Train With Tess Week Day 3

I’m thrilled to host each day this week Tessa Wanton, author of The Training of Tess and Tickled Pink by Naughty Nights Press. Stop back each day of the week: we have character interviews, a guest post, reviews and giveaways planned for you ;)

Today we have an Interview with Master Charles Black from The Training of Tess 

Good morning Kiki, so kind of you to allow me onto your rather handsome web-log *smiles* When Tessa told me you were interested in speaking to me, I couldn’t turn down that opportunity could I? Any friend of Tessa’s and all that. *Takes a seat and crosses his legs casually leaning back*

1. What first attracted you to Tessa? Do you remember the moment you first laid eyes on her?

Ah, yes... You see, the wonderful thing about the lovely Tessa is how she is completely oblivious to the effect she had on those around her. I first caught sight of her on this lifestyle website – FetLife? You may have heard of it, well, I saw a picture in my timeline which instantly drew me. This shapely woman with full hips, naked but for a pair of panties, but here’s the thing. There was nothing overtly sexual about it. It was extremely sensual, and the comments left showed just how much people appreciated this shot, men and women. It was so obvious she thought they were all humouring her, but, that’s our Tess now isn’t it? This sensuality mixed with such naivety, I had to know more about her, was there a seed of submission I could nurture? And I knew from her first response. She would be mine.

I know it sounds terribly Neanderthal, but for me, owning a submissive woman isn’t a purely sexual act. It is for pleasure yes, but I often point out that pleasure comes in many forms. I find pleasure in listening to her offloading her stresses from a busy day, or how she watches me when she thinks I’m asleep, or indeed, her unwavering trust and hope for the best in everyone she meets.  It was these qualities I saw when I researched her profile and her conversations in the groups she had joined. It was these qualities that confirmed my decision to choose her. One message was all it would take, and, well I am rarely wrong when judging the character of people.

Now, I hadn’t seen her at the point I made that decision, quite simply looks do not matter to me. The physical attributes of a person can enhance what is inside, but when you take control of someone, it is their mind you hold. You need to be sure you can control a person before you even enter into a physical relationship, that’s why I prefer meeting my submissives over the internet. Besides the safety of anonymity, watching someone’s online presence can be quite revealing...

*laughs* but evading the final question long enough now, I do remember the first time I laid eyes on her. She was pale, shaking like a leaf, and her eyes were so bright with excitement, fear and lust I had to count to ten before ordering her into her car. She has this... unnerving way of making my thoughts scramble when she looks at me like that...

2. When did you first know you were a Dom, or when did it start hitting you?

I suppose I have always been quite a Dominant person in my work, but I’d never really had the opportunity to explore it in my private life. Now. The turning point for me was a rather feisty young brunette called Louise. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the phrase ‘topping from the bottom’ but that young lady most certainly did so for me. Not that I knew what she was up to at the start, but I’m a quick learner. Tessa told me not to say too much about this little tale though as she’s detailing this story for a ‘Hot shot’ I think she calls it, ‘Becoming the Master’ or something similar. You know how keen she is on her writing, she sits me down for hours one end getting me to tell stories which she writes down for posterity, and she’s got this contract with a publishing house, Naughty Nights Press, although she tells them it’s all fiction. I don’t know why, I suppose she feels she can add some artistic flair if it’s not all truthful... She is a very creative woman, so I indulge her when I can, and well, it gives me the opportunity to come up with... perhaps some more inventive situations if my deeds are going to be preserved for eternity.*furrows brow, looks up* I think she’ll definitely like what I have in store for her with a certain, Domme I know...

3. What attracts you to the lifestyle?

I’m not a huge lifestyle player - although I consider myself to live the lifestyle permanently, I feel there are ways to maintain control and status without strutting around in leather and wielding a whip. I like to understand what drives a woman to want to submit, and I can tell you, I haven’t discovered the same answer for any lady I have been fortunate enough to receive their submission. The variety attracts me, the complexity, the surprise, I thrive on change and new challenges, planning, testing - and of course, the power of controlling another, knowing they depend on you on a soul deep level – it’s compelling. Why shout loudly about my preferences? I have found subtlety in life to be very much more rewarding.

4. I loved that you interviewed Tess first. Where did you get the idea? What were you hoping most to gain from her answers? Can you give me one example question from the interview?

*smiles* well, I wouldn’t exactly call it an interview, but I did need to gain an insight into how her mind worked. How could I know what was right for her if I didn’t know what drives her in her life? Domination and submission is a serious business, and in business transactions, you interview candidates don’t you? Her answers were delightfully revealing, there really is no such thing as too much information when you are looking for ways to free someone’s mind...

Now – an example of a question... hmmm let me see, what was one of her most deliciously insightful answers... *taps chin* I had asked her ‘How do others see you in your life’, and when she had told me, I asked her whether she agreed with their assessment. The interesting thing about this particular question was that she had answered that others saw her as strong, in control, independent, life of the party, etc but she definitely didn’t feel that way about herself. The reason why she didn’t was because she always felt that she muddled through decisions, but had learned from an early age that you cannot show weakness if you want to ever be taken seriously. I knew from her answers she would relish having her decision making ability removed, even for just a short while. It would be a relief to her, and naturally, when it was, she took to submission like a swan to water.

5. much of an influence was that interview on the plan you set up for you and Tess that first time you were together?

The ‘interview’ process, if we’re going to call it that, had more than an influence, it was the entire basis for my planning. This woman was a musician, so she trusted her hearing, her aural senses were extremely sharp, hence whispering low in her ear would have her jittery in seconds. So if I wanted to remove her decision making abilities, I had to remove her hearing. Once I’d done that, remove her sight. You go instantly from panic to calm when you strip enough of the senses. It’s something I learned from a Lady who deals with horses... How to calm a thoroughbred, and as bad as that sounds, when you are freeing a mind, animal instincts rise to the fore...

I use every detail she shared with me, even the smallest embarrassment from a question can be extremely telling, what is she trying to hide, what would be her ultimate private fantasy? Over the time we’ve been meeting, I can tell you, my Tess has many many fantasies we haven’t even touched upon yet. But that’s fine, it makes for an interesting life.

Well thank you for allowing me some time to talk about Tessa and my relationship, she is a remarkable woman – and I can tell you, I definitely haven’t finished exploring her quite yet.

Okay, whew...isn't he sexy? Now, onto the giveaway, and if you missed it on Monday, I'm adding the blurb and cover again at the bottom for The Training of Tess

Giveaway

Comment or leave a question for Master Charles Black or Ellie Cassidy  (Interviews posted Weds and Thursday) for a chance to win a Cuffs & Flogger Bookthong inspired by these books. Winner picked Sunday 20^th. 

Tess had always been fascinated with the Dominant submissive lifestyle, and she was – she felt, a very submissive person. In her real life people knew her as a feisty, headstrong and passionate woman; no one would ever have described her as submissive. But then she had learned over time that being submissive didn’t mean she had to be a doormat, it meant to her that she wanted to hand over her control, her welfare, her safety, to someone else. Throughout her life she had maintained an iron grip on her personal control, organized to the extreme in her work and home life, highly respected in her profession as a Personal Assistant, so used to controlling others to ensure success. But what she truly wanted deep down inside, was a man who could take her to that special place of freedom she had heard and read so much about, to experience true freedom within her mind.

She had signed up to a lifestyle website to learn more about what it was to attain this ‘sub-space’ she had heard about. Peppering her profile with photographs she felt were ‘artistic’, and writing a personal passage about who she was had attracted plenty of admirers, but no one she had particularly connected with. She wasn’t looking to find a soul mate, or even a playmate, just someone to discuss her thoughts and passions and desires with. It was out of the blue that a message had dropped into her inbox.

This intriguingly daring and fiery novella describes three encounters experienced by a young woman, who, whilst fascinated by BDSM throughout her life, had not had the courage or opportunity to experiment in the scene, until now...

Available Now at Amazon, All Romance Ebooks and Smashwords

Author Bio

Throughout her life Tessa Wanton has always had her head buried in a book, spending much of her time in a fantasyland. She constantly looks to immerse herself in new experiences, meet new people and explore new lands, fictional or otherwise.

Having had an extensive musical background from early childhood, both performing and composition, she has always enjoyed creating art that stirs the emotions. Her debut Novella, “The Training Of Tess”, led to an expansion of her creativity from her music into literature and she has many more incredibly passionate and titillating stories for Tess in progress, to be revealed shortly.

Tessa has been fascinated with the BDSM scene for many years, researching the content for her stories with close friends, who have been kind enough to be open and share their intimate experiences. The information that inspired her most were the recollections her friends revealed.  She realized that what we all hear and see in the media about BDSM is always violent and often times sadistic.  However, in reality, there is so much more of an emotional and intellectual connection, a willing and completely consensual trust and communication between partners, and this was the basis for the creation of her protagonists.

Is her namesake her? Perhaps she is. She certainly has the depth of emotions that Tessa feels and she hopes that Tessa’s experiences may perhaps change the reader’s views about the world of BDSM. Along with her other characters, Tessa hopes to allow readers to realize that there is so much more to explore within our sexualities than the mass media would have us believe.

Fans can keep up with Tessa Wanton on her blog page:  http://tessawanton.blogspot.com/ or onTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/DesireDarkly