Isabelle Drake's Blog, page 69

Looking for zombies on Boston's Commonwealth Ave.

Brownstones on Commonwealth Ave.After looking for zombies in the Boston Public Library, my friend Susan L. and I headed over to Commonwealth Ave where Hayden, the main character in my Undead books from Ellora's Cave, stays. He lives in a borrowed apartment in one of the awesome brownstones that are on both sides of the boulevard that runs down the center of Commonwealth.

Boulevard
  It was fun imagining Mattie trailing Hayden through the snowstorm, even though as you can see, it was a sunny 80' the day we went out looking for the two of them.



Bell tower of The First Baptist ChurchOne building I found that is likely to make its way into a future story is The First Baptist Church. It has a wonderful bell tower covered with ivy. The open windows near the top are inspiring. I can see Mattie perched up there in a snow storm, all covered in ice, her white fingers gripping the ledge. Love it.

Yep, these alleys have street signs
After walking up and down that section of the street enough times to bring attention to myself Susan and I circled back toward the library. And then we saw the back alley complete with street sign. A street sign for an alley? Why not, I guess.


I stood there staring at the alley long enough to yet again draw too much attention to myself. But really, how often do you get to see the places where your characters live and hide from sex-starved zombies? Not often enough, that's for sure. 

Back alley of a Commonwealth Ave brownstone

Sexing up the classics

From publisher Total-e-Bound:

"Classic novels including Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and Sherlock Holmes are to get a steamy 18-certificate make-over from some of the world's leading erotic fiction writers it was announced today.

"The much-loved works of literature  by famed authors including Charlotte and Emily Brontë, and Arthur Conan Doyle — have been re-imagined for the very first time as works of adult fiction by the UK's leading specialist publisher Total-E-Bound, complete with graphic sex and fetish scenes.

"In the 'scorching hot' new versions — available as eBooks from the 30th July - eponymous heroine Jane Eyre has explosive sex with Mr Rochester, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy smoulder with unbridled passion in their erotic romance, and 19th century detective Sherlock Holmes enters into a gay relationship with sidekick Dr Watson. 

"Other books being re-worked by erotic romance specialist publisher Total-E-Bound for the launch of the new Clandestine Classics collection are Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea by early science-fiction writer Jules Verne.

"The re-worked versions of the classics include the full text of the original books spiced with a series of specially written new scenes featuring adult content to provide a seamless reading experience.  While 19th century society demanded that novels only went so far when it came to depicting the true passionate nature of love and romance, the new series, released under the banner 'Clandestine Classics' invites readers to put the old-fashioned pleasantries to one side and enjoy the sensual scenes that were only ever alluded to in the original versions."

Visit: Total-e_Bound Clandestine Classics bookstore

Looking for zombies in the Boston Public Library

Bates HallA couple days after mailing the contract for Servicing the Undead, book 2 in my Cold Hunger series, I took myself and a friend to the Boston Public Library. The first book in the series, free read Undone by the Undead is set in the BPL and the second also has a scene there, so I thought I'd go check the place out, see if I got things right and get some ideas for future books.
Good news: I got the details of Bates Hall right. Thank you internet image search. The wood tables where Mattie and Hayden have sex are just as solid and sturdy as they look in the pictures. 
One thing that did not come out of the image search was  how incredibly *quiet* it was in there. Insanely quiet. Or rather, I'd go insane if I had to work there.
Abbey HallA fun surprise waited for me outside Bates Hall, The Abbey Room which features a gorgeous mural of The Quest for the Holy Grail by the American artist, Edwin Austin Abbey.There is also a large fireplace and gold-gilded ceiling. And, of course, lots of silence.
After we finished our tour of the second floor, where both of these rooms are located, we went up to the third floor to the rare book room. The rare book room featured a guest registry which I probably should have signed with a nice note like everyone else, but instead I wrote "zombies are here." Maybe by that time, because I'd been retracing Hayden and Mattie's steps, I was pretty convinced they were around somewhere.
Koussevitzky RoomOutside the rare book room is a fabulous room, which actually looks more like a hallway, with  beautiful murals and street lamps. I wish we'd been there at night, because I imagine it's awesome. Look for this spot to show up somewhere in one of the Cold Hunger books. Who knows, maybe I'll even go back there, have a seat on the slate floor and write a few scenes right there by one of those lamps.
Another thing that will probably make its way into a future story is an amazing elevator which we nicknamed the Sexavator because the second you step into it you think, "oh yeah, I could have sex in here." It's small enough inside that it feels intimate, there is a mini cathedral ceiling, dim lighting, a round, frosted window, and cozy wood paneling. Also, it's out of the way enough that you get the sense that you'd have enough time for whatever quick act you have in mind.

Need more 4th!

....one day is not enough

Happy 4th of July!

Hope you have some hot mid-week plans.

Logan Belle's Blue Angel series

Welcome back guest blogger Logan Belle.

Logan Belle is a New York City writer whose boyfriend took her to her first burlesque show on her birthday three years ago. She loved the show so much she was inspired to write a series of erotic novels set in the world of burlesque. Blue Angel is the first of the trilogy. Her next erotic romance is inspired by Bettie Page and is called The Librarian. It will be published by Simon & Schuster this November.

Here's a taste of Blue Angel.
 

About Blue Angel

The Blue Angel erotic romance series is about an ordinary woman named Mallory who, at her first ever burlesque show, is pulled out of the audience onto the stage. Mallory’s life changes overnight: Exploring burlesque awakens her true erotic nature, but threatens the stability of her long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Alec. Will she have to choose between her new-found passion and true love?



Excerpt from Chapter One -  During the entire cab ride he kept telling her, it’s a surprise.
“I don’t like surprises,” Mallory said, following him into the dark, barely marked building off of Bowery.
“It’s your birthday! What’s a birthday without a surprise?” He winked at her, and she couldn’t resist smiling back. That was the thing about Alec: no matter how much he aggravated her, she loved him too much to stay angry.
And why should she be in a bad mood? They’d finally moved in together after three years of dating long distance while she finished law school. She had a good job at mid-size firm.  And yes, it was her birthday – the big twenty-five – and Alec was taking her out for a night on the town, in her new city, just the two of them. 
Except…the dark location did not seem to be a romantic restaurant.
A woman with a clipboard greeted them inside the door. She had a butterfly tattoo on her neck and a perfect face. Behind her, a blue velvet curtain prevented Mallory from seeing into the room.
“Alec Martin and Mallory Dale. We’re on the list,” Alec said, taking Mallory’s hand.
Inside, Mallory saw that the venue was a bar of some sort, with a seating area and a stage and…dwarves. 
Two that she counted. And a topless woman wearing a garter belt, black seamed stockings and red patent stilettos. And a man dressed for a rodeo carrying a bullwhip.
“What the hell is this?” Mallory asked.
“It’s The Blue Angel. A burlesque club,” Alec said, smiling like he just presented her with a diamond.Burlesque – the topic of the article Alec was writing for Gruff, the lad lite, pop culture magazine he worked for. And his latest excuse for constantly ogling other women.
“We’re spending my birthday doing research for your article?”
He steered her to the table closest to the stage. The room was packed, but the table had a reserved card on it. Now she knew the evening was a Gruff magazine gig. The owner of Gruff was a rich kid named Billy Barton. Alec met Bill thanks to the long tentacles of the Penn alumni network. And unlike Alec and most of their friends who had only been in New York a few years, Billy could open any door, pull any string, and reserve any table.
“No,” he said. “We’re doing something fun and interesting on your birthday that I happen to be writing about but that I know you will enjoy. Wait here – I’m going to get our drinks.”
And he was off to the bar before she could protest.
She wished she had worn something different. Her long, houndstooth Anne Taylor skirt suddenly seemed overly prim. There was a lot of leg showing in the room – bare legs, garter-belted legs, legs in fishnets and heels. At least she was wearing a simple black turtleneck, so the overall effect wasn’t too dressed.
In the corner at the far end of the room, two women were laughing and talking to the guy in the western get-up. The one in the faux leopard coat was the first person Mallory had noticed in the room. How could she not? Aside from being model gorgeous, she had an ultra-stylized look, with dramatically pale skin, full red lips, and straight black hair cut in a fabulous, razor-sharp bob.  As if sensing Mallory’s stare, the woman turned and looked at her with sharp blue eyes. Startled, Mallory quickly looked away. But when she glanced back, the woman was still watching her, as if expecting that her gaze would return. Their eyes locked, and Mallory’s stomach did the oddest little flip.
“Hey,” Alec said, sitting next to her and sliding over a bottle of Stella Artois. “You’re not mad, are you?”
Mallory accepted the beer, trying to resist the urge to look back at the beautiful brunette.
“What? Oh, I don’t know. A little. Come on, Alec.  Admit it --  you’re just killing two birds with one stone: you want to do research but it’s my birthday and we’re going out so this is what you chose to do. It has nothing to do with how I’d actually want to celebrate.”
She hated the way she sounded, but she was worried. It wasn’t just about her birthday – it was about them. She didn’t want to admit it, but their relationship didn’t feel right since she moved to Manhattan six months ago. Alec was consumed with the cutthroat world of New York media. She was working crazy hours at the law firm and studying to re-take the bar exam. And lately, he kept bringing up the idea of them hooking up with another girl – with having a threeway. At first when he brought it up, she thought he was just being provocative. But she finally realized he was completely serious. She didn’t quite know what to make of this, so she mentally filed it under Things I Can’t Deal With Right Now.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Visit Logan's website for more about her and her books.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Blandest of them All?

Welcome guest blogger Logan Belle.

I’m surprised by how many people in the Twittersphere slammed Kristen Stewart’s performance in Snow White and the Huntsman.  Conversely, I’m not surprised by how many people criticize the writing in Fifty Shades of Grey. But regardless of their detractors, both K Stew and the Fifty Shades trilogy work – and they work for the same reasons.

Kristen Stewart’s critics say that her ‘acting’ is just the same limited repertoire of facial expressions she employed  throughout the Twilight movies. But this is exactly why Kristen Stewart works in these films: she doesn’t have to be Meryl Steep. In fact, in Snow White and the Huntsman, a spirited, consuming performance like Charlize Theron’s evil Queen would never have worked in the Snow White role; it’s Kristen Stewart’s blandness that allows us, the viewer, to project ourselves onto her as the heroine.  And it’s not just her generic performances that make her the perfect canvas for viewers; even in interviews she barely says anything personal or distinctive, and therefore when we see her in films, our suspension of disbelief is never broken. She is Snow White, she is Bella – because we don’t see much personality in Kristen Stewart.

This is one of the reasons why the novel Fifty Shades of Grey is such a runaway hit, even though it does not feature the best writing or the most compelling heroine. Its simplicity, its mere serviceability, lets readers put themselves into the fantasy. I didn’t come up with this theory myself; the renowned psychologist Bruno Bettelheim  wrote about this in his book The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales.
 
So writers, take note: We don’t have to like Kristen Stewart or Fifty Shades of Grey --  or a lot of things that are hugely popular. But we do need to try to understand their success as we pursue our own.

             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Logan Belle is the author of the erotic romance trilogy Blue Angel, published by Kensington. Her next novel, The Librarian, will be published this fall by Simon & Schuster.  You can follow her at loganbelle.tumblr.com and at www.loganbelle.com.

Fetish 101: Robot fetishism

Robot fetishists usually refer to their fetish by the initials "ASFR" which stems from a now-defunct website.Robot fetishism, considered part of technosexuality, is divided into two usually separate fantasies:
Sex with a person dressed in a robot costume, a person acting like a robot, or sex with pre-made sex android robot. Sex with person who has been willingly or unwillingly transformed into a robot or being transformed into a robot oneself and subsequently having sex. The transformation is of key interest in this fantasy.
If you are a Duran, Duran fan, or remember the video to Electric Barbarella, this robot thing is nothing new to you.



If you ask me, the best part of the video is when she freaks out and malfunctions. According to one interview I read, it’s this possibility for malfunctioning that is part of the draw. When she’s broken you get out your tool kit and fix her.

Wanting to see and hear an actual human talk about sex with robots, I hunted up a video. I’d be interested to hear what others have to say about this guy’s thoughts on why he wants a sex android.




Need more?

"Let's mech love", by Lisa Scott, Metro daily paper , 7February 2007.

"Wrong Turns Down TheSex-Info-Highway 5.07", by Martine Duplessis, Exotic Magazine, 1996.
If you are geeky like me, I suggest this wikkipedia articleon typical human responses to human-like robots.

Fetish 101: Somnophilia...Seduction of the sleeping

A couple days ago, in a post on this blog, I recommended a movie, Sleeping Beauty (2011). The main character takes a job where she lets men touch her while she sleeps. I started to wonder about this...and eventually looked it up.

Yep - this sleeping beauty thing is a fetish: somnophilia. The somnophiliac seeks to awaken a sleeping person with erotic caresses, gentle non-violent touches.

After some looking, I found House of the Sleeping Beauties (2006). Plot info from IMDb: Edmond, a man in his sixties whose wife has recently passed away, is told about a secret establishment where men can spend an entire night in bed alongside beautiful, sleeping young women, who stretch, roll over and dream, but never awaken. Bedazzled by their seductive yet innocent tenderness, but distressed about the reason for their deep sleep, he delves into the mystery of the house of sleeping beauties.

The film is German and the only trailer I could find is without subtitles, but I don't think you need to understand the words to understand the story or main character.



The film is available on instant view with Netflix and since it is critically acclaimed, it's probably also available from libraries.

Sinful Sirens blog hop winners

Thanks to everyone who entered!
I'm happy to announce the winners for the Sinful Sirens blog hop.My winners are FR and AW. I've sent you each a message, please let me know if you did not receive it. Cheers to you both!