Back in 2017, Infernal Ink published a black sex-comedy of mine called ‘Dead Men Can’t Climax’. A year or so later, I got wondering whether I could cook up another story sufficiently deranged to suit Infernal’s tastes – so I let my mind off its leash. It snuffled around a while and brought back a scenario where a woman had sex with increasingly well-endowed men until eventually a huge penis split her in two.
When I began ‘Bigger’ I thought it would be a graphic mash up of erotica and horror. But during composition it kept insisting on restraint and reserved language, even though the two main characters were promiscuous. I didn’t understand why at the time, but nor did I fight it. As it coalesced (and grew; the first draft topped 9000 words) it became clear the story wasn’t horror or erotica, but rather a rumination on identity in a sci-fi setting.
I don’t often write female protagonists – no reason, they just don’t come packaged with my story ideas – but when I do, I always have fun, and ‘Bigger’ was no exception. I enjoyed dipping into Cynthia and Aurealia’s world each day and watching their relationship develop and change.
Kris Ashton 