by Nicole Powers

“I started to write erotica as this sort of quiet rebellion.”
– Tiffany Reisz

Tiffany Reisz has just lured me over the edge of a cliff and is letting me hang. If I didn’t love her I’d hate her. When I ask her how she could do this to me, she responds: “I’m a sadist. It’s what I do.”

Fortunately I’m a glutton for punishment. Having already devoured The Siren and The Angel, the first and second books in Reisz’s Original Sinners gothic romance series, I’ve just reached the suspenseful end of the third installment, The Prince. The fourth climactic novel of the tetralogy, The Mistress, won’t hit bookstores until August 2013, and the anticipation is sweet torture.

The Original Sinners is set in the underground world of the 8th Circle, an illegal S&M club where anything goes as long as the members stick to the strict codes of the culture. Thanks to the staggering popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey, BDSM has been dragged out of the proverbial dungeon and into the glare of the mainstream. However, fans of Reisz laud her work for being more accurate in its portrayal of the scene, and far superior in terms of plot and prose.

Like Reisz, the central character in The Original Sinners series, Nora Sutherlin, is a writer of erotica with a penchant for pajamas in the living room and power play in the bedroom. But while Reisz’s leading man is brunette SG blogger Andrew Shaffer, Nora’s is an enigmatic tall, blonde and handsome Catholic priest called Søren who’s blessed with some seriously sadistic predilections. Other characters that jump off the page and stay with you long after you’ve put the book down include Zach (Nora’s cautiously curious editor), Wesley (her virginal houseboy), Kingsley (her complicated confidant), Griffin (a playboy with a heart and a Rolex both made of gold), and Michael –– a bisexual young man whose journey from tortured teen to self realized submissive is the subject of the second Original Sinners book, The Angel.

Though laced with lashings of romance, Reisz’s fiction also exposes and explores the more extreme and contentious aspects of carnality. The underlying message is one of acceptance without judgment, which might seem at odds with the author’s stated strong Catholic faith. However religion, like human sexuality, is full of contradictions and nuance. We caught up with Reisz, ironically on a Sunday just after mass, to talk about sex, love, original sin, writing, romance and erotica –– though we never did find out why there are no good synonyms for thrust [a pet peeve of Nora’s].

Read our exclusive interview with Tiffany Reisz on SuicideGirls.com.

A.J. Focht

It’s been an exciting year for nerdy movies. Some of the nerdiest movies of the year were also some of the best movies of the year and will be looking at Oscar nods. This however, is our Top 5 Nerd Movies of 2012 countdown:

5. Chronicle (Josh Trank)

Writer and Director Josh Trank made a shocking big screen debut with Chronicle. Since the movie was released back in February of 2012, many have put it out of their minds when talking about the year’s best movies. However, Trank’s brilliant script and Dane DeHaan’s excellent performance as Andrew Detmer have earned both of them places in future upcoming geeky flicks: Trank will be writing and directing the next Fantastic Four and DeHaan will be playing Harry Osborne in Amazing Spider-Man 2.

4. Batman: The Dark Knight Rises (Christopher Nolan)

The Dark Knight Rises was a fantastic ending to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. The exciting conclusion tied up the storyline nicely and wasn’t the letdown many feared it could be due to the trilogy curse: a curse that has caused all other comic book trilogies to end with a less than worthy film. While The Dark Knight Rises was more than acceptable, for many the second film in the series will be remembered as the high note, tho Dark Knight Rises may even get an Oscar nod or two.

3. Wreck-It Ralph (Rich Moore)

Rich Moore’s Wreck-It Ralph was the surprise treat of the year. Featuring a slew of the most memorable video game characters in supporting roles, Ralph and his companions earned their place among the classic cast and in the hearts of nerds everywhere. Wreck-It Ralph will likely get a nod for the Best Animated Feature, but it has some fierce competition with Brave.

2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Peter Jackson)

The return to Middle Earth we have all been waiting for since the epic conclusion to The Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson’s first Hobbit movie was a thrilling adventure that fans wanted, although it seemed to be a little much for critics. While the nagging critics complaints weren’t enough to dissuade fans, it is unknown how the Academy will respond and whether they or not they will get any Oscar nods.

1. The Avengers (Joss Whedon)

The Avengers was a groundbreaking movie that successfully combined four different films series into one marvelous adventure. The Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America all teased the upcoming Avengers Initiative. When the Avengers finally assembled, the result was one of the highest grossing films of all time. While Whedon’s Avengers storyline was epic, it’s the visual effects in the movie that are more likely to get nominated for an Oscar. But Oscar or no, this is one movie nerds will hold in high esteem for a long time.