Friday 9 November 2012

Talking dirty


It's said that most people cannot stand the sound of their own recorded voice. I am certainly no exception! In order to get me to record an audio snippet from Of High Renown, from the Thrones of Desire anthology, editor Mitzi Szereto had to defeat me in armed combat, tie me naked in the desert for a week (I bit the head off a passing vulture at one point), and finally bribe me with a night of passion with Jon Snow.

At that point I finally failed my Will Save and capitulated.

So here I am in all my horrendous audibility. But it's not just me, of course:

  • ASHLEY LISTER reads from Here there be Dragons - a fabulously gritty tale in which sex is about power and betrayal as much as about lust.
  • AURELIA T. EVANS reads from Eyekeeper - a twisty story of witch-burning and a brutal power struggle
  • JANINE ASHBLESS reads from Of High Renown - a story of rape and redemption
  • JO WU reads from Key to the Queen’s Elixir - a heartbreaker of a story about long-lost love
  • MITZI SZERETO reads from Escape - a story you can't quite believe is going to have a happy ending
  • NYLA NOX reads from The Widow’s Man - a bittersweet femdom tale about betrayal
  • SACCHI GREEN reads from Flesh and Stone -  a squirmy-hot tale of frustrated desire
  • ZANDER VYNE does the clever thing and gets someone else to read from The Last Sacrifice - a story of gods and monsters and high destiny.

All author readings



By the way, I probably haven't mentioned it here yet, but a big chunk of Piers Anthony's foreword is devoted (approvingly!) to my story as an example of how traditional male and female fantasy themes can be entwined and subverted. Which is rather cool!

Although I will say that Of High Renown is probably one of the most girly, "feminine" stories I have ever written. Goodness knows what came over me ... I think I was in the middle of some sort of hormone attack.


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Kindle US : Kindle UK

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5 comments:

Jeremy Edwards said...

You read with great elegance and sensitivity! It completely succeeds in doing justice to your prose—and that, m'dear, is saying something.

Janine Ashbless said...

Why thank you, kind sir!

My main problem with my own voice is that I sound ridiculously posh. Come the Revolution, I will the first up against the wall ;-)

Mitzi Szereto said...

I'm very sorry about the Jon Snow bribe, and I am also very sorry to have mislead you with regard to it. I'm keeping him for myself.

Chris said...


Hold on a moment. Do you mean that I have to stop hating Piers Anthony as a misogynistic third-rate punster?

Janine Ashbless said...

That's entirely up to you, Chris!