The Horn Section

As I said, everything here is true, to the best of my knowledge.

First off, I have to confess:

I am a pseudonym

That's right. Jordan Shelbourne doesn't really exist. You can't look him up in the phone book. (You can send him email, though; see above) Jordan's a substitute name, because at least one of my employers over the past seven years was queasy over the thought of having a writer of erotica on staff.

(Hey, it could be worse -- I could be a collaboration.)

As it is, I'll tell you the following: I'm a 37-year-old man, I write for a living -- technical writing. I'm married with a single offspring and a dog.

When I'm not writing erotica, I'm writing science fiction or fantasy (or technical documents). If it sounds like a kind of restricted lifestyle, well, it is. I'll change it sooner or later, but there's only so much time in the day, and my family is high-maintenance. Writing that doesn't pay the bills necessarily takes a back seat.

Q & A

In which I answer questions from faithful readers.

Why do you write erotica?

Because I want to. I write a lot of stuff -- magazine articles, non-fiction books, comedy, mystery, thrillers, horror, science fiction, and fantasy. The stuff that appears here is the material that's erotica, but that's by no means all I write.

Where can I read your fiction?

Honesty forces me to admit that my non-fiction sells far better than my fiction. The main reason for this is that I haven't taken my fiction seriously (seriously would mean submitting it). I've got a couple of small contest winners, but I haven't sold any fiction. On the other hand, I have several stories in the mail even as we speak. Maybe soon I'll be able to change the answer to this question.

The story "The Fence" has sold to an anthology called Hot Off The Net, which you should be able to order soon.

Are you going to do another story about Ben and Sarah or about Kip and Spike?

Probably not. Those stories are ended now. Ben is in Pidge's Story, which takes place before Unwrap Party. I honestly can't think of more to say about Kip and Spike.

What was your score on the Purity Test?

On the 400 question version, thirty-six. But only because I'd done a lot of drugs and eaten a lab dissection.

Do you write from experience?

Sure; mine and the experiences of others. If you'd like a guideline, the details usually come from experience and the big picture is made up. I'm always curious about other people's experience of sex, so if you feel no one has ever described orgasm as you experience it, let me know. I'll throw it into the mental stew.

The Ivory Gate Reference

...is originally Greek:

"Hear, then, I said, my own dream; whether coming through the horn
or the ivory gate, I cannot tell."
-- Plato, Charmides, or Temperance, 380 BC, transl. by Benjamin Jowett

"Two gates the silent house of Sleep adorn;
Of polish'd ivory this, that of transparent horn:
True visions thro' transparent horn arise;
Thro' polish'd ivory pass deluding lies."
-- Virgil, The Aeneid, Book VI, 19 BC

Of course, it shows up in a number of other sources, too: Neil Gaiman has featured the gates prominently in the Sandman comic book; Doris Egan wrote a novel whose title is based on the reference; and there are enough references in other places to make searching for the source with Alta Vista somewhat daunting.

I thank those who helped me track it down.