The Myth of Immortal Prose

This month in my column at the Erotic Readers and Writers Association blog, I talk about "The Myth of Immortal Prose." Back when I first started writing, a workshop leader's highest praise was to say that a story was "writing that will last." But how many published books actually do last and why? Let me know what you think!

Big Book of Orgasms Reading was Awesome!

I wanted to post the photo from last night's erotica reading at the Vibrator Museum at the Good Vibrations store on Polk Street. This standing-room-only event was a celebration for Rachel Kramer Bussel's latest anthology, The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories, and included nine different writers reading their own short-short stories. All were well-written, fascinating, and most of all HOT. I felt really blessed to be part of such a courageous, talented community. Do check out The Big Book of Orgasms. It's erotica at its best--an array of bonbons for every taste! (With Virgie Tovar, Sinclair Sexsmith, Xan West, Jade A. Waters, Malin James, yours truly in the horizontal stripes, B.D. Swain, Rachel and Lily K. Cho.)

Something Special For Sommer Fundraiser

I've always been so amazed at the creativity, generosity and all-around wonderfulness of the erotica community, even though, you know, a lot of proper people call us other things. Well, the Something Special for Sommer Fundraiser is a particularly wonderful and generous thing. Sommer's husband is going through chemotherapy and insurance doesn't cover it right now. Lots of erotica writers have donated books and other goodies. I donated one of my very last paperback copies of Amorous Woman, which was bought by the awesome erotica writer Teresa Noelle Roberts, so I can no longer try to tempt you with that, but there are plenty of other awesome books and ways to help. Please head over and check it out!

Married Sex Is VERY Hot!

What's the most taboo subject in erotica? For me, the answer is red-hot sex between people who are married to each other! That's why I am especially delighted to be part of Kristina Wright's Bedded Bliss: A Couple's Guide to Lust Ever After. This book is a genuine treasury--each chapter opens with an essay by the editor on topics such has "growing your lust together," "lust after parenthood," and "middle-aged lust" (that's me!), followed by fiction from the A-list of erotica writers (and me!). Spiced with inspiring suggestions, intelligent observations, and delicious eros, Bedded Bliss will bring real joy to your real sex life with your real partner. Imagine that! In fact, reclaiming the pleasure of marital sexuality is a revolutionary act--I have my copy on the nightstand for regular reference. For the revolution!

A Writer's Mid-Career Crisis

I've been going through a bit of a fallow period with my writing for the last several months. In this month's ERWA column, "Validation, Desire, and Other Reasons to Write," I muse about the reasons I wrote at the start of my writing adventure (mostly validation through publication) and how I'm ready for a big change. Let me know what you think!

Sweet 'n' Steamy Reasons to Blog--And Win Great Blog Tour Prizes!

I'm honored to kick off the fall season by hosting Sharon Kleve and Kara Leigh Miller as they stroll around the blog-o-sphere on their Sweet 'n' Steamy Blog Tour. Kara and Sharon have shared a great article below on the benefits of blogging to authors in the Internet age. And once you've been inspired to get out there and blog (I'm already working on my next ERWA column), sign up to enter the generous giveaway, including a $25 gift card to the online bookseller of your choice and lots of great books.

But first, I'd like to introduce these authors' latest books, both of which have the most gorgeous eye-candy covers.

Sharon's latest release Halo's Wish, is Christmas story--I love Christmas stories!--about a pet detective who discovers something more than she bargained for. (Hint: this very sweet holiday tale involves a very handsome veterinarian).

Get yourself a copy of Halo's Wish at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble

Kara's new novel has an irresistible hook--should you "ruin" a close friendship with a sexy guy or give in to the overwhelming attraction between you? Hmm, I know what I'm hoping happens....

You can purchase Jilted at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

And now, Sharon and Kara on blogging for authors....

It's all the rage nowadays. Everyone is doing it. Are you?

Authors are encouraged, sometimes required by their publishers to have a blog. But, have you ever stopped and wondered, what's the point? If you have a website, Facebook page, Twitter account, Goodreads profile, Pinterest Account, Google+, Tumblr, and all those other time sucking social media outlets, why add another, right?

Why? Because it's fun!

Okay, seriously, it is fun, but it's more than that. For an author, it means exposure—which in today's publishing world can make or break you. A blog is a place for you to express yourself creatively about things you might not write about in your books. It's a place for you to share your knowledge and experiences and to promote your books. And it's a place for you to connect with other authors and readers in a more in-depth, personal way than Facebook or Twitter allows.

So, have I convinced you yet? If not, check out the article below by Andrew Grant published on July 1, 2013 on why you should have a blog.

Why You Should Have a Blog – 10 Great Reasons

1. Everybody is interested in something

And doing that favorite something is the quickest path to happiness and fulfillment that I know of. Therefore, it’s logical to conclude that writing a blog about that something is probably the most accessible way to make money around your favorite way of spending time.

2. A blog will make you friends

The very essence of a blog is that it will attract people who like the same things as you. They may see them very differently and they may well not agree with everything you say, but they will definitely share your interests. Isn’t that the very definition of friendships?

3. Blogging encourages your creativity

Even if you don’t think of yourself as creative, I am willing to bet that if you set yourself the challenge of writing three short blog posts about something you love, you will be amazed at how creative you can be.

4. Owning a blog gives you motivation

Once you begin to see the fruits of your efforts and especially when you start to get positive feedback from people you have never met, you will find that what looked like an onerous task at the outset is suddenly a pleasure to do – you can’t wait to see what your loyal readers will think of your latest post.

5. Blogging gives you self-discipline

Once you set yourself a schedule to regularly blog, you feel a responsibility to your readers to deliver on your commitment, but it’s a pleasure not a stress, because you know they are enthusiastically waiting for what you give them.

6. Blogging keeps you sharp

If you write a how-to blog, like mine, then you will be honing your skills of research and summation. If your blog is more opinion based, then you need to keep abreast of other views and the latest developments in your field so that you can comment on them with authority. You’ll find your thinking skills get keener and your ability to filter good information from bad gets a lot more efficient.

7. Blogging is rewarding

I guarantee that the best thing you will get from blogging is the satisfaction of making a difference to someone else’s life no matter how minor that difference might be. From a grateful reader telling you how much they enjoyed following one of your patterns to the person making their first few dollars online. The moment when you read their heartfelt email will be one of the high-points of your week.

8. A blog is a test-bed

Once you start to build an audience, your blog will become the place where you can try stuff out. You can ask their opinion on your plans and projects, test different offers with them and best of all you can get them to tell you what they need so you can make a product that suits, safe in the knowledge that as soon as you do, they are going to be the first ones to buy it.

9. You don’t need to be a good writer

No matter how poor you think your writing skills are, I absolutely encourage you to just get stuck in and start writing immediately. There are some great blogs out there written by people who are nowhere near polished, but they write with an intensity that makes that meaningless. In fact if they improved their writing, their blogs probably wouldn’t be as good. Their passion shines through.

10. Google loves bloggers

Every post you write, every picture you link and every comment you receive is another little building brick in the great structure of your credibility. The great bloggers out there have built their authority, their popularity and their credibility, by doing one thing well and doing it regularly. Creating stuff that people want to read, watch, listen to and act upon. Ike the movie said, “If you build it they will come,” and that was never more appropriate than when applied to blogging.

Quite simply, a blog is the best and most long-term profitable way to spend your time on the internet, bar none.

This YouTube video is a simple step-by-step instruction on how to set-up a Blog on Blogger.

Don't forget to sign up for the Sweet 'n' Steamy Blog Tour Giveaway at Rafflecopter.

Is Sexual Fantasy Hazardous to Your Health?

This is the subtext of a lot of media attention given to erotica and sexual fantasy these days. You might say this is ironic given the popularity of the thriving erotic fiction business, but all progress seems to invite a backlash. This month at the ERWA blog, I talk about the "dangers" of sexual fantasy identified by the media and whether we should be worried. Let me know what you think!

What's the Sexiest Movie You've Ever Seen?

Recently I was looking through my writing files and came upon an article I'd clipped from a 2008 issue of Entertainment Weekly: "50 Sexiest Movies." I remember going through the list at the time and agreeing with just a few of the choices, although some of the suggestions led me to some happy viewing! In my ERWA column this month, "The Sexiest Movie You've Ever Seen," I talk about the male gaze, female desire and some sexy movie recommendations for a sultry summer night. I've already gotten some great comments and suggestions from readers as well. Check it out--and weigh in with your recommendations!

Erotic Inspirations

My May column is up at ERWA, Erotic Inspirations: A Very Personal Reading List. This month I talk about the erotic books that first inspired me to start writing my own steamy stories. Check it out and let me know which stories first sparked your erotic fancies!

A "Big Brain" Review of Amorous Woman

One of the main ways a writer can quiet the nasty editorial voices in her head is to imagine the ideal reader who will "get" what she's trying to do. Terrance Aldon Shaw's review of Amorous Woman over at Erotica for the Big Brain showed me that my ideal reader is not just a fantasy--he exists! Check it out, and if you haven't yet read my steamy tale of an American's love affair with Japan, I hope this brainy (and honest) review will give you that little push to download a copy and get reading!

Sex and Power, Night and Day

My new column is up at ERWA today, "Sex and Power, Night and Day," and I had a particularly good time writing this one! Although we allow that night dreams speak to us in inscrutable code, daydreams are assumed to be a literal expression of desire. At least fantasies are treated as that transparent and dangerous, and thus we learn not to speak of them. But I believe they deserve the same treatment we give a literary text, with a respect for the deeper, hidden possibilities in the story. Plus, I argue that power-play erotica packs its punch because it takes on two taboos in our society--the unspeakable truths of sex and power. Let me know what you think!

The Erotic Magic of She Said-He Said

I’ve been having a very good time reading my contributor’s copy of Sudden Sex: 69 Sultry Short Stories edited by Alison Tyler and including favorite writers such as Jeremy Edwards, Vida Bailey, Heidi Champa and Jax Baynard.  Erotica definitely lends itself to the shorter form.  When I write erotic stories under 2000 words, I definitely find myself turning up the heat for a quick boil.  But I still like to have all the ingredients for a good story ready to mix in for a satisfying result! 

A number of authors have more than one story in the anthology, so it’s also been interesting to see how the two stories complement each other.  Some, like Alison Tyler’s “Booked” and “Bookended,” which open and close the book, portray a promising meeting between a client and a bookstore employee, following by an even more promising first date.  The wordplay and meta aspects are as much fun as the kinky sex!

My two stories in the book were lots of fun to write because the first, “Frank,” is the “she said” and the second, “Eva,” is the “he said” of a femsub relationship.  Exploring the same scene from two different points of view, getting deep inside two different minds, is the kind of exciting writers love most.  I’d like to whet your appetite with two sample views of the same moment.  I didn’t want to give too much away, so if you find these tame, all I can say is get yourself a copy of Sudden Sex and read the stories!

From “Frank”:

I perched myself at the edge of the bed feeling very much on edge myself.  Who knew what Frank would do tonight?  I was suddenly aware of the warm slickness between my legs.

Frank could make me wet before he even touched me.

Just then he sauntered into the bedroom, an impressive erection already tenting his robe.  I blushed and looked away.

He sat on the bed beside me.  “You have something naughty to tell me, don’t you, Eva?  I know that expression on your face.”

My cheeks flamed brighter.

“Are you going to confess or will I need to resort to firmer means?”

I felt another gush of arousal ooze down my thighs.  “While I waited for you, I ....”

“Out with it.”

“I touch... touched myself.”

“Indeed?  Do you think of me and masturbate when you’re at home, too?”

I nodded reluctantly.

Frank clicked his tongue.  “Your poor bastard of a husband has no idea how depraved you are.  You know you need to be disciplined for this?”

I nodded again, my heart now thumping against my ribs.

Calmly, deliberately, Frank arranged my body diagonally across the bed and tied my wrists to the bed poster with the belts of our robes.... 

From “Eva”:

Eva meets me at the door in the hotel bathrobe, bright-eyed and gorgeous.  I swear I can smell her pussy, like fresh baked bread.  I know that shaving for me arouses her, but something else is afoot.  A secret.  Almost as if she’s had a lover while I was gone.

My cock twitches. 

I send her off to bed and go change into a robe myself.  When I join her, Eva’s sitting on the edge of the bed studying the carpet and looking guilty as hell.

“You have something naughty to tell me, don’t you, Eva?  I know that expression on your face.”

She stutters, but finally admits that she masturbated while she waited for me.  My cock gets harder.  I can just picture her in the bath, her cunt all dewy, that slim finger jiggling away in the folds. 

I ask her if she fantasizes about me when she masturbates at home, behind the back of her poor unwitting husband.

She bites her lip and nods.

“You know you need to be disciplined for this?”

She catches her breath. 

I smile.  She’s handed me the perfect reason to tie her up—to keep those wandering fingers from doing more mischief.  It’s always easier to push the limits when she “deserves” it.  Still I pay close attention to her response as I bind her wrists to the bed post with the belts of our robes.  This was new for us.  So far, so good....

The "Downton Abbey Dirty Story"--My Next Big Thing for 2013!

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop continues to gallop through the blogosphere, and I was recently tagged by the very talented literary writer, Naomi Williams.  Our relationship is in itself an interesting story.  We first met in my senior year of college in Japanese 101.  Because Naomi was a freshman at the time, we didn’t get to know each other well, but we certainly did when we met again several years later as graduate students in Japanese literature at Stanford. 

Fate would have it that after Stanford, we both turned our focus to creative writing.  While I’ve been a very bad girl and shamelessly penned over a 150 erotic stories with lots of filthy words, Naomi’s work has won a Pushcart Prize and appeared in first-rate literary journals such as One Story and The Gettysburg Review.  One of my very favorite of her stories is the humorous and experimental and irreverent “Sunday School,” which was recorded for KQED’s Writer’s Block radio literary archive.  You can listen to it here.  It’s brilliant!

Last week as part of the Next Big Thing Blog Hop, Naomi described her fascinating story collection-in-progress, Landfalls, which re-imagines events in and around the La Pérouse expedition, an 18th-century voyage of exploration that started in France in 1785 and ended with shipwreck in the South Seas in 1788.  I’ve read some of the stories, and it’s literary fiction at its best, so know you have a treat coming.
 
I’m taking this blog-hop-stop opportunity to talk about my work-in-progress, a novella set in early twentieth-century London. This is a bit of an impulse project, but since 13 is my lucky number, I figured 2013 is a great year to indulge myself in a just-for-fun story.  Here goes:

What is the working title of your novella?



“The Downton Abbey Dirty Story.”  Or possibly an "X-rated Upstairs, Downstairs," but that first title always makes me smile, and a happy writer is a productive writer.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?



A fresh-faced village girl goes into service in a grand London townhouse and learns a lot about the surprising intimate needs of her employers.

Where did the idea come from for the book?


Decades of watching PBS.

What genre does your book fall under?

You’ll find my book under these labels in your local e-store:  Erotic Anglophilia, Social Class Pornography, Vintage Underwear Studies


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


Lawrence Olivier and Julie Christie.  Okay, we’re talking 50 years ago, but the imagination knows no boundaries, does it?

Will your book be self-published or sold through a publisher?



I’m not sure.  I probably should check out the wonderful world of self-publishing, but publishers do provide more exposure, so to speak, and my book is all about exposing things.  I’ll probably try a publisher first.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?



The short story that inspired the longer work took about a week to finish, but the ideas kept flowing until I just knew I had to keep going with this project.  I expect a few months for the novella.  Yet in another a sense, I’ve been writing this in my head since I first started watching Masterpiece Theatre on Channel 13 back in my Washington, D.C. youth.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Fanny Hill.  Tipping the Velvet.  Autobiography of a Flea.

What inspired you to write this book?



Victorian porn and Downton Abbey.  Or rather what they don’t show on Downton Abbey.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

Have you ever wondered what those starchy English empire-makers really did when they retired to their bedrooms in the evening?  The lessons the gentleman brought back from Paris to gently instruct their wives in exotic pleasures?  The perverted ways pampered ladies kept their jaded husbands satisfied within the hearth and home?  Read this novella and discover the possibilities!

While you’re waiting for my new novella, check out Amorous Woman and Ageless Erotica.

Your Sexual Future is Bright, Baby!

Sexually explicit writing?  Yawn.  You can find it all over the internet these days, and most of it is bad.  Rehashed cliches, fronted by grinning, big-breasted blondes and nude male torsos etched in steroids.  But the real sexual revolution is still only just beginning.  And I mean honest, thoughtful--and still very hot--writing about real sex, which is always more magical and transporting than any warmed-over fantasy.

That's why I'm so excited to be part of Ageless Erotica, edited by Joan Price, the diva of life-long sexual pleasure.  My story, "Invitation to Lunch," keeps company with a stellar list of eroticists, including Cheyenne Blue, Bill Noble, D.L. King, I.G. Frederick, Kate Dominic, Robin Sampson, Susan St. Aubin, and more, baby, many more!

I'll be posting an excerpt soon as the celebration of a life of luscious sex continues!  Stay tuned....

The Future Path for New Erotica Writers?

Happy President's Day!  What better occasion to contemplate the future of erotica writing for new authors?  I got my start publishing my first stories in online under the guidance of wonderful editors at Clean Sheets, Scarlet Letters and Oysters and Chocolate.  All have now faded into free-speech history.  (Only The Erotic Woman remains, but they're still awesome).  Check out this month's column at The Erotica Readers and Writers Association, "The Death of the Erotica Webzine."

Hear About the Romantic Rambler?

Today I'm the featured guest at Sharon Kleve's Romantic Ramblings.  Sharon and are I both in the Passionate Cooks cookbook (it's free!), so it's a pleasure to keep company with someone who loves good writing and good food.  I also talk about an interesting book I'm reading, Wired for Story, by Lisa Cron, which discusses how and why readers are drawn to stories.  It's more psychological than physiological, but definitely fascinating.  Enjoy!

"Safe" Sex in Trouble and "The Naughty Chair"

It's the Friday before a much-needed holiday (two weeks is TOO long to go without a festive break), and the fun is beginning already.  First Giselle Renarde reviews my story "The Naughty Chair" which appears in Alison Tyler's forthcoming The Big Book of Bondage.  Let me say Giselle knows how to rub a writer in just the right way.

I've also posted a new column at ERWA, "The Trouble with 'Safe' Sex," which was inspired by an xoJane article on Lena Dunham's audacity is insisting an "imperfect" woman has the right to enjoy her sexuality.  I argue that we seek the same "safety" in our depiction of sex as only existing between partners who meet our social standards of attractiveness.  What do you think we're hiding from?

Something New, Something Naughty Blog Hop

 

January 14: The Blog Hop is now over.  The winner of the giveaway was Mary Frances Roya.  Congratulations!

What are your naughty plans for the New Year?  At the top of my to-do list is putting together a collection of popular favorites and brand-new sexy stories set in Japan due out this year with Iro Books.  When Lisabet Sarai and Jennifer Wright invited authors to participate in the Something New, Something Naughty Blog Hop, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to whet your appetite with a tantalizing excerpt from one of the stories in the collection.

But that’s not the only treat I’ll be serving up today.  The New Year is one of the most important festivals in the Japanese calendar.  The whole country closes down for a few days while families gather together to feast on special good luck foods such as ozoni, a delicate seafood soup with grilled rice cakes.  Unmarried children also receive red envelopes with money called otoshidama.  In keeping with the spirit of generosity, your hostesses for the Something New, Something Naughty Blog Hop will be giving away special prizes.  The Grand Prize is a $60 gift certificate to EdensFantasys.  Two other winners will receive a $25 gift certificate to their choice of the following book sites: Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble, or Total-E-Bound.
And I will be giving away one of my ebooks—your choice of Amorous Woman or The Mammoth Book of Erotica Presents the Best of Donna George Storey.  All you have to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment on this post or at any of the other blogs listed below.  The more blogs you visit, the better your chance to win!

And now, please enjoy a steaming bowl of ozoni and some spiced New Year’s sake, while I share an excerpt from my story, “Spring Pictures,” about an American bar hostess who receives a book of traditional Japanese erotic prints from a shy client.  Drawn into the timeless sensuality of the pictures, Anna and her admirer, Kimura, decide to recreate the print below in a room at a romantic country inn in the mountains north of Tokyo.  Sensuality, voyeurism, and new love all play a part in this naughty scene.

Anna’s body took on a strange languor as she knelt before the old-fashioned mirror stand—for that is where Kimura placed the futon—and set the book down.  He knelt behind her and eased the robe over her shoulders, arranging it at her waist.

“Now fix your hair.  Like the girl in the picture.”

Anna raised her arms and grabbed two thick ponytails of honey brown hair in each hand.  The pose stretched and lifted her breasts, as if she were offering them--not to him, exactly, but to someone waiting in a mirror world beyond.

“Now, how was the man touching her?” Kimura pulled one side of the robe open like a curtain and began to tease her curls.

“I smell your fragrance, Anna,” he whispered.  “I could smell you when you were showing me the book.  A most joyous perfume.  I worried you thought I was nothing but an old fool.  My English is too poor to say the things in my heart.  My dream, Anna-chan, is to meet in a place where we don’t need words.”  His finger inched closer to her clit.  “Senzuri they called it in the old days.  A thousand rubs.  Do you think it will take a thousand tonight?”

She moaned and swayed back against him.  Kimura wasn’t impotent.  The evidence was pressing into the cleft of her ass.  If only he would touch her breasts, too.  The starched cotton robe the inn provided had been chafing her sensitive nipples all evening.  They needed soothing with hands and lips.  But that wasn’t in the picture.

And neither was the maid, now standing in the doorway with a tray in her hands.

With a yelp of surprise, Anna crumpled forward, scrambling to cover herself with her robe.

“You asked for more tea, sir?”  The maid’s voice was as cool as a mountain stream....

A happy, healthy, and creative 2013 to you!  Be sure to visit check out these exciting new and naughty authors below and leave a comment on their blogs--I hope you win a prize! 

Adriana Kraft Adriana Kraft	Alisha Paige/Ruby Vines Addicted to Genre Bending	Ann Cory Ann Cory
Cassandra Carr Hot Blogging with Heart	Cherie Noel Great Expectations	Diane Thorne Diane Thorne - Erotic Romance Author
Donna George Storey Sex, Food, and Writing	Donna Michaels Romaginative Fiction-Donna's Dish	Elise VanCise Gladiator's Pen
Harlie Williams Harlie Williams, Writer	Helena Harker Open the Door to Your Fantasies	Jennifer Wright Jennifer Wright's Blog
Justus Roux Where Love and Erotic Know No Boundaries	Kayelle Allen Unstoppable Heroes	Kelli Scott Lip Service
Kendall McKenna Love and Dog Tags	Lisabet Sarai Beyond Romance	Lisa Carlisle Lisa Carlisle's News
Lyndi Lamont Lyndi's Love Notes	M. S. Spencer M. S. Spencer Tale Spinner	Marie Sexton Marie Sexton
May Water May Water's Erotica	Michelle Moon Ink Dipped Moon	Mona Karel Mona Karel Blog
Naomi Bellina Naomi Bellina Adventurous Erotic Romance	Nicole Morgan Bringing Passion To Life	Rose Anderson Calliopes Writing Tablet
Roz Lee Roz Lee	S. Dora S. Dora	Sapphire Phelan Sapphire Phelan's Passion Corner
Stormie Kent Stormie Kent's Musings	Suz deMello Fearless, Fast-paced Fiction	Synithia Williams Synithia Williams
Victoria Pinder Victoria Pinder Romance Author	Virginia Nelson Virginia Nelson, Author

Are You a "Real" Writer?

The New Year energy continues today with my guest appearance at the wonderful erotica writers' blog, "Oh Get a Grip."  This week's theme is "a letter to myself," and I decided to write to my younger selves, who wanted to be a writer but weren't sure I had the qualities to succeed by the conventional definition.  Now that I am older, wiser, and have 150 publications on my resume, my definition of a "real" writer has changed and matured.  I'd be curious what you think!

A New Year, A New Look at my New Book!

Happy New Year and best wishes for a happy, healthy and creative 2013!  I'm starting off the year by joining in a popular writer's activity of 2012:  The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.  I was tagged by Emily Jane Trent, who appears with me in the very sexy and slinky Vixotica: Sexy Short Stories by Best-Selling Erotica Authors.  Emily is the author of the Masquerade Series, a five-part tale which starts with Passion Unleashed and ends with Passion Embraced.  Although it was first published in paperback in 2008, I am very proud of my beautiful new ebook version of Amorous Woman which was released this past autumn.  The blog hop gave me an opportunity to share some information--including a few new secrets--about my book.

What is the title of your book?

Amorous Woman

What inspired your book?

I spent several years living in Japan in the early 1980s.  Immersion is such a different and fascinating culture made a deep impression on me.  Amorous Woman is not completely autobiographical, but the sensual memories and the yearning to become closer to Japan are very much my own.  Of course, my greatest inspiration was the many wonderful people I met in Japan: friends, boyfriends, mentors, courteous strangers.

How would you classify it in terms of genre?

Literary erotica.

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

Ken Watanabe as Kimura.  Emma Stone as Lydia.

Give us a short synopsis of your book.

It’s about an American woman's sexual awakening in Japan as she tests the limits of love and sensual pleasure.  She almost always gets an A on the test.

Can you tell us about the publisher?

The new ebook version is with Iro Books, the erotica line of Stonebridge Press.  If you have an erotica manuscript set in Asia, send it to them!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I’d been wanting to tell the story since the 1980’s, but when I was commissioned to write a book for Orion’s Neon erotica line in 2005, I finally had the chance to write it down.  I spent about six months writing intensely for the deadline—and I made it!  Thanks to too many cases of diet Snapple....

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

It’s not unlike Memoirs of a Geisha with more sex.  Lots more sex.

Describe an ideal setting for enjoying your book.

I suggest you take a long soak in a hot tub, then wrap yourself in a silk kimono and lounge on a futon (or bed) with a flask of sake and some sushi by your side.  Soft koto music is good accompaniment, although I listened obsessively to Tupac’s “All Eyez on Me” as I was writing the novel, so that’s an authentic alternative.

If I read your book, what’s in it for me?

My novel will take you on an intimate trip to a Japan few tourists ever see for much less than a plane ticket to Tokyo.  I’m talking threesomes, orgies, pornographic comics come to life, passionate affairs with married men, true love and descriptions of Japanese feasts to make your mouth water.  Believe me, it’s a bargain.

The Q&A is over, so what are you waiting for?  Pick up a copy of Amorous Woman for your e-reader right now.  If you’re looking for more delicious erotica to satisfy your appetite, check out these new works by some wonderful erotica writers:

Kristina Wright's Best Erotic Romance 2013 with a wonderful story by the very poetic Erobintica.

Lisabet Sarai's Coming Together In Vein, an anthology of sexy vampire tales.  Lisabet is a true master of our genre.

Emerald embodies the spirit of sex-positive warmth and wisdom and her latest publication appears in the Mischief anthology, Too Fast For Love.