Frisky Friday - Erotica and the National Media

I tuned into Blog Talk Radio last night (Thursday) because Verity Ant was supposed to be on, but due to technical errors (way beyond her control) the show went off the air an hour earlier than it was scheduled to.  Verity, along with her husband Derek, write hardcore BDSM fiction under D.V. Ant.  If you're looking for "soft and fluffy," these books are not for you.  Her novel "Breaking Toys" fascinates me, but I have yet to gather enough courage to read it.  Certain things "squick" me out, and Verity is a master of them.  However, the discussion on last night's Blog Talk Radio show was to be centered around Fifty Shades and why it has gained sudden national media attention with a movie deal on the table for the trilogy.

All I can say is, "Way to go, E.L. James."  Even though some readers (Verity and Derek included) think her book portrays BDSM as an illness that can be "fixed" through a person finding his or her own "one true love," I didn't get that impression.  Probably because I viewed the book as pure fantasy, and definitely not as the marriage primer I've heard some readers consider it, nor as a factual representation of BDSM.

The more I listen to those who criticize Fifty Shades as doing a great disservice to BDSM, I'm convinced they are individuals who have "real life" knowledge or experience in the lifestyle (if you haven't read the trilogy, you might want to wait until the movie comes out...only kidding).  For me, that perspective is similar to what some police officers have of ABC's "Castle" (check out Lee Lofland's blog on the reality of the show's police procedures as an example).

However, for viewers who aren't watching "Castle" to gain a better understanding of police procedures, or watching "Body of Proof" to understand what a medical examiner does, or "Grey's Anatomy" to learn how to be a doctor, those shows are entertainment.  They are interesting to watch, nothing more.  Most of the finer points go right over the majority of viewers' heads.  But some individuals, who actually practice in those professions, believe those shows are actually doing a disservice to their profession.

The other critical perception I'm seeing for Fifty Shades is coming from authors who react to manuscript or grammatical errors the same way I react to fingers trailing down a blackboard.  And even though their list of problems may differ from the issues listed by the individuals who have an intimate knowledge of BDSM, the majority of readers appear to gloss over those errors, too.

Sherri Hayes, author of "Slave," was also on the show last night.  Sherri has done some very serious research for her "Finding Anna" series through interviewing Doms and subs, who actually live a BDSM lifestyle, and getting their perspective on what is and isn't realistic.  She read a portion of Fifty Shades when it was still "Masters of the Universe" (a Twilight fanfic) but couldn't finish the series due to the total lack of realism in the story.  I totally understand her viewpoint, and even agree with her.  Fifty Shades isn't realistic BDSM.  It isn't realistic anything.  It is a modern day Beauty and the Beast where the innocent virgin meets the jaded rich billionaire who possesses a secret dark side. If you want anything deeper than that, you'll most likely be disappointed.

So, even though I didn't get to hear Verity talk Thursday night, I did get to hear Sherri along with an interesting discussion where I took note of several new authors I'm going to check out.  If you'd like to hear a recording of the show (that unless they can do some major editing, you'll need to ignore an obnoxiously loud puppy dog barking and snuffling at times, some occasional, but very irritating, beeps, as well as a slow and rocky start loaded with technical difficulties, but if that isn't enough to scare you off....) click Blog Talk Radio

And have a very Frisky Friday.

Frisky Friday - Submissives vs. Slaves

In my BDSM romances, all my heroes are Doms with submissives, not Masters with slaves.  Jim, my hero in my WIP "A Dom's Dilemma," comes closest to being a master with a slave when he insists Kelly assume a slave role prior to a really harsh punishment.  But other than that one time, he's really pretty lenient as far as Doms go, and he gives her a lot more leeway than most Doms would.  That said, I've been reading several books lately that deal with Master/slave relationships.  Only the slaves in these books are victims of human trafficking, which has significantly wounded them both mentally and physically.

The first book I want to talk about is Slave (Finding Anna) by Sherri Hayes.  I found Sherri's book during my Six Sentence Sunday trolling and bought it almost immediately after reading her six sentences.  Sherri is planning an entire series, which is good since the first book left me in serious limbo.  It didn't have "The End" or even "End of Part I" the way Fifty Shades did, so I  immediately went searching for more information (and to see if another book might be available) and found the blog site she has created for her Finding Anna series. She also has a Facebook page where she provides regular progress updates.  Below are Sherri's Six Sentences and a blurb for Slave from Goodreads:

"Get dressed and come to the living room, please."

And then he was gone. I was more confused than ever. He wanted me to get dressed  and come to the living room?

Then I got it. He was getting rid of me!


     Stephan has lived the lifestyle of a Dominant for five years. After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent’s death.
     As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Darren, leads him to buying a slave.
     Thrust into a situation he never thought he’d be in, Stephan can’t walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how. 
     Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing. 
     Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave?

Sherri has come out, along with a lot of other authors, against the Today segment on "Fifty Shades of Grey."  It is Dr. Drew Pinske in particular that has drawn everyone's ire.  He said, "Erotic Novels: are they fantasy or just plain violent?"  He said this in addition to his statement admitting he hadn't even read the books.  Since I didn't see this segment on the Today show, I am reticent to give my point of view, but I will say from what I have read on this topic that there is great cause for concern, especially considering the recent brouhaha over Paypal's newest restrictions.  If you aren't aware of either of these issues and want to know more, please visit Dr. Logan Levkoff's post on the Huffington Post and Andrew Shaffer's article also on the Huffington Post regarding Paypal.

Human trafficking is a real and present danger, even though many people aren't aware it still exists.  It is also a serious topic and one that Sherri deals with in a very realistic, yet sensitive, way.  Another author who has taken on this challenge is Cherise Sinclair in her "Masters of the Shadowlands" series.  The latest "To Command and Collar" goes much more deeply into the the damage incurred when a woman is abducted and forced into slavery against her will.  It is a lot grittier than her other books, and Raoul (whose enjoyment with whipping surprised me after his brief aftercare scene with Gabrielle in Make Me, Sir) is much more a Master than a Dom in my opinion, so the ending of this book left me a little unsettled.

The following is the blurb on Amazon for "To Command and Collar"

     Determined to find the human traffickers preying on Shadowlands’ submissives, Master Raoul gets himself invited to a small slave auction. Once informed, the FBI orders him to reject the limited choices so the slavers will invite him to the big auction. To Raoul’s shock, one of the slaves is the kidnapped friend of a Shadowlands sub. She has a scarred body...and an unbroken spirit. He can’t leave her behind. Ruining the FBI’s carefully laid plans, he buys her.
     Kimberly’s freedom has come at a devastating price: the other women are still slaves. An FBI raid is their only hope for rescue. Desperate to help the Feds locate the big auction, she agrees to pose as Master Raoul’s slave. Wearing a collar again is terrifying, but under the powerful dominant’s care, Kim starts to heal and then to blossom. This is what she’s been drawn to—and fled from—her entire life.
     She escaped the slavers who captured her body—can she escape the master who’s captured her heart?

Although Kimberly's spirit wasn't broken anywhere to the extent that Brianna's was in Slave, she was far from being the young, carefree spirited young woman she had been before she was captured.

However, the difference between women who were captured and forced into slavery against their will and those who willingly submit to a master out of devotion is comparable to the difference between "hate and disgust" and "desire and need."  So, when you consider willing submission only, I've always viewed the dissimilarities between slaves and submissives to be a matter of degree in regards to the power exchange between them.  Masters and slaves have Total Power Exchanges, while Doms and submissives seem more like part-timers to me.  Dominants and submissives have safewords, where participants of TPE usually do not.  They have limits, where once again participants in TPE don't.  Part of my confusion stems from the fact that Masters and Slaves are also referred to as Dominants and Submissives, while to me they are not the same at all.  So, is it merely a matter of degree, or do the differences between slaves and submissives reach a far deeper level?  I'd be interested in any thoughts or opinions you might have.

In the meantime, if books about BDSM slaves in captivity interest you, check out the list on Goodreads BDSM Slave/Captive Stories.  Have a safe, sane and consenual Friday