Author: Lee Rene

Straight Women Love Gay Romance

An interesting phenomenon in the world of erotic fiction is the growth of gay erotic fiction among female readers. Many women, if given the choice between reading straight erotica or gay male erotica, prefer gay erotica; lesbian erotica, however, hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success among straight women. Straight women, unless they have a strong bisexual bent, don’t have an overwhelming interest in lesbian erotica and it continues to be a small niche literary market.

While lesbian pornography continues to stimulate straight males visually and has a huge worldwide audience, most men don’t seem interested in reading spicy Sapphic novels. Unlike lesbian erotica, male on male, i.e. M/M erotica, continues to engage a large following, and entices authors, some male, some female, to write their own novels. Ménage, another popular sub-genre, involves two hunky guys sexually servicing one woman. The sexual situations go far beyond traditional “vanilla” boundaries, and include large amounts of kink and BDSM. Hungry readers gobble it up.

Along with male writers, a number of female authors, including Evangeline Anderson, K.A. Mitchell, Lorelei James, Emma Holly, T. A. Chase, J. L. Langley, and LB Gregg, write gay male erotica and have large female followings. Why you might ask? Blogger, Tori Benson, a straight female reader wrote an interesting post on her preference of M/M erotica over traditional male/female erotic romances. She tired of the trepidation and neuroses that often accompanies hetero works by authors like Sylvia Day, and switched to the gay erotic.

As Benson noted, “My number one reason (for loving gay erotica) is the lack of deep, dark emotional angst. Often when erotica involves a female, there is some sort of dark issue in her past that must be resolved in order for the relationship to progress. Often, the focus shifts to the issue and we spend an awfully long time working on that, and not enough time on the relationship. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t just want meaningless sex. But I also don’t want a storyline that drags me into the abyss with the heroine.”

Writer Evelyn Shepherd, author of several gay romances, recently shared her views on the subject. “The first LGBT book I ever read was Christopher Rice’s A Density of Souls. That was the first time I realized there was an actual market for LGBT. I didn’t have any clue about erotica at that time, because that was back in high school. After a few failed attempts at writing urban fantasy and attempting to get it published, I picked up The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson. After I read it, I decided I wanted to write this. I’m a huge supporter of LGBT rights, I enjoy writing male characters, and at the time I didn’t know of any urban fantasy m/m authors. I thought, well shucks! I could be that author. I really can’t say why women enjoy M/M erotica. I think we all like erotica because it allows us to experience our fantasies (sometimes dark fantasies), which we don’t always have the ability to try. Books, no matter what genre, are an outlet for the imagination. I think the lure of M/M is that it’s something we’ll never have the power to try, and there’s something fascinating about it. There’s also the part of you that wants to see a happy ending for two men, which you don’t always get in real life. Plus, let’s face it, two guys going at it is hot as hell.”

The additional bonus for the female reader of gay erotica? She gets two hot men and possibly more for the price of one.

I’ve recently spoke to author, Jace Payne, author of hot gay erotic romances, is a proud New Englander living in the heart of the south. When other kids were involved in sports and gaming, Jace had retreated into literature. He discovered his love for writing when he entered college. His early works, short stories for class, escalated to a blog, featuring short erotic fiction.

Dark South: Shifter, a novel set in the Deep South, marked Jace’s entry into the world of homoerotic romance. Jace’s passions lie within the world of the supernatural: werewolves, feisty witches, and unpredictable ghosts. If they lurk in the shadows, you can safely assume they will appear in his writing. No creature is safe. Jace set his most recent novel, Equinox, (Secrets of Salem), in his native Massachusetts, and wrote about the mingling of witches and mortals.

The difference between Jace’s work and many writers of paranormal fiction is that he combines the paranormal with explicit gay sexuality. Dark South: Shifter and Equinox (Secrets of Salem) are prime examples of one of the hottest commodities in erotic fiction, M/M erotica. The sexual content is potent, dark, and not for those unaccustomed to novels dealing with ménage and unbridled sexuality. Dark South: Shifter moves deftly from paranormal to erotica and back again. Payne creates a universe peopled with personalities of all stripes and colors, characters that will eventually have their own novels in the future.

Q: You’ve been writing for quite a while. What made you switch from short pieces to novels? What writers do you read?

A: When I had my blog, quite a few of my readers suggested I write a novel. At the time, I was only writing short erotic stories that I posted on a weekly basis. So, one day, I decided to explore the available options in the erotic romance world—which is when I discovered Loose Id.

Currently, my favorite authors are Christopher Rice, Michael Craft, and Dan Brown. Although Brown writes in a different genre, I adore his ability to weave a complex story while maintaining the reader’s attention. Christopher Rice has been writing for many years, but he has just stepped into the world of erotic romance. I applaud him for his willingness to explore something new. He’s done a wonderful job, which continues to inspire me as a writer.”

Q: Every writer has a daily routine – What is yours?

A: My daily routine fluctuates. It’s never the same. However, I never write first thing in the morning. I give myself time to wake up, get this done around the house, and relax. I only begin writing when I feel that I can sit and devote 100% of my attention to the task at hand. Otherwise, I’ll just stare at the screen and get nothing done.

Q: You mentioned a love of the paranormal. Have you written a paranormal novel without elements of erotica? Might one be in your future? A: Not as of yet. The paranormal is my field of expertise, so it’s what I love to explore in my novels. Although this doesn’t mean I will never write a contemporary novel, or one of a different genre. I’ve always been one to branch out and try new things. Keeping myself isolated to a single area is a pet-peeve of mine. I see no reason in limiting myself with so many options available.

Q: Fifty Shades of Grey and e-book reading devices like the Kindle opened the world of erotica for a lot of women. M/M erotica seems to be a huge turn on for straight women. Can you talk to that?

A: Honestly, I think straight women are drawn to the intensity and raw sexuality of M/M erotic romance. It has a unique energy that sets it apart from M/F stories, for obvious reasons. While some don’t understand their interest in gay novels, I think it’s great that they can find pleasure reading stories that differ from what they experience, sexually, in real life.

Q: Which erotic writers do you read? What authors of the paranormal do you prefer?

A: Christopher Rice is my favorite erotic romance author—along with his mother, Anne Rice. In all honesty, even though I write in this genre, I haven’t read very many erotic romance novels. I have read The New Orleans Hothouse, which is a M/F novel by Lee Rene, and love it. The main reason for not reading more of my chosen genre isn’t from a lack of interest. Truthfully, I’d love to discover more erotic romance authors, but most of my time is spent writing. I’m a relatively new author, so I’m still focused on building my own career, which is quite time consuming—but in a good way.

Q: What is your advice to writers just beginning their careers?

A: Start with a positive attitude. You can’t become an author if you don’t believe in yourself. If you want to be a writer, the best thing to do is to write, every day. Also, don’t forget to read as often as you can. I don’t get to read as much as I’d like, yet I still find time to get lost in a book. The more you read, the easier the writing process becomes.

Find out more about Jace at http://www.jacepayne.com/

Follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/thejacepayne

Order Shifter at http://www.amazon.com/Shifter-Dark-South-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00RWGKWYE

Order Equinox at http://www.amazon.com/Equinox-Secrets-Salem-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00WJCXQOO

Image courtesy of Shutterstock
Have an amazing experience or tips you like to share on SimplySxy? Drop us an email at editorial@SimplySxy.com!

June 26, 2015
Interview with Chloe Blaque

New York author, Chloe Blaque, writes non-fiction culture pieces under a different name by day and contemporary erotic romance by night. She populates her novels with smart, career-driven heroines while her heroes are successful playboys who find romance in the most unexpected places. Sparks fly when they crash into love all over the world.

Chloe’s first erotic romance, Survival of the Fiercest, is a multicultural romance set in Chloe’s New York hometown. She followed it with Doing London, a smart, contemporary story that follows the exploits of Joey Vasquez. Joey is the former porn star, Josie Pink who has abandoned her X-rated L.A. lifestyle. Her new life has her selling goods on Great Britain’s answer to the Home Shopping Network, QTV. Joey has left the world of whips and chains and lives by two rules: stay out of trouble and don’t bed celebrities. Her personal edicts fly out window when she meets Italian soccer star, Marco Verazi, the perfect alpha, rich, powerful, sexual, yet loving and emotionally available. Marco throws a monkey wrench into Joey’s carefully constructed world of all work and no play and the fun begins.

Doing London contains elements sadly missing in many contemporary romances, contemporary humor combined with generous doses of social satire. In this era of 24-hour celebrity scrutiny, reality television, the Kardashians, and on-line pornography, Doing London is a spot-on examination of the human consequences of the TMZ, celebrity-driven world. Ms. Blaque does it with sophistication, charm, and skilled writing. “Slut shaming,” sexual psychosis (although the author doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of Joey’s lurid past), and quaking virgins are thankfully absent from Doing London. The reader is left with a delightful take on our modern obsession with celebrity culture done with great style, verve, and refreshing insight.

Q: “Chloe Blaque” is your erotica nom de plume. You write non-fiction under another name and have authored pieces for a number of prestigious publications. What attracted you to erotic romance in the first place?

A: Well, I’ve been reading romance since I was 10 years old. A friend stole Wifey by Judy Blume from her mother and slipped it to me during class. It’s about a woman who is unsatisfied in her marriage. It’s not considered a romance novel, but there are relationship tensions and sexual situations. I couldn’t put it down. When I was finished with it, I went right to the public library of my small town and found myself in the romance section once a week. Historicals were my favorite back then. As an adult, I started my writing journey in non-fiction and penned a memoir. It was rejected over and over again and it was a dark period where I questioned being a writer at all. I needed to step away from non-fiction and write something for me. So I turned to what I loved, romance.

Q: Did the success of Fifty Shades of Grey have a role in your writing an erotic romance?

A: No. I was already working on my first novel when Fifty Shades became popular. I don’t think anyone had any idea what that book would do to the industry. Although I thank E.L. James for bringing the romance genre more mainstream-where prior I feel the genre was treated as a secret guilty pleasure-the buzz actually made shopping my novel around to editors a little tougher. Everyone was suddenly into BDSM, virgins, and billionaires while I was penning career driven grown women who were unlucky in love until they met their equal. I got published in the end, but I was nervous for a minute.

Q: Erotic romance has often been a world of timid virgins or sexually exploited neurotics. Why Josie?

A: Well, as a contemporary writer I like to keep the themes of my novels up to date and we don’t live in a world of timid virgins anymore. Today women own their sexuality and refuse to be slut shamed for it. We like sex. Sex is no longer a mystery or a secret. Due to the health risks, sex is something we prepare our teenagers for with condoms, dental dams, HPV vaccines, etc…it’s like getting ready for war. You have to be informed. Josie is the ultimate sexually active single woman. She buys her own condoms, has a closet of her own toys, and gets tested once a month—which is habit from her years as a porn star. The same can be said for any single women in the dating pool today.

Q: You didn’t leave out the negative aspects of the adult film industry. You must have learned a great deal while doing your research, yet your protagonist remains psychologically healthy despite the abuse of her checkered sexual past. Can you address that?

A: I did a ton of research, so this answer might be long. There is a misconception that anyone who want’s to be in porn has a psychological problem, or had been abused, etc. A lot of my inspiration for Josie’s character came from both Lorelei Lee and Jenna Jameson. Lorelei Lee holds an MFA from NYU, is a writer, and is fluent in four languages. Lee co-wrote the screenplay for About Cherry, a film based on her life about a young girl who becomes a webcam actress and she stars in a documentary called Public Sex, Private Lives. She is truly likeable and her accomplishments give her a healthy dose of self-esteem. Then there is Jenna. I read her memoir How to Make Love Like A Porn Star when it came out in 2004 and just fell in love with her strength. She told it all, from her rape as a young girl to being a stripper to becoming the Queen of Porn. She is a survivor with a “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” mentality. That drive compelled Jenna to be a celebrity in her own right. I composited these aspects for Josie because I needed her to be strong enough to not only leave her controlling boyfriend but also the industry.

Most of that story line is actually in Survival of the Fiercest because Josie is a catalyst of trouble as she is just leaving her abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend rapper Big Skinny. Meanwhile, people always ask me who the inspiration was for Big Skinny. Snoop Dogg, of course! Remember Doggystyle? Snoop put that adult video out in early 2000 and it was actually on the music video charts for a minute.

Which brings me to the state of the industry itself. Although there is still a stigma and a morality issue that is attached to porn and people in porn, we began to see porn stars in rock music videos in the early 90’s, Jenna started her own entertainment company Club Jenna in 2000, and in 2007 Kim Kardashian’s sex tape came out with Vivid Entertainment. It’s not the drug induced misfit industry that it used to be in the 70’s. The line between mainstream celebrity and pornography has become blurred. Today you can’t count how many celebrities have sex tapes out. Kim Kardasian made her name from a widely distributed sex tape. No judgments, but she is technically a porn star. Actually, one could argue that you’d have to be crazier to be on a reality show than in porn.

Q: What was involved in writing a novel about a star in the adult film industry? Can you talk to that?

A: People probably think I watched a ton of porn. I watched some, but mostly I watched documentaries about making porn and about the lives of people in the industry. What you realize first is that porn is a business. When you see girls writhing and coming all the time, it’s a show. They are acting! The reality is that after work they change out of their latex, put on jeans, and go home to their couch. I love this documentary called After Porn which shows former sex workers who left the industry and took on a new career path. One woman became a bounty hunter! I think I expected ex-sex workers to be a mess, but several have healthy relationships and reminisce fondly about their time in porn. What was most interesting is seeing how porn has evolved from magazines, to video, to webcam, to now mobile phones. Porn has lasted longer than some of our big financial institutions.

Q: I loved the chapter when Joey meets a shy Brit and reverts back to Josie. It was an engaging scene and quite funny. Why did you add it?

A: I needed to show that Josie Pink is still learning how to be just Joey Vasquez. That means people liking her for her, not her celebrity. It also means having a real relationship and having real sex with no cameras or a crew involved. And ultimately she fails. The sex worker having a sex fail is a blow to the ego and a challenge that she works on throughout the book. Our hero is very helpful with that. 🙂

Q: What was it like educating yourself about adult videos, sex toys and BDSM?

A: In some cases, awesome. In others, shocking. I attended a BDSM workshop that is specifically for writers. Learning about the relationships between doms and submissives was really cool. We were shown how to use the toys. A woman orgasmed in front of us during a violet wand demonstration. That was awkward. But the “WTF” moments for me were when the painful stuff started happening. A young woman submitted to dozens of acupuncture needles in her back and there was this guy called “The Gynecologist” with all these probes… I’ll leave it at that. The workshop also treated us to a real BDSM club and this is where my inspiration for the dungeon came from. There were back rooms with some live sexual things happening for all to watch. My favorite, which I put in the book, was the carpet guy. Carpet guy rolls himself in a carpet and places himself in front of the bar so you have to step on him to get a drink. He derives sexual pleasure from this. I watched people jump up and down on this guy and his face just twisted in pleasure. I mean, WTF. What was really interesting was the community’s disdain for the BDSM depicted in Fifty Shades. Every instructor communicated their disappointment with Fifty because the book shows BDSM related to sexual deviancy and abuse. Plus true submissives almost never switch to doms and vice versa. So I made a note in Doing London to show that Josie was never truly into BDSM, but she has some beginner toys she likes to play with.

Q: Adult videos and porn stars seem to be an endangered species due to on-line porn sites. In writing Doing London you spoke to people involved in that world. Where do they see it going in the future?

A: Yeah, I have a male friend who used to be in some small time porn. The onslaught of free porn hurt the big businesses that had most of their stock in DVDs and full production films. It’s sad because the professionals are the ones who follow safety regulations. 90% of the free stuff looks like it was filmed in someone’s basement and a lot depicts violent behavior against women. These sites are fueled by advertising and have no qualms posting almost anything. The money these days is in the webcam business, which is usually a subscription service and it’s relatively low cost. And mobile phone availability is a must. There are still a few porn stars left, but the wide availability and saturation has made it harder to cultivate a fan base. Let’s be honest, porn is still a billion dollar industry, but more people have their hands in the pot and to survive you have to keep coming up with new ways to keep people hooked.

Q: You wrote an engaging alpha-male hero, but I noticed you invested him with romance and gallantry, something missing from Joey’s other relationships. In the world of Christian Grey and other Bryonic anti-heroes, what made you go in a lighter direction?

A: Josie needed a compliment in her hero. In my version, she is the Christian Grey who is drawn to a loving soul. And again, I like to keep my stories updated and somewhat realistic. Men are emotional creatures these days. Blame it on Feminism, I guess. As an Italian, Marco is very family oriented and was raised catholic, where Josie comes from a broken home and remembers religion only through memories of her late grandmother. I like to think my hero and heroine learn from each other. Plus women still want gallantry and chivalry. Christian Grey treated Anastasia like a princess; I think that is really what women were attracted to.

Q: Where do you see erotic romance and erotica going in the next few years?

A: It’s only going to increase and I see a lot of the influx from men. Men were reading Fifty Shades to see what their girlfriends were so hyped about and they got a little hooked. I also just read a statistic that said the M/M category is also being read by women. So our ideas of audience are changing dramatically, which means there is more that is untapped.

Q: I understand your next novel is set in Tokyo. Would you give the readers a sneak peek?

A: Well, its still a work in progress but I can tell you that two characters from Doing London will be experiencing the kinky side of the Tokyo sex scene. My research for this one has been insane. Like, my mind is blown by some of the sexy, and not so sexy, things that are happening in Japan for titillation purposes. Oh, and I’m going to address one other thing I found out about the porn industry. For a ridiculous amount of money, you too can have sex with a porn star. You just have to know who to call. I’m having an amazing time writing it. I can’t wait to finish and I can’t wait for you to read it!

Image courtesy of Lee Rene
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June 24, 2015
Fifty Shades of Valentine

Valentine’s Day is traditionally a celebration of cupids, confections, and crimson, but many lovers are moving beyond chocolates and red roses. This year, lovers are looking for a bit of kink along with the romance. E.L. James’s mega-hit, Fifty Shades of Grey, has spawned more than a movie this Valentine’s Day. The unreleased film has already made movie history as the fastest selling R-rated title in Fandango history, supplanting “Sex and the City 2.″ Patrons’ demands have caused theater owners across the globe to offer additional screenings on Friday, February 13^th, a very lucky Friday the 13^th for many.

Those looking for something early might consider The Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, complete with sultry singles by Ellie Goulding, Beyoncé, Jessie Ware, Sia, Annie Lennox and even Frank Sinatra, which will hit stores on February 10^th.

Set the stage with a Fifty Shades of Grey vanilla scented candle in a glass container etched with the words “So Smoking Hot.” The music and the candle should prepare you for a glass of Fifty Shades Wine. Pick white, a blend of primarily Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc, or red, a blend of primarily Petite Sirah and Syrah aged in a combination of new and seasoned French oak barrels. Author E.L. James’s signature embosses each bottle.

After the music, wine, reading and lube, Vermont Teddy Bear has come up with a memorable gift. Described as “daring, passionate, exciting next-to-skin touch with silky, smoky Grey fur; smoldering Grey eyes; a handsome grey suit and silver tie. He even comes with a mask and handcuffs.”

Perhaps you’re not a fan of Fifty Shades of Grey, because let’s face it, not everyone is. I have rounded up a group of books so intense and erotic, you will fall upon the first surface you find and have a nice go at it with the partner of your choice. Heck, with a couple of these steamy reads, you may want more than one partner.

My personal favorite erotic series is The Stark Trilogy by J. Kenner. Everyone could use a little Damien Stark in their lives.

Title: Release Me
Series: Stark Trilogy #1
Author: J. Kenner

Blurb:
For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes an erotic, emotionally charged romance between a powerful man who’s never heard “no” and a fiery woman who says “yes” on her own terms.

He was the one man I couldn’t avoid. And the one man I couldn’t resist.
Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident, and commanding: Anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me.

Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressures of his demands.
Submitting to Damien meant I had to bare the darkest truth about my past—and risk breaking us apart.

But Damien was haunted, too. And as our passion came to obsess us both, his secrets threatened to destroy him—and us—forever. Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Title: Bared to You
Series: Crossfire #1
Author: Sylvia Day

Blurb:
“Full of emotional angst, scorching love scenes, and a compelling storyline.”—Dear Author

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness…

He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I’d never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily…

Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other’s most private wounds…and desires.The bonds of his love transformed me, even as i prayed that the torment of our pasts didn’t tear us apart…

Title: Hardwired
Series: Hacker
Author: Meredith Wild

Blurb:
Determined to overcome a difficult past, Erica Hathaway learns early on to make it on her own. Days after her college graduation, she finds herself face to face with a panel of investors who will make or break her fledgling startup. The only thing she didn’t prepare for was going weak in the knees over an arrogant and gorgeous investor who seems determined to derail her presentation.

Billionaire and rumored hacker Blake Landon has already made his fortune in software, and he’s used to getting what he wants. Captivated by Erica’s drive and unassuming beauty, he’s wanted nothing more than to possess her since she stepped into his boardroom. Determined to win her over, he breaks down her defenses and fights for her trust, even if it means sacrificing a level of control he’s grown accustomed to.

But when Blake uncovers a dark secret from Erica’s past, he threatens not just her trust, but the life she’s fought so hard to create.

And now I’d like to introduce two authors who I was reading well before the post E. L. James Erotica Boom hit.

Maya Banks Sweet series stole my breath and my heart, usually at the same time. This series, specifically, revolves around a group of friends all looking for some sort of love. Some wish to dominate, some are submissive, there’s a bit of sharing here and there, and then there’s just some plain Jane, vanilla, sweet, home-grown love that still burns hot in the sack. Maya Banks has several different series, the Sweet series being the only one I’ve read, but I’ve heard amazing things about her KGI series.

Title: Sweet Surrender
Author: Maya Banks
Series: Sweet Series

Blurb:
Under Faith Malone’s deceptively soft exterior lies a woman who knows exactly what she wants: a strong man who’ll take without asking—because she’s willing to give him everything…

Dallas cop Gray Montgomery is on a mission: find the guy who killed his partner and bring him to justice. So far, he’s found a link between the killer and Faith—and if Gray has to get close to her to catch the killer, so be it.

Faith is sweet and feminine, everything Gray wants and desires in a woman, but he suspects she’s playing games. No way would she allow a man to call the shots in their relationship. Or would she?

Faith sees in Gray the strong, dominant man she needs, but he seems determined to keep her at a distance. So she takes matters into her own hands to prove to him it’s no game she’s playing. She’s willing to surrender to the right man. Gray would like to be that man. But catching his partner’s killer has to be his first priority—until Faith is threatened and Gray realizes he will do anything to protect her…

Opal Carew is a writer who takes risks. Her erotica is no holds barred and not for the weak of heart. I’ve read a few different books by her and always end up loving them, but the amount of times my jaw drops usually reaches uncountable proportions. Her women are strong, and even though they don’t always know what they want until they get it, they always end up in romances perfect for their needs. She is an author I would advise only reading if you’re open-minded and you enjoy a steamy read, because I promise there will be steam.

Title: Swing
Author: Opal Carew

Blurb:
It all started with an innocent request…Melissa’s friend Shane asked her to accompany him on a business trip to an exclusive resort. But The Sweet Surrender is no ordinary vacation spot–it’s for men and women who swing. As Melissa mingles with the other guests and discovers the resort’s fantasy rooms, she’s tempted to explore her naughty side and live out her most sinful fantasies—but she isn’t prepared for the storm of desire that awaits. She soon finds herself torn between two men, one of her oldest friends and a handsome stranger who belongs to another. Both men bring her the most exquisite pleasure, but which man will win her heart?

Her work has been described as “scorching,” “intoxicating” and “brilliant,” and this is Opal Carew’s hottest novel yet. Visit The Sweet Surrender and sample its decadent pleasures for yourself…if you can take the heat.

Can you take the heat? With excerpts from one or all of these books, you and your partner are guaranteed a good time. Also, let’s not forget those without Valentine’s Day dates. Grab that glass of wine, one of your favorite pleasure toys, a before mentioned book, and crawl under the covers for a sexy night for one. Who knows, you may very well have a better time than your friends who are out on dates. You won’t disappoint yourself.

Images courtesy of Francesca Miller
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February 10, 2015
Sexy Reads – The New Orleans Hothouse

Excerpt

The barkeep placed ten golden coins on the counter and smiled. “I think you need some relaxation, Mr. Rothstein. A young lady is working the peep show tonight, just for you. It’ll be worth your while, sir. She’s a real beauty, and I swear nobody will watch the two of you.”

I took another sip of my scotch and pushed the glass back to the bartender. “Why not, I got time to kill.” I scooped up the coins and rose from the stool. He pointed to the curtain. “All the way in the back, behind them beads, Mr. Rothstein. The two of you will be alone.”

I strolled over to the curtain, parted it, and walked into a labyrinth of dark corners and empty corners. The freaks had deserted the place, and except for a dribble of what looked like cum on the floor, no one would know about the strange happenings. Silence shrouded the place. No moaning or groaning, grunts or screams. No poor sap going through the motions of having sex with his drunken girlfriend on stained mattress. Otis had painted over the squalor and mopped the floors, leaving them pristine and devoid of semen except for that one spot. I looked down at my wristwatch with a sigh. It would be another fifteen minutes before I met with him.

I stumbled through the dim light. Someone had lit votives to light my way, a polite gesture wasted on me. When I finally reached the darkest part of the club, past the last room, I saw a glass-fronted booth illuminated by a single light bulb. A young woman perched inside. My mysterious date. I couldn’t make her out very well since a mane of glossy black hair obscured her face. When I moved closer, my heart lurched and my head began pounding like a base drum. Yvette sat alone behind the glass.

I hadn’t been wrong about her beauty. Even in the booth’s harsh light, she looked as stunning as she had in her skimpy outfit at the Mason-Dixon Line. Now I could really see her, and she more than passed muster, a voluptuous girl of about nineteen with flawless skin. Yvette sat on a red pillow like a beautiful spider in a glass nest, ready to ensnare some poor sap into her web. Instead of wearing a cheap cocktail dress like the women in the bar, she’d covered her curves with a crimson silk kimono tied at the waist.

What she was doing in a dump like the Lucky 13 mystified me, but my stiffening cock told me the reason didn’t matter. I found myself standing in front of her.

She looked up and we stared at each other for at least a half a minute. Her eyes suddenly flashed, and I knew she hadn’t forgotten the matter of me putting my hand down her dress. A few more bucks should handle it.

“Hey, beautiful, I’m stuck in this shithole with time to kill. The bartender said folks in New Orleans do their best for guests and you’d show me something good. What you going to do for me?”

Yvette didn’t say a word, just stared back at me for a long moment. She finally spoke in deep and smoky tones, possibly from one too many cigarettes, but maybe not. Her teeth were pearly white, her hands free from nicotine stains.

“I could do a lot for a pretty boy like you. I bet your dick is as beautiful as the rest of you. Unzip, daddy and show me what you got.”

What the hell? Who did she think she was? I thought hookers were supposed to be polite. When her beautiful mouth widened into an insolent grin, I felt my anger bubble over.

“Pull out my cock? You want me to beat my meat? Screw you. On the worst day of my life, I could do better than you.”

Yvette sat back in her cushion. “Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you aren’t very polite, especially when a girl is just trying to be friendly. But I’ll forgive you. You look upset. Poor baby, let me make you feel better. C’mon. Don’t be a chicken. Show me your dick.”

“Fuck you, bitch.”

Yvette opened her robe just as I turned away. “Hey, pretty man. Look at this.” She pulled back the crimson silk, slowly parted her legs, and exposed the treasure her creamy thighs concealed: a beautiful rose-colored pussy nesting in black hair. I usually went for chilly beauties, but Yvette’s earthy brazenness excited me. My rod stiffened and pointed at her. My arousal would have been obvious to a blind man.

Her voice teased me. “Daddy, are you still mad at me.”

I couldn’t pull myself away. “No.”

Yvette gave me an earthy cackle. “You were mad. Those eyes of yours flashed amber like you were going to explode.” She gave a toss of her head and smirked. “I’m ready to play and from what’s poking out of your trousers, so are you. Come on, baby. Don’t be afraid. Show mama what you’ve got.”

She licked her full lips when I unbuckled my belt, but before I could unzip my fly, a crimson curtain descended, and she disappeared from view. I yelped in frustration, dug in my pocket for one of the coins, and dropped it into the slot. The drape ascended. Yvette sat back on her pillow, grinning.

“Well, hey, daddy, you still here? Guess you didn’t find something better, did you?”

Yvette put a finger to her mouth, parted her full lips and gave it a slow, sensuous lick. She moved her hand southward, toward another pair of lips. I couldn’t contain myself and unfastened my trousers. They fell around my hips along with my shorts. I grabbed my cock and stroked the shaft. Yvette stared at it for a long moment.

“Well, daddy, you got a pretty one, all big and pink. I like it, sugar.”

Big dicks ran in my family. “Yeah, that’s what they say about us Rothsteins. Big dicks, big wallets.”

“And I bet you love showing both off to all the young ladies. Don’t you, handsome?”

Her grin widened as she slid her moistened finger in a circle around her pussy lips and undulated her hips, the movements slow and deliberate, her voice growling a low moan.

“Daddy, play with that bad boy for me, but do it slow. I like it slow Real slow.”

I groaned and moved my hips in rhythm with hers as if I was inside her.

Purchase The New Orleans Hothouse here at http://www.loose-id.com/the-new-orleans-hot-house.html

Image courtesy of Loose Id
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January 1, 2015
Interview: Betty Dodson

Artist, sex-educator, writer, and feminist, Betty Dodson originally began her career as an artist. In 1968, the Wichita-Kansas native entered the sexual arena with the first one-woman show of erotic art held in New York at the Wickersham Gallery. Three other exhibitions followed and in 1973, Dodson produced and presented the first feminist slide show of vulvas at the 1973 NOW Sexuality Conference, New York in which she introduced the then revolutionary idea of an electric vibrator as a pleasure device. She next went beyond the art world with her groundbreaking book, Liberating Masturbation: A Meditation on Selflove which became a feminist classic. Her subsequent work, Sex for One: The Joy of Selfloving, sold over a million copies and became a mainstay in some feminists’ circles.

Sex for One is in part, a memoir of Dodson personal journey for a healthy sexual self-image. The book also utilized her provocative and powerful images of couples making love, individuals exploring their bodies and close-up drawings of vulvas. In 2002, she published Orgasms for Two, a work embracing partner sex. Most recently, she released My Romantic Love Wars: A Sexual Memoir, an e-book which details her experiences with America’s Sexual Revolution, the women’s movement and her feminist sexual activism with bodysex groups that she conducted over a span of 25 years.

Dodson has spent decades helping women and men understand that self-love is both healthy and beautiful and a portal to sexual freedom. Her work with sex-positive feminist, Carlin Ross, encompasses every aspect of female sexuality and continues to attract legions of admirers.

Betty’s Artwork

Francesca Miller spends 15 minutes with world renowned sex educator, author and artist, Betty Dodson to discuss her career and views on erotica today.

Q: A Women’s study class introduced me to Sex for One and I still have my original copy. Can you talk about the early responses to Sex for One?

For some, I was their favourite dirty joke, but many others appreciated my honest approach to a taboo subject.

Q: How has your work been greeted by the religious community?

Ignored as you might expect.

Q: There seems to be a generational divide between women and masturbation. Younger women and teens seem to embrace it along with sex toys and pornography, while older women still have issues with it. Can you speak to that?

Since I answer questions from girls and women the world over, I have to disagree with your assessment. Far too many continue to believe they will get their orgasms from Romeo’s penis once they find Mr. Right and “fall in love.”

Q: You are the first woman to refer to yourself as a sex-positive feminist. Can you discuss your brand of feminism versus what some consider traditional feminism? Have you noticed a change in the way other feminists respond to your work?

I can’t take full credit for that term. In the 80’s I joined an academic group of women who wanted to counter WAP (women against pornography) by creating FFE (Feminists for Freedom of Expression). Neither group lasted that long. However, I continued to use the term “Sex Positive Feminists” in my articles while others dropped it.

Unfortunately many feminists feared the subject of sex as a divisive topic. It took me 40 years of teaching women how to have orgasms with masturbation to finally enter mainstream feminism. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Q: In your workshops, you invite women to look at their vaginas and embrace their beauty. I’ve noticed that some women have their vulvas surgically transformed to fit the image of adult film actresses. I live in Los Angeles and have even ads on the radio for cosmetic vaginal surgery. Can you talk about it?

I didn’t have women looking at their “vaginas.” That’s the birth canal and we would have needed a speculum. Instead we viewed the outer form of the vulva to see we were all different and also quite beautiful.

Since women are so insecure, they see their boyfriends masturbating to porn and they imitate what they think men want. Most porn stars not only get their inner lips trimmed but they also have breast implants, liposuction, laser treatments and numerous other procedures to look good on camera. Labiaplasty is just another way plastic surgeons make money from foolish women trying to please men.

Q: The popularity of erotic romances like Fifty Shades of Grey has led many women to self-pleasuring and “battery-operated-boyfriends”. Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey? What do you think of literary erotica?

I enjoy well written erotica. However Fifty Shades was poorly written and it did the SM community a disservice. This subculture is always clear about consent and boundaries. Fifty Shades was the ultimate in romantic crap that we might call female porn.

Betty Dodson is a pioneer in women’s sexual liberation and has for more than 30 years been conducting workshops to help women (and occasionally men) overcome their reservations with their sexuality. An accomplished author, Betty’s first book Sex for One has sold more than a million copies.

April 25, 2014
Old School Erotica in Modern Times

The mega-success of E.L. James’s erotic trilogy, Fifty Shades of Grey not only spawned a plethora of imitators, but also sparked interest in old school erotic works like Story of O and Anne Rice’s infamous Sleeping Beauty trilogy. Detractors of James’s writing style noted the repetitions, literary clichés, the protagonist’s inner voice, and her awkward attempts at American slang. Most ignored the obvious appeal that a highly sexed, but monogamous romance held for female readers and waxed nostalgic for the golden days of good old sado-masochism – case in point, Story of O.

Anne Cécile Desclos, a French author, translator, editor, and journalist best know by her penname, Dominique Aury, published Story of O in France in 1954. Despite the French reputation for a permissive attitude toward all things sexual, Histoire d’O with its scenes of torture, group sex and humiliation, forced Aury to write her novel under still another pseudonym, Pauline Réage. In fact, Aury, the mistress of intellect and critic, Jean Paulhan, didn’t reveal herself as the author of the dark tale until 1994. It would take years before writers of female erotica felt comfortable walking into the international media spotlight.

Even Paulhan who wrote the preface, took pains to distance himself from the work and claimed not to know the identity of the writer. Why? Perhaps Paulhan realized how polarizing Story of O’s view of female sexuality was, especially in a period following World War II when feminist authors like Simone de Beauvoir were finding an audience. Story of O is distinctly not a feminist work; in fact, the novel came about because an aging Aury feared her married lover’s interest in her had waned. “What could I do? I wasn’t young, I wasn’t pretty, it was necessary to find other weapons.”

Paulhan, an aficionado of the works of the Count de Sade, had declared that a woman couldn’t write a work that equaled de Sade’s. How wrong he was. Aury saw his comment as a way to not only win back her lover, but also prove him wrong. She penned a novel of ultimate female humiliation which included no-nos like whipping, oral and anal sex, forced copulation, branding and labial piercing.

Aury didn’t slowly introduce her heroine to the world of BDSM, she immersed her into it almost immediately. The reader meets the beautiful O in a Parisian park in autumn. Her lover orders her into a taxi where he orders her to strip and delivers O to a mysterious castle where the protagonist’s tale of torture and sexual subjugation begins. Aury wrote the novel in the third person and weaves between the past and present tense. The author didn’t give her protagonist a back-story, didn’t break down O’s psyche, and didn’t even give her a first name. The writing was minimalistic, with little of the sensory detail modern writers include in their novels. Still, the sex scenes were much too hot for the button-down fifties and still shock today. When Grove Press finally published the novel in the United States in 1965, even the male translator used a pseudonym, a female one at that.

As a modern reader who likes erotic romances, Story of O was a bit hard to swallow. Aury did not write her novel as a romance or as a treatise on S & M, it is a masochistic sexual fantasy replete with whips, chains, and masks. Unlike modern works of erotic romance, O was not supposed to enjoy the encounters and, as one of the characters notes to another, “You have to get past the pleasure stage, until you reach the stage of tears.”

I found myself wincing rather than enjoying O’s many carnal encounters. They never seemed to bring her joy or pleasure. Although I had my own issues the scenes of bondage and emotional and physical punishment in Fifty Shades of Grey, unlike Story of O, I never felt the heroine was in danger. The fact that the Byronic hero, Christian Grey, found himself falling in love with his sub, the virginal Anastasia Steele, changed the emotional dynamic. The novel’s main conflict was Christian’s persistent attempts to dominate Anastasia and unlike Story of O, the protagonist is the victor. By the second Fifty Shades book, the characters had changed places, the sub becomes the dom and the power passed into her hands, a major reason that Fifty Shades of Grey appealed to so many readers. While Story of O continues to elicit interest from some quarters and artist Guido Crépax’s turned it into a graphic novel, the novel is still very much a work of another time and place.

February 25, 2014
50 Shades of Uber Fan-Fiction

Whoever would have guessed that a chaste Young Adult romance written by a sober, non-smoking Mormon housewife would ignite the erotic romance world and spawn the best-selling novel in literary history? The tale of a virginal high schooler who falls madly in love with a handsome and mysterious teen only to discover he is a vampire, ignited erotic literature, namely erotic romance. This popular literary sub-genre owes a great debt to Twilight, the virginal heroine and an alpha-male character named Edward Cullen.

While Twilight didn’t involve sex, its plotting and intense romantic elements have served as the template for several erotic best sellers that first saw the light of day on fan fiction boards; Sempre by J. M. Danhower, Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren, Sylvain Reynard’s Gabriel’s Inferno, The Dark Heroine by Abigail Gibbs, and most famous of all, Fifty Shades of Grey, E.L. James’s publishing phenomenon.

Twilight won the hearts of countless teens primarily because of the male love interest. The author, Stephenie Meyer, created Edward Cullen, a monogamous Byronic alpha-male who becomes obsessed with the female protagonist from the moment he sees her. Bella, the protagonist, imprints her very being on Edward’s soul and he adores her to the point of not wanting to live without her. As therapist Sari Cooper noted in a 2012 series of lectures about Fifty Shades of Grey, “The experience of being desired is a huge erotic trigger for women. It’s the experience of being that special someone. There is no one else in his eyes. He only has eyes for her. She is the one he longs for. It combines the erotic with the sensual. Being desired is such a turn on for women.”

Being desired was the key component that made so many teens and adult women adore Twilight’s Edward Cullen, the troubled teen vampire and his relationship with the protagonist, Bella Swan. The author of Twilight, Stephenie Meyer made seventeen-year-old Edward outrageously handsome, powerful, brilliant, well-traveled and sophisticated. On the other hand, her protagonist, Bella Swan, was an ‘every girl,’ lacking in grace, charm or social skill. In the novels, Bella’s klutziness became an endearing trait, something that didn’t transfer to the screen, an average girl that many teens could identify with. Twilight gave real meaning to the phrase, he’s into you. Bella had a beautiful lover who adored her to the point of obsession and yet, she never had to put out. Teens adored the novels as well as their mothers, who gave thanks that Bella and Edward’s relationship, though passionate, was a non-sexual one.

However, the emergence of fan fiction, or be more specific, uber fan fiction changed the way some viewed Twilight’s chaste characters Writers define uber fan fiction or uber fic as a story that takes the essence of the characters and places them in another time, another place, or another reality. The uber characters do not have the same names and do not have to be mirror images of the canon characters. Sometimes they are descendants or reincarnations; usually they resemble the originals physically, and they share the same type of bond.

Of course uber fan fiction can be devoid of sex, but the most interesting married fan fiction with erotic fiction, a sometimes uneasy union. Erotic fiction embraces the forbidden. Works like The Sexual Life of Catherine M., The Story of O and Anne Rice’s infamous Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, which outsold her mainstream success, Interview With a Vampire, are filled what E.L. James called kinky fuckery: floggings, brandings, BDSM, multiple partners, rampant bisexuality, but without romance. Uber fan fiction changed that.

Though James was not the first to blend the story-structure of Twilight with the carnal, she was the most vocal about the debt she owed to Twilight. “Well, it all started way back in the day when I saw Twilight, the film, and I loved those books. I could not put them down, absolutely avidly read the books. This switch was flipped. I had to write, started writing, wrote a novel, then I discovered fan fiction. I wrote about Edward and Bella and then decided to write about Christian and Anastasia. I took the fan fiction, and a friend of mine re-wrote it and I thought, if he could do it, so could I, and now I am here.”

Indeed, James is here! Her work controversial work has sold over 70 million copies worldwide, made women everywhere, from student to soccer mom, examine their erotic lives and brought sexual experimentation to the mainstream. Writer, Charlotte Rose, attended a lecture that Cooper delivered at the Washing Square Institute in 2012. Cooper’s entitled her talk, “Fifty Shades of Grey: What You Can Learn about Sex Esteem from the Bestseller,” and noted ten erotic triggers written into Fifty Shade of Grey and incorporated into other erotic romances.

1. Powerful hero.

“He is dark, mysterious, and possibly dangerous – a total Alpha male. He’s wild, dangerous, and unpredictable. Being with him is like a rollercoaster ride.”

2. Awakened Heroine.

“She is innocent, the yin to the yang of Christian Grey. She is a young woman awakened by this man who knows a lot more. “

3. Christian Grey uses all the senses – taste, touch, sight, scent, auditory.

“For example, Ana is always talking about how he smells and he about her scent. He also consciously uses these different triggers to arouse her.”

4. Music is huge part of it.

The many musical moments in the book inspire erotic or emotionally charged encounters.

5. He appeals to her psychologically.

“He sends signals to throw her off balance, such as his first gift of the collector’s edition of Tess of the d’Urbervilles. He attaches a quote from the book that says there may be danger waiting. It creates more intrigue for.”

6. There is stimulation of all the erogenous zones and multisensory anticipation. “Christian does it with such expertise, and so much foreplay, with plenty of time to get Anastasia ready.”

A. Primary erogenous zones. Genitals and breasts.

B. Secondary erogenous zones: Earlobe, neck.

C. Tertiary erogenous zones: Feet, arms, scalp.

7. BDSM.

“The book has opened up the door into things people may not have considered before. In Fifty Shades, Ana has many fears about being hurt, but when she is in the red room of pain she is not just in pain—she is in a state of arousal beyond what she would normally feel. Sexual arousal sometimes involves working with negative emotions such as fear and anxiety. It’s the experience of being on a roller coaster that enhances the state of arousal.”

8. Love.

“Ana pushes for ‘more’ than being his submissive and he ‘tries’ because he will do anything to keep her. He’s only had subs [submissive female partners] before, women that he has controlled, and he is pushed to his hard limits by Ana who is demanding more. That’s what people love about the book. They want the romance, the emotional tension. Will it work out for them? They want to know!”

9. The experience of being desired.

“This is a huge erotic trigger for women. It’s the experience of being that special someone. There is no one else in his eyes. He only has eyes for her. She is the one he longs for. It combines the erotic with the sensual. Being desired is such a turn on for women.”

10. He’s loyal.

“At first we are not sure if we can trust him. She talks about his ‘stalker tendencies. ‘What wins Ana over, and wins the reader over, is he’s very loyal. And when she needs him, he’s there. I think it works because women can feel the fantasy of having that danger, with the security of having a good relationship.”

With the exception of items 6 and 7, we can find these same elements in Twilight, the book that started it all. Though I named a few fan-fiction titles, more pop up daily.

December 23, 2013