short stories

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 😉

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?

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Continue reading →

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!)

Naked in public

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

Getting acquainted with the characters in my stories is always a joy to me, whether they are easy-going and likeable, or emotionally damaged. Like getting to know a new friend, sometimes one will catch me off-guard by revealing a surprising detail about themselves. This happened to me yesterday, when my current protagonist let me know she’s a naturist. I have no idea where it came from–I’ve never met a naturist before (that I know of) and haven’t ever had a reason to research the lifestyle. My only brush with naturism was in the sauna on a cruise ship that departed from Hamburg with mostly German guests…

Embed from Getty Images

Anyway, when Alex (a sculptor) made it clear that being naked is crucial to her creativity, I was intrigued. And when she’s offered a commission to create a sculpture in a public park (in my current work in progress), I couldn’t help but get excited. What would she do? The work promises to generate valuable publicity for her career, but will being naked beneath her overalls be enough to satisfy her muse? If her employer, workmates or the general public found out about her love of nakedness, would she be treated as a curiosity–or a pervert? And what sort of influence does being a naturist have on her sexuality?

When I thought about it, it seemed the nudist lifestyle had gone quiet lately–doubtless due to the recent social sensitivity to sexual harassment–so I did a little digging.

Continue reading →

A prize for Spicy writing

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

Well, it’s that time of year again – I’m off to Sydney for the annual RWA conference, and I’m going as a prize-winner!

I recently ranked first in the Spicy Bites competition, and my story Daisy, Chained, will appear in the annual RWA Short Story Anthology Chains, which is being released on August 18 (this Saturday).

The story was a pleasure to write, the words seeming to flow through me–almost writing themselves–from my imagination onto the page. I almost felt like an imposter when I heard I’d received a score of 100% from the judges.

Spicy Bites announcement

I would love to share with you a short excerpt. But first a quick background…

Daisy, hiding the vulnerable side of her nature behind her adopted name Kalika (for the warrior goddess), is the only female member of a private martial arts club.

Hiro is a special guest, invited to demonstrate a weapon not previously used at the club – a chain whip. Sounds kinky, hey?

Continue reading →

marathon lovemaking sessions and an e-book sale

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

So… as I’ve been editing my 130,000 word novel (which I have now finished and am about to send off for a structural edit). Part of the process was reducing (or removing) some of the more intense or ‘unsuitable’ love scenes. One of the scenes I cut back was at the sensual ‘climax’ of the story, the first time my heroine her dark and damaged Champagne producer give in to their lust.

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Describing each act in a night of lovemaking was a bit extreme, so I removed the little one in the middle, and edited the rest down to their scintillating essence.

Circumstances have my lovers sharing a one bedroom cottage at Henri’s vineyard, but instead of arguing about who gets the bed, they fall in to it together.

One day I hope you’ll read my debut work of sensual women’s fiction, to read the scenes that made the cut, but for now, here’s a little tease…

Continue reading →

Romance Writers of Australia

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

I’m very excited to be flying off to Adelaide later this week to attend the annual RWA conference. Friday is going to be a big day for me – I’ll be attending the full day workshop on Story Mastery by the legendary Michael Hauge, AND the e-book of my collection of sensual short stories and novelettes will be launched on Amazon.

LLNC cover Amazon

‘Love, Lust & Nipple Clamps’ is a compilation of the four editions of Peep Shows I’ve published plus a brand new story, ‘Penetration’, to make nine in total. When Gwen sheds her puritanical fiance, the journey to sensual liberation takes her to an illicit sex club where voyeurism is the only entry requirement; and into the office of its damaged owner, Alex, who could do with some healing of his own. Will Gwen break through the iron control he holds over his desires and find what she truly craves: acceptance and respect for her sexuality?

I think it will make a gorgeous physical book as well, so once I get the cover art finished I’ll be making it available for print on demand.

Oooh, and I’ve just found the most gorgeous corset at my new favourite store, Honey Birdette, to wear to the cabaret themed cocktail party on Friday night. I’m counting down the days  …

To come, or to cum…

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

While drafting a steamy short story today, I become strangely caught up and indecisive about whether I was using the slang term ‘cum’ correctly. Should I replace with ‘climax’ or ‘orgasm’ for the verb, ‘semen’ or ‘ejaculate’ for the noun?

In my search for answers, I came across this clever article, which made me smile and clarified the ‘proper’ use of ‘cum’ and ‘come’.

Come is excellent for use in ‘polite’ circumstances: journalism, novels, etc
‘For example, there you are, having sweet vanilla sex with your shy, classically handsome crush, listening to vintage Taylor Swift while the pie in the oven gets a little burnt, though it’s still definitely edible. He comes, there is come.’
and, or course, for all those delicious double entendres and sexual puns.

Cum is the more blunt, vulgar alternative (commonly used in men’s magazine articles, romance novels, etc)
‘The standoffish but mysteriously attractive guy from the party wants to have his way with you. His pillows are made of leather. Crazy. “I’m gonna cum,” he grunts.’

Quotes above by Katy Waldman

Verbally, misunderstandings can be unavoidable, but in writing the use of ‘cum’ is handy to make the sexual meaning clear if the sentence is ambiguous – and not intended to be. Continue reading →

editing erotic scenes

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

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 →

Erotic short stories

~ Josie Baker ~ Leave a comment

“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.

Peep Shows cover final

(click on the cover to Buy Now)