Tabitha Black
Golden Flogger Award nominee
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing works
I’ve wanted to be an author ever since I could hold a pen. And I got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach at the thought of being spanked at the earliest age, as well – although of course I didn’t understand it. When I grew up and discovered BDSM, it was only natural for me to combine my two biggest passions: writing and the lifestyle. I had my first spanking book published in 2005 and now I write and edit erotic power exchange fiction full-time. It really is a dream come true.
Where did you get your information for this lifestyle?
Quite simply put: I live it. Ever since I discovered the fact that I wasn’t ‘weird’ or ‘strange’, that there were many, many other people out there who felt the same way, and that there is an umbrella term for it, I never looked back. I joined groups, joined Fetlife, did all the research I could, and, eventually, found a man I trusted to let me start experiencing things ‘in real life’. I haven’t had a ‘vanilla’ partner in ten years and I don’t think I could ever be happy in a purely vanilla relationship ever again. I also started attending local events and learned a lot more by watching scenes, but I also love to experiment. If I’ve written about it, it’s extremely likely that I’ve done it. And yes, that includes fireplay.
What was the hardest part about writing your novel?
Stopping! Sharing Silver wasn’t my first book by a long shot but all my other works had been historical, and had therefore required tremendous amounts of research. As Silver is a contemporary novel, I didn’t have to spend hours trying to find out whether this or that already existed in 1569; I was able to just write it, and as I’ve personally experienced pretty much every single scenario in the book, it practically wrote itself. So the hardest part was stopping occasionally to eat and sleep. My Sir had to put me to bed whenever I conked out with my head on the keyboard.
Will you be attending BDSM Writers Con or any other events we can meet you at?
I would love to attend BDSM Writers Con but unfortunately it’s not hugely likely at the moment, as I live in Europe and I’m already planning to come to the States this year to attend Blushing Books’ Passionate Pen conference in Vegas from 11th April 2016, just before the Romantic Times conference at the same venue. Still, I intend to write many more books this year so there’s still hope that I might be able to attend a BDSM Writers Con in 2017. Fingers crossed!
What does being nominated for the Golden Flogger Award mean to you?
Quite honestly? It means the world to me. I cried when I found out. So many books don’t accurately portray real, or safe, sane and consensual BDSM, and many readers don’t know the difference. I completely understand that there is a difference between fantasy and reality, and I’ll be the first to admit that I really enjoy ‘darker, dubious or even non-consent’ stories and there is a place for them, but there should also be enough realistic literature out there to balance things out, and the difference should be clear. I’d even support labels for books, to help readers differentiate between ‘fantasy only’ and ‘RACK or SSC’.
Also, I’ve been published several times over, met fans, signed autographs and made top lists on Amazon, but this is the first time I’ve ever been nominated for an award. So just the nomination is a huge deal for me and I am over the moon. Thank you for considering me!
A little about Tabitha Black:
Tabitha Black has been writing erotic spanking fiction for over a decade, mostly in the age-play and historical genres. More recently, she’s discovered the joys of writing more contemporary, edgier books with a greater emphasis on BDSM.
Having lived in four countries on three different continents, and been an active participant in her local kinky communities, she likes to “write to discover what she knows”. Her own personal kinks include anything and everything to do with spanking, fireplay, edge play, scarification, age-play, and too many more to count. Some girls like wood, some adore leather, but Tabitha is partial to big, shiny, ornate knives… nothing else makes her quite as weak at the knees.
Before she was writing and editing full-time, she has worked as a web copywriter, glamour model, and online chat host. Now she lives in Europe with her Daddy/Sir, and a lilac cat who likes to sneeze in her face. She has a weakness for great cappuccino; strong, dominant, kind but brutally sadistic men (and counts herself amazingly lucky to have found one in real life); brilliant books, and tattoos.
Tabitha loves getting mail, so if you want to drop her a line, please do so at tabitha_black@hotmail.com. You can also check out her blog here, follow her on Twitter @BlushingTabitha, or join her Facebook page.