Wind whips against the flame dying and unchanged Night burns into day that waste away Heart focuses on love filled with pain A rare sapphire glisten gemstone rare, unmoved vibrant shining radiance Beautiful glow birds of the forest fly into the embers of it's aura.
I had the pleasure of interviewing a very talented writer of erotica; Rosie Banks! She took the time to talk to me over Twitter as I began to read some of her blog posts on Medium. From there I became pretty obsessed with her work and decided to ask her on this spotlight! She said yes, I blushed, shook and went weak in the knees. I’m not going to ramble but I am so glad to be able to share this with you all, she is a wonderfully vivid writer, with a great taste and talent that will grow from seed to flower in no time, it will transform from caterpillar to butterfly before you know it.
Rosie Banks is the author, editor, and curator of kinky bitesize erotica on Medium and Amazon Kindle. She has been writing professionally for nine months, and writing erotica professionally for three. Her already extensive catalogue contains stories in the BDSM, hypnosis, and cuckoldry kinks, although this is by no means exhaustive. In addition to her erotic short stories, Rosie keeps a semi-regular blog, where she talks about her experiences as an erotic writer, advice she’d give to those interested in entering the erotica field, as well as musings on the genre in general.
Why are you a writer?
Starting with the easy questions I see. Ehm… hmm… I guess I’m a writer because I have this insatiable, and at times perverted, imagination, and writing is the only medium I’ve found that as near as possible captures what’s in my head. Writing comes fairly naturally to me, and I enjoy it. Sure, it can be a chore sometimes, and when the ideas aren’t coming it’s absolutely infuriating, but most of the time writing is fun and a little exciting—on occasion, very exciting… I love it and I wouldn’t want to do anything else with my life, and probably won’t.
What do you enjoy about writing?
Two things: One, I love that I can sit and let my imagination flow without any boundaries. I always feel such excitement when I sit in front of a blank screen, wondering where I’ll be taken to today. It’s marvellous! Two, I honestly enjoy the process of trying to convert what’s in my head into cold, hard scribbles on the page. It’s like a puzzle with no right answers. And the satisfaction of hearing your story made an impact on someone, there’s no other way to describe it: pure joy.
Tell us about your most recent works
Most recently, I’ve been writing approx. 1,200-2,500-word stories on Medium that I publish about twice a week. Almost all of these have been erotica, although a couple have been more straightforward blog posts. My erotic stories generally deal with someone who’s craving something: satisfaction, excitement, danger, ecstasy—perhaps a combination of these. I usually write from a first-person perspective, as I find it the most intimate and vulnerable. I also often write in the present, as the immediacy helps create suspense… and arousal.
Essentially, when you read my stuff, I want you to feel the same pleasure the protagonist feels: be in bed with them, feel the cord around their wrists—the gag in their mouth, whimper as someone caresses their body, lose control in the ecstasy of the moment. Whether or not I succeed in that is up to the reader to decide.
If you could write a book in a new genre, which would you choose?
I’d choose horror, or at least spooky (is that a genre?) Anyway, as I believe I’ve written elsewhere, I’m a big fan of classic Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories, as well as the Weird Fiction of the early twentieth-century. I regularly listen to recordings of these classic spooky stories (you can find them on YouTube), and they’re a huge influence – oddly – on my erotic writing. I won’t bore you here, but I could go on and on about how similar good horror and erotica are. To me, they’re just two sides of the same coin.
Do you have any role models or people who inspired you to write?
Hm, that’s an interesting question. Yes and no. Inspired me to write? No really… My grandfather, after he retired, wrote short stories for a while. I knew about it as a kid but didn’t really care. I regret that I didn’t take a more active interest in his work, but I wouldn’t say he “inspired” me.
On the other hand, there are plenty of authors whose writing has directly influenced my work. I don’t have time to name them all, but here are the top five. Hopefully, in a future blog post, I’ll be able to go into more detail on how they’ve influenced my work.
In no particular order, except for maybe Wodehouse, my influences are:
Are you working on anything at the moment?
At the time of this interview, I’m in the process of editing about ten erotic short stories that (fingers crossed) will be going up between now and the middle of July. I write pretty voraciously, so I’m always juggling more stories than I know what to do with. I try to follow a strict schedule, but sometimes the hypnotic call of a particularly juicy story is too good to resist.
The three that will be going up next are as follows: one about the fallout of a one night stand; another about the answer to a voyeur’s prayers; the third is… well… something a little different. It’s called, “Seduced By The Sea.” It’s a mix of erotica and… horror? Not quite sure. You can see for yourself what that one’s about when it eventually gets published.
Where can people buy your books?
If people are interested in my work, they should go to my Medium page. This is the best place to find my stories and blog posts, receive updates on upcoming projects, and support me through reading. People can (if they’d like) buy a few of my longer stories on Amazon Kindle or read them for free with a Kindle Unlimited account.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
Yikes, there’s so much I want to say. Hmm… well, with brevity in mind, I’d recommend that anyone interested in writing professionally should just start. Like today. Sit down with a favorite drink, maybe a little snack, and bang out some writing. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s good or not. What’s important, I’ve found, is the consistent practice of writing. Over time, with enough patience and practice, you’ll get better at translating what’s in your head to words on the screen.
And also bear in mind, there are no gatekeepers in writing—not any more. Unlike the good old days when you had to rely on publishers for your weekly bread, today, you can make money by writing and publishing directly online like I do: either on a site like Medium, or Amazon Kindle, or on your own blog.
Starting is so hard. But really, once you get going, it’s so easy to make a habit of it. Find a time that works for you, dedicate that as your “Writing Time”, and just do it every day, or every other day, or whatever. As long as you’re persistent, you’ll start seeing progress.
Writing is difficult. Anyone who says otherwise isn’t a professional writer. It’s okay to feel discouraged and angry and upset and depressed and everything else. In fact, it’d be weird if you didn’t sometimes feel that way. Just remember to keep going. And little by little… well, you know.
Oh, and have fun! Because, I mean really, if you’re not having fun, what’s the point?
Any other comments?
I’m sure I’ll think of something later, but for now I’m happy with these.
*You can find Rosie Banks work at the following. I already follow her on Medium and recommend you do the same.
My books on Amazon Kindle:
Let Me Sing A Song Inside Your Mind…
Rosie, thank you again for taking the time to do this interview around your busy writing schedule. We all appreciate a good writer, and especially one who can take us deep into the erotica experience and spit us out leaving us wanting more. She had these remarks about allowing me to publish this post:
“Yes, I am; and thank you again, Thomas, for offering to do this. I really appreciate it!”
Well, there you go! Enjoy your day and as always, like, comment, follow and reblog! Go check out the writer!
Hi all you wonderful followers! I hope you are having a good productive start to the new month.
May I ask, how are you all?
I am okay, but I feel like I am surviving at the moment rather than thriving. I guess this has been the case for some time. Finishing the novella Beach Town: Survivors was a boost though. But I need to complete editing it and then publish it here for you all to read. I wrote it fairly quickly. You can read the ‘blurb’ or back cover here 👇 any feedback welcomed, or general thoughts on any aspect. If you just want to know a little more, then ask!
So life seems to be continually spinning around and passing by. They say the older you are, the quicker time passes. It feels faster over the last few years, probably because of everything going on.
Now onto something both ridiculous, and offensive: 👇 (I am not associated with these messages, the phone or anything else in this screenshot).
I want to know what led to this conversation. Sounds like the guy is the one in the wrong, but we don’t know what the woman said before this, so is quite possible she led him on in some way. Anyway, hilarious comments ensued such as ‘smooth talker,’ and ‘he’s keen.’
Gossiping around the kitchen table. Tastes like melon salad. ‘Gimme the sugar baby.’ I’m sure you’ll all feel well when you start eating smart tablets. Please remember to fold your tray in the upright position in the event of a crash landing.
I welcome any thoughts on the above messages. I found it both disturbing and funny, in the sense that I could not tell if this was serious. Maybe they are just pulling our legs? I’ll end of a free style poem;
Bold 🌟
The inner light
outer dark
rounded and most efficient
altered states
the closed gates
distrust, betrayal
Happy Pride Month to all those who celebrate this! I want to make this post so that I could briefly talk a little about its history and why it is significant and what we as humans can do to either better understand it or to understand some of the people responsible.
So firstly this is a social movement because it revolves around a social issue. Pride month has been marked since 1970 as June, a time to celebrate what it means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer. Now there is a variety of ‘other’ categories. What it demands is equality from ‘cis’ and ‘heterosexual’ norms. cis is ‘denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex’.
When there are Pride marches or parades – particularly here in the UK, Manchester, where the event takes over the city for the month – it is because of the Stonewall uprising. It was a watershed moment in LGBTQ history when patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan fought back against a police raid. It is now a national monument. ’22 marks the 52nd anniversary of the event.
Interestingly despite homosexuality being criminalised and frowned upon long before that, it was Henry Gerber in 1924, a German Immigrant who founded the Society for Human Rights in Chicago, and it was the first group to campaign for gay rights in the United States. In 1955 women including Del Martin and Phyllis Lyons founded the Daughters of Bilitis in San Francisco, the first lesbian rights group in the United States. In fact, the first gay pride month was held in Chicago!
The symbol of pride is a rainbow flag. Are you familiar with the story of Harvey Milk? I suspect you may have heard of him or even seen the movie. Well, he was the openly gay San Francisco city supervisor who tasked the artist Gilbert Baker with creating a symbol for the gay community to use in place of the pink triangle. The pink triangle was actually used by the Nazis in concentration camps, when they forced gay men to wear them. Everyone in those camps had a coloured symbol though. Baker created the pride flag in 1978.
President Bill Clinton (one of the better ones I might add) was the first president to recognise pride month, because in 1999 he issued proclamation No. 7203. His successor who was arguably one of the more horrid presidents, George W. Bush, did not recognise it at all.
Now you’ve had a brief overview of the history. Have a wonderful day!
Deep thickening walls of desperation misty heart and love the deception shattered glass broken pieces lay untouched on the sand light gleams from its smooth surface retrieving waves setting sun stood alone in the desert heart has fallen from its swinging basket reaching upwards opening your eyes waterfall of soul bearing for the saints forgive me, forgive you moving shifting the dream that paved a thousand nightmares grinding relieving being in the present I feel that lust rise from the ashes as phoenix I am the storm coming to reckon on the horizon
Thank you for reading this post.
Don't wake her as her closed eyes are as soft wool to my sight her night dress coveted body as silky velvet to my hand that fresh applied perfume the scent of a thousand roses wavering upon each nostril a slow and patient kiss, her cheeks taste of honey and milk on my lips as her chest rises and falls, my ears absorb her breath Anna, sleeps tonight in cotton and has the moonlight on her resting body no evil enters the kingdom tonight "I see that you are at peace, and that uplifts my spirit."
I pray for you because there is nothing left to do you are on your own I am the man on the mountain the one who fought to keep good alive pain seeing through glass frame a bleak game descending "this is the last time you will see me" and memory serves me right I was in the blight suffering in need of help yet all I did was pray for others
Here’s some classical music for you all to enjoy. It has been said that classical music can aid concentration, boost memory and recall and relieve stress among other benefits.
Delightfully British quintessential.
“Delila, who’s cooking meat?”
“I can’t smell ******* meat!”
“Must be the news.”
“Dad, what’s for dinner?”
“Steak.”
“I heard that, this is a meat free vegan household we don’t participate in the killing of animals.”
“Sorry it was a joke, gotcha. Listen, son, keep this between us.”
“I can’t I want some too, I’m starving.”
“Woof.”
AND, the story goes on and on. Jingo.
Do you know that muffins have the most delicious center? Maybe I need to remind you all of this. Get some muffins this Christmas. Skip the turkey, its out of fashion and eat a lump of mashed avocado on toast. Save the animals and kill the rainforests while you eat, now that’s multi tasking.
Want to see my face? British. Quite.
I assure you, my hair is not green, and my face is not purple.
I can’t guarantee the tongue or stars in my eyes.
Light pouring from the heart heart of fibers, of blood and flesh riveting river of oily cellulites fluidly moving onto new pastures where we can feel our outlets becoming a mush of dreaming dwarves yet there is a silver coil and black clouds out of which spurt many a dime where the heart can only dream of the sublime.
"It is true, I love you." "and who exactly are you?"
psychedelicwizard 