Lately, I’ve been thinking quite a lot about home – what it means, where it is, what it feels like to be at home in my skin, in my heart, in my bones.

Is home a place, a virtual space, a clan, a person, a love?

With each passing year and anniversary, I reflect on this virtual home, the home of my creativity, my desire, my sexual soul. The opportunity this space has opened up, the freedom to express and document my passions and longings, the connections and friendships born from the pen and the lens, they have been gifts from the gods.

As I positioned myself against the familiar cool stucco to capture these images, the afternoon a mere glowing hint behind me, I mused on another gift, the bricks and mortar I call my home. The offerings it has provided me over time have been overwhelming – light so stark and strong my skin magically transformed into alabaster, shadows so rich and luxurious and deep I could submerge myself in midnight’s eroticism and mystery, expanses, alcoves and recesses solid yet mutable, the changing sets of my stage.

In many ways, Love Hate Sex Cake is also an ode to this place. While I have been grateful for the spaces I have encountered and captured during my travels, it is my own home that has posed the hardest questions and creative challenges. Along with capturing the feeling, the desire, the moment, I have fixed in my memory – and hopefully yours – this haven, this playhouse.

I know I’m not alone in this reflection. So many of us have spent a good part of the last two years working and living and creating and playing at home as a result of this heartbreaking pandemic – if we were lucky. Our bedrooms, living rooms, studies and kitchens have virtually welcomed in friends and colleagues and strangers and lovers; they have told the tale of our joys and anxieties and book collections. And for me, with you, they have told the ongoing story of my body, clothed and bare and punctuated with silks and laces, of my passion, naked and raw and ever-present, of my creativity, vision and resilience.

I can’t begin to express how your eye and ear and communion with my home, in every sense, have enriched and fuelled my drive and need to share. I can’t begin to express the gratitude I feel for your generosity, engagement and friendship. Even though my presence is infrequent (or frequently infrequent…), I am still here. If you want a little more of me, you can find me on Twitter where I continue to post my erotic imagery and thoughts, where I marvel at the voices, words, photography and imagery of others, creativities and expressions that invigorate, inspire and incite the fire in my own burning belly and molten sex.

I hope you can join me there, just as I hope you can continue to join me here.

Thank you for helping me make this a truly cherished and beloved home.

~ Minx x

Each passing year finds me surprised – often happily – that my online persona and this virtual space continue to live and breathe and provide me with a haven to lust and write, to photograph and create.

While my presence here on Love Hate Sex Cake has been all the more limited since this heartbreaking pandemic has radically changed our lives and my promises for a regular return haven’t materialised, I cherish this space quite unlike any other. It is my home. The home of my creativity, my desire, my sexual soul. It is, and forever will be, the embodiment of the freedom and opportunity to express my longings and passions, to document my femininity, sexuality and experiences, to share the light and the shadow that have begged to be captured.

In the same vein as the last few years, I have been uncertain about marking the passing of time here. Even though I initially questioned my motivations, I heeded the call to celebrate my 11th year because this number has always been a lucky one for me and this post is my small way of sending my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to you all for your unerring and often overwhelmingly vocal encouragement and support.

This afternoon as I sat to gather my thoughts for this post, I recalled my nervousness as I published the first post on the original incarnation of this blog back in 2009. I wondered if my voice would be found in what already felt like a crowded space of dizzyingly talented erotica writers. I wondered if my vignettes would pique the interest of those I admired. I wondered if I would connect with new and like minds.

Little did I know then that my lens, rather than my pen, would be my strongest and most expressive tool. Little did I know then that this site would become the catalyst and means for some of the most meaningful relationships of my life. Little did I know then that I’d be given the gift of charting my passion, my longing, my vision, my resilience, my body, over time.

My desire and drive to create are as strong now as they were on that first day. Even though life and professional commitments invariably get in the way, I am here; I am out there. Of late, I have been posting my erotic imagery and thoughts on Twitter. Now more than ever, I need the interaction, connection and communion found there. These voices, their words, the photography and imagery, fuel the fire in my already burning belly (and molten sex). They inspire, they soothe, they incite. They make me feel alive.

I hope in my own small and unique way, I have done the same for you. I hope you have found a little inspiration or solace here. I hope you have found words and imagery that speak to your own hunger and yearning. I hope you have found a space you can also call your home.

Be well and stay safe.

~ Minx x

Right now, Twitter is abuzz with posts and photographs embracing the holiday season, as well as favourites of the year and decade reviews. Taking my inspiration from my 10-year anniversary and the spate of #DecadeinReview posts on Twitter, I’ve decided to post my Decade in Review here rather than Twitter to mark both milestones, with one self-portrait for every year of Love Hate Sex Cake.

With over 730 images between this blog and social media platforms, the process of selecting one self-portrait to represent and embody an entire year has been an interesting one. Some years are no brainers – the images leap out crying, “Me! It has to be me!” Others have been a challenge. The process has shown me how I’ve grown and developed with and through this medium, the years where I truly hit my stride, the turning point with my DSLR.

Rather than wittering on, I’ll let the images and my short reflections speak for themselves. I hope you enjoy the stroll down (my erotic) memory lane with me…

~ Minx x

2009
Hum
Shot in 2009 with my Nikon COOLPIX compact digital, Hum was posted in March 2010 as my second self-portrait for HNT (the predecessor of Sinful Sunday). While a little noisy/grainy, all these years down the track I’m still really pleased with the light and framing – and the long, inquisitive line of my legs.

2010
Silver
Another compact digital shot in monochrome, I adore the contrasts in this image: the harsh spotlit gleam of the curved metal bed frame against my body in a state of partial undress; the teasing juxtaposition between the lace and cashmere and the supple globes of flesh…  

2011
Prowl
The transition to DSLR and my beloved Nikon D7000… While this shot isn’t the first in this regard (it’s #7 in this tag on the site), it definitely marked a turning point for me. If I had to nominate a favourite self-portrait of all time, this one would be it by a mile. Everything about it still speaks to and of me; everything about it embodies my sexuality, sensuality and style, as well as my love of monochrome noir. (It also happens to be my most stolen image of all time, regularly pilfered on Tumblr, Twitter and other social platforms.)     

2012
Bloom
I couldn’t quite settle on an image for this year. I toyed with a number for quite some time, but invariably returned to this image – the colour and the pose were ultimately the deciding factors. Once again, it’s more sensual hint than bare revelation, the softness of the warm glow accentuating the outline of the rosy peak beneath the sheer paisley silk and the barely parted thighs silently calling for the tender touch of strong hands…

2013
City Lights
This self-portrait marks a definite and exciting first – the exploration of other spaces and interiors. Up until this point, I had exclusively photographed myself in my own home. Travelling with my DSLR and a tripod opened up the possibilities and allowed me to push my boundaries, both artistic and erotic. The wicked and sensual exhibitionist in me soared as soon as the sun set and the city lights glittered and glowed.

2014
Instruction
Another exception to my photographic rule – the close-up. Very quickly during this review, I realised I mostly shy away from this framing, preferring a medium or long shot to capture the space, the light and shadow, and the line of my body. At the time, I was so pleased with the framing, the muted light and the tentative touch on my shivering skin, that I couldn’t resist taking a chance. Now, I’m very glad I did.

2015
Once Upon A Time
During my travels in 2015, I struck gold with my Manchester digs. With high ceilings, tall windows and wood panelling, this generously proportioned room provided the space and light for some of my best work. While the accompanying prose speaks of the sadness and melancholy I was feeling at the time, the painterly quality of this unedited image – the naturally sepia tones, the shadowy line of my nakedness emerging from the background, the texture of my skin, the artificial starkness of the rumpled bedding – embodies time’s past, the faded glory days of the majestic hotel, the ghosts of lovers who continue to live and breathe within its walls, unable and unwilling to forget the intoxicating ecstasy of sensual and decadent pleasures.

2016
Soft and Hard
Originally posted on Twitter and Tumblr as an outtake, I soon realised this image was the furthest from second rate and more than worthy of this virtual home. In my characteristic style, I opted for the suggestion (in the shot) and the suggestive (in the title) while dressed to kill and thrill in a beloved piece of finery.

2017
Ecstasy
This self-portrait is as close to going viral as I’ll ever get. With over 17,000 notes on Tumblr before my page was marked as sensitive and its contents hidden, this noir-inspired image is true to my desire, sexuality and hunger unlike any other. On this sweltering summer’s day, I set the interval timer and slid between the sheets, surrendering utterly, passionately, shamelessly, to the molten heat…

2018
We Float
The same picture window, a different year…

In the five years separating City Lights and this image, my exhibitionism had grown in brazen leaps and bounds. With my nakedness and cheek (in every sense) pressed against the glass in the full glare of light, I was set free to float, to soar.

2019
Seating Arrangements and The Invitation
Highlighting two images for the decade’s concluding year is something of a cheat. But it would be remiss of me not to incorporate both since they’re companion pieces – the former posted on Twitter then on the site and the latter exclusively on Twitter. A celebration of a naturalism I’m embracing more often of late, this duo represents the development and maturity of my photographic style, as well as my enduring fascination with the eroticism of both shadow and light.

Десет. Dix. Dieci.

Ten.

I can barely believe a decade has passed by; a decade that has seen me bare so much of my body, desire and sexual soul.

In keeping with the last few years, I’ve been struggling to find good reason to mark and celebrate this virtual home’s beginnings since it has become such a neglected place of late. My time, energy and creativity have been channelled into my professional life, into work that nourishes and compels me to reach for new heights.  

While that sphere has overwhelmed my drive in some respects, in others it has intensified my urge to write and photograph, to document my desire and sexuality, to keep alive the woman of passion and sensuality, the woman of creative vision, the woman tenacious and resilient, the woman in word and image, the woman of dark and light.

In the shadows, I continue to create. Not with the regularity that embodied (quite literally) the early years of this site, but with occasional and considered bursts that allow me to focus on capturing the essence of time, of space, of desire, of the woman in her (increasingly fiery and ravenous) middle age.

So, here I am, taking a moment to observe the birth – as well as my continual rebirth – through this lovingly and lustfully created Love Hate Sex Cake. In that commemoration, there is also and always my debt and heartfelt gratitude to you – my friends and readers – for your unerring support, encouragement and communion with my work. More than simply reading and gazing, you have encouraged me to push my boundaries, to hone my craft, to sigh and spill my lust, to bare not just so much, but more… All.  

~ Minx x

PS If you’re ever in the mood for more regular erotic offerings, you can find me on Twitter…

On the fourth day of the eleventh month of the ninth year,
the fiery and wanton temptress
in her rises.

~o~

Confession: I’m not a great believer in astrology.

Like many a friend, I occasionally read my horoscope for a lark, often equal parts amused and bemused by advice so narrow and comprehensive, or so broad and universal, that it must relate to quite literally a random (or chosen) few… million.

But when I stumbled across a book of birthdays a while back, I was curiously interested in the premise and more taken with the reading for November 4 – the creation date of this virtual home and haven – than my own.

The Day of the Provocateur.

The designation had me smiling immediately; the kind of smile that begins as a mere hint, curving one corner of a full, rouged mouth then the other, clear eyes following suit soon after, crinkling with delight and recognition as they recall desires shared and secrets well-guarded.

While I stand by my scepticism, this day’s tag serves an important purpose: it is a comfort, a reminder, particularly on the days I’m feeling the furthest from that wanton temptress. It helps me focus and see – and see again anew – the woman of passion and sensuality, the woman of creative vision, the woman tenacious and resilient, the woman in word and image and shadow and light, the woman of complexity who loves and lusts and hates.

In my last two anniversary posts, I mused on my diminished time, inspiration and sporadic posting. This year has been marked by a similar pattern, including a great many private erotic highs and some emotional lows. While my heart is still in the midst of its healing, I can feel my lightness, my suppleness, my coquettishness, my sensuality and carnality re-emerging, my body, mind and soul rejuvenating in the Spring sun and its already blistering heat.

Rather than promise you – or myself – a return to previous form, I have decided to let this place be whatever it needs to be. (Although, I do promise to respond to comments in a timely manner and catch up on everyone’s fabulous work and imagery regularly…)

Even though my presence here might be intermittent for a while, the one constant is my heartfelt gratitude for your unerring support, encouragement and communion with my work. Words could never do justice to the joy, richness and inspiration you bring.

~Minx x

The clock strikes eight
and the temptress in me rises
your allumeuse arched, awaiting
our sensual and carnal exploration.

~o~

Another year has somehow flown by and I’m here again marking the beginnings of Love Hate Sex Cake – a space that has granted me the freedom of erotic and emotional expression, a virtual home that has enriched my desire and creativity beyond my wildest imaginings.

While 2017 has been marked as another period of sporadic posting, I am truly thankful for my muse and the moments of inspiration that – I hope continue to – breathe life and give voice to the force of my sexuality and the intensity of my passion.

Eight years has seen many a change in the sex blogging landscape, but the one constant that never fails to leave me grateful and humbled is you – my friends and readers. It is your time, your gaze, your communion with the prose and portraiture, these sighs and syllables, the frames and tones, these shadows and illuminations, that has encouraged me to push boundaries, that has sharpened my senses, that has enriched this woman and this place.

~Minx x

Down
but not out,
still hanging on.

~o~

Yesterday was something of an oddity for me.

For the first time since the inception of Love Hate Sex Cake seven years ago, I genuinely didn’t feel its anniversary worth marking or celebrating. Lately, I’ve been musing about its quality, its purpose, my creative and sexual drive, and whether this site will be anything more than the repository of the yearning I feel each and every day. Much like the woman before you. A body that houses a craving for more – for intimacy, connection, love and passion, for the erotic fusion of mind, body and soul.

And yet here I am observing its beginnings once again, but mostly to extend my heartfelt thanks and gratitude for your unerring support and your communion with the words and imagery during a year of sporadic posting and diminished time and inspiration. Language will never quite express how much it means to me. The ability to touch, to inspire, to soothe, to excite, through whispers and cries, through pixels and light, through shadow and colour and monochrome tones is one I will never take for granted.

~Minx x

Let me come to you
In amethyst dreams
Take you by the hand
Tease your ever craving flesh
Lead you into decadent temptation

~o~

To my readers, friends and muses, my heartfelt thanks and gratitude for your unerring support,
your dazzling inspiration, your communion with the words and imagery,
for the glorious gifts you continually bestow upon me.

Thank you all for a truly memorable six years.

~Minx x

Move in close
Press your pulse to my lips
Feel the heat of my whispers
The five sighs of this pleasure

~o~

To my readers, friends and muses, my sincerest and heartfelt thanks and gratitude for your unerring support, your glittering inspiration, your communion with the words and imagery,
for the glorious gifts you continually bestow upon me.

Thank you all for a truly unforgettable five years.

~Minx x

For you
On this day of
Four

 ~o~

 To my readers, friends and muses, to those close to my heart, to the ones of sheer and dazzling inspiration, it is your presence, your gaze that truly completes this picture, the final piece in the puzzle, in the images and words and the tangle of thoughts launched on a sultry spring day four years ago. My heartfelt thanks and gratitude for your communion, affection and unerring support, for the glorious gifts you bestow upon this very fortunate harbour city girl.

 ~Minx x