Thursday, April 18, 2013

Gay & Lesbian Coffee Break Quickies Interview with Angel Propps

Good morning, all!

Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Angel Propps, a lovely femme leatherdyke submissive with a secret sadistic side . . . who just happens to write some very steamy BDSM themed erotica. As one of the contributors to the Gay & Lesbian Coffee Break Quickies anthology from Storm Moon Press, Angel graciously agreed to stop by today for a brief interview.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥ Tell us a little about yourself.

Okay—I'm a very involved femme leatherdyke submissive with a secret sadistic side (or maybe not so secret). I currently serve as WILL (Women's International Leather Legacy) 2012. I work to record and preserve leatherwomen's history. I have had several titles within the community and own, with my partner, Owhips. I'm also on the board of a great conference called SouthEastLeatherFest, and I'm a writer of erotica, horror, poetry, and music.

♥ Storm Moon Press' Gay & Lesbian Coffee Break Quickies anthology just released April 12th. What is the name of your short story contribution, and what is it about?

"She's the Boss". It's about a boss who offers one employee some very special 'perks'.

♥ What theme in your erotic short sets it apart from the rest? Is there something special you put into it that readers should look forward to?

It's very much a BDSM tale, and it's a f/f power dynamic scenario. I love women engaging in that type of play and sex. There is something so exciting about seeing women claiming their power and bodies and sexuality.

♥ Do you have your own coffee break fantasy from a menial job? What about that secret flame for a co-worker? Any work-related tidbits from your life you can share in celebration of your book release?

I own a business that sees me attending kink and leather conferences nearly every weekend, so I can't say I have a menial job. I get to see naked people doing all kinds of wicked things, and I get paid to be there.

I have the utter hots for my Daddy. (That would be my butch dyke Daddy type partner.)

I sell whips and use them, too. I teach classes on the subject. You want to learn? I could tell lots of stories but I won't; I never whip and tell. Or get whipped and tell, for that matter.

♥ What television show comes up most at your water cooler conversations?

Oh, ha ha... oddly enough... CSI. Second to that would likely be American Horror Story. Maybe it's me or just that the people I know like gory stuff. I hadn't thought about that until just now.

♥ Where can readers find you?

I can be found at www.owhips.com and, of course, on Fetlife as angelwrong.

♥ Thanks for stopping by!

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Gay & Lesbian Coffee Break Quickies – Now available from Storm Moon Press for $3.99 (ebook)

Ah, the allure of the office romance. The sly smiles across the room as you wonder if anyone else knows. The danger of being caught by the boss. The thrill of those stolen moments in the copy room or supply closet. It's this feeling that we've condensed, distilled, and captured in the short shorts of Gay & Lesbian Coffee Break Quickies. We've compiled thirteen brief tales of men and women getting it on with a co-worker or a boss in a steamy office romance.

Some of them are established and have been sneaking around the office for some time, like Lori Hunt and her P.A. Ms. Lovell in She's the Boss or Tom and Neal in Personal Assistance. Others, like The New Guy's Greg and Eli or the awkwardly-named Rebecca A. and Rebecca B. from Tele-Romance are just beginning to experience the allure that can come from keeping the secret. Nor are such trysts confined to the office itself, spilling out into stairwells, copy rooms, gyms, and even computer server rooms. Whatever the case, though, they're sure to arouse your imagination, and maybe even leave you looking at your own co-workers a little bit... differently.

Gay & Lesbian Coffee Break Quickies includes: Skype Wars by Rob Rosen Hands On by K. Piet One Week by L. Alonso Corona Working Lunch by Ann Anderson Personal Assistance by K. Lynn She's the Boss by Angel Propps The New Guy by John Amory Stair Walking by Harper Bliss 1-800-BOREDOM by Raven de Hart Fair Play by Anna Hedley His Nonexistent Coffee Break by Lor Rose Tele-Romance by Erik Moore Three Strikes by Piper Vaughn

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Nevada by Imogen Binnie (REVIEW)

Totally

Somehow I find that I am at a loss to say much about this stunning novel as I am still assimilating it and trying to understand it `cause it hit me like a train wreck. Totally. Although I feel I must say something or blow loudly into some heralding trumpet, words fail me as I sit here in awe.

In her stunning novel Nevada, as a keen observer of the gender dysphoric experience, Imogen Binnie slices into every conceivable permutation of transgenderism with surgical precision, examining from all angles the nooks and crannies of the minds of her creations. Penned in a very unusual stream of consciousness style that exposes that "little voice" in the minds of her characters for what it is, the novelist examines and dissects every thought and every thought behind every thought, peering ever deeper and deeper into the psyche of those about whom she writes. The desired result happens to be totally great and I cannot say enough good things about this novel.

On the one hand, I think the author totally "nailed it," but with dropped jaw, I cannot say exactly what she nailed, but somehow I know it was important and we are witnessing something great happening here. Totally. Although I am embarrassed to admit that I do not know exactly what it was, I think the power of this book is that it exposes and eviscerates the bi-gendered model of society and is an indictment of the paternalistic medical model of transgenderism. Totally.

That the author's characters happen to be trans, gay and/or drug addled, socially challenged, codependent, lacking in self-esteem, purpose and moral fabric, provides a great backdrop and makes for a very interesting ride to say the least.

This book is an amazing experience and not to be missed. Totally.




[Reviewed by Samuel]

Friday, April 5, 2013

Ignorance is Bliss by Karin Bishop (REVIEW)

Ignorance is Bliss is a touching and sweet little book that is virtually a classic psychological case study about a mother and her transgender child.  It is, first and foremost, a novel about a young teen who not only has to deal with her own transition to a female gender role, but the burgeoning realization that her mother is suffering from mental illness in the form of a Dissociative Disorder,  a condition that involves a breakdown of memory, awareness, identity and perception.

How this little girl deals with her own struggle in the face of her mother’s issues is nothing short of magnificent. This tale demonstrates the virtues of honesty and ethical practice, and features the support of caring professionals, friends, and loved ones. It provides an interesting juxtaposition of the protagonist’s struggle to come to terms with her own true identity, while her mother is presented as a person who we can only theorize is a survivor of some buried trauma or deeply rooted horror that will never permit her to come close to knowing who she really is.

Sad to think that while the daughter jubilantly launches on a path to achieve her quest, the mother never will.



[Reviewed by Samuel]

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Intervention by Crystal Veeyant (REVIEW)

After her last tale (The Sissy and the Billionaire), which went all-out erotic fantasy from the first page, Crystal Veeyant scales things back with Intervention. It is a smaller story, with a more intimate cast of characters, and while it still has a touch of fantasy, it deals very sensitively and maturely with the concepts of addiction and consequences.

Bob is a stressed out, overworked, middle-aged gentleman stuck in a job that provides no satisfaction, and entrenched in a relationship where his wife is the primary breadwinner. He's not a sad man, or a depressed one, but one who is desperately seeking something . . . something special, something different, something exciting. He and his wife are more adventurous in the bedroom than the average couple, but he still wants something more - something that he seeks, day in and day out, through pornography. It is not just a fetish, but an addiction, one that has already almost cost him his job once already.

When an impromptu encounter in the bathroom at his addiction counselling session triggers that 'something' he has been looking for, much more than just his job is at risk. Suddenly, he is losing himself in transsexual pornography, rubbing himself raw to images of shemales and sissies, and eventually cheating on his wife with the beautiful transsexual prostitute from the bathroom.

If that seems like pretty standard stuff, trust me . . . it certainly is not. Veeyant demonstrates a deep understanding of the human psyche and the depths to which sexual addiction can send us. More than that, she layers in an even deeper layer to the story, one that is deliberately psychological in nature. As evidence of Bob's cheating comes to life, his wife gives in to her own fantasies and consummates the blossoming lesbian relationship with her assistant - a young psychology graduate who just happens to specialize in sexual deviance and addiction.

Together, the two women work to break Bob of his addiction by giving him EVERYTHING he desires, attempting to overwhelm him to the point where his fetish addictions lose all power over his life. Of course, this is a Crystal Veeyant tale, so you know that is going to involve some forced feminization, role-reversal, and submissive role-playing. By the time Mary's true intentions are revealed, Bob and his wife have sunk too far, gone too deep, to ever return to their 'normal' lives.

The opening chapters may be a bit difficult to read for many, only because Veeyant's look at sexual addiction hits so close to home. It is hard not to, in some small part, identify with Bob . . . to fear for him . . . and to experience some honest tension on his behalf. Fortunately, things turn out precisely as they should, and the resolution of addiction, fantasy, and relationships is entirely satisfying.


[Reviewed by Bobbi]

A Different Kind of Life by Katie Leone (REVIEW)

Through circumstances beyond his control, a sensitive young boy is faced with a vital decision in A Different Kind of Life. "Michael or Michelle, someone step forward and take charge," the internal voice of our protagonist pleads for direction and help. Then, in what almost appears to be divine intervention, a powerful dream sequence, leading to absolute clarity, removes the scales from his eyes. This is a book, not about the plusses and minuses of being either gender, but about the idea of finally being who you are.

Katie Leone has written a novel touching all the bases of gender dysphoria, from the actual realization of the forbidden fantasy of the transgender child, to the exploration of the philosophical conflict of our bigendered society, where personal freedoms are an illusion and societal expectations fostered by paternalism are the norm. This is a sensitive novel by an author who has the courage to gracefully and tastefully touch, not only upon a child's gender issues, but the sexuality of children, an important but oft neglected area ordinarily taboo to literature, but here outlined with unerring innocence and sweetness. Just another wonderful novel by a fine and passionate write



[Reviewed by Samuel]

Monday, April 1, 2013

Get the latest copy of Frock Magazine . . . FREE!

I am delighted to announce that Issue #20 of Frock Magazine is now available, and it's a great one!

Inside you'll not only find my regular "Frock Books" review column, but also a great piece on the Photographing Dr.a.g collection, and Frock Chick Ava Roux.

Completely free, and available digitally,  Frock Magazine is one of the finest transgender lifestyle magazines around, and one that prides itself on being coffee-table friendly (i.e. free of any erotic content, suggestive ads, etc.).


While you're at it, we're always looking for new and exciting stories and articles to share, so if you have a transgender related idea you'd like to see in Frock Magazine, or a 
story/article you'd like to share, please drop me a line (sally AT frockmagazine DOT com).


Don't just pick it up for my column, though - the magazine has a wonderful variety of articles and features, looks absolutely gorgeous, and is a wonderful read. Please hop on over to  Frock Magazine and give it a read today!