On Erotica Cover Watch today …

… there is much excitement! Come on over to see why we’re dancing!

Three of the Best

I’m thrilled to reveal that a story of mine, On My Knees in Barcelona, has been selected for inclusion not only in Violet Blue’s Best Women’s Erotica 2010 but also in Violet’s Best of Best Women’s Erotica, an anthology spanning the last 5+ years of the series. Wow, me! I’ve never subbed anything to Violet before (and I think she’s awesome) so I’m bowled over by the double hit. BWE 2010 is released in December this year and Best of Best will be out in Spring 2010. Violet says of this year’s anthology:

Best Women’s Erotica 2010 is going to be fucking tight and hot and will get under your skin in the best ways; it’s a collection of the most unexpected literary erotica I’ve ever seen.

I can’t wait! So far, I know Rachel Kramer Bussel is in BWE 2010 but I’m not sure who else is in either of the volumes. I’d love to find out.

In more Best news, my story Such a Special Couple, first published in Alison Tyler’s J is for Jealousy, has been chosen by Maxim Jakubowski for his annual Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica, out early 2010. As ever, Mammoth offers a stellar line-up (and probably a rotten cover) with stories from Jeremy Edwards, EllaRegina, Shanna Germain, Donna George Storey, Craig Sorensen and I’m not sure who else because I just copied all those names from Jeremy’s blog!

Anyway, my big disappointment in all of this is the cover for BWE 2010. I pretty much expected to see an image of an eroticised woman but, because I live with this crazy thing called hope, a tiny fragment of me was thinking, Well, maybe it’ll be different this year; maybe Cleis, a supposedly progressive, liberal, feminist press, will make a move to be less sexist; maybe they’ll make a gesture by using an image including, say, a guy’s hand. After all, the call for subs asked for ‘primarily heterosexual’ fiction. But nope, Cleis just reached into their Arse Files and stuck a woman’s butt on the front. With covers like that, small wonder last year’s BWE volume is riding high in Amazon’s lesbian erotica and fiction charts. Anyway, in the interests of gender equality, I’m reaching into my own Arse Files to repost one of my favourite sexy-man-with-bare-butt images.

Ah, I do love that pic.

Horny Birthday Trollop!

Happy Birthday Alison Tyler! I fully intended to write ‘Happy Birthday Trollop’ but discovered I didn’t have enough P tiles. Fool that I am, I also thought the cat might lie fetchingly alongside the letters. The cat, however, had other plans.

Wishing you a wonderful day, AT, whenever it may be! KLx

Wow all over

Isn’t this the sexiest pic? Truly, I don’t know where to start wowwing.

Wow the first: It’s so rare to see an image of a het couple in which not only is the guy eroticised but he’s eroticised more than the woman. (Wow!) All too often, the bloke appears as an afterthought or adjunct, as if his role is simply to facilitate her sexiness.

Wow the second: Look at the beautiful, rounded bulk of his shoulders, the way his neck swoops so gracefully down to the curve of his shorn head. (Did I ever mention I like shaved heads?) See the light and shadow shaping the contours of his muscles, and the sun slanting in to gild the fuzz of hair on his legs. And, oh my, look at the way she’s all squashed, tiny and helpless beneath him, and how he looms over her, all big and strong and full of hard, dirty fuckpower. And yet there’s a tender intimacy in their nudging of noses. But look closer, you can see he’s caught her wrist in his big, strong fist. Closer still … closer … he’s murmuring, ‘Filthy little slut, don’t pretend you don’t want it.’

Wow.

That photo (don’t know who it’s by, sorry) was originally the only reason for this post but, for decency’s sake, I’ll tack on two items of good news: A golden IPPY award goes to Rachel Kramer Bussel’s Best Sex Writing 2009, a collection of essays featuring my piece on the delights of sexual degradation, The Pleasure of Unpleasure.

And secondly, Maxim Jakubowski’s Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica 8 gets an excellent review on Erotica Revealed. My story, Boot Camp, first published in Alison Tyler’s fabulous F is for Fetish, is described as ‘a hilarious spin on recovery or detox centers’.

Now then, where was I? Oh yes, wow …

Mayday!

I did my first ever reading last year; felt rather pleased with myself when it was all over and done with; and now I have three readings lined up for 2009. Yes, three! Yikes! The first takes place this Friday, May 1st, at Brighton’s Komedia when Club Smooch teams up with local lit salon, Tight Lip, for a burlesque extravaganza. I’ll be reading from the charity anthology, Ultimate Burlesque, along with Maxim Jakubowski, Carmel Lockyer and Emily Dubberley. Oh my!

If you can come along, please do! There’s a good chance I’ll be wearing stripy socks again – just for Jeremy Edwards! Tickets are £15, with £5 going directly to Macmillan Cancer Support, and are available here. The reading is from 8pm-9pm then there will be cabaret and glitter and Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer who I’ve never seen but have heard many good things about.

Because this is burlesque, I have a sneaking suspicion there’ll be plenty of sexy women in their scanties on stage but not many sexy men. Women do teh sexy, men do teh funny. Sigh.

Anyway, wish me luck!