Edgy entrepreneur writes personalized, custom erotica

When Sage Vivant quit her job supervising bank managers, she knew she needed a change in career paths. Her degree in retail management was handy, but frankly, she was bored. Not for long.

"I thought of the two things I really like and decided to combine them," said Vivant. "I like writing, and I like sex."

And thus was born Vivant's brainchild, Custom Erotica Source, "erotic tales written to your desires," as her brochure suggests. You can visit her Web site (www.CustomEroticaSource.Com), fill out a questionnaire describing what you might be in the mood for, and for $165, Vivant will send you a nicely bound, 3,000-word story that can be read over and over. For $200, she'll toss in some custom illustrations.

It's the gift that keeps on giving, for those who may want to avoid the more common stocking stuffers this holiday season.

Sage Vivant is not Sage Vivant's real name, which she isn't comfortable revealing simply "because when there is anything that involves sex, there can be a few weirdos out there."

She is 39, divorced, has a great laugh and thoroughly enjoys her work. "Oh sure, writing these stories can be exciting for me, too," she admits proudly. "If it's not fun, why do it?"

Custom Erotic Source has been around for almost a year, and Vivant admits she hasn't quite turned the corner on making her business profitable yet, though she's getting close.

"I intend to stick with it," she says. "I think this is an idea that can work."

She writes most of the stories herself, although sometimes in a pinch she'll hire someone to produce one. The customer gets to choose the preferred level of graphic language, as well as choosing whom he or she wants to be in the story, the setting, and any particular little fetishes that might rev the motor. Vivant keeps pretty good stats on her customer base, too.

"Ninety percent of my customers are men. Sixty percent want the stories for themselves, 40 percent want them as gifts. And 25 percent of my business is repeat business, which I feel pretty good about," she allows. "I haven't had any complaints."

Interestingly enough, she also reveals that most of her business comes from the South and the Midwest.

"I think when you live someplace like San Francisco, you can indulge most of your fantasies in real life," she says. "It may be a little harder for people in other parts of the country, where the options might not be as available."

As for what people want in their stories, Vivant says that

"pretty much runs the gamut. Most people want me to be very explicit. Lots of people seem to want tropical locations, so I'm writing a lot about "lush foliage.' "

Getting people to reveal their fantasies is also not as easy as she first imagined, even when it's done in the relative anonymity of the on-line world.

"Some people will respond with almost monosyllabic answers," she says, "like, "I want me and my wife on the beach.' Well that's great, but then what? I need a little bit more to work with."

On the other hand, some people can go overboard the other way.

"One person sent me like six pages of single-spaced details about all the things he wanted in the story. That doesn't give me much room to maneuver, either," she laughs.

Probably the most unusual request came from overseas, says Vivant, who was a bit reluctant to talk about it, considering how unlikely it was to be duplicated. But since the customer was across the pond, she loosened up a little.

"This guy has a huge crush on Marie Osmond," Vivant revealed. "And he wanted a little scenario involving her and himself and a few of his friends."

Most of the desires are more - if not mundane, then predictable.

"Let's see, I get a lot of multiple partners - guys with lots of women, never guys with guys, at least not yet. I get women with women - guys love that - girlfriends with another guy, people consummating crushes, those kinds of things," she said.

One story that she found particularly moving came via a request from a senior citizen.

"One 70-year-old man wanted me to write about what would have happened to him as a 20-year-old if he would have stayed with a particular lady friend," says Vivant. "I thought that was so touching, that he had carried around this idea of this woman for 50 years. That was so sweet." <