Decisions, decisions … Continue reading
My Life in Books (Part Two)
On Monday, we covered the books that, for various reasons, had some sort of influence on the first two decades of my life. In this post, I’m going to be looking at titles that have managed to stick a literary stake in me post-twenty through to the present day. (For those who’re curious I’m thirty-five, so this particular batch spans a fifteen-year period.)
Again, a really mixed bag, although my penchant for grit and darkness is, I think, far more evident in this group. Surprisingly, there are a number of YA books in the line-up; not sure whether that’s because I’m completely ambivalent when it comes to ‘recommended age group’ ratings or a sign that I’m desperately trying to have a second childhood. I’ll let you decide. Continue reading
My Life in Books (Part One)
The weekend before last, I went to a fete in a small village not far from where I live. It was a typically English affair; loads of families with dogs, stalls groaning with plants, tables laden with household bric-a-brac (mismatched teacups, weird porcelain figures and squat glassware), cottage industry craftsmen and women selling handmade jewellery, soaps and cheeses. I had a great time wandering about chatting to people I knew, eating ice cream and watching the various entertainers perform, including a rather fabulous fire juggler. But the best thing about that fete for me? The attraction that held me for absolutely ages? The stand filled with used books.
Secondhand bookshops and stalls, to me, are the most seductive of creatures. I spot one and it’s a pretty safe bet that you’ll not get a coherent sentence or any sort of conversation out of me until I’ve picked through every rack, box and shelf at least twice – and then a third time to make sure I’ve not missed out on something marvellous that’s been hiding in plain sight. Needless to say, I walked away from that fete with a bagful of paper treasures and, of all things, ‘browsing sunburn’. (Yep, the great golden orb was actually out that day. Virtually unheard of in Britain because if there’s one thing you can count on in this country, it’s that any outdoor event you host or attend will be drizzled, rained and poured upon.)
What did I buy? A load of children’s books, including a vintage copy of Stig of the Dump, and a very tatty but lovely interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk. The pre-loved gem that pleased me most, though? A dog-eared copy of Judith Krantz’s Till We Meet Again.
What?! I hear you say. Eighties bonk-buster trash? Jane! How could you? Continue reading
Wicked Wednesday: My No
*Can’t read the minuscule copy? Me neither! Click on the image to make it bigger.
For me, personally, the word ‘no’ doesn’t work in quite the same way within the bedroom as it does outside of it. Oh, it still exists all right – it just takes on a different form, wears a different set of clothes. The bulk of its clout is transferred, temporarily, to another combination of letters. In my case ‘red’ – and this is what the above poem would look like if I used it: Continue reading
Sinful Sunday: Working Girl
I’m a big fan of the movie Working Girl. It’s schmultzy, romantic … Pure eighties.
Would Tess have done a deal like this? Continue reading
Alert Me: BDSM meets My Little Pony, the oldest romantic, and kinky cake
In today’s Alert Me, themed BDSM implements, a totally groovy granny, and some very interesting cake decorations …
Star Wars BDSM toys from a kinky galaxy far, far away
Source: io9.com
Attention kinky sci-fi fans! Tying up getting a bit terrestrial? Need some fantasy to go with your fetish? Well, go and check out Geek Kink’s incredibly interesting little shop on Etsy. Sith-inspired paddles. Darth Vader lightsabre floggers … Everything you need, really, to go to the Dark Side. No Princess Leia in chains though; you may have to supply her yourself. And if Star Wars isn’t your bag, panic not. You can always go for a Super Mario cane or a My Little Pony paddle (!).
NB: ten points to Geek Kink for his shop tag line: ‘These are the toys you’re looking for’.
The oldest romance writer in the world
Source: The New Zealand Herald
I really enjoyed reading this article about 105-year-old Ida Pollock who is, apparently, the oldest living romance writer in the world. Go her. But the thing I liked even more? The accompanying YouTube clip. Cracked me up no end. There’s an incredibly entertaining discourse about the merits of French, Austrian and English heroes. And very emphatic use of the word ‘What?!’ by Ida every so often. Sweet and hilarious all at the same time.
James Franco Gets Sex-Toy Birthday Cake and an Award at Miami LGBT Film Festival
Source: E! Online U.K.
‘I’d like a piece with the ball gag on it, please.’
A strap-on. A ball gag. Anal beads. A flogger. Nope, I’m not talking about sex toys (well, not real ones) but the decorations on actor James Franco’s birthday cake. The sort that aren’t likely available in the baking aisle at Sainsbury’s. You can just imagine everyone eating a slice of this beauty after the candles have been blown out, can’t you? (‘Try the strap-on. It’s delicious!’) I’m not sure I’d be able to get my head around eating anal beads, though – even if they were made of sugar! :-/
Sinful Sunday: Belt
Amazingly useful things, belts. (For the full effect, click on the image to embiggen.) Continue reading
Breaking the Rules, Bloom – Kate Belle
Title(s): Breaking the Rules, Bloom (Master of Love)
Author: Kate Belle
Publisher: Random House Australia (02 January 2013)
ISBN(s): Breaking the Rules – 9781742758343; Bloom – 9781742758350
Reviewer(s): Michael & Jane
Take three!
In our third joint-review outing, Michael and I debate the motivations of the supremely debonair Ramon from Kate Belle’s Master of Love series. I suspect he and Sting have been hanging out together a fair bit; Michael’s trying to decide how he’d look with a pair of Eros wings.
Now, if someone would just lend us the Sorting Hat …
MICHAEL’S TAKE
What can I say about Ramon Mendez?
Men want to be him. Women want to be with him. He’s working on a Ph.D. in Women’s Sexuality – only he isn’t a woman. He puts ladies through a real workout – without them even taking off their clothes.
And Dude’s a Rule Breaker. If he wants to be with a woman, he finds a way. It doesn’t matter if she is in a position of authority over him, like his College Adviser, or one of his students in a mid-morning fitness class. If he sees something he likes, he doesn’t hesitate. Continue reading
Kink of the Week: Tonight, I’m going to be …
Me!
Roleplay. It’s not a kink I know a lot about or tend to indulge in. Not because I have anything against it but because it just doesn’t really push any of my hot buttons. Why not? Well, I’m kind of inclined to think that because it’s taken so long to get to the point where I’m comfortable with the kinks that do rev my engine, I don’t want to pretend.
I want to just be me.
Raw.
As I am.
In fact, the things that I tend to find the most powerful in a D/s context involve being stripped back to nothing, all ‘other’ gone, both mentally and physically. Continue reading
The Garden of Earthly Delights – an erotic tale (part eighteen)
I can’t believe I’m eighteen episodes into The Garden of Earthly Delights. This serial is now 35,000 words long (!) and we’re over the halfway mark. A massive thank you to everyone who has been reading along as I write, but especially to Josee, Connie and Snowdrop who’ve been acting as a mini cheerleading squad, commenting on the chapters as and when I post them. Hope you guys like this instalment; it marks a certain … milestone, shall we say, for Nick and Grace. I’m not sure about the tense switch I tried though; I’ll let you guys tell me whether you think it works!
Enjoy.
Jane
x
THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS – PART EIGHTEEN
‘I must say that you do look quite fetching in that position. So very helpless. So very … fuckable.’
After forty-five minutes of being tortured by her own arousal, Grace felt like screaming in desperation. The mere thought of anything relieving the relentless throbbing between her legs was enough to make her squirm with hope and hopelessness.
Nick had systematically reduced her to a quivering, shaking mess with nothing more than his sly fingers, his voice, and the toy in his hand – or as she was coming to think of it, ‘that fucking evil piece of glass’.
He’d used it like a mercenary might a weapon – with absolute authority and without any pity or lenience whatsoever. Her entire body felt as if it had been twisted through the eye of a needle, the bones pulled out like wisps by the string of orgasms she’d been forced to have. The need to stop – the need to keep going – and find relief from the monstrous conflagration Nick had set burning within her pussy had become as important as the blood pumping around her body, the air permeating her lungs. Continue reading