Abernathy Christina - Culling the Masses: the Democratic Origins of Racist Immigration Policy in the Americas

The Miss Abernathy Omnibus

by Christina Abernathy

Entire contents 2007 by Greenery Press. Second printing, 2011.

All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television or Internet reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording or by information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.

Published in the United States by Greenery Press, www.greenerypress.com. Distributed by SCB Distributors, Gardena, CA.

ISBN 1-890159-71-9.

by Laura Antoniou

Im the last person who should introduce this book. No, really. After all, its all my fault people have such inaccurate images of what it means to serve and to be served. OK; perhaps not all my fault, but certainly I belong to the class of people most responsible for the shocking cognitive dissonance surrounding service in an SM context. We fiction writers have (maliciously, perhaps) planted the mutually conflicting positions 1) Service is an inborn desire, held by many and 2) Service is a serious vocation requiring great effort and achieved by few. To add even more spice to this stew, we also suggest that the desire to be served both inspires the offering of service all by itself and that it requires incredible self-discipline, education and great effort, a combination again achieved by few.

Id offer a mea culpa except thats not my thing. Anyone who actually knows Laura, and not the author of the Marketplace books, knows that I loathe the very idea of someone basing their real-life activities on fiction. Theme parks are great fun and I love em. But I dont live in one, despite what people think of New York.

However, despite my fiction-writing proclivities, I also harbor a deep and personal identification with the world of genuine service-oriented submission a philosophy which I fully admit to weaving into my make-believe worlds. I do believe there are those for whom service is a sort of calling; a way in which they find sexual, emotional or other fulfillment. I also believe there are those for whom being served in such a way voluntarily and with a sense of obligation and responsibility is a profoundly satisfying and exciting proposition. And I believe that the matching of one to the other is the very best reason for our entire community to exist.

However, because this is real life and not fiction, the mere connection is not nearly enough. If it were, no one would read fiction, theyd be too busy enjoying their real lives. (Its true, mine is a profession which relies on people being dissatisfied.) Instead, there are formidable stumbling blocks and detours on the way to happy and fulfilling service.

To begin with there are those who fantasize. They believe they have this urge to serve, at least when they are alone with their eyes closed. For a million reasons, however, they will not actually move from fantasy. They have partners, spouses, family responsibilities, professions, goals, physical and emotional ailments, fears and worries, all of which stand in their way of even considering how to actually do anything about it.

Then there are the planners. They fully intend to find someone they can serve, and to do useful things in an SM context. They want to experience the reality in one way or another, but their limitations are slightly more subtle than the fantasists. They will enter service one day after they learn French. When the kids are grown. When the divorce is final. When they find the perfect person of course. Having identified what they believe to be the power which holds them back, they need only finish that project, reach that goal, and then they will be ready!

And then there are those who actually try it. This volume belongs to them.

Here you will find no spicy tales of bondage and whipping, dainty and impractical costumes, sweeping romances or brutal, edgy violence. Those who are ready to put their bodies and minds in motion know where to find the smut when they want it. (Did I mention I write smut?) What they lacked were realistic guides, inspirational and practical, with a judicious eye for the rewards and drawbacks of service and a healthy sense of humor.

That is, until Miss Abernathy.

After all, there are guides to almost anything someone can do for someone else. Down at the local bookstore, you can find shelves and shelves of manuals on cleaning, cooking, household management, accounting, catering, computer programming, entertaining and, of course, sex. childcare? Animal husbandry? Shopping? No problem, you can find websites dedicated to the topics. Hair styling, leather care, electrical wiring, running a garage sale, making travel arrangements, finding directions to Bayonne? Its out there. But if you were looking for something specifically aimed at those for who wanted to offer personal service in our multi-named lifestyles, pickings were slim. Ironing the sheets because you like the feel is the province of Martha. Ironing them because Mistress will be pleased and you feel rewarded that was an inspirational angle not sufficiently acknowledged anywhere.

Except for Miss Abernathy.

I was always very happy to tell people which books I had on my shelves, whether I used them for research or practical purposes. But theres a big difference between, say Home Comforts, my answer to all things domestic, and the wit and wisdom of Miss Abernathy.

Abernathy is talking to me. And, if you are beyond fantasy and planning, she is talking to you. I would advise listening. From the first time I read these books, I thought, This is someone who knows; this is the real goods. And then Id stop and laugh because sometimes what we do is pretty darn funny, and it takes a skilled writer to be able to communicate that with grace. People have asked me when I will write a non-fiction book explaining how to provide service my answer has been, for years, there already is one. In an earlier review, I wrote of Miss Abernathy, Chris Parker would approve.

I fully support that statement and add simply that Laura Antoniou does, too. I could only wish for more of her sage advice and sly wit on my shelves.

Laura Antoniou, April 2007

Miss Abernathys gain is the BDSM scenes loss. She is living the happy ending to her own story: retired from the scene and living with the slave of her dreams in a small Northeastern town. She is no longer interested in writing about dominance and submission, preferring instead to enjoy their fruits.

In updating her words for a new generation of masters, mistresses and slaves, I find myself struck anew by how adroitly she manages a nearly impossible task: honoring the potent erotic drives and desires that drive people to own and be owned, while acknowledging the inherent challenges in making such dreams a reality.