Literature

      As you may know, BDSM mainstream fiction is somewhat limited. There was the classic Story of O written by a French submissive for her Dom.  Then there was Nine 1/2 Weeks by a woman whose real identity was never revealed. (The film version cut out out most of the BDSM and the novel was spoiled by the ending in which she ends up in a hospital.)
Then there was Laura Reese who wrote two very good books called Panic Snap and Topping from Below.  There's the Sleeping Beauty series written by Anne Rice under the name A.N. Roquelaure.
Oh, and don't forget The Marketplace, a series of novels by Laura Antoniou.

If you google BDSM fiction, there are many more but the ones I mentioned have gotten the most attention

    If you've not heard of the widely spread phenomenon of 50 Shades of Grey then you must have been living under some sort of rock the last few years (can I climb in there with you?)
It's unbelievable to Me, how a trilogy of novels that started out as Twilight fan-fiction became such a huge bestseller.  It has made BDSM more acceptable, a bit, to millions of lonely bored housewives across the country... which isn't altogether bad.
      Women are saying reading the book is rekindling their interest in intimacy. One morning on The Today Show, I watched a  soccer mom insist the book had reignited her sex life with her husband. What could be bad about that?
The books are so successful, that they’ve spawned an increase in sex toy sales, and some hardware store owners are having a tough time keeping cotton rope (used by Christian Grey to tie up Anastasia in the book) on the shelves. You see, handsome billionaire Grey, the title character, is into BDSM. 

      A mother of two who says she wrote the books to put her own fantasies on paper, James has said that she didn’t expect such success. How could she? This is the stuff of authors’ dreams. Not only fame, but just think of the royalty checks James is cashing.

Wait a minute while I calm my imagination and my racing heart...

      Alright, while it's unbelievable how the books got their start and how they've skyrocketed in sales... the actual content of the book is deplorable in My opinion...  First it's just poorly written, very poorly written.   I won't go into detail but this book truly does more harm and good. It's like the book  "The Philadelphia Incident," a real-life instance where a young woman entered into a submissive relationship with an older dominant man, and was forced into oral sex against her will. The BDSM community split in its reaction: Some called it rape, others blamed the victim. (I always blame the Top.. yes bottoms need to be well knowledgeable about what they are getting into but the Top is the most responsible in any relationship... they are the ones held accountable)
It is important to have ground rules, and to trust the person with whom you're BDSMing--there's no acknowledgement of the importance of safety, respect, or rules in Fifty Shades of Grey. Given this is the first introduction many people will have to our lifestyle, it could be promoting an unhealthy, and potentially dangerous, attitude.

      I tell people, who've read it and enjoyed it... to dig deeper.  Research BDSM, talk to people who are truly in the community. Learn what it truly is. Walking into ANYTHING blindly is absurd.   

(on a sidenote to yesterday's blog... My sweet, there are several that didn't make the cut.. some that are truly good too.  Blue Velvet, Eyes Wide Shut, 9 1/2 Weeks, Tokyo Decadance,  The Night Porter, Pulp Fiction, Bound,  Even My all time favorite musical... My fair Lady -I'm saving the explanation to that for a later blog-  There are so many scenes in so many movies I didn't want to put them all in, but I've seen just about ALL of them in My lifetime)