SimplySxy

Tag: People

  • Interview with the authors of Taken By The Sheikh

    Interview with the authors of Taken By The Sheikh

    SimplySxy: Hi Christina, thank you for taking your time out and for sharing your exciting upcoming project with us. Could you tell us more about Secret Confessions and the inspiration behind this story?


    Christina:     Thank you for having us! My brief for my Secret Confessions heroine was New Age/old money. Willow came to me soon after Escape invited me to join the continuity. She’s been in love with her best friend Seb since she was 17, nine years ago. I had a lot of fun with rose petals in this story (and so did Willow and Seb!)
    Cathleen: Our publisher Escape Publishing gave us the general storyline. I had to write a domme which I found terribly difficult as it is opposite to my nature. Mind you, I could learn from Nella and I think I’ve grown tougher since I wrote her. The dog obeys me sometimes now. Still working on my husband.
    Mel: My storyline is a Cinderella type of story. The wealthy, handsome man who sweeps the penniless waitress and uni student off her feet. She’s the much younger wife in this series who adores her husband as much as he adores her. It’s a sweet romance with hot sex scenes. I loved writing this.

    SimplySxy: Congratulations on Taken by the Sheikh for topping the best seller lists on Amazon UK. We would like to know about the collaboration efforts behind this series. How did the idea of having three novels with different writers come about?

    Christina: I’d wanted to be involved in a boxed set for a while but had no idea how to go about doing it. Then Cathleen contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in a collaboration with her and Mel. The three of us have been good friends for several years and I love their work, so this was a very easy decision to make!
    Cathleen: I really like Mel Tescho’s and Christina Phillips’ work so I asked them to collaborate in a boxed set. Mel was already writing a sheikh story so I said lets run with that. We have come up with other ideas too. Taken by the Biker, Taken by the Highlander, Taken by the Yeti.
    Mel: What Cathleen said! But umm, Taken by the Yeti?? Lol—maybe we’ll do a purple prose book with lots of silly OTT characters!

    SimplySxy: One of the challenges we can think of with having different writers is to keep the story and tone going on. How did Cathleen, Mel and yourself work to put everything together?
    Christina: We worked out the overall story arc and figured out which bits of information needed to be shown in each book, and once we knew where we were going with that it wasn’t so hard to write our own stories. As for the cover, I wanted Henry Cavill 🙂
    Cathleen: For some reason this didn’t seem so hard. We workshoped ideas. Christina is the most romantic of us all so we stuck her in the middle. I have the toughest hero so I rounded the books off, but for the next boxed set we will change places. I think the concept of having three brothers in terrible trouble worked well. Getting the right hero for the cover was the hardest because Mel fancies anemic looking heroes. Fortunately we all had one vote on the cover choice and Christina went my way, which was lucky because Mel’s choice of cover male really needed a good steak.
    Mel: We did work really well together, and our critiques for one another were brilliant in different ways as we all have our strengths and weaknesses. If anything came up we weren’t sure on, or we had a brainwave, we’d email and then agree/disagree pretty quickly. We had to make certain we were all willing to give and take. And I still like my Johnny Depp lookalike cover model …

    SimplySxy: The three of you are also doing Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives. Please share with our readers some insights into each of your individual novels?

    2

    Christina: Willow is the daughter of a beautiful socialite who always manages to make Willow feel inadequate, and an A list Hollywood action movie star. Although Willow’s been in love with Seb for years, there’s a huge obstacle preventing them from getting together. But Seb is nothing if not resourceful!
    Cathleen: My readers have said Nella is the most shocking of the housewives to read. It made me proud and glad I write under an assumed name. I really had to dig deep as a writer to come up with some of the things Nella did to her husband. I think I scorched my eyeballs.
    Mel: Camilla is the young, innocent, gorgeous redhead who is a little too trusting. Her husband, Drake, only wants to protect his wife. The trouble is most of the women in her husband’s circle aren’t so enamored by her.

    SimplySxy: What’s your favourite genre within erotica and why?

    Christina: I’m currently into bad boy heroes. It’s part of the fantasy of taming the beast; that love brings even the baddest boy to his knees.
    Cathleen: I’m really enjoying heroine abduction stories and zombies so long as the zombies are the external conflict and not the hero.
    Mel: I love alpha heroes, particularly a hero with some kind of superpower—I’ve been reading a lot of dragon/phoenix/vampire (paranormal) stories and hope they make a big resurgence soon! I’m working on a paranormal story with a mutant hero.

    SimplySxy: If you could bring one of your characters to life, which one would it be?
    Christina: I still have a real soft spot for the hero of my second historical romance set in Roman Britain. Bren has been through hell and is so tortured I just want to wrap my arms around him and make everything better. I’ve recently had the rights returned to me on this book by Penguin and will be self publishing it (along with the other three books in this series) later this year.
    Cathleen: I want to meet my captain of BASE, a novel I’ve just turned in to Escape publishing. I lived on a navy base for some time next door to a navy mine clearance diver. He had the best body I’ve ever seen and personality to match. Actually the truth is I can’t remember his personality.
    Mel: Definitely my mutant hero—talk about tortured! Also, not many men could carry me in a hurry, but he’d do it with ease …

    SimplySxy: Do you have any unusual writing rituals and how do you get yourself in the mood to write?
    Christina: I don’t think my rituals are unusual, as I need to check my emails before I start writing. Then I need to check Facebook and maybe Twitter. Then I put some lip balm on (this helps me think …) As for getting in the mood, when you have deadlines poking you in the eye you just have to get on with it no matter how much you’d rather be doing something else!
    Cathleen: I have to tire my dog out by taking him to the park, otherwise he slams down my computer lid with his paws, which is really annoying. I also have to go, Where’s the possum,” so he runs around looking for it, which buys me more two-handed writing time.
    Mel: I like to write freehand where there are no distractions. I find at least half of my book is written that way. Also looming deadlines really tend to get you in the mood LOL.

    SimplySxy: There are a lot of aspiring erotica/erotic romance writers who aim to be successful, which usually translates to having a best seller or being nominated/winning an award. What is your advice to them?
    Christina: Read across the genre and also outside it so you’re aware of what’s out there. I belong to RWAus and highly recommend joining a writing organization for the support, encouragement and advice. Consider teaming up with critique partners or entering contests for honest feedback on your work. This not only helps strengthen your writing, it helps toughen your skin which is vital since when you’re published not everyone is going to love your work. And they will let you know…
    Cathleen: Be prolific, work at your craft all the time. If you self publish make sure, you use a good book designer and editor. Be professional at all times. Practise, practise, practise.
    Mel: Don’t just jump in and expect to write a best seller first go around (though this has been known to happen). Most authors spend years honing their craft, entering competitions and joining writing groups like RWA. It’s a HUGE learning curve.

    SimplySxy: A well written and descriptive sex scene is always loved by most readers as it allows the mind to imagine things to the last detail. But erotic novels are surely more than just steamy sex scenes?
    Christina: I’ve always enjoyed writing steamy romance and while I also write erotic romance the key word for me here is “romance”. I find reading a sex scene without any emotional connection between the characters very meh. That doesn’t mean the characters need to be in love with each other. My characters often don’t love each other until towards the end of the book, but there’s always that emotional connection as well as the blazing hot lust. For me, the sex scenes are pivotal to the characters’ growth, and afterwards dynamics between them have changed in some way or another.
    Cathleen: I tend to write romance and erotic romance rather than erotica these days. You still have to have well-rounded believable characters, a goal they are trying to reach, a well thought out internal and external conflict that makes your reader want to read on and a good story. As a writer you are still using all the writing techniques you would for any genre, the difference is when I write a sex/love scene I slow the camera down and put in more detail. Sex itself is not enough. As an author, you have to hook your reader with a compelling story. If it is erotic romance, then the hook needs to have a sexual premise and the sex can happen sooner than in a traditional romance. The couples often have sex then find love.
    Mel: A sex scene without showing the characters emotions is like watching something mechanical unfolding. I’m presently writing a story (Ours to Share) where two women and a man have amazing chemistry at first sight, but translating the sex scene into something emotive when they don’t know one another isn’t easy.

    SimplySxy: A creative mind and vivid imagination can definitely bring a story to life, but there is definitely a ceiling to it. Surely experience between the sheets and in the bedroom is going to help in coming out with these stories?
    Christina: Authors are always going to bring some of their own experience into their books, whether directly or indirectly. And when you need more, there’s the fun of research. For example, I’ve never been in a d/s relationship but that’s something I can research so my characters are authentic. Love and sex are two very primal human needs which make them fascinating to explore and read about, but the imagination is a wonderful thing and doesn’t always have a ceiling.
    Cathleen: My husband is very embarrassing, telling anyone who will listen that he is my muse and while there are certainly some elements of truth in that statement, there is only so much the body can do. You still have to have a compelling story. The lovemaking has to be a plot point, moving the romance forward in some way. You can’t as an erotic romance author write a book full of vanilla sex. You do have to be more creative. Sometimes I do test out the husband guinea pig but not all the time. When writing my Secret Housewife, I wrote scenes I personally don’t find remotely erotic nor did I try out the things Nella did to her husband, so imagination can play a large role. It had to in this case because Nella was plain scary to me.
    Mel: My husband wishes he was my guinea pig LOL. If only he could do half the stuff my paranormal heroes do (gusty sigh)—still, there’s bound to be a grain of experience in every sex scene.

    SimplySxy: Thank you very much for your time and taking the effort to answer these questions.

    Taken by the Sheikh Boxed Set by Mel Teshco, Christina Phillips, Cathleen Ross
    Three desert Sheikhs. Three captive brides…
    Bound by duty to honor their father’s dying wish, three royal brothers must marry their destined brides … by whatever means necessary…

    Book 1: Hostage to the Sheikh ~ Mel Teshco
    Book 2: The Sheikh’s Mistaken Bride ~ Christina Phillips
    Book 3: Sold to the Sheikh ~ Cathleen Ross

    iBooks | ARe | Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | Nook Page Foundry

    Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives

    From the hottest writers in Australia comes a scintillating new series. Enter the world of Sydney’s elite, and find out what goes on behind the doors of the most exclusive addresses in the country…

    Meet the Housewives of Sydney. They are wealthy, elegant, poised, and constantly in the public eye. But what goes on behind closed doors, in the private homes and parties where the cameras and paparazzi aren’t welcome? Delve into the most personal details of their relationships, their friendships and their lives. The only question is: can you handle the heat?

    Nella by Cathleen Ross

    Amazon |  Amazon UK | Kobo | B&N

    Willow by Christina Phillips

    iBooks | Amazon | Amazon UK  | Kobo | Nook | ARe

    Camilla by Mel Teshco

    Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo

    To find out about Christina’s upcoming books, subscribe to her new release newsletter
    To find out about Mel’s upcoming books, subscribe to her new release newsletter

    All images courtesy of Christina Phillips
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  • Interview with Dr Shannon Chavez

    Interview with Dr Shannon Chavez

    CBP-265-EditHi Dr Chavez, thanks for taking the time for us to get to know you better. So tell us, what made you decide that you wanted to be a sex therapist?

    I believe sex is one of the most fascinating and diverse topics that exists and affects every single human being. I also learned from very early on that sex caused the most pain and pleasure in one’s life. There are so many mixed messages about how much one should know about sex, how to behave sexually, and when and how it’s acceptable to be sexual. Sex is how we all got here and becoming empowered and informed around sexuality can change someone’s life forever. I knew I wanted to be a part of this change and to help bring awareness to the importance of sexual health to overall health and well-being. My mission as a sex therapist is to break down the barriers that hold individuals and couples back from experiencing their full sexual potential, help resolve sexual concerns that cause distress and pain, and encourage sexual self-exploration and discovery at any age.

    So what exactly is the mind-body approach which your work focuses upon and how does it translate to the variety of programmes that you offer?

    The mind-body approach that I use incorporates the connection between our thoughts, values, and beliefs around sexuality to our sexual functioning in the body. This approach looks at the brain as our biggest sex organ and how understanding our sexuality helps to alleviate problems we may experience in sexual expression. I use techniques of mindfulness, somatic experiencing, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and sex therapy to create an integrated treatment modality for different sexual concerns. My goal in using a mind-body approach is to give each client a sense of control over how their body functions and to reduce stress, anxiety, and trauma that gets locked up in the body and becomes a barrier to sexual satisfaction. At the end of my work with clients, it is my hope that they feel more sexually empowered, reconnected, and informed.

    Is the Big ‘O’ something that’s crucial for sexual success?

    Every person’s experience to orgasm varies and it is not a crucial factor in experiencing sexual pleasure. My goal for every client is to learn to give and receive pleasure. I want my clients to experience sex as a whole-bodied experience and to not get lost in the focus on performance or the outcome. Orgasm is a reflex and learned response that can be incorporated into treatment for specific sexual concerns, if indicated.

    What’s the most important sex tip you can share with our readers?

    The first relationship you should work on is the one with yourself. Get to know your body, how it works, and what your needs are. This is crucial before you can share and communicate sexual desires with a partner.

    Self-stimulation is also important for sexual health. Break down your taboos about “masturbation” and know that self-stimulation has mental and physical benefits and can improve sexual self-esteem and confidence. Give yourself the pleasure you deserve!

    In your opinion, what’s the most game changing sex toy on the market today?

    I am a big fan of the We Vibe 4. It works great for direct clitoral stimulation, has a new design that can stimulate the internal clitoral shaft, or G-spot, and can be a couple’s device that allows for penetration—with a remote. It has a comfortable fit and is made from 100% medical-grade silicone. Great form, design, and fun for individual or couples play.

    One last question before we close off, how do you define sexy?

    Sexy is all about attitude. I like to think about the word as “sex-e” or “sex educated”. The more we know about sex, the better we feel about our sexuality and sexual expression. Becoming sexually educated and informed creates sex-positive attitudes that can improve confidence, appeal, and awareness.

    All images courtesy of Dr. Shannon Chavez
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  • How My Book Came To Be

    How My Book Came To Be

    There is one thing I’ve done above all else this personal retreat, and that’s: Write!

    This week (Sept 24 to Oct 1), I am on my fourth of four personal retreats in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The intention of my retreat was to meditate, write, read, study and do whatever I fancy – including sleep, except for seeing people.

    What I’ve Written So Far On This Trip:

    1. What I’ve learned about relationships through cats here.
    2. How I overcame my fear of cats here.
    3. How I rediscovered my love for the rain here.
    4. Reflections on Emma Watson’s speech on the F-word here.
    5. What’s in the groceries bag of an Eco-sexual here?
    6. Find out why I cried on the bus on my way up to K.L. here.
    7. Why I am on my 4th week-long retreat here.

    This is pretty amazing, if I say so myself, because it’s been four out of seven days of my retreat – and the most writing I’ve done all year!

    I’ve attained one of my intentions of writing at least one blog post a day, and I’d be attempting to contribute articles onto other platforms after today. I’m learning that writer’s flow as opposed to writer’s block can happen when all distractions such as life is eliminated! Perhaps it’s about catching the updraft!

    On My Writer’s Block

    I am a fast reader but a slow writer. This is a list of books I’ve read so far in 2014.

    I am a slow writer!

    It takes me at least an hour – often a whole evening, to write any one piece. My latest one, 9 Things I Learned About Relationships Through Cats took the whole of this afternoon. That’s about five hours, if not more! The one on hives took me more than three hours (more like five with editing too).

    I’ve discovered myself to be a major procrastinator when it comes to writing. This procrastination to writing works so well that I can accomplish thankless tasks I’ve been avoiding for months – clean out my wardrobe, change the bedsheets, reorganise my filing system (you name it!).

    When I actually sit myself down and get down to writing, it can be painful. I often feel like I am pouring my guts onto the keyboard. I don’t mean answering media questions on the top ten tips, tricks, or techniques kind-of article.

    I meant writing about matters close to my heart, saying things that actually mean something to me, and needing to be written – whether it is my soul seeking to express or to help others. That can hurt – digging up memories, bringing fro emotions, formulating words to my feelings, and giving form to thought.

    2014 09 27 20.27.32 1024x576 How My Book Came To Be This quote comes to mind, and sums up my love-hate relationship with writing:

    “Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a blank piece of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” – Gene Fowler

    So Why Do I Write?

    I’ve already hinted as much above. I write because I need to. It’s my soul seeking to express. It also stems from my belief that what I have to say or share will help another person or several people – when/ if the time comes.

    I recall now how many years ago when I was seeking spiritual guidance on my decision to pursue my sexological studies, I was told that I would help many people to come. And whilst I would help many through in person contact, I was destined to help many more through my writing and other forms of communication. The psychics (I went to more than one) told me that no matter what: I must write.

    So, write, I did. I had no big advertising budget, but I had a fire in my stomache burning from a passion and desire to spread the message of sex positivity. I wrote… and wrote… and wrote, especially in the first two years of starting Eros Coaching, the only sexuality and intimacy coaching company in Singapore, and still the only one of its kind. My writings appeared on as a weekly column on The Online Citizen for a year, then later PublicHouse.sg before I stopped for the past three years.

    My Journey to Becoming a Published Author

    The one-year anniversary of my first book Love, Sex and Everything In-Between will be coming up soon – October. My journey towards becoming a published author came about by a complete fluke.

    I met the publisher of Marshall Cavendish at the book launch, The Last Great Strike by a friend, Clement Mesenas late 2012. Coming out of a difficult relationship, I was at one of the lowest points of my life. I did not even approach the publisher, but left after received my autographed copy of the book and having said all the usual pleasantries.

    Few months later, an esteemed colleague of mine in the United States asked if I knew of an Asian publisher who might be interested in republishing his book within Asia. I looked up the publisher on LinkedIn, found his direct contact, and tried my luck in adding him as “friend” so as to help this colleague. I did not expect that the email response asked if I would be interested in publishing a book! Of course, it had been my dream since before I was a sexologist.

    We met for a tea end 2012, and I received confirmation that Marshall Cavendish was indeed keen to publish my first book. Through 2013, I worked with Managing Editor of Marshall Cavendish, Melvin Neo, who met with me a few times guiding me through the publishing process. We confirmed and edited my past articles which eventually went into Love, Sex and Everything In-Between. He held my hand and went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to my book. Along the way, I came to regard him as my friend.

    As it happened, the first copy of my book was in my hands on my birthday! It was a special one! More on my reaction here (scroll down)!

    2014 09 27 20.27.39 1024x576 How My Book Came To Be

    My Publishing Process

    Through 2013, well-meaning friends and counterparts asked how my book was coming along. They would talk about how lucky I was, coo about how envious they were, and lament how much they ought/ should/ would like to have a book to call their own too. I am not sure where the difficulties they keep harping about laid for me, because my difficult part had already been done – the writing.

    I don’t mean to sound arrogant or be callous about it, but I paid the price of experiencing birthing pains long before my book came into existence. My book came to be because it’s time had come, and it was meant to be born. And I am grateful to have had a smooth and painless delivery.

    Through my involvment as an associate member of Asia Professional Speakers Singapore, I have learned many good practices for not just being a speaker and trainer, but also for aspiring authors. They include:

    For me, the practices that work the best and continue to be: Meditation and Exercise. When I am strong, then everything else gets clear. You may wish to check out my second of three videos in the Jumpstart series talking about the importance of exercise for me here. 

    Let me know if you have any best practices about writing and getting a book published. I really ought be working on my second one!

    Once again, I like to invite you to view my posts:

    1. What I’ve learned about relationships through cats here.
    2. How I overcame my fear of cats here.
    3. How I rediscovered my love for the rain here.
    4. Reflections on Emma Watson’s Speech on the F-Word here.
    5. What’s in the groceries bag of an Eco-sexual here?
    6. Find out why I cried on the bus on my way up to K.L. here.
    7. Why I am on my 4th week-long retreat here.

    This article and all associated images have been republished with permission from Dr Martha Tara Lee.
    Please visit Dr Martha Tara Lee’s website to view original post and more of Dr Martha’s work.

    Feature image courtesy of George Hodan (All-free-download.com)
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  • Dr Martha’s last video for 2014

    Dr Martha’s last video for 2014

    This article and all associated images have been republished with permission from Dr Martha Tara Lee.
    Please visit Dr Martha Tara Lee’s website to view original post and more of Dr Martha’s work.

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  • Interview with Vanessa Ho’s Project X: Advocacy group for sex workers’ rights

    Interview with Vanessa Ho’s Project X: Advocacy group for sex workers’ rights

    uploadProject X is an advocacy group for sex workers’ rights in Singapore. We believe that sex work is work and that sex workers should be treated with dignity and respect. We seek to end stigma, discrimination, and all verbal, physical, emotional, and financial violence against sex workers.
    SimplySxy: You’ve been running Project X for a while now. Do you think the challenges have changed since you first took over?
    ​
    No, I don’t think the challenges have changed. But I would like to highlight one of the constant challenges we face that is quite telling about society’s attitudes towards sex. 
     
    In people’s minds, a sex worker is always gendered female and that there are only two types of sex workers—the nymphomaniacal slut and the unwilling sex slave. The reactions people have towards issues that sex workers face are either “she deserved it” or “oh you poor thing let me save you”. Both of these conceptions reveal how society views sex workers—less than human. To reduce a sex worker’s experience and livelihood to just their sex drive is to avoid seeing that the worker is a human being who has made informed choices about what they wish to do. To view a sex worker as someone pitiful and in need of rescue is to rob that person of their agency and to be blind to the intersectional nature of oppression.
     
    These polar opposites mindsets also uncover another misconception that most people seem to have—that consent (the nymphomaniacal slut) and coercion (the unwilling sex slave) are binary opposites instead of being on a dynamic spectrum.
    SimplySxy: We’re curious, what drives you to do what you do?
     EmpowerExhibit 050614_2
    ​A strong dislike for mornings (I work when the sun goes down), and a strong desire to see an end to human rights violations. 

    SimplySxy: You were in America earlier this year to meet your counterparts from around the world. How was that experience?
    ​It was life-changing. The Third Sector in the United States is very mature as compared to the one in Singapore. The level of professionalism was particularly eye-opening and inspiring. I left the US with a much better understanding of how to run an organization, how to better further the cause, and of course, with a great network of really amazing people–people I wish to grow up to become. ​

    SimplySxy: Today’s generation grew up with the Internet and access to all the information in the world. How do you think we should approach sex education for youths today?

    ​I am a strong believer in talking to youths about sex in an open, non-judgmental, and honest ways. ​If I were to come up with a sex education curriculum (for teachers and parents), I would firstly do away with all euphemisms—no “birds and bees”, no “flowers” or “seeds”. I find it troubling that we were taught to avoid having honest discussions about sex. Words like “vagina”, “penis”, and “sexual intercourse” should be used regardless of what age the person is. I believe that doing so will enable the person to take sex education seriously—to see that it is no giggling matter as youths so often do.
     
    Secondly, I would be careful not to conflate sex with love. There are asexual relationships, purely physical sex, and everything else in between. To conflate sex with love implicitly promotes some kind of “ideal” relationship and pressures people into conforming to it. This inevitably results in the policing of sex and relationships that we see and hear of so often.
    Thirdly, I would remove all fear-mongering material. No sole focus on gory pictures of infected genitals, no videos about abortion, no horror stories about teenage pregnancy. Inculcating an association of sex with fear serves no educational purposes; fear-mongering is a tactic in indoctrination.
     
    My sex education curriculum will also have a heavy focus on understanding consent. At the end of the day, to have sex or not should be an informed choice. And to be able to exercise that agency requires the ability to say yes, no, or maybe depending on the circumstances. Hence, consent is of utmost importance in my opinion.
     
    Education should be about providing students with knowledge so that one can form one’s own opinions, and tools so that they are able assert them. 

    SimplySxy: Thanks for your time Vanessa. Before we go, tell us, how do you define sexy?
    ​I think someone who is sexy is someone who is in touch with their sexual and/or asexual side. It is someone who has had honest conversations with themselves about sex, gender, and sexuality, and is able to have those conversations with their intimate partners. It is someone who knows their boundaries and is able to assert them. And it is also someone who is willing to try new things. 🙂
    photo me2

     Vanessa Ho

     Project Coordinator
    Images courtesy of Vanessa Ho and Shutterstock
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  • Interview with Dave Nunez

    Interview with Dave Nunez

    radio daveAfter interviewing some of the biggest names in porn, SimplySxy turns the table on Dave Nunez, host of Just Guy Talk and Radio After Dark in the US to find out more about his radio shows, his view on sex and the biggest sex tip he’s picked up to date.

    SimplySxy: Thanks for taking the time chat Dave. This has been long overdue. How has it been with Just Guy Talk and Radio After Dark?
    Dave: Everything is going great. We’ve been adding followers/listeners. Both shows are syndicated on a larger network, planetplatypus.com and consistently rank in the top 7 shows.

    SimplySxy: What has been the main driving force behind your shows?
    Dave: I think part of it has been the need for attention and recognition. Everyone loves instant gratification. We don’t always get that in our daily jobs. Also the desire to succeed in an area where I have no formal training.

    SimplySxy: How do you think we can get over this whole hurdle of promoting sex positivity?
    Dave: That’s a tough one. Society needs to be more open-minded and accepting about sex. And it starts with education, for adults and children alike. Adults shy away from questions because they don’t know the answers themselves. They need to seek out the material. Sites like SimplySxy.com provide the content to the public with the articles, blog and sexperts. If they get educated it makes the communication process to their kids easier. Schools should be allowed to teach real sex education. TV, movies and music all reflect sex in some form or fashion. Our kids are influenced by these outlets daily. It will be a long process.
    SimplySxy: You’ve been interviewing some of the biggest stars in the porn. What’s the most important sex tip that you’ve picked up?
    Dave: Don’t try to fuck like a porn star! Actually the best advice came from Holli & Michael the “swinger couple” from Playboy Radio’s “Swing Podcast”. They believe in T.T.L.C., trust, talk, listen and communicate. If you follow these four points with your partner then your sex life should be enjoyable and healthy.
    SimplySxy: So we hear that you started a new site, Blue Streak Radio. Tell us more about that.
    Dave: Blue Streak Radio is a collection of podcasts I’m putting together. My plan is to eventually create a live streaming network from the website that covers adult, sports, comedy, entertainment and women’s topics. So far we have five shows total. I hope to be up and running by Q3 of 2015.
    SimplySxy: One last question before we end off. How do you define sexy?
    Dave: I believe its a confidence within yourself to meet people, socialize and be positive. Also you have to comfortable with your body. We may not all have the physique of those in Hollywood so be happy with physical attributes you do have. If you carry yourself with confidence and poise people will notice. Thanks.
    SimplySxy: Thank you for your time Dave. It’s been great having you to share your thoughts with our readers. Please catch Dave live on Blue Streak Radio.

    Wish to be featured or share your views on SimplySxy? Anyone can do so, simply submit it here at http://simplysxy.com/submissions/

    Image courtesy of Dave Nunez
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  • J.A. Wiśniewska, Erotica Author

    J.A. Wiśniewska, Erotica Author

    J.A. Wiśniewska kick started her foray into erotica eighteen months ago after discovering the site Booksiesilk and decided to try her hand at erotica. Armed with a background in journalism and publishing, she quickly saw success with her three published short stories on Booksiesilk which spurred her on to work on her debut novel, Exploration.

    Recently released, Exploration is a short story compilation exploring the different aspects of sex and human sexuality. Ranging from plain vanilla to more risqué tales, Exploration leads the reader to encounter various characters ever ready to experiment with their sexuality. From a woman who finds her new masseur impossible to resist to a thief who, as punished for his crime, becomes the plaything of the sheriff’s wife, Exploration has been quick to receive a 5 star review on Amazon.

    A European writer who credits Golden Angel and Megalanthropus as her favorite erotica writers, and Joanne Harris, Mark Haddon, Kate Mosse and JK Rowling as her favorite authors, she presently resides in Krakow Poland.

    SimplySxy had the opportunity to sit down with J.A. to talk about the release of her new novel and her thoughts on sexuality and erotica.

    SimplySxy: J.A., tell us more about Exploration and what was the driving force behind the ten short stories.

    J.A. Wiśniewska: Earlier this year I had a couple of ideas for stories and, seeing how easy it was to publish on Booksiesilk, I wrote them and put them up on the site. After quite a few encouraging comments, and then finding out from a friend about how now self-publishing is virtually free and very easy, I decided to give myself the challenge of writing a book. As I am still fairly new to erotica, I found that I was exploring with different aspects of sex and sexuality in my writing, seeing what I enjoyed writing about. And so Exploration was born. The book is a collection of ten short stories, all looking at different aspects of sex, including romance-style stories, masturbation, sex in public and light BDSM.

    SimplySxy: How does the perspective of a fan differ from that of an author in your opinion?

    J.A. Wiśniewska: I suppose authors can be more critical of others’ work. Thankfully I haven’t come across any negative comments when using Booksiesilk, and nor would I write any: just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean someone else won’t. Speaking from a personal perspective, I’m especially critical of a story when there is appalling spelling, grammar and punctuation: I’m a real stickler for it and it really dampens my enjoyment when someone just hasn’t bothered to proofread their stuff or, as it is in some cases, hasn’t bothered trying to write correctly in the first place. Perhaps a fan of the genre who just wants to read a sexy story to get in the mood to have sex with their partner wouldn’t mind something like this, but for me it’s a real sticking point.

    SimplySxy: In your opinion, how has the onset of the digital media and easy access to pornography impacted erotica in the written form?

    J.A. Wiśniewska: There has been both a positive impact and a negative impact, in my opinion. Living in a digital world as we do today means more people can access pornography and erotica: I, for example, would never have started reading erotica if it hadn’t been for the internet. And from conversations I’ve had, with men especially, I think that people are starting to wake up to the fact that erotica in the written form has far more scope for the imagination than visual pornography. I’m not saying pornography doesn’t have its place – it does – but in the written form we can explore things on a deeper level, a more emotional level, than we can with pornography. On the other hand, the large number of free erotica sites – where people can publish their work with great ease – has meant that there is now a plethora of work online, not all of it good. In fact, most of the stuff I read online is pretty bad. A lot of stories have no real storyline, just really badly-described sex. Of course it’s all subjective, and for a lot of people they write for fun and don’t care if other people like it, which is fine. But from my point of view it does make finding stuff I would like reading very difficult as I have to wade through stories I don’t like.  

    SimplySxy: We’re keen to see more works from you in times to come. Are you planning for a next novel? 

    J.A. Wiśniewska: I do plan to do a follow-up book for Exploration with ten more stories; I’ve already started a couple. But the main project I am working on at the moment is a retelling of the story of Janosik, who is basically the Polish version of Robin Hood. In legend, he committed an act of bravery in front of three witches. As a reward they bestowed upon him three powers which aided him in his activities to rob the rich to give to the poor. As an erotica writer I’m having a lot of fun playing around with that. 

    SimplySxy: Thank you J.A. for your time and for sharing your opinions so openly with us.

    J.A. Wiśniewska is available for interviews. For booking interviews please contact jawisniewska83@gmail.com.

    Image courtesy of J.A. Wiśniewska
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