Because it's a favorite: Gotta Have It trailer

I don't know if I'll be making any more book trailers; I'm in business-minded, money-saving mode, but the part of me that's not that, that's just someone who enjoys creating things, loves making them. So here's one of my favorites...one of my editorial life goals is to make a book whose book trailer I can get onto Amazon. Might have to be non-erotica, but that's on the agenda!

Anyway, I really love the Gotta Have It trailer, and the book itself. I'm proud of myself for trying something new with both. I'm waiting to see if sales pick up (they're good, just not my bestseller). I'd love to do more short shorts, though, having been working on one for a while myself, they are often harder than they look. And as part of my positive thinking agenda, I can say that I'm very proud of this book (all of them, really), regardless of sales. I love working with such a range of international authors and getting to hear the stories read, via video and in person. I'm trying to remind myself every day, especially when an individual story or whatever it is gets challenging that I've met lots of challenges before.

I like short shorts

Heads up - Writer's Digest is holding a contest for short stories of 1,500 words or less.

I've been brainstorming for stories for Sacchi Green's lesbian erotica short shorts anthology Girl Frenzy (deadline is July 15th) and crossing my fingers that my book Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex does well enough to warrant me doing another book of short shorts. It was a gigantic amount of work, far more than the usual anthology, but worth it to me for the opportunity to showcase a wider range of writing styles and authors than I normally get.

For me it's interesting because I'll start a story and sometimes they come out way longer than I'd planned. I feel lucky when that happens. These days I'm just grateful to finish any story; I excel at starting them, less so at finishing, but am determined to make this the month I get back to the business of being the kind of writer I want to be, meaning one who finishes and submits things, rather than seeing all the pretty covers on Amazon and berating myself for not completing what I know would've been likely to work. If I have no ideas, that's one thing, but when I have an idea and simply give in to my worst impulses and don't finish it, that's when I hate myself. Creating RKB 2.0 is a looooong process but I'm getting there, with some ups and downs. If I sell any stories, I will certainly be posting!

My last Seattle and London readings, please come: free cupcakes June 27th and July 2nd

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Dear Seattle, your free cupcake menu awaits June 27th - see you at Babeland!

If you come to my Babeland Seattle reading with Shanna Germain and Naked Girls Reading burlesque performers Jesse Belle-Jones, Polly Wood and Heidi Von Haught, you'll also be served 5 dozen cupcakes from Cupcake Royale. I don't skimp on readings! Capitol Hill for the win! We'll all be reading from the hotness that is Gotta Have It. June 27th, a month from today, see you (and, hopefully, your Seattle friends), there!! Your official Facebook invite is right here. You might have to fight me for the salted caramel...no, I will go beforehand and eat a full-size one all by myself, cause they are ridiculously good. Also, hello? They have a flavor in June called "gay." I obviously had to get it. I'm sure someone will be reading a queer story. Or several someones.

Baby raspberry rhubarb (rhubarb cake w/raspberry cream cheese frosting)
Baby gay (vanilla funfetti cake w/vanilla buttercream and rainbow sprinkles)
Baby peppermint on chocolate
Baby salted caramel
Baby triple threat

Get your free cupcakes and hot smut:

June 27, 6-8 pm
Babeland
707 E. Pike Street
Seattle, WA


Salted caramel is the one on the top; see more of my photos from Cupcake Royale Capitol Hill on Flickr.

Free erotica books (Gotta Have It) at BEA tomorrow; new jewelry by Objets d'Envy

Crazy busy with a bazillion deadlines, plus tomorrow I'm going to Book Expo America, where I've been going every year since I think 2002, certainly before anyone ever entertained the notion of having me edit (or, uh, write) a book. I love it, though I think my enthusiasm level has dialed down marginally; mostly, I am looking forward to having time to actually read all the amazing books that have come into my possession lately, like the memoirs Wanderlust by Elisabeth Eaves and My Year with Eleanor by Noelle Hancock and the novel America Pacifica by Anna North and...lots of others. I am excited to pick up a copy of Between Here and Forever by one of my favorite YA authors, Elizabeth Writes, meet with my publicist from Rare Bird Lit and generally stuff as many free books into my bags as I can, and hunt down publicists I pester with emails all year. And maybe someone will be serving cupcakes, or at least little snacks. I so can't wait until I take the first true vacation I've had in longer than I can remember this weekend. Sortof a sad statement that on my own I don't let myself take vacations, but thankfully that is changing and I get to explore Boston with someone who I don't seem to get to see enough of here and who knows it better than I do and is willing to walk all over the place with me (I think).

If you follow me on Twitter you already know how to get free books if you are up for Amazon.com reviewing (next will be Obsessed, which I'll be sending out in early July, stay tuned for giveaways and a NYC book party!). Anyway, tomorrow I will be bringing hundreds of postcards (decluttering for the win!) and if I remember, book buttons (I got them made for Please, Sir and Passion and somehow now have thousands of buttons taking up space in my home). So stop by and say hi and get a copy of Gotta Have It signed.

May 25, 1 pm - 2 pm and 3 pm-4 pm

BOOK EXPO AMERICA - SIGNING FREE COPIES OF GOTTA HAVE IT

You have two chances to get a free signed copy of Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex, plus free book buttons!

1-2 pm I'll be at the Cleis Press booth, 4625A, and 3-4 pm I'll be in the autographing area (look for me).

Jacob Javits Center, NYC


bookexpoamerica.com

I'm a huge fan of Chicago-based jewelry company Objets d'Envy and my new favorite of theirs is their Demi necklace. I have it in three colors and am a little obsessed. Here's one of them:

Yes, my Seattle June 27th will be this hot

And you should be there. Or wish you were there. It's free and Naked Girls Reading will be reading almost naked and I and Shanna Germain will be reading and signing Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex. And there are free cupcakes! I'll be in Seattle this weekend for vacation and fun and CupcakeCamp Seattle...in June I'll be there for the Rock N Roll Marathon, which I just may be walking solo (helpful hint: don't make plans nine months in advance with anyone and expect them to stay in place) and for this fantabulous very special reading. As I've said before, I quit In The Flesh because I couldn't afford the time and financial costs, and this is the last year I'll be doing the same amount of readings unless someone else is flying me there (meaning, this is the last year I will be doing a lot of readings). I am hoping to get out to California in 2012 to do some readings with Susie Bright for Best Sex Writing 2012 (deadline May 1 and it's already shaping up amazingly).

Anyway...crazy busy time but I wanted to share this hot flyer with you. If you like it, do me a favor and head over to Facebook and share the news about this reading. Or just copy and paste. Whatever works.



June 27, 6-8 pm, FREE
Babeland, 707 E. Pike Street, Seattle
Gotta Have It reading

Join Gotta Have It editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, contributor Shanna Germain ("Genesis") and burlesque performers Jesse Belle-Jones, Polly Wood and Heidi Von Haught from Naked Girls Reading for a fun, fabulous event at Babeland Seattle for short, sexy readings from Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex, plus free cupcakes! Free copies of SexIs Magazine will be given away.

"Veronica's Ass" = free erotica from Gotta Have It!

If you like this story, please consider checking out the 68 other short hot stories in Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex. Click through to read the introduction and watch the book trailer.

Order Gotta Have It from:
Amazon.com

Kindle edition

Bn.com (Barnes & Noble)

Books-a-Million

Borders

Powell's

IndieBound (find your local independent bookstore)

Cleis Press



Veronica’s Ass
by Matt Conklin

My wife, Veronica, has the sweetest ass I’ve ever tasted. I mean that both literally and figuratively. It’s curved so perfectly I can only imagine some divinity somewhere intended it to be used the way I use it, the way she likes me to use it. I’ve been with women who loved nothing more than having their nipples sucked or pussies licked; one loved to have her feet massaged and swore she could come that way.

But my Veronica is an ass girl and rightly so. When she strides out of the house wearing a clingy red dress paired with matching heels and either fishnets or bare legs (and sometimes sans panties), her ass is what gets noticed. She is a curvy, sensual woman who never misses a chance to play up her assets or let me play with them.
If we’re standing in line waiting for a movie, I’ll stand behind her and “accidentally” brush against her sweet cheeks, while she’ll find any opportunity to bend over and show off her greatest asset.

A typical morning will start with her prodding me awake, rubbing her luscious, naked body against me. She’s smooth all over, with long, silky brown hair that tickles my skin. I’m pelted all along my chest and arms, but she says she likes it, nuzzling her cheeks against my nipples, seducing me before I’ve fully woken. It’s when she turns around that I fully rise, in all senses of the word.

Her butt beckons to me, the pale, round skin so inviting. I reach for those cheeks and squeeze, and she moans. I pull them apart and she gasps. I lift my head and grab her so my tongue can nuzzle her pussy and she squats over me, her ass resting against my forehead, my tongue deep inside her wetness. I greet the day by greeting her pussy, my dick getting hard. Sometimes it wants to fuck her ass, to enter into that forbidden hole--well, forbidden for other people, not pervs like us.

Other times I’m content to simply fondle her butt, to see where it leads me. This morning, in fact, I ate her to an orgasm that had her trembling so hard she almost toppled over. She laughed as she caught herself, then turned around to kiss her taste from my lips. Her pale, lightly freckled cheeks were red, her eyes dancing as she wiggled around me. Something in me stirred and I sat up and positioned her so she was bent over the bed, ass in the air. Except as gorgeous as it was, that wasn’t enough, not at that moment.

“Step back, Veronica,” I said. “Show me that beautiful ass and your pretty pink lips.” She whimpered and did as I said, bending so her hands were wrapped around her ankles. There are times when I want to take her so hard, viciously, I suppose, even though she’s the love of my life. Maybe because we’re both so secure in what we have, we can treat each other the way some people only do in fantasy. Who knows, really?

All I know is that when I pressed her body tight to mine and slammed my cock hard inside her, she felt so tight, so perfect, so wonderful. I grabbed her asscheeks and leaned forward, maximizing the effect. “Hold on, baby,” I said, and looked down, watching as my very hard cock disappeared inside her. Somehow, even after all these years, that sight never gets old and always feels a little bit like a magic trick. Not that my dick disappears, but that it feels so damn good, like I’m a virgin again.

I feel her twisting, squeezing me inside while her hips rock just enough, and I grunt. I slap her ass, then slap her back, loving the noise, the freedom to grab her and use her in any way I please, because I know her so well. I reach for that shiny hair and tug, bending her head back, while my other hand seeks and finds her clit. I pinch it just enough to feel a corresponding tug deep inside.

“That’s it, baby, I’m gonna come soon,” I say, and we shift again so she’s back to the original position, head tilted on the bed so I can see her, hair spilling onto the sheets. Her eyes are closed, but it’s like I can see inside her mind, and I watch her as I feel my come burst out from me and fill her up. Tears spring to my eyes as I struggle to catch my breath. Veronica’s ass—her whole body, her--brings out something in me that makes me feel like I’d die happy if I died fucking her.

I pull out and we kiss softly, then less softly. She slips into her purple silk robe, then sits on my lap, but I can still feel the globes of her ass pressing against me, so warm, so delicious. “Put on your thong,” I tell her. “The one I like the best.” I know she still has my come inside her, that it’ll probably drip out and wet the fabric, and that makes me smile.

She gets up and, like a burlesque dancer, drops the robe down so I can see her perfect backside and then that ass. I want to bite it and spank it and stroke it and fuck it all at once. Instead I watch her put on the thong, then check herself out in the mirror. I see how it perfectly bisects her bottom and know that all day, when she feels it, she’ll think of me.

There are people who say it’s hard to keep the sex alive in a marriage, and maybe it is; we’ve certainly had our moments when it wasn’t smooth sailing. But whenever I’ve been even vaguely tempted to stray, all I have to do is think about Veronica’s ass to know that there is nothing better in this world. I’m a lucky man, and I make sure Veronica--and her ass--knows it.

My erotica on Kindle - updated for March 2011

For those who are into that sort of thing, here's a handy list/links to my erotica anthologies on Kindle. Visit my website for links to all my books as well as the anthologies my work has been published in.

I'm updating my website's books page so all the links to Amazon, Kindle, B&N, Nook, Powells, IndieBound, Cleis Press, etc. will be just a click away. I myself don't have a Kindle or e-reader, but I use Kindle for iPhone. When you click through below you'll see that almost all of these have a free sample chapter (usually the first story) you can download to see if you like it, and most of my Wordpress blogs for the books (not linked below but search for the book on this blog for links, those links will be coming soon) have the full introduction and sometimes a story sample.

And when you use the links below, I do get a small fee from Amazon. I have no preference how you read my books.

These are only $9.99 (some cheaper)! A bargain, and instantly delivered.








Passion: Erotic Romance for Women


Smooth: Erotic Stories for Women


Orgasmic: Erotica for Women


Fast Girls: Erotica for Women


Please, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission


Please, Sir: Erotic Stories of Female Submission


Best Sex Writing 2010

Best Sex Writing 2009


Peep Show: Erotic Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists


Bottoms Up: Spanking Good Stories


The Mile High Club: Plane Sex Stories


Do Not Disturb: Hotel Sex Stories


Bedding Down: A Collection of Winter Erotica


Tasting Her: Oral Sex Stories


Tasting Him: Oral Sex Stories


Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica


Rubber Sex

Dirty Girls: Erotica for Women


Yes, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission


Yes, Sir: Erotic Stories of Female Submission

Best Sex Writing 2008


Hide and Seek: Erotic Stories


Crossdressing: Erotic Stories


He's on Top: Erotic Stories of Male Dominance and Female Submission


She's on Top: Erotic Stories of Female Dominance and Male Submission


Caught Looking: Erotic Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists

Naked Girls Reading Gotta Have It live, free, Seattle, June 27th!

2011 is the last year I will be doing readings all over the place like a crazy woman unless they are very special (or someone else pays for me) so I really am excited about this very special reading. PLEASE do me a giant favor and tell anyone in Seattle who might be interested. I want to pack Babeland. Here's a too-racy-for-Facebook photo of Naked Girls Reading Seattle, who will be joining me, along with erotica writer extraordinaire Shanna Germain, author of the story "Genesis" and editor of the upcoming Bound to Lust. Shanna is also featured in the Gotta Have It book trailer. I'll get to work on some yummy cupcakes - I'll be in Seattle mid-April for CupcakeCamp Seattle and it's a huge cupcake city so I'm sure that won't be a problem.

Facebook invite
June 27, 6 to 8 pm, FREE
Join Gotta Have It editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, contributor Shanna Germain ("Genesis") and burlesque performers from Naked Girls Reading for a fun, fabulous event at Babeland Seattle for short, sexy readings from Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex, plus free cupcakes!

Chat with me at Goodreads live online Wednesday, March 9th, 7 pm EST!

I'm doing a book club! It all happens Wednesday night at Blog Talk Radio and you can get the official scoop at Goodreads.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET

Introductory broadcast of the Rachel Kramer Bussel Online Book Club featuring discussions, commentary, callers and guests from RKB's list of erotica bestsellers, including GOTTA HAVE IT: 69 STORIES OF SUDDEN SEX (Cleis Press, 2011).

Joining the Online Book Club is easy, just visit Goodreads.com or email info@rarebirdlit.com for more information.

To refresh your memory about Gotta Have It if you haven't read it, more info is below.


Keep up with the latest news about Gotta Have It on Facebook and @gottahaveitbook on Twitter

Rachel Kramer Bussel has collected a wide and wild variety of original erotica stories that are deliciously short — just one orgasmic bite at a time. In 1,200 words or less, these authors explore every which way you can "get it on,” including threesomes, sex toys, public sex, BDSM, fetishes, and much more. Get “Anal-yzed,” learn “The Advantage of Working from Home” and spy some risqué “Vacation Pictures.” There are pecan rolls dripping in caramel and meals where lovers feast on nothing but each other. From crossword puzzles to Godzilla, these tales are perfect for reading aloud before you live out your own frisky fantasy. For those who like their sex quick and naughty, Gotta Have It has a host of erotic offerings to get you going.

Order Gotta Have It from:

Amazon.com

Kindle edition

Bn.com (Barnes & Noble)

Books-a-Million

Borders

Powell's

IndieBound (find your local independent bookstore)

Cleis Press



Introduction: Short, Sweet and Totally Sexy

Seven-Letter Word Heather Lin
No Blame, No Shame Jeremy Edwards
Wasn’t It Good? Andrea Dale
The Things a Woman Will Make a Man Do for Her Isabelle Gray
Special Collections Fiona Curtis
Wonderland Madeline Elayne
Red Light Angela Caperton
My Femme Evan Mora
Genesis Shanna Germain
Serious Moonlight Michael A. Gonzales
Too Wondrous to Measure Salome Wilde
Hors d’Oeuvre Stan Kent
Missed Connection Tigress Healy
Ties That Bind Daniel Burnell
Eat Me Marina Saint
Jarret Shane Allison
Lucky Number Fifty-One Jennifer Peters
Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler Tara Young
Spunk Sylvia Lowry
Time Cecilia Tan
Dining in the Dark Elizabeth Daniels
Downpour Elle
Need-Leash Mike Kimera
Crushed Satin Organza Carmel Lockyer
Not on the Mouth Cole Riley
Hot Buns on a Sunday Afternoon Erica Rivera
Feel the Burn Thomas S. Roche
Trixie Jen Cross
Police Dogging Elizabeth Coldwell
Tip Me Kiki DeLovely
Marxist Theory Elizabeth Hyder
The Dirty Things She Says Sinclair Sexsmith
Laughter in Hades Teresa Noelle Roberts
The Quick Stop Shashauna P. Thomas
Pain Surfer Cate Ellink
After Ten Years Christen Clifford
Over His Shoulder Maximilian Lagos
Manners Rachel Kramer Bussel (read it in full here)
Veronica’s Ass Matt Conklin
Punishment Befitting the Crime D. L. King
Lies Kristina Wright
A Forced Witness Vampirique Dezire
Concensus Denise Hoffner
Don’t Struggle Valerie Alexander
Plotter Monocle
Intercept Burton Lawrence
Not a Bang, but a Whimper Jacqueline Applebee
Suggestion Emerald
Hands Free Effie Merryl
Remembering the Wrinkles Penelope Friday
Leaves Elise Hepner
The Copilot Mike Bruno
Pierced Kirsty Logan
Last-Time Lesbian Geneva King
Anal-yzed Donna George Storey
Independence Day Kate Pearce
Going Bald Craig J. Sorensen
Continuing Education Anya Levin
Meet Me in the Kitchen Giselle Renarde
Over the Line Helia Brookes
Not Just a Myth Heidi Champa
Hunger Maria See
The Tipping Point Lolita Lopez
The Advantage of Working from Home Kay Jaybee
For Dessert Jordana Winters
Good Neighbors Mercy Loomis
Laugh Sommer Marsden
A Good Stiff One Kathleen Bradean
Vacation Pictures Robert Peregrine

Introduction: Short, Sweet and Totally Sexy

Everyone needs a break from his or her everyday life sometimes, and what better way to escape than with a short story that gets right to the point? The authors of the sixty-nine stories you hold in your hand understand exactly how to pique your interest and get you off , and they do it all in 1,200 words or less. You don’t need long to get drawn into the drama, tension and lust.

I received close to three hundred submissions for this collection, more than I ever have before, and I think that’s because no one, writer or reader alike, can resist a short story that seduces instantaneously. These stories aren’t all about quickie sex, though there’s plenty of that. There are strangers who meet and know right away they must have each other, neighbors, travel mates, coworkers and long-term couples such as those in “After Ten Years” and “Remembering the Wrinkles” who are looking for ways to hold on to that spark. There are stories of sex in libraries, vacation sex and lots of outdoor sex—in the rain, in the street, all over. There are lovers with pecan rolls dripping in caramel, and meals where lovers feast on nothing but each other. There are even a few stories with no actual sex in them at all--you’ll have to hunt those down and see why anticipation can be the sexiest act of all.

There’s humor, kink, flirtation, Godzilla, missed connections, sex toys, and one very bold census taker. But I don’t want to take up too much of your time that could be better spent getting intimately acquainted with these short but incredibly sexy stories. I hope you will savor them, read them aloud and return to your favorites again and again. Because all of us have a few minutes set aside for a quickie, don’t we?

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City

Babeland Seattle reading Monday, June 27th

I'll have more details as it gets closer, but in the next few months, I may be teaching an erotic writing class, will be doing a signing at Book Expo America of Gotta Have It, and on Monday, June 27th, I'll be doing a reading with some special guests at Babeland in Seattle. There might be some other summer events in the Midwest, but for now I'm focused on writing and anthology editing. Next week I have some more nonfiction I'll be linking to, and various other things are in the works. Sorry to be so vague, I've just learned not to count my publishing chickens before they hatch.

I wish there were more long-term relationship erotic stories like Christen Clifford's "After Ten Years"

Christen Clifford

I wasn’t really in the mood for a reading last night, and I was running really late. As I walked fast from SoHo to the Lower East Side, I got a voicemail from D.L. King that Bluestockings was packed. We had a good crowd, despite the umpteen other events, and as I listened to Christen Clifford read her story “After Ten Years” from Gotta Have It, I was struck by how rare it is that I get a perfect story like that about a long-term relationship. It was tender and sexy and real; it wasn’t trying to pretty sex up, make it funny or perfect. There are moments of friction between the characters, ways they don’t get along, aren’t quite in sync in bed, and yet the narrator isn’t looking elsewhere. She wants what she wants from the same person after ten years.

I’ve known Christen a long time; I once did an event she organized at Makor, along with Julie Atlas Muz and I can’t remember who else. I’ve seen her perform her one-woman show 17 Guys I Fucked while I think 7 or 8 months pregnant. Hearing and watching her read, seeing her blush or squirm, was so moving. I wish I could do readings with all the authors (66, since 3 of them are me), and hear what they bring to their work. I hope more people will send me stories like that, especially for my next erotic romance anthology, but even for the “erotica.” It was perfect and moving and in 1,200 words or less, she captured sex in a long-term relationship. THAT is what I look for when I edit an anthology, that mix that doesn’t shield sex from the rest of the world, or use sex to shield characters from the rest of the world. It mixes them together, and she brought all the italics in the story to life as she read. I wish I had a recording of it, but maybe part of me doesn’t; maybe you had to be there, and maybe that’s as it should be.

I wanted to select a short segment of the story for you, one that captures what I’m talking about, but you know what? You have to read it. I’m not even asking you to buy it (and, shhhh….I’ll give you a copy if you ask nicely and promise to write a review for me on Amazon, until I run out), but go to your local bookstore. Look at page 173 and take five minutes and tell me if that doesn’t move you. Or, yes, you could buy the book (see below for options). But really, I'm sick of the relentless selling, the postcard mailing, the posting in a bazillion places, the utter uncreativity of book promotion. Who knows if I'm good at it? Who knows when those statements arrive whether anything I've done has made a difference? Right now, I just am moved by a story...the whole reason I got into this crazy thing called erotica editing.

There’s love and hurt and lust and pain and desire and raw need. There’s so much in that short short story and I listened, me, someone who is likely never to be in a relationship for ten years, someone for whom that seems inconceivable. There is a line in the story that is not at the end, but near it, that is, I think, the backbone of it, what makes all the surrounding words so meaningful: “I want him to fuck me forever.” So yeah, that reading reminded me why I say yes to these things even when they’re often the last thing I want to do. I was in a sports bra and t-shirt and ratty sweater, no time to change. I was ratty and wheezing and didn’t really care, and I read some other people’s stories and my own. I knew I’d be reminded of D.L. King’s librarian late fee punishment story “Punishment Befitting the Crime” every time I pay the New York Public Library for my overdue fees. I remembered that way back when, in, 2001, I think, I organized my very first reading, and it was at Bluestockings. It was a nice way to end a long day, to sign off from doing readings and focus on words on the page, on the screen, words in ways that don’t involve quite as much relentless ubiquity and self-promotion and stress, words that have room to breathe and give the reader a chance to read them alone, in private, not be blasted with them live. That is not really my thing anymore, and the freedom of not having to corral people anywhere every month is one I feel immensely. I’m grateful every time anyone shows up, and was pleasantly surprised at the crowd last night, at the readers, and at myself. So thank you for that, for a last hurrah (though I will be asking questions about art, morals, death [her book opens with a suicide], love, sex, pornography and more of Pleasure Bound author Deborah Lutz Thursday night at 7 at McNally Jackson, which will also have copies of my books ,but interviewing, where the burden is on someone else to talk, I’m happy to keep doing).

Order Gotta Have It from:



Amazon.com



Kindle edition (coming soon)



Bn.com (Barnes & Noble)



Books-a-Million



Borders



Powell's



IndieBound (find your local independent bookstore)



Cleis Press

Free cupcakes and short erotica tonight at Bluestockings in NYC

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

2 videos from my California readings: Orgasmic mashup and "Manners" at Coco de Mer

I just got emails about these lovely readings - big thanks to Bianca Butler and Dave Naz, respectively, for taping us!


Roundup of the reading at Booksmith in San Francisco featuring me, Violet Blue, Susie Hara, Dusty Horn and Donna George Storey - if you want to watch the whole thing, click here from The Campanil at Mills College. Violet Blue read from "The Fugly Ducky" by Thomas Roche, and I read from "Espionage" from Best Women's Erotica 2011, though you have to check the Booksmith link for that, in full. There was a LOT of humor at this reading, as you can tell from this clip above.


Orgasmic: Erotica for Women

Rachel Kramer Bussel reads Manners from Dave Naz on Vimeo.

Dave Naz taped me reading my kinky face-slapping story "Manners" from Gotta Have It - click that link for details on 68 more hot stories! Did I say that 5 members of my family were in attendance? I so almost read something else (and opened the evening with a personal favorite, that I also read at Good Vibes, the last story, "Vacation Pictures" by Robert Peregrine, which I look forward to reading at Bluestockings on Valentine's Day, it's so humorously hot).

I'm hoping to do a reading in Seattle the weekend of June 25-26 - alas, there are no Seattle contributors to Gotta Have It but I have something up my sleeve. And I'm working on (fingers crossed) trying to do a Midwest tour of Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Chicago when it's warmer - maybe even Madison if a venue will have me. Will keep you posted!

Where to post your book trailer

I just wanted to alert anyone who's looking for places to send their book trailer to this post on Author Culture. Personally, I highly recommend Blazing Trailers, and you can also post your trailers or other videos on Red Room and SheWrites. I'm working on getting all 8 of my trailers up in one spot on my site, and also making sure they all get viewed as much as they deserve, commensurate with the cost - otherwise there's no point in my continuing to make them. Same could be said for books - I keep thinking about that "if a tree falls in the forest..." saying. Why put out books if I'm not doing everything in my power to make sure they sell?

To that end, I'll post the Gotta Have It trailer again, featuring 17 international authors. And send a little public hope out to the powers that be at Amazon.com that they post the Passion trailer by, I don't know, Valentine's Day. Pretty please? I'm pretty sure it will help your sales too. xoxo, book editor and frequent customer (and for those who don't care, sorry, but it's very frustrating to feel utterly powerless, because you are utterly powerless in a situation like this - a blog isn't exactly power, but it's a voice, and a way to make me feel like I am doing at least a teeny something - we made a separate video specifically for Amazon according to their guidelines and everything)

Cinnamon raisin hump day buns recipe by Gotta Have It contributor Erica Rivera

Erica Rivera wrote the story "Hot Buns on a Sunday Afternoon" in Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex. Now you can get her recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Hump Day Buns!





Here's the beginning of her story "Hot Buns on a Sunday Afternoon." Read the whole thing in Gotta Have It - click to watch the book trailer.

Hot Buns on a Sunday Afternoon
by Erica Rivera

I always preempt my booty calls with porn.

Sink your teeth into my buns, read the text I sent to my lover. Attached was a picture of my homemade pecan rolls, dripping with caramel. I deliver! Just say when!

To my relief, he was just as eager for the rolls as I was for another roll in the hay.
Now! he responded.

We’d only have an hour, but the way he fucked me, that would be plenty. His style was almost schizophrenic: bunny kisses interspersed with spankings. He’d given me a peek at the wide, wild world of BDSM, and I was hooked. Next on the menu? Anal.

“I’ll be gentle,” he’d promised during our previous in-person negotiations. “I’ll go slow. If you want to stop, we’ll stop. But you won’t want to.”



Order Gotta Have It from:

Amazon.com

Kindle edition

Bn.com (Barnes & Noble)

Books-a-Million

Borders

Powell's

IndieBound (find your local independent bookstore)

Cleis Press

Kindle edition of Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex now available

It's been so great to do readings and see people taking home Gotta Have It. I've been reading a few stories, my own "Manners," which there's video of and you can read in full here, and, last night, the last story in the book, "Vacation Pictures" by Robert Peregrine, which is full of humor and sex toys. I'm excited to announce that the
Kindle edition of Gotta Have It is now for sale for $9.29, which, I think, makes each of the 69 stories average out to just under 14 cents. Enjoy!

Book trailer for Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex

I'm SO happy with the way this book trailer, my 8th (I'm working on getting them all up on my site in one spot, but the previous trailers have been for Spanked, Do Not Disturb, Peep Show, Fast Girls, Orgasmic, Please, Sir and Passion). Below the trailer I've posted the authors who contributed to it!



Trailer contributors (in order of appearance):

Christen Clifford
"After Ten Years"

Giselle Renarde
"Meet Me In The Kitchen"

Andrea Dale
"Wasn't It Good"

Shanna Germain
"Genesis"

Elizabeth Daniels
"Dining In The Dark"

Emerald
"Suggestion"

Marina Saint
"Eat Me"

Jeremy Edwards
"No Blame, No Shame"

Heather Lin
"Seven-Letter Word"

Kay Jaybee
"The Advantage of Working
From Home"

Vampirique Dezire
"A Forced Witness"

Monocle
"Plotter"

Rachel Kramer Bussel
"Manners"

Kirsty Logan
"Pierced"

Anya Levin
"Continuing Education"

Helia Brookes
"Over The Line"

Donna George Storey
"Anal-yzed"

Trailer by What That Noise Productions.

Here's a screen capture from my iPhone from the Blip version (we used TubeMogul to put it up in as many places as we could):

West Coast book tour is this week: Berkeley, San Francisco, Los Angeles! All free, all with free cupcakes, and hot, hot stories.

I'll be doing a separate post about my 3 New York City events in February, but as a reminder, unless I'm already traveling or have a special occasion like a panel, this is my last year of doing a bazillion outside readings. I just can't pretend like I can afford them or that I'm rich, and it doesn't make financial sense to be running all over the country when I could be working smarter, better and trying to sell more books. So my point is: come see me in Berkeley, San Francisco and Los Angeles now! I'm hoping to get to a few other cities like Denver, Minneapolis and Milwaukee in 2011 as well, fingers crossed.

A reminder with Facebook links - I'd really love it if you'd spread the word. All these events are free, it's a chance to get the just-released Gotta Have It signed by me and contributors (Denise Hoffner, who wrote census taker erotica story "Concensus" in Gotta Have It, has been added to Thursday's Berkeley Good Vibrations reading) and I'm getting fabulous, unique cupcakes, different ones from different local bakers, for each event.

Saturday night I will also make my third appearance on The Dr. Susan Block Show - listen online! Saturday night, January 29th, 10:30 pm to midnight, PST, I'll be on with Shameless author Pamela Madsen - my interview with her will be up soon at SexIs Magazine.



January 27, 6:30-8 pm
READING AND EROTICA ADVICE WITH DONNA GEORGE STOREY
Join me and prolific local erotica writer Donna George Storey (author, Amorous Woman, contributor, Orgasmic, Gotta Have It) and Gotta Have It contributor Denise Hoffner as we read some of our favorite erotica and share erotic writing advice. Free!
Good Vibrations, 2504 San Pablo Avenue (at Dwight Way), Berkeley, CA
510-841-8987

Facebook invite (no need to RSVP though, but if you want to pass it on to friends)

January 28, 7:30 pm
READING WITH VIOLET BLUE AT BOOKSMITH



Me and superstar author and editor Violet Blue read along with Orgasmic contributors Susie Hara, Dusty Horn and Donna George Storey!

Free cupcakes!

Booksmith, 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA
415-863-8688

Facebook invite (no need to RSVP though, but if you want to pass it on to friends)

February 1, 7 pm
COCO DE MER READING



Join me along with Eden Bradley (The Lovers), Pamela Madsen (Shameless) and Oriana Small, aka Ashley Blue (Girlvert) for a night of hot readings and free champagne and cupcakes in this beautiful setting!
At Coco de Mer, 8618 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
310-652-0311

Facebook invite (no need to RSVP though, but if you want to pass it on to friends)

My full, free kinky face-slapping story "Manners" from Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex

I'm sure you would much rather read a dirty story than my blathering about not being able to find my phone. Well, I would. And Gotta Have It will be in stores any day now. It'll be in a few specific ones next week - Good Vibrations Berkeley, Booksmith in San Francisco and Coco de Mer in LA where you can get signed copies! And next month comes such a huge honor - my book Surrender, with a cover photo by the one and only Barbara Nitke (make sure to check her out).

Without further ado, a kinky little story I wrote, and there are 68 more, most not so kinky, but some are. There really is something for everyone in this book and I may be wrong, but I really hope people who don't otherwise buy or read erotica pick it up. Watch the video of me reading it here. Book trailer coming soon, hopefully next week, and hopefully best one yet!

Order Gotta Have It from:

Amazon.com

Kindle edition

Bn.com (Barnes & Noble)

Books-a-Million

Borders

Powell's

IndieBound (find your local independent bookstore)

Cleis Press



Manners
by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Sheila sighed, then shuddered in complete contentment after Max’s hand connected with the apple of her cheek. Connected, meaning slapped. Struck. Smacked. Tears pooled in her eyes, and she’d have bit her lip…if she didn’t have his cock in her mouth already. She braced herself for him to do it again; that moment couldn’t come too soon. She busied herself swallowing more of him, saliva filling her mouth as she endeavored to take all of it. Nothing filled her with a greater sense of pride. But she felt the tip broach the back of her throat and another slap wasn’t forthcoming.

“Aren’t you going to say thank you?” he asked. His tone wasn’t teasing or light, and it wasn’t a rhetorical question. It was a demand with a question mark at the end of it, a tone bordering on something sinister, a register lower than his usual.

“Thank you, Max,” Sheila panted as she parted her lips from his hardness, and was rewarded with another blow across the same cheek, a harder one. His hand was big enough to cover the side of her face, a fact she knew well from the many times he simply held it there, intimating what he might do, or caressed her from just below her ear on over to her chin. His hands knew every inch of her face as intimately, if not more so, than they knew her pussy. They’d traced her lips, pinched her nose shut, pried open her mouth. On plenty of occasions one hand had held a cheek while the other whipped against the other side, and if she dared close her eyes, he’d squeeze her neck until she opened them.

She liked that she never knew quite what to expect from his sadism, liked that he could always read her desire for more but only sometimes gave in to her whims. As she said the words again--“Thank you, Max”æbefore pressing back down, her mouth drawn to his cock like a magnet, Sheila shivered. He slapped her again and she mumbled the words around his flesh.

She discovered that even more than she liked to be slapped, even more than she liked the sudden, stinging rush of pain to her skin, she liked to have to ask for it; beg for it. She was humbled by having to thank him and therefore having to admit that he wasn’t actually doing this to her; she was having him do this to her. She was the one so depraved as to want him to hurt her like this, depraved in the best possible sense of the word. His hands moved to her neck, tightening as she traced her tongue along the length of his shaft. She sank into the pressure, succumbed to it, even as she wondered whether Max could feel the tightness from the outside in. She hoped so, hoped her throat was constricting around his cock. She took a shuddery breath in through her nose, and he in turn tightened his hold for just a moment before letting go. It was their ongoing dance: two steps forward, one step back.

She looked up at him through the film of tears, hoping he wasn’t watching her just at that moment. She liked to be watched, liked to think of his eyes on her when she had him in her mouth. But she wasn’t sure she was ready to look at him head on. She looked back down but somehow he’d caught the uncertainty, caught the way it made her heart trip its way through her chest, loud, insistent. “Look at me, Sheila.” He was still hard, the heat of his erection, its very presence, commanding her to touch it. But for once, he didn’t want that. “Look at me, I said,” he growled, and she did, this time biting her lip as if she’d done something wrong.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to have done something wrong, if she wanted to be punished and have to apologize. But that would be too easy for a man like Max. He didn’t want to play games with her, he never had. He liked direct, honest answers. “You like being tied up, don’t you?” She could never get away with just a nod or a “Yeah.” It had to be, “Yes, Max,” or “Yes, sir.”

This time was no different. “I want you to watch me when I hit you. Don’t flinch, or I might think you don’t really like it. I might think you don’t want me to slap you, and I don’t want to do anything to you that you don’t really like. I want to know that my girl is as big a pain slut as I think she is.” All the while he spoke, his hand held her jaw in place. She couldn’t turn her head, could only choose to cast her eyes down or aside or shut them. She looked back at him, half recognizing the man before her, the big brown eyes, the smooth brown forehead, the razor-sharp teeth almost hidden behind his lips.

She kept staring as he raised his hand, far enough that she could see it as it aimed for her cheek. He used to take her over his lap, spank her ass and pull her hair, but that seemed like child’s play compared to what they both liked to do now. She still bent over for him, still wanted him to spank her, by hand or paddle or belt, but they were in too deep to turn back. He slapped her face again while keeping his eyes trained on hers. “Thank you, Max,” she said, and couldn’t stop the two tears that trickled down her cheek, surely falling over the freckles that dotted her skin.

“Good girl,” he said, his voice a little more purr than growl, before slapping her again. She was so tempted to shut her eyes; to focus solely on that one sense, touch; but he wouldn’t let her, or rather, she wouldn’t let herself. She kept looking at him as her left cheek bore the brunt of his smacks; he liked to use his dominant hand, to get the most out of their play.

The tears flowed faster and each “Thank you” took on greater import as she realized how many things she was thanking him for. There were the slaps, of course, but there was so much more than that. There was the tenderness with which he stroked the tears into her skin, the way he pressed his meager nails into her collarbone, the way he grabbed her long black hair and pulled her face back to get the last few blows in. Then there was the way he bit her lower lip, hard enough that she thought he might draw blood. Soon his knee was between her legs, pressing against her wetness. His tongue dove into her mouth, strangling her for a moment, his lips so big, wide, open. She shut her eyes then, whether she was allowed to or not. She opened them when they finally parted.

“Please,” she murmured. “Please.” She was shaking by then, trembling, broken in some powerful way only he could fix. She wasn’t sure what she was asking for, exactly, but she knew he’d know. He always did.