Liz Everly's Blog, page 130

These Shoes Are Made for Sexy

by Kiersten Hallie Krum

Let’s face it: the idea of a woman having a shoe obsession is now so mainstream, it’s now like ticking a box on a Facebook profile. Went to high school. Live in hometown. Have a shoe fetish. Imelda Marcos immortalized the concept of shoe plunder with her infamous closets of shoes. But quantity doesn’t always mean quality, especially when you reach a number that can’t possibly be worn in a lifetime without a devised campaign of attack. Actually, that gives me an idea…

J’adore shoes. Truly. When I visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the shoe exhibit in the Costume Wing is at the top of my Must See list right next to the Temple of Dendur. Shoes are not merely utilitarian covers for our feet, but the artistic expression of every woman who wears them.

Casual or formal, simple or ornate, a woman’s shoes express personality, attitude, and a prospective heel/pain ratio.

Shoes make a statement. They show off a woman’s legs at their best and instill self-confidence in the wearer. They offer a chance to show off the wild side of a woman’s personality even in conservative environs. Each step taken in them declares an announcement of intent. I’m working out. I’m on a date. I work for a corporation. I have a secret sex dungeon.

Okay, maybe that last one takes a more specific kind of shoe.

I once had a pair of ankle boots I called my “attitude shoes”. When I wore them, I walked with surer steps. I stood stronger. I had renewed confidence.

My four-inch, black suede formals are embroidered with black swirls and when paired with my black velvet formal halter dress, well, I make a statement there for sure. I have a pair of black leather sandals whose straps crisscross in a way that made me christen them “Shoes in Bondage,” a wink and a nod to Jennifer Crusie’s great Bet Me. One of my all-time favorite pairs of shoes are a pair of red and black leather, leopard print, open-toed slides. Man, I love those shoes.

Star Wars F-me heels.
Do me, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Women in our culture are riddled with body issues and when asked to name their favorite piece of clothing, shoes top the lists. This is mostly because high heels make women appear taller, which can make them feel, if not look, skinnier. Lengthening the leg makes for a more attractive silhouette to both men and women.

But while heels make us stand up straighter and walk with more care, they’re not, in fact, good for posture. High-heeled shoes take the spine and hips out of alignment as a woman’s center of mass is thrust forward. Each additional inch up puts increased pressure on the forefoot. Yet for the right pair of shoes, we shoe lovers will happily suffer and that’s for one specific reason.

Shoes are damn sexy. It’s not only that they lengthen the leg to provide an more enticing image. Stiletto heels also raise a woman’s rear and arch her back into a shape called lordosis, a position some mammals assume when they’re ready to mate. The term is also used to describe male mammals’ urge to mount.

So from an anthropological perspective, standing tall in heels subconsciously broadcasts a woman’s readiness to bang. Add to that the fact that the area of the brain that deals with feet is right next to the area of the brain that deals with genitals and suddenly sexual shoe fetishes make a lot more sense.

Want more sexy play with a shoe fetish? Check out Lady Smut blogger, C Margery Kempe’s, Baby Pink Lipstick Heels novella in her Love on a Spoon anthology debuting this week!

 

Follow Lady Smut. We’ll walk all over you and make you beg for more.

 

Lust in Brief: Recapturing the Potential of Sexting

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Come on. You can do better than “What u doin,” can’t you?

By Alexa Day

Dick pics, clumsy conversation, and a general lack of discretion have given sexting a bad name, and that’s unfortunate. The cell phone is so ubiquitous that it’s become something of an annoyance. Texting in general is almost the same way; how often have we sent a text message to someone we could call in order to avoid actually having to speak to that person?

Sexting is starting down that road, too. Instead of the elaborate dance of flirtation and seduction that existed in the time before the telephone, sexting has reduced all that delicious interaction to a single picture (which could be of anyone’s dick, really), a request for validation (‘U likey?’), and the inevitable proposition. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Are you wearing the black ones?

At its best, sexting can be elegant and intimate. It can be a chance to talk dirty to a partner while you’re at work and he’s surrounded by people. It can be a provocative whisper between lovers with thousands of miles between them.

On an endless conference call. Thinking of the way you taste.

Sexting can leave more to the imagination, which makes for some very cerebral stimulation. Where is he while he’s reading this? Are people watching him? Can they tell?

You left a mark. I decided not to cover it. Guess where it is.

And of course, sexting can also be the vehicle for everyday life viewed through lust-colored glasses. Just as we might text a partner to make sure the wine is properly chilled, one might text to make sure that partner is properly warm.

I haven’t forgotten about that spanking. If you’re not naked and waiting for me in an hour, there’ll be hell to pay.

The hot possibilities are endless, right? For a sizzling sexted power play, check out C. Margery Kempe’s “Text Play,” featured in her collection Love on a Spoon.

And be sure to try all this at home.

But before you do all that, be sure to follow Lady Smut.

Sexy Saturday Round-Up

by Liz Everly and the Lady Smut bloggers

Hello, Sexy! Welcome to your weekend. Kick back and read over our fav blog posts of the week.

From Liz:

How women feel about their breasts.

Don’t put THAT up THERE. Here is why.

Interesting take on writing.

Will Amazon rule the world?

From Madeline Iva:

Because all I care about these days is THEO JAMES.

Theo James apparently has OTHER SKILZ.

Speed date with Theo.

From Elizabeth:

Cuteness time! Baby polar bear twins make their debut at the Munich zoo.

How much time per day do you want to be having sex? Men say four hours and 19 minutes. I say . . . ouch!

Nymphomaniac stars dish on what it was like filming all those steamy sex scenes.

Juice cleanses are soooo yesterday’s news. Nowadays we can cleanse with ice cream.

Get things right in bed by avoiding these top sex mistakes women make.

From C. Margery Kempe:

My medieval foremother Margery Kempe, the first autobiographer, now gets digital!

On the rising popularity of novellas in the digital age.

The Austen Project pairs up modern writers with Jane’s novels.

Out Now: Elizabeth Shore’s Hot Bayou Nights

by C. Margery Kempe

Note: Available for the next 90 days for Amazon Prime members. Broadly released July 11.

Out now! Lady Smut blogger Elizabeth Shore has a new release:

Hot Bayou Nights

When corporate consultant Carla Saunders’ work takes her from the skyscrapers of Manhattan to a research facility in Louisiana filled with king cobra snakes, she sees her dreams of a job in Paris sinking into the swamp. But unexpected desire burns hotter than a sultry bayou night. The snakes terrify her, but lust for the scorching hot research scientist has her dreaming less about the Champs Élysées and more about being coiled in his arms.

Obsessed with finding a cure for multiple sclerosis, Jackson Rivard’s got zero time for relationships. But when a lush, efficient business advisor sweeps into his lab, zero spikes to a hundred before he can shut off the engine. In theory, no-strings-attached sex is scientifically feasible, but having an ex whose fangs make a cobra’s seem modest brings new meaning to the phrase “once bitten, twice shy.” How can he protect his heart when Carla’s charming it out of hiding?

Excerpt:

“You made me lose sleep, you know?” He caressed her arm and along the side of her neck. He slipped his hand into her hair. “I couldn’t get you out of my mind.”

With the tips of his fingers he lightly stroked along her collarbone and the base of her throat. His eyes glittered as he looked down at her. She heard a change in his breathing as it grew heavier, more pronounced. “You’re a very bad girl, Carla.”

Her voice was little more than a whisper. “Am I?”

“Oh, yes.” He leaned in and brushed soft lips against her neck. “You distract me.”

“And that’s bad?”

“Of course it is. I have work to do.”

She glanced down and saw the rise in his jeans. Emboldened by her effect on him, she put her hand on his chest and felt his thundering heart. A rush of excitement heated her blood. Jackson wanted her. Badly. Still, her mind clouded with confusion.

“I don’t get it. Last night you made it pretty clear—”

“That we weren’t doing this. I know; we shouldn’t.” He kissed her neck once more. She nearly purred. “I have work to do, you have an internship to complete.” He murmured the words against her skin. “But I can’t stop thinking about getting you naked.”

“Oh really?” She pulled back to look at him, attempting to be stern even while her pussy throbbed with need. “You had your chance last night and didn’t take it. What makes you so certain I’m going to let you do that now?”

He stood stock still, intensity blazing like fire. “I can be very persuasive when I want something bad enough.”

Her pulse shot to the sky. “And you want this bad enough?”

His jaw set. “I want you bad enough.”

Check it out at Wild Rose Publishing.

An Amazonian Force to be Reckoned With

by Madeline Iva

You’re coming to Love Fest at Virginia Festival of the Book on Saturday, right?

Okay, glad we got that settled.

I realize that we’re going to be like a bunch of Amazonian warriors on the stage.  I’m very tall, Jane Friedman is pretty tall, and I think Laura Kaye is tall too.  In my imagination we’re going to look like this:

by Howard David Johnson

You probably want to know what we’re going to be talking about.  I’m so glad you asked.  The panel is called PUBLISHING ALCHEMY: HOW ROMANCE AUTHORS QUICKLY MASTER NEW PUBLISHING TRENDS.  Now, some people on the panel, like Paige Wheeler and Jane Friedman don’t write romance at all, but they’ve got front row seats to this new age of publishing and will offer insights into what they observe going on in the industry.   I’ll give you a hint: what they’re witnessing is romance writers kicking ass and taking numbers.

An alternative title for the panel could have been WHY ARE ROMANCE WRITERS SUCH SMARTY-PANTS? We work hard, we network hard, and we’ve got the love, shoveling it out to our readers who can’t get enough and who can’t return it fast enough themselves.  It’s a whole lot of positivity in this profession.

Art by Nikolai Kalmakov

Romance authors deserve respect from the publishing industry and here’s a radio interview I did where I explain a bit more about the romance author’s edge and how she can have an advantage over other writers to a (guy) interviewer who knows very little about romance.

Check it out–and come check out our panel…Alma Katzu may be a little vertically challenged for an Amazon, but she was in a freakin’ cool D.C. think tank about social media.  If she can’t give us some wisdom on the subject and how the very social romance authors have used this new tool to master the universe, well then, I don’t know who can.

Me? Oh, I’m there to tell the story of how a few romance writin’ women got together with the idea for a little ole’ blog called LadySmut.com.  Just one year later they had a publishing contract for an anthology and over 10,000 followers. (Sniff.) It’s a love story and dear readers, we couldn’t have done it without you!

Meanwhile, if you enjoy checking us out, but up til now have been afraid to commit–just amble your fingers over an inch or so to the right and follow our blog.   See now, doesn’t that feel good?

Seeking Your Soulmate In 21 Steps

By Elizabeth Shore

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about the “man rules,” a listing of several things men supposedly want us to know about them. These “rules” were really more of a tongue-in-cheek humorous set of bullet points than a serious treatise on the insights of guys. But recently a friend forwarded me an “insider’s” secrets of things about men every woman must know, and my-oh-my, what a find! Newsflash for you, ladies: unlike the “man rules,” mastering these tips is apparently going to lead us all toward relationship nirvana.

The twenty-one tips are assembled by the self-appointed “Queen of Hearts,” Kim Sarrasin. Kim’s a relationship coach whose aptly named website, AttractYourKing.com, lets you know all about her. Her bio states that she’s got one mission in life, which is to “heal the hearts of women worldwide and end your suffering with men. Kim joyfully dedicates her life to empowering women like you with the tools and relationship wisdom you need to easily make it work with any man.” Hmm. Well, that sounds pretty good (and pretty expensive!), but let’s see what she’s got. After all, we at Lady Smut love romance, so if there’s someone out there who can help us unravel the pesky mysteries of men and fulfill our heart’s desires, we’re all for it. With eager anticipation, I reviewed the 21 tips.

Tip #1: Men Can’t Read Your Mind. This sounds oddly familiar, as if I’ve heard it somewhere before. But I read on. “You have to give up feeling it’s more romantic if he guesses. The only result will be him remaining clueless to what you want and you never getting your needs met. Not a party I would want to attend.” Nor would I, Kim. This all makes sense, but . . . wait! I just realize why it’s familiar. It’s part of the Man Rules! To wit: the very first “rule” on the list is, “Men are not mind readers.” Well, geez. Why do I need to pay big bucks to Kim if I can get the same “wisdom” all for nothing from a web post making the rounds?

Perturbed yet undaunted, I read on to the second tip. “Men are logical and need CLEAR instructions about how to make you happy.” Again, bells of familiarity go a-clanging in my head. Taking a second look at the Man Rules, my hunch is confirmed: Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one. Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it! 

So far, I’m not overly impressed. The same advice in a silly post making its way across the virtual globe is being passed along by a relationship coach to entice potential users of her service to sign on as clients. Nonetheless, I don’t want to be unfairly critical so I decided to run the “Queen of Hearts” tips past some guys I trust to tell me straight what they think of them. Well, shut the front door! Turns out that the results of my very unscientific poll revealed several of the tips to be universally agreed upon by the guys I asked. Who knew!

The truth is, I’m not necessarily opposed to someone compiling information on one sex or the other that’s meant to educate. After all, such info may actually lend insight and be helpful. What I take umbrage with is the suggestion that all one needs to do is master a rather arbitrary set of “tips” to be granted your heart’s desire. To find the soulmate you’ve always wanted. The blurb at the onset of Kim Sarrasin’s tips states, “21 insider secrets and proven tips that will make him fall madly in love with you.” It’s a great marketing tool for the “Queen of Hearts,” but as real a guarantee of finding true love as that mythical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Certainly there are similarities among women just as there are among men, and it’s fun to bucket the two sex’s behavior in a humorous listing of things for the opposite sex to know. If you’d like the full listing of Kim Sarrasin’s tips, click here. But for me the best tip is this: ditch the list of “things you must know” and find your soulmate the old-fashioned way, by meeting someone you like hanging out with and who appreciates the uniqueness of who you are.

What do you think of the tips? Good advice, or a hollow promise that doesn’t ring true. Sounds off in the comments below. And don’t forget to follow us at Lady Smut. We’ll always pass along good tips.

  

Interview with a Romance Cover Model

By Liz Everly

Life is a funny thing. I was teaching a mystery writing class at a local community college and I met this lovely lady who has two daughters in New York City. They are both graduates of Jame Madison University, a local university, and are doing well in the big city. I was intrigued when she mentioned they model, act, and write blogs, along with having day jobs. Their blog is fabulous: The Kissters: Living Large on Small Change. (Yes, their last name is Kiss!)   I love to hear about younger women, unafraid, and grabbing life with gusto. I have to admit my old journalist’s ears perked right up when my student mentioned one of her daughter’s gigs was as a romance cover model, and so I asked for her contact information and I chatted with her a bit.

Here is Claudia Kiss gracing the cover of a Liz Carlyle book:

Liz:   I know you’re a model and have an agent and have a lot of experience. So how does modeling for these book covers compare to other jobs you’ve had?

Claudia: The most stand-out difference between a romance novel cover job and any other type of modeling job is that they are actually quite brief! A lot of the cover is styled post-shoot in Photoshop. The romance novel covers I have shot took less than two hours. Other modeling jobs are usually full 8-10 hour days.

Liz:  The Liz Carlyle book is so beautiful–the dress looks so lovely (so do you). Is the dress as gorgeous as it looks–or is it a trick of the camera?

Claudia: Thank you!! When shooting, the studio usually has a room or section of “costumes” and so the dress for this cover was selected from that room. There are always a ton of Victorian era dresses and fun costume jewelry pieces. Spoiler alert! The dress is not as pretty as it looks on the cover! In Photoshop they really enhanced this dress. I even think there were wears and tears in it from all the use!

Liz:   I’m very curious (of course) about that VERY sexy pose on the inside of that book. Does the photographer pose you or do you improvise? And is that guy as hot as he looks?

Claudia: The photographer definitely gave us great direction- however there was a little improvising. You have to be very comfortable. YES, the guy was very good looking. I remember him telling me he had shot several romance novel covers- and you can see why!

Liz:  Do you read romance novels? Have you read either one of the one you posed for?

Claudia: I can’t lie! I have only read excerpts from a few romance novels and haven’t read either of the ones I posed for. I really should though. I DO own them!

Liz:    The Harlequin romance has a way different, modern feel, but it’s still very sexy. Are you as comfy as you look?

Claudia: That is the first thing I noticed too! This cover turned out very modern- I believe the dress was actually from Club Monaco and it was a dress I would have even liked to keep and wear! After sitting straight, arching your back, and keeping your head and chin at a certain angle… I was a little tired after that shoot. I wasn’t necessarily comfortable but it wasn’t too strenuous either.

Liz:   I know you were involved with community theater and went to James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. How did you get to New York? Any advice for young aspiring romance novel models? Is it a good way to make a living?

Claudia: When I was a Junior at JMU I interned at The Late Show with David Letterman and I fell in love with NYC. My sister was also already living in the city so I moved in with her right after college.

If you’re looking to model in New York City the advice I’d give would be to start building a portfolio and find an agent! I’m not sure if you could survive solely on modeling for romance novels but it surely is a good way to make some extra cash. Unlike other shoots, they only take an hour or two. Just make sure you’re not shy- romance novel shoots can sure get steamy!

Liz: I bet!!!

Thanks so much, Claudia, for joining us on Lady Smut!

Pucker Up For Clicks

by Kiersten Hallie Krum

Earlier this week, the Interwebs exploded with a viral video featuring 20 strangers who were brought together, coupled up, and asked to kiss at their first meeting. It instantly went viral and has already reached 54 million views on youtube.

The Internet being what it is, parody videos quickly followed, including this treasure from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

And the less family-friendly though not nearly as offensive as I expected “First Sh*t” from Funny Or Die.

Within 24 hours of “First Kiss” going viral, reports flew around that the video was a marketing tactic for Wren Clothing Company and the participants, while indeed strangers to one another at the time of the video, were made up of models and actors. Cue the social media backlash. Yet, as this New York Times article points out, the video was clearly marked as presented by Wren, which anyone with a Google link who wanted to could’ve found out was a clothing company.

“Melissa Coker, 35, the founder and creative director of the clothing company Wren, commissioned the video to showcase her clothing line’s fall collection for Style.com’s Video Fashion Week. Style.com had created the video series for brands that might lack the financial wherewithal to put on a runway show during Fashion Week.”

It’s hardly a surprise, given the quality of its production values, that many of the participants were models and actors, not random people pulled off the street. When a fashion photographer mines his/her contact list for friends to donate time to their grass-roots marketing campaign, models and actors are sure to be the first ones to fill the ranks. That they were strangers who were asked to kiss at their first meeting remains true. Yet people are still pissed, the overall sense being that since the video was contrived to spur an emotional reaction for marketing gain, it somehow undermines the authenticity of a response so universal, it caused the video to go viral in the first place.

As a part of pop culture’s viral video craze that is ruled by cats and often co-opted by babies, “First Kiss” is a fascinating case study of how the manner by which a viral video begins affects the manner in which it is perceived and the attitude with which it’s passed on. Flavorwire.com wonders whether we love the video because we were told to and posits an interesting if acerbic hypothetical of what might have happened had “First Kiss” been first shared by BuzzFeed or Jezebel.com rather than more genially released on Facebook and Twitter.

“This sort of stuff has no meaning beyond what people project onto it, and what they project onto it is very much contingent on how it’s presented.” 

Further on, the Flavorwire post acknowledges that, as a marketing tactic, “First Kiss” is a huge success (in addition to youtube, it garnered another 1.5 million hits on vimeo.com) and serves as a model of how companies, independent and corporate alike, can see use positive, life-affirming viral videos to create monetary return.

“It’s whichever brands manage to come up with things like ‘First Kiss’ — content that situates their commercial message in a glow of faux positivity and life-affirming beauty. Content that people like because it’s designed that way.” 

Whatever its original purpose, the “First Kiss” video is, in a word, charming. I barely noticed the ”Wren presents” notation in its first frame, small and off-center in the upper-left corner as it was, and took little to no note of the clothes. I was engaged by the premise and execution from the start with its urban chic look and the variety of type in the couples it showcased. Whatever their professional background, not everyone was comfortable making out on camera with a partner he/she had just met, and in some couples more that others, that discomfort shouts from their body language. In others, there’s a tangible chemistry that grows and culminates in a long, passionate kiss. Some merely pecked several times in succession, others hug it out. No matter how it plays out though, every single frame tells an engaging story. We’re they directed to those responses in order to make a better video? I don’t know. Does it matter? Not in the least bit.

Are we any less emotionally affected by Budweiser’s Superbowl advert showcasing the manufactured friendship of a puppy and Clydesdale horse scored to Passenger’s evocative “Let Her Go” just because its beer commercial pedigree is clear at the get-go? We know the horse and the dog are trained to make those specific responses on cue. Does that dilute the veracity of the public’s response to the endearing final product?

Does the fact that this is an Air France advert diminish the shear, breathtaking beauty of its composition?

Of course not. Advertising is, in many ways, art be it on a screen, in print, or on a man-hole cover. It’s often bloody clever art since beyond evoking an emotional response, good or bad, it also has to sell you something. And while the proliferation of advertising overwhelms these days to a nauseating extent, breakout campaigns which hit the zeitgeist do so because they strike at the heart of a universal desire, in this case to love and be loved.

“Kiss me and you will see how important I am.”     

                                                                    —Sylvia Plath

Whatever the level of sexuality in a romance novel, a genre where options range from inspirational to erotic, it all begins with the first kiss. That first contact of soft flesh to flesh, the first show of true vulnerability, the first invitation to intimacy. There’s a reason Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” decorates the walls of millions of undergraduates.

A kiss is never just a kiss. Kisses break enchantments, seal deals, bid farewells, give comfort, offer welcome, instigate passion, and overall, demonstrate love in its many, many forms. In a rampantly jaded culture saturated with sexuality, “First Kiss” is a reminder how a first kiss can be all that is awkward and sweet and intense and promising regardless how it came about.

Crash Davies: “And I believe in long, slow, deep, wet, soft kisses that last for three days.”

Annie Savoy: “Oh my.”       —Bull Durham (1988)

Follow Lady Smut where we’re prone to kiss and tell and tell and tell…

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, lovely readers.

Beware the Ides; Embrace the Madness

For the next few weeks, my planet looks like this.

By Alexa Day

The NCAA Basketball Tournament starts in a few days. The selection show, which will formally announce which teams are playing this year, is later this evening. The very first games (I can’t make myself call that the first round) start on Tuesday. The real action starts on Thursday. I’m so excited that I’m thinking of taping Scandal this week so that I can devote that hour to watching the first round games. My secret fantasy … well, one of them, anyway … is to watch the Round of 64 live and in person, but that’s a long-term goal.

I guess I come from a basketball family. My brother and I both played, and my years on the court taught me more than most of my years in school. Especially law school, which would benefit from some good old basketball wisdom. But you don’t have to be into sports to love the tournament. The tournament is really a story that will take a few weeks to tell, a story with a cast of 68 teams. It’s a tale filled with plot twists, surprises and lots of heroes, and there’s more than a little magic built into that bracket. Check out some of these tourney themes, traditions and takeaways to find the method in the Madness.

1. The world can change in seconds. The shot that wins the game in its final second — the buzzer beater — is a given in the first few games of the tournament. That alone, I think, is reason enough to love this time of year. Anything really can happen, and you really can miss it if you blink. That electricity drives the tourney’s emotional rollercoaster.

2. Hope matters. At some point during the first round games, at least one team will find its tournament future hanging on a single foul shot. Some will need the shooter to succeed and others will need him to miss. While the shooter sets up on the foul line, flanked by his teammates and opponents, and facing a sea of fans who are trying to distract him, watch the sidelines for the real show: a row of players, their arms linked, usually staring down at the floor as they bring their hopes to bear on that one shot. For that moment, all anyone on the bench can do is hope, but in the first round, hope matters a great deal. It’s a force strong enough to feel over the airwaves.

Jim Valvano cut the nets down for real in 1983. Dereck Whittenburg (right) is now on the NC State coaching staff.

3. Thoughts become things. As the head coach at North Carolina State, Jim Valvano set aside one practice, the sole purpose of which was to cut down the nets. He knew his Wolfpack was going to take the title one day. When that happened (and it was never a question of “if” for Valvano), everyone would need to be comfortable up there taking the nets down to celebrate the victory, so he made that the focus of one entire practice. He was that sure. So many of us have affirmations or big-picture predictions posted near our workspaces or on our bathroom mirrors. But do we believe them? Do we know them to be true? Are we getting ready, or are we going through the motions? (Valvano’s Wolfpack cut the nets down for real in 1983. Valvano’s championship run and his battle against the cancer that claimed his life ten years later are the subjects of the remarkable documentary Survive and Advance.)

4. Character reveals itself in setbacks. Impermanence is one of the things that makes college basketball special. The players seem to understand that it won’t last forever. Keep an eye on the seniors who realize in the last moments of the game that they aren’t going to win. These games are the absolute center of the universe for them, and the end of that last game will mean the end of a lot of things. The end of the tourney. The end of a dream. For many of them, it’s the end of basketball. But they will handle this with a sort of intense grace, a deep dignity that so many of us lose somewhere along the way. (Looking hard at the NBA. Just saying.) Emotions run high in college basketball, and every so often, someone will lose his composure over one of those random things that make the tourney so exciting. But good teams pull together until they regain their focus, and that’s always inspiring to watch.

5. Beware the cynics. The world is filled with people who will try to say that this process is far less magical than I’m making it out to be. Those people almost always point at money. Most of them aren’t actually watching, so they haven’t seen a 21-year-old male weeping without shame on national television because he and his teammates aren’t quite going to make it to the next round. They think everyone’s behavior in college sports — including that intense grace I mentioned a second ago — is motivated by someone else’s money. There will always be people ready to turn that into something base.

And that’s fine. It really is. There’s not a way to stop people determined to take a long whiz into our joy. We can’t control them. We can only move forward with intense grace, palpable hope, the knowledge that magic can happen in a fraction of a second, and the sheer, immovable conviction that good things will eventually come to pass.

That’s not madness, is it?

Follow Lady Smut. We’ve got all your hardwood needs covered.

Sexy Saturday Round-Up

Hello, Sexy! It’s Saturday and don’t you just wonder about reusable knit tampons? C’mon we know it’s foremost on your mind…along with fluffy bunnies and fetish wear. Okay. So where else  on the blogosphere are you going to get this mix of fun and sexy ? Grin. Read on, my friends.

From Liz Everly:

What do sex workers need?

Plotting or pantsing can miss the real story.

Is it really dystopian?

On street teams. (Love Scarlett Parrish’s Blog!)

How to be a beta reader.

From Madeline Iva:

Gisele breastfeeds and the whole world stares mesmerized.  This black model breast feeds and the world goes crazy.

A woman with cerebal palsy discusses her love of kinky.

Knitter meets crunchy-granola hippy and the result is: a reusable knit tampon…

Because turnabout is fair play: student outs porn star, students own porn preferences are published on the internet.

Woman just doesn’t get the whole transgendered thing. 

For those of you who love fluffy bunnies!

An author discusses the Lady Code.

From C. Margery Kempe:

Pets in romance.

Fetish wear in the 1920s.

Noël Coward or Murder She Wrote?

Stay hungry,

Liz

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