Pleased & Pleasure Bound

Double thanks are in order: to Alison Tyler, for letting me know about the two thumbs-up review of Pleasure Bound that is up on Erotica Revealed—and to Shanna Germain for finding it in the first place.

Lisabet Sarai writes:

One of the things that I appreciate about Alison Tyler's anthologies is her willingness to explore the darker side of BDSM. Some stories in this volume—Sophia Valenti’s “On the Mend,” Tess Danesi's “Tears of All Kinds,” Stephen Elliott's “Once More Beneath the Exit Sign”—dwell more on the sadism component in the acronym. I don't necessarily prefer stories of really rough sex myself, but I know that they're part of the power spectrum and I applaud Ms. Tyler's discernment in including them in her books.

I am not talking about a lack of consent here. "Mercy isn't in Marc's vocabulary—and for that I'm thankful" begins Ms. Valenti's story. That sums it up. Some people crave a level of pain beyond what I'd seek. For some, real fear is truly arousing. Ms. Tyler recognizes this, unlike some editors who shy away from the darkness and treat BDSM as a kind of game.

Pleasure Bound is another exceptional collection of BDSM fiction—or is it fact?—from a daring and sensitive editor who clearly understands her topic from personal experience.

That's what I love about this book, too, that it delves into the true nature of the BDSM dynamic and explores the many sides of these multi-faceted experiences. So I was thrilled to see it receive such a stellar review.

At first, I'd worried that my piece "On the Mend" was too melancholy, so I'm always pleased when I hear that someone has enjoyed it. So thank you #3 to goes Lisabet—you gave me a smile to go with my coffee!

Speaking of Pleasure Bound, I'm bound for some myself. As soon as I reach my word-count goal for the day—which will happen very shortly—I'm taking off for a long weekend. Though I doubt I'll be strong enough to leave the laptop behind because that's an insanity I can't fathom.

Much Ado About Threesomes

The Parents Television Council wants the CW not to air Gossip Girls' upcoming "3SOME" episode. From the AP story:

The PTC has urged CW affiliate stations not to air the episode, scheduled for Nov. 9.

In a letter to the affiliates, Winter asked: "Will you now be complicit in establishing a precedent and expectation that teenagers should engage in behaviors heretofore associated primarily with adult films?"

Seriously? Threesomes are primarily associated with adult films? That's news to me. But I guess I'm living in a different world.

Nicole Kidman is a Tease!

Hey, did you see this story about Nicole Kidman's interview in GQ? The NY Post pubbed some of the choice bits:

The demure Oscar-winner admits that she's explored everything from monogamy to "obsession" and even "strange sexual fetish stuff"—although it's not clear when the kinky canoodling unfolded, according to London's Daily Mail.

Oh, come on, Nicole! What strange fetish stuff? It's all in the eye of the beholder, of course. Her idea of strange might be your usual Tuesday afternoon—or vice versa.

Boys Becoming Girls

I had fairly convinced myself that I was headed in a cross-dressing direction for the piece I'm working on, but the characters didn't come together, so to speak. So now I have a few paragraphs of a that story simmering while two ladies go out for a night out on the town in another. I'll wait and see how this one ends up, because at this point they might be the only ones who know what will happen.

But in the meantime, I'm taking a knitting break. It's chilly here, and I'm nearly done with the aqua and purplish handwarmers I started knitting this morning. It's a super-simple pattern because I didn't have the patience to dive into something more complicated.

Diving into Debauchery

I'm sitting here eating too much pizza while I think about the next story on my to-do list. It's sort of funny. I don't often know exactly what I'm going to type up. Before I begin I usually think about who my people are, what they look like, what they're wearing, and what kind of sex they want to have. Once that part gets figured out, they sort of run off and do their own thing. But right now they're mulling around in my head. It's like a regular old cocktail party—until everyone throws their clothes off.

Best Lesbian Erotica 2010

Normally, I like to wait before a book is in my hot little hands before uttering a peep about it, but I'm just too excited to keep the news to myself. Today I received the official table of contents for Best Lesbian Erotica 2010, and it includes my story "Sweet Tooth"!

I really love this little piece. It was one of those stories that came out in a (sugar) rush, with a snarky, wise-ass narrator and an unlikely, spontaneous hookup. You know, a simple story of girl meets girl, girl bangs girl. I had a great time writing it, and I was so pleased that Kathleen selected it for this amazing anthology.

Here's the complete table of contents:

Foreword • Kathleen Warnock
Introduction • BETTY
Girona, 1960 • Stella Sandberg
In the Sauna • Stella Watts Kelley
Jubilee • Betty Blue
Sweet Tooth • Sophia Valenti
Blood Ties • Alex Tucci
He-She on the Train • Maggie Veness
Lives of the Saints • Holly Farris
Sexting: One Side of a Two-Way • Kelsy Chauvin
The Rendezvous Series • Colleen C. Dunphy
Amy’s First Lesson • Dani M.
Shameless • Kymberlyn Reed and Anais Morten
Flick Chicks • Allison Wonderland
The Purple Gloves • Gala Fur
The Kitchen Light • Nicole Wolfe
Uppercasing • Charlie Anders
Pinup • Vanessa Vaughn
Self-Reflection • Tobi Hill-Meyer
Brush Strokes • Elizabeth Cage
From the Halls of Montezuma • R. G. Emanuelle
Tasting Chantal • D. L. King
Ridden • Natt Nightly
Thanksgiving • Molly Bloom

There are quite a few names on this list that are unfamiliar to me, which is exciting because I love reading new writers. I can hardly wait until December!

P.S. If you're one of the writers above who I don't have linked, send me your URL at sophiavalenti at yahoo.com and I'll add you to the list.

Tempted

I'm here and there and everywhere. I've been making time to do some un-computer-related things—hence the lack of blogging. Not that I've ever been a bloggy ball of fire. But the gorgeous weather is too good to pass up, as are many other things. Resisting temptation has never been my strong suit.