Blushing Books: 

Alice Liddell: Yes, Alice Liddell was the young girl for whom Carroll wrote the story. Lewis Carroll was the penname for a man named Charles L. Dodgson.

Blushing Books:  I’m sure you’re aware of the stories – rumors, really – about the relationship between Dodgson and his young friend Alice. Did those stories influence you in choosing her name as your penname?

Alice Liddell: To be honest, I wasn’t even aware of that part of the story until later. I needed a penname when my first spanking story was accepted for publication, which was in 2002. I knew I wanted to use “Alice” but couldn’t decide on a last name. It was actually my publisher at the time – Steve Richardson of C. F. Publications – who suggested “Alice Liddell,” commenting that it seemed eminently appropriate for someone about to poke her head down the figurative rabbit hole by embarking on a career in spanking writing. Curiously, there is a photo of Alice Liddell at about age ten that looks spookily similar to a photo of me at the same age.

Blushing Books: Liddell and Dodgson lived during the Victorian era, which is the setting for two of your most popular novellas, Childebride Island and The Harlot Bride. Is there something in particular about the Victorian era that appeals to you?

Alice Liddell: I love the Victorian era as a setting for all sorts of stories. Like many of our readers, I grew up reading Victorian literature and I love the language. I’ve also read probably all of the Victorian erotic memoirs. The great advantage of setting a spanking story in Victorian times is that it helps make your story believable.

Blushing Books: Because we already have it in our minds that girls then really were spanked by governesses and maids actually were birched by their employers?

Alice Liddell: Exactly. The stories I write are fantasies but I have to pull the reader in and make her or him believe that the scene I’m describing could really happen. The last thing I want the reader to think is, ‘Hey, he couldn’t really get away with that!” or “Come on, she would never let him do that to her!’ Setting a story in a socially conservative era is a device that helps establish that your character is subject to physical punishment.

Blushing Books: The 1950s in the United States would be another example of a socially conservative era.

Alice Liddell: Yes. And that’s why it’s another popular setting for spanking stories. I don’t write stories set in the fifties but I understand why others do. As an author, you have to create a setting in which a character can be spanked and no one will come charging in to stop it. The society around the character, or at least in her immediate environment, has to condone spanking.

Blushing Books: Some authors do that by creating a whole fantasy world, perhaps on another planet.

Alice Liddell: Yes they do. I personally prefer to stay on Earth, but I am very conscious of the need to set up one character with very clear authority over another. In A Teacher’s Dispatch from Japan, I used a boarding school to do that. In Childebride Island, in which I created an island where girls are trained to be a very special sort of wife, I used a school environment again, and placed it in a remote location to make the set-up more believable.

Blushing Books: Some of your stories, including Childebride Island, have age-play themes, in which a dominant male or female disciplines a consenting adult who is playing the role of a child. What is the appeal of age play to you as a writer?

Alice Liddell: To be honest, I had never heard of age play until I started writing for Bethany’s Woodshed. Bethany sent me a copy of Carolyn Faulkner’s Little Miss and suggested I try my hand at the genre, probably because she knew I liked to write stories set in Victorian times. Despite no previous exposure to age play, I found the story interesting and exciting. The timing was good in that I had just started branching out in my own reading, moving beyond the domestic and school-discipline stories I grew up on, and was exploring other genres, such as those that use a master-slave relationship to create a power imbalance between characters. As a result, I instantly recognized age play as another yet variant of the dominant-submissive dynamic. I understood it, and I liked having new themes to work with in my stories. But whereas others authors use age-play themes to express love and nurturing, for me it’s a way of exacerbating the power imbalance.  And when I use age play, I take out the element of consent. An adult woman may be treated as a child in my stories, but she hasn’t explicitly agreed to it. “Safe Haven” is the only exception. In that story, a college student willing enters into the age-play relationship and finds stability, gratification and love in it.

Blushing Books:  That reminds me that you have a reputation for severe writing stories. Do you think it’s deserved?

Alice Liddell: Well, let’s look at that. With the exception of one short story, The After-Hour Examination, (contained in the Decade of Discipline anthology) I don’t work in themes associated with BDSM, such as piercing or branding or severe whippings. In fact, I stay pretty much within the boundaries of traditional spanking stories, employing hand-spankings, paddling and the occasional birching. I use corner time and scolding. Even when I do move into more severe elements, such as physical restraint or anal penetration, I try to keep it within the realm of traditional discipline rather than straying into the territory we associate with modern BDSM. So I think the main reason my stories seem severe is that they are so clearly non-consensual.

Blushing Books: That’s true. Of everything you’ve written, I can only think of one short story – A Gift to Remember – that is consensual. Do you prefer to write non-consensual stories?

Alice Liddell: I absolutely do. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but for me it doesn’t work if the woman’s got the man wrapped around her finger even as he’s spanking her. His power over her has to be absolute, and it’s his unflinching willingness and ability to exercise that power that gets me hot. He may seem cruel, and she may fight her treatment, but deep down it is exactly what she wants and needs. Readers who like my stories understand that.

Blushing Books: Can you tell us something about yourself?

Alice Liddell: Like a lot of our readers, I’m a middle-aged married woman with children. I live a very normal life that revolves around work and taking care of my family. I’m in a book group. I go to the gym every day. I also happen to live outside of the United States, and have for years.

Blushing Books: You’ve lived more than a dozen years in Asia. Has that influenced your writing?

Alice Liddell:  It made me want to set spanking stories in places other than the United States and England, which is where almost all stories written in English are set. To date, I’ve published stories set in Japan (A Teacher’s Dispatch from Japan), Holland (The Sea Pilot’s Daughter, which is part of my new Decade of Discipline anthology) and China (Number One Spanking for Number Three Wife, also in the anthology). I’m working now on a novel-length story (Straits Academy) which is set in Singapore in the 1920s when it was still a British colony. Living in Asia, where most people are very concerned about how they appear to other people, has also made me more aware of the shame factor in spanking stories.

Blushing Books: Is that why your stories often include punishments administered in front of other people?

Alice Liddell: Yes. The presence of a third party or witness makes the punishment much more embarrassing and shameful. I started thinking carefully about shame after moving to Asia, but shame is very much part of our Western spanking experience, too. That’s why pants get pulled down for spankings and why girls get sent to the corner to stand with their spanked bottom on display.  My mother used to scold me by saying, “Shame on you!” Shame makes the punishment harder and motivates the penitent to behave next time

Blushing Books: Some readers seem to be uncomfortable with the public punishments in your stories.

Alice Liddell: I suspect it’s harder for some readers to accept the presence of a third party when it’s a husband punishing a wife rather than, say, a headmaster chastising a student. Some readers prefer to have matters between husband and wife kept private. But for me, the humiliation factor is part of what makes a story hot. And let’s remember that what I write is fantasy: I wrote The Harlot Bride with Lucy subject to spankings in front of the household staff, but I wouldn’t really like to live like that! (Well, maybe just a little!)

But seriously, I do understand why some readers have trouble with the non-consensual nature of my stories and my harsher scenes. I understand because I have struggled greatly over the years with the same issue, trying to reconcile my strong, independent nature with my wildly submissive desires. It took me years to accept that my fantasies are just fantasies, and I don’t need to worry about what they mean or feel guilty about them. I do not in any way condone violence, nor would I ever want a man to do something to a woman without her consent. What I write is intended as fantasy and entertainment. I’d like to think it reassures readers that other people share the same sort of fantasies and desires.

Blushing Books: When writing your scenes, how do you gauge what will and won’t appeal to readers?

Alice Liddell:  Readers of erotic literature, and especially spanking stories, tend to have clearly defined likes and dislikes that are highly personal. I once got an email from a reader who loves when the word “hiney” is used in a story while “ass” is such a turn off that she’ll throw out any book that uses it. What I’m saying is that it’s impossible to deliver a book that caters exactly to all customers. Fortunately, most readers have some flexibility: if they get a story that pushes, say, 8 out of 10 of their buttons, they’ll overlook the elements they don’t like. My best advice is to read the description of a story carefully before you buy it. I work very hard to make sure mine are accurate.

Blushing Books: As you know, Blushing Books recently unveiled a trailer for The Harlot Bride, and it’s really attracting viewers. The ending of that book seems to hint at a sequel. Will we be hearing more about the adventures of Lucy as she continues her new life with Lord Tazewell?

Alice Liddell: I love the trailer, thank you. And I would like to write a sequel to The Harlot Bride, and Childebride Island, too. I wish I could promise that they’ll be out soon, but I’m the world’s slowest writer and go through at least a dozen drafts and rewrites before I finish a book. So nothing happens fast.

Blushing Books:  But you are working on something, right? Do you have any projects you’d like to preview for your fans?

Alice Liddell: Right now, I’m actively working on Straits Academy, which I’d like to finish by summer. That will be a full-length novel or novella, and is something new for me because it’s a mystery, but of course with lots of spanking and some age-play elements. And it’s set in a girls’ school, so much of the discipline is administered by women. But there is a male lead, and romance, and I’m expecting a happy ending for this story. I’d also like to finish Sea Pilot’s Daughter, the story set in Holland. It’s quite a bit gentler than my other stories, and is definitely a romance.

Such is the fate awaiting Lucy Farquar, the main character in Alice Liddell’s “The Harlot Bride,”  until she attracts the attention of Lord Edward Tazewell. He’s determined to have Lucy, bad reputation and all. But when Lucy assumes becoming the wife of a Lord is enough to make her a Lady, she finds herself facing a rude awakening at the hands of a man who thinks respect is only earned through obedience, and obedience only through punishment.

Then you will love “The Land of Khys” series by Nattie Jones. Here there be dragons. And strong men, and the women who must obey them. Set in a mythical realm, these books follow the lives of those in the Dragon Master culture. The books are a wonderful, sexy read that will transport you into worlds that will set your soul alight.

But Rick Santorum has a message for you. Sex is only OK if you’re married and trying to make a baby. And if you’re doing it for any other reason, then that makes you a sinner. And if you’re looking at dirty pictures or reading dirty stories or watching dirty movies then he’s going to step in and slap some morality into you by taking your porn away. At least, that’s his plan.

Who would have thought that in 2012 we’d be having discussions about whether women can use birth control, or whether singles or couples can read or look at erotic material?  And yet here we are, watching the hands of the clock spinning in reverse as we fight forces that would control not just our bodies, but our minds.

Now, I know some of you reading this might actually be Santorum supporters. The rest of you should not laugh. According to the New York Times, those folks residing in the reddest states – the states whose voters most often back religious conservatives – are the heaviest users of online porn.

You may be one of those people; last night there you sat in Bible study and tonight, here you are on the Blushing Books blog checking to see if there are any new book trailers or downloads or discount offers.

If that happens to describe you, you should not be ashamed. We’re not going to judge you. In fact, we know that some of our Christian DD titles are very popular with our conservative readers. We understand that different people have different interests and different standards for what they might want to read, and we support that by trying to make our descriptions of the books we sell clear enough that you can pick and choose what meets your standards. But you should be concerned.  Your man is out to stop you from reading erotica – here or anywhere else.

You know deep down you’re not hurting anyone. You know you enjoy it. But he’s telling you that because he doesn’t do it, then you shouldn’t do it either. He’s telling you that anything “obscene” should not be allowed in the free market, even if you want to buy it. He’s telling you that all porn is misogynistic and demeaning to women, even though women are increasingly enjoying erotic material. He’s telling you that you can’t think for yourself, and so he’s going to step in and think for you.

If you’re one of our conservative readers who has agreed with right-wing commentators who tell us they don’t want to see a “Nanny State,” then why you letting your man try to implement a “Daddy State?” With real wars going on, and real problems facing this country, does he really need to focus on our sex lives, and what we choose to see or read for stimulation?

This isn’t a political blog, and no one here is asking you to switch parties or even to forsake your conservative values, whatever they may be. But there is more sex between your ears than between your legs, and if enjoying a little porn makes your sex life better and more satisfying, that is no one’s business but your own. But make no mistake about it, if by some narrow stroke of fate Santorum or someone like him were to make it into any place of power, they will make what you read and look at the government’s business, and they will try to take it away.

Ask yourself: Is that what you want? And if it is, then why are you here?

Rick Santorum says if elected he will launch a war on porn, and make no mistake – that will include what we offer. But our business – like any other business – could not exist without customers, and that is you. This is not about shutting down an industry; this is about taking away your choices. This isn’t about starting a war on porn. This is about starting a war on you.

Don’t let him.

If a man walked into your life – a handsome man – and offered you a chance to live out your deepest, darkest, unspoken fantasies, would you take it? That’s the dilemma Mary Saunders faces in No Ordinary Affair by Fiona Wilde.

When Ethan Willoughby strolls into the antique shope where Mary works, he shows a keen interest in one particular item – a paddle. As he examines it, the dashing customer wistfully talks of the days when spanking errant pupils – and wives – made society a better place.

Mary is all too glad to see her mysterious customer leave. Their discussion awakens the submissive fantasies she’s held for years – fantasies her husband cannot satisfy. But when Willoughby returns, Mary’s life takes a complicated turn as he propels her into a fantasy world tailor made just for her.

But is getting what we want always the best thing? As Mary discovers the truth about herself – and her new lover – she must make some hard decisions before it’s too late.

This sexy, well-written book is not just hot, it’s thought-provoking. And if you want more then enjoy the free bonus book, Personal Shopper by Sullivan Clarke is offered free as part of this amazing deal.

We hope you enjoy your trips to the Blushing Books blog and Web site.  If you’re like most people, you come here because you enjoy downloading books to your e-reader. You’re likely tech-savvy and rely on the Internet for more than just shopping for books. But imagine for a moment if a large number of the informative and entertaining sites you visit and enjoy on a daily basis were shut down or altered to become mere shadows of what they are today – sites like Craigslist, Wikipedia, Twitter and more.

It could happen if corporate-backed lawmakers pass two pieces of legislation you should know about. Senate 968 (PIPA) and HR 3261 (SOPA) are being touted by supporters on the flimsy argument that it will stop piracy, but in fact these two bills will allow powerful interests to decide what you read, watch and hear online.

The list of supporters of PIPA and SOPA are your typical corporate fat cats. The entertainment industry supports the legislation. So does FOX News head Rupert Murdoch. Other supporters include Walmart, Rolex, Tiffany’s, Visa, Mastercard and TimeWarner Cable.

The list of those objecting to this attack on your Internet freedoms are the sites you probably use on a daily basis, like Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Etsy, Tumbler, Mozilla and groups like the ACLU and Human Rights Watch.

This week, Web sites like Craigslist, Wikipedia, Word Press and others started a massive campaign to alert users to the threat of these two bills. The results have been encouraging. Due to the overwhelming response by Internet users just like you, politicians who were supporting PIPA and SOPA have reversed their position.

But that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop fighting.

The next step for the proponents of PIPA and SOPA will be an attempt to modify these bills, but these bills don’t need modification; they need to be killed before they go any further. So we’re asking you – our Blushing Books readers – to call or email your legislator today and demand that he or she support your right to access Internet information.

You can find out if your legislator supports PIPA or SOPA by going here. We hope you will. Any infringement on the Internet can be a slippery slope to lawmakers telling you what you can and cannot see and read online. Censorship should never take place in a free society; we hope you will get involved today.

Also, we have a brand new FREE story this month, “The Lord of Misrule by Sullivan Clarke” which you shouldn’t miss! Remember, this time next month, this story will be no longer free, so get it while you can!

We also don’t like to make you search high and low for other stories to get you into the holiday season with a good start, and so we’ve got all of our Christmas and Holiday stories available right here! But browse below so you can see those brand-new stories that will put that blush to your cheeks that should be there this time of year! Read the samples and get hooked!

Happy Holidays!

A NEW FREE STORY FOR DECEMBER, 2011!The Lord of MisruleSullivan Clarke Was: 3.95 Now: Free! UNTIL December 31, 2011 Strong-willed Mary Cromwell is in love with a man who doesn’t know she exists, the handsome blonde servant, Edmund.  But Mary knows all about Edmund. She knows he’s different from the other servants, both in manner and appearance. She knows he’s strict, and when she takes to spying on him when he spanks his cousin her fascination only grows. Mary would love for Edmund to take her over his knee, but how can she get the attention of this straight-laced lad who respects the bounds of convention too much to even touch her. Mary begins to scheme, but Edmund won’t be so easily tricked. Mary is ready to give up on her dream until the last night of Christmas festivities, when the Feast of Epiphany culminates in a surprise that will change everything. Lots of hot action in this touching, historical tale sure to touch the heart of every spankable romantic. Now a sequel to this story is available: An Unlikely Lord: The MacNaughton’s First Christmas by Sullivan Clarke! Click on the link to purchase! (Part of this week’s newsletter!)

Earning A Christmas Brideby Korey Mae Johnson$3.95When Edward Grimm awoke Christmas morning to find a beautiful young girl asleep on his couch, he knew his first ever year off the naughty list hadn’t been in vain. Her presence meant that last Christmas hadn’t been a dream, and that his life hadn’t changed for nothing. It meant he had another chance. Last year, Faith Claus had done the unthinkable: she had snuck onto her father’s sleigh and visited the human city of London. She hadn’t gotten far that night—she fell right off a rooftop and onto the head of Edward Grimm: London’s most lecherous, womanizing bachelor. After the most magical night Edward had ever spent with his clothes on, he had awoken to find her gone, and she had been hauled back to the North Pole for a strict chastisement from her loving father, Old Saint Nick. Now, with the help of her magical siblings and an enchanted snow globe, Faith has returned, and unbeknownst to him, Edward has only the Twelve Days of Christmas to prove himself worthy of the most wonderful gift of his life. He will need both a good heart and a firm hand. Size: 5 Chapters Click HERE for Chapter One

Holiday Heat, Volume Twoby Assorted Authors$4.95For the second time, we’ve compiled a listing of short Christmas-themed stories to heat up your holidays by a good selection of Blushing Authors! The Director’s Christmas Present by Chula Stone: The director of the Christmas choir gets a gift, and the gift of advice from an older member of the choir who has a good idea on how to get his be his intended wife to stop chatting it up with her friend at every practice… And her friend learns her own lesson from her own husband, as well. Fighting Angels by Danielle Smith: When Alicia becomes an assistant director to stern director Michael’s Christmas Revue, her “Angels”, the girls of her school, end up not the only ones getting paddled for their lack of discipline. But when Alicia accepts Michael’s punishment… Will it lead to something more Just What She Needed by Polly Cater: Molly doesn’t know what’s wrong, but she feels that something is. She feels the emotions boil up inside of her, without any chance of release… Until she lashed out on her husband in front of his family. She feels there’s no way this marriage can work… she’s too unhappy. But can her new husband’s plan on how to deal with her bad behavior and emotions be exactly what she needs this Christmas? Naughty or Nice by Vicki Blue: Virginia is surprised when her boss seems to have the same kink she has… Which he divulges when he admits he checked her naughty search history on her computer… Christmas Past and Present by Joey Chandler: Three years after the death of her husband, Laura got together with her childhood crush and is finally introducing him to her family over Christmas dinner… But the prep for the event is turning her bratty, and Ryan’s not beyond dealing with her brattiness by turning her over his knee… And then bringing her to bed for some Christmas fun… It’s A Wonderful Spanking! By Monica Vale: Georgia is getting spanked on Christmas Eve, and is pouting about it. She wishes that she had never agreed to let her husband spank her… And because it’s Christmas Eve, she gets to find out what her life would now be like if she never agreed to it. Let’s just say, she ends up realizing that spanking leads to a wonderful life! Size: 6 Short Stories Click HERE to sample

An Unlikely Lord: The MacNaughton’s First Christmas by Sullivan Clarke$3.95Nearly a year has passed since Lord MacNaughton revealed that Edmund Leeds, a servant in the Cromwell household, was actually his unclaimed son. This revelation paved the way for Mary Cromwell to marry the handsome, strict servant she’d secretly falling in love with. But now that they are the new Lord and Lady MacNaughton, they face a new set of challenges. Edmund is as strict a disciplinarian as ever, which keeps Mary on pins and needles. And as their first Epiphany season as husband and wife approach, Edmund’s mother still has not spoken to him. This, coupled with the death of the father who’d just claimed him, brings sadness to Edmund. When Mary decides that the best gift she could give her husband is a reunion with his mother, she realizes the only way to make this happen is to defy him and set out alone to search the village. Will her journey be worth the risk? Or can defiance be overlooked for the greater good? This is a sequel to “The Lord of Misrule: An Epiphany Story” by Sullivan Clarke (which happens to be this month’s free story)! Size: 5 Chapters Click HERE for Chapter One

Figgy Puddingby Melinda Barron$3.95Book editor Alice Forrester has lost her job, and now she’s about to lose her home, too. At the suggestion of a friend she decides to pack up her belongings and start over in England, staying in the friend’s flat free of charge while she gets back on her feet. When she arrives, Alice meets banker Preston Walsh, and there is an instant attraction between the two. Preston says it’s fate, and while Alice is inclined to agree with him, she’s still a little skeptical about how fast things are moving between them. Still, she gives herself over to her desires to have Preston in her life, and learns she has new needs, including the wonderful spankings Preston delivers. Alice discovers a new life in Britain, and that taking a risk can bring about great happiness, delivered along with her Christmas figgy pudding. Size: 5 Chapters Click HERE for Chapter One

Santa Simonby Joannie Kay$3.95After Nellie’s sister and brother-in-law died, she quit her job at the academy to become a full-time parent to their two little girls. Six months later, Simon, her brother-in-law’s brother, showed up at the doorstep, and wants custody of his nieces since the rancher (past-gunslinger) had just heard of his brother’s death. Even though Simon has legal custody of the girls, someone had been intercepting his mail for the last three years, leaving his family to think he’d died, but he wants his nieces at home on the ranch, but their feisty aunt keeps them from his reach, and puts up a lawsuit. So isn’t it a surprise when the judge decrees a ruling that makes them realize that the best thing is to marry and provide a home for the girls… But can Nellie live out west? Will they ever become a true husband and wife, or will they butt heads forever? Size: 5 Chapters Click HERE for Chapter One

A Christmas Holidayby Laurel Joseph$3.95Anne Lambert was in terrible trouble and she had no one to turn to… except Laney Coddington Sawyer. Laney disliked her, but for some unknown reason Laney and her husband Seth agreed to give her a place to hide from her evil step-father. Anne wasn’t sure they would meet the stage, but they did, and Anne was promised protection. She is shocked when she discovers that Laney is spanked by her husband! Anne didn’t count on Mr. Grundy finding her so quickly, and neither did Seth or Harvey Coddington, who was left for dead with three bullets in him. The three men hired by Grundy to kidnap Anne were full of threats and delighted in terrorizing her as they took her farther and farther away from the Circle C Ranch. Seth tracked the group, hoping he could get to Anne in time to save her. He didn’t know that someone else was following them, too, Anne’s red hair leading White Eagle to believe it was Laney who was kidnapped. Anne uses the Derringer that Laney taught her to use, but is shocked when she is presented with an even worse fate… A Comanche brave! She shoots and White Eagle and then slaps him, and learns that he also believes in spanking! Size: 6 Chapters Click HERE for Chapter One

Free story available until Oct. 31st! This month’s story is Girl’s School Ghost by Mona Whitlock As a psychic with a natural gift for seeing and communicating with departed spirits, Fern isn’t easily rattled. But when she’s asked to investigate a former girls’ school haunted by its former headmaster’s spirit, she learns that ghosts can be more than stubborn. They can also be stern. Something is holding Jared Lockwood at the former school where he taught for years before dying of Yellow Fever. But what? Can Fern convince him to leave? Or will she wear out his patience- and get worn out herself- before she discovers the secret that his keeping him tied to the world of the living.

The other NEW STORIES available!