Don’t forget that my new novel, Dreaming of How it Was Going to Be, comes out this Friday for Kindle and in print form. You can pre-order it now, if you like. And in the meantime if you want a taste of the kind of stories I write, my novella Three Paddlings for Kristen is currently free for all Kindle users until Friday. Download and enjoy!

Nothing against DMs (dungeon monitors) I’ve met or interacted with in the past, but at the Lone Star Spanking Party this year, the DMs in the dungeon play space were the most full-service DMs I’ve ever encountered.

On Friday night, I played with my partner on one of the massage tables. Each one had a pillow and sheet. After we finished our scene, I went over to the linen area and picked up a fresh pillowcase and sheet, and while I was struggling with the pillowcase one of the DMs came over to assist. He thanked us for replacing the linens as well, and said most people didn’t think to do that. I mean, it’s a spanking party, and folks may not be as familiar with dungeon etiquette, but it seemed like common sense to me to clean up my area.

While my partner and I were chilling post-scene, the same DM assisted a new friend of ours in rearranging some furniture so she (the friend) could successfully do electrical play, and after that scene was done he helped our friend replace the sheets on the roll-away bed they were using. I also observed him bringing cleaning supplies to people who used other furniture.

A DMs job is ultimately to make sure the play environment is safe, and to make sure people aren’t breaking others’ consent or playing in an unsafe fashion. But I do think some of the play spaces I’ve been to in the past could take a lesson from the Lone Star DMs (at least, the ones on Friday night) — it’s not just about ensuring a safe and comfortable play space, and it’s not just about enforcing the rules. Sometimes it’s about anticipatory service, too.

Oh, and I had a great scene, too; I used only my “softer” implements, since it was Friday night: hands, floggers, straps, canes, and rubber batons. I didn’t want to use up all of my partner’s spanking stamina, so I saved the heavier implements for Saturday and Sunday. She still hit subspace, and she was fairly pink when we got back to our room. Younger me (prior to 2013) would’ve been disappointed there were no tears or bruises, but current me realizes that it’s not always about tears and bruises; it’s about making your partner happy while also making yourself happy.

Besides, I was able to hit her plenty hard with the implements I did use, and the next morning she did have a few bruises.