Spanked virtual book tour – Interview with Rachel Kramer Bussel

Well, I wrote the other day about how excited I am about Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica . Now, I get to really share some of that excitement with you, my dear readers, because the editor (and author of one of the stories in the anthology, Rachel Kramer Bussel, has stopped by this blog on Day 4 of her Spanked virtual book tour. Here’s what we talked about:

Zille: Despite their myriad differences, all these stories have something in common: you selected them for this anthology. What are the common factors that made you choose these stories for publication?

Rachel: This was one of my easiest anthologies to edit, because the stories, for the most part, just worked. I did a private call for submissions, asking my favorite writers to send me stories, and the ones they turned in surpassed even my greatest expectations. I already edited Naughty Spanking Stories from A to Z 1 and 2 and wasn’t sure how much more great spanking erotica was out there, but they went above and beyond. It’s hard to say, though, exactly why I pick a story. Usually it either works immediately, or it doesn’t. A good story has to grab my attention and not let it go. It has to take me place I haven’t been, or places I have been, but in a new way.

And what I like about these is that they each bring a different nuance to the topic of spanking. They get into the motivations as well as the actions, which is really what makes a story. So I’m not sure how much they have in common save for really powerful, hot, arousing writing that gets into the heads of spankers and spankees. I usually get way more stories from the spankees point of view, which I understand; it’s easier to write, in a sense, but I’m always looking for hot stories from the spanker’s viewpoint as well. I’m editing Bottoms Up, the sequel to Spanked, right now, and, as always, want to get a really good mix of spanking viewpoints, styles, implements, and scenarios.

Zille: You say that you don’t normally like Daddy/girl stories, but you include a story called “Daddy’s Girl” (by Teresa Noelle Roberts) in this book. What made that story hot for you?

Rachel: I think she just nailed that particular form of roleplaying so well. She explained it, without taking the reader out of the story. She also makes it clear that while Daddy/girl play is familiar for this couple, what “Daddy” is doing is a bit out of the norm. He pushes her buttons, and she’s not quite sure what to expect. That I loved, because she made it clear that this is something she enjoys. Other than that, I’m not entirely sure, but if I had to pick a favorite in the book, one story that consistently makes me wet every time I read even a portion of it, it’d be “Daddy’s Girl.”

Zille: These stories range the gamut between people getting spanked for the first time (such as in Donna George Storey’s “A Rare Find”), and well-established spankos pushing intense limits (as your own story, “The Depths of Despair,” exemplifies). In putting an anthology like this together, are there any fears that a section of your readers will be too jaded to enjoy the former, and another part will be freaked out by the latter? How do you walk that line?

Rachel: It’s a tricky line to walk, certainly, especially because I truly hope this book appeals to newcomers who may or may not ever actually engage in spanking, as well as seasoned spankophiles. I made my book trailer deliberately “light” so as to give a sense too of the playfulness of spanking, because that can be a big part of it. But the darker aspects, the ways a spanking can linger on our skin and in our minds, far after it’s done, are just as important. I’m sure there are things in here that will freak some people out; there are things in Spanked that freak me out, but I think that’s a good thing. I also hope people finally figure out that it’s okay to read about fantasies, to grapple with them, to use erotica to figure out what intrigues you, what you might never want to do, what you might do with the right person, under the right circumstances. I really hope the book appeals to people across the spanking spectrum, even people who might never have considered it before. And remember, just because you want to read about something doesn’t mean you’re signing up to get spanked for hours on end. Reading is such a safe form of exploration, because you do it alone and can sort out your thoughts, turn-ons, and turn-offs.

Zille: These days there are so many free spanking stories online, but people are still buying erotic books. What is it about erotica in book form that keeps people coming back for more, even in the face of such wide-spread and easily obtained competition?

Rachel: I think books will always be alive and well, especially erotica (though I’m happy to report you can buy Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica for Kindle now). Especially for erotica, though, I think people want something tactile. You can curl up in bed with a book, masturbate with it held close, as opposed to a computer screen. There’s something intimate, to me, about owning a book; it’s yours, and you can write in it or earmark the pages. You know which parts are your favorites, and erotica is a genre where there’s a lot of rereading. Also, you can spank someone with a book! So while I’m totally supportive of online erotica and am happy to see that market flourishing in terms of online publications and e-publishing, I will always be an erotica book buyer and reader, and think plenty of others feel the same way.

Zille: In “Daddy’s Girl,” there is a paragraph that reads,

Soon, my ass feels huge and hot and tender, but in a good way, like huge and hot and tender is it’s proper state, and I’ve been waiting for years, not knowing what I was missing, for someone to repair my sad unspanked bottom.

This sums up exactly how I feel during a spanking. As a fellow spanking-enthusiast, does that description work for you, as well? Does it seem to you, as it does to me, that the desire for a spanking is more than just masochism, there are other “needs” inextricably enmeshed in craving a spanking and the resulting satisfaction from getting one?

Rachel: For me, it is about much more than just masochism. I’m a switch, though probably more of a bottom, but spanking reigns supreme in the activities that, without fail, turn me on, and very quickly at that. For various reasons, I don’t get to indulge my love of spanking very often, so when I do, it kindof sweeps me away, as it did for this character. It’s hard to do a spanking scene (bear with me) half-assed, whether as top or bottom. When someone is only halfheartedly engaging in spanking, it just doesn’t work, or at least, doesn’t work as well as it could or should.

For me, so much of the magic of spanking comes from finding the right partner to connect with, someone who can push me right up to and maybe over my edge, but who gets why I find it hot. If they don’t get that, sure, they may technically know where to hit and know what they’re doing, but they may leave me cold. What I’ve found in working on these stories and interviewing the authors about the motivations of their characters is that spanking taps into so many deeper emotions and needs. It can make the person being spanked extremely vulnerable, and a good top plays with that.

I got caned for the first time in January, and that helped inspire my story. There were so many moments where I almost called it off, where I was so scared of what would happen next, and then I realized I could just work with that fear. I could cry it out, and that the pleasure and the reward of having gone through it would outweigh the momentary pain.

Zille: As you worked on putting this collection together, did you used any of these stories as inspiration for your own personal playtime (alone, or with a lover?) If so … details please!

Rachel: Spanking is one of those activities that for me really only works with a lover (or two). I can get completely turned on fantasizing about it or reading about it but then I’m kindof stuck with myself, though I’ve been reading about self-spankers, which I find interesting. I think the story that really blew my mind and gave me much fantasy fodder was “Daddy’s Girl.” Daddy/girl roleplaying has always been something I’ve skipped over reading about, feeling very removed and a bit squicked by it. But that story pushed me over the edge and made me see the possibilities for it.

I’m hoping to incorporate some of the fantasies I’ve had since working on Spanked into my personal life. It’s not always easy, though, because believe it or not, I can still be very shy about asking to get spanked. Anyone who has the guts to do so, I salute you, and recognize how brave and bold an act that is. I’m amazed, though, at how just reading about spanking or looking at spanking photos, can turn me on; other things turn me on, too, but not as quickly or powerfully as spanking.

Also, and I’m not sure I should say this, but I’ve been spanked by more than one author in the book. That is all I will say about it, other than both authors have very good spanking hands, kinky minds, and stand out in my spanking memories.

Zille: I have to say, hearing that you’ve been spanked by some of the authors of Spanked does add a serious titillation value — it’s so hot to think about! Maybe for the next book you can get all the authors to spank you for the promo video!

Thank you, Rachel, for taking the time to answer my questions! This was really fun, and you’re welcome back on this blog any time!