Monday 12 March 2012

DLC and the rise of Mummy Porn

One of my protagonist’s main obstacles in her new Italian life is how to handle the language. She is fortunate enough to fall into the arms of a virile young agronomist, and begins to learn Italian in the oldest way know to woman – in bed. I won’t speak of specifics, but suffice to say that the young grammar teacher’s methods are so effective our heroine learns the lingo almost faster than you can say, Basta! Mi stai facendo male! – Stop! You’re hurting me!

This week I read of the runaway success of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, a bondage novel that has American ladies hot between the thighs. Not having read the 1200 page book, I can only guess that there is a lot of titillating and punishment going on, some blindfolding and leatherwear, steep heels and coolly sweating brows. Apparently women are rushing out to buy grey ties, and rushing home to tie their husbands to their beds.

So what is it about suffering in the name of erotic pleasure? Does it make the crux sweeter? More deserved? My prim protagonist Marilyn Wade, a woman who knew how to park a family car and prune roses, meets an immaculate man from Hong Kong on a dating site. At the end of their date the man pushes his tongue into her mouth and she skitters off up a Soho Street. Chapters later, our heroine is living under this man’s roof in Milan, wearing a catsuit with cheeky leather cut-outs as she swishes a riding crop in front of a mirror, about to go to her first kinky party upstairs. How did this happen?

As I was writing this novel I had no clear intentions whatsoever. Every day was an adventure for me. Haphazardly dragging Marilyn – my protagonist – from one scene to another, from one compartment of her life to another. There was pitiful Marilyn, abandoned by her philandering husband, Marilyn-the-mother, whose teens come the full circle and end up protective of her; Marilyn-the-best-friend, whose clairvoyant BFF predicts her future; and Marilyn-the-sexually-revitalised-woman, given the right to climax and howl that had been robbed of her. But I didn’t set out to write about steamy nightclubs or scalding grammar lessons. I wanted humour, I wanted a giggle. But I also wanted to point a finger at the botoxed dummies forty-year-old women become. I wanted to show a woman living beyond her boundaries, a woman recalibrating her senses, her expectations, her evolution.

This is what became my story.

15 comments:

  1. And I can't wait to get my hands on it!!!!

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  2. It sounds A-May-zing. That last sentence of the post was the hook for me.

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth. Review copies have been sent out and I feel like my head is on the block.

      But the promotion side is starting to become a lot of fun!

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  3. So beyond my realm of experience, and yet so fascinating because of that! It's crazy to me that so many people live in this utterly different world of experience that I wouldn't even know how to get into.

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    1. Never say never! Just joking! I'm just hoping my readers will have a naughty giggle or two.

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  4. The postman had better be wearing a helmet today.

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    1. I am DYING to know what you think. He'd better be driving a Kawasaki and dressed in leathers!

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  5. Looking forward to reading it!

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    1. I've been following your promotion tips and hoping for the best! So far, so good x

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  6. "I wanted to show a woman living beyond her boundaries, a woman recalibrating her senses, her expectations, her evolution." - Love this line - brilliant!

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    1. It's weird though, when you try to reduce this thumping story to some semi-coherent ideas. It's all true about my character - the voyage, the recalibration - but sometimes I think I am so wordy!! X

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  7. My heroine is English with a Spanish lover. You're right, it does bring some interesting situations. Manna for the writer.
    www.sandradanby.com

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  8. A great read Cat - my husband was a little worried when I took it on holiday with us earlier this year - feeling I was getting ahead of the game as although I live half the year in Italy he hasn't divorced me yet......!
    MMmmm but Marilyn has more fun methinks?

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