Smut & Scones

I have such a freakin' complex about what I "should" be writing. I've been writing my little smutty stories for a while now, mostly because I like writing the sexy parts. But to call myself a "romance writer", like, bugs. And I don't know why (well, I do know why), because I like a good witty Regency romance. But I like them in the same way that I like a snickerdoodle -- they're delicious, but they're fluffy and unhealthy and not something I gorge on in public. Much as I argue with myself to the contrary I can't get over this bias of romance novels as un-literature, as the Britney Spears of books. It's a huge genre that sells more books than almost any other, and that has a passionate and dedicated readership. But it can't convince myself to call it real literature. Even though I like reading it. And writing it. The self-hatred is real. When I call my sexy stories smut, it's a tongue-in-cheek nod to those bodice-rippers, b...

Friends! It's a happy freakin' day, and not just because it's Friday. The Supreme Court has ruled that ALL marriage is legal in ALL 50 states, and that makes me so happy I could almost cry. Flying the flag of love All morning I've been texting and emailing and calling and Facebooking with everyone I know, sharing the good news and celebrating the day. It's almost Pride weekend here in San Francisco, and I have a feeling that this year's parade is going to be something special indeed. There's not much else to this post other than sharing my absolute joy that all people, no matter whom they love, can now express that love in all the same ways that everyone else can in this country. History has been made, and it's a thing of love. We have proven ourselves to be a country that cares about and recognizes the basic civil rights of all humans, a thing so central to our identity as a country that it's amazing it took us this long to get here...

I've often said that Kindles and other ereaders are the best thing to have happened to erotica, because now you can read your smut in public without feeling guilty. Like I want anyone to know I was reading 50SOG (but not because of the "erotica". Because they aren't good).  FLAUNT IT One of the tenants of this blog, however, is the idea that there is nothing to be ashamed about for reading sexy books. Does reading a romance novel take away my college degree or all the other reading I have ever done, or change who I am as a person? For that matter, does reading the latest NYT best seller confer greater education upon me or make my skin nicer or my paycheck fatter?  No to both.  Good books are good books. Well written words can be about anything in the world. They aren't the purview of thick family memoirs or coming of age novels.  So why shouldn't I proudly flaunt the paperback I've got stashed in my purse? AIN'T NOTHIN' WRONG WITH THAT Why are we s...

I like my smut-shopping the way I like my smut -- cheap and easy.  In my quest for free, or nearly free, smutastic fiction, I've acquired an arsenal of sources to keep me in free porn for the rest of my life. Behold, the list. 1. The Library I sometimes catch myself forgetting that the library exists. And that it's full of books that you can just take. A practice that's frowned on at Barnes & Noble. You can find everything from tawdry bodice rippers of yore to new releases of S&M-themed trilogies, like the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day . Lots of libraries have electronics books on loan as well, for your favorite ereader. And if your branch is anything like mine, they have a handy self-check terminal so that you can maintain the utmost discretion in your selections, should there be any children present for story time, etc. (Librarians don't judge, though; they're our people.) 1a. Library book sales Take home those copies permanently for a buc...

The sex scenes in Outlander are some of the best I have ever read. Now here is a book that proves you can have Smart and Sexy all in one epic package. Copyright Starz What makes these erotic scenes so great is that Outlander is not an erotic novel; it's not a romance novel, either, or strictly a fantasy novel. It's this huge, beautiful story about love and loss and loyalty and how you choose what's really important in life and if choosing is even really possible anyway, and also time travel, and oh yeah sex. Steamy, amazing sex. Classy AND Trashy This is smut for grown-ups, people. Sex scenes that are damn hot and damn fine literature all at the same time. They are romantic and arousing, and just graphic enough to drive the point home (ahem) without veering off into tawdry territory - beautiful literary writing that just happens to be about naked relations. There are three things in particular that make Outlander's erotica the best, all of which...

It's the middle of April, and that means we're deep into National Poetry Month. Welcome! Every day is National Reading Day at my house, so I love a publicly sanctioned opportunity to welcome the masses into my world. And yay for a month dedicated to poetry. Beautiful, sublime, uplifting poetry! Ugh, poetry. My shelves are filled with prose. Fantasy, scifi, erotica, thriller, biography, self-help, history, ad nauseum.  Ironically, I also read a lot of Shakespeare. Bill and I go way back. I played Nick Bottom in a giant paper mache donkey head in A Midsummer Night's Dream in 8th grade and fell in love with iambic pentameter (and the saucy antics of Elizabethan theatre). But show me a volume of Whitman or Browning or Burns and while I may pretend to be totally into it for my image, in my head I'm just pondering ways to change the subject lest my true feelings suddenly reveal themselves. It all goes back to English class. I never really got poetry in school...

Greetings, girlfriends. And welcome, Dapper Dans. Please, take a seat at this little tea party of mine. Chamomile? Earl Grey? Lemon or milk? Pastries on the tray beside you. Now then, once you're comfy, let's talk about sex, shall we? Smut Because there's just so much to say -- who's having it, and how, and why, and how much. What's it like in your bedroom? And who else is talking about sex? Who's writing about it and who's reading about it and is what they're writing and reading worth our time? Now, I'm no expert in anything fancy -- no MD, no OB/GYN, just a lady who likes books and sex and books about sex. Writing and reading them. I'm a firm believer in the fact that reading is Sexy, that Smart is Sexy and that Sexy can be smarter than we give it credit for. I've made it my mission to spread that belief around the world (or at least the internet) like delicious butter on a hot scone. A lemon scone. With icing. Yes. Livi...