ceciliatan

I’m very pleased to host Xan West, whose new book SHOW YOURSELF TO ME is this season’s “must read” BDSM book. I’ve known Xan for years through leather/BDSM activism circles as well as queer writing circles. If this interview doesn’t convince you to give Xan’s work a try, you can read a story from the book over at Sinclair Sexsmith’s blog: “Tender Sweet Young Thing.”

CECILIA TAN: First off, how would you describe yourself to a new reader just discovering you? I’ve been trying to write a coherent short bio of you and utterly failing. 

XAN WEST: My erotica contains a heavy concentration of sadism and a strong D/s dynamic and a bunch of dirty talk. It is deeply queer and often centers trans and genderqueer characters, with a range of pairings and a bunch of group play.

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Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

Recently I had the pleasure (and I do mean pleasure) to read the latest in Alison Tyler’s memoir-cum-novels (and I do mean cum), The Delicious Torment: A Story of Submission The followup to Dark Secret Love, The Delicious Torment is aptly named, a terrific and tasty mix of female-submissive BDSM served with literary panache. After devouring the morsels of story that make up the book, I then had the pleasure of interviewing the author.

Cecilia Tan: Would you say that writing itself is a fetish or kink for you?

Alison Tyler: Writing is a necessity to me. Like water or air or chicken wings (with Frank’s hot sauce). If I don’t put words to paper, I get jittery. Editing anthologies fuels my fetish, because I am a total voyeur. I love to see how writers tackle different topics. (This is why I adore hosting my Smut Marathon. There’s one topic—and fifteen, or so, writers who each bring something new to every assignment.)

Cecilia Tan: Do you feel the memoir elements of the book constrain you or free you? 

Alison Tyler: Freeing. Like going to a costume party and wearing a glittery mask. There’s that peek-a-boo excitement of playing hide-and-seek with truth and fiction.

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Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.