New Release!

A Bad Influence is finally ready for publication and will be released exclusively on Excessica on the 6th October. The book and purchasing details can be found here and I'm offering the prize of a free copy of my 4,000 word short story But Is It Art? to the first person who writes a review for the excessica website.

Looking forward to hearing all your comments.


EXCERPT


Alistair now found himself the sole focus of Katie’s attention and, although he was oblivious to the reason behind it, it started to have an effect nonetheless. A subtle change had come over him inside his own head. First, he allowed himself to fantasise about Katie; his usual self-protective restraint abandoned. Even more crucially, however, he was beginning to believe that a liaison between he and Katie wasn’t a complete impossibility and, consequently, introduced ever greater detail into his fantasies— how she’d feel in his arms and what her lips would taste like. The more he thought about her, the more he wanted to touch her until, eventually, all he could think about was sleeping with her; holding her in his arms and sliding into her again and again until bliss prevailed.
Subsumed in his explicit fantasies, nothing could get through to him but the satisfaction of his desires. Once he realised this, he, too, began to formulate a plan.

It's Official!

I have been offered a contract by Aspen Mountain Press for my 30k word novella, 'Tease'. I have to go through it and sign my name to it, but it's official - I can now consider myself a professional author!

I was very excited and have to share the news - watch the blog for updates and excerpts - not to mention a link to buy the story when it's published!
This is the culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of dreams. I am so proud of myself to have achieved this. Now back to the editing - oy!


~E~

Dirty Words...

I visited my mum and dad recently. They’ve just got a new addition to the family: a puppy. Personally I detect a distinct whiff of ‘empty nest syndrome,’ but that’s besides the point… The reason I bring this up is because I’ve never had much to do with a dog before, so I was experimenting with some basic training commands – ‘sit’, ‘come’, ‘drop’ etc – and I was amazed how quickly this tiny little scrap of fluff learned the words. Each time it obeyed I gave her a titbit of chicken and very soon she started sitting as soon as she saw me.

Maybe this is a roundabout introduction to the point I intended to make, but I was thinking about how certain words have an actual, physiological effect. Now, when I say ‘sit’ to the puppy, its bottom hits the ground before the word has even entered its consciousness. You can see its face going ‘hey – I just sat down’ while it tries to figure out why. Seeing the effect of words on an animal that only knows a few I started thinking about their effect on us – with our vocabulary or tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of words.

Let’s try a little exercise. I would say ‘close your eyes’, but that may make doing the rest of the exercise a little tricky, so just – concentrate really hard, OK? Now, think of a lemon. A really plump, rich, sunshine yellow lemon. The rind is firm and waxy, puckered with little dimples all over and exuding a faint aroma of Christmas and summer. Now imagine that you have a knife in your hand, sharp and shiny. Place it against the skin of the lemon, see the blade bend, then lacerate the rind. Swiftly the silver knife slices through the tender lemon flesh. Picture how it looks, lying sliced in half – the pale lemon flesh oozing acid juice, the air full of that tangy, piercing scent. You suck your fingers and your mouth puckers with the sour, fruity juices you taste…

I bet your mouth is watering something chronic!

Seriously though, it’s impossible to picture the above and not have your mouth fill with saliva – such is the power of words: words and imagination.

Because, when it comes down to it, that’s the whole point of writing, isn’t it, especially in an area as tactile and sensual as erotica. The author paints a picture with words and the reader responds to those words without even realising it, their mind creating an illusion based on the words without the conscious mind having very much to do with it.



So, if I can describe a juicy lemon and make your mouth water, what can I do to you if I described a soft kiss, lips sticking to each other slightly as they pull apart for a breath; the heavy, luscious weight of a woman’s breast in your hand; the pungent, musky scent of naked bodies as they fuck…? Can I turn you on? Can I make you come? More importantly, to me at any rate, can I make you buy my book when it’s published?!
x
Emelia Bell

Chat me up...

Ok, so I was thinking about this the other night after over-hearing a very silly conversation about pick-up lines. I realised that no-one had ever used an actual pick-up line on me.

Now now, don;t feel sorry for me, I've had plenty of interest, just never anyone coming up to me in a bar and trying to hook up with me. It's odd.

I saw a wonderful site, once, with all sorts of comebacks for hideous chat-up lines. Stuff like-
"How do you like your eggs in the morning babe?"
"Unfertilised."
And I was dying to try them out, but never had the opportunity :-(

Anyway, with my novella currently being proofed and collated for publication, I thought maybe now was the ideal time to run a little competition...
So, have you got a truly hideous chat-up line, has someone tried to pick you up with one, did you have a great comeback or maybe you've got a failsafe pick-up line that works every time. I want you to comment on this post and share your experiences and opinions with me. Any post that particularly catches my eye will win a free e-copy of my book "A Bad Influence", plus I'll also pick a name out of all the people who have contributed and send them a copy too...

So go on then - chat me up!

Feeling hot hot hot

OK, it’s weird and there’s no reason for it, but the last few days I’ve been kinda… twitchy. Y’know, that nagging, tickly, if-only-I-wasn’t-so-busy kind of randiness that creeps up on you when you’re doing the ironing or cleaning the toilet or performing any one of a hundred mundane tasks that are totally unsexy.

I find my mind wandering to naked flesh and hot sweatiness as I wash the dishes, I lick my lips as I peel carrots, I find myself heavy breathing in the middle of a very dull television programme because I’m not concentrating on the programme, I’m running my own private viewing inside my head and it’s all XXX.

Maybe it’s this glorious hot weather we’re having lately. Every year, as soon as the days get long and the sun gets hot I find myself a little more willing to get naked. All these delicious men and women are going around in skimpy clothing and the general atmosphere is relaxed, luxuriant and permissive. The warmth of the day sinks through your skin, into that secret place in the pit of your stomach that initialises the spark plugs to your libido and sets your whole body warm and tingling…

Or maybe it’s just the fact that my other half, for work reasons, is just not interested: nothing like Sod’s Law for firing up your sex drive. What’s that saying? “Sex is like oxygen: you only miss it when you’re not getting any!”

Whatever the cause; it’s giving me some fantastic ideas for new stories. I’ve never been as inspired in my erotica as I am when I am brutally, mortally, sexually frustrated. So I guess, as far as you guys – my readers – go, long may it last. As far as I’m concerned, well, let’s just say I’m open to offers…

Ps- I’m not really open to offers, but I couldn’t deny myself such a perfect line to finish on. I’m more of a word-whore than I am a real-life one!

Going Straight: to porn or not to porn

The problems of being an erotic author are many and varied. This erotic author, for example, is seriously considering moving into the more generally accepted genre of romantic or ‘chick lit’ fiction, not least because then I could finally let my mum and dad read something I’ve written!

In fact, telling people is one of the biggest reasons I am considering moving into a more ‘acceptable’ area of fiction. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ashamed. All my friends know I write erotica, as does my partner and my mother, but I can’t let them read anything I write, nor can I tell people at my volunteer work who ask me what I do. The follow-up question to “Oh, I’m an author” is always some variation of “Oh? What do you write?” A total nightmare if you’re in a very conservative situation.

Add to that the difficulty of getting it published in the real world – and I’m sorry, however wonderful e-publishing is, it’s just not the same as being in print – and the continual problems of finding new vocabulary for basic human anatomy and you have a rough idea of why non-sexual romantic stuff might be preferable for me.

Of course, the problem there is that I just write sex too damn well, and I bloody well enjoy it. For the time being I guess I’ll just have to continue typing away, producing marvellous works of literary genius that just happen to be filled with pages and pages of raunchy sex and deal with the consequences. Though, looking as sweet and innocent and I do, it’s always fun to drop a bombshell now and then.

“So Emelia, what is it that you do?”

“Oh, I write porn…”

Priorities

Writing is my number one hobby and my most satisfying pursuit. That's why it's such a pity that it's right on the bottom of my list of priorities.

Things that come before my writing, and why.

-My family (because what's the point of anything else if you don't have family?)
-My friends (because they come just after family)
-Housework (because otherwise eurgh)
-Cooking (or we don't eat)
-Washing up (or I can;t cook the next meal)
-Shopping (or there's no food to cook)
-My health (everything before this has to be done whether I'm up to it or not)
-My Volunteer activities (because they're scheduled)
-My dance lessons (ditto)
-Writing comes somewhere here...

*sigh*

If anyone has a suggestion as to how I can re-jig things so writing falls higher up the list I would be very grateful to hear it. In the meantime my health has put the kibosh on everything so instead I am blogging about why I'm not writing. How productive is that? <-- not a rhetorical question...