To be honest, f/f fiction has never been something that has overly interested me.
I’ve read one or two stories in anthologies maybe, but they certainly didn’t intrigue me enough to try out more of the genre.
Anyway, you might have noticed that I’ve been bored lately? I think I’ve mentioned it once or twice. 😉 Well, this spilled over to my reading.
Picture a sad and sick Kris trawling through the virtual bookshelves moaning about how boring all the blurbs were and wailing about not having anything to read.
Suddenly, a light bulb goes off!
“You know what. I think I might try some f/f erotica.” So, spendeth the money she did.
Sweet. Jesus.
Insta-convert. And all it really took was this pretty good – I thought it was anyway, but, hey, newbie here – anthology entitled I Kissed a Girl.
Who knew. *g*
Kris + Books = Good. *Sometimes*. 
Umm, besides some porny stuff not really my thing. I'm not really interested. I don't find f/f porn hot either. Yeah, yeah, whatever, move on. LOL So no experience to speak of and not to eager to get any.
I read an f/f years ago. I loved it. I think it was written by a woman who really hated men. She had created this aids sort of disease that had killed nearly all men and het women so the lesbians were left over (and some gay men for procreation).
And of course I watched the L-word.
Hey, Kris, if you're curious about lesbian fiction and want some high literary quality (and don't we all, ha, ha!) try Nicola Griffith's fiction. She's a Nebula-award and Lambda-award winning author. I've read her mystery series The Blue Place, Stay, and Always. Excellent stuff! The sex scenes are understated so you can just enjoy the series for the strong characterization of an independent woman who can literally beat the crap out of male villains who deserve it (she's a martial arts expert). No male bashing, btw. The books have good supporting roles for the men in the character's life. Highly recommended! Um, it might only be in print …
no thanks. accidentally started to read one that was included in a TQ antho once and it just completely turned me off. no idea why, since I'm bi and my mom has been very happily married to her wife of 16 years, but….NO WANT! *pukes*
I've read a few stories in anthologies and read some books with f/f sub-plots.
It doesn't really appeal to me, simply, I think, because I don't see another woman's body as sexually attractive, like I do men. I love men – which is why I read m/m books – and I don't get the same thrill or excitement from reading a book about an all female pair. This means that when I read a f/f story which describes the lustful feelings the woman has towards the other woman, I can't really put myself in her place and identify with that. Does that make sense?
Makes perfect sense to me Jen. That`s how I feel about the obligatory lesbian scene in straight porn. It just doesn`t do anything for me, they could be baking cookies and I`d get the same reaction. No wait, baking cookies would likely intrigue me more.LOL
I suspect there's some damned good f/f fiction out there, but my feelings toward it mirror Jen's. I'm not averse to giving some a try–Val's rec sounds good–but I doubt it would become a staple of my reading.
snail trails — *snort* Haven't heard that one in a while. At least it isn't as graphic as “clam in a fright wig.”
Boy, am I glad that Jenre commented right before I did because, yeah, that's it exactly.
I have read a few things – Laurie R. King's Kate Martinelli mysteries, some really early Nicola Griffith, and some really early Melissa Scott.
Nope. Zero interest in f/f.
MsM
As long as the emotion and chemistry is real I don't really care if I read about men or women or both.
But I have never read f/f erotica
LOL. I had a feeling that I would be in the minority with this one.
Tam, having never been a porn person, I've never experienced f/f that way. I kinda think that a 'token' anything is pretty easy to shrug off at the best of times. That's me though.
Ingrid: That story sounds fun. I saw a couple of episodes of the L Word for the first time the other day. I really liked it.
“As long as the emotion and chemistry is real I don't really care if I read about men or women or both.”
I think I'm the same. It doesn't matter so much if I would be attracted to them in RL or not. What matters is whether I'm convinced as a reader regardless of the genre, including erotica.
Val, thanks heaps for the recs! I just googled and she is available in ebook form so I must check her out. Cheers!
Emmy, really?? I wonder what it was about it that turned you off. That's interesting.
Oh good. I'm glad I wasn't spouting nonsense :).
Jen, it does. For me, and as I said to Ingrid (I'm just gonna copy & paste cos my brain is mush this morning), “It doesn't matter so much if I would be attracted to them in RL or not. What matters is whether I'm convinced as a reader regardless of the genre, including erotica.”
KZ: It's too early to tell for me whether this will be a genre that becomes a regular buy. To be honest, I'm just pretty thrilled to discover a new genre that I enjoy. Similar to the way I felt about m/m in the first heady months. 🙂
Chris *lazily points to comment above*
MsM: That seems to be the consensus. LOL.
I would read FF but all I know out there is sorority girls having fun with candles and such. BAH!
but I am trying to change this with the FF I wrote that is in crazy revisions.
KB: “I would read FF but all I know out there is sorority girls having fun with candles and such. BAH!”
LOL! The only book I read with f/f was an Opal Carew and that wasn't the main story, but sort of tossed in- mostly for the men watching I think. Either way, I don't have any interest in f/f- Jen said it perfectly, I just like men too much.
MsM
PS I've got full frontal on my WTF Wednesday post today. *grins*
I read the Queer Wolf anthology and three of the stories were f/f – and Wolf Strap by Naomi Clark was my fav out of all of them..great f/f. She is actually turning it into a full length.
Still like m/m better….:)
D'oh – I forgot all about Queer Wolf… and I even reviewed it for Fang-tastic Books.
Katiebabs chook: Yeah, there does seem to be an interest in sorority girls. All those close quarters. LOL. Having said that quite a few of the stories I've read take place in situations other than college dorms so don't let that put you off.
You're doing further revisions to your work? Does that mean that you've had some good news?
MsM: I just saw your full frontal. Very, very nice.
Mandi: I was thinking of Queer Wolf when I mentioned reading f/f in anthologies. I also enjoyed the stories in this volume.
“Still like m/m better….:)”
Yeah, like that's a shock. Perve.
Kris: One successful epublished author is helping me revise and giving me advice. She said my story has great promise and with a few fixes, I shouldn't have a problem selling it. Here's hoping! 😀
I can promise you there are no naughty sorority girls or candles in my story.
KBC: Awesome!!
“I can promise you there are no naughty sorority girls or candles in my story.”
Good to know. LOL.
Nope, never read a f/f story. I'm with Tam when she says 'I don't find f/f porn hot either'. But maybe that's because most porn is made with the purpose to arouse men, not me… or other women! Could be that fiction written by female authors is ultimately arousing. I can't judge about that as a f/f virgin…
Kris, I'm so glad you can find Nicola's books in ebook. I've got to agree with Ingrid where she said as long as the chemistry and emotions are real, any kind of erotica is good.
I've read some f/f that I've reviewed on my site (six fictions under the label “f/f reviews”), and I can get into it though I'll admit m/m is by far my favorite. Sacchi Green is another good f/f writer.
Janna: “But maybe that's because most porn is made with the purpose to arouse men, not me… or other women! Could be that fiction written by female authors is ultimately arousing.”
That's a really interesting and good point, Janna. From memory, all of the f/f erotica I've read has been written by women and these women have described themselves variously as queer, bi and straight. A fair number of them also write m/m and m/f. I wonder if the assumption could be made that they therefore write what they find sexy and what they think other women will too.
Oh, great Val. I'll definitely check out the reviews that you've done for f/f. 🙂
I read some books that had some f/f in them but never and frankly I mirror Jenre's thoughts. It just doesn't appeal to me in the same way that m/m does because I don't see the female body in a lustful way.
Like the majority here, I've zero interest in f/f erotica or romance. I read an excerpt from one a while back but didn't find it appealing in the least. I'm fine with non-graphic f/f as subplots though. 😉
I like f/f. 🙂 I like f/f films even better than f/f books though.
Do you like regular m/f erotic romance? If so, try Swap by Jenesi Ash. It's a m/f romance with partner swapping and some f/f between best friends.
But y'all already know I'll read pretty much any pairing. 😉
Tracy, as I said to Jen, I can understand your view. I guess for me this is one of those instances when whether I relate or not is not an issues. It's whether I'm convinced or not that is.
Merwan: “I'm fine with non-graphic f/f as subplots though. ;)”
I'm thinking that's the way that many thought about m/m romance and erotica once. 🙂
JenB: I don't think I've ever seen an f/f film says she, who earlier admitted that she's only just watched the L Word.
“But y'all already know I'll read pretty much any pairing. ;)”
Quelle shock. 😉
So I guess you caught me not reading all the comments in detail. *dainty cough*
These two films are good:
Imagine Me & You
Gray Matters
I just thought of another film f*cking Amal. Swedish movie, kind of coming out/ love story. Amal being a swedish small town.
JenB: There will be a test later. Thanks for the recs!
Cheers Ingrid.
I've read my share of lesbian erotica. Some had an anvilicious (www.tvtropes.org/Anvilicious) political message despite the type of story. Less of the stories worked for me than one might think, considering I'm bi. I thought a few were pretty erotic. I've read some f/f — there isn't a whole lot offered at the e-publishers where I shop. The f/f stories I've read usually start out with at least one of the women being abused, and then rescued; or recovering from abuse. It just doesn't put me in the frame of mind to think in an erotic way about the woman or the relationship. I guess being rescued from a bad situation is a fantasy for a lot of women, which I personally think is quite sad.
I have no problem with f/f sex scenes in general. It's the intense female bonding and the deep conversations which don't particularly work for me. The stories that have lot of conversation in which there is bonding in that special “only women would understand this” way don't strike that much of a sympathetic chord for me. I can see the point, but it doesn't connect for me like it would for some women.
Emilie, a lot of the themes etc that you mentioned really struck me when reading the blurbs for some of the f/f. I particularly noticed the one where a woman saves the other from abuse as well as a woman discovering that only another woman can understand her, which seems to equal to being a good reason to being a lesbian or bisexual. Anvilicious to say the least. (Did I use that right? That's my new favourite word!)
Re: the latter – my reaction was similar to yours although I think mine involved much more eye rolling. LOL. I'm also skeptical about the 'only-another-woman-knows-how-to-give-me-an-orgasm' for similar reasons.
I've stuck to reading mainly the f/f erotica to date. Partly due to curiosity and partly to see if I would have any hang ups about reading in detail about girls having sex with each other. Needless to say that I don't.
Well, there are many women of all sexual persuasions who feel that only other women really can understand them. And I've had a few lesbians get mad at me or not want to bother with me when they realized how much of my “woman-energy” gets directed towards men, one way or another.
Here's the proper link for your new favorite word: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Anvilicious
I'm not saying that women don't bond intensely, some to the point where their identities are almost completely enmeshed. It's just that when the concept is taken with absolute seriousness that this is *the* way it should be, I just think, “Hey, there are other alternatives.”
Emilie, yes. I think there's always a danger in any marginal (and, yes, I know people hate that word) group or community, etc to try to define themselves in right vs wrong or us vs them ways. It runs the risk of being dismissive and, in turn, prejudicial without the flexibility of inclusiveness. In my view anyway.