Rough Living, But Someone's Got To Do It

I recently came across some pages from a magazine that were sent to me years ago by a fellow author. The pages were a photo spread of the homes of bestselling authors Sidney Sheldon and Jackie Collins. The handwritten note accompanying the pages read "What are we doing wrong?"

What indeed! Sheldon even rented an Italian castle in which he wrote one of his novels. Are you green with envy yet?

It started a discussion between James and myself about writer's workspaces. We quite frankly do our best work (and play!) between the sheets, so we know the importance of atmosphere to creativity! And then we happened to come across a rather nice spot. Just the sort of ramshackle country home one could retire to, right?

A ramshackle country home, hmmm? This is the Chateau de Chillon, near Montreaux, Switzerland. The place has something of a fairy tale look to it, set on a rocky islet in Lac Leman, built in a way that makes it look as if it's floating on the water. The earliest parts of the castle can be dated back a thousand years, and it's thought that the site might have been in use much longer. The House of Savoy (otherwise known as the Savoy Cabal) got hold of it back in the twelfth century, and much of the present medieval structure dates back to that early period. These days it's owned by the local canton, and it draws in the tourists.

It's certainly not all fairy tales and magic dust. There are dungeons carved right into the rock itself at the foundations, and in fact during the Reformation, Francois Bonivard, a local official in favour of the religious schism, was held captive on the site between 1530 and 1536. Lord Byron, in between his usual debaucheries (this is a poet who'd shag anyone in a skirt or pants, including his half-sister), paid a visit to the place (and left graffiti behind) and incorporated the story into a poem, The Prisoner of Chillon.

Lord Byron's Parting Gift To The Dungeons

Other authors came in Byron's wake through the 19th century, and the success of the Chateau in drawing in visitors is due to the attention they gave it. Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Percy Shelley, and more have wandered through the buildings and corridors that make up the castle, writing about it, shedding light on the place, and the end result is that even today, anyone doing the grand tour of Europe will be drawn to finding their way there. It's just the expected thing to do.

In our writing together and on our own, we already have and will continue to place our characters into settings across the world, and this certainly looks like the ideal spot to set a scene. Have you heard of the castle? Is it the sort of spot you might see yourself stopping in at?

How James And Scarlett Got Lucky Suspended In Mid Air

Yes, a hot tub was suspended off a bridge Check the link out if you don't believe us.

There have been some rumors floating around about a stunt over in Switzerland recently. It seems a hot tub was suspended from a bridge in mid air for a couple of hours over a gorge. All so a couple of dozen people could have a hot tub party with lots of empty space beneath them.

 


The rumors going around have it that two of the partygoers had sex in the hot tub.


Well, the rumors are true.


Scarlett and I wanted to have a go at sex in unusual places.


After all, it was one of the few places we hadn't yet tried. And it was exihilirating! 

We've been thinking of other, well, exotic places we might do it next....

We liked having an audience too, but then we usually do like having an audience when we get frisky. Now I know what you're thinking. You look at that picture and your head starts spinning. Maybe you have a problem with heights.

I don't think anyone noticed, once we got started!

Didn't I tell you we should have our own public access cable channel?

All fornication, all the time. Scarlett and James give tips and explicit demonstrations on every conceivable sexual position there is.

Thanks to us, the Kama Sutra has to be updated!

 Well, darling, when they first wrote that... not to mention illustrated that magnificent book, the hot tub hadn't been invented yet. Let alone the idea of suspending one off a bridge just so two people could have sex.

I remember how our cries while we climaxed kept echoing off the gorge walls.

It was glorious!

I have to admit, though, that I contemplated scratching that woman's eyes out--the one who had the nerve to touch you while we were satisfying each other....

You and I are strictly look but don't touch where other people are concerned. I'm surprised you didn't toss her out of the hot tub.

People, it's not an audience participation thing... it's exhibitionism. There's a difference!

I would have tossed her out of the tub, had my hands not been otherwise engaged! Do some foolish women actually think they can have a go at what belongs to me?

And your hands were so...very engaged. Just the thought of it has me spinning.

Still, some people think there's a whole lot of fuss and bother into hanging a hot tub off a bridge so that a few people can lounge about and one couple can get completely carried away with themselves.

For the record? I really recommend hot tub suspended in mid air sex.

I do, as well--unwanted participants aside, it's a truly incredible way to enjoy each other! Much more so than, say, bungee jumping.

James, we should try bungee jumping in a double harness....

They can take their time winding us back up to the top. We'll keep ourselves occupied, won't we?

Oh, very slowly! We won't mind at all!

And maybe after that, we can do it in a hot air balloon. 

With cameras on board. We could turn it into a pay per view extravaganza.

What a wonderful idea! I don't suppose we could do it while hang gliding....

Goddess, that would take concentration and control... and when you and I get carried away with ourselves...

I didn't think it would work. *sighs*