For annoying kink-related angst and misery, Fifty Shades of Grey is a fine example. What a ridiculous film that was. (I haven't read the book. Maybe that's better.) I was particularly irritated by the two bumbling idiots trying to work out whether they were actually going to indulge in some sort of kinky behaviour or not, as if it were a world-shattering decision no humans could possibly cope with.
Eventually I felt like shouting at the screen. "Look, if you want to do this just do it. If you don't, then do something else. No one is forcing you and no one cares. There are hundreds of nightclubs full of people all cheerfully indulging their fetish interests and they'd laugh at you acting like it's some massive problem no one's ever encountered before. Just fucking get on with it or go and do something else." That would have been quite a lot to shout at the screen, admittedly.
So in Kink Me Honey, there is no angst and misery. Fetish enthusiasts get on with their fetish enthusiasms in between getting on with the rest of their lives, which is what people do.
The second cliche of fetish writing I wanted to avoid was any sort of coercion. 'Oh dear - I've been kidnapped and now something bad will happen.' Actually, I do see why that's fairly common in fetish stories as it does form part of some people's fantasies, though not their real lives. But it's something I completely avoided. In my book nothing happens against anyone's will. No one is kidnapped, imprisoned or otherwise coerced. The characters are all normal people who happen to have kinky sex lives. They meet through their fetish websites, have friendly socials, go clubbing, and get on cheerfully with their kinky activities. That's what Kink Me Honey is about. It has a lot of BDSM in it. Industrial amounts, in fact. Also, it's funny and entertaining. I recommend it. Although as the author, I would say that.
