New release: Women and gay romance

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Books I should have reviewed

I always like to review books I've enjoyed. As I've said before, my reviews can be seen as my personal recommendations really. This isn't a dedicated reviews site, it's just about the often crazy things I happen to be thinking and reading and writing. And I try to keep it positive (mostly!). There are books I might only read the first couple of chapters of and decide they're not for me. I'm not going to plough on, or worse, review them without actually reading the whole thing, just so I can tell you that I didn't like them. Then there are books that I do get to the end of because I find them sufficiently readable and of interest in terms of keeping a general view of the erotica market, but I still don't love them enough to say 'wow, this is great, you should read it'.

The ones I do review are the ones that keep me up way past my bedtime. But I haven't been keeping up with them! So here's my backlist of books I will review when I find the time, but in the meantime want to say 'wow, this is great, you should read it'.

The Pet Shop by KD Grace - Such fun getting in touch with your raw animal nature. Readable, sensual and very different from what you might expect in a story in which people are treated like dogs!

Power Play by Charlotte Stein - I think even the most submissive-natured reader could imagine doing bad things to the adorable Benjamin. And Stein's breathless style and emotional depth are just irresistible. 

Red Velvet and Absinthe, edited by Mitzi Szereto - Sexy Gothic anthology with some brilliant writers and original ideas that go way beyond the expected. 

No Ordinary Love Story by Sophie Morgan - The autobiographical story which started in Diary of a Submissive continues, mixing up hot kink with the ordinary things of life, like cake. Yum.

Bending: Dirty Kinky Stories about Pain, Power, Religion, Unicorns & More by Greta Christina - As the blurb says 'A lot of fucked-up shit happens in a lot of these stories.' It's not wrong, although the stories are. Wrong, in a wide variety of wonderful ways.

Seven Scarlet Tales by Justine Elyot - And you thought spanking was simple. Well here we get a thorough investigation of all its nuances in seven stories that are linked together in an over-arching narrative.

On having double standards

I've realised I have double standards in my reading. I'm absolutely guilty of hating things in one book that I will tolerate or even love in another. Dangerous BDSM being one of those things. In some books, I start to read about casual hook-ups engaging in bondage 'n stuff and think "oh how stupid, you couldn't do that in real life, recipe for disaster and it's giving kink a bad name." And then I'll read something similar in another book and think "ooh that's a bit risque, but it's fiction, it's all just fantasy and it's hot and I'm going to devour this book in one sitting." Standard romance storylines are another example. Sometimes I fling my kindle down in exasperation (literally; I can be melodramatic) because I find a story formulaic and unbelievable; other times I'll set those misgivings aside because something about the story gets me hooked.

So I admit it, I'm a hypocrite. But it makes me think about what it is that makes me able to accept it in some books and not in others. Partly it's about suspension of disbelief, the quality of writing that draws you in and convinces you that something fantastical could be real. And I think that's created by the quirky little details that stop characters and settings being cardboard cutouts. And partly I think it's about knowing what you're writing, realising what you're doing when you write the fantasy stuff that's not realistic and certainly not a how-to guide for novice kinksters.

All of this reminds me of a post by Violet Fenn over at Kay Jaybee's place in which she puts erotica writers in two camps - insiders and outsiders. Insiders who write it because they live it, it's their world and they want to see that portrayed in fiction. And outsiders who are writing for the excitement of what is to them still a forbidden thrill, as well as the, probably misguided, thought that it's where there's a fortune to be made. It's an interesting way to look at things and brings some insights, although as with any attempt to categorise people it's going to have its shortcomings. 

I tend to assume that everyone's going to have at least messed about with a pair of handcuffs at some point, forgetting that actually getting in touch with your kinky side, if you have one (are there people who don't?!?), is a journey people might make at different points in their lives, if at all. But I think that if you haven't ever judged a bed on its anchor points and you suddenly decide to write bondage stories, it's going to show (and you won't make a fortune anyway.) And those are the stories that exasperate me instead of seducing me. 

Going with the Flow

It could be something as simple as the weather or the inspiration of a beautiful landscape. Maybe it's something to do with hormonal cycles. Perhaps random events or unexpected sources of inspiration that you can't recreate, you just have to be ready for. Is it down to having a routine or to stepping out of normality? I'm talking about inspiration, the Muse, the magic that makes the stories flow at times, and stagnate at others. 

If I could grasp that slippery little fucker in my sweaty palms, I'd shove it in a bottle and cork it tight. Purely for personal use, because it's probably different for everyone. But I'd take a sip when I had time to sit down and write and the words would appear magically. Instead, I find that there are times when I have a whole day free and I get nowhere, which is annoying because I might as well have gone for a walk, weeded the allotment or picked up the knitting project that I haven't touched for months. And there are other times when I have a million and one other things to do but the stories won't let me rest until they get out on screen or on paper. 

There's a tonne of advice out there. Some says you should have a special space set aside for writing, perhaps a ritual you go through before you begin in order to let your brain know it's time. And some says you should get out of your comfort zone, go somewhere unfamiliar to write so that you jolt your brain into some fresh thinking. The trouble is, the people who write this advice aren't me and they aren't you and I have a feeling the Muse works differently for everyone. And the double trouble is that I'm still trying to work it out for myself, to put my finger on the conjunction of circumstances that effortlessly produces images in my brain and translates them into words on a page in a way that makes me think, "Fuck yes, this is hot."

What I do know is that there are some stories I slog away at because I think I should write them. Perhaps it's a new sort of writing I want to try, perhaps it's for an editor I've worked with before, perhaps it's a theme I know I should be into. But the words don't come. And I need to recognise when to give up. I have a kind of Taoist, go-with-the-flow approach to life in general and a well-developed sense of the absurdity of taking anything too seriously. Fundamentally, I write because I want to. And while it's not always going to be easy, if writing about kinky sex isn't enjoyable, then something's wrong and it's time to go and walk on the beach instead.

Review: Banging Rebecca by Alison Tyler

Ok, so this story starts out quite standard. The old fantasy of the guy in the band actually noticing the girl who fancies him and them getting it on in an alleyway. From there they move quickly on to satisfyingly kinky sex at his place. And of course, their kinks happen to be perfectly compatible and they understand each other without having to have what I like to call 'The Talk'. It's tightly written, with some well-chosen background details of the Los Angeles night. And it's just fantasy-land enough for me to think, 'well, this isn't very safe, but hey, it's not real.' And it's just realistic enough for me to... well let's say, read on, and leave the rest to the imagination.

So far, so nicely escapist. In an inescapable bondage-y kind of way. Reminds me of the teenage crush I have on the singer from Biffy Clyro; the video for their single The Captain doesn't help - there's rope and flogging and a sort of cage thing below decks on a ship. But I digress. 

Tyler then ups the ante in a scene with a cane. You've got the old 'sub has to count the blows' theme. Well, Tyler reverses the order. Sub counts, then Dom hits. This messed with my head. It's just so different from the standard way of doing things. It's a pretty simple switch, really, but massively effective. It's the sort of thing that, as a writer, you wish you'd thought of already. And as a reader, putting yourself in the heroine's shoes - by which I mean cuffs - it's damn hot. 

So, you've been surprised once as you get right into Rebecca's head while this is going on. And the writing helps you get right there, deep into how she's feeling and what she's thinking. But then things ramp up a gear again. You see, it's the drummer of the band Rebecca's been playing with so far. But there's a singer too, you know. A singer she has a little fling with too. And when the two guys find out... What happens next? I don't want to spoil it. What happens next is very much in keeping with the escapism of the story, riding the edge of believability but just about pulling it off. What happens next surprised me - and believe me, my filthy imagination knows few boundaries. What happens next was off-the-scale hot, unexpected in all the right ways.

Banging Rebecca's a short read; I got through it in the bath. I'm sure there are other activities you could do in the same time frame that don't require the use of both hands. But don't be fooled by the opening into thinking it's just another formulaic casual hook-up story with a bit of dodgy kink thrown in. It's so much more than that. And then some. 


I bought Banging Rebecca at Amazon UK.

August Alfresco!

Today it’s my turn for some outdoor sexiness – in a literary sense, of course. Yes, it’s August Alfresco and I’m here with an excerpt from my tale Penelope’s Suitors, which is the third and final story in my collection Miranda’s Tempest. Details of how you can win a Kindle and £50 of ebooks from Total-e-Bound, or £50 of ebooks from Xcite, are below...

To set the scene, my story is based on Homer’s The Odyssey and tells of Penelope’s 108 greedy, rowdy suitors and her 12 beloved handmaidens. In the original, her husband Odysseus returns from his long wanderings after the Battle of Troy and kills both the suitors and the maids. But in my version, Penelope is advised by the goddess Athena on how to get rid of the suitors by administering a physical test, and consequently save her handmaidens. However, one of the suitors is a little more humble than the rest and in this scene, before he undergoes the test, he confesses how he has spied on Penelope and her women on the banks of a river:

‘And what did you see by the river?’ I asked.

‘Your maids started washing clothes while you sat on the bank and plied your spindle and distaff. I headed into undergrowth, thinking to come back to the path further downriver. But I stopped behind shrubs of juniper and myrtle to watch a moment. Then...’ He paused and I waited. I knew what Leontes had seen. It thrilled me to recall and it even thrilled me to think that we had been secretly watched. To the outside world I was a paragon of virtue and modesty, the long-suffering wife waiting obediently for her husband’s return. And I had indeed waited. No man had shared my bed since my husband’s departure to fight at Troy. But I was far from lonely. The pleasures I shared with my womenfolk kept my spirits alive.

‘Continue, Leontes, I wish to hear you describe what you saw.’

‘Yes, mistress. Your maids began to divest themselves of their garments, casting them aside on the bank. As yet, you only watched as they... as they caressed and kissed each other in the shallows. Then they beckoned to you and came to you to remove your dress. You stood, holding your arms out to the sides, while they undid the ties at your shoulders and the sash at your waist. Your dress fell to the ground at your feet and you were naked. My lady, I know I should not have continued to watch you, but I could not bring myself to move. As I crouched on the dusty ground, my manhood rose beneath my robe.’

‘Did you pleasure yourself while you spied on us, Leontes? You know I ought to punish you for your audacity, but you have not even begun the test yet.’

‘Yes, I stroked my cock until my seed spilled on the earth. I saw your maids lay you down on the riverbank and pleasure you with their hands and mouths. One licked at your sex, while others fondled and nuzzled your breasts, your thighs, even your feet. Another caressed your hair, combing out the tresses with her fingers. I had seen girls kissing before when they thought no-one was looking – serving girls in my uncle’s kitchens. But never had I seen such a glorious display of female pleasure. I marvelled at the bliss on the faces of your maids as they gave themselves over to your joy. I longed to show you such devotion myself. That is why I decided not to leave your household. I hated the thought of you allowing one of the other suitors to claim you, the thought of their vile, grasping hands kneading your smooth skin and their sweating, turgid cocks pummelling where I saw your maids’ fingers so deftly probe.’

My sex was moistening to hear his description. I wondered when this encounter had occurred, when he had first grovelled in the bushes to watch. My maids and I often visited the river on warm days, knowing that path was seldom used. I felt so differently towards this youth than my disdain of the other suitors. The thought of one of them seeing me naked and aroused sent a cold shiver through my belly. But I felt a strange affection for this humble young man and his furtive fascination with our pageant.

‘And so you let yourself hope that I might choose you?’ I said. ‘Why would I choose you when another 107 men vie for my affections, men of greater physical strength than you, greater experience of battle, greater skill with sword and bow?’

‘Because they would not win your affections. Those men hoped to claim you as if you were another spoil of war. They wanted your title and lands. I hold out the hope that I will be able to prove to you my devotion and my eagerness to serve your pleasure. I long to kneel at your mound like one of your handmaidens and mouth you to delicious climax.’

Want to know what happens to Leontes? Find out in Miranda's Tempest from Amazon UK, Amazon.com or All Romance. 

Comment on this post to be in to win one of these fabulous prizes:

• A Kindle and £50 worth of Total-E-Bound ebooks,
• or £50 worth of Xcite ebooks

And be sure to check out all the August Alfresco posts at http://smutalfresco.co.uk and comment on each one to have more chances to win.

All terms and conditions are available at smutalfresco.co.uk and the winners will be announced on 1^st September at the website.

Story news

I think I'm finally safe to reveal that I have a couple of stories coming out in Cleis Press anthologies over the coming months. I have one called Tight Rope Walker in Best Bondage Erotica 2014 edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel. And another of my alter egos, James McArthur, has got one in there called No Strings Attached. 

I'm excited by the cover, which is saying something. With many erotica and romance covers I have to bite my tongue and silently repeat to myself the words: "I must not bitch." Then I go over to the Bad Romance Covers blog for a giggle. But this cover - and, I'm now realising, Cleis' covers in general - does it for me. It has mystery, it has subtlety (which I always have to look up the spelling of), it has rope... The anthology is due out in January. You can preorder it at Amazon or Amazon UK.

I also have one or two coming out in Alison Tyler's anthologies. My tale, Kneading Lessons, features a hot baker in the collection Shhh! Don't Tell Anyone... Erotic Fantasies about Sexy Occupations. And since I've just posted the contract I guess I can also tell you I have one called Doing It by the Book in Bound for Trouble. So expect more book release excitement from me soon.