Random ramblings & catch-up news.

Happy Friday! I think the blog post title says it all. LOL I'll be spending a goodly chunk of my weekend at lifestyle events with Sir. (Third Saturdays are always busy for us with standing events we attend.)

--

I read a rant on Fetlife the other day from a Dom who made a pretty valid point, in my book. He talked about the Fifty Shades phenomenon, and how kudos to the author on her success, but that she did "'nillas" now looking to get into the lifestyle no favors by her portrayal of it. That there are people like him, "predators" (and he meant in a consensual, heavy sadist kind of way) who will make the hero of that book look like Mr. Rogers. That the "milder" form of BDSM she misrepresented is only one slice of an infinite pie of real-life BDSM. That people like him, who use extreme humiliation in their scenes, or heavy edge players who maybe do torture scenes, or interrogation scenes, etc. will likely scare the bejeeezus out of noobs who wander into the average dungeon or play party. That this influx of people expecting a kinder, gentler BDSM might try to "pc" and tame BDSM and make it more polite to fit their views of what it "should" be based on a series of books that weren't very true-to-life to begin with, and drive a wedge into the community.

You know, those are very valid points. I always caution people that they should never base their views of BDSM on any fictional work, because there is such an infinite variety of ways people play. There's a huge bell curve of people, with of course most falling in the center, but extremes on both ends. Sir and I are considered edge players in our group, and when we do our intros at the munch we frequent we joke the list of things we aren't into is usually easier than listing the things we are into.

Yes, I realize that most people are able to differentiate fantasy from reality. However, as the poster commented, someone whose only experience with BDSM is the FSoG series might be scared away from the lifestyle for good if they witnessed a scene with him dragging a screaming submissive into the middle of a dungeon while calling her horrible names and pissing on her. (Yes, consensually because she's a humiliation whore, so to speak.)

Thoughts?

--

Facebook: I started a Facebook group for BDSM readers and authors (fiction and non-fic) this week. I was shocked when we hit 200 members by the next morning! It's a closed group, meaning posts aren't visible unless you're a member. Yes, promo is allowed (within reason) but the promo MUST involve a BDSM book/page. Please read the rules in the files section when you join.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/BDSMBibliophreaks/

--

Update on Tony's (The Reluctant Dom, Domme by Default) story: Yes, I finally got Tony's story finished and turned in! The Denim Dom will be released by Siren-BookStrand on 3/1/13. Woot-woot! :) No cover yet, but here's the blurb:


Blurb:

Who needs leather when you can have denim? A denim Dom, that is.

Shayla Pierce dumped her lying ex and moved to Florida to start a job at a magazine. An assignment to write about BDSM leads her to discover a new world and make a slew of new friends, including the sinfully sexy Tony Daniels. She’s just not sure she can ever trust again.

Tony is used to teaching about BDSM, but he’s never trained a submissive he wasn’t dating before. After losing hope he’ll ever find the perfect submissive for him, Shayla walks into his life and asks him to train her for her series of articles. He knows about her bad break-up and their agreement is supposed to be nothing more than business. But as she raises the ante, he’s finding it harder to keep his heart under lock and key.

Will Shayla stay a hostage to her past, or allow Tony to become her Denim Dom?

Other books from this "world" and characters followed up by this book include:

The Reluctant Dom
Domme by Default
Safe Harbor
Cardinal's Rule

I've dubbed this group of stories "The Suncoast Society" and have several more books planned involving these and other characters.

They're all available at my author page on Siren-BookStrand's site:

http://www.bookstrand.com/tymber-dalton

You can go to my Siren-BookStrand author page and click on the Notify Me link to get an email from Siren when they update my page and add new books for pre-order. (It's also where you can find all my releases under my various pen names: Tymber Dalton, Lesli Richardson, Tessa Monroe, and Macy Largo.)

--

Finally, I have a new release today! It's a Sweet Life is a prequel to my new Coffeeshop Coven series.


http://www.bookstrand.com/its-a-sweet-life

Blurb:

Libbie Addams has a mortgage on her struggling bakery, no love life, no health insurance…and fibromyalgia. She's worried about making ends meet when two hunks show up to rent her extra apartment. Not only do cousins Ken Dougherty and Charles Stackhouse make her money worries disappear, they offer to help out in their spare time.

They also make her panties damp. Too bad they're gay, but they’re great eye candy.

The men have a secret—they're not gay cousins. They're twin brothers hiding from a vengeful mob boss. Charles is Allan Donohue, a prosecutor with the State Attorney's office in Miami. Benjamin Donohue is the undercover detective who helped break the case wide open. Now they're marked for death.

They hope their ruse can keep them, and Libbie, safe. Because now that they've fallen in love with the delicious baker, they’ll never let her go. But when vengeance comes calling, will they ever get to enjoy their sweet life together?

--

It's a mfm contemporary with just a TINY hint of paranormal elements from secondary characters.The Coffeeshop Coven series will center around Many Blessings, the New Age shop introduced in my book, "Out of the Darkness." Not quite the heavy paranormal of my shifters and vampires, I'm hoping my contemporary fans will also enjoy this series.

If you haven't read "Out of the Darkness" yet, it's my 2010 EPIC winner that also provides some backstory for Many Blessings. You don't have to read it to read "It's a Sweet Life" or the rest of the series, but if you want the full backstory, you might enjoy it:

http://www.bookstrand.com/out-of-the-darkness

Thanks, and happy Friday, everyone!

Yes, my books are educational. What of it?

Recently and in the past reviewers have remarked about how some of my BDSM books seem sort of educational. It's not that the scenes aren't hot, but they feel like I over-explain things a little. And you know what? That's just fine with me.

Why?

Because there's a lot to BDSM, including a whole lot of safety issues. And I would feel terrible if someone read one of my books and then hurt themselves because I put something unsafe in it or didn't talk about the things you should do to make sure you're playing safely.

As a "for instance", I have a wax play scene in my recent release, Master Class. As the Dom and sub are talking about the scene beforehand, the sub mentions there are special candles (the Dom is new and the sub is experienced) that you use for wax play. I did that because I read a BDSM book within the past year (meaning it's not an old release) where the Dom used regular household candles. Ow.

I know a lot of authors don't think it's their responsibility to educate about BDSM in their books, and that's okay, but I don't agree. I would rather have readers and reviewers alike mention the detail I go into about safety and education than the alternative.

What do you think the responsibility for both readers and authors alike is when it comes to BDSM? I'm totally open to hearing differing opinions. That's what makes the world go 'round. Tell me your thoughts in the comments section.

Oh, and before I let you go, I have two BDSM releases- Master Class and Unexpected Top. Here are the blurbs for both. More info is on my website at http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com.

Master Class:

Ryan Tomasi feels like a failure. His marriage is officially over; the ink dried on the divorce decree. His friend Jack introduces him to BDSM and he agrees to attend a Halloween party at a club. A submissive approaches him, offering herself, and how can he refuse the kneeling beauty? They do a whirlwind scene and Ryan is addicted—both to dominance and to her.

Lisette Rinaldo is returning to the BDSM club for the first time since ending a bad relationship with her former master. She spots Ryan and is taken by the combination of self-assurance and nervousness the man displays as he takes in his surroundings. And after he gives her an incredible re-introduction to the lifestyle, she knows she needs to see the man again.

Ryan and Lisette explore each other and the lifestyle, but what started out as playtime quickly evolves into something more. The problem? Ryan isn’t ready to get serious again and Lisette doesn’t want to fall in love with a guy who can’t give all of himself to her. Both of them are going to have to break out of the bonds holding them back from happiness.

Unexpected Top:
Sometimes a wife has to go to extreme measures to save her marriage. When Cissy Holden doesn't feel appreciated, she takes matters into her own hands--literally--and introduces her wayward husband Len to the concept of a Female-Led Relationship (FLR). Will Len be on board with FLR, or has Cissy just made the biggest mistake of her life?

-- Cassandra