Greetings from Seattle, where I'm in bed with books and a cookie

I'm savoring the chilly air while wearing the hoodie my boyfriend got me in my hotel bed in sunny Seattle. It looks like it'll be a gorgeous day out and I'm excited about today's 3 pm reading (see below), the first of my month of events. But first, I'm taking a little time to enjoy the quiet in the room and my head. It's been a stressful and hectic few weeks, with new opportunities dangling before me but not finalized yet, and the logistics of coordinating flights, train rides, events, hotels, housing, but now that I'm here, I feel more focused and ready.

I'm on a working vacation, and want to make sure I do justice to both parts of that. I may not do everything I'd get to if I were purely on vacation, but for me little pleasures can go a long way. Last night my flight out of JFK was delayed for over an hour because a sick passenger had to disembark after we'd pulled away from the gate, but before we took off. So I landed at 10 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m. and then was keyed up when I sank into my hotel bed. The Doubletree gave me a warm chocolate chip cookie on checkin, and I savored half of it, the chocolate melting onto my tongue. I ate it in little pieces, then ate the rest this morning. I don't have a photo of the cookie because I was too intent on getting it in my mouth, but it was delicious.



I just listened to a wonderful podcast by the Pleasure Mechanics on "Overcoming Distraction For Better Sex". I have ADD and have had prescriptions at various times, but haven't taken anything for it for about two years. I go back and forth in terms of whether it's worth the effort to try to get back on meds while I look into various ways to streamline my attention naturally. I think this podcast offers lots of useful advice both regarding sex and ADD and other areas of your life.

I'm deciding which of these 4 books I'm reading (I'm a book juggler) to pick up right now:



I've been reading blog posts by Evoë Thorne at Whole Sex Life, who I'm reading with today at 3, and have been so immensely impressed with the honesty with which she writes about so many sex and relationship topics, from married sex to difficult conversations in long-term relationships. Here's the details about today:

September 6, 3:30-4 pm
Free erotica reading in Seattle Readings from The Big Book of Submission, The Big Book of Orgasms and Hungry for More with me and local contributors, including Evoë Thorne, Brandy Fox and others.

Center for Sex Positive Culture Annex, 1608 15th Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119



I better go get ready so I have time to talk to the reading from downtown Seattle. See you at 3, and here's the handy link for all my upcoming events, including Tuesday night's Seattle erotica writing workshop, the SheBop reading extravaganza, my classes and panels at CatalystCon, reading with Rose Caraway, Portland Public Library Banned Books Week talk and more.

Why free time is never wasted, or why I'm excited to fly to Seattle today

When I set out to plan a West Coast book tour around sexuality and activism conference CatalystCon in Los Angeles, where next Friday September 12th I'm teaching two three-hour writing workshops, I had assumed I'd do an event a day and be home in a week, or maybe 8-9 days. Instead I fly to Seattle today, September 5th, and with a redeye home from Portland, Oregon, will get back to New Jersey on September 20th (then leave again soon after for Maine). That's how the event scheduling worked out.

I had a few people I wanted to see in Seattle, but mostly I planned to write and catch up on work I'm in various stages of finishing. I have a few fiction ideas I want to get to and am pretty sure the atmosphere of a new cafe and environment will help me, especially for the call for coffee-themed erotic romance stories. I don't mind the free time, but the whole extended trip has been making me a little nervous in terms of all the logistics.

But then last night I discovered that Elissa Washuta/, author of the memoir that's packed and waiting for me to finish reading on the plane, My Body Is a Book of Rules (remember my list of 3 books I want to read? It's now grown, but that's at the top) is reading Monday night at 7 at Elliott Bay Books. What a wonderful coincidence! I don't get to readings much these days other than my own, although my local bookstore River Road Books does host them occasionally. So this is perfect and I'll get to meet some other writers attending who I wouldn't have met otherwise. I'll post more about the book when I'm finished; I can tell you now that if you see it in a bookstore you should pick it up and hold it and look at it. From the size to the paper to the text, it's a little different than your average book, and that's before you even start reading it.



It feels like fate that the free day I'd already set aside for writing now will culminate in hearing a writer I've wanted to meet, which seems like a good sign that this book tour will be a positive one. I almost said a "success" but I'm not really sure how you measure that. My goals? Professionally, to have successful events, remember to get the authors at my readings to sign my books, to inspire the students attending my workshops to finish and send out their stories, and to get inspired. Personally? To walk a lot, to explore, to see old friends and make new ones, and hopefully come home a slightly better person than I was when I left.

I'll take this last moment to ask that if you know anyone in Seattle, you let them know about my two upcoming events:

Tomorrow's free erotica reading, September 6th, 3-4:30 p.m.

With me, Brandy Fox ("Organically Grown"), Evoë Thorne ("Squirt") and others. Books will be available for sale and signing.
Center for Sex Positive Culture Annex, 1608 15th Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119

September 9th, 7-9 pm, 18 and older
Erotica Writing 101 Workshop This is also at Center for Sex Positive Culture Annex, 1608 15th Ave W in Seattle and it's $23 in advance (with fees it's $25.42) and $30 at the door, so if you are interested, it's best to sign up ahead of time. Click on the ticketing link above for a fuller description. I'm fresh from BDSM Writers Con and have been doing lots of research so I've got lots of great new information to share with you about places to send your writing as well as lots of wonderful writing exercises. Looking forward to my first Seattle writing workshop!

I'm honored to partner with the Center for Sex Positive Culture and Foundation for Sex Positive Culture and am looking forward to meeting contributors to my books and students who I hope will be future contributors! Questions about my events? Email me at rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com with "Tour" in the subject line.