Bed, Body & Beyond: Recent Releases (Anthologies)

Sudden Sex: 69 Sultry Short Stories edited by Alison Tyler

A woman and a man in an embrace about to kiss with the man's hand in the woman's long red hair and the woman pulling off the man's tank top. The words Sudden Sex are near the bottom of the page in pink and yellow script. Below that it says, 69 sultry short stories. Below that, it says Edited by Alison Tyler, editor of the bestselling Frenzy.

Alison Tyler + Cleis Press + flash erotica = a winning combination! Sudden Sex is one of several excellent short-short erotica collections edited by Alison and published by Cleis. Since short-short fiction is one of my favorite forms to write I'm delighted to be included. My story is a subtly humorous D/s tale called "Cookie." It's got something for everyone! If you like Sudden Sex, you might also want to check out the best-selling Frenzy and its "sequel," Got a Minute? as well. Here's my review of Kiki DeLovely's contribution to this book.

The Big Book of Bondage: Sexy Tales of Erotic Restraint edited by Alison Tyler

This cover is bold, striking, and clean. A light-skinned woman's right waist and hip, from about three-quarters up her thigh to one-third of the way up her rib cage. A black leather harness with an O-ring and silver buckles transects her waste and goes under her crotch. Black background behind her. The book title and author's name are all on her hip and thigh, below the harness.

I was really excited when The Big Book of Bondage came out. There are some truly exceptional stories in here -- some of the best erotic fiction I've read. Also, I went on my own personal journey in writing my contribution. (Listen to me reading the opening of "River of Beauty.") And this book certainly lives up to its name: It's big! It's filled with great and diverse stories by many of the best erotica writers of today.

Periphery, edited by Lynne Jamneck, re-release in eBook format by Untreed Reads

A sepia-toned photograph of some sort of antique-looking piece of machinery or fixture. It has a glass bulb and various metal parts. In opaque white circles above, each letter of the title,

This is one of the anthologies I'm proudest to be a part of. The stories are diverse and imaginative. This is lesbian science fiction with an erotic component. Some are romance. Some are fetchingly smutty. Some are terrific stories that just happen to have a sex scene or two. A lot of it is dystopic, but excitingly so. Well worth a read. I'm so glad it's out as an ebook now. Buy it and/or read an excerpt from the introduction here. Read my interview about Periphery with the editor, Lynne Jamneck!

Best Lesbian Erotica 2012, edited by Kathleen Warnock and Sinclair Sexsmith

Cover of Best Lesbian Erotica 2012. A butch woman is standing and kissing a femme woman. The butch has very short, dark hair and wears a dark men's dress shirt, suspenders and Chino-style pants. Most of both women's faces are hidden, so we see the back of the butch's head and just the side and chin of the femme. The femme is sitting, wearing a low-cut leather vest and fishnet stockings. She has very muscular arms and is pulling the butch against her with one of her suspenders.

What makes this edition of BLE consistent with others I've contributed to? It's full of hot, well-written, well-edited stories. What's unique about this year's volume? Kathleen Warnock says it best in the foreword: "This year's collection has a chronological arc to it. It starts with the story of two young girls in love: one embraces who she is, the other panics at the unknown. And so it goes through lifetimes: people fall in love some more, break up, have brief encounters, know each other better than anyone else, heal their wounds, have families, take vacations, find comfort, grow older, care for each other, continue their pursuits, and keep on keeping on." Includes a smart and passionate introduction by co-editor, Sinclair Sexsmith, and stories by Lea DeLaria, DL King, Kiki DeLovely, Xan West, Ily Goyanes, Anna Watson, and more. Pick up a copy of Best Lesbian Erotica 2012.

Girl Fever: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex for Lesbians, edited by Sacchi Green

Sacchi Green has done it again -- put together a cohesive lesbian erotica anthology featuring lots of excellent writers (including Shanna Germain, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Sommer Marsden, DL King, Anna Watson, Fran Walker, and dozens more; check out the reader bios for the whole collection). Girl Fever: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex for Lesbians delivers exactly what it promises, a huge number of hot, short, sexy lesbian stories. It's an unbelievably thick book! If you like wall-to-wall girlsex, this is the book for you! Read more about Girl Fever on Sacchi's blog and then treat yourself and buy it!