Portland, Maine was one of my favorite places I visited this year

Portland, Maine was far and away one of my favorite places I visited this year, and where I had one of my most successful, sold out erotic writing workshops at sex toy store Nomia, which is currently having a 20% off sale on everything in the store through December 31st; see their Facebook page (you may have to friend them to access it) for details. Not only did the Portland Phoenix put me on their cover and interview me, but I also got to visit with someone I've been friends with since I was 6, see art at the Maine Jewish Museum, bought the reality TV novel Raw by Mark Haskell Smith at Longfellow Books, which I loved so much I'm rushing to read the rest of his work, enjoy mashed potato and bacon pizza at Otto Pizza, have breakfast that also served as a second breakfast and a way to make friends with a dog, via leftovers, from Bintliff's, eat yummy soup, write and drink delicious coffee at Bard Coffee, which has a free bookshelf (I plan to add to it when I return) and enjoy and bring home potato donuts from The Holy Donut. I'm planning to return when the weather is nicer for another workshop and more fun and feasting. Next time I'll get some photos of me in Maine!


getting the star treatment in The Portland Phoenix

From Nomia, a delightful and very well stocked feminist sex toy store:

Interview about erotica in The Portland Phoenix and Tuesday's writing workshop in Portland, Maine

Thank you to The Portland Phoenix for interviewing me about modern erotica and my tips on erotica writing. I'm looking forward to my erotica workshop at Nomia in Portland, Maine on Tuesday night, December 3rd. If you'd like to register, I'm being told tickets are going to sell out shortly, so call Nomia at 207.773.4774 to sign up. Details are below. Here's a snippet from the interview, in response to what makes an erotica story successful:

A good story grabs you from the first sentence and makes you need to keep reading. Don’t skimp on the sex, but you don’t necessarily have to give an exact play-by-play rundown of every touch or look or moan; tell us what will convey the sexual highlights and what makes the encounter so explosive. Bonus points if it also manages to put a new twist on sexuality or an underrepresented or misunderstood fetish or sexual practice. It can have humor or darkness — I’ve published stories about breakups, funerals, and cancer, to name a few — and could be about anything from politics to sports to sex clubs. If there’s one thing I hope people take away from my erotic writing workshop, it’s that anything can be eroticized!

December 3, 7:30-9 pm
Erotica 101 writing workshop

Nomia, 24 Exchange Street, Suite 215, Portland, Maine

Rachel Kramer Bussel, professional erotica author and editor of over 50 erotica anthologies, such as The Big Book of Orgasms, Women in Lust, Please, Sir and Please, Ma'am, 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. She'll also talk about submitting your work and keeping up with the thriving erotica market (including anthologies, ebooks, magazines and websites). Whether you're writing to that special someone, penning longtime fantasies, or want to earn cash for your dirty words, this workshop is for you. Please bring paper or writing implements or a laptop to use for in class writing exercises. A bibliography with erotica resources will be provided. Seating is limited and we expect this workshop to fill up FAST!

Please call the shop at 207.773.4774 to reserve your spot! $20 per person.