Rachel Kramer Bussel's Blog, page 79

2 book recommendations: Raw by Mark Haskell Smith and Splitting the Difference by Tré Miller Rodríguez

2 book recommendations, one a very ridiculous, fun reality TV-themed novel, one a moving memoir about death and its aftermath. No relation, save that I just read them both. Found Raw: A Love Story in Portland, Maine at Longfellow Books, found Splitting the Difference: A Heart-Shaped Memoir, a She Writes Press book, via the author's column at Modern Loss. I'm linking to Amazon, because I make a few cents from each purchase through those links, and these days, every penny counts bigtime, but purchase at your favorite bookstore, online or off. Trust me, if Red Bank had a bookstore, I'd be there multiple times a week. If I move, that is something I will look for in my new town!


Raw by Mark Haskell Smith
Buy in print or Kindle
My review:

I stumbled across Raw when I was looking for a light, fun read. I got that and more, including plenty of ridiculousness in this novel about reality TV, publishing, books snobs and adventure. Sepp Gregory a reality star with women lining up for a piece of him--ideally, his impeccable abs that he shows off at almost every opportunity. Sepp is on a book tour for a book his ghostwriter, a struggling Brooklyn author named Curtis, wrote, but that Sepp hasn't read. What happens from there is utterly over the top, including a momentous and game-changing visit to the Playboy Mansion, where Harriet, who up til now has been the epitome of a book snob and easy to hate, takes on a life of her own. It's to Smith's credit that while this book is utterly absurd and about as far from reality as you could get, it's in the most inane and unlikely of the story's adventures that it becomes the most fun. If you're part of the publishing or book blogging world, there's plenty of insider humor, right alongside the most cynical and careerist publicists. But you don't have to be a fan of reality shows, or even books, to enjoy this romp of a novel. In fact, I'd venture that Sepp Gregory, who treats books as pure marketing tools and practically foreign objects, just might enjoy Raw. It's a perfect beach read, whether you're on an actual beach or not, with a bit of snark, and plenty of sex, death and fame.

Splitting the Difference by Tré Miller Rodríguez
Buy in print or Kindle
My review:

I discovered Rodriguez via her column for Modernloss.com, and was intrigued enough to want to check out her memoir. Her husband's death comes at the start of the book; then, tracing backwards, she shares the story of how they got together, her decision to give up her daughter for adoption when she became pregnant at 18, and her brother's death. The core of the book, though, is about the practical matters surrounding the death of her husband of four years, Alberto. The shock of discovering him dead in their bed only hours after she'd seen him alive is vivid and present throughout the story. There's an immediacy to the writing style here that takes readers right into the heart of both grief and coping with the seemingly endless minutiae of death, the ongoing reminders everpresent in their home and beyond. Rodriguez tackles dating, dealing with family (her own and her husband's), the scattering of his ashes in various locations and her eventual reunion with her daughter in a way that made me want to keep reading. The writing and emotion are raw, yet never without care and thoughtfulness. The portrait painted of their relationship, through flashbacks and mementos and memories, is one of a couple who were different in many ways, but had seared their lives together in pretty much every way, which makes the decisions Rodriguez has to make all the more challenging. Is there sex and drugs? Yes, a little, and it's to her credit that she is unapologetic about what she gets out of them. There's no moralizing here about anything, and certainly no sugarcoating, which is what makes this a brave and haunting memoir.

Have dinner with Real Housewives of New York star Ramona Singer on Thursday in New York

Tonight's event listing in The New York Observer is one I was proud of finding, a dinner with Ramona Singer, star of The Real Housewives of New York City, along with trying her new wine line, Ramona Singer Pinot Grigio, at Chef David Burke at Bloomingdale's. According to her Twitter account, it's been postponed until Thursday, January 23rd, due to the snow, so if you like wine and reality TV, here's an event for you. Keep sending me your event info - I'm on the hunt for Super Bowl related public events from January 29-February 5, and then anything else from February 5 and beyond, to 8dayweek at observer.com - you can check out the other events the section has covered.

3 kinds of ice cream cake tonight at Yum's The Word

Today for The New York Observer, I wrote up the storytelling and ice cream cake show Yum's The Word, which I hope to attend soon. Who wouldn't want to be part of this? Just found out via their Tumblr that there are the homemade ice cream cakes being served: Nutella/Chunky Monkey with Crushed Ferror-Rocher Pieces, Caramel/Butter Pecan with Crushed Graham Crackers, Boozy Egg Nog Ice Cream Cake with Crushed Gingerbread Men. Yum indeed! Keep sending your listings with full details in the body of an email to 8dayweek at observer.com - thank you!

Anal sex memoir The Surrender by Toni Bentley takes center stage

For The New York Observer, I wrote about The Surrender by Toni Bentley, the anal sex memoir as well as the new one woman show opening this week at Clurman Theater in midtown Manhattan starring Laura Campbell - if you go tomorrow, January 16th, there'll be a post-show talkback featuring The Marketplace author (and Best Bondage Erotica 2014 foreword author) Laura Antoniou.

Naked Girls Reading spy fiction tonight in New York

Every day at The New York Observer , and twice on Wednesdays, I share something cool going on in NYC. Tonight both events are in the East Village: tech-geared discussion group Lucid NYC, featuring Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping, startup Kinsa and a data contractor, as well as Naked Girls Reading, which features just that - naked girls reading, in tonight's case, spy fiction to go with the theme Spies Like Us. I hope to attend both of these soon.

How do erotica writers get their inspiration?

I'm asking the contributors to Best Bondage Erotica 2014 exactly that in mini interviews on the book's Tumblr. So far, these writers have answered that question along with their favorite sentence or paragraph from their story (I'll be answering soon about my dom with two subs story "Dual Mastery"):

Lucy Felthouse, author of "Clipped"

Annabeth Leong, author of "Eel"

Elizabeth Coldwell, author of "Wearing Purple"

Kay Jaybee, author of "Behind the Door"

James McArthur, author of "No Strings Attached"

Annabel Joseph, author of "The Neckcloth"

Emily Bingham, author of "Pegged"

Why proofreading and being sure of your title and byline isn't optional

For the last few anthologies I've completed, I've been getting a larger than usual group of people who are making changes to their byline after their story has been accepted. So this is my two cents on why it's important to make sure your submission, both in terms of grammar and content and title, is your final version, as well as your byline. By the time I send out contracts for an anthology, it's on its way to being copyedited. This means that any major changes of these types, while doable, disrupt that process and do leave room for error. With something as vital as your name, which is your brand and byline, you want to make extra sure that you are starting off strong. I will be delving into this more in my in-depth pre-CatalystCon workshops on March 14th, but for now, I will say that if you are submitting to my 3 current anthology calls on bondage, female fantasies and sex toy erotica, please DO NOT send your work until you have thoroughly proofread it and are 100% sure you want to use that title and byline and story. Does that mean that if it's accepted it can't be changed? No. It does mean that you look far more professional when you have all your literary ducks in a row, and save editors like me time and effort, which means we have more of it to focus on creating, editing and promoting our books, which means more opportunities to submit and get published! Some change will always occur, and that's understandable, but most of it can be avoided by being as thorough as possible, giving some thought on what your byline is and will be in the future, and making sure you treat your submissions with care. This is not meant as a personal chastisement to anyone, but rather, a heads up as I am seeing a recurring pattern that I think should be noted, at least for submission to my anthologies.

French fries, fire eating, lap dances, boxing, Monica Lewinsky and bukkake - a few of my favorite things to write about

I've written and sold erotica about a wide variety of topics in the last 14 years, starting with Monica Lewinsky all the way through lap dances, French fries, Joe's Pub, sexy emails in the air, a paid hotel job organizing an orgy, boxing, chess, jigsaw puzzles, fishnet stockings, a spanking machine, Monica Lewinsky, hot wax, fire eating, a belt beating, erotic choking...the list goes on. Ducky Doolittle was inspired in my last class to write about a mitten fetish. Want to learn how to find inspiration anywhere and everywhere for erotica that sells? Take my erotica writing workshop. this Friday, January 17th, from 7:30-9 p.m. at The Pleasure Chest, 1150 Second Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (note new address). We'll go through numerous writing exercises and I'll share tips and advice, answer questions, and point you in the direction of where to send your work. Sign up for the class here ($25/person).

Official description:

Whether you’re writing to that special someone, penning longtime fantasies, or want to earn cash for your dirty words, this workshop is for you. You are sure to find growth with the very prolific, award winning erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel. She will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing. Learn how to get started, find your voice, and write against type. She will talk about incorporating everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies into your writing. Rachel will teach you how to groom your writing to fit particular magazines and anthologies. And how to submit your work and keeping up with the thriving erotica market (including anthologies, ebooks, magazines and websites). Materials Needed: Please bring a laptop or paper and pen.

Rodney King by Roger Guenveur Smith and other arts performances at Under the Radar Festival

I'll post more about my thoughts on the excellent one man show Rodney King by Roger Guenveur Smith, pictured below, which is part of Under the Radar Festival - if you're in New York, do check it out, as there's lots of free events and others that are wonderful for bargain prices by artists you likely won't see in New York again soon. Speaking of New York, please do keep sending me any interesting NYC events to consider for Eight-Day Week in The New York Observer to 8dayweek at observer.com with date/time/location/description/phone number/price. For full schedule listing, see undertheradarfestival.com.

My best erotica anthology is more popular than John Grisham thanks to you!

A huge thank you to all 108 of you who posted reviews of my best (imo) anthology, The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories ! Thanks to you, my little book that could is currently the #1 top rated book of short stories on Amazon! Ahead of even A Time to Kill by John Grisham. This is pretty amazing for an indie book of sexy stories and I am over the moon. You can buy the book from Amazon in print or the Kindle ebook edition (click title in top row for all buying options, with the Audible audiobook narrated by superstar podcaster Rose Caraway coming soon), and can read more, including reviews and excerpts from every one of the 69 stories, on the book's official Tumblr and share your thoughts by Tweeting @BigBookofOrgasm.