Let me tell you something

I've been invited to speak in a friend and colleagues college course on Human Sexuality about the romance genre (erotic romance in particular) and I'm ecstatic. I had grandiose plans of having goodies to hand out and possibly a costume to wear (because I always want to wear some kind of costume), but inevitably life looked me up and down and laughed hysterically, gasping out between chuckles, "Bless your heart." I was able to create a PowerPoint and still consider myself victorious to some degree.

As with my other grandiose ideas my vision for my guest lecture hasn't quite met the pinnacle of historical reference and research validity I'd planned, BUT I was able to avoid the dreded trap of justifying the genre with more than, "It's not porn!". I'm actually so tired of this disclaimer because I feel it automatically puts me in a defense to justify the importance of women (as the majority of the genres readers are) having an outlet to explore and embrace they're sexuality. I of course had to include some aspect of it because as these students are a reflection of larger society's beliefs regarding sex and sexuality it can't be avoided. 

I'm hoping that we'll have frank and direct conversations about erotic romance and why it scares the mainstream so much. Because frankly, I can only think of fear as being a motivator for the constant barrage of distasteful comments readers and writers of erotic romance receive. I often feel there is a subconscious thought of, "Kill it with fire!", when it comes to the genre I find myself writing in. Regardless of how one may feel personally about Fifty Shades of Gray, it did provide us a look into the pysche of society when it comes to their beliefs regarding women's expression and consumption of sex. 

I've got all of these great plans for my lecture that is founded in my belief that romance and all of it's sub genres shouldn't be the black sheep of fiction, made to feel like the gaudy relation that is invited to the table because of the wealth it brings but never truly respected. I've got those grandiose plans you see, and I'm giving life some major side eye as it smirks at me, but bless my little heart because I'm going to try my best anyway.

An Interview with Andre deBeaumanoir, vampire.

Greetings from North Myrtle Beach, SC!  I decided to take a little time out of my vacation to bring you all a new blog post!  I thought it might be fun to interview one of the main characters of my MMP series, Strange Bedfellows.  The first two in that series, "Three to Tango," and "His Phantom Caress" are currently available in the MMP store, Amazon, B&N, and All Romance.  So go check it out and get to know Andre.  He's a snarky, bisexual, French knight with a salacious appetite for blood.  Trust me... you'll like him.  But if you don't believe me...

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Andre, thanks for coming with me to the Mocha Memoirs blog. We have a couple questions we’d like you to share with our readers:

1.       It’s a big rumor that vampires don’t like summer.  Is that true?

 

Well as any Goth kid could tell you, wearing all black in the summertime is pretty uncomfortable.  Over the years I’ve learned to cope: linen shirts rather than cotton, midnight skinny dipping in the pool, and of course sunglasses are always most fashionable during the summer months.

2.        Tell us about your most current adventure.

I’m a star of the Strange Bedfellows series written by Alexandra Christian.  In the last adventure, our damsel in distress took us into the afterlife to rescue the spirit of her dead husband.  We ended up contracting the services of a rather dubious necromancer, a Grim Reaper and a golem.  The story ended on quite a cliffhanger, but no worries—the next installment is due out this year.  I’ll be going into Hell to rescue my human lover from the clutches of the afore mentioned sexy necromancer. 

 3.       What is your most favorite thing to do? Or, do you have a super power?

I’m afraid that my favorite thing to do is something I’m not sure I can discuss on a public blog (wiggling eyebrows), but I’m quite certain you could guess.  I suppose that could also be counted among my super powers…

 

4.        Alright, lightning round.  I’m going to ask you some short answer questions and you just give     
         a quick, one or two word answer.  Ready?

I’m always ready.

·          Favorite color:  Maroon.  It goes with everything.

·         Favorite song:  Moondance, Van Morrison

·         Favorite meal:  Busty redheads.

·         Favorite movie:  The Bride of Frankenstein

·         Boxers or briefs?  Neither.  Vampires don’t wear underwear.

·         Mountains or beach?  They both look the same at night.

·         Comedy or tragedy?  Tragedy, of course.  I’m a vampire.

*******

Blurb from "Three to Tango."

“…vampires can be dangerous to your health.”
A truer statement had never been uttered, but when Cali stumbled upon The Oubliette, she began to realize the wisdom in those words. Broken-hearted and bored, Cali’s life had become a string of TV dinners and romance novels. She wondered where her life was going until she followed the mysterious stranger through the red door and entered a world that few would ever know existed. A world of vampires, werewolves and pleasure beyond imagination. Within the walls of The Oubliette, Cali will embark on a dangerous and sensual journey of discovery that will change her life forever.

CLICK ME to get your very own copy of "Three to Tango."

Alright kids, if I've piqued your interest even a little, here's my social media links.  Come join the madness....

Blog:  http://lexxxchristian.wordpress.com/
        
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.christian.12

Facebook Fan Page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lexxx-Christian-The-Southern-Belle-from-Hell/245839382102904

Twitter:  @LexxxChristian

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4684601.Alexandra_Christian

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/lexxxchristian/

Velvet Curtains, Love Muscle, And Other Embarrassments

E. A. Black writes dark fiction, dark fantasy, and horror. She writes erotic romance and erotica with the pseudonym Elizabeth Black. Visit her web sites at http://elizabethablack.blogspot.com and http://eablack-writer.blogspot.com. Friend her at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

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[Image from Punch an Pie, by Chris Daily and Aeire]

I've edited many books as exchanges for my own edits or as a favor. One thing I've noticed is that sex scenes are sometimes dragged down by the same old descriptive words: cock, pussy, cunt, willie, shaft, slit. Blah de blah de blah.

Sometimes you have to shake up the words, but you don't want to go overboard and end up writing purple prose. It's too easy to let yourself fall into Bulwer-Lytton Awards territory, like the 2012 winner, runner up, and dishonorable mentions in the Romance category:

Winner:

“I’ll never get over him,” she said to herself and the truth of that statement settled into her brain the way glitter settles on to a plastic landscape in a Christmas snow globe when she accepted the fact that she was trapped in bed between her half-ton boyfriend and the wall when he rolled over on to her nightgown and passed out, leaving her no way to climb out. — Karen Hamilton, Seabrook, TX

Runner-Up:

“Your eyes are like deep blue pools that I would like to drown in,” he had told Kimberly when she had asked him what he was thinking; but what he was actually thinking was that sometimes when he recharges his phone he forgets to put the little plug back in but he wasn’t going to tell her that. — Dan Leyde, Edmonds, WA

Dishonorable Mention:

Tucked in a dim corner of The Ample Bounty Bar & Grille, Alice welcomed the fervent touch of the mysterious stranger’s experienced hands because she had not been this close with a man in an achingly long time and, quivering breathlessly, began to think that this could be the beginning of something real, something forever, and not just a one-time encounter with a good Samaritan who was skilled at the Heimlich Maneuver. — Mark Wisnewski, Flanders, NJ

Chain-smoking as he stood in the amber glow of the street lamp, he gazed up at the brownstone wherein resided Bunny Morgan, and thought how like a bunny Bunny was, though he had read somewhere that rabbits were coprophages, which meant that they ate their own feces, which was really disgusting now that he thought about it, and nothing like Bunny, at least he hoped not, so on second thought Bunny wasn’t like a bunny after all, but she still was pretty hot. — Emma DeZordi, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec

Their love began as a tailor, quickly measuring the nooks and crannies of their personalities, but it soon became the seamstress of subterfuge, each of them aware of the others lingual haberdashery: Mindy trying to create a perfectly suited garment to display in public and Stan only concerned with the inseam. — D. M. Dunn, Bloomington, IN

So you want to use words other than The Usual Suspects? How about some of these substitutions (From The Glossary Of Sexual Slang):

anus

asshole, bung hole, butt hole

breasts

boobs, headlights, knockers, tits

buttocks

ass, behind, buns, butt, fanny, rear

clitoris

button, clit

penis

cock, dick, dong, joy stick, meat, organ, pecker, peter, poker,  prick, rod, tool, wang, weenie

semen

come, cream, cum, jism, load, love juice

testicles

balls, family jewels, gonads, gones, nuts

vagina (or vulva)

bearded clam, bearded lady, beaver, box, cunt, honey pot, manhole,  muff, pussy, quim, snatch, toolbox, twat

Other substitutions:

vagina (or vulva)

fiery slit, cleft, folds, velvet curtains

cock

joystick, hammer, love muscle

You get the idea. There are all kinds of creative words you could use when writing your sex scenes. Just make sure you don't cringe when you use them.

The question of sex.

I was intrigued by a quote I saw on Facebook;

"Sex" is not the answer. Sex is the question. "Yes" is the answer.

As a person that writes quite a bit of sexy time in her work I'm always asked, "Why sex?" To which I want to reply, "Why not?" Why does it have to be such a taboo as a writer that I've said yes to sex? I mean after all, when done right and with consent, sex is a marvelous thing. I mean, a life changing experience, that can turn a frown into a smile...no really, I've had some frowny face moments and WHAM, a little sexy time makes everything better. The best part of sex is I don't actually have to be doing it to enjoy it. A little bit of titillation (giggle) between the pages of a well told story can but me in the loveliest of moods.

As a writer when sex is the question rather than the answer, I feel it makes my story that much better. I don't just write sex because that isn't very interesting to me. I want a story, a narrative that transport me to another world, where I see the subtle intricacies of how one is desired and desires. Lust and Love can be bedmates in this tale or silent observers that each have a role, separate from the other. Sex as a question can be whispered very softly, purred against the soft shell of a sensitive ear, or declared rather boldly with a well placed word. Sex as a question isn't the only one but when asked I want the character to want to say yes, over and over again.

So, yes, sex please.

Janet