Author Commentary

Posted by TammyJo Eckhart |

This page is meant to provide some context, commentary, passages, or other background details on my books.

Amazons: Erotic Explorations of the Ancient Myths

Front coverBack coverWhen I went into to sign my first book contract with Masquerade Books, they surprised me with the offer of a second contract. I was doing research on one particular Amazon legend and thought it might be fun to expand those classical legends with more details and an examination of ancient cultures. I included not only references to ancient literature but also short essays about different aspects of Greek society that were highlighted in each story. I'm not sure if Masquerade knew what to honestly do with a book that was part erotica, part historical fiction, and part textbook but they sold it and I could find it in bookstores.

Currently, you can find its stories in both Sweet Memories or Mistress Loves Me if you don't want to pay outrageous amounts for the original book.


Eroscapes: Erotic Fiction
from the Mind of TammyJo Eckhart

Front coverThis is a collection of eight stories, described below, that was my fourth book. This was from a small press which frankly didn't have the resources to market it very well so don't be surprised if you haven't heard of it. One thing I really liked about it is the cover which portrays all of the stories in it's symbols and design.

Sadly, after a grand opening for the book at a convention in Louisville in 2004, I discovered the printer messed up the first story in the collection by cutting out two pages in the middle of a sentence! I was furious and demanded the publisher get it fixed and the copyright editor got into some trouble there a well. Don't worry, if you order a book from Amazon or Powell's you'll get the fixed version.

If you want the damaged one, you'll need to contact the publisher about that.

Here is a list of the stories included and a brief description of each:

  • "Eternal Pain" — Imagine you are one of the most powerful beings in the universe tortured by memories you can't escape. Now imagine someone cares enough to help you try.
  • "Appealing" — Slaves are not always victims, sometimes they work hard to become owned.
  • "Helpmate" — Premiered at Inconjunction and surprised my audience by it's sound and somewhat frightening science fiction story about a colonized planet gone wrong.
  • "Favorites" — Even the most valuable servant can be replaced unless he is very careful.
  • "Thanksgiving Vignette" — My only story actually based on my own personal life, a short look at the love and honor of my family.
  • "Earning Land" — How many of us dream of being space ship captains? Now what if you were one but didn't want to be. What you do to return to land?
  • "Salvage" — A generation after three plagues race across the world, one military unit salvages something they hadn't expected: a man.
  • "Circle of Blood" — Premiered at a reading in New York City back in 1997 to an audience of over 90 people. For a long time no publisher knew what to do with a strong about female vampire hunter who was also a woman of her period and thus gendered in a unmasculine fashion.

Justice and Other Short Erotic Tales

Front coverBack coverWhen I first published the book "Punishment for the Crime", I stated getting e-mails. Some were a bit creepy, asking if I was like Yvonne the Butcher. Most were just compliments, but almost all asked if I'd be doing a follow-up story. The answer was yes and thus this third collection was born. I had to move to Greenery Press and this book became one of their best fiction sellers. Indeed, it is out-of-print now while other books that came out at the same time in 1999 are still in the warehouse looking for buyers.

I like the cover on this book a lot. It speaks to the fact that the artist read and understood the title story, it's complex spiritual and social message, it's passion and power. I loved seeing it in local Borders or Barnes & Nobles stores as it stood out from the books on the shelves. It was housed with erotica usually, but frankly my work has never fit neatly into any one particular genre. I'm actually quite proud of that fact, though I realize now that it must have been a marketing problem for publishers.

Currently, you can find its stories in both Sweet Memories or Mistress Loves Me if you don't want to pay outrageous amounts for the original book.


Mistress Loves Me, This I Know

Front coverThis is a reprinting of 15 of the stories from my first three books which are currently out of print. I went with a small publisher who primarily travels the science fiction/fantasy/horror convention circuit as a way to give my work exposure to a wider audience. Plus he treats me with respect in term of the layout and paying royalties and he's just a nice guy. The stories are arranged by the book they were in so you can get a feel for how my writing has changed over the years.

Here is a list of the stories included and a brief description of each:

  • "Best Friends" — New York City in the 1990s and the adventures of two young women in life and the clubs.
  • "One Chance" — The horror of being a slave offered an opportunity to move from the mines into more personal service to a ruler.
  • "Responsibilities & Privileges" — Being heir to the throne is not always a fine thing but it is always an important thing as one princess and the men in her life must discover.
  • "A Simple Gift" — A truly romantic story of married love and the healing of old wounds.
  • "As Is" — The hidden world of a biker bike and her new secretary journeying from Florida to New York City.
  • "Par Delà Fantaisie" — What if what you thought you wanted turned out to not be a fantasy after all? Could you, would you want to fulfill that potential?
  • "Since You Asked, I Will Tell You" — A fantasy story of how one couple met and stayed together despite their inability to ever be a couple by their society's rules.
  • "Still" — Getting what you want is never easy no matter how many hoops you make your potential partner jump through.
  • "The Flesh is Weak" — How much are you willing to give up to get what you've always wanted? When do we cease to be human?
  • "A Woman Scorned" — Retelling of the Theseus kidnaps an Amazon story.
  • "Hespera" — A look at how Amazon society might really have functioned.
  • "Mating Season" — No nation can survive with only one sex so a ritual is developed to help two societies survive but at a cost to each.
  • "The Girdle" — Retelling of the Heracles and Amazons legend.
  • "The Vow" — A new look at the Trojan War through the eyes of the dead and soon to die.
  • "Thirteen" — An expansion of the legend of Alexander the Great meeting an Amazon queen.

Punishment for the Crime

Front coverBack coverMy first book was part luck and part courage. Part luck because I met author, editor, and publisher Cecilia Tan at a Conversio Virium (a Columbia University student group) event and got to know her. She bought my first story and then pointed me in the direction of Masquerade Books. Part courage because honestly at this time I was using my writing to help me work through some very unpleasant childhood experiences. I didn't realize that even in my darkest personal hours I was crafting fairly deep tales that explored human emotions and motivations in complex worlds.

I think my work has only gotten better over the 14 years I've been published now. Some of these stories remain my favorites and I still receive fan e-mails or face-to-face comments about them when I attend various conventions.

Currently, you can find its stories in both Sweet Memories or Mistress Loves Me if you don't want to pay outrageous amounts for the original book.

I'm so pleased you remember this old work, but please do check out my new material, too.


Servants of Destiny

Front coverMy first published novel though not my first written novel. I wanted to turn the classic fantasy idea of strong male hero protecting his female sidekick on it's head. Here we have a princess quite capable of protecting herself but in need of assistance from a very reluctant source. Using magic, wits, and strength they conquer their enemies and learn to appreciate each other with some humor tossed in as well.

Here's a sample you might enjoyed from later in the book:

"Dolan lifted his lantern higher as he edged his way into the cave. Of course I get to go first, he scolded himself. He looked at the map and frowned. Am I even in the right place? The hole in the sky had been almost the same, if one ignored the fact it was midday and not night, and the princess had chanted the same words, though this time she said it would merely stabilize the gate. It had been opened, and the thief had felt his skin crawl as they went through and the feeling they were being watched washed over him; it was just like before. Now, alone inside the cave, the eeriness increased.

Silently he counted to himself as he advanced. The assignment was to go two hundred paces inside, then watch as the princess caught up to him. The map had been uncertain, as had been his mistress when she tried to explain her errors and why she wasn't sure anymore of how long the gate would remain open. If they were lucky the wizard wouldn't be near the crown, and he could just take it and leave while the princess closed down the gate. Marelda had not sounded like she believed in luck today.

One-ninety-five, Dolan thought as he stopped at a wide opening. One step inside showed him it was an enormous cavern, at least as large as the castles in the other magical realms. The thief stepped in further and looked around. The walls glistened with light from his lantern as the gold, silver, and gemstones reflected back the flame inside. "Lady and Lord," the slave whispered as he looked around at the riches just seconds from his hands.

In a corner directly across from the cavern entrance a pedestal stood. Sitting on it was a golden crown covered with clear, red, and green gems. Dolan took one step forward, his eyes twinkling, when a bolt of fire shot across his path. Freezing in place, the slave looked up at the largest creature he'd ever seen in his entire life, a creature of nightmares and a monster from stories parents of all classes told their children. With a scream the thief turned and fled down the corridor toward the cave exit.

The princess jumped and readied her sword as the screaming hit her ears. It continued, increasing in loudness as she walked carefully into the cave. At a turn she cried out as her slave bolted toward her. She grabbed his arm as he tried to flee past her. A quick survey and a hasty sniff made her shove him outside as she let her backpack fall to the ground so she could remove her jacket with one hand. "Get face down on the ground!" she ordered.

Dolan covered his head as he was beaten with her leather jacket. "Mistress, please! I didn't mean to disobey!" he began as she tripped him, forcing him to the ground.

"You're on fire!" Marelda countered.

The slave froze at the words, then screamed as his nostrils filled with the scent of what he imagined was his burning flesh.

"Take off your jacket!" Marelda yelled as she knelt down and scooped up handfuls of dirt. As soon as his smoking jacket left his body she covered it with the dry earth. One glance assured her that nothing else was on fire. "Dolan, just be quiet now."

"I'm on fire, I'm on fire," he was repeating as he hit himself with his hands, his head turning wildly from side to side in an effort to see where the flames were spreading. He stopped cold after she slapped him, his mouth falling open in shock.

"It was just your jacket," Marelda said slowly and softly as she held him by his shoulders.

"My jacket? Just my jacket?" Dolan repeated.

"Yes," the princess replied as she breathed a sigh of relief. She went back to the burnt and torn jacket and dusted some of the dirt off. "It set me on fire," Dolan said as he approached, one wary eye on the cave.

Marelda picked up the remains of his jacket and smelled it. "I don't think so," she said as she stood up.

"Oh, yes it did," Dolan replied.

"This smells like oil, the oil from your lantern," Marelda informed him. From one of the sleeves a metal ring fell. "And that looks like what's left of said lantern."

The slave blinked a couple of times as he considered the jacket, the tarnished metal ring, and the cave. "Maybe, but that thing in there is going to do a lot worse to us."

"You saw the wizard?" Marelda asked as she dropped the jacket. "Tell me, what form is he in?"

Dolan pulled away angrily. "You said he could become a bear, or a unicorn, or a lion! You never told me he'd be a demon!"

The princess frowned but simply repeated her question.

"I'm not going in there, and I don't care if you beat me within an inch of my life!" the slave announced as he backed up a few steps. "In fact, kill me now quickly if I've pleased you at all, 'cause not going back."

"What's in there?" Marelda demanded as she grabbed him by his wrists, her hands twisting his cuffs so that they cut into his body at the edges. "A dragon!" Dolan screamed back. He fell backward onto the ground as the princess released him. "It's a damned dragon! The worst thing I've seen in my entire life!"

Marelda turned back toward the cave. "A dragon," she repeated. "Interesting choice," she muttered as confidently as she could muster.

"Interesting choice?" Dolan gasped as he stood up quickly. "It's a demon!" The slave turned back toward the glowing gate, falling as his cuffs shot bolts of pain into him.

"It isn't a demon, just a wizard who's made an interesting choice," Marelda said, as she held up one hand and called on the runes of the slave cuffs. She waited until the slave was back at her feet, his face creased in anguish, to lower her hand, so the pain stopped in his wrists to be replaced with her fingernails digging into one of his earlobes.

"Mistress, please. Let's just leave," Dolan begged as he was forced to his feet. "You have two; can't you do something with two?"

"No, of course not." Marelda tempered the harsh tone of her words with the knowledge running through her mind and the look of pure terror in her slave's dark eyes. "But now that we know what he is, we can better fight him," she tried to assure him.

Dolan screamed as the tree next to the cave burst into flames. Above was the form of a dragon, darker than any night, smoke billowing from his jaws and flames issuing forth.

Marelda bolted for the cave, pulling her thief behind her. Inside, she pushed him against the wall as the flames hit the mouth. "Damn! He must have another way out," she cursed herself for miscalculating again. "Move deeper inside!" she croaked as she pushed her slave forward with one hand as she retrieved her backpack with the other. As she glanced behind them the place where her pack had been was covered with flames."

I see "Servants of Destiny" as the first of a trilogy of novels but sadly I need to find another publisher willing to put out the next two books since I am no longer comfortable with it's publisher.


Sweet Memories of Pain
and the Future of Pleasure

Front coverThis a five story collection that I put out when I was finishing my PhD so it includes the classic two-part post-apocalyptic story about the Butcher of the Eastlands, another Amazon story, a science fiction piece, and a vampire story. Basically a publisher wanted something but I was really too busy to give him something 100% fresh. Again this will give you a sense of how my writing has changed through the years.

  • "Punishment for the Crime" — In a future destroyed American certain aspects of the Constitution have been preserved in horrific ways.
  • "Justice" — Freedom fighters work to restore the Constitution even if it means their lives.
  • "Journey Unto Warrior" — Silly boys. Think you can hunt Amazons. Think again.
  • "The Captain's Gaze" — Originally written for charity, this looks at how you might have to turn the tables on someone watching you to get them to do more than watch in the coldness of space.
  • "Doll" — She was the perfect woman and she was going to stay that way forever just as he was going to be her perfect man.

True You 101

Front coverMy first work of Urban Fantasy, YA, and LGBT fiction is available in both paperback and ebook format from the following retailers:


If one class during high school could help you become the person you were meant to be, would you take it?

At the Reinholdt Institute of Sortilege Arts, sophomores are required to take True You 101 no matter whether they live in the mortal or magical realm. Over the course of a year, each student must confront all possibilities until their outer form matches their inner self. Blake Trudeau has always just wanted to be normal and hopes the class will make that a reality, but will the final spell conjure Blake's fondest wishes or worst nightmares?

« Return to Top »