Title: 7 With 1 Blow
Author: Caraway Carter
Length: 166 pages/46k words
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Publication Date: October 21, 2016
Categories: Gay, BDSM, Contemporary
When Taylor Little, who styles himself “Dom Seven,” is unwillingly taken into custody by the Cadre, he is put between a rock and a hard place. Either he will go to jail for his abuses against the local BDSM community, or he will accept retraining from the bottom up, learning to be a slave before he ever lays a flogger on another human being again.
In this tale of redemption, Taylor must face his demons as he learns to accept his status with mouth, mind, and heart.
WARNING: This story contains scenes of sexual intimacy and BDSM.
Taylor Little is a Dom gone wrong. He has no sense of propriety or concern for the boys he trains. At the start of the story, he’s aggressive, arrogant, and cruel. He’s taken (unwillingly) by a group known as the Cadre in order to rehabilitate him. This is his journey toward being a better person, both through his own redemption and through the forgiveness of others.
As a person unfamiliar with the BDSM community outside of having a few friends who are involved, I can’t speak to the realism there. I can imagine it probably isn’t typical to gather intelligence and blackmail someone into penitence, but this is fiction and not real life. That’s hardly the point or the most important aspect of the story.
Over the course of the book, Taylor’s entire way of thinking shifts. He develops from a distrustful, carefully guarded, angry person into someone who cares about the well-being of others. The final act of his redemption is emotional and beautiful.
I’m a sucker for a good story about repentance and forgiveness, so that’s what resonated most with me about Taylor’s story. He’s not just being trained in how to do it “right.” He’s a hurting person who has done great harm because of the manner in which he was treated and the lack of good care or a healthy example in his life. Even for people unfamiliar with BDSM, Taylor’s struggles will feel familiar. The stages he goes through from acknowledging his pain to fighting his inner demons are common to most people.
It would be hard to choose a favorite scene or side character. There are so many good ones. This story has no wasted space. There are no precious minutes devoted to lengthy explanations or back story. Everything is focused on moving forward in Taylor’s journey to forgiving himself and the person who brought him to such a painful place.
I have to say, I think Boy Bob, who serves as a same-level mentor and confidant of sorts, is my favorite character. Taylor is fairly unlikable until near the end, which means it’s necessary to attach to the side characters. Fortunately, they are surprisingly well-developed, given that we mostly see from Taylor’s perspective and a few scattered scenes in a neutral point of view.
There is some sexual expression in the story, which I found typically emotionally rather than erotically charged. Some of the scenes in which Taylor was rewarded with discipline left me feeling raw in a good way. My favorite, which I won’t spoil the details of, involves Taylor and some well-used kitchen implements. It’s a highly rewarding and intense moment.
This is not a romance, an erotic tale, or a fantasy. While there are elements which transcend realism, this is by no means a story intended solely to excite or arouse. It’s heavily character-driven, there is no love story (unless you count Taylor’s development of genuine self-love), and even the few brief sex scenes are functional more than sensual. On the whole, I found the story highly satisfying, with its strong literary style and attention to the emotional detail. Those elements might not appeal to every reader.
At the end, I was left feeling glad I’d read this. Sharing Taylor’s experiences of self-acceptance, growth, and redemption was everything I hope for in a good story.
For an intriguing take on an old fairy tale, a stellar cast of characters, and a spiritually deep story, this gets 10/10 fountain pens.
Amazon: US I CA I AU I UK I DE
The man of the evening arrived—late as usual, but no one was surprised. It was just his style. During his few short years in the Scene, Taylor Little had gathered quite a following between customers, hangers-on, flatterers, and the occasional scene partner. It wasn’t the most experienced or the most prestigious crowd in the local Scene—in fact, many of Little’s followers were even less experienced than he was—and people had noticed. Important people, people who could make or break a new Dom.
Not that Taylor Little cared. He’d ruined munches, crashed play parties, and generally acted like an arrogant banty rooster in a too-small hen yard. It wasn’t surprising when he would show up at a munch, poach an inexperienced boy, and put him on the web in a BDSM porn shoot a week later; it was just inappropriate.
His lateness was also par for the course. Taylor Little—who called himself “Dom Seven”—made his elaborate entrance. Normally, his slaves crawled before him, regardless of the venue or whether it was appropriate. The sharper-tongued members of the Scene whispered that it was because of his height, which, even with his heavy boots, topped out at five foot seven. But this time, his current slave walked in front of him, shirtless, his neck enclosed inside a black leather collar. A chain snaked away from the collar’s single jump ring and into Taylor’s black-gloved hand.
In an uncharacteristic nod to propriety, Taylor had had this slave wear dirty white Converse tennis shoes and tight black jeans, with a thick black leather belt. As they entered the room, a scowl crossed Taylor’s face. It were as if no one had paid attention to anything he had done with his slave; the crowd was still looking at Mistress Joan.
Taylor and his slave were the only ones not looking at Mistress Joan. Instead, Taylor looked around the room to see if anyone was checking out his new boy while the slave kept his own eyes focused on his shoes. Not a single soul was looking their way. With a frown and a muttered command, Taylor tapped the slave on the shoulder. The boy nodded his head and dropped to his knees as Taylor looked around for an open chair. As the boy fell to the ground, the door of the backroom swung shut so that no one, aside from those gathered in the room, was witness to the slave boy’s further humiliation.
Caraway Carter has worn numerous hats. He’s been a furniture salesman, a dresser, a costumer, an actor/waiter, a rabble rouser, a poet and most recently a writer. He married his husband on Halloween and they are the loving parents of an adorable cat, named Molly. He loves words and stringing them together, he loves sex and sexy men. He loves seeing how far his muse will take him and he’s looking forward to entertaining you.
Caraway Carter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
Today I’m chatting with Caraway Carter about writing, life, and their current project. Welcome! Let’s talk a little about 7 With 1 Blow.
What inspired you to write this story?
It was originally a prompt from a publisher. You told them you wanted to write a retelling of a fairy tale and they’d send you one. I was given The Giant & The Tailor, which most people have heard as The Brave Little Tailor.
It’s my least favorite fairy tale ever, because the tailor is a braggart and boaster, lies and cheats his entire way through the story and still gets everything in the end. There is no real moral. And very hard to turn into a love story, let alone a mm version.
The one thing that kept coming back to me was how could I give it a better moral, and 7 With 1 Blow was born, A tale of redemption, with a satisfying end for my MC Taylor Little.
AM says: You’ve hit on one of my favorite themes, which is probably why I loved it so much.
Is there a character you feel especially connected to?
I think there is a little of me in all the characters, but I’d say I identify with Boy Bob. Why? He’s made the decision to be a sub, he chose the life he wanted, he didn’t have to be trained into it, not that he didn’t have the training, but he is the most confident in his position. One day I plan on telling how he ended up where he is.
AM says: Oh, yes! I love Boy Bob. I’m definitely interested in reading more about him. He strikes me as a really gentle, loving soul.
What was the hardest part of writing this?
Figuring out how to tell everything I wanted to touch on. For a while it was broken up into 7 different parts – 1 with 1 blow, 2 with 2 blows, etc. And then one afternoon, my husbear and I were out to lunch and there was this big table of people discussing something that had to be done. I think it had to do with a family recently dying. I started taking notes and the meeting during the prologue was born and I knew were to take the story. The characters that popped into my head at that moment were practically based on the people at that table.
AM says: Funny the places inspiration can be found.
Choose a favorite line or short passage.
“Boyd?” she read from the side of the cup.
“Yes, Madam?” Taylor looked back at her through the rearview mirror.
“Who is Boyd?” She pointed at the cup.
Taylor grinned. “I don’t know if you’ll believe this, Madam. They asked my name and I guess I said ‘boy.’ They must have heard ‘Boyd’ instead.”
What do you like about it?
I love it because the name just came naturally to him. It is a subtle turning point.
AM says: That was one of many favorite scenes for me in this story.
Tell us a little about any upcoming projects.
I had intended to write a larger project, Tales of the Cadre, using fables as starting points for a story told through interconnected short stories. That takes place at a resort within the world.
Instead, 7 With 1 Blow evolved into a trilogy – Three Wise Monkeys – cool thing, for now the first book won’t have the series title. Future editions will have the series title added, so just think… These first editions will become collector’s items one day… LOL, ok, I’m thinking big.
AM says: Hey, whatever motivates you, right? So, tell me more about this series.
I decided to have each book be about a different aspect of BDSM – Book 1 deals with SM, even if it deals with different parts, it’s primarily about the SM. Book Two – Hitting the Mark, deals with a D/s relationship. And book three, tentative title I’ll Be Your Reason, will deal with BD.
AM says: That all sounds really interesting. I can’t wait to read the rest! Any other projects up your sleeve?
I’m working on a story that takes place in Peru, so I’ve got lots of cultural pieces as well. Hitting the Mark has lots of dance music from the 80’s and electronic music, because one of the MCs is a DJ, but, also lots of classical, because the other character is a composer.
AM says: Well, you had me at “classical” and “composer.”
How do you choose names for your characters?
I like to use this website called the The Academy of Saint Gabriel – https://s-gabriel.org I used to belong to an organization called the Society for Creative Anachronism, we re-enacted the middle ages. When I want a unique name, I go here. Most times, I like to use common names, since I mostly write about common, regular guys.
AM says: Oh, that’s fantastic! Might have to check that out myself, since I’m so awful at naming anything. Or I’ll just ask you.
Where do you look for inspiration for new stories?
I’m all about the visuals. I have a couple of resources. I’ve created a pinterest board called possible prompts – https://www.pinterest.com/carawaycarter/possible-prompts/ and I’ve got a super naughty tumblr where I get inspired for the more sexual aspects to my stories. – http://boyoedi.tumblr.com (NSFW)
AM says: I confess, I looked. Very…inspiring.
What else do you use to immerse yourself in the story (music, visuals, etc.)?
I always create a playlist for my stories on Spotify. I haven’t usually shared the lists, as my current spotify has my real name attached to it. Music really puts me into the minds of my characters. When I’m working on something that takes place in a unique place, I like to add traditional music.
AM says: Spotify is great for that! I’ve embeded playlists before, but I might just create the list and make everyone do the hard work of looking up the tracks themselves.
Word Sprints!
- Plotter or pantser? I’ve become a Plantser.
- Musical theater or rock concert? Musical Theater, I’m totes into Hamilton, like the rest of the world.
- What’s your favorite book? Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
- Do the people in your life know about your writing? Yup, everyone I work with has felt up my paperback book. From crew members I work with all the way up to my management team.
- Who has inspired you the most? Samuel R. Delany, Laura Antoniou, & John Sanford. My three favorite authors.
AM says: Thanks for stopping by! Congratulations on releasing 7 With 1 Blow. Come hang out with me any time to chat about your books in the future.
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October 22nd: Nic Starr
Thanks for the chat, it was fun.
You’re more than welcome here any time. 🙂