Confessing to having read only half of the book before you meet for the first time the author you're going to be interviewing is something very shameful indeed, especially when you are reviewing said book - however having spoken to Stella a few times beforehand, and from what little I'd gleamed from the first chapter of Sex Spells: A Guide To Erotic Bliss, I felt sure she wasn't going to mind; she seemed entirely centred and evidently too gloriously satisfied to care.
The first meeting with Stella was at Treadwell's Bookstore in Covent Garden to celebrate the UK launch. More so than ever, Treadwell's supplied the perfectly decadent environment for such an event, packed to the rafters with folk all there to celebrate and support the author in her first publication. Having noted the massive cross-section of attendees I began to wonder exactly who the book had been aimed at because there was certainly no pervading age, genre or academic type coming forth as being the common denominator.
By our second meeting I had read it cover to cover, twice, and had my answer - Sex Spells is an appropriate read for anybody who opens it.
Stella and I enter into a conversation about a chance meeting she had with Morrighan at the top of an ancient burial mound: Croham Hurst. This was to be the very beginning event that perhaps kicked the book from a publicist's ideas shelf into the hands of a committed and very experienced magic practitioner. An event that we should be grateful for, as Stella has poured years of trial, error and success into these pages with such aplomb that the result should be in itself read as ritual.
Aside from the beautiful illustrations and quaint layout, Sex Spells vibrates with passion and eloquently written basics before it begins to tackle more complex workings with a surprising lucidity. The first half of the book is dedicated to magic for sex and the second dedicated to sex-magic (though with not quite as many 'A male child of perfect innocence and high intelligence is the most satisfactory victim' references as our dear Mr. Crowley's previously terrifying works of a similar nature).
It is truly remarkable how the author has made this piece so duplicitous in its guise as both a beautifully crafted literary trinket and a sound, knowledge packed text suitable for the complete novice right through to experienced practitioners.
Please make no mistake, don't pick it up thinking you've just found Aunt Carole's novelty birthday gift, Stella has successfully integrated time old practices and hideously misconceived beliefs with mainstream appeal in a work that has all the potential to undo the perception created by the plastically written and mass produced monstrosities that claim to be commercially leading books.
This inspirational guide is deficient in no other way than perhaps in length - it was after all, a book I had wished wouldn't end.
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