Rachel Kramer Bussel's Blog, page 131
January 12, 2012
Literary blogs wanted
If you know of any blogs/sites that cover literary fiction and nonfiction who'd be good to contact about
Best Sex Writing 2012
, pretty please let me know. The book is full of lots of political commentary, as it should be, but the more literary nonfiction also deserves attention. And I'll post the next call ASAP, but a heads up that I very much welcome submissions from literary magazines - see the pieces in the book from Guernica and The Rumpus for proof! Actually I welcome submissions from ALL over, especially the places you wouldn't expect to find "sex writing." Thank you! I'm really pulling out all the stops to make sure this book succeeds so anything you can do to support it is much appreciated. Obviously sales are awesome, but blogging about the book, asking your local library to stock it, passing it on to someone who might want to read it (or review it - you know I always give away freebies, just follow me on Twitter cause there are many more books coming out in 2012) would be wonderful. It'll mean the world to me to have this book find as passionate an audience as, well, me, as audacious and obnoxious and whatever other vile -ous words that sounds, it's what I want and hope and dream for this book that I poured so much of myself into.
Constance and Eric photo exhibit opens January 20th at SHAG
I'm reading with other writers from The Nervous Breakdown next Friday at KGB Bar but am hoping to stop by the early end of the Constance and Eric photo exhibit, which runs from 6-9 at SHAG in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (108 Roebling, 2 blocks from the L train to Bedford!). Here's the official Facebok invite.They took this photo of me at SHAG, in fact (it's a great place for photo shoots):
and are awesome! Even if you can't make it on the 20th, stop in to SHAG for all sorts of amazing jewelry, pillows, lingerie, cards, sex toys and of course, my books. You can also order online from their shop.
From their blog:
Come out to Shag on the evening of Friday the 20th and see our first solo show.
There will be 14 new works hung in the main space and 3 classic pieces in the back room, all are single edition prints.
and are awesome! Even if you can't make it on the 20th, stop in to SHAG for all sorts of amazing jewelry, pillows, lingerie, cards, sex toys and of course, my books. You can also order online from their shop.
From their blog:
Come out to Shag on the evening of Friday the 20th and see our first solo show.
There will be 14 new works hung in the main space and 3 classic pieces in the back room, all are single edition prints.
My latest essay: "Are New Friends More Exciting Than Old Friends?"
My latest essay The Frisky on new friends vs. old friends. Didn't quote it but will always remember Girl Scouts and "Make new friends but keep the old/one is silver and the other gold." What do you think? Is there a friendship equivalent of "new relationship energy?"
Read the whole thing
At the same time, my friend K. was just in town from England. We met in 1998, via a Sleater Kinney mailing list, and have since visited each other a handful of times. I have a comfort with her that goes very deep, and we've seen each other through all kinds of relationships. There's definitely something wonderful about friends who've seen you at your best and worst, who know how your past informs your present. I don't want to sound like I'm throwing my old friends under the bus for younger, cooler versions. It's not about age or "cool" per se, but perspective. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut of how I see myself, and that comes across with old friends.
Lately I've been so busy working that I've barely had time to see my closest friends, and sometimes I feel guilty about that, and like I shouldn't be hanging out with new friends when I haven't even hung out with my old ones. But I don't think it's a competition; true, there's limited time and we may not get to see everyone we want to, but different friendships provide different sources of support. There are friends I mostly see movies with, friends I gossip with, friends I can tell my deepest, darkest secrets to without worrying about them judging me. One isn't necessarily better than the other, but together they form a network that, collectively, props me up.
Read the whole thing
Outstanding Best Sex Writing 2012 review!
I love this review of
Best Sex Writing 2012
by Lily K. Cho on Amazon.
I received a copy of "Best Sex Writing 2012" to review last week, and after a few days of procrastination decided to crack it open. I ended up reading it in two nights! "Best Sex Writing 2012" is a fascinating and diverse collection of essays all related to sex. The subjects, styles, and viewpoints are wildly different, and yet they come together into a cohesive unit.I'll admit I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, b
ut that is the joy of this collection. There is something here for just about anybody. Well, anybody who is not afraid of sex! The stories I found a bit self-indulgent will undoubtedly be the stories that others may find inspiring.
For me, the highlights of this book were the ones that painted a picture of a life I have never known. I loved Marty Klein's article on circumcision; as a woman, there are some things I will just never understand, but after reading "Criminalizing Circumcision: Self-Hatred as Public Policy" I did find myself at least considering some things in a very different light. The story of Ketty Teanga described in "Latina Glitter" by Rachel Rabbit White also opened a window to an alien landscape, that of a trans performer who has seen a lot of cultural shift in her time.
Tracy Clark-Flory's "The Worship of Female Pleasure" inspired me to look within and maybe learn how to take things slowly... while "I Want You to Want Me" by Hugo Schwyzer made me determined to show the man in my life just how animal-sexy he is.
Tim Elhajj and Abby Tallmer manage to expose totally different sides of LGBT life in their stories "An Unfortunate Discharge Early in My Naval Career" and "Losing the Meatpacking District: A Queer History of Leather Culture," respectively. The first details a sailor's life way before DADT, while the second shows us the wild ride that was Manhattan's gay sex club scene.
I find it totally appropriate that it is editor Rachel Kramer Bussel's own contribution, "Penis Gagging, BDSM, and Rape Fantasy: The Truth About Kinky Sexting" that sums up the book for me. Her point is that one person's turn-off is another person's fantasy, and it's all ok, really. As I see it, some people like vanilla, some people like chocolate, and some people like rainbow sherbet with sprinkles and gummy bears. That's how "Best Sex Writing 2012" is... with all the flavors between its covers, there is something for everyone's tastes, and if you're willing to explore, you may find, like Chloe in Lidia Yuknavitch's "Love Grenade," you're licking something new... and loving it.
January 11, 2012
January 10, 2012
Irresistible BOGO offer: Buy the book, get a free signed book from me, through January 31st
A new promotion for the New Year and a perfect Valentine's Day gift! Pre-order Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples and I'll send you any of my in print Cleis Press books free (and autographed!). As soon as the purchasing links for the Nook and Kindle versions are available, I'll post those. Want to see if you'd like what's inside Irresistible? It has 16 longer-than-usual hot sexy romantic stories, and you can read excerpts from all of them .
To get your free book (books will be sent by mid-February), email your receipt or a snapshot of it to irresistibleantho at gmail.com with "BOGO" in the subject line, your choice of the books below, and your name and US mailing address (sorry, US only). And thank you for your support!
Pick from: Best Bondage Erotica 2011, Best Bondage Erotica 2012, Best Sex Writing 2008, Best Sex Writing 2009, Best Sex Writing 2010, Best Sex Writing 2012, Caught Looking, Do Not Disturb: Hotel Sex Stories, Fast Girls, Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex, He's on Top, Hide & Seek, The Mile High Club, Obsessed, Orgasmic, Passion, Peep Show, Please, Ma'am, Please, Sir, Rubber Sex, She's on Top, Smooth, Spanked, Surrender, Tasting Her, Tasting Him, Women in Lust, Yes, Ma'am or Yes, Sir. See all the covers at Cleis Press.
Coming in January: Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, published by Cleis Press.
This Irresistible read features loving couples turning their deepest fantasies into reality, resulting in uninhibited, imaginative sex they can only enjoy together. You'll delight in discovering all the exciting erotic possibilities, from serving tea naked to a very intimate massage to a reminder that sometimes best friends make the best lovers. Engage in a little sexting in A.M. Hartnett's sizzling "Safe for Work" office tryst, and follow a kinky candidate for public office—and his lusty wife—in "Hypocrites." Cole Riley's moving "Same As It Ever Was" shows that makeup sex can be worth fighting for. Dirty talk leads to lustful surprises and inspiration for the neighbors in "The Mitzvah" by Tiffany Reisz. As editor Rachel Kramer Bussel notes, the lovers in this daringly romantic anthology are "able to open up in the ways they do is precisely because they have another person to rely on, coax them, challenge them, tease them and seduce them into traveling down a new sexual path. Whether that means outdoor sex, kink, a trip to a strip club or a very sensual massage, we get to see how the layers of trust that have been built up get used to stoke the fire that burns between them."
Pre-order Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples:
Amazon
Kindle (coming soon)
BN.com
Nook (coming soon)
Powell's
Books-a-Million
IndieBound (find your local independent bookstore
Cleis Press
Introduction (see below)
Twice Shy Heidi Champa
Safe for Work A. M. Hartnett
Repaint the Night Janine Ashbless
Same As It Ever Was Cole Riley
Out of Control Karenna Colcroft
Warrior Kate Pearce
Hypocrites Alyssa Turner
The Pact Elizabeth Coldwell
Exposing Calvin Rachel Kramer Bussel
Six Eyes, Two Ears Kris Adams
Renewal Delilah Night
The Netherlands Justine Elyot
Predatory Tree Craig J. Sorensen
The Mitzvah Tiffany Reisz
After The Massage Kay Jaybee
Pink Satin Purse Donna George Storey
Introduction
A lot of the erotica that comes across my desk focuses on the spark of attraction when strangers meet, the cataclysmic sensation of falling, hard, for someone new and exciting. That makes sense, because there's built-in drama and erotic tension when two people discover there's intense chemistry between them. With this anthology, though, I wanted to explore what happens after that, once those people have been together a while (even a short while). I wanted to see what sparks fictional couples could produce on the page, and the results are, well, scorching.
The couples in this book explore all sorts of exciting sexual possibilities, and one of the main reasons they're able to open up in the ways they do is precisely because they have another person to rely on, coax them, challenge them, tease them and seduce them into traveling down a new sexual path. Whether that means outdoor sex, kink, a trip to a strip club or a very sensual massage, we get to see the ways the layers of trust that have been built up get used to stoke the fire that burns between them.
In addition to enjoying naughty, wild adventures, the couples here also work out differences between one another and handle issues like infidelity in ways that ultimately strengthen, rather than destroy, their relationships' longevity. In Cole Riley's "Same As It Ever Was," Joanne suspects her husband of cheating, but with a little help from her best friend, manages to recapture the sensual spirit and passion that's been missing as both husband and wife make amends and move on, knowing what it was they almost lost. Rekindling a romance that's threatened to go stale is also the theme of "Renewal" by Delilah Night, where she writes, "That touch sent a long-missing ripple through my body. I hesitated, hoping he'd remember what I love."
In "The Pact" by Elizabeth Coldwell, a woman rediscovers a man she'd once passed over, only to find that the years they've spent apart have made him someone she's sorry she overlooked. How a couple deals with a death in the family, as well as religious tradition, is the subject of "The Mitzvah" by Tiffany Reisz, as Grace and Zachary find that embracing desire can be healing. Kris Adams takes us into an African village and some complicated relationship dynamics, along with a lot of voyeurism, in "Six Eyes, Two Ears." Kay Jaybee takes a common fantasy, that of a man watching two women make love, and breathes new life into it by showing both halves of a couple as they live out this dream.
Individual characters work through their own issues with the help of their partners, getting support, love and, of course, very hot sex. "Repaint the Night," by Janine Ashbless, is about public sex, but, even more, a woman who is conquering a fear of the dark after being mugged ten years before. The erotic power of that story is heightened by Leah's awe at being able to enjoy what she and Callum are sharing, as she recovers a part of herself she lost and deepens the level of trust between them.
For those who likes things a bit spicier, there's "The Netherlands" by Justine Elyot, in which a nude Loveday serves guests tea and takes orders, while fulfilling a longtime fantasy of being "used," with her true love there to watch.
Make no mistake: though these are stories about couples, they are not light or fluffy. They are full of joy, lust and kink, as well as realistic elements of mistrust, uncertainty and confusion, which the couples work through in ways that don't gloss over or ignore their differences.
These couples, however long they've been a team, push the envelope by pushing themselves to try something new, even when they're not sure where it will lead them. They go to those exotic, erotic places, to those recurring fantasies, because they know they have someone who will travel there with them. I hope this book will inspire nighttime reading--out loud--and erotic adventures, as well as conversations that have been bubbling under the surface, waiting to be exposed, just like the fantasies in the tales you're about to read.
Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City
To get your free book (books will be sent by mid-February), email your receipt or a snapshot of it to irresistibleantho at gmail.com with "BOGO" in the subject line, your choice of the books below, and your name and US mailing address (sorry, US only). And thank you for your support!
Pick from: Best Bondage Erotica 2011, Best Bondage Erotica 2012, Best Sex Writing 2008, Best Sex Writing 2009, Best Sex Writing 2010, Best Sex Writing 2012, Caught Looking, Do Not Disturb: Hotel Sex Stories, Fast Girls, Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex, He's on Top, Hide & Seek, The Mile High Club, Obsessed, Orgasmic, Passion, Peep Show, Please, Ma'am, Please, Sir, Rubber Sex, She's on Top, Smooth, Spanked, Surrender, Tasting Her, Tasting Him, Women in Lust, Yes, Ma'am or Yes, Sir. See all the covers at Cleis Press.
Coming in January: Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, published by Cleis Press.
This Irresistible read features loving couples turning their deepest fantasies into reality, resulting in uninhibited, imaginative sex they can only enjoy together. You'll delight in discovering all the exciting erotic possibilities, from serving tea naked to a very intimate massage to a reminder that sometimes best friends make the best lovers. Engage in a little sexting in A.M. Hartnett's sizzling "Safe for Work" office tryst, and follow a kinky candidate for public office—and his lusty wife—in "Hypocrites." Cole Riley's moving "Same As It Ever Was" shows that makeup sex can be worth fighting for. Dirty talk leads to lustful surprises and inspiration for the neighbors in "The Mitzvah" by Tiffany Reisz. As editor Rachel Kramer Bussel notes, the lovers in this daringly romantic anthology are "able to open up in the ways they do is precisely because they have another person to rely on, coax them, challenge them, tease them and seduce them into traveling down a new sexual path. Whether that means outdoor sex, kink, a trip to a strip club or a very sensual massage, we get to see how the layers of trust that have been built up get used to stoke the fire that burns between them."
Pre-order Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples:
Amazon
Kindle (coming soon)
BN.com
Nook (coming soon)
Powell's
Books-a-Million
IndieBound (find your local independent bookstore
Cleis Press
Introduction (see below)
Twice Shy Heidi Champa
Safe for Work A. M. Hartnett
Repaint the Night Janine Ashbless
Same As It Ever Was Cole Riley
Out of Control Karenna Colcroft
Warrior Kate Pearce
Hypocrites Alyssa Turner
The Pact Elizabeth Coldwell
Exposing Calvin Rachel Kramer Bussel
Six Eyes, Two Ears Kris Adams
Renewal Delilah Night
The Netherlands Justine Elyot
Predatory Tree Craig J. Sorensen
The Mitzvah Tiffany Reisz
After The Massage Kay Jaybee
Pink Satin Purse Donna George Storey
Introduction
A lot of the erotica that comes across my desk focuses on the spark of attraction when strangers meet, the cataclysmic sensation of falling, hard, for someone new and exciting. That makes sense, because there's built-in drama and erotic tension when two people discover there's intense chemistry between them. With this anthology, though, I wanted to explore what happens after that, once those people have been together a while (even a short while). I wanted to see what sparks fictional couples could produce on the page, and the results are, well, scorching.
The couples in this book explore all sorts of exciting sexual possibilities, and one of the main reasons they're able to open up in the ways they do is precisely because they have another person to rely on, coax them, challenge them, tease them and seduce them into traveling down a new sexual path. Whether that means outdoor sex, kink, a trip to a strip club or a very sensual massage, we get to see the ways the layers of trust that have been built up get used to stoke the fire that burns between them.
In addition to enjoying naughty, wild adventures, the couples here also work out differences between one another and handle issues like infidelity in ways that ultimately strengthen, rather than destroy, their relationships' longevity. In Cole Riley's "Same As It Ever Was," Joanne suspects her husband of cheating, but with a little help from her best friend, manages to recapture the sensual spirit and passion that's been missing as both husband and wife make amends and move on, knowing what it was they almost lost. Rekindling a romance that's threatened to go stale is also the theme of "Renewal" by Delilah Night, where she writes, "That touch sent a long-missing ripple through my body. I hesitated, hoping he'd remember what I love."
In "The Pact" by Elizabeth Coldwell, a woman rediscovers a man she'd once passed over, only to find that the years they've spent apart have made him someone she's sorry she overlooked. How a couple deals with a death in the family, as well as religious tradition, is the subject of "The Mitzvah" by Tiffany Reisz, as Grace and Zachary find that embracing desire can be healing. Kris Adams takes us into an African village and some complicated relationship dynamics, along with a lot of voyeurism, in "Six Eyes, Two Ears." Kay Jaybee takes a common fantasy, that of a man watching two women make love, and breathes new life into it by showing both halves of a couple as they live out this dream.
Individual characters work through their own issues with the help of their partners, getting support, love and, of course, very hot sex. "Repaint the Night," by Janine Ashbless, is about public sex, but, even more, a woman who is conquering a fear of the dark after being mugged ten years before. The erotic power of that story is heightened by Leah's awe at being able to enjoy what she and Callum are sharing, as she recovers a part of herself she lost and deepens the level of trust between them.
For those who likes things a bit spicier, there's "The Netherlands" by Justine Elyot, in which a nude Loveday serves guests tea and takes orders, while fulfilling a longtime fantasy of being "used," with her true love there to watch.
Make no mistake: though these are stories about couples, they are not light or fluffy. They are full of joy, lust and kink, as well as realistic elements of mistrust, uncertainty and confusion, which the couples work through in ways that don't gloss over or ignore their differences.
These couples, however long they've been a team, push the envelope by pushing themselves to try something new, even when they're not sure where it will lead them. They go to those exotic, erotic places, to those recurring fantasies, because they know they have someone who will travel there with them. I hope this book will inspire nighttime reading--out loud--and erotic adventures, as well as conversations that have been bubbling under the surface, waiting to be exposed, just like the fantasies in the tales you're about to read.
Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City
January 9, 2012
Free erotica by me at Goodreads
I put up a couple free erotica stories from my anthologies on Goodreads. If you like the stories, there are hundreds more stories in my books! Each of the stories I'm posting is from one of my Cleis Press books, and I'll be adding to those to round it out, in between writing new ones for various anthologies as well as my solo short story collection.
Why cupcakes in jars are a security threat
I quoted the official TSA blog in this post. Yes, cupcakes in jars are a security threat.
Gay sex diary
This week's sex diary: "The Gay Corporate Strategist Wondering If He Has Daddy Issues"
There was all sorts of slang like GUD and NE LAC in this week's sex diary that I had to ask what it was. I totally thought they would be gay sex slang but actually they're universal. Read the diary to find out what they are and if you'd like to write an anonymous sex diary for nymag.com email me at sexdiaries at nymag.com and tell me why you'd make a good diarist.
There was all sorts of slang like GUD and NE LAC in this week's sex diary that I had to ask what it was. I totally thought they would be gay sex slang but actually they're universal. Read the diary to find out what they are and if you'd like to write an anonymous sex diary for nymag.com email me at sexdiaries at nymag.com and tell me why you'd make a good diarist.
