Rachel Kramer Bussel's Blog, page 107
December 27, 2012
Audiobook edition of Going Down: Oral Sex Stories available now
I'm catching up on lots of end of the year work (including a newsletter, finally, you can sign up for that on the left-hand side of rachelkramerbussel.com) but wanted to share that my latest book available in an Audible.com audio edition is Going Down: Oral Sex Stories, read by Samantha Prescott, Carmen Rose and Freddie Bates (click here for a free sample). See the whole list here, and you can try one free by signing up for a 30-day free Audible trial.
Here's what some reviewers have said, and the table of contents and introduction: "This is a GREAT anthology, but really, do you expect anything less when it has Rachel's name on the cover? I expect great things from RKB's work and she has delivered every time, without fail, definitely the mark of a great artist. Buy it! You won't be sorry."
—Literaturely Speaking
"21 stories told within 206 pages of readable, plausible, seductive, and exciting sexual story telling at its finest. Nothing so short as to leave you wanting and nothing so long as to take more than a relaxing bath time soak to read which makes it just about right for anyone who is looking to add a bit of erotic reading to their already busy lives. Stories take you from a young heterosexual couples first encounter with porn during a French film festival to steamy girl on girl and guy on guy scenarios that leave you wondering what that couple next door to you does behind that high wooden fence in their back yard. From young and exploring to seasoned and appreciative I think that anyone with an open mind to maters sexual is going to find at least 75% of the offering in this book to their liking. And the other 25% gives you room to grow into an appreciation for sex you might have never thought about."
—One Hot Marriage
"This was by far one of the most complete erotic works I've ever come across. It had lovers of all backgrounds, ages, and gender identities. It featured straight men and women, gay and lesbian, bi, transmen and transwomen, to name a few. The oral stories were highly stimulating and titillating. An anthology is always a crowd pleaser, as readers can pick and choose what stories to read and how many because they’re only a couple pages long whenever they may choose. Reading multiple stories in a row could prove difficult as the stories are so steamy readers may need to take a break." —Night Owl Reviews
"This book is a must get, and I would consider it a true keeper next to your bedside when you need to stimulate your mind in order to stimulate everything else. I don't have a ratings system on this blog, however if I did this book would get 5 stars out of 5. This is the book that guys should get and read, because it really is just that good." —Mind Chaotica
Introduction: Intense Intimacy and Erotic Power
Pretty Dull Charlotte Stein
Milk Moustache Jacqueline Applebee
Lavender Cynthia Hamilton
Etiquette Sylvia Lowry
Stacked Logan Zachary
Sucking Casey’s Cock Shanna Germain
Getting Something Out of It Annabeth Leong
Bubble Dance Jeremy Edwards
Seriously Jeanette Grey
Shuck It Dusty Horn
Dover to Victoria Station Roxy Rogers
Blush Mary Borsellino
Clean/Dirty Lucy Felthouse
Trimming Tenille Brown
Your Body Is a Temple Neil Gavriel
New Additions Rachel Kramer Bussel
Do You Speak French? Chrissie Bentley
Close Your Eyes Viktoria Michaelis
Snow Job A. M. Hartnett
The Perfect Shade Elizabeth Coldwell
The Thousand and One Ways Graydancer
Introduction: Intense Intimacy and Erotic Power
I thought I knew, if not everything, quite a bit about the fine art of oral sex until I started to read the stories that came in for Going Down. In them, giving and receiving head became its own, if you’ll pardon the pun, head trip, and showed me that there is plenty for even the most seasoned connoisseur to learn and enjoy about an act that brings pleasure to so many.
If you’re reading this and thinking, But I’m not really sure I like it… or some variation thereof, I encourage you to keep reading. You just may surprise yourself when you thrill to the risky, risque and exciting ways these men and women find to get off while giving and getting head. There is the thrill of the chase, along with the thrill of being the taster and tastee, but there is also a lot more going on here. Perhaps because oral sex can bring up our uncertainties, there is a depth to these stories as the characters boldly go where many of us would like to go, if only we had the courage⎯or the kind of partner who can push us over that particular hurdle into the bliss that awaits.
While these tales aren’t necessarily ones I’d encourage you to emulate, they are ones that will capture your erotic imagination and, perhaps, make you think about things you’d like to try, or just give you a few minutes of delight.
So just what will you find in Going Down? There’s a woman who knows “The Thousand and One Ways” to show her lover her devotion. There’s the couple who wind up watching an erotic scene on the big screen so scandalous, plenty of people walk out⎯but not them. You’ll find oysters given the lusty honor they deserve in Dusty Horn’s “Shuck It” as two lovers dine on a sumptuous meal before discovering all the power play they can share by giving themselves over to each other.
The intimacy of climbing between someone else’s legs, of discovering what happens when you peel them open and utterly expose them, leaving them aching, trembling, willing to do anything to have you keep going, is a theme that is repeated here. Lovers get off on the thrill of being in command, in control, giving and taking joy in ways that leave the other person breathless. “There’s no rush of power quite like it in the world, that knowledge that you can make another person come, can release her desire and expose her most secret and vulnerable parts. That’s my favorite part of sex,” writes Mary Borsellino in “Blush.”
For some of these characters, oral sex leads them into new territory that brings revelations about much more than sex: Paige in “Getting Something Out of It,” by Annabeth Leong, lets go of the memory of a selfish lover and finds that when she takes control and owns what she’s doing when she goes down with a new lover, the act is special for both of them. Characters facing gender transitions, and their lovers, discover what remains and what is gloriously new about this most personal of changes.
Going Down covers a range of ways you can serve up oral pleasure, as well as reasons you just might enjoy it. I hope it will inspire you to think about the tongue as a tool of enchantment, a center of excitement at least as powerful as the one between your legs.
Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City
Purchase Going Down: Oral Sex Stories from:
Amazon
Kindle (ebook)
Bn.com
Nook (ebook)
Powell's
Books-A-Million
IndieBound (find your local independent bookstore)
Audible audiobook version (click for free sample)
Cleis Press
Here's what some reviewers have said, and the table of contents and introduction: "This is a GREAT anthology, but really, do you expect anything less when it has Rachel's name on the cover? I expect great things from RKB's work and she has delivered every time, without fail, definitely the mark of a great artist. Buy it! You won't be sorry."
—Literaturely Speaking
"21 stories told within 206 pages of readable, plausible, seductive, and exciting sexual story telling at its finest. Nothing so short as to leave you wanting and nothing so long as to take more than a relaxing bath time soak to read which makes it just about right for anyone who is looking to add a bit of erotic reading to their already busy lives. Stories take you from a young heterosexual couples first encounter with porn during a French film festival to steamy girl on girl and guy on guy scenarios that leave you wondering what that couple next door to you does behind that high wooden fence in their back yard. From young and exploring to seasoned and appreciative I think that anyone with an open mind to maters sexual is going to find at least 75% of the offering in this book to their liking. And the other 25% gives you room to grow into an appreciation for sex you might have never thought about."
—One Hot Marriage
"This was by far one of the most complete erotic works I've ever come across. It had lovers of all backgrounds, ages, and gender identities. It featured straight men and women, gay and lesbian, bi, transmen and transwomen, to name a few. The oral stories were highly stimulating and titillating. An anthology is always a crowd pleaser, as readers can pick and choose what stories to read and how many because they’re only a couple pages long whenever they may choose. Reading multiple stories in a row could prove difficult as the stories are so steamy readers may need to take a break." —Night Owl Reviews
"This book is a must get, and I would consider it a true keeper next to your bedside when you need to stimulate your mind in order to stimulate everything else. I don't have a ratings system on this blog, however if I did this book would get 5 stars out of 5. This is the book that guys should get and read, because it really is just that good." —Mind Chaotica
Introduction: Intense Intimacy and Erotic Power
Pretty Dull Charlotte Stein
Milk Moustache Jacqueline Applebee
Lavender Cynthia Hamilton
Etiquette Sylvia Lowry
Stacked Logan Zachary
Sucking Casey’s Cock Shanna Germain
Getting Something Out of It Annabeth Leong
Bubble Dance Jeremy Edwards
Seriously Jeanette Grey
Shuck It Dusty Horn
Dover to Victoria Station Roxy Rogers
Blush Mary Borsellino
Clean/Dirty Lucy Felthouse
Trimming Tenille Brown
Your Body Is a Temple Neil Gavriel
New Additions Rachel Kramer Bussel
Do You Speak French? Chrissie Bentley
Close Your Eyes Viktoria Michaelis
Snow Job A. M. Hartnett
The Perfect Shade Elizabeth Coldwell
The Thousand and One Ways Graydancer
Introduction: Intense Intimacy and Erotic Power
I thought I knew, if not everything, quite a bit about the fine art of oral sex until I started to read the stories that came in for Going Down. In them, giving and receiving head became its own, if you’ll pardon the pun, head trip, and showed me that there is plenty for even the most seasoned connoisseur to learn and enjoy about an act that brings pleasure to so many.
If you’re reading this and thinking, But I’m not really sure I like it… or some variation thereof, I encourage you to keep reading. You just may surprise yourself when you thrill to the risky, risque and exciting ways these men and women find to get off while giving and getting head. There is the thrill of the chase, along with the thrill of being the taster and tastee, but there is also a lot more going on here. Perhaps because oral sex can bring up our uncertainties, there is a depth to these stories as the characters boldly go where many of us would like to go, if only we had the courage⎯or the kind of partner who can push us over that particular hurdle into the bliss that awaits.
While these tales aren’t necessarily ones I’d encourage you to emulate, they are ones that will capture your erotic imagination and, perhaps, make you think about things you’d like to try, or just give you a few minutes of delight.
So just what will you find in Going Down? There’s a woman who knows “The Thousand and One Ways” to show her lover her devotion. There’s the couple who wind up watching an erotic scene on the big screen so scandalous, plenty of people walk out⎯but not them. You’ll find oysters given the lusty honor they deserve in Dusty Horn’s “Shuck It” as two lovers dine on a sumptuous meal before discovering all the power play they can share by giving themselves over to each other.
The intimacy of climbing between someone else’s legs, of discovering what happens when you peel them open and utterly expose them, leaving them aching, trembling, willing to do anything to have you keep going, is a theme that is repeated here. Lovers get off on the thrill of being in command, in control, giving and taking joy in ways that leave the other person breathless. “There’s no rush of power quite like it in the world, that knowledge that you can make another person come, can release her desire and expose her most secret and vulnerable parts. That’s my favorite part of sex,” writes Mary Borsellino in “Blush.”
For some of these characters, oral sex leads them into new territory that brings revelations about much more than sex: Paige in “Getting Something Out of It,” by Annabeth Leong, lets go of the memory of a selfish lover and finds that when she takes control and owns what she’s doing when she goes down with a new lover, the act is special for both of them. Characters facing gender transitions, and their lovers, discover what remains and what is gloriously new about this most personal of changes.
Going Down covers a range of ways you can serve up oral pleasure, as well as reasons you just might enjoy it. I hope it will inspire you to think about the tongue as a tool of enchantment, a center of excitement at least as powerful as the one between your legs.
Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City
Purchase Going Down: Oral Sex Stories from:
Amazon
Kindle (ebook)
Bn.com
Nook (ebook)
Powell's
Books-A-Million
IndieBound (find your local independent bookstore)
Audible audiobook version (click for free sample)
Cleis Press
Hard
It's incredibly humbling to think you have the hang of one of the few things you do in your career (I'm talking broad strokes - I edit anthologies, write erotica and nonfiction, blog about cupcakes and occasionally teach erotic writing classes and organize readings), only to feel like it is impossible to get this one thing done. Hard. It's a word usually found in my books to describe body parts—penises, nipples. In this case, an anthology, which may be my last sex-related anthology, in part because this one has proven so arduous. I haven't made any final decisions yet, but I do know that if they are all this hard, I'm out. If one in many years is this hard...we'll see. It's humbling to think you have a good idea and believe you will be overwhelmed with submissions, to suddenly find you're scrambling to make your word count, hunting high and low for just the right mix to add to the equation. It feels like I've failed to reach out to the right people or maybe it was a bad idea in the first place. It makes me winder if it's a red flag, a sign that my idea that's been percolating for years is screwed from the start, though it could be that it's just a slow build and once I find those last few pieces, all the parts will make up something as grand and wonderful as what I'd originally envisioned. But in the middle, where I've been for months, it's just hard. I know from writing that the pieces that seem easy at the start aren't always the best ones, though usually, for me, they are, or maybe it's that I usually drop the pieces that are too tough and challenging and feel impossible so I never find out.
I'm at so many crossroads in my life and it's hard, too, to know what the right decisions are, which leaps of faith are worthwhile and which are foolish, where to focus my limited time and energy, when to stick to my guns and when to scrap Plan A or even B and C and start over. On this one, I have no idea, and I'm not pitching any new anthologies until I file it. I don't know if I have what it takes to keep doing them, and am holding out to see if the economics make sense, despite it being something I've loved doing. Because when it works, it's such a glorious feeling to open my inbox and find a piece of writing I myself never in a million years could or would have written, couldn't have even conceived of. It feels like a gift that someone wants to let me publish it, and always will. Right now, for the next four days, I am reminding myself that it doesn't have to be perfect (my vision of perfect, anyway), it just has to be done, or, like so many lost projects, it will never be a book, the kind people can pick up in a bookstore or download to their e-reader, it will just be a failed document on my laptop, a might have been, a symbol of a brainstorm gone awry.
I know that's a lesson I need to apply each and every day in my work, that all those queries that never get answered, all those rejections, are, in some small way, hopefully (faith, ha ha ha, I'm so bad at it) are the building blocks, the stepping stones, to the yeses, which are there, and have been this year, but sometimes I'm so stubborn and fixated on the nos I don't see them. So here's to yeses, and imperfections, and doing it anyway. And books, both the successes and the failures, made with passion and belief and dedication and hardness and humility. I want to end the year as guilt-free as possible, as unencumbered as I can be, so that I can be open to new ideas and possibilities and projects and visions. I know I am not capable of doing then when things like this hover over me like the dark clouds I saw for eight hours yesterday, the ones that made me fear for my life. But I survived the brutal rain and the visions of accidents that dance in my head when I'm in a car, and I will get through this and make room for all those delicious possibilities, that sound so fun now but surely will have their own challenges, if I'm so lucky as to be granted the opportunity to tackle them.
I'm at so many crossroads in my life and it's hard, too, to know what the right decisions are, which leaps of faith are worthwhile and which are foolish, where to focus my limited time and energy, when to stick to my guns and when to scrap Plan A or even B and C and start over. On this one, I have no idea, and I'm not pitching any new anthologies until I file it. I don't know if I have what it takes to keep doing them, and am holding out to see if the economics make sense, despite it being something I've loved doing. Because when it works, it's such a glorious feeling to open my inbox and find a piece of writing I myself never in a million years could or would have written, couldn't have even conceived of. It feels like a gift that someone wants to let me publish it, and always will. Right now, for the next four days, I am reminding myself that it doesn't have to be perfect (my vision of perfect, anyway), it just has to be done, or, like so many lost projects, it will never be a book, the kind people can pick up in a bookstore or download to their e-reader, it will just be a failed document on my laptop, a might have been, a symbol of a brainstorm gone awry.
I know that's a lesson I need to apply each and every day in my work, that all those queries that never get answered, all those rejections, are, in some small way, hopefully (faith, ha ha ha, I'm so bad at it) are the building blocks, the stepping stones, to the yeses, which are there, and have been this year, but sometimes I'm so stubborn and fixated on the nos I don't see them. So here's to yeses, and imperfections, and doing it anyway. And books, both the successes and the failures, made with passion and belief and dedication and hardness and humility. I want to end the year as guilt-free as possible, as unencumbered as I can be, so that I can be open to new ideas and possibilities and projects and visions. I know I am not capable of doing then when things like this hover over me like the dark clouds I saw for eight hours yesterday, the ones that made me fear for my life. But I survived the brutal rain and the visions of accidents that dance in my head when I'm in a car, and I will get through this and make room for all those delicious possibilities, that sound so fun now but surely will have their own challenges, if I'm so lucky as to be granted the opportunity to tackle them.
December 20, 2012
Retweet for Sandy Releif
Each retweet of this status update means $1 gets donated to New Jersey Sandy Relief Fund. More information on Plymouth Rock Assurance's Sandy forgiveness program here.
December 19, 2012
"How to Shop for a Hoarder" at Buzzfeed Shift
My latest article is relevant to the holiday season: "How to Shop for a Hoarder" at Buzzfeed Shift. If you find it interesting/useful or just want to give me a cheap and easy gift, please like it on Facebook and/or pass it on to someone who might find it useful. Yes, it's about hoarding, but I think the topic of what kinds of gifts we give, how they're received and what they mean goes beyond hoarding. I learned a lot about practical gifts I had never thought of and what gifts mean to people, as well as about myself (an early draft suggested giving the gift of jumping out of an airplane, which is not something I think I would ever do, but I'd be so curious about it if someone gave that to me as a gift). Thanks for reading. This probably won't be the last you hear from me on the topics of hoarding, clutter and stuff.
December 18, 2012
The children
I'm sitting in the dining room of a Bethel, Connecticut rehab facility today. My mom looks out the window and says, "The flag is at half mast." My grandmother says, "For the children." And then we are all quiet for a few minutes, before moving back to the topics of various engagements and weddings (not actually happening within my family, but the daughter of one of our guests and one of my mom's friends, though everyone is just as excited about these as if they were our family's). We go back to the room and I watch news about comfort dogs being brought in to bring smiles to children who have been through something so horrific I still can't wrap my mind around it, no matter how much I read (and I have been reading a lot, even on my supposed break from the internet, because it feels impossible to do otherwise) until my grandmother insists on turning that TV off so we can watch The Talk, during which my mom asks who every co-host is and we debate who amongst us knows the most celebrity gossip.
On the ride back to Metro North, we have to pull over because I feel sick, more than I usually feel in a car. I have a headache most of the rest of the day and night, which has finally started to fade after a lot of fresh air, coffee and food. But that phrase, those two words, "the children," haunt me. We all know which children she meant, of course, the ones who can't be comforted by dogs, or anyone, at this point, though I would love right now to believe that somewhere, somehow, they are, in even the most minute way. I think about them when I pass a little girl with the biggest grin on her face getting kisses and love from what I think is a family member. I think about them when I address a holiday card to Sandy Hook and drop it in the mail. I think about them when I think about the children I owe holiday gifts to and wonder what to get. I think about them when I realize that more than trips to Charlotte or London or South Korea or Toronto, I'm excited about being asked to babysit during a weekend wedding in Pennsylvania, for a baby who will be two months old. I have presents for him at home, and am eager to give them to my friend, to put them alongside the adorable outfit she has waiting for him.
I think about how much she loves him, already, and how much I do too. I think about how I hope I can be a positive presence in his life, and his mom's. I think about how much courage it takes to bring a child into this world knowing that there's no way you can ever fully protect them, and wonder if I in any way will ever have that courage. I think about how after 9/11 that phrase "or the terrorists have won" was thrown around about almost everything. If we don't take the subway or go about our normal routines, the terrorists will have won. I think about how true that is, and also the fact that, to those we've lost, children and adults, they already have.
On the ride back to Metro North, we have to pull over because I feel sick, more than I usually feel in a car. I have a headache most of the rest of the day and night, which has finally started to fade after a lot of fresh air, coffee and food. But that phrase, those two words, "the children," haunt me. We all know which children she meant, of course, the ones who can't be comforted by dogs, or anyone, at this point, though I would love right now to believe that somewhere, somehow, they are, in even the most minute way. I think about them when I pass a little girl with the biggest grin on her face getting kisses and love from what I think is a family member. I think about them when I address a holiday card to Sandy Hook and drop it in the mail. I think about them when I think about the children I owe holiday gifts to and wonder what to get. I think about them when I realize that more than trips to Charlotte or London or South Korea or Toronto, I'm excited about being asked to babysit during a weekend wedding in Pennsylvania, for a baby who will be two months old. I have presents for him at home, and am eager to give them to my friend, to put them alongside the adorable outfit she has waiting for him.
I think about how much she loves him, already, and how much I do too. I think about how I hope I can be a positive presence in his life, and his mom's. I think about how much courage it takes to bring a child into this world knowing that there's no way you can ever fully protect them, and wonder if I in any way will ever have that courage. I think about how after 9/11 that phrase "or the terrorists have won" was thrown around about almost everything. If we don't take the subway or go about our normal routines, the terrorists will have won. I think about how true that is, and also the fact that, to those we've lost, children and adults, they already have.
December 17, 2012
Break
I don't know if blogs count as social media, so I may be contradicting myself in this sentence, but I'm doing my best to take a social media break this week, to take care of myself, to plan what I'm going to do when I hit what feels like the health insurance jackpot on January 1st by, you know, having health insurance, to try to take in a little bit less information, to continue the path of reducing, rather than adding to, the drama in my life (so not my natural inclination, it's like I'm having an internal war when I deny myself the chance to take one little peek at some of those URLs). It's hard to feel like following through on putting together a newsletter when you feel like what you're offering to the world is useless, when none of it seems to matter and it feels so nauseatingly "me me me buying my books" that I want to toss them all in a dumpster, along with everything else I own (also clearly not my natural inclination, but what happens when I get sick of navigating through it all). I'm not even at the fake it til I make it stage, but I'll get there, because that's how I pay my rent, which I'm grateful every single month I'm able to do. So that's what I'm examining, what I'm offering myself, where I'm supposed to be going, while getting later than planned holiday cards out and trying to make better choices than a lot of the ones I've made this year and figure out how to selfishly focus on work that I love that actually counts as income-generating work. One word at a time, which might be the best I can do. Just, offline, ones that I can be proud of even though I will probably be the only one to see them. Much as I am simply waiting for 2013 to get here, if this year has taught me anything, it's that life is short and who knows how long I or anyone I care about has left, so I can't afford to just tick off the seconds; I have to find a way to make them count. Not sure how, but...that's part of life too. I was going to say I'll return to my regular internet ways in the new year, but maybe I won't and will work on decluttering my online presence. I think it creates an overinflated sense of self-importance, at least for me, but it's also a necessity, so maybe away from it I can figure out how to balance those things.
December 14, 2012
Free book for Amazon.com reviewers: Only You: Erotic Romance for Women
It's that time of the year when I mail out 30 copies of my new book to some of my favorite readers, my Amazon.com reviewers! Just be one of the first 30 to request one and I'll send them as soon as they arrive, free and autographed (US only). And I know it says "for women" in the title but this book will appeal to anyone who wants sexy romance, and I know I have plenty of male and non-women readers too! Thank you so much if you've ever reviewed a book of mine; I truly appreciate it. Please email onlyyouantho at gmail.com with "Amazon" in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body, and I'll send it out to the first 30 people who contact me. Not only do you get a free book, you get it before it's in stores or for sale, because I get my copies directly from the printer. I like to think of it as a win-win, for fans of the kinds of books I edit. And of course I also appreciate anyone who buys, recommends or just considers my books. The table of contents and introduction are below. Bonus good book karma for clicking "like" on Amazon and/or rating it on Goodreads.
Introduction: Very Happy Endings
Driven Angela Caperton
Overcome Alyssa Turner
Forgotten Bodies Giselle Renarde
In the Doghouse Hanna Martine
Autumn Rain Michael A. Gonzales
The Love We Make Kristina Wright
In-Flight Entertainment Catherine Paulssen
Republicans Don’t Like Kate Dominic
Mom’s Night Out Lolita Lopez
Slow Fire Donna George Storey
The Nude, Stripped Naked Jeremy Edwards
Edge Skylar Kade
Unfolding K D Grace
Married Abigail Grey
Cook’s Treat Elizabeth Coldwell
Hollywood Romance Veronica Wilde
Matters of the Heart Tenille Brown
September Song Anna Watson
Saved Cassandra Carr
For the Very First Time Rachel Kramer Bussel
Introduction: Very Happy Endings
“Honey, are you happy?” is the question with which Cassandra Carr opens her story, “Saved,” about a marriage that needs reviving, pronto. Haven’t we all been in relationships where we longed to ask our partners what they were truly thinking and feeling; whether they were happy; whether they had fantasies, regrets, dreams—but didn’t ask because we were afraid of the answer? I certainly have, so I have extra admiration for this lonely wife who dares to ask for what she wants, realizing it’s never too late. That is the same spirit that enlivens every story in this collection, where sexual pleasure and romantic happiness are not guaranteed at the outset. Couples in various stages of their romances experience tricky territory and have to ask, pursue, explore and test the boundaries of their love in order to reach new peaks, learn about themselves, and make their relationships stronger. Yes, these stories are hot, and I fully encourage you to read them with one hand, but I also find them heartwarming. They explore what happens within a marriage or relationship behind closed doors, for the most part, when you’re stripped bare in the literal and figurative senses, and are truly seen by someone who knows you inside and out.
You very likely know the feeling of being captivated by a lover, wanting to be with him morning, noon and night; dreaming about her when you’re away; reveling in the heights of passion as well as the tender comforts of togetherness when you’re not. The stories in Only You celebrate that feeling of knowing the ones you love for all their high points and their faults, of seeing beyond their outer image to what truly makes their heart beat, sometimes knowing them better than they know themselves. The stories you are about to read all explore the theme, in some way, of lovers who are drawn to each other, whether they fully understand why or not. Some are pulled apart by obstacles they have to overcome, and others simply can’t wait to tear each other’s clothes off. Some serve as teachers, guides or gurus into matters of the heart.
What I especially like about these tales is that the lovers here join forces, using their knowledge of what the other person gets off on to spur them to risqué acts, even under circumstances that may not seem ideal at first glance. “Forgotten Bodies,” by Giselle Renarde, addresses the ways we can forget our own bodies, not to mention our partner’s libido, in long-term relationships. Susan goes so far as to hide in the bathroom to avoid sex with her husband, only to discover that he’s cooking up something new and naughty for them to try. In “The Love We Make,” by Kristina Wright, fighting leads to the hottest sex imaginable, and means there’s no excuse too petty to pick a fight over, if they get to “make up.” Sex-starved Sidney in Lolita Lopez’s “Mom’s Night Out” engages in a one-night getaway with her husband, Owen, where they forget all about the draining daily duties of parenthood and rediscover how much they still hunger for each other.
Some of the lovers here are less experienced, such as M. in “Autumn Rain,” by Michael A. Gonzales, and Dean in my story “For the Very First Time.” Each delicately touches on the ways our first time leaves an impression, makes us fall that much harder for the person we’re sharing the momentous occasion with. Even when the characters aren’t actually virginal, when they approach their relationships anew, finding something novel in their partner’s kiss or touch, they can invoke Madonna and feel “Like a Virgin,” only with the bonus of a shared, special history.
As I’ve edited this collection, I’ve been listening to Adele’s achingly gorgeous album 21. Those songs are about lost loves, but they contain all the tenderness you will find here as well, and rest assured, not to give too much away, the tales in Only You have happy, sweet, sexy endings.
I wish you only pleasure in enjoying the stories you’re about to read.
Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City
Introduction: Very Happy Endings
Driven Angela Caperton
Overcome Alyssa Turner
Forgotten Bodies Giselle Renarde
In the Doghouse Hanna Martine
Autumn Rain Michael A. Gonzales
The Love We Make Kristina Wright
In-Flight Entertainment Catherine Paulssen
Republicans Don’t Like Kate Dominic
Mom’s Night Out Lolita Lopez
Slow Fire Donna George Storey
The Nude, Stripped Naked Jeremy Edwards
Edge Skylar Kade
Unfolding K D Grace
Married Abigail Grey
Cook’s Treat Elizabeth Coldwell
Hollywood Romance Veronica Wilde
Matters of the Heart Tenille Brown
September Song Anna Watson
Saved Cassandra Carr
For the Very First Time Rachel Kramer Bussel
Introduction: Very Happy Endings
“Honey, are you happy?” is the question with which Cassandra Carr opens her story, “Saved,” about a marriage that needs reviving, pronto. Haven’t we all been in relationships where we longed to ask our partners what they were truly thinking and feeling; whether they were happy; whether they had fantasies, regrets, dreams—but didn’t ask because we were afraid of the answer? I certainly have, so I have extra admiration for this lonely wife who dares to ask for what she wants, realizing it’s never too late. That is the same spirit that enlivens every story in this collection, where sexual pleasure and romantic happiness are not guaranteed at the outset. Couples in various stages of their romances experience tricky territory and have to ask, pursue, explore and test the boundaries of their love in order to reach new peaks, learn about themselves, and make their relationships stronger. Yes, these stories are hot, and I fully encourage you to read them with one hand, but I also find them heartwarming. They explore what happens within a marriage or relationship behind closed doors, for the most part, when you’re stripped bare in the literal and figurative senses, and are truly seen by someone who knows you inside and out.
You very likely know the feeling of being captivated by a lover, wanting to be with him morning, noon and night; dreaming about her when you’re away; reveling in the heights of passion as well as the tender comforts of togetherness when you’re not. The stories in Only You celebrate that feeling of knowing the ones you love for all their high points and their faults, of seeing beyond their outer image to what truly makes their heart beat, sometimes knowing them better than they know themselves. The stories you are about to read all explore the theme, in some way, of lovers who are drawn to each other, whether they fully understand why or not. Some are pulled apart by obstacles they have to overcome, and others simply can’t wait to tear each other’s clothes off. Some serve as teachers, guides or gurus into matters of the heart.
What I especially like about these tales is that the lovers here join forces, using their knowledge of what the other person gets off on to spur them to risqué acts, even under circumstances that may not seem ideal at first glance. “Forgotten Bodies,” by Giselle Renarde, addresses the ways we can forget our own bodies, not to mention our partner’s libido, in long-term relationships. Susan goes so far as to hide in the bathroom to avoid sex with her husband, only to discover that he’s cooking up something new and naughty for them to try. In “The Love We Make,” by Kristina Wright, fighting leads to the hottest sex imaginable, and means there’s no excuse too petty to pick a fight over, if they get to “make up.” Sex-starved Sidney in Lolita Lopez’s “Mom’s Night Out” engages in a one-night getaway with her husband, Owen, where they forget all about the draining daily duties of parenthood and rediscover how much they still hunger for each other.
Some of the lovers here are less experienced, such as M. in “Autumn Rain,” by Michael A. Gonzales, and Dean in my story “For the Very First Time.” Each delicately touches on the ways our first time leaves an impression, makes us fall that much harder for the person we’re sharing the momentous occasion with. Even when the characters aren’t actually virginal, when they approach their relationships anew, finding something novel in their partner’s kiss or touch, they can invoke Madonna and feel “Like a Virgin,” only with the bonus of a shared, special history.
As I’ve edited this collection, I’ve been listening to Adele’s achingly gorgeous album 21. Those songs are about lost loves, but they contain all the tenderness you will find here as well, and rest assured, not to give too much away, the tales in Only You have happy, sweet, sexy endings.
I wish you only pleasure in enjoying the stories you’re about to read.
Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City
December 12, 2012
Be careful what you ask, and ask for
I started a conversation the other night that led in a direction I wasn't prepared for it to go, and it tapped into all sorts of fears and issues I'm not sure I even realized I was clinging to. I don't want to say much more because I wrote an essay about it that I sent out, and even though I've been living in Rejectionville lately, hope springs eternal, and also, some of it I'm still processing, along with a class I took the other day. Both taught me that life doesn't always give us what we're ready for, or think we're ready for, and sometimes maybe a part of us knows we need to hear something that another part of us isn't ready for. I started that conversation and then totally freaked out when it was a lot deeper than I was expecting it to be. I learned that while I can push certain things aside, or bury them so deep I'm barely aware they're there, that doesn't mean they aren't still trapped inside me, and sometimes they are coiled so tightly that once they are unlocked, they boomerang back at me so strongly and forcefully I need every ounce of strength, even when I feel I'm at my weakest, to handle them.
It was a good lesson, even if it meant a lot of tears, and tearing myself down and getting to a very raw place where I had to confront a lot of my assumptions and beliefs and instincts. It certainly wasn't fun but it was one of those moments, like so many in 2012, where I had to step back a little and say to myself, "What are you doing?" I look at some of those in my mind like a movie and I sortof can't believe I was the star of it, and others I look back and wish I could tell that girl that even at the darkest moments, she'll get through them and be a better person for the darkness, and will have a healthier way of coping next time. I can see that process happening, kindof like delayed development, where I'm doing so many things that most people do way earlier, whether it's moving in with someone or certain self-indulgent vices. I'm such a control freak that when something happens that puts me into a position where I have zero control, it's always a learning experience, a way to shake me up when I most need to be shaken. This week I needed shaking, and stirring, and falling, and getting back up again.
It was a good lesson, even if it meant a lot of tears, and tearing myself down and getting to a very raw place where I had to confront a lot of my assumptions and beliefs and instincts. It certainly wasn't fun but it was one of those moments, like so many in 2012, where I had to step back a little and say to myself, "What are you doing?" I look at some of those in my mind like a movie and I sortof can't believe I was the star of it, and others I look back and wish I could tell that girl that even at the darkest moments, she'll get through them and be a better person for the darkness, and will have a healthier way of coping next time. I can see that process happening, kindof like delayed development, where I'm doing so many things that most people do way earlier, whether it's moving in with someone or certain self-indulgent vices. I'm such a control freak that when something happens that puts me into a position where I have zero control, it's always a learning experience, a way to shake me up when I most need to be shaken. This week I needed shaking, and stirring, and falling, and getting back up again.
Free book BOGO offer for Best Sex Writing 2013 by Christmas Day
Here's the deal: pre-orders help a book's chances to succeed tremendously. By ordering early, you let booksellers know that there's a demand for the book, and they order more. It's not that it's too late once the book is out, but pre-orders go a lot farther in terms of ensuring a book's longevity and sales at places like Amazon. To that end, I'm offering you a deal from today, December 12th, through December 25th at midnight EST. If you pre-order Best Sex Writing 2013 in paperback on Amazon.com, I will send you a hard copy or ebook of any of my Cleis Press titles, which can be found right here. So for the price of $9.01, you get two books; for hard copies, I will be sending them in January as soon as they arrive (I'll wait to order them all until December 26th); for e-books, I will send them sometime in December to the address you provide me with. Just forward me your receipt to bestsexwriting2013 at gmail.com with "BOGO" in the subject line by December 25th at midnight EST and tell me which book you'd like and your mailing address for hard copies and email address for Kindle ebooks (for some reason, I can't send gifts to @kindle.com addresses, so use another address). Below I'm reposting the table of contents.
You will not only be getting 2 books for the price of 1, you'll be doing a good deed for this editor and this series. So, win win, I hope! US only, since I can't afford to send postage overseas. I hope some of you will take advantage of this to lock in the $9.01 rate (it may go up, as per Amazon's whims, I have no control over that). Thank you in advance and if you have enjoyed the Best Sex Writing series in the past, I think you'll definitely enjoy this one and have plenty of food for thought. If you're new to the series, it offers original content as well as reprints from major names in sex writing like Patrick Califia and Carol Queen (also the guest judge) as well as authors like Jonathan Lethem and many others. Thank you very much.
Best Sex Writing 2013 table of contents
Foreword by Carol Queen
Introduction by Rachel Kramer Bussel
Live Nude Models Jonathan Lethem
Can a Better Vibrator Inspire an Age of Great American Sex? Andy Isaacson
Sex by Numbers Rachel Swan
Very Legal: Sex and Love in Retirement Alex Morris
Notes from a Unicorn Seth Fischer
Rest Stop Confidential Conner Habib
When On Fire Island…A Polyamorous Disaster Nicholas Garnett
Cherry Picking Julia Serano
Holy Fuck Jon Pressick
Baby Talk Rachel Kramer Bussel
Dear John Lori Selke
Sex by Any Other Name Insiya Ansari
Enhancing Masochism Patrick Califia
Ghosts: All My Men Are Dead Carol Queen
Happy Hookers Melissa Gira Grant
Christian Conservatives vs. Sex: The Long War Over Reproductive Freedom Rob Boston
Porn Defends the Money Shot Dennis Romero
Lost Boys Kristen Hinman
The Original Blonde Neil Gabler
You will not only be getting 2 books for the price of 1, you'll be doing a good deed for this editor and this series. So, win win, I hope! US only, since I can't afford to send postage overseas. I hope some of you will take advantage of this to lock in the $9.01 rate (it may go up, as per Amazon's whims, I have no control over that). Thank you in advance and if you have enjoyed the Best Sex Writing series in the past, I think you'll definitely enjoy this one and have plenty of food for thought. If you're new to the series, it offers original content as well as reprints from major names in sex writing like Patrick Califia and Carol Queen (also the guest judge) as well as authors like Jonathan Lethem and many others. Thank you very much.
Best Sex Writing 2013 table of contents
Foreword by Carol Queen
Introduction by Rachel Kramer Bussel
Live Nude Models Jonathan Lethem
Can a Better Vibrator Inspire an Age of Great American Sex? Andy Isaacson
Sex by Numbers Rachel Swan
Very Legal: Sex and Love in Retirement Alex Morris
Notes from a Unicorn Seth Fischer
Rest Stop Confidential Conner Habib
When On Fire Island…A Polyamorous Disaster Nicholas Garnett
Cherry Picking Julia Serano
Holy Fuck Jon Pressick
Baby Talk Rachel Kramer Bussel
Dear John Lori Selke
Sex by Any Other Name Insiya Ansari
Enhancing Masochism Patrick Califia
Ghosts: All My Men Are Dead Carol Queen
Happy Hookers Melissa Gira Grant
Christian Conservatives vs. Sex: The Long War Over Reproductive Freedom Rob Boston
Porn Defends the Money Shot Dennis Romero
Lost Boys Kristen Hinman
The Original Blonde Neil Gabler
Jonathan Lethem article kicks off Best Sex Writing 2013
Best Sex Writing 2013 will be here in, fittingly, 2013, January, to be exact. Stay tuned for a special pre-Christmas promotion I'm running, and if you like the sound of this lineup, please show the book some online love and click "like" on Amazon. Thank you! I'm very proud of and excited about this book and will be posting lots more about it soon. The book features several original pieces, as well as reprints from Playboy, The Atlantic, New York, East Bay Express, Jacobin, Salon, and elsewhere. It touches on nude models, sex toys, polyamory, aging and sex, public sex, BDSM, role-playing, AIDS, sex work, sexual identity, the porn industry and Jean Harlow, among other topics. See my next post for a free book offer related to this one and again, if you want to support this series, a "like" on Amazon and/or rating on Goodreads goes a long way and is very much appreciated. Bloggers and reviewers interested in covering the book, please email bestsexwriting2013 at gmail.com with your publication and mailing address. Thank you!
Best Sex Writing 2013 table of contents
Foreword by Carol Queen
Introduction by Rachel Kramer Bussel
Live Nude Models Jonathan Lethem
Can a Better Vibrator Inspire an Age of Great American Sex? Andy Isaacson
Sex by Numbers Rachel Swan
Very Legal: Sex and Love in Retirement Alex Morris
Notes from a Unicorn Seth Fischer
Rest Stop Confidential Conner Habib
When On Fire Island…A Polyamorous Disaster Nicholas Garnett
Cherry Picking Julia Serano
Holy Fuck Jon Pressick
Baby Talk Rachel Kramer Bussel
Dear John Lori Selke
Sex by Any Other Name Insiya Ansari
Enhancing Masochism Patrick Califia
Ghosts: All My Men Are Dead Carol Queen
Happy Hookers Melissa Gira Grant
Christian Conservatives vs. Sex: The Long War Over Reproductive Freedom Rob Boston
Porn Defends the Money Shot Dennis Romero
Lost Boys Kristen Hinman
The Original Blonde Neil Gabler
Best Sex Writing 2013 table of contents
Foreword by Carol Queen
Introduction by Rachel Kramer Bussel
Live Nude Models Jonathan Lethem
Can a Better Vibrator Inspire an Age of Great American Sex? Andy Isaacson
Sex by Numbers Rachel Swan
Very Legal: Sex and Love in Retirement Alex Morris
Notes from a Unicorn Seth Fischer
Rest Stop Confidential Conner Habib
When On Fire Island…A Polyamorous Disaster Nicholas Garnett
Cherry Picking Julia Serano
Holy Fuck Jon Pressick
Baby Talk Rachel Kramer Bussel
Dear John Lori Selke
Sex by Any Other Name Insiya Ansari
Enhancing Masochism Patrick Califia
Ghosts: All My Men Are Dead Carol Queen
Happy Hookers Melissa Gira Grant
Christian Conservatives vs. Sex: The Long War Over Reproductive Freedom Rob Boston
Porn Defends the Money Shot Dennis Romero
Lost Boys Kristen Hinman
The Original Blonde Neil Gabler
