The Jessica Ackles Interview: "I do a lot of my erotica writing while shackled."
"Knowing that there is no chance of escape without a key is a major turn-on for me, and metal restraints like shackles and cuffs are much easier to use for self-bondage."
Jessica Ackles writes some of the steamiest eroticas about BDSM and bondage that I have read. Her stories draw on her experiences. They include a lot of men and women in shackles and cuffs. Metal cuffs are her favorites. She also enjoys putting herself into self bondage and posts photos of herself wearing watches and cuffs on her Patreon.
Jessica’s first book, Damsel in Distress for Hire, which was published in 2021, begins with our heroine Claire tied to a chair in a basement waiting for a customer role playing as Clark Kent to bust in and save her. She was surprised by the positive reception that book received, and she continued to write more eroticas--a change of pace from writing fantasy novels under a different name.
She recommends the Descent into Slavery series as a good starting point for first-time readers. For me, my introduction to her work--and one I recommend--is Arrested and Dominated, one of seven stories she’s written about femdom themes.
Now let’s jump into the interview:
I will begin with a statement more than a question: Your stories proceed at a nice fast pace, and the demeanor and dialogue of your dominants is stimulating. I enjoyed Arrested and Dominated: A Femdom BDSM Short Story first and then got into more of your work.
What is the book you think new readers should get started with? Or the book you most enjoyed writing?
Damsel in Distress for Hire was my first erotic story and still my longest work. It is a little special to me, both because it was the first, but also because it is based on a lot of my own experiences with bondage and BDSM from when I was younger. I tried some wild things! I think I’ve gotten a lot better at writing since, so I’d probably name the Descent into Slavery series as my actual pick for where to start, but there are plenty to choose from!
What got you into writing erotica?
I’m a traditionally published fantasy writer, and I needed a break from the editing process on my first novel. That, and Covid had hit hard at that point. I have a great love for bondage (self-bondage, to be exact), and I thought it could be fun to write a story with that as a focus, the aforementioned Damsel in Distress for Hire. I had no idea people would actually buy the thing.
Are many of your plots inspired by real life experiences?
Only really the first one, plus the series Jessica’s Self-bondage Adventures, which is 95% based on me. The rest are mostly based on crazy ideas or commissions from clients or fans.
Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a plotter. I’ve gotten better at delivering the smut, the dirty deeds, but I cannot help but build characters and plots as well.
Your erotic novellas cover a wide variety of themes, including maledom, lesdom, and femdom. Would it be fair to say that an element tying them all together is bondage?
Certainly! I’ve got a few stories with no bondage in them, but like many of my publications, those are commissions. I retain all rights to commissioned works unless otherwise agreed, so I didn’t come up with the basis for those.
If I get to choose, I always include bondage.
As a female author who has written over half a dozen femdom eroticas in addition to many maledom eroticas, do you hear from your submissive male fans? Do you ever encounter male subs who don’t know how to act online?
Oh, all the time. It’s not a surprise - I run a Patreon on the side where I post pictures and videos of myself in bondage, so I get a lot of messages from men who want me to tie them up. I don’t have a dominant bone in my body (I’m not really submissive either, I just love bondage), despite working in senior management in my day-job.
Most are very polite, but a few are very persistent. It can get a little unpleasant at times, but it doesn’t bother me, to be honest.
Of all platforms–Amazon KDP, Substack, DeviantArt, Patreon, and YouTube–which is your favorite, and which is the most useful for unleashing your creativity?
Amazon is a great place for self-publishing erotica writers like me. It’s very easy to get your story out there, and I think they’re surprisingly fair when it comes to payment. I mainly use DeviantArt to advertise my stories and my pictures, but it’s a nice community and probably my favorite since it allows me to combine the two sides of my love of bondage.
On Bondage and Self-bondage
In Arrested and Dominated, you described the feeling of Isabella, the police officer, as she collared Grant, her prisoner: Isabella loved collaring prisoners; it was almost a religious, ceremonial experience, and as she watched her slave, the last few scraps of defiance left in him seemed to evaporate.
Is that how you feel when you collar yourself--a kind of ceremonial, spiritual experience?
No, it makes me horny! Well, there is some degree of spirituality to bondage for me, but it’s very dependent on my mood. Bondage can be relaxing, arousing, or almost meditative at times. If I restrain myself in a way that leaves me helpless for a while, it can be very intense.
Do you find the feeling different between self-bondage and being collared by someone you love or lust for?
I’ve done very little bondage with people I love. I did BDSM with others when I studied, but I found that I enjoyed the bondage aspect far more than the submission. I’ve been single for quite a few years now (it suits me better), and I find greater pleasure in self-bondage than I ever did when engaging in BDSM with others. I’m a bit of a control freak - I know what I like, so why not do it myself?
Self-bondage does feel different, yes, and is probably not for most people. But it works for me.
On your Patreon and DeviantArt, you post photos of yourself wearing watches, cuffs, and metal bondage gear. What is it about metal that you like? Do you feel turned on by leather bondage gear?
A couple of self-bondage images from Jessica’s DeviantArt
Leather doesn’t do much for me. I do have a few leather restraints, but I rarely use them. I prefer metal due to the feel, the sound, and the looks. Also, knowing that there is no chance of escape without a key is a major turn-on for me, and metal restraints like shackles and cuffs are much easier to use for self-bondage. I actually do a lot of my erotica writing while shackled.
Would you mind describing the different kinds of metal restrains and which are your favorites? I am familiar with police handcuffs, but you post photos with so many different kinds of restraints, including ones with long chains and multiple interconnected chains linking the wrists and the neck.
Oh, God, that could take a while. My restraints collection have gotten stupidly big since I started my site (it’s easier to justify spending hundreds of dollars on restraints when you make a little money from using them), and I’m beginning to have trouble storing it all.
To simplify it, I’d say you can divide metal restraints up into the ones based on police handcuffs like the ones you’re familiar with, which uses a ratchet lock, meaning that they can be adjusted to the persons wrist, and more traditional shackles, which have a fixed size and can have various locking mechanisms. I love handcuffs because they’re quick to put on, but shackles have more weight, are often wider (and can therefore be more comfortable for long-term wear), and they just look amazing! I can spend full days wearing a pair of shackles since they make me able to do all kinds of things around the apartment while still feeling restrained. I just spent five hours playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on my Steam Deck while wearing a pair of shackles. It’s great!
For people who want to try out metal restraints, or for those who have tried out handcuffs and want to try something different, what is a good restraint to try, and where can these restraints be purchased?
It’s a bit tricky to answer, but people are always welcome to write me for specific recommendations. I also wrote a book on steel restraints for bondage and self-bondage - it’s called Unforgiving Steel and is available on Amazon. It could probably use an update, but it’s a good introduction.
See Jessica’s works on Amazon and her subscription options on Patreon. Read all the interviews with erotica writers and kinksters in my interview series.
Previous Interviews
The Kate Granger Interview: "Writing erotica has been an enormous benefit for me."
Kate Granger is a prolific author of over 1,000 stories, which together include over 4 million words. She writes on almost every sexy topic you can think of, including BDSM, slow burn romance, femdom, thrillers, swinging, LGBTQ, threesomes, and ultra taboo sex acts, and she publishes her stories
The Melanie Russell Interview: "There's also something so beautiful about a man (or anyone really) giving themselves entirely to their partner."
Melanie Russell is one of my favorite erotica writers. Her stories are fast-paced. Her characters are relatable. The scenarios she creates are scintillating.
eyemblacksheep: Interview with a Male AV Filming Slave and Producer
I have conducted interviews with erotica writers and fellow Substackers here. This is something new and exciting. It’s my first interview with a producers of erotic videos, otherwise known as pornography.