Why I picked it: "Chemistry" by Velvet Moore in Orgasmic

If you've ever taken an erotica writing class with me, you've likely heard me quote from one of my favorite stories of the many hundreds I've published: "Chemistry" by Velvet Moore. It's about, yes, chemistry, as in labs and scientists, and it's in Orgasmic: Erotica for Women, which, even though it's about 25 women and their 25 different orgasms, is really "for everyone." It's also currently on sale for 99 cents on Kindle, to end any moment (it was supposed to end yesterday). It's also 99 cents on Google Play.



What I love so much about it is that it taps into an unusual fetish, portrays a woman of science who's hot for scientists, uses the senses, especially the sense of smell, and brilliantly takes us inside the mind of the narrator and her fetish. It jumps right into what she's all about and doesn't let up. Part of why Orgasmic is the model I use when editing anthologies, such as Best Women's Erotica 2016, which I'll be reading all the submissions for next week (deadline is June 1, writers!), is that it is so wonderfully varied. No, it doesn't have every possible way a woman could come; I don't have the space for that. But it looks at single women, coupled women, kinky women, queer women, and so many more. Just as the book as a whole is a model for me for what I aim to achieve as an editor, this story is a model I offer as one example of an exquisite erotic story.

Here's a snippet, and I hope you'll like it enough to check out the book. As I said, the 99 cent sale is probably ending very soon. You can also get it in paperback and audiobook narrated by Lucy malone. Here's a little snippet of what I love about the story. I hope you like it too:

From "Chemistry" by Velvet Moore:

The smell of science makes me horny.

I narrowly resisted shoving my hands down my pants and rubbing myself to oblivion during my niece’s science fair. My stomach dips with pleasure every time someone lights a match. Each July I’m aroused by the vapors of the noise-making novelty fireworks called “snappers.” Little do tricksters know that when they crack one on the pavement at my feet, I shiver out of excitement, not fear.

Smell is the sense tied most closely to human memory. So when I sense any use of potassium chlorate; a white, crystalline compound well stocked in science laboratories and often used for combustion; I remember how it feels to have the fire of orgasm sizzle its way through my body and melt a liquid path down my legs. The chemical’s odor singes my nostrils and flashes me back to the sensation of a chilly, marble countertop pressed against my back, to the press of fingers digging into my supple thighs, to the slick pressure of rounded glass slipping in and out.

And it’s what I remember most about him.

Most scientists that I’ve met fit the typical stereotypes. Most would rather analyze your genes than pry off your jeans. Yet I suspected that Michael Harrison was capable of much more than stripping me of my pants. With his wavy black hair, broad shoulders and Clark Kent glasses, I believed that stripped of his unassuming attire, he would have something surprising and heroically powerful bulging underneath.

I understood this the first time I shook his hand and caught the scent of chemicals trapped in his clothes and seared into his skin, a smell faint and tangy and far too interesting to be cologne, like the smell of your body after a lengthy swim in a freshly chlorinated pool. I imagined that if I should run my tongue along his perky nipples, my tongue would sizzle as though touched to the tip of a battery.

We needed a scientist to impress the hospital donors with a tour of the lab. I planned to find an excuse to use him.

25 women orgasming - read all about it for 99 cents in Orgasmic

Orgasmic is only 99 cents right now on Kindle! I believe the sale lasts until Thursday, so act fast. It remains one of my favorite of the 50+ anthologies I've edited. Why? I think it's one of the hottest and certainly most varied. I made sure that none of the 25 female orgasm erotica tales were too similar, and it has a story I read from in all my writing classes, "Chemistry" by Velvet Moore, which I consider a model of how to write an intriguing erotic tale about an unusual fetish. Want to read my BDSM story "Belted" for free? Visit Goodreads, and I hope you'll also enjoy the other 24. At 4 cents a story, this bargain can't be beat (unlike the narrator of "Belted")! If you've been hankering to listen to these orgasm erotica stories narrated by Lucy Malone, buy the 99 cent Kindle version and get the audiobook for just $3.99!



Want more enticement? Watch the book trailer:



Table of contents

Introduction: Let Me Count the Ways…

The Waiting Game Elizabeth Coldwell
What’s in a Name? Jacqueline Applebee
Chemistry Velvet Moore
The Chair Lolita Lopez
Fixing the Pipes Susie Hara
Share Dusty Horn
Hurdles Rowan Elizabeth
Seeing Stars Louisa Harte
Old Faithful Sylvia Lowry
Paying It Forward Kendra Wayne
The Big O Donna George Storey
Moon Tantra Teresa Noelle Roberts
Feet on the Dashboard Rachel Green
Frosting First Lana Fox
All She Wanted Andrea Dale
Making Shapes Lily Harlem
Rapture Angela Caperton
Belted Rachel Kramer Bussel
Rise and Shine Heidi Champa
Taking the Reins Vanessa Vaughn
First Date with the Dom Noelle Keely
Animal Inside Neve Black
The London O Justine Elyot
Fight Charlotte Stein
Switch Jade Melisande

What gets you off? How do you like to come? Let Orgasmic count the ways…with 25 stories centered around female orgasm, there’s something here for every reader. The women in Orgasmic climax from Tantric sex, role-playing, piercing, G-spot play, sex toys, horseback riding, BDSM, a belt and even chemistry–the scientific kind. They delight in food, God and handymen. They create their own objects of pleasure; they spy, tease, obey, command, argue, submit. Some are shy about their orgasms and some are bold as can be. They come, and come and come again, and they do it in some of the hottest, most creative ways you can think of. Featuring red-hot erotica by some of today’s hottest writers, these stories will make you want to stop everything and have an orgasm immediately…once you’ve turned the last succulent page.

Don't miss out on this special Orgasmic sale, very appropriate for National Masturbation Month!

3 books of women's erotica: Orgasmic, Fast Girls, Women in Lust

I have to admit that of all my books, Orgasmic is one of my favorites because I think the stories as a whole deliver such great variations on the theme of female orgasm. Sometimes people say to me, "Isn't all erotica about orgasms?" Well, not necessarily. People miss the fact that when you are editing a book around a theme, whether it's spanking or bondage or orgasm or submission, the stories need to focus on the theme but also give new life to that theme. It can't just start out "orgasm orgasm orgasm" and end with "orgasm orgasm orgasm." The characters have to grow and change over the course of the story and explore orgasm in some deeper way. That's what the stories in Orgasmic do so brilliantly. So whether you're into chemistry or horse riding or having your private parts struck with a belt or BDSM or Tantric sex or whatever a given story covers, there's a way into the story because the authors lead you there with their characters. There's humor and intensity and love and lust and confusion and frustration and focus. That's true of each of these anthologies, I think. I think the "every bit of erotica has orgasms" mindset means that you go into the story thinking this one thing will happen. Maybe it will--in fact, I can guarantee it will in Orgasmic, but that doesn't mean you really know what you're going to get.

That's probably the most elusive quality I look for when editing anthologies, as I am right now (deadlines are coming up fast!). I like stories that take those reader expectations and twist and turn them until they're almost unrecognizable. That's not to say there's no payoff for the reader, or that the kinky girl at the start of a story suddenly only wants to make out (though in the right hands, that could work), but that there's something extra delivered beyond those early expectations. Or maybe you have no idea what to expect because the premise is so unusual, such as in "Chemistry" by Velvet Moore, one of my favorite stories I've ever published. And a little word on these subtitles: yes, they are billed as "erotica for women" and feature female authors, but I would never venture that only women will enjoy these books. If you like erotica, if you like reading about women exploring their sexuality in different ways, you'll probably appreciate these books. Orgasmic is probably the one book I'd say I'd recommend to get a feel for the kinds of erotic stories and storytelling I enjoy. Fun fact: the entire reason The Big Book of Orgasms exists is because Orgasmic was such a hit! It was a bit of a surprise to me precisely because of the "isn't all erotica orgasmic erotica?" mode of thought, but apparently, orgasms are popular!

Speaking of which, if you've already read these, I'd love it if you'd give them a short review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Even a sentence or two truly goes a long way! Goodreads links: Orgasmic, Fast Girls and Women in Lust.

I'm honored that Lucy Malone, who's narrated novels by bestselling author Jaci Burton, is the narrator of the Orgasmic audiobook. Here's a little bit of what she said in an interview about erotica:

I enjoy how erotica does not seem bound by the limitations that you see in other kinds of writing sometimes and how the sexual element is often a metaphor for personal transformation or a deeper exploration of self. People might assume it’s the book equivalent of porn, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I often find myself very engaged with erotica because those books are often the most multifaceted—there can be a strong paranormal element, a romance, fight scenes, profound character development, and sex scenes all in the same book.

And a personal high point, one that felt like a full circle from my old law school life, when I discovered the band Sarge, to my erotica editing one? The song that inspired the title, "Fast Girls" by Sarge, is the soundtrack to my bubble bath book trailer for the book:




Orgasmic: Erotica for Women

Orgasmic springs from a delicious idea — a book of erotica that explores every possible type of orgasm. This highly original concept could only have come from the delightfully dirty (and brilliant) mind of Rachel Kramer Bussel. Oral sensations, digital delights, tricks with toys, and the old bump and grind are all featured, along with many more imaginative ways to bring a lover to climax. By taking the reins, one woman finds pleasure on top; an experimental lover discovers ecstasy with a remote-controlled vibrator; body and soul merge in multiple orgasms through tantric sex. Orgasmic covers it all, from the familiar to the uncharted, opening up a Pandora’s Box of scenarios and techniques to bring readers to new heights of pleasure.

Table of contents:

Introduction: Let Me Count the Ways…

The Waiting Game Elizabeth Coldwell
What’s in a Name? Jacqueline Applebee
Chemistry Velvet Moore
The Chair Lolita Lopez
Fixing the Pipes Susie Hara
Share Dusty Horn
Hurdles Rowan Elizabeth
Seeing Stars Louisa Harte
Old Faithful Sylvia Lowry
Paying It Forward Kendra Wayne
The Big O Donna George Storey
Moon Tantra Teresa Noelle Roberts
Feet on the Dashboard Rachel Green
Frosting First Lana Fox
All She Wanted Andrea Dale
Making Shapes Lily Harlem
Rapture Angela Caperton
Belted Rachel Kramer Bussel
Rise and Shine Heidi Champa
Taking the Reins Vanessa Vaughn
First Date with the Dom Noelle Keely
Animal Inside Neve Black
The London O Justine Elyot
Fight Charlotte Stein
Switch Jade Melisande Buy from:

Amazon.com.

Kindle ebook edition

Barnes & Noble (Bn.com)

Nook ebook edition

IndieBound (search for your local independent bookstore!)

Google Play

iBooks

Audible.com audio book

Cleis Press


Fast Girls: Erotica for Women

Fast girls don’t mind being the girl everyone is talking about, as long as all eyes are focused their way. They are wanton, daring, shameless, and bold. Fast Girls celebrates the girl with a reputation, the girl who goes all the way, and the girl who doesn't know how to say "no." Featuring writing by Tristan Taormino, Kayla Perrin, Donna George Storey, D. L. King, Kristina Wright, Saskia Walker, Jacqueline Applebee, Tess Danesi, and others, Fast Girls is a racy, provocative collection of erotica by the cream of the crop of female erotica writers. They take readers on unexpected journeys, from a bedroom with every toy imaginable to a sex club, a communal shower, on set with a personal porn star, and more. These characters revel in their sexual excesses, boldly doing what others only dream about. Race through Fast Girls once, and you will come back again and again.

Table of contents:

Introduction: Fast Is a (Sexy) State of Mind

Temptation Kayla Perrin
Waxing Eloquent Donna George Storey
Five-Minute Porn Star Jacqueline Applebee
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

Buy from:

Amazon.com

Kindle ebook edition

Bn.com

Nook ebook edition

Powell's

IndieBound

iBooks

Google Play

Audible audiobook

Cleis Press

German edition Leicht zu haben: Heiße Stories (Amazon Germany)


Women in Lust: Erotic Stories

Lust is urgent, overpowering, and potent. While in real life readers may not always act every time desire calls, in fiction, they can abandon the safety of propriety to seek out lust and sex wherever they find them. The characters in Women in Lust may vary in the objects of their lust, and how they go about acting on it, but what connects them is that pure impulse for a lover. Sometimes he is someone she knows well, a boyfriend or a husband; in other stories, he is a stranger, and is desirable precisely because he represents the unknown. Whether watching a lover playing guitar, going out for a smoke or simply engaging in a chance encounter, these women seize the opportunities presented to them, and savor the lovers who teach them about themselves, helping open them up to new sensual possibilities.

Table of contents:

Introduction: Ladies Who Lust

Naughty Thoughts Portia Da Costa
Guess Charlotte Stein
Her, Him, and Them Aimee Pearl
Bayou Clancy Nacht
Smoke Elizabeth Coldwell
Bite Me Lucy Hughes
Ride a Cowboy Del Carmen
Queen of Sheba Jen Cross
Hot for Teacher Rachel Kramer Bussel
Unbidden Brandy Fox
Something to Ruin Amelia Thornton
Guitar Hero Kin Fallon
Ode to a Masturbator Aimee Herman
Orchid Jacqueline Applebee
Cherry Blossom Kayar Silkenvoice
Rain Olivia Archer
The Hard Way Justine Elyot
Strapped K D Grace
Beneath My Skin Shanna Germain
Comfort Food Donna George Storey

Buy from:

Amazon

Kindle edition (ebook)

Barnes & Noble

Nook (ebook)

Powells

Books-a-Million

IndieBound (search for your local indie bookstore)

iBooks

Google Play

Audible audiobook

Cleis Press