Thursday, November 1, 2007

Eden Bradley Interview at RWA Convention in Dallas, Texas



Meet Eden Bradley, author of BDSM books for Bantam when I had the opportunity to interview her at the Spaghetti Warehouse at the RWA Convention in Dallas, Texas. Eden talks about her latest books, The Dark Garden, The Darker Side of Pleasure, and Exotica. Check out her website at http://www.edenbradley.com/


Jina


Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Home alone with your man this Halloween?

If you who want to put a little “Spice” into your Halloween, check out my video podcast:

“Home alone with your man this Halloween?”

Cool tips to give the man in your life a special treat when I show you what sexy goodies to put into HIS trick or treat bag this Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Jina

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Angela Knight Interview at RWA Convention in Dallas, Texas


Meet Angela Knight, the USA Today bestselling author of books for Berkley, Red Sage, Changeling Press, and Loose Id, when I had the opportunity to interview her at the Spaghetti Warehouse at the RWA Convention in Dallas, Texas.

Angela talks about her new nonfiction book, Passionate Ink: A Guide to Writing Erotic Romance, and her erotic romance bestseller, Master of Dragons. Besides her fiction work, Angela's publishing career includes a stint as a comic book writer and ten years as a newspaper reporter.

Check out her website at www.angelasknights.com This is Jina Bacarr, author of Naughty Paris. See you next time! www.jinabacarr.com

Saturday, September 8, 2007

What's in a name? A penis by any other name is…

Have you ever seen the walking Egyptian with a hard-on? His name is Min and he's the Egyptian god of fertility. He plays a big part in my erotic time travel novel, Naughty Paris, with his…there's that word again. How do you say it in French?

Here are some interesting phrases describing a man's penis from a dictionary of French slang printed in 1896: L'arme (bayonet), le cheval (horseman), la charrue (plough-share), l'éculse (the bald headed hermit), le goujon (the shove-straight), and la saucisse, (the live sausage). Not a banana in sight…

The French, being the gourmands they are, also included interesting phrases when discussing testes, calling them les prunes, and semen, la sauce d'amour.

Hmm…we erotica writers don't have the same colorful menu in English. Expressing the male penis in erotic fiction has gone from using elaborate euphemisms such as his "lance" to his "manhood" to his…well, you know the word. Most agree c**k came from the rooster with his proud strut.

Speaking of which, what do women really think about a man's penis? Whether you're writing erotic fiction or just curious (aren't we all?), it's more than wondering if size matters. According to experts, women are more interested in what a man can do with it, while men often look at an erect penis as a status symbol, like a beemer or 42" plasma TV.

Most women admit it isn't the size of his penis that turns them on, but whether or not a man takes his time arousing her as well as his endurance. No doubt women talk about it, write about it, and enjoy checking out the bulge in a guy's jeans, no matter what you call it.

So the next time you're at a loss to describe the male genitalia in your novel, remember it's the man attached to it that matters most to the reader.

Mark Twain, who wrote the erotic story, 1601 (the diary of one of Queen Elizabeth's servants) said it best: "The penis mightier than the sword."

I agree. How 'bout you?

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

"The Pretty Women of Paris"

Paris 1889. The Eiffel Tower, the Moulin Rouge, the Paris Exposition all opened that year. Electric lights also went on for the first time in many Paris theatres, department stores, and railway stations. Paris was a busy place and even busier for les filles de joie, prostitutes.

Imagine lounging on soft, scoop sofas in filmy lingerie, eating Bossier bonbons and marzipan, and waiting for handsome gentlemen to call. Hmm…sounds like the brothel I created in my Spice novel, Naughty Paris. Ah, but that was fiction, frothy and sugary with a twist of the erotic to rev up the libido. Or was it?

To the gentlemen who frequented these establishments, the brothels of Paris evoked a sense of glamour not usually associated with prostitution. Les grandes horizantales (no translation needed) or dégrafées, unhooked ones, could perform every sexual trick in the book without so much as breaking a corset string. Check out NAUGHTY MAMSELLE, my FREE online read about living in a Paris brothel in 1889.

Which reminds me. No demi-mondaine, courtesan, would be caught without her corset when a gentleman took her upstairs. Adjusting the wires, setting the whalebones, lacing up the back--many a customer lamented why she went to so much trouble when he had every intention of removing it. Her answer? It was more fun taking it off.

But which girl could do…or who was better at….? How did the gentleman decide which girl to choose? Especially if he were visiting from across the Channel? Simple. He did as all tourists do: he consulted his guidebook.

"The Pretty Women of Paris" was published privately in 1883 for members of the "principal Parisian clubs" and later as "The Pleasures of Paris: A complete list of its Licensed Brothels or 'Maisons de Tolerance.' " The guide was limited to 169 copies.

Here's a sample of the "girls" from "The Pretty Women of Paris:"

Marie Bergé...exceedingly nice, petite, fair, and although born in 1861, looks like an innocent girl of sixteen. Should not be neglected, especially as she possesses a very charming pair of bubbies.

[And this was before breast implants. Imagine what a little silicone could do…]

Léona Cellié: Her original Christian name, Marie, was too common for her, she changed it as above, and from a brunette became a blonde…

[And we thought only our hairdresser knew…]

Juliette Darcourt…there is no nonsense about this actress of the Nouveantés Théâtre as she is always ready to start a new amour, provided that the new admirer has a proper balance at his bankers…

[Smart girl…]

This is but a small sampling of what "The Pretty Women of Paris" had to offer: nearly every entry mentions the girl's physical attributes, age, where she came from, her talents, and her sexual preferences ("…she is gifted with a lustful temperament, so that her passions often prove stronger than her mind and lead her to try all kind of tricks and capers to prolong and intensify the pleasures of copulation.")

Has Paris changed since La Belle Époque? The rules of seduction have changed somewhat. Where the demi-mondaines once ruled the bedroom, the modern Parisienne is in charge of boudoir antics (French couples have sex 8.9 times a month) and that includes sex toys. Sales of vibrators, dildos, ben-wa balls, even edible underwear in all shapes, makes, and colors are taking off in Paris and are available in small shops as well as on the shelves of Le Printemps department store.

To the gentleman of Paris 1889, I have one thing to say:

Edible corset, anyone?

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Naughty Paris up close and personal

I'm just getting started with my "behind the scenes" look at the wild and raucous world of writing erotic fiction.

We all know the research can be stimulating...it's also fascinating. Come with me as I take you around the world while we explore the most interesting facts and tidbits I've discovered on my travels.

First stop...the brothels of 1889 Paris...

The Spicy Contessa