Wanton Words has a new Facebook Page!

Do check out the fabulous Wanton Words and Burlesque Bombshells Facebook page where you can find out all the news and gossip about our upcoming shows.

https://www.facebook.com/WantonWordsBurlesqueBombshells

Next show is Saturday 2nd February - the girlie special!

Re-invention and Erotica Writing with Chantel C

Today you'll find me over with the lovely Chantel C at the brilliant One Honest Writer doing a guest post on how watching a man pissing against the wall started my erotic writing career (don't ask!). 

Check out my revelations here:
http://chantelc.com/2013/01/09/guest-post-by-elizabeth-cage/

The post is called Re-invention and Erotica Writing.  

Janine Ashbless: Sexy Stories - Fiction That Turns Me On

Today at Kissing Velvet Towers, I'm delighted that the wonderful Janine Ashbless is taking the reins with her guest post for Sexy Stories: fiction that turns me on, in which she explores Something Dirty.... 

It’s actually really hard for me to read other people’s erotica without my inner writer taking over – analyzing the vocabulary, noting whether the editor has enforced a Safe Sex policy, making notes about details of the action. I am a hard reader to please – you have to do something special to get me out of my analytical headspace.  

When asked to write about a Story That Turned Me On, I went to an anthology I bought years back – Luscious edited by Alison Tyler and recently re-issued by Cleis Press with a lovely new cover. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Luscious-Stories-Anal-Eroticism-ebook/dp/B0073SY9JU/.  

It’s a strong anthology full of well-written stories all themed around anal sex, which has been one of my favorite erotic topics for a few years now (I do love anal in real life, but the fact is, you don’t need to have ever tried a sexual practice to enjoy reading about it).

The particular short story I return to is called Something Dirty by Erica Dumas. It’s quite simple in terms of plot – a female bartender in an upmarket bar hooks up with a client she fancies, he takes her for a ride on his motorbike, parks up in the middle of nowhere and they have sex over the seat of his bike – yes, awkward and uncomfortable, but very hot. It has a happy ending in that it definitely suggests that this may lead to an ongoing relationship. It’s well-written, particularly in conveying the narrator’s overwhelming but nervous desire, which I totally empathise with (I never can suspend disbelief for sex-with-a-stranger stories where the woman isn’t scared that this is a colossal and potentially dangerous mistake).

“The yuppies left, I introduced myself and felt a shiver go through me as I felt his firm handshake; imagined that firm grasp spinning me around and shoving me against the bar, pulling down my stretch jeans and entering me in the filthiest way a knight in shining armor could. His name was Trey. I wanted Trey to fuck me in the ass.”

Which he does, eventually. Hurrah!

Anyway, why this story in particular, out of this book? It’s not just the fact that for me it hits an authentic and believable note in conveying female horniness. Or the thoroughly satisfying sex scene. It’s the description of scary goateed biker Trey.

“He wasn’t your classic Hell’s Angel, which in any event would have scared me off and prevented me from making a come-on. He was a computer-programmer, probably, or an advertising executive, maybe even a doctor. On Monday he would put on a pin-striped suit or a white coat or a Holy Grail T-shirt and fit right in with the rest of his yuppie pals at work, making enough money that he just had to spend it on a Harley … If I’d worked in a real biker bar, he would have been one of the clean ones. But here at Amistoso’s, he was dirty. Filthy.”

It’s like the author is leaning out of the book, pointing a finger at me and laughing. I just have to laugh along, blushing. Because she’s hit the nail on the head for me, if not for anyone else: I like a bloke who looks rough and wild but is actually really smart and well-educated under that. I’m sorry … it’s just the way I am. It’s not cool, but I never claimed to be cool.

But isn’t that the way that erotica works best – a story finds a way of getting under your skin and revealing the embarrassing little secrets that turn you on but that you don’t want to admit to? This is a story that does that for me. And I’m very pleased it does.

You can buy Erica Dumas’ collection Something Dirty on Kindle.

Amazon UK : Amazon US

Janine Ashbless is a multi-published author of erotica and - occasionally - erotic romance.  So far she’s written nine books, published by Black Lace, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain, Mischief and Sweetmeats. She’s also the co-editor of the upcoming Geek Love anthology.

She's always used elements of fantasy, mythology and folklore in her writing, with forays into horror. Janine loves goatee beards, ancient ruins, minotaurs, trees, mummies, having her cake and eating it, and holidaying in countries with really bad public sewerage. She s a roleplaying geek and can still sometimes be found running round in the woods hitting other geeks with a rubber sword. It is unlikely she will grow up anytime soon. Janine lives in England with her husband and two rescued greyhounds, and is trying hard to overcome her addiction to semicolons.

 Blog: www.janineashbless.blogspot.com

 Facebook: Janine Ashbless – author page

Buy links:
www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Grow-the-Roses-ebook/dp/B006PW46O8/ref=sr_1_1
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Grow-the-Roses-ebook/dp/B006PW46O8/ref=sr_1_2


Related posts:

http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/guest-post-janine-ashbless-whats-in.html

http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/red-grow-roses-by-janine-ashbless.html

Also:

http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/miss-glory-pearl-sexy-stories-fiction.html
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/david-russell-guest-post-sexy-stories.html
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/betty-herbert-guest-post-sexy-stories.html
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/chantel-c-guest-post-sexy-stories.html
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/bel-anderson-guest-post-sexy-stories.html
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/guest-post-lucy-felthouse-sexy-stories.html

Pornography and lighting

"The difference between pornography and erotica is lighting."

I love this quote from feminist Gloria Leonard (born August 28, 1940), an American former pornographic actress who later became the publisher of High Society magazine. As well as directing several porn films, she performed her only anal scene in her movie "All About Gloria Leonard".

Fascinating!  (I love wikipedia!)

I don't normally enter the pornography versus erotica debate, but at a recent writers lunch, the discussion came up.  The elderly gentleman sitting beside me reflected that the difference might lie in the choice of words  and how they were arranged (the writer's equivalent of lighting, perhaps?).  He thought that purely gynaecological language used to simply describe a mere sequence of events, like a manual, and without any characterisation of the protagonists would be his definition of pornographic (without making any value judgement).  I found this an interesting comment and it got me thinking.  Should erotica be defined in relation to the way the words are employed or merely on whether or not what we read turns us on - regardless of its literary merits? 

What do you think?

Crimson Kisses Special Offer - now 96p for limited period

To herald in 2013 the price of Crimson Kisses, my short story and poetry collection,  has been reduced to a mere 96p.  This special offer stands until 31 March 2013!  

A kinky tale of paranormal lesbian romance, intense and dark in tone, (as are the poems that follow, which chart an obsessive BDSM relationship) Crimson Kisses has been described by highly acclaimed writer D.L King, author of The Melinoe Project as “A beautiful story.” 

Buy from Amazon UK and Amazon US, plus all other Amazon territories. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crimson-Kisses-ebook/dp/B0094MHT6I/

                       

http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Kisses-ebook/dp/B0094MHT6I/

Related post:
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-birth-of-velvet-kiss-press.html

Miss Glory Pearl: Sexy Stories - Fiction that Turns Me On

In my first post for 2013, I am truly delighted that my friend and colleague Miss Glory Pearl has, as promised, written a guest post for my series Sexy Stories: fiction that turns me on.

Sit back and enjoy the eloquent words of Miss Glory Pearl. 

Like many teenagers, my introduction to sex in novels came courtesy of Jackie Collins and Jilly Cooper. The latter I liked especially as most of her books also included horses, my great passion at the time, along with a generous sprinkling of explicit sex scenes. A trip to my local WH Smith during my Saturday job lunch hour revealed a discreet bottom shelf filled with Black Lace novels but their proximity to the Mills & Boon was rather off-putting - that and the stodgy prose that even my sixteen-year-old self could not stomach.

It was a number of years before I could truly say I discovered erotic fiction, that is fiction whose predominant purpose is to arouse, and it came in a surprising place. Whilst studying for my Master’s degree in Eighteenth-Century English Literature, I began a module on the ‘cult of sensibility’ as it has become known. This was a period in the late Eighteenth Century when feeling became very fashionable; displaying one’s sensitivity and crying, sighing and emoting at the drop of a hat allowed one to demonstrate one’s superiority over one’s fellow man in times when upward mobility and prosperity made it ever more difficult to tell who really was noble. The reading list included works by Sterne, Fielding and a chap called John Cleland. His novel, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, proved to be the most memorable on the list. Commonly known by the name of its heroine, Fanny Hill, Cleland’s tale is a true bildungsroman, following young Fanny’s progress from leaving her country home following the death of her parents to her eventual ‘coming of age’ and marriage.

Fanny travels to London to find work and like many pretty young girls straight off the stage coach, she is picked up by a bawd and offered a roof and employment. The bawd’s kindliness is, of course, false, as she is luring Fanny into a life of prostitution, intending to profit greatly from the sale of the young girl’s virginity.

Cleland’s tale is a common one for the time, drawing on Defoe’s Roxanne and Moll Flanders and on Hogarth’s very famous narrative engravings series, The Harlot’s Progress. Where it differs, however, is that Fanny, on the whole, enjoys everything she gets up to, which is described in explicit detail. She falls in love with a young nobleman, Charles, who rescues her from the brothel before her virginity is taken. They elope and make love and he then disappears, leaving poor Fanny with no choice but to make her living the only way a girl can.

Her range of sexual encounters is truly staggering, from rich man’s mistress to high-class hooker, to street girl, Fanny does it all and comes hard throughout. Not only is it a cracking novel with a plucky heroine, it’s also extremely rude. What most struck me when I first read it was the the way the sex itself was described. Pleasure really matters, and mutual pleasure more so. In all Fanny’s sexual encounters, the exchange of pleasure is key - holding back one’s own pleasure to bring your partner with you in turn heightens your pleasure and so you both benefit. The range of sexual practices described is dizzying as Fanny’s work brings her into contact with masochists, libertines and generously endowed servant boys. At the end of it all, she is re-united with her Charles, tells him of her adventures, he forgives her and they marry, an ending that is about as far from the lonely, pox-ridden premature death most prostitutes were reported to suffer as is possible.

This pre-Victorian sexual morality, where female pleasure is acknowledged, valued and seen as necessary to a ‘successful’ sexual encounter was a joy to read and deepened my love for this period in history. That Fanny overcomes every challenge life throws at her and has a lot of fun on the way is also refreshing. The novel is written in the first person and Cleland makes Fanny’s voice convincing and creates a very likeable character. Despite her amiability however, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure is one of the most notorious novels ever written, being banned and the subject of prosecution more times than any other work of prose fiction. It is also widely considered to be the first erotic novel written and is most definitely my favourite. If you haven’t read it, do so; it will warm your heart as much as your loins.



Related posts:
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/the-scandalous-miss-glory-pearl.html
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/david-russell-guest-post-sexy-stories.html
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/betty-herbert-guest-post-sexy-stories.html
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/chantel-c-guest-post-sexy-stories.html
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/bel-anderson-guest-post-sexy-stories.html
http://elizabeth-cage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/guest-post-lucy-felthouse-sexy-stories.html

Sex appeal

"Sex appeal is 50% what you've got and 50% what people think you've got."

Sophia Loren

Merry Christmas!

'Tis the season to reflect and review, methinks.  So I'm taking a short break from the blogosphere to recharge my batteries.

There will be some great guest posts in 2013 from erotica luminaries such as KD Grace, Janine Ashbless, Kay Jaybee and Maxim Jakubowski.  Watch this space!!  I shall also undertake my first ever blog tour.....Bring it on!

Merry Christmas - and may your Santa be sexy!

Read my Lips

Something to look forward to.  

In February 2013 my short story Read my Lips is in the print anthology by Xcite called Pleasure Me.  Pre-orders being taken.  Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pleasure-Me-20-Varied-Stories/dp/1908086602/

The book features twenty different tales by celebrated erotica authors, including Kaye Jaybee and Penelope Friday, which reveal the explicit exploits of those who devote themselves to enjoying sex to the full. From wicked wives putting on a show for their lusty husbands, to sex in the great outdoors, intimate seductions, wild one-night stands and kinky games of dominance and submission, you ll find stories here to tease and please you.

My oral/BDSM story, Read my Lips is drawn from personal experiences and there is an extract below...

I had prepared exactly as agreed – showered and wearing those knee-length tightly fitting boots with uber sharp stiletto heels.  Nothing else.  Not even jewellery or hair clips.  He had been very specific. Precision was part of the turn-on.

I had already unlocked the door, left it slightly ajar.  When my phone trilled its familiar fanfare to herald the arrival of a text, I nearly jumped out of my skin.  Squinting in the half light (having taken off my glasses for vanity’s sake) I read the illuminated words:

‘On way now.’

So, this was really happening.    

I began to have my doubts.  After all, I’d only met the guy once.  What if he had told his mates and set me up for a joke?  Who knows who might come through the front door – maybe with a camera?  I nervously dismissed this idea, which was too awful to contemplate, imagining Facebook shame.........Glancing up at the ticking clock, I realised I was trembling.  Five minutes to go now.  Would he seriously go through with it?  Would I?

Elizabeth Cage is on Goodreads (finally!)

Just a little note to say I have finally (and it has taken hours) set up an author and reader profile on Goodreads.  I still haven't figured how to add all the anthologies I'm in so have just listed my kindle books so far. Do check me out and see what I am reading, and if you feel like rating one of my books then here is the link.  Or click on the widget on the left side bar.  Cheers!

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6861526.Elizabeth_Cage