Update for GLBT Live Chats with the Pros

Who: Delilah Devlin, accompanied by Ily Goyanes and Sacchi Green
When: June 7th, at 8:00pm EST, (5:00pm  PST;  1:00am  GMT)
Where: ERWA chats are held on the ShadowWorld chat server, channel, #erachat.
(Follow the link above. On screen you'll see 'Connect o ShadowWorld IRC'. In the Nickname box, key in your name. Leave the channels box at #ERAChat, and click 'Connect'. A chat text box will appear at the bottom of your screen)

GLBT erotica is a genre to be reckoned with. ERWA will help interested authors with a "Live Chats with the Pros." Delilah Devlin, Ily Goyanes, and Sacchi Green will be on hand to answer questions, offer advice, and exchange ideas with authors of GLBT erotica. Whether you're penning your first gay fiction, or are a spicy-seasoned pro, don't miss these opportunities.

Delilah Devlin is a prolific and award-winning author of erotica with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing deliciously edgy stories with complex characters. Ms. Devlin has published over 100 erotic stories in multiple genres and lengths. She is published by Avon, Black Lace, Kensington, Harlequin, Atria/Strebor, Cleis Press, Ellora's Cave, Samhain Publishing, and Berkley. If you want to know how to do the deed, Delilah is the lady to talk to. This is your chance to chat live with her.
Read about Delilah at www.delilahdevlin.com

Ily Goyanes is a journalist, food blogger, culture critic, publisher, and sex enthusiast. She has been writing and editing professionally since 1993. Her first lesbian erotica anthology, Girls Who Score: Hot Lesbian Erotica, is being released in August 2012 by Cleis Press. You can sample her salacious stories in Best Lesbian Erotica 2012, Lesbian Cops: Erotic Investigations, Spankalicious: Erotic Adventures in Spanking, and Power Plays.
Follow Ily on Twitter @realily and check out her publishing house at ampersandeditions.com.

Sacchi Green's stories have appeared in a hip-high stack of publications with erotically inspirational covers, and she's also edited eight erotica anthologies, including Girl Crazy, Lesbian Cowboys (winner of a 2010 Lambda Literary Award,) Lesbian Lust, Lesbian Cops, and Girl Fever.
Find her at sacchi-green.blogspot.com and on Facebook (as Sacchi Green)

Send questions to:
Adrienne erwa.website@gmail.com

Upcoming event: Second in the series of GLBT Live Chats with the Pros hosted by with M. Christian  on June 16.

Call for Submissions:

Carina Press is actively seeking spicy, steamy, sexy erotic romance.

Carina Press will consider most genres of adult commercial fiction (we do not publish inspirational, women’s fiction, family sagas or literary fiction). This includes shorter length stories between 15,000 to 50,000 words, genre novels between 50,000 to 100,000 words and longer and complex narratives of over 100,000 words. In other words, if your manuscript is 15,000 words or longer and is a commercial adult fiction story (that is not inspirational fiction, women’s fiction, family saga or literary fiction) we will consider it! We will not look at manuscripts under 15,000 words, nor will we consider YA, children’s books or non-fiction.

We publish a majority of romance but are also very interested in and publish science fiction, fantasy, futuristic, mystery, thrillers, horror, and niches such as steampunk, male/male, time travel, westerns and unusual historicals. If you have something new and fresh in a genre we acquire, we would be happy to read your story!

We are seeking submissions in all subgenres and all levels of sensuality. We welcome everything from the very sweet to the incredibly sexy, featuring couples (or multiples) from all walks of life and sexual orientation, including same-sex romances. Romances should focus on the development of the relationship, as well as external and internal conflict; the heat level should be appropriate to the book and enhance the story, and the primary relationship in the book should offer a happily ever after (HEA) or happily for now in an emotionally satisfying manner.

Guidelines and submission details at:
carinapress.com/blog/submission-guidelines

Call for Submissions

The Other Man: 22 Writers Uncover the Truth About Sex, Deception, Love, and Betrayal
Editor: Paul Alan Fahey
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Deadline: August 31, 2012
Payment: $100 plus 1 free copy of the final book in both electronic and print formats

PLEASE NOTE: Publisher has final right of refusal on all submissions. Payment made upon publication. Publication date is May 2013.

JMS Books LLC is seeking submissions of short personal essays from gay writers on the subject of "the other man" for an upcoming anthology entitled THE OTHER MAN: 22 WRITERS UNCOVER THE TRUTH ABOUT SEX, DECEPTION, LOVE, AND BETRAYAL.

Submissions should be non-fiction, previously unpublished, written in the first-person POV, and between 3,000 and 5,000 words in length. Shorter essays of exceptional merit will be considered. Essays should focus on the theme of "the other man" -- either being the other man, suffering the other man, or having their lives affected in some way by infidelity. The other man experience can also be a positive one that, in some way, makes a committed relationship even stronger after he passes through.

All types of stories are welcome, from light-hearted to serious. Authors selected to appear in the anthology will receive $100 for their submission as well as 1 free copy of the final book in both electronic and print formats. A portion of all profits (75%) will be donated to the IT GETS BETTER charity.

Established authors and newcomers alike are welcome.

Send completed essay and short bio (150 words) to the editor, Paul Alan Fahey, at paul1189@sbcglobal.net. Electronic submissions only. Final decisions will be made by the editor no later than November 2012. Publication is slated for May 2013 in both e-book and print formats.

From All Sides of the Desk

by Jean Roberta

Like most free-lance writers, I hold down a day job that enables me to pay for food and lodging. Sometimes my multiple roles as an English instructor, a writer, a reviewer and a blogger make me feel insane, but at other times, I think they enable me to relate to students, other writers and editors with a certain perspective. If you are a writer who wonders whether editors eat nothing but raw meat, or you are an editor who wonders whether most writers avoided school while being raised by wolves, I recommend sitting on the other side of the desk.

In the 1980s, my Purgatorial Decade, I was struggling to survive as a divorced mother while endlessly revising a thesis for a Master’s degree in English from a Canadian university. The reason for the endless revising was that each chapter had to be approved first by my faculty advisor, then by other members of a committee whose job it was to give me additional advice. This usually involved telling me to add more footnotes to a book that eventually grew to 200 pages, with a 12-page bibliography.

To distract myself from the pain of this process, I sent a collection of lesbian stories (with no explicit sex in them) to a one-woman publisher who agreed to publish them as a book – but of course, she wanted me to make revisions first. At that time, I thought that too many people had too many opinions about how I should express myself on paper.

In the 1990s, I was hired to teach mandatory first-year English courses at my Alma Mater. In 1998, I joined the Erotic Readers Association, as it was called then, and began posting my stories in Storytime and critiquing the stories and poems of other members. Thanks to ERA, I got my first erotic stories published. Since then, approximately 90 (I haven’t counted lately) of my erotic stories have been published in print, and even more of my reviews have been published and posted in various places.

I’ve learned that every piece of writing could benefit from editorial advice. I’ve also learned that editors, like writers, have their quirks. A certain magazine editor who has a PhD in English seems to like contractions better than I do, and he often edits my reviews accordingly. (“The author has lived in New York, London and Timbuktu” becomes “The author’s lived in New York,” etc.) Several years ago, when Dr. Editor was editing my review of a book on representations of African-American history in film, he changed one of my sentences to read: “The Black Panthers entered the California state legislature with guns blazing.” I had to explain to him that in this famous example of real-life 1960s guerrilla theatre, the Black Panthers didn’t actually massacre the whole government of California. They simply entered the capital building as observers, dressed in black berets and leather jackets and carrying legally-registered, unconcealed weapons, all of which was legal behaviour under state and federal law.

In some cases, I have had to explain the difference between “lie” and “lay” (two different verbs) to the editors of erotic journals and anthologies. I have also learned that grammatical correctness is not the same thing as an effective writing style, and that editors can often spot a clunky or unclear sentence that I overlooked in one of my stories. Since most erotic story-writers are usually racing against deadlines, we don’t usually have time to let a finished story sit for awhile, then reread it with fresh eyes and revise it before sending it in.

As a Canadian writer, I have had to explain both to British and American editors that I can, in fact, change “color” to “colour” or vice versa, and that if a story of mine seems to have misspellings and “incorrect” punctuation, that’s usually because I originally wrote it to send to a U.S. market and forgot to change the style before sending it to a British editor. In one case, I was paid for an erotic story in a magazine by means of U.S. bills tucked between the pages of the magazine which was snail-mailed to me on the Canadian prairies from England. I never knew whether the editor believed that Canada uses the same currency as the U.S. (It doesn’t. Like British pounds, our paper money features a portrait of the Queen, but with distinctive Canadian images of Prime Ministers, maple leaves, beavers and canoes.)

As an English instructor as well as a reviewer, I have read many a sentence that is much more hilarious than the writer seems to have intended. Several years ago, I collected a page of these gems and circulated them among my colleagues in the English Department. Some examples: “The main character in this story holds a bottle of beer between his legs, where the symbolism is located.” “An allusion is something that is not real but seen to be very important.” “Passive writing is a bad idea because the past is gone.”

As a reviewer, I have read sentences in published erotica that have almost caused me to spew coffee over a keyboard. One of my pet peeves is the description of impossible activities: “Their eyes locked from across the room, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss as they tore each other’s clothes from their panting bodies.” In erotica, as in directing a play, blocking (arranging the positions of the actors in relation to each other and the audience) is crucial. If one character seems to have three arms, the reader will be unable to suspend his/her disbelief long enough to get into the scene. And while the Christian Inquisition believed that “witches” could have more than two teats, descriptions of such features should probably be reserved for speculative fiction.

This year, I was honoured to be invited to co-edit an anthology of more-or-less scholarly writing. This is the printed version of a lecture/performance series called the Queer Initiative which was started five years ago at the university where I teach. All the presentations on gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/non-heteronormative material have been given by faculty members or guest speakers from elsewhere; the presenters have usually read from notes. My job is to copyedit the written versions, which were all sent to me as attachments to emails.

Carefully reading this material with a virtual red pen in hand has reminded me that academics are thinkers but not necessarily writers. I commented to my co-editor, who teaches Theatre, that a certain colleague of ours in Visual Arts sees connections that most other people probably miss (motifs in the visual imagery in several recent Hollywood films), but his insights are expressed in monster sentences. Co-editor grinned from ear to ear and added that our colleague also tends to speak in monster sentences.

I’ve been somewhat surprised by: 1) how satisfying it is to edit the work of other writers to make it look better, and 2) how receptive my colleagues have been to my editorial advice. In several cases, they have expressed relief that I’ve treated their subject-matter with respect even when making numerous changes to individual words, sentence structure and punctuation. Several of the writers have even admitted that the rules (or guidelines) of grammar are generally a mystery to them, and they are glad I seem to have a handle on this stuff.

Such fruitful negotiations make me wonder if world peace might be possible after all.
-----------------------------------


Jean Roberta is a long-time member of ERWA who once agreed to post something here every three months, beginning on February 26. At that time, unfortunately, she had just returned from a trip and was in the midst of chaotic home renovations, so this is Jean's first post on the ERWA blog. Her monthly opinions column, Sex Is All Metaphors, ran on the ERWA website in 2008-2010. These 25 essays are now an e-book with the same title from Coming Together (www.eroticanthology.com) Jean's reviews of erotic material appear monthly on "Erotica Revealed" (www.eroticarevealed.com), and she is also one of the six writers who blog on "Oh Get a Grip" (www.ohgetagrip.blogspot.com).

Call for Submissions

Going For Gold (m/m Olympic-themed stories)
Editor: EM Lynley
Publisher: MRL Press
Deadline: June 30, 2012
Payment:  Royalty split between authors

It’s been over a year since I’ve put together an anthology and I’m excited to announce I’ll be doing a new series of m/m anthologies starting with GOING FOR GOLD. The theme this time around is the Olympics, with a target release in late August or early September.

I’m looking for anything that can be tied into the Olympic Games. It can be contemporary, historical, even paranormal if you have a great idea for the Vampire Olympics. I’d love to read something different, like the guy who wants to be on the Badminton team or the BMX rider who lusts after the captain of the Equestrian team. There are 36 different sports in the 2012 London Games, so you have plenty of inspiration. What about a non-sportsman: a spectator who is seduced by a gold-medal winner (or vice versa!) Or a guy on the staff at Olympic Village who sees lots of action off the playing fields. Does your main character dream of carrying the torch or dancing in the opening ceremony? Tell me about him!

The key factor I’m looking for is chemistry between the partners beyond the sexual attraction. I’d like to see the makings of a romance.

Submission details at:
http://erotica-readers.com/ERA/AR/Going_for_Gold.htm

GLBT Live Chats with the Pros

When: June 7th, Delilah Devlin; June 16, M Christian
Where: ERWA chats are held on the ShadowWorld chat server, channel, #erachat.
http://www.shadowworld.net:8080/?nick=WebChat...&channels=ERAChat&prompt=1
Follow the link above (or copy & paste into your browser). On screen you'll see 'Connect o ShadowWorld IRC'. In the Nickname box, key in your name. Leave the channels box at #ERAChat, and click 'Connect'. A chat text box will appear at the bottom of your screen.

Details:  GLBT erotica is a genre to be reckoned with.ERWA will help interested authors with two GLBT "Live Chats with the Pros." Delilah Devlin and M Christian will be on hand to answer questions, offer advice, and exchange ideas with authors of GLBT erotica. Whether you're penning your first gay fiction, or are a spicy-seasoned pro, don't miss these opportunities.

1) Delilah Devlin will host a live chat Thursday, June 7th, at 8:00pm EST, (5:00pm PST; 1:00am GMT).
Delilah Devlin is a prolific and award-winning author of erotica with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing deliciously edgy stories with complex characters. Ms. Devlin has published over 100 erotic stories in multiple genres and lengths. She is published by Avon, Black Lace, Kensington, Harlequin, Atria/Strebor, Cleis Press, Ellora's Cave, Samhain Publishing, and Berkley. If you want to know how to do the deed, Delilah is the lady to talk to. This is your chance to chat live with her.
Read about Delilah at www.delilahdevlin.com

2) M. Christian will host a live chat Saturday, June16th, at 3:00pm EST (12 noon PST; 8:00pm GMT).
M. Christian, associate publisher for Renaissance E Books (which includes Sizzler Editions), is an acknowledged master of erotica with more than 400 stories in such anthologies as Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, and Best Bisexual Erotica, Best Fetish Erotica. If you want to know what GLBT editors want (and don't want) and how to make your submissions stand out, M. Christian will be happy to answer your questions.
Read about M Christian at www.mchristian.com


Mark your calendars! See you there...

Adrienne Benedicks
Erotica Readers & Writers Association
www.erotica-readers.com
http://erotica-readers.blogspot.com
erwa.website@gmail.com