The pleasure in pain

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

I’ve just been editing the short story that won the 2018 RWA Spicy Bites comp for erotic romance, Daisy, Chained about a girl who embraces her feminine nature after a chance encounter with a sexy martial arts instructor and his whip chain. It got me thinking about the relationship between pain and pleasure and why a taste of pain at just the right moment can increase or prolong sexual pleasure.

So, you guessed it, I did some digging…

Pain for pleasure has long been a sexual practice and, as well as dominance and submission, is an important element in BDSM. Like a drug, the pleasure experienced with pain can be addictive and lead to a choice of lifestyle that leaves ‘vanilla’ sex in the past.

“… love, sex, pain and violence all stimulate the release of similar chemicals and hormones in the human body. Endorphins that are released in painful experiences are often perceived as pleasurable. Stress and pain can also stimulate the serotonin and melatonin production in the brain, which transforms painful experiences into pleasure. The release of epinephrine and norepinephrine in pain can also cause a pleasurable ‘rush’. Normal human biological response actually supports the complex and mysterious link between pain and pleasure, which we see in the runner’s high and the facial expressions during orgasmic release.” Wendy Strgar
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-connection-between-se_b_913420?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANrWxqe6UKxWMxl9ivezDOdXbY1vfyccHjLS1XAJ6kxtdm0FsB7JukDtK6hsawLmR_E0feP8jZ8u5bEICM_e80ky-TFh7MCSbCrEnFh7jIqSTCIJ9LgOgiL0PJ4_AlZDR1yTmI0FAt8EjujkEueanW9kmrNGlSLIiPvIhdPqXQtS&guccounter=2

Possibly in Daisy’s case, she receives some psychological healing with the experience of ‘good pain’ as explained by Dr. Jess O’Reilly:
‘If you’ve experienced pain in your past, you likely consider it a bad form of pain; by using pain as a source of pleasure, you can create a new type of pain — good pain.’
https://www.sexwithdrjess.com/podcast-2/#.Xlng05Mzb6d

Recently two studies found that ‘participants who engaged in consensual sadomasochistic acts as part of erotic play experienced a heightened sense of bonding with their partners and an increase in emotional trust.’
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-008-9374-5

For the first time – the first of a series of free story giveaways I have planned – I’m sending Daisy out into the wide world. If you’d like to read the juicy details of Daisy’s discovery of the pleasure/pain relationship in sex, and be notified of other free stories when they’re available, sign up:

Daisy Chained cover Bookfunnel 640 x1000

and enjoy 😉

tropical temptation…

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

I’m so excited to announce the release of my second Girls on Film novella, I can’t resist sharing a tiny taste with you. As with Little Blond Lies, Body Double is a stand alone read.

Set on an exclusive tropical island resort, the heat soars to ‘sizzle’ when celebrity ex-cricketer Aryan hires actor Kira to stand in for his elusive fiance for a romantic weekend. There are so many reasons they must resist the powerful sexual chemistry that makes acting passion – without acting on it – so hard… and its so much fun to watch them struggle.

Luxury beach house with sea view swimming pool and terrace in modern design, Lounge chairs on wooden floor deck at vacation home or hotel - 3d illustration of contemporary holiday villa exterior

Here’s a sneak peek, with a link to the book at the bottom…

He was so close the significant heat of his body seared through the fabric of Kira’s dress, his bicep against hers, his chest millimeters from her breasts. Aryan’s scent invaded her nostrils, a mixture of active man, leather and a cologne she’d never smelt before but was instantly addicted to. She tore her gaze from his mouth, turned up in an approximation of a smile, his full lips stretched thin with annoyance, and glanced upward. At that proximity, she could see his eyes didn’t echo the smile on his lips.

Not impressed with my performance? I’ll show you one even you’ll believe.

“Hello sweetheart.” Kira stretched her body so she stood almost as tall, swaying close so her breasts brushed his chest, her smile teasing as she parted her lips slightly, just as she’d seen his fiance do in a photo.

“Actually its Bunny,” Aryan corrected in a monotone as he slanted his head like a predator intent on the kill. His gaze dropped to her mouth and he pulled her torso against his.

Kira stopped breathing. He was going to kiss her.

Time slowed as his mouth dipped to hers, and Kira had to fight the urge to meet his lips with passion. The force of his mouth as it captured hers tipped her head back, opening her mouth to his and pulling her into his vortex. She gasped, inhaling his breath, sweet with real mint.

Suddenly, her body was molten, every nerve end tingling where he pressed against her and she melted against him, her tongue seeking his. This man was no soft rabbit. He was solid as granite, his ribs and chest rock-hard.

Dangerous.

Body Double RGB 625x1000

Also available on Amazon Australia and Amazon UK

Anaïs Nin… an inspiration

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

Like anyone, sometimes I feel a little uncertain about the path I’m on or a decision I’ve made. At these times, I know all I need is a small but powerful dose of Anaïs Nin – and one of her quotes was just the medicine I needed today.

“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present.”

AnaisNin-455x350

I feel like she has lived what I am living – that she has seen the internal struggles I face as a woman and a writer:
“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”

That her sprit understands mine:
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”

She gives me strength to be confident:
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

And the confidence to be strong:
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

To expect happiness and fulfilment:
“I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.”

Anaïs Nin was a strong and complex woman. I am so grateful we have the legacy of her writing and her diaries to benefit from her insights and experiences.

Little Birds was the inspiration for my own collection of sensual short stories, Love, Lust & Nipple Clamps.

I’ve been a bad girl …

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

Anyone who read my post in July, or my author’s profile in the RWA Spicy Bites Anthology this year will be wondering – where are the novellas Josie planned to release by the end of the year?

Well, I sort of got caught up on the novel I’m writing based in 1920’s Washington DC and Jazz Age Paris. I have been working on the novellas, I promise… the first, a Girls on Film novella – Little Blond Lies is now available on Amazon and KDP.

To make it up to you, here’s a little teaser of the hot chemistry between streaming tv star Ethan Cox (when you read it you may notice an uncanny resemblance to a certain Last Kingdom hottie…) and Shakespearean stage actress Anya Stein when they meet in a steamy seaside town in Portugal. All I’m going to say is that Anya is out for revenge, but what she gets is so much hotter… if you like the taste and want more check it out on Amazon.

But, before I tease you, take a look at this…

Traditional boats on the canal in Aveiro,

Like what you see? Want to visit? So do I! This delicious place is where Little Blond Lies is set – Aveiro, the Venice of Portugal. Continue reading →

an erotic find

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

It’s no secret. I cannot resist the lure of a second-hand book. Something about the mystery of who owned it before… How many owners – and how many others – had held it in their hands and read the very same pages? Words woven by a stranger, most likely no longer living. A voice reaching out from the past, still influencing the living.

Even less can I resist a book with titillating content. The title, ‘An Anthology of Erotic Prose’ can hardly be misinterpreted. I decided on the spot it would be mine, and I would savor the contents a little at a time.

My first expedition into new erotic landscapes was with Violette Leduc, a French author and protegée of Simone de Beauvoir.

Born the illegitimate daughter of a servant girl, young Violette spent most of her childhood suffering from an ugly self-image. Life become more interesting at boarding school where she experienced lesbian affairs with a classmate and a music instructor who was fired over the incident. Not surprising, the main subjects of her writing are female love and desire.

erotic prose blog

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Rituals of Lust

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

As promised – I’d love to share with you a short excerpt from my short story ‘Esther Jones and the Temple of the Moon’, recently published in the RWA Spicy Bites Anthology ‘Masks’. I hope you enjoy reading it half as much as I did writing it. But first, a quick intro…

Egypt 1939 AD: Esther Jones, archaeologist turned treasure hunter, unearths an unusual ritual mask in an ancient temple. When she shows the find to her business partner, they discover first-hand the sensual spells woven into the mask with her ancestor’s long dark hair, 4333 years earlier.

Egypt 2394 BC: With her village dying of famine, high priestess Hesta takes unprecedented steps to enhance the annual fertility ritual, transforming it into a true union between the bull god and the moon goddess. Will Hesta be rewarded with the survival of her tribe or punished for her audacity?

Embed from Getty Images

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Exciting news!

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

I am thrilled to announce that one of my short stories – this time a dual timeline (quite a challenge when working with a limit of 5000 words) – won a coveted place in the RWA 2019 Spicy Bites Anthology: Masks.

Esther Jones and the Temple of the Moon is my first foray into Historical Erotic Short Fiction, and is now available on Amazon (click on the link to take a look). 

I would love to share with you a short excerpt from the story… in my next post (soon, I promise!)

Multiple Sensual Releases

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

It has been awfully quiet on this page, but for very good reason, I promise!

I’ve been working on six new novellas, which I plan to release between September and December this year. I’ll keep you posted, and let you know as soon as I have a definite date for the first new adventure.

My new stories range from women’s fiction with a sensual twist (tentatively labelled Blush) to spicy romantic suspense (Girls on Film) and very spicy (Black Label).

Sexy woman with lingerie

Teasers for the spiciest? An unusual high-stakes poker game will give you a peek into the world of my sexy martial arts instructor who stars in the award winning short story Daisy, Chained. I’m so excited to finally be able to share this story with you, which I’ll include as a bonus with Pokerface.

I’m also half-way through a full length work of sensual suspense about a girl down on her luck who runs away to a tropical island to reinvent herself, and a chef with a knife fetish. I’m hoping to have this one ready for release early next year, but I’ll share spicy bites of it as I progress. With a foreplay session months long, I hope the release will be memorable 😉

spending time with a gorgeous nude…

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

I had the privilege this weekend to view some beautiful paintings, including a striking and sensual work in pastel, by artist Kate Smith. The local gallery I visited is a feast for the senses, with a lush garden outside and eclectic décor inside, but this one piece captured my imagination.

My attention was initial drawn by the jewelry, makeup and hairstyle, so richly evocative of the Jazz Age (my favorite historically period) but it was captured by the sensuality of her expression and pose.

Purple Veils-Small File

“Master pastellist Kate Smith has for years been famed for her depiction of fascinating women. In this captivating piece, Kate conveys the sensuality of womanhood … The soft pastel medium is skilfully blended so that the rich chocolate tones in the background meld into the soft mauves and purples of the drapes that gently flow over and caress the model’s body. The provocative placement of a long strand of pearls over the woman’s breast enhances her sensuality…” Tiffany Jones, fine Art Consultant.

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