Category Archives: guest blogger

Guest Blogger and Dynamo, Vena Ramphal!!!

Vena Ramphal sensual ladies I know. I met her in person a few years ago (she is UK based), and have stayed in touch ever since. She is mesmerizing…without further ado…

Beckoned. Beloved. Bereft.

I recall choreographing these words in a daydream of longing. This tiny dance of language sums up my erotic voice. I know that for many people, this isn’t remotely erotic. There is no sex, no nudity, nothing explicit….

As a reader I’ve always relished the the power of words to stroke the imagination. As a writer I want readers to shimmy their way into the space between my words. I want them to imply themselves – their body, their story, their emotion, their fantasy – in the writing. My erotica is implicit…..

Its only recently that I’ve claimed the label ‘erotica’. I want to say a bit about the challenges I’ve had with the label in the hope of helping other writers claim their own erotic voice.

Leonora and I first connected on twitter, where I share my tiny dances of language. When we first met in the flesh she said to me,”Vena, I think you would write erotica really well.” I was flattered but surprised. While I knew my writing to be sensual and erotic, I didn’t think of myself as being in the genre of ‘erotica’ per se.

I was surprised at her statement because the erotica I had read was very different to my writing. There was plenty of variety in what I’d read – from BDSM, to vanilla couple sex and plenty more besides. Some things I liked. Mostly, I really didnt. But most significantly I couldn’t relate to any of it as a writer. I simply couldn’t see myself in the genre. So, I decided that what I was writing wasn’t erotica.

But Leonora’s statement – and it really was an “I know what I’m talkin’ about, kid” kind of statement – made me think. Upon reflection I realised that at a subconscious level I was waiting for someone to give me permission to join the club. By trying to find erotica to which I could relate, I was unconsciously asking for permission to include my writing in the genre. When I failed to find that permission, I excluded myself.

Next, came the realisation that if I had excluded myself I could simply include myself. Realising this was one thing. Being able to do so with authenticity was another.

Analysing My Writing

The numinous Line

From the nape of his neck

To the base of his Spine

There are three core components in my erotic writing. They’re not all explicitly present in every piece but the vibe is there. They are:

1. Visceral: I want the words to land in the reader’s body. ‘Visceral’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘sexual’.

2. Romantic: I mean romance in the broader sense of tapping into the existential ache of the human condition. I’m not aiming to answer the question, “What is the meaning of life?” I’m aiming to leave the reader feeling like they can sigh into the answer for themselves. I want their heart to catch a little.

3. Sacred: To me the body is utterly sacred. I hold my own in delighted, familiar reverence.

These components set my standards. Being clear on them means that I can be authentic in my erotic voice.

Embracing My Influences

The thing that really helped me to claim the label ‘erotica’ was acknowledging my influences and fully embracing them. I know that some philosopher somewhere – probably several in fact – have noted that all writing is autobiographical to an extent. By recognising the influences that shaped my erotic voice I went from feeling like I was flapping about in the wind to seeing that I had a clear, strong baseline. I’m not a fan of the ‘anything goes’ approach. I like to have a framework, whether I’m writing or……. dancing.

Which brings me to my influences. Classical Indian dance, the sculptures of Kajuraho etc., the devotional-erotic literature of classical Sanskrit. This isn’t any old baseline. This is a fully fleshed tradition of erotica. These influences have been a huge part of my life as a professional dancer since I was a teenager.

Classical Indian art – dance, music, sculpture, literature, architecture, painting, even jewellery making – is permeated with the erotic. Erotic love is championed as a true and direct expression of divine love.

Suddenly, I understood my erotic voice – visceral, romantic, sacred. By actively hanging out with my influences I slipped into the confidence to claim the label ‘erotica’ for my writing. I became unapologetically comfortable with the boundaries of my language and style.

I no longer excluded myself.

Learn more about my gorgeous friend Vena at venaramphal.com

photo by Vena Ramphal

Guest Blogger Spencer Dryden Talks Ray Guns, Mermaids and Robots!

It is my pleasure to host Spencer Dryden today. Spencer contributed to my Sex Stories 2: Erotic Tales of Naughty Play. He has quite the sense of humor, which was a welcome addition to the anthology. When he asked me if he could talk about his new novel on my blog, it was my absolute pleasure. Without further ado…

I’m promoting my new novella, The Memory of Mermaids from Fireborn Publishing. I am particularly delighted to be here today, as my very distinguished host gave me my first entry into the publishing world. We became acquainted when Leonora put out a call for submissions for an anthology she edited, Sex Stories 2: Erotic Tales of Naughty Play.It is still one of the the top ten sellers in the Anthology category for Ravenous Romance, after two years. The “Gueschtunkina Ray Gun” of course, continues to drive sales of this collection. It was the first story I ever submitted to an anthology, and among one of the very first pieces I wrote. But I told myself that there was no way the editor could exclude a story about the most powerful sex toy in the universe. One blast from the Gueschtunkina Ray Gun renders any woman into a state of extreme sexual arousal…

You’ll have to read it yourself to know.
Mermaids has been through several rewrites, but the core story remains the same. It was built around the premise of what could/would happen if an ordinary guy living in the world today encountered a mythical being. So if I have a word of hope to offer to any new writers out there, don’t give up on a good story. I knew this dog would hunt. I still don’t know if it will sell, that’s why I’m out flapping my arms as hard as I can, trying to fly. (Wish I could get my hands on Dumbo’s magic feather.)
I also did something risky in writing this story that most writing coaches would discourage. I didn’t do a lick of research. Not only have I never read a mermaid story, I haven’t even seen The Little Mermaid. In the beginning I had only two scenes in my head, the opening scene in which my MC rescues a mermaid from the clutches of a sea monster and the climactic scene where she rescues him. I decided against filling my head with mermaid lore and other mermaid stories, for fear it would bleed into my writing. I wanted to preserve the awe, innocence, confusion, and wonder my character would experience in meeting a mermaid. If the story succeeds I think it will be for that reason. I discovered mermaids myself through the revelations that came as I wrote the story.
My fear of course, is that there is some jury out there that regulates all mermaid stories, and mine will be rejected out of hand for violating sacred principles of mermaids. The way robots have to follow the rules set out by Isaac Asimov, from all those years ago. I’ve got a robot in the second installment of my ray gun trilogy who hasn’t read Asimov. Actually it’s just the brain of the robot stuffed into a ventriloquist’s dummy. He’s a lot of fun. But I’m not pitching that story yet…
Anyway, thanks so much for spending a few minutes with me. I am not only happy to be here today, I’m so grateful for that first publication by Leonora.

Guest Blogger Jillian Boyd is Out of This World!!!

I am honored to have Jillian Boyd as my guest today, she is an amazing editor and writer…simply out of this world!!! Without hesitation, here she is:

I adore sci-fi. Like, really blimmin’ adore it. It’s a genre with a seemingly endless scope, a genre that fits in with many of the other genres I’ve come to love as a reader. A space station romance? You got it. A terrifying, unknown creature from a distant planet, stalking unsuspecting victims? Shut up and take my money. Space westerns? Curse your sudden yet inevitable betrayal! Ahem.

But for me as a writer, sci-fi has always felt a bit like both a gift and a curse. You have the whole universe to play with. To shape and manifest your wildest dreams and most horrid nightmares in whatever pocket of time and space you want it to be set. It’s such an immense power… and I had somehow managed to convince myself that sci-fi was way, WAY beyond what I was capable of writing.

So when House of Erotica posted a call for submissions for a sci-fi erotica themed anthology, I spent a good while dismissing it. I could do erotica, of course – it’s all I’ve been blimmin’ doing for the past three years. But my strengths lie in contemporary erotica! I can’t do genre like that!

I repeated those two sentences in my head for about a month. And then I had a thought.

Earlier in the year, I went to see a movie called Ex Machina. It tells the story of a programmer who is invited by his employer to administer the Turing test to an android with artificial intelligence. The movie is, in essence, a three-hander between the programmer, the employer and the android, named Ava.

I was quite taken by the movie, and the basic idea of someone being asked to administer a Turing test (in the end, I was also inspired by the similar, but fictional Voigt-Kampff test from Blade Runner) to an AI android stuck in my head. Also, around that time, the British TV channel Channel 4 was in the early stages of promotion for a series called Humans – it’s not where I got the title of the story from, but the notion of a parallel present in which AI androids are mass-marketed as home help blended in with the Turing test idea.

Maybe… just maybe… I could actually write something that wasn’t in my safe contemporary erotica comfort zone?

The end result is a story called Human. It’s set in the very near future, just 20 years from now. No utopian society, no dystopian destruction. It’s London as we know it now, but the technology has advanced. London has always felt a bit lonely to me – I’ve lived here for three years now and I can testify to the fact that you can easily go an entire day without having a conversation with anyone. I tapped in to that feeling of loneliness for my main character, a robotics engineer named Kit Calhoun.

A kid of parents from my generation, she got into science and robotics due to her innate sense of curiosity. She wants to help technology evolve, but is frustrated that things are evolving so quickly without her having been a part of it. It’s a feeling that, even though this story is set in the near future, is occurring to plenty of 80s and 90s kids right now – the last generation before the internet became such an intrinsic part of our lives. Kit, like me, often finds solace in the things she remembers from growing up, like repeats of old TV shows she used to watch, and big bowls of cheesy pasta.

When she gets called to the offices of George Adaire, a brilliant young scientist who, a year before the story is set, was one of the people involved in a terrifying accident in the (at that point in time) disused Piccadilly Circus underground station, Kit is surprised to find out that George wants her help on a personal project he’s developing in secret…

—

Human Excerpt:

“February 18th, 2035. National Cyber Line London, basement vaults. My name is Kathleen Dale Calhoun, employee of In Media Res Technology London. This is session one of a proposed seven sessions with the fully humanoid android named ADI-208X, in which I will attempt to determine whether this prototype could, one day, be mass-produced as a viable sexual surrogate, either on its own, or via allowing its users to physically and mentally link up with the specimen and conduct full physical relationships with their partners using the specimen as a middle-man. Well, middle-bot, really.”

Kit flicked her hand and adjusted the hover cam, bringing George into view. He gave a small, silly wave, leaving her repressing the urge to giggle.

“I will be assisting Mr. George Adaire, as it is his creation, and hopefully we can make this project work as well as he has intended it to. All progress will be filmed by hover cams, with footage to be used as evidence, if need be. The first six sessions will focus on seeing whether ADI-208X can viably function on its own, with the focus shifting towards the neuro-link set up at the end of the proposed set.”

One finger-click later and the camera whirred as it shut down and descended onto the table. Kit grabbed the cam and followed George down the hallway. In the basement vaults, where George had his own experiment room, state-of-the-art LED Plus lights tinged the white walls a pleasant shade of soft blue. They hummed as they made their way to a door at the end of the corridor, marked with the word ADAIRE on a small gilt plaque.

One hand scan later, Kit stepped into the room and came face to face with what she’d only seen on blueprints so far. Instinctively, she grabbed on to the nearest stable object she could find for support… which, in situation, happened to be George’s shoulder.

“Kit Calhoun, meet ADI-208X. And maybe hold on to the table instead of my shoulder… you’re squeezing a bit tightly.”

“Oh,” she breathed, retracting her hand and unconsciously rubbing her fingers as she took in the sight in front of her. “Sorry.”

She turned to him just in time to see his own hand lingering on the shoulder she had touched, a breath hanging in the air. Then he continued.

“In the file you were given, you should be able to find most of the important technical information. Speech patterns, voice recognition, skin materials and so forth. You clearly know how to work a hover cam, so any information that somehow doesn’t make it on to your notes, you’ll be able to access via recording – these ones download directly onto any attached computer system, so you’ll be able to keep recording for… well, quite some time. I’ll be in the next room, observing on the monitors, and I also have the controls to the polygraph. If you need any assistance from me or sense that something’s going wrong – or even if you feel like you can’t go on with this – there’s a button under the table. Push it, and I’ll come.”

Kit nodded, trying to ignore the flutter in the pit of her belly, the little devil on her shoulder that chirped you don’t have a clue what you’re doing in her ear. Her palms felt sweaty and she almost, almost whimpered for George to please just stay in the room. Almost. Because deep down, she did know what she was doing. And she knew that she was about to do it damn well, too.

“Booting up specimen. He should be online in a few seconds.”

George’s voice crackled over the intercom. She could practically hear him grin in the other room. And he had every reason to. Because not two seconds later, ADI-208X hummed to life in front of her own eyes.

“Good morning. I am ADI-208X. What’s your name, miss?”

—

I.Lover – a sexy sci-fi erotica anthology from House of Erotica. Five scintillating science fiction erotica stories, spanning across galaxies and times for your pleasure. The future is bright. The future is erotic.

Featuring stories from Jillian Boyd, Jessica Taylor, Jim Lyon, John Bauer and Helen J. Perry.

Buy I.Lover from the following places:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

All Romance eBooks

Jillian is awesome, and will give copies away of I.Lover and Flappers, Jazz and Valentino! Answer this question: Who plays the part of the android Ava in the movie Ex Machina, the movie she saw? Leave your answers in the comments, first and second commenters will get a copy of one anthology. Third time is a charm, so I will give away a copy of Spy Games to the third commenter! Good luck!!!

Guest Blogger Kayla Lords on Reaching a Sexy Milestone!!!

I am such a fan of Kayla Lords! My fandom began when she did the KissCast with Molly Moore, she was so down to earth and sexy! I started doing Masturbation Monday which Kayla runs, because of Rebecca Black (who has a book out right now!!!) All I can tell you is my Mondays start out really hot because of it, really hot…Kayla has created so much more than a meme, she has created a community for writers and readers which produces some of the hottest stories on the internet. Tomorrow Masturbation Monday reaches a sexy milestone, turning a year old–I am currently working on my story! Make sure to stop by tomorrow to read or contrubute, here is Kayla to tell you more about it…

When F. Leonora Solomon sends you a message and says, “Hey, wanna visit my site and talk about Masturbation Monday?” A few things happen (at least if you’re me)…There’s immediate and loud squeeing. (I think dogs in other towns heard me.)

There’s moving everything in your current schedule to make room to write a post.

And there’s wondering just how long Gavin and Nichy have been making us all crazy on Masturbation Monday. (Since Week 30 if you’re curious.)

I say all that to prove my fangirl status and thank Leonora for letting me hang out and talk about my absolute favorite day of the week – Masturbation Monday which is finishing its first year in existence. Right Now. OMG.

For the record, because someone always points this out, yes, you can celebrate The Best Day of the Weekᵀᴹ any day. But it definitely makes Mondays a lot more fun.

Okay, so what the hell is Masturbation Monday? It’s a day when sex bloggers, writers, and erotic authors come together to share their hottest, steamiest stuff. It might be flash fiction. It might be an excerpt from a book. It might be a real life occurrence. Or, it might be erotic torture in the form of WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH NICHY AND GAVIN?! (I’m dying over here, Leonora. DY-ING.)

You’ll read something about masturbation, or something so hot it makes you want to masturbate. Either way, someone is masturbating. Which is part of the point.

Right now, Masturbation Monday is in week 52 – one year old, and I am a proud Mama. We’re averaging 14-15 posts a read. That’s a lot of hot, smutty goodness, y’all. And as someone who sits and reads all the posts at one time each week, I can promise you’ll be squirming by the time you’re done.

I started the weekly meme to help writers promote themselves to readers who seemed to love anything labeled “masturbation” – and help readers find something that turns them on. So far, after only a year nearly, the site has received nearly 100,000 views. Yeah, I’d say someone enjoys masturbation.

Writers – join us each Monday, and find a new audience that enjoys your brand of smutty goodness.

Readers – come find something that makes all of your parts drool a little bit and maybe a new blogger to follow.

And, really, if you don’t have time to read, come visit just for the weekly prompts. Most of them are hot, hot, hot, and may inspire a little masturbatory fun all by themselves.

Masturbation Monday: Week 52 – Join us and celebrate one year of amazing Mondays!

Kayla Lords is a sex blogger supreme, an erotica author, and a kinky woman. Visit her site or follow her on Twitter (@KaylaLords). Between the two, she provides plenty of kinky fuckery for everyone to enjoy!

celebratory cake via creative commons

Guest Blogger Oleander Plume Tempts With Bondage Bites!!!

I always love to have my spectacular friend, as well as gifted partner-in-crime Oleander Plume on my blog! She and I are getting ready to edit Prompted, her brain child of an anthology together. Daily, you can find us smutting up Reddit for you with our sexysmut subreddit, and now Oleander has a delicous new solo morsel for us. Bondage Bites, edited by Alison Tyler came out on Tuesday, and Oleander is going to tell you a little bit about it…

I never expected to have a story in a book under the BDSM heading, so being included in this anthology took me by surprise. BDSM is just not my genre. However, I realized recently that there are many layers to BDSM. I like the idea of light bondage or a playful spanking, maybe a bit of femdom, and was happy to find out those types of stories have a place. That’s the beauty of the erotic genre, there is room for many flavors. Since Bondage Bites has 69 stories, there is something for every taste. Yummy!

Blurb: Get ready to kink your Kindle and hook up your Nook with these delightful and delicious short shorts from top BDSM eroticist Alison Tyler. Every kind of bondage is fully explored in this fun and romantic romp of kinky confections. Playful, inspirational and filled with surprises, Bondage Bites is a supremely pleasurable read.

Temptation

by Oleander Plume
Adam was below me holding the ladder, when a gust of wind tugged my skirt up over my hips, exposing everything. On the outside, I was dressed for fall weather; long flannel skirt, thick cardigan, knee socks and hiking boots. Underneath, I was deliciously bare and turned on to the point of wetness.

“And I thought apple picking would be boring,” Adam said with a chuckle.

I was on the second to last rung of the ladder, with my legs spread wide for leverage. Instead of pulling my skirt down, I arched my back to make the view a little more tantalizing.

“I’m going to need a taste of that.” Adam picked an apple, then slid it back and forth over my dripping slit. I heard the snap of his teeth as he took a bite. “I can’t decide which is juicier.”

Yummy indeed! Now go over to Oleander’s blog, where she has a guest blogger–Benji Bright!!!

Celebrating Rebecca Black('s Cover Reveal!!!)

It gives me a great deal of pleasure to have Rebecca Black on my blog again! She is a friend, and a super talented writer who is giving us a taste of her new release–licks lips–today. Here is Rebecca!

Thanks so much for hosting me today, honey and letting me give my new book, A Taste For Three a big shout out. Leonora was one of the first people to read my story before I submitted it to Evernight, and she was and is so excited about it. Her confidence in my writing gave me such a boost, and I will always appreciate that.

It’s here at last!! The wonderful Jay Aheer has created a sumptuous cover for A Taste For Three. I really, really love it and hope you do too.
A Taste For Three (m/m/f menage) comes out this Friday 28th August from Evernight Publishing. Here’s a little taste just for you!
Blurb

What’s worse than wanting a man she can’t have? Wanting his best friend as well, that’s what. Double the torture, double the sexual frustration, and double the pain in her heart when she desires everything she can’t have.

Chef Ellie Masters has a problem. Not only is she in love with two gorgeous men, but they both just happen to be her bosses. She’s holding back for all the right reasons, but is there a way for them to be together or will their powerful sexual attraction tear them apart?
In the sensual world of their French restaurant, Jack Quinn and Nate Johnson must find a way to level the playing field if they want more than just sumptuous food from their talented chef. Going to work has never been so sexy. A Taste for Three will leave you savouring this delicious menage and wanting more.

Her gaze moved from one to the other with an expectant look on her face. Her eyes rested on Jack when he leaned forward to rest his arms on the table. His beer was between his big hands and she watched his fingers trace the drops of condensation as they raced down the bottle.
“Us.” Jack’s hazel eyes locked with hers.
She swallowed. Hard. “Us? What do you mean?”
“The three of us. There’s more going on between us than just work.” His words held a note of conviction.
Oh God! He said three. He definitely said three. They couldn’t possibly know that she wanted both of them, could they? How the hell had she given that away? She thought she’d been so professional with them.
“Stop panicking, Ellie. Nothing we say or do from now on will affect our plans for the restaurants.” Nate’s calming words helped to some extent, but she still hadn’t taken her eyes off Jack. He was watching her like he expected her to run at any moment. He looked like he’d enjoy chasing her down and catching her too.
“I don’t understand…”
“We want you, Ellie. We need to know if you feel the same way.” Jack stated.
“We? What does that mean? I…both of you? But…”
“Yes. We want you. We need to know if you feel the same. Would you be prepared to be with us both?”
How was she supposed to respond to that? Nothing in her limited experience with men had prepared her for this conversation. She couldn’t see how anything good—well, apart from the sex—was going to come from this. How were they supposed to juggle working together, fucking, and being in a threesome? She wanted to though, so badly. Oh God, just the thought of having both of them.
But she just couldn’t risk it. What would happen when it was over? How could they possibly remain friends and work together? She’d be completely alone again if she had to leave. Her brain felt like it was in danger of a full meltdown. The temptation to run was strong and before she knew what she was doing, she’d jumped up. Her chair fell back. A distant part of her brain knew this wasn’t the most dignified way to handle this, but her fight or flight response was definitely urging her to get the hell out of there and not make a massive mistake.
She vaguely registered Nate’s shocked expression turning into a fleeting look of distress, but she didn’t get far before a steely arm grabbed her around her waist, yanking her off her feet. She was fairly sure she let out a little squeal as she landed on Jack’s lap.
“What the hell, Ellie?”
“Jack, calm down. She’s obviously freaked out.”
“I get that, but when did running away solve anything? We’re all adults here. If she doesn’t want this, all she has to do is say no.”
“We’ve gone about this all wrong, come on too strong. She’s scared. God, Ellie, we never wanted that. We just want to be with you. That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”
Jack’s arm held her firmly around her middle while his other hand rested on her hip.
Her heart was still trying to beat its way out of her chest, but she couldn’t ignore the heat emanating from his body. The hand on her hip kept gently, rhythmically flexing and releasing. She started to relax as she quietly listened to their words. She could hear the anxiety in both their voices and felt a rush of guilt at how she’d reacted. She was such a naive idiot—but she’d beat herself up for that later. Right now, she needed to make things right with the two most important men in her life.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have tried to run off like that.”
“Jesus, don’t apologize, Ellie.” Nate reached across the table to take her hand. “It’s ok that you don’t want this. We’ll carry on and forget we ever mentioned it. Nothing needs to change—”
“I want it,” she whispered.

Author Bio:
Rebecca Black is a Yorkshire girl born and bred. She is first and foremost a voracious reader, as well as an author of erotica and erotic romance. She believes that the hottest sex scenes are the ones where emotions are involved (plus lots of dirty talk, lots of spanking, licking and sucking and well… you get the idea!) She is the author of A Taste For Three (m/m/f) from Evernight, and has several short stories due to be released in erotic anthologies and another book due out with Evernight in September ’15 Let’s Ride (f/f). Rebecca blogs regularly at Rebecca Black Erotica, and is a contributor to the fantastic Cliterati magazine.
Find her on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

Lovely Guest Blogger and Sexy Reader, Dulce Devine Today!!!

I met Dulce Devine on Twitter because she was such an avid fan of two books I worked on–so clearly she has great taste! Additionally, she is a bewitching burlesquerina, playful pastie popper, published pin up, sensual sorceress, vibrations vixen and tarot enchantress in her own words. I loved that in my interactions with her, she uses as many hearts, kisses and cake emoticons as I do! Plus she has a vintage style that I adore! I wanted to know more about her, so I asked her to come visit me and tell me all about herself and her bibliophilia.

Here is Dulce!

I wanted to be a Rockette, but they wouldn’t even let me audition. You see, the minimum height requirement is 5’6, and I am a petite 5’1, so no kick line for me! Plus, the powers that be (my parents), insisted that I get a “real” job (whatever that means)!

I have always loved literature; therefore, it made sense that I went to college and accepted a position in a public institution. I was almost Dr. DeVine, I pursued my studies while teaching, completed all of my Ph.D coursework, passed my comprehensive exams with flying colors, and started my dissertation. I did a pilot study, wrote three chapters, and defended my proposal before I started butting heads with my committee. I was told that my work had “too much of a feminist and erotica focus.” This was perplexing to me because my research was on contemporary feminist fairy tale revisions…so of course I used a feminist lens! My advisor suggested that my work was simply too provocative for my conservative committee, and recommended that I make revisions suitable for a “more marketable and mainstream audience.”

I was frustrated and unhappy with that choice, and my soul told me it was time to move on, so I left the university and Ph.D program much to the shock and dismay of friends and family.

Last month, I answered another soul calling, when I left my day job in a public institution to create a living doing the things I am most passionate about. Everything from the disappointment of not being able to audition for the Rockettes to my Ph.D studies, has led me to this place and contributed to my blossoming in meaningful ways.

I am a certified reiki practitioner (currently working towards reiki master!), danseuse du ventre, burlesque performer, fitness and dance instructor, tarot reader, pinup model and yogi. I am a quirky Aquarian who loves all things decadent, dancing for delightful audiences, dark chocolate, red wine, delicious erotica, amazing sex, ocean breezes, gloriously crisp autumn days, vintage lingerie, and glitter. When I am not working, you will most likely find me barefoot, wearing faded Levis and a lace tank top and curled up with a good book.

Books have always been an important part of my life. One of my earliest memories of reading was when I was in first grade. My parents got called into a conference, and I was in trouble! Why? Because my class was divided into three reading groups: accelerated, grade level, and below grade level. We had one teacher and no assistants, and while Mrs. S was working with the grade level group, my accelerated group and the below grade level group were left to read independently. Not a problem for my group as we happily dug into our books, however, I noticed that the third group looked sad and confused. I snuck over to them, circled them up and read to them. It was wonderful until Mrs. S discovered me! I thought I was being kind and helpful, but she thought I was trying to hijack the class, and I ended up banished to the corner by myself as punishment. No one was allowed to talk to me while I reflected on my “bad behavior.” I’m still baffled by her reaction but it didn’t influence my love of books!

In high school I discovered Anais Nin. I remember being completely enthralled by her beautiful, haunting and bold words. I continue to read her work now and then, as it impacts me differently today as compared to the curious schoolgirl I was bintroduced to a lush and erotic new world.

Regarding my Ph.D work, highly influential books for me were: Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, Chocolat by Joanne Harris, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins, The Rose and the Beast by Francesca Lia Block, and Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue.

Powerful books not related to my research that have stuck with me for a long time: Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue, Le Divorce by Diane Johnson, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon, and Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Of course I enjoy erotica, so I must mention the Sleeping Beauty trilogy (Anne Rice as A.N. Roquelaure) which I did not use in my research but should have! I adore erotic anthologies–delicious morsels which can be enjoyed in small bites, when schedules are busy but you need to have a sexy escape. Recent anthologies I have enjoyed are Chemical [se]X edited by Oleander Plume, Tie Me Up: a Binding Collection of Erotic Tales edited by F. Leonora Solomon, and Flappers, Jazz, and Valentino edited by Jillian Boyd. These super sexy anthologies are a wonderful way to discover crazy-talented writers you might want to explore further. You will be on alert when some of your favorite editors have a new project they are teasing (ahem… ). I’ve been reading Tamsin Flowers’ Alchemy xii series with its monthly installments, and that’s been tons of fun too. There is so much yumminess out there…what are you waiting for? Reading is sexy!!! I love to ask people what’s on their bedside table (or on their Kindle, idevice, etc.) if I’m looking for a recommendation. Currently on mine… Red Hot & Holy: A Heretic’s Love Story by Sera Beak.

Ahhhh, Dulce! Dulce also writes poems, maybe hopefully she might write for me one day? In the meanwhile while I dream, here is a dreamy tarot poem of hers:

Cheek to a cool, polished surface, listen for the doubt, black satin hitched, large hands palm peach-soft flesh, kneading, needing, ballet-pink lace resists, relinquishes, dew-drop tears glisten in a fluorescent glare

Total Blog Takeover by Tabitha Rayne!!!

Next week I am going to Eroticon, and I am TERRIBLY unhappy I am not going to see Tabitha Rayne! I had worked with her and knew she was a sexy author, but in person? She is beautiful and radiant, the more I get to know her the more evident it becomes. She is a brilliant writer and artist, so I asked her to take over my blog! Without further ado, my friend and guest blogger, Tabitha Rayne!!!

Oooh I love coming to F.Leonora’s place.Did you know she is the founder of Man Ray Monday? Monday is now my favourite day of the week thanks to that, and Masturbation Monday which she always takes part.

I’ve been toying with this idea for a few days now and never found the time to make a start so when F Dot invited me over and talk about something surreal – and to appeal to her visual side – I thought, perfect! Now’s my chance.

I’ve been thinking about fractal fucking.

My favourite plant is bracken. The way it unfurls into never ending versions of itself makes me thrilled and overjoyed at being alive to witness it. It’s a fucking miracle of mathematics, nature and engineering. I am in awe every time I see one. I have lots in my garden. I can’t go by a bracken plant when I’m out walking – I have to take a close look.

I love the way the underside of the fronds are so similar to the tentacles of an octopus or squid. They remind me of the incredible erotic Japanese wood block by Katsushika Hokusai, ‘Dream of The Fisherman’s Wife’.

When I’m writing orgasms I often think of them as a folding in on the self – a journey into your existence where you fracture and fragment into tiny perfect copies of yourself, spiralling into that infinitesimal space where you begin and end.

Far out.

Fractals are orgasmic to me.

I adore them. To me, they describe precisely what it is like to be in the middle of an orgasm.

So this blog is the foundation bones of a story I am writing about this very thing – the earthy delights of fractal fucking.

Surreal?

I’ll let you know when I get the story done – perhaps one Monday…

Thank you for having me Lovely Miss F

X x x

Total Blog Takeover by JG Faherty Featuring An Excerpt From His Latest, THE CURE!!!

Hi, there. My name is JG Faherty, and I’m your guest blogger for today. Leonora has thrown open the doors and let me do whatever I want! Which I can do—I’m not shy when it comes to promoting my own stuff! But I want to do more than just talk about my book. I want to explain why I’m talking about it on a blog that’s usually focused more on the romance and erotica ends of the fiction spectrum.
I could say it’s because I’ve written plenty of erotica and romance myself, both under the name JG Faherty and under various pseudonyms. I could say it’s because Leonora enjoys a good scary book now and then. I could say it’s because we’ve worked together on projects before. All of those would be true. But the real reason is, horror and sex go together like, well, sex and anything. What doesn’t go well with sex? (Except picturing your parents while you do it.)
My novel The Cure is no exception. Depending on who you talk to, it’s a paranormal thriller (that’s what I call it), a horror story, or even a mystery. But at its very heart, it’s a story about love, sex and fear, because those are the things that drive so many of the things we do in real life.
In The Cure, Leah DeGarmo has the ability to cure animals and people by touching them. But she’s also as cursed as she is blessed, because whatever she takes from the sick and injured she has to pass on to something/someone else, or suffer it herself. This not only makes her valuable to the wrong kinds of people as a potential weapon, it makes her life very lonely.
Like most of us, Leah longs for love. After losing a fiancé to a freak accident she couldn’t prevent, she’s become an emotional recluse, refusing to share her heart or body with anyone. It takes police officer John Carrera to unlock her doors, to get her to feel again.
And what happens when she does? People find ways to use her love against her, to force her to do things she doesn’t want to do in order to save John’s life. It is the horrors they experience together that bring them closer, and also threaten to destroy them as a couple. When they finally consummate their love, it’s in the worst possible situation, captured, in fear for their lives, and monitored by shadowy figures. Yet they still do it, because sex, like fear, is such a powerful urge that it can break through boundaries, knock down walls, make everything else seem insignificant.
Think about it. What else besides sex and fear can make people do such crazy things? Love? Sure, in some instances. People will risk their lives for love. At least, some will. Money? Sometimes. People will lie, cheat, and even kill for money. But not everyone.
Sex, though, sex short-circuits rational thought like nothing else. Think of the insane things people do when it comes to sex. We take perfect strangers—potential murderers, thieves, perverts—into our bedrooms because we want to fuck them. We spend every last dime in our wallets, even our bank accounts just to get someone into bed. We risk our health on prostitutes, or skip using protection rather than miss out on great sex. For thousands of years, sex has been used as a weapon, a method of coercion, a blackmail tool, and even as a way of bartering for goods. The need for sex can drive prisoners to homosexual acts. It’s such a powerful driving force that men and women were (and still are) routinely shorn of their sexual organs in order to create easily controlled slaves. Sex causes people to ignore social and familial mores, commit adultery, and even break religious vows.
The only thing that compares to it is fear.
Fear can be so powerful that it not only creates a state of temporary insanity, it can cause physical harm. Your heart beats too fast, adrenaline courses through your veins, your pulse pounds in your temples until your head aches, and your stomach clenches. If this goes on too long, a person could have a heart attack, a stroke, or just plain pass out and crack their skull open. Fear can be so intense that it causes you to piss yourself, toss your cookies, or soil your pants. Fear can turn the bravest man into a whimpering coward. We all would like to think that in a life or death situation we’d be the hero. Save someone from a burning building, stop the mugger with the gun, or tackle the person about to cross the street in front of a truck.
But would we? Or would we freeze in terror while disaster strikes? Think of what people do when they’re frightened. Drop a spider or snake onto someone who has a fear of them, do they quietly brush it off? Hell, no. They scream, frantically shake their arms or dance in mad circles. They’ll fling that deadly animal off themselves with no thought of where it’s going to land—on their spouse, their mother, their child. Shout fire in a theater (no, don’t, just imagine you did!) and watch as people trample each other in panic, run face first into walls, pound frantically at doors they can’t open because they didn’t read the sign that says “pull.”
Like the quote from Dune by Frank Herbert, “Fear is the mind killer.”
The only real difference between fear and sex, is that sex (for most of us!) is enjoyable, while fear is not.
In The Cure, fear is more of a driving force than sex. Leah is forced to confront her fears, both psychological and physical. Her mind and body are abused until finally she simply can’t take it anymore. And that’s the crucial element of the story. Will she snap, let insanity take over, or give in to the darkness? Or will she overcome her fear and master it? It’s a quandary we all face, albeit on a smaller scale. Deadlines, presentations, first dates, illnesses; all the things in life that create fear. Do we submit or conquer? Give up or fight?
The same can be said of sex. Sex has the power to drive us over the edge. People become addicted to it. They need more sex, have to have it. For some it’s porn. For others, it’s the actual physical act. What was once enjoyable becomes a compulsion.
That is why I’m blogging today. To let you know that horror and erotica/romance have always been, and always will be, entwined. And if you don’t believe me, I’ve got a book for you to read. It’s all about lesbianism, bisexuality, fetishes, dominance and submission, rape, oral sex, and bestiality.
It’s called Dracula.
And now back to your regularly scheduled blog programming!

Thanks, Leonora, for having me.

Excerpt from:

Leah knew only darkness and pain. They surrounded her, encased her in walls of black fire. There was no conscious thought, no sense of body or mind. Just endless torture.

Just when she thought she might explode from the pain, a glowing sun appeared in the distance, its light enticing her with salvation from the eternal hell of her existence. Without being aware of moving, she reached for the golden promise of deliverance.

The moment she touched it, the brilliance poured through her, melting through the burning dark in waves of cool, soothing pleasure that was like nothing she’d ever felt before. Better than an ice-cold drink quenching a parched throat, better than stepping into a frigid mountain stream on a hot day. She let the waves wash over her, wanting to bathe in them forever. As the yellow light grew stronger, she felt its energy recharging her, revitalizing every cell in her body. In her mind, she shouted with laughter as conscious thought returned.

This was it! She’d finally reached heaven!

Leah opened her eyes, wanting to see the beauty of the afterlife.

And found herself face-to-face with a monster.

All of Leah’s good feelings shattered at the sight of the shriveled, twisted mummy standing less than a foot away from her. She cried out and jerked away, but it followed.

It’s got me! It’s got—

Realizing she was holding on to the creature and not the other way around, she let go, her hand unclenching like she’d grabbed a red-hot pan. The thing slowly toppled backwards and hit the floor next to her, its limbs as shrunken and deformed as its face.

Leah gasped as she recognized the monster for what it really was.

The corpse of Tal Nova.

JG Faherty is the Bram Stoker Award®- and Thriller Award-nominated author of four novels, seven novellas, and more than 50 short stories. He writes adult and YA horror/sci-fi/fantasy, and his works range from quiet, dark suspense to over-the-top comic gruesomeness. He enjoys urban exploring, photography, classic B-movies, good wine, and pumpkin beer. You can follow him at www.jgfaherty.com, www.twitter.com/jgfaherty, www.facebook.com/jgfaherty, and http://jgfaherty-blog.blogspot.com/.

Get An Intimate Education!!!

I wrote a post on Erotic World Book Day, which was an amazing celebration. I met Rebecca Black through it, as she was one of the organizers and we made fast friends. She is a fantastic erotica writer, who got me involved with Masturbation Monday, and gave this amazing review of TIE ME UP! She also helped to put together another amazing anthology, An Intimate Education that I think deserves another mention…so Rebecca takes over from here!

Hi, Leonora. Thanks so much for inviting me to your place today. So a bit about me… I’m an erotica blogger and writer over at rebeccablackerotica.com. I only started writing in December 2014, so I’m still a bit of a newbie really. I post every Monday for Kayla Lords’ Masturbation Monday meme if you fancy having a look. Today I’m going to talk about An Intimate Education and how the anthology came about.

Erotic World Book Day was born in January when Emily Dubberley, (sexpert and founder of Cliterati.co.uk) sent a quick message to a small coterie of erotica bloggers and writers on Facebook saying:

“What about celebrating erotica on World Book Day (March 5th)?”

Within a week or so hundreds of people, bloggers and writers, were involved in the discussion group on Facebook. It was really exciting how motivated everyone was to do this, even people who were unable to get involved directly, tweeted and blogged about it to get the word out. We got so much support – it was an amazing response and showed how kind and generous the erotica community is.

The idea for An Intimate Education came from this group (my bloke came up with the title). Emily asked for help editing – I offered – Brook (a fantastic sexual health charity) got on board. Kev Blisse offered to do the cover (and ended up formatting it), and the call for submissions went out with a theme of education and safe sex. Happily, we ended up with stories from amazing, talented authors. We put the anthology together in five hasty weeks. I’m not going to lie, there were some stressful moments, but my overwhelming memory will always be the amazing stories I got to read. I’m really proud to be a part of it.

We launched An Intimate Education on March 5th at the Facebook party that over 300 people attended. Cara Sutra (sex blogger extraordinaire) unbelievably managed to get £1500 worth of prizes together; various people hosted parts of the party (there was even live burlesque) and it ran into the wee hours of the morning.

The anthology got to #16 within 14 hours in the Amazon erotica charts and we managed to crash Brook’s donation line! It felt like we’d been hugely successful in achieving what we set out to do in such a short space of time.

An Intimate Education is the best anthology I’ve edited in well over a decade in the industry. It is an honour to raise money for Brook. Erotic World Book Day showed that great things happen when we all come together.” Emily Dubberley

Brook does amazing work. I used their resources a lot in my former life working in education. For teenagers who don’t have anyone else to talk to, the charity can be a life-line. So what we would like to do now is to continue to raise money for their much needed work. All the proceeds from the sales of A Intimate Education go straight to Brook. A couple of quid (or dollars to eager erotica fans over the pond) and for that you get 22 panty/boxer/brief melting erotic stories. What’s not to like about that, right?

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support if you’ve already bought it or decide to now.

Rebecca x

And here is a delicious excerpt from Rebecca’s story!

“Remove your clothes. Do it slowly, I want to enjoy watching you.”

He was captured in her intent gaze as she sat in a chair facing him. His hands slowly moved to his belt. A small part of his mind noticed that they trembled slightly, but his overwhelming need to be naked in front of her drove him to unfasten the buckle and begin to slide it out of the jeans.

With every inch the belt came free he felt his mind calm, only existing for this moment.

The belt hit the floor. He unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down his legs, kicking them off with his socks. Straightening, he stood before her in tight black boxers, enjoying the approval in her eyes as they roamed over his body, resting on his bulging, hard cock.

She liked what she saw and for that he was thankful. He wanted to please her with every cell in his body and it was with his body that her pleasure would begin.

Her eager eyes followed his fingers as they moved to the waistband of his underwear. He saw her shoulders lift from the chair as she licked her full red lips. Pulling them down, his long, thick cock bounced up against his stomach. He watched her colour heighten. Lips glistening, the heat in her eyes branded his skin as he bent to push them down his legs.

Stepping out of them, lowering his eyes, he fell to his knees.

He heard her small gasp but there was no uncertainty. Waiting, a sense of calm settled over his mind.

“You please me.” Her hand stroked through his hair. Eyes closed, his head fell to rest against her hip. She played with the silken strands, running her hand over his head and down his neck for long, glorious moments.