Lookie, lookie at this new cookie!

Well, it’s obviously not a cookie, but it’s a brand spanking new, hot off the press erotic anthology edited by the dynamic duo Victoria Blisse and Lucy Felthouse, Smut Alfresco. It includes my pumpkin patch story, Patches, and is available, so for, at All Romance eBooks. Also inside you’ll find awesome authors like Kay Jaybee, Jacqueline Brocker and the dynamic duo themselves.

I’m so excited. I’ve also got another story prepping for release in the upcoming Smutters anthology, Smut for Chocoholics edited by Ms. Blisse’s hubby, Kevin Mitnik. My story is called Kisses but more to come on that later.

<

I'm happily busy, reading and selecting stories for Can’t Get Enough and trying to muster up the inspiration to cook up some more creative writing of my own. Normally, the sexy, stormy weather would help, but instead it’s left me with a really, achy body, so there’s that to deal with.

The Other Side of the Game

Eventually, I’ll be starting another blog where I sorta chronicle my experiences editing my first anthology. Lord knows I wouldn’t want to put you through that here if that’s not necessarily and always what you’re here for. What I can and will say for now, though, is that despite whatever fears or apprehension I may have had going into this, everything is starting off wonderfully. Maybe it’s too early on for me to properly gauge, and maybe luck has had it that I’ve opened up gem after gem, but I’m in awe at the diversity of stories and quality of writing that’s landed in my inbox.

The only forseeable problem I can think of at this moment is that I want to say yes, yes, yes, when my word count limit will eventually require me to make some really hard decisions. But, I don’t want to think about that now. I simply want to bask in the joy and awe that is reading story after story, so many of them beautiful, brilliant works that belong somewhere, even if not here.

Sigh. I’m not saying anything that hasn’t been said or even thought about, but hey… it’s what’s rolling around the old dome at the moment.

Back at it…

Whoot, there it went!

So, I unofficially extended the deadline for my call for submissions for my Can’t Get Enough anthology for Cleis Press. The deadline was originally Friday, February 15th, but since I went on a mini vacay, and wouldn’t pick reading back up until this week, I let it ride throughout the weekend. And welp, no extra submissions.

And I’m cool with that because I have about 100 to wade through. I was hesitant on spitting that number out because I’m not sure if that’s good or lacking as far as submissions go, but I’m really impressed with what I received and I know my biggest problem will be eliminating. So, here goes!

Oh, and I got my fourth (and by far most favorite) tattoo over the weekend:

I love it and it’s really inspiring to me. Problem now is, I’m hungry for even more ink. Ah, well!

Who’s Your…Valentine?

I don’t have any formal or particular thing I intended to post, but being that it’s the (so-called) day for lovers and all, I felt compelled to say…something.

So, I’m alive and haven’t drifted into the abyss…yay!

I’ve been receiving steady submissions for my Can’t Get Enough call, and acknowledging, filing and printing those for reading have been consuming a lot of my time. So, I’m busy, but happily busy. I tell you, even though I’ve gotten lucky enough to be at the other end of this thing, I still find myself sitting here with stars in my eyes as I read words that make me smile, laugh, cry and swoon, and they’re all for me. Okay, maybe not me personally and specifically, but… humor me.

This anthology in progress is coming along better than I ever could have imagined. The thought of narrowing all of these awesome submissions down to twenty or so is daunting and I don’t quite know how I’ll handle the rejection letter side of it (thinking back on all the mommy-type “this hurts me more than it hurts you” phrases) because all I want, all I’ve ever wanted is to be encouraging and lift fellow writers up. But…we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

For now, my little gift to you to say I’m sorry I’ve been so inconsistent and to wish you well on this smooch-y day, here’s a little snippet of…okay…I’ll say it, my favorite story of mine of all time. It’s called Strings and it’s an unorthodox little love story that appeared in Alison Tyler’s A is for Amour published through Cleis Press some five or so years ago:

Her eyes fluttered open at just after three a.m. Her body was limp, her head heavy with sleep.

His voice was laced with grogginess. “Won’t you stay? Tomorrow’s Sunday and we don’t have to do anything but relax. It’ll be nice.”

His grip on her wrist was firm. She looked back at him, his eyes half-closed, his lips curved into a smile. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, waiting for her answer.

She stood up and went about the business of dressing and gathering her things. She looked back at him when she was done, at the innocent hopefulness in his eyes.

And for a moment, just for a moment she considered it, allowed herself to imagine what it might be like to walk around his apartment barefoot, to fix him breakfast and clean his dishes, to lean against his shoulder on the couch as he watched ESPN.

She thought of telling him yes, that the idea sounded quite nice, But she knew that if she stayed, if she spent the rest of the night laying in his arms, if she woke up with him the next morning, it would change things, there would be no turning back. So, instead she leaned down, held her face close to his, and kissed him.
He closed his eyes and his lips relaxed against hers. Her tongue tickled the roof of his mouth, brushed quickly across his teeth.

It was enough to silence him, to push the idea far, far away, if only for the moment.
The moment passed quickly, so quickly in fact that she couldn’t be sure he was ever awake, or even if she was.
Maybe she had dreamed it all, because just like that he was asleep again and snoring softly, laying there like always, unaware that she was even in the room.

She picked up the pen and pulled out a fresh piece of paper. She thought of what she should say now. It was always something cute and witty, something he could wake up to and smile at and toss aside without much thought.
Yet, somehow what she wanted to say now didn’t sound cute or witty.

What she wanted to say weighed heavy on her chest. The words rose up like floodwaters, spilling into her throat, pouring into her mouth. She wrote them slowly, carefully, imagining the look on his face as he read them, wondering if he would smile, if his mouth would fall open in shock.

The words were strings pushing her forward and pulling her back. But as the minutes passed and her sanity found its way back, she pushed them down again, forced them to settle in her chest.

She scratched through the letters and ripped the paper to shreds. She balled it up threw it in the trash. It would have been foolish to say the words, to even write them. Besides, it was safer for them both if she didn’t.

It was quiet outside now, hard to tell there had even been a storm except for the droplets of rain that ran down the window.

She gathered the rest of her belongings in a hurry, rushing, because if she rushed, she could be out the door. If she hurried she could be inside her car and halfway home before the sun peeked over the horizon, and awakened the city.

“Next Big Thing” Blog Hop

What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them. I hope you’ll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy. On this stop on the blog hop, you’ll find a bit of information on me and one of my books and links to four other authors you can explore!

Thanks to fellow author Tasha L. Harrison for inviting me to participate in this event. You can click on her name to learn more about Tasha and her work.

In this blog hop, I and my fellow authors, in their respective blogs, have answered ten questions about our book or work-in–progress (giving you a sneak peek). We’ve also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write–the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

1: What is the working title of your book?

I’m currently collecting stories for my first anthology as an editor, to be titled Can’t Get Enough.

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?

At the time I had pitched a batch of several ideas, and this was the one that jumped out at the publisher. This idea has particularly appealed to and intrigued me since erotica had been suddenly thrust into the limelight post Fifty Shades. I wanted to take that boldness of in your face sexuality and highlight it. I wanted to bring forth the theme of want, desire and urgency, and what better way to do that than to gether from different pools and present it in a multitude of ways, from different points of view?

3. What genre does your book come under?

Hello, have you met me? It’s erotica, of course.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

That’s what I love about anthologies, the mish mosh of characters, scenes and stories. In movie form, if were at all possible, I could see that characters ranging from Paula Patton to Ryan Gosling to Jamie Foxx to Adele (ooh I wish she did movies!) to Pauley Perrette.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Can’t Get Enough will be an erotic anthology filled with tales of insatiable desire and authors who bring forth stories brimming with sex, kinks and fetishes that you simply can’t get enough of.

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
I am currently contracted with Cleis Press, a popular independent publisher of erotica, for this book.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I began collecting stories for this anthology in mid-November 2012, the deadline is February 15th (eek, this week!) and I will be wrapping it up by the end of March.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I could name anthology after anthology, but what definitely comes to mind are Rachel Kramer Bussel’s Gotta Have It, Alison Tyler’s Morning, Noon, and Night and Violet Blue’s Best Women’s Erotica Series.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

To put it simply, what inspired me was my love of the erotica genre, reading it, then ultimately being lucky enough to write and publish in it. I wanted to bring forth my own themes and ideas into a collection of my own. Knowing that my thirst for more wasn’t isolated, that other people had to be feeling and wanting it, too, was also a big nudge.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Readers will not only see authors that they know and love between the covers, but I have also discovered several authors who have admitted that while they spent years reading and loving erotica, they never tried until now to show their own writing to the world.

Below you will find authors who will be joining me by blogging, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on WIPs and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!

Kyoko Church – Author of The Draper Estates Trilogy
Rachel Kramer Bussel – Author, Blogger and co-founder of Cupcakes Take The Cake and Editor of 50+ anthologies including Curvy Girls and Twice The Pleasure
D. L. Sparks – Bestselling author of The Lies That Bind and Between Friends

Kiss Me

I’m delighted to be a part of Smutters’ Blisse Kiss Chase Valentine’s Day promotion. If you haven’t heard/seen the details, various authors will be posting Kiss Blog’s including kissing excerpts. Included in these posts will be our personalized Smoocher with a number and a clue and oh, mine’s below!

And since we’re on the subject of kissing… Call me a hopeless romantic, but the kiss is always my favorite part, in writing and in life. I’ve written the most erotic of stories that were based on, inspired by and built around a kiss. One of my first published stories, Dressing Desire, includes two female characters, one engaged, the other her seamstress, whose desire for each other climaxed (tee hee) in their kiss. The excerpt (drumroll, please):

“Would it be terrible if I kissed you?” She asked.
“You’re getting married, Ivy. Today is your wedding day.”
She placed a slender finger against my lips. “All that aside. Would it be terrible if I kissed you?”
Still silenced by her finger, I shook my head, unable to find my voice even if I was free to speak.
Her lips dropped onto mine. I closed my eyes as she parted my lips with her fingers and tongue. Her tongue tasted and moved like molasses, exploring my own tongue, my teeth, the roof and sides of my mouth.
I reached up and gently pulled at the soft, dark ringlets that escaped her veil and rested on her cheeks. My own hair touched her neck and draped over her shoulders. Our tangled hair lay upon us, a dark mane like blanket over our shoulders.
The dress surrounded us, a white satin pool around our knees. Her fingers searched my throat, massaged my shoulders, trailed my back as she gently sucked my tongue and rubbed her breasts against mine.
I held her waist, pressed gently at her sides with my thumbs. My fingers pulled at the band of her panties, her heat searing my fingers.
She reached for my hand and held it in her own guiding me away from her panties. She pressed two final ruby kisses onto my lips.
“I shouldn’t keep the driver waiting.”
I found my voice again. “Yes, the driver.”
I pulled the gown up, buttoned each button and straightened the bodice. “There. You’re all set.”

I hope you enjoyed it and please check into The Bliss Kiss Chase Blog for details on where to find your next clue!

Subbing Season

Writing, subbing and reading submissions for my own call has taken up a good bit of my time, and left me neglectful of my blog. I do apologize. Being this busy, though, is apparently a good thing as I awakened to good submission news this morning, which I will reveal details about when I’m given the green light.

My submission stats for 2013 are currently two for two, and I have two pending. This also means that I need to write and sub even more so that I have more in the que.

I’m getting some great stories for Can’t Get Enough, but I really need to get my read and selection on so that I can come back before the deadline and let you all know what I’m still missing. And um, yeah, I need to write my own story for that one, too.

Also, on that note, I’ve recently found some submissions in my spam folder. I don’t know why they landed there, but it made me feel terrible that I had submissions a month old and hadn’t responded to the authors. It is my personal policy to always acknowledge receipt of submissions, so if you submit somethig to me and don’t hear back from me within 72 hours, please assume I haven’t received it and get in touch with me.

I made this mistake on the opposite end with an editor once. Assumed my story was received and it wasn’t and almost missed out on a publishing opportunity. Actually, this has happened twice. Both times, though, I learned of the mistake just in time.

But, I digress, and I’m tired just thinking about it all, and trying to get over illness, and taking care of two sick kiddies, who the hell has time to be tired?