Monday 30 April 2012

Celebrating Indie Week!



Join Terri Giuliano Long for a week-long celebration of indie authors!


“All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.”
–Walt Disney

From April 30 to May 5, author Terri Giuliano Long will be opening up her blog for a celebration of indie authors.  Terri is the author of bestselling novel In Leah’s Wake, and with sales of over 100,000 copies she’s proof that the indie model can work!
Now she’s inviting several prominent authors to share their thoughts on their journey, their favorite indie authors, and what they’ve learned along the way.
The week will include a host of features, from ‘featured authors’, sharing their thoughts and inspirations, to a live BlogTalkRadio call in.  There will also be a live Twitter chat with author Terri Giuliano Long, plus guest posts from influential bloggers and indie promoters.
For a full schedule, please visit http://terriglong.com/blog/celebrating-indies. And don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win a $50 Amazon gift card, plus ebooks! 

Join the celebration!






Tuesday 24 April 2012

Lapiz Lazuli by Leigh Clark


I'm thrilled to be one of the hosts for the blog tour for Lapiz Lazuli - enjoy!  (what a fabulous book cover!)



Lapiz Lazuli – The Leigh Clark Collection
From fetishistic and rough, to sapphic or sweet, this anthology of eight hand-picked dirty stories spans the whole erotica range.
If stories of frantic, sensual lovemaking excite you, Lapiz Lazuli is guaranteed to grab your attention. These short stories explore the sensual delights of sex; whether it is a quick romp in a hallway, the caress of a razorblade, the helpless sensation of rough sex or a furtive public holiday experience, arousing accounts and unabashed tales of kinky sex await!Available from:
*****
Lapiz Lazuli

The day’s first customers were a pair of forty-something women, sisters from the look of them, one heading for the airport after a visit—you can always tell out-of-towners by their clothes. I was still pinning on my ‘Caroline’ badge when they walked in. Nobody calls me Caroline but it’s company policy to have full names on badges—I’m Carrie to my friends, I made their skinny macchiatos and half-listened in to them as I continued setting the counter up for the commuter rush.

“It was lovely to see you,” said the one with the city clothes. “But it will be nice to have the place to ourselves again.”

Out-of-town sister scowled. “I didn’t realise I was such a bad guest.”

“Honey, you’re not. But tonight, me and Tom … well, we want our privacy.” Town-sister played with a chunky lapis lazuli and silver ring on a chain around her neck. She looked good for her age, and happy with it.

Out-of-town smiled. “After six years, are you two still romping?”

“Six years last month and still spending as much time in bed as out of it. Look what he gave me for our anniversary.” Town sister held out the ring.

“Very … pretty.” 

I could tell out-of-town was as unimpressed as me. Cheap gift or what?

“The chain’s platinum,” said townie, looking smug. “But the ring … now that’s the best gift I’ve ever had.”

She so wanted her sister to ask why, and I so wanted to hear the answer, that I nearly asked her myself.

“Why?” said out-of-town.

“Well …” town-girl leaned over the table and I had to strain my ears to hear. “I wouldn’t tell anybody else this, but I’ve always told you everything … I like a little pain with my pleasure. Know what I mean?”

Out-of-town looked puzzled, but I knew what she meant, did I ever!

“You know!” Town-sister blushed. “A little slap, a little bite, something to push you over the edge into …” She put her hand on her chest, fingers splayed, and threw her head back, panting. It was a pretty good impression of orgasm I’ll admit – very When Harry Met Sally. Now her sister blushed and laughed.

Town sister continued, “Well Tom doesn’t like to hurt me, but he sure likes to make me happy, that kind of happy. So this ring, see, with all its bumps and lumps? Well when I wear it around my neck, Tom knows that the same evening I’m going to slide it onto his finger and he’s going to press it against my …” she paused and lowered her voice even more. “… my love button, when we make love.”

Love button! It was all I could do not to laugh out loud. Did people still talk like that? But I looked at that ring, with its deep blue knobbly surface and imagined how cold it must be, and how hard, and my knees became so weak I had to hang on to the counter.

The sisters left, chatting and laughing, and the morning coffee addicts began to roll in, but I didn’t forget what I’d heard.

That weekend I took Doug shopping at the Flea Market.

“What are we doing here, Carrie?” he asked, looking at the stalls. But I’d already seen what I wanted on a table laden with semi-precious stones and costume jewellery. A big ring, with a greeny-grey, nubby, softly-contoured stone that the seller told me was moss agate. It fit Doug’s middle finger perfectly.

Sunday 22 April 2012

Turn me on


Turn me on.

Those three little words…...   

Maybe we are just machines most of the time; detached, robotic, waiting for someone to flick that on/off switch that transforms us into passionate, sexual beings with voracious appetites….

I heard the whip whistle through the air as he brought his arm back, and gritted my teeth as the lash made contact with my flesh.  I was determined not to cry out.
“That’s for keeping me waiting,” he explained.  “Two strokes for every minute you were late.  I think that’s fair.  Don’t you agree?”

 Turn me on is the penultimate story in my collection Kissing Velvet.
This kinky little piece was inspired by the unnamed lover who loved to dominate me and whose orders I loved to follow.  He especially enjoyed pushing my boundaries and seeing the effect that had.  I was never quite sure what he would do next, which was part of the turn on.  Pretty much most of what happened in the story is based on reality; the pain, the pleasure, the whippings, the whisky, the blindfold, the bondage, the oak tree….I’m getting turned on just thinking about it…….I hope it does the same for you.


Wednesday 18 April 2012

Questions and answers


 Last year, I took part in an author event with a fellow writer of erotica and we had reached the point, after our first few readings, where the audience get the chance to ask questions.  Do you write from personal experience?  Where do you get your ideas from?  Do your friends and family know you write erotica? 

We gave our answers and the atmosphere was relaxed and good-humoured.  And then, I got asked the question that I was half expecting but which always winds me up.  I know it shouldn’t, but it still does.  And it often comes from a woman.

“Elizabeth, why do you write for a male audience, from a male viewpoint?”

I took a few deep breaths, as I could feel the stirrings of anger already.  In a prickly voice I replied,  “Are you asking me that because I write about submissive females and dominant males?”

There was an awkward pause.  “Well, erm, kind of, I mean that is a male thing.”

“What makes you think that only men like to read about this?”  I was aware that my tone was aggressive. 

“I didn’t mean it as a criticism.” 

I held her gaze.  “I write about what turns ME on.  I write what I like to read.  And I write from experience.”

I nearly added, “And I have done the things I describe, in mutual love and trust, and it really pisses me off when some women think it’s un-pc for other women to be sexually submissive.  That is who I am.  And when you say these things you are attacking my sexuality, you are belittling it.  You are doubting its validity and existence.”  But the event compere, sensing my anger, hastily moved onto another question, addressed to my much calmer fellow writer. 

I’m 50 now and don’t expect to justify myself like this, but when you write erotica and you are doing author events, I suppose you have to expect this kind of question.  And handle it in a professional way if you want to get asked back.  Perhaps I’m being hypersensitive.

When the event had finished, two young girls in their twenties came over to me and told me how much they love reading erotica about sub females and how the comment that had annoyed me had also annoyed them.  That made me smile.

But I wonder how I will react the next time I’m asked that question.