Hello out there! We haven't published in our blog for ages, but that's not because we don't love our readers. We actually have some exciting publication news to share; we just keep forgetting to post it!

First, our lesbian prison erotica anthology Desire Behind Bars is out from Bella Books and ready for your enjoyment! 

From repeat offenders taking pretty new inmates under their wings to wardens giving into temptation, Desire Behind Bars offers up erotic stories that may earn these inmates time off for good behavior. The collection includes authors both well-known and new, including J.L. Merrow, Sacchi Green, Katya Harris, Annabeth Leong, Geonn Cannon, L.E. Chamberlin, C.L. Boyle, M. Marie, Claire Caine, Chase Morgan, Kiki DeLovely, Alex Andrea, and Kannan Feng. Dive in!

We're also excited to announce that we each have a forthcoming story in Best Gay Erotica 2016, edited by the one and only Rob Rosen and published by Cleis. Talon's tale, "Charity Case," is a story of boywhore meets pastor and Salome's "Bus Ride" is a little blue-collar adventure. Coming soon!


Finally, Salome ventured into new thematic territory in her F/T/m cuckold story "Danny," now out in Rose Caraway's Tonight She's Yours: Cuckold Fantasies available in eBook and soon in audiobook formats!

Post by Talon Rihai

Once upon a time there was a beautiful and powerful writing duo.  And they loved to write. (Of course they did, that’s why they're a writing duo!) They loved to write about many things, but one of their favorite subjects was beautiful boys with ears and tails. They loved dog boys with furry puppy ears and wolf boys with naughty tails and fox boys with especially floofy creamsicle tails who blushed at regular intervals. They loved the mounting and dominance and teeth and everything that made dog boys and wolf boys and fox boys so very very sexy and so interesting.

This gorgeous and talented duo also loved youkai.  Oh how they loved youkai.  It might seem like the dog boys and wolf boys and fox boys (and there were also women, but this story is about boys) were the same as youkai (a term for certain kinds of Japanese demons), but they weren’t. Most youkai had pointed ears, like elves, and their animal sides showed in more subtle ways. These youkai sometimes had great powers; sometimes they could bring mountains down just by existing and sometimes they could make the food they cooked so delicious that it enslaved anyone who ate it.  Some youkai kept other youkai as pets and that was fun too.

So, this alluring and dynamic writing duo (which really was only half alluring because the other half was adorable and capable of big puppy eyes rather than being alluring like the first half) adored their boys, anthro and youkai. But after many moons of writing and exploring their boys, they realized something was missing. It was subtle at first. The enchanting and gifted writing duo researched the mating behaviors of the animal aspects of their boys; and delightful research it was. And it brought them to an interesting place they hardly realized they’d been dancing around.

Furries. Rather than a human base with animal aspects added on or replacing obvious human…organs…furries begin with the animal and anthropomorphize from there.  Now, the amazing and outstanding writing duo realized this difference was at best a generalization, and yet they were intrigued. More animal traits. Stronger animal instincts. A fully animal base; standing and walking and speaking through animal physiology. How had this never occurred to them before?

And so, wasting no time, the insightful and irresistible writing duo bit at a Call for Submissions by a furry press and brought forth Master Alain.  Living in the modern world, this wealthy alpha canine morph runs a strict and thorough Edwardian household, from the furniture to the staff. A true Master, Alain expects and accepts nothing less than complete obedience and complete respect. Deviations from his will are not tolerated. A recent acquisition, purebred but poorly trained Kane, brings disharmony to Master Alain’s carefully ordered world. But the training of Kane promises --and deliver -- so very much satisfaction.

Will of the Alpha 2, featuring "Training Kane" is now available for purchase from furplanet.com. 

Three months since we've blogged. For the loving few who've missed us, we've been busy writing, editing, and doing life beyond erotica. (Sad that we even have to have a life beyond erotica, but we do!)

In the news, the Sal and Tal editing machine has done the difficult work of selecting finalists for our Desire Behind Bars: Lesbian Prison Erotica collection (forthcoming this summer from Bella Books). Now it's on to copy editing, revisions, proofs, and excitement as we move toward cover art and an amazingly hot collection of seasoned criminals, kinky toughs, new girls on the block, and wicked encounters with power. 

Keeping with the lesbian theme, I've got a couple of wild tales coming out in anthologies by Torquere and Riverdale Avenue Press. 

First, in F. Leonora Solomon's Tie Me Up: A Binding Collection of Erotic Tales (all orientations), you'll find my harem fantasy story "For Her Own Good," where a willfully naive young woman must face the reality that she will be sold to a demanding husband. An experienced sex slave educates the young woman in self-pleasure, assisted by other members of the harem.

In Torquere's Mythologically Torqued, Vol. I (LGBTQ), I offer a corporate take on Christian Hell, populated with horned and hoofed demons inspired by medieval monks' fertile imaginations. Within this scenario, we meet our barista heroine, Fnx, and her beloved fem-demon Gwq, a pair determined to find their own happily-ever-after at any cost. Will they be able to overcome the harassment of their pompous, phallically obsessed boss, Mr. Yzk? It'll take all the fire and brimstone their demonic determination can muster.

Finally, you'll see a new name in erotic writing in the Torquere anthology, my hubby, aka Max Wilde (Twitter: @MaxXxWilde). Where my story is exotic and full of dark, kinky humor, his is beautiful and full of fantasy. He offers "The Fifth World," based on Hopi mythology, a tale of a rural photographer  and the wolf-woman who haunts her mind and then fulfills her dreams.

Hope you'll consider picking up both of these awesome anthologies. As you can tell by the names and subjects, they're both going to be sizzling!

I'm thrilled to have an original erotic personal essay (about loving and writing and loving to write about loving my coauthor Talon) published at Clitical.com.

Please take a peek and let me and Clitical Jenne know what you think!

Dirty Dancing with Words 

I like my erotic romance like I like my desert recipes: full of sweetness and a bit of bite. This easy recipe for candied orange peel provides a sensuous blending of flavors to hit your sweet spot every time.


Ingredients

• 6 oranges (thick-skinned, such as navel or Valencia)
• 4 cups sugar (plus extra sugar for rolling)
• water

To make our way to the tasty result, we begin with a little knife play. Cut the tops and bottoms off each orange, and then score the orange into quarters, cutting through the peel and not into the fruit itself. “No juice” is your orange’s safeword: don’t cross it.

Next, peel the skin and pith down by quarter, leaving the orange intact for other tasty purposes, such as satisfying a bit of hungry anticipation as you cook.

Cut the peel into strips about ¼-inch wide, and then place in a large saucepan with cold water to cover them by an inch or so. Ramp up the intensity by bringing them to a boil over high heat. Pour off the water and repeat the process of blanching once or twice more. (The higher the blanch count, the mellower the flavor will be, a matter of sensual preference. You can also boil in a bit more water for 15 minutes to speed up the action.) When completed to your satisfaction, remove the soft peels and set aside.

Call for Submissions
Desire Behind Bars: Lesbian Prison Erotica
Editors: Salome Wilde and Talon Rihai
Publisher: Bella Books
Length: 2,000-6,000 words
Deadline: 15 December 2014 (early submissions welcomed!)
Payment: $50 USD by PayPal and 1 copy each of paperback and eBook upon publication

With the incredible popularity of Orange is the New Black, the subject of prison romance and sex is hotter than ever and in a new fashion sensitive to power inequities and the diversity of lesbian desire. This collection will ask, How does prison life complicate (and at times create) lesbian romance? From self-aware dykes to first time players, from Daddy/girl duos to lipstick playmates, we want to see the rich desire and hot sex you bring vividly to life among women behind bars. We welcome backstory and memories, intimate romance, wicked fantasies, risky tussles, secret trysts, and self-pleasure in a restrictive space with little to no privacy. Whether your imprisoned protagonist is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt or a poor little lamb who’s lost her way, we want to meet her, to see how she lives and loves.

Stories may take place in any prison locale, and we will consider historical submissions, but we’re mostly looking for contemporary, realist settings. Lesbians or other women-with-women only. (Men may appear in a story but not as lovers. Trans characters welcome if they fit the lesbian or women-with-women category.

No rape or any form of nonconsensual sex, though reference to past trauma (e.g. hurt/comfort) and pushing boundaries (e.g. BDSM) is fine. No underage sex, incest, bestiality, or graphic violence. For Bella Books’ audience, HEA (happily ever after) or HFN (happy for now) endings strongly preferred. Complications, yes. Tragedy, no.

We are not looking for Orange is the New Black fan fiction.  Stories and characters must be original.

Unpublished work strongly preferred, though we will consider selected reprints for work to which the author owns the rights. No simultaneous submissions.

Contributors retain the rights to their work, and right to republish will revert after a short period of exclusivity.

Please send author name and story to desirebehindbars@gmail.com. Subject: DBB Submission: [“Title” Author Name]. In your submission email, include a 50-100 word description of your story.

Specifics: Attach a Times or Times New Roman 12 point black font Word document (.doc or .rtf) of your 2,000-6,000 word story. (We will consider stories outside this range only if exceptional—i.e. there is a good reason for ignoring length requirements.) Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space lines (regular double spacing, remove lines between paragraphs). Single space after end punctuation. Edit and proofread carefully; we want your final, polished draft. At the top of your document, include your legal name (and pseudonym, if applicable), mailing address, and a 50-word bio in the third person.

Expect a confirmation email upon receipt. We anticipate notifying authors of acceptance/ rejection by early February 2015. Bella Books has final right of refusal on all submissions.

Being a post in which Salome reviews the opening lines of her recent fiction.

I often give a novel a whole chapter before deciding whether I’m going to read the book or not. With a short story, it’s usually the first paragraph or the opening sentence that helps me decide. Certainly, knowing and loving an author’s work can make me far more generous, but I do love a good opener.

Because I had a prolific spring and summer, I decided to end August with an overview and rating of my own first lines from recently published, forthcoming, and under-consideration stories. (Ah, Self-Indulgent Procrastination, hallowed be thy name!) I love all of these stories, but considering them by their first line is another matter.

In writing this, I learned that my attention to giving opening lines serious punch varies by style, genre, and intent. Sometimes I put my all into the opening line, other times it takes a full paragraph. But I never do the slow warm-up where it takes more than that first paragraph to grab the reader. I find that a real mistake in short erotic fiction. Grab the reader hard and then back up if needed to sprinkle in the texture and details.

I’d enjoy response to this post. What do you expect from opening lines? What are your favorites? How'd I do in rating my own?

Recently published:

1. Moonshine Ballad. The Sexy Librarian's Book of Erotica. Ed. Rose Caraway. Cleis Press.

“Gotta laugh at them uppity bottles there, showin’ off labels like the cover’s all you need to know about a book.”

I imagine this could make a reader pause and say “Wow, WTF is this going to be about?!” and that’s a good thing. But on its own it is more bizarre than welcoming. 3/5

2. New Dick. Rookies: Gay Erotic Cop Stories.  Ed. Shane Allison. Cleis Press.

“Every new dick’s got to have a first day in the office, a first time he plants his hindquarters in a chair assigned to him that's already had grooves worn into it by a guy who was once fresh like him.”

Nice setting of the hard-boiled premise to suit the theme of the book. But doesn’t tell you much about the character or erotics beyond this. 3/5

3. Butch Unbound. The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales. Ed. Rachel Kramer Bussel. Cleis Press.

“I caught myself holding my breath again.”

For this one, it’s important to speed on to the next two sentences that set up the whole erotic premise. So I like how short it is, to move the reader on, and it’s got erotic potential. 3.5/5

4. "Coffee Break in Hell."  Coffee Break Quickies.  Ed. Roger Armstrong.  Wild Moon Press.

“If there was one moment that Bill Hubert looked forward to within every demarcated portion of time that passed for a day in Hell, it was Coffee Break.”

For this darkly comic story, I think this is a solid opener. You know where you are and begin to get a sense of the absurd that will govern it. 4/5

5. Booney's Hunter. Nasty Boys: Rough Trade Erotica. Ed. Shane Allison. Cleis Press.

“The tale of why Boy Two-Blood gave up his title as Booney's Hunter isn't often told, but when it is, people stop and listen.”

Maybe it’s because this is a Carson McCuller’s homage and one of my favorites, but I do love this opening line. Not hot, but hits the Southern Gothic note so nicely. 5/5

Forthcoming:

6. Booting. Men of the Manor: Erotic Encounters Between Upstairs Lords and Downstairs Lads. Ed. Rob Rosen. Cleis Press.

“No one would ever call my former employer, Lord Tithenham, dull witted, though dull witted he was, along with the whole born-to-wealth lot of them at Tithenham Court—and most anywhere you find titled gentry these days.”

Establishes era and class relations, but you have to read on to get to the specifics and the erotics. 3.5/5

7. Mothfuck. For the Girls.com. 

“Alone in the private theater of my deceptively commonplace bedroom, I commit monstrous acts.”

This is flash fiction, so every word counts. I find this one deliciously inviting. 5/5

8. Charity Case (co-authored with Talon Rihai). Blasphemy Anthology. Ed. Harper Eliot. Burning Books Press.

“Still damp from his post-trick shower, Case yanked on his socks and slipped his feet into the loosely laced military boots he always kept by the door for his morning cigarette.”

Establishes well that our hero is a boywhore and sets the scenario. Not clear where it’s going yet, but I’d probably read on to learn. 4/5

9. Noirgasm. Rose Caraway's Dirty 30. Vol. 1. Ed. Rose Caraway.  

“Philip Marlowe is fucking my ass.”

I love this line. If you know hard-boiled dickery and who Philip Marlowe is from reading Raymond Chandler or watching Bogart in The Big Sleep, you’ll be along for the ride, especially because of the first-person narrator and use of present tense. This said, if you don’t know who Marlowe is, this opener got much less of a punch. 5/5 if you know; 4/5 if you don’t.

10. Double-cross. Reprint in Mammoth Best New Erotica 13. Ed. Maxim Jakubowski. Constable and Robinson.

“There’s someone here to see you.”

LOL. Ok, this one has a set-up; it’s another hard-boiled dick fic featuring awesome trans characters and (omg) plot! But as an opening line? 2/5

11. Like Magic. Best Gay Erotica 2015. Ed. Rob Rosen. Cleis Press.

“Though I’d laid my arm across my eyes and could not see, I could feel the waxed ends of the great man’s moustache brushing my exposed belly before tickling the dark hairs that trailed from my navel down to my groin.”

Vivid, naughty, reasonably engaging: why is the man “great” and what’s with the waxed moustache? 4/5

12. The Princess’s Princess. Reprint in The Princess’s Bride. Ed. Sacchi Green. Cleis Press.

“I do not often find opportunity to indulge in remembrance of my youth.”

Sets up style/diction/tone and that the story will likely be a flashback. Meh. 3/5

Under Consideration:

13. Suck It.

“‘Go on, suck it,’ you commanded, in a voice that made my jaw drop.”

Risky for the use of second-person address, tempered by use of past tense. Graphic. I’d read on. 4/5

14. To the Victor.

“His entrance was so warm and welcoming, I feared I would spill my seed before I’d even begun to claim my prize.”

Hell yes. Love the graphic directness and reference to a prize. Use of “entrance” could be a turn-off, but the whole sentence sets up intended diction, hinting this is not a contemporary story. 4.5/5

15. The Good, the Bad, and the Ojete.

“The town of Española was eerily silent as two figures on horseback rode in, soon after sunrise.”

Do you read on? Depends on whether you like westerns. Context of a gay anthology is vital. 2/5

16. Kiss Me.

“‘Kiss me,’ Kai said, the wind and rain whipping around us in the dark afternoon sky.”

Yum. I love the sweetness that will soon become more obvious boylove sweetness. 4/5

17. Training Kane (co-authored with Talon Rihai).

“Master Alain sat at his desk, finishing a last bit of paperwork before heading to the marble-tiled foyer to address the servants on the day’s duties.”

If you like The Marketplace series, this will perhaps grab you. If not, less certain. 3.5/5

18. Eternal Grind.

“Pausing to scratch behind a horn in the midst of counter cleaning, I can hear Yzk giving his usual, pompous spiel to another café newcomer.”

Intriguing for the nigh unpronounceable character name and reference to horns. Context of anthology will give more clarity. 3/5

Salome Wilde: Interviewed! 

I'm thrilled to say I had a glorious time being interviewed by the amazing Rose Caraway, Sexy Librarian for her "Inside the Erotica Author's Studio" series. 

Rose encouraged me to wax poetic about my erotica--from process to publication, and from content to inspiration. Being me, I jumped the tracks (or perhaps the shark) several times, rambling happily about everything from my wild teen years to being a cancer survivor. At the end, I was delighted to answer fantastic "Author's Studio" questions. We could've talked another hour...or I could've anyway. And Rose is definitely on my short list of erotic ladies to lunch with.
 
I couldn't have asked for a more gracious, genuine, generous host, not to mention narrator of some of my stories on audiobook as well as editor of the just-released Sexy Librarian's Big Book of Erotica, in which my Southern Gothic/Americana story "Moonshine Ballad"--told from the point of view of a mason jar of moonshine--is published!

Rose even made me a groovy card catalog image for my story. How awesome is that!