Top 3 of the Week

I'm late this week, but I'd rather be late than skip it again. I think promoting the work of others (especially in this naughty corner of the internet) is important.

1. Masturbation Monday

Three very different pieces grabbed me for three very different reasons this week.

One: Cimmerian Sentiment's "Seducing Mr. Miller" was a thoughtful little story about a younger woman seducing an older man and uncovering her own sexual power in the process. I wish I'd been that brazen as a young woman, sometimes. Hell, I wish I could be that brazen now, on occasion. Mostly, as is usually the case, what I liked most about this piece is the character development. I'd like to see this story continue, and I'd like to know more about Mr. Miller's own internal workings. I think character motivation is fascinating. What made him follow her so easily? And what will he think about her rules? Is this the birth of a dominatrix?

Two: What I loved most about Nicci Haydon's "Fiery Heat" was the youthful innocence and sweetness. It isn't easy to make a reader care about your characters so quickly, so I would say Haydon has a rare talent there. I'm happily anticipating the next installment of this very short glimpse into this young male character's mind.

Three: Jerusalem Mortimer's "Swinging" was also a character-driven story (can you tell what I like?). And another "part 1" to a series of stories I hope to see. This one is an interesting take on the threesome.

Top 3 of the Week

I didn't have a lot of time to read or comment this week. But these are a few fabulous things that caught my eye.

"Close Shave" This shot from Clear Eyed Girl is a black & white testimony to the beauty in simple actions. @_Masterseye

"Held" This photograph from submiss34f is just filled with strong sexual energy. I love the way he holds her and covers her. And the contrast in their skin color is striking. The image left me feeling powerful emotions and stuck with me for days. @mistress34f

I also really enjoyed this post from Loving BDSM/Kayla Lords - What You Should Expect from D/s Relationships. Having played with our own version of a D/s relationship, I feel that all of these points are important and anyone thinking of trying it would do well to review her website. It's full of helpful, non-judgement information for the beginner to the expert.

Top 3 of the Week

When I Was Sixteen Frisky in the 916 - Awwwww....that's pretty much what I have to say about this one. I love knowing that teenage boys are just as sensitive as teenage girls when it comes to first love and first experiences. I repeatedly appreciate Jack's male perspective on sex and love. This post is a good example of why. He writes with detail, emotion, and breathes life into his "characters" so the reader feels like he or she is there, perusing these memories right along side the writer.

A Late Replacement Books 1799 - I basically read and read all week. I comment because I know I need to network, and because I like something about what I read. But occasionally, something read stops me in my tracks and stays with me for days. This piece did just that. It left me with the essence of emotion, like a ghost, that haunts, grips, and holds hostage. The characters in this story are perfectly crafted, and the plot moves like soft ocean waves. There is a sadness in this story. But it left me with a smile. I'll be reading for of Books 1799.

Confessions of  Kinky Housewife - I found this site via TMI Tuesday. It wasn't her TMI Tuesday post that grabbed me (those rarely do), but the other posts I read while I was visiting grabbed my attention enough that I added her to my "community" links, so I can follow her smart, short opinion pieces from here on out.

Top 3 of the Week

1. I've been binge-reading Frisky in the 916, and reading some of it out loud to Mr. D, because, quite honestly, Jack sounds so much like him. In fact, if I didn't know better, I might have thought Mr. D was keeping a secret blog where he wrote about our trials and tribulations. But, of course, it is completely coincidental, even if eerily so. Jack and Jill do quite a bit of TMI Tuesday, but the posts I found myself lingering over were those that deal with their forays into non-monogamy. I'm fascinated by these, because Jack's opinions about it are so similar to Mr. D's, and I have such a hard time wrapping my brain around it, because I just wasn't raised that way. Even with experience, I still don't find myself embracing polyamory. I get it, theoretically, and I don't judge those who choose it. But, not embracing it does make it difficult when your significant other has soul-searched his way into realizing this is a part of what he would like to explore.

I very much appreciate the male voice in sex-blog/confessional writing. I consider it research of the most intimate sort. I thank Jack for his commentary and honesty on this blog. This is the post that drew me down his rabbit hole: "We Had Sex on New Year's Eve!" After reading this one, I had to read the 5-part series he links in this post. And from there, I was hooked.

2. Midnight at the Oasis - I started following Indigo after a comment she made on one of my posts. She has a unique site with unique insight, and she's a great writer. Just reading her "about this blog" section was enough to grab me. Her recent poem Plate Spinning and her post The Men in My Life (which gave me some great new links to check out) are two that I'd suggest reading.

3. Nero Speaks - This is another blog that is new to me and another authored by a man. Lots of good stuff here, but once again, my favorite posts are those that deal with his personal life and his marriage. I'm just getting started with his blog, but I love the here, there, everywhere approach he seems to have to blogging. Plus, as with all the blogs I love the most, he writes well! In fact, that's usually the biggest selling point for me...a good writer can make just about anything palatable. A good writer with something interesting to say is gold in my book. "I got laid on New Year's Day" is a good place to start, if Nero is new to you, too. He's very descriptive, which I find to be a complete turn on.

My top 3 blogging superheroes

#1: Marie Rebel

Marie Rebel of Rebel's Notes and the curator of Wicked Wednesday has been an inspiration to me for some time. She was one of the first sex bloggers I followed, when I started this gig in 2010, and her's was one of the first memes I got involved with. As I have disappeared and reappeared again, she has always been there to welcome me back, encourage me (as a writer and as a person), and somehow finds the time to do so for so many other bloggers. She is a true icon of this writing community, and she amazes me. Through all of her own personal struggles and work and life, she has managed to keep up a blog, run a meme that is now on its 291st prompt, and revive the Smut Marathon. Holy hell! I can barely keep up with writing my own little blog on a semi-regular basis.

#2: Molly Moore

Molly is another of those superstars of the sex-blogging community. She has managed several of her own projects (most notably, The Pussy Pride Project) and memes and also heads up e-lust, which offers a fabulous publishing opportunity for the rest of us. She's helped me and inspired me as a blogger and writer, and, like Marie, I love to see the real person behind her online presence that she shares in her blog posts. Her photos are impressive, and her Sinful Sunday meme has challenged me to take photos and share myself in a way I may otherwise never have dared.

#3: Kayla Lords

Superstar sex-blogger #3 for me is Kayla Lords. She runs Masturbation Monday and has a podcast/blog (which I am new to) called Loving BDSM. I applaud her vulnerability and strength and courage. She is another writer, like Marie and Molly, who manages to have several balls in the air at once (naughty pun intended). I'm always so impressed by bloggers like Kayla, though I have to admit, it intimidates me a bit, because I feel like I would fall apart if I were running so many things at once. It takes dedication, organization, and creativity...three things which Kayla seems to have in spades.