Liz Everly's Blog, page 24
June 9, 2017
Sexy Saturday Round Up
[image error]By Elizbeth Shore
It’s the weekend! If you’re in the northeast as we Lady Smutters are, you can also get jazzed about the fact that it’s also finally warm. Beach weather, baby! And what goes better with the beach than some good beach reads. You want ’em? We got ’em. So kick off the flip flops, dig your toes in the sand, and settle in with some hot Lady Smut reads. Happy summer, everyone!
How long should sex last? Exactly this long.
Wild weekend getaway. Checking out men thrusting their torsos – with your mom!
Bill Cosby feared being called a “dirty old man.” Ah, Bill? Got news for you, buddy. You ARE!
Doing a little shopping this weekend? Check out this guide to the best jeans for women.
The nude selfie. Feminist stance or a case for slut shaming?
The hottest romance book covers featuring naked hot men. Anyone got a problem with that? We didn’t think so.
What do people in Ireland love besides a pint o’ Guinness and singing sad songs? Pubic sex!
Did you know that yesterday was National Sex Day? No? Well, don’t worry. You can still celebrate this weekend – even if you’re single.
Why are you telling a perfect stranger personal things about yourself? Cause you’re sexually excited by him, that’s why.
What Japanese men do when women are skeeved out by their nipples.
Giant Girls and the Men Who Want Them: Macrophilia 101
According to Playboy and the recent Pornhub annual report, giantess women are the new big thing in fantasyland. The demand for macrophiliac images, videos, and stories are on the rise and show no sign of slowing. [image error]
In case you’re not one of those typing in “giant woman porn” and hitting search, a macrogynophile is someone, usually a man, who is sexually attracted to a giant person, usually a woman. The word macrophilia translates to “lover of large.” The largeness is typically in height. Even though new giantess sites are now popping up all over the internet this passion isn’t new. Are you familiar with the ’58 movie, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman? You know the one about the beautiful woman who’s turned into a vengeful magnificent giant after encountering some aliens? Oddly sexy, right? How about the adventures of Tom Thumb–I mean the original from the Brothers Grimm. Weirdly intriguing.
Men who long for giant woman dream about being smothered by her huge breasts, [image error]squashed beneath her behemoth feet, or–a special subfantasy of the giantess crowd–vore–which is being eaten by this gorgeous gargantuan. Swallowed whole.
Why, you want to know? Other than the obvious, the idea of being overtaken by a giant woman is kinky and unique, why would a guy be particularly excited by a giant woman? One theory is that because in most societies men are seen as powerful and dominant, they find the idea of being released from the pressure and responsibility that comes along with those assumptions both freeing and frightening. This combination ignites the fight or flight instinct and by choosing to fight, even in their imagination, they get an adrenaline rush. That leads to arousal and… You see? In this case the fear is safe–like the rush you get from watching a good horror movie. Another theory is that one often applied to kinks and fetishes. An adolescent experiences something non-sexual yet he is suddenly and inexplicably powerfully aroused, and so from that moment forward the person associates sexual arousal with the otherwise non-sexual experience or object.
Frequently there are BDSM themes or erotic humiliation elements woven into the giantess fantasies. According to sex therapist Pamela Supple, “Power, domination and vulnerability are at the heart of macrophilia.”It’s allowing your mind to go wherever it wants to go, whilst engaging in play to gain the maximum sexual arousal. Some want to feel and experience terror – being crushed or controlled. Everyone is different in what they want to experience.” Supple also believes macrophilia has enjoyed a massive surge in popularity in the past few years, citing the internet’s crucial role in helping to both create and facilitate the fetish. And, in some cases, introducing the fetish to those who have been looking for a name for what they feel.
Obviously, this particular fantasy can be difficult to act out in real life, as 50 foot women are hard to find. However, there are some unusually tall women who specialize in catering to men who love them for their statuesque stature.
Women, if you’re feeling left out, and wonder if there is a parallel world where you get to fantasize about giant men, the answer is yes. It’s just not as common. The speculation on this is that there isn’t enough reality breaking to really give this traction. Men are already typically bigger, we’re accustomed to being somewhat smaller. So the step outside of the usual just isn’t that far. Still, if you’re one of the rare women who share this interest, check out https://giantesskatelyn.com/.
Shout out in the comments, let us know what you think about these hot, giant women. And, follow us at Lady Smut! But wait, there’s more: Subscribe to our saucy monthly newsletter!
[image error]Isabelle Drake writes erotica, erotic romance, urban fantasy, and young adult thrillers. Her latest story, BAIT, features a woman who hunts and sells zombies, can be found in the horror anthology GONE WITH THE DEAD.
June 8, 2017
What’s Your Name, Princess?
Wicked Apprentice (Wicked Magic Book 1) [image error] [image error]
WICKED APPRENTICE – Your perfect summer fantasy read. Only .99 cents.
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“What’s your name?” She asked, nervous. She had to get his name and go. She was in over his head.
“But you haven’t even told me yours, Princess,” he said in his quiet voice. She gave a little curtsey in response.
“I know not. Hulgetta has taken it from me.”
Her name and her tears were the fee Hulgetta demanded in exchange for learning magic—and a bargain at twice the price.
“Hulgetta? her magic is cruel then.”
He looked at her as if dazzled. The way he said the world cruel and the look he gave her, it was as if he was really saying that she was the cruel one, not Hulgetta.
She smoothed the front of her dress, feeling all feminine and cruel. She wished she’d laced her bodice tighter. He lay there enticing, helpless, and yet a corner of her mind still pricked with the need for caution.
Madeline Iva writes fantasy and paranormal romance. Her fantasy romance, WICKED APPRENTICE, featuring a magic geek heroine, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and through iTunes. Sign up for Madeline Iva news & give aways.[image error]
June 6, 2017
All of the Above: Can Romance Play the Field?
What’s wrong with this picture? Not a damned thing.
By Alexa Day
I’m reading a book right now in which the heroine enjoys the abundant sexual charms of three partners. My guess is that she’ll eventually choose one of them — the cover for the next book in the series features two guys instead of three. But right now, she’s making no move to settle down.
The book is Taking Turns by J.A. Huss, and the heroine has an agreement with the three men. There are a number of stipulations, but once I heard that their arrangement basically entailed their putting her up in a nice apartment to take turns sleeping with her, I knew this was a story I needed to have.
It is romance’s most binding promise: the heroine will win, every time.
We can be sure that at the end of the story, she will be in a good place in her relationship, whatever that might look like. Maybe she’s getting ready to settle down with one guy. Maybe she’s establishing a relationship with a couple of guys (or more) in a relationship unit. I don’t object to that. Not really.
But this week, a troubling question tugged at my imagination.
Is the heroine winning big enough?
Put another way, why choose? Whatever happened to D: all of the above?
The modern romance heroine is a smart, successful, attractive woman. In the 21st century, a woman like that could — and honestly, ought to — have her choice of men. Indeed, more than one man would certainly be interested in her. But the modern romance heroine has less reason to settle down than ever. She’s at the top of her game, and she probably knows it. Why should she ever limit herself?
Even if she ultimately decides to choose one partner, why shouldn’t she take full advantage of what men have to offer first?
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Chella is LIVING THE DREAM. Click to get some of that good stuff for yourself.
It’s important to note that this is neither menage nor polyamory. Both menage and polyamory involve multiple partners, yes. But in both situations, the men are aware of each other and have consented to share. They’re in a unit. Choosing menage or polyamory is settling down.
I’m talking about playing the field, in all its springtime glory, for as long as men will permit it. I’ve written it before. The heroine of Illicit Impulse has a bestie with benefits and an object of her more chaste desire. And in “Three, After Midnight,” the heroine enjoys a night of bliss with the spirit of her deceased husband, who’s borrowing the body of a hottie she seduced for that purpose.
Where’s the fun in limiting a fabulous heroine to one man, right? Why not let her have as much as she wants for as long as she wants to have it and her partners are willing to supply it?
I think there’s a group of romance readers who want, need and long for a heroine who is desired by many men, and who is determined to enjoy her status for as long as possible. I think romance readers need to know that in our abundant world, their heroine is free to lick as many men as will permit it. Their heroine doesn’t live in a world of masculine scarcity, and neither do they.
Consider Scandal in its golden days. For a long while, Olivia Pope thoroughly enjoyed the attentions of the President of the United States and the enigmatic Jake Ballard. When they had the audacity to suggest she choose one of them, she laughed and said she chose herself instead. She went right on sleeping with the both of them for as long as they permitted it — until Jake decided he wasn’t getting what he needed from the arrangement and bowed out.
And I’m reminded of a formative experience.
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Look at those eyes, pleading, “Pick me! Pick me!”
I saw Tequila Sunrise in the theater in 1988, when I was quite young and impressionable. In the film, restaurant owner Michelle Pfeiffer must choose between reformed drug dealer Mel Gibson and police lieutenant Kurt Russell. That might not be a tough call today, knowing what we know, but in 1988, that was not an easy decision to make at all. I’m proud to say that Michelle spent the entire movie trying to make up her mind, and when it was all over, I left wondering how I could become a restaurant owner.
If Tequila Sunrise has a moral, it was to tell this child of the 80s that she could, in fact, have it all.
There should probably be limitations. The requirement that each men know about the others is not just about informed consent; I think it actually keeps everyone at their sharpest and most competitive. And of course, everyone would be free to stop playing as soon as things stopped working for them. Even in “Three, After Midnight,” the wrestling coach who found himself possessed by an eager spirit exercised his option to back out.
But with that in mind, why shouldn’t a heroine explore as many men — and as many relationships — as she wants?
Is there room in romance for a heroine to find more than one happily ever after, with more than one man, in more than one relationship?
Is it time for D: all of the above?
Follow Lady Smut. We won’t make you pick a lane.
Alexa Day is the USA Today bestselling author of erotica and erotic romance with heroines who are anything but innocent. In her fictional worlds, strong, smart women discover excitement, adventure, and exceptional sex. A former bartender, one-time newspaper reporter, and licensed attorney, she likes her stories with just a touch of the inappropriate, and her literary mission is to stimulate the intellect and libido of her readers.
June 5, 2017
Sign up for a free copy of On Fire: Erotic Romance Stories
Who’s excited for summer? Hopefully, all of us! I am looking forward to vacations by the beach, attending my first bachelorette party and, of course, beach reads, including my July Cleis Press anthology On Fire: Erotic Romance Stories.
If the title and/or steamy cover (isn’t it HOT?) sound intriguing, I’ve got a great deal for you: Through June 18, 2017, one month before the ebook release (the print version pubs on August 8), I’m offering a free e-copy to interested readers in exchange for an honest review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. To sign up, fill out this form with your name and email address by June 18th. Your contact information will only be seen by me, and only used to send you the review copy. I’ll send you a copy, then you can post your review any time on Goodreads, and starting July 18th on Amazon. I just ask that you include the phrase “I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review” with your review when you post it. It’s that easy!
Here’s the book’s blurb:
In On Fire, today’s top erotic romance authors don’t skimp on love or lust—they are entwined in tales that will make pulses pound and hearts race. Bestselling editor Rachel Kramer Bussel takes us inside the passions of couples who go above and beyond in their pursuit of sexual and romantic satisfaction, exploring the racy to the outrageous during their many arousing adventures. You’ll treasure the sex toy exploration in “Every Second of It,” find paranormal pleasure in “Masquerade,” and be transported to “A Place As Beautiful As This.” You’ll go “Beyond the Blindfold,” find out what lurks in the “Art of Darkness,” and delight in discovering “The Sweetest Thing.” These steamy stories by Kristina Wright, Delilah Devlin, Giselle Renarde, Kay Jaybee, Victoria Blisse, Jade A. Waters and others are perfect intimate reads to enjoy with your lover or for your own pleasure.
Want to know more On Fire? Visit the official Tumblr to read my introduction and the table of contents. And if you want to get a free copy for review, use this form by June 18, 2017 and check your inbox!
And stay tuned for our Lady Smut week celebrating all things On Fire and Fiery starting July 17th!
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Rachel Kramer Bussel (rachelkramerbussel.com) has edited over 60 anthologies, including Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 and 2, Come Again: Sex Toy Erotica, Begging for It, Fast Girls, The Big Book of Orgasms and more. She writes widely about sex, dating, books and pop culture and teaches erotica writing classes around the country and online. Follow her @raquelita on Twitter and find out more about her classes and consulting at eroticawriting101.com. You can follow Rachel on BookBub to get notified about new releases and ebook sales.
June 4, 2017
Romance, Intrigue, Bondage! Sexy Snippet from Lucky
Today’s Sexy Excerpt comes from Lucky, an Elite Doms of Washington book. Expect intrigue, romance and BDSM elements in this series that shows not all power in D.C. is wielded by politicians.
Lucky is the fourth story in the series, but each book is a stand-alone with no cliff-hangers.
About the story
[image error]When a man tells you who he is believe him.
Wealthy entertainment investor and resolute bachelor Derek Damon Wright learned at a young age women were trouble. He’s unprepared for dancer Samantha Rose who walks into his thirteenth, Washington DC nightclub opening with an authenticity and passion for life that quickly rocks his jaded, albeit privileged, world.
Samantha, an aerial artist and dance studio owner, hasn’t been lucky in love, and falling for the charismatic and Dominant Derek won’t draw her closer to her greatest dream of having a baby. Yet she’s helpless to resist his charm and sophisticated world of private jets, Caribbean islands and the sexual pleasures of dominance and submission.
As their whirlwind romance progresses, past mistakes rise up to threaten their future. Only when they rely on each other for safe haven do they find the answer to their dreams.
~~~ Excerpt ~~~
With deft fingers, he lowered her zipper. The faint zlip was the only sound to accompany the tick-tock of the clock on the sideboard credenza.
Straps fell over her shoulders followed by her dress falling to the ground. The scratch over her belly awoke something inside her. She turned so she could see his eyes, more gray when before they’d been blue-green.
Freed from the armor of her dress, everything about him seemed larger than she recalled. His height was greater, his shoulders broader. The pronounced angles in his face drew more elegant lines than she’d appreciated earlier. Even that gentlemanly vibe he threw off was grander.
On the drive home, she had tried to talk herself out of going any further with him.
She’d listed what little she knew about Derek Wright: kind but direct, confident but with unsettled eyes, normal yet breathed the rarefied air of a privileged world.
In the car, she came down to one reason to be here with him, right now, like this, with her dress puddled at her feet. She wanted to be.
His hands reached around her ribcage. His eyes never left her face as he unsnapped her bra with one hand.
“Wow.” She hadn’t meant to say it aloud. But his bra removal skill, and resulting smirk from her remark, said he probably could do many other things with those hands. She was going to find out. Her bra made a soft slap as it hit the ground.
When his gaze locked on the sight of her bare breasts, a deluge of feminine power solidified her earlier decision.
He would honestly appreciate her. Respect wasn’t anything she’d thought of before, not really. What a mistake, because now as she stood before a man who honored her thoughts and feelings, respect was all she could think of.
“Wow, indeed.” He reseated her on the table. He leaned his hands on either side of her legs and gazed down at her intently for one, endless minute.
“You like?” she asked.
He grasped her ass and yanked her to the edge so her crotch connected with his. “I like.”
So did she, because now she knew his size. Cindy would have been impressed.
His hands cradled her face. As his fingers massaged the back of her skull, his eyes roamed over every inch of her heated cheeks.
“Do you like surprises?” he asked. “Cameras notwithstanding.”
“Love them.”
“Good. This one time I’m going to tell you what I’m going to do. Next time, I won’t.”
There was going to be a next time? “Okay.”
“First, I’m going to kiss you so hard you’ll lose your ability to stand. You’ll be short of breath. Your world will become my mouth.”
Good start.
“Then I’m going to rip that thong off you. I’ll send something tomorrow to replace it. But only so I can rip it off again because I know one thing, Samantha Rose.”
“What?” she breathed.
“Once I’m inside you, I’m going to want to be there all the time. Deep inside.” On his last words, he ground his pelvis against her now soaked panties.
Yes, please.
His mouth came down on hers. He did rude things with his lips and tongue. True to his word, she was breathless by the time he stopped.
His fingers wound their way through her hair and pulled her head back gently but with intention. The fingers of his other hand slipped into her thong and he yanked–hard. A thrill ran through her whole body at a telltale ripping sound—until the tear stopped. Stupid lycra material. She wanted the fabric to be shredded so he could ravage her like he’d promised.
He chuckled slightly. “Best laid plans . . .”
She choked back a return laugh when he whisked her panties down her legs in a nanosecond. Being stripped of her dress and exposed to him fully, touched a vulnerable place inside her, as if her earlier courage lay in a heap at her feet along with her dress.
“Hey, no fair. I’m naked and you’re not.”
He fisted her hair a little tighter. “We’ll get there.”
“When?” The lights were bright in the kitchen.
“You would be fun to tie up.”
Her mind’s eye wrapped her in a series of rope patterns. She could almost feel the itch. She licked her lips. “Okay.”
His eyes narrowed a bit. “Into bondage, are we?”
“Maybe.” She’d be into anything this man was into because her insides were ready to explode.
“Too bad we don’t have some of that parachute silk here. I could wrap them around these . . .” He regarded one leg. “. . . incredibly luscious legs and keep them still. Though I’d rather like seeing you come undone.” The vision of all the positions he could put them into tumbled into her mind. Yes, please.
He brought his lips and hot breath close to her ear. “And once I have you bound and helpless, how should I take you? Missionary? From behind? Against the wall?” He pulled back to face her. “Or all ways?”
She inched her legs further apart, and nodded.
~~~~~
Derek dropped his hold on her hair and stepped backward. This woman was too good to be true.
Was she fishing for his sexual proclivities? Nothing about her spoke of seeking gossip or blackmail material, and she appeared quite sensitive to that possibility for herself. He dismissed his suspicions.
Was he being careless? Probably. He didn’t care. His cock overruled any over-thinking on that front. He had to be inside this woman. Now.
He supposed he should have stopped to further assess her scene play experience, but where would she have encountered kink? In some kid’s shared apartment with play toy handcuffs and a tickler?
That conversation would come later—and there would be a later. He was certain of that fact given the saucy curiosity he read on her face.
Her inexperience demanding to be overturned intrigued him. She’d called him a gentleman. He was. When shown a door, he’d been taught to open it.
For him, she was a place he hadn’t yet visited or a fantastic book he hadn’t yet read. So much to discover, and not only because she was uncharted territory for him. He got to be new to her.
He unbuckled his belt. After zipping it through the loops, he doubled it in his hand and waited. He assessed her breathing, where her eyes landed, what she did with her hands—all signs of whether she was turned on or scared.
The hungry look in her eyes and her pink tongue reaching out to touch her lip strengthened his resolve to keep going. He wasn’t yet sure if she fueled his dominance on purpose or by accident.
He laid the belt next to her. She didn’t flinch when the leather touched her thigh.
After peeling off his jacket and casually draping it over one of the chairs, he rolled up his shirtsleeves. He stopped her hands from reaching out to touch him.
“No helping, ballerina. Hands back by your sides. Palms on the table.” He purposefully increased the volume of his voice for effect. Her delicious pout made his mouth water. Such beautiful lips.
“You’re going to help me in other ways. In fact . . .” He lowered his zipper. “. . . in many, other ways.”
~~~~~
Lucky is now available for pre-order (discounted). Release date: June 15, 2017!
~~~~~
Elizabeth SaFleur writes contemporary erotic romance and she’s not afraid to get graphic about it — “it” being the sex, the BDSM or Washington, DC society, which she regularly features in her series, the Elite Doms of Washington. Join her Sexy, Saucy, Sometimes Naughty exclusive reader’s group or follow her on Bookbub and Amazon.
June 3, 2017
Sexy Saturday Round Up
[image error]By Elizabeth Shore
Happy June! It’s National Dairy Month, Rose Month, and Gay Pride Appreciation Month. As we make our way toward the end of 2017’s first half, grab an ice cream, smell the flowers, and show some love to our LGBT brothers and sisters. And while you’re thinking happy thoughts with your dessert, your roses, and your heart swelling with LGBT pride, Lady Smut adds to the fun with our weekly roundup of great reading. I’ll take a mint chip on a waffle cone. Make it a double. 
June 2, 2017
Panties Just Get in the Way
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I love shopping for panties.
The semi-annual lingerie sale at Lane Bryant makes my heart go pitter patter. It’s one of those activities that’s fun and practical. Maybe it’s my Asian genes, but it’s hard for me to do something completely frivolous. Efficiency and productivity are highly valued in my family. I’m also one of those people who enjoy grocery shopping. Feel free to roll your eyes.
Back to panties. And I do mean panties–not underwear. The word underwear is so utilitarian, so boring. Colorful panties with lace, satin bows, and peek-a-boo cut-outs. They’re practical– because, it’s underwear–but allows me to indulge in my feminine side at the same time. I don’t care that they’re hidden underneath my mom uniform of t-shirt and jeans.
I’m a firm believer in wearing something because it makes me feel good. The fact that my husband appreciates it is lagniappe. (That’s Cajun French for bonus.) All that silky satin and floral lace makes me happy. Maybe not the tiny bows, though. They seem to be attached to random places. But, I digress.
Panties Removal in Romances
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Due to my appreciation of panties, I pay special attention to how romances handle their, ah, relocation. When the main characters are getting hot and heavy, panties are in the freaking way. Just like real life. That lycra and lace number is the gatekeeper to the heroine’s glorious clitoris.
Clit action is a must for the Big O. So what should our horny hero do with our heroine’s sexy thong? I posed this question to my fellow romance authors. In their books, the most common ways heroes have gotten around his lady’s panties are:
Panties are ripped or torn off
Panties are pulled to the side without removing them
Panties are completely removed (the regular way)
The general consensus was that we preferred just taking off the panties in real life. However, the first two methods can be super sexy during the right moment–in fiction. Romance book sex is supposed to be fantasy. Who cares if the hero rips off your La Perla lace boyshorts? Or do you?
Hot or Not? Panty Removal in Action
Let’s look at some examples for a game of Hot or Not? Now we know what my author friends think, I want to know how you, the reader, feel about panty relocation in romance books. I’ll share examples of panty removal in romances, and you tell me if it works for you.
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In urban fantasy The Unlikeable Demon Hunter by Deborah Wilde, the Rohan’s magic power are blades that extend from his body. They come in very handy:
A whisper of wind hit high on my thigh as my bikini briefs floated to the ground in a scrap of lace. Fuck me, he’d cut them off with one of his finger blades. My knees wobbled. Cool air cascaded over my very flushed nether regions.
Recap: Hero can magically cut off underwear with blades that come out of his fingers. Hot or not?
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In Make Me Beg by Rebecca Brooks, Connor can’t wait to dive into his lady:
He pushed her back so she was propped on her elbows, and then he brought his mouth down, biting through the lace. Teasing her, torturing her. Announcing that no matter what happened, he wasn’t at her command.
But it must have been torture for him, too, because he grabbed her panties roughly and twisted them to the side as though he couldn’t keep delaying what he wanted. He slid a finger not quite inside her but just enough to make her squirm. More. She had to have more.
Recap: A man with a talented tongue twists panties aside for faster access. Hot or not?
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Alpha Bennett from Christina Lauren’s Beautiful Bastard knows exactly what he wants:
“Fuck,” he growled quietly. “You’re wet.” His eyes fell closed and he seemed to be waging the same internal battle I was. I glanced down at his lap and could see him straining against the smooth fabric of his pants. Without opening his eyes, he withdrew his finger and fisted the thin lace of my panties in his hand. He was shaking as he looked up at me, fury clear in his expression. In one quick movement he tore them off, the rip of the fabric echoing in the silence.
Recap: Bennett likes to rip off clothes, blouses and panties. Hot or not?
I personally think all of three are hot. It all depends on the mood and moment.
But this isn’t about what I think. What are your thoughts about how panties are relocated in romances?
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June 1, 2017
Red As Blood: Women & Gothic Romance
[image error]Lovely readers — I attended a panel at #WisCon that made me cry out with perverse desire. It was called Red As Blood — a panel on women and the Gothic genre. Loosely organized, it revolved around the interesting desires and situations that comprise Gothic joy and perversity.
“A young woman meets an interesting, mysterious man in a giant, lonely house. It turns out he may have bad intentions. Sometimes she wants him to have bad intentions.”–Emily Cataneo.
What I liked about this panel was that everyone on the panel–authors and fans alike, really obsessed over what I obsessed over, and had exactly the same attitudes that I had. Everyone on the panel was raving over Crimson Peak–especially Tom Hiddleston, especially the house and clothes — AND
Spoiler Alert!
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…especially the end where two women fight it out with knives in bloody nightgowns.
Everyone didn’t care if there was no logical reasoning behind certain events in their favorite Gothic novels or movies. Our love of Gothic is not about reason.
Then what is it about? It’s about a feeling of creeping doom, of impending horror. But no ACTUAL horror, mind you. If horror is that moment of curdling screams and blood splatter on the wall, then the gothic genre is about hearing that scream from a far distance and discovering the blood splatter on the wall by prying open a secret passage. (Preferably 5 to 20 years after it got there.)
The gothic genre is about secrets. About dread. About creeping horror — yes! But it’s a psychological horror.
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Notorious is supremely logical–but the sense of oppression is still intense.
Now let’s talk romance in these novels. For my joys I hit the Goodreads best Gothic romances page. There you will find not only the old classic authors like Anne Radcliffe and Victoria Holt but also Gay Gothic Romances, and Gothic romances with witches!!!!
Now, when we turn to Gothic film, the problem is that they are often horror films and take things just a leeeetle too far for my taste. Sigh. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about gothic romantic films:
The Gothic romance film is a Gothic film with feminine appeal. Diane Waldman wrote in Cinema Journal that Gothic films in general “permitted the articulation of feminine fear, anger, and distrust of the patriarchal order” and that such films during World War II and afterward “place an unusual emphasis on the affirmation of feminine perception, interpretation, and lived experience”. Between 1940 and 1948, the Gothic romance film was prevalent in Hollywood, being produced by well-known directors and actors. The best-known films of the era were Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), and Gaslight (1944). Less well-known films were Undercurrent (1946) and Sleep, My Love (1948). Waldman describes these films’ Gothic rubric: “A young inexperienced woman meets a handsome older man to whom she is alternately attracted and repelled.”[1] Other films from the decade include The Enchanted Cottage (1945) and The Heiress (1949).[2]
The Gothic romance films from the 1940s often contain the “Bluebeard motif”, meaning that in the typical setting of the house, a certain part is either forbidden to be used or even closed off entirely.[3] In the films, the forbidden room is a metaphor for the heroine’s repressed experience, and opening the room is a cathartic moment in the film.[4] In addition, the layout of the house in such films (as well as Gothic novels) creates “spatial disorientation [that] causes fear and an uncanny restlessness”.[5]
In 2015, director Guillermo del Toro released the Gothic romance film Crimson Peak. He said past films had been “brilliantly written by women and then rendered into films by male directors who reduce the potency of the female characters”. For Crimson Peak, he sought to reverse this cinematic trope.[6]
And did he EVER! If you adored Crimson Peak then here are some treats for you. Here’s my fun review of Crimson Peak for one, along with some other movie recommendations below. First of all, I highly recommend Suspicion–a Cinderella story in which we and the heroine are gradually brought to realize that a) she’s no Cinderella and b) this is not a happily ever after.
[image error]But if you want to get your gothic horror movie on–here’s a list from Indiewire to check out. Some of them are fabulous. Rosemary’s Baby is excellent. Picnic at Hanging Rock is really mysterious. It’s like the missing girls floated off into some alternative realm after enough feminine corset squeezing and hair braiding to last a lifetime. Gaslight is excellent. As I mentioned above, Suspicion is one of my all time favorites. The Shining is fabulous — but something I’d put on while doing another task so I could walk away as needed…(I’d put the premise of The Shining this way: What’s the scariest monster of the 70’s? The absent dad figure suddenly returned to be a ‘part of the family’. Shiver. Ugggggggh!) Les Diaboliques was good, Notorius is sublime. This list also made me want to see The Haunted with Kate Beckinsale as well as The Tomb of Ligeia…[image error]
THE GOTHIC ANTI-HERO OF ALL TIME? It’s gotta be Micheal Fassbender. As I’ve commented before, Fassy seems to be all alone in his films. That alone-ness is exactly what we want in a gothic anything. In the latest-greatest remake of Jane Eyre, he is utterly riveting. At once flesh and blood with his long mutton chop whiskers, he seems like a Victorian that doesn’t wash everyday, that sweats, that chews his food. There is something very real and authentic about him–especially when it comes to his presence around women. Nevertheless, for all that he still seems like a very quietly haunted man who will NEVER be happy. What I realized watching his performance is that Jane Eyre is a tale of warning: don’t fall for the man you work for. Don’t let him seduce you. Don’t succumb to the temptations he leads you towards breadcrumb of attention by breadcrumb of attention. He has bad intentions and nothing good for you will result. Fassy’s breathtaking performance is a seduction: rather slow and tender, but also deliberate enough to make one realize how wrong it all is. His inscrutable mind is clicking behind the command of his words, looks, and touches the entire time.
[image error]Tom Hiddleston is an incredibly close second for my all time fav goth anti-hero. His charismatic flavor however, connotes the possibility of a happier ending. If Fassy is the haunted man in his giant spooky house at the beginning of the movie, then Hiddles represents that peek of sunshine, that thin slice of spring — expressed only by a few blades of grass and one lone daffodil at the end of the movie. There is something a little softer and more pliant about Hiddles the lover. He represents hope and escape from psychological hell into some sunnier, more mild and quietly happy place. Tom seems like a man who needs an other to pair with him. While Fassy, a more coporeal lover in the moment of temptation, perhaps–seems to stand alone in his blank emptiness to the bitter end.
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I see Tom as more of an HEA guy–even if the HEA is with his sister.
What do you think, readers? Sound out below in the comments section — and I’m all ears for good contemporary gothic romance reading rec’s.
Madeline Iva writes fantasy and paranormal romance. Her fantasy romance, WICKED APPRENTICE, featuring a magic geek heroine, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and through iTunes. Sign up for Madeline Iva news & give aways.
May 28, 2017
Wild for All of YOU!
by Kiersten Hallie Krum
I am, Lady Smutters. I am absolutely wild for you–and so grateful for all your support during our Wild Week here on Lady Smut when we celebrated the nomination of my novel, Wild on the Rocks, for the prestigious RONE award by InD’Tale Magazine. Truly, you make me giddy with grateful glee.
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While I do not yet have the results of the contest, I’m happy to report that Wild on the Rocks made a stunning return to the Top 100 Kindle World Romance rankings holding steady in the 50s for the last two weeks, more than a year after first being published! That’s amazing! I’m so grateful for all your support and I hope everyone who took a wild chance on Quinn and Jasper enjoyed their sexy, emotional ride.
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Wild on the Rocks is still on sale for $.99, so if you haven’t snagged a hot copy of this sizzling romantic suspense, now is a great time!
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“Her taste was narcotic. His mind fogged over and the burn in his chest exploded as he drank deep. Somewhere along the way that day, she’d indulged in a shot of rum. He licked the spicy flavor from her lips and dived deeper.” From Wild on the Rocks.
You know what else is sexy? Service to our country. I know, I know, it sounds formulaic and, let’s face it, potentially insincere. But the truth is that committing your life to something greater than yourself is the sexiest thing a man (or woman) can do. And it’s important that, each year, we take the time to remember those nameless and faceless heroes. After all, they’re not nameless and faceless to everyone.
The hero of Wild on the Rocks, Jasper, is a Navy SEAL, and one of the sexiest things about him is his commitment to that job, that calling, that has shaped his life in many ways. I write heroes like him because I am so in awe of people who have the courage to put their lives on the line for our nation and our people. I believe that says something amazing about the character of such people, right off the bat.
Much as I would like it to be otherwise, Jasper is, alas, a fictional character. But there are many real-life men (and women) who have followed that call and given their lives in service to our nation. They didn’t first ask to know what were our politics or who we voted for or where we stood on national healthcare. They went where they were told and did extraordinary work that, in many cases, cost them their lives.
Today, on Memorial Day, we remember those sacrifices. We honor those men and woman who gave their all so that I can maintain the freedom to do things like, say, post sexy things on a website and not go to jail for doing it–and so you can enjoy those sexy things too.
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Writer, singer, editor, traveler, tequila drinker, and cat herder, Kiersten Hallie Krum avoids pen names since keeping her multiple personalities straight is hard enough work. She writes smart, sharp, and sexy romantic suspense. Her debut romantic suspense novel, WILD ON THE ROCKS, has been nominated for InD’Tale Magazine’s prestigious RONE award! Visit her website at www.kierstenkrum.com and find her regularly over sharing on various social media via @kierstenkrum.
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