The Cougar Book – interview with Jolie du Pre

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we have had interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today, we hear from Jolie herself as she talks about her inspiration for The Cougar Book and what went into creating the anthology.

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Am I a Cougar? I’m certainly old enough. Cougar women are typically 40 and over, and I’m in my 40′s. As a woman who has been married for over 20 years, I’m not in the market for a younger man. However, if I weren’t married I wouldn’t be opposed to it.

I consider myself young at heart, as well as physically young. Life doesn’t end at 40. Indeed, for some it’s the beginning of a new life. At 40, you are more aware of you who are and of what you want. If you’ve had children, chances are those children are teenagers or out of the house. This is the time when many women, who have spent the earlier part of their lives taking care of others, begin to take care of themselves. This may be the part of your life when you start an exercise program or when you finally get the courage to wear an item of clothing that you’ve avoided, like that short skirt!

Although I don’t live my life as a Cougar, I have a huge appreciation for Cougars. That’s the reason why I decided to pitch to Logical-Lust, The Cougar Book. I enjoyed editing Swing: Adventures in Swinging by Today’s Top Erotica Writers and I enjoyed working with Logical-Lust. Therefore, I knew that if Logical-Lust accepted my idea, The Cougar Book would be a great collection. And it is. The Cougar Book contains 23 stories about older women with younger men, and they are all beautifully written.

What bothered me most about putting this collection together was the amount of stories I had to reject, including some from those who submitted to Swing. I could only accept 23, and it was a tough decision. In the end, the stories I did accept best represented what I wanted for the book. I am also very proud of the fact that these stories represent some of the best in erotica. It is wrong to assume that a small press is unable to put together a collection of stories by some of the best names in erotica. The Cougar Book contains stories by authors Bill Brent, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Donna George Storey, Jeremy Edwards, Madeline Moore, Shanna Germain, and more.

The Cougar Book is my tribute to older women. Older women are not only smart and nurturing, but energetic and sexy. I am very pleased that Valerie Gibson, the original Cougar woman, agreed to write the introduction. Valerie has had a distinguished career introducing the Cougar phenomenon to the US. In addition to authoring Cougar, A Guide for Older Women Dating Younger Men, Valerie has appeared on a variety of radio and television programs including NBC’s Today Show, The Montel Williams Show, The Dr. Phil Show, ABC’s PrimeTime Live, Geraldo-at-Large and more.

COUGAR ON THE PROWL! Get your copy of THE COUGAR BOOK now!

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Jolie du Pre (Joliedupre.com) is a full-time freelance writer who writes for a variety of sites, including Associated Content and Seed.
Jolie is also an editor and author of erotica. Her stories have appeared in a variety of Web sites, in eBook, and in print anthologies including, Cream: The Best of ERWA edited by Lisabet Sarai, Best Lesbian Erotica 2007 edited by Tristan Taormino, Best Erotica 2007 edited by Berbera and Hyde, Purple Panties, edited by Zane, and Making the Hook-Up, edited by Cole Riley, among others. Jolie is the editor of Swing! Adventures in Swinging by Today’s Top Erotica Writers, published by Logical-Lust and Iridescence: Sensuous Shades of Lesbian Erotica, published by Alyson Books.
Jolie is the founder of GLBT Promo (GlbtPromoBlog.com), a promotional group for GLBT erotica and erotic romance. Her lesbian dating site is MeetHerHere.com.

The Cougar Book – interview with Keeb Knight

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is Keeb Knight, author of “Illicit Intentions.”


Keeb Knight was born in London. He grew up in the cities of Detroit and Philadelphia. Currently living in Philadelphia, he enjoys writing erotic, multicultural, urban, and romantic suspense stories. His story “Mandatory Overtime” was featured in Zane’s New York Times Bestseller Caramel Flava: The Eroticanoir.com Anthology. His most recent story “The Gerswins” was published in SWING! an erotica anthology published by Logical-Lust Publications, edited by Jolie Du Pré. He’s currently working on a romantic suspense and an urban erotica novel.

What made you decide to submit your work for inclusion in The Cougar Book?

I was already working on a cougar story as a side project knowing that this was a subject growing in popularity then an announcement came from Jolie and Logical-Lust Publications that they were doing The Cougar Book. So my casual side project then turned into a project with a deadline. I figured I’d submit my story while it was still fresh and had steam.

Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.

My story titled “Illicit Intentions” is about a beautiful, youthful-looking, future mother-in-law who is a professional woman and has a high sexual vibe for life. And some how, some way (with out giving too much away) her future son-in-law gets trapped up in her vibe.

Here’s an excerpt:

In true feline fashion, she snuck up elegantly and quietly. “Can I help you find something a bit more your size, sir?”

He was a bit startled, but the alluring voice sounded familiar to him. “Uh, yeah,” he said as he slowly took his attention away from a sheer, periwinkle teddy to that of the woman whose beauty was as youthful, natural, and fresh as he’s ever seen. He was almost a loss for words. Whoa! he thought. “Oh, hi, Ms. Thomas,” he said looking at her as though he could fuck her where she stood.

Dr. Lauren Xhang-Thomas was a psychiatrist. She specialized in sexual and behavioral therapy. She kept her married name after her divorce, but she let most people call her “Ms. Thomas.” She was of mixed decent: part Chinese, part African-American. Her light-sepia skin was like an exotic coffee mixed with just the perfect amount of cream. She had the most alluring honey-brown eyes; her long, raven hair framed her flawless oval face. She was a natural beauty.

“You know if you keep staring at me like that, young man, you might just go blind.”

“Well, you’re a very stunning woman, Ms. Thomas.”

“That’s very flattering, Kyle. I may have to marry you myself if you keep that up.”

“I’m just surprised to see you.”

“I can say the same. So, are you trying to find something for yourself or for my daughter?”

“Funny, Ms. Thomas.”

“Just asking. And you do know you won’t be calling me Ms. Thomas for much longer.”

“Uh, yeah. I guess you’re right. That’s going to take a little getting used to.”

“Don’t you worry your handsome face about that, dear. I’ll help you get more comfortable with calling me mother, mom, or mommy.”

“Mommy would be a bit much don’t you think?

“No. It just depends on what context is agreeable between the two of us. You’ll come to find I’m a very open-minded woman, Kyle.”

Could you succumb to a cougar?

Yes, I could. Have I ever? No, I haven’t. I’ve dated women who weren’t far older than me, but I’ve come across women about 10 years my senior who have passed through the sexual fantasy mill of my mind to the point where I could see myself with them.

Does your writing turn you on?

Absolutely! During and after I write a story I walk away from it briefly and become the reader (not the writer) and I have to be turned on by it. After all, the goal is to turn on my readers so it only makes sense that I too get turned on by what I write.

The Cougar Book release is in print and ebook formats. With ebook readers becoming more and more popular, what are your views on ebooks and their effect on the publishing industry?

I think ebooks are great. It gives readers another option of a format, portability, and lower cost. And it’s basically the same the publisher as well. Giving their readers other format option(s) and lower production costs. There’s always going to be a gray area though for publishers depending on how big or small they are as an entity in this competitive market. At the end of the day they have to find the balance of what works to their benefit. I’ll say this. Over the last few years there has definitely been a shift heading in the direction of people buying more ebook formats. Portable ebook readers are still on the expensive side, but now with the fact that people can read ebooks via some of the more popular mobile phones that alone is huge because people won’t have to carry around an extra gadget just to read their ebook. And this may be a niche market of people who were (or are) on the fence about buying an ebook reader. When consumers have a cell phone that can do the same function publishers now have the opportunity for another market of potential ebook buyers.

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?

Starting a story is the difficult part for me. I don’t know about other writers but I have to know what the title of my story is before I write it. That being said, even at the point of have a working title I still have a rough start beginning a story. I battle with the fact that I have to think about hooking the reader from the beginning. Finding the best hook can be chore, but once you have it – the first few paragraphs or pages, then rest of the story is just a matter of finding what direction your characters are headed.

The part I find easy about writing is writing the dialogue in my stories. And I find it moves the story along more fluidly if done right. I like to put my characters in interacting situations as often as possible. Keeping the narration aspect down to a minimum. It gives the feel of realism in the fictional world I create.

What are you working on now? Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon?

Right now I’m currently working on a romantic suspense novel. A project I’ve been working on and off for a while now. I hope to complete by or before summer.

Where can we find you on the Web? Do you have a website or blog(s)? Any social networks?

I can be found on www.myspace.com/keebknight .

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The Cougar Book – interview with Adriana Kraft

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is Adriana Kraft, auhor of “A Taste of Ginger.”

What made you decide to submit your work for inclusion in The Cougar Book?

First off, we’re huge admirers of its editor, Jolie du Pre, and thrilled to be included in one of her anthologies. We’re a married couple writing erotic romance together under the pen name Adriana Kraft. This theme seemed like a natural for us because many of our heroines are older women and we love to fulfil their fantasies. We like having our characters go against the grain some, to do the unexpected. Sometimes, as with the Cougar in this story, they are most surprised by a turn of events that seemed so unimaginable, yet turns out to be incredibly fun and explosive.

Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.

Our short story, “A Taste of Ginger,” offers an incredible night of decadence and sensuality for our newly divorced mid-life heroine. Against her better judgment she’s let a co-worker talk her into an evening at a swing club. When Annette tells her a handsome young man at the bar is checking her out she wants to run the other way—but Annette abandons her to pursue her own interests, and Ginger must make her own choice for the night of a lifetime!

Excerpt:

Nathan Samson was indeed easy on the eyes—dark hair, Roman nose, solid chin, and penetrating brown eyes. How could he be so young? How young was he? Way too young. Annette had led a mid-thirties guy out of here just minutes ago. But that was Annette. Ginger swallowed. And this was her. And there was no misreading the lust growing in those brown eyes that didn’t hide their appreciation for a particular full body—hers.
“Where are your girlfriends?” Ginger asked. “I thought they’d have you in one the bedrooms by now.”
He chuckled. “Why would you think that?”
“They were draped all over you. Isn’t that every guy’s fantasy—two girls satisfying his every whim?”
“Whoa, lady. Draw your talons back in.” Nathan gave her a brilliant smile. “I do like a woman who isn’t afraid to use her fingernails but…”
Ginger scowled taking in his meaning.
“Besides. That really depends on the women.”
“Huh?”
“Being with two women can be fantastic, but they have to be the right two women.”
“Oh.” She glared at her wine. She’d gotten them into this discussion. How could she get them on safer ground? “How old are you?” She’d blurted out the question without warning—herself, or him.
“I’m twenty-five.” He pursed his lips. “Not that it matters, but how old are you?”
“Fifty-five,” she squeaked. “God, I am old enough to be your mother.”
His fingers slid along the top of a bare thigh. She swallowed hard but couldn’t find the energy to pull away.
He leaned over close to whisper in her ear. “Ginger, when I look at you I don’t see my mother.”

[Ladies]Could you see yourself being a cougar?

For sure! Part of what inspired us to write this story was the delicious fantasy of having an evening with a young virile hunk so totally focused on adoration and giving pleasure – I’m a little jealous of Ginger, and I hope she inspires everyone who reads her story to want to be her!

[Men] Could you succumb to a cougar?

Absolutely! If she’s engaging, attractive and eager to experiment, I’d be pleased to be her laboratory!

Does your writing turn you on?

Yes, over and over! And if it doesn’t, we re-write and edit, edit, edit until it does. We’re fond of a quote by gay erotic author Lars Eighner from his book Elements of Arousal:

“The erotic scene is the jewel of the erotic story. The writer may justify the effort of rewriting this scene many times. When a writer finds himself as much physically affected by the tenth draft as he was by the first, he knows he is onto something.”

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?

The tenth editing pass-through can become tedious. Writing the first draft when the characters are eager for us to capture their personalities and helping us get the plot just right—that’s the most fun. Also, doing the background research can be a lot of fun. Most of the time we’ve visited the settings in which we place our work. The internet helps us flesh out more details. We enjoy learning about careers and occupations that take us far afield, such as horse trainers, detectives, wine makers, exotic cancers, race car drivers, art curators, jewellery makers, outdoor guides and the occasional paranormal love goddess.

What are you working on now?

Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon? We’re wrapping up two erotic romance series celebrating bisexual heroines. Over at Extasy Books, the fifth book in our Swinging Games series came out as an e-book in January. At Whiskey Creek Press Torrid, Meghan’s Playhouse books 1 and 2 just released as a dual volume, soon to be in print, and we’re just polishing edits on the finale in the series, Meg’s Folly, scheduled for June. We’re also part of a lesbian love story anthology, To Love and To Cherish, releasing on Valentine’s Day at Love You Divine and benefitting Marriage Equality USA. For our next series we’re currently developing a combination historical/time travel paranormal erotic romance set in Wales and based on Celtic Welsh spirituality. We love delving into the research for this saga.

Where can we find you on the Web? Do you have a website or blog(s)? Any social networks?

Website: http://adrianakraft.com
Blog: http://adrianakraft.com/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft
MySpace: www.myspace.com/adrianakraft
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MidnightSeductions/

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The Cougar Book – interview with Emerald

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is Emerald, author of “To Make It That Way.”

Emerald’s erotic fiction has been published in anthologies edited by Violet Blue, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Jolie du Pre, and Alison Tyler as well as at various erotic websites. She lives in Maryland and serves as an activist for reproductive freedom and sex workers’ rights. Find her online at www.thegreenlightdistrict.org.

What made you decide to submit your work for inclusion in The Cougar Book?

As with Swing!, I appreciated the theme of The Cougar Book as something seemingly misunderstood and/or under-celebrated by society at large. While I have heard that some find the term “cougar” offensive, to me it seems a concept that appreciates and recognizes women who are older than an arbitrarily postulated “prime” sexual age and who own their sexuality and don’t feel intimidated away from pursuing younger men if they want to. I myself find that kind of recognizance and embracing heartening.

In addition, I enjoyed working with Jolie and Logical-Lust on Swing!, so much that I was excited by another chance to do so when the call for submissions for The Cougar Book came out.

Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.

“To Make It That Way” is told from the point of view of Zack, a young man whose sexual experience and understanding have not been very developed yet. The story relates his experience of meeting Cole, a woman almost two decades older than he, and the sexual connection between them led by the assuredness, expertise, and mystery he sees in her.

Could you see yourself being a cougar?

Oh, of course. I’ve never felt much of a specific orientation toward certain age groups sexually, so I have no reason to feel I would not continue to be interested in men younger than I, particularly as I become relatively older. I may not specifically go after men who are younger just because they were younger, but I certainly wouldn’t resist doing so because of an age difference either. Of course, I am in a monogamous relationship now, so that is all notwithstanding that!

Does your writing turn you on?

It has, yes, though not always immediately while I am writing it for the first time. There have been times when I’ve felt so encompassed by the act of writing that I haven’t noticed whether the content is turning me on as it’s coming (no pun intended). In those instances I have sometimes gone back to edit and found myself turned on in a way I hardly remembered or noticed when I was writing it for the first time.

I have also had the experience of writing things that may not necessarily turn me on but are obviously turning on my characters, and since I am writing them and not myself, I do my best to stay true to that without interference.

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?

I have historically experienced difficulty with finishing pieces due to the tendency toward perfectionism in me. By that I truly mean an internal demand for perfection, and I have experienced that internally generated standard as quite intimidating sometimes. That fear has sometimes been successful in influencing me to procrastinate or continually avoid actually finishing a story (even more so if it’s unconscious so that I’m not even aware it’s happening).

Perhaps ironically, if I don’t let that part of the personality structure in me dictate my behavior and focus on writing regardless of what it says, that may be when writing seems “easy” for me. This may sound simplistic or silly (though I don’t mean it that way), but the actual act of writing is what has seemed easiest to me, at the times when I’m actually doing it—not thinking about doing it, not planning to do it, not wondering what to write about or how the story will go, but when I am actually attending to the act and it is just coming—then I’ve just seemed to need to pay attention and write it down as it comes forth.

Your birthday has been declared a national holiday. How do you want people to celebrate?

The same way I would love for all people to live–openly, authentically, awake to the present moment that is all there is. If they feel so moved, sex seems to me not only a profound opportunity to do this, but also something that, when done this way, holds enormous potential for growth, openness, and connection. What a great birthday present I would consider that!

You’re stranded on a desert island and you can only have one book, one album/CD, and one person with you-what would they be?

Tough question. I would probably choose the book I have found most significant in my adult life, The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson. The CD would be either Songs From Black Mountain or The Distance to Here by Live–I’m not sure how I would choose which one! As far as whom I would take, I would want my cat with me, but since the question does say “person,” I would choose my life partner.

What are you working on now? Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon?

I have around a half dozen short stories in progress right now (see above about finishing stories), a few for specific upcoming submission calls. My story “Power Over Power” is forthcoming in Please, Sir edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, and my story “Shift Change” closes out Best Women’s Erotica 2010, edited by Violet Blue, which came out at the end of last year.

Where can we find you on the Web? Do you have a website or blog(s)? Any social networks?

My website, The Green Light District, is at www.thegreenlightdistrict.org, and it includes my blog (www.thegreenlightdistrict.org/wordpress).

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The Cougar Book – interview with Randall Lang

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is Randall Lang, author of “Too Many Buffalo.”

Randall Lang is the author of eight books from Renaissance E Books ; contributed to Logical Lust Publishing’s anthologies SWING! & The Cougar Book; and wrote Magnificent Man, from Midnight Showcase .

What made you decide to submit your work for inclusion in The Cougar Book?

“Cougarism” has been a fantasy of mine since I was in college and watched Mrs. Robinson make a man of the bumbling Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate. I longed for a sophisticated older woman to tutor me in ‘the ways’ and the excitement of that concept has never left me. The moment Jolie du Pre opened her request for submissions, I knew that I had to be a part of it.

Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.

Elizabeth Wharton is a highly successful medical equipment salesperson who is travelling on rural roads to a small town in Oklahoma. She is middle-aged, divorced, has grown children, and is busy with her job. When she has car trouble, Kenny Cheshewalla, a handsome twenty-something with a wide streak of gallantry, helps her. Because of his background, Kenny would consider making an advance toward an older woman as disrespectful and inappropriate. Elizabeth has children older than Kenny, and she is focused on her work. But sometimes hormones have a way of overruling both upbringing and maturity.

Does your writing turn you on?

Silly question! I’m turned on LONG before I start to write. If an idea doesn’t light ME up, it’s surely not going to energize a reader. Good erotica must combine elements of fantasy and reality into a dreamy concoction that enables a reader to become absorbed into the story. That is what I have always tried to accomplish with good, believable stories.

The Cougar Book release is in print and ebook formats. With ebook readers becoming more and more popular, what are your views on ebooks and their effect on the publishing industry?

Ebooks are CDs in a vinyl record world. With each passing day more and more readers turn from the cost and storage problems associated with paper books to the convenience of ebooks. Computers in general and the internet specifically have reduced the importance of and market for paper books. There will always be paper books, and I would not have that any other way. After all, a simple electronic pulse can wipe out ebooks as quickly as a fire can destroy paper books, so both have their place. The independent publishers are up to speed and understand the ebook market, but the large paper publishing houses are in for an awakening. The current Macmillan/Amazon battle is a classic example of two giant dinosaurs that fight each other while smaller animals carry off the food. IMHO the large presses are going to be left fighting each other for an increasingly smaller number of print books.

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?

Lately the difficulty has been motivation to start. I am in a constant battle with the ‘slug monster’ who continually attempts to seduce me away from sitting down to create and off to more pleasurable pursuits. Once my butt is ensconced and the story begins to gel, the actually writing is relatively easy.

What are you working on now? Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon?

I most sincerely hope so. What I mean by that rather cryptic response is that I have been approached about adapting my novel Magnificent Man into a screenplay. The creative muse seems to have taken a hiatus and I have largely surrendered to the ‘slug monster’. When I can get myself going, I crank out 25 to 50 pages of screenplay adaptation. I look forward to mailing off the finished product to a film producer in Arizona who will determine my fate.

Where can we find you on the Web? Do you have a website or blog(s)? Any social networks?

I certainly do. My website, The Worlds of Randall Lang, is www.randalllang.com.
My blog is, The Mind of Randall Lang, www.randalllang.blogspot.com, it’s a strange place to be.

Please have a look at the trailer for Magnificent Man at You Tube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv3T4zXq_Lo.

The Cougar Book – interview with Donna George Storey

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is Donna George Storey, author of “Comfort Food.”

What made you decide to submit your work for inclusion in The Cougar Book?

“Cougars” are all over popular culture these days, and I’m always interested in getting to the bottom of what’s cool. On the one hand, the recognition of mature female sexuality is a good thing, but some of the stereotypical aspects of the cougar image could use a makeover to properly reflect the richness and wisdom of older women. I challenged myself to write a story that would portray genuine chemistry between lovers of different generations: a well-seasoned woman and a younger man with a precocious appreciation of subtle spices. But the main draw, of course, is that I love Jolie du Pre’s work and am a big fan of her anthologies—in particular the recent Swing! I knew she’d put together a sensual and thought-provoking celebration of sexy women over 40, and I hoped to be a part of it. Indeed, the juicy list of contributors promises quite a feast!

Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.

My story “Comfort Food” is about how the art of cooking can nourish, heal and create surprising connections. There’s lots of delicious sex and a couple of tasty recipes, but I decided to share here a less explicit passage that captures the spirit of the cougar to me. The forty-four-year-old heroine is vacationing alone at a mountain resort. In this scene she’s hiking the trails around the inn and remembering her sexually-charged encounter with the brawny hotel chef the night before:

“With a sunny August sky cut by a cooling breeze, the weather was so perfect I could have ordered it off a menu. Thanks to the butterscotch pudding, all of my senses were heightened. I reveled in the shapes of each leaf growing along the path, the sound of the birdsong, the clean scent of baked earth and oxygen-rich air. And of course, all the time I was thinking of Joseph. What was he doing now? What experience in his brief life made him wary of sharing his recipes? He was a cook who clearly enjoyed eating. Would his cock be as solid and sturdy as the rest of his body? And most intriguing of all—would his semen really taste like vanilla cream pudding? Thirty years ago, I would have called these obsessive musings a crush, but I was wise enough now to know it had nothing to do with Joseph himself. It was all about me. I was a woman who could feel and want and enjoy life’s sensual pleasures. My desire made me more interesting to myself.”

To me, that last sentence is the essential feature of a cougar. She owns her sexuality and appreciates the power it gives her.

Could you see yourself being a cougar?

Absolutely. I’m forty-eight, which makes me official, but I also have some other key qualifications. I understand my power and what turns me on. I enjoy sex more than ever because I know how to get what I want. I’ve seen enough of life to appreciate the gifts of youth and to put them in perspective. If I were in the market for a new relationship (I’m not), I’d be very happy to show what I’ve learned to an enthusiastic younger man. I’m sure he’d have plenty to teach me too.

Does your writing turn you on?

You bet. I wouldn’t feel right asking my readers to pick up a story labelled “erotica” if it didn’t, at one point in its creation, make its author feel very tingly in my private places. I’ll share a little secret—I love dirty talk, so if you encounter X-rated dialogue in one of my stories, you know I was squirming in my chair when I wrote it! But writing also turns me on intellectually. I love working out the puzzles of plot, bringing a whole new horny characters to life, flirting with words. There is nothing I’d rather be doing than writing a hot, dirty story. Except, of course, having sex.

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?

Let’s start with coming easily because that’s more fun. I just love it when a story takes on a life of its own and pulls me along with its energy, when characters tell me what they want to do, and scenes play out in my head like a movie I’m watching. This generally happens when I’m supposed to be doing something else, but when it’s good, it’s very easy.

The difficult part is always tied up with external validation, which tends to be a problem with longer projects. I have lots of time to worry if it’s good enough, if it hangs together, if it will “sell.” I’d much rather be writing and creating.

What are you working on now?

After talking about starting my second novel for most of last year, I’ve resolved to make some real progress in 2010 and seem to be keeping my vow so far. In my first novel, Amorous Woman [ISBN for Amazon link: 1905619170], I wandered to far-off Japan to explore sexuality in an exotic locale. This time I’ll be digging deep into the erotic underbelly of American history. The research is fascinating.

I’m also starting to make a series of podcasts of my short stories, because I just love to read—or rather purr—my words into a microphone. It all started when I made a book trailer [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlnXqY-LyEE] for Amorous Woman. Now I do voice-over work for others’ book trailers, which has been a lot of fun. So I figured why not extend this pleasure to my own work? (http://www.donnageorgestorey.com/audio.html)

Your birthday has been declared a national holiday. How do you want people to celebrate?

Actually, my birthday is December 31, so it is a sort of national holiday already. So just keep doing what you’re doing, folks: drink good champagne, contemplate a brand new year, and kiss a lot. Better yet, celebrate sensual pleasure and read some erotica to a partner or alone.

Where can we find you on the Web?

I’m on Facebook and would love to be friends if we aren’t already. I also have a web site with lots of lovely Japanese art and a blog where I’m posting updates on the progress I’m making on my novel. I also write a column for the Erotica Readers and Writers Association, “Cooking up a Storey” about my favorite topics— delicious sex, well-crafted food, and mind-blowing writing—which might explain why my cougar story is about a chef. You may also want to check out the archives for my column on “Shameless Self-Promotion,” the banner for which is, naturally, a picture of my butt. Speaking of nude photographs, I’m also part of an exciting new blog about sensual and creative self-expression called “F-Stop: Expose the Naked I.” I’m extending an official invitation to you all to come and expose yourself! Cougars and the men who love them are especially welcome.

My website:

http://www.donnageorgestorey.com/

My blog:

http://sexfoodandwriting.donnageorgestorey.com/

Cooking up a Storey:

http://www.erotica-readers.com/ERA/AR/Erotica_Authors_Resources.htm

Shameless Self-Promotion:

http://www.erotica-readers.com/ERA/Archive09/Archive_2009.htm

F-Stop: Expose the Naked I:

http://nakedi.wordpress.com/

SPECIAL OFFER: Pre-order THE COUGAR BOOK and get a free ebook copy of SWING! ADVENTURES IN SWINGING!

The Cougar Book – interview with J. C. Wesner

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is J. C. Wesner, author of “Illicit Desires.”

J. C. is a twenty-nine year old who has been writing since she was fifteen to pass the time while her grandfather was in the hospital. She has always been obsessed with what happens after the “Ever After” and often wrote or re-wrote the endings to her favorite books, movies and TV shows. She is an avid reader, and often as a child was the one caught with her flashlight on reading under the covers at three a.m. This story is her very first published work and she hope that in the future, J. C. Wesner will become a household name much like Nora Roberts and Nicolas Sparks. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and five-year-old daughter.

What made you decide to submit your work for inclusion in The Cougar Book?

I was given the link by a friend of mine. I have always wanted to have my works published, so when I got the opportunity, I went for it! And I’m so very glad I did!

Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.

Nicci could (and often did) have any man she wanted. So why was it, that the one she shouldn’t have, she couldn’t stay away from?

Could you see yourself being a cougar?

Honestly, probably not. This was actually very hard for me to write, to ‘come out of my comfort zone’ so to speak and write about cougars. Good for them, though. My hat is off to them.

Does your writing turn you on?

God, yes. I have written quite a few things that get very steamy and my husband loves reaping the benefits from my work. There are times I will finish something extremely hot and just jump him.

The Cougar Book release is in print and ebook formats. With ebook readers becoming more and more popular, what are your views on ebooks and their effect on the publishing industry?

I think the ebooks are wonderful. My mother has only one eye and reading most books, even large-print books are difficult for her. With an ebook reader, she can change the font size so that it doesn’t strain her eye as much. I’m all for it!

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?

Time to write is probably the most difficult for me. With a small child, a part-time job and a husband who works long hours, it is hard to find the time to write. However, the writing soothes me, so when I get stressed, I put on my headphones and go off into my own world. The easiest thing is when I just go with the flow, just put my fingers to the keyboard and see what comes out. When I have an inkling of an idea, I love to just let it flow from me. I am more often than not, quite pleased with the results.

Your birthday has been declared a national holiday. How do you want people to celebrate?

Doing the things they love, spending time with their families, having barbeques, laughing and having a grand old time.

Coincidentally, my birthday is on July third, so, most of the time, people in America DO celebrate my birthday! I love the fact that my birthday is near a national holiday. Lots of parties, food, and vacation!

You’re stranded on a desert island and you can only have one book, one album/CD, and one person with you—what would they be?

Hmmm…this one is tough. I would probably say I would like my Contemporary English Version Bible to read, only because every time you read it, you find something new. My one CD would have to be Nickelback’s All the Right Reasons and one person? My husband. He stimulates me intellectually as well as sexually. What more could a girl want?

What are you working on now? Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon?

I am working on my novels right now. The first in the series is about two government agents that go undercover and fall in love. The series will follow them and their agency on many adventures. I already have four of them written, I’m in the process of trying to get the first of them published.

Where can we find you on the Web? Do you have a website or blog(s)? Any social networks?

I am not on the web at this time under my own name. I do write some under a penname for a fanfiction website, but that is just for fun and to hone my writing abilities.

SPECIAL OFFER: Pre-order THE COUGAR BOOK and get a free ebook copy of SWING! ADVENTURES IN SWINGING!

The Cougar Book – interview with Dona Lee

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is Dona Lee, author of “Cruising for C-men.”
Dona Lee’s short story’s on family have been published in a family anthology, “From Our Family to Yours,” and she has won numerous awards for her work. She currently leads a Florida writing group and is a freelance editor, writing coach, and ghostwriter.

What made you decide to submit your work for inclusion in The Cougar Book?

I chose to enter my story for The Cougar Book because I have been writing erotica for over two years. I even taught a writing group on the difference between sensual romance and erotica.

Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.

I tell the tale of a divorcee who needs to explore her sexuality after years of feeling inadequate. She chooses a cruise for her adventure and spies a young purser. Luring him in, she reinvigorates her sexuality and then slyly entices her friend to give it a whirl.

Could you see yourself being a cougar?

I am a Cougar. I enjoy younger men, they make me feel sexual and sensual. They appreciate my experience and passion, my openness to try almost anything.

Does your writing turn you on?

I generally turn on and then write with the satisfaction of a spoiled cougar, rather than write and then turn on.

The Cougar Book release is in print and ebook formats. With ebook readers becoming more and more popular, what are your views on ebooks and their effect on the publishing industry?

I know e-books are the future of reading, but I still enjoy curling up with book, or sprawling wide legged and holding on with only one hand.

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?

I envision my characters, mull them over in my mind, learn them inside and out and then let them tell the story while I throw them obstacles to overcum.

You’re stranded on a desert island and you can only have one book, one album/CD, and one person with you—what would they be?

The man is easy. He’s younger, romantic, and adores the ground I walk on. I drink in his body with my eyes, and then my tongue, lingering for hours pleasing him and he pleasing me. Then we feed each other, our fresh grilled fish, shellfish, fruits, and veggies. We watch the sun rises and sunsets, no stress, no bills, no responsibility to others. Nirvana. One book? Wow. I prefer fiction to poetry, but to read it over and over, I think I would have to go for poetry, probably “Sonnets from the Portuguese”.

What are you working on now? Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon?

I am currently finishing an erotic novel, “Lady Blue,” about a female cop attempting to solve a case involving a serial murderer, and learning about her own sexuality along the way.

SPECIAL OFFER: Pre-order THE COUGAR BOOK and get a free ebook copy of SWING! ADVENTURES IN SWINGING!

The Cougar Book – interview with Madeline Moore

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is Madeline Moore, author of “Get Up, Stand Up!”

Madeline Moore is the author of three Black Lace novels: Wild Card, Amanda’s Young Men and Sarah’s Education.  Madeline won The Erotica Awards ‘Best Story Teller of the Year, 2011, for her story in The Cougar Book, “Get Up!  Stand Up!”

What made you decide to submit your work for inclusion in The Cougar Book?

Jolie du Pre struck me as one powerhouse of a woman and I wanted to work with her. Her previous e-book, Swing!, was her first anthology and I thought she did a terrific job with it, all around. It was well publicized and the e-book was followed by a print edition.

As well, my second book for the now defunct Black Lace imprint, Amanda’s Young Men was the tale of a cougar and her conquests. If the name Madeline Moore eventually comes up in a discussion about the topic of cougars, all the better for me. But I’d never submitted to an e-book anthology before, and the main reason I did was to work with Jolie.

Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.

I’d had the first sentence of my story, “Get Up, Stand Up!” rattling around in my head for at least a year. The image was firmly fixed in my mind: A woman looking out her closed balcony doors at a boy, crouched outside in the rain.

Now, in my opinion there’s a predatory quality to the kind of women who rightly fit the term ‘cougar.’ It wasn’t until Jolie’s call for submissions to The Cougar Book appeared that the woman in the image took on that predatory quality and the rest of the story fell into place.

Could you see yourself being a cougar?

I think if I wanted a young man, I’d do something similar to what my characters does in the story.

Does your writing turn you on?

I had to think about this for a minute. I like it when my work sneaks up on me and surprises me with a sexual thrill. Sometimes when I’m dug in deep and I’m working on the nuts and bolts of the machinery driving the story, the resulting piece, when I read it as a whole, jumps my bones and turns me on. Of course, I get a sexual thrill from words too. Like my new favourite word: aubergine.

The Cougar Book release is in print and ebook formats. With ebook readers becoming more and more popular, what are your views on ebooks and their effect on the publishing industry?

Ebooks are here to stay. I don’t like to see publishers go out of business, pointing their fingers at e-publishing as the culprit. Actually, I don’t believe it to be true. I don’t believe print books will cease to exist, either. Basically it’s a case of ‘different strokes for different folks,’ and I think once print publishing has finished shifting to accommodate this new delivery system for books, everything will settle nicely.

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?

Dialogue has always come easily to me. I work in film so I’ve had a lot of practise, but one of the reasons I became a screenwriter was because I was a natural at dialogue.

Plot is tough. I’m not a huge ideas person. That’s one of the things I like about answering a call for submissions – the parameters of the piece are already in place. Description used to be difficult but I think it’s my favourite now.

Your birthday has been declared a national holiday. How do you want people to celebrate?

People should stay in bed all day and do whatever they want to do most. Might be reading, might be fucking, might be sleeping. In the movie Apocalypse Now there’s a great scene where all the guys going up river get off the boat and go into the forest and are chased by a tiger. When they’re safely back on the boat they repeat to each other, ‘Don’t get off the boat. Don’t get off the boat.’ I have a similar motto. ‘Don’t get off the bed.’

You’re stranded on a desert island and you can only have one book, one album/CD, and one person with you—what would they be?

I’d take Felix Baron with me because he’s my true love. The album would have to be Van Morrison, probably Enlightenment. It’s hell to have to pick one book, though. How about, The Collected Works of Shakespeare. That’d keep me busy for awhile. Although on second thought, I’d have to go with Surviving on a Desert Island For Dummies.

What are you working on now? Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon?

I’m really excited about my latest work – it’s a crime story called The Women’s Club. I co-wrote it with Felix for Maxim Jakubowski’s new imprint, MaxCrime, from John Blake Publishing. Our real names will be on it!

The book was tons of fun to write and Maxim is a terrific editor. It’ll be released in Fall, 2010.

It was funny writing it because, when we’d get to a sex scene, where usually we’d gird our loins and pound out a nice, juicy, fucky chapter, we’d cut to the next morning, as they do in G-rated movies.

It was a very different experience, writing in the crime genre, and I loved it.

Where can we find you on the Web? Do you have a website or blog(s)? Any social networks?

I confess I do not have a website. I have a blog:

http://moremadelinemoore.blogspot.com/

And I’m often on Facebook tending to my virtual farm. Anyone wishing to communicate me is welcome to email me at: telltale(at)primus.ca

SPECIAL OFFER: Pre-order THE COUGAR BOOK and get a free ebook copy of SWING! ADVENTURES IN SWINGING!

The Cougar Book – interview with Trish DeVene

All this month on the Logical-Lust blog we will have interviews from the authors of The Cougar Book, edited by Jolie du Pre. Today is Trish DeVene, author of “Her Apolonio Smile.”

Trish DeVene is a freelance editor, living with her husband and kids in a western suburb of Chicago. She has been writing fiction for twenty years and recently decided to push her mildly sensual prose into the enticing adventure of erotica. It’s a contagious genre—she doesn’t want to stop.

What made you decide to submit your work for inclusion in The Cougar Book?

I had always been attracted to younger men and had always felt uncomfortable with that attraction. When I read about The Cougar Book, I realized that I was hardly alone in this preference. Writing a story to explore the attraction, I thought, might help me understand it and find out what qualities a young partner brings to help create the energizing joy of these relationships.

Tell us about your story. Give us a little teaser.

“Her Apolonio Smile” is about a businesswoman who is tired of the leers from co-workers and the assumptions about her desires and needs. She’s rejuvenated by the unassuming beauty of the young male cashier at her local supermarket–a man who has no desire to own her, but in whom desire radiates like night encasing heat:

“He smelled like sandstone warmed in sun. As she undid his buckle, he didn’t move. Sound beyond him seemed to fly off with the distant jets, streaming far away. She heard the zipper; she heard another breath. He was hard, but she didn’t release the shaft that pressed against cotton. Raising his shirt instead, she put her mouth to a stomach of satin valleys, burnished fields warmed and feathered with sun. Her hands came around the back of him, holding the slender hips, pulling him closer.”

Could you see yourself being a cougar?

All my fantasies are about younger men, but in real life, my maternal instincts tend to confuse my desires. I think the intensity of desire could help bed those maternal instincts if the young partner were convincing.

Does your writing turn you on?

Yes, writing erotica is a turn-on. I hadn’t realized that aspect of writing until I first tried the genre. Sometimes, it’s difficult to finish a story because arousal is too great, and sometimes it’s hard to work my way back into a story I’ve left because I know the energy that will be required.

The Cougar Book release is in print and ebook formats. With ebook readers becoming more and more popular, what are your views on ebooks and their effect on the publishing industry?

I was resistant to e-books at the start simply because I love the texture of books. I like holding books and earmarking pages. But I’m finding that we get accustomed to reading on a screen and the affordability of purchasing e-books allows me to buy more than I could in print. E-book publishing seems to be allowing a greater audience for authors, and opening the market to new writers.

What do you find difficult about writing? What comes easy for you?

For me, the easy part of writing is creating a new environment with new characters. I thoroughly enjoy beginning a new world, meeting new faces, and seeing where the characters will take me. I write to discover, so I generally don’t know what the story will be about until I finish it. This joy is also the biggest hindrance for me in writing. Plot often eludes me. And sometimes an ending can’t be found for months, until I finally come to understand the characters’ needs.

Your birthday has been declared a national holiday. How do you want people to celebrate?

My birthday a national holiday? Oh, please keep it to one simple plan: do what you want. Everyone needs a day in which to celebrate passions, whether that’s sitting quietly with a book in the warm backyard or flying off to Paris for a decadent dessert.

You’re stranded on a desert island and you can only have one book, one album/CD, and one person with you—what would they be?

Stranded on a desert island, I would want my husband first. We’ve gotten along for nearly thirty years; I trust that we’d manage together. And I’d miss him! I’d bring along The Lord of the Rings because what better place to act out fantasies and there’s plenty of very good friends in that book for when I get lonely. Choosing one CD is harder for me. I’m going to go with the Jesus and Mary Chain’s Darklands because it contains songs for sex, songs for confusion, and songs of soothing.

What are you working on now? Do you have a current release or a new release coming soon?

I’m always working on short stories and poems, mostly in the romantic and erotica genre now. I have a vampire novel that is circulating among publishers at the moment as well, and a somewhat erotic novel about shadow exchanges that is in the works.

Where can we find you on the Web? Do you have a website or blog(s)? Any social networks?

On the web, I play around on Facebook and am long-time attached to LiveJournal. I’ve no official writer’s site at the moment. Mostly, I blog to keep in contact with other writer friends, and I’ve a website (http://www.e-grammar-editing.com) in the works offering tips on grammar and punctuation because as much as I love the creative side of writing, I have a copy editor’s eye for the details.

SPECIAL OFFER – Pre-order THE COUGAR BOOK and get a free ebook copy of SWING! ADVENTURES IN SWINGING!