Why “Out of the Night: Book One” is not a “beginning” BDSM book

Today I’m welcoming Joelle Casteel to tell us about her new release. Welcome Joelle!

It’s day 1 on my blog tour for the re-release of “Out of the Night: Book One” of my Vala’s Story serial. Please visit this page to keep up to date and read about prizes! Thank you, Normandie, for hosting me.

Before we go any further, please repeat with me: “I understand what Joelle means when she says that her Vala’s Story books aren’t good to be a ‘first BDSM book.’” If you don’t understand, please give this article a close read before you buy “Out of the Night: Book One.”

Now let me explain why I’m starting the article in that way. In self-publishing there are many learning curves. One of the things I had to learn was that a general review group on Goodreads wasn’t appropriate for my books. So four people from that group were set up to read the previous edition of the book; I had four other authors’ self-published books to read. One person, finding out that I had a “BDSM book,” begged off reading. Three other people read, each telling me that they still wanted to read, even though it was a “graphic BDSM book” and the first time they would be reading such material. And I had three people who mostly didn’t understand what they were reading and were horrified. “This is abuse. This doesn’t look like any loving relationship I’ve seen.” And the like. Total misunderstanding of what BDSM is.

When I sat down to write, turning Vala’s Story into a BDSM serial, I was writing with “people like me” in mind. I was writing for people who had at least a year or two of experience with BDSM. Who had worked past things like the idea that BDSM is abuse, who understood about consent. I didn’t plan to ease into BDSM activity, well into anything really. The book starts with Vala wearing her birth name- Mearr- and the life I show her leading isn’t about to appear in any greeting card- “I’m sorry your parents fucked up your life, but now that you’ve had another drug overdose, I’m gonna take you home, have lots of great sex with you and then make you my BDSM slave.” Not that The Queen would ever talk that informally lol. The Queen’s the hero, BTW, the gorgeous man who rescues Mearr/Vala from herself.

So please, while I’d love for everyone to buy and read “Out of the Night: Book One” and the other books of Vala’s Story as I publish them, they aren’t meant for everyone.

Update: with Normandie having offered her blog as a stop, the thought came to me, okay so maybe a “spanking/DD author or reader” would do okay with my book being their first “BDSM book.” While spanking/DD fiction might not look exactly like BDSM fiction, there are issues of dominance and submission, physical contact that outside a consensual relationship would be considered assault (like one person spanking another) just to name a few that would make a reader or author like Normandie not be horrified by my book.

“Out of the Night: Book One” blurb

Restless and world-weary, Mearr isn’t about to admit she needs anyone’s help, even this gorgeous man who has taken her into his home. Well one of his homes and part of this huge family she’s heard about but not met all of. She’s young, looks young, and knows it but at least she’s legal now so she can pick a new name to go with her new life…

The Queen knows he wants Mearr bad, ever since the first time he saw her in the window of the coffeehouse. He has his plan, but even a Dominant’s plans don’t always survive the unpredictability of the future. He struggles to figure out this temperamental woman he’s brought home, how best to help her. Then he takes her to his mansion…

They wait patiently for The Queen to bring Mearr home. Well to the home they’ve been redecorating for Him and for the hopes that she’ll become part of their family and be trained to please Him. Simon and Tommy have seen her, of course, being The Queen’s right and left hands; they say she’ll be a perfect addition…

Please come along with Joelle on this journey, shared with the readers in serial fashion. A multitude of “Happily-ever-afters” are waiting with the completion of book 9.

Author’s Note: This novel is meant for open-minded adults. Activities described include a wide range of BDSM and sexual activities, some of which are male/male, male/female, consensual slavery, oral/anal/vaginal intercourse, bondage. The story also covers some sensitive topics in characters’ backstories, such as drug abuse.

Buy it on-

Smashwords

As they become available, please check on the “My Books” page for links to buy on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Allromanceebooks.com, if you’d prefer not to buy at Smashwords.

About the Author

Joelle Casteel has been writing for as long as she can remember. Explicit, graphic, her writing isn’t for minors or the easily offended. Once upon a time, she preferred to write on a PC, sitting on a stool- there were those who told her she looked like Tori Amos playing the piano. She’s still trying to get the hang of writing in an arm chair instead, normally with a heavy dog’s head resting on her feet, whether she wants that or not. With BDSM gaining a broader audience with various books- which she will not name because she can’t stand them- she feels it’s past time to put out her impression of what BDSM can look like in reality.