Review of Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3

Grab yourself a copy of Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 (Cleis Press, 2017)—not because I'm in it (tee hee!) but because it features a slew of well-written sexy stories by women. Highlights for me were:

"The Birthday Gift" by Abigail Barnette: a woman gives her husband a very special birthday gift, with the help of video, art supplies, and another woman.

"Weightless" by Rachel Zoe: the main character throws off the shackles of a bad relationship—and a coif—to find passion with her longtime and handy manfriend.

"Falling" by Charlie Powell: a woman reveals her disability to her date, and they get closer in a public place.

"A Stolen Story" by Leandra Vane: research into a local history leads a woman into a fantastic ménage that may or may not be supernatural!

"Making it Feel Right" by Annabel Joseph: a woman orders a rental Dom, and she turns the tables on him, and they both enjoy it. Women on top! (er, well, you get the idea…)

And there's plenty more stories to get you going, including "The Follow-Through" by me!

Spreading the Word

Best Women's Erotica of the Year is the central place to find out info about BWE3 (featuring “The Follow-Through” by yours truly) and the previous two editions.

You can find the audiobook here: Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 3

Go to the free READING February 13 in Washington, DC!

Celebrate erotica by women!

Happy New Year

Here’s hoping 2018 will be waaaay better than the last two years!

Don’t forget to check out Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 for my story “The Follow-Through” and many others!

Pre-order Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 3!

It's coming soon! Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 3, will be out for your reading pleasure on November 21 (ebook) and December 12 (print).

I am pleased to announce that one of my stories will appear in this issue! Yay, me!  You can check out more information and the full introduction at the tumblr here.

Blurb:

Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 delivers the kind of sexy stories you want most: daring, bold, and surprising tales of women who pursue their boundless passions anywhere and everywhere. Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, winner of multiple Independent Publishing Book Awards, these scintillating scenarios turn the tables on how women are “supposed” to behave. Instead, these uninhibited vixens indulge in their favorite fetishes, do deliciously intimate “Body Shots,” and get tied up with “Red Satin Ribbons.” They pose nude, dress up, and roleplay, always obeying their most exhilarating impulses. These lusty ladies take your most cherished, private fantasies—from making a sex tape, to taking part in a thrilling threesome, to having a stud delivered to your door hot and ready—and make them come alive. Written by beloved authors Abigail Barnette, Annabel Joseph, and Charlotte Stein along with several genre newcomers, these are erotic encounters you’ll want to savor again and again and again…

Pre-order the Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 ebook for:

Kindle U.S.

Nook

Google Play

iBooks

Kobo

Amazon Canada Kindle

Amazon UK Kindle

Pre-order the print edition of Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 3:

Amazon U.S.

Bn.com

Powell’s

Books-a-Million

IndieBound (search for it at your local independent bookstore)

Amazon Canada

Amazon UK

Too Much or Not Enough

When it comes to calls for submission, I often find that what the editors want is either too narrow or too broad for what I’d like to write.

Example1: Underwater Romantic 19th Century Het Erotica : Mermen and Ladies, 10-20k words

• I’d be like: Oh, I had an idea that would fit all but ONE of those requirements (mine would be futuristic, M/M or M/F, 5k words, etc.)

Example2: Erotic Romance: Send us your best…erotic romance.

• I’d be like: “But, what kind?  Which one?  I have so many ideas…which one should I pick?”  Then I’d get stymied trying to make a decision that I end up not doing it after all.

Example of What I’d Prefer:

Underwater Erotica: all time periods equally accepted, all pairings/more-ings equally accepted, 3 - 10,000 words, romance nice but not required, mermaid/mermen welcome and “other” equally welcome, realistic settings and fantasy/sci fi equally accepted.

Many times I see a call for submission and I think of my WIPs and how I can make them fit the call…only to realize I’d end up changing something very important about my story to bang the sharp peg corners out to fit the round hole.  Why don’t they want what I want to write?????

OR: The perfect call comes along—asking for something that fits an idea or WIP I have perfectly—and the due date is 3 weeks from the time they announce it.  WHY????

Why do they ask for novel-length works and only give you a 3 month window?  How about a year?

Better anthology call deadline window, all you publishers:

• Flash fiction – up to 2000 words – at least 6 weeks
• Short fiction – 2000 - 7500 words – at least 3 months
• Novelettes – 7500-17,500 words – at least 6 months
• Short Novellas – 17,500 – 30,000 words – at least 9 months
• Novellas and Novels – over 30,000 words – at least 12 months

Doesn’t that make more sense??

What do erotica readers want to read?

Is there a poll somewhere asking erotica readers buyers what they want to read buy?

Rather, what to they want more of or want to see that isn’t already being published, en masse?

I’ll start.  I’d like to see more:

• People of color
• Single main characters over 40
• Humorous erotica

I’m sure I will think of more, later, after I’ve turned off the computer.

My erotica and romance library…so far

Here's a collage of covers in which my short erotica appears so far:

"Waiting for the River", Best Women's Erotica 2009, Cleis Press, 2008.
"Hard to Hate Her", Best Lesbian Romance 2010, Cleis Press, 2009.
"Cecily", Girl Crush, Cleis Press, 2010.
"Surface Tension", Daily Flashes of Erotica Quarterly : Jan-March 2011, Pine Hill Press, 2010.
"Six eyes, two ears", Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples, Cleis Press, 2012.
"Fuzzploitation", Best Lesbian Romance 2014, Cleis Press, 2014.

Bibliography

What is in a name?


There are already many Kris Adams' out there.  What's an erotica writer to do?



A Sad Smirk.  Anagram.  Fitting one, too.  I went to an anagram maker, put in all versions of my real name, and all the possibilities were negative...sad...gloomy.  So, perfect.


Was Kris Atoms for a bit, but for now am going back to Kris Adams.  Will have to figure something else out, though.  Or should I call myself Smada Sirk?


My published erotic work, so far:


1. "Waiting for the River", Best Women's Erotica 2009, Cleis Press, 2008.

2. "Hard to Hate Her", Best Lesbian Romance 2010, Cleis Press, 2009.

  
3. "Cecily", Girl Crush, Cleis Press, 2010.

4. "Surface Tension", Daily Flashes of Erotica Quarterly : Jan-March 2011, Pine Hill Press, 2010.

5. "Six eyes, two ears", Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples, Cleis Press, 2012.

Must get to work writing more...

It's here!


My story "Six eyes, two ears" appears in Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples, from Cleis Press, edited by the lovely Rachel Kramer Bussel.

Get it now!


Can't wait to read the other stories as well!