Thank you for celebrating the release-aversary of kINKED with us this week!
There are usually interesting stories behind books you read. To end our spotlight, Mara Malin shares some of the interesting facts behind her story INKarnate and the upcoming INKomplete series.
Five Facts about INKomplete
By Mara Malins
All the Ink
All four of the novellas in the INKomplete series are set in a tattoo studio. Interestingly (or unbelievably, given that tattoos feature prominently in my work), I’ve never had a tattoo. I’ve never stepped foot in a tattoo studio. In fact, I’ve never even accompanied someone when they were getting a tattoo. Everything I describe in my writing—as brief as it is—comes from watching Youtube videos. The idea of getting a permanent design on my skin both terrifies and fascinates me… and I’m not quite sure which emotion is stronger!
Music makes the words go round
To try and get into an edgy frame of mind when writing the series, I started listening to bands like Deftones, Disturbed, and Rammstein. These are all on my everyday playlists but they just didn’t feel right as a soundtrack to INKarnate. The intense music made my characters dark, hard, and ultimately unlikeable. So, I switched it up, listening to softer tracks from artists like M83, Gustavo Santaolalla, and Ramin Djawadi. For me, the difference was immediate. Kinder, more compassionate behaviours started to creep into my writing. It brought my characters to life, made them less stereotyped, and created a depth that I felt they were missing previously.
Unknown quirks
I decided that each of my characters should have a quirk, an oddity, that I would keep to myself. I wanted to know something about them that nobody else ever would (which is ruined now that I’m writing this list!) Matt collects coins, Joe knows how to flamenco dance, Phoenix is double jointed in her fingers, and Blakey used to be in the army.
The link to kink
Though the original story was inspired by the “kINKED” anthology for P&K, the theme of kink and power play in the bedroom would have been prevalent in these stories regardless. I would love to have some kind of political message about the decision, maybe the emancipation of women’s sexuality but, honestly, there is no other reason than it felt true to the characters. They all—with the exception of Emily, who was definitely interested but inexperienced—know their minds and tastes. In my opinion, these characters just wanted to have great, consensual sex. No message needed.
Must….keep….going
I fell in love with the world of INKomplete. There is something so freeing, so relatable, so honest about my characters and the world they inhabit that even when the four novellas were complete, even when all the main characters found love, I just didn’t want to leave. So I didn’t. I’ve now started to write the stories surrounding the characters at club Indecency and, boy, is it hotter than ever!
Mara Malins writes romantic fiction using words that your grandmother doesn’t know. An avid gamer, she battles spreadsheets by day and fiction by night. She lives in Manchester, England with her menagerie of three cats, two turtles, a social media loving partner, and a disobedient garden. If you want to know when her next fiction is released, or see thousands of pictures of her cats sleeping in a variety of different poses, find her on Twitter or Goodreads.
Get kINKED today!
Every tattoo tells a story…
A submissive pain slut receives a tattoo as a reward for years of selfless service. A man’s body is used to deliver a very different kind of message to a domineering masochist. An exotic teahouse on an alien planet where one woman explores her submissiveness with a set of shapeshifting twins.
These and other sizzling stories take you to the places where kink meets ink and leave you indelibly marked.
Out of Print
