And another nomination!

I just found out that Sharing Silver has been nominated in the 'Spanking Romance Reviews' competition for best book of 2015 - in the menage category!

It's been almost 11 years since I had my first book published, and I've never been nominated for anything before, and now I have TWO in the one month! *squee* So to whomever nominated me, thank you so much!

Loads of fantastic books by some of my favourite authors have also been nominated in the various categories, so please swing on over and cast your vote, if you haven't already. Here's the link (beneath the spiffy logo)...

Click here to vote!

Thank you for reading,

~ Tabby x

Woohoo! A Birthday Without Spanks!

So as many of you know, my partner is not just my man, he's also my Dom... and my Daddy. And when it's his babygirl's birthday, he goes all out. 

I got woken up with a coffee (YES I'm still allowed it because he prefers me caffeinated - the alternative is unbearable) and then he took me into the lounge, in which I hadn't been allowed since the previous afternoon. And this was waiting for me:

Yes, that's a giant FLUFFY cuddly tiger, and a 'baby girl' banner... and there were balloons, too, and streamers and sweeties and and and... I jumped up and down with excitement. I got thoroughly spoiled and then we went to my Mum's house where I got even MORE spoiled... but as an adult. *snicker*

And the whole time, I was dreading the infamous Birthday Spanking, only to discover...

...

... I wasn't getting one! It's not a 'thing' in Germany, where I live now. Yay! So I got all of the treats and none of the spanks. Just as well. I'm getting too old now anyway... there IS a thing as too many swats, right?

Hope everyone's having a great week.

~ Tabby x

Too many works in progress?

Unless I'm being told to take my panties down (or do housework), I have real trouble telling people 'no'. I don't like doing it... it makes me feel bad. 

Which is why I now have no less than EIGHT books in progress. Yup, that's right, eight. I keep being asked to write books for an anthology or a series, to which I cannot say no, and then of course I have my own ideas, and now, seeing as it's been a year since my last book was published *hangs head* I've ended up with eight current #wips.

But... this was me all last year:

Actually, I went to around twelve different countries in 2015, and between that and meeting the man of my dreams and working full time in my 'day job', my writing unfortunately took a backseat.

But no more! Sir is going to help me make sure I write every single day (and he has some *very* persuasive tools, ahem) and it is my intention to get five books out this year. I may not make five, but one is already scheduled, and yeah... fingers crossed.

Now my only problem is: which one do I finish first? The sexy first book in what will hopefully become a hot contemporary BDSM series? The dark, dark non-con? The historical age-play with a twist? The wild Western? Decisions decisions... answers on a postcard, please!

~ Tabby x

Fiction vs Reality, Or Passion vs Business

It's a fine line.

Way back, years and years ago, when I first started writing spanking stories, I had never actually experienced it for myself. I'd read about it - LOTS, and fantasised about it even more than that, but had I ever really been slung across someone's knee and had the brat spanked right out of me?

Nope.

Then I discovered the BDSM scene. I discovered real life kinksters. I met them at parties, talked to them, watched them play, let them do nasty, delicious things to me. I even married one - I signed my slave contract to him before I signed the marriage certificate. The marriage has since ended but luckily my new experiences did not.

I had a lot of experiences. Spanking, obviously, with every implement I could think of (and many I hadn't even imagined before, like liquorice. I'm serious. It HURTS!) - and so much more. Needles, medical staples, cutting with a razor blade, cutting with a scalpel, edge play, knife play, fire play, electro play, breath play, sutures, wax play, orgasm control, orgasm denial, forced orgasms, bondage, rope suspension, corsetry, fire flogging, cupping, fire cupping, TENS units, clamps... the list goes on and on and on. I do have a few hard limits, but not very many. Not really.

So it's only natural that I want to incorporate at least some of these experiences into my writing.

Now I don't know exactly how many of my fellow authors live the lifestyle. I know some of them definitely do, and some of them have even more experience than I do. I also know some of them are right where I was ten years ago; a surface vanilla with deep, dark fantasies I had yet to fulfill. And these people have one thing in common; they write my favourite books in the genre. Not just because I'm lucky enough to be able to call them my friends, but because there is an element of truth in what they write; an element of realism. I adored their books before I ever chatted to them. It was only later that I discovered that, as well as being amazing authors, they are amazing people with a real passion for spanking, ageplay and/or BDSM.

There's a saying: 'write what you know.' I call bullshit on that, because many authors would be severely restricted in their content if they were to abide by that rule. Did J.R.R. Tolkien ever MEET a hobbit? Did Lewis Carroll really fall down the rabbit hole? I doubt it. As Oscar Wilde said, "One's real life is so often the life that one does not lead."

However, I do ask that people write what they're passionate about. Lately, more and more people have been admitting to writing certain genres because 'they sell well'.

Writing fiction is an art form. It's a passion. It's a dream. It's something you do because you can't not. It shouldn't be dragged down to the level of business copywriting, or sponsored blog entries, surely? There's marketing writing (which I'm not bashing, I've done it) and then there's fiction writing. You do the first, usually, because you have bills to pay. You do the second because you feel compelled to tell a story.

If you hate scary stories, don't write them. If fantasy fiction makes you yawn and you never read it, don't bother trying to write it. Write what fires YOU inside; because only then can you deliver a great experience to the readers.

"Whenever I want to read a good book, I write a good book. I've never not been writing." ~ Gore Vidal

To all my fellow lovers of good quality spanking/BDSM erotica out there, I can't promise you won't mistakenly pick up a book written by someone who churned out what they thought would sell. However, I can - and DO - promise you that that will never be the case with any of my books.
Sharing Silver was the first contemporary BDSM book I wrote. Many readers will undoubtedly find it 'too heavy'. But I hope there are some out there who will enjoy it. Who want to find out what fireplay feels like. What being auctioned off to someone feels like. What being truly submissive feels like.

And to those readers I say, keep your eyes peeled for my next books. I have many stories to tell and, while they may never make the best-seller lists, they will always be true to my own fantasies and experiences.

Now I'd like to hear your thoughts. Do you care whether an author is passionate about their chosen subject matter? Do you think you can tell? Please feel free to comment away. :)

Good Intentions...

I am usually full of them, but when it comes to actually fulfilling my good intentions... well, sometimes I just deserve a sound spanking for procrastination.

So, I have decided to make two of those intentions public, in the hopes that someone will hold me accountable if I do not follow through.

Are you ready?

1. I intend to update this blog at least three times a week, ideally five.

and...

2. I intend to finish my rewrite of 'Summer Camp' by 9th May.

We shall see, people, we shall see. And yes, I will probably end up holding myself accountable.

Feedback... good or bad?

I recently read Stephen King's "On Writing". A fascinating book and a must-read for any SK fan and/or novelist out there, no matter what your preferred genre.

One thing he stressed was the importance of not letting anyone else see your first draft until it's finished. And generally, I agree with him. You have to get the damn thing written without worrying too much about details - the editing can come later. It's called a first draft for a reason.

Having said that, I recently hit a huge writing rut. Here's what happened...

In 2005, I wrote 5 novellas in quick succession. I churned them out, one after the other, just putting fingers to keyboard and writing what I wanted to without a care. Obviously, like all writers, I wanted people to enjoy the books, but I figured I'd worry about that later - if they liked it, yay, if not, then... well, you can't please everyone.

There were no reader reviews available on the site in those days, so the only feedback I got was the sales numbers in the quarterly royalty reports.

For a multitude of reasons, I was then completely out of the loop for the following 7 years. I barely thought about the books I had written and was busy with other things like getting married, becoming a stepmother and working and studying in the 'real world'.

When, earlier this year, I discovered that the books were still being sold, it was due to the reviews readers had left. And I'll admit I had a mixed reaction.

The good reviews made me feel wonderful, obviously. It was like being given an 'A' in school.

And the critical reviews? They stunned me. I was utterly unprepared for them. They made me realise that the readers really cared about things like character development, plot points and continuity, even though they were 'just' erotica.

I had mistakenly assumed that writing erotica was similar to shooting a porn movie - sod the acting, as long as the sex scenes are good.

When I was asked to combine two of my novellas into one book and do 'a solid edit', I did so with all the critical reviews in mind. I listened to what the readers had said they didn't like and took most of those suggestions on board (I say 'most' - sorry, if you don't like age-play or spanking stories, don't buy them and then leave a 1 star review saying 'well-written but I hate the subject matter'!).

So far, so good. But then I started writing my first erotic novella in 7 years. And I was really, really struggling. Why? I was thinking too much about the inevitable reviews.

Instead of just sitting down and getting on with it, like I used to, I found myself pausing after almost every sentence and asking myself: "What will they say about that? Will it offend someone? Is this character being portrayed the right way? etc."

It took all the fun out of writing.

So when my editor asked me how the latest book was coming along, I told her I was unsure about how it would be received. And when she offered to look over what I had done so far, I broke Stephen King's rule and sent her the first two chapters (around 10K words).

It was well over a week before I heard back from her. And in the meantime I didn't get on with writing it, instead I started a new novella - one I felt was 'safer'.

The response I received, when I got it, didn't so much get me out of my rut as haul me off the ground and light a fire under my ass. All I needed was confirmation that it was good, that I hadn't lost my touch, to be asked to 'please please please keep writing this'.   

My spark has been rekindled and even though I currently have an awful case of the flu and the woolly-brain to go with it, I now find myself passionate about my book again and raring to go. And that makes me feel good. :-)

A sore bottom sharpens the focus!

I went out on Saturday night and got a chance to play with someone I hadn't in a while (with D.'s permission, of course!).

Whilst the atmosphere could have been a tad more conducive to my headspace, (I was unceremoniously bent over the kitchen table in the middle of a roaring party with a tray of tempting cakes right under my nose), I certainly enjoyed it.

Various types of crops, canes and a flogger were applied vigorously to my backside and I typically found myself stamping my feet, growling and generally being a little brat, until my hair was yanked and a spare crop shoved between my teeth in order to shut me up.

As is so often the case when I play with this guy, it became a battle of wills - would he get tired first or would I break and use the safeword?

I think he knew I had won this round when he looked around to check whether I was okay and saw me happily munching on a doughnut. What can I say? It certainly tasted better than the crop!

Unlike those pretty, pale-bottomed girls you see in most spanking movies, I very rarely mark, even when receiving full-force strokes of implements. However, I was delighted on Sunday when I inspected myself in the mirror and saw a couple of lovely purple bruises and even a few cane tracks on my upper thighs. Even better than that, it is now Tuesday and sitting is still a tad uncomfortable.

Nothing quite like a sore bottom to sharpen your focus, is there?