Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Guest Blogger Alexandra (Lexxx) Christian - Life Before 50 Shades of Grey

If you’ve ever read my regular blog, “The Southern Belle from Hell,” over at Wordpress, then you probably came across my rants about the E.L. James novel, Fifty Shades of Grey. As I read the book, I wrote little posts giving my thoughts. And I have to say, I did not trash it. Well… not all of it. There were parts that I found enjoyable and parts that I found almost excruciating to read. Like pretty much any book. I completely understand where my friends in the BDSM community were coming from when they said it was almost insulting. I also understood some of my more “vanilla” friends being completely freaked out and fascinated. So this is not going to be a post about me saying that Ms. James is a great writer or a terrible writer or that her books are best used to line the catbox. My biggest problem with the Fifty Shades trilogy is that everyone acts like erotic romance was born when that book came off the presses.

I’ve been writing for a long time, kids. And reading even longer than that. I discovered erotic romance back in the 80s when I first began going through puberty (thank you, Simon LeBon). Anne Rice wrote an amazing romance novel under the pseudonym Ann Rampling called Belinda. At the time it was touted as a really hot mainstream romance novel. No one really knew what to call it, but kids--- it was an erotic romance novel. The sex was very explicit, frequent and a little taboo (the heroine is underage and the object of her affection is MUCH older). The language Ms. Rice used, as always, was beautiful. I was completely in love with the way she used words and I still am. And of course, I was a twelve year old pile of hormones, so that helped. Shortly after that, I came across The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty (Anne Roquelaire if you wanted to know) and it was all over. I was officially an erotica buff. I branched out to reading Anais Nin and a lot of Victorian Era erotic fiction. I think I knew even then that what I wanted to write was extremely sensual books for smart women. I know, I’m rambling, but my point is this: E. L. James did NOT invent this genre and certainly does not define the genre and should not be the standard by which erotic romance is measured. There is a wealth of good erotic fiction out there by extremely talented authors. All you need do is look for it. Some of my personal favorites right now are Siobhan Kinkade, Crymsyn Hart, Cassandre Dayne, Zillah Anderson and Kate Douglas, just to name a few. In the words of Sherlock Holmes, “Do your research.” It’s out there.

That being said, I have a brand new book that just debuted with Ellora’s Cave called “One Hundred Strokes.” It is the first in a bunch of little shorts that I’ve written about different fetishes. I wanted to write about fetish play in a way that hadn’t been done before. I didn’t want to just talk about bondage or whips, but little playful treats that lovers can indulge in to spice up their sex lives. If for no other reason than to let folks know that “No, you aren’t a pervert. We’re all doing it.” A fetish is defined as any object or action that habitually incites a sexual response. It can be anything. “One Hundred Strokes” deals with a spanking fetish. There’s a bit of Domination and submission in there, but the two people involved are just “regular folk” who aren’t wearing leather or latex and don’t consider themselves as part of a “lifestyle.” Don’t get me wrong, I love those folks too, but I’ve heard so many people say “I’d like to try that, but the lifestyle is so intimidating.” So I wanted to make it accessible. Which, incidentally, is why I think Fifty Shades was such a sensation. To some extent, it made fetish play more accessible.

So, I’ve finished tooting my own horn. Now it’s up to you, my lovelies. Go forth and check out the book (C’mon… its two bucks. You’ll spend more on a cup of coffee today.)! Share it with a loved one and get to playing!

*********************

About Alexandra Christian-

My name is Alexandra Christian, or Lexxx if you like (yes, those three Xs are on purpose). I'm an author of mostly paranormal erotic romance and horror. In case you don't know what that means, I write about not-so-nice girls getting it on with out- of- this- world heroes. Vampires, werewolves, selkies, angels and demons-- and that's just recently! My first novel was published two years ago and ever since, I've been working my sweet Southern ass off to churn out as much sin and debauchery as I can.

A while ago, I christened myself The Southern Belle from Hell and I think it's a title that suits me well. I live in a small town in South Carolina-- incidentally, it's the same town I've lived in my entire life. The rich Southern culture, fried foods and a healthy dose of superstition have colored my personality and my writing style. I have an extremely tolerant husband who is the epitome of the Southern male with his buttery thick accent, laidback swagger and simple sweetness that makes women of all ages swoon. Of course, how we ended up together is a miraculous wonder. I'm a closeted Goth and when we go out, he looks like my chaperone, but it works! We're kind of a Herman and Lily Munster in our neighborhood and we wouldn't have it any other way.

I've published several novels, novellas and short stories so far and look forward to sharing my twisted view of reality with the masses through erotic paranormal romance and horror. I aspire to one day be a bestselling authoress and part-time pinup girl. Questions, comments and complaints are most welcome.

*****************

Blurb for “One Hundred Strokes”

Selene and Julian need to get away from it all and rekindle the excitement that has been sorely lacking of late. Heading to the mountains for a romantic getaway, Selene packs the one thing she knows will make her weekend enjoyable. However, when Julian discovers her little secret, he’ll make her pay for her deviance. With the help of a forbidden text and an antique hairbrush, their passion will ignite in a way that neither expected.


A Romantica® BDSM erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Links for Alexandra Christian:

Buy Links:

Ellora’s Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/one-hundred-strokes.html

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Alexandra-Christian/e/B009QU3UD4

Social Media:

Wordpress: http://www.lexxxchristian.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @LexxxChristian

Facebook: ‎ https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.christian.12

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4684601.Alexandra_Christian

Pinterest: http://m.pinterest.com/lexxxchristian/











Show more

Show less





5 comments:

kelly said...

Welcome Lexxx!! Great blog post, and I totally agree! (As another writer who was writing erotic romance long before 50 Shades!)

Sydney Somers said...

So true! Thanks for blogging with us, Lexxx. Quick question, what other fetishes do you plan on writing about in future shorts?

Meg Benjamin said...

Hi Lexx, welcome to the Naughty Nine. Great post! The only thing more annoying than the reporters who claim erotic romance started with 50 Shades are those who use the phrase "mommy porn" (gag).

Erin Nicholas said...

Welcome to the Naughty Nine, Lexx! The whole 50 Shades thing still baffles me frankly. I feel sorry for readers who don't know about all the great books they've been missing if they think this was first erotic romance :)

Kate Davies said...

So true! It's like the media suddenly woke up one morning and said, "Let's ignore an entire genre and the breadth of material already part of it, and say erotic romance started HERE. Oh, and any book that comes out after it must have been inspired by it." *rollseyes*