days was going to be real. Stripped down. Naked. Raw. Not a single punch would be pulled. Not a tiny bit of lip gloss would be applied. Women. Men. Sex. Desire. Conquest. Violence. Madness. Everything.

The result is in these pages. And no kidding, if you are easily offended, stay away. Far away. For this is a journey you might not want to take.


What motivated you to become an indie author?

The love of reading, both mainstream and off the wall stories.


How has Smash words contributed to your success?

This is my first venture with Smash words. I am totally impressed by everything they have done thus far.

Success? Depends on your definition. I am alive and breathing and creating in the best country in the world. That is success.


What is the greatest joy of writing for you?

Bringing pages, or a computer tablet to life, with a great, engrossing, challenging, 'kick your teeth in' story.


What do your fans mean to you?

When I get them, I will let you know.................


What are you working on next?

I am exploring the horror genre next. It has always been one of my favorites.


Who are your favorite authors?

Stephen King. Lee Child. Gord Rollo. Michael Crichton.


What inspires you to get out of bed each day?

The day itself. The challenges ahead. And the privilege of being alive in this country.


When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?

Reading. Walking. Observing. Watching a little TV [Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Falling Skies]


How do you discover the eBooks you read?

Smash words or Amazon.


Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?

Yes. It was one page. In grade 3. About an abandoned, broken down car in the back of our school yard. And the creepy guy who slept in it.


How do you approach cover design?

I use the best e-designer in the business.

If you are interested in his work, email me:

I will hook you up.


What are your five favorite books, and why?

Hearts in Atlantis.
Jigsaw Man
Gone Tomorrow
Air Frame
Good Times


What do you read for pleasure?

Right now, mostly horror.

I love good movies and good books, both popular and indie.

I am a big hockey fan, go RED WINGS!


You can reach me on Facebook [Ronan Jackson Jefferson] or email me:

Favorite Books
all things horror and well written erotica.

Favorite Authors
lee child

gord rollo

stephen king

Favorite Movies
Prometheus

Eyes Wide Shut

Oblivion

Favorite Music
Chris Brown

The Box

Bob Seger

Ted Nugent, of course
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