What I Love About Erotica

It’s easy to criticize.
It’s easy to pick out in the writing of others “what I’ll never do when I write my novel (disdainful sniff).”
It’s easy to be snarky and hateful and pick apart other people’s creations.
I’m certainly guilty of it.
And with the internet it’s easier than ever for this perhaps ill-considered disparagement to reach farther than ever. It’s all the more reason to consider carefully what we say, especially in a public space. We can offer criticism, but they should be well-founded and well-argued, rather than harried rants of someone spouting off publicly.

Don’t be that guy.

I’m sure I’ve been guilty of this as well, so I’m writing to myself as well here. I don’t apologize for my opinions, either in life or in e-verse. But I also think making a practice of focusing on the good instead of the bad is a worthwhile pursuit. We see what we want to see in the world, sort of a glass is half empty or half full scenario. And if all you put out in the world is negative and the critical, guess what your glass is going to be filled with?

In that spirit, I wanted to end with the week with the top three things I love about erotica.

1. It’s honest and raw. The best stories are meant to get under your skin, to make you think, make you feel. Popular literature too often gets away from this, or resorts to the sensational. Erotica is naked by nature and as such works harder to build that connection with readers and get a reaction. I love stories that make me think about something a different way, that challenge my preconceptions. Erotica takes risks and I admire that as a reader.

2. The authors are friendly, innovative, genuine, and funny. Since I started submitting stories, everyone has been amazing to work with—happy, friendly, even sending upbeat rejection letters. The world would be a better place if everyone was this positive.

3. Who doesn’t like reading fuck stories? I mean, seriously.

Have you checked in with the Forbidden Fruit blog tour? Why not??? Head over to the website and catch up now!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Modify

I came to a realization as I labored my way through my workout today.

It deals specifically with writing, but has general tones of resilience, so if that piques your interest, read on, dear blog-peruser.

Today is one of those days that motivational people write about, where crap keeps going wrong, work keeps piling up, people are stupid, you’re tired and feel like crap, you’re over-committed, run ragged, just need to buckle down and do the work, no matter what.

The problem is that I WANT to do the work. I don’t WANT to do anything else other than sit down and do the work. I want to write, I want to be in flow. I want the words to sail out of my fingertips and be perfect and honed and crafted and make my readers laugh and cry and want to go kiss their sweethearts because they are so moved by my brilliance…

Nope.

Not happening.

Nada.

I have shown up and been at the workstation most of the day. I write a sentence and delete it. I think of a starter phrase and dismiss it. I think I have a brilliant thought and it dives off over a ledge, into the weeds, and ends in some kind of shocking, gory way straight out of A Million Ways to Die in the West.

I don’t feel brilliant. I barely even feel pithy. But I what I do feel is the driving, almost consuming need to do work. So where is the advice on what to do with that?

I did what any sensible person needing information would do: I went and did Insanity and watched a show on Netflix.

And that’s when the epiphany hit.

Modify.

I do Insanity most days of the week. There are still some moves that kick my fucking ass. Around the worlds are especially brutal. So today, when that move came up, and my body hurt, my heads all stuffy from a cold, my throat is still sore, and my nose won’t stop running, what did I do?

I did two jumps forward and two jumps back for time and called it good.

Was it my goal of doing the move so fast and clean and well that I kicked all the asses of the people in the video and looked good doing it? No. Not only no, but hell no.

And you know what?

I’m good with that.

Because a little bit of something, keeping moving, keeping afloat, is better than doing nothing and sinking. So that, my friends, is today’s two cents. To modify, adjust course, and keep on rowing, we’re all in this together.

Have you visited Harper Bliss’s blog yet to check out Rachel O. Esplanade’s interview? Why not, it’s the next stop on the Forbidden Fruit blog tour! Get your cute butt over and check it out pronto! ;-)

And while you’re at it, do me a favor and have a really great day.

Last Night I Slept With… Mary Roach

I do tend to get around, literary-speaking that is. And have an annoying tendency to fall asleep and cuddle with my books as well. (Not sure what that equates to as an endorsement, but there you go.) So I thought it might be fun to feature a weekly review of which book I’m sleeping with this week.

I first encountered Mary Roach over a year ago when her release, Gulp, was featured on an interview with NPR. That book was all about the human digestive system and her sense of humor had me hooked immediately. When browsing at my local library a few weeks ago, I came across Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex in the Science section, and simply couldn’t pass it up.

I was not disappointed.

This hugely informative and loudly hilarious read not only sheds light on the obscure study that is sex research, but has a whole lot of fun while doing it. If psychology or physiology had this much sass and flavor, I might have stuck with it longer.

Or taken it at all.

Roach makes anything she studies approachable, comprehensible, and fun. And you can’t get any more fun than true, wacky tales of sex research. (Sex machine known as the Thillhammer, anyone?)

Lastly today, some shameless self-promotion. The Forbidden Fruit blog tour is in full swing, from now until September 22. So be sure to stop and visit all these lovely ladies. There are some great interviews and it’s been fun hearing from everyone. My interview went live on Sunday, and can be found over at LC Spoering’s blog.  End shameless self-promotion.

Zombie Apocalypse

At work today we decided the small rural community we live in is already seeing the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. It’s an aging community, so all the old people who die we’ve decided just keep getting up every day and coming to the post office, going about their business as usual. This theory makes sense since most of the customers smell bad, develop odd sores, are withered like zombies, and move at a slow, shambling gait. But soon winter will be here and they will all freeze up in their houses until spring. Maybe that will make Christmas in the area more bearable this year.

Friday Release!!

I'm so excited about Forbidden Fruit being out that it's all I can talk about today! Head over to Cheyenne Blue's site to join in the release party and don't forget to stop through Amazon to pick up a copy for some weekend reading. Happy Friday everyone!

The Great Calf Caper of 2014

In the tradition of WTF Wednesday, starting last night when we had two cows calving, checked them later and one cow’s calf was nursing on the other, who was in active labor. The Spousal-Type Creature and I traded meaningful looks across the fence, threw up our hands, and decided to leave them to it and sort it out today. Especially since it was getting on dark, the Offspring was tired, and the cow who was in the middle of calving is a rampant bitch. We expected two or three calves, but Dad reported four untagged calves with no idea who they belonged to. So we will get it straightened out at some point, but until then, the tradition of WTF Wednesday remains intact.

Now to the fun stuff…

I love lesbian sex. I love writing it, I love reading it, and there was that one time right after college...

Anyway not important.

The reason I'm excited about lesbian sex is because Forbidden Fruit: Stories of Unwise Lesbian Desire edited by the fabulous Cheyenne Blue and published by the wonderful Ladylit Publishing will be out on Friday!! I’m so excited about this anthology—the authors are wonderful, the stories are tantalizing, it’s just been such an amazing experience to contribute to this collection! It’s available for pre-order now, for the special launch price of .99cents. You won’t want to miss the great value in this superhot read!

Okay, and that was my allotment of exclamation points for the month…lol.

But seriously, it is a great collection, and it is wonderful to be included, and it’s a terrific price for the quality of the storytelling. The blog tour starts Friday also, so be sure to follow along and hear from your favorite authors.

Now then, last thing, this weeks WTF Wednesday Weekly Dose of Smut was inspired by Alison Tyler’s Flash Fuck Me blog. I’ve always enjoyed flash fiction, especially as a way to work through emotions or capture situations that feel like they have no other context at the time other than this brief moment in time. After all the threesome conversation last week, I was inspired. Anyway, enjoy!!

Fuck Me Friday

In follow up to our threesome discussion/ rant yesterday, this Fuck Me Friday recommendation is in the same vein. Three-Way: Erotic Stories edited by Alison Tyler has a little something from everyone. These hot, surprising stories show the wide and varying ranges menage can take, and the collection features some of the best writers in the business, from Thomas S. Roche to Rachel Kramer Bussel to Saskia Walker. Not only showing alluring ways to have a threesome, it’s delivered with a polished prose that will arouse your mind as well as your body. Pick it up for some hot weekend reading, especially while we wait for Wrapped Around Your Finger Sept 9!!