Tilly Greene's Blog, page 27
November 16, 2011
Rugby's Wolfman - oh my!
Australian rugby league player David Williams and 25 years old and he possesses a full Grizzly Adams beard. His nickname used to be Wolfman, probably from the messy hair and beard.He's cute, but hot?
One day his best friend, Michael Roberts, shaved him live on a TV show and guess what there was behind all that hair?
Serious hotness!
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
November 15, 2011
Read Your Books to Save Them from Bookworms
Actually, they aren't worms that eat the pages of your favorite books, it's more likely to be beetles, moths, lice, roaches and other insects that are looking for the nutritious fare found on bookshelves.Through the years a variety of poisons have been used to rid a library of these evil beasts, including cedar oil, citrus leaves, cyanide, carbolic acid and mercury chloride, but they have limited success. It looks like the best advice came from Lucian of Samosata, a Greek satirist from 160 AD.
He criticized "the ignorant book collector" at length, charging that anyone who amassed books to show off their wealth rather than to read them deserved a plague of bugs: "What else is he doing but buying haunts for mice and lodings for worms?" [Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart]In other words, read your books and pests will have no time to settle into the feast attractively set out before them!
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
November 11, 2011
What is a Folly?
"A costly structure demonstrating the foolhardiness of its builder." is how the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite describes a folly and is largely true, but I think of it as more romantic than that - which is why I had Hamish Buchanan from "Highland Heat" have one on his property in The Highlands. They were often built as little palaces to bring a smile to a lovers face, even though they weren't all that habitable.
My cutie and I frequently visit Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden in Ripon, Yorkshire, England and it has a few follies dotted around the extensive site. The one in the picture below is the best preserved and easiest to peak through the windows. In case you're wondering, it would make a lovely reading nook.
One of the ultimate folly dabblers is King Ludwig of Bavaria with his Neuschwanstein Castle, which literally translates to "new-swan-stone". It was built to resemble a 13th century palace like those found in a German folktale about a German prince who morphed into a swan, but Ludwig went a bit wild on the details:
By the way, Neushchwanstein, in case you don't already know, is the model for Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland.
My cutie and I frequently visit Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden in Ripon, Yorkshire, England and it has a few follies dotted around the extensive site. The one in the picture below is the best preserved and easiest to peak through the windows. In case you're wondering, it would make a lovely reading nook.
One of the ultimate folly dabblers is King Ludwig of Bavaria with his Neuschwanstein Castle, which literally translates to "new-swan-stone". It was built to resemble a 13th century palace like those found in a German folktale about a German prince who morphed into a swan, but Ludwig went a bit wild on the details:
By the way, Neushchwanstein, in case you don't already know, is the model for Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland.
"It took fourteen carpenters more than four years to complete the carving in his bedroom alone. A trapdoor in teh dining room allowed the table to be lowered into the kitchen and set while the servants remained out of sight. The throne room was decorated in fantasy Bysantine style. A stalactite grotto off of Ludwig's study came complete with a waterfall and an electric "moon" moving through its phases."
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
November 10, 2011
What is the Dark Tower?
Not the Stephen King series, but the real Dark Tower?
"A swank literary salon-cum-nightclub in 1920s Harlem." is what the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite is talking about.
Let's be honest, this establishment offered everything that was fabulous in that time, book discussion from the Harlem Renaissance period and music, and it was handled in an open-door policy by A'Lelia Walker, heiress to the Madam C.J. Walker [her mother] Manufacturing Company hair care and beauty empire. Everyone from luminaries such as Langston Hughes and WEB Du Bois to royalty from Europe and the fat cats of Park Avenue. Black and white, rich or poor, I'm sure it was an exciting mix.
"A swank literary salon-cum-nightclub in 1920s Harlem." is what the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite is talking about.
Let's be honest, this establishment offered everything that was fabulous in that time, book discussion from the Harlem Renaissance period and music, and it was handled in an open-door policy by A'Lelia Walker, heiress to the Madam C.J. Walker [her mother] Manufacturing Company hair care and beauty empire. Everyone from luminaries such as Langston Hughes and WEB Du Bois to royalty from Europe and the fat cats of Park Avenue. Black and white, rich or poor, I'm sure it was an exciting mix."...unless you were there early there was no possible way of getting in," Hughes [1902-1967] wrote in his autobiography. "Her parties were as crowded as the New York subway at the rush hour."Okay, now that's a packed house and she sounds like wonderful lady who, by the way, liked to wear turbans, jewels and carry a riding crop, so let's add sassy to the wonderful.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
November 9, 2011
What is a Good Swing?
I've written a scene or two that involved a swing - "Highland Heat" and "An Invitation to the World: China" come to mind - and the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite tells where the inspiration for such a device came from, at least it has to my writing.
"A suspended seat that oscillates backward and forward." is the brief description and pretty much states the basics, but the good stuff is in the details.
"A suspended seat that oscillates backward and forward." is the brief description and pretty much states the basics, but the good stuff is in the details."In this diversion there are very many pretty shrieks, not so much for fear of falling off as taht their petticoats should untie," The Specatator noted in 1712. "The lover who swings his lady is to tie her clothes very close together with his hat band before she admits him to throw up her heels."Even better were the from Honore Fragonard who made swinging appear to be a bit of naughty foreplay. Her skirts aren't tied and her lover is looking at her, um, dainty ankles and lovely legs. Back in the day, The Swing [to the right] by Fragonard was denied entrance into England, but it now hangs in that country's Wallace Collection.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
November 8, 2011
What is a Pillow Book?
I know what they are, but only because I used one as the reason a model was talking naughty pictures in my ebook, "The Painted Lady". Actually, I first read about them in a Johanna Lindsey romance, although I can't remember which one. I really need to reread her Malory backlist - I'm sure it's one of those randy guys - to find that book!
However, in the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite, a pillowbook is descibed as "A diary, or book of musings, kept under the pillow." The Pillowbook of Sei Shonagon, a lady-in-waiting to Japan's Empress Sadako, was a few lines written about the day before she fell asleep kind of book. Apparently it offers great insight into the era [965-1020] in which she lived.
There were lists included in her pillowbook such as "Squalid Things", "Vexing Things", "Hateful Things", but I laughed at the "Embarassing Things" where she added an oafish lover:
However, in the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite, a pillowbook is descibed as "A diary, or book of musings, kept under the pillow." The Pillowbook of Sei Shonagon, a lady-in-waiting to Japan's Empress Sadako, was a few lines written about the day before she fell asleep kind of book. Apparently it offers great insight into the era [965-1020] in which she lived.There were lists included in her pillowbook such as "Squalid Things", "Vexing Things", "Hateful Things", but I laughed at the "Embarassing Things" where she added an oafish lover:
"Lying awake at night, one says something to one's companion, who simply goes on sleeping."At least she doesn't complain about their snoring.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
November 7, 2011
What are Painted Ladies?
I'm betting they probably aren't what you think they are. In the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins they are described as "Made-up muses who sat for prominent artists in the 1920's."
The two women she puts in this category are Alice Prin [Kiki de Montparnasse] and Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. They were wild model-muses who played their roles with "guts, gusto, and striking originality, never forgetting the powerful effect of the unusual makeup."
Montparnasse modeled for artists, mainly nude, but got into her stride when she moved in with Man Ray as lover and muse for his work. The artist took over her making her up and it's been described thusly:
The baroness took things a bit further in Greenwich Village. Artist George Biddle remembered meeting Elsa in 1917 and described the meeting in great detail.
Seriously, Lady Gaga has a long way to go before she's even in the same ballpark as these two Jazz age ladies!
The two women she puts in this category are Alice Prin [Kiki de Montparnasse] and Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. They were wild model-muses who played their roles with "guts, gusto, and striking originality, never forgetting the powerful effect of the unusual makeup."
Montparnasse modeled for artists, mainly nude, but got into her stride when she moved in with Man Ray as lover and muse for his work. The artist took over her making her up and it's been described thusly:"Before they went out for the night, Man Ray shaved Kiki's eyebrows, then replaced them with glued-on designs - sometimes cut like the accent over the Spanish n. Her eyelids might be cobalt blue one day and copper the next, while her searing red lips "blazed agaisnt the plaster-white of her cheeks on which a single beauty spot was placed, with consummate art, just under one eye."
The baroness took things a bit further in Greenwich Village. Artist George Biddle remembered meeting Elsa in 1917 and described the meeting in great detail."Over the nipples of her breasts were two tin tomato cans fastened with a green string around her back. Between the tomato cans hung a very small bird cage and within it a crestfallen canary. One arm was covered from wrist to shoulder with celluloid curtain rings, pilfered from a furniture display in Wanamaker's. She removed her hat, trimmed with gilded carrots, beets, and other vegetables. Her hair was close cropped and dyed vermillion."
Seriously, Lady Gaga has a long way to go before she's even in the same ballpark as these two Jazz age ladies!
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
November 5, 2011
Remember, Remember the Fifth of November...
Originally posted November 5, 2007
November 5th is Bonfire night, a British celebration remembering the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. A group of English Roman Catholics organized and came up with a plan to destroy tyrannical rule by King James I of England and the Protestant Aristocracy. Guy Fawkes was the man chosen to blow up the Palace of Westminster [or the Houses of Parliament] but he was caught before this happened. After being tortured, he and other conspirators were found guilty of treason, they were hung, drawn and quartered. Apparently Fawkes escaped the hanging by getting free and jumping from the scaffolding and broke his neck. After that, he was still drawn and quartered.
It's not all doom and gloom for Guy Fawkes. He is credited with being "the only man to ever enter parliament with honourable intentions." In 2002 he was 30th in the "100 Greatest Britons" and on the list of the 50 greatest people from Yorkshire.
Recently the festivities have made their way into popular culture beyond the British Isles. Two examples are a movie and book. The beginning of the movie V for Vendetta has an old rhyme that is often used to recall this incident. The full poem isn't normally used, just the first bit, and sometime the second. When you read it you'll know why, it's very inflammatory and no longer has a purpose. The cutie, who grew up knowing the first two verses, never knew the last until we saw it noted at a Tower of London exhibition. So here it is in it's entirety:
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,'twas his intent
to blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow:
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah!
A penny loaf to feed the Pope.
A farthing o' cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah!
There's another appearance of the Guy Fawkes Day celebrations found in the first chapter of
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
. A muggle weatherman is reporting shooting stars are being seen all over Britain, and speculates some people are celebrating Bonfire Night a week early. Instead, it's the wizarding world celebrating the disappearance of Lord Voldemort. And don't forget Albus Dumbledor's pet phoenix is called Fawkes.
So how does one celebrate Bonfire Night? Well, on the Fifth of November, once the sun has sunk, the bonfires, big and small, are lit in fields up and down the country. The guy is on the pyre before it's set on fire and everyone stands around watching it burn. In northern England, Yorkshire, they have baked potatoes, parkin [a ginger cake with black treacle, or molasses], toffee apples, roasted chestnuts, beer and much more are all consumed in the cold damp air, long in to the night.
The "guy" plays a big part in the celebrations. Up until recent times, kids used to take the days leading up to Bonfire Night and make an effigy of Guy Fawkes, carry or wheel him around the neighborhood, knock on doors or ask people walking around for "a penny for the guy." They'd spout off what they knew about the Gunpowder Plot, maybe sing a rhyme, and be rewarded with money. They used to spend it on fireworks but later it went toward sweets during the night.
Yes, we'll be having a fire in the backyard with friends, a few pints, and some Oatmeal Parkin.
This month we give thanks and celebrate with our family, why not expand it further and immerse yourself in history, plots of murder, treason and more. Make some parkin, a cup of tea, and watch V for Vendetta.
Enjoy your Bonfire Night!
November 5th is Bonfire night, a British celebration remembering the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. A group of English Roman Catholics organized and came up with a plan to destroy tyrannical rule by King James I of England and the Protestant Aristocracy. Guy Fawkes was the man chosen to blow up the Palace of Westminster [or the Houses of Parliament] but he was caught before this happened. After being tortured, he and other conspirators were found guilty of treason, they were hung, drawn and quartered. Apparently Fawkes escaped the hanging by getting free and jumping from the scaffolding and broke his neck. After that, he was still drawn and quartered.It's not all doom and gloom for Guy Fawkes. He is credited with being "the only man to ever enter parliament with honourable intentions." In 2002 he was 30th in the "100 Greatest Britons" and on the list of the 50 greatest people from Yorkshire.
Recently the festivities have made their way into popular culture beyond the British Isles. Two examples are a movie and book. The beginning of the movie V for Vendetta has an old rhyme that is often used to recall this incident. The full poem isn't normally used, just the first bit, and sometime the second. When you read it you'll know why, it's very inflammatory and no longer has a purpose. The cutie, who grew up knowing the first two verses, never knew the last until we saw it noted at a Tower of London exhibition. So here it is in it's entirety:
Remember, remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,'twas his intent
to blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow:
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah!
A penny loaf to feed the Pope.
A farthing o' cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah!
There's another appearance of the Guy Fawkes Day celebrations found in the first chapter of
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
. A muggle weatherman is reporting shooting stars are being seen all over Britain, and speculates some people are celebrating Bonfire Night a week early. Instead, it's the wizarding world celebrating the disappearance of Lord Voldemort. And don't forget Albus Dumbledor's pet phoenix is called Fawkes.So how does one celebrate Bonfire Night? Well, on the Fifth of November, once the sun has sunk, the bonfires, big and small, are lit in fields up and down the country. The guy is on the pyre before it's set on fire and everyone stands around watching it burn. In northern England, Yorkshire, they have baked potatoes, parkin [a ginger cake with black treacle, or molasses], toffee apples, roasted chestnuts, beer and much more are all consumed in the cold damp air, long in to the night.
The "guy" plays a big part in the celebrations. Up until recent times, kids used to take the days leading up to Bonfire Night and make an effigy of Guy Fawkes, carry or wheel him around the neighborhood, knock on doors or ask people walking around for "a penny for the guy." They'd spout off what they knew about the Gunpowder Plot, maybe sing a rhyme, and be rewarded with money. They used to spend it on fireworks but later it went toward sweets during the night.
Yes, we'll be having a fire in the backyard with friends, a few pints, and some Oatmeal Parkin.
This month we give thanks and celebrate with our family, why not expand it further and immerse yourself in history, plots of murder, treason and more. Make some parkin, a cup of tea, and watch V for Vendetta.Enjoy your Bonfire Night!
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
November 4, 2011
Clearing up a Geisha Urban Myth
"Geishas are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance." [Wikipedia]While the elaborate make-up and hair, coupled with the traditional attire, make it easier to label a woman a geisha, there is much more to who they are and what they do than their appearance. They are entertainers through dance, games, masterful discourse and a skill at maintaining traditions, what they are not is prostitutes. Prostitution in Japan exists and is very complicated, but geishas do not exchange their bodies for money.
Back in the late 600's the female entertainer position started to take shape as a serving girl who may or may not sell sexual services. Over the years, a gap between those who were educated in the arts and those who served and were paid for sex grew, separating prostitutes from entertainers.
The Oiran who were courtesans and actresses - entertainers who also offered sex - took over in the 1600's and blended the line for what would later become geishas.
In 1872, after some controversy, surprise surprise, a law was passed that separated prostitutes from geishas, who the government considered more refined and shouldn't be sullied by association with the sex service industry.
When WWII broke out in 1945, the American GI considered geishas prostitutes and they haven't been able to discard that cloak ever since. They are a private group who are focused on their own field and therefore don't address the issue, but I'm here to say:Geishas are not Prostitutes - but they do make for a wonderful fantasy!
The geisha and prostitute roles are combined by the heroine who is neither, she's a woman who actually works in the import/export of beef business, in Konnichiwa Cowboy [Contemporary/Light Western Erotica + D/s]. Here's a small taste of her as all three:
Even though her hands clasped together in her lap, she couldn't stop her fingers from fidgeting with a desire to stroke the tempting package.
"Come over here, my little geisha girl, and show me how you entertain men with that sexy painted mouth."
There was no elegant way to stand up on her own, even crawling would be difficult unless she shifted the kimono out of the way. Letting her purse and fan fall from her wrists, she lifted one knee up a bit, pulled the silk robe from underneath, then repeated the process with the other before making her way to Matt.
eBook now available from Amazon│BN│Smashwords
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
November 3, 2011
A Fashionable Kimono
Learning how to put on a kimono is one of those traditions a mother passes on to a daughter, although it's said to still be a difficult task. I took the directions of how a kimono is supposed to be donned from JapanZone and made a few alterations for
Konnichiwa Cowboy
, and let's just say it was interesting writing both dressing and undressing scenes!Here's an excerpt for the new release that touches on the kimono:
eBook now available from Amazon│BN│Smashwords
Without waiting for him to say anything else, she took a few steps back so he could see all of her, then worked on stripping in a seductive manner.
As a slow, sexy rhythm played in her head, she reached behind her and worked on undoing the obi. Once it was loosened, she held the ends behind her, causing her kimono to open far enough to give him just a hint of what lay beneath. Letting the long strips of silk and stiff cotton she held fall down to the ground, she was happy she'd decided to forgo the plain shift normally worn beneath the kimono.
Pulling the two sides together, she turned around and slowly shifted the heavy silk garment to slip down one arm, then the other. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as he reached for his cock and stroked the towering pole. Not able to hold out any longer, she let the decorated silk drop to her waist and let it slowly slip to the floor.
Completely naked except for the long white socks and sandals was a tricky look to pull off as sexy, but believed she'd managed. Sakura actually felt empowered by what she saw reflected on Matt's face. She knew when a need so powerful took control of his body. He had started to stand, only to fall back into his seat. That one move ensured she wouldn't doubt he wanted her, although she enjoyed it even more when she saw how much desire there was inside him for her. He may have seen a geisha, but wanted her.
"Turn around."
Twirling around on her clunky sandals, she stood with one hip cocked out and finally looked him in the eyes to make sure he knew what she wanted. Him.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
[image error]
