Music Mondays: Bisexual Danish Folk Rock

This song means a lot to me. The first time I heard it, it stole my breath away. I was in Denmark, taking part in a community where I wasn't comfortable being out (though the community was amazing in many ways--sometimes, it's hard to tell if that sort of shit is just in my head or what). Anyway, I heard this song and, not only did it sound incredible, I instantly knew it was about a woman's first time desiring another woman. I've talked to some people who think the song's message is subtle, but to me it was blindingly clear, maybe because I needed so badly to hear it.

The band is from the 70s, and was called Shit og Chanel (Shit and Chanel), a badass punk name if I ever heard one. At some point, Chanel made them stop going by that name. The singer, Anne Linnet, is one of the greats of Danish music.

I'll post a rough translation after the video.



Rough translation of the lyrics:

Jeg gik ind til byen for at kigge efter dig
I went into the city to look for you

Pludselig stod du der i mængden
Og smilede til mig
Suddenly you stood there in the crowd, smiling at me

Ja alle folk ka' se det straks
Everyone can see it right away

Du er så smuk og dejlig
You are so beautiful and lovely

Dine øjne skinner
Your eyes shine

Du må hellere passe på
You'd better take care

Jeg pas på at ilden i mig ikke bliver tændt
I'm careful not to let the fire in me light up

Vi kunne begge to meget let blive forbrændt
We could both easily get burnt

Men det er ikke let
But it's not easy

For du er så smuk og dejlig
Because you're so beautiful and lovely

Dine øjne skinner
Your eyes shine

Ta' og kig den anden vej
Go and look the other way

Du er lidt forvirret
You're a little confused

Siger du og ler
You say, laughing

Smiler lidt vemodigt
You smile wistfully

Når du spør mig hva er det der sker
When you ask me, what is happening here?

Men jeg ved det heller ikke
But I don't know either

Du er så smuk og dejlig
You're so beautiful and lovely

Dine øjne skinner
Your eyes shine

Stærkere end nogen sol
Stronger than any sun

(And then various parts get repeated for the rest of the song)

Some Upcoming Calls for Submissions

If you happen to be interested in writing erotica, I thought I'd share a few upcoming calls for submissions from Sexy Little Pages (and its nonfiction sibling Resonance Press). I've enjoyed working with Sexy Little Pages a lot, and really appreciate their kindness and transparency.

And for the record, I've learned to be a bit wary of publishers who only offer royalty payouts after one reaches a certain threshold. There is one publisher I won't name that has managed to never send me a single payment, despite my having written a number of stories for them... SLP does use the royalties and threshold system, but I've received payments several times, so sales are happening.

So here's what they've got right now:

Popping Your Cherry (Resonance Press) - nonfiction, about first times, 1,000-5,000 words, due June 1

Myths, Moons, and Mayhem (Sexy Little Pages) - fiction, m/m/m+, stories that "fit the Halloween spirit" (see call for more details), 4,000-6,000 words, due June 1

Corrupted (Sexy Little Pages) - fiction, any pairing/grouping, fresh and sexy takes on things "that women have been criticized for doing," 2,500-4,000 words, due May 2

Scissoring

I've got a new story out! "Scissoring" is part of the first anthology from Sexy Little Pages, a collection of tattoo-themed erotica called Inked.



Here's a quick description of my story:

Letty’s tattoo of scissors was meant to symbolize cutting ties with the past—but when a sexy woman takes it as a declaration of her love for scissoring, she can’t resist going along. In the process, Letty discovers new attractions, and new confidence.

I thought it would be fun to give a behind-the-scenes look at how I came up with the idea. The seed of the idea was this article of clothing, which I own (in both gray and teal) and love to wear:



I also own a muscle tank with the same design on it, and I feel totally hot in it. It's become part of my official outfit for reading my lesbian erotica. Both boxers and the shirt come from Autostraddle, one of my favorite websites.

I owned the boxers and wore them under my clothes for secret thrills for quite some time before I got up the courage to actually wear the scissoring shirt. Before I did, I spent a while looking through reviews to try to pinpoint exactly how often people figured out the queer reference—particularly straight people. Ideally, I wanted other queer people to get the joke, but I wasn't sure how I felt about straight people picking it up. I've actually been surprised by how often I encounter straight people who have no idea what the scissors mean. When I first wore the shirt, I sort of felt like I'd put on a flashing neon sign that said "queer." In my daily life, though, most people don't get the significance of the scissors unless I point it out.

When I read the call for submissions for Inked, I was wearing my scissoring shirt. One of my first thoughts was how much I love that symbol and that shirt and how I would totally tattoo it on myself. That got me thinking about the difference between the way I expected people would react to the scissors and the way they actually do react.

From there, it wasn't far to the idea behind the story. I reversed the expectation and the reality: Letty in the story gets a tattoo of scissors without realizing its queer implications, but her life is changed by a woman who reads it as a reference to lesbian sex.

I had a lot of fun writing the story, and I hope you check it out, along with the rest of the anthology!

This is the description of the full book:

Tattoos are intimate and personal, yet can hide as much as they reveal…

This superb collection of erotic stories will have you squirming in your seat! Inked contains first tattoos in Company Ink and first times in Scissoring. An intrepid ink artist crosses galaxies to save mankind in The Voron-Kali Emperor’s New Clothes whilst closer to home, a sub make a lifetime promise to her Master in Commitment.

In Venomous Ink, a vibrant tattoo shows there’s much more than meets the eye whilst an art student longs to ink the object of her desire with her permanent markers, in Sign Your Name. An uptight commuter finds herself attracted to her polar opposite in Uncovering Heather, while the ultimate Dom looks to get what he deserves in Her Midnight Roses.

And in Nine Lives, a top tattoo artist has never forgotten one particular customer and when they reconnect, she discovers he has new ink for each new life.

You can pick it up here:

Kindle: Amazon US - Amazon UK

Print: Createspace - Amazon US - Amazon UK

Other Ebook Editions: Smashwords - iTunes - Barnes & Noble - Kobo - Inktera - Excitica - All Romance Ebooks (coming soon)

***

If you'd like to check out other stops on the Inked launch tour, keep an eye on these sites:

14th March - Sexy Little Pages
15th March - Anna Sky
16th March - Annabeth Leong
17th March - Victoria Blisse
18th March - Zak Jane Keir
19th March - The Kinky Brits

The Perfect Taste

More Smut for Chocoholics is out, and I've got a story in it! My entry, "The Perfect Taste," is about a character having her first experience with another woman—all because of a mix-up over a box of chocolates. Here's an excerpt:

“Hmm, there’s a card,” Pam said, at the precise moment Katrina remembered that fact with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Katrina knew she had to say something to stop Pam opening it. She didn’t need the humiliation of sharing her futile crush with anyone beyond its object.

The words didn’t come in time. Pam slit the envelope open with a hot-pink nail. Katrina had selected her card with an eye towards elegance, but now the florid gold cursive letters on the outside made her cringe.

“Thinking of you,” Pam read aloud, and opened the card. “To Barry...” She trailed off. “God, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you and Barry were together. Didn’t think you were into men, actually. Oh hell, I’m babbling. Why didn’t you stop me opening this?”

She folded the card quickly, replaced it in the envelope, and handed it and the chocolates to Katrina, who was too stunned to receive them. There were so many things Katrina knew she ought to say, but one of Pam’s statements had consumed her mind. “You didn’t think I was into men?” Katrina had entertained some fantasies, perhaps, but she’d never kissed a woman, and she’d never given her sexuality much thought. Every straight girl had a few fantasies about women, right?

“I thought that was why we always got along so well.”

Katrina wrinkled her forehead in puzzlement. Pam’s cheeks reddened. “I just put my foot in my mouth and kept right on going,” Pam said. “Please. Take your chocolates back. I’m sure Barry will like them.”

Wheels turned very slowly in Katrina’s mind. Pam had just told her something important, but it was taking time to process what it might have been. She found her attention drawn to Pam’s lips. Had Pam kissed women? Was that what she was saying? Katrina wondered what that had looked like. She pictured Pam’s mouth pressed against another woman’s mouth, delicate but also hungry. Fascination made her want to see Pam’s mouth working, and her stalled brain suddenly caught up with her and provided the perfect solution.

“Actually, Barry and I aren’t together. He, um, didn’t want the chocolates.”

“Oh?” Pam’s tone was careful and polite, but there was a spark of interest in her eyes. “That’s foolish of him. They look like very nice chocolates.”

Katrina’s hands began to tremble. The way Pam was looking at her reminded her of the last office party, when Pam had made Katrina laugh so hard her cheeks had hurt and she couldn’t catch her breath. At the time, she hadn’t thought much about it—hadn’t let herself think about it—but now she realised she’d only ever behaved that way with a crush. She remembered the times she’d stared at Pam, thinking she felt admiration. Could that have been something else instead?

“Do you want them?” Katrina asked quickly, before she could change her mind.

“Are you sure?” Pam murmured, stepping slightly closer. She was still holding the chocolates, and again she offered them to Katrina. “They’re wrapped so nicely, you could probably still get a date with them if you wanted to. If you asked the right person.”

Katrina lifted her chin and took a deep breath. It seemed too easy to move on so quickly after months of giggling at every joke Barry made. She had, however, been giggling at Pam’s jokes just as frequently, often enough that Pam hadn’t realised Katrina normally dated men. And there seemed to be no better cure for her tears of humiliation than indulging in whatever consolation prize Pam was offering. “I think I am asking the right person.”

You can find the full table of contents and buy links here. May I also recommend you check out the first anthology, Smut for Chocoholics? I've got a story in that one, too—a decadent tale of menage and chocolate-flavored mind games.

Where I've Been

My posts have been a bit thin here recently, but I've been writing once every two weeks at Oh Get A Grip, a fantastic group blog that has a format I'm really excited about (10 authors write one post each on various prompts).

Our topic for the past two weeks has been "One Moment," and that's as open as it sounds.

I wrote today about first times, denial, sexuality, and the one who got away:

I wasn't a virgin in the technical sense. I'd been with a number of boys by then. But recently, I've been thinking that night was my real first time because it was the first time I wasn't performing a role. Until then, I was always acquiescing to various coercions, making deals, feeling charged with being either the sexual gatekeeper or the automatic dispenser of magical sex favors. With her, we were both doing what we truly wanted to do. We were both excited but awkward but sweet but scared. Sex had never felt so mutual to me before.

If you'd like to read the rest, it's here.