editing erotic scenes

I have just begun the final edit on one of my novels, which began its life as an erotic romance. I am re-working it as women’s fiction with erotic elements, and some of the scenes need to be cut or heavily edited, like the one below (with an added embellishment at the end).

The novel is set in Paris. Henri is a French businessman; Lilianne is a suburban divorcée, visiting from Melbourne, Australia in search of her mother.

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“I hope you don’t mind ma chérie, Maree is on her way up.” Disappointment at the idea of company was evident in Henri’s voice.

He’d been a perfect gentleman during dinner, charming and attentive, but the thrill when our gazes met was less than civilized.

Henri’s privileged background was so different to my own suburban upbringing, but the chemistry between us was indiscriminate. The lightest touch of his fingertips on my lower back as he pulled out my chair at the beginning of the meal had me yearning for more contact. The heated lust in his eyes whenever he found an excuse to brush my skin proved him a conspirator in our attraction.

Was I hoping this gorgeous man would seduce me? Could I protect my barely healed heart if I ended up in his bed?

It would be all too easy to follow wherever the night led: I was already in his home, an apartment that reflected the sleek, understated charm of its owner. Continue reading

An introduction to BDSM

Well, my next adventure of curiosity is not where I intended to go, but I’m so glad I did!

It came about from a book promotion I was sent – a book that had received some great ‘couldn’t put this book down’ reviews. There were also a couple of reviews from readers who obviously knew more about the subject than I did, who said there was too much explanation, that it read more like a ‘why and how’ manual. Perfect, I thought, I’ve never even had the faintest BDSM experience (and hadn’t ever thought I was missing anything until I read ‘With This Collar’ by Sierra Cartwright).

I admit to being curious, as I am with any form of pleasure, sexual or otherwise, so I didn’t hesitate to pick up the book when I came across it. My curiosity was well rewarded.

Firstly. I have to admit, I haven’t read 50 shades so although I’ve heard it’s repetitive and doesn’t appeal to people in the scene, I can’t compare it to my experience with ‘With This Collar’. To me, it sounds authentic, although with any romance, both main characters seem too good to be true and too well suited to be randomly thrown together.

Some of the reviews said the opening wedding scene was not believable – well, I loved it and wanted to believe it because I would have loved to have been Julia. Dropped into the deep end of her old friend’s BDSM lifestyle, taken in hand and shown the ropes by the gorgeous Dom, Marcus.

Yes, there’s lots of talk and explanation, but to the curious and uninitiated like me, it was just perfect. With a great mix of sexual tension and satisfaction to keep you turning the pages. Problem is now I’m squirming to explore. But where do I find a gorgeous Dom like Marcus??

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When is naughty still nice?

I hope you all received a warm welcome from the new year and 2016 has treated you well so far.

My job as a graphic designer becomes very demanding at the close of each year and I admit to suffering a touch of burnout. I’ve spent the time since Christmas quietly re-energising: lots of sleeping; reconnecting with nature & myself; cooking & eating. I’ve read some beautiful fiction (The Lake House by Kate Morton and Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase), found the inspiration to do some writing of my own and spent many hours exploring gorgeous images on Pinterest.

There are some very talented artists and photographers sharing their images and I became addicted to collecting my favourites and following the trails from one alluring image to another. I found some of them titillating, a reflection of my latest foray into mild BDSM in fiction (prompted by Sierra Cartwright’s ‘With this Collar’ which also lead me to try my hand at writing a Dominatrix character in a novelette called ‘Mistress’ to be released on Amazon in the coming weeks).

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Some images I found a little too naughty for my comfort. I guess the line between naughty-but-nice and shocking is dependant on the viewer, their sex, cultural background and his or her personal experiences. And maybe we become jaded or blasé over time.

I’d love to hear if you think my collection is on the nice side of naughty. I do…

Images sourced on Pinterest.

Free taste….

To celebrate the release of Peep Shows 2: l’amour à trois, I’m sharing a little taste of Ella’s sensual adventures…

I woke in a wash of moonlight, confused for a moment about how I’d ended up in an unfamiliar room with a warm body beside me. It took me a few moments to work out I was lying on my side with my arm draped over Sophie. In the silvery light I could see she had her eyes closed and a small smile on her face.

I lifted my hand slowly to stroke her beautiful red hair, turned to silver in the faded light of the moon. I watched my fingers tentatively trace the silky strands in an almost involuntary motion and started a little when Sophie turned her head to rub her forehead against my cheek.

Warmth blossomed in my chest. I wanted to wrap my arms around her, pull her close and bury my face against her neck.

I wanted to feel her body pressed against me. Continue reading

Erotic short stories

“There are two ways to reach me: by way of kisses or by way of imagination. But there is a hierarchy: the kisses alone don’t work.” Anaïs Nin

I’m a huge fan of Anaïs Nin’s Little Birds and Delta of Venus, some of the earliest female erotica written.

Anaïs was a fascinating woman who led a extraordinary life. She wrote erotica with her lover, American writer Henry Miller (Tropic of Cancer) and a collection of other writers and poets in Paris in the 1940’s. She later kept two husbands on opposite sides of America, keeping them and the two parts of her life completely separate – her “bicoastal trapeze”.

Her stories have inspired me to attempt writing some erotic short stories of my own. I have just released the first collection ‘Peep Shows 1’ on Amazon.

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(click on the cover to Buy Now)