My Salon article on vandalism and harassment at feminist sex toy stores

Yes, it so happens that three pieces of mine came out today (all written last week), and I'm proud of them all but this one at Salon I think is the most important: "Sex shop crimes: How vandals, creeps and violence threaten our neighborhood vibrator peddlers." Thanks to staff at Self Serve, Good Vibrations, Good for Her, Sugar, Babeland, Pure Pleasure and Secret Pleasures and everyone else I contacted but couldn't include for letting me know what's up at your stores. And thanks for reading! If you buy sex toys and/or care about those who buy and sell them, I'd love it if you'd pass this one on.

Sex toy stores selling The Big Book of Submission

Here are the sex toy stores I know of so far selling The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales (click on the title to read 69 excerpts) - if your favorite one doesn't have it in stock, ask! I'm hoping to add more names to this list very soon. I've been to all of these stores save for She Bop, and can't wait to read there in September.

Early to Bed (Chicago) - and I teach Erotica Writing 101 there September 28 at 6:30 p.m.

Lotus Blooms (Alexandria, Virginia)

Secret Pleasures (Washington, DC) - it's not in their online store yet, but it's in their brick and mortar store

She Bop (Portland, Oregon) - coming very soon, as am I (September 10th, to be exact)

Sugar (Baltimore, Maryland) - I'm not seeing it in their online store, but it's in their brick and mortar store

The Tool Shed (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - and I teach Erotica Writing 101 there September 30 at 8:30 p.m.

Sex toy store mini tour photos

I've had a wonderful time at all my events in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC! Here are a few photos, and I hope to return to the area in the next year. Thank you to Sugar, Lotus Blooms and Secret Pleasures for having me! These stores are the first places aside from Barnes & Noble where I've seen The Big Book of Submission in the flesh and the first time I got to sign copies for people buying them. All three stores were wonderful and I'm honored I got the chance to work with them and explore new neighborhoods. Plus, I generally have no idea how my books are doing and am biting my nails waiting to find out, so getting to talk to store owners about it is wonderful and helps guide what I will work on next, since it only makes sense to work on books that readers are interested in reading.

Sugar, Baltimore, Maryland


I loved this display and am glad I took this selfie because I forgot to take another photo later


My favorite book of mine, The Big Book of Orgasms, gets a fitting display next to some vibrators

snapped near Sugar:



Lotus Blooms, Alexandria, Virginia- I hadn't done a reading in a very long time and it was wonderful to meet and reconnect with these authors.


Front row: Me, Tess Danesi, Michelle Augello-Page; second row: Emerald and Kristina Wright







Secret Pleasures, Washington, DC


I was intrigued by these gold accented toys




Secret Pleasures put me on their wall next to Buck Angel and Partners in Passion authors Mark A. Michaels and Patricia Johnson

Washington, DC erotica writing workshop Saturday night

I'll post photos soon of my events the last two nights, which have gone wonderfully. Today I'm catching up and enjoying a little downtime in the Washington, DC area before I see Capital Fringe show The Dish tonight. I wanted to repost the details about Saturday night's erotica writing workshop at sex toy store Secret Pleasures - if you know anyone in the area who might be interested, please let them know! Doing writing workshops fires me up to want to put out new calls for submissions, which I hope to do later this year.

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

8 Capital Fringe shows I'm excited about

I'm off to the Washington, DC area, and for you creative types, I'll be teaching my Erotica Writing 101 workshop Saturday night at Secret Pleasures in DC, and I hope you can attend, or tell your friends who are eager to write erotica. Attendance is capped at 20 people and there are a few tickets left as of this posting. This special capital edition will include political erotica and I'll be giving lots of advice on how to get your work published and get paid. I'm also in town to attend some shows at Capital Fringe, and while I don't know if I'll make it to all of these, these are the shows I'm most excited about. I'm linking to their official pages so you can find out more - if one intrigues you, they should have Facebook pages with more info. I know Twanna and The Dish cast have been posting great reviews! DC Metro Theater Arts is also posting amazing reviews.

I Füçkèð Your Country by Twanna Hines

The Dish

Self Portrait

Districtland (I was a poli sci major, after all)

Cabaret XXX: Everybody F*cking Dies

Giant Box of Porn

Relationsh!t

Perfect Liars Club

My Washington, DC July 26 erotica writing workshop is capped at 20 people

I'm teaching my first erotica writing workshop in Washington, DC on Saturday, July 26th from 7-8:30 pm at sex toy store Secret Pleasures. Attendance is capped at 20 people and tickets are selling fast, so if you're interested, do book your ticket now. Once you've booked, if you have a specific question you'd like answered at the workshop, email me at rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com with "Washington" in the subject line and I will try to answer it during the course of the workshop. The workshop costs $21.69 (including service charge) and I will do my best to get you submitting and selling a story soon after, which would earn you back the cost of the workshop and then some (you have to do the work of submitting, but I will point you in the right direction). Here's that info all in one place:

July 26, 7-8:30 pm

Secret Pleasures Boutique, 1510 U Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-664-1476

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.

$20/person (plus $1.69 service fee), register here

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

Washington, DC Erotica 101 writing workshop July 26 at 7 pm

I know it's a ways away but I wanted to share that I'll be teaching my Erotica 101 writing workshop on Saturday, July 26 at 7 p.m. at sex toy store Secret Pleasures in Washington, DC (1510 U Street NW). The cost is $20/person and you can sign up here. I've yet to visit Secret Pleasures so am looking forward to it; they've been a great supporter of my books and I'm working on a few more events this summer and fall and will post the dates as I have them.

Here's a little snippet from their review of The Big Book of Orgasms:

The fantastic thing about this book, like so many of Bussel’s other anthologies, is the wide range of sexual expression that can be found. So often, erotica focuses only on one gender or one type of sex – not so here. One of my favorite stories, “Hard Knocks” by Malin James, revolves around a challenge to make someone orgasm just by spanking them (hint: he succeeds)! “Squirt” by Evoe Thorne is a gorgeous story about an older butch / femme couple that take a vacation to their mountain cabin to reconnect with each other and they make it their goal to get each other to squirt for the first time. Their relationship is portrayed so beautifully and it was great to read erotica with an older couple at the forefront.