A little bit of sports psychology and why I love writing, and reading, erotic romance…
You know that point at the start of the Big Race, the FIFA World Cup Final, the Superbowl, when all the athletes seem to be go into a zone, their energy and concentration totally centred, fixed on one goal – that of delivering their best ever performance. What are they thinking, in those moments? What’s happening in their heads?
They’re visualising themselves winning, that’s what. They’re delivering that world-beating performance in their imagination, practicing it in their sub-conscious as the precurser to getting out there and doing it for real. Practice makes perfect, and practicing in our heads is every bit as good as the real thing. You see yourself winning, live it, taste it, breathe it. Then you go out and do it.
If you don’t believe me that rehearsing in your imagination can and will boost real-world performance, I’ll prove it to you. When you’ve finished here, go to my blog and try a little exercise I left there for you. It’s on my blog.
Right, so what does all this self-betterment psychology have to do with my alter-ego as a writer of erotic romance? It starts, for me, with the reasons I love to read hot and sexy stories in the first place. That might be obvious from what I’ve just been saying. Doing it – whatever ‘it’ might be, in my imagination is as powerful as doing it for real. Or it can be. I get real, butt-clenching, toe-curling, knicker-dampening pleasure from reading good, explicit, evocative erotic stories. Hell, it’s working now and I’m only thinking about spanking fantasies. Please just excuse me for a moment while I fan myself….
… Right, I’m back now. Where was I? Oh yes, erotic fiction…
I write stuff that turns me on, and I hope it works for others too. As I read back and edit my work, if what I’m reading makes me feel and actually experience some of the stuff I’ve tried to describe above that tells me that I’m hitting the mark. I appreciate we all have different preferences, what floats my boat might not work for everyone, but that’s fine. There’s enough variety of kink out there to suit most tastes.
For me, it pretty much always involves Dominant alpha males and sassy females so my stories tend to feature that pairing. I can get in there, in my head, live it with them. Get down and dirty and sticky with my female leads. That’s why I tend to write from the female perspective, and in the first person. I love the immediacy, the connection. As a writer I appreciate the challenge of trying other genres, other styles. But as a lover of erotic fiction, I know what presses my buttons and I suspect I’ll always gravitate back there.
What is it that gets you hot and sticky? Do you have a preferred style or pairing or are you more catholic in your tastes?
Here’s an excerpt from my current release, Re-Awakening. This is a short story in Totally Bound’s Paramours Anthology, available now on early download and will be on general release from 7 February. I chose it for reasons I hope will now be obvious. I’d love to know if it presses anyone else’s buttons so feel free to comment.
Zack made no attempt to conceal his interest as Imogen stood just a couple of feet from him and slowly peeled off her clothes. First the neat, crisp white blouse, followed by her tan Chino’s. She toed off her indoor pumps, then she lowered the cotton fabric around her thighs and stepped out of the pants. In just bra and briefs, she stopped, glanced at him, silently seeking approval. He didn’t disappoint, his eyes glinting with undisguised lust as he surveyed her small, trim body. Imogen silently rejoiced that she’d always managed to stay fit, kept in shape. Cycling was hard work, but it did wonders for her bum. So did a heavy leather belt, come to think of it. And it looked like today she was going to enjoy the benefit of both.
A shiver of anticipation rippled through her as she turned her back to him in response to his hand gesture. He stood, unfastened her bra. Imogen leant forwards slightly, tipping the lacy cups into her hands and dropping the underwear on the floor. She was about to hook her thumbs in the elastic of her briefs when he stopped her with a word.
“No. Let me do that. In a minute. First—can you touch your toes, Imogen?”
She glanced back at him over her shoulder. “I can.”
“Do it.”
His hand was resting possessively on her bum as Imogen bent at the waist. She reached down to touch, then grasp, her ankles. Zack caressed the round curve of her buttocks over the sheer fabric of her briefs. “You have a truly lovely arse, Imogen. Pretty tits too, but they’ll have to wait.”
“How long?”
“Excuse me?”
“How long will my tits have to wait?”
He chuckled, the sound low and sexy and full of promise. “Ah, getting demanding already, are we? I knew there was a seriously slutty sub lurking there somewhere. I’m so delighted to be meeting her at last.” He paused to pat her bum. “And what is it you’re so eager for me to do to your tits then? What is it that just can’t wait?” He circled her firm bottom with his palm once more, first one buttock, then the other. Then he ran his fingers down the cleft between them, though still not venturing under the fragile veneer of silk. Imogen gasped, shifted to widen her stance.
“Did I ask you to open your legs?” His tone was suddenly, unexpectedly, harsh, disapproving.
Imogen shivered. “No. Sorry.”
“Keep still, please. And answer my question.”
Imogen twisted her neck, trying to look up at him, but it was impossible from where she now stood, bent double, her hair falling about her face. She stumbled, would have fallen but for his hands at her hips, steadying her.
“I said, keep still. I won’t tell you again. Now, what is it you’d like me to do to your tits?”
“I-I’d like you to suck my nipples. If that’s what you want, obviously.”
He chuckled again. “Obviously. That’s something to look forward to then. First though, I promised you stripes. Just here, I think…” He sketched a horizontal line across her right buttock, then another to match it across the left side. Then he marked out more imaginary stripes, across her bottom and the backs of her thighs. “Just here, I think. So you’ll remember me fondly every time you sit. Or maybe you just won’t sit at all for a while. What do you think, Imogen?”
“I suspect I’ll prefer to stand, Sir.”
“Sir?”
“Sorry, I forgot. It’s just… Sorry.”
“Sir’s fine.”
“Thank you. Sir.”
“I’m going to pull your pants down now. Will you be able to stay in this position under your own steam once we start or will I need to secure you in place?”
“I-I’m not sure. Could I lean on something, please?”
He glanced around the room, spotted what he needed. Briskly striding around the table, he was quickly back alongside Imogen, and placed a tall bar stool beside her. The softly padded seat was more or less at her waist level. “Brace yourself over this. Same position as you are now. Would you like to be restrained? Tied in place?”
Imogen straightened, slid sideways to position herself across the stool, her abdomen resting across the cushioned seat. She stretched herself down, reaching for the lower part of the long straight legs with her hands. She grasped the wooden poles tightly.
“I think I’d appreciate the restraints, if you don’t mind, Sir.”
You can get your hands on Re-Awakening from Totally Bound.
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out the other three delicious short stories also snuggling up with mine in the Paramours Anthology. I’m in good company, with Elizabeth Coldwell, MK Schiller and Ayla Ruse also sharing sensual tales of older women and their seriously sexy Dominant younger men. A real treat.
More about me:
Until 2010 I was a director of a regeneration company in Leeds, in the UK, before becoming convinced there must be more to life. I left to work as an independent consultant, and still do some of that though most of my time is now spent writing. At last I’ve been able to realise my dream of writing erotic romance myself. I’ve been an avid reader of fiction for many years, erotic and other genres, and I still love reading historical and contemporary romances – the hotter the better. But now I have a good excuse – research.
In my own writing I usually draw on settings and anecdotes from my own experience to lend colour, detail and realism to my plots and characters, but my stories of love, challenge, resilience and compassion are the conjurings of my own lurid imagination.
When not writing – which is not very often – my time is divided between my role as resident taxi driver for my teenage daughter, and caring for a menagerie of dogs, rabbits, tortoises. And most recently a very grumpy cockatiel. I’m a rural parish councillor, and I’m passionate about evolving rural traditions and values to suit twenty first century lifestyles.
I’ve completed my third trilogy in the Black Combe ‘family’ which is due for release from April this year. I’m now well on with writing the fourth. As well as Re-Awakening which is out now I also have a novella which will be on sale from March and a stand-alone novel for Totally Bound’s ‘What’s Her secret?’ imprint which is due for release in February. All are due for release over the next few months.
Contact Me : I love to hear from readers, and always reply.
You can find me on Facebook, and on twitter. And on Pinterest too. Please feel free to drop in at my website where I keep things up to date with my current and future plans. I am also on the Totally Bound website, and on Goodreads.