Call for Submissions: My Charity Anthology, due May 22

Hi friends,

I've had this pinned to my Twitter account for a while now, but I could still use more submissions, so I wanted to boost a bit more.

I first posted this call last year, and then refined the anthology topic in response to the submissions I received and am looking for a few more stories. Please consider writing something for me. If you'd like to discuss your idea or need more time, please feel free to email me at annabeth dot leong at gmail dot com. <3 <3 <3 I'm posting the call in full below, but you can also find it on the publisher's website here.

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Coming Together: Positively Sexy is a collection of erotica focused on characters living and loving while HSV+, edited by Annabeth Leong. Proceeds benefit the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health, a sexuality education and training organization that works to reduce sexual shame, challenge misinformation, and advance the field of sexuality.

SUBMISSION CALL

Update: In the first submission window for Coming Together: Positively Sexy, many submissions focused on characters living and loving while positive for HSV (herpes). So I've decided to embrace that focus and reopen the call in order to fill out a book all about these characters. I'd particularly love to get more stories including queer men or nonbinary characters, but any story exploring and celebrating the sexuality of characters with herpes is welcome.

Details from the original call are below:

Ever notice that sex ed classes tend to focus on how to prevent STIs, but don't say much about living with them and having a sex life after an STI diagnosis? Erotica, on the other hand, is often written as if STIs don't exist at all.

For this anthology, I'm looking for short erotica and erotic romance about characters who have STIs.

I would like to see a range of experiences represented. Give me characters just opening themselves up to sexuality post-diagnosis, characters for whom disclosure and safer sex practices are a routine side note to whatever sexual fun they're getting up to, and everything in between. Stories must be fictional.

It's a major priority for me to include stories about people of a variety of orientations, body types, races, genders, etc. I'm very interested in stories that engage with stigmas around STIs, but I'm absolutely not interested in stories that perpetuate those stigmas. I'm interested in the realities of sexuality, and it is fine for characters to have backgrounds that include unsafe behavior/murky consent/etc. In the present of your story, however, I want to see characters who are responsible with themselves and their partners. Please use medically accurate information where relevant. Please don't be preachy or shaming.

All sexualities and gender expressions are welcome. Kink is welcome. Realistic contemporary settings only, please.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Stories between 3,000 and 7,500 words are preferred. I will consider shorter stories or stories as long as 10,000 words if I find them truly exceptional.

Coming Together contracts non-exclusive rights to publish, so previously published work is fine, as long as you own the rights to the work you submit. Stories over 5,000 words may be released individually through Coming Together as well, with the sales proceeds benefiting the CSPH.

Please use RTF, DOC, or DOCX format when submitting a manuscript. Include your legal name, pen name, and a working email address at the top of the document. Do not paste your story into the body of your message.

Please use Times New Roman font, size 12, and one-inch margins. Double-space paragraphs and set indentations to .3 – Do not use tabs or spaces to indent.

Please do not submit poetry or memoir.

Direct all submissions to positivelybook@outlook.com and CC submissions@the-erotic-cocktail.com.

Include “Coming Together Positively Sexy Submission” in the header of your e-mail. In your e-mail message, include a two-line blurb for your story (to help with promotion if your story is accepted), and a short biography, no more than 150 words, including your website/blog/social media links if applicable. Please also indicate if your story has been previously published.
Feel free to query if your submission is not acknowledged within 72 hours.

Coming Together is a non-profit organization, and all CT authors and editors have generously donated their talents to various causes. Compensation for inclusion in this work is a PDF contributor copy of the finished product and the satisfaction of knowing you are helping an amazing organization that is working to reduce sexual shame.

Signs that you've read the guidelines make me <3 you. Thanks so much for being interested in this anthology. ABOUT THE EDITOR:

Annabeth Leong is frequently confused about her sexuality, but enjoys searching for answers. Her work appears in dozens of anthologies, including recent editions of the annual series Best Lesbian Erotica, Best Erotic Romance, and Heiresses of Russ: Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction. She is the author of the novel Untouched and the short story collection Liquid Longing, and is the editor of Circlet Press's MakerSex: Erotic Stories of Geeks, Hackers, and DIY Culture. She can be found online at annabethleong.blogspot.com, and on Twitter @AnnabethLeong

A Review of Knife’s Edge: Kinky Lesbian Erotica by Emily Byrne

Byrne is capable of blending a dizzying number of kink fantasy elements into powerfully hot stories with a strong sense of character.

Emily Byrne’s kinky lesbian erotica collection opens hot and strong with “Reunion at St. Mary’s,” an absolutely scorching story that combines a dizzying number of fantasy elements in a group sex scene that keeps me gasping for pages on end. (Nuns, spanking, and the girls’ hockey team are somehow just the beginning of this fantasy.) I’ve read the story before, but that doesn’t diminish its power in the least. This particular fantasy could heat me up for many nights on end without abatement.

So while reading it, my main question was where Byrne could possibly go from there. I worried that this book couldn’t maintain this sort of pace, and wouldn’t be able to fulfill the promise of that first story. I was afraid the next eleven stories would seem pale in comparison to this particular filthy, kinky gem.

Byrne, however, is very wise with pacing and variety throughout the book. After “Reunion at St. Mary’s,” she showcases other strengths of her writing. “Arachne” in particular relies on gorgeous language, strong characterization, and a particularly creative mythological retelling to hold its own after the unrelenting heat of “Reunion.” Another story, “The Hands of a Princess,” appeals through humor and a strong plot—while still being quite kinky in its own right.

But, wonder of wonders, Byrne has more delicious group sex scenes up her sleeve. Knife’s Edge doles these out just when the reader has cooled off from the last one. As a result, they hit every time, and Byrne’s particular facility with this sort of scene makes each one feel fresh and sexy in its own way.

Knife’s Edge reads well from beginning to end, but for the reader who wants to know which group sex stories deserve special attention, check out “El Tigre” and “Cowgirls and Science” after you finish “Reunion.”

Part of what held my attention throughout Knife’s Edge was that, between the hot sex scenes, there’s a lot of intriguing character and worldbuilding. More stories than I expected have speculative elements. I particularly enjoyed the lesbian vampires of “El Tigre,” which were a fresh take on a heavily played trope, and the warrior women of “The Hands of a Princess.” (Note to Emily Byrne: I could read a whole book set in that world. In particular, I’d love to know what Eriel gets up to in her spare time… Just saying.)

The back half of Knife’s Edge consists of stories set in the contemporary world. Instead of building new worlds and settings, Byrne opts for deep explorations of the psychology behind her main characters. Particular standouts include “D is for Denial” and “Polar Vortex.” “D is for Denial” explores the sexiness of the buildup between two characters and the power rush of not giving a love interest what they clearly want—while also speaking in a moving way about the fears that can drive a game like that as well. “Polar Vortex” is a poignant scene between two lovers who seem on the verge of a split, and raises the question of whether a powerful moment of trust and intimacy can turn a relationship around.

I tensed up while reading a couple of stories—”Planet 10” and “Lovely Rita, Meter Maid.” In both cases, the story is very concerned with a fetish in a way that I felt had the potential to be dehumanizing. For example, in “Planet 10,” the main character really wants to have sex with a member of a particular alien race, which for me resonated uncomfortably with my lived experience of lovers fetishizing elements of my racial heritage. Byrne, however, seems aware of the situation. In both stories, the object of desire asks at one point why the main character is interested in her specifically, and the main character is forced to recognize the insult implicit in this sort of nonspecific desire. “Planet 10” ultimately gives a science fictional explanation for why sex would happen anyway (and extracts a high price from the main character). “Lovely Rita” handles this with a complementary fetish. By the end of both stories, I was mollified, though I couldn’t really relax enough to be turned on.

Knife’s Edge contains a few weaker entries. While I was very excited about the setting and circumstances of “On the Spanish Main” (boats!), the character development in that story felt thin. “An Incident in Whitechapel” is historically rich, very sexy, and full of fascinating psychology and obsession, but in the end felt a bit obscure to me (basically, I couldn’t understand the conclusion). However, I wouldn’t let a bit of unrealized potential deny me a book full of sexy, fascinating goodness.

Overall, this book is a powerhouse, packed with heat and plenty to keep you entertained—and also some moments of deep feeling and insight.

You can pick up Knife's Edge at the publisher's website here, on Amazon, and elsewhere.

Vital stats:

Title: Knife's Edge: Kinky Lesbian Erotica

Author: Emily L. Byrne

Publisher: Queen of Swords Press

Release Date: April 12, 2017

Number of Stories: 12

Page Count: 147

Price: $2.99

(I won a copy of Knife's Edge in a giveaway.)

Atomic Blonde: My Jaw Drops But I Have Questions

Charlize Theron is a fucking badass, and her character is clearly bisexual, so my first impression is, what's not to like?

On the other hand, though, I'm scared of some things. After the scene in the trailer with the women making out, the first cut is to men reacting. There is nothing that turns me off faster than that. In my personal life, I've worked so hard to get free of that shit, to be able to love the women I love without experiencing Men Reacting in my head, to be out with a date at a bar without tensing up at the possibility of Men Reacting. Sure, Men Reacting can be a little bit fun when they're going to get ignored (see: Carol, and the wonderful line, delivered by Therese, "I haven't thought about him all day."). However, I don't quite trust that this is what's going on in Atomic Blonde.

A bisexual woman does not have to end up with a woman to be queer, but I do think her relationships with women need to be treated with equal respect as her relationships with men. So, I'm scared that James McAvoy's character will Matter, but hot French woman will in the end Not Matter. This fear is compounded by the way the movie is billed—Charlize Theron and James McAvoy get the starring spots.

Does it not look a bit like hot French woman is about to be strangled, or that the trailer is foreshadowing her death? Color me paranoid, but this is a sore spot for me (ahem, way too many television shows).

I picked option 2 out of the 2 red band trailers, even though I think option 1 has more makeouts? However, option 2 had a mix of Personal Jesus and BLKKK SKKKN HEAD and I am here for that. However, can we talk about the music for a minute?

So, I love both those songs, and they sound and look super cool in the trailer. But I DO feel weird about a song that is so racially charged playing while a white woman kills people. I mean, Kanye even sort of addresses that in his lyrics:

"They see a black man with a white woman at the top floor they gone come to kill King Kong," he says.

It's also super weird to see her punching people to the line, "If I knew what I knew in the past, I would have been blacked out on your ass." She is not "blacked out."

This stuff with the song makes me feel a little weird about the movie, too. These people obviously know how to make something look cool. But the way they're using BLKKK SKKKN HEAD feels clumsy and oblivious. If they're clumsy and oblivious about racial stuff, I'm guessing they're likely to be clumsy and oblivious about queer stuff, too.

So I'm torn, because I like the idea of female-led action movies, and I am probably going to watch this. But I worry I will also be really irritated by it.

People on Autostraddle are struggling with similar questions, especially in the comments.

[And an aside about the song itself: I love it because to me it sounds like what Trent Reznor wishes he could do. It's the driving lyrical force of rap, combined with what made my teenage heart love Nine Inch Nails so very, very much. HOWEVER, it does contain a few lines that really annoy me. Kanye West is a genius, but does he have no editor? "I keep it 300, like the Romans. 300 bitches, where the Trojans?" Aaaargh. Maybe I am a nerd, but every time I hear that, I want to be like, Kanye, my friend, 300 is a reference to the Spartans, who were NOT Romans. Please keep your ancient cultures consistent. Anyway, that was neither here nor there, but I can never hear that line without wanting to rant about it, so...]

Me, On Safewords and Edges

Right now at Oh Get a Grip, our topic is edges. I wrote about my experience of using safewords in BDSM, and the realization that finding the "right time" to use one isn't nearly as precise as it sounds.

An edge sounds like a line, a clear point. You’re on the cliff, or you’re falling off it. You’re in Florida, or you’ve crossed into Georgia.

But in my experience, borders are not nearly that clear. I think my edges in BDSM work more like beaches than guard rails. At what point are you on the sand or in the water? There’s a transition process. There’s water that seems shallow until the tide suddenly comes in. There are stretches of beach where you can walk a long way out “into the water” but somehow never get more than calf deep.

So, I don’t want to be in the water to the point that I drown or am otherwise harmed, obviously, but I do want to be in the water. It’s not necessarily easy to figure out how much water is too much water. Knee deep? Waist deep? Chest deep? Do I want to dip my head under for a few seconds?

And an ocean doesn’t just sit still and wait for me to figure that out. Neither does a BDSM situation.

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

From a Friend: Damned If You Do

I like where Lisabet Sarai's work has been going lately. She's always written intensely emotional BDSM, and her writing has always been filled with raw sexual honesty. Lately, though, I feel like there's a new spark in her stories, that she's going deeper into what interests her psychologically. In many cases, those things really hit home to me as a writer, and this newest book sounds like no exception. Lisabet provided me with a wealth of info about Damned If You Do, her new contemporary BDSM retelling of Faust. (By the way, this is genius! What with contracts being part of the mythology, this seems like a very natural fit with the BDSM romance genre.)

If you're like, yes, cool, but Lisabet's work is an auto-buy for me, so I already know I want it, you can find the book here. Otherwise, you'll get another chance when you read to the end. There are links there, too, and information about the contest Lisabet is running!

Here's what Lisabet has to say:

Of Frustration and Temptation

Being an author is not for sissies. You pour your heart and soul into your stories. You spend hours of your scarce time and more money than you can afford on marketing. With each new release, you hope you’ll finally grab the attention of the book-buying crowd, that you’ll get the readership and the remuneration you deserve.

If that doesn’t happen (and given the number of people publishing books these days, odds are that it won’t), you’re stuck with the bitter knowledge that all your passion and effort were for nothing. This can be deeply demoralizing, even if you’re not trying to make your living as an author. If you depend on your writing to pay your bills, you’ve got financial anxiety added to your frustration.

I know this frustration only too well. My books receive consistent five star reviews, but somehow I’ve never been a commercial success. Thus, Damned If You Do is a rather personal story.

What would I do if I could magically turn my books into best sellers? How much would that be worth to me? That’s the question my romance author heroine faces when a mysterious stranger shows up waving a contract and promising her fame and fortune, sensual pleasure and the fulfillment of her most secret desires.

All he asks in return is her soul.

Crazy. Dangerous, maybe. But so, so tempting!

Here's a description of the story:

Wendy Dennison is tired of being a starving author. The royalties from her critically acclaimed romance novels barely pay her bills. Her devoted agent Daniel Rochester may be smart and sexy, but he can't get her the sales she needs. Then a charismatic stranger appears at her coffee shop table, promising her fame and commercial success, as well as the chance to live out her dreams of erotic submission. But at what cost?

Nothing you can't afford to lose, my dear.

Seduced by the enigmatic Mister B, she signs his infernal contract. He becomes both her Master and her coach, managing her suddenly flourishing career as well as encouraging her lusts. Under her mentor’s nefarious influence, she surrenders to temptation and has sex with Daniel. The casual encounter turns serious when she discovers her mild mannered agent has a dominant side. As the clock ticks down to her blockbuster release and Mister B prepares to claim her soul, Wendy must choose either celebrity and wealth, or obscurity and true love.

Here's a taste of it:

The limo deposited her in front of her little house and floated away. A bit weary from the lengthy ordeal at the salon, Wendy almost tripped over the figure sitting on her front steps.

“Dan! What are you doing here?”

Her agent looked rumpled and haggard. He didn’t even bother to stand, though his eyes were hungry as he surveyed her.

“You don’t answer my calls. You ignore my emails. I figured the only way I could get through to you was to show up at your door.”

“Emails? I haven’t heard from you in months! I figured you were mad at me…”

“Every day, Wendy. I’ve sent you a message every single day. I’ve called again and again. That damned personal assistant of yours answers every time.” He rose to his feet finally, looking around with a scowl. “Where is the bastard, anyway?”

“I—um—I’m not sure. I think he’s doing some errands.” She rummaged in her bag for her key. “Come inside. We’ll talk.”

“No. You come with me.” He grabbed her sleeve, pulling her down the walkway toward a gray Taurus with a Steelers Rent-a-Car decal parked across the street. “You’ve got to get away from that guy. He’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous? What are you talking about? He’s been great for my career.”

Dan grabbed her shoulders and shook her, hard. “Wake up, Wendy! He’s got you under some kind of spell. You’ve become a totally different person.”

She tore herself free. “Yeah, I have. Instead of being a loser, I’m finally a successful author.”

“You’ve cut yourself off from everyone. I got an email from Jenna the other day. You do remember Jenna, right? Your old friend Jenna Martin? She was worried. Said she hadn’t been able to get in touch for weeks.”

Jenna. How odd. Wendy hadn’t even thought about her, not since that afternoon in the coffee shop when her crit partner sent the link about Sapphire Sands. The afternoon Mister B had come into her life. In the old days, they communicated nearly every day.

“I’ve been busy. Busy writing.”

“Is that all you’ve been doing? That slimy character Bent loves to suggest you two have been involved in other activities…”

She tried to take his arm. He shook her off. “Please, Dan, calm down. I’m fine. I’ve finally found my writing groove. Everything is going great.” She flashed him what she hoped was a charming smile. “I’m going to be on the Breakfast in America show later this week.”

“I wondered why you were all gussied up.” His bitter tone made her wince.

“You should be happy for me. After all, I’m making plenty of money for you, too!”

“Forget about money for once. What about feelings?” He grabbed her with both hands, pulled her close and held her tight against his body.

Here's where you can buy the book:

Buy Links (Ebook and Print)

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Excessica

Goodreads

(Other booksellers coming soon.)

And Lisabet is giving away some prizes!

I will be giving away three $10 bookstore gift certificates during my release blitz, and three free ebook copies of my BDSM erotic romance The Gazillionaire and the Virgin. I will also give a $5 GC to a randomly selected host. The blitz ends June 1st.

To enter, readers must:

Sign up for my VIP email list: https://signup.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

AND/OR:

Leave a comment with their email address on my release day announcement page: http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2017/04/out-today-damned-if-you-do-bdsm-pnr.html

About Lisabet:

LISABET SARAI occasionally tackles other genres, but BDSM will always be her first love. Every one of her nine novels includes some element of power exchange, while her D/s short stories range from mildly kinky to intensely perverse.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website, along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance, she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads and finally, on Twitter.

A Line From A Spanking Story I'm Writing, Ripped Mercilessly Out of Context

My ass was like a warm cup of tea, and the heat of it spread through me, sweetly, creamily.

It's silly, right? But it's also kind of hot to me, and it accurately describes one type of feeling I sometimes have while being spanked.

The other day on Twitter, I saw this:

The Smut Writer's Dilemma: is this poetic and hot, or awkwardly phrased and just really weird, I don't know, I don't know anymore. Sex.

— ✨RoAnna Sylver🌙 (@RoAnnaSylver) April 27, 2017

The quote I led with seems like a great example of this phenomenon.

I think, though, that this is a place where one has to trust oneself. Sex really is weird and awkward, at the same time that it's poetic and hot. It's all those things. The hottest things can seem completely ridiculous when seen from outside. I can't tell you how many times I've been totally into something and then broken down laughing at myself.

Sexual descriptions can be cheesy, but my personal belief is that they're only truly bad when they're dishonest/inaccurate.

So I'm leaving the tea description in for now, and I'll hope it speaks to others.

Music Mondays: Venus Fly by Grimes ft. Janelle Monae

I miss doing these Music Mondays posts, so I thought I'd revive them.

First, I wish SO MUCH that the video above was actually a trailer for an f/f science fiction romance about two ridiculously hot warrior witches conquering the universe.

Second, they're both so unbearably cool in this video. I feel like the planning conversation for this video went something like this:

Grimes: Would you like to come hang out with me while I hold fire?

Janelle Monae: Do I get to wield a flaming sword?

Grimes: Not only that, I will let you put a spinal cord on the front of your body.

Janelle Monae: If I also get the coolest goggles ever, I'm in.

Grimes: Can I be the one to wear the coolest nails, though?

Janelle Monae: Of course. I'm not selfish. I'm just awesome.

Grimes: I know! And I want you to be your full awesome self. We will both have wings!

Janelle Monae: Oooh. This will be so much fun.

Grimes: You know what, let's BOTH wear the coolest nails ever.

Then they had some similar conversation about the actual song...