My personal optimist motto pencils, a gift from Alison Tyler

You Win Some, You Lose Some (But Then You Win More)

It is finally October.

*Breathes enormous sigh of relief.*

My Sexy Optimist Pencils from Alison Tyler

Alison Tyler got me these pencils from Carbon Crusader as a participation prize—with my own personal motto on them!

To be clear, September was probably the most brutal month I’ve had in years. I had a gazillion things going on (no, really, a gazillion), and I felt more challenged than the proverbial hamster on a wheel. See, I was a runner on a treadmill asked to juggle fireballs, kittens, and jello with one hand tied behind my back, wearing a blindfold and chewing gum while also singing Christmas carols. It was nuts! My day job went full-tilt chaos; I had so many events scheduled I turned insomniac again; I had a jury duty run that, to be honest, was extremely emotional and brought up some old “stuff” for me (fortunately, I was dismissed after two days); and on top of all that, I wasn’t getting my words in. I’m an extremely fast writer, but when you don’t have the time, you don’t have the words. I also try not to write when I haven’t been sleeping, because bad things happen—I get forgetful. Plot points disappear. Characters lose important traits. Dialogue gets painful. And on and on…I mean heck, even outside the writing, I was so tired I had two conversations with a friend in one day and completely forgot it was her birthday. OMG. I don’t do that, like, ever—I’m the Keeper of the Birthdays! (Fortunately, she’s not a big birthday person. She laughed the whole thing off and told me to get some sleep.)

So all stressful things aside, here’s the deal—I’m generally a super optimist. I admit, I struggled to hang on to that as the month continued, and I had to keep reminding myself what a certain family member of mine always says: “How do you eat the elephant, honey? One bite at a time.

I would never eat the legendary Bertha, but you get the idea.

I would never eat the legendary Bertha, but you get the idea.

So I kept repeating that to myself…

One bite.

One bite.

One bite.

Come here, Bertha baby, you’re mine.

In truth, some of this figurative elephant eating was pretty kick-ass, and since there was so much goodness, I’m going to list it out for you:

♦ I got to join Rose Caraway in a bunch of readings for The Sexy Librarian’s Big Book of Erotica. It needs to be said I love reading out loud, plus, I got to read my girl Tamsin Flowers’s delightful story, “POW! It’s Shibari Girl!” Great story, great events, AND, as it turns out, reading with Rose is better than ice cream with brownies and fudge sauce on top. It’s so much fucking fun! It doesn’t hurt that she and her fabulous husband, Big Daddy, are like the nicest, sweetest people on the planet, so every event I attended and participated in was fantastic!

♦ I hung out with other amazing people at all these events, too! Of course there was the lovely Malin James (whom I’m so close to I’m convinced she is my twin separated at birth), the sassy and delightful social media guru Eva Gantz, and the charming and sweet Sinclair Sexsmith. I had so many incredible conversations with each of them!

♦ Malin James and I went to one of Rose Caraway’s events as viewers, and we ended up having drinks with Rose, Big Daddy, and the legend that is Rachel Kramer Bussel. Guys, seriously—I had drinks with Rose, Big Daddy, Rachel KB, and Malin! Holy smokes!

♦ I finished my edits for Coming Together: Among the Stars, a sci-fi erotica anthology edited by Lynn Townsend and coming soon to benefit International Still’s Disease Foundation. I’ll have details on the book and my story, “The Joy Ride,” in the near future!Cover of Among the Stars

♦ I joined a randy group of wild writers for an upcoming anthology called Chemical (Se)X. Details forthcoming, but for now I’ll just say chocolate and sex.

♦ I got to support my graphic memoirist friend, MariNaomi, in the release of her new book in San Francisco! Mari is a personal friend and mentor in many ways, so I loved seeing her celebrate the release of her book. So proud!

♦ I celebrated my soon-to-arrive niecey #2 or nephew #1 (to be determined!) at a baby shower. (I love being an auntie.) 🙂

♦ I wrote several erotic poems inspired by the challenge Tamsin Flowers issued at our last Pillow Talk Secrets session. This was fun and fabulous; I got to stir up my poetry roots while getting in some smutty words in seriously short time increments—and I even started a page for it! This was the bulk of the writing I did all month. You know what? It wasn’t a ton, but it still felt like a win. And speaking of wins…

♦ I shared more fabulous moments with my Pillow Talk girls. Malin James and Tamsin Flowers are, quite simply, the loveliest. I’m a happy camper having the both of them in my life. (MUAH to you both!)

♦ And then there was the ginormous feat…I completely transferred my website to a self-hosted space. This involved a whole heck of a lot of design and setup work behind the scenes that could not have been possible without my awesome teacher, DomSigns. When his dreamy wife, Molly Moore, initially offered to help, I had no idea what I was in for—namely, a bevy of delightful Skype sessions that resulted in (a) me learning a ton and (b) us laughing a lot (mostly at naughty jokes). I can now proudly say that this site is damn near done and censorship free. There are a few other little things I have planned and/or need to fix, but holy torpedo, Batman, transfer complete!

So basically, despite all the chaos, I came out smiling. I may be ragged and tired, but I’m happy and have time again—which means I can get back to the book I had half-written before The Attack of September. Yeah!

Now, I just have one more thing to say:

October, baby—you’re my bitch.

XX,
Jade

 

Slightly unfocused yet sexy image of a man kissing a woman's chin in bed

The Poem Challenge, Day 1: “Morning Desire”

I love to write poetry, and always have. Somewhere along the way, my poems switched gears and became erotic in nature, and eventually, I started showing them to more people. You may recall two of my poems appearing over The Erotic Woman—the first was “Power” and the second “Pink.” (Advisory: NSFW images for both links.)

So, shortly after I submitted “Awake the Nymph” to Vanillerotica, Tamsin Flowers, Malin James and I had our next Pillow Talk Secrets episode. Tamsin issued a challenge: the three of us were to write an erotic poem by our next Secrets session on October 8th. I eagerly accepted. But, since I already write erotic poetry, I thought I’d add an extra challenge for myself.

I’m calling it the 7-Day Poem Challenge. That is, for the next seven days, I will write a poem each day and post it here for you to see. This month has been impossibly complicated (which I’ll get to in a later post), so a little poetry to keep my writing flowing is helpful for me. And, hopefully in the process, you’ll enjoy it too!

Today’s poem is called “Morning Desire.” In truth, I wrote the first two lines with a magnetic poetry kit some ten years ago; these lines are still the first two lines of some other short poem hanging in my kitchen, albeit a much tamer thing. I think I like this one better. 🙂

So, without further ado, here it is…

Slightly unfocused yet sexy image of a man kissing a woman's chin in bed

MORNING DESIRE
by
Jade A. Waters

Desire felt like morning,
Sun caressing the world
Spreading tender waves that
Envelop me, encircle you.
Your hands trace down my back—
Neck to ass, hip to hip
You tug me closer
Ever closer,
Breathe a husky whisper
With lips soft, damp
And hungry,
Like me.

“Good morning.”
The words float between us,
Your body presses to mine
Your cock solid, seeking.
Your hand slips between warm thighs—
Testing and teasing,
Stroking with a sigh.
When I arch for you,
You sink inside
Teeth bared, sharp
On my shoulder;
In need.

Whimpers spill from my lips
Your thrusts remind me
Wake me
Loving and deep.
We shudder and moan—
Trembling, crying out
Surrendering to this morning desire.
The sunlight peeks
Through the blinds
Caressing skin, warming us.
We catch our breaths
Now one.

*

I hope you enjoyed “Morning Desire,” the first of my seven poems for the 7-Day Poem Challenge!

See you tomorrow with more…

XX,
Jade

 

The Pillow Talk...Erotica Writers Talking Dirty logo: black and white image of a cartoon woman with bright red lips on a pillow

Pillow Talk Secrets: More Than One Man…Must or Bust?

Hello everyone! Great news…it’s time for another round of Pillow Talk Secrets! Today Malin James, Tamsin Flowers, and I will be discussing whether it’s acceptable for a heroine to sleep with more than one man in the course of a book—a highly debated topic, indeed! Our lovely Tamsin is leading us today, so we’ve already started with cocktails. Yum! Hope you can keep up! 😉

As usual, I’ve posted the intro to our discussion here with a link to read more at the end. Or, if you’d like to hop on over to Pillow Talk you can read the whole thing in one fell swoop.

Either way…thanks so much for joining us!

XX,
Jade

Pillow Talk Secrets

Tamsin: Hello, girls. Nice to see you!

Jade: You as well! How are you?

T: Great!

Malin: Hi ladies! I’m here!

T: Hello, gorgeous!

M: Ah, now this is how I want to start a day – chatting with the two of you. Nothing tops it.

J: So true! Now, who’s leading us today?

M: Our lovely, Tamsin, I believe! And I think she’s got something really interesting in mind.

J: Bring it, T!

T: Okay, I’m going to launch us straight in to today’s topic: Is it all right for the heroine of your book to sleep with more than one partner? This is a question that’s been batting around my brain for quite some time now. As you two know, I’ve just finished the first draft of my sexy spy thriller, Honeytrap, and my heroine certainly gets called upon to cosy up with the villains as well as the good guys. But I remembered reading somewhere that it’s a big no-no to readers if the heroine sleeps with multiple partners. How would you two handle this dilemma?

M: So, I have a couple of thoughts right off the top of my head. The first is that context is probably critical – how and why is she sleeping with multiple partners seems to make quite a difference in how readers respond… What do you think, Jade?

J: I agree. There are so many variations here – is she a free bird, is she cheating, is she in a negotiated polyamorous situation? Maybe we should focus on one at a time.

T: Ooh! Free bird is a new expression for me. I like that!

Why should she choose between them?

Why should she choose between them?

J: I just made that up. 🙂

M: I love it! Interestingly, I think the free bird scenario is the trickiest for writers. There’s still  surprising amount stigma attached to a female character who sleeps with multiple partners for no other reason than she wants to. Her own desire might be perfectly valid justification, but that doesn’t seem to settle well with readers in general. It’s a real shame, actually. There’s a lot in that restriction that doesn’t sit well with me.

J: I think that’s still, sadly, largely due to the real life cultural view on women having multiple partners – and it translates directly into people’s reading.

T: And this is where the question is interesting. Obviously, if someone buys a menage story, they’re expecting multiple partners. But there seems to be a real move in the market towards erotic romance rather than plain erotica at the moment – and with it comes a demand for the heroine to be, how shall I put it, better behaved or in lurve!

Click here to read more!

The books Jade is currently reading, stacked on her nightstand.

Whatcha Reading?

I have five bookcases in my house.

Three of them are massive things that cover the wall opposite the desk in my office. While they do have some other items in them (a shelf half full of my niece’s toys, two shelves of office supplies, and a shelf of sewing stuff, for example), they are getting increasingly full. This is where I keep many of the books I’ve read, with a special shelf just for erotica. I also have a shelf for my writing—a growing collection of erotica anthologies I’ve been published in (a mighty exciting section for me, I have to say), and binders housing drafts of some of the things I’ve written over the years.

In the living room, I have a small but stuffed case that is instantly viewable when you walk in my house. This one includes all my favorites: Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witch series, Carol Goodman’s The Lake of Dead Languages, Ellen Hopkins’s Crank, Margaret Atwood’s The Robber Bride, and many, many more.

And then in my bedroom, there is the To Read bookcase—a live and growing thing, always overflowing with more and more books despite my repeated and short-lived ban on buying more until I finish what I have. My acupuncturist explained to me that this sort of looming bookcase is bad for my bedroom feng shui, as it might “stress me out” when I try to sleep.

I told her my feng shui could suck it.

So, why am I bringing this up? Well, I love books. I’ve been a reader since three (says my mum), and I remember my parents encouraging me over the years to come outside and play, but I’d insist that I just needed to finish one more chapter or that I couldn’t because the good part was happening right then. I can’t even tell you how many trips I was dragged on, in which I refused to play on the beach / eat / “be a good girl” who talked to family when I could just as easily stay inside reading one more book.

I know I am not alone in this obsession love. Cleis Press just started a Pinterest board of “shelfies”—pictures of people’s bookcases with Cleis anthos on the shelves. I love it! Plus, book lovers are all over Pinterest. Tumblr. Hell, EVERYWHERE. We’re a pretty cool tribe, if you ask me.

Which is why today I thought I’d show off my book porn. I know it’s not erotica, but hell, it’s still sexy. 😉 I have two pics for you—one is that wild beast of a To Read bookcase, which I finally organized again just for your viewing pleasure:

photo (4)

I don’t often reread books these days, but there are a few of them scattered in here—primarily in the top left corner, up to The Handmaid’s Tale. The tippity top is the overflow, a combo of erotica and contemporary spec fic, some of which I’m getting close to shifting to my nightstand (aka: reading). The top shelf is mostly erotica (sexxxxxyyyyyyy). The middle shelf is a mix of my favorite non-erotica reads: spec fic, YA, and then some other dramatic stuff for kicks. And the bottom has been dubbed “Hodge Podge Shelf.” 🙂

Then there’s what I’m reading now/just about to read. Here is a pic of my nightstand, which is currently running a pretty high stack:

photo

I used to only read one book at a time, but clearly I’ve given that up. So, here, you’ll notice the YA on the bottom, a series I shamelessly dip into periodically from Christopher Pike. The top book, When She Woke by Hillary Jordan, is a fabulous dystopian future version of The Scarlet Letter—think Margaret Atwood meets Ray Bradbury and you’ve nailed it. I’m just about done with that one, and ready to delve into my next non-erotica read…which is a reread of The Metamorphosis (because why not?). And then there are a few delicious Cleis reads: Hide and Seek from Alison Tyler and Rachel Kramer Bussel, The Sexy Librarian’s Big Book of Erotica from Rose Caraway, and of course my contributor copy of The Big Book of Submission edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel. I tend to read several anthologies at a time, simply because I like jumping around with short stories—but I never skip a story. It’s a habit. I may read five up front and then put the anthology aside for a couple months, but I don’t skip any. I’m loyal like that. 🙂 Oh, and let’s not even mention the bounty of anthologies (and other books) I’ve stored up in my Kindle…

So what about you? What are you reading? Do you stick with erotica, or read something else? Are you a monogamist with your books, or more of a poly reader?

I’d love to know.

XX,
Jade

Cover of Just for Him edited by Alison Tyler

His and Hers…and Almost Yours!

Okay guys, you may have noticed I’ve been banging on and on about Alison Tyler over here lately. First, our Pillow Talk group reviewed her delicious novelette, Those Boys. Then, I excitedly hosted a stop on her Those Boys tour. And next week, I’ll be reviewing a couple of her simply incredible books. So, just to clear up any confusion, this is all happening because

I’m a diehard Alison Tyler fan.

That’s why today’s news is so fantastic. I’ve been waiting to tell you this for what seems like a lifetime, but it really hasn’t been all that long. It’s just been that exhilarating that keeping my lips sealed has been intense!

So…here it is: I’m delighted to announce that I have a story in both of Alison Tyler’s hot upcoming anthologies, Just for Him and Just for Her! Hurray!

To celebrate, how about a double cover reveal? Here’s the cover for Just for Him, which includes my story “73A”:

Just for Him Cover

And here’s the cover for Just for Her, in which you’ll find “The Other Prom”:

Just For Her Cover

Ooooooh! Sexy new covers!

While I’m brimming with squeals (seriously, be thankful you’re there and not here), I have to give you a little back story on both of these. See, I’d written a few things. Rachel Kramer Bussel had already popped my cherry with The Big Book of Orgasms and that was like 80 times the thrill of the double corkscrew on the Demon rollercoaster at Great America, but now I was really fucking excited to be doing this erotica writing thing, for real. And all the while, I kept stalking Alison Tyler’s site. She had some crazy good stuff out and I’d basically worshipped her since I read “It’s Not the Weather” in another gorgeous Rachel Kramer Bussel anthology, Bedding Down. So I just kept thinking, I must get into an Alison Tyler anthology.

It was kind of like eyeing a pair of super tall strappy stiletto heels knowing that one day, you must have those shoes, and when you do, they’re going to feel SO good. Of course, you’re eyeing the shoes having no idea if you can even stand in them, but dammit, you’re going to try.

So one day, I notice that Alison Tyler has a call for not one, but two second person anthologies—one aimed at him, and another aimed at her. She’d done something similar before with Thomas Roche and it was sexy, so I was intrigued. Plus, I love second person. But the call was over in…

*Record screech.* (That’s literally what happened in my head.)

One week! She’d actually extended the deadline for a week, and by the time I saw it, there were only six days left.

Still, I had to write something for the Just for Him call. I had to!

I couldn’t start writing for two days because my schedule was nuts, but on that second day, this random idea clanked me in the head like a 2’ x 4’. I barely made it through my work day before I got home and went for it, because this is the line I had stuck in my head:

You’re working on my fence right now, and all I can think about is sucking your cock.

Naturally, from that, “73A” was born!

The next day, I was all set to send “73A” off and call it done…but then, randomly, some other 2’ x 4’ came flying at my head, and I knew I had to write another piece for Just for Her. (If we’re running with the shoe analogy, this is where I’d say, “Why buy one pair when you can buy two?”) By the end of the day, I had “The Other Prom”…and lo and behold, Ms. Tyler ended up saying yes to both. Wow! On top of that, it needs to be stated that she wrote me such sweet acceptance notes, I drove my friends nuts with my giddiness. (I know, crazy, right? Me?! Excitable?)

Anyway, that’s my back story for “73A” and “The Other Prom.” I’m thrilled to be included in both Alison Tyler anthologies, which are set to release in early 2015. I’m going to save excerpts for later, but in the meantime, you can pre-order Just for Him and Just for Her right now on Amazon. I expect they’re going to be really damn good!

As for me, I’m off to go dance around again.

I might even do it in a pair of strappy stilettos.

XX,
Jade

 

The Pillow Talk...Erotica Writers Talking Dirty logo: black and white image of a cartoon woman with bright red lips on a pillow

Pillow Talk Secrets 2: Those Boys, Alphas and Doms, Oh My!

Let the July fireworks continue…it’s time for the second session of Pillow Talk Secrets! Hurray!

Pillow Talk: Erotica Writers Talking Dirty (aka Tamsin Flowers, Malin James, and I) have been quite excited for this particular episode—we managed to get an early copy of Alison Tyler’s Those Boys from Go Deeper Press. This delicious novella is the sequel to Those Girls, and oh my goodness do we have some great things to tell you about it! Malin leads the conversation today about what makes the novella so fantastic. I’ve posted a portion of the conversation here with a link at the end for you to continue at our site, Pillow Talk, to read the rest. Thanks for joining us!

XX,
Jade

Pillow Talk Secrets 2

Malin: Hello ladies!

Tamsin: Hello Malin, hello Jade!

Jade: And hello to both of you!

M: So, I don’t know about you two, but I’m dying to talk to you both about Those Boys. Should we start there?

T: Absolutely. But before we launch in, we should tell people who might not know this is the second book in Alison Tyler’s series that started with Those Girls – both published by Go Deeper Press.

J: Yes, and that we were fortunate enough to score ourselves an early copy of Those Boys – quite possibly because the Universe is just amazing – and wow are we happy about it!

The gorgeous cover for Those Boys, by Alison Tyler. Courtesy of Go Deeper Press.

The gorgeous cover for Those Boys, by Alison Tyler. Courtesy of Go Deeper Press.

M: It was a really lovely treat. There’s a lot of food for thought in both the first book, and now the second. For those readers who haven’t read the first book yet, let’s do a really quick run-down.

T: No spoilers!

M:  I would never! Okay. Summary not spoilers: it’s told from the POV of a Dom named Sandy. This man is the real deal – a Dom’s Dom. Basically, the novelette is about how he goes about initiating the lovely, slightly stand-offish Vanessa. How’s that?

J: Good – and I want to add this little piece I once read on Alison Tyler’s blog – I can’t remember her exact verbiage, but she said she originally thought Sandy was going to be a she, and then Sandy become this beautifully bisexual Dom. But the key, or the power of Sandy, was that it didn’t matter who he had control over – only that he had that control. The magic is being in his head, because he’s such the Dom’s Dom, as Malin said.

M: And there is magic in his head. You rarely see such a nuanced, authentic portrayal of a dominant in erotica, especially a male dominant, which is a shame.

T: But, I have to admit to a little disappointment with Those Girls, (shock! horror!).

J: What?!

T: Not because it wasn’t brilliant – it was! But it was too damn short! I wanted more. Straight away!

J: Oh well then, in that case…I totally agree.

T: I think Sandy’s character really came into its own, though, in Those Boys. I really got much more of a feel for him – this is a massive development on the first story and with the addition of a new character, Rem, we really get to understand how Sandy’s mind ticks…

Click here to read more!

Sexy black and white image of a man crawling on the beach

Eye Candy

A couple months ago, I shared a pretty picture under the title Any Excuse (for Ass) just because. It was a good picture, and I’m thinking that every once in a while, we need a similar visual treat here. I mean, why not? I admit, this could be on my mind because I’ve been stalking hot men on Pinterest playing on Pinterest lately, or maybe because sometimes I think we can all use a little eye candy, but today the fates have collided to provide you with two pretty images!

Rough life, huh?

The first is an image I found while researching <cough>, and it was simply too hot not to share:

Sexy black and white image of man crawling on beach in only his black briefs.

Admit it—you like it, too.

I don’t know what’s going on with this guy. Maybe he’s lost a ring in the sand. Maybe he’s crying over his woman running away off camera (what?) or getting stung by a jellyfish. Or, he needs to show off how good his ass looks in his trunks, and wants people to wish they were the sand beneath him (I do). No matter what the reason, this photo needed to be seen.

Naturally, in the name of research and to find a picture that would work for everyone (since that one might not have done it for some of you), I decided to do a little more snooping. I can’t entirely explain the channels I navigated, but let’s say I randomly stumbled upon the model who stars on the cover of Holiday Spice (which includes my story, “Office Santa“). Some of you may remember how much I oohed and ahhed over the cover model, and it turns out this site had a whole bunch of photos of him. I found the following just for you:

Couple getting cozy with Paris in the background

I’m sorry, is that Paris in the background? I’m too distracted.

Anyway, I think I had a point to today’s post, but I lost it.

FYI, the stock title for the above picture is “Young sexy couple making passionate love in bed against window overlooking Paris skyline with retro vintage sepia tones.”

But let’s not get too specific about it, okay?

XX,
Jade

P.S. Seriously fantastic thing happening here next week! Yes, June 4th…stay close! 🙂

 

Picture of a woman's hips in shadow, with thumbs hooked under her panties

Because I’m a Tease

Today I have all sorts of sexy news!

Well…kind of. Honestly, some of it is a lot of tease. Why?

You’ll see. 😉

Shadowed image of woman teasingly pulling panties off her hips

So, hmmm, where to start…First off, I have thrilling information I’ve been sitting on—I have a story in Rachel Kramer Bussel’s upcoming anthology Hungry for More! The book is all about female fantasies, and it’s sure to be hot, hot, hot!

While the cover reveal is yet to come and the release date is late this year, I do have a super sexy table of contents for you to preview. Look:

Introduction: Getting Explicit
Submissive Jacqueline Applebee
Happy Endings Giselle Renarde
Craig’s List Greta Christina
Bringing the Heat Tiffany Reisz
Madam Secretary Jaye Markham
Kitchen Slut Olivia Archer
Just Once Jocelyn Dex
Boat Rocking D.L. King
The Sleeper’s Beauty Jade A. Waters
Upstairs at the Ava DelovelyOlive
Organically Grown Brandy Fox
The Room Of Guarantees Jessica Lennox
Redrawing the Lines Bren Emile
Tickle Day Jeremy Edwards
Relief Katya Harris
Jailbait Torch Song Valerie Alexander
Red Lipstick Erzabet Bishop
Something Sleazy Elizabeth Coldwell
The Instructor Rose de Fer
My Pillarbox Red Cock Tilly Hunter
A First Time for Everything Rachel Kramer Bussel

What a hot lineup! I’m pretty excited about the story I have in this one, so I will pass on more news as soon as I have it…

This is actually the case with most of the news I have today: it’s all up my sleeve for just the right time, and all of it is so, so good. So for now, I’m going to have to play the tease. What I can tell you is that some of my news is almost-official, and more of it is official-official (aka, closer to reveal time). Like, for example, I mailed off contracts last week for three smoking hot anthologies, two of which will be my first time with an editor I adore—but I can’t tell you what the anthologies are yet. But soon. Soon!

I also have two crazy fantastic things coming down in about the next two months (hint: neither is an anthology, but both involve seriously awesome collaborations). I’m not sure on the date for one of them, but I can tell you that the other will happen right here on June 4th. Yes, June 4th! So go ahead, mark your calendars. I’ll wait. *Whistles.*

You’re back now? Good. I’m telling you, folks, this is going to be so fun! I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I am. 🙂

Okay, so the essence of a good tease is to at least give a little something, which is why I have two pieces of news that are actually in effect now.

Here’s the first piece:

I signed up for Pinterest.

Oh my god. Oh my god. How does anyone have any self-control with this program? I can already tell you that there will be hours spent drooling over men I consider part of my mental harem (one day, it will be my real life harem, don’t you worry), as well as hours on inspiring quotes, nail polish, glam looks, sexy photos, and, and, and… But I suppose it was bound to happen. So if you’re able and interested, please find me on there. You can check out my pretties and I’ll check out yours. (Heh.) I’m still light on boards but I see all sorts of potential, including one I might just whip up with images that make me think of the two lovely characters from my work in progress. Keep your eyes open!

Speaking of my WIP, I’ve been quiet for a bit on that, but a status update is the second piece of news I wanted to share. The book is called The Assignment, and the great news is that my wonderful betas finished and passed along some exciting feedback. Yay! So, now I’m about to launch one last edit before I send it out into the world to find a home. Then what’s next? Well, I have a novella dying to be written (okay, more like three), and I have a couple ideas to jot down for a possible sequel to the WIP. But that’s later—brewing, but later. And then of course there are a bunch of other things to work on, but I guess that’s what we do here in the writing world: project after project. I love it! 🙂

All right, so that’s the news for today. Stay close for more reveals very soon!

XX,
Jade

 

 

Cover of Never Say Never edited by Alison Tyler

The Never Say Never Blog Tour…Plus, a Confession

All right everyone, today is a special day—I’m excited to be the next stop on Alison Tyler’s Never Say Never Blog Tour! Since this book is all about partners exploring their kinky desires, I’ve decided to pick my favorite chapters, mash them together, and share a little experience of my own…

So to start, I must confess: I am an exhibitionist.

*Sigh.* There, that feels nice.

It took many years for me to recognize that this turned me on, but now that I’m there, I can trace the desire back to an experience I had at 19. My then-boyfriend and I had been together for a while, and we’d spent several months trying to get me off. We’d tried everything—or what I believed was everything, at age 19—but it wasn’t happening. Eventually we ended up working Renaissance Faire together (that’s a story and a half for another time), where I started exploring and playing with what I liked and didn’t. I also met all sorts of people open about their kinks and cravings—one of whom happened to be an extremely handsome and flirtatious friend of my boyfriend.

One day, my boyfriend and I escaped the noise that is Ren Faire—bells chiming, families laughing, choirs singing, trees rustling, and actors soliloquizing at the top of their lungs—for an afternoon adventure in our makeshift cabin. We had curtains to shield our bed from the trail running behind us, but that day, neither of us thought to close them. When my boyfriend went down on me, he had no idea that my heart suddenly raced less for what he was doing, but for the wonder that someone might happen to pass by… So imagine my surprise when I opened my eyes to discover his friend a few feet away on the trail.

He stopped cold, and slowly, silently, he smiled.

And then he watched.

He didn’t move, and neither did I. In fact, I clearly remember holding rigidly still beneath my boyfriend’s affections save for the curling of my toes, feeling my blood rise in my cheeks as my thoughts spun wildly over what was happening. And it was right as his friend mouthed the words You’re beautiful that I came for the first time with another person…or apparently, in my case, two.

Years later, I recognize the desire to be seen as something I crave. It’s one of a long list of “kinkier” things I enjoy, and voicing them is not as scary or taboo anymore—especially with the right partner. Instead, they form a potential adventure.

Which leads me to the point of this post: Alison Tyler’s Never Say Never: Tips, Tricks and Erotic Inspiration for Lovers. The book is a how-to guide of sorts, but more than that, it’s a wonderful blend of kinky adventures, tips, and tales designed to break couples out of vanilla inhibitions and into sexual exploration.

Never Say Never cover

The book covers a ton of kinky ground, from voyeurism and exhibitionism (gee, wonder which chapter was my favorite), to spanking, role-playing, soft swapping, and much, much more. What I loved most was how Ms. Tyler managed to seamlessly weave tips with stories. Each chapter focused on one topic as introduced by her lovely voice, using story snippets to both rile and explain with clever commentary (I particularly loved that of the chapters entitled “Slippery When Wet—Cunnilingus,” “Close Your Eyes—Blindfolds,” and “Naughty, Naughty—Spanking”). Then after a summary of highlights for the section, she masterfully chose a sexy story to follow.

And what better way to get couples exploring than to explain and demonstrate?

The glory of this book is that one can pick a chapter or topic that appeals, absorb the tips, and then share the story with a partner as a first step toward broaching a fantasy or desire. The how-to voice crossed with fiction makes this book better than your average guide—it’s almost like having a super sexy tour guide let you in on The Best Sexual Adventure You’re About To Have Ever!…and then she opens up a big door of fantasy fiction to prove it to you. It’s positively delightful.

There were numerous wonderful stories and snippets in here, but the full-length pieces that thrilled me most were “Savory” by Georgia E. Jones, “Afternoon Strip” by N.T. Morley, “Margarita Magic” by Thomas S. Roche, and Tyler’s own “Is That Man Bothering You?” Still, it needs to be said again—Ms. Tyler’s playful narration throughout the book is gold, and because of that, this book is sure to entertain, inspire, and revive…

And maybe even draw some new fantasies to the surface. 😉

To prove how delicious the merging of guide-with-snippets in this book is, here’s a brief yet steamy excerpt from one of my favorite chapters, “Slippery When Wet—Cunnilingus”:

I’ve written about oral delights in more stories than I can lick—I mean, count. Sometimes, my characters talk about what’s happened in the past, like in this clip from “Burned”:

I’ d told him about the time she splayed me on the kitchen floor and licked my pussy for hours without letting me come, a candle in her hand, drip-dripping wax all over my body whenever I got too close to climax.

I’ve penned that first breath of a tongue on a lover’s pussy, like in “Seeing Stars”:

We were nine floors up. But we were on top of the world, on top of Los Angeles. His mouth crested over my pussy, not locking on, not licking in. He was teasing me. I was shuddering. 

And then I’ve moved on to the main event, as in “Zachary’s Bed”:

I moan as he spreads me with his thumbs, parts my nether lips like the petals of a flower. I moan again as his warm mouth opens and he slides his tongue in crazy circles there, where I need him, there, and I can’t keep from shifting my hips to the rhythm he sets with his tongue, rocking with him while he laps at me. Laps and licks and kisses me with his magic tongue.   

“Zachary—” I am begging, beyond shame, straining at the ties that won’t allow me to reach him. I need to touch him, need my hands on his skin, my nails digging down his back, my fingers twisting in his still-wet hair.

“Sh, Risa.” I feel the words against my skin rather than hear them, feel the gentle motion of his mouth and tongue echoing inside me. 

“Please.” I arch as I say it. Desperate.

“Sh, darling,” he croons in the lullaby voice that has infiltrated my fantasies. “Sh, Risa,” he whispers as I slide on the slippery sheets, pressing hard against his lovely mouth.

Of course, when things really get heated, I like pushing the envelope as far as settings go, like in this gang-bang piece, “Last Call”:

Brody pulls my panties down then, and I raise my hips up to help him, but I don’t stop stroking those cocks. I feel energized, as if I could do this all night. The low, hungry sighs of the men is payment enough. I am the center, the focus of attention, and I bask in the glow.

Brody dives back between my thighs, and I bend my knees and splay for him, back arching. He’s so good. Declan knows how to eat me, knows all the tricks and turns I love best. But there’s something unreal about having that magic moustache run over my pussy lips and against my inner thighs. 

    • “Burned” appeared in The Big Book of Bondage
    • “Seeing Stars” appeared in One Night Only, edited by Violet Blue
    • “Zachary’s Bed” appeared in Naughty Stories from A to Z
    • “Last Call” appeared in Morning, Noon, and Night

**

So good! If you haven’t picked up this book yet, I highly recommend you do. You can find it on Amazon by clicking right here.

After reading it, I hope you all find a fun new adventure to try in the near future…

XX,
Jade

About Alison Tyler:

Called a “Trollop with a Laptop” by East Bay Express, Alison Tyler is naughty and she knows it. Her sultry short stories have appeared in more than 100 anthologies including Coupling edited by Sommer Marsden and Sex for America edited by Stephen Elliott. She is the author of more than 25 erotic novels, most recently Dark Secret Love and The Delicious Torment, and the editor of more than 75 explicit anthologies, including Alison’s Wonderland and 69. Visit www.alisontyler.com 24/7 as she’s a total insomniac.

 

Image of woman in stilettos reading a book in chair and looking up to the sky elated

Brilliance: I Want to Lick Your Brain

I have a strong suspicion this post should be subtitled Jade A. Waters Insanely Squeals About Her Crushes and Idols, but that seems so long.

Nonetheless, you’ve been warned.

Here’s the deal—the other day on Twitter, Valerie Alexander pointed out a kick ass song. It’s the Lana Del Rey version of “Once Upon a Dream” for the upcoming movie Maleficent. This song sent me squealing for a few reasons: I love Sleeping Beauty, I love the character of Maleficent, and most of all, every time I hear a Lana Del Rey song, I nearly want to lick her brain. I find her mesmerizing and clever, and her music gets me all worked up because it’s so hauntingly good.

To clarify, “I want to lick your brain” is not the same as a crush. For example, the aforementioned movie Maleficent stars one of my lifetime girl crushes—Angelina Jolie. She shares that title with Jennifer Connelly (come on, did you see her in, oh…every movie she ever did?), but these are still just crushes. And don’t even get me started on my male crushes—that list is so long I could write posts for years, starting with one on Hugh Jackman, in Wolverine and tap dancer form, separate or together. (Um, okay. Let’s go with together.)

But back to Lana…she’s one I want to brain-lick. She inspires thoughts and admiration, and a complete desire to somehow capture her essence in order to fire something creative in me. That is what it means to want to lick someone’s brain.

Let’s take another example. Remember Christopher Pike? He’s the author of such YA books as Whisper of Death, Remember Me, and Season of Passage. He rocked my reading world from age nine to eleven, and I still revisit his wickedly crafty writing about once a year. Now, granted, I do have a little crush on him because he’s SO DAMN BRILLIANT, and men who are that clever usually send a tingle up my spine, so we’ll call him a hybrid. That is, if I met Mr. Pike, I’d not only want to tongue every firing nerve in his head, but, I’d also willingly strip and lie down in the middle of the road to do whatever he asked. He’s just that good—he inspires me and turns me on. What a lucky fella. (Eh-hm. Paging Mr. Pike…)

Woman in stilettos sitting on a chair breaking from her book to stare at the ceiling in delight.

So. Damn. Good.

Most people I want to brain-lick can be classified as idols, but the term doesn’t seem to do them justice. A perfect example is Shanna Germain. This is a woman who is so brilliant that every time I finish one of her stories, I put the book down and utter a very loud, “Holy shit, Shanna, you’re fucking amazing.” Yes: Every. Single. Time. She is so inspiring I wish I could slow dance with her for hours in the hopes that I might mystically absorb some of her thoughts through proximity.

Another example is Alison Tyler. I’ve been worshipping her brain since I found her a few years back in Bedding Down with “It’s Not the Weather.” Nothing she writes disappoints—she’ll usually leave you stunned, stupefied, delighted, and wanting more. Then you add to Ms. Tyler’s phenomenal writing magic that she happens to be one of the nicest people on the planet, and maybe you can understand why I classify her as a brain-lick recipient. (Bonus: she’ll be hitting my blog next week for her Never Say Never blog tour. But put your tongue back in your mouth—I get her brain first.)

I have other brain-lick loves, but this post could go on for a while and I might sound a little crazier than I already do. Instead, I’m going to turn the question around on you—what’s your ultimate compliment for brilliance? Is it, “You’re fucking brilliant,” “You’re my idol,” “I want to capture your essence in a bottle,” or something else?

And more importantly, who is the recipient of your adoration, affection, and brain worshipping?

XX,
Jade