Clandestine Classics - out today!

Today sees the release of Total-E-Bound's new range of classic literature with saucy additions to suit the taste of discerning erotica readers.

There is no doubt that the classics remain an inspiration to writers, even today, with many complex and thought-provoking story lines. So, some of Total-E-Bound's authors have been playing around  with characters from the past and filling in the gaps - or rather - leaving the bedroom door wide open instead of leaving everything to the reader's imagination.

You didn’t really think that these much loved characters only held hands and pecked cheeks did you? No! Well now you can learn what Sherlock really thought of Watson, what Mr Darcy really wanted to do to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and unveil the sexy escapades of Mr Rochester and Jane Eyre. Total-E-bound can show you the scenes that you always wanted to see but were never allowed!

I really like the idea, this could bring classics to new readers. People who liked 50 Shades for example, they've got a taste for spice on their pages and might venture toward some of these timeless love stories for their next fix.

Of course there will be critics, but if people don't like it, that's fine. No one is stopping them from reading the originals – after all they still exist – but Total-E-Bound are opening their version of the classics for people to enjoy and are promoting them in a positive light. 

I am very fortunate to have cornered the fabulous Sarah Master's who delved into Sherlock and Watson's inner desires and produced her extended version of A Study in Scarlet. I pinned her down and bombarded her with questions - well just three actually because she was bubbling with her next project :-)

1. Did you pick Hemlock Bones or did it pick you?


My mind went to Hemlock immediately. No other book entered my head. It might sound silly, but it was as though it also picked me. Crazy thing to say, really, but that's how it felt. I've been drawn to Hemlock since I was a child, so to have the opportunity to adapt A Study in Scarlet has been absolutely THE best experience of my writing career so far. It was exciting, amazing, and I couldn't wait to finish work every day so I could write at night--and that's saying something because I adore my day job. This project tugged at me during the day, and I must say it was one of those writing times that gripped me so hard I could barely think of anything else. To have the chance to do this was an honour.


2. Was it hard adapting your voice to sound like A Co Doyles'?


No, I found it relatively easy as I've written historicals in my other pen name. Of course, some will say my voice is nothing like Doyles' and it stands out that it was written by two people, but there will always be those who will feel negatively about this project and will see fault in it no matter how well the voices may blend. As with everything in life, you can't please everyone!


3. How have the first responses to these new versions of this classic mystery been?


I had prepared myself for the negative comments, and to be honest, having been a writer for some years I've already developed that thick skin needed. Bad reviews no longer upset me, and the sometimes aggressive comments about this project have also failed to upset me. I like to think I can see all sides of a situation, and I understand how those angry about this must feel, but not everyone is against this project. There are many who are excited about reading classics that have been brought up to date, people who may not have ever read a classic otherwise. This aspect is amazing, because the more people who experience the classics the better. 


I've read comments about how the erotic element is already in the original books, that people just need to open their minds and find it, imagine it. Today's society, however, is fast-paced, and people don't always have time to imagine. I know I don't sometimes! Every so often I want a book where everything is spelled out. Other times I don't, but when I do, books with everything there on the page are ideal for me. I suspect there are many people all over the world who feel the same.


What I hope for the most is that those who do read erotica, or those who will read it for the first time with these classics, thoroughly enjoy the experience. I hope that they find themselves in a beautiful new world, taken back into the past, and that the added scenes are an enhancement for them. 


I don't believe the world has gone sex mad; I feel people are just being more open about enjoying it nowadays, being able to express how they feel openly instead of it all being behind closed doors. And that's something you won't find in these classics. Closed doors. All of them are very, very wide open. Come on, stand in the doorway, lean on the jamb, and indulge yourself in the carnal passions of some of the most wonderful people ever created.

* * * *

Sarah Master's is just one of Emmy Ellis' pen names. She also writes m/f under the name Natalie Dae - You might recognise this, the first novel we wrote together!

You can find out more about her writing HERE

And if you want to check out my version of Elizabeth and Darcy's wedding night - a free short story I wrote a few years ago - then click below.

Thanks for stopping by


Lily x