Janine Ashbless's Blog, page 121
December 13, 2012
Movie review: The Hobbit: an unexpected journey
[SPOILERS!]
When I first watched The Fellowship of the Ring , eleven years ago, I finished with tears in my eyes - tears of relief that They Hadn't Fucked It Up.
I'm glad to report that I had the same experience watching The Hobbit: an unexpected journey , today.
For the record, The Hobbit has been released in three formats: 2D, 3D, and "High Frame Rate" 3D (Oh ... and IMAX; that makes four I suppose). The HFR version has had some negative press by people claiming it made them dizzy, they didn't know where to focus, or that it "looked wrong". I'm not qualified to comment on this because I saw the "normal 3D" version.
And it looked awesome. That's the first thing. The Lord of the Rings has some dodgy CGI in places (especially The Two Towers for some reason) but I didn't spot anything rubbish in this first viewing.
There's going to be a few comparisons between LotR and The Hobbit in this review, because this is a film that could not have been made before the LotR trilogy. I mean that in a literal sense: if someone had set out to make The Hobbit from scratch, without ever having seen the other movies, it would not have looked anything like this. It's not just the reappearance of familiar actors and locations; it is, in a deeper sense, a return to a fictional world that the viewer is presumed to have some familiarity with. A "blind" version of The Hobbit would never have included a White Council scene at Rivendell, because everyone would just have said "Who are these poncy dudes slowing the action down?" Historical references are flung around like confetti (The Witch-King of Angmar, Gondolin, Durin). If you don't know what they mean, you just have to ride them out. Which makes me wonder what a Tolkien virgin will make of this - particularly child viewers.
The movie opens just before Bilbo's Eleventy-first Party, so we have an unhurried introductory scene involving Bilbo and Frodo (both looking no older, a decade after their last screening, and the same goes for Galadriel, Elrond and Saruman further down the line, so someone in makeup or SFX has done a stonking job of rejuvinating the actors).
This is a massively detailed world we are entering, and this movie grabs that fact in both hands and runs with it. Throwaway lines in the book version ("he saw that across the valley the stone giants were out, and were hurling rocks at one another for a game") ("Your grandfather Thror was killed, you remember, in the Mines of Moria by Azog the Goblin") ) are expanded into eye-popping set pieces or vital backstory exposition. It is like Alice opening door after door in a long corridor, and through each one seeing a new vista. The scriptwriters are determined to tie together thread after thread to create a vast tapestry of faux-history that makes sense.
And here we see where the movies really enrich the story. Lord knows I love and admire the Tolkien books, but the one thing the man was not good at was character. He was writing heroic mythology, and frankly didn't bother to make any of his characters three-dimensional. In fact, of the twelve dwarves in the book, all but two of them fail to even make it into two dimensions - the lucky two being Thorin ("pompous boss dwarf") and Balin ("kindly dwarf"). The rest function as a mob of extras. Just as Jackson managed in LotR with re-writing Aragorn and Boromir and their evolving relationship, in the movie version of The Hobbit each dwarf is treated as a plausible character with his own striking appearance and personality. They've all made it to 2D, and we've still got two films to go!
Isn't this a bit strange? Aren't movies supposed to simplify the literary complexities? Yet in this franchise exactly the opposite is going on. And I am soooo pleased!
Thorin in particular is a standout character. Played by Richard Armitage with charisma and gravitas, he's never treated lightly. The other dwarves may piss about, but this Thorin is a Shakespearian tragic hero ... and we all know how that ends up, don't we?
Along with deepened characterisation comes proper motivation: in the book version, Bilbo goes off on this crazy life-threatening journey because Gandalf bullies him and he's too weak to say no:
In the movie version, he makes a choice. And he gets a speech near the end explaining why he's sticking it out in the face of danger and massive ingratitude, which isn't just moving but actually makes psychological sense. That's all new stuff.
If you recall the book, you'll know that The Hobbit starts off as a jolly, whimsical, very English children's tale full of tea and pocket-handkerchiefs, and ends up somewhere else entirely - with death and loss on a massive scale. We're going to see a lot of that, I think. And The Hobbit also foreshadows The Fellowship of the Ring: a group set off on a perilous quest; they learn to love and depend on each other even as the moviegoers start to invest in the characters - and then character flaws stretch that loyalty to the breaking point, ending in the destruction of the Company/Fellowship, and tragedy.
But we haven't got that far yet - this is only Movie One. It's full of singing (oh yes!) and giggles and slapstick (and the officially permitted One Dirty Joke), and there's a running fight in the goblin warrens that is just mental. I grumble a little that Radagast the Brown is played for too much whimsy, what with his rabbit sledge and a hedgehog called Sebastian. But even so I can see why they did it - another imperious/mysterious Gandalf-Saruman-alike would have been overload.
Martin Freeman as Bilbo, by the way, is perfectly cast. And Gollum is wonderful, as ever; their riddle contest in the roots of the Misty Mountains manages to be as dramatic as any battle.
And I got goosebumps when the eagles rescued them from the orcs. Which is stupid, yeah, because I knew it was going to happen. Nevertheless ... goosebumps all over.
Can I find a fault? Yes. That feckin' theme song HAS BEEN STUCK IN MY HEAD ALL WEEK.
Grrr!
And I have to wait another whole year for the next part. Oh god...
When I first watched The Fellowship of the Ring , eleven years ago, I finished with tears in my eyes - tears of relief that They Hadn't Fucked It Up.
I'm glad to report that I had the same experience watching The Hobbit: an unexpected journey , today.
For the record, The Hobbit has been released in three formats: 2D, 3D, and "High Frame Rate" 3D (Oh ... and IMAX; that makes four I suppose). The HFR version has had some negative press by people claiming it made them dizzy, they didn't know where to focus, or that it "looked wrong". I'm not qualified to comment on this because I saw the "normal 3D" version.
And it looked awesome. That's the first thing. The Lord of the Rings has some dodgy CGI in places (especially The Two Towers for some reason) but I didn't spot anything rubbish in this first viewing.
There's going to be a few comparisons between LotR and The Hobbit in this review, because this is a film that could not have been made before the LotR trilogy. I mean that in a literal sense: if someone had set out to make The Hobbit from scratch, without ever having seen the other movies, it would not have looked anything like this. It's not just the reappearance of familiar actors and locations; it is, in a deeper sense, a return to a fictional world that the viewer is presumed to have some familiarity with. A "blind" version of The Hobbit would never have included a White Council scene at Rivendell, because everyone would just have said "Who are these poncy dudes slowing the action down?" Historical references are flung around like confetti (The Witch-King of Angmar, Gondolin, Durin). If you don't know what they mean, you just have to ride them out. Which makes me wonder what a Tolkien virgin will make of this - particularly child viewers.
The movie opens just before Bilbo's Eleventy-first Party, so we have an unhurried introductory scene involving Bilbo and Frodo (both looking no older, a decade after their last screening, and the same goes for Galadriel, Elrond and Saruman further down the line, so someone in makeup or SFX has done a stonking job of rejuvinating the actors).
This is a massively detailed world we are entering, and this movie grabs that fact in both hands and runs with it. Throwaway lines in the book version ("he saw that across the valley the stone giants were out, and were hurling rocks at one another for a game") ("Your grandfather Thror was killed, you remember, in the Mines of Moria by Azog the Goblin") ) are expanded into eye-popping set pieces or vital backstory exposition. It is like Alice opening door after door in a long corridor, and through each one seeing a new vista. The scriptwriters are determined to tie together thread after thread to create a vast tapestry of faux-history that makes sense.
And here we see where the movies really enrich the story. Lord knows I love and admire the Tolkien books, but the one thing the man was not good at was character. He was writing heroic mythology, and frankly didn't bother to make any of his characters three-dimensional. In fact, of the twelve dwarves in the book, all but two of them fail to even make it into two dimensions - the lucky two being Thorin ("pompous boss dwarf") and Balin ("kindly dwarf"). The rest function as a mob of extras. Just as Jackson managed in LotR with re-writing Aragorn and Boromir and their evolving relationship, in the movie version of The Hobbit each dwarf is treated as a plausible character with his own striking appearance and personality. They've all made it to 2D, and we've still got two films to go!
Isn't this a bit strange? Aren't movies supposed to simplify the literary complexities? Yet in this franchise exactly the opposite is going on. And I am soooo pleased!
Thorin in particular is a standout character. Played by Richard Armitage with charisma and gravitas, he's never treated lightly. The other dwarves may piss about, but this Thorin is a Shakespearian tragic hero ... and we all know how that ends up, don't we?
Along with deepened characterisation comes proper motivation: in the book version, Bilbo goes off on this crazy life-threatening journey because Gandalf bullies him and he's too weak to say no:
"But-" said Bilbo.
"No time for that either! Off you go!"
To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside without a hat, walking stick, or any money, or anything he usually took when he went out..."
In the movie version, he makes a choice. And he gets a speech near the end explaining why he's sticking it out in the face of danger and massive ingratitude, which isn't just moving but actually makes psychological sense. That's all new stuff.
If you recall the book, you'll know that The Hobbit starts off as a jolly, whimsical, very English children's tale full of tea and pocket-handkerchiefs, and ends up somewhere else entirely - with death and loss on a massive scale. We're going to see a lot of that, I think. And The Hobbit also foreshadows The Fellowship of the Ring: a group set off on a perilous quest; they learn to love and depend on each other even as the moviegoers start to invest in the characters - and then character flaws stretch that loyalty to the breaking point, ending in the destruction of the Company/Fellowship, and tragedy.
But we haven't got that far yet - this is only Movie One. It's full of singing (oh yes!) and giggles and slapstick (and the officially permitted One Dirty Joke), and there's a running fight in the goblin warrens that is just mental. I grumble a little that Radagast the Brown is played for too much whimsy, what with his rabbit sledge and a hedgehog called Sebastian. But even so I can see why they did it - another imperious/mysterious Gandalf-Saruman-alike would have been overload.
Martin Freeman as Bilbo, by the way, is perfectly cast. And Gollum is wonderful, as ever; their riddle contest in the roots of the Misty Mountains manages to be as dramatic as any battle.
And I got goosebumps when the eagles rescued them from the orcs. Which is stupid, yeah, because I knew it was going to happen. Nevertheless ... goosebumps all over.
Can I find a fault? Yes. That feckin' theme song HAS BEEN STUCK IN MY HEAD ALL WEEK.
Grrr!
And I have to wait another whole year for the next part. Oh god...
December 12, 2012
With thanks
This box sent from the States is full of "Thank You" cards which I am to write for our Geek Love kickstarter backers residing in Britain.
That'll take care of the rest of the week, then!
Oh ... I may nip out to the cinema at some point too...
December 10, 2012
Eyecandy Monday
This Eyecandy is chosen in honour of the publication of Best Women's Erotica 2013 , edited by Violet Blue and including my petplay story Being His Bitch - which originally appeared in Bound By Lust (ed. Shanna Germain).
It's officially out tomorrow, but it's on sale on Amazon in some parts of the world right now! It features tales by Alison Tyler, Lucy Felthouse and Charlotte Stein too :-)
Buy at Amazon US : US Kindle : Amazon UK (released soon): UK Kindle
BTW: Violet Blue officially recommended 3-novella compilation Magic and Desire as part of her "Kink up your Kindle" series, which is just thrilling, because it contains one of my favourite BDSM stories, The House of Dust (which to be honest I feel deserves more love). Violet says:
"This exquisitely crafted three-story book is quite fantastic (and I don’t usually go for fantasy fiction)"
Buy on Kindle US : Kindle UK
(also available in paperback)
December 8, 2012
Sh! Join in the Pleasure Hunt!
This post is part of the Sh! Christmas Pleasure Hunt blog-hop. There are prizes to be won this weekend, you can take part from anywhere in the world, and all the rules can be found at Quizmeister Kristina Lloyd's place, or on the SH! Blog.
So what more appropriate theme for this post can there be, than pictures of the latest smut-reading I took part in, at the Hoxton branch of Sh!
"D. L. King and Friends" was organized by anthology editor and femdom-smutter D.L. King, and we all read our stories from books she'd created.
Here we are looking demure and respectable:
L to R: Jacqui Brocker, Jacqueline Applebee, K D Grace, D L King, Janine Ashbless, N J Streitberger. Ciara Finn also read, but was shy!Here we are .... waving sex-toys around:
Remittance Girl has joined in on the left of the lineup :-)There are a lot of sex-toys to hand at Sh! when you walk in - that's the second thing you notice about the place. The first thing you notice is how PINK it is!
Carnal Machines on Kindle
Sh!
does a brilliant job of supporting erotica authors with organised readings. It also runs workshops and events and has some of the most friendly, helpful staff in retail. It deservedly won Time Out's award for London's Best Sex Shop for Women, because it's fun, bright and totally non-intimidating. Here's a quote from the manager:The company I work for was set up, on budget of £700, so women of all ages, sexual preferences & varying degrees of sexual experience could safely shop & ask advice. It's female-focused - the shop says 'no thank you' to men shopping solo (imagine how many thousands of pounds we lose each year due to this!).
Here's a very pink pic of me reading from my steampunk story The Servant Question (to be found in anthology Carnal Machines). I had a blast reading this particular one because it's a humorous story, and thank goodness the audience laughed in all the right places :-)
If you want to take part in the Pleasure Hunt, the other links you need to go to today are:
Sommer MarsdenTamsin Flowers
And Sunday's links are:
Tabitha RayneLily HarlemKay Jaybee
Happy hunting!
December 7, 2012
When I was 45 ...
Yes, it's my Birthday Blog Post, in which, every year, I look back with a critical eye on my life and check whether I need a kick in the ass or should just give in and collect my coffin.
When I was 45, for the first time ...
I was invited to drinkies at the House of LordsI was propositioned in the street (very politely, in fact), on the way to an exhibition - the Naked Muse - where I bought a pictureI went to Camden Market, probably the coolest place in Britain.I had three new books published (all in the space of a few months. Publishers - What are they like?): Heart of Flame , Red Grow the Roses , and
I saw geek-god Alan Moore live! And Jonathan Coulton! My nerd apotheosis...I wore a cheap-n-slutty glow-in-the dark minidress to a blacklight partyI reported someone on Facebook for abusive languageI visited Florence, Barcelona and Ravenna.I saw Mumford and Sons in concert!!!
I crawled around an Etruscan necropolis. Two, actually!I went by motorhome all the way from from Italy to England, and right through the Alps in a tunnel.I ate samphire (salty).I swam in a freshwater lake (in Italy).
I got my PADI open water scubadiving certification.I saw Mathilda , and Stomp , and Jesus Christ Superstar , all live. I appeared in a national newspaper - the Express .My name was mentioned in The Bookseller, on BBC Online, and ... by the Canadian Broadcasting Company!I backed something on Kickstarter. It still hasn't turned up.I co-edited the fiction for Geek Love, which is just the coolest anthology ever, and the highest-backed fiction project on Kickstarter. I found I rather like editing other people's work, mostly because I am mean.
I was headhunted and contracted to write the first volume of The Book of the Watchers for Cleis.I went to Eroticon 2012, which was great but exhausting. Still not sure I can cope with 2 days in 2013!I had 10 short stories published. I'm definitely not going to manage that many next year!I went to a burlesque show.I slept in a yurt (I say slept ...), and watched the stars through the roof hole while possibly not entirely free of the influence of mind-altering substances. My hippy weekend.
I went to the London Book Fair and hung out with the editors of Samhain and Ellora's Cave (No, not at the same time. Hell would freeze over first, I suspect).I got my kit off and posed butt-naked for photographs that'll appear in public. In Geek Love , in case you were wondering.Other firsts ... Heh. Not telling!
So: 45 was the year of sex, drugs and ... folk music.
And geeks.
I'm definitely not dead yet :-)
December 5, 2012
Happy Krampus Night!
.jpg)
Brom has written/illustrated a Krampus novelYou'd better watch out, you'd better not cry, you'd better not pout ...
No it's not Santa Claus you have to worry about - it's his hairy scary sidekick Krampus!
In some European traditions, Saint Nicholas turns up on December 6th (not the 25th) to give out presents to good children ... but there is punishment in store for bad ones. Accompanying St Nick in traditional Alpine lore is Krampus, a devil dressed in chains (to symbolise his subordination to the holy powers) who wields a whip of birch twigs and wears a basket on his back. His job is to find naughty children by the 5th, beat them with his scourge, and if they have been particularly bad, stuff them in his basket and CARRY THEM OFF TO HELL.
They didn't mess around in those days.
From the 1800s on, as real fear of infernal powers and hellfire died out, people began to send each other jolly Krampus cards inscribed with "Greetings from Krampus." These cards were often blackly humourous, in the grand tradition of scaring the shit out of small children. Many are jaw-droppingly dodgey from a modern perspective.
Sometimes there was a sexual subtext that was certainly intentional.
Sometimes there was nothing subtextual about the sexual content at all.
If that's not a BDSM greeting card, I don't know what is!
Krampus gets a sex-change :-)Krampus represents the dark side of Christmas/parenting/divine grace - the gift-giver who also punishes those who don't conform. He's almost certainly got pagan roots going back to the satyrs and "wild men" of nature, and represents the terrifying danger of the dark time of the year.
There are modern Krampusnacht festivals in Europe and the USA, and Krampus costumes can be truly astonishing. Attendence is not entirely safe however - tradition/roleplaying gives Krampus-players an imagined license to get very drunk and pick on passers-by (particularly attactive women) to thrash.
There's a BDSM XXXmas story in there somewhere...
If you want to see more of Krampus there's a very fine website here with a huge gallery of period greetings cards.
So Happy Krampusnacht to everyone! And BE GOOD!
December 3, 2012
Eyecandy Monday
I'm going for demure Eyecandy today, because I'm being interviewed over at Jennifer Denys' blog as her "inspirational author" of the month and I don't want to scare her readers ;-)
So pink, demure, fully-clothed ... not even slightly naughty. No one could look at that pic and have filthy thoughts about nipples or anything. Could they?
December 2, 2012
One does not simply watch The Lord of the Rings
The ultimate sweaty, unkempt, non-alpha hero ... one also has to eat massive amounts of homemade butter popcorn, wasabi peas, blueberry muffins and toast.Yesterday we watched all three Lord of the Rings movies, directors cut, in blue ray format and surround-sound, on the biggest feckin' TV we could find.
14 hours, including breaks.
Now that's a birthday party :-)
November 30, 2012
Kay Jaybee - Making Him Wait
It's a guest post today, from the wonderful Kay Jaybee! (And you can read about her Next Big Thing too.)
Thanks to Janine for letting me come and share some of my latest novel, Making Him Wait (Sweetmeats Press, 2012), with you today.
Blurb - Maddie Templeton has always been an unconventional artist. Themes of submission and domination pulse through her erotic artwork, and she’s happily explored these lustful themes both on and off the canvas.
But, when Theo Hunter enters her life, she is presented with a new challenge. Maddie sets out to test his resolve as she teases, torments and toys with him. But, as Maddie drives Theo to breaking point, she soon becomes unsure whether her own resolve will hold out!
At the same time, Maddie must put on the exhibition of a lifetime. As the hottest gallery in town clamours for her best work, Maddie pushes her models harder and higher until they are physically, sexually and emotionally exhausted. Will Maddie’s models continue to submit to her, or will she push them too far? And will she be ready for the exhibition in time?
The only way to find out is to wait and see…and the waiting only makes it sweeter!
I love writing imaginative sexual shenanigans- the more unusual the better- providing of course, that the positions are physically possible! I’ve set stories in hotels, a mansion, delivery depots, shops, libraries, and various pubs and clubs. This time I have captured a totally different location- an artist’s studio...
Here’s the Prologue to whet your appetite...
prick (noun, vulgar slang) a man’s penis (OED)tease (verb) to make fun of, to be provocative or playful (OED)prick-tease(r): (noun) a woman who leads a man to the mistaken belief that she is likely to have sexual intercourse with him (OED)
It is a widely held belief that being a prick-tease is a bad thing. But is it? You could argue that it is fun. That it is a welcome form of flirtatious attention and that, for some, being a prick-tease is the very essence of power.
Ignoring the buzz of her mobile phone, Maddie placed the worn stub of charcoal to the side of her easel and took a step back from the girl before her.
Maddie nodded with approval as her newest model – a petite blonde – flexed the muscles she’d been keeping stock still for the previous half hour.
“Control, Freya – at least the appearance of control – is everything.” The artist reached out an affectionate hand to her muse.
Freya rocked a little on her bare feet as Maddie touched her lightly freckled cheek. “No need to look so worried, honey. You are doing brilliantly. It’s a difficult pose to hold for so long.”
“Thank you.” Blushing an endearing shade of pink, Freya lowered the hands she’d nervously clenched before her, giving her employer another chance to see the neat triangle of her semi-shaved pussy.
Maddie, her jeans and t-shirt smeared and spattered with all the mediums of her trade, did not feel the need to mention to Freya that her own knickers were sodden, nor that beneath her holster bra, her nipples were rock hard.
A further buzz from her mobile alerted Maddie to the arrival of another text message. In fact a steady string of muffled noises from her mobile, coming from the pit of her handbag, had been announcing the arrival of texts every ten minutes or so throughout the morning.
Smiling to herself, Maddie continued to disregard her phone and considered the exquisite outline of her companion’s porcelain frame. Most people came to Maddie to be drawn or painted, sometimes as a commission for a lover, husband or wife. Some, however, like Freya, came to the studio as a way of improving their self-confidence. Despite her generally shy demeanour, Freya had proved to be very good at posing as Maddie required and the artist had offered her an occasional job as a life model.
Sometimes Maddie felt she was more therapist than artist – specifically a sex therapist – as men and women alike shared their most intimate secrets while standing on the other side of her easel. Maddie’s studio certainly had the air of an erotic fantasy confessional about it. She wasn’t complaining, however. No other life would do for her now. The job satisfaction Maddie achieved from listening to the dreams and fantasies of others while she recreated them onto canvas, went hand in glove with the personal physical gratification it gave her.
Money being either plentiful or non-existent, depending on the current success of her commissions and sales, Maddie had been forced to develop an alternative form of payment for her models – a reward system for good work.
Maddie could tell from the rise and fall of Freya’s chest and the glistening damp skin at the top of her thighs, that she was more than ready to be paid for today’s session.
Closing in on her model, Maddie simultaneously cupped Freya’s slick pussy and left breast with her charcoal blackened hands, causing an involuntary shiver to ripple through the younger woman’s body.
“Your progress really is outstanding, honey. Few of my models can stay as motionless as you can.” Congratulating Freya on her skill, Maddie left two dark palm prints on the girl’s tits and tapped at the inside of her legs. “Open up. I think you have deserved a treat after all your hard work.”
Gliding her palm over Freya’s mound, Maddie slipped a gentle finger into the slippery canal of the model’s frantically clutching sex, enjoying the murmured mew of contentment that escaped from her lipstick-free mouth.
Pumping gently, the artist brought Freya close to orgasm with steady increases and decreases of pressure – her own mind straying to her mobile. Maddie wondered where Theo was and what he was doing. She knew what he was thinking about. She always knew that. Theo thought about her.
Pushing her happily sex-drugged model onto an armchair, Maddie’s own arousal kicked up a notch as she bent to lick Freya’s nub, swiftly bringing her to the dawn of a shuddering release.
While continuing to take pleasure in the sweet taste of another woman on her lips, Maddie considered how she’d phrase her responses to all the messages Theo had sent and how she’d tell him precisely what and who had held up her replies.
Inhaling Freya’s climactic scent, Maddie’s hands roamed up and over the small, orgasm-jacked body, her thoughts still with Theo. His work-calloused right hand was probably on his dick at that very moment. A heady hit of power consumed Maddie – a power as intense as the climax of the woman panting hard in the chair before her.
Maddie loved making him wait...
If you’d like to find out what happens next, then you can buy Making Him Wait from all good paperback and e-retailers, including-
Amazon UK
Amazon.com
Kay Jaybee wrote the novels Making Him Wait , (Sweetmeats Press, 2012), The Voyeur (Xcite,2012), and The Perfect Submissive (Xcite, 2011), as well as the novellas A Sticky Situation (Xcite, 2012), The Circus (Sweetmeats Press, 2011), and Not Her Type: Erotic Adventures With A Delivery Man (OCPress, 2011). She has also written the anthologies The Best of Kay Jaybee , (Xcite, 2012), Tied to the Kitchen Sink , Equipment , (All Romance, 2012), Yes Ma’am (Xcite e-books, 2011), Quick Kink One and Quick Kink Two (Xcite e-books, 2010), and The Collector (Austin & Macauley, 1st Ed 2008, 2nd Ed 2012).
Kay has had over 60 short stories published by Cleis Press (inc. Best of Best Women’s Erotica 2 , Best Women’s Erotica 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 ; Best Bondage 2012, 2013, Sweet Love, Gotta Have It, Sweet Confessions ), Black Lace ( Sexy Little Numbers ), Mammoth ( The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica ), Xcite (inc. Ultimate Sin, Boy Fun, Power Play, Threesomes, Finger Music, Tricks For Kicks ), Penguin ( Oysters and Chocolate; Erotic Stories of Every Flavor ), Seal ( Oysters and Chocolate; Nice Girls, Naughty Sex ),and Sweetmeats Press ( Immoral Views ).
Details of all Kay's work can be found at www.kayjaybee.me.uk
You can follow Kay on Twitter- kay_jaybee
And on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/KayJaybeeAuthor
Many thanks again Janine! xx
Thanks to Janine for letting me come and share some of my latest novel, Making Him Wait (Sweetmeats Press, 2012), with you today.
Blurb - Maddie Templeton has always been an unconventional artist. Themes of submission and domination pulse through her erotic artwork, and she’s happily explored these lustful themes both on and off the canvas.
But, when Theo Hunter enters her life, she is presented with a new challenge. Maddie sets out to test his resolve as she teases, torments and toys with him. But, as Maddie drives Theo to breaking point, she soon becomes unsure whether her own resolve will hold out!
At the same time, Maddie must put on the exhibition of a lifetime. As the hottest gallery in town clamours for her best work, Maddie pushes her models harder and higher until they are physically, sexually and emotionally exhausted. Will Maddie’s models continue to submit to her, or will she push them too far? And will she be ready for the exhibition in time?
The only way to find out is to wait and see…and the waiting only makes it sweeter!
I love writing imaginative sexual shenanigans- the more unusual the better- providing of course, that the positions are physically possible! I’ve set stories in hotels, a mansion, delivery depots, shops, libraries, and various pubs and clubs. This time I have captured a totally different location- an artist’s studio...
Here’s the Prologue to whet your appetite...
prick (noun, vulgar slang) a man’s penis (OED)tease (verb) to make fun of, to be provocative or playful (OED)prick-tease(r): (noun) a woman who leads a man to the mistaken belief that she is likely to have sexual intercourse with him (OED)
It is a widely held belief that being a prick-tease is a bad thing. But is it? You could argue that it is fun. That it is a welcome form of flirtatious attention and that, for some, being a prick-tease is the very essence of power.
Ignoring the buzz of her mobile phone, Maddie placed the worn stub of charcoal to the side of her easel and took a step back from the girl before her.
Maddie nodded with approval as her newest model – a petite blonde – flexed the muscles she’d been keeping stock still for the previous half hour.
“Control, Freya – at least the appearance of control – is everything.” The artist reached out an affectionate hand to her muse.
Freya rocked a little on her bare feet as Maddie touched her lightly freckled cheek. “No need to look so worried, honey. You are doing brilliantly. It’s a difficult pose to hold for so long.”
“Thank you.” Blushing an endearing shade of pink, Freya lowered the hands she’d nervously clenched before her, giving her employer another chance to see the neat triangle of her semi-shaved pussy.
Maddie, her jeans and t-shirt smeared and spattered with all the mediums of her trade, did not feel the need to mention to Freya that her own knickers were sodden, nor that beneath her holster bra, her nipples were rock hard.
A further buzz from her mobile alerted Maddie to the arrival of another text message. In fact a steady string of muffled noises from her mobile, coming from the pit of her handbag, had been announcing the arrival of texts every ten minutes or so throughout the morning.
Smiling to herself, Maddie continued to disregard her phone and considered the exquisite outline of her companion’s porcelain frame. Most people came to Maddie to be drawn or painted, sometimes as a commission for a lover, husband or wife. Some, however, like Freya, came to the studio as a way of improving their self-confidence. Despite her generally shy demeanour, Freya had proved to be very good at posing as Maddie required and the artist had offered her an occasional job as a life model.
Sometimes Maddie felt she was more therapist than artist – specifically a sex therapist – as men and women alike shared their most intimate secrets while standing on the other side of her easel. Maddie’s studio certainly had the air of an erotic fantasy confessional about it. She wasn’t complaining, however. No other life would do for her now. The job satisfaction Maddie achieved from listening to the dreams and fantasies of others while she recreated them onto canvas, went hand in glove with the personal physical gratification it gave her.
Money being either plentiful or non-existent, depending on the current success of her commissions and sales, Maddie had been forced to develop an alternative form of payment for her models – a reward system for good work.
Maddie could tell from the rise and fall of Freya’s chest and the glistening damp skin at the top of her thighs, that she was more than ready to be paid for today’s session.
Closing in on her model, Maddie simultaneously cupped Freya’s slick pussy and left breast with her charcoal blackened hands, causing an involuntary shiver to ripple through the younger woman’s body.
“Your progress really is outstanding, honey. Few of my models can stay as motionless as you can.” Congratulating Freya on her skill, Maddie left two dark palm prints on the girl’s tits and tapped at the inside of her legs. “Open up. I think you have deserved a treat after all your hard work.”
Gliding her palm over Freya’s mound, Maddie slipped a gentle finger into the slippery canal of the model’s frantically clutching sex, enjoying the murmured mew of contentment that escaped from her lipstick-free mouth.
Pumping gently, the artist brought Freya close to orgasm with steady increases and decreases of pressure – her own mind straying to her mobile. Maddie wondered where Theo was and what he was doing. She knew what he was thinking about. She always knew that. Theo thought about her.
Pushing her happily sex-drugged model onto an armchair, Maddie’s own arousal kicked up a notch as she bent to lick Freya’s nub, swiftly bringing her to the dawn of a shuddering release.
While continuing to take pleasure in the sweet taste of another woman on her lips, Maddie considered how she’d phrase her responses to all the messages Theo had sent and how she’d tell him precisely what and who had held up her replies.
Inhaling Freya’s climactic scent, Maddie’s hands roamed up and over the small, orgasm-jacked body, her thoughts still with Theo. His work-calloused right hand was probably on his dick at that very moment. A heady hit of power consumed Maddie – a power as intense as the climax of the woman panting hard in the chair before her.
Maddie loved making him wait...
If you’d like to find out what happens next, then you can buy Making Him Wait from all good paperback and e-retailers, including-
Amazon UK
Amazon.com
Kay Jaybee wrote the novels Making Him Wait , (Sweetmeats Press, 2012), The Voyeur (Xcite,2012), and The Perfect Submissive (Xcite, 2011), as well as the novellas A Sticky Situation (Xcite, 2012), The Circus (Sweetmeats Press, 2011), and Not Her Type: Erotic Adventures With A Delivery Man (OCPress, 2011). She has also written the anthologies The Best of Kay Jaybee , (Xcite, 2012), Tied to the Kitchen Sink , Equipment , (All Romance, 2012), Yes Ma’am (Xcite e-books, 2011), Quick Kink One and Quick Kink Two (Xcite e-books, 2010), and The Collector (Austin & Macauley, 1st Ed 2008, 2nd Ed 2012).
Kay has had over 60 short stories published by Cleis Press (inc. Best of Best Women’s Erotica 2 , Best Women’s Erotica 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 ; Best Bondage 2012, 2013, Sweet Love, Gotta Have It, Sweet Confessions ), Black Lace ( Sexy Little Numbers ), Mammoth ( The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica ), Xcite (inc. Ultimate Sin, Boy Fun, Power Play, Threesomes, Finger Music, Tricks For Kicks ), Penguin ( Oysters and Chocolate; Erotic Stories of Every Flavor ), Seal ( Oysters and Chocolate; Nice Girls, Naughty Sex ),and Sweetmeats Press ( Immoral Views ).
Details of all Kay's work can be found at www.kayjaybee.me.uk
You can follow Kay on Twitter- kay_jaybee
And on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/KayJaybeeAuthor
Many thanks again Janine! xx
November 28, 2012
Murder your darlings
Edward Robert Hughes (1851-1914): Oh What's That in the Hollow?This Victorian (c.1895) painting of a rather attractive male corpse seems the ideal accompaniment to a story I've been writing recently, about a sexual encounter with the undead. Today I thought I'd show you a short scene I cut out of the first draft - not because it was too offensive or creepy, but just because the story was sprawling and taking too long to get to the point. It's not a bad scene, and in a lot of ways I like it: it casts light on the protagonist's relationship with the other people she lives with, and hints at future conflicts and challenges that may arise when the short story is over. But the fact is that it needed cutting.
Sometimes you have to cut out good stuff to make the whole better. That's one of the hardest lessons you learn as an author. What's even worse: very often it's those inspired passages you are most proud of that are just out-of-place, and need to go.
“Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it – whole-heartedly – and delete it before sending your manuscripts to press. Murder your darlings.” - Arthur Qulller-Couch ("Murder your darlings" also attributed to William Faulkner)
Anyway, here's the piece:
In that stone chamber, every servant in the house is gathered, and everyone is talking at once. But they stop when I walk in. Faces turn, scared and angry.
"This is your fault, Meg!"
"Mine?" I sidle over to the fireplace and ram one of the iron pokers into the depths.
"You let them in!"
I shake my head. "I was told to. She told me."
"They are dead!"
"Didn't you see?"
"Their faces--"
"The stink of them!"
"It's just seaweed," I mumble, not wanting to meet their eyes. "It's not that bad."
"Not that bad? The dead walk!"
"And you would say that, Meg, wouldn't you?"
I turn to that last accuser, Auld Mary, the boys' own nurse from years back. She's never liked me, not since I took her place at the Mistress's side. "What does that mean?" I snap.
"Well, they all three dallied with you, and they all three drowned. Is that natural?"
I shake my head. I've heard this muttered before. It is my ill-luck that condemned them, they say. "Ach. Away with your blether."
But this time Auld Mary goes further. "Is't you who called your lovers back?"
She might as well have said the word witch. Suddenly my creeping horror and all fear of the revenants leaves me, washed away in a tide of rage. I draw myself up as tall as I am able. "Me? Go stick yourself up the arse with a besom, you poisonous old biddy! What shite you talk!"
"I've seen them! I'm seen them, all three, with you!"
"And if they cared more dearly for my bubs that your withered dugs, who is to blame them?"
"Whore!" The word is like a slap.
"Ach!" I sneer. "You've eaten too many green apples and grown sour yourself." Grabbing up the poker again, I jiggle it at her. "If no one'll give you a poke, have you thought of using something else to stir your dried-out clam?"
There a muffled explosion of sniggers and Auld Mary turns away, too affronted to carry on. The poker handle is already warm enough to hurt my hand, but I don't drop it and I don't let it show on my face. I'm not taking the blame for this. If I don't make them laugh at her, the accusations will become serious and I'll end up hounded out of the house, or worse.
"While you two cats fight, what about them?" complains Jacob loudly from his seat at the table, and the mood swings abruptly back to sobriety. "What about the dead men?"
"What do we do?" the cook takes up, wailing.
I pull a face. "What do we do? Obey our Mistress. Take logs to the fireplace. Cook a fine meal. Light the sconces."
"But they are dead!"
"We must call the priest!"
I want to slap them all. "Are you such cowards? You're like a gaggle of wee girls squealing at a squashed toad! Did you cower in terror of them while they were living? Well, why should they harm you more now that they are not?"
"But what did they come back for?"
"That is not our business," I insist. "Someone go for the priest if you want, but it's our duty to serve the family, is it not? We cannot all leave." We cannot leave her here on her own, I add to myself. She doesn't see them for what they are.
The thought is enough to propel me back to the great hall.
