Hi Bella Isabella!
I am polyamorous since i am 15 years old. I have never in my whole life had a monogamous relationship. However i have managed to date people outside of my "league" or "reference frame" which - most of the time - ended pretty badly and degrading me to a second class citizenship.
The main difference between monogamous ideals and polyamorous ones, is that polyamory does not judge people into the categories of "better bigger faster more". Many monogamous people do so. They compare - therefor degrade others to feel superiour sexually, lovewise or whatnot. Whenever i engaged in discussions with mono people it comes down to that at some point. Either they feel superiour to others or they feel inferiour. Or they make others feel inferiour by degrading relationships into first class and second class arrangements or citizenships. The reason why i charge as an escort is exactly that reason. Someone wants me to be a "secret" that offers "just sex" (that is the standard excuse married men have when their wives find out that they have lovers - oh honey it was "just sex" - therefor degrading a person to a deliverer only) and that is what i charge for. The secrecy. Then its ok.
I do not believe that much in individuality, but i believe that a person deserves to be loved - openly - for who he is. If that is not the case i consider myself a service provider like a therapist and deserve to get paid (God pity all the secret mistresses and lovers out there who do not even get a dime or recognition for all their valuable input they bring into marriages)
I have dated a mormon recently and it was not such a good experience. Not because i was not tolerant of him, but because his religious beliefs degrade me. No matter how honest you are. He cannot even openly admit he had sex. But that is not my problem then. So - that brings me back to the point. Mono / Poly = not a good or an easy match due to the different categories or the hierarchical approach of "bigger better faster more".
Even escorts divide themselves in "bigger better faster more" (or the quality over quantitiy approach with pretending there is a better or worse categoriy of how to do that job)
So - coming to the point - if your husband is completely wired monogamous - aka hierarchical , he will have a hard time to accept a lover. If he is tolerant that is (he knows you are an escort ? So there is hope...) he will learn with you together.
But sometimes it fails.
So be prepared to have it fail.
And be so kind and do not drag your poor lover along for years til you make a decision to go back to your husband (happened to me - no fun, really :-)....). If you can`t cater to open relationships you must be prepared to let your lover AND your husband go. Or make a decision to keep the lover at all costs and eventually ending a marriage.
Which - in the long run - is my experience does not happen as people tend to get convenient over time and new approaches require a lot of changes in a life. The changes do not include just adding a new "cock" in your life, the changes include also a different enviroment (how to tell your family) - that is if you do not want to degrade your lover to a dirty little secret - aka a service provider. Its also about time - managmenent, how to cater to everyone with the utmost respect.
I am currently having two polyamorous lovers who both know i am an escort as well.
As Lauren Summerhill recommended the Dossie Easton book is an old Standard. A good read! Really cool and funny written.
Then there are further - more intellectual and scientific approaches (I myself recently finished writing my thesis on Polyamory - its unfortunately in german though - but i willl have it translated since i need it for US requirements in edu anyway)
So the must reads for intellectual profound challenge which is required to really try to be open.
Further i recommend to engage with other polys in the internet. I am actively participating in a polyamorous subculture and most of my friends are poly. Took me a long hard while to be able to find a sex positive enviroment where i can openly be myself without having to switch like Dr. JEkyll and Mr. Hyde and i am very proud of that.
It takes a while after everyone spits on you and degrades you that you see there is a light after the dark. This darkness has made me also particularly jaded and wary about the possibility of monos and polys being able to date without having someone hurt. Most of the cases the poly partner is the one that gets hurt. Because someone that is mono is also convenient. And when trouble happens people get back to what they are used to. Plain and simple. Especially if it works so lala and so lala is the best approach to happiness for some :-)...
so literature:
Christian Klesse /The Spectre of Promiscuity
"A must read if you want to find out about the political issues surrounding non-monogamies and heteronormative judgements"
http://www.amazon.com/Spectre-Promis...5290901&sr=8-1
Then my second favourite researcher on kinky lifestyles:
Meg Barker ( I plain love love love her)
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-...5291003&sr=1-2
Then a more "earthy" approach, more easy to digest without diving to much into the focault`ian areas:
Christopher Ryan / Sex at Dawn
http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Dawn-Prehi...5291059&sr=1-1
Then of course EVERY and i mean EVERY book FOCAULT has ever written on society. And studies on Governmentality of course.
I also recommend counseling with a poly / kink open professional.
Also counseling is a tricky topic as most psychotherapists cater to the heteronormative norms of society and try to convince you that you have issues wiht intimacies and only need a lover because your marriage sucks and when you have worked on issues you will find out that monogamy is the best. haha.
A good book written on the issues of being a secret mistress is by a secret mistress (an unpaid secret lover) who points out the different heteronormative approaches usual therapists have (hell, someone who is gay can still not become a psychoanalyst? Or board certified - its all about POLITICS believe me)
A REAL MUST READ if you are in transition!! I recommend reading that first hand!!
Victoria Griffin - The Mistress:histories, myths and and interpretations of the OTHER WOMAN (male mistresses can use that too :-)....)
http://www.amazon.com/Mistress-Histo...5291282&sr=1-1
And good freakin`luck!!!!
http://polyamoryparadigm.blogspot.com/
Nina Sastri