So Belle de Jour 'decided' to "out" herself.

I hear it is all to do with a bitter ex boyfriend, who instead of resulting to blackmail would do well to keep his head down and say a prayer of thanks for having been involved in her life in the first place.

I don't know who he is, but I am sure she never set out to hurt or harm him, whatever she did. She comes across as honest and in possession of her integrity and full mental capabilities in her writing, but that doesn't protect a woman from occasionally inviting an utter arsehole into her life.

I just hope it will all work out for her in the end, and judging by mostly supportive online comments about her story it seems like things will be just fine and dandy. I relate to her assessment that anonymity can be a bit of a burden.
As far as I know she did in fact go to her book launch, disguised as a waitress, but I didn't go to mine. Not that I had one organised for my book's launch anyway, just a little something I set up as a cross-promotion with Cherry Jam, but it wasn't busy enough for me to safely show my face although I wore an Ugly-Betty style wig!

As for the people who think Belle's parents will be shocked: How do they think they conceived her in the first place!? Is sex really still that much of a taboo in 2009?! And getting paid for an activity you enjoy doing anyway?
The amounts of times I'd thought how much a little cash could have sweetened some of my more disappointing sexual encounters... But to this day I always answer any questions at the GUM clinic relating to receiving money for sex with a chuckle and "I wish" (at which the nurse usually laughs and ticks another box for "low-risk" patient). Unless you count being paid as an erotic non-fiction author of course!

Just think of all those people stacking shelves in Boots, sitting behind the check-out at Sainsbury's or driving night buses. Don't you think they'd enjoy their jobs a little more if it involved silk, lace, expensive dinners, champagne and hotels, stimulating conversation, an orgasm and £200 an hour!??

Anyway, that was my two pennies' worth for today - I am off for a run as long as the sun is still shining, leaving Jake to play around with repairing his camera. He still can't move much and the staples next to his hip bone make him look like a horny Frankenstein's monster, but he is feeling much better, thanks!

WHAT FELLOW BLOGGERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT BELLE/BROOKE:
http://troubled-diva.com/2009_11_15_troubled-diva_archive.html#9219121044717272770
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/14/nsfw-belle-de-jour-brooke-magnanti-anonymous-blogging/

And why anonymity's important to erotic non-fiction bloggers:
http://girlwithaonetrackmind.blogspot.com/2006/08/outcome.html