Women’s Fiction
Date Published: July 14, 2019
“Simultaneously compelling, intriguing, and effortlessly entertaining read. De Soprontu imparts views on themes of poverty, race, identity, strength, and deliverance, all tightly bound within this intricate psychological opera.” KIRKUS REVIEWS
“VICES/VIRTUES is a beautifully written, strikingly moving, look at
the interacting lives and diverse backgrounds of women in an unconventional
profession” Indie Reader
Cristela had a childhood shrouded in secrets. Ashamed of their
circumstances, her mother told lies and encouraged her daughter to do the same. As Cristela grew, she unraveled the lies, but found that deception is a hard habit to break. Now, as an adult, Cristela creates a secret alter ego as the dominatrix Mistress Clara.
By day, Cristela is a good-girl poster child. By night, Mistress Clara masters the hidden erotic realm of an S&M dungeon. With her knack for duplicity things should work smoothly except for one complication – friendship. The quirky array of fellow dominatrices at the dungeon are nothing like the stereotypes she expected. Divided between her affection for the girls at the dungeon and her desire to keep her fetish activities secret, Cristela fears her two worlds are colliding. Can Cristela break her history of deceit? In a world of vices and virtues, salvation isn’t something you find, it’s a path you make.
EXCERPT
Some of the Fugacious Femmes elicited a similar response. Paris, for example, she didn’t stay long but during the time she worked at the dungeon, she was hated and she knew it. I always imagined she must have had some tragic backstory that forced her to break the rules and incur the ire of everyone. In my mind she had been transformed into Fantine, the sympathetic prostitute from “Les Miserables.” I felt miles superior. Drug and calamity free, in my mind I floated above the others who were mired in misfortune. It was a fantasy I managed to maintain for a long time, until that night when I finally understood the truth. I wasn’t floating; I had fallen. I had created a secret life at the dungeon just so I could be ashamed of it. As a child, Griselda had burdened me with shameful secrets, but as an adult, I had done this to myself. The worst part was I hadn’t even been aware of it.
About the Author
Beatrice De Soprontu began writing at the age of four, when she scribbled on the walls with a crayon. Now an adult, she mostly scribbles on her home computer surrounded by her noisy children and their less noisy father. Born and raised in New York City, (which includes: Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, maybe even Staten Island – a.k.a. the real New York and not the tourist trap that is Manhattan), she enthusiastically travels the world on a budget whenever she gets the chance.
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