Liz Everly's Blog, page 60

Navy SEALs: Why They Turn My Crank as Romantic Heroes

by Kiersten Hallie Krum

One of the most famous photos of an anonymous SEAL.

It’s no secret that Navy SEALs are their own subgenre of Romancelandia. Among the cops and firefighters and hockey and military heroes, SEALs stand out as a special kind of alpha hero known to really turn a readers crank. An Amazon search for “navy SEAL hero” brings up a cavalcade of options, series and stand alone romance novels. (And that’s without delving into the DVD queue, which you don’t want to do unless you’re prepared to spend money. I took a look for this post and bought 3 documentaries before I could blink.)

So what is it about these modern-day warriors that makes them such compelling heroes?

They’re buff. They’re strong. They hunt down evil terrorists. That seems to sum it up pretty good, right?

But it goes deeper than that. It takes a certain mindset to be that excellent at that difficult a job. A mindset that compels a man to subject himself to the brutal, torturous training it takes to become a member of these special forces. (So far, no women have been allowed to enter the training to become a SEAL. It is one of the armed forces last hold outs against women participants.) Recently on Facebook, a reader told me her fourteen-year-old son was so committed to becoming a Navy SEAL, he’d already completed Navy cadet training along with other accomplishments meant to prepare him for the elite training ahead of him. I was instantly struck with admiration for this young man for being so committed and such a young age to reaching a goal that would demand a great amount of emotional and physical strength.

The fact is, on a whole, SEALs are the epitome of an alpha hero. Physically strong, mentally tough, loyal, protective, dedicated and ripe with sexual prowess. (Oh come, that last one has to be a given, right?) SEALs hit the top of the zeitgeist when SEAL Team 6 took down Osama bin Laden. Suddenly, these clandestine warriors were front page in electronic ticker tape neon.

If I had the good fortune of living in proximity of the Coronado Naval Base where SEALs train, I would so be a SEAL groupie. I know this about myself, I embrace this about myself, even while my mental lip curls with disdain at the very idea. But it true, men who are SEALs seriously turn my crank. I’m a tad worried about my upcoming tour of Coronado during the RWA national conference in July. Restraints may be needed. (Kidding. Sorta.)

And yet, even more than significantly attractions to the archetype, I feel seriously intimidated. While I’ve never knowingly met a SEAL (it’s not like they advertise their status), I’m sure if I did, I’d say something ridiculously stupid because, hello? Intimidated. Because–Hoo. Shah.

Men in the middle of BUD/S, the first part of SEAL training. Also known as Hell Week.

Look, at their core, these men are just that–men. Some of them are good, some of them are assholes. Some of them are faithful, some of them dick around on their spouses. Some are incredible fathers; some never pay child support. They’re not archetypes–however we might use them as such in Romancelandia–they’re human beings who, through some remarkable manner of conviction, discipline, and perseverance, have become the premier warriors on the planet. They deal with some of the worst, most dangerous situations known to man. “We do today what others won’t, so tomorrow we’ll do what others can’t,” they reportedly say. And that’s damn heroic.

Romantic heroes who are SEALs have turned my crank ever since I first started reading Suzanne Brockmann’s Navy SEAL Team 16 novels, back when that series was new and un-put-down-able. When I was asked to write a book set in New York Times bestselling author Roxanne St. Claire’s Barefoot Bay Kindle World, I knew two things right away: I wanted to write a reunion romance (one of my two favorite tropes in Romancelandia) and I wanted to write a SEAL hero.

Click on image to buy!

In WILD ON THE ROCKS, I wanted Lieutenant Jasper McQueen to be that epitome of an alpha hero–strong, reliable, intelligent, admired by his peers and superiors, responsible to a fault–and have his core sense of self torn apart when the love of his life leaves him–only to, a year later, after personal and professional tragedy strikes, find her again in the last place he expected to find her: Barefoot Bay.

To discover what happens next, download a copy of WILD ON THE ROCKS!

Look! A blurb!

Wild on the Road

Driven by wanderlust and insatiable curiosity, Quinn Forrester views every new gig for her mixologist business as another chance for adventure. Until the night she wanders down the wrong hallway and witnesses a mob murder. After a week on the run, lack of funds and few options land Quinn in Barefoot Bay where she takes a job tending bar at the swanky Casa Blanca resort…and hopes no wise guys show up to make her sleep with the fishes. But nothing whacks a low profile like having your Navy SEAL ex-husband walk through the door—especially when he’s the love of your life you left behind.

Wild on the Beach

Discovering his restless ex-wife at Casa Blanca—and still going by his name—is enough to drive Lieutenant Commander Jasper McQueen wild. When she ran out on their marriage, Quinn left him a broken man. Now with his career in jeopardy and his sexy ex-wife at hand, Jasper is ready to chuck responsibility and submerse himself in a hedonistic affair—all sex, zero emotions—with the woman he won’t forgive and can never forget. And this time, when they’re done, it’ll be Jasper who does the leaving.

Wild on the Rocks

But a mob enforcer has tracked Quinn to Barefoot Bay. With her days numbered, Jasper may be her only shot at living through the night—if Quinn can get him to believe in her one last time.

Do you like military heroes? Do you find yourself drawn to one particular branch or another? What kind of hero turns *your* crank? Hit up the comments with your choice and I’ll choose one winner to receive a copy of WILD ON THE ROCKS (Kindle only).

Follow Lady Smut. We find all kinds of ways to turn your crank.

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. Visit her website at  www.kierstenkrum.com  and find her regularly over sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr via @kierstenkrum.

Sexy Saturday Round Up

From Madeline:

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing we call life.” –R.I.P Prince, 11 songs you didn’t know Prince wrote.

One woman’s quest to turn her collection of unsolicited dic pics into art.

Young swingers discuss their intro into kinky orgies.

Side saddle is back.  You heard me.

Mice squeak, er, speak a sophisticated language of love.

Best kiss cam evah? This woman double fisting her pizza.

For Alexa: So you need to trim the budget on your ridiculously successful TV show? Just kill off the leading female stars.

And for Sue London: Game of Thrones characters take the Myers Briggs Test.

From G.G. Andrew:

Empathy is hot: we’re more attracted to people whose emotions we can read.

The 10 Most Deadly Phrases in a Relationship. Do you agree/disagree with these?

Charlotte Bronte was born 200 years ago this week. Here are 5 books to read if you love Jane Eyre.

 

 

Book Trends and General Mayhem at the RT Booklovers Convention

By Elizabeth SaFleur

Wild horses and George Clooney couldn’t keep me from the annual Romantic Times (RT) Booklovers Convention. For five whole days, thousands of readers and authors come together to talk romance books and writing. Five whole days of no day-job talk, no meals to cook or laundry to do. Just books, glorious books.

This was my fourth RT, which this year according to rumor attracted the largest number of attendees in its history–more than three thousand one hundred attendees, not counting Saturday’s Giant Book Fair, open to the public.

So, what’s it like, really?

During the day, expect long wait lines, parties, workshops and seminars, more long lines, giveaways, author signings, readings, and fan-girling — all waiting in line. (Who cares about lines? Turn to the person next to you and ask what they’re reading. Let the bonding commence.)

Hot Men Book Covers Grace Every Space Imaginable

My favorite elevator door.

 

The registration area floor!

 

The hallway walls.

But . . . The Real Reason to Attend RT

Squealing fangirls show no shame in throwing loud love toward their favorite authors. I nearly lost my hearing in one ear from a Kristen Ashley super-fan when Kristen walked by. But who could blame the woman? It was Kristen Ashley. Live. In person. Looking gorgeous, by the way. Talking to her fans! I got equally giddy meeting Sierra Cartwright who is as lovely in person as she is on Facebook (a.k.a. the stalking space). Oh, and there was Shayla Black, Lexi Blake, E.L. James, Kresley Cole, Beth Kery, J. Kenner, and. . . well, I shall cease name dropping now so not to make you too jealous.

RT attendees wheel small suitcases from session to session, slowly loading them up with all the free books they’ve been given in sessions, at author events or picked up in the “goody room.” Thank God for an in-hotel UPS store. I shipped a HUGE box home full of books and swag. My favorite item from this year was a Viking rubber ducky.

I shall name you Thor.

In the evening, the hotel bars cram with writerly meet-ups, costumes are donned, martinis are poured, and ballrooms of squee-ing fans fill to capacity.

Friday night’s party, Cirque Du Punk, a steampunk, dieselpunk, cyber punk circus complete with acrobats, jugglers and contortionists, brought out the wild. Our hosts (above) dressed in costume.

 

Eden Bradley & Kennedy Layne

The last two days include the Giant Book Fair and FAN-tastic day, where readers meet their favorite authors and get books signed. See this crowd? That’s the holding pen room they have us line up in before the Fair opens. Did I mention you’ll stand in a lot of lines at RT? Just turn to your neighbor and make a new book-loving friend.

Waiting to get into the Giant Book Fair

Besides partying with favorite authors and lugging home swag and books, a lot can be learned at RT. After hearing a dozen sessions, some themes emerged. I, heretofore, give you the the Future of Books’ cliff notes. Gird your loins. Things are changing–again. Let us know in the comments if the following sounds true to you . . . Here we go.

Book Trends or What’s Next?

What’s “hot” cycles—again. High demand genres include inspirational, multi-cultural and LGBT. What’s not hot? New adult, young adult, romantic suspense and military heroes, which are suffering “glut.” Yes, that’s the technical term for “we have too many of these.” However, one publisher said alpha heroes will never go out style. Whew. Also, while sex still sells in the erotic genre, readers are demanding more plot to go with all that erotic action.

Genres ‘cross.’ Romance writers are notorious for writing stories that bend the rules and cross genres. But hybrid stories that stretch the usual boundaries (i.e. breaking out of being “just” historical or insert any genre) will become more prevalent. Get ready for that dinosaur-time travelling-LGBT-space cowboy book. Or perhaps you enjoy erotic-cowboy-vampire-dragon tales? Set in an alternate universe? Never fear. There’s a story out there for you.

Expect more diversity. Or, as Sarah Wendell, co-founder of Smart Bitches Trashy Books said, “diversity is not a trend. Our world is multi-cultural and the romance world will catch up.”

Our very own LadySmutter, ISABELLE DRAKE along with ALIZA MANN and MK SCHILLER, gave a panel on diversity to a full house. What I learned: the story doesn’t have to come from a character’s ethnicity, but rather their culture informs and instructs their decisions as they navigate what we all go through in love and romance. Kind of like real life, huh?

Aliza Mann, MK Schiller, Isabelle Drake on the Developing Dynamically Diverse Characters panel

Paranormal makes a comeback. Vampires, shifters, werewolves, succubus, ghosts and more haven’t ever really gone away as the audience for such stories is huge. But the demand for paranormal has outstripped the number of books available, according to Danielle Valente, assistant editor for the RT Book Reviews magazine.

Older characters have their day. More romances will feature people in their 40s and 50s who will be experiencing mid-life changes, receiving second chances and starting over. Again, like real life. And, after all, everyone ages, right? Why wouldn’t you want to read about someone closer to your own age?

“Clean reads” are in demand. With the rise of erotica and erotic romance, many contemporary romances “heated up.” This sent the “clean read” lover to inspirational and sweet romance. But it does a disservice in a way, said one panelist, because those who want Christian-themed stories don’t necessarily get that in what is marketed as “clean,” and visa versa.

Erotic romance/erotica genre plateaus. According to several panelists, sales of erotic titles aren’t growing like they used to. In fact, all e-books are selling “flat.” However, that’s not to say e-books (or erotic books) aren’t growing at all.

Let me explain.

Estimates put the Amazon e-book inventory at four million books. Oh, wait. It’s grown again—since I typed this sentence.

And, unlike print books which can go ‘out of print,’ e-books last (almost) for forever. This means the library only gets larger and won’t diminish. (That’s more choices for you, dear reader.) So, if a genre goes “flat” (meaning doesn’t grow), it simply means authors are keeping up with demand but not overtaking it. Rather, more books are entering an ever-growing pile.

Only if a genre drops, should anyone become concerned because it means other types of books are lapping another genre around the track. That’s not happening. Erotic romance is holding its own. So, never fear. Plenty of smexy stories will be waiting for you!

Book prices will drop. Specifically, e-book prices will continue to drop, which is making readers happy but authors nervous. We’ll leave it at that.

Apple becomes a bookseller contender? Heard this before? Except the iTunes/iBooks presence was (much) greater than the previous three years I’ve attended RT, and buzz was afoot that they were going to finally make their move to compete with Amazon. Yes, please. Personally, I’ll be watching this closely.

The rise of audiobooks. In the last two years, the number of audiobooks offered have doubled, and there still aren’t enough titles available to meet the demand. This is a “mammoth” trend, as people grow busier and a need to multi-task exists. Can you blame a reader who wants to get their smexy on with their favorite book boyfriend as they wash the dishes?

(Guess what? Lovely (Elite Doms of Washington Book 1) will be available on audiobook this summer. Squee!)

Watch for smaller reader/author gatherings. Social media fatigue is setting in. Many people are unsatisfied with the superficial relationships created there. In response, live events are growing more popular, especially where authors hold their own reader events. Smaller conference (think 100 people versus 3,000) provide a community feel, allowing more time for and accessibility for in-depth conversations between readers and authors.

Maybe it’s time for a LadySmut conference? Would you come?

However, let’s not do it in Vegas, okay? Because the not-so-great thing about RT was our convention hotel, the God awful Rio hotel/casino. Cigarette smoke everywhere, unbelievable food prices (larger than my hotel bill-no joke) and poor staffing were thorns in this other-wise heavenly event. At least all sessions and events happened in one compact (non smoking) area. I also managed to get in over 10,000 steps a day. My hotel room was .89 miles from the convention area. I am not complaining when I got to see this every night:

Fitbit, you’re my bitch.

If you’re planning on attending RT next year, let us know. It’s May 2-7, 2017 in Atlanta, GA. I’d love to meet up with you, as would all the LadySmutters who attend. In the meantime, give the LadySmut Facebook page a little “like” so you can be part of our ongoing scintillating book talk.

Speaking of books, check out our very own ISABELLE DRAKE and KIERSTEN HALLIE KRUM’s new releases!

KIERSTEN HALLIE KRUM’S Barefoot Bay: Wild on the Rocks (Kindle Worlds) is part of the launch of New York Times bestselling author Roxanne St. Claire’s Barefoot Bay Kindle Worlds! (Read more about Kindle Worlds here.) Driven by wanderlust and insatiable curiosity, Quinn Forrester views every new gig for her mixologist business as another chance for adventure. Until the night she wanders down the wrong hallway and witnesses a mob murder.

ISABELLE DRAKE’s Off the Rails (Make Me Over Book 1) is a delicious romantic comedy we can all relate to. High school reunion—three words that threaten to derail Madison’s life. Now she has only eight weeks to find the perfect guy, the perfect job, or a way to pretend she has the perfect life.

Until next time, my friends. Stay cool. Stay reading. We got your smut covered.

*****

ELIZABETH SAFLEUR writes contemporary erotic romance and she’s not afraid to get graphic about it — “it” being the smex, the BDSM, or Washington, DC society, which she regularly features in her series, the Elite Doms of Washington.

Kindle Worlds: Fan Fic Paradise?

Some TV shows are so good you never want them to end…

by Madeline Iva

What is Kindle Worlds? It’s a fan fic site – and we all know what fan fic is, right?

Fan fic sites are usually amateur, and also gay (unless you’re on Wattpad) and also sorta illicit.

However, as fan fiction has grown in power, prestige, and sheer audience numbers over the last decade, it’s gotten to be serious business. Like that little book that came out a few years ago called FIFTY SHADES OF GREY–remember that fan fic title?  Now agents and editors have acquired rising authors and manuscripts from the world of fan fiction.  Even TV shows are recruiting their fan fic writing audiences for characters and scripts.

Since the world of fan fiction has been turned sideways and upside down, KINDLE WORLDS has entered the scene. Run by Amazon, Kindle Worlds offers would be authors fame and glory, while offering us Gossip Girl addicts another hit of the perversity we lurv.  That’s the idea, anyway.

Fan fiction is usually written and put out on the internet without the approval or consent of the author–

–but not Kindle Worlds.  They license the rights to legally use the characters, settings, and plots for fan fic purposes.

All the authors/franchise owners of the works available on Kindle Worlds have signed agreements with Amazon.  Thus, any fan fic author can use the characters and plot lines legally.  No moral qualms about writing *this* fan fiction.

If you check out KINDLE WORLDS, you’ll see they’ve got licenses for all kinds of groovy TV shows like Veronica Mars, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries. Huzzah!

It’s a world that you can imbibe narrative AND create it.  Instead of your story staying on the Kindle Worlds site, all of these stories are available on Amazon—just like any other regular book of fiction.

BUT WHAT HAS ALL THIS GOT TO DO WITH ROMANCE????

Some great ROMANCE authors have agreed to license their series to Kindle Worlds – including CJ Lyons, Barbara Freethy, Desiree Holt, and Barefoot in the Sand (Barefoot Bay)Roxanne St. Claire to name a few.

Speaking of Roxanne St. Claire!

She’s made her BAREFOOT BAY world available to fan fic authors on Kindle Worlds, and our very own Kiersten Hallie Krum has just published her first romance as a part of Roxanne St. Claire’s Barefoot Bay series.

So check out Kiersten’s first novel, Barefoot Bay: Wild on the Rocks (Kindle Worlds)WILD ON THE ROCKS on Amazon, and on Kindle Worlds.

Want more? Here’s what  Roxanne St. Claire says about her involvement in the Kindle Worlds universe.

Tell us if you’ve ever tried any of the Kindle Worlds books and what you think of the whole idea. And follow us at Lady Smut, where we occupy a special sexy world all our own…

Island Retreat For Those Who Cheat

By Elizabeth Shore

You know what’s tough about having a steamin’ hot adulterous affair? Finding someplace to have it! Really, think about it. The situation can be fraught with frustration. If you’re both attached, you can hardly go to your own dwellings. So that’s out. Hotels are an option, of course, but they get expensive. You could shack up in the back of your car like canoodling teenagers, although do you really want to be busted in your birthday suit when Mr. Policeman raps on your steamed up car window?

Luckily, IllicitEncounters.com to the rescue! The U.K.’s answer to AshleyMadison.com, Illicit Encounters (“the U.K.’s leading married-dating website”) aims to hook up those who want to be hooked in a “no-strings attached” relationship, i.e., no commitment, please, we’re married. But in addition to the match-ups, IllicitEncounters tackles that nagging “where to shag” conundrum by, according to a recent article that first appeared in the New York Post, getting the bright idea of buying an island. Surf, sand, and decidedly unwholesome Frankie and Annette beach party fun.

The good news, as an Illicit Encounters spokesperson said, is that this ain’t just any ol’ island. No no. This will be the Las Vegas of islands! What happens there, stays there. Visitors will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements (which doesn’t sound like much of a problem, frankly, since non-disclosure is an essential part of any good affair). Then, with the paperwork all done, you and your lover are blindfolded (!) – to ensure the secret getaway indeed remains secret – and whisked away in a helicopter to your island love shanty. There you can have a banging good time with the left-behind spouses remaining none the wiser.

Founded in 2003, Illicit Encounters boasts a membership of over 748,000. Don’t think it’s all just men, either. According to the site, they have a healthy base of female members.  But that site’s small potatoes compared with Ashley Madison (tagline: Life is Short. Have an Affair.) Despite last year’s hack scandal, Ashley Madison keeps calm and carries on, boasting membership of over…wait for it… 39 million. Clearly there are plenty of cheatin’ hearts among those giant numbers who’d love a sun-drenched island to which they can escape.

There are many who, for good reason, frown upon this. The subtext to the term “committed” relationship, after all, means you’ve committed to being faithful to that one special person. You’re not intending on shagging, banging, or having an “illicit” encounter of any kind and you expect the same of your spouse. So it may raise eyebrows a’plenty to look at the statistics of websites who all but rub your face in the fact that lots of folks are doing lots of cheating.

Putting any and all emotion aside, I admit that I’ve wondered whether most of us are truly wired to be faithful to a single partner. There are plenty of articles in which the question is raised. One interesting one appeared a few years ago at LiveScience.com in which sociology professor Pepper Schwarz says, “I don’t think we’re a monogomous animal. Monogomy is invented for order and investment, but not because it’s ‘natural.’ ”

Well, then. I have no doubt Ashley Madison would say, “Put that in your after-sex pipe and smoke it.” Natural or not, plenty of steamy hot affairs are happening now and will happen in the future. And if you’re dipping your toe in unfaithful waters, you can soon do in on the beaches of a secret sex island.

Elizabeth Shore writes both contemporary and historical erotic romance. Her recent releases include Hot Bayou Nights and The Lady Smut Book of Dark Desires. Look for her erotic historical novella, Desire Rising, coming April 29th from The Wild Rose Press. Pre-order available now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just the Tip? A Brief Look at One of Dating’s Oldest Questions

For better or for worse … there is less discussion about who pays for a *wedding* than who pays for a date.

By Alexa Day

I love the Sexy Saturday Round Up. Don’t you? It’s the cool, sexy way to make sure I’m up on the real news of the week. This past Saturday, we had sex toys, girl gamers in Saudi Arabia, and tattoos. If you haven’t been over there yet, you should go and check it out.

One of G.G. Andrew’s links caught my eye. Refinery29 published an article about a favorite topic: when a man and a woman are on a date, who pays?

As I write this, I am mindful of how limiting this question really is. In my tiny little cishet world, I’ve never had to consider how same-sex couples address this question, if they address it at all. I am curious, though. If you have intel on the topic, please educate me in the comments.

Inside the cishet bubble, I think the question of who pays has been around for a long time. If anything has changed since our the time of our parents and grandparents, it’s that this question now has many answers.

The Refinery29 article focuses on millennial women, and while many of them are pushing back — hard — at women who don’t pay for whatever reason, the numbers suggest that more of them, 59 percent, let the men pay for first dates. But I think that if the ‘male pays’ dating tradition changes, it’s likely to change first with that age group, which may not be as attached to the concept of male-as-provider that gave rise to the tradition in the first place. Even at my age (I’m no millennial, friends), I see lots of my peers shifting to an ‘asker pays’ model, where the person who asks for the date is the one who pays. That seems to me to be a more gender equitable way to handle things, although I do think men are far more likely to ask for dates.

Now, I do see where the problem arises for men. Their long-held contention is that dating is expensive. I get it. This is why I don’t take myself to dinner as often as I’d like.

I do have a question, though.

Why aren’t you guys reducing those costs?

I’ve only dated in the South, a place where it’s possible to badly offend one’s date by even offering to pay. Many Southern men in my age bracket interpret such an offer as a suggestion that they are incapable of footing the bill without help. I wonder if that presumption is forcing them to be more creative. I’ve been to dances, the county fair, long walks around local parks to look at the river, and museums big and small. I’ve always thought the point of the first date is to spend a little time getting to know each other and decide whether a second date is a good idea. A stroll through the museum, followed up with some ice cream, gets the job done just as well as something expensive, if not better.

Refinery29 briefly touches on the many factors that come into play before the check arrives. If both parties split the bill, is it still a date? If one party pays, is the other required to reciprocate in some way? At what point in a relationship is it acceptable to stop splitting the bill? That little slip of paper carries a lot of weight.

Should it?

Are you following Lady Smut?

The Culture of Shame

by Kiersten Hallie Krum

Last week brought another example of authors behaving badly as author J.C. Cliff publicly lost her shit on Goodreads (which has since been taken down) over a review that she thought was negative and borderline bullying. Ms. Cliff rallied her presumably loyal audience to flood Goodreads with objections to the 1-star review, tagging it as malicious and telling her readers to “flag that bitch”. After an onslaught of public objections on social media to Ms. Cliff’s seemingly baseless accusation and arguably juvenile reaction, Ms. Cliff published an extensive apology (or fauxpology as some are calling it), which included claiming that when she said “flag that bitch” she was not referring to the reviewer but to the review. (For the record, the proper insult in that case would’ve been “flag that shit” because the review was an object while “flag that bitch” would be appropriate for an insult aimed at a person. Such misappropriation irks me, like using “that” to refer to a person instead of “who” as in “Ms. Cliff was the one that…” Shudder.)

Personally, I stayed out of it (I’ve never read or heard of Ms. Cliff before this kerfluffle), and I’m not now going to discuss Ms. Cliff’s “fauxpology” or any further details of her meltdown. There are plenty of other blogs who have already done it justice with an eye toward the purpose of reviews and other, wiser people than I who have discussed what an author’s response should be toward them. There’s always the “no bad publicity” rule of thumb too–like me, how many others have never heard of Ms. Cliff or her work before now? The downside there being, how many are less likely to buy her work now that she freaked out so badly on a public scale?

What strikes me about this latest public meltdown is not so much the meltdown itself, or it potentially more damaging attempt at an apology that basically blamed everyone else for the author’s drama. I’m curious about the reaction to Ms. Cliff’s meltdown and what, if anything, that says about the community at large.

Social media has revolutionize the concept of public accountability. Or, as Jon Ronson puts it in his TED Talk “Twitter gives a voice to the voiceless, a way to speak up and hit back at perceived injustice.” In mere minutes, public objections to a company’s or a government’s or a person’s behavior or actions can explode with the teeth of influence. For example, only a few days ago, AMC movie theater franchised announced plans to allow texting  during movies. The outcry on social media was so fast and furious, within 48 hours, they trashed the entire concept. When it comes to the power of the people, few platforms can compete with the power wielded by a few million potential customers on social media.

More than ever, public accountability is key to keeping TPTB, well, accountable. Yet in a world rife with cyber bullying to the extent that people have committed suicide because the feel their lives have become unbearable as a result of cyber bullying, the culture of shame has almost become a spectator sport. Where do we draw the line between holding entities accountable for ofttimes severely shitty behavior and effectively flogging them in effigy in cyberspace?

In Romancelandia, we’ve had more than a few of these situations where an Author Behaves Badly or a chapter appears to discriminate against the specific content of a book. And each time, the public outcry is loud and…merciless. Sometimes even vicious. Do we do more harm than good when we respond with such vitriol? Can we do anything to change this Culture of Shame? Should we? Or is shame the only currency we have to reign in the crazy?

Perhaps, it’s not coincidental that I stumbled on this interview by The Guardian with Monica Lewinsky, perhaps the most recognizable person victimized by our culture of shame. Even 20 years after her life was eviscerate by political scandal, she says “the shame sticks to you like tar.” Is that our goal? To shame someone so complete that, 20 years later, their life isn’t define by their intellect or business savvy or accomplishments or even the kindness of their hearts, but by the shame they were made to feel by a rabid public? (And this was decades before social media was even a phrase in the zeitgeist).

I honestly don’t know where the answer. It is crucial that we hold people and organizations accountable for their actions. Full stop. But where does accountability stop being justice and start being the very cyber bullying to which so many of us are vehemently opposed? Ms. Cliff may be today’s example–and honestly, I just wish she had a best friend who could step up and say, “Ah, no honey. Step away from the keyboard” much like one might look at your totally rad 80s retro (and not the good kind) outfit and say “I refuse to let you out of the house looking like that”–but she’s hardly going to be the last one where being justifiably called to account skates the edge of the culture of shame.

How should we respond?

Click on image to buy!

I am not ashamed, naturally, to let you lovely Lady Smutters know that my debut romantic suspense novel, WILD ON THE ROCKS is now available to buy exclusively from Kindle Worlds!

Can a woman on the run trust the man she once abandoned? She can when he’s a Navy SEAL!

Take a wild ride with WILD ON THE ROCKS!

And follow Lady Smut.

We’re always shame free.

 

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 sexy romantic suspense sure to drive you wild. Visit her website at  www.kierstenkrum.com   and find her regularly over sharing on various social media via  @kierstenkrum.

 

 

Sexy Saturday Round Up

Happy spring, Lady Smut lovelies! We’ve got a plethora of orgasmic links for you today.  So settle in and get your Lady Smut buzz on.

From Jezebel: Horror novel in which the relationships are chewy with toxic badness

Outlander costumes O My!

Are you ready? No, you’re not ready for this Outlander costume. (Remember the French King’s mistress? Remember her swan nipples dress?)

Everything you wanted to know about FemSlash

We Are All Perverts, Book Says. Does this really surprise you?

Got fairies? Liz Everly found a great blog all about them

DA recommends book called Navel Gazing about a guy thinking about his mother’s body. Sounds weird but they say it’s excellent– – check it out here!

I wanna be One Armed Keith, you can be Nicky Two Suits. Which banned pub person are you? Play along at home with this whacky list.

Sandstorms, Segregation, and Other Challenges of Running a Women’s Video Games Convention in Saudi Arabia.

Amazon has a new e-reader called the Oasis. Do we care?

From G.G. Andrew:

Artist in Singapore inks beautiful blackout tattoos.

A Kanye/Beethoven mashup? This orchestra is doing it.

Do young women want to split the check on a date? Sometimes.

From Elizabeth Shore:

Proof positive that we’re all going to hell. Female masturbation is a straight path to Satan.

Don’t be one of these if you want to get dates. Five types of women whom guys say are a nightmare.

36 sex toys you didn’t know you need.

Pay attention guys: 6 things you think we care about, but we don’t.

 

 

 

 

Three cheers for romance bookstore The Ripped Bodice

by Rachel Kramer Bussel

I’m not sure how I first discovered romance, but I distinctly remember being a pre-teen and teenager devouring first Danielle Steel and Judith Krantz novels, then the likes of Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz and Judith McNaught. I mainly bought them at the bookstore at the local mall, Waldenbooks, and my obsession felt like a singular one; I didn’t know anyone else who read romance, though clearly I wasn’t the only one judging by its plentiful offerings on the bookstore shelves. I was never ashamed to read romance, but I wondered exactly who my fellow readers were, and whether I had anything in common with them.

That’s part of why I was so thrilled to learn that crowdfunded romance bookstore The Ripped Bodice was opening in Culver City, California. Run by sisters Bea and Leah Koch, it opened in March and has been off and running. I interviewed the owners when they were running their Kickstarter, and as an erotica author and editor, I was especially impressed by their commitment to the genre as part of romance and devotion to making the store inclusive in every sense of the word. In our interview, they told me:

“The romance section at a mainstream bookstore is organized alphabetically, but we will organize by subgenre. We’ll be able to direct you specifically to the paranormal-witches section or the modern cowboys section. We will definitely have romantic suspense (it’s the best selling subgenre!) as well as a great erotica section.”

I got to see a sneak preview of the store when I was in the Los Angeles area before it opened, and what impressed me the most was the attention to detail they’ve given every aspect of the store, intent on making it a welcoming environment whether you’ve been reading romance for decades or never have. There are couches to sit on and room to simply marvel at all the types of romances available, from mainstream and independent publishers and self-published authors. Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books revealed when she interviewed them for the Dear Bitches, Smart Author podcast that when she saw her novella on their shelves, it was the first time she’d seen it print. As someone who cried tears of joy the first time I saw my words in an anthology on a bookstore’s shelves, I can appreciate the feeling.

I also love how enthusiastic the Kochs are about romance and reading. I gave them a few book suggestions, including one of my favorite recent YA reads, Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, and they not only read them but told me how much they enjoyed them.

You need only look at their Instagram account to see just how passionate they are about the romance genre. This is clearly not just a job to the founders; it’s a dream job that’s been fostered precisely by readers who are hungry for such an offering, for a place where romance is treated with as much respect, passion and keen interest as any other genre of writing.

In a recent profile of The Ripped Bodice at Racked, Bea said, “In a normal bookstore, you don’t know what the reaction you’re going to get is when you ask for a romance novel. It can be quite rude, and also a little scary! It’s frequently a sexist, kinda-gross leer. Like, ‘Oh, you like that stuff?’”

I’m pretty sure that if you’re reading Lady Smut, you’ve experienced this. Beyond the fact that the store stocks thousands of romance novels across subgenres, to me the real highlight of such a store is simply making romance more accepted and accessible. Anyone who passes by the store will know that romance isn’t a flash in the pan, something that of course any romance reader or book publishing observer has been aware of for years, but that the average person might not be aware of.

They’re also building a community, with events including book signings, a book club, standup comedy that promises “Funny people. Sexy books. Free wine” (coming up next week, April 21st, for you locals) and a Mother’s Day tea.

In our interview, they told me “The Ripped Bodice is not only a bookstore. We are a gathering place for a community of intelligent, opinionated men and women. We have so much to offer beyond just books.” Indeed, being a community space is something many independent bookstores strive for—that was a key point Linda-Marie Barrett, general manager of Asheville, North Carolina’s Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café made in her recent New York Times op-ed urging authors not to cancel their appearances at the store because of the state’s discriminatory anti-LGBT law. With romance, it’s even more important because there aren’t that many offline spaces where that kind of community can thrive, where you can talk about the nuances of romance without all kinds of problematic assumptions being made about you.

Brick and mortar bookstores aren’t just places to purchase books; they are places where readers can go to explore, browse, discuss, dream. If there are entire bookstores dedicated to mystery, why shouldn’t there be more dedicated to the most popular genre around? As someone who lives in a suburban town where the nearest bookstore is a giant chain, I am deeply jealous of those who are in close proximity to The Ripped Bodice. Yes, we can all order books online, but what we can’t get from an online bookstore is a personal recommendation, a friendly smile, shelves arranged with the artful care, attention to detail and customer service a store like this offers. If I lived nearby, what I would welcome more than anything else is to simply soak up the atmosphere of such a store, before pulling a beloved book from a shelf and asking “What else do you have like this?”

They also stock LGBT romances, young adult, new adult, Christmas and Hannukah romances, and much more. I would imagine that even if you’re a very specific type of romance reader, the lure of browsing such a wide selection would cause you to at least consider titles you wouldn’t have sought out on your own, which is precisely the joy of such a store. Because they were readers first, the Koch sisters enthusiasm for romance bursts out from both their social media. They are also a wonderful counterpoint to any romance skeptics or haters, or those who insist that “print books are dead,” a phrase that makes me want to scream.

They also have an e-commerce section of their website for those who can’t get to the store, including shirts with some very powerful messages, like “Smart girls read romance” and “I am the heroine of my own story.” How awesome is that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am looking for an excuse to head back to Southern California and gorge on books at The Ripped Bodice, and am so proud that the girl I once was, who combed my local bookstores, randomly guessing which titles might be up my alley and devoured those early romances now has books with my name on them lining this romance mecca’s shelves.

 

The Lady Eve: Best Romantic Comedy Evah!

by Madeline Iva

Well chickens, while everyone is off at Romantic Times Convention, 2016 in Las Vegas this week, I’m sitting home, twiddling my thumbs and editing my latest book…

I’m not upset that I’m not at RT. No, not at all.

Thanks to Karen Bourne for laughing with me about this.

Today I realized that while every other dame who writes romance out there is leaving whatever happens in Vegas in Vegas, that doesn’t mean I have to sit at home crying into my oatmeal.

So I’ve hauled out a real treat – the best (if most under-rated) romantic comedy in the history of Hollywood movies evah. I’m talking about The Lady Eve (The Criterion Collection)THE LADY EVE.

Gather round, my pretties and learn why this light bit of fluff is as long on feminism as it is short on all that was bad, bad, bad way back then. (I’m talking those moments that ruin an old film: i.e. overt male patriarchy with “And that’s why I, as a man am superior to you, little lady” moments, cringingly racist moments, and overt classism “And that’s why we upper classes are morally superior to the rest of you”, etc.)

It’s not just great costumes, actors, and great lines that make The Lady Eve (The Criterion Collection)THE LADY EVE a movie to go back to—there’s a wonderfully refreshing contrast of gender here as well. Our hero is bookish and likes to ‘play with snakes’ while our heroine is street smart, and makes her living by her wits. The movie is all about crushing the hero’s romantic ideals in the most adorable way possible.

Gene (the glorious Barbara Stanwyck) and her father are grifters on a South American cruise. She ropes men into playing cards with her father, a card shark, where, naturally the suckers lose scads of money.

He’s a really good guy who likes science: in other words, irresistible.

Along comes the hero, Henry Fonda, who plays Charles Pike. He’s very pretty–prettier than Gene even. Charlie’s also been up the Amazon studying snakes for two years. When he heads back to the snake pit of civilization via the cruise ship, Gene sets her sights on him.  But Charlie is such a good guy, that she winds up making the mistake of falling in love with him along the way.

It’s not just that Charlie is handsome and intellectually endowed, you see.  He’s also the son of a beer baron who brews Pike’s Pale, “The Ale That Won For Yale”. He’s also a wee bit righteous. Although Gene is all set to come clean and tell him about her past, his body guard, Mugsy, suspicious that Charlie is become a target for con men, gets the dope on the gang.  In the end Henry ends up finding out who Gene really is on his own before she can tell him.

Not only is he crushed, he’s a little cruel when he breaks up with her.

In case you can’t read that tiny print: she’s saying “I need him like the ax needs the turkey.”

Hell hath no fury like Gene scorned. In the midst of her wounded pride and heartbreak, Gene decides to learn him a lesson he won’t forget.

She disguises herself as the Lady Eve, setting up camp in Connetticut with another grifter friend “Sir Alfred” in Henry’s neighborhood.  Donning a British accent, the Lady Eve descends upon Charlie and his family.  Charlie meets her again and falls in love with her. Again.

The movie has the odd wit, sparkling dialogue, and great character acting all around.

Yet it’s more than that.  It has that thing–call it glamour–that the best classic films have.  The sets! There are some pom pom mums in one of the penultimate scenes that make me want to swoon.  The costumes (by Edith Head of course) are to die.  It’s so clever the way movies of those time made the luxury a part of the background.  In Notorious it’s the way they might run out of champagne. (Oh no!) In Rebecca it’s what she’s going to wear for the ball.  In this movie it’s the abundant amount of food they can order for breakfast — while Mugsy just wants a dish of milk and two flies for Charlie’s snake.  Or the fact that in the rush to have a big dinner celebrating Lady Eve, the servants forget Mr. Pike’s breakfast.

In The Lady Eve one thing that I really like is that the rich people are just as fun as the con artists, the servants are real people and they each have their own moments where you get the sense that the life they life is different, but not less.

Anytime Henry starts pontificating in a righteous patriarchal way, you know that he’s soon going to be bounced off his white horse straight into the mud.

While whenever Gene echoes these sentiments, her tongue is firmly placed in her cheek for the entire speech, and you realize how easily the rich are hoisted upon their own petard.

Charlie is science-smart, but Eve is wise–which, all in all, makes The Lady Eve (The Criterion Collection)THE LADY EVE delightful.

So who cares if all the other romance writers get to gamble, drink, and romp around in sexy stilettos? I’m going to bask in a little faux luxury and pleasure myself with a good dose of the Lady Eve.

Meanwhile, if you like to pleasure yourself daily, make sure to follow us at Lady Smut.