Erotica Anthologies

[Note: See recent releases that feature my work here.]
"[An] author with uncommon sexual insight" --Susie Bright

Here are some of the erotica anthologies I'm delighted to be included in.

My story, "The Pitcher," was in Best Lesbian Erotica 2003, and then was chosen by Susie Bright for Best American Erotica 2004 (the only f/f story that year, I think). It's a mix of humor and hot, rough sex in that uber-lesbian setting, the softball field/locker room. Since I know nothing about softball, I grilled friends who played in leagues to make sure I got all my details right. Softball fans enjoy it, and many women who don't like sports say they loved it. My favorite version of this was in Good Vibrations' catalog, which said, "You'll never think of baseball the same way again!"


A photograph of a woman's lower legs, bare except for a very skimpy pair of see-through turquoise sheer mesh panties around her ankles that she is removing and a pair of strappy high heels. The words, "The Best American" are in small turquoise print in the middle of the page, with the word, "Erotica" in very large peach capital letters, with an even large "2005" in turquoise below that. Below that it says, in turquoise and peach, "Including stories by Jane Smiley, Mary Gaitskill, Steve Almond, and Nelson George. Edited by Susie Bright."The following year I was blessed to have a piece chosen for Best American Erotica again. "To the Marrow" first appeared in the magazine, On Our Backs. It was chosen for BAE 2005 and reprinted in three other anthologies.  This was a breakthrough piece for me in two ways. One is that it was mentioned in numerous book reviews. The other is that it was my first success in selling an erotic story with a protagonist with a disability or severe illness. There is actually very little sex in this story. It's more of a literary short-short that just happens to contain some sex. Again, I think this piece is the only lesbian piece in the collection. After a reading, a breast cancer survivor (a wonderful lesbian novelist) asked if I'd had cancer because I had captured the experience of having a sex life while treating cancer. That's the most meaningful response I've ever had to something I've written.

Don't judge a book by its cover! Best S/M Erotica, Volume 3, edited by the incomparable M. Christian has terrific stories, with established literary smutters like Jean Roberta, Shanna Germain, Cecilia Tan, Xan West, and Jude Mason, as well as rising-star sex bloggers like Oatmeal Girl. This anthology is one of the best I've been in. It combines outstanding literary skill (the writing in some pieces is breathtaking), diversity of topics and styles, and all-out-hotness that practically leaves scorch marks behind! My piece, "Blade, Ink, Steel," was conceptualized many years ago, but it took me until 2008 to figure out how to write it the way I wanted. This was all about the writing process and the language for me, at first. Then I got into the character's minds and got turned on. It's an occupational hazard.
"Blade, Ink, Steel," originally appeared in Best Lesbian Erotica 2009.

Watercolor of a portion of a woman's torso. A fitted white shirt that shows the contour of a breast and is unbuttoned to reveal an edge of a red lace bra with three red lipstick kisses on the collar. In red script between the breast and shoulder it says, "Lipstick on Her Collar." At the bottom of the image in smaller black print it says, "Edited by Sacchi Green & Rakelle Valencia."

Lipstick on Her Collar and Other Tales of Lesbian Lust, edited by Sacchi Green and Rakelle Valencia, was a Lammy finalist. It has a great variety of stories. My story, “Imaging,” came to me while undergoing an MRI. I had heard that they could be unpleasant, so I decided to write an erotica story in my head during the procedure. It worked very well! It was one of my first times working with an unreliable narrator, and I found that to be a delightful challenge.


Periphery: Erotic Lesbian Futures, edited by Lynne Jamneck, is one of my favorite books I'm in. From the fantastic cover, to the writing -- which is superb and diverse -- the level of creativity and craft in this anthology excites me. Regardless of your sexual orientation, interest in science fiction or in erotica, there's something here for everyone. This is more a science fiction collection than an erotica collection. My piece, “Sideways,” is a long story of disability, dystopia, social and political issues, humor, and the dynamics of age and disability difference in a committed sexual relationship. The paper version can still be purchased from many online bookstores, including Amazon or this feminist independent bookstore. Additionally, the anthology will be coming out as an ebook from UnTreed Reads, which I'm very happy about. It deserves more readers! This book was also a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award.

Then there is the fabulous and famous Best Lesbian Erotica series. BLE 03 received a Lammy, and BLE 09 was a Lammy finalist. BLE 2012 has just come out and is hot off the (Cleis) Press!
 
Best Lesbian Erotica 2003

Best Lesbian Erotica 2009
Best Lesbian Erotica 2012

Below are some of the other erotica books in which my work appears:

• Got a Minute? Sixty-Second Erotica, Alison Tyler, ed., "Perfect." I love writing for Alison Tyler, and I find flash fiction (very short stories) fits me best, so this is one of several happy pairings with Alison.

• Frenzy: 60 Stories of Sudden Sex, edited by Alison Tyler. This is the "sequel" to Got a Minute? My contribution, “His Hands,” is my first, and so far, only, heterosexual erotica story.

• Naughty or Nice: Christmas Erotica, edited by Alison Tyler. I contributed “Tagged,” a very merry Hanukkah story.


• Bed: New Lesbian Erotica, edited by Victoria A. Brownworth. “When You Call.” The publisher of this book was bought out soon after releasing Bed was released, which bummed me out because this story was so important to me as a piece of writing and as a sexually explicit story with a disabled narrator. However, I'm thrilled to say that "When You Call" has been given a second chance and is in the newly released, extra-hot anthology, Best Lesbian Erotica 2012! You can order your copy now!

• Garden of the Perverse: Fairy Tales for Twisted Adults, edited by Sage Vivant and M. Christian. Lots of fun and creative stories. I had a lot of fun writing "Sapphenschwester"; if you were involved in women's studies or cooperative living in college, this should give you a few laffs.

• Stirring Up a Storm: Tales of the Sensual, the Sexual, and the Erotic, edited by Marilyn Jaye Lewis. "Perfect" is my contribution, which is later reprinted in Got a Minute? (Above.)

• The Best of Both Worlds: Bisexual Erotica, edited by Sage Vivant and M. Christian. My story, "Standing, Bare," is a sweet, somewhat poignant little piece.

• Bottoms Up: Writing about Sex, edited by Diana Cage. This is a gritty collection of exceptional literary work; I don't think it received enough attention. Includes a reprint of my story, "To the Marrow."

• On Our Backs, Volume 2: The Best Erotic Fiction, edited by Diana Cage, this is a collection of all the short stories that appeared in OOB that weren't included in volume 1 (either those that appeared long before, such as Dorothy Allison's work, or those that appeared later, like my piece, "To the Marrow").

• Down and Dirty, Volume 2, edited by Alison Tyler. More short-shorts! This is one of the first stories I ever wrote, "Butch Hands."

• Skin Deep 2, edited by Nicole Foster. "Your Hands" is a variation of "Butch Hands," or vice-versa (I can't remember; it was 20 years ago!).


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