Wednesday, October 15, 2008

F.F.F!!

by Janine Ashbless

First the news, then the nudes.

The great news is that my novel Wildwood is now not only available in the UK, but from today is also in bookstores in the US, and can now be downloaded as a lovely paper-saving e-book from All Romance eBooks.

Wildwood: sex among the trees! Sex up a tree! Sex with fairies that turn back into trees when they are done!

To celebrate I thought I'd celebrate the work of some of the more eccentric (and horny) tree-hugging environmentalists out there: the extraordinary charity Fuck For Forest.

I mean, imagine you're an idealistic young person with a yearning to save the world's threatened forests. What do you do - write a cheque to the Woodland Trust? Make sure your barbeque charcoal is sourced from renewable coppiced woodlands? Refuse to watch Axemen? Well if you are Norwegian couple Leona Johansson and Tommy Hol Ellingsen, you start a consciousness-raising eco group whose publicity stunts revolve around lots of people having sex in public. Then you set up a pay-for-porn website featuring hardcore amateur action, whose income goes to protecting forests across the globe. And you burst into public consciousness and get into serious legal trouble by getting up onstage at a rock festival and going at it like bunnies.


"FFF are concerned humans, exploring the power of sexuality, all to save nature. We know a lot of people are interested in sexuality, including us. We want to have fun with sex, show natural people and collect money for saving nature! We think it is time to pay respect to nature, and give back with love."

The result is Fuck For Forest (FFF), a unique environmental charity. Because its fundraising techniques are a bit (oo-er) rude, strait-laced charities like the WWF have refused to accept their cash, meaning that they've started working direct with indigenous community groups and buying their own land in Costa Rica.

FFF: if paying for online porn is your thing, this is the way to do it with a rosy conscience.
"Porn makes really, really a lot of money," they say, "so why not use that money for good?"

Hooray for brave, painted, and slightly bonkers hippies!

"We feel sexuality is beeing treated like nature, with disrespect. We wanted to use love & sexuality to fight against this un-natural way of treating our planet."






















BTW I'm off on holiday for a few weeks after today. In our grand tradition of Holidaying Where Americans Fear to Vacation (Egypt straight after 9/11, Turkey the week of the invasion of Iraq), I'm off round Jordan and Syria. If I don't re-appear in November will someone please tell Adam at Black Lace? And don't anyone go starting a war in the Midddle East, d'you hear...
xxx
Janine

13 comments:

Nikki Magennis said...

Congrats on the US release, Janine!

And - Fuck For Forest - wow. I was a bit gobsmacked at first, but I had a look at their site and they seem very sweetly genuine. Porn that leaves a nice taste in your mouth has to be a good idea. (And their story about the celebrity ice bear in bondage was just wonderful.)

Have a good holiday!

Vincent Copsey said...

Intriguing stuff!

Have a great holiday, Janine!

Kristina Lloyd said...

Ha, I love those FFF people.

I briefly met Leona once and we had a slightly confused conversation which is too rude and personal for me to repeat here! But she has the most astonishing eyes, and really did look like some ethereal otherwordly forest creature. (I must confess, I *had* had some beer and she *might* have been stoned.)

I love what they're doing and I also think their porn looks great. Everyone seems to be having a wonderful time, the women have normal tits, and are more likely to be covered in paint and mud rather than Max Factor. Top marks! Though, um, does anyone else find the sight of a hippy in stockings and suspenders slightly disconcerting?

Congrats on Wildwood, Janine, and enjoy your adventure!

Janine Ashbless said...

It looks like stockings, suspenders and biker boots from here... Well, obviously high heels wouldn't work in a forest setting!

Thanks folks. I'm just off out to buy immodium, sunblock, more immodium...

Janine Ashbless said...

And it's so cool you met Leonna, Kristina! At least you had something to say to her. I would go "ermumblemumble" if I ever met anyone famous.

Megan Kerr said...

What wonderful, cheerful, wholesome looking people! How when the Scandinavian countries do stuff, they seem squeaky-clean and fun-loving and healthy, and if another country initiated that, they'd seem furtive & dirty & smudgy? I mean - we're talking about countries whose reputation includes running naked through the snow beating yourself with a birch branch and it's considered simply healthful, instead of profoundly deviant. By EVERONE. Even the other countries.

I've watched very very little visual porn - one of the first I saw was while studying, alongside a doctoral film student, and we studied this video gravely for some time before I asked, "I just don't understand - whose point of view is this? It's not even following Mulvey's theory of the gaze!" and he said, "Aha! But that's just it!" and went off on a theoretical tangent about the voyeur's p.o.v. Screw voyeurism: give me immersive filming every time! I also disliked the look of everyone in the film and wouldn't have wanted to give them the time of day, much less watch them screw. It was all as much of a turn-on as a faceful of cold porridge. (Actually, it actively put me off sex.)

This lot, however, make you realise it's not the medium that's wrong, it's what people do with it -- as always. Because they make it seem so FRESH!

Sorry; serious lack of sleep, and when I get sleep-deprived my Jekyllian academic side comes out, all claws and fangs, and sucks me dry of wit & perspective. Abstract: love it.

Madeline Moore said...

When I saw this post title in our 'coming attractions' I admit, I thought it was a joke. What fun!
I think it's a great idea to sell porn to make money to save the trees.
And they do look like attractive, real people having a good time, which makes the porn more accessible, or perhaps more agreeable, to regular types who are wary of professional pornography.
Yes, I will give it my stamp of approval.
Thanks for telling us about this, Janine, and happy romping through the hot spots of the world. Come back safe.

Unknown said...

I love all those happy faces-doesn't hurt that they all have lovely young youthful bodies to go with their smiles as well. What a great concept!

JamiSings said...

I'm sorry, I'm too distraced by FFF. All I can think of is splinters in uncomfortable places....

My mind goes to strange places.

Madeline Moore said...

I guess these guys must REALLY get a WOODY.

Amanda Earl said...

the title of this novel twigged a reminder of something. in the great anthology Sacred Exchange edited by Lisabet Sarai and S.F. Mayfair, there's an amazing story called Return to Wildwood by Andrea Dale. it's about a young woman who is left a house by her eccentric aunts and the green man she encounters in the woods. it was an extremely sexy story and i was hoping there was some connection between it and this book, but reading the description, it appears not. enjoyed the post, Janine.

Sarah said...

I'm just worried the guy might fall outof the tree mid thrust. Ouch!

Dayle A. Dermatis said...

I don't know how I missed this! Amanda, thank you for your incredible kind words about "Return to Wildwood"!