Z is for Zipline. Or Zipper Line. 

A zipline is created by using clothespins and twine.  

The KISS method of creating a zipline:
1. Line the twine along the skin. 
2. Secure the twine to your skin with clothespins a few inches apart.
3. When you pull the string, all the clothespins come off.
4. After usage, you'll have to wind up the twine and collect the clothespins.

The Loop method of creating a zipline:
1. You poke the twine through the metal hole of a clothespin and then loop it through the pinching side. (See below)
2. Repeat the process with other clothespins for every few inches of twine.
3. Viola! You'll have a ready-made zipline that is easy to attach to your skin every time. 
4. After usage, you can easily wind this up--twine-looped clothespins and all.

Where to apply the zipline:
Nipples, tongue, clit, cock, balls, you name it. Be creative. Twenty minutes for erotic fun. When the zipline goes off, the blood rushes to the places pinched. So keep the pinching time short and sweet.

Y is for Yes.

Yes, Sir.

Yes, Ma'am.

Yes, Master.

Yes, Mistress.

Yes, My Lord.

Yes, My Lady.

Yes means Yes.

X is for X-Rated. 

I almost put X is for XXX for this post! :-)

Well, if pictures speak louder than words, then enough has been said. :-)

W is for Wax.

Wax is another kind of sensation play in BDSM. Wax can be hot or warm. Because people have varying degrees of heat tolerance on different areas of their body, one of the safest ways to start wax play is by experimenting with yourself first.

Body Prep
You can prepare your body for wax play by dousing yourself with lotion or mineral oil to make wax removal easier after play. Mineral oil can be particularly helpful for those who have more body hair. If you can, it would do to shave or make your body feel smoother so that the removal of wax after play is less painful. 

Space Prep
You can also prepare the space by protecting your furnishings by coating with a layer of plastic and creating a non-slip environment for the floor.

Wax Prep
Paraffin wax is a common starter wax. Some dilute it with mineral oil to soften it further and allow its melting point to drop. Stearine hardens the wax and increases the melting point, meaning that it melts at a higher temperature.

Temps
Other ways to vary the temperature involve how close the flame is to your skin. The further away the wax is from your body, the cooler it becomes when it actually makes contact with your skin. The opposite is true when the candle is closer to your body. You may want to start off further so you can take notes about your own heat tolerance. Another great area to test temperatures is the inside of your forearm. If in doubt, that area will definitely tell you whether the temperature is too hot or too cold. Better erring to the cold side when first beginning by being careful in not burning yourself!

Other
Other safety precautions include scents. Some people may be allergic to scented candles or even the paraffin itself! Know as much as you can before you play!

V is for Violet. 

Violet wands are used in BDSM for sensation play using electricity. Electrodes are attached to the wand base to carry out the charges. The sparks that come from the wand can range from low intensity to high voltage and high frequency. 

There are three ways to apply the violet wand in a BDSM session:
1. directly
2. indirectly
3. reverse

Direct Application
The safest way to explore wand usage is to first apply it on yourself. You may feel anything from tingles to vibrations to shocks. Some areas of the body are more sensitive than others. Take note on your body and adjust accordingly for your partner.

Indirect Application
Indirect application is when you apply the wand to yourself and then abruptly touch someone else to discharge the charge. In other words, our bodies are able to conduct the current. When you indirectly apply the charge through your hand, you will feel a spark at your fingertips. Another way to apply indirect currents is through metallic surfaces.

Reverse Application
In reverse application, you attach the accessory to the person receiving the charge instead of attaching a body contact accessory to the violet wand. 

U is for Union. I can't help but think about the U.S. being a "more perfect union." Then again, to keep this post off the X-rated charts, I thought that I could bypass the union that occurs in coitus and skip right to the union of partnership. 

A collaring ceremony is a big thing in the BDSM community, especially when celebrated among fellow practitioners. The message is obvious that the Dominant has claimed ownership of the Submissive and the Submissive has also entered the commitment of belonging to the Dominant. 

While commitments are negotiable, a collaring ceremony speaks volumes. One may equate such ceremonies to weddings and some even say that these ceremonies are deeper than just marriage. 

During a collaring ceremony, the Dominant collars the Submissive and locks the collar around the Submissive's neck. The Dominant is the only one who has the key to unlock the collar from the Submissive's neck. At the right is such a collar that can be used in the private BDSM community. A different kind of collar can look like a necklace to the public vanilla world. 

T is for Tickle.

Tickle torture is a technique used in BDSM sensation play and can be used with consent or forced with prior consent. The "victim" cannot help but laugh and get hot from the extra circulation that laughing entails.

Besides using your fingers to tickle someone, you can also use feathers, Wartenberg wheels, and anything else you can think of.

Some obviously sensitive places to test for ticklish areas are the feet, the inner thighs, and the underarms.

I was undecided about the photos to include in this post. The one at the right looked so innocent compared to the oh-so-naughty one below with someone strapped to a table. ;-)

S is for Safeword. I've seen this word spelled both ways--as one word and as two words. For the purpose of this post, I've chosen to use the former.

Safewords are the epitome of BDSM's principles of play being safe, sane and consensual. 

A person's safeword can be very personal and can say a lot about the person. However, there is one universal safeword that stands out: red.

Red is for stop.
Yellow is for caution.
Green is for go.

Red, yellow, and green make up the colors for a stoplight in the U.S. I'm told that stoplights range in color in other parts of the world. You can verify this in your comments, of course. :-)

R is for Rope.

The Japanese rope masters have elevated the rope to an art form. 

In BDSM, two types of rope art are used overall.
One form is devoted to the art.
The other form is devoted to bondage.

Even better is the balance of both--how to weave both art and bondage around the same human form. The pursuit of perfecting that balance can be quite addictive.

It takes a lot of trust for a Master to earn from a Submissive for the Submissive to agree to be bound by rope. However, once the trust has been established, the experience can be quite intense.

Symmetrical roping can occur for net bondage, breast bondage and -- get this! -- chastity belts.

Asymmetrical roping can occur when a Dominant wants one side of the body to be bound while the other side stays free. For example, an arm can be tied to a leg or a shin can be secured to one's thigh. 

If you're only beginning to use rope, besides a safe word or a sign to stop the scene, always note these precautions:

• Ensure proper circulation. Cold, numbness, tingling are bad signs of poor or limited circulation.
• NEVER keep a bound person alone.
• NEVER put rope around the neck.
• Make bonds quick and easy to cut loose.

Q is for Queer. 

Am I the only one that thought Rainbow Brite spoke for more than the girls? Yes, can you imagine--do you remember? I can't even believe that there are Youtube videos for this gal. Didn't the internet come after the original run?

Anyway, I digress...

What does queer mean anyway these days?

I hear that the latest definition of the Q in LGBTQ is that it stands for "queer and questioning." Still doesn't answer what queer means, does it?

According to dictionary.com, queer means: strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint; unusually different; singular.

I suppose queer perfectly described BDSM until Fifty Shades of Grey busted it out into a more palatable format for mainstream readers. However, the BDSM lifestyle is such a full spectrum that parts of the lifestyle can still appear quite "queer" to people. 

I'm going to keep this post on topic... Therefore, I'm not even going to begin with gender-queer, queer as folk, queer as a reclaiming or any other queer topic. The rainbow flag says it all -- full spectrum of sunlight, life force, the giver of all life on the planet (besides water). 

P is for Pervertible. 

You don't have to go out or go online and buy anything to have a little kink on the side. Just go to the kitchen and start with a wooden spatula (pictured below) and you're already partly there!

A wooden spatula makes a nice paddle. Try all kinds of spatulas--ones with holes, ones with slots, ones that are solid. 

A pervertible is great because none of your guests or neighbors would ever suspect your activity in the bedroom. :-)

Just make sure you have a separate stash for those that have already done its deed for sanitizing later...

Other pervertibles in the kitchen:

• Cheese graters
• Pickle pinchers
• Wooden spoons
• Rice paddles

Everything else is left to your own imagination. :-)

O is for Outing. I'm not talking about the kind of outing you may go on, such as a hike or a picnic. I'm talking about the kind of outing you may go on akin to a Pride Parade or something similar.

Outing (the noun) vs. Outing (the verb)
The noun refers to the former. The verb refers to the latter.

When we "out" ourselves in the world of kink, we are telling the larger community--beyond the BDSM community--that we are into the lifestyle. 

One of the ways some people choose to communicate their participation in such a lifestyle is by wearing a collar. A collar can look like something as obvious as the one you see at the right. 

Other times, a collar can be more "vanilla" in that the collar can look like a necklace, a bracelet, a ring, an anklet, or some other kind of jewelry that denotes commitment. The one who wears the collar belongs to the person who gifted the collar and collared the person.

Some make their commitment public by having a collaring ceremony with close friends and family as witness. This kind of ceremony is as important and meaningful as a wedding. While ceremonies vary in nature, the meaning is the same: the persons committing to one another are doing so to solidify their union. Amen.

M is for Masters. I love me a good read! So this post is entirely dedicated to my favorite BDSM MaleDom characters by six of my favorite authors, appearing in alphabetical order by first name. 

L is for Leather. 

Black leather, to be specific.

Something about black commands authority.

Something about leather makes a person's presence even more imposing.

Enter the corset that accentuates a person's curves.

Now imagine all three of those components on a woman and you've got one heck of a Domme outfit.

Watch her lace up that leather corset and lash out to test her strikes.

Beware of that lashing though... 

Meow...

Or more like

ROAR!

:-)

My, what big teeth you have, dear.

K is for Knots, if you prefer an English term for this A to Z Challenge. :-)

Kinbaku, the word that made it to the title of this post, is the Japanese term that means "tight binding." 

Using seemingly endless feet of rope, a master creates beautiful art binding a submissive's body. With enough rope, a master can even suspend the submissive from the ceiling. Check out the beautiful "rope art" below. :-) 

Egad! The woman is so flexible in the pic that I wince just thinking about contorting into these angles! 

Luckily, since I write about BDSM, I don't need to be a participant in all things BDSM... More on that another time. 

Actually, never mind. I keep my bedroom doors closed, thank you very much. Everything else that makes it between the covers of my books are wide open for you to read. :-)

J is for Jail or Jailbird.

What better way to show dominance-submission, do cop-felon role play, and vice versa than being bound to a set of bars?

This role play/fetish is not for everyone. It takes a lot of trust for a submissive to agree to being caged. It also takes a lot of self-awareness for a dominant to care for both of their needs and desires.

Stay:

• Safe
  
• Sane
  
• Consensual
  

Plus, safeword if need arises. :-)

I is for Ice, as in Ice Play. One must exercise caution when playing with ice, because ice can cut, burn or cause frost-nip or frostbite. 

Who: Clear with a medical professional to ensure that the sub can play with ice. For example, someone with Reynaud's syndrome will need to miss out on this kind of play.

What: Use only ice. Never use dry ice. The ice you use does not need to be super cold. Colder ice is sharper and therefore dangerous. If it clings to your skin, it's too cold. If it "weeps" where your fingers touch it, then it is probably the right amount of cold.

When: If you have never worked with ice, then your first ice play session should be really short. Get familiar with the sensations. A rule of thumb is no longer than a few minutes (<3 to be safe) if applied in the body.

Where: Ice can be used topically (on the skin), on or inside the genitals if proper care is taken. Light touches are all you need.

How: Quick, light touches. Move it until it melts. I'll answer Why (why people enjoy using ice) in the section below. :-)

Three Ways to Play

Nipple Play:
Ice effectively sensitizes the skin with minimal amount in very little time. When rubbed on nipples, the area becomes numb and stiffens nicely for nipple clamp application.

Orgasm Intensity:
A thin piece of ice inserted into the anus can intensify a man's orgasm when he ejaculates. This may not be true for every man. If you do test this method, remember to keep the contact with the skin light and quick. Careful that no cuts occur -- cuts can be very dangerous!

Sensation Play:
Best used with a blindfold, the submissive does not know what's coming! Ice can be used on the neck, inner thighs, bottom, over genitals, on hands and feet... Just keep it moving until it melts. This will often get the sub guessing, moving, moaning, groaning, even shrieking. :-)

Signs to Stop 

Frost-nip* occurs when one feels numbness, pain, and decreased blood flow in the affected area. Apply heat to remedy.

Frostbite* is serious and occurs when ice has been applied too cold for too long. While frost-nip guarantees the tissue can revive, frostbite indicates tissue death. With no blood flow, the skin turns gray and feels very waxy. Although doubtful in occurrence during BDSM play, quickly use warm hands and underarms to warm up the nipped area. 

Hypothermia occurs when ice has been inside the body too long. Even five minutes can be too long and can endanger the person's internal organs and temperature regulation system.

*In both cases (frost-nip and frostbite), do not apply hot wax or hot water to the area as the Rx prescription.

H is for Heels.

I couldn't resist putting this here, because we all appreciate those FemDoms, Female Dominants, a.k.a. Dominatrices. (Is that even a word? Heck, you know what I mean: the plural of Dominatrix.)

Of course, the heels they wear can be a whole lot kinkier than the ones pictured below. 

I have no clue how they last through a session in those high heels. Don't they hurt?

I have so much respect for people who can run a marathon in high heels and manage not to trip or hurt themselves...

F is for Flogger. 

Seven-step plan to a pleasureful flogging:

1. Warm up the area to be flogged by rubbing for good circulation. A nice sensual rub heats up the area just fine.
2. Use your flogging hand, use the flogger to "feather" the area to get even more blood to the surface. This helps your partner acclimate to the feel of the flogger.
3. Lightly flog the area in slow figure-eight circles, letting the tips fall onto the skin. Extra tip: if you want the flogging session to "hurt" more, tie the tip of each strip of the flogger into a knot. The end knots leave more impact on the skin.

4. As you get used to the figure-eight motion, Increase the pressure.
5. Then Increase the pace and you've got into your flogging high/rhythm.
6. Slow down to wrap up.
7. After you're done with the flogged area, rub some arnica lotion or cream/creme on the area and you're all set!

If I were to add the A at the end to make E is for Erotica,
then I'd make an adjustment and make A for Authors :-)

Exquisite
Racy
Orgasmic
Titillating
Intoxicating
Contemporary
Authors

Readers have a list of their favorite dominant characters. Here's a running list (yes, these dominant men show up in a series of books and some to a screen near you):

• Christian Grey (over 100 million books sold of E. L. James' trilogy, film opening in time for Valentine's Day 2015)
  
• Gideon Cross (I LOVE Sylvia Day, optioned by Lionsgate for TV adaptation)
  
• James Cavendish (R. K. Lilley is so cool, too!)
• Ethan Blackstone (Raine Miller's creation)
• Damien Stark (J Kenner/Julie Kenner's creation)
• Chris Merit (product of Lisa Renee Jones, TV show optioned to STARZ)
• Jesse Ward (the one in Jodi Ellen Malpas's trilogy)

A Dominant does not need to appear authoritarian, gruff, aloof, and guarded. To earn the respect and trust a submissive needs to bare and surrender her heart, mind, body and soul, the Dominant needs to:

• be emotionally accessible
• exert power and mastery over oneself
• maintain balance and control of self and situation/scene at hand

I almost wanted to re-title this post "Battle of the Alphas" or "Duel of the Dominants" but the good thing about Book Boyfriends is that we can "cheat" under separate covers... They'll never meet each other. :-)

Okay, technically, the picture below shows a riding crop. However, two words can come across to some people as cheating. So between the two words, I chose the noun instead of the modifier. Drum roll, please...

C is for Crop. 

Not the stuff you plant, harvest and eat. 
It IS the thing you use to beat.
(Okay, so that nearly rhymed.)

The narrower the surface the more it hurts.
The broader the surface, the more distribution of the pressure 
(or pain... or pleasure).

Whack!

Present yourself.

On the second day of BDSM, 
my lover gave to me, 
the letter B for Bondage. 
(sung to the tune of 12 days of Christmas)

I was thinking of joking and saying that B is for BDSM. However, since that's just too obvious and covers too much ground, I thought that a photo of a bound position was the best way to go about this.

In my current work in progress, although there is a bondage scene, the characters haven't reached the familiarity of a scene such as that you see at the right. 

It takes trust on both sides for such a scene to happen. Thus, the bondage scene that appeared in the first part of the book is relatively tame compared to this. :-)

So maybe later the two can get further into the lifestyle.

Okay, so I am starting this pretty late in the game. I just found out about the annual A to Z Challenge where bloggers are supposed to go through the month of April (Sundays off) blogging at least a hundred words on a different but related topic each day. So minus the four Sundays, the thirty days in April go down nicely to twenty-six, which just so happens to be the number of letters in the English alphabet.

Of course, since I write kinky smut, I thought I could challenge myself to think of something from A to Z. Since I'm already 6 days behind (I'm supposed to be on the letter F tomorrow on Monday), I thought I could at least have a late start and try to finish on time by blogging on Sundays anyway. Think I can do it? ... I am in the midst of writing a kinky book right now. Oh, well. What the heck. I might as well have some fun!

So Letter A. The first thing that came to my mind was A for Alpha. What can I say, I have an alpha male--the lead man--in my book. Shall I talk about Clark Mannings, the lead man in my current work in progress?

Well, he's built, but not as built as the guy you see at the right. He's had some time to work with his hands to appreciate physical labor. Then, he got interested in the manufacturing industry and has been looking into alternative technologies to produce biodegradable and food grade packaging.

Clark has had the hots for this lady he's been watching for two years now. She's quite a nut to crack and he's vowed to get her beneath him. I just finished writing a really raunchy intimate scene between them--just last night actually. Think he will get his lady? Of course! How is the question!!! :-)

Gosh, how do erotica writers make it through the night without feeling horny? Jeez. I like hearing about the life and times of romance writers. Check out one of my favorite authors, Lisa Renee Jones, on that topic here.