PLEASURE

Eric Jerome Dickey is an author I’ve put on that “want to emulate” pedestal beside my guy, Walter Mosley. Dickey completely engages me with each and every story of his that I’ve ever read. His latest book, PLEASURE, had me reading for twelve hours straight, yellow highlighter in hand, absorbing each and every word.

There was one passage though in particular that grabbed me and held on, the words resonating through my writing spirit with a vengeance.

"Notes from Mr. Overworked and Underpaid New York Editor said to keep the language from being too deep, keep my vocabulary unchallenging, and do whatever I could to replace sensuality with vulgarity and crassness. I had issues with dumbing down work, for it was through the dumbing down that the writer disrespected herself, disrespected her craft.

I did not want to cater to those who were afraid of words, those who embraced ignorance as if it was their favorite religion, as if they had forgotten about those who marched for their physical and intellectual freedoms. All of that was on my mind, but not voiced, in the name of professionalism."

All I could think was, “Preach, my brother!”

Read the book. Its heroine, Nia Simone Bijou is a woman embarking on a sexual adventure with identical twins to discover whether or not one person can satisfy her yearnings for pleasure. The characters are complex and engaging. The writing is rich and full. It was twelve hours of an erotic journey that I would do over and over again in a heartbeat. Look out, Mr. Mosley! You just may have some competition for my writer’s heart!