kINKED came out yesterday. Hopefully you’ve got your copy and have already started reading it, but either way we wanted to give you a chance to hear directly from some of the contributors.
Five things I learned while writing Sae-ri
by Nicole Blackwood
Not only did I at one point, not too long ago, never think I’d write romance, I would have giggled shyly and run away to hide if anyone suggested I write erotica. I mean, me? Write that sort of thing? Never! Because, you know, my mama raised me better…? Or, I, um… I wouldn’t know about such things… Because I’m not that sort of girl. (Yet.)
Yeah. So there’s this thing thing about me: I protest too much. Turns out, I kind of have a knack for naughty. (Mom, stop reading right now. I love you.)
However, writing Sae-ri taught me some things. Some naughty things. Some are good to know (I mean, if anyone was taking notes on certain things, just in case they might come in handy someday *coughcough*). Others I really could have lived out my life blissfully ignorant about. So, I mean, of course I have to share both.
- Useful: Choking is dangerous. I mean, I know. Duh, right? But I tried to add a bit of light choking into Sae-ri, more as a primal control thing, not as a “I don’t want you to breathe because either A) a lack of breath is supposed to heighten senses or something like that, or B) I’m an asshole and probably dangerous,” twist.However, without a fairly significant amount of explaining (which is boring in writing, especially in the middle of a sex scene), it just doesn’t work. My editor, the fabulous Cori Vidae, wasn’t having it, and she was right to call me on it. It’s one of those kinks you have to be pretty cautious with, and that doesn’t always translate well in story unless it plays a much bigger role than the momentary spice I tried.
- Also useful: Doms, don’t leave your brand-spanking-(heh)-new sub alone, tied up and helpless. I know, I know. It’s another duh-thing, but I admit to having been ignorant on this issue until Cori enlightened me. Having never actually been dominated (yet?), I can read all I want about it, but I can’t fully understand or anticipate the mental and emotional reactions that someone experiences in a scene. Being brand new to it would (I imagine) only heighten those reactions, so supervision and care from someone who is experienced, aware, and ready to intervene is necessary to make sure things turn out okay for everyone involved. Lesson learned, and Zoe is grateful.
- Not useful at all, but morbidly amusing (see: traumatizing): There are a number of slang words for anus, and none of them – none – are sexy. Performing a Google search for “words for anus” is not advised. Even less advisable is visiting the website “51 Christian Friendly Words for Butthole.” No really. Don’t. Unless you need an awkward website to leave up on your laptop in order to make your in-laws stop harassing you about what you’ve been doing with all your free time lately at Thanksgiving or a family reunion.
- I really should have known better: Writing threesomes with identical twins is harder (heh) more challenging than I expected it to be. Having their names start with the same letter on top of that just makes it more likely that you might end up with the same twin in two different places at the same time, while the other one pouts from the sideline. That’s not sexy. That’s just awkward, and pulls the reader out of the story. “Wait, but weren’t you just buried balls deep in–?”
- To be studied further: There are many more ways to tie someone up than just rope round the wrists. Binding Limb A to Body Part Q is more feasible than the uninitiated might think. Case in point with Sae-ri: Yes. Wrists and thighs (or ankles) can be connected, in ways that restrict movement (or at least, graceful movement) surprisingly efficiently. (I did not have the opportunity to test this in person, but there are many photos on tumblr that–)
Ahem. Right. So, Sae-ri served as more than just a fun fantasy. I learned some important things about some things that came up (do I even need to snicker at this point?), and about myself as well. I’ve always been intrigued by bondage and D/s, but researching for this story opened my eyes to some issues and has encouraged me to look into this world a little deeper. I look forward to writing more D/s stories in the future, and can only hope I do them justice.
Nicole Blackwood lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains with three cats who speak in tongues. She spends her time writing of dark sexy things, drawing said dark sexy things, and wandering possibly-haunted forests in search of… well, dark sexy things.
kINKED is now available from Amazon or you can read it free on Kindle Unlimited!
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