Outdoor Playtime
On a trip to Italy last fall, my husband and I were in Siena when a sudden downpour overtook the city and had tourists scrambling for cover. Most of the tourists, that is, except for one intrepid young couple who remaineRead more...
Artful Sensuality
I went on a to D.C. last weekend to visit a friend and fellow art lover. She and I are fervent devotees of renaissance art (I am, after all, @renaissance 11 on Twitter) and plan trips to Italy around the best museums. GaRead more...
Heroine, Flawed
In corporate interviews, it's advised by recruiters to put a positive spin on every question that's asked. So if a hiring manager wants an admission of what a candidate's "weaknesses" are, the potential employee is coachRead more...
Taking A Position
Have you seen the movie Showgirls? Yeah, I know. It received wretched reviews, was universally bashed by critics and received the Razzie® for worst picture of the year and worst picture of the decade. Egad. In spite of aRead more...
In Defense Of Purple Prose
Fifty two years ago today in Britain, on November 2, 1960, a significant jury ruling was made in defense of D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterly’s Lover as a book whose literary merit amounted to a “public good” and did not “dRead more...
The Pain Game
Following up on Liz's post from yesterday, let’s talk about pain in erotic romance. This is a topic from which some will run away in fear, so it’s particularly suitable for today since it’s Halloween.
Hollywood “erotiRead more...
Sweet, Sexy, or Smokin': What Makes A Story Hot?
At a recent book signing I attended, I stopped by the table where one of my writer friends was stationed. Wanting to lend my support I told her I'd buy one of her books and suggested she recommend one among the several aRead more...
Seductive Scent
While conducting research for one of my historical erotic romances, I studied the art of perfume making extensively. It's an intoxicating lesson. As Mandy Aftel says in her excellent book Essence and Alchemy: A Book of PRead more...
Whole Lotta Screwin' Going On
In an earlier post I talked about the section on Ellora's Cave's website called EC for men. I'm intrigued by it for a few reasons. The target reader is primarily men, but all the authors seem to be women. And assuming thRead more...
I Sing The Body Adorned
I recently read the results of a Pew survey stating that forty percent of adults aged 25 - 40 years olds have tattoos. The statistic on piercings for that same age group is a bit less - about a quarter of them - but a heRead more...