Kinky Chat with Rebecca Blanton

Rebecca Blanton, BDSM Writers Con, submission, kink

Rebecca Blanton
Golden Flogger Award nominee speaks out about Dominance and submission and writing BDSM novels

 

Why did you begin writing BDSM novels?
I had to leave my day job (head of a state agency) due to health concerns. I had worked for years as an academic researcher and always loved the writing and research. I transitioned to writing nonfiction which felt like a natural transition. I found that the more I wrote and spoke about BDSM the more amazing people I met. The community is filled with wonderful, thoughtful and fun folks. Having a reason to spend professional and personal time with this group gives me a lot of joy and drives me to keep writing.

Do you participate in D/s activities or merely write about them?
I practiced D/s long before I wrote about it. I discovered BDSM about the same time I started my sexual exploration. By 16, I had found the women’s leather community and knew these were my people. Instead of going to my Senior Prom I went to an LGBT fund raiser as a youth representative. When I was getting ready, my mom said, “I am afraid you will meet an older leather woman and she will sweep you away on her motorcycle and make you her sex slave.” All I could think was, “I really hope so!” The values and sex associated with BDSM and power exchange helped me develop my view to of the world and I continue to practice D/s today.

Where did you get your information on this lifestyle?
I read as much as I can about sex, gender and kink. Depending on what I am writing about, information can come from academic research, gender and sociology writers, sexologists and medical professionals. I also read the blogs and books of many sex educators and sex workers, especially professional Dommes. When I write about gender I read a lot from non-binary authors and sexologists.

I also go out into the community and talk to people. This can be at Cons, in classes, online, or at munches. I don’t believe there is one right way to do kink. I try to really listen to the experiences of different people in the community and then figure out how it fits with my world view.

I also love podcasts. There are so many great ones out there right now. Listening to people talk about a wide range of topics is always fascinating to me.

* What does being nominated for the Golden Flogger Award mean to you?

I was really touched when I got the notice of my nomination. In the past year my health has significantly declined. This has meant that my ability to get out and do community events and conferences has been significantly diminished. I had a really rough month with a lot of cognitive decline and felt I had not contributed anything of value in a long time. I am incredibly grateful that someone read the book and found value in it. It has definitely been a big ego boost.

Do you conduct any advocacy work in this lifestyle or is it strictly fiction base for you? If so, what?
I continue to stay in politics tangentially and advocate for issues that affect the BDSM communities. I have long found (and research now confirms) that kinky people understand and practice consent in a powerful way that I think the rest of the world could benefit from. I began my “Red Stops Rape” campaign in 2015 which promotes adopting a national safe word along with funding the public and school education to institutionalize a safe word for everyone. With the #motoo movement, there is a political window open to push forward the discussion on how we create a consent-based culture. I think this is where the BDSM community can really teach others how to respect consent and ultimately transform society for the better.

Tell us a little about yourself and your writing works.
I hated, and I mean HATED writing all though school. I was a horrid writer in undergrad and not so hot in grad school. I dreaded working on the dissertation. But… I kept doing it. Now I write all the time. Something will start nagging at my consciousness and I begin writing in my head. My internal dialogue sounds like I write. So, I jot down a draft, research what I don’t know or need more information about, and then rewrite. I’ve come to love the whole process, including editing and formatting. Reading inspires me and I am always trying to connect ideas.

A little about our author:
Rebecca Blanton is a writer and performer. She has a Ph.D. (ABD) in Political Psychology from the City University of New York, Graduate Center. She worked as a researcher and in politics for years before becoming a freelance writer. Her work now focuses on BDSM, sexuality and gender. She has worked to create work which inspires thought and encourages people to be their authentic selves. She identifies as agender, a submissive, and bisexual. Her latest work is The Big Workbook for Submissives and has a forthcoming entertaining and cookbook Eat Good, Drink Good, Live Good which evolved from her years as a service submissive.


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