A Christmas-Themed, Historical, Gay-Themed Story

Recently, I was challenged to write outside my usual area of "contemporary smut."

I love taking on challenges like this - they help me stretch my writing muscles, and give me renewed creativity when returning to my main projects. Plus, I am a big fan of historical fiction, as anyone who has seen my bookshelves (heavily stacked with Clavell, Galebon, Jakes, McCullough,and others) can attest.

Given the season, I chose to set this story during the famous "Christmas Truce" of 1914:

On an icy Christmas morning on the Western Front, 1914, British and German soldiers huddled in trenches less than fifty yards apart, away from their homes and families, cold, weary and afraid. But Lt. Glbert Tillsdale and Captain Wilheim von Faulkner will spark more than a Christmas truce as they walk across no man's land to shake hands. They find passion, comfort and pleasure in each other and share a moment of peace that can only be called miraculous.Purchase the story here.

My serious Marketplace fans will recognize the family name of one of the characters above -- one that will return in a future Marketplace novel, as well.

Oh, and if you're looking for some last-minute holiday gifts, please check out my extensive selection of e-books, easily and quickly available for a spicy stocking stuffer!

Deadline Approaching for Hot Butches/Hot Femmes Anthologies!

A few posts back, I announced my intention to start editing anthologies again. The deadline for my companion volumes of stories about Hot Butches/Hot Femmes is due at the end of 2011! Here's my reminder:

Hot Butches/Hot Femmes: Deadline – December 31, 2011 

Two companion volumes, one goal – to celebrate the classic identities of butches and femmes, those who love to play with gender! Your story must feature at least one butch or femme (depending on the volume) matching the title description. They can be the point of view character, the protagonist or the lust object of the story. Don't dial back the sex – keep it hot and spicy! But these are celebratory books, so I am looking for happy endings. Kink/leather/BDSM themes welcome, but not required – the flavor here is gender and gender expression.

Submission Guidelines and additional info can be found on my Calls for Submissions Page.

Wondering what else I'm looking for?

Leatherwomen 2012 – Still Kicking: Deadline - January 31, 2012

Is leather dead? Hell no! But it has changed and so have leatherwomen. Celebrate the thrill of skins and kink and the hot women who embody the name leatherwoman in this new universe of kinky potential. Like the previous Leatherwomen anthologies, stories may contain characters of any physical, emotional and sexual identity you believe falls under the name leatherwoman. BDSM, latex, punk, heterosexual, queer, single, couples, poly, orgies – if you believe your story and your characters belong in this crew, then convince me. Extra points for non white/American/party-going/lifestyle characters and situations, and much love for pushing the boundaries of identity and politics. Make it romantic or ironic; sweet or scary. But fill it with power and presence and desire.

No Safewords – A Marketplace Collection: Deadline - February 28, 2012

Do you have what it takes to enter The Marketplace? For the first time since The Academy, I am opening the doors to my exclusive playroom, for this first collection of fan fiction! Yes, you can write a Marketplace story – and this is your chance to really push the limits! Use any character, any setting. Delve into the online Marketplace wiki to brush up on existing characters or create your own. Fit the story to what already exists or imagine a sort of alternative universe to myalternative universe. Do you think there should have been more gay/lesbian/straight/rubber/steampunk/food fetish/Canadian/sexy accountant stories in the books? Now is your chance to write one!

Submission Guidelines and additional details on all of the Calls for Submissions can be found on my Calls for Submissions Page.

Free Holiday Erotica Tale!

On the first Fridays of the month, there's an erotic reading series at the Happy Endings Lounge in New York City that I sometimes attend. The December theme was - no surprise - holiday erotica!

What may be a surprise to some of you, however, is that I have actually written a short holiday erotica piece.  In the spirit of giving, here's an excerpt from "Ho Fuckin' Ho:"

A long and tall drink of water poured into a latex elf costume. Spikey green boots that clung to shapely legs all the way to the thigh, same color boy-cut shorts, and a plunging vest, both trimmed in white fur. Jaunty Santa style hat in the same green, with pointy ear tips rising to each side of her head. I groped for her name… Stacey!

“Hi, Santa,” she purred, leaning over to adjust my sack. “I’ll be one of your elves tonight. I hope you have a special present for me!”

Now, I am an equal opportunity Daddy, I like boys and girls, naughty and nice. This fiasco was looking up already.

I struggled and won the fight to not say, “I got your present right here,” and grab my package. Instead, I went for the equally cheesy, “What’s a nice femme like you doing in a boy’s club?”

She leaned in closer and whispered, “Hoping to get gang banged in the back room, later. You’re invited, if you’re not busy, and your boy, too, if he’s been real good.”  Click here for more...  

If you're still looking for some gift ideas, don't forget Circlet Press is offering a special deal on the first three books in the Marketplace series. In addition, several of the romance sites where you can find my other fiction are offering holiday specials, so check out the links here, too!

Just in Time for the holidays!

If you're like me, and prefer to do your holiday shopping on line, I have a great deal for you!  My original trilogy is available through December 31st at a discount price fromCirclet Press.

Get The Marketplace, The Slave, and The Trainer, normally $19.95 each plus shipping, for only $55 including shipping within the US/Canada. This is a great way to introduce a friend to the series or to replace your lost/borrowed/stolen copies for yourself!

This limited time price is only offered until December 31, 2011. Please place orders by December 13 if you want the set in time for Hanukkah, by December 15 if you want them for Christmas.

And if you are buying electronic readers for yourself and special friends, why not fill them with some spicy erotic stories? In addition to the Marketplace trilogy, check out rotating carousel on the left side of my webpage, where you'll find an array of my smut.  And nothing says "I know what you really like for the holidays" than that!

Winter Plans

While I am taking most of winter off to write and edit anthologies, I have been doing some local readings and will have an upcoming appearance.

Last month, I read a story about Chris Parker that has not yet appeared in any Marketplace novel. It is in Tristan Taormino's Take Me There, a groundbreaking anthology of transgender and genderqueer erotica. For those who missed it, here's a video of the reading.

I am also a regular reader at the Ravenous Readings series which take place the first Friday of every month in New York City's Happy Endings Lounge on the Lower East Side. The theme in November was erotic non-fiction, so I contributed my piece on how to train a pleasure slave, which appears in another Tristan Taormino anthology, The Ultimate Guide to Kink, BDSM, Role Play and the Erotic Edge.  

I will be headed to New Jersey at the end of this month, teaching I'll be teaching "Beyond Bossy" and "Service Development" at Brimstone on the Jersey Shore.

And that's where you'll find me between now and the end of the year! I am booking dates in 2012, however, so please check out my speaking requirements or my tour calendar, posted on the right of the page.

Submit to Me!

It's twenty years since I started to collect stories for the original Leatherwomen, and anthologies have refused to die. With the explosion of e-book publishers of erotica, there has never been a better time to get your stories out into the world – and after twenty years, I'm eager to collect all sorts of delicious smut. From sweet and romantic to edgy and kinky, show me what you've got!

Submission Guidelines and additional info can be found on my Calls for Submissions Page.

Here's a brief overview at what I'm looking for:

The Best of Leatherwomen: Deadline - Dec 31, 2011

Did you write for me back in the day? Find me, please! We'll make a combined collection from all three of the groundbreaking Leatherwomen anthologies and you can get paid again for work you so long ago we all rode dinosaurs to the play parties.

Leatherwomen 2012 – Still Kicking: Deadline - January 31, 2012

Is leather dead? Hell no! But it has changed and so have leatherwomen. Celebrate the thrill of skins and kink and the hot women who embody the name leatherwoman in this new universe of kinky potential. Like the previous Leatherwomen anthologies, stories may contain characters of any physical, emotional and sexual identity you believe falls under the name leatherwoman. BDSM, latex, punk, heterosexual, queer, single, couples, poly, orgies – if you believe your story and your characters belong in this crew, then convince me. Extra points for non white/American/party-going/lifestyle characters and situations, and much love for pushing the boundaries of identity and politics. Make it romantic or ironic; sweet or scary. But fill it with power and presence and desire.

Hot Butches/Hot Femmes: Deadline – December 31, 2011 

Two companion volumes, one goal – to celebrate the classic identities of butches and femmes, those who love to play with gender! Your story must feature at least one butch or femme (depending on the volume) matching the title description. They can be the point of view character, the protagonist or the lust object of the story. Don't dial back the sex – keep it hot and spicy! But these are celebratory books, so I am looking for happy endings. Kink/leather/BDSM themes welcome, but not required – the flavor here is gender and gender expression.

No Safewords – A Marketplace Collection: Deadline - February 28, 2012

Do you have what it takes to enter The Marketplace? For the first time since The Academy, I am opening the doors to my exclusive playroom, for this first collection of fan fiction! Yes, you can write a Marketplace story – and this is your chance to really push the limits! Use any character, any setting. Delve into the online Marketplace wiki to brush up on existing characters or create your own. Fit the story to what already exists or imagine a sort of alternative universe to myalternative universe. Do you think there should have been more gay/lesbian/straight/rubber/steampunk/food fetish/Canadian/sexy accountant stories in the books? Now is your chance to write one!

Submission Guidelines and additional details on all of the Calls for Submissions can be found on my Calls for Submissions Page.

Calling All Leatherwomen!!

I'm happy to announce that I'll be editing several anthologies over the winter and into 2012. In addition to some new projects (keep your eyes out for "Calls for Submission"), I am bringing back my "Leatherwomen" brand.

If you are a writer who was published in one of my original Leatherwomen anthologies, I am asking you to get in contact with me at Antoniouedits (at) gmail (dot) com as I build a "Best of Leatherwomen" collection!

(cue harp arpeggios, musically implying that we are traveling back in time)

Back in the pre-internet 1990's, there was a dearth of fiction available to kinky women written by kinky women. Pretty much all we had was the groundbreaking Coming To Power by Samois, the periodic s/m themed short stories in On Our Backs, and a few writers like Susie Bright, Artemis Oakgrove and a writer I consider my mentor, Dorothy Allison.

I decided to fill that void by editing a series written by and for Leatherwomen of all orientations. So, in the mid-1990's, I put out a call for submissions.

There was only one problem. Pat (now Patrick) Califia and Robin Sweeney were collaborating on"The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader," billed to be the follow-up to the Samois anthology. Every kinky lesbian writer I knew had already promised their work to Pat and Robin.

I persisted, and not only published "Leatherwomen," but even got out "Leatherwomen II (Revenge of the Leatherwomen)" before The Second Coming was published. I then published "Leatherwomen III (Clash of the Cultures)" in the late 1990's.

           

Now, a decade later, I think it's time to bring back the Leatherwomen brand. So much has changed in the kink community since Leatherwomen III was published, ranging from the rise of sex through social media to the increasing fluidity of gender and sexual identity. I think it's time to hear from leatherwomen again.

To launch the return of the "Leatherwomen" series, I am calling all contributors to the earlier anthologies to get in touch with me. Let's bring back those sexy, smutty, kinky, toe-curling stories and introduce them to a new generation of readers. Contact me atAntoniouedits (at) gmail (dot) com.

And for the rest of you: keep your eyes open for additional "Calls for Submission" from me!

New Chris Parker story!

On Wednesday, October 12th, I'll be reading The Man With the Phoenix Tattoo, the first-ever story about Chris Parker that is not in a Marketplace novel. The reading will be at 7:00 p.m. at Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street on New York City's Lower East Side.

The story is part of a new anthology entitled Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica. I've known editor Tristan Taormino for many years, and when she contacted me about this project, I knew Chris Parker needed to be included in this anthology. Trans and genderqueer folk are fiercely sexy to me, and I am proud to have created the first-ever FTM romantic lead in a long-running erotic series.

Take Me There is a great collection of  erotica by, for, and about transfolk, FTMs, MTFs, genderqueers, gender outlaws, as well as two-spirit, intersex, and gender-variant people. The power of seeing and being seen is a central theme in the anthology; it’s not simply about passing or not passing (an idea often explored with transgender characters), but about being acknowledged and desired in a sexual context.

Other contributors include authors Kate Bornstein (Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation), Patrick Califia (Speaking Sex to Power), S. Bear Bergman (Butch is a Noun), Ivan Coyote (Missed Her), Julia Serrano (Whipping Girl), Helen Boyd (My Husband Betty),  Toni Amato (Pinned Down by Pronouns), Alicia E. Goranson (Supervillianz), filmmaker Tobi Hill-Meyer, musician Rahne Alexander, songwriter Shawna Virago, blogger Andrea Zanin, and others.

If you join us on Wednesday, October 12th at Bluestockings, you'll not only hear my story, but the contributions of author Rachel Kramer Bussel, blogger Sinclair Sexsmith of The Sugarbutch Chronicles, and poet/performer/activist Rachel K. Zall.

I hope Take Me There not only gives me an opportunity to introduce new readers to the Marketplace series, but that it will offer my long-time fans a look at Chris Parker's fictional peers.  See you at Bluestockings!

I Love to Write.

I spend a lot of time at leather conferences. They make me feel good about what I write. But going to a writers’ conference makes me feel good about being a writer.

I learned that earlier this month when I attended the Erotic Authors Association conference. I returned to New York feeling energized, and ready to tackle some long-awaited (and some new!) writing projects. I am dedicating my fall and winter to writing.

One of the workshops I taught at the conference was on how to write a series. I am bringing more creative energy to my own series, and hope to have The Inheritor, Book Six of the Marketplace series, completed by early 2012. For those of you who wish you could find out more about it – visit my Marketplace wiki! I use this wiki as a codex to keep track of all the characters in the Marketplace universe… and as I write the sixth book, those characters are included on the wiki. Which, by the way, is an excellent tool for anyone writing a series (as I told my workshop participants.)

I also updated my workshop offerings to include some writing workshops. Look for “Romancing with Words: Erotica for Beginners,” “Unsafe Words – Exercises to Jazz Up Your Sex Writing,” and “It’s a Long Story: Writing an Erotic Series” among others.

I will also be joining some readings taking place in the NYC area in October. I’m delighted to have a short story in “Take Me There,” a genderqueer collection edited by my friend, Tristan Taormino. My contribution, “The Man With the Phoenix Tattoo,” is the only story about Chris Parker that I have not published in the Marketplace series. Join us at Bluestockings on Wednesday, October 12th at 7:00 p.m. and hear it live. For more details, check out my events calendar on the right.

And I’m working on a series of other projects as well. I’ll be sharing those with you over the next several weeks, as they come to fruition. So stay tuned! I’m going to have a very productive autumn and winter.

Stay tuned – I think it will be a productive autumn!

Readings and More in Las Vegas

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'll be in Las Vegas for the Erotic Authors Association Conference. I've also added two readings to my schedule, and I hope that fans in Sin City will join me!

First, my friend and fellow author Rachel Kramer Bussel is co-hosting a an erotic open mic at the Erotic Heritage Museum on Friday, September 9th at 7:00 p.m. I'm joining her, as well as other authors from the conference and local writers for what promises to be a very steamy evening!

Then on Saturday the 10th,  I'll be stopping by PT's Pub (where the Sin City munch is held) for a reading that is free and open to all. PT's Pub is located in the Sahara Pavilion Complex in the Sahara Pavilion Complex 4604 Sahara (near Decatur). Doors will open at 6:30 and the reading will begin at 7:00. I'll have books available for sale, and you can bring your well-loved copies for autographs, too! 

I also hope you'll join me at this great conference. I'll be on a panel about “writing queer” and teaching a class on – what else? – the challenges of writing a series. 

See you in Vegas, Baby!

Headed to the Erotic Authors Association Conference

In September, I'm going to attend the first-ever Erotic Authors Association conference.

Most erotica events tend to be focused on the visual: models, fashion, and, well, lots of nearly-naked people. This conference promises to titillate the brain first, and be a bit more reflective of reality.

I'll be part of a panel on "writing queer" and teaching a class on - what else? - the challenges of writing a series. I've often wondered why there aren’t more lengthy sagas on the erotica shelves – that don’t involve magic, vampires and werewolves. The Marketplace series didn’t leap into existence overnight or even over a few years, but is nearly 20 years in the making. I'll talk about character arcs, bibles, making a codex, the dreaded trilogy trap, and the temptation to repeat your first success by writing the same story over and over.

The Erotic Authors Association conference will bring together erotica readers, publishers, aspiring authors, and my fellow writers. It's always a pleasure to hang out with other writers - especially the ones that write dirty, sexy stories!

If you're looking for a rewarding weekend with authors and fans of erotica, I hope you'll join me in Las Vegas, September 9-10.  For more information on the Erotic Authors Association conference, cilck here,

The Original Marketplace Trilogy is Back in Print!

I'm pleased to announce that the original Marketplace trilogy, The Marketplace, The Slave, and The Trainer, is now back in print, thanks to Circlet Press, where the motto is Celebrating the erotic imagination. 

The third book in the Marketplace Series brings us into the House of Anderson, the Trainer of Trainers, where Chris Parker and a few clients are in residence. Michael LaGuardia loves being part of the Marketplace and loves the sex slaves he regularly trains. After a couple of years in California, Michael thinks he is ready for a step up, ready for an apprenticeship with Anderson. (He's wrong.)

To read an excerpt from The Traienr, click here.

The Trainer was originally published fifteen years ago by Masquerade Books. At the time, I felt that I had given the lead character, Michael LaGuardia, short shrift. When Masquerade left the publishing business, I moved the Marketplace series to Mystic Rose Books, and expanded The Trainer by nearly a third, adding more to Michael’s story.

Now that I’m settled at Circlet Press, I’ve been expanding my series even further. I’ve developed thematic short stories for each of the Marketplace novels, and including them in the e-book editions. The “Life is a Party” stories are, as the title implies, short stories that all take place at parties which happen during the timeline of the novel.

In the case of The Trainer, the short story features a sex party complete with slave auction at the home of handsome, controversial Master Trainer Geoff Negel, where Michael launches his career in the Marketplace.

“California Dreaming” is only available in the e-book edition of The Trainer. However, the first two short stories, “For Want of a Nail,” published in the new edition of The Marketplace; and “That’s Harsh!” in The Slave, are now available for separate download for just 99 cents! You can download them here.

Once The Academy: Tales Of the Marketplace, is published (winter 2011), “California Dreaming” will also be available for separate download. The same will happen for The Reunion, (spring 2012) and for the long-anticipated Book Six in the Marketplace series, The Inheritor (summer 2012).

Summer Stealthiness

My summer has been wonderfully busy, with a combination of writing, presenting, and even a few stealth readings.

Stealth readings? You ask. What are stealth readings? Well, I’ve been writing up some new material, and from time to time, I want to gauge how readers might react to it. So when I’m at an event, I invite attendees to gather a group of their friends, and invite me to come to their room and read to them. Or, if there’s a lot of interest, we ask the event organizer if we can borrow a room after the workshops and presentations are done.

I started doing these at The Floating World in 2010, because I was writing That’s Harsh, and wanted to get feedback from the bootblacks. A few members of the Bootblack Brigade tweeted the time and location to their friends, and *boom* I had an audience.

Since then, I’ve read portions of other short stories that will be published later this year, as well as chapters from two other book projects I’m working on: a paranormal series, and a comedy murder mystery that takes place at a leather contest. Because these stealth readings are entirely fan-driven, it’s a great time for me to connect with people, and for my fans to hear fresh work.

If you’re interested in holding a stealth reading at an event I’ll be attending, please don’t hesitate to let me know. And if you’re wondering where I’ll be in the next few months, here’s the list:

July 8-10
Denver

Thunder in the Mountains
I’ll be presenting two relatively new workshops at this wonderful event in the Mile-High City. Whatever YOU Want: The Lifestyle of a Pleasure Slave will discuss service through pleasures beyond sex and play. The second, Have a Cookie! Using Rewards in your SM Relationships is part of my series on establishing and maintaining protocols – and enforcing a system of rewards and punishments to strengthen a relationship dynamic based in dominance and submission.

July 29-31
Edison, NJ

The Floating World
I’m returning to this wonderful event, and teaching three classes:Unscheduled Maintenance: Keeping your SM Relationship Purring
Meet the Parents; Familial Relationships in SM & Play, andService with a Smile: Tactics for Overcoming Temporary Obstacles in Being Your Best

September 9-10
Las Vegas

The Erotic Authors Association

This is the first convention designed for readers, authors and those who enjoy the erotic side of life. Join me along with other authors, artists, publishers and fans for an amazing weekend of readings, panels, classes and industry networking. I’ll be teaching a class entitled Writing a Series: The Marketplace . How can you develop a continuing series, or perhaps more importantly, sell one? I’ll talk character arcs, bibles, making a codex, the dreaded trilogy trap, and the temptation to repeat your first success 20X.

Each of the above events offers chances for me to meet up with fans, either at the event or off-site. So don’t hesitate to contact me about your interest in having me do a stealth reading!

Free Story Through July First!

In honor of winning the 2011 National Leather Association-International’s John Preston Short Fiction Award for my short storyThat’s Harsh, my publisher is offering a free copy of the story if you sign up for the email list by July first!

Tthere’s no down side to this offer. Circlet Press has a motto:“celebrating the erotic imagination.” If you like my books, you’ll love getting to know what else this wonderful publisher has to offer.

Sign up now, and enjoy the story!

Summer Tour Begins

I've got a lot of appearances on my plate for the summer, to promote the re-release of The Trainer, Book Three in the Marketplace Series. Here's a few places you can catch me this summer - and yes, I'll have books for sale!

Saturday, June 4th 
New York City
ClubFEM, a social cub for dominant women and submissive men, is inviting me to tea. In return, I'll present my workshop For Your Own Good: Using Punishment in Your S/M Relationships. Contact the Club if you're interested in attending.

Friday, June 17th
New York City
Lesbian Sex Mafia
I'll be presenting my interactive flirting workshop, "Tell Me What You Want, What You Really Really Want" at LSM this month. LSM meets at the LGBT Center, 208 West 13th from 8-10p.m.

Thursday-Sunday, June 23-26
Maryland
Fusion
Fans and friends have begged me for years to set aside my dislike for camping in order to attend a Dark Odyssey event. This summer, I'll try out Fusion, presenting a few workshops and doing a reading. Perhaps it'll even be around a campfire!

July 1-4
New Jersey
TESFest
This year marks the 40th anniversary of The Eulenspiegel Society, or TES, as it's known today. TES was the first SM club I ever investigated, and I'm proud to be part of this important anniversary event.

So, if you're a sissy maid, a kinky outdoors-type, a leatherwoman, or an out and proud sadomasochist, I hope to run into you at an event in June. As usual, I'll have books for sale, and you are welcome to bring your well-loved copies to these events for an autograph as well.

Summer Update

I recently had dinner with Lochai, the wonderful photographer I'm working with for the Luster editions of the Marketplace series.  We were discussing the plans for the cover of the The Trainer and the rest of the series. Which reminded me that I haven't offered an update on where I am with my writing projects these days.

The Trainer, Book Three of the Marketplace series, will be out this summer. As I've been doing with all the re-releases, it will include a new short story available only in the e-book edition.  "California Dreamin'" takes place at a party in the home of the notorious West Coast trainer, Geoff Negel.  Here's an excerpt:

Michael went from one posing platform to another, consulting the auction plan they’d been given. Each slave had a different set of positions they could assume, and was instructed how to uncurl gracefully from one into another when they got stiff or after an owner had repositioned them for examination. They wore no clothing, of course, but each was decorated with colored thin ropes wound around biceps or draped across chests, circling their throats, wrists or ankles. . . (more)

I've also written a short story about Chris Parker, the first I've ever done that appears outside the Marketplace series. "The Man With the Phoenix Tattoo" will will be published in an upcoming anthology entitled Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica, edited by the fabulous Tristan Taormino. Look for it this fall.

Of course, work on the sixth book of the Marketplace series, "The Inheritor," is continuing, but it's not my only project right now. For years, I've been tinkering with the idea of writing a comedy-mystery series, à la Bimbos of the Death Sun, by Sharyn McCrumb. I've finally started work on the book and reading the first few chapters at various conferences, to hilarious results.

I'm attending several events over the summer, teaching and reading from my various projects. Check out my events calendar and if you want to bring your well-loved copies of books for me to sign, I'll be delighted to do so. And, of course, I'll have books available for sale as well.

Kinko De Mayo, Here I Come!

My second trip to Ohio this year takes me to Cleveland, where Ohio S.M.A.R.T. puts together a weekend fiesta full of great times, two nights of hot extreme dungeon play, shopping and mucho mucho more.

Yep, I'll be at Kinko De Mayo, taking place May 6-8, teaching two of my classes that address structures for SM relationships:

The Way of It: Establishing and Maintaining Protocol Within Relationships

The number one reason given for dissatisfaction in an ongoing formal SM relationship is not because the top can't tie a knot or the bottom.  It's lack of consistency. What's one tool in a top's mental toy bag to keep this from happening? Establishing and maintaining a protocol of behavior. I'll give an introduction -- and my personal views -- on issues of etiquette, protocol, and their place within personal relationships and our community.

Have a Cookie! Using Rewards in your SM Relationships

Establishing and enforcing a system of rewards and punishments can strengthen a relationship dynamic based in dominance and submission. Learn to identify methods of praising and rewarding each other that are personal and reinforce the values you have set for your relationships. Drawing from personal experience and longtime observations, I'll discuss the difference between rewards and praise, the importance of consistency and balance, and how to make a little go a long way.

This will be the last time I travel to the Midwest this year, but my summer appearances include some big conference events - Thunder in the Mountains, The Floating World, and the 40th anniversary of TESFest. I will have books available at all of these events, and I hope to see you there.

I am deeply honored that the National Leather Association-International has given me two awards this year: one for writing and one for lifetime achievement.

My personal leather history is intertwined with the NLA's history.  I was part of the formative years of NLA in the late 80's and early 90's, as an at-large member. I helped to create the NLA Metro New York chapter. I attended Living in Leather conferences in Portland, Chicago, and Seattle, meeting hundreds of leatherfolk, many of whom remain good friends. In fact, I met my wife, Karen, at Living in Leather VII back in 1992.

It was NLA that dared to believe we could call ourselves a "community," 25 years ago. Today, we use the term as if we've always thought of all the myriad parts of our BDSM/kink/rubber/leather /fetish/whoozits groups as somehow connected. But it was NLA that gave us that truly radical notion - that the kinksters in Butte had something in common with the players in Raleigh, and with the clubs in New York City.

But Wait! There's More!

I'm thrilled to announce that my short story, "That's Harsh," available in the e-book edition of The Slave, has won the National Leather Association-International's John Preston Short Fiction Award of 2011.

This award means a lot to me. It's the first time any of my writings have won any award.  Further, that I won in the "John Preston" category is wonderful.  I consider John one of the writing mentors in my life.  At the time of his death, Preston was one of only a handful of writers who had made the literary jump from the genre of pornography into the literary field.  My only hardcover book, Looking For Mister Preston, brings together dozens of authors who were inspired by or encouraged by John to write. I was one of them. Here's an excerpt from my introduction to that (now out-of-print) book:

How did he do it, I asked, how did he break out of the porn genre to become such a literary reader? ‘Just keep writing,’ he told me. 'If you’re good, editors will know. They’ll know you can deliver, and you’ll do whatever you want. And you’ll have readers who will read only your porn, and readers who will read only your mainstream stuff, and you’ll have the crossover readers who will buy anything with your name on it.”

 Those words, and his gentle smile, keep me writing to this day.

Happy Passover!

This is the week of Passover. Tonight, millions of Jews across the world are gathered at tables and telling the story of Exodus.

Many of you know that my wife and I wrote our ownhaggadah, the book used for the telling of the Passover story. Avadim Hayeinu, Once We Were Slaves, focuses elements of the traditional Passover story through the lens of the leather power dynamics in our community. After all, slavery, like sex, wasn’t invented in our generation. In fact, over 3,000 years of Jewish tradition requires all Jews to participate in an annual ritual to discuss slavery and freedom: Passover. For thousands of years, Jews have built upon the Exodus story, creating hundreds of thousands of variations of the ritual from many perspectives. Learn – or revisit – the Passover story from an S/M perspective, drawing on ancient tradition and building new rituals that speak to us today.

For those of you looking for a new way to look at Passover, or interested in rituals that reflect slavery, power, and freedom, please take a look at our haggadah. And drink a celebratory cup of wine!

My First Novel is Available Again!

Before I wrote the Marketplace series, I was writing gay male porn. And my first novel, MUSCLEBOUND is available again! And whether you like hot, punishing, man-on-man sex, or yearn for a tale of innocence-to-experience, this is the novel for you!

Musclebound is a brutal tale of sex and abuse set in a gym. Tom falls hard for an older an older man he meets in a gym with mixed feelings of fear and attraction. Meanwhile, the older man puts Tom  through a sexual initiation involving BDSM and brutal, sweaty sex. In the process Tom's hatred of his own body and gay urges is transformation in very positive ways. Musclebound is a story that takes Tom from innocence to experience, ordeal to triumph.

Yep, innocence to experience via punishing and brutal sex made MUSCELBOUND the first book of mine ever mentioned in academia.

No less a figure than Will Roscoe, one of the major voices in gay men’s spirituality in the United States, anthropologist and winner of the Margaret Mead Award, devoted a neat chapter to Muscle Bound in his book Queer Spirits.

Roscoe seems delighted to find that my little porn novel fulfills the requirements of a mythic story; he writes about how my hero Tom relates to the story villain with “fear and attraction based on a sense of lack, (that) all too often characterizes how we as gay men relate to our fathers.” He talks about the “initiatory themes” of the sex scenes, and how Tom grows with the transformation of his body, “a common feature of tribal rites.”

Truth is, I did write it that way. I took my years of study of literature, anthropology, sociology, sexuality and, well, the mythic archetype, and added brutal, sweaty gay sex. I figured I couldn’t mess up my first novel if I just told The Story.  And here, this guy saw it and wrote about it, probably never dreaming this story was written by 1) a woman, and 2) an academic drop-out with too much useless information to sit around and not use it from time to time.

And now, I'm delighted to be working with Sizzler Editions to bring MUSCLEBOUND back to print. Well, to e-book format anyway!

California, Here I Come!

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In Portland This Weekend

If you want to meet some of the country’s most amazing presenters, watch some of the most serious players, and surround yourself with hundreds of fabulous kinksters, join me this weekend in Portland at Kinkfest. I’m honored to be part of this event. Here’s where you can find me:

Friday afternoon: 1:00-2:30 p.m.
I’m presenting an audience favorite: For Your Own Good: Using Punishment In Your SM Relationships. I’ll discuss punishment and its myths, uses, limits, and how to create punishments that are appropriate to the moment, while being erotic and enjoyable to the enforcer.

Friday evening: 6:00-7:00
Stealth Reading!
Sixth Floor of the Host Hotel.
You won’t find this in the Program Book!
I’ll be reading an as-of-yet unpublished work, chosen by those in attendance. We’ll pass the hat to benefit the NCSF-Bring an IMsL to IMsL project, in honor of the 25th anniversary of International Ms Leather.

Saturday afternoon: 1:00-2:30 p.m.
I’m presenting a personal favorite: Creative Disobedience: The Art of Being a Wiseass.There is a creative challenge to being just disobedient enough to entertain, divert, and involve a top in playful reactions ranging from a laugh to lighthearted punishment. Learn the basics of what it takes to walk that very fine line between being annoying or amusing; whiny or whimsical.

And of course, I’ll have books for sale, and will autograph your well-loved copies as well as new purchases.

THE SLAVE is back in print! ... and in E-Book Editions!

I’m pleased to announce that THE SLAVE is now back in print thanks to Circlet Press,where the motto is Celebrating the erotic imagination.

The Slave is available as an ebook OR in a print-on-demand paperback edition. The ebook contains an all-new bonus story, “That’s Harsh,” which features a hot leather party where Robin is put to work as a bootblack. The ebook also includes the text of the bonus story from the Mystic Rose edition of The Slave, “A Familiar Ring.”(The paperback has only the text of the novel.)

Ebook also available from the Amazon Kindle Store, Fictionwise, All Romance eBooks, Smashwords, Scribd, the Apple iBookstore, and many other online retailers. The print book can be ordered by any decent bookstore through Ingram and should be available on the Espresso Book Machine, as well!

Here’s the link which includes an excerpt from the THE SLAVE. Other links to purchase the book are along the left side of my website, as well.

Heads Up, Left Coast! I'm headed your way!

For fans who ask me "when will be you on the West Coast again?" I present to you my packed schedule, with several different opportunities to find me in the Bay area in particular. Tell your friends! Better yet, bring your friends to one of these appearances!

I begin my tour in Portland, then down to San Francisco for conferences, readings, workshops and the wonderful Passionate Bonds Weekend Intensive.

Here's the line-up:

March 18-20
Portland, Oregon
Kinkfest, sponsored by the Portland Leather Alliance, is celebrating its lucky 13th year. I'm presenting my punishment workshop on Friday afternoon, Saturday afternoon is my workshop on Creative Disobedience, and Friday night at 6:00p.m. is my stealth reading to benefit NCSF-Bring an IMsL to IMsL Project.

After a week's break, I'm back on the West Coast, this time in the Bay Area.  I hope to see you at one of these events:

Monday, March 28th
San Francisco
7:00 p.m. (no charge)
Wicked Grounds
I'm reading from an unpublished work at this fabulous kinky coffee cafe

Tuesday, March 29th
San Francisco
7:00 p.m. (sliding scale $5-10)
The Big Pink House
Event information here.

Wednesday, March 30th
San Francisco
8:00 p.m. ($20)
SF Citadel
I'm presenting my workshop Too Kinky for Words: Playing Way Off the Edge

Thursday, March 31
Santa Cruz
Pure Pleasure 
7:30 p.m. ($20/advance, $25 at the door)
 One of my most popular workshops, For Your Own Good: Using Punishment in your SM Relationships will be presented at this wonderful sex shop

Friday-Saturday, April 1-2
Register here for Passionate Bonds Weekend Intensive.

Mark your calendars and I'll see you on the sunset coast!