Dating on the Wild Side

Now on /r/storiesbykaren: Dating on the Wild Side

A few years before Reese met Katherine, he was a college student using dating apps. He made the mistake of accidentally choosing one created for parasapiens, and some laughter was had at his expense.

Writing romantic love isn’t something that I’ll ever do extensively. I’m like one of those authors who says, “Anything that happens between them, when they cross the threshold to the bedroom, I yell, ‘Cut!’” That’s because I have an exceedingly small amount of experience in that category. I’m asexual and aromantic, and though I didn’t start identifying as such until I was twenty-five, it’s always who I was. I would do everything I felt I was supposed to do, according to books I read about girls my age. I would think, “Is this how I’m supposed to feel?” Hand-holding felt sweaty, not as enjoyable as it looked in movies I watched growing up. Kissing was weird, and since I was following all the instructions of those movies, I was told I’m allegedly good at it, so that wasn’t the problem. And cuddling is nice, but, ya know, I cuddle with my dogs and that’s sufficient.

Well, Malcolm will cuddle with me if I’m giving him scritches. If I stop, there’s nothing in it for him anymore.

It’s great to see so much information out there for the kids growing up in today’s world. Kids who are starting to get to the age of having crushes are figuring out who they are, and we’re much better off as a society than we were fifty years ago in that respect. It’s one of the reasons I liked writing this story, and any others that discuss the difficulties of being different from what people consider ‘standard’, because obviously there are parallels between parasapiens and minorities in the real world.

I’ve joked that I killed off Katherine’s husband before book one just so I didn’t have to write romance. But there is that prequel on my Patreon; I did bring them together. And in the series, I did want Katherine to move on in that part of her life, though I’ll stop there because spoilers. But anyone who reads my books or stories will find that knowing I’m on the ‘zero’ end of the spectrum of asexuality makes total sense. I did watch lots of movies and shows with romance in them, so I do have plenty to draw from, just like I’ve watched law enforcement shows and that gave me a foundation for figuring out what it’s really like to work for the FBI. But you’ll be amused to know I posted on Facebook at one point, asking my friends, “What’s it like to actually enjoy kissing?” There have been many random, often funny questions I’ve posted, but that’s probably up there.

I’m happy being single. That’s what it comes down to, right? Trying to find what makes us happy?