Acknowledgments
M any people have contributed to this book, both with information and moral support. At the risk of sounding like an Oscar winner, I really would like to thank my family (Shirley, Terry, Patrick, Maureen, Nigel, Deborah, Doug, Charles, and Madeleine) and all my friends and work colleagues who supported and encouraged me when I needed it most.
Special thanks go to: Deborah Murdoch, my clever sister, for casting an experienced medical eye over the technical chapters and so generously sharing her expertise; Nigel Cox, my brother, for bravely providing an intimate male perspective without ever telling me to mind my own business; Ute Junker, for reading every word of the manuscript, ever so tactfully pointing out my errors, and putting up with the anxiety attacks; Janet Muggivan, for her inspired publicity and marketing ideas and unwavering belief in both the project and me; Pat Ingram, the best editor in the business, who took me under her wing and taught me so much about journalism and life; Eric Fleming, Janet Hall, and Grant Brecht, three of Australias most respected psychologists, whove cheerfully given up so much of their time to teach me about sex and relationships; Shona Martyn, Jude McGee, and Jane Bowring for having faith in the idea and guiding me through my introduction to book publishing with such good humor and style; Edith Weisberg, from Family Planning, who lent her formidable expertise to Chapter 6; Di Palmer, manager of Sydneys Club Femme, for making sense of all the weird and wonderful contraptions she sells in her erotica store; Amanda Dwyer, owner/operator of Salon Kittys, who shared her sex secrets; Gerard Webster, a psychologist specialising in sexual abuse, who contributed immensely to several chapters in the book; Fiona Lecren, from Australian Birth Control, and Genevieve Graham, from the Child Protection Enforcement Agency, for advising on serious sex-related issues.
A huge thank-you also to everyone who bared their souls anonymously and contributed real-life quotes and advice throughout the book; and the sex diary authors and the sex workers, Olivia and David, for their wonderfully frank guides in the foreplay chapter.
Thanks to the various magazines who allowed me to use some small sections from my previously published stories. Some of the information contained in this book originally appeared in:
Cosmopolitan: Blow Him Away, October 1996; The Top 10 Lies About Sex, February 1995; The 50 Most Intimate Things to Do With a Man, November 1994; The New Sex Rules, April 1995; Australian Womens Forum: Masturbation: At Your Fingertips, May 1996; The Sex Diaries, March 1995; marie claire: Complete Guide to Contraception, February 1996.
Introduction
A nyone can be good in bed. Genital size doesnt matter. Looks dont matter. You dont have to have legs up to your chin, arms like Schwarzenegger, drive a sports car, or be rolling in it to be the best lover your partners ever had. But you do need a good, working knowledge of your subject. And thats easier said than done.
Nearly everyone talks about sex. Were always boasting about how fabulous so-and-so is in bed and hinting at the real reason why we look so tired at work (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). But its a rare person wholl confess details or talk specifics. Jane might well confide that Brad gives the best oral sex shes ever had, but she doesnt launch into a lick-by-lick analysis of whyand I bet you dont ask for one.
Thats why we buy sex booksto find out the nitty-gritty details about things were too embarrassed to ask friends or lovers. Trouble is, few deliver what we really want to know. Sex manuals tend to gloss over the practical bread-and-butter stuff and, instead, talk in generalitieslike how women need clitoral stimulation and mens butts are a veritable hot spot. Great advice but, if you havent got the foggiest of what to do with it, useless.
This is where Hot Sex is different. Instead of assuming you know everything, Ive assumed you know nothing and have dished up all the gory details in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step format. The only way I could have been more explicit and specific is to be there in the bedroom with you, guiding your hands and whatever else youre using (and, to tell the truth, Id really rather not).
Thats not to say the book only deals with the basics. Experienced lovers will get loads out of Hot Sex because there are enough advanced tips, tricks, and techniques to keep even Annie Sprinkle happy. But I do suggest everyone read the introductory chapters. Very often its the people who think they know what theyre doing who need educating the most. Sex is a bit like typing. You can get by using two fingers, but youll never be as good as someone who did the secretarial course and practiced every night. Going back to the grassroots level, even if its just to check youre on the right track, isnt a bad idea for all of us. Dont let anyone tell you otherwise: sex skills can be learned and we can all improve on them.
Ive written the book using everyday language for similar reasons. The correct, technical terms sound terribly authoritative but if you dont know that a wet dream is actually called a nocturnal emission, you wouldnt have a clue what I was talking about if I used this term. Sometimes, the words I use arent even accurate. Most people say sperm when they actually mean semen, for instance. But, hey, if thats what you call it, thats what Ive called it a lot of the time because I want you to relate to what Im saying.