Dark Fashion, Dark Music: Inspirations for ‘Cinderella: A BDSM Retelling’

Dark Fashion, Dark Music: Inspirations for ‘Cinderella: A BDSM Retelling’

By Lula Lisbon

Writing Cinderella: A BDSM Retelling wasn’t just about erotica or romance for me; I wanted to paint an overall atmosphere of edgy dark, of glittering luxury, and, for light-hearted contrast, of brightly-colored levity. I drew upon my own interests and expertise in the fields of fashion and music, both in which I have been (and continue to be) intimately involved.

I studied Fashion Design in college; my concentrations came to be corsetry and costume, and I was very interested in designing stagewear for bands. In fact, I won several awards for my work, which was described on the whole as elegant, complex, and avant-garde, with a touch of whimsical grace. I think you could, in fact, say the same about Cinderella.

I allowed myself quite a bit of free rein when it came to luscious descriptions of silk and leather corsets, stiletto heels, froths of lacy skirts and the gleam of gold-painted bare skin. Historical fashions and the goth scene, as well as a love of the technical aspects of garment construction, are what drew me to major in fashion in the first place. In Cinderella, I indulged my wildest fancies, describing in detail garments and jewelry which I might well design myself. Like black diamonds studding intricately worked gold, my love of fine fabrics and high drama highlights the raw, pulsing sexuality in a vivid and unique setting.

In addition to fashion, I’m also an accomplished musician as well as a lifelong fan of dark music genres such as gothic, metal, and industrial. I took inspiration from the moody, pulsing beats, painting a smoky backdrop for the ballroom scene much like Fangtasia, the vampire club in HBO’s True Blood. If you’re not familiar with the cocktail of genres I had in mind, I suggest you go on a radio site such as Pandora and make a station comprised of bands such as The Birthday Massacre, Pain (Metal), UnSun, Theatre of Tragedy, Type O Negative, Nemesea, and Fear Factory. If you listen to said station while reading Cinderella, so much the better. It will set the stage for the action in just the way I intended.

My prince in the story is a world-famous rock singer called Kink-Bottom Prince, known for his gothic style and his submissive sexual preferences. With his long black hair, sleekly muscled body, and piercing blue eyes, I imagined him something like a blend of François TElombre de Chalier, who is a fashion icon with a large following on Facebook, and Marilyn Manson. Kink-Bottom is charismatic and influential, beautiful and powerful, with a feminine nature that is yet not mincing nor effeminate. He is not a pushover, and will not submit for just anyone — but for the right woman, he falls easily into subspace, eager and willing to please his Mistress.

Cinderella: A BDSM Retelling glitters darkly, but also does not always take itself seriously. Humor shines through, providing comfortable places to rest an elbow and catch your breath while the rest of you is throbbing. Fashion, music, luxury, humor, drama, magic, destiny, and lots and lots of sex… what more could you ask of an erotic novella?

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:

Cinderella was usually there to assist the Ravyn sisters before assignations to dress: lacing corsets, buckling harnesses, and attending to their hair and makeup — in addition to setting up the dungeon room as each scene required. They were capable of doing such things themselves, certainly, since they had done without apprentices before; but they seemed to gain sadistic pleasure from snapping at her for the tiniest infractions. Of course, she had no such assistant herself, and when she asked for help with her corset strings she got nothing but a meaningful roll of the eyes in her direction.

Struggling to twist her body around to see her back in the full-length mirror, with much contortion and no little cursing, she got herself laced into Domina Arabelle’s cast-off corset. It was too big, as Arabelle was fuller in the bust and hips, but at least the waist cinched in pleasingly. To fill in the gaps, Cinderella stepped into a short tulle skirt, tucking it up underneath, and slid a silk scarf into each bust cup to round out the top. The corset was finely made, though, despite its cast-off status. It was sewn of a shimmering dupioni silk in a deep mossy hue like the floor of a northern pine forest, echoing the green of her eyes, and the steel bones made a beautiful smooth line over the sleek curves of Cinderella’s body.

Her hair gleamed like ripe wheat in a sleek fall over her delicate shoulders, cheeks flushed an attractive pink with anticipation, emerald eyes flashing. Stepping into a sheer pair of black silk panties, Cinderella stroked the smooth mound of her pubis through the fine fabric, enjoying the eroticism of her labia confined by the silk. Sensation through the fine lingerie wasn’t at all diminished. She watched herself in the mirror, lightly petting her clit through the panties with one finger, and her nipples constricted into tight points. Her cunt was already swollen and soaking through the black silk.

Her legs were slim and smooth, and though Domina Druscilla had suggested a pair of knee-high boots, Cinderella didn’t want to cover her her best assets. She thought wryly that perhaps that was exactly why Druscilla had made the suggestion. The sisters were petite and curvy, while Cinderella was tall and willowy, towering head and shoulders over the pair of them like a sleek wild lily between two little rosebushes.

With the Ravyns, Cinderella assumed a submissive manner because to do otherwise was to suffer dire consequences, but it was not truly natural to her. Shunning the boots, she slid into a pair of platform stiletto heels instead, enjoying the twinge of rebellion in her stomach. She admired the emphasized curves of her calves and ankles in the mirror.

In that moment, as she looked at herself, Cinderella felt herself slipping into top-space as easily as opening her eyes after welcome sleep, refreshed and excited. Her nipples tingled, and she could feel her clit pulsing as she imagined Lord Raleigh under her thumb. Once seated in the plush velvet chair on the dais at one end of the large dungeon, she sat as erect and self-assured as the empress of a vast country. Cinderella didn’t hear the voices out in the hall; she was concentrating intently on squeezing her thighs together, relishing the erotic sparks of electricity that rushed from pussy to nipples to toes.

BLURB:

Dominas Arabelle and Druscilla Ravyn’s talented apprentice, Cinderella, wants to become a Mistress, but the cruel stepsisters thwart her at every turn. When famous rock star Kink-Bottom Prince is seeking a new Mistress from all those in the City, poor Cinderella doesn’t think she stands a chance. But a kind Fairy Kink Mother magically appears to help Cinderella win her Prince’s collar — and heart.

This 21,000+ word erotic novella contains menage, femdom, a submissive rock star getting fucked in front of his fans, spanking, whipping, magical strap-ons that come to life, pegging, face-sitting, forced feminization and sissification, a self-satisfied Fairy Kink Mother, squirting, fisting, exhibitionism, comedy relief, and much more!

AUTHOR BIO:

A femme queer-identified woman residing in Philadelphia, Lula Lisbon enjoys penning LGBT erotica and romance. Lula’s interests include historical fashions, dark music, and craft beers. She loves to bicycle as much as possible, and stays tight and toned with a grueling regime of pole dance fitness classes.

Lula’s femdom story “Icing on the Cake” is her first to be included in a print anthology — editor Rachel Kramer Bussel’s The Big Book of Orgasms. It will be released by Cleis Press in October 2013.

Lula loves to hear from her fans, and they can find her on Twitter: @LulaLisbon; on Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorlulalisbon; on her website: www.lulalisbon.com; or they can email her directly at Lula.Lisbon@gmail.com.

Cinderella: A BDSM Retelling is now available at Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Rainbow eBooks, and soon available on Sony, Diesel, and iTunes.

As for Lula’s entire catalogue, it is available at Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Sony, Kobo, Diesel, and Rainbow eBooks.

GIVEAWAY:

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