Where Do You Belong?

I’m prompted to ask – based on my own memberships, as well as recent posts on an RWA chapter loop – what other writing organizations do you belong to outside of RWA and its regional chapters and special interest groups (which are very valuable on their own)?

My personal opinion is that these groups are a vital link between an author and the professional and writing community. (Of course, it is also fairly true that they are only as valuable as you make them – you have to participate to get the most benefit out of a membership.) But the problem is, any organization can become too insular, can pose too singular a focus, and can narrow the opportunity for networking to a particular niche, as well as the unfortunate problem of providing a pipeline through which incorrect or biased information ends up being presented as ‘fact’ or ‘truth’.

If you are an author of a genre of which there are other organizations, for example – mystery/suspense/thriller: There is Mystery Writers of America (they award the Edgar Award), Sisters in Crime, and Thriller Writers of America. For urban fantasy, paranormal and fantasy or sci-fi authors, there is Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. And there is also the Horror Writers Association for the ghoulishly inclined. And the Western Writers of America (home of the Spur Award). The Historical Novel Society group is out there as well. And as an author of erotica and erotic romance, color me thrilled to discover the Erotic Authors Association (which sponsors its own conference), and the Erotic Readers & Writers Association, both of which act as advocates for this most misunderstood genre of fiction. I expect there are numerous others, say, for authors of the Christian genre, for example. And there are smaller, more specific and less prominent groups, too.

There are also groups specific to certain elements in the publishing/writing community, like EPIC (The Electronically Published Internet Coalition). Their award, the EPPIE is gaining in prominence, by virtue of the proliferation and popularity of digital books.

And there are other general writing organizations, like Liberty States Fiction Writers in New Jersey – formed to be inclusive, rather than exclusive, for writers of every format and genre. And there are groups like The Authors Guild, which is a major force in the publishing industry. And Novelists, Inc. The Writers Guild for playwrights and screenwriters, which author Leanna Renee Heiber will be eligible for, based on her writing of the book for the play of "The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker", at least I think so – it may be that the WGA requires 2 scripts?

Certainly, admittance regulations vary and a number of these groups are not even open to unpubbed folk at all (MWA does have affiliate/associate level members, for example, as does EPIC, if I recall correctly).

If you are not a member of a group outside of RWA, you might want to consider broadening your membership horizons. You will be opening yourself to differing philosophies, a different pool of contacts and information, and a new group of people and genres and levels of success. The networking opportunities are limitless, and you can guarantee that you are not hearing a singular perspective, or a narrow take on a given subject. Even though we are, generally, “romance authors”, the growth of blended genres, and the evolution of what a romance novel is, makes these other organizations vastly helpful because of these different perspectives, attitudes and so forth. (If you don’t believe me, research the different groups some popular authors we consider romance authors are members of – like romantic suspense authors and paranormal authors. They cross-over because their books do.)

What other organizations do you belong to?

Erotic Epiphanies

I write hot stories. Steamy, spicy, romance. Be it an urban fantasy with my smart-mouthed, spanking-obsessed, kick-ass heroine Jinx, or homicide detective Anne Graham, my paranormal time-traveler and surprised submissive, or the heroine of my contemporary erotic romance, erotic photographer and lusty hedonist, Chloe, my heroines are fast girls. And they all agree, the best sex is kinky sex. “Whatever blows your skirt up – in bed and out,” as Jinx comments in Between A Rock & A Bad Place.

When I started writing romance my sex scenes were typical and mainstream. Problem was, my feisty fast girls had minds of their own. “We want more sex! Hotter sex!”. So, I gave ‘em what they asked for.

Then the greedy things started up again. “We want our sex wild and kinky!” They wanted to bend over and take it rough. Be ordered to their knees, or indulge in the delights of being the filling in a man sandwich.

Who was I to argue with desire?

So, my heroines got hornier, and wilder, and my writing progressed apace, until now the wenches are purely out of control.

Which is why I now write erotic romance. My fast girls feed their passions in myriad ways and throughout different genres. In fact, it turned out the only way I could keep up with their voracious appetites was to broaden my own reading horizons.

Hence my bookshelf today displays many fiction, and non-fiction titles alike, that extol the pleasures of extreme sex. There is a plethora of erotic romance titles, BDSM “lifestyle” guides, submissives’ memoirs and, more and more, erotica anthologies. While a great erotic novel or erotic romance is a thing of beauty, the beauty of an anthology is that you can sample a smorgasbord of sexual delights.

I personally love the collections published by Cleis Press. There’s something for every fast girl in their offerings, even, as luck would have it, a new release - an entire book filled with stories for, and about (and appropriately titled): FAST GIRLS.

This new release is edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, who headlines many of these anthologies, be they about spanking, oral sex, or female submission. What’s most wonderful is that this jam-packed anthology runs the gamut. I read them all. Twice. I found myself titillated, amused, and, definitely turned on. Sometimes unexpectedly.

Staunch hetero that I am, I do not often particularly enjoy F/F erotic fiction. Thus I found myself surprisingly aroused by the talented Tristan Taormino’s “Winter, Summer”, wherein a young woman yearns to be pushed to the breaking point, and gets her wish at the hands of a dominant and discerning woman. Her intense experience is beautifully encapsulated by these lines: “My heart races; I can’t catch my breath. I can’t catch hold of my emotions; I’m breaking apart into messy little pieces. But her arms are wrapped around me, and I am somewhere safe.”

Another surprise was my enjoyment of the straightforward, sexy hot stories like “Temptation” by Kayla Perrin and Lolita Lopez’ “Fireworks”, which eschew kink, yet seduced me with their rich human portraits of men and women seeking not only sexual satisfaction but emotional connection.

Any idea that erotica can’t be humorous is deftly countered by several amusing tales in FAST GIRLS. The expression we are all familiar with about star-f*cking is embodied wonderfully in “Waxing Eloquent” (Donna George Storey), and a wry take on porn is the premise of the short, but hot and sweet, “Five-Minute Porn Star” by Jacqueline Applebee.

For critics of erotica, I challenge you to read two of the poignant, though very different stories in this collection, and not be impressed by the complexity. “Waiting for Beethoven” is Susie Hara’s truly lyrical symphony of art, music and sex. It was so filled with yearning, and vulnerability and atmosphere that I have re-read it several times simply to appreciate the layers.

Very different, but no less effecting, is the last story in the book, Tenille Brown’s rough, raunchy and ultimately romantic “Speed Bumps”. The age of the characters and their experience with mortality is integral to Sunny and Trip’s story of a couple facing a new crossroads in their kinky, and loving, relationship. It was one of my favorites.

Anyone who reads erotica will be familiar with the stories that can make a reader uncomfortable, often due to the subject matter, or because of a kink or fetish that makes you squirm, and not always in a good way. But by willing suspension of my boundaries, I thoroughly enjoyed Angela Caperton’s dark and decadent story of the first-time call girl in “Playing the Market” wherein the economic downturn leads a woman to extremes as she tries to stay afloat. In the course of the rich story (with its surprise ending) she discovers she didn’t leave her work ethic on the trading floor.

Thought it bordered on the disturbing, I was still stunned by the power of desire and submission darkly rendered in Ms. Bussel’s own “Whore Complex”. This level of sado-masochism takes a deft hand to master in fiction (without leaving a reader wondering if perhaps psychiatric help is not required by one or both parties). There was humor, longing, defiance, and, ultimately, satisfaction, as Rachel describes: “ . . . because I’d learned from Adrian that good whores don’t just learn from their mistakes, they also get rewarded for them.”. “Whore Complex” is a great example of how effective it can be when the psychological complexity of submission is perfectly presented.

Once again, to my surprise, the darkest piece in the anthology was both the edgiest and yet, one of my favorites. I would guess that knife play pushes the envelope for anyone other than one who enjoys it (and I freely admit, I'm a baby when it comes to knives). But “Lessons, Slow and Painful”, with its fabulous juxtaposition of one woman’s daily mundane experiences with the climax of her deep submission to her lover, including an intoxicating blend of submission, humiliation and scarification, just wowed me.

In the end, it is Tess Danesi’s final words in “Lessons” that sum up, for me, the level of dedication a fast girl brings to her quest for sexual and emotional fulfillment: “I shudder as I think that I allowed him to do this to me. No one but Dar could ever drive me to and make me desire such extremes. Dropping the mirror, he lifts me in his strong arms, carefully avoiding the cuts on my back and playfully tosses me on my bed . . . For an instant, the stinging in my lower back reminds me that I’m bleeding . . . then his lips, full, soft and gentle, meet my lips. His kiss makes the world go away. His kiss makes it all go away.”

There you have it. A one-volume course in what fast girls want. And they want a lot. And they take it, on their terms.

For anyone unfamiliar with erotica, FAST GIRLS is a terrific place to start. As romance authors you will find a wealth of feminine desire and motivation, as well as incredible sex writing. As erotica authors you’ll be reading some of the mistresses of the genre. This is a group of stories filled with humor, friendship, love, romance, surprise, beauty, pain, and, of course, sex. Afraid you’ll be turned off? Trust me – you never know what turns you on until you give it a try. You will be very surprised just how powerful great erotica can be.

This kinky fast girl wants to make sure to point out to the FCC or anyone else, that while the copy of FAST GIRLS was provided to me free of charge, there was no guarantee made of a review, either good, or bad, of the contents, and if you don’t believe I honestly presented these brief story reviews of my own free will, feel free to come and check out my bookcase where I have numerous other titles by R. K. Bussel and Cleis Press, which I happily purchased, including Bottoms Up, Orgasmic, Tasting Him, Please, Sir, Yes Sir, and many more.