My Cariad and I are now published authors of erotica, as previously mentioned. I received the following in an email:

It's great to be published authors, isn't it? Next time I'm filling in one of those online forms and it asks for occupation I can put pornographer. That would give the stats people something to think about. I wonder if they'd have to start a new category or would it be like all those people who put Jedi as their religion on the census form - 47% of pornographers prefer Cadbury's Dairy Milk.

Now I know many will be horrified or sniffy at thought of an Ann Summers cane, but as an 'AS' one was first proper cane we purchased, I feel OK about them. we first experimented with a garden cane (the dreaded bamboo!) and I'm not maimed for life and the sky didn't fall in. AS canes are very light, bendy and soft wood. They are very stingy and can be used to make an impression. Over the years my Cariad has mastered the variations and subtleties of its use, and it suits us.

As reported before we've had the end break off a couple of times and it's been taped, but it is definitely showing it's age, so I bought a replacement.

The Conversation:

Shop Assistant (doubtfully, as she puts it in large bag where end sticks out): Shall I put it this way up? So this end only shows?

Me(practically): Well, last time, they wrapped some paper around the other end so that was showing

SA (bit giggly) Ooohhh - You buy these often do you?

Me (laughing) Only when we wear one out!

Both get the giggles and she wraps crook of cane in black tissue and I walk away with cane and handcuffs - another boring looking Cardiff shopper...

...Well, not quite! But I HAVE made it into treble figures!
My friend G and I joked about me becoming the Spanking equivalent of JK Rowling and when I told people I'd earned ££92.50 writing about sex I'd just dissolve into giggles.

I earned £80 writing two anthology pieces on women's sexuality - One 'straight' and one spanking
http://www.honno.co.uk/dangos.php?ISBN=1870206622
(I'm Sue James as well as Suzee Moon)
My Cariad Stan and I earned £25 between us for a third prize-winning story in the spanking mag 'Submission'
http://www.palmprint.fsbusiness.co.uk/palmprintmags.html

And now Palmprint have put together the prize-winning stories and I'm getting a whole £30 for our story! Stan wrote another story that won first prize, so I get to have whole fee for our joint submission, so I've now earned £122.50 out of erotic writing in four years
That said; I'm so thrilled to be in print again.
Book is:

Sixteen of the Best edited by Sarah Veitch
Published by Palmprint Publications
ISBN 0-9537953-5-7
ISBN13 978-0-9537953-5-2
Cover artwork © James Hamilton
Paperback, 256 pages, Adult fiction
Cover Price £7.95
Published: 1st October 2007

http://www.palmprint.fsbusiness.co.uk/palmprintbooks.html

I've just learnt that my two copies and cheque will be in post as soon as I confirm my address.

Following my last post I realise that anagram of 'a cardi' is Cariad!

Cariad is a lovely Welsh word for dear or darling and is a noun for sweetheart/lover. It is the name I use for my lovely other half in this blog as nothing else is quite as nice...

...well, when you get to fifty you feel the cold!

I've been on shopping expedition for first time in months and was quite chuffed with result. As a buxom broad clothes shopping can be a challenge. To my delight I found two dresses that actually fitted me and had a shape. I am big, but I have a waist, and getting clothes that are my shape is unusual. I also bought a nice enough skirt and nice enough pair of trousers - so quite good all round. I then saw this long line caridigan with deep v neckline- again something with a shape as buttons draw it in at the waist. I thought worn with trousers with nothing under the cardi but a push-up bra it would be rather interesting and somewhat less respectable than at first glance.

I was expecting my Cariad for a visit and it's a while since I dressed up for a date, so thought it would be fun. While contemplating my options I decided on a red basque, black knickers and fishnets with wicked stilettos. And as I wondered what to wear on top I thought of the new cardi - A sort of negligee for the over-fifties!

my Cariad was very impressed with my cardi, but it proved poor protection against the cane.

just been listening to Radio 4 and aware of seasons of programmes on sexual issues. I've posted the following on a BBC R4 messageboard:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbradio4/F2766774
The homepage to the season is:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/sexuality.shtml

Just been listening to Front Row and want to be part of debate on sex, but having found the site "Sex Lives of Us" highlighting the various programmes, I couldn't see an obvious place for reflections on theme. I have therefore decided to write here.

I'm interested in issue of BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submissiveness, sadism, masochism) as a broad church of interest to many. It occurred to me that it is in the position that male homosexuality occupied post-Wolfenden and after a degree of acceptance - A strange mix of the absurd and the threatening.

While we are right to be concerned about portrayals of sexual violence, some of us who enjoy certain erotic tastes and never frighten the horses or upset the servants would not wish to be labelled as dangerously deviant.

While I believe a third of women in one survey admitted to submissive fantasies, the caricature of 'S&M' we see tends to be the Dominatrix and submissive male. While Dommes certainly exist so do Doms. Perhaps that is too threatening? And yet stuff around spanking of females does seem to be out there, but it is often females making the suggestive comments.

BDSM is not of course 'taboo' - in it's milder form it gets into romantic fiction and (usually stereotypically) gets into modern dramas, but would we trust 'people like that' with our children? with vulnerable adults? in the Police Force?

Takes me back to my first posting here...
http://suzeemoon.blog.co.uk/?tag=first

Just finished first draft of my submission to the anthology of women's stories!
Thanks for support and beady-eyed watching!My piece is a 1400 word piece on how I fell for my Cariad having 'met' him in cyber.

Just not feeling creative and lacking discipline to do practical background stuff re writing.
I have been busy with work stuff, but hard to know when one is making excuses and when looking after oneself...

Woman's Hour message Board had thread on acceptability of infidelity that has kind of morphed into discussion on male and female sexuality. I joined debate on whether female sexuality is feared:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbradio4/F2766779?thread=4399633&skip=120&show=20
Made me think about ambiguity over submission and domination stuff and the bit from one of my stories I've posted before re clothing and footwear:

Her black leather ankle boots looked wonderful with the black stockings. The high narrow heels were flattering and the supple covering over her ankles made them more supportive than her similarly high shoes, which she considered more boudoir wear, than socialising attire. Her little black boots worked well in and out the bedroom on a variety of men she’d discovered. The lacing and straps certainly drew attention and that was before some lucky men had had the pleasure of discovering how the straps and laces subtly mirrored the delightful intricacies of her underwear.
The traditional white pinafore and cap completed a look that was ever so slightly tarty but in such a way that no-one would dare to voice such an opinion on Caroline’s obviously expensive fancy dress.
Luckily her merry widow was front-fastening Caroline mused as she strapped and tied herself in. There would have been something bizarre about requiring a maid to help her into her maid’s costume she thought, smiling at her reflection, as she got ready for the auction in Netherbourne Hall. She was finding the whole thing rather sexy. She was not averse to a spot of dressing-up and had enjoyed doing so but her recent sex-life was rather subtle compared to her previous experiences. She’d been offended by the horrid tabloid revelations of Diana and her exploits in fur – Caroline could empathise completely with the impulse but imagine the staff going public on such a thing! Things were not what they were!
Caroline’s entrance was well appreciated and a good-natured bidding war quickly broke out. While Caroline was aware of the sexiness of her costume and her delightfully daring boots she had not quite appreciated the mixed messages she sent with her provocative costume as various bidders viewed the strapped up and hobbled vision of their bondage fantasy and others the black-clad, booted dominatrix of their desire.