Janine Ashbless's Blog, page 6
July 11, 2019
July 8, 2019
Blue Monday: In Pursuit of the Millennium
Every Monday I'll be posting an excerpt from one of the stories in Lust in the Dust.
We start with In Pursuit of the Millennium by S. Nano, who says: "I went for an historical setting, placing my story in 16th century Germany which was awash with groups who believed the end of the world was imminent. It’s set in Munster at a time when a radical Anabaptist sect had taken control of the town, believing they’d instituted God’s rule on earth. What could possibly go wrong?!"
The terrified call spread like wild-fire across the square. “God save us, the tower’s falling!”
The crowd panicked. People desperately ran away from the tower, jostling for escape from the impending disaster. The square was transformed into a scene of fear and chaos. But Anna did not move. She trusted to God. The tower teetered above the platform where Jan van Leiden was preaching. Anna watched as the tower hung like a presage of impending doom before crashing down into the square. Blocks of broken masonry collapsed to the ground, tearing through the wooden platform where he stood.
Anna looked on open-mouthed. She peered into the impenetrable fog of dust surrounding the stage, desperately seeking out the preacher. Surely he would be crushed by the falling masonry?
As the fragments of stone and mortar got whipped into the air by the wind, a male body, defiant and imperious, emerged out of the dust.
Anna gasped. It’s a sign!
Jan of Leiden climbed down from the shattered remains of the wooden platform, unharmed, untouched. “The final day is upon us! Prepare yourselves, Brethren.”
He stepped down amongst those followers who, fearing nothing and trusting to the will of God, had not fled the falling tower; mostly young women like Anna.
Her heart beat faster. He has come down amongst us.
And then, as if to demonstrate his body was unscathed by the falling masonry, he ripped off his tunic, pulled his undershirt over his head and, finally, removed his breeches. His perfect body remained unblemished, and beautiful. She had never seen a man’s naked body before, but the sight of it aroused new and disturbing sensations in her. Her curiosity was aroused by the object dangling between his thighs. She felt her heart thumping, and a dampness in her crotch.
“Fear not, Brethren! The Day of Judgment is near. What need have we of clothes? For when Christ comes He will take us as we were born — naked like babes — naked like the Creator made us — naked as Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. For this is how we will return to meet Our Maker.”
Anna didn’t know what came over her but at these inspiring words she had an overwhelming urge to divest herself of all earthly trappings and prepare herself for the imminent crisis by following his example. She pulled at the dirty rags that passed for a dress and threw them into the dust. She did so spontaneously, without any self-consciousness for her scrawny body, emaciated by famine, or her flat breasts. Her actions acted like a catalyst to the other women gathered around Jan, who, following her example, proceeded to rip off their skirts, bodices and undergarments and discard them.
“My children,” called the preacher, his arms upraised, a Bible in one hand, “prepare yourselves, for the Day of Judgment is here. Go forth and spread the word that all must assemble here in the square at midnight and await the coming of Christ Our Saviour, for His return is nigh and we must be ready for Him.”
At this, with no command or order, the young women got down onto their knees before Jan, the King of Münster, the ruler of the New Jerusalem. Anna forced her way to the front of the group immediately before him. His messianic gaze, full of the fervour of faith, stared into her and she swooned at the sight of it. It’s as if he’s picked me out.
His hand reached down and touched her forehead. “Bless you, my child,” he whispered.
He touched me. It was a shock that bore down to her very core. It aroused parts of her body she was barely aware of and produced a yearning tingle in her sex.
He bent down and addressed Anna directly, “Are you a virgin, my child?”
“Yes, my Lord, I am,” Anna mumbled, barely able to believe the Saviour would speak to her, that he would single her out for special attention.
“Then, my child, you are one of the elect and you must come to me at night’s fall to attend me on the final eve, before the sword of Christ smites our enemies and raises us up into ecstasy.” He raised his voice. “Just as Christ had his twelve disciples, I shall choose twelve virgins to lie with me, on this the final night.”
Buy Lust in the Dust:
Amazon smartlink (Kindle)
Amazon US (paperback)
Amazon UK (paperback)iBooksGoogle Play KoboBarnes and Noble
It's the end of the world as we know it.
Peace and plenty are ideals barely remembered. Everything we used to rely upon has crumbled away, and pleasure is something few can afford. Every joy has to be fought for. When all the trappings of a civilised life are taken away, all we can hope to truly call our own are our bodies and our hearts. In the ashes, we make alliances where we can, and find solace and humanity in unexpected places. And maybe even a little hope for the future…
Lust in the Dust brings together ten erotic short stories set in times where civilisation and the rule of law have crashed and burned. The aftermath of a terrible war, a zombie invasion, a cityscape over-run by nature, a medieval fortress. Wherever there is life, there is lust.
Edited by Janine Ashbless - with stories by S. Nano, Elizabeth Coldwell, Raven Sky, Sommer Marsden, Cara Thereon, Jones, Gregory L. Norris, Nicole Wolfe, Janine Ashbless, Quiet Ranger.
We start with In Pursuit of the Millennium by S. Nano, who says: "I went for an historical setting, placing my story in 16th century Germany which was awash with groups who believed the end of the world was imminent. It’s set in Munster at a time when a radical Anabaptist sect had taken control of the town, believing they’d instituted God’s rule on earth. What could possibly go wrong?!"
The terrified call spread like wild-fire across the square. “God save us, the tower’s falling!”
The crowd panicked. People desperately ran away from the tower, jostling for escape from the impending disaster. The square was transformed into a scene of fear and chaos. But Anna did not move. She trusted to God. The tower teetered above the platform where Jan van Leiden was preaching. Anna watched as the tower hung like a presage of impending doom before crashing down into the square. Blocks of broken masonry collapsed to the ground, tearing through the wooden platform where he stood.
Anna looked on open-mouthed. She peered into the impenetrable fog of dust surrounding the stage, desperately seeking out the preacher. Surely he would be crushed by the falling masonry?
As the fragments of stone and mortar got whipped into the air by the wind, a male body, defiant and imperious, emerged out of the dust.
Anna gasped. It’s a sign!
Jan of Leiden climbed down from the shattered remains of the wooden platform, unharmed, untouched. “The final day is upon us! Prepare yourselves, Brethren.”
He stepped down amongst those followers who, fearing nothing and trusting to the will of God, had not fled the falling tower; mostly young women like Anna.
Her heart beat faster. He has come down amongst us.
And then, as if to demonstrate his body was unscathed by the falling masonry, he ripped off his tunic, pulled his undershirt over his head and, finally, removed his breeches. His perfect body remained unblemished, and beautiful. She had never seen a man’s naked body before, but the sight of it aroused new and disturbing sensations in her. Her curiosity was aroused by the object dangling between his thighs. She felt her heart thumping, and a dampness in her crotch.
“Fear not, Brethren! The Day of Judgment is near. What need have we of clothes? For when Christ comes He will take us as we were born — naked like babes — naked like the Creator made us — naked as Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. For this is how we will return to meet Our Maker.”
Anna didn’t know what came over her but at these inspiring words she had an overwhelming urge to divest herself of all earthly trappings and prepare herself for the imminent crisis by following his example. She pulled at the dirty rags that passed for a dress and threw them into the dust. She did so spontaneously, without any self-consciousness for her scrawny body, emaciated by famine, or her flat breasts. Her actions acted like a catalyst to the other women gathered around Jan, who, following her example, proceeded to rip off their skirts, bodices and undergarments and discard them.
“My children,” called the preacher, his arms upraised, a Bible in one hand, “prepare yourselves, for the Day of Judgment is here. Go forth and spread the word that all must assemble here in the square at midnight and await the coming of Christ Our Saviour, for His return is nigh and we must be ready for Him.”
At this, with no command or order, the young women got down onto their knees before Jan, the King of Münster, the ruler of the New Jerusalem. Anna forced her way to the front of the group immediately before him. His messianic gaze, full of the fervour of faith, stared into her and she swooned at the sight of it. It’s as if he’s picked me out.
His hand reached down and touched her forehead. “Bless you, my child,” he whispered.
He touched me. It was a shock that bore down to her very core. It aroused parts of her body she was barely aware of and produced a yearning tingle in her sex.
He bent down and addressed Anna directly, “Are you a virgin, my child?”
“Yes, my Lord, I am,” Anna mumbled, barely able to believe the Saviour would speak to her, that he would single her out for special attention.
“Then, my child, you are one of the elect and you must come to me at night’s fall to attend me on the final eve, before the sword of Christ smites our enemies and raises us up into ecstasy.” He raised his voice. “Just as Christ had his twelve disciples, I shall choose twelve virgins to lie with me, on this the final night.”
Buy Lust in the Dust:
Amazon smartlink (Kindle)
Amazon US (paperback)
Amazon UK (paperback)iBooksGoogle Play KoboBarnes and Noble
It's the end of the world as we know it.
Peace and plenty are ideals barely remembered. Everything we used to rely upon has crumbled away, and pleasure is something few can afford. Every joy has to be fought for. When all the trappings of a civilised life are taken away, all we can hope to truly call our own are our bodies and our hearts. In the ashes, we make alliances where we can, and find solace and humanity in unexpected places. And maybe even a little hope for the future…
Lust in the Dust brings together ten erotic short stories set in times where civilisation and the rule of law have crashed and burned. The aftermath of a terrible war, a zombie invasion, a cityscape over-run by nature, a medieval fortress. Wherever there is life, there is lust.
Edited by Janine Ashbless - with stories by S. Nano, Elizabeth Coldwell, Raven Sky, Sommer Marsden, Cara Thereon, Jones, Gregory L. Norris, Nicole Wolfe, Janine Ashbless, Quiet Ranger.
July 5, 2019
IT'S HERE!
Amazon smartlinkiBooksGoogle Play KoboBarnes and Noble
And here's my foreword:
I grew up during the Cold War. The threat of the world ending hung over us; we were recipients of countless nightmarish TV programs about nuclear devastation and a government booklet called Protect and Survive which gave such spectacularly inadequate advice as propping an old door to make a family bomb shelter. At my family church they told us how the End Times prophecies were all coming true, and that the Second Coming would happen (accompanied by nuclear Armageddon) any day now. I was a teenaged member of CND; it seemed like the only protest I could make.
Then in 1991 the Cold War ended. We were suddenly safe. “History,” the pundits told us, “is over;” Western Liberal Capitalism had won, and the rest of the world would just fall peacefully into line now.
How little did they know.
Now, 28 years later, the Doomsday Clock stands at two minutes to Midnight — the closest it’s been since 1953 — and non-proliferation treaties are being torn up. Faith in pluralistic democracy has crumbled and we’ve voted demagogues and neo-fascists into power all over the planet. Medieval-style religious fundamentalism is running riot. Environmentally, we’re officially going through a Mass Extinction event. And of course there’s Climate Change. As I write this, scientists are warning that we’ve got twelve years to get enough of a grip on carbon emissions just to keep global warming to under two degrees.
We’re all fucked, at best guess.
Which leads me to the subject of this anthology.
I don’t know whether the human race will still be around in a century — or if it is, in what form. But I know that if we’re here we’ll still need sex and eroticism, just like we always have done. Not simply for biological procreation, but for solace and connection, validation and escape, identity and hope. Our humanity in all its aspects, good and bad, is expressed in our sexuality.
When I put out the call for Lust in the Dust I hoped that the drama of the apocalyptic theme would spark authors’ imaginations — but I was knocked out by the variety of takes on the subject. Here you will find sombre stories and humour, literary fiction and porno-style romps, grief and defiance and love. Some of these tales will be challenging reads. Some won’t be for you. And there’s one story that made everyone involved in the production of this book cry.
My heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful authors who contributed. And my enormous gratitude to Anna Sky of Sexy Little Pages, who got the ball rolling, and to Lisa Jenkins of Sinful Press, who caught the ball in mid-air.
If you’re reading this book in the ashes, remember us.
xxx
Janine
July 3, 2019
Mad Max MMMMMMMYEAH
When Lisa Jenkins, publisher at Sinful Press, asked me what my ideal cover image for Lust in the Dust would be, I told her, "THIS:"
Mad Max: Fury RoadPost-apocalyptic grime? Check.
Conflict? Check.
Imperator Furiosa sitting on someone's face? Check.
That's my personal idea of sexy
July 1, 2019
Lust in the Dust is "enthusiastically recommended!"
It's out on FRIDAY 5TH!
Amazon US (paperback) :: KindleAmazon UK (paperback) :: Kindle
And Lust in the Dust has garnered a fabulous review from Erotica for the Big Brain:
"The ten stories in this consistently engaging anthology take readers through a broad range of mood and emotion, from the sardonic to the heartbreaking, the breezily tongue-in-cheek to bullet-in-the-brain pan serious. Each and every one of them is finely-crafted, thoughtfully conceived, and damn sexy to boot! An embarrassment of riches, to be sure, yet no less a lambent example of something all too rare in our present throwaway age of planned literary obsolescence; an anthology that prioritizes quality over quantity: This is a credit to editor Janine Ashbless, whose introductory notes before each story lend a sense of unity to what could have been a rather rambunctious undertaking."You can read the rest HERE
Thank you TAS!
June 23, 2019
Ripping (off) the Light Fantastic
Over a year since moving in, last chandeliers are coming down!
Oops...
Here we go again with the paint...
June 13, 2019
Lust in the Post
It's here!
Contributor copies of Lust in the Dust have been arriving this week in the hands of their authors. It looks LOVELY!
And it's officially released on JULY 5TH through all the usual stockists
Contributor copies of Lust in the Dust have been arriving this week in the hands of their authors. It looks LOVELY!
And it's officially released on JULY 5TH through all the usual stockists
June 7, 2019
Show me yours
Open call. Go on, give it a go!
June 4, 2019
Avon calling
I was very sorry to hear yesterday of the death of actor Paul Darrow, who played Kerr Avon in the TV series Blake's 7 many decades ago. He was one of the first characters I had a total crush on as a child...
Blake's 7 was a massively popular 1970s Brit SF series with a rather varied quality of script (and the occasional terrible set) which probably doesn't stand the test of time, but it goes down in history for having the most crushing ending ever to a series, as the Evil Federation comprehensively wins and our protagonists are betrayed to ignominious deaths. It traumatised a generation of kids - if you think the Red Wedding was grim then you are just a naive baby!
The other thing it did to a generation of kids was turn them on to some less-than-vanilla character relationships in the shape of Avon and arch-villain Supreme Commander Servalan...
Avon was a bad guy who accidentally found himself in company with the rebellious heroes and stuck around for the political struggle because he didn't have any better options. He dressed in black, was witheringly sarcastic and heartless, and is generally responsible for all my sexual interest in uber-intelligent emotionally-unavailable bastards.
Here's a lovingly-curated compilation of his bitchiest moments:
RIP Paul Darrow - you will be missed
May 30, 2019
Legendary Lineup
It's time for a signing...
I'm off under my other name as part of the signing lineup at the official NewCon launch THIS SATURDAY (1st June) 1-5pm . I'm part of the Legends Vol.3 set, with my story The Price of Passage , but there will be authors launching the Best of British Fantasy 2018 as well, because we are all about value for money
