Where the Customer Comes First

The title of this post comes from one side of a brothel token I saw online. I burst out laughing.

When fellow author, Wendy Ely, posted on Facebook pictures of brothel tokens she had picked up in Jerome, AZ, I had to know more. And, I had to have some. Do you know Amazon sells brothel tokens? Amazing, aren’t they? They make an interesting addition to my guest bathroom. Reading material, you know.

Well, to clarify, I don’t have real brothel tokens. Those cost hundreds of dollars. DH would not spring for them! (But I wonder if a request for real ones could be on my Christmas List? Hmmm.)

My Amazon brothel tokens are replicas of the real thing (maybe) referred to in the collecting trade as “fantasy” or “reproduction” (interesting word there, eh?) brothel tokens. I briefly toyed with having Carrie (from STREETWALKER) use tokens instead of the paper trail their bordello creates by billing customers, but I'm not sure how that would help. They're in trouble with the law no matter what.

The research into brothel tokens was fascinating. Brothel tokens go back to Roman times. Or maybe they were just used for gaming (Though why would they have sex acts depicted on them?). Maybe they were both.

I came across one well-researched blog, but mostly I pieced together what I learned from reading about brothel tokens on some websites selling them and a few other places. The information accuracy might be iffy. I listed some of these at the end. Go take a peek.

Many of the tokens were valued at a bit--12 ½ cents (8 bits makes a dollar). A drink usually cost one bit. Or one “encounter” with a woman.

To summarize a lot of stuff, old west tokens came about to solve a couple of problems. Legal-tender money was in short supply in isolated areas of the western mining towns. One article speculated business owners came up with the tokens as an alternative way to pay. I guess the Bitcoin phenomenon might be comparable today.

Another problem tokens solved was the madam of an establishment getting paid. The customer bought the tokens and used them to pay the selected “lady of the night”. This ensured the madam got paid, and if the customer left more, that belonged to his partner. That way the girls couldn’t secrete money from the madam. They’d turn their collected tokens in maybe once a week to be re-sold.

All in all, this was fascinating. I have to do more reading on the topic. Brothel tokens are an entire area of history I was unaware of.

Read more about brothel tokens:

http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/2011/02/saloon-and-brothel-tokens.html

http://www.backintimetradingpost.com/products/old-west-denver-colorado-cat-house-brothel-token-2.html

http://www.louisiana-trade-tokens.com/brothel-tokens.html

http://brothelcollectors.com/

Joelle Casteel, BDSM Erotic Romance Author

I am delighted to bring Joelle Casteel and her work to your attention here at Romance Righter. Joelle and I "met" on Facebook and found a number of connectors. Through people's posts you learn a lot about them. I can tell that Joelle is caring, concerned, and a very involved author and reviewer of romance literature. Enjoy the interview, and please comment or leave a question down below (so appropriate for this blog, eh?).

1. What are the three most important things people should know about you.

I write BDSM erotic romance, I live BDSM (psst.. I didn't read about it online, see FSoG and decide to jump on the bandwagon.) I write not only from the lifestyle submissive perspective, but also LGBT and polyamorous perspectives (don't expect monogamy or just heterosexual couplings in my stories.) I prefer intelligent erotica; don't be surprised if you find a discourse on philosophy by characters in between sex scenes.

2. Given total choice, where would you live and why?

In the suburbs of a large city like Seattle. There'd be a real, wonderful, diverse urban place for me to go while my country loving Master would still be comfortable, living in somewhere not too urban for His comfort.

3. What’s the best part of you? What makes you, you?

Hm, too many changes currently have me wondering if my usual "my ability to get through anything" still fits, but I guess, a dedication to get through experiences that others often have trouble imagining overcoming.

4. When did you start writing? What did you write?

I started writing as soon as my first English teacher managed to teach me to write a sentence. I started writing erotica after my first girlfriend introduced me to Anne Rice's erotica published under a pseudonym.

5. Did you wrestle with the decisions around traditional publishing and indie publishing? Why did you go the route you did?

With my serial, it's not been a struggle on deciding- I know it's way too outside of the box and I'm not willing to give up final control of it. However with other WIPs I have going, I do wrestle with notions of self-publishing or indie publishing. With writing BDSM erotic romance, the question of "traditional publishing" as in using the "Big 6" really isn't there, but there are a number of indie publishers that deal mostly or exclusively with erotica/erotic romance, and I do ponder them.

6. What writing you’ve done are you most proud of and why?

The final scene in "Vala's Story"- (book 9) when I completed the story and saw Vala finally get her "happily ever after."

7. What are you most proud of about yourself?

my ability to put myself into almost anyone's metaphorical shoes

8. You are very open about the sub-dom relationship you are in. Many people are unsure what it even means. What led you to live that life? Do you encounter prejudice?

That first erotic book I read? It was Anne Rice's "The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty." While not an accurate representation of consensual BDSM (it wasn't meant to be; Anne was writing a fantasy re-imagining of the Sleepy Beauty story), I found the BDSM activities themselves highly arousing. The social group I traveled in had lots of others interested in BDSM, either as teens just exploring or some adults who had actually made their way into the Detroit BDSM scene. I got to experience various plays with BDSM until at 19-ish I met Tom, the dom who was the original model for The Queen, the Master in "Vala's Story." Interestingly, this is a story I've told time and again on my blog, sometimes focusing on one aspect or another.

Prejudice? Oh yes, that's something I sadly know too well. When asked of my sexual orientation, I reply that I'm poly, queer, and kinky. I don't really fit too well any one place. I've been judged for not being just gay or straight. I've been judged because I refuse to live monogamy. One stream of prejudice I've experienced around BDSM is in relationship to my religion. Now I can imagine people thinking "why would you want to talk about your sex life at church?" My answer is two part- 1) just as homosexual people are more than their sex lives, so am I. I constantly struggle with what to call my Master when in groupings where I'm not sure it would be okay if I call Him by His title. and 2) I'm a Unitarian Universalist. While we aren't as open-minded as many non-UUs seem to think, we do tend to be more open-minded than the average faith community. However there are "affinity groups" for both polyamorous and kinky UUs, because many of us have experienced prejudice in our churches, sometimes for as little as mentioning that we are aware of BDSM. Beyond "what do I call my Master?" I have struggled with getting appropriate pastoral care from UU ministers who didn't understand, inappropriately focused on my BDSM identity, instead of the problem I was concerned about.

9. What is the most important thing you want others to understand about your lifestyle choice.

Well biggest thing is it's not necessarily a lifestyle choice. By that I mean, asking me not to engage in a BDSM relationship is analogous to asking a homosexual person to stop being gay. I cannot change what I feel is a very basic part of my identity. This isn't the truth for all people engaging in BDSM, this identity-based reality of engaging in BDSM, but it is for enough of us that assumptions on why a particular person engages in BDSM are likely to be wrong. ... and no, many of us in the BDSM community don't find "Fifty Shades of Grey" to be a legitimate, authentic representation of BDSM.

10. What is a favorite quote or words you try to live your life by?

Listen

The free ebook "Joelle's Chaotic Collection of Screwing" https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/354635

Do you like your erotica in as many flavors as I do? 14 separate pieces of erotica, both from "Vala's Story" and not, coming from a variety of points of views, pairings of gender. Some full of love and some just rutting sex. Some are related to my "Vala's Story" series while others are just a collection of characters from my mind. This novel is meant for open-minded adults.

And please watch my blog for updates on the releases and blog tours for "Out of the Night: Book One" and "Gates of the Garden: Book Two"- both excerpted IN JCCS!

Joelle Casteel has been writing for as long as she can remember. Explicit, graphic, her writing isn't for minors or the easily offended. Once upon a time, she preferred to write on a PC, sitting on a stool- there were those who told her she looked like Tori Amos playing the piano. She's still trying to get the hang of writing in an arm chair instead, normally with a heavy dog's head resting on her feet, whether she wants that or not. With BDSM gaining a broader audience with various books- which she will not name because she can't stand them- she feels it's past time to put out her impression of what BDSM can look like in reality.

STREETWALKER Book Club Kit

I posted an article on another blog explaining to authors what I was doing to help build readership and reader loyalty to my brand, Murders with Taste. (Clever, eh, for a culinary mystery series?) The same advice and info applies to my erotic romance series, “Sex Sells”.

Authors need to consider creating book club kits for their readers who might select their book for a club option. I believe a marketing plan needs to include a full tool belt of various outreach efforts. The article for that piece is:

http://otpblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/book-club-kits-another-marketing-tool.html

I posted here the entire kit in case someone wants to download pieces of it. I tried to think what I would like in a book club kit. I want to know something about the book, the author, and what others think of the book. So that’s there.

 Additionally, if I were in charge of the book club meeting, I would appreciate some discussion suggestions and ideas about how to handle potential issues that arise. So, I put in my two cents worth.

Apart from that I decided to give “value-added” by including additional pieces I had not seen in book club kits I checked out.

I want to connect with my readers. I think that is the prime motivator of any author. We want our words to touch others, and we want to hear about the impact. To that end, I included ways to contact me via social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Also, I gave opportunities to connect through Skype.

Another piece that is often found at the back of historical fiction novels is what the author investigated while writing the book. I included what I learned about prostitution as well as information about sex addiction (hypersexuality). Fascinating stuff! And that’s just some of the research. Authors research locales and news events of note for their period.

It occurred to me readers who find Streetwalker interesting might like to know of other authors of the genre, so I put a few names in.

But the real value added is Carrie’s Top Ten Sex Tips. I included these on the back of my business card, too, to keep folks from tossing it!

Take a scroll through the Streetwalker Book Club Kit included in the list of pages for this blog. Let me know what you think.

"5 Types of Women Men Go For" and other Internet Articles

I can’t help myself. The fact that you clicked on this link to read this blog means you’re just like me. Admit it.

The Internet is rife with articles about how to interview, how to know if he’s really into you, what it means when she wears certain clothes. I’m hooked. Cannot resist collecting these things.

But, I have an excuse. Several in fact. I write blogs about relationship sorts of stuff. I tweet daily (@RomanceRighter), and I maintain my Angelica French Facebook posts. Oh, and I write erotic romances. So that’s why I collect this stuff. I use it!

One article I’ve been hoarding for a while is “5 Types of Women Guys Go For” (http://bit.ly/10TlGdT). How could I not have been drawn to it?

In this article, you are given character sketches--for free--of women to include in your stories! How cool is that? I mean, think about it. You read the description and come up with some questions about plot lines and BINGO! A book!

Let’s try one. But first, here are the five types:

Type #1: The older woman

Type #2: The woman who’s “just one of the guys”

Type #3: The free spirit

Type #4: The intellectual

Type #5: The seductress

Here’s my process:

Remember I’m into Crone Lit. Old rules!

So, Type #1: The older woman is described as a sophisticate who’s been places, seen things, and done lots more. She knows who she is and what she wants. She can act as a mentor to both younger men and women helping them gain perspective on life. Being desirable isn’t an age but a way of being. A man needs to find ways to please a woman who isn’t looking to start a family.

After listing the traits from the article, I generate questions for me to answer:

What has she accomplished? What are her goals at this time of life?

Is she looking for love? What gives her the greatest satisfaction?

For conflicts, I can contrast her with male or female characters who are opposite her goals and accomplishments.

Then to the what-ifs:

What if a woman who just lost her husband and son met a man on a cruise who looked like her son but acted the opposite?

What if this guy is oblivious to her curiosity about him?

What if he is attracted to a younger woman who is so wrong for him and the older woman wants to save him?

What if in the process of distracting him they discover a mutual interest?

And so on.

After that, list your ten key events and build out to 35-40 scenes from them. 

Your turn! How would you exploit the remaining four types? Comments?

Carrie's Top Ten Sex Tips

So how does Carrie keep Harlan’s interest? After all, this guy LOVES having sex often in varied ways with various partners. Can he maintain the monogamy he promised to try at the end of STREETWALKER?

Here’s how Carrie plans to ensure that he does.

Carrie’s Top Ten Sex Tips

10. Think sex before having sex. It gets the juices going.

9. Talk dirty in your partner’s ear while s/he loads the dishwasher.

8. Don’t just not say “no” to sex; initiate a romp, and often.

7. Put naughty notes in a lunch bag for a real “happy hour” after work.

6. Rent a XXX movie and act it out while it plays.

5. Pretend sleep, but display yourself as an invitation to follow “up” on.

4. Wake him as a “midnight rider” and straddle him until he bucks back.

3. Boot the TV out of the bedroom.

2. Leave a note sending her to a bar. Pick her up & get it on in a motel room.

And Carrie’s #1 Sex Tip for a healthy, happy sex life . . .

1. Laugh with your partner in bed, not at him/her. Humor signals good sex.

What are your tips? Please share in the comments section so all of us have happier, healthier sex lives!

Dating--Again

I hear from my friends that the dating scene is no more fun now, in fact, much worse, than our angst-ridden teen times. Holy cow!

And to hear some tell it, it is much, much worse. There is still the appearance-thing, the confidence-thing, will-he-call-me thing, and the how/when-do-we-escalate-this thing. Those anxieties are givens at any age. But for adults, it’s also complicated by the who-pays-for-what thing and who-gets-the-door thing. Honest.

When Lil’ Bro began dating again after his wife died, we had many a talk. His date wanted to pay sometimes. She wanted to open her own door if she happened to be there first. Stuff like that. He had some out-moded notion (well, he hadn’t dated for 40 years) that guys were supposed to do it all. I told him it was the 21^st century and to get with the program.

Sure, it’s nice to open the door of the restaurant, but not if it’s awkward reaching around and nearly crushing her to get to it first. Let her open the damn door. She’s not that delicate, I hope. I open the door if I get there first, and then let the other person--male, female, indeterminate--go through. That is common sense. And polite.

Same with paying. Why, why, why should guys always have to fork over the cash? Especially with women of a certain age (ahem, my friends, I mean). They’ve got enough money to pay for their own food. So splitting the cost or alternating paying makes perfect sense. It also has the benefit of signaling that the woman is not for sale. Getting between my legs is going to cost more than dinner, Fella.

An interesting thing about all this is that the woman must initiate the discussion about date responsibilities. Sadly, if a guy says, “You pay tonight”, women, paradoxically, think he’s being cheap. No, we have to do it because we are weird that way.

Sex for Sale, Book Two in the "Sex Sells" Trilogy

I have been working on my erotic romance, Sex for Sale (tentative title), the sequel to Streetwalker. It will be the second book of the trilogy, “Sex Sells”. My plan is to have it off to my editor, Sascha Illyvich at Sizzler Editions before the clock tolls a new year.

I am finding it hard to limit this book. I want so much to happen to set up Book 3, but I know I am being unrealistic. I should just bite the bullet (Do you love the cliché, Sascha?) and move a bunch of stuff to book three. Or not?

Here are the 10 key events for Sex for Sale. Please chime in if you have ideas for other complications/characters/plot lines. The more the merrier (Just for you, Sascha)!

1) Carrie and Harlan have settled into a conjugal-sans-legal commitment, new for both of them.

2) Carrie’s mother shows up and Carrie deals with her baggage from childhood.

3) Harlan has withdrawn more and more from the whore house business to focus on his photography, a talent Carrie encouraged him to develop, but Carrie resents having to carry (!) the business on her own.

4) Carrie develops new products and new delivery modes which Harlan tries to squelch. They include DikMilch, a skin cream made from cum; art gallery with a restaurant with prurient foods; on-line services while clearing out the in-house services, etc.

5) Bored and feeling neglected, Carrie takes up with a fellow who is an undercover Vice cop. She inadvertently implicates Harlan and herself in criminal activity.

6) Laurel comes back into their lives. She tries to snare Harlan but is rejected after an aborted sexual encounter. She turns to the D.A. and makes a plea bargain deal that implicates Harlan but clears her.

7) Laurel engages in risky sex play leading to her death; Harlan is a major

suspect.

8) Harlan is arrested. His mother is gravely ill. His sister tells him to come clean to mom about his work so he can move on with his life and resolve his commitment and sexual issues.

9) Harlan is cleared of Laurel’s death.

10) Carrie wants more than Harlan does from their relationship, but he is inching toward marriage. Meanwhile, Carrie and Harlan recommit to their relationship and turn to legal ways to make money using sex. They sell their brownstones and buy a condo overlooking Central Park.

Would you read a story like this? What’s missing? Do you believe a sex addict and a prostitute can make a go of it? Stay tuned!