DivaMoms Launch “The Angel”

Some floggers, paddles, whips, collars, wine, cake and fantastically smart women makes for a fun party. Don’t ya’ think? I’d like to say this is just a typical Thursday night for me, but I’d be misleading you, and I don’t want to do that.

The truth is, it was another fabuLYSS event hosted by Lyss Stern, founder of DivaMoms. Last Thursday, September 20th, at the very chic and sexy boudoiresque shop 25Park, the DivaMoms Book Club celebrated the launch of The Angel, by Tiffany Reisz, the second book in her Original Sinners Series. The Siren is the first.

It was both a sexy and educational evening. Not an easy thing to pull off, unless your Lyss Stern, of course. (The gorgeous photos were taken by Heidi Green.)

These books are incredible. Are they hot? Yes. Erotic? Yes. But, it’s more than titillating eroticism for titillation’s sake. It’s literary. Dare I say, high-brow erotica? I think I shall, because that’s what it is to me.

More than anything, they are so magnificently written and multi-layered, I had to sit with them for a couple of days just to absorb it all.

Man, can this girl write! Her rich and unique story-line, 3-dimensional unforgettable characters, thought-provoking insights, and phenomenally sharp dialogue are sublime. Just brilliant. I’m not kidding.

Ms. Reisz’s writes with such authenticity that I received an education along with my literary bliss. And, her sense of artful responsibility to the BDSM community is undeniable.

We are first introduced to our heroine, Nora Sutherlin, in The Siren. Nora is a well-known erotica author who also happens to be the Dominatrix in New York. We follow her journey of self-awareness and acceptance, as she works through her relationships with three extremely different men; Søren, Zachary, and Wesley.

We learn that love has many faces and means something different to everyone. And, there should be no shame or judgement in how one feels and experiences love. If there’s a part in the book that sums it all up for me, it’s when Nora finds herself in the hospital after being with her Dominant love, and Zach simply asks her “Søren…why?”

To which she answers, “…He’s the only man who never hurt me.”

Well, if that isn’t just a slap on the ass.

The Angel continues to explore the notion that love hurts, and self-love needs to come first. It also delves into the lives of three additional characters, who play minor roles in The Siren, Kingsley, Griffin and Michael. Trust me on this, the provocative, sexy, heart-wrenching, and insightful story only gets better.

Her third book in the series, The Prince is due for release in November, 2012. Yummm. Can’t wait.

Now for the panel portion of the evening…

Only an extraordinary book launch would do for such an extraordinary book. A trifecta of amazing women led a scintillating and lively discussion on The Angel as it pertains to the current landscape of female sexuality, BDSM and its’ community, as well as the sexual issues plaguing many couples today. In a word, fantastic.

Renowned sexologist, Dr. Logan Levkoff, professional Dominatrix, Mistress Michelle, and hot author, Tiffany Reisz comprised the impressive panel and they did not disappoint.

On relationships:

Dr. Logan Levkoff, who is always wonderfully eloquent, told us, “Pleasure is important. We are supposed to feel pleasure and we are supposed to want it. And, if your partner doesn’t care about your pleasure, well that’s not a great partner.” Sing it sister.

No shock here, but communication is key amongst couples. Dr. Levkoff spoke about what happens when sex is no longer prioritized in the relationship. She suggested, “You have to talk to your partner. Let them know how you feel. What you want. And, that you’re in it with them.”

Dr. Levkoff also added, “The average couple could learn a lot from the BDSM community with regard to communication, about likes and dislikes, and boundaries and limits.”

On being a Dominatrix:

Mistress Michelle was awesome. She didn’t hold back. Immediately, I was enthralled when she said, “Working at a dungeon was very liberating for me. I get to work with people who embrace sex, and kink, and sexuality. You get used to being so free you never want to go back to a 9 to 5 work environment.”

Her clientele is varied from your everyday “suit” to your seemingly frailer octogenarian, and she charges anywhere from $250 to $450 for an hour of her time. The most commonly used piece of equipment are her hands. She informed us that a lot of her clients want her to touch, slap or pinch them. A basic spanking session will cost $250 for the hour.

Holy hell that S&M equipment is expensive. We learned that canes come in bamboo, rattan, and acrylic, are more hardcore, and are often used for corporal punishment. Floggers are very pricey. Her paddle was custom made and cost $85. Riding crops are cheap.

The whip she brought with her was made for her by a famous whip-maker, who is now dead. You’ll never believe how much that whip cost. $700 f’ing dollars. I want to know where one learns how to make a $700 whip. Sign me up.

On pain as pleasure:

Author Tiffany Reisz rocked! She was so honest and charming, and really informative. Ms. Reisz explained, “Pain causes an endorphin rush, and an adrenalin rush, so everything is heightened. It throws the pleasure into an incredibly sharp and intense relief.”

She went on to say, “It’s just a rush and I love it.”

Highlighting the fact that you never know who is into the scene and that you should never make any assumptions, Tiffany disclosed, “I used to date a sadist, and he was a really nice guy.” There was some chuckling at that.

Ultimately, the best part of the night, for me, came when I got to sit down with Tiffany and ask her some questions, one-on-one.  Here’s how our conversation went down:

Me:             I hate to bring up Fifty Shades, but I’m going to. Your books make Fifty look vanilla. How do you feel about Fifty and how BDSM is portrayed?

Tiffany:     Any erotic author has to say thank you E.L. James because BDSM is now dinner conversation. Personally, I haven’t read them.

Me:             Really?

Tiffany:      Actually, I don’t read erotica because I don’t want to be influenced by them.

Me:             Your writing is so authentic. I feel that I received an accurate look into the world of BDSM. Am I right about that?

Tiffany:     Thank you. But, believe it or not my writing is still tame compared to some of the things that people do.

Me:             Your books are somewhat atypical to the Romance story formula. Would you agree and how do you feel about the Romance genre in general?

Tiffany:     I have a problem with Romance today and how simple they make love stories. Love is complicated and messy. And, as far as my books go, I love how The Siren begins with the end of Nora and Søren’s relationship.

Me:            Did you have a particular vision for your Original Sinners Series?

Tiffany:     I wanted to show that sex can be healing, and there should never be shame or judgement.

Me:            The character of Michael seems to symbolize those notions. Can you tell me more.

Tiffany:     In The Siren, Michael believes there’s something wrong with himself for what he likes and needs. There are kids, who at young ages, feel the need to tie themselves up without understanding why, and feel ashamed or are made to feel ashamed by someone else. That’s where Michael is in The Siren until Nora helps him to feel okay about who he is, and lets him know he’s not alone. The Angel follows that awakening.

Me:            You’re amazing and I can’t wait for the next two books to come out.

Tiffany:     (She gives me a huge smile.) The Prince is next and book number 4 is The Mistress.

People, you must READ this series.

The Angel is officially on sale today, September 25, 2012. Got to amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com for your copy now.

So, in the prophetic words of John Cougar Mellancamp, “Come on baby, make it hurt so good…Sometimes love don’t feel like it should….” A possible anthem for The Original Sinners Series perhaps? Well, whatever “anthem” you hear, one thing is certain, sinning has never been so delicious.

 

Giveaway Time: My Daily Pill has 5 copies of The Angel to giveaway. Be one of the first 5 “Popper” readers to comment on this post and it’s yours. xoxoxo