ceciliatan

I continue to be gobsmacked at how quickly the patreon jumped up over the past week! We’re now only $29 short of the monthly goal that will trigger the serialization of Bound by the Blood, the first book in my long-long-long awaited “BDSM meets sex magic in modern NYC” paranormal romance series.

(UPDATE: WE HAVE REACHED GOAL! AND the serialization has begun over on Patreon. See all chapters that have been posted: https://www.patreon.com/collection/886649?view=condensed)

To encourage folks to get us to the goal, I’m posting a sample chapter here! Now, you’d think I would post this on Patreon itself, BUT they have a rule that says if there’s anything naughty, it has to stay behind the paywall. So I’m posting it on my regular ol’ blog(s).

Enjoy!

Let’s start with the night I met Clive—boots laced up, my corset cinched, and a bag of whips on my shoulder. I’ll start somewhere you might recognize: a nightclub with an upstairs dance floor. The city is full of clubs like it—a thousand different vibes to suit a thousand different crowds. Upscale, downtown, psychedelic, cyberpunk, Bollywood, cowgirl, you name it.

A shirtless man would grab my attention in any of them, but especially in Purgatory.

Before I saw him, I had been asking myself why the hell I was there. The place was goth, but once a month the dance floor turned into a dungeon. People go to these places—all of these places—to hook up. Not just for sex. People go to bars when they’re lonely, when they’re looking for connection.

I wasn’t ready for connection. Not so soon after severing ties with Ethan. But there I was, anyway.

Clive—I didn’t know that was his name yet—was standing by the empty deejay booth, looking comfortable in his bare skin. A typical darkwave dance-trance playlist was on, but that night was for a different sort of dance. Two leathermen had been flogging a third on the St. Andrew’s cross, but they were mostly done, just running their hands up and down his bare back and buttocks. One of them snapped the elastic waistband of his thong and all three of them laughed. A witchy long-haired androgyne smiled in their direction and then glided down the stairs. A few mixed-gender couples nursed drinks at the tall cocktail tables along the far wall. It was early, not yet crowded, and the spanking bench and other play stations were empty…

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Mirrored from Cecilia Tan.

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.

I’m pleased to host another of the authors I’ll be meeting this August in New York City at BDSM Writers Con. Today’s guest is poet Cara Downey.

1. How did you get started writing about BDSM?

CARA DOWNEY:  I was drawn to BDSM and a part of me was always interested in the topic. However, in the beginning, I didn’t know what it was. Then I read The Sweet Series by Maya Banks and that was basically my introduction in to the world of erotic romance and BDSM. It was then that something clicked. I began to devour as much as I could about BDSM… I was reading fiction, non-fiction, while at the same time taking a closer look at my own desires, fantasies etc. In the course of me doing research, I came across BDSM the Naked Truth and BDSM for Writers by Dr. Charley Ferrer. I knew then the time was now for me to write down my own desires fantasies and wants etc. What I learned from reading those two books written by Dr. Ferrer, helped me to understand myself etc. and also helped in shaping my erotic poetry/short stories. I have a lot to learn, but I am really excited about what the future holds for me.

2. Would you say you’ve learned anything from reading BDSM fiction, romance, or erotica? What were the lessons you gleaned?

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Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

Oh my goodness the imminent “50 Shades” movie adaptation has people in tizzies from all sides. We have the sex-negative nellies who worry that the Western World’s moral fabric is being torn asunder by the sheer existence of the film. We have the BDSM educators and community activists who fear that the movie is going to make BDSM look rapey and horrible and mis-inform millions of people. We have the fans of the book who fear Hollywood is going to wreck what they love and invite heaps of ridicule on them. And then we have the people who are sniping at anyone expressing an opinion about FSoG because giving this much attention to a movie in the first place is clearly what is wrong with society.

I have a suggestion for everyone no matter what type of tizzy you’re in, an idea brought up by romance novelist Jenny Trout. Here’s something you can do to make the world a better place. Make a donation to a domestic violence organization or women’s shelter. Feeling guilty that you’re seeing this movie instead of fighting ISIS? Or boycotting the movie? Or just worried that no matter what, this is somehow bad for women? Think of it like offsetting your carbon emissions. Jenny has compiled an excellent and massive list of DV orgs you can donate to here: http://jennytrout.com/?p=8664

I’d like to talk specifically about an organization I support here in the Boston area: The Network/La Red.

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Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

How The Line Between Fantasy and Reality Defines Consent: And Why It Matters
by Cecilia Tan

This blog post is prompted by two things that happened today. One, a male writer friend I respect a lot and who is clueful about many things including sexuality and feminism asked me: “Serious question: I’d love to hear your thoughts, as a kink-friendly feminist Asian woman, about racial fetishes. Blog post?”

The other is that right before reading his message, I had just gotten email from a reader who wrote: “Anything that makes violence abuse and torture seem more attractive, i.e. associating it with getting off sexually or glorifying in anyway, is keeping us from developing into a more enlightened society” and also “those feminists who think that rape portrayed in any format is okay are just shooting a cause in the foot.” This fan is someone that I met at a BDSM convention and their email to me says they’re okay with common consensual BDSM activities like bondage and flogging and spanking. What prompted their reaction was not the convention, but reading some of my fan fiction that featured “non-con” — non-consensual acts. (If you’re new to me: I’m a professional writer of erotica, romance, and sf/fantasy whose fiction often deals with BDSM. I also write fanfic for fun.)

You might think that someone who was okay with BDSM wouldn’t be able to make a statement like “Anything that makes violence abuse and torture seem more attractive, i.e. associating it with getting off sexually or glorifying in anyway, is keeping us from developing into a more enlightened society.” The point I’d like to make here is not that this particular fan is confused or a hypocrite, it’s to point out that this particular kind of hypocrisy is VERY COMMON. So common perhaps we should say it’s human nature, except then we’d have to accept it instead of trying to change it. And I’m trying to change it. My activism and my creative life for the past 23 years have been built on trying to change it, on the following basis:

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Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.

In the world of funny coincidences, a short story I wrote almost 20 years ago got two shout outs in the media last week!

The story is "Penetration," which first appeared in Best Lesbian Erotica 1997, was later reprinted in "Best of Best Lesbian Erotica," and also appeared in my collection of erotic short stories that HarperCollins published in 1998, Black Feathers. The story became somewhat infamous at the time, especially since I used to read it aloud to squirming audiences everywhere.

At For Books Sake, Ali Williams wrote an article about "Everyday Objects in Erotica," ranging from food & drink to detachable shower heads.

Then over at Bon Appetit (yes, the gourmet food mag), Rachel Kramer Bussel wrote about "Food in Erotic Literature." And picked "Penetration" as one of the "12 Examples to Make your Mouth Water."

Since it's been so long since the story was published, and right now you can only get it in the ebook of Black Feathers, I thought maybe I'd re-visit those days when this was a staple of the stories I read at women's bookstores and sexuality conferences and BDSM events and make an audio recording of it.

So here you go, through the magic of "SoundCloud", seven minutes of Penetration:
https://soundcloud.com/cecilia-tan-author/penetration-short-story

Embed code, if iframes work on this site:

Here’s a compilation of all the essays I wrote on BDSM, romance, etc. and all the interviews I did during my blog tour launching Slow Seduction.

Jan 28: Interviewed by Audra North
“James is trying to teach Karina that it’s very important to love the WHOLE person you’re with, not just their submissive side or their dominant side.”

“The key to the change in Karina is not that through the BDSM ‘training’ she’s learning what her dom likes. It’s that she’s learning what SHE likes.”
Read more at Wonkomance.

Jan 29: Interviewed by Alison Tyler
“I feel like my whole generation of BDSM kinksters has moved into being foodies. In our 20s we were on the forefront of taking/teaching classes and designing new SM toys and combining our geekery with sensual adventuring. Now that we’re in our 40s it’s the same only we’ve replaced kinky sex with gourmet food.”
Read more at Alison Tyler’s Trollop Salon

Jan 30: On Kink-Positive Writing and BDSM, Guest Blog
“Can you imagine if contemporary romances portrayed sex as something the heroine was merely supposed to ‘endure’ for the sake of the hero’s passions? Lie back and think of England? No, books these days tend to portray sex as something the heroine enjoys, and loves, needs, and wants with the hero. Well, BDSM is sex.”
Read more at Exploits of a Chick Lit Aficionado.

Jan 31: Interviewed by Pamela Richardson
“These days I know Robert Pattinson is the thing, but the desperately sensual movie vampire of my teen years was David Bowie in The Hunger.”

“The romance genre has a lot of hero types I would never want to ‘submit’ to in real life: many of them seem like domineering assholes, frankly, and that’s not to even mention subgenres where the hero is an actual rapist. But I also recognize there’s a vast divide between what I think is valuable in a life partner (or play partner) and what works as fantasy fodder for most people.”
Read more at Badass Romance

Feb 1: Reviewed by Jeannie Zelos
“It’s such a treat to get an author who’s clearly put a lot of thought into how to portray sensuality and passion, without just giving us constant, in-your-face, boring-after-a-while sex. … I really enjoyed that Cecilia has taken a different direction with this book. When she does do sex, then it becomes something to be treasured, something special and revered, a magic moment between two lovers, more than just another quick shag, and fits the novel perfectly.”
Read the review at Jeannie Zelos blog

Feb 2: The Power of Fanfiction: The Power of Squee, guest blog
“My job as an erotica writer, I have always felt, is to stir the passions inside the reader. If the reader isn’t holding her breath, clutching her heart, or squeeing with pleasure and glee at what I’ve put on the page, then I’m simply not doing my job.”

“Writing fanfiction sustained me in those dry years [of my career]. It kept my writing chops in shape and it actually honed my ability to induce squee.”
Read more at The FanVault blog

Feb 3: Why Writing About Female Submission is a Feminist Act, guest blog
“As Karina learns, dominance and submission doesn’t mean James dictates her every move. It means they have a framework within which each partner has agency. Unlike ‘traditional’ relationship structures, which hand the majority of the power and privilege to the male partner, in a BDSM relationship the power is split in a systematic way.”
Read more at the I.G. Frederick EroticaWriter blog

Feb 4: Sex City Radio podcast: listen to my segment of the show at Sex in Words

Feb 4: Blog Post: Pre-Raphelite Art in Slow Seduction
Sometimes things I invent for the sake of plot of convenience in my books… turn out to be real. Blog post with lots of photos of the Pre-Raphaelite paintings and galleries where scenes take place in Slow Seduction. Read more & see photos: http://blog.ceciliatan.com/?p=1683

Feb 5: BDSM Romance: It’s Everywhere Now, guest blog
“BDSM is a bit like Mexican food. To some it seems strange and exotic. Why would you put hot peppers into food? Don’t they hurt?”
Read more at Tilly Greene’s Hot Thoughts

Feb 6: Interviewed by Kerry Adrienne
“All I saw was Karina pulling the marble out of James’s pocket and putting it in her mouth, the big moment in the scene where they meet in the bar.”
“I knew I was trying to write a BDSM book: most people minds would have gone straight to the dungeon or to handcuffs or a spanking. My mind went somewhere else completely.”
Kerry Adrienne’s Escape Velocity blog

I’ll be taping an appearance on Susie Bright’s podcast “In Bed With Susie Bright” later this month, as well.

And then there is the two-part video chat I did on uStream, now on Youtube:

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Mirrored from blog.ceciliatan.com.