In about one week, this website celebrates its first anniversary. A lot has happened in that time. With 60 posts, 54 of which are short stories or chapters of my continuing saga, a lot of characters have been born, and numerous fantasies have been penned—well, typed—into being.

I’ve come to learn a lot about myself through this little experiment of mine. For one thing, I am a chameleon when it comes to writing style. I can probably go back and reread previous posts I’ve published and determine exactly which Audible book I was enjoying at the time based on the sound of my voice in that story. Much like someone who has the embarrassing habit of adopting the accent of the person they converse with, my writing is similarly swayed by what I hear.

But perhaps more importantly, I’ve discovered that my way of fantasizing is apparently different from many other gay men who write erotica. Perhaps this is because I have a niche fetish. But I don’t tend to write about characters seeing someone hot in the chips and pretzels aisle and then having each other in the restroom a paragraph later. I like subtle. Realistic. I even find that having my characters fantasize and self-gratify can be more arousing than having them actually play out something I consider to be wildly unrealistic.

Sadly, I don’t think this is a very popular approach to erotica. Many don’t seem to have the patience for it. But I said from the beginning that I am writing for myself, and if you happen to find the same subject matter interesting and provocative…then you, reader, are also my target audience.

A few of you—a very few of you—have stumbled across my little creation here. I have no idea how you found it, but I think about you as I consider what to write next. Here’s to the next year of Shoe Horny! May we continue to find new and thrilling ways of enjoying it together.

Cheers!