Paula's Interview

Speaking with Paula Meadows...

Janus. Paula, you are at the moment editor and illustrator of Februs, the sister magazine to Janus. Can you tell us how this came about?
Paula. Februs has been going for almost 7 years now. Before it got started I had a long association with Janus as an illustrator.This all began way back in the Eighties when I made my first appearance as a model, looking the complete innocent, which wasn't quite the case in reality; by that time I had already discovered a deep fascination for the mysteriously erotic world ot the 'Story of O', and had experienced the intense thrill of living out some of these fantasies. In hindsight I would say that I was desperately trying to rid myself of all my sexual hangups which seemed to have a strong hold on me, no matter how hard I tried to fight them. Becoming 'O' for a day was a tremendously liberating experience! Modelling for a photostory in Janus was a natural progression and turned out to be great fun. I was already a professional artist by that time and it didn't take me long to make the leap into illustrating the subject I already felt I understood in my own way. I went on to illustrate the stories in Janus for a few years and this work offered me plenty of opportunities to explore the world of spanking and meet lots of new friends. There is a publication called 'The Janus Collection' which covers this phase of my work, and I would suggest it to those whose fantasies revolve around the chastisement of naughty maids, the birching of voluptuous Victorian trollops and the disciplining of unruly young students! This was the good old fashioned CP of Janus in the Eighties. Nowadays attitudes have changed somewhat and reflect the fact that women are now involved in the publishing of all kinds of erotica, as contributors and editors, bringing their ideas and enthusiasm to the subject. And about time too!
Janus. How has the female contribution made Februs different?
P.Well, I hope the style has made this magazine a lot more attractive to women. I would love to think that, although it is still mainly men who buy this sort of thing (I don't know why) a wife or girlfriend could pick it up and be intrigued rather than feel threatened. Hopefully the day has gone when men have to sneak aound and hide their sexual interests. Februs attempts to highlight the erotic excitement for both the giver and receiver of a hearty spanking. We don't believe in watering it down, it's more a matter of increasing the possibilities of a CP situation by removing it from the rather formal scene of the strict punishment . `I also believe that it is interesting and helpful to male readers to absorb the view of real women in the stories and articles - after all. they want to find real women as partners and it's no good if they have a totally false idea of how we respond.
Janus. When you talk about moving away from the punishment scenario, do you mean that you don't need fantasy at all when you are being spanked?
P.I think my whole lifestyle is geared to the probability that a spanking could occur at any time, but it is never triggered by a misdemeanour on my part. If I really have done something wrong I immediately feel upset and that's not erotic; if the supposed naughtiness is just pretend, it merely amuses me and I can't take the 'punishment' seriously then. But I do need a particular atmosphere, one in which everyone accepts certain roles that have been agreed beforehand.
Janus. What sort of atmosphere turns you on then Paula? Describe one of your favourite happenings.
P. There was an evening that combind all my favourite elements; it happened in Paris so that gave it rather a head start to begin with! You know, it's fascinating to compare people's different attitudes and ways, in the various parts of the world where spanking has a following. As you can imagine, France had a particular significance for me, being the birthplace of my beloved Pauline Reage, creaor of the legendary 'O;. I had been particularly lucky in having been invited to create erotic comic strips for a french publisher and thus found myself participating in a huge exhibition of every type of comic from Herge's 'Tin Tin', to the hottest most explicit images you can imagine. All these publications were rubbing shoulders with each other in one vast hall without a hint of awkwardness and it was in this unusual setting that I met my two close friends Alexandre and Jocelyne who were selling comics. They owned two book shops in Paris and, while I sat and signed copies of my comic strips, Jocelyne told me about their plans to open a new gallery. It was to specialise in erotic art! This was the beginning of my French period when erotic art suddenly took on a new light. I launched myself into a series of detailed drawings based on all my most intimate experiences...
Janus. Yes Paula, you were just about to tell us about one of those. Are you ever getting to it?
P. Of course I am! The art bit is all part of the atmosphere we discussed earlier. You see, this was ten years ago and no gallery in London would have taken a chance on my work. It really made a difference to me when my personal and highly explicit drawings appeared on the walls of the gallery 'Les Larmes d'Eros'. The subject of sex had at last come out of it's very cramped cupboard and could now be viewed properly like any other aspect of human behaviour. On the opening night of my show I was surrounded by an extraordinary assortment of people, some in fetish wear, some smart and glamorous. There were intellectuals, a psychologist, writers and other artists. I chatted to a petite lady in her sixties, her hair swept back severely off her face, who told me of her exploits as a dominatrix. This was obviously one of her great pleasures in life. To my delight, I also found out that she was quite a famous writer too. She had written a strange and darkly erotic book called 'L'Image'. I knew it well and had assumed that the pseudonym Jean de Berg meant that the author must be a man. For a moment I felt a wave of excitement, as if I had been an eleven year old boy meeting their favourite football star! Just to think: this lady had probably actually KNOWN Pauline Reage! I had found the very fount of my original fantasy, but at the same time I began to realize that what I had with my own friends now was every bit as fascinating and, who knows, maybe we had gone further than the originator. As if to confirm this point, the gallery door opened and in it's portals was framed the impressive from of my own Master, unexpectedly arrived from London. His vast figure glided in to greet me and from then on the evening became a dream sequence, extraordinary people, familiar and unfamiliar swirling around me. A group of us eventually left the gallery and found ourselves in a most unusual appartment, it's owner's taste in art reflecting a distinct leaning towards the bizarre, it's furniture and fittings sparse but very useful if tying up a slave happened to be your preference, and it's bookcase bulging with the literary outpourings of the Marquis de Sade! Just the sort of setting to make you feel that you are not back in your own home in London! I was swiftly squeezed into my leather costume by my Master, although it is difficult to be swift when there is a corset to be laced, straps to be attached, a special studded bra to be tightly fastened and my collar with it's dangling silver chains to be buckled around my neck. After my usual 'Ouch! That's too tight', and 'Help, it's pinching' to which my dresser grinned indulgenty and said 'Good. You're supposed to be uncomfortable,' (bless him, he is so considerate!) I was propelled through the cluster of people-shapes, past other slaves with a master or mistress to a sturdy table where there was a concentration of light. My Master helped me up and positioned me on all fours, them he proceeded to warm me up using a soft leather martinet. This is where I began to soar. I instantly felt the rapport between us. We were like a couple of dancers; positions and implements changed with barely a word needed and breathing began to accelerate as my master moved around me, using the whip with his customary blend of gentleness and severity. One moment it caressed me as if I were fragile glass, the next it cut across my rump and I reared like an excited pony!
Janus. And did you rush home after this and draw a picture of it?
P. Maybe not this scene in particular, but that theme does crop up quite frequently in my work. In my recent collection of illustrations (published by The Erotic Print Society) there is a drawing called 'The Party' which shows the excitement of performing in front of an audience in this way. I am such an exhibitionist!
Janus. Are there any other books on the way?
P. No more books like that one yet, but a new set of six prints has just been published by E.P.S. entitled 'Reality and Dreams.' For my next project I am rather keen to put together a Februs Collection to contain all the best illustrations from the magazine, plus a special new comic strip. I'm currently working on that.

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