Email: rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com



 

Lusty Lady

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Watch my first and favorite book trailer for Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica. Get Spanked in print and ebook

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Book launch event December 7 for Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 7

I'm very happy to share that the official book launch event for Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 7 will take place on the release day, Tuesday, December 7, at 5-6 pm ET, 8-9 pm PT with The Ripped Bodice bookstore! You can watch free on The Ripped Bodice Facebook page and can RSVP here (optional). Joining me will be contributors Adriana Herrera, Lucy Eden, Corrina Lawson, Angelina M. Lopez, Holley Trent, and Erin McLellan, sharing a range of hot pansexual stories and talking about their writing process. Ask us anything! You can pre-orer the book from The Ripped Bodice and when you watch on the 7th you'll get a 15% off discount code for any books on their site.

Save The Date!

In the meantime, a reminder that you have until this Friday, October 15, to enter to win Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 7 on Goodreads!

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Monday, January 11, 2021

New sexy audiobook out: Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 6

I'm very happy to share that the audiobook of Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 6, narrated by Rose Caraway, is available now on Audible! You can even listen to a free sample. These 20 brand new stories are all on the theme of adventure and will take you everywhere from a tattoo reality show to a motorcycle club to a kinky escape room and far beyond.

audiobook-best-womens-erotica-of-the-year-volume-six

About the book:

If you’re looking for your next sexy listen, Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Book 6 is sure to heat things up. These 20 adventure-themed stories will take you around the globe as you meet characters eager to indulge their sensual sides.

From competing on a reality show and getting “Inked on My Skin” by an extremely sexy tattoo artist to exploring a “Cabinet of Curiosities”, these characters say "yes" to their most daring desires. Whether a single mom having a hot vacation fling, a vegetarian lusting after a hunky butcher, a couple visiting a kinky escape room, or a divorcee hitting up a motorcycle club and going on an “Easy Ride”, these erotic tales bare all. Women who’ve been told they’re “too much”, by an ex or the world, discover the joy of asking for more and more and more — and getting it.

Enjoy women’s sexual fantasies come to life, from fetishes to kinks to a very arousing way to use an instruction manual. With stories by popular erotic romance authors Shelly Bell, Zoey Castile, Jeanette Grey, Mia Hopkins, Katrina Jackson, Elizabeth SaFleur, Naima Simone, Olivia Waite, and Elia Winters, and newcomers to the genre, the latest volume of pansexual sex tales in this best-selling series will make your heart race with excitement.

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Monday, January 04, 2021

Cleis Press 40% off new year erotica sale

To kick off 2021, my publisher, Cleis Press, is having a big 40% off sale through January 8, 2021 on select print books (shipping to the U.S. only) if you use the code NEWYEARNEWBOOK. Below are the five books of mine that are on sale, though Erotic Teasers I think still needs an add to cart button. If you haven't read these or are looking to give them as a gift, check it out. See Cleis's Twitter feed for more sale books. Also, a reminder that the best way to keep up with what I'm doing on a day-to-day basis is to follow me on Twitter @raquelita, Instagram @rachelkramerbussel (and/or my new all jigsaw puzzle account @rachelpuzzles and Facebook @rachelkramerbusselauthor which I update in that order of frequency. If you want to follow the Best Women's Erotica of the Year series, where I post news, photos, giveaways and more, those handles are: Twitter @BWEoftheyear, Instagram @bestwomenserotica and Facebook @bweoftheyear.

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Here are individual links to my Cleis Press 40% off erotica print books for U.S. shipping with the code NEWYEARNEWBOOK. They're all also available in ebook and audiobook. I've listed some of my favorite of my anthologies with all buy links on my website, and will be adding more soon and here's all my Cleis Press books, most available in print, ebook and audio, some are out of print. Also, whether a book says "Best Women's Erotica" or "for women" in the title, readers of any gender who like sexy stories are welcome to read them! I welcome all readers and feedback and reviews to help me guide future anthology selections.

Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 2

Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 2

Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4

Begging for It: Erotic Fantasies for Women

Erotic Teasers (add to cart button should be up soon if it's not currently)

If you haven't subscribed to my monthly newsletter yet, hop on it, because I do roundups and newsletter subscriber exclusive giveaways. Last year I was a bad newsletter sender and skipped a few months, including my big book release month of December, but as part of my 2021 goals I'll be sending them out monthly no matter what, starting today with January's.

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Sunday, October 25, 2020

Dirty Girls flash sale - 27 erotica stories for $1.99!

I just found out last night while randomly scrolling online, as one does, that my Seal Press anthology Dirty Girls is on sale in ebook form for just $1.99 for Kindle, Nook, Google Play and Kobo! I don't know when the sale started or when it will end, though I imagine soon, so I encourage you to check it out. There are 27 very sexy stories inside. I'm so proud of this book, which came out all the way back in 2008 (hence the MySpace reference in the introduction!), and excited for it to reach more readers. Details about it below.

DirtyGirls-pick

What do women really want? To be sensually seduced or pressed up against the wall for a quickie? To be tantalized by a peep show or the chance to join the mile high club?

Acclaimed erotica writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel knows: They want it all. They want to be worshiped, ordered around, sent blindly into ecstasy, and made hot in front of a mirror. They want strangers bearing ice cubes on a hot day and to be the party favor passed around among guests. They want sex at the office and in the great outdoors and on trains and airplanes. They want sex with the whole United States of America (or, at least, part of it). They want to be wooed, seduced, flirted with, taken. They want to handpick their lovers and make them do their bidding. They want men, women, and sometimes both at the same time.

In Dirty Girls, the country’s best erotic writers explore their sexual psyches. With contributions from Carol Queen, Alison Tyler, Sofia Quintero, Shanna Germain, Lillian Ann Slugocki, Tsaurah Litzky, and many others, this collection will set your heart racing as you savor these intimate, shocking, and passionate female fantasies.

Blurbs:

“Finally⎯a book about what girls REALLY think about. Well, maybe not every one, but the dirty ones…and those are the ones who really count.” — Joanna Angel, CEO, BurningAngel Entertainment

Dirty Girls is the post-feminist generation’s answer to Nancy Friday’s My Secret Garden, a collection of erotically charged short stories that reveal that, in the 21st century, good girls are dead and dirty girls are the new black.” — Susannah Breslin, author of You’re a Bad Man, Aren’t You?

“A spanking good collection of smart erotica assembled by always exciting ringleader Rachel Kramer Bussel, Dirty Girls begs the question ‘What are those dirty girls thinking?’ and answers with insight not just to how women want it, but why.” — Lisa Beth Kovetz, author of The Tuesday Erotica Club

“This is an outstanding collection of hot women’s stories. That’s hot stories by women and stories by hot women. The table of contents reads like a who’s who in the best erotica writers around, an All Star team who deliver the raunch and punch the reader deserves. Rawr.” — Cecilia Tan, author of Black Feathers and White Flames: Erotic Dreams

Table of Contents

Introduction – Dirty and Sweet Wrapped Up in One

1. Fucking Around by Marie Lyn Bernard
2. Live Tonight by Saskia Walker
3. Just Another Girl on the Train by Catherine Lundoff
4. Beautiful Creature by Kristina Wright
5. In the Name Of… by Isabelle Gray
6. Cheesy Boots by L. Elise Bland
7. Truck Stop Cinderella by Lillian Ann Slugocki
8. The Dream of Life by Tenille Brown
9. The Mile High Club by Kate Dominic
10. Like a Good Girl by Alison Tyler
11. The Garden of Sinn by Darklady
12. Bag and Baggage by Teresa Noelle Roberts
13. Icy Hot by Rachel Kramer Bussel
14. Dreams by Marilyn Jaye Lewis
15. Shocking Expose! Secrets Revealed! by Carol Queen
16. To Dance at the Fair by Donna George Storey
17. The First Deadly Sin by Gwen Masters
18. El Mar de Encanto by Sofia Quintero
19. Flight by Suki Bishop
20. Lily by Tsaurah Litzky
21. Opera Gloves by Maddy Stuart
22. Party Favor by Andrea Dale
23. Carn Euny by Madelynne Ellis
24. A Prayer to Be Made Cocksure by Melissa Gira
25. All About Hearts by Sage Vivant
26. The Next Thing by Gina de Vries
27. Until It’s Gone by Shanna Germain

Introduction: Dirty and Sweet Wrapped Up in One

“I can be dirty and sweet at the same time” reads my self-proclaimed motto on my MySpace page. When I wrote that, I meant that not so deep inside me lurks the soul of a highly perverted, kinky, dirty girl who can get aroused often by a single word whispered in my ear or a solid smack across my ass. Once someone gets me into that zone, I’ll do anything, no matter how depraved, to be with them. I’ll find myself fantasizing about all the wicked things we can do together throughout the day and night, waking from wild dreams with the wish that they were beside me. I’ll see their name in my inbox and get instantly wet. I’ll tell them in public exactly what I want them to do to me, and vice versa. Yes, that’s what I mean by “dirty.”

Yet I don’t think my sexual interests make me any less of a well-rounded, kind-hearted intelligent person. I’m “sweet” in the sense that I care about my friends and family, like sending cards and random gifts, strive to be a good person (also, I run a blog about cupcakes). I’m as likely to kiss a lover’s forehead tenderly and offer to tuck them into bed as I am to throw them down on the floor and strip them naked. For me, the sweet and tender and down-and-dirty go hand in hand; I’m most turned on, and most slutty, when I’m partnered with someone who brings out my sweet side. Once, I visited a boyfriend who was sick with a fever, and did the one thing I could think of to make him feel better: sank down on his bed and took his cock in my mouth. Playing the slutty nurse, horny yet doting, is another aspect to my dirty/sweet motto.

I’d originally meant the phrase as a throwaway line, but more and more I’m realizing that everyone (or almost everyone) has a dirty and a sweet side. All too often we denigrate the dirty girls⎯the ones who dare to publicly show their naughty sides⎯as incorrigible sluts, rather than realizing just how much exciting it is to tap into our lustiest selves. Once you crack the surface of those who are seemingly prim and proper (the demure suburban housewife, the suited-up banker, the quiet secretary, the curious bookworm, the shy computer nerd), you’ll very likely find that the simplicity of the word “dirty” doesn’t go anywhere near far enough to describe the kinks that lurk within them.

The women writing here don’t apologize for being dirty. They know who and what they want and they go after the objects of their affection in all kinds of different ways. Reading this collection⎯whether from start to finish or skipping around to your favorite authors or the most eye-catching titles⎯will give you a glimpse into what makes women wet, what makes us feel and act dirty, what makes us slick our lips and spread our legs. Maybe, just maybe, their stories attempt to answer Freud’s infamously infuriating query: “What do women want?” To judge by the twenty-seven tales you hold in your hand, they want to be worshiped, they want to be ordered around, they want to be sent spinning into ecstasy and then come crashing back down. They want strangers bearing ice cubes on a hot day, and to be a party favor passed around among guests. They want hot vacation sex, visits to peep shows, and a man who’ll lick stinky cheese off their boots. They want power, and they want to give up power. They want sex at the office and in the great outdoors and on trains and airplanes. They want sex with the whole United States of America (or, at least, part of it). They want to be wooed, seduced, flirted with, taken. They want men, women, and sometimes both at the same time.

Of course, there’s more to what women want out of sex than any one book could possibly capture. What I’ve done with this anthology is highlight some of the best erotic writing I’ve found from authors who show you exactly what makes their hearts beat and their clits stand at attention. What they’re up to is, as Marie Lyn Bernard so aptly puts it, “Fucking Around” (which I briefly considered as a very fitting alternative title to this book). When I first heard Bernard read this story tag-team style at my reading series “In The Flesh,” I was blown away. She captures so much of the drama of sex⎯the high highs, the low lows, the awkwardness and the intensity⎯in a playful yet totally hot way. And when she writes about the Big Apple, it’ll make you want to hop the first plane or train to get here: “New York fucks me. New York fucks me so hard that I cry. My pussy opens like the long throat of a flame-swallower. Her fingers make love to the inside of my bellybutton. I am sweating so much that our bodies glide against each other like fish underwater.” You’ll find yourself drawing a map of your own sexual conquests, marking your territory right along with Bernard.

But for every feisty babe here, there’s another just in the process of discovering what turns her on. “Dirty” can be a state of mind just as much as it can be a description of one’s bedroom antics. Carol Queen’s peepshow virgin protagonist Abby doesn’t quite know what she’s getting into with her new friends Daniel and Lila, but she desperately wants to find out. “Lila’s lips covered hers right away, soft and wet, licking and nibbling in one of the most arousing kisses Abby had ever experienced,” writes Queen. “Dirty” doesn’t always mean depraved, either; these stories aren’t all wham-bam-thank-you-sir (or ma’am) quickies. Many of them evoke the intensity of emotion sex can bring with it, the ways having a lover know you literally inside and out can throw your life completely off balance, as if they can read your soul like a map, using fingers, toys, tongues, and cocks to navigate you until they own your internal compass. The thrill of giving yourself over to someone, of giving up control for that deliciously delirious sensation of pure erotic adrenaline, surfaces throughout this collection.

The women you’ll find here are complex; they’re by turns playful and bashful, horny and haughty. They want to share much more with you than just the details of their latest screw. They want you to know what makes them tick, who haunts their dreams, why they can’t quite forget the man who fucked them senseless, even when they’re with someone new. They like to watch and be watched, to take risks, to live out their long-held fantasies. Some are in loving, committed relationships, ones that allow them room to get their freak on with the person who knows just how to push their every button. Others, like my “Icy Hot” protagonist, don’t even want to know their bedmate’s name: “I forgot about the fact that I didn’t really know him at all. Sometimes, in a city of millions of strangers, you just have to take a chance and let your body make the decisions for you, as I’ve learned over the years. And my body was saying yes, please, more, harder.”

“Dirty” doesn’t preclude poetry, the kind where the words roll off the page, roll from your tongue, so beautifully it’s like they themselves are making love to you. Writers like Marilyn Jaye Lewis, Suki Bishop, and Melissa Gira probe the twisted places women go in search of sex⎯and themselves. In “A Prayer to Be Made Cocksure,” Gira elevates the art of the blowjob to new heights: “I sucked your cock as if it was the last cock. I trusted you to let me keep breathing, to never take that final bit from me, to tell me that getting any air at all was your choice just by reaching your hand down the length of your chest to me, to cradle the back of my neck, to run your fingers across my lips, softly, as you plunged suddenly and held me at the edge.” She takes you right into that moment, where this intimate act is dissected, treasured, hoarded, and missed.

You’ll find a range of motivations here, from women looking to spice up a lackluster relationship to single girls on the prowl to kinky couples, daring dommes, and sultry sirens intent on performing on a sexual stage of their own creation. You may read their stories and ask yourself: Would you ever write your name across your lover’s cock? What about pick up a stranger at a rock concert or screw a doctor in a hospital? Get fingered at the opera? Go to a bondage club? These characters do all this and more, always making sure their wanting, lusting, panting, and perversions are met with equal fervor.

Take a hot and steamy trip with these writers as they unlock your deepest desires, or perhaps give you some new ideas to try out next time you shut your eyes and part your legs. From tender to tempting, sweet to sadistic, loving to lascivious, there’s something for every reader who wants to go to bed with images that’ll surely make you blush and just may spark some brand-new, unique fantasies of your very own.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City
July 2007

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Friday, February 07, 2020

Fast Girls: Erotica for Women only $1.99 today through Sunday, February 9 (plus naked bubble bath book trailer)

This flash erotica sale is perfect for Valentine's Day 2020! Treat yourself or someone else to my anthology Fast Girls: Erotica for Women for only $1.99 for the U.S. ebook! And FYI, though the subtitle is "Erotica for Women," that's for marketing purposes. People of all genders have enjoyed these sexy stories! That's a huge bargain.

FG BB

Get it for:

Kindle

Nook

Google Play

iBooks

Kobo

About Fast Girls:

Fast Girls don’t mind being the girl everyone is talking about, as long as all eyes are focused their way. They are wanton, daring, shameless, and bold. Fast Girls celebrates the girl with a reputation, the girl who goes all the way, and the girl who doesn't know how to say "no." Featuring writing by Tristan Taormino, Shanna Germain, Donna George Storey, Teresa Noelle Roberts, Saskia Walker, Jacqueline Applebee, Tess Danesi, Shar Rednour, Aimee Pearl, and others, Fast Girls is a racy, provocative collection of erotica by the cream of the crop of female erotica writers. They take readers on unexpected journeys, from a bedroom with every toy imaginable to a sex club, a communal shower, on set with a personal porn star, and more. These characters revel in their sexual excesses, boldly doing what others only dream about.

Book trailer with me in a bubble bath to the tune of "Fast Girls" by The Reputation, one of my favorite bands:

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Friday, December 07, 2018

Sexy book trailer for Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4

We are just a few days away from the December 11 release of my new anthology Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4! I'm so excited for these 20 brand new stories to be out in the world. If you've enjoyed the novels of Alyssa Cole, Alessandra Torre (who has a new novel out today), Megan Hart, Suleikha Snyder, Tamara Lush, Sofia Quintero, I'm pretty sure you'll love their stories in this volume.

BWE4_5x8_FINAL

I'm even more excited that my publisher, Cleis Press, made a book trailer for this collection. I've made book trailers before (Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica was the first and has a special place in my heart), and acted in them, but this one is the first that someone else made for me. I feel special. It seems fitting because this is a special, super hot anthology.

Want to help the book succeed? Add it to your Amazon wishlist and put it on your Goodreads want to read list. You can also follow us @bestwomenserotica on Instagram and on Twitter and Facebook for updates and giveaways. Speaking of giveaways, Monday, December 10 is your last chance to win one of TEN AUTOGRAPHED COPIES over at Goodreads! (U.S. only) And here's all the buy links to get your own copy!

Also below: a snippet from our wonderful starred Library Journal review. Early readers are loving the hotness here and I hope you will too. And stay tuned for the audiobook later this month narrated by Rose Caraway! Want free adult erotic stories on audio? Click here for ones from the first three volumes read by Rose.



From our starred Library Journal review. Once the full review is online, I'll share it here.

The entries range from tenderly seductive—Alyssa Cole’s sf human/android tale “Essential Qualities” proves a true standout in this regard—to playfully raunchy, with everything in between. This anthology’s ­inclusion of diverse characters in terms of age, race, kinks, and ability is refreshing and much-needed in erotica; each writer finds a way to adhere to the collection’s theme while blissfully breaking the mold. VERDICT An exceptional volume of quality quickies; highly recommended.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2017

My birthday wish is for you to read my new book, Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3

I've been on a break from blogging and much of social media due to life and work and trying to figure a lot of things out but now that I have two books coming out in back to back months, I'm easing back into things. I turned 42 on Friday and while it was the opposite of a celebratory day, it was a day that made me realize life is short and I need to sure I'm living it as fully as I can. I had even taken a break from my newsletter but now that's back and I encourage you to subscribe because I do monthly giveaways just for subscribers - I'll be sending November's this week with a Tasting Her: Oral Sex Stories giveaway.

The book that I'm gearing up to release next week is Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3; the ebook edition pubs on Tuesday, with the print and audiobook to follow in December. There's still a part of me that can't believe I get to edit this series that I've been reading since the very first volume edited by Marcy Sheiner, because I'm still the woman who cried tears of joy when I finally broke into the series after several tries with my "Doing the Dishes" story.

I feel like in many ways this series reminded me why I got into erotica editing in the first place: because I'm a social creature, because I believe that more is more, because I love the short story form, because I want to give other writers the chance I was given when I published my first story. There have been many moments in the last few years when I've wondered if what I do is pointless; that feeling has certainly been amplified since the last election.

What I always come back to is the realization that an anthology isn't just about me; without authors writing vibrant, sexy, deeply creative and timely stories, I'd have no books. So I owe it to them, and of course to myself and my publisher, to make sure their words are read as wide and far as possible. Real talk: it's scary to care too much, whether we're talking about people or books. I am so proud of this book and my deepest fear is that it will be released into the world with a resounding flop. Because with a series, the pressure is amplified: it's not just about this one book doing well, it's about me wanting to have a future as the editor of the series for as many years as possible.

I'm probably not "supposed" to say that on my blog or anywhere else; I often get the impression that we are supposed to be only cheerful and positive about every aspect of publishing. But I see putting out books more as a gamble, except that there's far more passion and energy devoted to each title than there is to most gambling. Ultimately, though, the outcome is a gamble. I don't know if one person or one thousand or many thousands will read this book. For my career's sake and my authors' sake, I hope it's the latter. What I do know is that while I can't control that outcome, I can make sure that even if it's just one person, that I provide them with a knockout book that makes their eyes widen on every page, that features a diverse group of women who are bold and provocative and surprising, who are mix of straight and bisexual and lesbian, many of whom I'd call feminist, who are tender and loving and also wild and daring.

I hope you'll enter this giveaway (which is U.S. only due to the prohibitive costs of overseas shipping) and, if you want to support the book with just two clicks, add it to your Amazon wishlist and Goodreads want to read list. And, of course, if you want to read all 21 crazy hot stories, I'd love if you'd purchase it or request it at your local library (yes, many libraries carry erotica and many will order books if their patrons want them). I'll be sharing more about all the hotness in the book soon, but for now, good luck and please let people know about the giveaway!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3

by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Giveaway ends November 18, 2017.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

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Friday, August 04, 2017

Hot erotica by women at Refinery29

I'm still catching up on life after last weekend's whirlwind 48 hours in New Orleans for a bachelorette party. This is my first day back at my home office, where I'm working on my first self-published anthology and my new set of online classes, so I wanted to share some sexy story links you may not have seen (or maybe you have; I've published many of these authors in my anthologies or will be publishing them soon). I've included the book or story title and author name; you can click through to see original artwork and read a hot excerpt. Last year, Refinery29 asked me to gather hot erotica by women and they've been rolling those sexy stories out over time. Here are the links to all of them, and if they intrigue you, I encourage you to check out the books they're from and more of each author's works (there are links to the specific titles and the author websites there). I'm seeing one broken link which I will update as soon as it's resolved. Happy reading!

Goodbye Paradise by Sarina Bowen

Hold Me Down by Sara Taylor Woods

A Gentleman in the Street by Alisha Rai

"Scissoring" by Annabeth Leong in Inked: Sexy Tales of Tattoo Erotica edited by Anna Sky

Untouchable by Elizabeth SaFleur

"Arielle" by Lana Fox from Cathedral of Furs: Ardent Erotica Inspired by Anaïs Nin

Bollywood and the Beast by Suleikha Snyder

"Tell Me a Secret" by Leandra Vane from A Bloom in Cursive

The Siren and the Sword (Magic University Book 1) by Cecilia Tan

The Boss by Abigail Barnette

S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared by L. Marie Adeline

The Virgin by Tiffany Reisz

To Italy with Love by Fiona Zedde

The Unicorn by Delphine Dryden

"Appetizer" by Sommer Marsden from The Sexy Librarian’s Big Book of Erotica edited by Rose Caraway

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Friday, July 01, 2016

Why I want 500 submissions to Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3

The deadline to submit short stories to my Cleis Press anthology Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 is December 1st, exactly five months away, which means my goal is to get an average of 100 submissions per month between now and then. Why 500? Well, for the first two volumes, I got around 200 submissions for each one, and while I had plenty to choose from, as an anthology editor, more is more. My duty to my readers, in my opinion, is to provide them variety, both within each volume and in the series, and to my mind, the best way to do that is to have a huge range of authors and stories to choose from.

So I decided to set my goal of getting 500 submissions to the book. Now, this does mean that the most horrible part of my job as an editor, sending rejection letters, will also be greatly increased, but I am okay with that because I know that by doing more outreach than I have in the past, so that more authors see my call and, hopefully, submit, I am best serving my readers. I want to find the stories that come from authors who might not have ever considered themselves erotica writers, but had that one amazing idea floating around in their head. I want to see more submissions starring transgender women as protagonists. I want to see more relationships about people 50 and over. I want to see, in a word, more. I could give you a laundry list of what I'd like to see in December when I sit down to sort through submissions, but the truth is, what I love most about issuing a call for submissions is seeing what comes in that I love but didn't know I would.

This series doesn't have a theme per se, but each anthology seems to wind up coming together with some sort of through line. The unofficial theme of Volume 2, as you will see when it pubs in December, is travel. That wasn't something I listed in my call but it wound its way into many of the stories in the book and I appreciate that each author tackled it so differently.

So my favor to ask of you is: if you know someone who might be a good fit to submit a short story to Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3, please pass along the call for submissions. I'm aiming to spread the word as far and wide as I can now to give authors the most time possible to write. I'm sure I will still get emails on December 2 saying "I just heard about this call..." and I'll have to say "Check back again next year," but in the meantime, I am doing my best to reach my 500 story submissions goal so I have a giant, sexy pile of stories to consider.

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Thursday, June 16, 2016

2 new anthology calls for submissions: Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 and The Big Book of Submission, Volume 2

These may not need a preface because they are very wordy as it is, but here goes: I chose to post these now, rather than waiting until a later date, even though it means anyone submitting now will have over a year to wait. I did that for my own sake so I am not racing around trying to meet an unmanageable deadline and to put some new calls into the world sooner rather than later. As you'll see below, if this is too long to wait, don't submit to these calls. If you have questions after reading both of them thoroughly, feel free to ask, but please honor your time and mine by not asking me anything that's already stated below.

I get more precise with each call based on things I see happening in the submission process. The truth is, I wasn't sure I would take on any more calls because I have a lot going on these days work wise and want to put every effort humanly possible into making the books I have out there now succeed, which can be hard to do when you are also in the midst of editing one, let alone two, anthologies. But I also know that part of my life's work is giving as many authors as possible a platform, which is why I've strongly encouraged authors new to the genre and those I've never worked with to submit. As for why there aren't bios on The Big Book of Submission, one word: space. Cost is the reason those authors will receive one contributor copy. And yes, I bolded my pet peeves.

I may very well tweak them slightly, as tends to happen, but I wanted to get the process started now. My goal is always to get my calls read by as many writers as possible and increase the pool of submissions, so I will be doing my own research and outreach to make sure these reach a wider audience than my past ones have. If you know of any websites, bulletin boards, groups or individual writers who might appreciate the calls, I would love if you passed them on. I often get writers telling me they heard about my calls right before the deadline, which is obviously less than ideal circumstances for writing, so I hope that this is seen with plenty of time to jog your creativity.

I welcome questions about these calls (though I cannot read any story drafts or comment on any specific plots or storylines, though I will answer specific content questions related to these guidelines if an element is unclear), and I also respect that these calls aren't for everyone. If these speak to you, good luck, and I look forward to reading your stories when it's time!

Lastly, if you submitted to Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 2, I'll be getting back to you by the end of June, so please be patient.



Call for Submissions
Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3

Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel
To be published by Cleis Press in December 2017

This anthology is open to women authors only, as the series has been since its inception (genderqueer and nonbinary authors are welcome to submit as well). I want your best, boldest, hottest, most creative and diverse 1,500-4,000 word erotica stories, written by and starring a wide range of women, from single to coupled, living in big cities and small towns anywhere in the world, of varying sexual orientations, races, ages (all characters must be 18+ for the entirety of the story) fetishes, jobs, interests and life experiences. I want fast-paced stories that grab me from the first word and don't let up on the heat until the final word. I want stories about women with sexual fantasies, fetishes and lives that are underrepresented in the erotica genre. I want stories that sizzle, push envelopes and surprise me. I don't want clichéd plotlines or generic characters.

Stories in the final book will range from humorous and playful to intense and soulful, and will reflect a similar sexual, racial and age diversity as the stories in Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1. Story submissions must be unpublished (never published, in whole or in part, anywhere, online or offline). No scat or incest, although age play will be considered as long as it's clear in the context of the story that the characters are engaging in roleplay. No poetry will be considered.

I don't want to limit your creativity, because I want these stories to be as dazzling, varied, surprising and sexy as possible. I want your very best work, the kind that will make readers want to savor your story over and over again. Some things I'm looking to include in this volume: stories by authors who've never been published in the Best Women's Erotica series or are new to writing erotica, stories by authors based outside the United States (and stories set outside the United States), stories from the point of view of women of color, stories from the point of view of transgender women, stories featuring women in their forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties or nineties, romantic erotica (they don't necessarily need to have a traditional "happily ever after," but happy endings are extremely welcome too), stories involving more than two people, stories in unusual settings, erotica touching on current events (though the story should be one readers ten or twenty years from now will also appreciate), stories that touch on real-life issues affecting women, BDSM stories (especially ones with creative motivations and femdom stories, though I also want stories about outstanding submissive women), and creative fetishes. These suggestions are merely meant as springboards for your storytelling. All stories that meet the guidelines will be considered.

In a nutshell: I want stories that blow my mind, that grab my attention and don't let go, that say something new and exciting about sex and sexuality, that will appeal to longtime erotica readers and new readers. I gravitate toward unique, creative, memorable characters, settings and scenarios. I will consider sci fi, fantasy, paranormal and historical stories, although they will likely not comprise the majority of the book. For an idea of the types of stories I like, see Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1.

In the interest of publishing a range of authors, those whose work appears in Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 or Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 2, will not be considered for this volume, but contributors to previous Best Women's Erotica collections are welcome to submit work.

Rights: non-exclusive right to publish your story in this anthology in print, ebook, and audiobook form. Authors will retain copyright to their stories.

How to submit: Submit only 1,500-4,000 original, unpublished stories that are not being considered elsewhere. Maximum two submissions per author. I want only original work that has never been published online or in print. All characters must be 18 or over for the entirety of the story. US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.). Submit to bweoftheyear@gmail.com by attaching a Word .doc or .docx file, double spaced, Times New Roman Black font with legal name, pseudonym (if applicable), mailing address AND 50 word-or-under third person bio on the first page of your story above the title. Please make sure to double check the word count of your bio and only submit 50 words or less. Please make sure to use an email address you check frequently.

All stories must have a title and byline included with the submission (no untitled stories). Indent half an inch at the start of each paragraph. Use double spacing for the entire file; do not add extra lines between paragraphs or use any other irregular spacing. If you cannot use Word, submit as both an RTF AND include the full submission in the body of an email, including title, story text, bio, name and pseudonym (if applicable), and mailing address. DO NOT SUBMIT MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF THE SAME STORY. SUBMIT YOUR STORY WITH THE TITLE, BYLINE AND WORDING YOU WOULD WANT PUBLISHED IF THE STORY IS ACCEPTED. MAKE SURE TO THOROUGHLY PROOFREAD YOUR STORY BEFORE SUBMITTING IT. Only stories that are between 1,500-4,000 words and submitted by December 1, 2016 will be considered. Please do not ask about exceptions to the word count or deadline as they will not be granted.

I will confirm that I have received your submission within 72 hours. I will respond to all submissions by September 30, 2017. If you have not heard back from me by October 1, 2017, feel free to follow up at that time. Please note the time frame and if you need a response sooner than September 30, 2017, this is not the right anthology for you.

Payment: $150 and 2 copies of the book within 90 days of publication

Deadline: December 1, 2016

Questions: Email bweoftheyear@gmail.com

Call for submissions
The Big Book of Submission Volume 2 (working title)

Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel
To be published by Cleis Press in 2018
Please make sure to read and follow these guidelines in order for your work to be considered. Editor Rachel Kramer Bussel is looking for short erotica stories of 1,200 words or less focused on the theme of submission within BDSM. Stories submitted that are over 1,200 words will be rejected. While the word count is short, I want complex stories with a beginning, middle and end, not simply scene snippets.

I will consider stories from a dominant's perspective if that is the best way to illuminate the mindset of the submissive, but they must explore what the submissive gets out of the scenario in some way. The final book of 69 stories will contain an extremely wide variety of characters, POVs (I welcome first, second and third person stories), settings, scenarios, motivations, experience levels, motivations, BDSM practices (which can be combined with other sexual acts), fetishes, couplings, relationships, etc. I welcome the use of sex toys and BDSM implements, real or imagined. All genders and sexual orientations welcome.

All characters must be over 18 for the entirety of the story; no nonconsensual activity, scat, incest or bestiality. No poetry. Original, unpublished stories only. Stories from authors whose work I have not published before are especially welcome. See The Big Book of Submission to get a feel for the types of short submissive erotica I enjoy. Please note that this anthology will not include author bios.

Rights: non-exclusive right to publish your story in this anthology in print, ebook, and audiobook form. Authors will retain copyright to their stories.

How to submit: Send double spaced Times or Times New Roman 12 point black font Word document (.doc or .docx) with pages numbered OR RTF of 1,200 words maximum to bigbookofsubmission@gmail.com. Stories that are not in keeping with the theme of the anthology or are over 1,200 words will not be considered. DO NOT submit multiple versions of a single story; submit ONLY your final, complete, edited version of your story with the story title and byline you'd want published. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing, do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) required. I will consider a maximum of two stories per author. Include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), mailing address. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as (such as Jane Doe, writing as Ann Smith). You will receive a confirmation within 72 hours. I will get back to you by September 30, 2017.

Payment: $25 and 1 copy of the book on publication in 2018

Deadline: January 10, 2017

Questions: Email bigbookofsubmission@gmail.com

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

I have a hot new book coming out in 2016!

At some point, when I have free time (ha ha ha), I will post more about what it means to me to have edited the forthcoming in January Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 (the new name for what what I had called Best Women's Erotica 2016), because it's an incredible career high, especially since the stories I've had published in previous editions are some of my absolute favorites I've written. But today I sent over 200 rejection emails and 20 acceptance emails, filed two articles and did so many other things that at one point, I looked up and legitimately wasn't sure where I was for a few seconds. It was like I'd woken up from a dream, but I was at my desk. Yes, that's how crazy this week is making me. If you submitted a story to the book and haven't heard back (check your inbox and spam folder too), email me ASAP at bwe2016 at gmail.com and I will respond.

BWEOfThe Year_approved

So instead of everything I had planned to say about this book, which I am now in the paperwork/contracts/sending payment stage of, I will just share the cover. I will also say to all the people who submitted whose work I couldn't include, and anyone who had wanted to submit but didn't, if I am given the chance to edit another volume of this series, I hope to make it as smart and sexy and creative as this one. I have no idea if I will be editing any more anthologies, let alone this famed series, and today is not a day I even want to contemplate anything of the sort, given how exhausted I am. But if I should be so lucky as to edit another volume, I will once again make room in it for many new authors I've never worked with, and new voices. That was one of my top priorities with this volume and I can't wait for it to be out in the world in January. Postcards and readings and promotions to come! This is an important book for me for many reasons, and I will share more about that as soon as I can. Once the table of contents is finalized, I will post it and share why I selected the stories I did. I can promise you now: there's hotness, variety, threesomes, romance, kink, geekiness and much more.

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Friday, September 25, 2015

Sale alert! Women in Lust and I Want You Bad are cheap right now on Amazon

Updated September 27 with new prices Double happiness for those of you who like erotica and erotic romance: the print and ebook versions of my anthologies Women in Lust and I Want You Bad, the latter a re-issue of the erotic romance book formerly titled Obsessed, are on sale for very cheap prices! The Kindle edition of Women in Lust is $1.99 through this Sunday, September 27th, and the other prices are subject to change any second. As of this post, Women in Lust is $5.63 in print on Amazon, and I Want You Bad is $3.80 for Kindle and $4.00 in print. Also: You can read my free story "I Want to Hold Your Hand" from I Want You Bad. Happy reading!

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I Want You Bad table of contents:

Foreword: Behind the Mask of Obsession Caridad Piñeiro
Introduction Rachel Kramer Bussel

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

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Monday, September 21, 2015

My erotica book Women in Lust is $1.99 this week on Kindle!

Exciting news: my erotica anthology Women in Lust is $1.99 this week on Kindle!

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More about the book:

Introduction: Ladies Who Lust

Naughty Thoughts Portia Da Costa
Guess Charlotte Stein
Her, Him and Them Aimee Pearl
Bayou Clancy Nacht
Smoke Elizabeth Coldwell
Bite Me Lucy Hughes
Ride a Cowboy Del Carmen
Queen of Sheba Jen Cross
Hot for Teacher Rachel Kramer Bussel
Unbidden Brandy Fox
Something to Ruin Amelia Thornton
Guitar Hero Kin Fallon
Ode to a Masturbator Aimee Herman
Orchid Jacqueline Applebee
Cherry Blossom Kayar Silkenvoice
Rain Olivia Archer
The Hard Way Justine Elyot
Strapped K. D. Grace
Beneath My Skin Shanna Germain
Comfort Food Donna George Storey

Ladies Who Lust

Lust. It’s one of those four-letter words that trips off the tongue. When I say it out loud, it makes my lips want to curve into a smile. Lust is more than simple arousal; it is the force that makes us not just turned on, but craving a certain person (or people).

I used to write a sex column called “Lusty Lady,” named after the famed strip club, but somehow lusty, rhyming as it does with busty, sounds a bit like a joke, an added bit of humor, which is how our culture often treats sex. Lust, though, is different; it’s intense, overpowering. While in real life we may not always act every time lust calls to us, in fiction, we can abandon the safety of propriety and seek out lust and sex wherever we find them.

The characters in Women in Lust may vary in the objects of their lust, and how they go about acting on their urge, but what connects them is that pure impulse for a lover. Sometimes he is someone she knows well, is married to or dating; in other stories, he is a stranger, and is sexy precisely because he represents the unknown. Women also lust after other women here, as in Kayar Silkenvoice’s Japanese happy ending massage story, “Cherry Blossom,” and while we only hear one side of the story, I’d like to think the working woman is doing more than just her job. In addition to the culture clash, there’s the joy of throwing caution to the wind while on vacation, using travel to broaden one’s sexual horizons. Whether watching a lover playing guitar, using a webcam, going out for a smoke or simply embracing a chance encounter, these women seize the opportunities presented to them, and savor the lovers who teach them about themselves and help them open up to new sensual possibilities. Sometimes that means looking at the man they live with in a new light, and other times that means something much naughtier. Either way, their lust is a valued part of their lives, not a pesky afterthought or to-do list item on “date night.”

The objects of their lust are not always the “right” person. In “Rain,” a woman falls for her best friend’s boyfriend, one of the ultimate dating taboos, but she goes for it. Sometimes the desire itself, the way it can be used to tease and taunt, as in Charlotte Stein’s “Guess,” is maddening, but we embrace our lusts even when they are maddening, even when they make us do things we might otherwise consider reckless.

For every woman here who can locate her lust on the map of her body, who zeros in on her target and goes for it, there is another who is opened up to her lust by a lover, whether it’s Jen Cross’s narrator pondering what it was, exactly, her orally generous long-ago lover got out of being between her legs. The first words of Shanna Germain’s powerfully kinky “Beneath My Skin” are “I’m afraid,” to which her lover, Kade, responds, “You should be.” Fear can be a powerful motivator and, crossed with lust, can lead to explosive results.

Whether discovering the joy of a younger man, not to mention some delicious pudding, in “Comfort Food,” by Donna George Storey, or taking sex and bondage into the great outdoors in “Something to Ruin” by Amelia Thornton, these women indulge in new ways of getting off and pushing the limits of their lust. Thornton writes: “Despite my longing, there was still part of me that wanted to protest, to tell him to cut me loose, to run wildly through the forest back to the safety of our picnic blanket, but to me that is the beauty of rope: to desire escape but to willingly be imprisoned, to feel the pressure of something that prevents my movement, yet to know there is no place that I feel safer than when trapped like this.” She captures the excitement of giving in to a dominant lover, even when there is a small part of the narrator that is unsure, for that is precisely the part that fuels her desire. This story captures the true power that lies in submission and the many joys it can bring. In “Her, Him and Them,” by Aimee Pearl, the narrator submits to various lovers who question her and push her not only to be the best sub she can be, but to figure out why, exactly, she likes the thrill of submission and service.

I hope these stories inspire some lusty days and nights for you, as they’ have for me.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City

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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Call for submissions: Best Women's Erotica 2016

Please direct any questions about this call to bwe2016 at gmail dot com and please make sure to read the entire thing before asking in case your questions is answered below - thank you! I don't know the exact publication date, though I suspect it will be in January or February 2016, and if I find out more precisely, I will update this post. Also, as I especially welcome submissions from authors who've never been published in the series, and those who've never published erotica before, please do share this widely.

Call for Submissions
Best Women’s Erotica 2016

Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel
To be published by Cleis Press in 2016

For my first year as editor of the Best Women’s Erotica series, I want your best, hottest, most creative and diverse erotica stories, written by and starring a wide range of women, from single to coupled, living in big cities and small towns anywhere in the world, of various ages (18+), races, sexualities, fetishes, jobs, interests, life experiences. Stories in the final book will range from humorous and playful to intense and soulful.

I don’t want to limit your creativity, because I want these approximately 25 stories to be as dazzling, varied and sexy as possible. I want your very best work, the kind that will make readers want to savor your story over and over again. Some things I’m looking to include: stories by authors who’ve never been published in the Best Women’s Erotica series, stories by and about women of color, stories featuring women 40+, romantic erotica (doesn’t necessarily need to have a happy ending, but happy endings are wonderful too), stories involving more than two people, stories in unusual settings, erotica touching on current events (though the story should be one readers ten or twenty years from now will also appreciate), BDSM stories (especially ones with creative motivations and femdom stories, though I also want submissive women who aren’t pushovers), stories that blow my mind. I gravitate toward unique, creative characters, settings, and scenarios. I will consider sci fi, fantasy and paranormal stories, but they will not be the focus of this anthology. For an idea of the types of stories I like, see my women’s erotica anthologies Fast Girls or Orgasmic.

Rights: non-exclusive right to publish the story in this anthology in print, ebook and audiobook form. Authors will retain copyright to their stories. Standard Cleis Press contributor contract.

Guidelines: Submit only original, unpublished stories of 1,500-3,500 words that are not being considered elsewhere. I want only original work that has never been published online or in print. All characters must be 18 or over. No poetry. No incest or scat. US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) required. Maximum two submissions per author. Submit to bwe2016 at gmail dot com by attaching a Word .doc or .docx file, double spaced, Times New Roman black font with legal name, pseudonym (if applicable), mailing address, and 50-word-or-under third person bio on the front page. All stories must have title and byline included with the submission. Indent half an inch at start of each paragraph. Do not add extra lines between paragraphs or use any other irregular spacing; the entire file should be double spaced. If you cannot use Word, please submit as both an RTF AND include the story’s title and text, 50-word-or-under third person bio and legal name, pseudonym (if applicable) and mailing address in the body of an email. DO NOT submit alternate versions of the same story twice; only the first submission will be considered. Submissions that don’t conform to my guidelines will not be considered.

I will confirm that I have received your submission within 72 hours. I will respond to all submissions by September 30, 2015. If you have not heard back from me by October 1, 2015, feel free to follow up.

Payment: $100 and 2 copies of the book within 90 days of publication

Deadline: June 1, 2015 (earlier submissions strongly encouraged)

Questions: Email bwe2016 at gmail dot com

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Friday, October 03, 2014

$2.99 Kindle erotica ebook sale on Fast Girls and Crossdressing

I love when my books go on sale, especially a book like Crossdressing: Erotic Stories that I am very proud of and I think says a lot about queer identities (and even straight ones that don't conform to our culture's ideas about what heterosexuality should look like) but are out of print (publishing powers that be, I'd love it to come back in print after all these years!). For now, though, it's only $2.99 on Kindle through October 31, as is Fast Girls: Erotica for Women on Kindle. Both are ones I highly recommend. More info below on each. And both Crossdressing and Fast Girls are available as Audible audiobooks, both narrated by Lucy Malone!

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Fast Girls: Erotica for Women
(click here to watch me naked in a bubble bath in the book trailer)

Official blurb, table of contents and introduction:

Fast girls don’t mind being the girl everyone is talking about, as long as all eyes are focused their way. They are wanton, daring, shameless, and bold. Fast Girls celebrates the girl with a reputation, the girl who goes all the way, and the girl who doesn't know how to say "no." Featuring writing by Tristan Taormino, Kayla Perrin, Donna George Storey, D. L. King, Kristina Wright, Saskia Walker, Jacqueline Applebee, Tess Danesi, and others, Fast Girls is a racy, provocative collection of erotica by the cream of the crop of female erotica writers. They take readers on unexpected journeys, from a bedroom with every toy imaginable to a sex club, a communal shower, on set with a personal porn star, and more. These characters revel in their sexual excesses, boldly doing what others only dream about. Race through Fast Girls once, and you will come back again and again.
Table of contents:

Introduction: Fast Is a (Sexy) State of Mind

Temptation Kayla Perrin
Waxing Eloquent Donna George Storey
Five-Minute Porn Star Jacqueline Applebee
Winter, Summer Tristan Taormino
Playing the Market Angela Caperton
Panther Suzanne V. Slate
Communal Saskia Walker
Fireworks Lolita Lopez
Flash! Andrea Dale
Waiting for Beethoven Susie Hara
Confessions of a Kinky Shopaholic Jennifer Peters
Let’s Dance D. L. King
That Girl Cherry Bomb
Oz Isabelle Gray
Married Life Charlotte Stein
Princess Elizabeth Coldwell
Chasing Danger Kristina Wright
Whore Complex Rachel Kramer Bussel
Lessons, Slow and Painful Tess Danesi
Speed Bumps Tenille Brown

Introduction: Fast Is a (Sexy) State of Mind

I like the fast girls best/they do whatever they wanna do.—Sarge, “Fast Girls”

I named this book after a song called “Fast Girls” by an indie pop/rock band called Sarge*. That song is a feisty, punk-rock ode to a hot girl who is captivating in all kinds of ways.

I’m sure you know a girl like that. Or a woman. Or a lady. Or a butch. Or a femme. Or…you get the idea. She’s the kind of babe who takes no prisoners, who owns her life and her sexuality and not only doesn’t apologize for them, makes sure you notice her and what she’s all about.

Two definitions of “fast,” according to Merriam-Webster are “wild” or “sexually promiscuous,” and while that is the seed of what I was angling for here, I didn’t just want to read about slut after slut after slut. I wanted to read about women who in some way defy the conventional norms-whatever those are in this day and age. That doesn’t mean being shocking for shock’s sake, but following their passion, seeking out what it is that they need to be truly pleasured.

What I love about these fast girls is that even as they are bold, daring and dynamic, they have a thing or two to learn about sex and themselves.

Consider Susie Hara’s fifty-one-year-old protagonist in “Waiting for Beethoven” as she gets it on with a younger man. In current pop culture terms, she’s the cougar, the aggressive older woman seeking her sexy prey. But she is actually nervous and uncertain, as well as aroused. “And now there was no point in telling him she wasn’t going to come when she could already feel a wave of pleasure rolling inside her, kind of a pre-coming feeling, but different than usual; she couldn’t really tell what was her clit and what were the walls inside her and what was contracting and what was releasing and then she realized she must be coming because her body had taken over and been taken over in this luscious finger symphony so she just gave in,” writes Hara, in a description of female orgasm that I think will be familiar to many.

In this book, fast is as much a state of mind as a state of motion. It’s not about trying to slut it up to impress anyone, but about finding what works for you. I was intrigued to find that playing with prostitution, or whoring, came up as a theme in many submissions, as did threesomes with one woman and two men. It makes sense that fast would be associated with women who mix cash and sex, as happens in Angela Caperton’s “Playing the Market,” where the new economy mixes with the world’s oldest profession. In my “Whore Complex,” whoredom is more a state of mind, a go-to fantasy that leaps from the bounds of dirty talk to real life with some unusual consequences. There’s also exhibitionism, such as in Jacqueline Applebee’s “Five-Minute Porn Star,” and submission–there’s a lot of very hot female submission and BDSM play in this book.

These girls are fast when they want to be…and slow at other times. They want to crack their lovers’ secret codes, find out what makes them tick, as happens in Charlotte Stein’s “Married Life.” I like this story because the wife is not just passively accepting her humdrum sex life, but she doesn’t want to have an affair or get a divorce. She wants her husband, the man she loves, but she wants him openly, honestly, freely and when they both give a little of themselves and bravely bare their souls, they find true happiness.

These girls don’t give it up for just anyone. Even the ones who get around have a reason for choosing their lovers, and it’s those reasons, those images, that resonate with me. Here’s Tristan Taormino in “Winter, Summer,” rhapsodizing about the woman she’s about to seduce (or perhaps, who’s about to seduce her is more accurate):

She’s the boy I have dreamed about and jerked off to too many times to count. The one who won’t leave my fantasies, who cruises me in my bedroom, who seduced me months ago in another lifetime with her voice, who plays pool and drinks beer, who grabs my ass in crowded bars just to fuck with my boundaries and catch me off guard, who makes my brain get wet and my pussy explode.

Exactly. Though there are women on the prowl here, women who go after younger men, women who pounce, women who pursue, there are others who are excited about being the object of another’s affection, lust and desire. For them, being fast means courting the man or woman (or more than one person) they are searching for.

These fast girls speak to me on many levels. I admire them, respect them, marvel at them, raise my eyebrows at them, want them. But most of all, I’m excited that they’ve broken free of whatever messages we all receive about how a woman is “supposed” to act and instead they are bent on acting however they damn well please. And that’s my personal definition of a fast, not to mention foxy, girl.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City

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Crossdressing: Erotic Stories


Official description:
>From femmes who channel Marlene Dietrich in the sexiest of suits to men who love nothing more than the feel silky panties stretched tight against their skin, these characters boldly indulge their fantasies of being a girl — or a guy — for a night. Drag queens get dolled up for a night on the town, a dyke packs a special surprise beneath her dress, and a devoted husband puts his dress-up skills to the ultimate test in this seductive new collection.
And my intro along with the table of contents

Crossing Boundaries and Bending Genders

Crossdressing spans such a wide range of possibilities, erotic and otherwise, that the only thing we can safely say brings the mélange of its practitioners under one umbrella is that they dress (sometimes or all the time) in the clothing of another gender. In an age when gender is becoming increasingly fluid, deconstructed, questioned, and sometimes abandoned, we can begin to see the idea and reality of crossdressing in a new light.

This book focuses on the erotic pleasures of crossdressing, while also touching on the life-changing, mind-melting, earth-shifting experiences that can come from actively playing with one’s gender. For some characters, crossdressing means transgressing, transforming, subverting the rules to enter another body in order to enter another world, literally or figuratively. Sometimes it gives them permission to go where they’d be unwanted otherwise. For other characters, playing with their attire lets their minds create the fantasy creature they’ve always longed to be. It means acting, homecoming, freedom. Sometimes, it’s a fun, risqué adventure, a break from the ordinary, a chance to see what might happen if you slipped into a dress or suited up. Would you be the same person? Would you feel the same? Would you get turned on in the same way? These questions and more get tackled in Crossdressing, though the answers are as varied as we are.

When these characters don the clothes of another gender, or another gender role, they find not just their bodies but their minds altered in powerful ways. What was once forbidden is now acceptable⎯or maybe it’s still taboo but even hotter because of it. When they literally step into someone else’s shoes, their bodies, minds, and libidos can explore passions they might not dare voice otherwise. Whether it’s the bra, panties, and garter tucked away under the charcoal-gray business suit or the bound breasts flattened under a drag king’s snazzy attire, clothes, as more than one character here can attest, do “make the man”⎯or woman, though the person inside those clothes creates his or her power from within as well.

In Stephen Albrow’s “More Than Meets the Eye,” his businessman protagonist has a secret under his suit that’s his private treasure, until he chooses to share it: “My Brooks Brothers shirt is thick enough to cover up my white satin bra and garter belt, but not so thick that I can’t feel the garter belt’s lace trim as I run my fingertip over my abs. Just knowing this little bit of Suzy is there is enough to calm my nerves.” Part of his narrator’s delight is in fooling those around him. Yet revealing Suzy to her special lover is a bold thrill that yields untold rewards, and it’s this push-pull of discovery and secrecy, of flaunting and hiding, of male and female that makes the story come alive.

These stories are not just about crossing genders but about living with the duality of one within the other, mixed together, mingling—the experience of living as one changing how a person lives as the other. Ashley Laine, the sensual, seductive drag queen narrator of Tulsa Brown’s exquisitely rendered “Temporary,” reveals the fear that haunts her at being found out: “When his thick fingers began to creep under my panties, I edged away, afraid to ripple the surface of his fantasy.” Yet she proceeds, risking rejection for the joy of bringing that duality together into her erotic life. You can feel the shivers Rory delivers to her with the words “Oh, girl”—two simple but powerful words that encapsulate the crux of both Brown’s story and this collection as a whole. When these characters⎯men, women, and those in between or neither at all⎯are finally able to be recognized for their chosen selves, the thrill goes far beyond the sexual.

Yet sex, desire, lust, and longing are front and center throughout, even as more complex gender dynamics come into play. In Debra Hyde’s “Just Like a Boy,” we learn that simply turning oneself into a “boy” is not enough for her narrator. She longs to be the boy of her childhood dreams, not “an androgyne in boy’s clothes.” Yet her venture into male territory isn’t only for her but for her lover, Matthias, as well. Hyde draws out the tension in this dominant/submissive relationship, where power gets exerted in twisted, yet intriguing, ways.

The power of uniform gets invoked in Lisabet Sarai’s humorous “Beefeater,” in which a young British woman mocks family⎯and tradition⎯to dress in the garb of the Yeoman Warders guarding the Tower of London. The secrecy of her mission, combined with the defiant naughtiness of their endeavor, had me rooting for them with all the fervor of anyone who’s deliberately disobeyed, half-hoping to get punished.

Crossdressers themselves aren’t the only ones here with a tale to tell. In T. Hitman’s “Higher and Higher,” Pete pretends to be his naughty alter ego, Nate, when he hires Roni, a “dudette” who shows Pete a few tricks as she turns one, worshipping him in ways nobody else ever has. His internal dilemma, caught between sheer arousal and propriety, between who he thinks he should desire and who he actually does, gives us a peek into how those who lust after crossdressers of any variety also struggle to embrace their wants.

In Crossdressing, you’ll find men in panties, butches in dresses, girls looking like boys, drag queens, drag kings, and those who can’t be tidily summed up by their outer appearance. You’ll find men who want to be men, only prettier, and women who don’t have penis envy per se, but don’t always want to be the little lady. In short, you’ll find people across the sexual-orientation spectrum fucking with gender and gender roles⎯and simply fucking.

At one point, looking at herself in the mirror, Brown’s drag queen says, “Some people might call this a fantasy, but it was my deepest truth.” Here you get hot fantasy, fiction, and the kind of truth that really matters, the kind that gets under our skin, under our clothes, under our disguises to a place that speaks to us deep in our erotic souls. Whatever you’re wearing right now (or not), I hope you’ll join me on this tour across stages real and imagined, where the limits of gender-bending are in the eyes of the beholder.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City
April 2007

Foreword by Veronica Vera
Introduction by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Temporary • Tulsa Brown
Just Like a Boy • Debra Hyde
Halloween • Helen Boyd
More Than Meets the Eye • Stephen Albrow
Tough Enough to Wear a Dress • Teresa Noelle Roberts
The Sweetheart of Sigma Queer • Simon Sheppard
Tori’s Secret • Andrea Miller
Like a Girl • Alison Tyler
Michelle, Ma Belle • Marcy Sheiner
Beefeater • Lisabet Sarai
Phone Fatale • Stan Kent
I Need a Man • Andrea Dale
A Cute Idea • Rachel Kramer Bussel
Higher and Higher • T. Hitman
Birthday Girl • Jason Rubis
The Princess on the Rock • Elspeth Potter
Down the Basement • Ryan Field
Some Things Never Change • Melinda Johnson

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Monday, May 26, 2014

Pre-order sale price for Hungry for More: Romantic Fantasies for Women

While it still says December 16th on Amazon, the actual pub date for my hot new erotica anthology, one of my very best in my opinion, is in August and while I have no advance knowledge of or control over Amazon pricing, I can tell you that the current Amazon pre-order price of $11.10 is likely the cheapest you'll find for the print edition (Bn.com has it for $11.32). With this book, every fantasy is different, and many are boundary pushing, including a woman getting it on with an 18-year-old. That was deliberate; I didn't want to play it safe or shy away from the taboo, the not just "naughty" but the truly naughty. For instance, "Madam Secretary" takes on a particularly notable spin considering a certain probably 2016 presidential candidate. You'll have to read the story yourself for the details on its political celebrity sex aspect.

I wanted to honor stories that took risks, that turned readers on while, perhaps, making them a little uncomfortable, pushing more than just the usual buttons, and I believe Hungry for More succeeds on all fronts. I think this will be a blazing hot beach read and can't wait to share it with all of you. Here's a little more info about the book and yes, it will be available as an ebook, probably in August or September, and, hopefully, an audiobook as well. These are both stories I want to read and stories I aspire to emulate because they pull no punches; they are daring and bold and feature women who pursue their most brazen fantasies, women I also hope to emulate. There are too many times with my writing where I play it safe, where I stick with the known rather than the unknown, and I'm so grateful that I didn't with my bukkake story "A First Time for Everything" (not, alas, the typo I made when I first typed this sentence, "A Fist Time for Everything") and that these authors didn't. So here's a chance to get this book at a bargain and in your hands as soon as it's for sale plus give the book a leg up because pre-orders basically do double duty in terms of holding a hell of a lot of power with online and brick and mortar retailers. The more pre-orders, the more copies the store will stock and attention the book will be given because they know there's a market for it.

hungryformorecover

Introduction: Getting Explicit

Submissive Jacqueline Applebee
Happy Endings Giselle Renarde
Craig’s List Greta Christina
Bringing the Heat Tiffany Reisz
Madam Secretary Jaye Markham
Kitchen Slut Olivia Archer
Just Once Jocelyn Dex
Boat Rocking D. L. King
The Sleeper’s Beauty Jade A. Waters
Upstairs at the Ava DelovelyOlive
Organically Grown Brandy Fox
The Room of Guarantees Jessica Lennox
Redrawing the Lines Bren Emile
Tickle Day Jeremy Edwards
Relief Katya Harris
Jailbait Torch Song Valerie Alexander
Red Lipstick Erzabet Bishop
Something Sleazy Elizabeth Coldwell
The Instructor Rose de Fer
My Pillar-Box Red Cock Tilly Hunter
A First Time for Everything Rachel Kramer Bussel

Introduction: Getting Explicit

When we fantasize, we give ourselves space to live out the naughtiest acts we can imagine. For me, fantasizing is like taking a trip to another world, where I can be as wanton, selfish and depraved as I like—and for that matter, that’s exactly what erotica writing does for me as well.

Fantasies don’t follow the rules, whether the ones society has set for us—and if you’re a woman, our culture has plenty of sex rules to rein you in—or the ones we’ve set for ourselves. Anything—and everything—goes. In the twenty-one stories in this book, I’ve tried to include both common and unusual fantasies, ones that speak to things you might do or want to do, ones that might unnerve you, ones that touch the edges of our most cherished taboos.

The title Hungry for More has multiple meanings—these characters do indeed want more, but that doesn’t necessarily mean more sex just to have more sex. Getting off isn’t a numbers game to these characters; it’s about accessing more pleasure, pushing more boundaries, trying new things, sometimes with new partners. Even when they get more of whatever it is they crave, they’re still hungry, because fulfilling one fantasy isn’t the end of their pleasure, but the beginning of a new and grand adventure.

The common thread here, whether the characters are having sex with strangers from Craig’s List, the organic produce clerk or the secretary of state, is that these women are unabashed in their desires. They may recognize that others might look at them askance, as in Valerie Alexander’s “Jailbait Torch Song,” but they follow through anyway, not letting anyone stop them from experiencing the ultimate thrill of playing out a dirty dream that’s often followed them through lovers, relationships and plenty of orgasms. These women often surprise their lovers with their adamant affirmations of lust, but they quickly realize the thrills to be found in venturing beyond their usual erotic boundaries.

The women in these pages know fantasies have a way of finding us, even—or especially—when we try to disavow them. They don’t care about propriety, reputations or acceptability. These fantasies—of public sex, BDSM, strap-on play, lesbian encounters, bukkake, watching male lovers and much more—speak so loudly they cannot be ignored. They insist on being heard, seen, touched. While in real life we may keep our most treasured fantasies tucked away for our most secret selves, in these tales, women’s fantasies are front and center, every explicit act laid bare. Luckily, here, in a book that perhaps you’ll enjoy in bed, or the bath, or wherever you do your erotic reading, you get to watch—and live vicariously through these brazen, taboo-busting women, who are willing to go all the way in the name of living out whatever wild, wicked scenarios their lustiest selves have dreamt up. I invite you to come along for the ride.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
Red Bank, New Jersey

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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

3 books of women's erotica: Orgasmic, Fast Girls, Women in Lust

I have to admit that of all my books, Orgasmic is one of my favorites because I think the stories as a whole deliver such great variations on the theme of female orgasm. Sometimes people say to me, "Isn't all erotica about orgasms?" Well, not necessarily. People miss the fact that when you are editing a book around a theme, whether it's spanking or bondage or orgasm or submission, the stories need to focus on the theme but also give new life to that theme. It can't just start out "orgasm orgasm orgasm" and end with "orgasm orgasm orgasm." The characters have to grow and change over the course of the story and explore orgasm in some deeper way. That's what the stories in Orgasmic do so brilliantly. So whether you're into chemistry or horse riding or having your private parts struck with a belt or BDSM or Tantric sex or whatever a given story covers, there's a way into the story because the authors lead you there with their characters. There's humor and intensity and love and lust and confusion and frustration and focus. That's true of each of these anthologies, I think. I think the "every bit of erotica has orgasms" mindset means that you go into the story thinking this one thing will happen. Maybe it will--in fact, I can guarantee it will in Orgasmic, but that doesn't mean you really know what you're going to get.

That's probably the most elusive quality I look for when editing anthologies, as I am right now (deadlines are coming up fast!). I like stories that take those reader expectations and twist and turn them until they're almost unrecognizable. That's not to say there's no payoff for the reader, or that the kinky girl at the start of a story suddenly only wants to make out (though in the right hands, that could work), but that there's something extra delivered beyond those early expectations. Or maybe you have no idea what to expect because the premise is so unusual, such as in "Chemistry" by Velvet Moore, one of my favorite stories I've ever published. And a little word on these subtitles: yes, they are billed as "erotica for women" and feature female authors, but I would never venture that only women will enjoy these books. If you like erotica, if you like reading about women exploring their sexuality in different ways, you'll probably appreciate these books. Orgasmic is probably the one book I'd say I'd recommend to get a feel for the kinds of erotic stories and storytelling I enjoy. Fun fact: the entire reason The Big Book of Orgasms exists is because Orgasmic was such a hit! It was a bit of a surprise to me precisely because of the "isn't all erotica orgasmic erotica?" mode of thought, but apparently, orgasms are popular!

Speaking of which, if you've already read these, I'd love it if you'd give them a short review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Even a sentence or two truly goes a long way! Goodreads links: Orgasmic, Fast Girls and Women in Lust.

I'm honored that Lucy Malone, who's narrated novels by bestselling author Jaci Burton, is the narrator of the Orgasmic audiobook. Here's a little bit of what she said in an interview about erotica:
I enjoy how erotica does not seem bound by the limitations that you see in other kinds of writing sometimes and how the sexual element is often a metaphor for personal transformation or a deeper exploration of self. People might assume it’s the book equivalent of porn, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I often find myself very engaged with erotica because those books are often the most multifaceted—there can be a strong paranormal element, a romance, fight scenes, profound character development, and sex scenes all in the same book.
And a personal high point, one that felt like a full circle from my old law school life, when I discovered the band Sarge, to my erotica editing one? The song that inspired the title, "Fast Girls" by Sarge, is the soundtrack to my bubble bath book trailer for the book:



orgasmic
Orgasmic: Erotica for Women
Orgasmic springs from a delicious idea — a book of erotica that explores every possible type of orgasm. This highly original concept could only have come from the delightfully dirty (and brilliant) mind of Rachel Kramer Bussel. Oral sensations, digital delights, tricks with toys, and the old bump and grind are all featured, along with many more imaginative ways to bring a lover to climax. By taking the reins, one woman finds pleasure on top; an experimental lover discovers ecstasy with a remote-controlled vibrator; body and soul merge in multiple orgasms through tantric sex. Orgasmic covers it all, from the familiar to the uncharted, opening up a Pandora’s Box of scenarios and techniques to bring readers to new heights of pleasure.
Table of contents:

Introduction: Let Me Count the Ways…

The Waiting Game Elizabeth Coldwell
What’s in a Name? Jacqueline Applebee
Chemistry Velvet Moore
The Chair Lolita Lopez
Fixing the Pipes Susie Hara
Share Dusty Horn
Hurdles Rowan Elizabeth
Seeing Stars Louisa Harte
Old Faithful Sylvia Lowry
Paying It Forward Kendra Wayne
The Big O Donna George Storey
Moon Tantra Teresa Noelle Roberts
Feet on the Dashboard Rachel Green
Frosting First Lana Fox
All She Wanted Andrea Dale
Making Shapes Lily Harlem
Rapture Angela Caperton
Belted Rachel Kramer Bussel
Rise and Shine Heidi Champa
Taking the Reins Vanessa Vaughn
First Date with the Dom Noelle Keely
Animal Inside Neve Black
The London O Justine Elyot
Fight Charlotte Stein
Switch Jade Melisande Buy from:

Amazon.com.

Kindle ebook edition

Barnes & Noble (Bn.com)

Nook ebook edition

IndieBound (search for your local independent bookstore!)

Google Play

iBooks

Audible.com audio book

Cleis Press

fastgirls
Fast Girls: Erotica for Women
Fast girls don’t mind being the girl everyone is talking about, as long as all eyes are focused their way. They are wanton, daring, shameless, and bold. Fast Girls celebrates the girl with a reputation, the girl who goes all the way, and the girl who doesn't know how to say "no." Featuring writing by Tristan Taormino, Kayla Perrin, Donna George Storey, D. L. King, Kristina Wright, Saskia Walker, Jacqueline Applebee, Tess Danesi, and others, Fast Girls is a racy, provocative collection of erotica by the cream of the crop of female erotica writers. They take readers on unexpected journeys, from a bedroom with every toy imaginable to a sex club, a communal shower, on set with a personal porn star, and more. These characters revel in their sexual excesses, boldly doing what others only dream about. Race through Fast Girls once, and you will come back again and again.
Table of contents:

Introduction: Fast Is a (Sexy) State of Mind

Temptation Kayla Perrin
Waxing Eloquent Donna George Storey
Five-Minute Porn Star Jacqueline Applebee
Winter, Summer Tristan Taormino
Playing the Market Angela Caperton
Panther Suzanne V. Slate
Communal Saskia Walker
Fireworks Lolita Lopez
Flash! Andrea Dale
Waiting for Beethoven Susie Hara
Confessions of a Kinky Shopaholic Jennifer Peters
Let’s Dance D. L. King
That Girl Cherry Bomb
Oz Isabelle Gray
Married Life Charlotte Stein
Princess Elizabeth Coldwell
Chasing Danger Kristina Wright
Whore Complex Rachel Kramer Bussel
Lessons, Slow and Painful Tess Danesi
Speed Bumps Tenille Brown

Buy from:

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Bn.com

Nook ebook edition

Powell's

IndieBound

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Audible audiobook

Cleis Press

German edition Leicht zu haben: Heiße Stories (Amazon Germany)

womeninlust
Women in Lust: Erotic Stories
Lust is urgent, overpowering, and potent. While in real life readers may not always act every time desire calls, in fiction, they can abandon the safety of propriety to seek out lust and sex wherever they find them. The characters in Women in Lust may vary in the objects of their lust, and how they go about acting on it, but what connects them is that pure impulse for a lover. Sometimes he is someone she knows well, a boyfriend or a husband; in other stories, he is a stranger, and is desirable precisely because he represents the unknown. Whether watching a lover playing guitar, going out for a smoke or simply engaging in a chance encounter, these women seize the opportunities presented to them, and savor the lovers who teach them about themselves, helping open them up to new sensual possibilities.
Table of contents:

Introduction: Ladies Who Lust

Naughty Thoughts Portia Da Costa
Guess Charlotte Stein
Her, Him, and Them Aimee Pearl
Bayou Clancy Nacht
Smoke Elizabeth Coldwell
Bite Me Lucy Hughes
Ride a Cowboy Del Carmen
Queen of Sheba Jen Cross
Hot for Teacher Rachel Kramer Bussel
Unbidden Brandy Fox
Something to Ruin Amelia Thornton
Guitar Hero Kin Fallon
Ode to a Masturbator Aimee Herman
Orchid Jacqueline Applebee
Cherry Blossom Kayar Silkenvoice
Rain Olivia Archer
The Hard Way Justine Elyot
Strapped K D Grace
Beneath My Skin Shanna Germain
Comfort Food Donna George Storey

Buy from:

Amazon

Kindle edition (ebook)

Barnes & Noble

Nook (ebook)

Powells

Books-a-Million

IndieBound (search for your local indie bookstore)

iBooks

Google Play

Audible audiobook

Cleis Press

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