Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 table of contents and free book offer for Amazon reviews

It's hard to underestimate how much of a big deal getting to edit Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 has been for me.



I truly don't even know if I have the words. This is a series I've been submitting to since my very beginning in the erotica field. I got hand-written rejections from the series' first editor, Marcy Sheiner, that spurred me to be even more determined to break into the series. I have changed email addresses since so can't quote it directly, but after a few rejections, I got an email with "Doing the Dishes" in the subject line that said that Marcy wanted to publish that story of mine, my dishwashing fetish story. I was overjoyed, and that remains a favorite story. Other stories of mine have made it into the series under both Sheiner and the next editor, Violet Blue.

So it's still a little pinch-me surreal to have my name on the latest title, which has been rebranded to take out the calendar year and therefore make it a book that bookstores will want to keep on their shelves after December 31st. I took the responsibility of editing this book incredibly seriously. I consider this the culmination of my 11 years of erotica editing, both because this is a series with an avid readership, and because I hope it's one that women who may or may not read a lot of other erotica will pick up. I wanted it to be diverse in terms of sexuality, sexual orientation, sex between two people and more people, race, age and setting. To do that all within the word count I was given is a challenge; this book could easily have been twice the length, and out of the over 200 submissions I received, I had to make some very tough choices. But I did and I am so proud of the result and can't wait to share it with you.

Which brings me to...the book's official release date is January 12, 2016, but I will be buying 50 extra copies to send to those in the U.S. who are willing to review the book on Amazon.com. I will send those 50 people a free signed copy they'll receive by the end of 2015 in exchange for posting a review on Amazon by February 29, 2016. Sound good? Just fill in ALL FIELDS on this form (yes, I require you to have previously reviewed a book on Amazon so I know that all 50 copies are going to people who are eligible to review it there) and the first 50 people will get a copy. Not in the U.S.? I'll be sharing buying links for as many retailers as I can find. If I could afford to send books outside the U.S., I would, and if this book knocks it out of the park in terms of sales and brings in enough income, perhaps in the future I will be able to. If you're a blogger or journalist who wants to write about the book, send me your name, mailing address, blog or publication title and URL to rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com with "BWE" in the subject line and I'll have Cleis Press send you a copy.

A question I'm sure the writers out there want to know: am I editing any new titles? Right now, I don't have any calls for submission, but I hope to in the near future, and as soon as I do, I will be posting those. Should I be granted the honor of getting to edit another volume in this series, one thing I'm going to do is only open it to authors who weren't in this first volume, to make room for more voices. That's part of my mission as an editor, to widen the audience for writers who are starting out, just as the genre was opened to me when I wrote my first story, "Monica and Me."

Here's the thing, though: in order to make editing any new books worthwhile for me, I have to make sure the ones I do have coming out are successes. I used to not consider my output and pump out 6-8 anthologies per year, and the books suffered for that glut. Now, I'm working smarter and making sure my books are as excellent as I can make them and that I put the effort into making sure they reach a wide audience. That's more important to me right now than simply chasing the next anthology contract. So while I hope I will be editing more books, I'm focused on my current books because I want them to be read. One huge way to help my books succeed is to review them (anywhere is a help, and any kind of review goes a long way); this is my thank you and offering to 50 of you. You can also add it to your Goodreads want-to-read list, which is also very helpful in boosting the book's profile.

Here's the lineup for Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1. Few things make me happier as an editor than publishing authors I've never published before, and there are many of them in this volume!

Table of contents

Introduction

A New Canvas Tara Betts

Demimonde Valerie Alexander

Ophelia the Second Jade A. Waters

Revisiting Youth J. Crichton and H. Keyes

Date Night D.R. Slaten

Flying Solo Rachel Kramer Bussel

Drawn by Nic Heidi Champa

The Ropes Elise King

Starstruck Lazuli Jones

The Altar of Lamented Toys Jessica Taylor

Matilda’s Secret L. Marie Adeline

Scents & Sexuality Doriana Chase

Alvin’s Night Elizabeth Coldwell

Enter Me Tabitha Rayne

The Wolf at His Door Deborah Castellano

Out of the Ordinary Rose P. Lethe

Lighting the Pyre Theda Hudson

Restitution Ria Restrepo

The Carnalarium Rose Caraway

Waiting to Pee Amy Butcher

Two Doms for Dinner Dorothy Freed

The Assistant Tiffany Reisz

Obsessed: Erotic Romance for Women table of contents and introduction

I can now give you a sneak peek at Obsessed: Erotic Romance for Women, out officially and on Kindle August 1st but really out mid-July. You'll have to read the book for the foreword by noted romance author Caridad Piñeiro!

For my very special Amazon.com reviewers you get them hot off the press. Those will be mailed out mid-July, stay tuned to @raquelita on Twitter for an announcement about freebies toward the end of June - first come, first served, you have to review it on Amazon within a month of receipt. And if you blog about books and want to review it, email me at obsessedantho at gmail.com with "Review request" and your full contact information (URL, mailing address). I'm really proud of and excited about the sweet sexiness in this one!

Silent Treatment Donna George Storey
One Night in Paris Kayla Perrin
Concubine Portia Da Costa
Love and Demotion Logan Belle
Mephisto Waltz Justine Elyot
Then Emerald
It’s Gotta Be Fate Jennifer Peters
Hooked Ariel Graham
Aftershocks Bella Andre
Secret Places Adele Haze
Loser Charlotte Stein
Here In Between Kristina Wright
Spellbound by Garnell Wallace
Raven’s Flight Andrea Dale
Raindrops and Rooftops Elizabeth Coldwell
Topiary K. D. Grace
I Want to Hold Your Hand Rachel Kramer Bussel
Storm Surge Teresa Noelle Roberts
Undercover Kink Louisa Harte



The women in Obsessed show their passion for their lovers in all kinds of ways. For some it’s about indulging in acts of daring, for others it’s about letting go of their preconceived notions of propriety and going where their bodies tell them.

In many of these stories, communication, the touchstone of advice about good relationships, is missing in some key way, whether it’s the almost-divorced couple in “Aftershocks” by Bella Andre who finally, during an earthquake, confess their deepest desires, or the one-time lovers in “Silent Treatment” by Donna George Storey who find plenty to say with their bodies at a silent retreat. In “Then,” Emerald explores what happens after a woman confesses to her boyfriend just how much she lusts after another man. They push the boundaries of their relationship and the boundaries of their trust in each other—another theme of this book.

Charlotte Stein paints a portrait of a “Loser” who manages to capture the attention of the narrator--and keep it by impressing her with his ardent desire. Stein writes, “He does little things, like when I stop him saying words like those with my mouth on his, he brings his hands up to cup my face. Other guys don’t cup my face. And he does it as though he wants to keep me as close as possible, so he can fully concentrate on my mouth and the way it moves and how much tongue I’m giving him at any given time.”

Obsessed is not about obsession for a new purse or a new car or a new perfume. It’s not even about the obsessiveness of a crush, the kind of panting lust that cycles over and over itself with no end in sight. Instead, Obsessed is about the way a lover can get under your skin, can drive you crazy with lust as well as so many other emotions--love, longing, hunger, anger, confusion. Are there happy endings here? Yes, there are, but they are not always the happy endings you’d expect. These stories sizzle with the kind of obsession that is fueled by our deepest desires, the ones that hold couples together, the ones that haunt us and don’t let go. Whether experiencing just-blooming passions, rekindled sparks or reinvented relationships, these lovers put the object of their obsession first. They don’t always do what’s rational or proper; instead, they chase their dreams, as in Kayla Perrin’s “One Night in Paris,” across the world and across the landscape of their lovers’ bodies.

I hope Obsessed speaks to the part of you that knows what it’s like to do anything for the right person, to bare yourself body and soul in the hope that once stripped to your most secret self, you will be rewarded with someone who sees you for who you truly are. With these nineteen stories, though, you don’t have to hope--I can tell you now that these gutsy heroines find men who know exactly how to treat their wild, hungry hearts. How they get there is yours to savor.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City

Please, Sir: Erotic Stories of Female Submission table of contents finalized

Also a reminder that the deadline for my anthology Orgasmic (click here for call for submissions - female authors only, but in December I'll be posting the pansexual call for Best Bondage Erotica 2011) is this Sunday, November 1st!



I just got the finalized table of contents for Please, Sir: Erotic Stories of Female Submission from Cleis Press and am excited to share it. The book's not out until May (you can pre-order it on Amazon), and will be paired with Please, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission, which is being finalized now. I'm SO thrilled with this very hot cover and can't wait to get postcards made.

Introduction: Risk and Reward

Anticipation Shanna German
Because He Can Elizabeth Coldwell
Avery Says Sommer Marsden
The Sub Fairy Mercy Loomis
I Breathe Your Name Tess Danesi
Long Time Gone Heidi Champa
Power Over Power Emerald
Knot Here! Yolanda West
Veronica’s Body Isabelle Gray
The Negotiation Remittance Girl
A Night at The Opera Evan Mora
Mommy’s Boy Doug Harrison
No Good Deed Alison Tyler
Masochist on Vacation by Aimee Pearl
Lil’ Pet Brat, aka Lily Guangli Kissa Starling
Pleasure Keeper Charlotte Stein
Welcome to the World Ariel Graham
Stroke Lisabet Sarai
Sunday in the Study Justine Elyot
Walking the Sub Salome Wilde
Just What She Needs Donna George Storey
Your Hand on My Neck Rachel Kramer Bussel