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Year: 2012

All About Pleasure: What You Need to Succeed

by | August 18, 2012 | | 3 Comments

Talent.  Luck. 
Hard work.  If you have all three,
you will definitely be published.  With
only two, you have a good chance of seeing your work in print.  With just one, your chances fall
considerably, although it’s still possible, especially if you’re blessed with
luck. I’ve forgotten exactly where I read this advice when I was a novice
writer, but it’s stayed with me for over a decade (my apologies to the veteran
who wrote this—I hope the sharing of your wisdom will partially make up
for the lack of attribution!)

Interestingly enough hard work is the only one of these elements within an individual writer’s control.  Talent is something you are born with and
much harder to determine in yourself than another, so an aspiring writer must
soldier on without sure knowledge she has It to complete the magic three.  While it could be argued that preparation
paves the way for luck, by its very definition, luck is something we can’t
really order on demand.  But, and perhaps
I’m being romantic, in almost every case you can become a better writer by
writing–a lot, day after day, year after year—whether or not the muse is with
you or money and fame reward you.  Much
like a musician, you will improve if you practice. 

Yet hard work is the
element that is also glossed over in the popular portrait of the Real
Writer, who spends her days by her swimming pool giving interviews to the press
about her lastest critically-acclaimed bestseller.  Naturally, since celebrity is the modern
manifestation of aristocracy, such a being doesn’t sweat or get dirt under her fingernails.

I lay part of the blame for
this misconception on the cinematic montage, the classic way to show major
growth and progress in the movies, which, let’s face it, reach a far greater
audience than books.  The writer,
frustrated, yanks a piece of paper from his typewriter and tosses it in
trash—or in a more modern incarnation frowns at his laptop and deletes a huge
block of text.  In the next ten-second
scene, he repeats the procedure (perhaps downing a blender full of raw eggs for strength).  On the
third pass, he smiles at his work, and in the fourth, he’s typing merrily.  In the next instant, he’s shaking hands with
a prominent editor and being taken off to lunch, concluding with a book signing
with a mob of adoring fans.

Intellectually we know
this is supposed to represent a year’s worth of effort, or more practically ten, but
emotionally, I wonder if we don’t all think that writing a bestselling book takes
all of two minutes.  That’s how it
happens on the screen after all.  And
while we can all agree this is a convenient fiction and shouldn’t be taken
seriously, I believe these fantasies can have an unfortunate influence on our
subconscious.  If the words, money and
fame don’t come easy, then we don’t have It. 
We aren’t Real Writers.

In grappling with my own
relationship to the hard work of writing—beginning with the fact I only had the
courage to devote the necessary focus and effort to writing at the
less-than-precociously-talented age of thirty-five—I’ve come to realize that I
don’t want to waste my time reading something that is not the result of hard
work.  Perhaps the actual writing of the
story took but a day (which has happened for me only once in a hundred stories I’ve written),
but the preparation, the gestation of ideas, the apprenticeship took years of
focus and dedication.

That’s why I so
appreciate stories of the writing life that celebrate the hard work, rare as
they are.  That’s why I’ll freely admit I
spent fourteen fallow years between minoring in creative writing in college and
sending out my first story, took five years to write my first novel and
five-and-counting to write the second. 
It’s not glamorous.  It’s not the
most efficient way to “achieve” fame or money. 
But it is deeply satisfying to see a long-term dream come to fruition.  

I still agree that
talent, luck and hard work do play a role in the mysterious equation that leads
to publication.  Yet for me, true success
requires more—respect for your ideas, your reader’s time, and the process of
storytelling itself.  That’s all you need to be a Real Writer, swimming pool not required.

Donna George Storey has 150 publications to her credit, most
recently a collection of short stories, Mammoth Presents the Best of Donna George Storey. Learn more about her work at http://www.facebook.com/DGSauthor. 

The Change you Missed

by | August 15, 2012 | | 6 Comments

Chances are, if you ever drank to get drunk, once or twice you’ve drank to the point of regret.  I certainly have.  It’s a terrible feeling to awaken to the knowledge that you’re not where you usually expect to be, then wonder what transpired.

The little story that follows tells of such a situation, and a surprising outcome, and through it all, a change in a life, or at least the possibility of one.

Stop, Slow, Stop, Slow

©  Craig J. Sorensen

You promised yourself it would never happen again.  Promised that you’d soothe your restless mind
in another way.  Promised you never again
wake up in . . . well

It looks like a doublewide, at least a quarter century old.  Neat as a pin, but showing its wear.  A train comes by so close, you can feel it in
your ass.

She’s turned away, a sheet over her jackhammer frame, and
you work to recall her face, but the dryness in the mouth and mammoth need to
piss are the only indication of what went on last night.  You remember, bit by bit, the bar you
migrated to starting at a classy pub downtown, just a stone’s throw from work.

You recall the bars, descending strata.  Never happy where you are, move on.  You lose count.  You wish you could remember.

You check the floor, expecting underwear next to the bed,
socks half way across the room, t shirt in the door, the rest an ant crumb
train to the front door, you do it like this. 
Impatience and passion, yes, but also it makes for an orderly retreat.  Step, clothe, step, clothe, step, clothe
until the door closes gently in your wake.

So unlike you, the neat stack of clothes on the Samsonite
chair, a suit and tie, t-shirt, underwear, socks, and her threadbare jeans and
tank top over the back.  What a pair you
two must have been when you left that last bar.

Birds’ songs ascend as the train rumbles its last.

She stirs. 

You freeze, knowing that she’s at that state where your
jostling the old bed will probably wake her. 
You lay still as a worm thrust from the ground by a sudden rain, the
caught in a cymbal crash of sun.  She
turns in profile, still sleeping.

A little more haze lifts, and you recall later last night, pool
played in a dive bar.  A girl who said
she held up construction signs on road repairs. 
Stop, slow, stop slow.  She beat
you at nine ball again and again.  Not a
thing about her was your kind of woman, and you wonder how you got here, no
matter how much you drank, no matter how deep your need.  And that need was deep last night.

That much you remember clearly.

She sighs, and you start to get hard.  Surprise at how you respond after what must
have passed last night.  Your desire is
deep, like it was before you left the office, maybe even more.  It is not the predictable drained sensation
steeped in regret that takes form when reason and cottonmouth set in.

You are harder. 
Harder.  It actually starts to
hurt.  Piss boner.  That’s it.

But you want her, want her bad.  You shouldn’t, especially when you already
had her.  Especially when she’s so . . .
so . . . so wrong.

She casts the sheet aside and shows off her muscular body.  You try not to look at the golden pubic hair
and note the way her knurled knuckles rub there.  Her eyes are on you, her lips are smiling as
her gaze drains down to the tent between your legs.  “Mornin’.”

“Hey.”

Her fingers slide under the covers, up your thigh, and
cradle your balls.  The cool of her hands
is perfect, both soothing and exciting. 
“I’m glad you suggested we wait until the morning.”

Probably couldn’t get it up. 
As much as you drank . . .

Those cool hands join forces, one on your balls, the other
stroking your rod.  “Seem’s you’re glad
we waited too, but I must say, I never had so much fun just hanging out and
talking.  Especially when I was as horny
as I was last night.  And falling asleep
with that hard cock against my back?  Amazing!  Don’t know how you could stand it, but it
made me hot.”

“Uh, yeah, uh, that was great.”  You’re pretty sure you mean it.  You do know, that, as morning after regrets
go, not remembering what you talked about is a first.

She smooths the pre come that has drooled
into her hand up and down your shaft. 
Licks it, with a smile, from her palm like a cat cleaning herself.  She opens her body.  “God, I can’t wait to feel you in me.”  Her fingers feel perfect as she rolls a
rubber down your shaft.

You position between her thighs and savor her slick
walls.  She gives a huge, deep,
resounding, toe curling, lip stretching, jaw cracking sigh. 

You nearly come instantly. 
You’re glad when she says.  “Just hold
still so I can feel it all.”  You stay
still until the come that threatened to escape eases back.  You need to come, you need to piss, you need water, you need to
eat.

You need to breathe.

But you don’t do any of them.  You obey. 
You only obey.  Never your strong
suit, yet you do it well.  Buried to the
balls in her, and yet you push tighter, and are met with an approving grunt.  It’s strangely tender, strangely rough,
painful and yet you don’t want it to end. 
Your arms around her back, your legs entwined in hers.  Still and full of need.

It is Saturday, your day to rush around and get things done at home.  Well, every day is a day to rush around, you’re never stay
still, never patient.  So many reasons to
rush, and really, do you need one?

But your bodies begin to move together.  Slow, stop, slow, stop, she seems to turn
that construction sign, and you obey. 
You are happy, strangely happy.

“God yes, you feel so good in me,” she whispers in your ear.

Slow, stop, slow, stop, you listen to her breaths, her moans
her sighs as they ascend to a strangely gentle orgasm like a refined lady
sneezing.  Bad as your needs are, they are
superseded by the need to bring her another, see if you can make her writhe and
come like a grenade.

And you do, pounding hard in her, but slowly, slowly
ascending, your balls are hard as a wrecking ball.  You don’t want to come, but your body won’t
listen, and you shoot so hard in the rubber you feel you must have burst it.

She unfurls the rubber, and lets you go to the bathroom
first.  While she cleans up, you could
leave.  You look back at the bed.  Looks nice, and you lie down and wait for
her.

Waiting, not your strong suit.  Glad when she comes to bed, and curls up
against you.  “Mind if I stay a little
longer?”  You ask.

“I was kind of hoping you would.”

You wonder how long it might be, and for once, you don’t
worry about it being too long.

Finishing What You Started

by | August 15, 2012 | | 5 Comments


Last month, fate and a friend gave me an ultimatum: finish my novel, Beautiful Losers, or lose the opportunity to see it published by a prestigious press.

As much as I say I don’t care about being published, the confrontation was a reality check. Was I going grab opportunity by the balls and get this book out there, or let it wallow in the digital swamp forever? Was I a competent writer or just a pretender?  It seems, to my surprise, that a deadline is my friend.

So I finished it: the four final chapters in two weeks.  Admittedly, I had known how the book would end for over a year (come on, you KNOW how it ends), but the motivation to sit my butt down and write it had eluded me.

I suspect I’m not alone in this strange hesitation to close what’s been opened.  Some writers fervently create and cling to outlines as a way of making sure they push themselves to the last period.  I sequentially put my inability to finish down to a lack of planning, a fear of saying goodbye to the characters, a lack of discipline as a writer, etc.

It turns out that none of these were the problem at all.  My problem was a fear to revisit a level of writing that I believed I had surpassed. I didn’t want to spend time in the pool of my own earlier inadequacies.

But when the two-week deadline forced me to get my head back into the work, I found a vibrant, optimistic, and charming voice there. Perhaps a little over-exuberant, perhaps a little addicted to adverbs, but nothing that a stiff bout of editing could not cure.  I made peace with the fact that this was a younger writer.

So here, for what it is worth, is the recipe to how I edited and finished the book:

  1. Chapterize the objectives
    I knew how the story would end, but I knew I would lose interest in doing the job if I thought about it to much.  So I didn’t really outline the ending. I simply typed sentences of WHERE the story needed to be at that point.  That would allow me to be creative about how the characters got there, but still forced me to get there.
  2. Revise and Edit.
    I knew one of the challenges was going to be getting back into the headspace, storyspace and the voice of the story. I spent one whole week revising and editing the first 50,000 words.  When I say ‘one week’, I don’t mean a 40 hour week. I figure this phase took me about 70 hours.

    a.     First read through with a pen in hand, noting every time I winced or shuddered and why.

    b.     First edit to fix discontinuities or plot issues that needed earlier strengthening. I used my notes from the first read-through and would jump back to shore up character traits, reactions, settings.  I fixed any discontinuity issues, and sometimes I added nuance. Dialed down foreshadowing in places, strengthened it in others.

    c.      The second edit was all about language: grammar, punctuation and style. I have a propensity to over-use certain words, phrases and sentence structures.  I used http://www.writewords.org.uk/word_count.asp to identify repetitions.  Then I’d search for the word and fascistically decide if it really needed to be there at all, or if a synonym might do (‘very’ and ‘really’ are two of my sick addictions). I also searched the whole document for *ly . I looked at every adverb. Did it need to be there? Was there a better verb?

    d.     Read-through again for fluidity.  I work on a mac, so I use the read-aloud function, but you could easily just force yourself to read aloud.  I listened for jarring rhythm, overly long sentences, and anything that interfered with smooth reading.  It also is good for listening critically to dialogue.  I corrected as I went along.

  3. Write the final chapters.
    By then, I was deeply into the zone. I felt comfortable about the tone of the writing and wasn’t so worried that the last chapters would sound too different, writing-wise.
  4. Repeat step 2 a, b, c and d with the new writing.
  5. Last read-through.
    At this point, I knew I wouldn’t recognize a good novel if it crawled up my nose and took a bite out of my brain. All I was concerned with was ensuring it held together fairly well.
  6. Other eyes.
    I sent out a call for beta-readers. Luckily, because I had serialized Beautiful Losers on my blog,  there were many people willing to read the draft, because they wanted to know the ending. In exchange, I asked them to note down any typos, grammatical errors, and anything else that really jarred them storywise.
  7. Went through all the crits, reader by reader, and corrected any errors they found. Thanked the readers profusely.

This did not make the perfect novel. And, had I had the time, there were some plot structure things I would have liked to change, but my two weeks were up and my deadline loomed. I sent the MS in to the publisher.

In an even midly sane world, I would have really liked a professional editor, but I knew I didn’t have the time to work with one.  I would have received great feedback and been unable to incorporate it. And I knew that would make me feel like shit.

I’m pretty sure there is a better way to finish a novel. But this was the way I did it. I hope there is something of value in my experience for other writers.

Confessions Of A Literary Streetwalker: “Oh, how beautiful.”

by | August 12, 2012 | | 2 Comments

Funny that these columns are called Confessions of a Literary Streetwalker because … well, I have a
confession to make.

I’m very much on the fence about the whole thing, and am still dealing with doubts about whether or not I’ve made the right decision but – in the end – I think it will end up being a good thing.

I’ve joined Facebook.

I know, I know: I’ve been a rather vocal – if not strident – opponent of that particular corner of the social media universe, but a very good friend of mine pointed out that, to call down The Bard, I “doth protest too much.”

It hasn’t been easy: I tell ya, nothing like having a nearly (gasp) twenty year writing career resulting in only 433 ‘friends’ and 68’likes’ on my author page to really make the dreaded depression demon really flare up.

But I’m sticking with it – not because I think that I have to, or that Facebook is the end-all, be-all solution to all my publicity needs – but because it was something I really, honestly, didn’t want to do.

Obviously, explanations are in order.  See, I’m a firm believer in pushing yourself in all kinds of ways: as a person and, particularly, as a writer.  Sure, you have to like what you are doing – both in how you live your life as well as the words you put down on ‘paper’ – but growth comes not from comfort but from adversity, from challenge.

I didn’t set out to be an pornographer, but then an opportunity presented itself and (surprise!) I was actually pretty good at it.  I didn’t plan on being a ‘gay’ writer – because, no duh – I’m not, but (surprise!) I not just did it but came
to really enjoy it. I didn’t think I could be a teacher, but (surprise!) I’ve found that I really get a kick out of it.

I may have hated Facebook – hell, I still hate Facebook – but I had to at least try it. Maybe it will work out, maybe it won’t, but at least I’ll have stretched myself.

For creative people of any ilk, that’s extremely important.  For one thing, it can keep your creativity rip-and-roaring, key to avoiding deathly boredom and staleness.  Professionally, it’s essential: writing just what you want, what you’re comfortable with, can really limit where you can sell your work.  That you love to write, say, erotic romances is fine and dandy but if you do then there will only so many places to show off, or publish, your work.

You want examples? Fine: I’m now on Facebook – we’ve already discussed that uncomfortable fact – but since I’ve written quite a few queer novels I’ve decided that my next one is going to be (you ready for this?) straight – and not just straight but with a ‘happy’ ending.  My short story work, too, has a tendency to be, let’s be honest here, bittersweet at best – so my next collection is going to be much more uplifting.  I’ve never written a play, so I’m planning on writing one sometime this year.  I’ve never written for comics – well, I wrote one – so I’m going to work on more.  Will these projects be tough?  Sure they will: but who knows what I may discover about myself and what I’m capable of?

Who knows, maybe even Facebook and I will become fast and good friends and will walk down the social media aisle together, skipping merrily and holding hands.

And if not … well, I tried.  There is nothing wrong with giving something a shot but then deciding it’s not for you.  Rejection, both internal as well as external, is part of a writer’s life.  There’s nothing wrong with it.  Trial and error is how we learn, how we grow.

Writers far too often think that the ‘names’, the celebrities, the legends sat down and created wonders of the written word, masterpieces of story, with no trials and tribulations. But – as I’ve said before – writers are liars and very few will admit that they might have been an overnight success … after failing for decades.

For example, take a look at the subtitle of this little piece: “Oh, how beautiful.” It comes from a wonderful quote by one of my favorite authors, Rudyard Kipling.  The whole thing reads: “Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.”

In other words, to bloom you have to work; you have to be brave and try new things, to push yourself, to challenge yourself personally and professionally – and, equally, you have to accept that periodically things just won’t work out.

Back to Mr. Kipling. Sitting on my desk is a reproduction of a letter he received after a submission to the San Francisco Examiner:a reminder not just to keep trying, to never give up, but that you have to be willing to face, and surpass, internal doubt, outside criticism.

The letter reads: “I’m sorry Mr. Kipling, but you don’t know how to use the English language.”

Writing Exercise – Ode

by | August 6, 2012 | | 11 Comments

 By Ashley Lister

The ode is one of my favourite
styles of poetry, partly because it can take whatever form the poet decides. Traditionally
the ode is written in praise of something. 
One of the most famous odes in poetry, Keats’s ‘Ode to Autumn’, begins
with the following lines:

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that
round the thatch-eaves run;

I could go into a pretentious
poet mode here, discuss the fact that this is written in iambic pentameter and
mention the a-b-a-b rhyme scheme in these opening four lines.

But, really, there’s no hard
and fast rhyme scheme for the ode. And there’s no definite metre. And, rather
than discuss immaterial points of poetry, instead I’d prefer to dwell on the
obvious reverence Keats is bestowing on his beloved season of autumn.

Note the affectionate language
used in this piece. In the first two lines we have:

‘mellow
fruitfulness’

‘close
bosom-friend’

‘maturing
sun’

This is the language of
someone who adores autumn. This is the work of someone who has used the concept
of the ode to fully lavish praise on what he perceives as the most deserving of
seasons.

I’m discussing the ode this
month because I think it’s singly the most appropriate form of poetry for erotica.
It somehow feels right to lavish ode-worthy praise on an erotic partner or some
aspect of eroticism because they’re deserving of such high esteem.

Elevated language is no longer
a necessary requirement of this type of poem. All that’s needed is the desire
to write with adoration about something that deserves praise. Below is my
humble attempt.

Broad and boundless round backside

Cheeky cheeks just made to twerk

Built to bounce and buck and slide

Help me put your ass to work.

As always, I look forward to
reading any contributions that appear in the comments box this month.

Ash

Erotic Lure Newsletter: August 2012

by | August 2, 2012 | | 0 Comments

From the Erotica Readers & Writers Association
By Lisabet Sarai
_______

Dear Erotica Addicts,

Don’t go to the Erotica Readers & Writers Association website this month! Unless you’re on vacation, that is! The August edition includes so much fabulous content that, I’m warning you, you’ll get sucked right in and not be able to escape. On the other hand, if that sounds like something you might enjoy – well, then, read on.

The August Erotica Galleries are perhaps the biggest, stickiest trap of all. Headlining a stellar line-up is our featured guest, feisty author/editor Delilah Devlin. Delihah serves up a tasty trio of erotic tales ranging from sizzling sapphic explorations to marital power games. Our prolific Storytime members add a half-dozen never-before-published stories that run the gamut from noir to desperately kinky, including a bawdy historical novella set during the American War of Independence. Then there are some fabulous flashers, complete erotic tales in two hundred words or less – some more tongue in cheek than others. Finally, don’t miss the poetry section: a generous portion of hilariously raunchy limericks plus a page of more serious poems that drip with desire.

I’m incredibly impressed – and let me tell you, that’s not easy to accomplish!

Get lost in literary lust:
erotica-readers.local/story-gallery

If, like me, you’re a willing slave to the written word, our Books for Sensual Readers section should be your next stop. In the short story category, let me recommend PICTURE PERFECT: THE BEST OF DONNA GEORGE STOREY (published by the Mammoth Books people) or Rachel Kramer Bussel’s latest anthology ANYTHING FOR YOU: EROTICA FOR KINKY COUPLES (which includes a story by yours truly). Then there’s STRETCHED: EROTIC FICTION THAT FONDLES THE IMAGINATION, edited by Tinder James and featuring contributions from several ERWAers.

Fairy tales seem all the rage these days. NAMED AND SHAMED by Janine Ashbless is a lavishly imagined and beautifully illustrated foray into a dark fairy tale world of the flesh. Jason Robert Macumber gives us NEVER AFTER, a revisionist version of Snow White in which the brutalized princess turns assassin for hire, wielding a dagger carved from the famous magic mirror.

Lily Harlem, writing from the male POV for the new Ellora’s Cave for Men erotica imprint, presents the transgressive, orally-focused DESSERT. If you’re looking for pure erotic romance (though not “pure” in the sense of “chaste”!), pick up Lynne Connolly’s latest foray into the world of music, IN THE MOOD.

I was thrilled to see that gay erotica legend Simon Sheppard has finally published a novel. THE DIRTY BOYS CLUB: THE SOAP OPERA MURDERS is going near the top of my TBR list. And if you’re craving some hot woman-on-woman fiction – and don’t object to spankings or bondage – check out Miranda Forbe’s new lesbian anthology KINKY GIRLS.

As you all know (unless you’re new to the Erotic Lure or have been living under a rock) all the erotic goodness that is ERWA is supported by commissions from our affiliates. So if you’re going to buy any of the hundreds of books we feature (and, really, how can you resist?), please use the convenient links to our partners Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Gutenberg had no idea what he started:
erotica-readers.local/books

And where do all these wonderful erotic works come from? In many cases, from members of the ERWA community. Our Authors Resources pages are designed to help you (yes, YOU!) write and publish your sexy masterpieces. Month after month, we provide guidance, inspiration and information for authors both new and seasoned. This month, my ErotoGeek series on technological aspects of modern authorship continues with “I Want to Be Alone” – suggestions to help you protect your identity and your privacy on-line as you promote. Check out Cindi Meyers’ market news for the latest on new publishers as well as inside dope on what different editors are seeking. The Writers’ Resources link leads to a full page of links to other blogs and websites, including review sites, craft-related sites, and on-line reference sites.

The ERWA Submissions and Guidelines page is THE place erotica authors go to look for publishing opportunities. Updated throughout the month, our listings include print and epublishing venues in every sub-genre of erotica. We can help you find a market for your work, whether it’s BDSM (e.g. Blushing Books), GLBTQ (e.g. Dreamspinner, Toquere, JMS Press), taboo erotica (e.g. ForbiddenFiction), speculative erotica (e.g. Circlet Press), literary erotica (e.g. OC Press), or erotic romance (too many to list!). We can even help you give it away to charity. (Check out Coming Together altruistic erotica if you want to “do good while being bad”!)

This month, our new calls include ebook anthologies being assembled by the new Mischief imprint, under editorship of Adam Nevill. There’s also a call for GLBTQ stories from newcomer Riptide Publishing, offering starting royalty levels of 50%. Circlet Press is assembling an anthology, “Under Cover of Darkness”, focused on villains. Shane Allison has a gay call out with the title “He Looks Like Trouble”. These are just a few of the possibilities we list.

You deserve to be published:
erotica-readers.local/erotica-authors-resources

Although our name focuses on “reading” and “writing”, here at ERWA we’re just as keen on action as on words. In the Sex Toy Playground this month, the folks from Good Vibrations present the “Top Ten Anal Sex Facts”. (One or two surprised even me.) Mr. and Mrs. Toy join in the backdoor enthusiasm with their review of the Aneros Vice vibrating anal toy. Our regular Sex Toy Scuttlebutt column keeps you informed about the many popular and innovative amorous implements available. (As my Master would point out, knowledge is power.) And should you feel the urge to acquire any of these masterpieces of modern erotic technology, ERWA has arranged discounts for you from Adam & Eve, Adult DVD Empire, Good Vibrations and Babeland. Just include our special promotional code when you order.

Explore every erotic artifact you can imagine – and more;
erotica-readers.local/sex-toy-playground

Of course sex toys and adult movies go together like – oh, like blindfolds and hand cuffs. Our Adult Movies pages offer everything from tasteful, tender couples porn to total filth unredeemed by the slightest shred of plot. My top pick this month is the sex-drenched adult comedy “Love, Marriage and Other Bad Ideas”, about a marriage counselor who is wholly opposed to the institution. In the dirty smutty porn category, check out “The Pill”, in which voluptuous Bibi Jones offers up her body to medical research, testing the effects of a new aphrodisiac. Yes, I know that premise sounds flimsy, but that’s not the point, is it? In searching the classic porn category, I was distressed to see some of the listings were films I consider recent releases… how time flies!  I honed in on “Two at Once”, a French erotic flick released in 1978. Now that’s what I call classic.

These are just samples of the fabulous films you can browse at ERWA. Dig deeper and you’ll find AVN award winners, sexy how-to flicks, porn parodies, and lots more.

Get visual:
erotica-readers.local/adult-movies

Inside the Erotic Mind this month, ERWA visitors discuss the thorny question of finding love online. We have three fascinating pages of frank confessions on the topic. Want to share your own thoughts or experiences? Just click on the Participate link.

Dare to venture inside the erotic mind:
erotica-readers.local/inside-the-erotic-mind

Our August Web Gem is Eden Fantasys online adult emporium. Whether you’re looking for your first sex toy or your twentieth, something vanilla or kinky, a product large or small, Eden Fantasys has choices for you. Enjoy a secure shopping experience and a wealth of inspiring resources that include forums, advice, reviews, and product videos for the web-savvy shopper. Stop by to shop, and enjoy the welcoming community at Eden Fantasys. They even have an erotic book club!
www.edenfantasys.com

So, are you still with me? Or did you get hung up, leafing through our book reviews or drooling over something outrageous in the Playground? Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Hard to believe that it will be September next month, with the first day of autumn and the first day of school. Time to dust off the desks, get out the ruler and the cane, and make sure I have a fresh supply of white cotton panties…

But I digress. May the remainder of your summer be sizzling and satisfying! (If you follow my recommendations, I’ll almost guarantee it.)

Obsessively,
Lisabet

____
Visit Lisabet Sarai’s Fantasy Factory
Check out Lisabet’s blog
Join Lisabet’s List

Write, learn, and play on ERWA email list. Details at:
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Writing in Several Genres – Help or Hindrance? By Lucy Felthouse

by | July 26, 2012 | | 9 Comments

Today I’d really like to ask a question – is writing
in several different genres a help or a hindrance to a writer’s career?

Personally, I’ve always written whatever comes to
mind. I don’t  just write in a single
genre, and I’ve often surprised myself by going out of my comfort zone and
writing something that I’d never imagined I would want to write. But here I am,
six years into my writing career and I’ve penned m/f, f/f, ménage, contemporary,
paranormal, BDSM, fem-dom, rubenesque, modern fairy tales, voyeurism, romance,
bisexual and uniform fetish stuff.

I know many
writers pick a genre, for example, straight paranormal erotic romance, and
stick to it. Others, like me, write all kinds of things.

I can see the
good and bad points of both sides. Sticking to a single genre means that your
fans know what to expect, and that it’s incredibly likely that if they liked
one of your books, they’ll like them all. However, on the down side, you may
not be gaining new fans who wouldn’t necessarily look for books in the genre
you write within.

Writing in multi genres means that you run the risk of losing fans. They may
read something of yours and really enjoy it, then check something else out
that’s in a different genre, and not like it. (This is why, on my website, I
clearly state what genres my books are). On the other hand, though, someone may
have found your writing while looking for a lesbian piece, for example, then
gone on to read your books within other genres.

So, now I’m
putting the question to everyone else. I’d love to hear your experiences – from
both sides. It’s a little too late for me to change anything now—plus I love
writing in several different genres—but I’m just curious to hear the opinions
of others. I look forward to reading your comments!

*****

Lucy is a graduate of the University of Derby, where she studied Creative Writing. During her first year, she was dared to write an erotic story – so she did. It went down a storm and she’s never looked back. Lucy has had stories published by Cleis Press, Constable and Robinson, Decadent Publishing, Evernight Publishing, House of Erotica, Noble Romance, Ravenous Romance, Resplendence Publishing, Sweetmeats Press and Xcite Books. She is also the editor of Uniform Behaviour, Seducing the Myth, Smut by the Sea and Smut in the City. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9 

Depilation Blues

by | July 21, 2012 | | 16 Comments

By Lisabet Sarai

Like most of you, I read quite a lot of
erotica. I’ve noticed an increasing focus on the supposed sexual
appeal of a depilated pussy. And I have to say, I deplore this trend.

Half a dozen years ago, one would only
occasionally encounter a shaved or waxed pubis in an erotic story. A
bare beaver was unusual and thus transgressive. An author could use
this to signal that the character was into age play, or a submissive
forced to shave by her Dom, or a wild sensualist seeking the
increased sensitivity that supposedly results from the removal of
pubic hair. The average woman had pubic hair – thus the woman
sporting a naked mons was by definition unusual.

These days, every woman and her sister
seems to wax. The practice (in erotic fiction at least) has become as
accepted – almost as expected – as shaving one’s underarms.
Waxing has found its way into romance and chick lit, another female
ritual akin to shopping or getting a manicure. As a result, a bared
mound has completely lost its value as an indication of erotic
preferences. At the same time, more and more authors seem to imply
that hairlessness is a desirable, sexy state – that in fact a woman
who doesn’t shave or at least trim her pubes is in some sense
ill-groomed.

Sorry, but I don’t buy this. Pubic hair
(as well as underarm hair) has an erotic function. It survived the
onslaught of evolution because it enhances arousal. The hair
surrounding the genital area captures and holds a rich melange of
scents that help attract a mate. Olfactory stimuli play a huge role
in triggering sexual response, and eliminating the hair reduces the
potency of those stimuli.

Of course, a hairless pubic area
introduces new textures and sensations for both partners. I suppose
that it might amplify sexual intensity as some women report. I must
say that the only time I’ve had ever had a shaved pubis – in
preparation for a gynecological procedure – I found the experience
uncomfortable and unpleasant. There’s nothing arousing or enjoyable
about itchy, unsightly stubble!

I believe that the increasing emphasis
on hairlessness derives at least partially from an attempt to
distance ourselves from our animal natures. Sex is messy, smelly,
sometimes rough, sometimes awkward, and I think society would like to
forget or deny that. The feminine ideal is porcelain smooth,
flawless, poised and cool. How often do you see fashion models – or
porn queens for that matter – sweaty and disheveled, the way people
really are when they’re fucking?

I’m sure this is partly the result of
my age and experience, but to me, a woman without pubic hair looks
unnatural and unappealing. In my stories, I frequently mention the
luxurious tangles that shield my heroine’s sex from her partners’
view. Those partners love to burrow into that damp, fragrant thicket,
breathing in the intoxicating scent of an aroused woman. You’ll find
my characters enjoying the ripe musk lingering in the bush of
their male companions, too. I’ve written a handful of tales in which
a character has a bare pubis, but there’s always a narrative
justification for this choice. In both fiction and the real world, I
prefer lovers who are comfortable with their bodies, men and women
who aren’t ashamed to recognize that we’re slightly less horny
cousins of the sexually voracious bonobos.

“It’s just a fad,” I’m sure some
readers will counter. “Eventually the pendulum will swing the other
way.” Perhaps they’re right. Recently, though, I read that men have
hopped on the depilation bandwagon as well. The New York Times
(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/fashion/men-turn-to-bikini-waxing.html)
reports that salons offering Brazilians for guys are doing a booming
business, at least in urban areas. I found this article made me feel
vaguely queasy, especially when one stylist commented, “It’s about
maintaining yourself and keeping things clean.”

“Maintaining yourself”! Like a car
or some other mechanism. Please! But this view seems to be popular.
Alas, you’ll rarely find a hairy romance hero. Check out the covers
from your favorite erotic romance publisher, and you’ll find a high
proportion feature well-muscled men with chests as smooth as a baby’s
butt.

Perhaps these images attract women
because they’ve known hairy men who did not, in fact, give much
attention to hygiene. I’ll admit that hair intensifies unpleasant as
well as pleasant smells, but a shower will handle this problem at
least as well as waxing.

It’s come to the point that women who
retain their pubic hair have become exotic fetish objects. Check out
any vendor
of adult films and you’ll find titles like “Horny Hairy Girls”,
“Pubic Hair for Sale”, and “That Teen’s Got a Bushy Pussy”.

I suppose I’m just a product of my
times, my aesthetic and sexual preferences determined by my history.
I grew up in the sixties and seventies, when abundant hair was a
symbol of freedom. Younger readers won’t necessarily have these
associations.

I still find it depressing, though,
that women will spend their hard-earned cash and endure considerable
pain to conform to this twisted notion of attractiveness.

My depilation blues even inspired a
story. “Shorn”, in Lustfully Ever After: Fairytale Erotic
Romance, (edited by Kristina Wright), is a re-telling of
Rapunzel. In my version of the tale, the princess is imprisoned in
an inaccessible tower not to protect her from ravishers but to punish
her for being unwilling to cut her hair – or shave her pubis. If
you’re curious, you can read a brief excerpt here.

So what do you think? Am I being silly?
Or does the current obsession with eliminating the hirsute go beyond
the question of fashion to have negative implications for our
sexuality?

All About Pleasure: Covering Fifty Shades of Grey

by | July 18, 2012 | | 6 Comments

I tried, I really did.  Because I have no intention of reading Fifty Shades of Grey just because it’s all the rage—although I could see myself leafing through an abandoned copy I find at a bed and breakfast in a decade or so–I decided I could not in good conscience make public pronouncements about the book.  Not that this has stopped others from asking me why my work has not gotten me as rich as E.L. James.  To which I always truthfully say that I’m glad the books have brought to light the appetite of millions of readers for erotica, and that I hope all erotica writers will benefit.

Recently, however, I’ve read some excellent posts on Fifty Shades including Remittance Girl’s “Why Fifty Shades of Grey Matters.”  It occurred to me then that the Fifty Shades phenomenon affects us whether we’ve read the book or not.  Obviously this media frenzy has less to do with the story of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey than with the fact that the huge sales provide clear evidence of the existence of female sexual desire in a special place below the belt—by which I mean our wallets.  Not that this should be news.  Nancy Friday’s My Secret Garden was the scandalous best-selling sex book of my youth (I read my sister’s copy from cover to cover once and favorite scenes countless times after that, for sociological reasons, of course), even though Friday had been assured by a male publishing professional that women don’t have sexual fantasies.  Apparently that’s a lesson the industry needs to learn over and over again.

Recently I read an expose that claimed not all of the entries in Friday’s book were fantasies reported by “ordinary” women.  Shockingly Friday commissioned them from professional erotica writers! Of course, just because a piece is well written doesn’t disqualify it from being a genuine female sexual fantasy. Yet there still seems to be the assumption, confirmed rather than challenged by Fifty Shades, that sex and eloquence do not mix.  I really do hope that the book’s success will pave the way for publishers to nurture and promote other erotic novels—perhaps some even written by experienced erotica writers–but I do worry that the emphasize will be on stories that resemble Fifty Shades in every aspect.  This would hardly be a step forward.

But I like to focus on the positive, and there is indeed one area where Fifty Shades seems to have brought about positive change for erotica.  I’m talking about the covers of the series.  The sinuous, silky gray tie, the glittery half-mask, the shiny handcuffs. These images are arty, they’re classy, they’re different from the usual embracing couple with the woman’s ample bust spilling out of her corset, the man’s six-pack bulging, both of their manes rippling in the wind.  It’s not that I have anything against a well-toned male torso or generous mammaries. It’s just that I like the idea there are different ways to present erotica in word and image.  A recent CNN article attempting yet again to account for Fifty Shades’ popularity mentions the appeal of the classy cover.

Perhaps this explanation spoke to me, because I’m in the process of approving a new cover for the ebook version of my novel, Amorous Woman.  I write
for love rather than money, but the fact that the few remaining new copies of the paperback version are selling for $92 on Amazon US and over £1500 on Amazon UK has been compelling news to my publisher. (Used copies are still cheap—perhaps my curious readers have too good of an imagination as to the logistics of a “one-handed read.”)

Here is what the original paperback cover looked like:

The image has nothing to do with the book.  My protagonist is a Caucasian American, and there is no other character resembling this woman in the book,
but I appreciated the general feel of being seduced by Asian culture, which is at the heart of the story.  I came to be fond of this cover for its warm, golden glow, the willowy torso, the oddly modest bra and panty set.  Truth be told, I would have preferred a cover that would allow readers to take the book on their subway commute, but maybe it was only a matter of waiting until Fifty Shades made erotica okay to consume in public.

In the case of my ebook, I had much more input.  This is the result:

The texture of fine Japanese paper, the understated marriage of the sensibilities of east and west, the nod to the classical origins of the story in the courtesan’s summer kimono, all are totally true to the spirit of the story.  In our fine-tuning discussions, my publisher, who is new to erotica, asked me if it was explicitly sensual enough.  Fortunately, I was able to use the Fifty Shades covers as an example of how suggestion can be as seductive as the
classic half-naked couple caught in the throes of ecstasy.  After all, money talks.

It remains to be seen what the long-term effects of E.L. James’ books will be for erotica writers.  For now, I’ll appreciate the international dialogue it has inspired and the window of opportunity to celebrate the potential of erotic writing to surprise us, connect us, and enrich our minds and spirits.  That’s my official stance.  If you want to know what I really think, invite me out for coffee….

Donna George Storey has 150 publications to her credit, most recently a collection of short stories, Mammoth Presents the Best of Donna George Storey. Learn more about her work at http://www.facebook.com/DGSauthor.  If you’re interested in a copy of her novel, Amorous Woman, to read, not scalp, several more copies are available brand new for the bargain price of $12 including shipping here.

Pivot Points, the Sequel

by | July 15, 2012 | | 6 Comments

Six months ago, to the day, I made my first post to the ERWA
blog.  It introduced the idea I wanted to
follow, keying on a theme of pivot points.

Six months ago, to the day, I was flying high above the
earth, bound for a new job after 27 years with the same company.  A big pivot point in my life, methinks, and
ultimately a big pivot point for all of the members of my family.  That day, January 15, 2012, my wife and I
landed in the Bay area and set out to look at potential houses.

Six months ago, to the day, I wondered what the future would
bring.

Today, the future is in full swing.  Since that post, my life has been
a whirlwind.  Selling one house, buying
another.  Learning a new technology and
new business concepts.  Working many
hours watching a new company grow far faster than I could have imagined, almost
the exact opposite of the direction the company I was working for was going.

Today, July 15, 2012, I sit in a house in the western US, not far from the home I grew up in,
thousands of miles from where I lived just a couple of weeks ago, and a few
hundred miles left to go to start a new life in a new city.  We have driven cross country, and all the
while, I have kept working.

The one thing that has suffered in this long pivot point has
been my writing.  It is not that I
haven’t been writing, it is that I haven’t been writing as much as I’m
accustomed to.  It is that I am not
writing the things I have written in recent times leading up to this pivot
point.

I tend to believe this will be a good thing, and that all
the other changes in my life, the new experiences I am going through at the age
of 52 will leave me with fertile soil to till new stories.

But I can’t worry about that now.  Now all I can worry about is the here and the
now.  Now, all I can do is navigate the
many changes the best that I can.

Pivot points are like that. 
They demand your attention.  They
demand your focus.  Soon the dust will settle on this pivot point, and I’ll find my way back to the familiar, but there a miles of road left to travel.

I’ll catch you on the the other side next month.

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