The Opposite of Gratuitous Sex A few weeks before the release of Crossing the Carnivorous Forest, I started worrying that the amount of sex in my science fiction series Gods of the New Wilderness would drive away readers. I have certainly had readers suddenly start treating me differently after reading some of those scenes — a few admitting that they were caught off guard by some of the more explicit scenes. This is something I have been sensitive to ever since 1988, when my horror story, “The Onion Test” (a twist on A Clockwork Orange — focusing specifically on sex crimes) appeared in Pulphouse the Hardback Magazine, issue one, volume one alongside stories from a number of my idols; including Harlan Ellison, Kate Wilhelm, Ed Bryant, Charles de Lint and Michael Bishop. One of my co-workers bought a copy of the book. After her fiancé read my story, he demanded that she quit the job immediately and stay as far away from me as possible. She refused, restoring my faith in people havi...