Thanks for having me at Erotica for All.

I have a confession. I am a hopeless Anglophile. I’ve always loved British authors (all of them, from Austen to Swift, Tolkien to Stevenson and back to Bronte), the BBC has all my favorite shows (our cable company is *finally* carrying BBC America), and I even like the food (I think that British food is unfairly maligned, steak and ale pie is awesome).

Until a few years ago, though, I had never really though of Brits being ‘sexy’ per se, having been reared on the sort of in-your-face sexuality that is popular in America. And then I lived with a bunch.

One summer in college, I was working in a mountain hostelry. We took care of the basic maintenance of the place and cooked big dinners for hungry hikers. We also had an arrangement that if you did trail work for a day you would get free room and board and so a bunch of Brits came to take advantage of this deal.

My co-workers and I looked forward to this for weeks. There may have even been a countdown that we posted on the fridge. Most of our guests would pass through pretty quickly, but the Brits would be staying with us for two weeks, plenty of time to soak up the ‘exotic’ accents and grill them about being British. We were very excited.

I’m not sure what we were expecting exactly, but sexy was not it. Which, of course, made us all the more susceptible to it.

There was one guy, whose name shall remain unwritten, whose pants I wanted in badly. He was a few years older than I was and sexy in a way I had not encountered before in American men. He was quietly sexy, entirely comfortable in his skin and kind enough to take pity on the twittering, silly American girls. One morning it was raining so hard that trail work was cancelled so he came into the kitchen to help me make bread (*swoon*) and when the rain let up he went out to chop wood. I took a break and secretly watched him for half and hour. And his accent….I love British accents.

The guys were not the only sexy ones. I had expected the women of the group to be more quiet and proper, sort of like Jane Bennett but wearing jeans. I don’t know why I thought this but I was wrong again. I know sexy when I see it. And they were fun. One night we didn’t have any guests aside from them and they suggested a dance party and were the first one on the tables. They drank us under the table and then made us breakfast in the morning.

And there is nothing sexier than being served breakfast. The whole crew was really disappointed to see them go (although to my knowledge there was no hanky panky)

Anyone else have across the pond crushes, romances, or hook-ups?

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Some like it hot, and some like it in the reference section.

Sara is having a love affair with books. But, since books can’t make love to you, it means she’s in the middle of a very long dry spell. Until a sexy Brit shows up. Suddenly she’s learning just how stimulating a library can be up against a bookcase, behind the card catalog, on the circulation desk…

Meanwhile: Veronica is incredibly frustrated. While Sara and her new man are using the library as their personal adult playground, she’s stuck with only her thesis and her sexual fantasies. But Andrew, her crush, isn’t above using his assets to get Veronica right where he wants her: alone, in a darkened corner of the stacks. Who knew reading could be this pleasurable?

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Amelia Fayer lives in New England with her husband within close range of an inspirational library. When she is not writing, she likes to read, hike, garden and knit (not necessarily in that order).

Website:  http://www.ameliafayer.com/

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amelia-Fayer/314840041885944?v=wall

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COMMENT TO WIN!

Amelia will be giving away a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Don’t forget to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/01/lust-in-library-by-amelia-fayer.html

Supposedly written by gushy, middle-aged, female authors in a highly romantic, sentimental, “True Confession” tone. Stories designed to entertain audiences overflowing with bored and frustrated housewives. Who may even have “jobs,” but certainly not “Serious Careers.” Featuring a Main Character who’s a bright, proactive, average-looking Woman telling the story in the first person. A tale about the trials and tribulations she suffers while trying to find herself a Decent Man among all the scumbags who seem to populate her world.

Exactly the kind of novel few male readers in their right minds would dare to buy in public. For fear of looking less masculine.

But don’t these simple-minded clichés overlook a more important universe of romance novels, which demonstrate appeal to both female and male readers?

Think of all the novels featuring Male Main Characters who tell readers about the Biggest Thing in their Lives. Namely, the compelling women whom they love, Pursue, Seek to possess. Maybe even succeed in possessing by the last page. It’s the women who are the Real Stars of these novels. And they are seen exclusively through the eyes of the men who adore them.

An example is my new novel THE WOMEN WHO MADE ME. Just published as an eBook by OC Press.

Robert Gardner is a Wall Street Shark. Languishing in Federal Prison for the many “Money Crimes” he committed during his lucrative Wall Street career. He tells readers about the two remarkable women who made all the difference in his life.

The first is his beautiful and worldly Aunt Martha. He develops a secret, overpowering love passion for her during high school. And loses himself in constant erotic dreams and fantasies about her. She is so much more than anything he ever imagined a woman could be. Finally, his fantasies come true when the two of them are stranded together in a motel room during a major blizzard. They then become a committed (if underground) love couple during his undergraduate years at Yale.

Years later, the second love of his life is the red-haired, Russian-born Svetlana Gusoff. Staff psychiatrist in the Manhattan Halfway House to which the Feds transfer Robert to complete the final months of his prison sentence. Her charm and insights help him unravel the tormenting network of guilt and shame arising from his Wall Street crimes. Causing him to have wildly romantic dreams about her, and to see her as the Goddess of His Salvation. While Svetlana comes to appreciate the things about Robert that made him the kind of man Aunt Martha could love.

So on the eve of his release from prison, they commit themselves to build a “Love Amid the Ruins” of an America shattered by the kind of crimes Robert was part of during his Wall Street career.

But note an important feature that can make this kind of novel equally appealing to both male and female readers. As much a Romance Novel for women as for men.

Robert may seem like the novel’s main character. After all, he tells the story in his own words. Talks a great deal about himself and what he’s feeling. He clearly regards himself as the center of his fictional world.

But Aunt Martha and Svetlana are the novel’s Real Stars. In all their alluring Female Mystery. Enhanced by the fact that they’re seen exclusively through Robert’s adoring eyes. Who (like all men, regardless of their macho pretenses) is totally clueless about women. He can never really “understand” them, but at least is savvy enough to realize that he can worship them in all their Female Glory. And let them Light Up his Life with their exhilarating presence.

Doesn’t this make Aunt Martha and Svetlana the kind of fictional women female readers find hard to resist?

An excellent example of this “through other people’s eyes” approach for presenting extraordinary women in fiction is the 1954 Joe Mankiewicz movie THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (whose status among serious critics has reached such levels that it may properly be referred to as a “Film”).

Spanish dancer Maria Vargas becomes an international super-star movie queen after being discovered byHollywoodfilmmakers performing in a back-streetMadridnightclub. But her success isn’t just because of her obvious physical beauty (in the person of Ava Gardner) or dancing skills. For she overflows with a special kind of overpowering female mystery that seems to blossom when she’s in front of the camera and fascinates movie audiences to no end. And since she dies young, she takes the secret of this to her grave.

Mankiewicz chooses to tell Maria’s story entirely through the eyes of several very different men who are (for various reasons) bewitched by her. So we get to know her only from their varied perceptions of her at different points in her life. Which adds to the mystical qualities surrounding her. Causing the audience to see Maria as an enigmatic and ever-elusive Love Goddess, whom we may admire and desire but can never actually possess.

Meanwhile, Robert’s professional life in THE WOMEN WHO MADE ME shows him to be a definite Alpha Male. King of the Wall Street Jungle. Whose Go-For-It instincts make him very rich. Exactly the kind of NFL Super-Star type male readers can’t help admiring (even if only in secret). With his stature further enhanced in their eyes by the fact that he can love and possess two such extraordinary women as Aunt Martha and Svetlana.

So do we really need to be so hung up on the idea that Romance Novels are written only for female readers? Definitively no. Men and women alike should enjoy these stories of love and lust for the light they can shed on our world. And ourselves.

Take it away, Bertram…

• How did you start writing erotica?

Herman Hesse said that the secret of inspiration is to write the book you want to read, so I did, using my experience of BDSM relationships and making bondage toys.  I honestly thought I could get it published in the mainstream genre, and I had ambitions to open up the BDSM world to ordinary readers, but mainstream publishers said it was pornography and porn publishers said it wasn’t hard enough.  But last year Xcite published it, so I think I was right that it was the market that wasn’t ready.

• What’s your favourite published work of yours and why?

The Princess and the Goblin, currently published as an e-book, but I’m working on a longer version to be published as a paper book.  It starts with the cliche fantasy of the girl in the cellar, but the characters came alive enough for me that they did things I’d never planned, and I feel it’s a realistic study of the psychology of enslavement and submission as well as a hot read.

• What erotic authors do you enjoy reading?

I admire Laura Antoniou for being able to write hot fantasy with real rounded characters and complex plots.  She’s what I want to be when I grow up.

• Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Experience, other people’s lives, random news items, imagining how to sex up a classic story.

• Do you have any unusual writing rituals?

I compose best doing physical work like digging a garden or hauling firewood.  If I can write till I slow down, go out and work till a chapter has shaped up in my head, come back to the keyboard and start again, then I can really turn stuff out.

• Where’s your favourite place to write?

An isolated farmhouse in Sweden that I get to house-sit when the owners are on holiday.  No distractions, no calls on my time beyond cooking dinner, nothing for miles around but snowbound pine woods.

Funnily enough, the last book I wrote there was set on a tropical island.

• Who is your favourite character from one of your stories and why?

Whichever one I’m writing right now.  While I’m writing I feel I get to know them like friends.

• Do your nearest and dearest know what you do, and if so, what was their reaction when they found out?

They’ve long ago given up being surprised or shocked at anything I do.

• What was your ideal career when you were a child?

Back in primary school I told my father it didn’t matter that I couldn’t do sums because I was going to be a writer.  In my teens I decided I’d rather make bondage equipment for a living.  Writing erotica combines both interests.

• How do you get yourself in the mood to write?

Convince myself that I’m really allowed to spend time doing what I enjoy, rather than some duties.

• What’s the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?

As mentioned above – “Write the book you want to read.”

• If you get writer’s block when you’re writing, how do you get around it?

Do some simple physical work.  If a particular chapter or story gets stuck, write something else for a while.

Also, open your mind to wider possibilities.  Sometimes when I get stuck, it’s because I was trying to push the story where it didn’t want to go.  If I leave it till I see a different way that works better, then it goes smoothly.

• If you could bring one of your characters to life, which one would it be and why?

Celia, the perfect slavegirl from “Impudent Crimes.”  Because my wife is too ill for the games we used to play, and she’d feel a lot better if we had someone who could do the housework and take a good whipping.

• Which author, erotic or otherwise would you love to meet and why?

Since I’ve already met Antoniou, my second choice would be Isaac Asimov, because everyone says he was such a wonderful character.

• What’s your favourite genre within erotica and why?

Dominance-submission, male or female.  Because it turns me on, and because stories about it can tell us so much about character.

• What are you working on at the moment?

An enslavement novel with five assorted Dom-sub couples, all working towards a romantic resolution in their different ways.  It’s a fun challenge.

• What’s the biggest writing challenge you’ve ever taken on? Did you succeed?

I read a post on the old alt.sex.bondage newsgroup describing how you could (theoretically) impale a woman on a spit without killing her, preparatory to roasting her alive.  I don’t usually go for such extreme sadism, but I got fascinated with the idea of a submissive so devoted to her Mistress that she’d volunteer for such a hideous fate and glory in it.  I think I managed to convey her feelings quite well, though I cheated by setting it in a future with science-fiction medicine so she expected to live through it.

• What’s your biggest writing achievement? Why?

I’ll call it an achievement when I write an erotic novel with enough mainstream appeal to be sold on the general fiction shelves.

The Seven Year Switch is a BDSM erotic romance tale from Dana Littlejohn. It tells the story of Sonja Winters, a woman who is looking forward to celebrating her seven year anniversary with her wonderful husband. However, what should have been a perfect day takes a turn for the worse when Sonja comes across a secret her husband has been keeping from her – a big secret.

Sonja’s understandably upset and won’t listen to reason. She’s all for throwing the towel in on her previously perfect marriage, until her best friend convinces Sonja to at least find out the full story. And, when she does, she learns things about her husband – and herself – that will change the course of her marriage forever.

I really enjoyed The Seven Year Switch. It was great to read a story about an established couple and although I wondered where it was going to begin with, I thought the plot was very clever, unique and sexy. Had the author continued the story on from where it ended, I think I’d have enjoyed it even more – the storyline was so interesting. Overall, this was a fab read about changing roles in long term relationships, with plenty of kink thrown in.

Available from:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
All Romance eBooks
MuseItUp Publishing

I am Dana Littlejohn, multi-published author of sensual erotic romance. For this blog I am going to focus on introducing the female lead and spanking into an already established relationship.

The first question you may ask is: What kind of man would let his woman run him like that? He must be a punk, pussy or just plain crazy, but you would be wrong on all accounts. Just because you want your woman to be in control doesn’t make you weak. Instead of those terms, how about, best person for the job. Surely if there are women who like to be controlled by their man consequently there has to be men who enjoyed that as well. You know, balance in the universe and all that.

The real question is, how do you even start the conversation? I mean really, your man didn’t just wake up one morning and say, you know what, I’m over it. Can’t you just take care of it all? No. He has always wanted it, he just didn’t know how to ask for it and he still doesn’t. Most women find out by accident during role playing usually. The husband or boyfriend will say something like ‘I wish we could do this more…or when can we do this again? I love when we play these games’. If he is consistently asking to be in subservient positions he may be trying to tell you something.

A female led relationship may be different from the usual male dominated ones that we call normal, but it is still a relationship. Conversations must be had to establish boundary lines, roles, titles and what this relationship means to you. Lots of couples merely introduce the female lead into their relationships as part of their playtime and correction is just part of the fun. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but that too must be mutual. If he just likes playing the games than simply rotate them into your love making a few times out the week, but if he really wants you to take over completely that includes everything. The finances, the day to day activities and him.

Once these things are in place rewards and punishments can be handled accordingly. Penalties must be real in order to deter him from breaking the rules that you have put into place for him. That may sound a bit harsh, but correction helps us all to grow and is necessary in the beginning. If not, you will find that he will look for ways to break rules just to test you. This will only cause frustration and friction in your relationship. Spanking is not the only corrective action used, but it is a popular reprimand in bdsm situations.

That is precisely why the long in-depth conversations must take place at the on start. He has to be completely forthwith with his desires so that you know what is required of you. It cuts back on any misunderstandings the two of you may have later when one of you says something and it means one thing to you and another to him.

Introducing new elements into your relationship such as spanking isn’t rocket science, but it does take a good degree of patience, open mindedness, trust and complete honesty. Remember, making each other happy is the goal in any successful relationship. Ask him what is needed to make that happen and then ask yourself. Ultimate pleasure is the reward.

Thanks for having me Erotica for All! I enjoyed my time with you. If you’re interested in reading the books I have with different elements of BDSM check out:

The Seven Year Switch http://museituppublishing.com/erotica

Home with The Jones- http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com

Spanking Cupid- http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com

Reindeer Games- www.phaze.com

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Could you make the switch from dutiful, submissive wife to paddle wielding queen bee to save your marriage?

Sonja Winters was enjoying the good life with a great job and being married to the man of her dreams. As she prepared to celebrate their seven year anniversary she came across a secret that her husband had been keeping from her that would alter the course of their marriage forever.

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Dana Littlejohn was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, but has called Indianapolis, In. her home for over ten years. She has always wanted to write since early childhood, but put that wish on hold to raise her growing family and have a career. With the encouragement of her husband, Dana picked up her pen again in 2003 and has no intention on putting it down. With 3 novels, 8 novellas, 4 stories in anthologies, 42 short stories published to date and a long list of wips (works in progress) she is literally living her dream. Join her on the wild journey through her imagination. It’s a ride you’ll never forget!

Website: www.danalittlejohn.net
Blog: www.authordanalittlejohn.blogspot.com
Facebook: search authordanalittlejohn
Twitter: follow authordanalittlejohn

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COMMENT TO WIN!

Dana will be giving away a promotional pen to one randomly drawn tour commenter and a promotional T-shirt to another during the tour.

Make sure to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2011/12/virtual-book-tour-seven-year-switch-by.html