Email: rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com



 

Lusty Lady

BLOG OF RACHEL KRAMER BUSSEL
Watch my first and favorite book trailer for Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica. Get Spanked in print and ebook

Monday, June 30, 2014

My 6 new erotica stories and 8 writing workshops to learn how to write and sell your own

Even though my mind is such that I tend to focus on the stories I didn't write and wish I had, it turns out that despite that tendency, I have written some stories that I'm excited about in some new and upcoming anthologies. Details of those are below. I've said before that one thing I love about the erotica genre is how welcoming it is to new writers; check out the new site Pillow Talk by erotica authors Tamsin Flowers, Malin James and Jade A. Waters for a taste of how they write. So I'm posting to let you know about these new stories and fabulous new books, but also because if you are interested in erotica, I want to encourage you to go for it. I'm teaching erotica writing workshops all over the country and hope you can join me; I tailor each one to be timely and encourage you to get your work to editors who are hungry to publish new authors ASAP. Yes, you could send something out now and have it published in an anthology in as little as a year. It's a heady feeling, and while that one sale won't bring you riches, it would cover the cost of my class and could lead to many other opportunities, especially if you keep writing. I know not all of you are in these cities, but if you know someone who is who might want to break into erotica, please let them know. It's my first time teaching at Sugar (Baltimore), Secret Pleasures (Washington, DC), Foundation for Sex Positive Culture (Seattle), Q Center (Portland, OR), and Early to Bed (Chicago), so I am especially looking forward to meeting many new writers.

July 23, 6;30 pm, Baltimore erotica writing workshop

July 26, 7 pm, Washington, DC erotica writing workshop - this class is limited to 20 people and filling up fast

September 9, 7-9 pm, Seattle erotica writing workshop

September 12, Los Angeles, erotica writing workshop (for CatalystCon attendees)

September 18, Portland, Oregon erotica writing workshop at the Q Center

September 28, 6:30-8 pm, Chicago erotica writing workshop

September 30, 8:30 pm, Milwaukee erotica writing workshop at The Tool Shed

October 24, 7:30-9 pm, New York erotica writing workshop

And here are the new books - enjoy!

slavegirlscover
Slave Girls: Erotic Stories of Submission
with my very kinky blindfolded in a hotel room (yes, I love blindfolds!) story "Out of Sight"

cantgetenough
Can't Get Enough: Erotica for Women

I've been reading and publishing stories by Tenille Brown for years so it's very exciting to see her publish her first anthology; looking forward to reading it! My threesome story "Under His Watch" is in this book.

boundfortroublecover
Bound for Trouble: BDSM Erotica for Women
with my nipple clamps and blindfold story "The Kissing Party"

shewhomustbeobeyed
She Who Must Be Obeyed: Femme Dominant Erotica
- my story "Demo Model" is about a kinky demonstration

summerloving
Summer Loving: 20 Sultry Stories
This summer-themed anthology is a benefit for erotica writer Sommer Marsden, whose husband has cancer. Read more about it at Alison Tyler's blog - it is forthcoming from Excessica.

sexylibrarian
The Sexy Librarian's Big Book of Erotica

I love this cover so much and am extremely honored that my inspired-by-real-life story "Book Swap" opens this anthology by podcaster Rose Caraway, who is my favorite audiobook narrator and has made my audiobooks Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex and The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories such a gigantic success (I'll crunch the numbers on my July royalty check, but the Gotta Have It audiobook outsells the print and ebook combined many, many times over, which is pretty amazing, while my favorite of my books, The Big Book of Orgasms, has been holding steady on the Audible erotica bestseller list since two weeks after it debuted, all thanks to Rose's genius. I'll be reading with her from the book September 15th at awesome independent bookstore The Booksmith in San Francisco - stay tuned for details.

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Sunday, June 29, 2014

Chicago erotic writing workshop September 28th at sex toy store Early to Bed

I know it's early, but since my workshops have limited space, I wanted to let you know that tickets are now on sale for my September 28 Erotica 101 writing workshop at sex toy store Early to Bed in Chicago. It's from 6:30-8 pm and costs $20/person (or $35 for 2 people). I tailor each workshop to my location and to helping writers get published ASAP so will be highlighting relevant erotica calls for submissions and answering questions about publishing. Looking forward to it!

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Saturday, June 28, 2014

Big new book, big smile: The Big Book of Submission is here with 69 BDSM erotica stories

I've got a new book, The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales out any day now (ebook on sale July 21st) and I've got a big smile because I'm so excited to share it with you. As I've posted about before, my books could use some extra support as the marketplace has been very tough of late and I'm trying to make this year's books succeed in as big a way as I can. You can hear me read from the book free along with contributor Kristina Wright, who's also got new books Bedded Bliss and A Princess Bound out, and contributors to The Big Book of Orgasms, on July 24th at 7 pm at Lotus Blooms in Alexandria, Virginia. All you have to do to get in is RSVP. To give you a taste of what to expect, I've posted excerpts from all 69 stories.

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I did something new with this one and published a few authors twice because their stories stood out, and I believe all those dually published authors are appearing in my books for the first time, which always thrills me as an editor. Without authors and people having faith in my books enough to send me stories, I wouldn't have any anthologies. It's an honor and also takes me back to my first published story, "Monica and Me." Below are links to buy the book and even if you can't buy it now, if you add it to your Amazon wishlist, it helps the book by letting them know there's an audience, which encourages them to recommend it to browsers. Yes, even seemingly tiny things like that count, especially when you're with an independent publisher and most bookstores don't have an erotica section.

Some great news: the July issue of Self gave The Big Book of Submission a shoutout!

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Purchase from:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kindle ebook edition

Nook ebook edition

Kobo

Books-a-Million

Powell’s

IndieBound (find it at your local independent bookstore)

Cleis Press



Table of contents:

The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales

Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Introduction: The Many Meanings of Submission

I Want to Feel You Joy Faolán

Naughty Prof Louisa Bacio

Strip Medea Mor

Training My Dom Tilly Hunter

Dear Sir Kay Jaybee

Put Your Hands Up Sommer Marsden

Crunches Annabeth Leong

Butch Unbound Salome Wilde

The Prodigy Valerie Alexander

Beautiful Teresa Noelle Roberts

Lariat Michelle Augello-Page

Toasted Marshmallows Tilly Hunter

The Shoot D.L. King

Sunday in the Art Gallery with George Elizabeth Coldwell

The Third Plug Nick Mamatas

Others Jade A. Waters

Without Question Lucy Felthouse

In the Darkness Regina Lafayette

The Test Kristina Wright

Patiently Waiting Alyssa Morris

Brunch L.C. Spoering

Love and Salt Erzabet Bishop

Brazen Kathleen Delaney-Adams

Story Time Inara Serene

Princess Amelia June

Contact Shenoa Carroll-Bradd

For Her Art Elise Hepner

Working It Out Roger Markson

Control Cate Ellink

Unanchored Corrine Arundo

Fucktoy Lady Lucretia

Caramel Kathleen Tudor

The Bulldog Breed Lisette Ashton

Mistress Raven Olivia Archer

Following Orders Jade Melisande

Writer’s Block Kitten Boheme

Help! My Wife’s a Former Dominatrix! Angela R. Sargenti

That Moment When Martha Davis

The Dinner Erzabet Bishop

Room with a View Rose de Fer

Fitting Assignment Marie Rebelle

Spider Valerie Alexander

The Chrome Plated Connection Ginger F.

How to Fail Laurel Isaac

Crush Giselle Renarde

Housebroken Laila Blake

Stronger Than Steel Alva Rose

Student Becomes Master Rob Rosen

Where the Sun Don’t Shine Corvidae

Object Regina Kammer

The Control Tower Olivia Summersweet

Long Skirt Gigi Frost

Breathless Obedience Cèsar Sanchez Zapata

Mine Roxanna Cross

Second Date Alice Gauntley

Table Manners M. Marie

Teddy, Bare Jere Haken

The Problem is, I’m a Bitch Corrine Arundo

The Lost Suitcase Tamsin Flowers

The Rhino C. Margery Kempe

Marni’s Working Area Dominic Santi

Lost in the Feeling Nicole Gestalt

Choker Sean Finn

Reverse Psychology Rachel Kramer Bussel

Aftermath Michael in Texas

Take Down Marievie

Hard Things Joy Faolán

Breathless Dorla Moorehouse

Perfect Gentleman Donna George Storey

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Thursday, June 26, 2014

Help my 2 summer books with one quick click

Okay, it's two quick clicks, but they will help my two new books a lot - just add The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales and Hungry for More: Romantic Fantasies for Women to your Amazon wishlist. I'll be sharing more info, readings, reviews and excerpts from both soon. I don't know exactly how it works because I'm not privy to Amazon's algorithm inner workings, but it's part of what they take into account and it's free and easy. And you never now - a book fairy might just send you a copy if you add it to your wishlist!

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2 NYC events: Sex Ed a Go Go tonight and Lost and Found Show July 16th

Since moving to New Jersey last year, I haven't been doing too many New York events, but I have 2 this summer, and here are the details. Tonight I'm answering sex ed questions and July 16th I'm telling a story about the hell that was moving after 13 years in the same Brooklyn apartment!

Sex Ed a Go Go

June 26, 9:30-11 pm

Do you like Go-Go dancing and funny, knowledgeable chatty ladies with amazing cleavage? Then you definitely need to join us for the another installment of Sex Ed. A Go-Go at The Parkside Lounge!!! Sex Ed. A-Go-Go is one part ADULT sex Q & A; one part go-go revue.

We seek to inspire your libido and open your mind to a world of sexual possibilities one question at a time.

We'll be joined this month by special guest Rachel Kramer Bussel!!!! We're to talk about EVERYTHING and ANYTHING your sexy little hearts (and loins) desire!

Make sure you have lot's of singles for our dazzling go-go girl the amazing Foxy Squire and for our awesome raffle sponsored by SHAG brooklyn!!!

The Parkside Lounge, 317 East Houston, New York, $10 at the door or $7 via Brown Paper Tickets

The Lost & Found Show's "Souvenirs and Mementos" Edition

Wednesday July 16th

(Doors 7:00PM) 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker St
(between Sullivan St. and Thompson St)
New York, NY 10012

21+ (No Cover)

Featuring stories about old letters, mafia funerals, strange rodeos, spell-casting grandmas, and apartment hoarders.

Tales from Rachel Kramer Bussel, Nelson Lugo, Alan Feuer, Sarah Maslin Nir, and Nathaniel Bates. Special Trivia sponsored by Porcupine Hugs.

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Tuesday, June 24, 2014

I'm sorry, do you still ike me?

I wrote about gender and apologizing and my penchant for saying sorry when I shouldn't for DAME, and how it feels to be on the receiving end of it. It's made me think a lot about how much I devalue myself when I unnecessarily apologize, as well as when I kowtow to people I shouldn't, even people I hate. I do it more often than I'd like, and ultimately, it's ridiculous because no one can ever give you back your power or self-esteem or self-worth once you so freely give it away. The past two years especially have been about me working to actually forgive myself for bad decisions in that area, for all the automatic yeses that should've been nos, for saying to myself, every day, in big and small ways, that I believe in myself. I spent such a long time wanting to be like by others at all costs that I forgot that if I did that at the expense of who I am at my core, I'd lose the essence of what makes me me and be left with nothing. Emotionally, I was, and I hit rock bottom just about two years in that area and am grateful I've learned and grown and can stand up for myself better than I could back then. It's a constant struggle, with various people in my life, from those closest to me to complete strangers, which is why I related so much to the Wendy Wasserstein quote I used in this piece, which I must credit my local Two River Theater for including in their program for her play Third. I read it as I was writing the piece and it resonated with me.

1950 Parker Brothers SORRY Vintage Game 1950s B_0

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My review of Elliott Smith documentary Heaven Adores You at The Daily Beast

The Daily Beast had me review the new Elliott Smith documentary Heaven Adores You. I'm working on expanding the topics I write about so I don't get pigeonholed as only a sex writer, because that's important to me personally and vital if I'm going to continue to have a career as a freelance writer, plus I have plenty of other interests so am always thankful for editors who let me write about those too. Was grateful I was able to see this at its world premiere in San Francisco and hope it screens in more cities soon.

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Saturday, June 21, 2014

Are book titles with hashtags like #GIRLBOSS the next publishing trend?

I explored the trend of book titles like #GIRLBOSS, #scandal, #YesAllWomen and #Berlin45 the next big thing in publishing? I explore the topic in my first piece for The Guardian US. I love getting the opportunity to write about books and learned a lot about marketing savvy from those I interviewed, including Sophia Amoruso, Nasty Gal CEO and her editor, and young adult novelist Sarah Ockler.

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See you at sex toy stores in Baltimore, Alexandria and Washington, DC in July

I'm doing my first ever events at sex toy stores in Baltimore, Maryland, Alexandria, Virginia and Washington, DC in July, and hope you can make it and/or let people nearby who may be interested know. All the details are below. Excited about all of these events and the very first The Big Book of Submission reading! I don't get the opportunity to do readings too often these days so they are extra special for me, and I welcome the chance to meet new readers and get to share these stories (and yes, that reading and my other upcoming ones, September 6th at the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture in Seattle and September 10th at She Bop in Portland, Oregon, to be added to their site soon, are all free!)

July 23, 6:30 pm
Erotica 101 writing workshop, Sugar, Baltimore, Maryland


Professional erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, editor of over 50 anthologies such as The Big Book of Orgasms, Flying High and Best Bondage Erotica 2014, will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing, from getting started, finding your voice, and incorporating your surroundings, pop culture, and personal experiences into your stories to crafting a range of characters and settings and submitting your work.

In this supportive, welcoming workshop environment, you'll learn how to write vividly about everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies, and make them fit for particular publications in the thriving erotica market. This workshop will address the recent boom in erotica inspired by Fifty Shades of Grey, provide examples of well written erotica, and will include multiple writing exercises. You'll be given a handout listing major markets and further reading suggestions.

No previous writing experience required. Please bring laptop or pen and paper.

$25/person; register in store, by calling 410-467-2632 or online at Brown Paper Tickets
Sugar, 1001 West 36th Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 410-467-2632

July 24, 8-9:30 pm
Free reading from The Big Book of Orgasms and The Big Book of Submission, Lotus Blooms, Alexandria, Virginia
(free but registration is required)
Join me along with The Big Book of Orgasms contributors Emerald ("Payback") and Tess Danesi ("Steamy") and Bedded Bliss author and The Big Book of Submission contributor Kristina Wright ("The Test")! Calling all literary geeks! Join us on July 24th at Lotus Blooms in Old Town, Alexandria to welcome one of the biggest names in erotic fiction, Rachel Kramer Bussel. Boasting an impressive portfolio, Bussel is editor of over 50 anthologies, including The Big Book of Orgasms, Cheeky Spanking Stories, Best Bondage Erotica 2014, Flying High: Sexy Stories from the Mile High Club and more. In this 90 minute meet-and-greet, Rachel Kramer Bussel and three guest authors* will share excerpts from her highly anticipated new book, The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales and one of her most popular compilations, The Big Book of Orgasms. There will be time at the end for a book signing and a short Q&A.

If you are not familiar with Bussel’s books, come see why Publishers Weekly says that Bussel “proves less is more in this collection of nibble-size erotic stories that are just long enough to fuel the imagination” and get to know the stories that will be on your nightstand for many late nights to come.
Lotus Blooms, 1017 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 703-535-8225, free as long as you register online

July 26, 7-8:30 pm
Erotica 101 writing workshop, Secret Pleasures, Washington, DC

Professional erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, editor of over 50 anthologies such as The Big Book of Orgasms, Flying High and Best Bondage Erotica 2014, will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing, from getting started, finding your voice, and incorporating your surroundings, pop culture, and personal experiences into your stories to crafting a range of characters and settings and submitting your work. In this supportive, welcoming workshop environment, you'll learn how to write vividly about everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies, and make them fit for particular publications in the thriving erotica market. This workshop will address the recent boom in erotica inspired by Fifty Shades of Grey, provide examples of well written erotica, and will include multiple writing exercises. You'll be given a handout listing major markets and further reading suggestions.

No previous writing experience required. Please bring laptop or pen and paper.

$21.69 (includes service charge), register at Brown Paper Tickets
Secret Pleasures Boutique, 1510 U Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-664-1476

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My interview with the authors of Queerly Beloved on how changing genders changed their marriage

I interviewed author couple Diane and Jacob Anderson-Minshall for Slate's Outward blog about their new memoir Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders. We talked for a long time (almost two hours!) so this is a brief overview of what we discussed, about how they went from a lesbian couple to a lesbian-identified bisexual married to a trasngender man, how their families and the GLBT community reacted, how changing genders affected Jacob and how he's perceived, and more. The book is one I recommend, whether you normally read about transgender or queer topics or not, because it's such an open look at how their relationship and marriage works, how deeply they know each other, though packed with revelations they reveal to each other (and the reader) over the course of alternating chapters. It's my first piece for Slate so if you liked it, I'd love it if you'd spread the word. I also recommend checking out their interview with Tristan Taormino on her Sex Out Loud radio show.

QueerlyBeloved_COVER_FINAL(1)

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Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Double the kink in July with Bound for Trouble and The Big Book of Submission

I'm counting the days until The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales is in my hands and will be posting more about it here and at @submissionbook on Twitter and on Tumblr and Facebook but today I wanted to tell you about a great companion book of bondage erotica also coming out in July, edited by Alison Tyler. It's called Bound for Trouble: BDSM Erotica for Women and it's cover and contents are hot, hot, hot! My story is called "The Kissing Party" and was inspired by reading about House of Scorpio's parties, which I've yet to attend but hope to someday. I took kissing and bondage and nipple clamps and kink and mixed them up into a sexy story. I hope you'll check out both books; The Big Book of Submission has 69 stories, each 1,200 words or less, so short but extremely sexy bits of kink, some of the best work I've published on the topic, and Bound for Trouble which promises to be as hot as all of Alison Tyler's work. Both will be available in ebook and audiobook form and for sale at all kinds of bookstores; I'm linking to Amazon because I'm part of their affiliate program and it's an easy way to link, but I encourage you to shop for these books wherever you prefer to buy books, or directly from publisher Cleis Press.

bboscover
The Big Book of Submission


Blurb (this is the one I wrote for the postcards I made, which I'll be handing out at upcoming events):
What do you do when the person who pushes all your buttons orders you to do something that makes your heart pound—whether with fear, arousal or both? Gotta Have It and The Big Book of Orgasms editor Rachel Kramer Bussel is back with a new book bursting with BDSM stories of all kinds. From a student who returns to school his teacher in bondage to a woman tasked with taking x-rated dressing room selfies, these sexy tales exult in kinky power play. From spanking and stripping to dungeons and dinners, a “Naughty Prof” to “Breathless Obedience” and “Training My Dom,” these men and women go all the way in order to submit to their creative tops.
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Bound for Trouble


Blurb:
Bound for Trouble is the tenth bondage-themed anthology for Alison Tyler, a veteran at collecting the very best BDSM stories for her readers’ pain-tinged pleasure. Bondage sends shivers (the really good kind) down spines. With Bound for Trouble, Tyler uncovered new jewels, glimmering examples of the ultimate in erotic writing. Every writer in this book focuses on a different facet of the bondage theme. Some characters use tools, some words, one uses paper chains. There are male subs, femme doms, and more. But what these stories have in common is addiction. And fascination. And obsession. Plain and simple, bound for trouble.

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Sunday, June 08, 2014

Baltimore erotica writing workshop July 23rd at Sugar

I'm teaching my Erotica 101 writing workshop on Wednesday, July 23rd at 6:30 p.m. at sex toy store Sugar in Baltimore (1001 West 36th Street). It's $25, and you can register in the store, by calling 410-467-2632 or online at Brown Paper Tickets. I've been to Sugar but have never taught there so am looking forward to it!
Professional erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, editor of over 50 anthologies such as The Big Book of Orgasms, Flying High and Best Bondage Erotica 2014, will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing, from getting started, finding your voice, and incorporating your surroundings, pop culture, and personal experiences into your stories to crafting a range of characters and settings and submitting your work.

In this supportive, welcoming workshop environment, you'll learn how to write vividly about everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies, and make them fit for particular publications in the thriving erotica market. This workshop will address the recent boom in erotica inspired by Fifty Shades of Grey, provide examples of well written erotica, and will include multiple writing exercises. You'll be given a handout listing major markets and further reading suggestions.

No previous writing experience required. Please bring laptop or pen and paper.

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Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Los Angeles erotica and sex writing workshops September 12th for CatalystCon West plus discount coe

I've got a busy September and will be sharing all the events as soon as they are posted, but can tell you I'll be in Los Angeles for CatalystCon West September 12-14. You can sign up and get more informationn at catalystcon.com and a special bonus for you: save $5 on each workshop (for a total of $10) by using code RACHEL by June 15th.

I'm also planning a Portland, Oregon event, am doing a free reading September 6 3-4:30 at the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture in Seattle, and an erotic writing workshop for them the evening of September 9th, and will be at Early to Bed in Chicago September 28th and The Tool Shed in Milwaukee September 30th to teach erotic writing workshops. I'm always open to visiting new cities and have a few other things in the works, so if you'd like to bring me to your town, email me at rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com for more information. I'm heading back to my former home of New York City on October 24th for another fabulous workshop at the New York Academy of Sex Education. My mind's been buzzing since last Friday's workshop with all sorts of writing ideas.

Here's the CatalystCon workshop details - I'm also on 2 panels and will share info on that soon.

Writing Workshops with Rachel Kramer Bussel

Erotica 101

Friday, September 12, 2014 9:15am-12:15pm

In this three hour workshop Rachel Kramer Bussel, professional erotica author and editor of over 50 erotica anthologies, such as The Big Book of Orgasms, Cheeky Spanking Stories and Serving Him: Sexy Stories of Submission, will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing. Learn how to get started, find your voice, and write against type. You’ll discover how to incorporate everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies into your writing, and make them fit for particular magazines and anthologies. The class will also cover branding yourself as a writer, using and selecting a good pseudonym, and using social media to promote your work and do outreach. She’ll also talk about submitting your work and keeping up with the thriving erotica market, including anthologies, ebooks, magazines and websites. Please bring paper and writing implements or a laptop to use for in class writing exercises. A bibliography with erotica resources will be provided.

This class will take place on Friday, September 12, 2014 at the CatalystCon host hotel. You must purchase a ticket to this workshop separately from CatalystCon on the registration page. Register here.

Pricing: $45.

Note: Student discount does not apply to this workshop.

Sex Writing 101

Friday, September 12, 2014 1:30pm-4:30pm

In this three hour workshop, writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel will cover all you need to know about writing about sex, including blogging, first-person essays and journalism. You’ll learn how to ethically write about your love life, what editors are looking for, where to find experts on sexuality topics, and how to stay abreast of current sex news. Whether you’re looking to write a sex blog, column, articles or books, you’ll find out how to pitch, how much money you can expect to make, and how to maximize your editorial opportunities. The class will also cover branding yourself as a writer, using and selecting a good pseudonym, using social media to promote your work and do outreach, and how to pitch stories. Rachel has been a sex columnist for The Village Voice, Penthouse and The Frisky, and has written about sexuality for Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast, Glamour, Inked, Salon, xoJane and many other publications. A resource list covering markets for sex-related pieces will be provided.

This class will take place on Friday, September 12, 2014 at the CatalystCon host hotel. You must purchase a ticket to this workshop separately from CatalystCon on the registration page. Register here.

Pricing: $45.

Note: Student discount code does not apply to this workshop.

Special pricing for both workshops: $79

**Attendees who would like the opportunity to get feedback from Rachel on one piece of their own writing (3,000 words or less), to be submitted prior to the workshop can purchase this as an add on to either of the above workshops. Fee: $20

Rachel Kramer Bussel is an author, editor and blogger. She has edited over fifty books of erotica, including The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories; Baby Got Back: Anal Erotica; Twice the Pleasure: Bisexual Women’s Erotica; Serving Him: Sexy Stories of Submission, The Big Book of Orgasms; Anything for You; Suite Encounters; Going Down; Irresistible; Gotta Have It; Obsessed; Women in Lust; Surrender; Orgasmic; Cheeky Spanking Stories; Bottoms Up; Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica; The Mile High Club; Going Down; Tasting Him; Tasting Her; Please, Sir; Please, Ma’am; He’s on Top; She’s on Top; Lust in Latex; Best Sex Writing 2013 and is Best Bondage Erotica series editor. Her anthologies have won 8 IPPY (Independent Publisher) Awards, and Surrender won the National Leather Association Samois Anthology Award. Her work has been published in over one hundred anthologies, including Best American Erotica 2004 and 2006. She wrote the popular “Lusty Lady” column for the Village Voice.

Rachel has written for AVN, Bust, Cleansheets.com, Cosmopolitan, Curve, The Daily Beast, TheFrisky.com, Glamour, Gothamist, Huffington Post, Inked, Mediabistro, Newsday, New York Post, New York Observer, Penthouse, The Root, Salon, San Francisco Chronicle, Time Out New York and Zink, among others. She teaches erotic writing workshops across the country at colleges, sex toy stores, conferences and community events. She blogs at Lusty Lady and Tweets @raquelita.


3 BDSM erotica anthologies for $1.99 each on Kindle in June

It's a new month, which means new Kindle ebook sales on 3 of my BDSM erotica books. For the female dominant/male submissive (femdom) fans, there's She's on Top: Erotic Stories of Female Dominance and Male Submission (which was one of my earliest books with Cleis Press, from 2007, and has one of my favorite covers) and Please, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission and in the female sub/male dom category, with a hot cover by Barbara Nitke, Surrender: Erotic Tales of Female Pleasure and Submission, which has one of my favorite story titles ever ("Dear Professor Pervert"). More details on each below and they are available in print and from other stores too but the sale price is on the Kindle edition. Also if you like aural erotica as well, you can get the Audible audiobook versions for only $3.99 once you buy the Kindle edition. And I was in the middle of posting this when I remembered that the cover of Please, Ma'am was shot by the incredibly talented Christine Kessler, who recently passed away. Lots of people are posting photos she took and remembrances on Twitter.

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She's on Top: Erotic Stories of Female Dominance and Male Submission


Description:
Turning the tables on rigid gender roles, the stories in She’s on Top honor the Amazon, the dominatrix, the handcuff-toting, whip-wielding she-devil of the male bottom’s deepest dreams. Employing every item in their bag of tricks, from strap-ons to metal cinches, these hot dommes like nothing better than teasing and tormenting their devoted subjects – often at the same time. With stories by some of the best writers in the field of BDSM erotica such as Stan Kent, Debra Hyde, and Saskia Walker, She’s on Top shows that pleasure’s best when dispensed by a firm female hand.
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Please, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission


Description:
Men are the ones gifted with all sorts of power in our society, but a dirty little secret is that so many of them long to strip themselves of this power, to be tied down, gagged, spanked, taken, and owned. They want to ease the burdens of manliness, if only for a little while, to be "ordered" to do all the naughty things of which they've dreamed. Please, Ma'am shows some of the tantalizing possibilities out there for sniveling men and the women who love them. Best-selling erotica editor Rachel Kramer Bussel has gathered together top voices in the genre, including Stephen Elliott, Alison Tyler, Dominic Santi, and many more. In Please, Ma'am, men willingly submit to the deliciously dominant women who entertain their deepest desires and give them the treatment they crave.
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Surrender: Erotic Tales of Female Pleasure and Submission


Description:
Rachel Kramer Bussel's bestselling books of submissive women and dominant men showcase our fantasies, desires, and deepest wishes. For those (and there are MANY) who love to be tired up, spanked, blindfolded, bound, or "used," for another's pleasure, these are books of inspiration. And, of course, these smart subs are getting exactly what THEY really want in very many ways.

Good BDSM erotica makes us understand all the emotions that can come into play when, well, playing: there can be uncertainty, nervousness, fear, excitement. Each of the 22 stories in Surrender are blazingly hot and because they illuminate some aspect of submission. The authors of the stories understand the art of submission and the thrill of surrender, whether that’s personal space, sight (“Without Eyes” by Terri Pray) or culinary choices (“Lunch” by Elizabeth Coldwell).What the women here want is to give up part of themselves to gain something else. They may still be skittish, but overcoming their fears, surrendering to them, yields beauty, pleasure and, in its way, power.

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Monday, June 02, 2014

No bra or panties, blinfolded, waiting on a bed--my Slave Girls blog tour excerpt

I wrote a story inspired by several of my favorite things: hotel rooms, blindfolds, submission, surrendering control, in my story "Out of Sight" in the new anthology Slave Girls: Erotic Stories of Submission edited by D.L. King and published by Cleis Press, with a foreword from the brilliant podcaster and audiobook narrator Rose Caraway. Like many of my stories, it's fiction, with lots of my personal kinks in it. It's about a woman who puts on a blindfold with a certain word on it, one that could be an epithet or high kinky praise, one I've written a story about before, emblazoned on it. You'll have to read the full story to find out that word, but here's a little taste of my story. You can buy the book on Amazon or at your local independent bookstore and follow the rest of the virtual book tour. I haven't read the book yet but I've seen a copy and it's gorgeous (yes, I judge books by their covers--that's what covers are for!).

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Official blurb:
The idea of a woman enslaved to her lover has captured the imagination of millions and created bestsellers such as The Story of O, Carrie's Story and Fifty Shades of Grey. Award-winning editor and writer D. L. King pulls back the velvet curtains to reveal a world where every sexual fantasy is realized, a world driven by desire and the need to be dominated. These Slave Girls want nothing more than to be subjugated and owned in body and soul. Trained and tested to suit every sexual taste, these women learn the ropes — literally. King and her masterful eroticists offer the reader an immersive experience. These sexy, subversive stories of submission are from the very best eroticists including Alison Tyler, Sommer Marsden, and D. L. King herself.
And now for my NSFW story exceprt, which is toward the middle but a little bit into the tale, but I'm sure you can catch up:
From "Out of Sight" by Rachel Kramer Bussel:

I shifted, the seam of my jeans pressing into my sex. I never used to wear jeans, only skirts and dresses, but that's something else Peter had insisted on one day. He'd made me try on a pair without panties, then explain what I'd done, pay for them, and walk around until I'd soaked them from all his commands. I was only allowed to wear them without panties, just as certain tops and dresses I was only allowed to wear without a bra, and certain skirts or stockings without panties. Those rules applied whether I was seeing Peter or not; I got the impression he liked it even better when I followed his rules on days he wasn't going to see me, when I could have gotten away with disobeying, save for my kinky conscience.

I took off my top and bra while the man watched. I didn't ask his name, and he didn't offer; instead, he took my breasts in each hand, pulled my nipples toward him, just hard enough to make me gasp. When I did, he pinched them, twisting each one until I let out another noise, one not quite so quiet. "You'll be good while I pierce you, right? No screams. I can give you a rag to muffle your noises, if you can't handle it. I've heard you can get pretty loud." The idea that Peter had told this stranger about what I was like in bed was at once infuriating and exciting.

"I'll be quiet." And I was. I thought of Peter the whole time, of how before I'd met him I never would've imagined being the type to get anything more than my ears pierced. Yet here I was not only eager to sport beautiful silver studs in each nipple, but for them to heal so he could play with them.

They did heal, and Peter did make sure he knew exactly how much more tender and sensitive my nipples were after that, and that I knew they'd remain that way from frequent use, whether that was making me suck my nipple while he shoved his fingers inside me or him simply brushing against me in public enough to make them stand at attention. But those studs were symbolic; as long as they were in, I would always wake up thinking of him, and any other lovers I took would see them, and even if they didn't know exactly what the metal meant, I would. I'd know exactly who I belonged to—and I liked it that way.

So as I finger the sensual silk, I savor the last few moments of sight to take in the grandeur around me. There's not a mirror on the ceiling, but there's a giant one across from the bed that can only be a sign of extreme narcissism or unabashed exhibitionism and voyeurism. I strip out of my outfit—one of his favorite dresses, hot pink silk, no bra or panties, fold the dress and place it on top of the dresser, so he's sure to see it. I resist the urge to inspect my naked body, since I don't know how much time I have before he arrives. Instead, I climb up onto the bed and carefully place the blindfold over my eyes, running my fingers over the letters like braille so they're positioned as evenly as possible, before I tie a tight knot. I shake my head back and forth to make sure the blindfold is in place, then lay down on my stomach, plant my cheek to the side, and reach behind me for my ankles. I grab them, then spread my knees, smiling against the sheets as I settle in to the familiar pose.

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