Hot Press would like to thank all of those who submitted entries to the competition. The standard was extremely high overall, and the final decision was a very difficult one for the judges. The entries from the other seven writers who were shortlisted – Stephanie Mahon, Mandy Moran, Suzanne Morgan, Grace Garvey, Claire O’Neill, Jack Kincade and Ariana Dunne – were especially highly rated.

But in the end, there could be only one winner – and here she is…

he gasped, her breath coming deep and fast. Fabio held her forcefully. “You will be mine”, he commanded. His kiss was tender but insistent. She could not resist…

My earliest introduction to sex began in the purple prose of romance novels. I would grow up to be tall, blonde and beautiful. A hunk with finely chiselled cheekbones, a ridiculous name and a yacht would sweep me off to his island hideaway, where all the joys and mysteries of sex would be revealed. The island hideaway turned out to be a series of typical student digs. I never found the hunk, just average guys; self-conscious, funny, sexy, sweet, horny, sometimes great and occasionally disappointing.

Human sexuality is many things – and thankfully the purest of pleasures is at the centre of it all, a lot of the time – but undeniably too it’s often a muddle. Should you or shouldn’t you? With him or with her? Has anyone tried it before? If so, how did it work? And what did it feel like afterwards?

In the last 30 years, the sexual landscape of Ireland has changed beyond recognition. Contraception, single parents, live-in lovers, swingers and sex toys, which were illegal, condemned or non-existent, are now par for the course. We may make jokes, gossip or talk about sex, but when it comes to frank discussions of our own sexual experiences, we Irish tend to clam up. However, all that is about to change – welcome to the hotpress Sex Column.

The aim of the column is to discuss sex in an open and forthright way – and in doing so to provide a report from the frontline of the mating game in Ireland in the noughties. I don’t claim to be an expert, but I am willing to share with you my thoughts and experiences – as well as any useful tricks I’ve picked up along the way. Most importantly, I promise to be totally honest and the column will not be either censored or censorious. It’s a free-for-all and if you’ve any comments, queries or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you. Anything and everything is up for discussion.

Sensible girl that I am, I’ve blown the last of my salary on some rather interesting and unusual toys. I’m off to give them a test-drive. It’s a hard life, I tell you! I may just tell you all about them next time, so stay tuned.

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