Guest blogger -- Lisabet Sarai

Please welcome guest blogger Lisabet Sarai!

Going All the Way

By Lisabet Sarai

When I was in high school, “going all the way” was slang for having sexual intercourse. The term contrasts with the concept of going only “part way”: kissing, fondling, heavy petting, and so on. The implication was that other forms of sexual expression were inferior or at least incomplete. A girl who had gone all the way was viewed with an attitude that mixed scorn, embarrassment and awe.

As a reader and author of erotica and erotic romance, I've realized that sometimes it's better not to go all the way, at least not at first. These days there's a tendency to cram as much sex into a book as possible; many writers have come to the conclusion that hotter is better. However, characters who jump into bed and into full-fledged intercourse at the earliest opportunity risk becoming boring (what do you do for an encore?) as well as implausible (how likely is it that individuals who just met are going to be in a sweaty clinch fifteen minutes later?).

My work has a reputation for being extremely explicit. (If you have any doubts, read some of the excerpts or free stories at my website!) However, I've been discovering that making my characters wait actually results in hotter (as well as more realistic) stories. Sexually-tinged encounters that stop well short of actual sex build sexual tension as well as providing opportunities to reveal the personalities of the characters.

An example is my tale “The Understudy”, which will be released in November as part of the Total-E-Bound anthology Master Me. Sarah doesn't actually have sex with dominant Geoffrey Hart until a third of the way through the fifty-odd page story. Up to that point, he teases and tempts her, working subtly on her unrecognized submissive tendencies and stirring her to the point where she's literally willing to do anything for him.

For instance...

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I headed for the stairs, exhausted by the emotional cartwheels I’d been doing. He caught up with me in the front hall. I smelled his cologne, felt his bulk behind me. His hands settled on my shoulders and I really thought, for a moment, that I’d faint from the rush of desire that touch triggered.

“Sarah.” His voice was a caress.

My frustration and resentment evaporated in the heat of my lust.

“I see that you’ve made yourself more―accessible. Wait, don’t turn around.” He let his fingers wander along my throat, tracing my collarbone, then just grazing my taut nipples.

I shuddered with delight.

“Without a bra. Very good.” He gave the aching nubs a symmetrical squeeze.

Pleasure sizzled through me.

He moulded my hips, feeling for a panty line. “And panty-less, too! What a sweet, obedient slut!” He began to raise my skirt.

I remembered that we were in a public place, that a cast member, another guest or a member of the hotel staff might wander into the hall at any moment. “No…” I moaned as he brushed his palm across my exposed bush.

“No? You’d refuse me?”

I felt a fingertip parting my curls, stroking my slippery outer lips. His gentle tap on my clit sent lightning up my spine. I went rigid, holding my breath, silently begging for more. The finger disappeared. His big hands smoothed my skirt over my buttocks.

“No…” I tried to stifle my sob, but knew he wouldn’t miss it.

“Meaning what? Are you mine or not?”

“I―I don’t know.” I was desperate for his touch, but fear held me back. Not the fear of being discovered. The fear of what I might discover about myself.

He twirled me round to face him. “An honest answer. I appreciate that. Just as I appreciate the fact that you’ve followed my instructions. Really, I do.”

I searched his eyes. He appeared to be sincere.

“Then why―why did you ignore me all through dinner?”

His laugh was edged with mockery. “Did you want my attention, little one?”

My cheeks burned.

He cupped my chin. “I thought you might be more comfortable if I wasn’t undressing you with my eyes. Believe me, I saw you, Sarah. I saw your gesture of submission, and rejoiced.”

He bent to me and pressed those arrogant, sensual lips to mine. This kiss was different from the ones in his room. It was deep and quiet, like a pure forest pool. Our mouths locked. Our breath mingled. I seemed to feel his thoughts, probing, questioning, inviting me to fall further under his spell.

I forgot where I was. I was loose, wet, ready to let him take me then and there. When he finally broke the kiss, I felt almost physical pain.

“They’re waiting for me now, your friends. They’re dying for my company, too.” He gave an evil chuckle that reminded me, once again, that he was a rock god and I was just his groupie. “I’ve got to go now.”

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When Geoff does finally take Sarah “all the way”, the experience is incandescent, partly because he has made her wait.

I have another release, Almost Home, coming in December. In that story, it takes three chapters to get the main characters into bed together. The tension, though, starts building from the very first paragraph, when Gino kisses Suzanne under the mistletoe.

Sometimes I get impatient with my characters. When are you going to finally do it? I scold. Four thousand words and you still haven't seen each other naked! But they are wiser than I am. They know that desire isn't usually instantaneous and that deferred gratification is all the sweeter (not to mention hotter!).

Bio: Lisabet Sarai has published six erotic novels,two short story collections and dozens of individual tales. She also edits the single-author charity series "Coming Together Presents" and reviews erotica for Erotica Readers and Writers Association and Erotica Revealed. Visit Lisabet online at Lisabet's Fantasy

Factory (http://www.lisabetsarai.com) and Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com).

Safe Sex in Erotic Romance Fiction

By A.J. Llewellyn

I've noticed a rising tide of readers and reviewers commenting on books in which the characters either do or don't engage in safe sex.
This is an interesting issue since it's become something of a trend to criticize books in which characters, particularly gay characters don't glove the love.
Where do I stand on this topic?
When I first started out writing M/M novels three years ago, I didn't address the issue since, like politics, bills, debt collectors and other 'facts of reality' were not encouraged by publishers.
Also, my first books were the Phantom Lover series and Kimo and Lopaka were a monogamous gay couple whose single foray into a threesome was with Lopaka's ex lover. No condoms were mentioned.
At the time of writing that, it didn't seem romantic to introduce the idea, especially since the sexual act was not supposed to include actual penetration, but ended up doing so. It would have spoiled the shock of the moment - and a major story arc.
We are writing romantic fiction and let's face it, condoms were not addressed for decades. Neither was the pill, STDs etc etc etc.
In my more recent books, I have characters using condoms. In Cops and Rubbers, I even have an HIV character who insists on plastic wrap even for rimming.
But how safe is safe? And how badly do fictional authors really need to address this issue?
If my characters were to be completely safe, there'd be no rimming AT ALL since there is risk of several diseases including hepatitis this way.
They wouldn't suck a single cock - again, risk of infection.
Where would the romance be if we eliminate everything?
How about let's stop kissing - bacteria, you know.
I have just written a World War II romance about a gay Honolulu prostitute in Vagabond Heart, which is being published by Total eBound on November 15.
They didn't wear condoms back then, but true to the era, the character and the men he services who are US military, they are required to wash in a silver solution and submit to weekly 'clap' checks.
I personally don't feel condom use is always required in fiction, particularly romantic fiction.
My job as an author is to take the reader away from every day troubles to a world of make believe.
I've had more comments from women readers than male readers on the condom issue. In fact, a very good author friend of mine received a negative comment from a male reader who felt he'd been "bashed over the head" with the condom use in sex scenes.
That note surprised me, since this has become something of a trend in fiction.
I am glad the awareness exists, but readers should keep in mind we are not writing non fiction.
In the real world, people don't use condoms. Of course, they should unless they are in a committed relationship.
In the real world, most gay men don't have threesomes and foursomes either - unless they are porn stars. In a genre in which we write about vampires, shapeshifters, zombies, immortals, etc, things like condoms, phone bills, hemorrhoids, etc. aren't sexy.
Where do we draw the line?
Should werewolves carry rubbers?
That's not to say I don't think all books should be about rich, healthy, tall, muscular guys with huge dicks. Far from it. I just think we need to embrace fantasy and romance, and yes, there are times when condoms should figure in the equation...however, there are exceptions.
I just read a book where the author magically had condoms on standby in a situation where it would have been ridiculous and this, in its own way threw me out of the story.
Where do you stand on this subject?
Please leave me a comment and the best one wins a free ebook from me!

Aloha oe,
A.J.

Guest blogger -- Victoria Blisse

Please welcome guest blogger Victoria Blisse...or not?

Introducing the star of Moon Shy.

Hi all, Lowell Kenyon here. I know Victoria Blisse is supposed to be writing but she said she’d let me have a go at it since normally I just sort of ‘sit around in her head and talk at her’ those are her words not mine, I can tell you.

Anyway, yes, I’m Lowell and I’m the server guy over at demonet. I can’t say it’s particularly thrilling work but generally it’s nice and quiet down in my basement and I don’t get bothered too often so that’s all good. I know I sound kind of boring but my work life is not all there is to me, not by a long way it isn’t.

I might as well just say it. I’m a werewolf. Now please don’t go running and screaming from the room because honestly I’m not like others you will have heard of. I don’t like what I am, can’t stand it at all so once a month when that full moon comes ‘a’ calling I lock myself in my cellar, chain myself down and wait for it all to pass.

And I keep myself away from humans at all times so I know no one will get in the way, well, at least I did do that but then Jenny came along. Jenny knew me from school and started talking to me one afternoon in the cafeteria and as much as I told myself I should leave her be and just disappear into the background again I just found I couldn’t do it. There was something infinitely attractive about that woman.

Luckily she felt the same way about me, well, I say luckily, but in one aspect it wasn’t lucky at all. Her and I being together caught the attention of that horrid Mrs Connal woman who’s been sniffing around looking for reasons to fire people. She inexplicably likes me rather a lot, a bit too much to be honest with you and she took an almost instant to Jenny.

Thinking about what happened, you could say that was the understatement of the year, really but I can’t tell you more about that particularly explosive incident, Victoria would kill me if I gave her plot away. What she’d rather like you all to do is to pop over to Total-E-Bound on Monday 27^th September and pick yourself up a copy of Moon Shy, that’s the book she wrote about it all. It’ll tell you more and it’s a good read, honest. I helped write it after all.

Well, thanks for having me. It’s not often a werewolf gets invited out socially, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed chatting to you all today. I guess it’s back into the brain of Blisse for me now. Take care all and if you have any questions for me, ask away. I’m sure Victoria will let me back out to answer them for you.

Victoria Blisse’s Bio:

Victoria Blisse is a mother, wife, Christian, Manchester United fan and erotica writer. She is equally at home behind a laptop or a cooker and she loves to create stories, poems, cakes and biscuits that make people happy.

She was born near Manchester, England and her northern English quirkiness shows through in all of her stories. Passion, love and laughter fill her works, just as they fill her busy life.

Buy Moon Shy here: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=930