Want to write about Best Sex Writing 2009?

I'll have more about this soon, but I wanted to give a heads up to anyone who covers sex in any way, or any of the topics below. Best Sex Writing 2009 arrives very soon and I'd love any reviews, coverage, or interviews. If you're interested, email me at rachelravenous at gmail.com with your publication, mailing address, and what you want to do with it.

The rest of you, if this looks up your alley and you can promise me you'll write a review on Amazon.com by January 15th (you must already have an active Amazon.com account), write to me at the same address with your mailing address and Amazon profile. The first 5 of you will get a copy! You can also read up on Best Sex Writing 2009 here including interviews with the contributors.



More on this book soon, but here's the table of contents and my introduction. The cover photos is by the brilliant and kinky Pervy Girls photographer Christine Kessler.

I'm doing a particularly big push on this because this is the kind of thing I live for: brainy, smart, provocative sex writing that isn't about titillation but the true depth and reality of actual sex and sexual issues. I'd really like to see this series kick ass in sales and get people talking because I think it covers such wide ground, from things you'd expect from a sex writing anthology to plenty you wouldn't. Anything you can do to spread the word would be much appreciated. I'll post again when the books are actually in stock. Many thanks to MSNBC sex columnist Brian Alexander for his thoughtful introduction and careful reading and selection. Oh, and the BSW 09 blog isn't active yet, but will be very soon.

Best Sex Writing 2009
edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Introduction: Sex is Everywhere
One Rape, Please (to Go) Tracie Egan
Searching for Normal: Do Dating Websites for People with STIs Liberate or Quarantine? Lynn Harris
Father Knows Best Amanda Robb
An Open Letter to the Bush Administration Mistress Morgana Maye
The Pleasure of Unpleasure Kristina Lloyd
What's "Normal" Sex? Brian Alexander
Unleash the Beast "Josephine Thomas"
Is Cybersex Cheating? Violet Blue
Sex Offenders!! Kelly Davis
War Games: No WMDs but Military Police Find "Dangerous" Dildos in Iraq Tom Johansmeyer
In Defense of Casual Sex Tracy Clark-Flory
Soulgasm Dagmar Herzog
Sexual Problems: A Common Side Effect of Combat-Related PTSD Don Vaughn
Penises I Have Known Daphne Merkin
Sex Is the Most Stressful Thing in the Universe Dan Vebber
Silver-Balling Stacey D'Erasmo
Sex Dolls for the Twenty-First Century David Levy
Dear John Susannah Breslin
Oldest Profession 2.0: A New Generation of Local "Providers" and "Hobbyists" Create a Virtual Red-Light District Keegan Hamilton
How "Swingers" Might Save Hollywood from a Federal Pornography Statute Alan Levy
Why Bathroom Sex Is Hot James Hannaham
Kids and Comstockery, Back (and Forward) in the Day Debbie Nathan
The Immaculate Orgasm: Who Needs Genitals? Mary Roach


Introduction: Sex Is Everywhere

Sex is everywhere--in our bedrooms, classrooms, courtrooms, and offices, as well as on our TV and movie screens, streets, and newspapers. This was a big year for sex, from prostitution (Eliot Spitzer, Ashley Dupré, Deborah Jeane Palfrey) to teen pregnancy (Jamie Lynn Spears, Bristol Palin) and beyond.

You don’t have to look far to find sex, but you do have to get a bit bolder when looking for writing and thinking about sex that doesn’t play to the lowest common denominator. The essays and articles here explore the big, bad (and good) world of sex in many forms, from online personals sites (for those with STIs) to impassioned arguments for casual sex (and bathroom sexæsometimes one and the same, sometimes not), as well as affairs, purity balls, penises, cybersex, and more.

As I said earlier, sex is everywhereæincluding on the battlefields of Iraq. We may think of sex and war as mutually exclusive terrains, but as Don Vaughn’s story about sexual dysfunction and combat-related PTSD and Tom Johansmeyer’s “War Games,”—which looks at one contractor’s and two female soldiers’ penalization for possessing porn and dildos, respectively—make clear, the two are intricately linked. In fact, there’s no area of our lives where sex doesn’t play a role, even (or perhaps, especially) religion. In “Soulgasm,” an excerpt from Dagmar Herzog’s excellent book Sex in Crisis: The New Sexual Revolution and the Future of American Politics, she looks at what Christian sex educators are saying about sex (from oral to anal to vibrators), and their advice may very well surprise you.

Our current mores and rules about sex didn’t spring up out of nowhere, as Debbie Nathan shows in her exploration of early twentieth-century vice czar Anthony Comstock.

The personal stories here are ones I think may best illuminate how complex, individualistic, confusing and profound sex can be. In “One Rape, Please (to Go),” Tracie Egan boldly starts out, “I blame my recurring rape fantasy on the fact that I’m a feminist.” If that’s not enough to keep you reading, I’ll give you a clue as to what happens next: she hires a man to pretend to rape her, but what she gets in return is not quite what she bargained for. Similarly, in Dan Vebber’s “Sex Is the Most Stressful Thing in the Universe,” the goal of finally having sex becomes exalted to the point of mania, with a little help from his overly neurotic girlfriend.

I’d like to give special thanks to Miriam Axel-Lute and the Sex Positive Journalism Awards (aka, the Sexies). Their project was launched in order “to recognize the times when journalists stick to the standards of their craft in the face of such challenges and produce good, informative journalism that spreads accurate sexual information, stays fair in covering highly charged topics, and celebrates healthy sexuality as a positive force in people’s lives.” “War Games” by Tom Johansmeyer, was one of their runner-ups for Sex-Themed Publications, and all of their winners are worth reading (see sexies.org).

There were many extraordinary pieces I was not able to include in this book. Please visit bestsexwriting2009.wordpress.com for links to some of these pieces and to read more about the latest in sex.

With Best Sex Writing 2008, many people said they’d expected something far juicer from the racy cover. If you’re looking for the latest jerk-off material, please check Cleis Press’s website for their many fine erotica offerings; this is not one of those books, though some of these stories may titillate you or spark your erotic imagination. I always recall that the brain is the biggest sex organ. Learning about sex can inspire us to be better, more knowledgeable and more empathetic lovers, family members, and citizens.

I hope this book will open your mind and make you think about your own sexuality, as well as your neighbors’, politicians’, and best friends’. It’s given me plenty of food for thought and I’m grateful that sex continues to challenge us to think, explore and appreciate its many nuances.

Rachel Kramer Bussel

Read this book: Cancer is a Bitch by Gail Konop Baker

If you are looking for something to read, please do yourself a favor and check out the new memoir Cancer is a Bitch (Or, I'd Rather Be Having a Mid-life Crisis). It's a wonderful, extremely honest account of her bout with breast cancer as well as the ups and downs of her marriage, being a mom, struggling with being a writer and much more. The passage I quote below ("I love him. I hate him...") and other moments where she reflects on the imperfections of her marriage really spoke to me.

As someone with loved ones who have cancer, I found her perspective helpful, too, though obviously each person is different.

She's about to go on book tour. Catch her in your town as well as at The Debutante Ball.

Here's my review:

In her subtitle, Gail Konop Baker wishes that instead of dealing with breast cancer, she could be battling a mid-life crisis. Well, she manages to tackle both with extreme candor, humor, and an openness that is enough to win over any reader, even if they don't think a cancer book sounds like much fun.

It's not, but that doesn't mean Baker is morose. She worries about her future, and more so, in a way, her family's, continually picturing her husband paired up with her yoga teacher or "Laura New Hampshire," a former neighbor. It's in exploring her almost-20 year marriage and its ups and downs that Baker truly shines, especially as her illness is part of that; her husband is a radiologist, and her fear over his reaction to her having cancer, adds to her overall stress.

She writes: "I love him. I hate him. I want him. I don't. But why doesn't anyone tell you how risky it is to trust another person with the all f you, to imprint your life with their life? How frightening it is to love and let yourself be loved? That to stay with someone you have to get over and get on and be willing to redefine the marriage over and over again. And compromise. Always compromise." These thoughts recur throughout the book, but they are not neurotic worries that can be annoying in memoir or fiction, but rather the very real worries about a life suddenly in chaos.

At one point, Baker notes that all her friends are reading Nora Ephron's I Feel About My Neck, and she wishes she could feel bad about something other than her breasts. When describing the physical changes, she harkens back to her days feeding her children, and later it's her daughters who help her pick out a purple bra.

Baker is not only concerned with her own well-being. In "Cancer Snakes Its Way Through the Neighborhood," one of the most moving chapters, she looks around at her neighbors and what they struggle with. Along the way she separately confronts each of her parents over how they handled their childrearing duties, pushing each relationship forward.

This is a book about cancer, yes, but it's really a book about love and family, ambition and hope. The writing hut Baker's husband built for her is a symbol of who she yearns to be, and even though you are holding the product of her efforts in your hand, already know in advance she has succeeded, you feel for Baker's thwarted writing dreams. This is a gutsy, brave, powerful, funny and tear-inducing memoir. Baker doesn't shrug off her diagnosis, but she learns how to live with the uncertainty of it, and embrace each day, and her family and friends to the fullest. That may sound sappy, and maybe it is, but it's sappy in the best kind of way, because it's real and questioning and raw. Kudos to baker on achieving her dream(s) and giving us a peek into her marriage, her family, and her heart, along with her doctors' offices.

Samara O'Shea's must-watch Note to Self book trailer

I've had the wonderful Samara O'Shea at In The Flesh twice now, both times to rousing applause as she read naughty letters (watch one appearance here).



In this book trailer (via Galleycat) for her wonderful new book Note to Self: On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits, she dishes about an ex and why journaling is so important. Comedy fans, be sure to watch for a standup cameo. And please come out July 17th to hear Samara tell us something dirty about journaling.

Pre-order my grandfather's memoir

Please pre-order my grandfather Norman Bussel's memoir, My Private War: Liberated Body, Captive Mind: A WWII POW's Story. (Yes, I am aware that there are two semicolons in the title; personally, I hope that gets resolved because I think it looks a bit strange, but regardless, I'm so excited to read this book I've read in chapters via email in hardcover, and am on a personal campaign to get my grandfather blogging about veterans' issues, which are only going to get more timely the closer we get to November's presidential election.) It comes out from Pegasus Books in November. And you probably know this, but Amazon now offers 5% off across the board for any pre-ordered books (that's in addition to the usual discount they give). I'm going to be the guest blogger on MySpace Books for the week of May 19th and will be talking more about coming from a writing family (my uncle Bob Bussel is also a published author and my cousin Fred Abrahams has written extensively about human rights issues).



You can read an excerpt at Memoirville. Here's the start of the excerpt:

On April 29, 1944, my B-17 Bomber crew flew a fatal mission from Rattlesden, England to Berlin. Four members of our crew were killed that day. Six of us survived and became prisoners of war for a year.

I promised myself that if I were lucky enough to return home, I would write a detailed account of this calamitous event so that the families of those who were killed would know exactly what happened to their loved ones on that fateful day.

More than 60 years have now passed, but I have been unable to set forth a single word about that mission, although the minutiae are still as vivid in my mind as ever.

Keep reading

Rachel Shukert has no shame, and I love her for that

Rachel Shukert reading at the Best Sex Writing 2008 book release party, photo by Stacie Joy



I can't really steal Julie Klausner's "Have You No Shukert?" line, but I can tell you that whether you're Jewish or not, if you don't laugh at least eighteen times while reading Rachel Shukert's essay collection Have You No Shame? And Other Regrettable Stories, you will be missing out. Rachel's humor is certainly not for the faint of heartæit's about the Holocaust, anorexia, blowjobs, and other fun topics. Rachel has fun with her writing, clearly: there are footnotes for goys denoted with little crosses, and notes about Nebraska history denoted with little "n"s. She really has no shame in talking about teenage sex and family drama and somehow makes her very Jewish humor also universal (I think, as obviously I'm biased). She's not doing anything for shock value, and what's truly shocking here is her candor. The humor is the kind that makes you want to grab your best friend and read her passages of it; you might also be tempted to give it to your parents, since it's a "Jewish" book, but I'd say, don't. It might permanently scar them.

And you can not only come to her book party tonight, sponsored by Heeb, but read two choice excerpts from her book.

Also, Rachel's essay "Big Mouth Strikes Again: An Oral Report" opens my book Best Sex Writing 2008. I am definitely going to consider her work for the 2009 edition as well.

Here are some excerpts:

"The Anorexic's Cookbook" on Nerve



Rachel on her childhood obsession with the Nazis on Nextbook

When I was growing up, the Holocaust haunted me. In a valiant attempt at control in a hostile and uncertain world, a world that was once capable (and could be again) of hunting down Jewish children and sending them to their fiery deaths, I took out my Lisa Frank notebook—a luridly colored affair with a pair of grimacing kittens dressed as ballerinas pirouetting across the cover—and made lists. Lists with titles like "People who would hide us from the Nazis," "People who would probably turn us in to the Nazis," and of course, "What to Pack When Hiding from the Nazis."

What to Pack When Hiding from the Nazis
The items on the latter list were the most self-evident: One would need food, of course, Ziploc bags of Cheerios and Skittles, apple juice boxes, and cans of Diet Coke from the pantry. Family photographs—I'd want images of my annihilated relatives to occupy a place of honor at Yad Vashem.

Who is this woman and why is Vaseline on her shopping list?

The brilliant and hilarious Hillary Carlip knows.

I recommend her book A La Cart for Mother's Day (but I already gave it to my mom for her birthday) or for any wacky friend or relative in your life.

Photos from In The Flesh and my reading series immortalized in a book!

More photos are coming, but I wanted to tell you we had a packed room, at least 75 people, out to see a stellar lineup. We'll have video soon too, but you can't capture the looks on people's faces as they passed around the dildo, pictured below, that HoneyB had people fondle while she read (she also had a feather tickler going around the room. Then we did trivia and Lolita Wolf won a copy of HoneyB's Sexcapades and the dildo! Awesome.

These photos are by Viviane of The Sex Carnival.




L to R: Rachel Kramer Bussel, Sarah Thyre, Sofia Quintero, HoneyB, Stephanie Whited, Marie Lyn Bernard

Not pictured (by choice): Suzanne Portnoy



Also, just found out (I have started the book but haven't had time to finish it yet) that In The Flesh gets mentioned in Suzanne Portnoy's new book The Not So Invisible Woman, about her last time reading here. Woo-hoo! My little reading series is now immortalized in print.

On the table last night, photo by Viviane:

You want this book: Hillary Carlip's A La Cart

Some of you may know Hillary Carlip as the editor of the insanely good essay site Fresh Yarn or author of the memoir Queen of the Oddballs. Now, though, she has one of the most amazing photo books out I've ever seen. It's called A La Cart: The Secret Lives of Grocery Shoppers. It also makes an amazing gift, or inspiration if you write fiction (or nonfiction) because Hillary truly becomes these characters, not just through the use of a makeup artist, but through empathy, creativity, and imagination. From her introdoction: "On countless occasions I've been tempted to snatch lists right out of shoppers' hands--especially the woman at Whole Foods who was buying soy milk as she was breast-feeding her baby. But then it would lack teh mystery, the pleasure of getting to know these strangers, sight unseen, through their abandoned lists." The best part is that just when you think you've gotten to a favorite, you turn the page and there's another outrageous, stunning, hilarious or tender or WTF? or "I want to know them" moment. The photographs are by Barbara Green, and you can check out some related links here.

Also, for any writers out there: both of Hillary's book web sites are excellent models to follow, not necessarily to the letter, but they have everything you'd ever want to know about her or her books, in an easy-to-find find, fun layout. Probably because Hillary is also a web designer!

She's been collecting discarded shopping lists for a long time, and in the book, winds up impersonating all kinds of people. Please watch the trailer and an interview with her (in a grocery store!) from The Wall Street Journal. The book is truly stunning; she takes these relatively small lists and truly transforms herself into these characters (male and female), figuring out what makes them tick. It's creative, humorous, and will make you look at your neighbor's grocery cart in a whole new way.

On my wishlist: Swish by Joel Derfner

I know I've been a bad blogger, but trust me, I've been busy. More soon about everything from my hot new book Dirty Girls (NYC party this Thursday 4/10 at Sutra Lounge, 16 First Avenue, 7-9, with free boob cake and readings!) to this weekend's Sex 2.0 "unconference" in Atlanta, where I'm teaching Erotica 101.

For now, I must share this book I can't wait to read: Swish by Joel Derfner, who I interviewed about his first book Gay Haiku.



Swish:My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever

Joel Derfner is gayer than you.

Don't feel too bad about it, though, because he has made being gayer than you his life's work. At summer day camp, when he was six, Derfner tried to sign up for needlepoint and flower arranging, but the camp counselors wouldn't let him, because, they said, those activities were for girls only. Derfner, just to be contrary, embarked that very day on a solemn and sacred quest: to become the gayest person ever. Along the way he has become a fierce knitter, an even fiercer musical theater composer, and so totally the fiercest step aerobics instructor (just ask him—he'll tell you himself).

In Swish, Derfner takes his readers on a flamboyant adventure along the glitter-strewn road from fabulous to divine. Whether he's confronting the demons of his past at a GLBT summer camp, using the Internet to "meet" men—many, many men—or plunging headfirst (and nearly naked) into the shady world of go-go dancing, he reveals himself with every gayer-than-thou flourish to be not just a stylish explorer but also a fearless one. So fearless, in fact, that when he sneaks into a conference for people who want to cure themselves of their homosexuality, he turns the experience into one of the most fascinating, deeply moving chapters of the book. Derfner, like King Arthur, Christopher Columbus, and Indiana Jones—but with a better haircut and a much deeper commitment to fad diets—is a hero destined for legend.

Written with wicked humor and keen insight, Swish is at once a hilarious look at contemporary ideas about gay culture and a poignant exploration of identity that will speak to all readers—gay, straight, and in between.

Read this: Schuyler's Monster

Cupcakes by Edith Meyer for a Schuyler's Monster reading

Some of you have read Robert Rummel-Hudson's excellent blog and writing. Now you can read his memoir, Schuyler's Monster: A Father's Journey With His Wordless Daughter. There's also lots more of him on YouTube, which actually does a fabulous job of introduction Schuyler, Robert, and their family, including the book trailer:



Here's the official St. Martin's blurb:

When his daughter Schuyler was eighteen months old, a simple question by her pediatrician set in motion a slow transformation for Robert Rummel-Hudson, from a sarcastic, befuddled dad to the very last thing any new father or mother ever expects or desires to become: a special needs parent. Armed with nothing more than his love for his tenacious little girl and his determination to defeat her rare and invisible disorder, he fought his own depression, his past family dysfunction and the nagging suspicion that he was not the right person for the job. In doing so, he discovered a sense of purpose and responsibility, and became the father and advocate that Schuyler needed to help fight her monster.

SCHUYLER’S MONSTER is more than the memoir of a parent dealing with a child’s disability. It is the story of the relationship between a unique and ethereal little girl floating through the world without words, and her earthbound father. It is the story of a family struggling to find the answers to a child’s dilemma, but it is also a chronicle of their unique relationships, formed without traditional language against the expectations of a doubting world.

Ultimately, it is the tale of a little girl who silently teaches a man filled with self-doubt how to be the father she needs.

And here's my review:

In Schuyler's Monster, Robert Rummel-Hudson tells a story of coming to terms with, while constantly battling, what he calls his daughter's "monster," a disease called polymicrogyria which leaves her unable to talk. She can make some sounds, using mostly vowels, and it's not until age 4 that the author and his wife even find out precisely what is wrong with her. In this incredibly heartfelt memoir, Rummel-Hudson recounts their journey from parents to "special needs" parents, navigating school systems in Connecticut and Texas in their quest to get Schuyler the best care and help she can provide.

At times, their story is bleak, but throughout it, Rummel-Hudson's overwhelming love for his daughter, as well as his belief in her, is clear. Even when things seem at their worst, the couple never let their daughter sense their doubts about her being "broken," as Rummel-Hudson writes. Even though he uses this terminology for her and her brain, on a certain level, he seems to know that for whatever mysterious reasons (his battles with faith and a god he doesn't quite believe in are covered in the book), Schuyler has turned out the way she has.

Some of the best moments are focused solely on Schuyler. She is a "rock star" amongst her young classmates, in various schools, looking the part with purple or red hair and pink leopard print, and drawing her peers around her. When she stands up to (and punches) a bully at a mall playground who's just shoved her and teased her for being a "retard," it's hard for even those of us who are as nonviolent as they come to cheer.

Rummel-Hudson, who has been documenting his life, and his daughter's, on his blog for many years, thankfully doesn't bring the blog into play too much in the book, save to show how wide of a support network he's garnered. When Schuyler's school refuses to purchases the $10,000 "Big Box of Words," a communications device that enables her to type on its screen and have her words voiced by the box, his readers pull together with donations to make the purchase. By the end of the book, when Schuyler and family are ensconced in Plano, Texas, land of megachurches and wealth (and decidedly not a typical home for the Rummel-Hudsons), I felt like I knew this little girl who I've never met. Her spirit permeates each page, though Rummel-Hudson is clear that he is telling his story of being a father unable to permanently fix everything that is "wrong" with his daughter. His guilt, anger, and grief are plain, but it's also his and his wife's perseverance, in not accepting the status quo, that have helped Schuyler get to the place she has, using her words in all kinds of fascinating ways.

In some ways, even though Schuyler's Monster is about a very specific, rare disorder, it's also about being a parent. Rummel-Hudson and his wife learn early on that they cannot protect Schuyler from all the negatives of the world, but they also learn that for her, things aren't as bad as they may seem. She has found her own language and way of relating to people, both before and after acquiring her Big Box of Words, that works for her, and watching her develop, in the words of her father, is the real delight of this book. With sly sarcasm and a healthy dose of self-deprecation, but most of all, love, Rummel-Hudson has written a memoir I wouldn't say is sappy at all, but did make me cry, though not until the very end, and those were tears of happiness.

My Christa Faust Money Shot interview

In the new (March) issue of Penthouse (print only), I interviewed Christa Faust, author of Money Shot, a great, fast-paced mystery set in the world of porn, starring an ex-porn star who winds up on the run. I highly recommend it, and it's put out by Hard Case Crime, who are worth checking out for their beautiful pulp-inspired book covers. Two other Hard Case Crime authors, Megan Abbott and Richard Aleas, are reading at In The Flesh in March.

These photos were taken by me at her book party, where the talk turned so raunchy even I blushed. Really. And yes, the food was so good I had to photograph it, but don't worry, I am not one of those "must take photos of everything I eat" people. I whipped out my camera and took a picture of my plate recently - I think it was cupcake-related but can't remember - and someone asked if I do that all the time. Heavens no. But I am sortof in lust with my new shiny green digital camera.

Sweet Georgia Brown Humble Housewife Virtual Book Tour

Sweet Georgia Brown Humble Housewife Virtual Book Tour




Sweet Georiga Brown author Cheryl Robinson

I discovered Cheryl Robinson’s novel Sweet Georgia Brown via her blog, My Best Life, and am so glad I did! Sweet Georgia Brown is about Georgia Brown, a housewife who supports her struggling comedian husband, Marvin, until he makes it big as a Detroit radio host, and proceeds to slag her off every chance he get. Making fun of her and boasting about his affairs boosts his popularity, and Georgia puts up with it, until she simply can’t anymore. Along the way, there’s Marvin’s daughter with another woman, a bratty teenager who Georgia and Marvin take in, and when Georgia winds up getting her own radio show, just as Marvin’s gambling problems come to haunt him, life takes a big turn for both of them.

What I really liked about this book is that while they aspire to live a “better life,” we see that it’s not just about wealth. Once Marvin “makes it,” in fact, his family starts to fall apart, because he’s greedy and buys into this image of himself that’s false. I read a lot of chick lit novels where money seems to be one of the primary motivators, and it’s all about label name-dropping. This book isn’t, and is heartwarming and moving. Check out my interview with Cheryl below, and read more about her at her website and blog. AND…the first five people to comment (LEAVE an email address so I can contact you!) here get a FREE copy of the Sweet Georgia Brown! How about that? When you comment, tell us why you want to read it. Thanks, Cheryl, for taking the time to answer my questions. I've also included the book trailer after the interview.

What inspired you to write Sweet Georgia Brown, and how long did it take you? Did you have to do any research into the world of comedy and/or radio?

I was inspired to write Sweet Georgia Brown after watching an Oprah Winfrey show about housewives. These women were looking to discover their passion and I thought while watching it that it would make for a great theme for my next novel. I have a background in comedy. Years ago, I used to run a comedy night at a small club in downtown Detroit. And years before that when I was in fourth grade and attending Gesu Elementary School, which was a Catholic school, I would perform Richard Pryor outside of the school in front of a small crowd during our recreation time. I knew most of his routines by heart. My older brother would let me listen to the albums and I soaked it all in. I loved Richard Pryor.

Were Marvin or Georgia based on anyone real? Are there any elements of you in Georgia?

No, Marvin and Georgia were both figments of my imagination. I am also determined to become a household name. I really would like to take my writing to the next level. This is my third novel. I am in the midst of completing a fourth book, but yet, I am relatively unknown. Also, like Georgia, I am a sweet person who would stick by her man, but I, like Georgia, have my limit.

How is Sweet Georgia Brown, both the book and the writing process, different from your previous novels?

The book is different in some ways because it is more light-hearted than my earlier works. My other two novels published by Penguin/NAL Trade deal with a woman living with HIV. Sweet Georgia Brown was meant to have more humor than my previous novels. The writing process was different because I believe with each book it gets a little easier for me as I have now settled into my writing style.

This blog tour is called the Humble Housewife Tour, and "humble" certainly describes Georgia, especially in terms of her career and ambition. After struggling financially at a crappy job, she's happy to let Marvin bring in the big bucks. She seemed content to stay behind the scenes and fully support Marvin, and only after she was coaxed into it did she wind up taking her radio job. Would you say this is a positive trait of hers?

I wouldn't say that was a positive trait. I believe knowing what you want and going after your goal is a more positive trait, but sometimes a person doesn't know what they want they just know what they don't want. The radio job may have fell into her lap, but she discovered a natural talent that she didn't even know existed. I also feel that she was most complete with not only her newfound fame, but her role as a mother to her two sons and to Chloe, her step daughter, who was a true gift to Georgia.

Along the same lines, Georgia takes the high road throughout the book, standing by Marvin even when he's ragging on her on air and boasting about his affairs. Why does she put up with him for so long, and how would you react if you were in her shoes? Do you admire how she behaved or think she should have publicly railed against Marvin?

I think she stayed true to character. At times, I was very tempted to have her retaliate, but that wouldn't have been Georgia's style. As I have matured in my own life I have seen that good always prevails. I, like Georgia, believe in Karma and in the end, who was on top?

There's a point where her radio show producers are encouraging Georgia to get down and dirty on air in discussing Marvin, and she declines, and instead does the opposite, bringing educational messages and starting a cookie business on top of her radio gig. Do you think her success came from her staying "sweet" or could she have done better business-wise by fighting fire with fire?

I think it could have gone either way. Georgia would have surely had people tuning in if she had played Marvin's game and aired his dirty laundry. But I always think of Oprah when I measure success in the media. She delivers a message of discovering your passion and living your best life. At the end of the day, I think most people want to be uplifted.

The city of Detroit itself is as much a character as anyone else in the book. Why is it important to you to set your books in Detroit?

Detroit is the city I was born and raised in. It is the city that I spent thirty-one years of my life in. Even though I no longer live there, I feel a deep connection to it. I still have relatives in the city. My sister still lives there as do some very dear friends. That said, most of my next novel will not be based in Detroit.

Is there a message you hope readers take away from Sweet Georgia Brown?

The message I hope readers take away is that dreams don't have an age-limit or unique profile. Georgia was in her forties, married with children. She didn't know what she wanted to do just that she wanted to do something more than what she had been doing and she kept her mind open to the idea of exploring the possibility.

On your blog, you posted about a reader who wrote to you complaining about a statement Marvin's dad makes that Georgia should "stop acting like a white woman." I saw the comment more as a generational issue and something specific to the father; he didn't want his son and daughter-in-law and grandkids living in his house indefinitely, and this was his way of expressing that. You explored your reasons for the statement, and this brings me to the question of who your intended audience for the book is. Have you received different kinds of feedback from readers based on race or gender?

My intended audience is not specific to race. Although, I realize that my core audience have been black women. I write for everyone and I look for the day when books written by black authors will crossover the same way most books written by white authors have. I did not write that statement to offend white women. It was something that freely came out of the characters mouth and I really didn't think anyone would be offended. I have received feedback from readers mostly black and white and mostly female, but some men as well. And the reviews have been very positive.

I thought the book, and Georgia's journey, were just getting started as the book ended. Are there any plans for a sequel?

Yes I will get started on the sequel to Sweet Georgia Brown after I complete my next novel.

If Sweet Georgia Brown were turned into a movie, who would you want cast in the main roles?

I recently had a casting call contest on my blog. I think I would lean toward this post,

Georgia: Jill Scott
Marvin: Michael Beach
Chloe: Keke Palmer
Corliss: Taraji P. Henson

You self-published your first novel, Memories of Yesterday, before landing a literary agent and book deal with NAL. Is this a route you would recommend to other writers?

Yes, if you have the money and time to devote to self-publishing I recommend it. And do your research. I do not regret self-publishing, but I also welcomed the publishing contract because for me it was time.

Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring novelists or writers generally?

You may hear a lot of negative things about the business of publishing, particularly if you are African-American. You may hear that there are too many black authors and that publishing companies are getting more selective. That it will be harder for you to get a deal. Never give up on your dream. You might have a New York Times bestselling novel saved on your hard drive. Ask yourself, is the book good enough for you to invest your own money to publish it? If the answer is yes, that's excellent, because just in case you have to initially, as I did, you are already mentally prepared to do so.

The Sweet Georgia Brown book trailer:

My grandfather's book deal!

I have been waiting for the official word, and here it is, straight from Publishers Marketplace. I could not be more thrilled and am so thankful to everyone who posted comments on the excerpt from his memoir at Memoirville. This is more exciting for me in its way than anything I'll ever do, and has brought my grandfather and I much closer together. I'm so honored to have played a role in this book deal. I don't know when the book will be out but I believe it's a Spring 2009 title and I will of course keep you posted!

Above is a photo of him with Congressman John Hall, and below is him testifying in front of the Subcommittee on Disability & Memorial Affairs of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs in June 2006 (the audio of the testimony is online somewhere, but I don't have the link in front of me right now).

NON-FICTION: MEMOIR
Norman Bussel's MY PRIVATE WAR: LIBERATED BODY, CAPTIVE MIND-A WWII POW'S JOURNEY, after being held as a POW in Nazi Germany, the author struggles to reintegrate with civilian life at a time when post-traumatic stress disorder was an unknown phenomenon, to Jessica Case at Pegasus, on behalf of Helen Zimmerman at the Helen Zimmerman Literary Agency (World English).

Yay for Shari!

Wow, 2008 is bringing good news all around...I sense it's going to be a good year for lots of writers I know. Congratulations, Shari! (Click here to read my Gothamist interview with her.)

From Publishers Marketplace

TELEVISION RIGHTS
Shari Goldhagen's FAMILY AND OTHER ACCIDENTS, which follows two orphaned brothers through a generation of girlfriends, wives, affairs, children, and illness, optioned to Warner Brothers, with Heyday Films producing, by Liza Wachter at Rabineau Wachter Sanford and Harris, on behalf of Alex Glass at Trident Media Group.

Sex workers and nerds

Really just a way for me to recommend a book and share a book I'd like to read sometime in 2008. I'll be in London for New Year's (leaving Sunday, yay!) and the first week of the year taking a much-needed vacation, investigating cupcakes and museums, working on my novel, seeing friends and having lots of kinky sex. Expect a "Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2008" list sometime soon, and some checking in here while I'm away.



The first is Working Sex: Sex Workers Write About a Changing Industry edited by Annie Oakley. Seal Press's description says:

Dispelling the myth that sex workers are anything short of innovators and artists, Working Sex brings strippers, prostitutes, dommes, film stars, Internet models, and others together into a fascinating and groundbreaking collection. Featuring contributions from a vibrant community of out and proud sex workers, editor Annie Oakley showcases women who dare to take their jobs out of the shadows and into the public consciousness and examines the complexity of a sex worker’s life.

Among the contributors are Chris Kraus, reflecting on her time working in the hustle bars owned by the Jewish Mafia in the late 1970s; Michelle Tea, singing the “Ballad of Bart Starr”; and Ana Voog, describing the early days of her pioneering 24/7 online home webcam. Working Sex offers a glimpse into a changing industry, introducing readers to the messy world of sex workers and their critical insight into class, gender, labor, and sexuality in the 21st century.

I came across Nerds: Who They Are And Why We Need More of Them on Amazon:



A lively, thought-provoking book that zeros in on the timely issue of how anti-intellectualism is bad for our children and even worse for America.

Why are our children so terrified to be called "nerds"? And what is the cost of this rising tide of anti-intellectualism to both our children and our nation? In Nerds, family psychotherapist and psychology professor David Anderegg examines why science and engineering have become socially poisonous disciplines, why adults wink at the derision of "nerdy" kids, and what we can do to prepare our children to succeed in an increasingly high-tech world.

Nerds takes a measured look at how we think about and why we should rethink "nerds," examining such topics as: - our anxiety about intense interest in things mechanical or technological;
- the pathologizing of "nerdy" behavior with diagnoses such as Asperger syndrome;
- the cycle of anti-nerd prejudice that took place after the Columbine incident;
- why nerds are almost exclusively an American phenomenon;
- the archetypal struggles of nerds and jocks in American popular culture and history;
- the conformity of adolescents and why adolescent stereotypes linger into adulthood long after we should know better; and nerd cultural markers, particularly science fiction.

Using education research, psychological theory, and interviews with nerdy and non-nerdy kids alike, Anderegg argues that we stand in dire need of turning around the big dumb ship of American society to prepare rising generations to compete in the global marketplace.

Read this: Knock Yourself Up

I just finished reading Louise Sloan's Knock Yourself Up: A Tell-All Guide to Becoming a Single Mom and highly recommend it if anyone's at all thinking about that.



She's got some excerpts up on her site (and for those authors out there looking for models to build your own professional author site, her main site, lousesloan.com, is an excellent example. There are also TOTALLY CUTE baby photos, including some of her son with a birthday cupcake! I mean, really, the cuteness is too much. Sloan's doing a reading next Wednesday (so am I, at Rant Rhapsody, or I'd totally go):

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, Manhattan:

Group Reading for Charity, Barnes & Noble Greenwich Village
with Sue Shapiro, Ian Frazier, Alec Wilkinson & Kimberlee Auerbach
a percentage of book sales benefits Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen
Time: 7 pm
Location: 396 Sixth Ave. at 8th St.
Cost: Free!

Below is part of the publisher's blurb about the book:

Louise Sloan was ready to have kids at age 28—but her partner wasn’t. Ten years later, after yet another birthday and yet another breakup, she realized she’d better get serious about single motherhood, before her fertility ran out. So began a heartbreaking and hilarious journey that led her to cyberstalking an anonymous sperm donor, running around town with liquid nitrogen tanks full of semen, being mistaken for a horse breeder, nearly getting another girl pregnant—and finally, to being called Mom.

In Knock Yourself Up, you’ll learn what it’s really like to go through the process of becoming a single mother by choice, from the women who’ve done it. From exploding semen vials to shocked parents to sex and dating while artificially inseminating, Sloan candidly shares her experiences and those of 43 other women.

And there's a great Q&A with her at The Urban Muse:

You've gotten some strong reactions from a lot of readers. How do you handle criticism?
L: Oh, yeah! The reactions to my salon.com Q&A were surprisingly mean, and just today I saw a thread on a right-wing website that was even meaner! They actually posted a picture of me when I was pregnant (taken from my book website)--I think it was meant to illustrate that I'm so ugly that of COURSE I had to knock myself up. When I was writing the book, I was totally freaked out by the prospect of criticism. I woke up many mornings with a stomachache at 5 am, feeling uncomfortable about the vulnerability I was exposing in my writing, and afraid of the right-wing bashing I knew I was gonna get and (worse) fearful of snarky, bad reviews and personal attacks from mainstream media. It was pretty awful inside my mind those early mornings, actually. But I thought, you know, I set out to write this and if I focus on protecting myself, the book won't be as good. So I just have to ignore my many fears and insecurities and just try to write this as well as I can.

My review:

Knock Yourself Up is a fascinating, helpful guide to the wide world of single motherhood, as told by the funny and thorough Louise Sloan. I'm 32, and while not yet ready to take the plunge, I wanted to learn more about what might potentially be in my future. There are a lot of issues Sloan disucsses that I'd never considered, such as donor complications, talking to your child about where they came from, and the actual ins and outs of getting pregnant via artificial insemination (the image of the nitrogen tank will certainly stay with me!), and information about things like the Sibling Donor Registry, by which siblings of a given sperm donor can find each other.

To her credit, Sloan shares plenty of her story about being a single lesbian, fresh from a breakup, going through the insemination process solo in order to have her son, Scott, both the highs (taking her son to swing dance class!) and lows (dealing with hemorraghing at the hospital alone, for one). But having the perspectives of so many other women, including their horror and success stories, is what makes this book so valuable. The interviewees talk about everything from the intersection of race, stereotypes, and single parenthood, to how they're perceived by potential dates, neighbors, and peers, the positives of being on their own as well as the loneliness and pitfalls.

The title may be pithy and punchy, but the stories and issues included in Knock Yourself Up let women know that becoming a single mom is doable, but isn't a piece of cake by any means. In some ways, Sloan is a cheerleader for single motherhood, encouraging other women who think they can and want to do it to go for it, but she also very carefully lays out the costs, risks, and cons right along with the pros. From sex and dating as a pregnant woman and single mom, to dealing with well-meaning but often out-to-lunch family members and friends, as well as birthing options and more, this book offers plenty of food for thought for potential moms, especially what to look out for when it comes to choosing a donor, having a support system, and health concerns.

The fact that Sloan found so many of her interviewees via the group Single Mothers by Choice, and the camaraderie many of the women talk about sharing with that group, is comforting. I found the fact that Sex and the City got mentioned multiple times here a bit strange, though perhaps it's simply now a code for living a relatively posh, single city girl lifestyle, as contrasted with one's life as a single mom. Various kinds of single motherhood (from one child to multiple) are put forth here, along with an excellent resource guide for more information. This is an excellent book which I plan to consult again if and when the time comes that I decide to become a single mom.

Shooting War reading and party tonight

Today is the official release of the graphic novel Shooting War, set in Iraq in 2001, written by Anthony Lappé and illustrated by Dan Goldman, and starring a hipster blogger named Jimmy Burns. I reviewed it in the current issue of Penthouse, and last year interviewed illustrator Dan Goldman. (I also interviewed the Grand Central Publishing editor of Shooting War, Jaime Levine, for Mediabistro.) See Shootingwar.com for more info on the book and its webcomic origins. (I'd also recommend checking out that site to any authors for how to make a creative, engaging book promotion website that covers all the bases, an increasing necessity to spread the word about your books.)

You can win one of three copies of Shooting War from Fantasy Book Critic.

Signing and Q&A:
Barnes & Noble, 4 Astor Place, NYC 7:00 PM

The Bryant Park Project (NPR) 7:45 AM, EST
Listen live www.npr.org/bryantpark or on Sirius 134 or iTunes

U.S. Book Launch Party
Sutra Lounge, 16 1st. Avenue (between 1st & 2nd St.), NYC
No cover, Drink specials ’til midnight
DJ Chris Annibell from Afrokinetic
Co-sponsored by Smithmag.net
8:00 PM - ?

Friends with book parties

As always, much, much to catch up on, and I'm behind on everything, so here's something that's actually timely. I feel like November 7th was "let's throw a party" day. I think Thrillist is doing something, and it's the Bodega Challenge in my 'hood, sponsored by The Brooklyn Kitchen. But since I'm a nerdy, literary sort, and probably love books more than even food or clothes, my emphasis is on two friends with books just out. Jeffrey Yamaguchi (yes, he's the man behind 52 Projects, and you can read my Gothamist interview with him here), whose Working for the Man, a witty take on evil office jobs, was just released. It reminds me of the job I had before my job at Variations, where invariably, in the midst of my work as a typist, when I wasn't typing or photocopying, I was lamenting my existence so much I actually was ready to head back to law school. Yes, it was that bad, and I cried a lot, and they wouldn't let me wear sneakers or go online. Miserable, truly. But that's an aside. Jeff's book is funny and witty, as is to be expected, and his Mediabistro-sponsored book party is tomorrow night at Katra, RSVP required.



Blurb from his site:

The book takes a raw and humorous look at the workplace and offers up unique and offbeat ways to improve your work experience, ways to keep the relentless churn of the daily grind from wearing you down, and ideas to make your countless hours in the workplace work for you. The book also features some amazing drawings by artist Danny Jock, as well as over 140 Working For The Man Rules -- bits of truths and wisdom that strike at the heart of the beast that is the 8 to late at night eight days a week world of work.

Jamye Waxman's book is of a more intimate nature, and is also a great read (full disclosure: I've started and skimmed, but not finished, both books) and it's called Getting Off: A Woman's Guide to Masturbation. It also has illustrations by the brilliant Molly Crabapple (who's doing pet portraits for the holidays that you should totally check out AND just launched her first webcomic, Backstage, over at ACT-I-VATE). Jamye also recently released her first adult movie (she directed it) and it's about...sex toys! Called Toying With Pleasure.



Here's what publisher Seal Press has to say about Getting Off, followed by info on Jamye's book party. I clearly can't be in two places at once, so am gonna try to make the second half of Jeff's party. Both books are worth reading and would also make excellent holiday gifts (possibly for the same person, possibly not).

Masturbation is like tuning a radio—you don’t know what frequencies you’ll enjoy until you play with the knobs.

Masturbation has a complicated stigma attached to it; everybody is doing it, but not everybody is talking about it. Myths about masturbation run rampant: Touching yourself will cause cute kittens to die! You’re going to go blind! But in Getting Off, Jamye Waxman makes it her mission to reinforce the truth: Masturbation is a totally natural and normal way for women to connect with and find pleasure in their bodies.

Fun and informative, with illustrations by award-winning artist Molly Crabapple, Getting Off provides women with a wealth of masturbation knowledge—the history, the mechanics, the joys of sex toys—plus clear, concise tips on getting off.

From Jamye:

Getting Off party
November 7, 7 pm - 9 pm

There will be some free wine and a short reading, and I'm even hoping to show the Behind the Scenes from my first adult movie (the one I hosted and directed). It would be so great to see your smiling faces there, and I'd really love if you could show up. Even for a quickie.

The details

Bluestockings - www.bluestockings.com
172 Allen Street between Stanton and Rivington - New York City.
That's the F/V train to 2nd Avenue or the M15 Bus

Get out your credit card...

And pre-order my friend Jon Friedman's book Rejected: Tales of the Failed, Dumped, and Canceled. You're gonna love it. Promise. I say this not even knowing what's in the book, but knowing that Jon hosts one of the best comedy shows in the city and not only has forged something hilarious and wonderful out of his own rejections, but he values jokes and stories and people who have been rejected in some way. I'm mentally (and soon, actually, like on Amazon) making a list of "2008 Books I'm Excited About" and this one's at the top. Yay!

A little over four years ago, at a reading series that no longer exists, I almost hurt myself laughing as Jon read this (okay, and this, and I'm still not sure which is funnier). In the intervening years I have laughed quite a bit more, and also learned a lot too. Jon's not only one of the hardest-working comedians/show hosts I know (and to be fair, I know a lot of crazy hard-working comedians), but one of the genuinely nicest people I know. That's not why you should pre-order his book, but I just wanted to say that. I'm honored to have been on his show (and only for Jon would I let my 9-year-old tribute to "Like a Virgin" be aired in public) and to be his friend!!!!

Adventures in book covers: Read Responsibly

There's a new Unshelved collection that is sure to be irresistible (the free daily webcomic follows the gang at Mallville Public Library, with their "ringleader," if you can call him that, or maybe, "main character," Dewey, and a host of wacky librarians and patrons). They've also got t-shirts with book-loving sayings such as "Will Work for Books" and "Guess What I'm Reading." I'm a fan.