Email: rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com



 

Lusty Lady

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Watch my first and favorite book trailer for Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica. Get Spanked in print and ebook

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

"The Joy of Restraint" - Best Bondage Erotica 2011 introduction and table of contents

Best Bondage Erotica 2011 won't be out until late November/early December, but you can pre-order it now (and there will be a book trailer and postcards). I'm very excited about it and wanted to share the table of contents and introduction. And the cover again, because it's one of my very favorites of all the ones I've edited.



Introduction: The Joy of Restraint

The Long Way Home Elizabeth Coldwell
His Little Apprentice Jacqueline Applebee
Foreign Exchange Evan Mora
The Ingénue Janine Ashbless
Reasoning Tenille Brown
Subdue Dusty Horn
Relative Anonymity Emerald
Closeted Emily Bingham
Vegas Treat Rachel Kramer Bussel
The Cartographer Angela Caperton
The Apiary Megan Butcher
Wired Lisabet Sarai
How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back Andrea Dale
The Lady or the Tiger Bill Kte’pi
Sealed for Freshness Jennifer Peters
Stocks and Bonds Rita Winchester
Helen Lay Bound Suzanne V. Slate
The Rainmaker Elizabeth Daniels
Do You See What I Feel? Teresa Noelle Roberts
Truss Issues Lux Zakari

Introduction: The Joy of Restraint by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised to find, when putting together this anthology, that about 75 percent of the story submissions involved the submissive’s, or bottom’s, point of view. When it comes to bondage, the feeling of giving in, surrendering, allowing oneself to be placed at someone else’s mercy, comes alive on the page, and these authors certainly know how to vividly depict that appeal. Though there are stories here from a top’s perspective, told by dominants who delight in the thrill of watching a lover squirm, struggle and submit, most of the stories here go the other way.

Take “The Rainmaker,” by Elizabeth Daniels, in which Amy, a bit uncertain, allows herself to overcome her fears and get tied up:

Darkness and the ropes enfolded Amy like a chrysalis. Her mind was clear, finally at peace. After months of agonizing over every step of foreplay, after sex that consisted of checklists and flow charts compiled from hours of research, for once, she did not need to think or plan. Like extradark chocolate, such dependence was not something she would want every day, but for the moment, it was a bite of bitter bliss.

I especially appreciate the stories here that illuminate the leap of faith one needs to make to allow someone else to bind him. In “Truss Issues,” Emy repeatedly tells Samir that she’s not into bondage, doesn’t want to be tied up and yet, somewhere inside, she knows that isn’t totally true. “To her surprise, her body didn’t sync up to her beliefs. She felt a warm liquid rush flood her cunt… Cursing her body for its betrayal, Emy nestled her teeth in her lower lip and forced her breathing to remain calm, to not come out as a needy whimper.” What happens when she surrenders teaches her that she doesn’t have to give up all of herself to enjoy the sweet friction and emotional journey that submission to bondage can incur.

In the lesbian scene in Dusty Horn’s “Subdue,” the narrator finds herself, finds the core of her submission and learns how to be patient.

After what seems like eons without touch, her hot hand on my chin is electrifying. She lifts it up and back, pressing something against my smooth exposed throat. Tugging firmly up on the hair at the nape of my neck, she wraps the rest of the mystery object against the top of my spine where my still body meets my busy mind.

“This is mine,” she hums to me as she slides a metal clasp into place. “This is not your collar. It’s mine, for you to wear.”

The collar bulges around my neck, a leather halo engorged with blood.


Other stories stand out for their unique scenarios. In “The Ingénue,” by Janine Ashbless, a young woman finds a bound man outside in the yard, and goes to investigate this curious vision. “How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back,” by Andrea Dale, puts a kinky twist on a beloved fairy tale. In “Sealed for Freshness,” Mitchell pays for his disobedience with a flogging against his plastic-wrapped skin, while in “Stocks and Bonds,” some historical role-play at a Renaissance Festival leaves Kerri begging for mercy.

I was looking for stories that spanned the world of bondage, and boy did I get that! Here, you’ll find rope and handcuffs, as you might expect, but you’ll also find cling wrap, Ethernet cables, stocks and bonds, silk ties and other implements whose creators probably didn’t intend them to be used in kinky play. There’s bondage at the office, bondage onstage and under a red turtleneck sweater dress. There are bondage beginners and seasoned pros, men and women who offer up their wrists, ankles, necks and other body parts to those just itching to play with them.

This is a book for anyone who wants to know what’s so arousing about being tied up. Whether you’ve ever experienced bondage or not, these authors boldly take you along as they negotiate what they are and aren’t willing to give up, and illustrate the blissful beauty that can take place, inside and out, when you make the choice to give up some of your freedom and mobility in order to access the world from a new perspective.

If what drew you to this book was the stunningly sexy image on the cover, I can assure you that the stories you’ll find inside is just as hot—possibly even hotter. They are about so much more than simply what one looks like while tied up: for instance, what it feels like to wait, longing for release while also hoping the joy of restraint never ends. That push/pull is at the heart of bondage, and that is what you will experience along with the characters, those brave subs, brats, bad girls and naughty boys who offer themselves up so their masters and mistresses—and you, the reader—can savor them, one click of the handcuffs at a time.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City

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Seth Kushner CulturePOP photo comic sneak peek

I posed for lots of photos for Seth Kushner on Sunday (click to see one other one). There are some cool twists in the works, so stay tuned. This was shot inside Cupcakeland in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Will post more in November or December when I know more, but I was very inspired talking about my writing, where I get ideas and erotica and editing anthologies.

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Banned from YouTube, the Please, Sir book trailer is back on Vimeo

Watch it here.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Sauna sex story "Löyly" sneak peek: Smooth: Erotic Stories for Women

In the next week or so my editor copies of Smooth: Erotic Stories for Women (once upon a time called Naked, but it's been a big year for me of changing book titles, but still hot and bare bodied as ever!) and I wanted to share this sexy excerpt from Angela Caperton's story "Löyly" that's on the PGW site. There's lots of hotness in the book, including a tattoo story and a tattoo removal story!



You can pre-order Smooth now or I'll have 10 early copies to give away to those who promise to write an Amazon.com review within a month of receipt and are in the US (if you can't review, please DON'T request a copy - should be obvious but, um, not so much). I do those giveaways usually via Twitter but this is a heads up; send your Amazon.com profile (so I know you've purchased from them at least once and are eligible, via their terms) and your US mailing address with "Amazon" in the subject line to nakedantho at gmail.com and I'll send the first 10 people books as soon as they arrive. More about this book as we get closer to pub date. For now, do check out the Fast Girls virtual book tour and Orgasmic blog. Soon I'll get the Smooth site in order and links to all the lovely places you can purchase it.

Description:

The caress of skin against skin, the warmth of another’s touch, relishing the sight that few others get to see – these are the reasons that disrobing before sex can be so gratifying. The stories in Smooth, collected by award-winning erotica editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, capture the heat of being stripped bare, of flaunting your body, and of reveling in pure sensuality. Read along as women get tattooed, become “the sushi girl” at a restaurant, strip on the subway, go commando, host tea parties, enjoy sploshing and much more. Featuring stories by Donna George Storey, Heidi Champa, Angela Caperton, Charlotte Stein, Louisa Harte, Jacqueline Applebee, Susan St. Aubin and more, these adventurous characters have more to reveal than just being naked.

Excerpt:
Löyly
by Angela Caperton

Alone, at the north end of nowhere, I looked out through the rented Equinox’s windshield at the green roof of the hotel. Copper. Copper had been king in this part of Michigan a lifetime ago. In a more civilized place, the owners of the hotel might have to hire a private army to keep thieves from stripping the roof, but not out here?it was too far away from anything to warrant the attention of scavengers.

I really had lost my mind. What the fuck was I going to do at a snowbound resort on Lake Superior in fucking November? Damn you to hell, Jeff. “Best snowmobiling in the country! You’ll love it!”

“You’ll love it,” I mimicked as I clutched the steering wheel and contemplated spinning out of the driveway and hauling ass back to Savannah.

A young man--puppy, really--stepped smartly down the wide steps that lead to a wide wraparound porch. His navy blue parka was unzipped, the hotel logo shining gold on the right shoulder. He walked around the front of the SUV and opened the driver’s door.

“Welcome to Sorrow Cove!” He puffed mist and the blast of cold air that slapped me in the face nearly killed me. I shut off the engine of the SUV, took the keys and my purse, and exited the car.

The young man efficiently scribbled information on a claim ticket and I handed him the keys.

“Your name, miss?” he asked as he made notes on the ticket.

“Andie Fortner.”

He nodded and handed me the claim ticket. “Your luggage in the back?”

“Yes.”

“My name’s Luke. I’ll park your car and take your bags to your room, Miss Fortner. Enjoy your stay at Sorrow Cove.” He grinned at me with genuine hospitality and I found my cheeks cracking against the cold to return it.

“Thank you,” I managed, hoping my dismay at my own idiocy didn’t echo in the words.

He drove away. I stood for a moment in the grey slush of the driveway and stared up at the mammoth Queen Anne style mansion, water dripping in a steady stream from its gutters. Snow covered every inch of the landscape, weighing down massive boughs of cedars and evergreens, topping winter-bare hedges and what I imagined were lush lawns in the summer.
Snow. Goddamn snow.

“Fuck,” I said under my breath as I made my way into the hotel.


I stared at the dull mourning-grey ceiling of the spacious room. A deliciously soft bed cradled me in the warmth of my own body. I didn’t want to move, didn’t dare breach the cocoon I’d wrapped around myself. Jeff should have been there with me, his strong arms around me, his cock nudging my ass, a living alarm clock. He liked fucking in the mornings, liked working out the kinks with a ride or a suck. Bastard.

Why had I listened to Sonia? “Just go, honey! It’s already paid for, I bet there aren’t any refunds. Extending his contract in Riyadh was Jeff’s choice?not yours.”

No more. Jeff had blown me off more times than I could count, and this little vacation had been his idea, not mine. I pulled the covers over my head and spent the next several minutes envisioning Jeff being eaten by cannibal Eskimos.

I groaned and shoved the covers away, letting the blast of morning air temper my resolve. I wasn’t going to stay in bed and wallow. After all, Lake Superior was practically at my doorstep and I had made it this far. Within an hour I had showered, dressed, and armed myself with a map, determination, and a pocket full of credit cards. A little breakfast and I’d be ready to tackle anything.

Except a blizzard.

I stepped off the stairs into the lobby, dominated by wide bay windows that provided guests with a glorious view of the cove, the lake, and the woods on the east side of the estate. This morning the view was monochromatic, swirling, thick white with whiter highlights battering the panes of glass. I ignored the ball of unease forming in my stomach and walked into the empty dining room, the massive fireplace on one end filling the room with warmth and the pleasant scent of burning wood. A young woman in tight jeans and a thick sweater smiled at me and motioned. “Please, have a seat. Can I get you coffee?”

“Black.” I looked out the windows again and smiled. “Big.”

I ate my breakfast in silence, watched a few couples come and go, listened to the murmurs of quiet conversation and willed the snow to stop. I can handle a lot of things, but a big SUV in a white-out was not one of them.

Full of coffee and breakfast, I made my way to the front desk. “Good morning, Ms. Fortner. How can I help you?”

“What can you tell me about the weather?”

The clerk’s bald head nearly blushed. “The snow should slow by tomorrow.”

“Slow?”

“Yes, we’re in for a few days of it here, but tomorrow the snowmobiling and cross country skiing should be excellent.”

“I was hoping to do a little sightseeing actually, maybe some shopping.”

He didn’t laugh, didn’t even smile, but I could feel his desire to do both. “The roads to town are closed right now, Ms. Fortner. They should be open tomorrow, once the plows come through.”

I nodded as I envisioned myself holed up for days, only one room service tray away from hanging myself with shoelaces.
“My credit cards are safe for another day,” I said sardonically.

“There’s a game room to the left, and a small gym and indoor pool behind the dining room. And the sauna. It’s not in the main building, but you can get to it from the pool area, or from the hall exit. Just follow the walkway.”

I looked out the windows at the endless falling wall of white. Sure. Just follow the walkway. My luck, I’d end up in Canada.

“Thank you,” I said, and headed back up the stairs to my room, kicking myself in the ass all the way. I should have fucking held out for Martinque.


I’d been surprised by the pool, really. I knew from making the reservations that the resort had a pool, but I wasn’t expecting a pool I could actually do laps in. Who knew the tundra tribe understood the needs of us south-coasters. The heated water and condensation on the broad bay windows made me feel at home?except for the snow beyond, of course.

I swam for an hour, then I dragged my pruned body out of the pool, showered in the little changing room, and stepped back out on the deck to stand transfixed by the vista beyond the foggy windows. While annoyed by the shitty weather, I loved the beauty and serenity of the snowfall. The large flakes drifted down completely at the whim of whatever wind might blow. Some fell heavy, wet, like obese calcified raindrops, others drifted to the ground in intricate Zen paths.

The perfect blanket over the ground amazed me. Painted green, the smoothness of the carpet would have been the envy of Augusta National.

Except for the quickly filling divots leading off into the veil. Footprints made not long ago, headed toward what?

The sauna. Someone apparently had a GPS and had found the temple of Sorrow Cove.

The grin started in my belly, and without a moment’s analysis, I wrapped my robe around myself, scuffed on my rubber clogs and found the door leading outside. The blast of cold air almost made me run back to my room, but I had to do this?I had to beat the elements, had to take control of the vacation I’d never wanted but had inherited. If this trip was going to have any meaning, I needed to make it my own, not let it stay Jeff’s irrelevancy.

The snow kissed my hair and clung to my robe, the cold air keeping it from melting right away...

Read the whole story in Smooth: Erotic Stories for Women!

Smooth: Erotic Stories for Women
Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Introduction: Naked Girls in All Their Glory

Löyly Angela Caperton
Her Brand New Skin Elizabeth Coldwell
Eden Molly Slate
Three Stops Away Heidi Champa
The Sushi Girl Anika Gupta
This Night Suzanna V. Slate
Ink Jennifer Peters
Adornment is Power Teresa Noelle Roberts
Muscle Bound K D Grace
Shower Fittings Giselle Renarde
Clean Slate Lisabet Sarai
Live Action Susan St. Aubin
Chilly Girl Rachel Kramer Bussel
Stripped Clancy Nacht
The Tea Party Charlotte Stein
Rapunzel Jacqueline Applebee
Getting the Message Kay Jaybee
Ivy League Associates Donna George Storey
True Colors Louisa Harte

Introduction: Naked Girls in All Their Glory

Smooth. Sleek. Naked. Bare. All of these words describe the women you’ll find in this book, women who let you peek beneath their skirt hems, unbutton their blouses, reach inside their panties and in so doing, reveal something essential about themselves. They aren’t content to simply let sex happen, but are compelled to explore the ways their bodies react to every tactile moment.

These are not stories about body image or learning to love your curves. These are sensual tales in which women and men celebrate the joy of being carnal, lusty, hungry and animalistic; stories in which the urge to get naked, in the literal and figurative senses, drives women to boldly go where they haven’t before.

In the opening story, the stunning sauna romp “Löyly,” by Angela Caperton, Sorrow Cove becomes a very happy place when our heroine, Andie, submits to a sensual beating in the intense heat. Caperton writes, “Blood pounded in my veins and pooled suspiciously in my belly. Anticipation added an edge of tension and vulnerability before the bright shock of the strike. It wasn’t hard, but the leaves laced my skin with firm control, a lush wetness and a shimmer of sting that slashed my back with an awakening charge of delight. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment, the fresh scent of the birch binding me in a cloud of awareness and newfound sensation.”

Food and sex are clearly twin appetites waiting to be released, and in “The Sushi Girl,” by Anika Gupta, they converge in a work setting for the narrator as she balances raw fish on her body. She doesn’t just lie there, though; she engages with her customers, lets them look and taste even as she makes sure her naked body, while still, speaks loudly.

Each of these women are stripped, whether literally, as in Clancy Nacht’s story of the same name, or in some other way that leaves them vulnerable, exposed, open to whoever they’ve let enter their most personal space. Even when they are acting as voyeurs, watching others strip down, as in “Live Action,” by Susan St. Aubin, they are being changed by what they see, by the skin that speaks to them and their fantasies.

For other characters, adorning their bodies—with tattoos in “Ink,” by Jennifer Peters, or the sensual strokes of a paintbrush in “True Colors,” by Louisa Harte—is a way to live a more vibrant, outspoken life, and their reward is a richer sex life than they’d had before. That makes sense, because when we bare all, we invite others to touch, to feel every curve, every bend, every inch of skin.

Ultimately, this is a book about getting to know your body from the outside in, about showing yourself off for a lover and knowing the power the naked body holds. At the gym, in the shower, on the subway, at a tea party, the women in Smooth leave behind their inhibitions and go where many women have only dreamed about. Sexy, playful, sensual and celebratory, these nineteen stories will be sure to entice you as they reveal so much skin.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City

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Friday, August 27, 2010

10 Cupcakes Take the Cake posts you should read

Cupcakes Take the Cake is my pride and joy, and my bread and butter. I think many of you already read it daily but if you don’t, here are some great cupcake posts to check out (yes, I wrote them, but read the site regularly for our now fairly large roster of writers covering cupcakes all over the country, and the world).

LePetit Cupcakery mini cupcakes in Brooklyn and Kickstarter popup shop campaign

Can these cupcakes tell you how to get to Sesame Street?

Bug cupcake cuteness from Flour & Sun Bakery

The Obamas missed out on peanut butter and Nutella cupcakes at Sweet E's Cupcakes

Philadelphia cupcake truck Buttercream shut down by city

Hello Kitty cupcakes with glitter barrettes

Sprinkle with Murder cupcake mystery book trailer

Peanut butter and raspberry jelly cupcakes, daisies and sunflowers and piña colada and s'mores

Fluffer-Oreo cupcakes

Giraffe, elephant and Hello Kitty cupcakes

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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Seth Kushner photo shoot this weekend

I'm doing a photo shoot on Sunday with the very talented Seth Kushner whose work I encourage you to check out. He's photographed some amazing people. More details on the project when I can share them, but I'm looking forward to it, and combing through my clothes and jewelry to figure out what to wear. Then in a few weeks I'm also shooting some fun stuff with my friend Laura Boyd who did my boudoir photos and who's reading at In The Flesh in October - actually speaking about her photography and sharing some.

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Breasts on book covers: I'm a fan

I bought Coercion by Lux Zakari largely based on this crazy-hot cover, and also because I have a story of hers, "Truss Issues" coming out in Best Bondage Erotica 2011 in December and like her writing.



I don't have a Kindle or any other e-reader, but I do have Kindle for iPhone; I've only made five purchases so far, and all are e-book only.

In other erotica news, check out Erotica for All for some cool erotica author interviews.

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Virtual book tour for Fast Girls: Erotica for Women

I'll be posting some of my persona favorites from the tour, but check out the great blog posts (all will be filled in by September 1st). Thank you to all the participating bloggers!

Follow these blogs every day in August for reviews, excerpts, interviews and more from Fast Girls: Erotica for Women.



August 1 Minivan Libertine
August 2 From Socks to Fedora, It's Jeremy
August 3 Hard and Fast
August 4 The Dirty Geisha
August 5 Maneater
August 6 The Luscious Life (Yolanda Shoshana)
August 7 I Want Your Sex podcast
August 8 Dangerous Lilly
August 9 The Chicktionary
August 10 Rubicon Reader
August 11 Erobintica
August 12 RWA-NYC Blogging In The Big Apple
August 13 Lolita Wolf's Predictions and Predilections
August 14 Jenny Gardiner
August 15 The Four Horsewomen of the Metropolis
August 16 R.S. Bohn, Writer in Residence
August 17 The Time Has Passed So Easily
August 18 Naked at Our Age
August 19 Julian Arancia
August 20 Future Feminist Librarian-Activist
August 21 Sharazade
August 22 Molly's Diamonds
August 23 Lusty Literati
August 24 Petals in Ink
August 25 Latina Book Club
August 26 Exotic Fair of a Wandering Muse
August 27 Jenny on the Page
August 28 Kinky World
August 29 Funky Brown Chick
August 30 The Green Light District
August 31 Wonderland

Bonus!

September 1 Lise Horton

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There's a cat on my book cover! Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex

I just got the book cover for Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex (formerly known as The Big Book of Quickies) and yes, there's a cat on the book cover! I'm told by a cat friend that this is a realistic portrayal of coupling while a cat is in the room. We haven't finalized the table of contents but when we do I'll be posting here and am hoping to do multiple readings and will have a website for it and lots of fun stuff. And, of course, postcards! Pre-order by clicking the link above; it'll be out in March. Once I get it approved, I'll post a teaser from my kinky story "Manners."

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

How to get published in my erotica anthologies

Some erotica writing advice in my latest column - also, I think I forgot it in the latest round of writing guidelines, but DON'T send more than one version of the same story. Send your BEST work, not your worst or an unfinished draft (sounds obvious but happens all the time and people don't realize that I'm reading and making a draft of the manuscript as I go, so you waste my time, I don't appreciate it at all).

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$2.20 buys you sex writing tips from me, Susie Bright, Stephen Elliott and Rachel Resnick

If you missed me, Susie Bright, Rachel Resnick and Stephen Elliott talking sex writing at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (or just want to relive it), there's audio available for $2.20 on Amazon (I did not know we were being taped). It was such a blur because of the whole LA ride thing (I'm going back next month for the West Hollywood Book Fair but am gonna station myself early in WeHo somehow) and running around being interviewed for the radio that I dashed in and must've looked like a madwoman but I think it was a fascinating panel and was honored to be asked, and also impressed with the free event, which had a food section, outdoor stuff for kids, and was my first chance to meet the wonderful Jillian Lauren.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Cupcake fandom

My group blog (now with interns!!) Cupcakes Take the Cake now has a Facebook fan page. Like us if you want to find out about cupcakes from around the world.

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Book nerding out

I'm totally wowed by YA author group blog The Contemps and signed up for their challenge to read 18 or their 21 books by August. Great stuff there for YA fans or those looking for new ways to promote books.

Romance Divas is my new romance writing chatting online BFF. Full of great writers who are super supportive and fun (and, in some cases, offering kinky advice, like the bratty subs forum in the steamy section).

My naked bubble bath book trailer for Fast Girls: Erotica for Women (click to watch) was book trailer of the day at the most excellent publishing industry newsletter Shelf Awareness - thanks!

I'm finishing up my first novel Everything But for Harlequin Spice - it's harder than law school (which, yes, I dropped out of) and, frankly, I don't think I'm cut out to be a novelist, but I will be - details when I have them, first I need to get it approved.

I want to read graphic memoir Forget Sorrow by Belle Yang:



I'm also looking forward to reading Driven to Ink, the third tattoo mystery from Karen E. Olson:



And I'm not a Republican, but I did pre-order Dirty Sexy Politics by Meghan McCain, to be published next week.

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September 16th Virgin Night lineup: African-American erotica, Bad Marie, romance, mystery and more!


In The Flesh logo by Molly Crabapple

There is no RSVP requirement, but if you'd like to RSVP and/or spread the word on Facebook, click here for the September 16th In The Flesh event listing. See also the In The Flesh Reading Series fan page on Facebook. Note early start time. I'm calling this Virgin Night since everyone but Marcy is a first-time reader, and many are first-time authors.

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
VIRGIN NIGHT
September 16, 2010, 7:30 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com


Featuring African-American erotica, a mystery writer, a burlesque romance writer, a novelist and more! Featuring Logan Belle, author of a forthcoming burlesque romance series, erotica writer Megan Butcher (contributor, Best Bondage Erotica 2011), novelist Marcy Dermansky (Bad Marie), novelist Lee Houck (Yield), Greg Olear (Totally Killer), and Can't Help the Way That I Feel: Sultry Stories of African American Love, Lust and Fantasy editor Lori Bryant-Woolridge and contributors Sasha James and Erika J. Kendrick (Appetites, Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader). Hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Fast Girls, Please, Sir, Please, Ma’am). 100 free copies of Sexis Magazine will be distributed. Free Baked by Melissa cupcakes, candy and chips will be served. This is the countdown to the final In The Flesh December 16th so don't miss a very special night!

In the Flesh is a monthly reading series hosted at the appropriately named
Happy Ending Lounge, and features the country's best erotic writers sharing stories to get you hot and bothered, hosted and curated by acclaimed erotic writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel. The series was named Best Reading Series by New York Press in 2009. From erotic poetry to down and dirty smut, these authors get naked on the page and will make you lust after them and their words. Since its debut in October 2005, In the Flesh has featured such authors as Mike Albo, Laura Antoniou, Mo Beasley, Susie Bright, Lily Burana, Jessica Cutler, Mike Daisey, Stephen Elliott, Valerie Frankel, Polly Frost, Gael Greene, Andy Horwitz, Debra Hyde, Maxim Jakubowski, Emily Scarlet Kramer of CAKE, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Edith Layton, Logan Levkoff, Suzanne Portnoy, Julie Powell, Sofia Quintero, M.J. Rose, Lauren Sanders, Danyel Smith, Grant Stoddard, Cecilia Tan, Carol Taylor, Dana Vachon, Veronica Vera, Susan Wright, Zane and many others. The series has gotten press attention from the New York Times’s UrbanEye, Daily Candy, Escape (Hong Kong), Flavorpill, The L Magazine, New York Magazine, NBC New York, New York Post, New York Observer, Philadelphia City Paper, Time Out New York, Flavorwire, Fork in the Road, Gawker, Gothamist, Jezebel.com, Nerve.com, Serious Eats, Tasting Table and Wonkette, and has been praised by Dr. Ruth.

Logan Belle is the pen name of a publishing insider who went to her first burlesque show on her birthday two years ago and has been following and writing about the scene ever since. Her debut erotic novel, The Blue Angel, will be published by Kensington in May 2011. Logan Belle lives in New York City.
www.loganbelle.com

Lori Bryant-Woolridge, editor of Can't Help the Way That I Feel, is an Emmy award-winning writer and the author of three Essence best-selling novels, including Weapons of Mass Seduction, Hitts & Mrs., and Read Between the Lies. She has contributed to several award-winning anthologies including, A Celebration of African-American Fiction, Brown Sugar #3: Opposites Attract, and Best Black Women’s Erotica. Lori is also a sensuality coach and founder of Stiletto U, a virtual university that advocates healthy, sensuous lifestyles.
http://www.canthelpthewaythatifeel.blogspot.com/



Rachel Kramer Bussel is an author, editor, blogger and reading series host. She is Senior Editor at Penthouse Variations and a former sex columnist for The Village Voice. She’s edited over 30 anthologies, including the kink-themed Spanked, Bottoms Up, Yes, Sir, Yes, Ma'am, He's on Top, She's on Top, Rubber Sex as well as Fast Girls, Orgasmic, Peep Show, The Mile High Club: Plane Sex Stories, Do Not Disturb: Hotel Sex Stories, Tasting Him, Tasting Her, and the non-fiction Best Sex Writing series. Her books won 3 2009 Independent Publisher Awards. Her writing been published in publications such as Clean Sheets, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast, Fresh Yarn, Huffington Post, Mediabistro, Newsday, New York Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Tango, The Village Voice, and Time Out New York, and in over 100 anthologies, including Best American Erotica 2004 and 2006. Rachel conducts nationwide readings and erotic writing workshops. She has hosted In The Flesh since October 2005.
www.rachelkramerbussel.com


photo by Anya Garrett

Megan Butcher is a librarian, sex educator and writer who lives in Ottawa, Ontario with her slightly demented tabby. Co-author of the zine A Guide to the Mannerly Wooing and Winning of the Object of Your Affection, her work has also appeared in several Canadian publications. Look for her forthcoming story in Best Bondage Erotica 2011 due out later this year or check out her smut blog at meganbutcher.com/weeklydose.



Marcy Dermansky is the author of the novels Bad Marie and Twins. Hailed by The Nervous Breakdown’s Gina Frangello as “genuinely sexy, dark and subversive but also freaking weirdly hilarious,” Bad Marie has been selected as a Barnes and Noble Fall 2010 Discover Great New Writers pick. Time magazine pronounced Bad Marie “irresistible.” She serves as a board member of the online literary community Fictionaut and is a film critic for About.com.
www.marcydermansky.com



Lee Houck was born in Chattanooga, TN and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. His first novel, Yield, was the winner of Project Queerlit 2008 and is forthcoming from Kensington Books in September 2010. His other writing appears in numerous anthologies including two volumes of Best Gay Erotica, two volumes of the literary journal Ganymede, the Australian art book Hair, and two limited-edition chapbooks. He has also worked with Jennifer Miller's Circus Amok for many, many seasons.
www.leehouck.com



Sasha James is a prolific writer, who paints pictures with her words. She’s the author of One+One=Two and Two+One=Ecstasy. Previously, she has penned four steamy novels, and is hard at work on the fifth. Sasha divides her time between New York and Chicago.

Erika J. Kendrick, a Chicago native who holds a Stanford degree and an MBA in marketing and international business, is an acclaimed author/writer/producer...on love! Previously an NBA cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls, her first novel, Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader (Random House) was released in 2007 and the second title in the series, Appetite (Random House) in 2009. Her erotica short story, "The Accidental Escort, is part of the anthology Can’t Help The Way That I Feel (Cleis Press, 2010)." A quintessential mover and maker, Erika has been a guest of The Wendy Williams Experience, BETJ's My Two Cents, V-103, AOL BV and a host of other media outlets. She’s been featured in several publications, including Page Six of The New York Post, The Chicago Tribune, SET (Sports and Entertainment Today), Ebony, Upscale, Black Beat, Uptown, NV, Honey Magazine and several others.
www.erikakendrick.com



Greg Olear is the senior editor of the online literary magazine The Nervous
Breakdown
and the author of the novels Totally Killer (Harper, 2009) and
the forthcoming Fathermucker (Harper, 2012). A longtime resident of New
York, he now lives with his wife and two children in his hometown in the
Jersey suburbs.
www.totallykiller.com



You will hear from the following books:


Can't Help The Way That I Feel
edited by Lori Bryant-Woolridge


Please, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission
edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel


Bad Marie
by Marcy Dermansky


Yield
by Lee Houck


Totally Killer
by Greg Olear

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Monday, August 23, 2010

Read this: Murder in Vein: A Fang-in-Cheek Mystery by Sue Ann Jaffarian plus my interview

I interviewed one of my favorite writers, mystery author Sue Ann Jaffarian, for She Writes; click to read her answers to these questions:

1. You write three mystery series (Odelia Gray, Ghost of Granny Apples and Fang-in-Cheek) and hold a full-time paralegal job. How do you juggle writing and having a day job, and keep track of so many protagonists?

2. All three series feature amateur, accidental and/or reluctant detectives, and fall under the category of cozy mysteries. What do you like best about writing cozy mysteries and what drew you to this type of mystery?

3. Your latest book, Murder in Vein, finds waitress and student Madison Rose suddenly at the mercy of some kindhearted vampires who take her in after she’s almost murdered. The book also pokes fun at the vampire craze, featuring people who desperately want to become vampires to the point of committing crimes. What do you think of people who call themselves vampires, and did you do any fun research for this book?

4. Location is very important to each of your series, whether it’s Los Angeles or Julian, California, for Ghost a La Mode or varying locations, like a corn maze, for Odelia Gray, yet it’s something that can get overlooked, especially with such twisting and turning plots you come up with. How do you see the role of place in your books, and do you have a favorite setting of the ones you’ve written about?

5. Odelia Gray is a feisty, plus-size amateur sleuth who’s often forging ahead in her investigations even when she’s been warned by those who love her to lay low. You’ve been lauded for her portrayal of women of size by the likes of actress Camryn Manheim and others. How do Odelia’s size and her personality intersect, and do you see Odelia as a role model?

Also check out her blog, where I got these images from:





Here's my review of her new vampire mystery Murder in Vein: A Fang-in-Cheek Mystery from Amazon:

I'm a fan of Sue Ann Jaffarian's other mystery series, but don't tend to read vampire stories so wasn't sure what I would think, but I loved this whodunnit, which delves into the world of vampires and vampire envy. Madison Rose finds herself shocked to discover that vampires are real, and that she almost died because of them. She goes to live with her new vampire "grandparents," who wind up becoming the only family she has, only to become the target of those who think if they kill her, they are on the fast track to permanent (as opposed to retractable) fangs. Jaffarian sends up vampire envy while introducing a whole new cast of characters, including a vampire council, with her own twist on the genre. She manages to make this a believable world, as she did with Ghost a la Mode, and Madison is an engaging heroine who is by turns wary and curious about the undercover community that takes her in. If you're a Jaffarian fan, you'll definitely want to check this out, and if you're a newcomer to her work, you'll enjoy the sly humor as well as the covens, clubs and coffins that populate Murder in Vein.

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Friday, August 20, 2010

I interviewed Kristen Schaal and Rich Blomquist about The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex

Click through to read my interview with comedian Kristen Schaal and The Daily Show writer Rich Blomquist about their new book The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex. It's my first piece for excellent AOL blog Lemondrop, of which I'm a big fan!



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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Naked bubble bath book trailer for Fast Girls: Erotica for Women

I had so much fun shooting this video (and will soon have one for Orgasmic)!



Follow along all this month with the virtual book tour.

Order Fast Girls: Erotica for Women from:



Amazon.com



Kindle edition



Bn.com



Borders



Powell's



IndieBound



Cleis Press

Table of Contents

Introduction: Fast Is a (Sexy) State of Mind (see below)

Temptation Kayla Perrin
Waxing Eloquent Donna George Storey
Five-Minute Porn Star Jacqueline Applebee (listen to this story read by Mia on the I Want Your Sex podcast)
Winter, Summer Tristan Taormino
Playing the Market Angela Caperton
Panther Suzanne V. Slate
Communal Saskia Walker
Fireworks Lolita Lopez
Flash! Andrea Dale
Waiting for Beethoven Susie Hara
Confessions of a Kinky Shopaholic Jennifer Peters
Let’s Dance D. L. King
That Girl Cherry Bomb
Oz Isabelle Gray
Married Life Charlotte Stein
Princess Elizabeth Coldwell
Chasing Danger Kristina Wright
Whore Complex Rachel Kramer Bussel
Lessons, Slow and Painful Tess Danesi
Speed Bumps Tenille Brown


Introduction: Fast Is a (Sexy) State of Mind

I like the fast girls best/they do whatever they wanna do. —Sarge, “Fast Girls”

I named this book after a song called “Fast Girls” by an indie pop/rock band called Sarge*. That song is a feisty, punk-rock ode to a hot girl who is captivating in all kinds of ways.

I’m sure you know a girl like that. Or a woman. Or a lady. Or a butch. Or a femme. Or…you get the idea. She’s the kind of babe who takes no prisoners, who owns her life and her sexuality and not only doesn’t apologize for them, makes sure you notice her and what she’s all about.

Two definitions of “fast,” according to Merriam-Webster are “wild” or “sexually promiscuous,” and while that is the seed of what I was angling for here, I didn’t just want to read about slut after slut after slut. I wanted to read about women who in some way defy the conventional norms-whatever those are in this day and age. That doesn’t mean being shocking for shock’s sake, but following their passion, seeking out what it is that they need to be truly pleasured.

What I love about these fast girls is that even as they are bold, daring and dynamic, they have a thing or two to learn about sex and themselves.

Consider Susie Hara’s fifty-one-year-old protagonist in “Waiting for Beethoven” as she gets it on with a younger man. In current pop culture terms, she’s the cougar, the aggressive older woman seeking her sexy prey. But she is actually nervous and uncertain, as well as aroused. “And now there was no point in telling him she wasn’t going to come when she could already feel a wave of pleasure rolling inside her, kind of a pre-coming feeling, but different than usual; she couldn’t really tell what was her clit and what were the walls inside her and what was contracting and what was releasing and then she realized she must be coming because her body had taken over and been taken over in this luscious finger symphony so she just gave in,” writes Hara, in a description of female orgasm that I think will be familiar to many.

In this book, fast is as much a state of mind as a state of motion. It’s not about trying to slut it up to impress anyone, but about finding what works for you. I was intrigued to find that playing with prostitution, or whoring, came up as a theme in many submissions, as did threesomes with one woman and two men. It makes sense that fast would be associated with women who mix cash and sex, as happens in Angela Caperton’s “Playing the Market,” where the new economy mixes with the world’s oldest profession. In my “Whore Complex,” whoredom is more a state of mind, a go-to fantasy that leaps from the bounds of dirty talk to real life with some unusual consequences. There’s also exhibitionism, such as in Jacqueline Applebee’s “Five-Minute Porn Star,” and submission--there’s a lot of very hot female submission and BDSM play in this book.

These girls are fast when they want to be…and slow at other times. They want to crack their lovers’ secret codes, find out what makes them tick, as happens in Charlotte Stein’s “Married Life.” I like this story because the wife is not just passively accepting her humdrum sex life, but she doesn’t want to have an affair or get a divorce. She wants her husband, the man she loves, but she wants him openly, honestly, freely and when they both give a little of themselves and bravely bare their souls, they find true happiness.

These girls don’t give it up for just anyone. Even the ones who get around have a reason for choosing their lovers, and it’s those reasons, those images, that resonate with me. Here’s Tristan Taormino in “Winter, Summer,” rhapsodizing about the woman she’s about to seduce (or perhaps, who’s about to seduce her is more accurate):

She’s the boy I have dreamed about and jerked off to too many times to count. The one who won’t leave my fantasies, who cruises me in my bedroom, who seduced me months ago in another lifetime with her voice, who plays pool and drinks beer, who grabs my ass in crowded bars just to fuck with my boundaries and catch me off guard, who makes my brain get wet and my pussy explode.

Exactly. Though there are women on the prowl here, women who go after younger men, women who pounce, women who pursue, there are others who are excited about being the object of another’s affection, lust and desire. For them, being fast means courting the man or woman (or more than one person) they are searching for.

These fast girls speak to me on many levels. I admire them, respect them, marvel at them, raise my eyebrows at them, want them. But most of all, I’m excited that they’ve broken free of whatever messages we all receive about how a woman is “supposed” to act and instead they are bent on acting however they damn well please. And that’s my personal definition of a fast, not to mention foxy, girl.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City

* To hear more of Sarge, click here

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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Summer sex spectacular August 19th at In The Flesh Reading Series


In The Flesh logo by Molly Crabapple

If you can't make it, please let someone know who might enjoy In The Flesh as we get ready to go out with a BANG!

There is no RSVP requirement, but if you'd like to RSVP and/or spread the word on Facebook, click here for the Summer Sex/Sex on the Beach Night event listing. See also the In The Flesh Reading Series fan page on Facebook.

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
SUMMER SEX/SEX ON THE BEACH NIGHT
August 19, 2010, 8:00 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com


Get ready to get overheated at Summer Sex/Sex on the Beach night at In The Flesh! The summer's hottest fiction, a romance novelist, a documentarian, erotica and more. Featuring Abigail Ekue (The Darker Side of Lust), Eric, Hilary Thayer Hamann (Anthropology of an American Girl), Yona Zeldis McDonough (Breaking the Bank), Tony O’Neill (Sick City), Michelle Janine Robinson (Color Me Grey), filmmaker Therese Shechter (How To Lose Your Virginity) and Hope Tarr (The Tutor). Hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Orgasmic, Fast Girls, Please, Sir). Mobile Libris will sell readers' books. DVD of documentary How I Learned to Speak Turkish by Therese Shechter and 4 waterproof vibrators will be given away by EdenFantasys and 100 free copies of Sexis Magazine will be distributed. Free Baked by Melissa cupcakes, candy and chips will be served. This is the countdown to the final In The Flesh December 16th so don't miss a very special night!

In the Flesh is a monthly reading series hosted at the appropriately named
Happy Ending Lounge, and features the country's best erotic writers sharing stories to get you hot and bothered, hosted and curated by acclaimed erotic writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel. The series was named Best Reading Series by New York Press in 2009. From erotic poetry to down and dirty smut, these authors get naked on the page and will make you lust after them and their words. Since its debut in October 2005, In the Flesh has featured such authors as Mike Albo, Laura Antoniou, Mo Beasley, Susie Bright, Lily Burana, Jessica Cutler, Mike Daisey, Stephen Elliott, Valerie Frankel, Polly Frost, Gael Greene, Andy Horwitz, Debra Hyde, Maxim Jakubowski, Emily Scarlet Kramer of CAKE, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Edith Layton, Logan Levkoff, Suzanne Portnoy, Julie Powell, Sofia Quintero, M.J. Rose, Lauren Sanders, Danyel Smith, Grant Stoddard, Cecilia Tan, Carol Taylor, Dana Vachon, Veronica Vera, Susan Wright, Zane and many others. The series has gotten press attention from the New York Times’s UrbanEye, Escape (Hong Kong), Flavorpill, The L Magazine, New York Magazine, NBC New York, New York Post, New York Observer, Philadelphia City Paper, Time Out New York, Flavorwire, Fork in the Road, Gawker, Gothamist, Jezebel.com, Nerve.com, Serious Eats, Tasting Table and Wonkette, and has been praised by Dr. Ruth.

Rachel Kramer Bussel is an author, editor, blogger and reading series host. She is Senior Editor at Penthouse Variations and a former sex columnist for The Village Voice. She’s edited over 30 anthologies, including the kink-themed Spanked, Bottoms Up, Yes, Sir, Yes, Ma'am, He's on Top, She's on Top, Rubber Sex as well as Fast Girls, Orgasmic, Peep Show, The Mile High Club: Plane Sex Stories, Do Not Disturb: Hotel Sex Stories, Tasting Him, Tasting Her, and the non-fiction Best Sex Writing series. Her books won 3 2009 Independent Publisher Awards. Her writing been published in publications such as Clean Sheets, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast, Fresh Yarn, Huffington Post, Mediabistro, Newsday, New York Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Tango, The Village Voice, and Time Out New York, and in over 100 anthologies, including Best American Erotica 2004 and 2006. Rachel conducts nationwide readings and erotic writing workshops. She has hosted In The Flesh since October 2005.
www.rachelkramerbussel.com


photo by Anya Garrett

Abigail Ekue is a writer who encompasses the inner workings of the human body and psyche in her fiction and non-fiction. Her erotic short story collection The Darker Side of Lust was published in December 2009. She has also worked with a number of photographers as an art and erotic nude model to promote positive body image, sensuality a sex-positive attitude. September 2009 marked the debut of her dildo photo exhibit, Man. Toy. Abigail has shared her work at the erotic showcase, UrbanErotika as performer, producer and curator, at ArtErotica, Freak Nasty and Abiola's Kiss and Tell Reading Series.
www.abigailekue.com



Eric is a playwright and actor, living and working in the greater Los Angeles area. His work has most recently been seen at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. He is currently serving the resident playwright of the Coeurage Theatre Company. He will be teaching English in Eastern Europe for the American Peace Corps starting in September. He is honored to be reading as a part of In The Flesh.



Hilary Thayer Hamann was born and raised in Manhattan until the age of seven. For the remainder of her childhood, she spent weekends and summers in the Bronx and weekdays in Long Island, attending school in Sag Harbor and East Hampton. She currently lives in Sag Harbor, New York. Anthropology of an American Girl is her first novel.
anthropologyofanamericangirl.com/


photo by Doug Young

Yona Zeldis McDonough received degrees from Vassar College and Columbia University. She is the author of three novels; the most recent, Breaking the Bank, was published by Pocket in September 2009. Additionally, she edited the anthologies The Barbie Chronicles: A Living Doll Turns Forty and All The Available Light: A Marilyn Monroe Reader, and and has been widely published in many literary and national magazines including Bookforum, Bride's, Cosmopolitan, Family Circle, Harper's Bazaar, Lilith, Metropolitan Home, Modern Bride, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, O, the Oprah Magazine, Redbook, Salon, and The Village Voice. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.
www.yonazeldismcdonough.com



Tony O'Neill is the author of the novels Digging the Vein and Down and Out on Murder Mile. He also coauthored the LA Times bestseller Neon Angel: Memoir of a Runaway (with Cherie Currie), and the New York Times bestseller Hero of the Underground (with Jason Peter), His new novel, Sick City (Harper Perennial) concerns the efforts of two heroin-addled schemers to sell a legendary sex tape starring Sharon Tate. Needless to say, things do not go according to plan...
www.tonyoneill.net



Michelle Janine Robinson's first novel, Color Me Grey, debuted two months ago and has enjoyed great success. Her next novel, More Than Meets They Eye, is a return to her erotic roots – with a paranormal twist – and will be available, January 4, 2011. Michelle has contributed several short stories to editor Zane’s erotic anthologies, including Purple Panties, Honey Flava and Caramel Flava, and her short story contribution “The Quiet Room” was the first featured story in the New York Times bestseller Succulent: Chocolate Flava II. Michelle is also a contributor to the oral sex-themed anthology, Tasting Him, with her story “A Tongue Is Just A Tongue,” edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel. Michelle recently put the finishing touches on her third novel, Serial Typical (Simon & Schuster, July 2011). Michelle is a native New Yorker and the mother of identical twin boys. You can learn all about Michelle and what she is working on next on her website at www.michellejaninerobinson.com. You can also find Michelle at www.facebook.com/michelle.j.robinson, www.myspace.com/justef or follow Michelle at www.twitter.com/MJanineRobinson.



Therese Shechter uses humor-spiked personal narrative to create such documentaries as the award-winning I Was A Teenage Feminist. She's currently in the works on How to Lose Your Virginity, about America's virginity culture and those of us who live in it. Her other films include How I Learned to Speak Turkish, about sex, power and one woman's obsession with Turkish men. She writes about virginity, sex and feminism at her blog The American Virgin.
www.trixiefilms.com



Hope Tarr is the award-winning author of thirteen historical and contemporary romance novels for multiple publishers, including The Tutor (Harlequin Blaze Historical, July 1st). Hope is also a co-founder of Lady Jane's Salon, New York City's first (and so far only) monthly reading series for romance fiction. Visit Hope online at www.HopeTarr.com where you can enter her monthly and special contests and keep up with her Single Girl in the Big City adventures on her blog.


photo by BizUrban.com

You will hear from the following books:


The Darker Side of Lust
by Abigail Ekue


Anthropology of an American Girl
by Hilary Thayer Hamann


Sick City
by Tony O'Neill


Color Me Grey
by Michelle Janine Robinson


The Tutor
by Hope Tarr

Giveaway of:


documentary How I Learned to Speak Turkish on DVD, directed by Therese Shechter

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Romance novel-inspired cover for new Jenny McCarthy memoir Love Lust and Faking It

Trendhunter posted this book cover back in May, but I just discovered it on the Harpercollins site - love this cover and can't wait to read the new Jenny McCarthy memoir Love, Lust & Faking It: The Naked Truth About Sex, Lies and True Romance. More information is at the HarperCollins site, and the pub date is September 28th.



I interviewed her back in 2006 for my "MILFs Gone Wild" Lusty Lady column in The Village Voice (and hope to interview her about this book, any editor types reading this!):

First, is MILF a dirty acronym? Not for everyone. Perkins is happy to see the feminine ideal switch from physical perfection to an attainable image. "As a woman in my forties with a teenage son, I'm often overlooked by guys who want the model/porn star. It's great to be an object of attention again," she states. Actress Jenny McCarthy (jennylaughs.com) likes its positive spin, claiming that seven years ago, if you were a mom in a miniskirt, "you would've been considered skanky and inappropriate. I still like dressing cute and cool." The blonde bombshell has morphed into a tell-all mama, authoring Belly Laughs, Baby Laughs, and her latest, Life Laughs: The Naked Truth About Motherhood, Marriage, and Moving On. Written in the aftermath of her divorce from director John Asher, Life Laughs finds her dishing tips on faking orgasms and "the power of the pussy," while boldly admitting she only gets aroused four days a month. McCarthy writes, "Can I be worked up to a horny place instead of waiting for those four days? Sure. But the older and busier women get the more warming up we need. Most of the time a husband's foreplay is him pulling his dick out of his pants."

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

"5 Good Things About My Worst Date Ever" at Crushable

I think the title to my Crushable piece "5 Good Things About My Worst Date Ever" says it all. I don't know that I'm up for tons more online dating after this experience, but I'm glad I went.

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39 miles in 2 days - sponsor me in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

First let me say that I have a pet peeve about all the "for breast cancer" or "for ___ disease" causes because obviously they are actually against those diseases but I'm not going to not walk 39 miles because of grammar issues. I signed up to do the New York October 16-17 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer because my friend Jodie, who's done the walk in Boston and San Francisco, told me what a wonderful experience it was. I'm, um, not yet in shape for it but plan to be by then.

So...I am hitting you up for donations. Any amount is greatly appreciated, and you can donate easily and anonymously by following this handy link. Thank you!



From their site:

Since it was founded in 1955, the Avon Foundation has been committed to the mission to improve the lives of women and their families. Now past the half century milestone, the Avon Foundation brings this mission to life through two key areas of focus: breast cancer and domestic violence. From an initial $400 scholarship in 1955, Avon philanthropy has expanded globally and through 2008 exceeded $660 million raised and awarded worldwide. The Avon Breast Cancer Crusade launched in 1992, and Avon breast cancer programs in over 50 countries support advancing access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer, with a focus on the medically underserved. For more information about the Avon Foundation visit http://www.avonfoundation.org/ or call 1.866.505.AVON.

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8 ways to buy Fast Girls: Erotica for Women

There are really more than 8 because at
IndieBound you can search for your local bookstore, and I encourage you to shop locally. But I want to offer you all the options because, well, because.

You can also get a free Fast Girls postcard by writing to me at fastgirlsantho at gmail.com and asking for one (put "postcard" in the subject line and give me your mailing address).

Read the introduction at the official Fast Girls site.



We also got the Orgasmic postcards in, only without writing on the back - if you want one of these, same deal, just write to orgasmicantho at gmail.com (I know, I'm a woman of many email addresses, but it helps me keep track of things).

And Amazon is really one place, but it's a separate link for the paperback or the Kindle edition. (I got the idea to use not just text but online bookstore logos from romance author Louisa Edwards, promoting her upcoming novel Just One Taste.)


Amazon.com



Kindle edition



Barnes & Noble



Borders



Books-a-Million



IndieBound



Powell's



publisher Cleis Press

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