Miserable Artist Woes

M. Christian forwarded this link to me and I just love it.

Chris (that's M. Christian, by the way) and I are both writers and therefore subject to the self-inflicted ego annhiliation that is part and parcel of offering your work to the public. We wrestle daily with feeling like crap because somebody else got a book deal or an interview or a mention or some nod indicating approval. It's insane, really. That's why I love this link and its tongue-in-cheek advice about how to stay miserable as an artist -- it's a great reminder that writers, artists, composers, musicians, and all creative types need to stay focused on the work itself and not the reaction to or criticism of it.

Sure, we all like to know that what we've created touches people in some way. But is that why we do it? Hopefully that's not the primary reason. If an artist doesn't please herself first, how can she please others?

And isn't this funny coming from a writer of erotica who writes SO MUCH stuff to the specifications of clients? Wish I had a camera so you could see my artist's soul withering away....

Sex in fun places

For proof that sex is truly everywhere and that it's just plain fun, check out the Sexculturas blog. A guy in Barcelona, Spain has assembled all sorts of photos where sex figures prominently in art or daily objects (although in some cases, he makes it figure prominently, if you know what I mean).

For those of us who basically speak only English, don't panic when you go to the site and see that it's in Spanish. Go to the WorldLingo translation site and plop in the URL. Voila (or however you say that in Spanish). You'll have a reasonably good idea of what the blog says -- and you'll get a few laughs at some of the awkward translation attempts.

I love it when people do this stuff. They view sex with a wonderfully healthy eye and celebrate it with joy. I raise my glass to you, "PRU"! (And I'm adding you to my Cool Blogs page at Custom Erotica Source!)

Candid interview with Al Gore about AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

Although I realize this blog has become increasingly more political than sexual of late, I couldn't resist posting this wonderful interview with Al Gore about his enlightening film, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. If you haven't seen the movie, I really urge you to do so, especially if you have any doubts about global warming.

Gavel in one hand....

This judge in Oklahoma might have been better off cruising the Internet for porn after hours rather than whacking off behind the bench. But hey, who am I to judge a good multi-tasker?

Got a Web site?

One of Custom Erotica Source's illustrators, Gradiva, has just published a book about -- of all things -- Search Engine Optimization! She did a chapter on SEO for adult sites, and I'm quoted in the book! She sent me a copy of it, and I've been reading it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that there's some great advice in it! If you've got a Web site, you ought to check this book out. Gradiva and co-author Jennifer Grappone present what would normally be an insufferably dry and boring topic and make it readable and informative. Bravo, Gradiva!

Ann Coulter vs. Adolf Hitler

Click on the subject line above to take a quiz that will not only test your knowledge of America's biggest hate monger but the world's most famous ethnic cleanser.

I keep saying I'm going to ignore this woman in the hopes that she'll eventually shut up and go away, but when a friend shared this quiz with me, I couldn't resist. See how you score! I got a 12.

Garrison Keilor is simply brilliant

I love his essay about the ineptitude of the current administration.

When is an erotic story a tax deduction?

It isn't often that you can get the erotic fiction you want *and* give to
a good cause. But now, thanks to a very special auction that ends on June
16, you can bid on the opportunity to do just that.

You've seen me promote the work of author M.J. Rose on many occasions --
but this time is unlike any other. M.J.'s most recent book, LYING IN BED, is an erotic romance that casts the main character as a writer of love letters for clients who have trouble communicating desire. Being in a similar situation, I identified closely with this character and thought it would be fitting for M.J. Rose to offer customized work of her own through Custom Erotica Source to one lucky recipient.

M.J. Rose insisted, however, that the proceeds for her labor go to her favorite charity, Reading is Fundamental. So, the winning bid on the charity auction at Ebay will benefit RIF.

Talk about a guilt-free fantasy! Get a 2,000-word story from a writer who's proven over and over that she know how to weave an intelligent, sexy tale -- and give to a worthy cause in the process. Opportunities like this are rare indeed. You can actually get a tax write-off for getting turned on!

Bidding has already begun and ends on June 16. Do yourself and Reading is Fundamental a giant favor and place your bid today for a 2,000-word story
by M.J. Rose.

Call for Submissions from Circlet Press

This just in from Cecilia Tan, editor and publisher at Circlet Press:

Call for Submissions

Best Fantastic Erotica, Volume 2
edited by Cecilia Tan
published by Circlet Press, Inc.
Deadline: August 15, 2006

The Best Fantastic Erotica anthology will be a compilation of erotic stories of all the types Circlet is known for-in other words erotica with a sf or fantasy twist or sf/f with an erotic twist. BFE v.1 will be published in summer 2006. The volume we are now calling for will be for publication in 2007.

For more information, see the full guidelines at http://www.circlet.com/GL1997.html.

And by the way, be sure to check out her latest anthology, MILF -- I have a story in it!

My views on cupcakes

... are available at Rachel Kramer Bussel's cupcake blog. I believe that if the world had more of these kinds of blogs, wars would be rendered unnecessary. But hey, that's just me.

BIGGER, BETTER, LONGER .... Podcasts!

Because my podcast "Four Minutes, Once a Week," seemed to do so well, I decided to start a new podcast -- this time with longer stories (because four minutes is nice, but may not always be enough for ... completion, you know?).

The new podcast, "She Makes Up Stories," will offer at least two stories each month that will run anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes each. You can subscribe to all of them for just $24.99 annually or purchase individual episodes for $1.99. Best of all, it's all through Audible.com's Wordcast -- so you know the quality and ease-of-use will be top-notch.

You can go have a listen to my first one, "Beverly's Pastime," and see if you want more. Part two of that story will be posted in the next few days -- as soon as I can get M. Christian to read his part! :)

New Site: THE EROTIC WOMAN

Ladies, if you've been looking for an intelligent, sexy, comprehensive site that addresses the aspects of life, love, and sex that you actually care about (as opposed to finding merely interesting!), there's a great new site out there called The Erotic Woman. I do not exaggerate when I say that I have yet to see such a beautifully produced site targeted to women. And that's why I'm so proud to be a columnist for them! Some of my fiction is posted there, as well. The team behind The Erotic Woman is talented and not prone to underestimating the expectations of its audience. Please check it out -- even if you are male!

A lovely review of AMAZONS!

Many thanks to author Lisabet Sarai, who wrote a very nice review of AMAZONS: SEXY TALES OF STRONG WOMEN at one of my favorite sites, The Erotica Readers and Writers Association.
You know, it's no picnic reviewing erotica anthologies...! I'm serious -- every one is just so very different and there are bound to be stories that just don't resonate with every reader. There's a tendency among reviewers to react to the sexual aspects of the stories rather than their inventiveness or emotional hook -- if the reviewer isn't turned on, the book gets a bad review. Lisabet does a terrific job, though, and considers more than the sex scenes when she evaluates the individual stories as well as the book as a whole. So, I'd just like to say "Thanks, Lisabet, for understanding the peculiaities of erotic fiction!" (And she should understand it -- she writes enough of it! Be sure to check out any of her novels -- you'll be in for a great read.)

Do you know women who cheat?

Freelance writer Jennifer Matlack is writing a feature for Penthouse about why women cheat. If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed for her article (NOTE: names will be changed), please contact Jennifer at jmatlack121@comcast.net.

Here are the types of women she's looking to hear from:

* A serial cheater
* A woman who cheated just once, and regrets it
* Someone who does it only when she's drunk, etc ...
* Someone who cheated to get back at a cheating husband/boyfriend
* A woman who has had a longterm lover while maintaining her marriage

Pass this along to someone you think might be interested!

Apparently, I am an introvert

Despite my sometimes vivacious and perky nature, those who know me know that there's an opposing side that often seems nothing less than curmudgeonly. Well, I found out a few days ago that I am not a curmudgeon -- I am an introvert. I confess to feeling some relief about this. The article is truly wonderful -- if you know anybody who hates parties and would rather be alone than making small talk with others, read this article. It will tell you all you need to know about people who prefer their own company. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200303/rauch

DO NOT USE Hotels.com

A word to the wise: Don't use hotels.com. We learned this weekend that they do not refund you if you need to check out of a hotel a day early.

How do businesses get away with this shit? If I ever took money from a client and gave them nothing, I'd be sued. Life sure is profitable when you are a faceless corporation...

That's it! I need to get rid of my face!

Come to class!

If you live in the greater Sacramento area, consider coming to one of the two classes that author M. Christian and I are teaching this weekend!

One is Writing for Your Sex Life: Enhance Your Sexuality Through Creative Writing and the other is Sex Sells: Writing and Selling Erotica. Both are being offered on March 18 at the Learning Exchange in Sacramento. Separately, each class is $49, but if you sign up for both, you pay only a total of $89! You can register online -- you'll find both classes listed in the "Writing and Publishing section. Hope to see you there!

Now out: AMAZONS

M. Christian and I are pleased to announce that AMAZONS: SEXY TALES OF STRONG WOMEN is officially available. You can buy it, appropriately enough, on Amazon.com by clicking on the subject line of this post.

This is a delightful group of stories about women who, for one reason or another, you might not wanna mess with. They are strong, sexy, and sure of themselves. And all of them use sex in an artful way to stay that way. Anthologies can be great fun because you see how every writer has a different take on any given theme. The "Amazon" theme was no exception -- we got some great tales, running the gamut from poignant to outrageous. This one is definitely worth a read, folks!

The information on Amazon.com for this book, however, is completely wrong and there seems to be nothing Thunder's Mouth can do to fix it. (Welcome to the glorious, glamorous world of publishing, where no detail is too small to get right -- NOT!) None of the contributors listed there are actually in the book. You might wonder how a mistake like that can happen. Well, join the club. We wonder the same thing. Anyway, here's who's actually in the book:
Amanda Hopkins, Bryn Colvin, B.J. Franklin, Hannah Strom-Martin, C.B. Potts, Madeline de Chambrey, Felix Baron, Kathleen Bradean, Susan St. Aubin, Jason Rubis, Catherine Lundoff, A.F. Waddell, Tenille Brown, Chris Bridges, Mike Resnick and B.D. Faw, Jerry Rosen, Kristina Wright, Paula Fleming, and Connie Lawrence. Of course, Sage Vivant and M. Christian are in it, too!

M. Christian and I hope you'll check it out. It's great fun!

Weekly podcast released on new day

Apparently, the majority of the podcasting world releases its podcast on Mondays, which clogs up the ol' RSS lines, so I'm going to start releasing my podcast, "Four Minutes, Once a Week," on Wednesdays, starting today. I've got new sound equipment, too, so it sounds better than ever! Tune in! RSS feed is http://sage.libsyn.com/rss

Stop AOL -- they are out of control

Well, greedy, corporate AOL is at it again, looking for ways to "protect" you while they rake in big bucks. This time they want to tax emails (all of them) so that only the ones that pay the tax get delivered. Does that sound like an egalitarian plan to you? It sure doesn't to most of us. Click on the graphic below to tell lawmakers you won't stand for it.