I Confess

Alison Luterman is a poet, essayist and playwright. 

Her books include 

The Largest Possible Life, 

See How We Almost Fly, 

and Desire Zoo.

#FetishFriday - Writing Handcuffs & Silk

Handcuffs & Silk started out as a sweet romance. A simple one night stand between a lady cop and a lawyer sounded easy but somewhere along the line the characters took over the story and sexed it up.  Bring out the leather and restraints...I was off to write about something I had no idea about.

So what did I do?

What any good author does... RESEARCH.  Here's where hubby has that Cheshire Cat grin.  No, really... I poured over books (fiction & non-fiction), interviewing various Doms and subs then let my imagination go.

According to Wikipedia: BDSM is a consensual lifestyle choice, or type of adult role-play between two or more individuals. The compound acronym, BDSM, is derived from the terms bondage and discipline (B&D), dominance and submission (D&S), and sadism and masochism (S&M). BDSM includes a wide spectrum of activities, forms of interpersonal relationships, and distinct subcultures.

I found the best help on the subject (other than personal interviews) turned out to be the online site Seekers.  This site states, "D/s is a lifestyle choice, Domination and submission, where people live their lives opting by nature to be either Dominant or submissive. In a relationship the one complements the other and is based on the gift of submission, and absolute trust."

I must say this sight was not only helpful with my work, but I thought the owners handled the subject in a fundamental and kindly manner.

Writing Handcuffs & Silk became a whole new experience for me and opened a door I always thought was best kept closed. Not only am I becoming a better writer because of my research but I've also developed a sincere respect for my new friends who delve into this world. Hubby and I won't be visiting a dungeon any time soon, but he certainly enjoys being my "research assistant."

Never be afraid to ask questions, 

the answers may amaze you.  

Tasty Tuesday - Mrs. C's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I looked forward to making cookies at my best friend's house. Her mom used Oleo. I loved the smell of it.  The recipe was an old family recipe. I think those are the best kind! Tried and true!

When Mom Carlyon passed away, she took the recipe with her. 

I've spent some time in the kitchen being a mad scientist to figure out the actual recipe. My family never once complained about being "forced" into taste testing.  My son's baseball team certainly didn't complain about getting the left overs.

Alas... I cracked the code. 

Mom was certainly with me as I made this last batch. 

Time to share. Can you smell them?

Ingredients

3 cup Unsifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Baking soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Regular Crisco

3/4 cup Granulated sugar

3/4 cup Brown Sugar; firmly packed

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

2 large Eggs – room temp

1 cup Walnuts or pecans; chopped (I smash mine into a rough powder)

1-2 cups Chocolate chips 2 cups chopped Dates

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine butter, sugars, and vanilla extract in a large bowl; beat until creamy.

Beat in eggs.

Gradually add flour mixture; blending well.

Stir in Nestle Semi-Sweet Real Chocolate Morsesl, dates and nuts.

Drop by rounded teaspoonsfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. I like to actually roll the dough into balls. I also used parchment paper lined cookie sheets. If the dough isn't firm, chill it in the fridge for a 30 min.

Bakes at 375 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes.