Tag Archives: erotica reading

Double Whammy Launch Party, Kinky World Book Night & All the Latest

April 14, 2013Blog, NewsElemental Fire, erotica, erotica reading, grace marshall, Identity Crisis, Kay Jaybee, Kinky World Book Night, Lakeland Heatwave Trilogy, launch party, Lucy Felthouse, Moorita Encantada, Sh! Women's Store, Xcite booksK D Grace

Double Whammy Launch Party

It’s my pleasure to invite you all to a very special launch party. Four Novembers ago when I began a project then entitled Love Spells for National Novel Writing Month, I never imagined that experiment in writing a novel, an erotic novel, in one month would lead to the completed Lakeland Heatwave Trilogy in Spring of 2013. And this coming Saturday, the 20^th of April, in London at Sh! Women’s store, is the launch party for that final book of the trilogy, Elemental Fire.

And you’re all invited!

This launch party is special in a lot of ways. First of all, I’ll be sharing it with my dear friend and fabulous writer, Kay Jaybee, who will be giving you a sneak preview of her new novel, The Retreat, which is book two in her Perfect Submissive Trilogy.

There’ll be sexy readings from both Elemental Fire and The Retreat, and I have it on fairly good authority that Grace Marshall will be making her first appearance at Sh! to join in the fun and give you a naughty little taster from her latest novel, Identity Crisis.

Besides the usual sexy readings, there’ll be fizz, food fun and fabulous giveaways. And the company will be of the highest and naughtiest calibre.

If all of that’s not enough to entice you, how can you resist anything happening at Sh! Women’s Erotic Emporium with all the fabulous toys, corsets, lingerie, books and everything you could possibly want to take the sexy evening home with you afterward.

If you’re in the London area next Saturday evening, come party with us at Sh! as we celebrate the many guises of erotica and romance. Of course the evening is FREE of charge. You’re our guests! Here’s the link with details: Sh! Women’s store And be sure to either call Sh! and let them know you’re coming or email. Space is limited.

Elemental Fire, Sh!’s Book of the Month

And to celebrate the launch, Sh! has made Elemental Fire the Sh! Book of the Month! Sh! has always been a dear friend and a great promoter of my work. I’m very pleased that my novel has this place of honour for the month of April. Check out what the very discerning Sh! Babe, Jo, has to say about Elemental Fire!

Xcite Kinky World Book Night

By the time all the fun ends with dancing in the street Saturday night, Kay Jaybee, Lucy Felthouse and myself will be in such a fantastically naughty mood that we won’t be ready to stop partying. Fortunately for us, we won’t have to! We’ll be headed off to Cardiff on Monday for Xcite’s Kinky World Book Night, and I’ve been hearing through the grapevine that Xcite’s newest member, Lauren Thomas, really knows how to throw a party.

Kinky World Book Night will be on 23^rd April at Fire Island in Cardiff. Xcite have booked out the whole top floor, which is three rooms. The party begins at 5 PM with drinks. Then at 6:00, doors open. Entry is FREE along with a complimentary book.

At 6:30 the Ann Summers room opens – open until 8:30pm. Kay Jaybee, Lucy Felthouse and I will all be reading and following up with a short Q&A, then there’ll be an open mic with five minute slots for anyone who would like to read. I have it on good authority that anyone who runs over their five minutes will be paddled.

If you’re in the Cardiff area Monday night the 23^rd, come and join us for more fun and filth with a chance to meet the writers and some of the behind-the-scenes folks at Xcite who get our naughty stories out there for the world to see.

Party in London or party in Cardiff, or both! I promise a filthy time will be had by all.

Grace Marshall, Xcite’s Author of the Month

I’m very pleased to announce that Grace Marshall is Xcite’s Author of the Month for April. This means Xcite will soon be posting an interview in which Grace tells all, which will be great for catching up on all her latest gossip. But it also means a whopping 25% savings on all Grace Marshall books for readers, so the fun is shared with everyone. I’ll keep you posted about the naughty interview, but you can take advantage of the fabulous discount on Grace’s books any time during the month of April.

Smut By The Sea:Scarborough is THE Place to be this June

March 28, 2013Blog, Guest Blogger, Newsburlesque, erotica reading, erotica writers, events, interview, Kevin Mitnik, Smut by the Sea, Victoria BlisseK D Grace

KD: The event everyone is talking about this summer is Smut By the Sea, which will be held June 22^nd in lovely Scarborough. Today, I’m talking with the two lovely people responsible for this exciting event, Victoria Blisse and Kevin Mitnik. Welcome, Lovelies! So good to have you!

Could you tell us what inspired the idea for the Smut by the Sea event? How did it all come about?

V&K: We’ve had many holidays in Scarborough and we love it there, so we wanted to have a good excuse for another holiday in Scarborough! That wasn’t the only motivation though, attending readings down south made us think about having such events up North so that people who couldn’t readily reach the capital could enjoy some erotic fun too!

So we talked about it between ourselves, just as a pie in the sky idea really, but then we mentioned it to other author friends who thought it was a great idea, so suddenly Smut by the Sea was born. We got Scarborough Library on board to host, we picked a date (The 22^nd June) and went for it.

KD: Which came first, the SBTS anthologies or the event? Were they always planned together?

V&K: We think the ideas evolved together, we always planned a Smut by the Sea anthology to go with the event but the other Smut anthologies spun off from there, we weren’t expecting to do those, but the smut idea just caught on and now we can’t stop thinking of smutty ideas!

KD: Why Scarborough? I hear the two of you have a special place in your heart for it. Do tell!

V&K: I (Victoria) have been to Scarborough every year of my life for a holiday since I was four. I love the place, it’s my second home. When I got together with Kev, I introduced him to Scarborough and was overjoyed when he loved it just as much too. We now go every year for a family holiday and Kev and I try to get there for an adults only break at some point too.

So when we thought of ideas for an event up north, our minds automatically turned to Scarborough, we love it so much and want other people to find out how brilliant it is too.

KD: Tell us a bit about how the two of you work together to plan such a huge event. Who does what? Is there a specific division of labour? How has Team Blisse come through when one person working alone might not have?

V&K: Kev is the tech guy and I am the talk girl. Kev is brilliant with everything computer, he designs the websites, smut covers and advertising images and he does it all very well indeed.

I am gobby, by this I mean I can talk, email and chat up just about anyone. So I do all the social side of things. I email companies about becoming sponsors, I chat to readers and authors who’d maybe be interested in coming because Kev’s not as comfortable with that as I am.

I wouldn’t have been able to do this on my own because I don’t have tech skills and Kev couldn’t have done it because he’s a little bit shy (awww) and together we both try and work the money side of things out. This isn’t fun and neither of us are particularly big fans of maths.

How we’ve actually managed to pull it all together? God alone knows, but apparently we have!

KD: And the rest of us are very glad you have! Tell us a bit about what we can expect at Smut By the Sea.

V&K: There will be readings from authors such as Janine Ashbless, KD Grace (do you know her at all?) Jenna Bright, Lucy Felthouse, Lexie Bay, Slave Nano, Ruby Kiddell, Jacqueline Brocker and many more.

There’s also going to be a marketplace where you’ll be able to buy some smutty things and fudge. Mmmm, fudge.

In the evening we’re having a big Smut by the Sea Launch party with readings from some of the authors, sparkling wine, cakes and treats and a burlesque performance from Moorita Encantada.

And the best bit? You’ll get to chat to lots of authors and readers and people who love erotica, how brilliant is that?

KD: That is totally brilliant! I can’t wait! What has been the most exciting thing about preparing for SBTS?

V&K: Every time an author or a company decides they want to join in we have a little mini Blisse party, it makes us very happy indeed. In fact, the same thing happens every time we sell a ticket. It’s party central at the Blisse house right now!

KD: That sounds fab! Always good to have reasons to party! What has been the most difficult thing?

V&K: Working with Kev. *OUCH* I was only joking.

Kev’s serious answer: The fact that this is the first event, we have nothing to go on, no figures to give out, no real idea of what to expect. It’s all very new and that is a little bit scary.

KD: I’ve never known the two of you not to be scheming and planning something new and exciting, so go on then, tell us what does the future have in store for the Blisses?

V&K: Well, there’s more smut on the horizon with Smut by the Sea Volume 2 being in production as we speak and there’s a call out for Submissions for Smut in the City:Sapphic Special http://sexyreads.co.uk/smut-in-the-city-sapphic-edition/

And there’s also a big Blisse Kiss event coming up called Blisse Bunnies. Lots of fun excerpts and blogs about New Beginnings, and a big booklovers prize. http://blissebunnies.co.uk from the 1^st April.

And then there’s Blissemas http://blissemas.co.uk on the horizon and Smutmas http://smutmas.co.uk too, and a Blissemas Party and…well, lots and lots. We’ve always got something brewing at Blisse HQ!

KD: Wow! Sounds like a very busy year at Blisse HQ indeed! And now, details please! Tell us what people need to do to get their tickets and plan to join the fun.

V&K: All the information you need is at http://smutbythesea.co.uk

The daytime event is totally free (how cool is that?) but if you want in on the Smutacular evening book launch you need a ticket and you can pick one up here: http://smutbythesea.eventbrite.co.uk/

Just a tenner and you’ll get refreshments, entertainment AND a goodie bag!

KD: Wow! That sounds like a great deal to me! I can hardly wait! And thanks for being my guests! I’ll see you both in Scarborough 22nd June!

V&K: Thanks for having us, to visit KD.

The Telling of Tales: D.L. King and Friends Read to Me

December 1, 2012Blog, Newsanthology, book reading, Ciara Finn, D.L.King, erotica reading, Jacqueline applebee, Jacqueline Brocker, Janine Ashbless, N.J. Streitberger, Remittance Girl, Sh! Women's Store, story tellingK D Grace

Ever since Wednesday night’s readings at Sh! with D. L. King and friends, I’ve been thinking about the power of reading stories to each other. I was there to read a bit from one of my own stories, but more importantly I was there to sit back in a roomful of enthralled people and just listen to some of the wonderful authors who have stories in anthologies edited by D. L. King. I couldn’t have asked for more wonderful story-tellers:

Jacqueline Applebee (Where the Girls Are)

Janine Ashbless (Carnal Machines)
Jacqueline Brocker (Under Her Thumb)
Ciara Finn (The Sweetest Kiss)
K. D. Grace (Voyeur Eyes Only)
Remittance Girl (The Sweetest Kiss)
NJ Streitberger (Seductress)

The stories ranged from fem dom to vampire to steam punk. There was even a bit of mythology and voyeurism thrown in for good measure. It was a tremendous pleasure to see D.L. King again, and I felt very honoured to be included to read with some of my heroes in the world of erotica. I was literally transported by each story. The thing is, not only were the stories outrageously sexy and sensual, as you’d expect, but the stories were beautifully woven to pull in the listeners, to allow them to get lost in the tale. I was completely captivated.

Since Wednesday night, I’ve been thinking about how much I love being read to, thinking about why there’s so much more magic in a story read out loud. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on my mother’s lap while she read to me. I didn’t care what she read. It was the sound of her voice, the way she made the characters come alive, the way the story made me wonder and think and try to picture in my little-girl head a world so much bigger than the Wyoming lumber camp we were living in at the time, a place where the Swiss Family Robinson were surviving and thriving on their lost island, a place where kids, not much older than I, rode gorgeous black horses and solved scary crimes and chased spooky ghosts.

When my mother wasn’t reading to me, my grandfather, who lived with us, was telling stories of his youth, of near-misses with rattle snakes, of catching the biggest catfish ever and of the horse that no one but he could tame. And my dad had his own tales to tell, of practical jokes played on siblings, of dogs that bit, of destructive tornados.

My family knew the magic of story, and they shared that magic with me. The magic of a good story, the magic that compelled our ancestors to sit around a banked fire and listen to the histories of the tribe, listen to the tales of the family, listen to the myths and folk lore collected over generations is a living, breathing magic that still makes my heart race when I think about it.

Unlike our ancestors, we have it all written down now. We have access to a good story anytime. And yet the magic is never more powerful than when the story is read out loud. The power of story spoken goes bone deep and touches parts of us that are much older than our physical selves, parts of us that have roots around campfires sat beneath a sky full of stars.

Wednesday night, we all sat in the bright pink glow of Sh! basement, sipping fizz and listening to sexy tales, tales that offered yet another layer of magic, the magic and the mystery and the celebration of human sexuality told in a thousand creative ways in a thousand intricately woven tales. We listened to stories of what moves us, what makes us squirm, what transports us beyond ourselves while at the same time connects us most deeply to our own flesh.

Perhaps I’m just shamelessly navel-gazing this morning, waiting for my coffee to kick in, but the D.L. King/Sh! version of gathering around the ancestral hearth to listen to stories being shared made me think again about those things that connect us most deeply to our humanity, the sharing of story by word of mouth and the celebration of our sexuality. It seems to me that sex and story go hand in hand, and the community that celebrates both is a community I’m very proud to belong to.

A Night Visit with D. L. King

November 23, 2012Blog, Interviews, Newsanthology, book reading, D.L.King, erotica, erotica reading, femdom, interview, paranormal erotica, readings, Sh! Women's Store, steam punk, succubi, workshopsK D Grace

It’s my pleasure to welcome the amazing D. L. King to A Hopeful Romantic. I’m especially honoured that she took the time out of her whirlwind tour of England in the wee hours after a fabulous reading in Blackpool to let me ask her a few questions.

KD: Welcome to the UK, D.L.! It’s such a pleasure to have you here. Can you give us a quick update of your plans for this visit? I know there are some fab events happening, and we’re all very excited.

DL: Hi KD, thanks so much for having me. It’s half two a.m. so I can’t be held responsible for the understandability of this post, but I’ll do my best. The reading in Blackpool at the No. 5 Café was brilliant! Ashley Lister put it together. He, Remittance Girl and I each read three pieces. Actually, Ashley had to teach a class, so he had Vicky Ellis fill in for him. She read two of his pieces, and she was amazing. He made it back for the final piece from his upcoming novel, Dragon Desire. There was an open mic, as well, and the place was packed. What a great night.

I’m returning to London in the morning—it is the morning…yeah, well, later this morning. Here’s the rest of my UK schedule:

Erotic Writers Meet

Le Pain Quotidien

70 Wardour Street, Soho

Saturday, November 24, 2012

2:30 to 5:30 p.m.

We’ll have a discussion about editing and publishing erotic fiction. This is a round table discussion, so please come and participate!

50 Shades of Seduction or How To Get What You Want

Sh! Women’s Emporium

57 Hoxton Square (Corner of Hoxton Square and Coronet Street)

Tube: Old Street

Saturday, November 24, 2012

6:30 to 8:30ish

Yes, I’ll be rushing right over there from Soho! We’re going to be talking about new attractions to kinky sex and dipping your toes into BDSM. How do you seduce your partner into playing the games you want to play in bed, or elsewhere? This is a “Women Only” class and requires reservations.

D. L. King and Friends

Sh! Women’s Emporium (Same directions as above)

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

6:30 p.m. to ?

This is the big blow out. Help me celebrate my last night in London. I’ve published 17 UK writers in my various anthologies; nine of them will be joining me at Sh! for the biggest reading they’ve ever hosted! Many of these people I haven’t had the opportunity to meet, so I very excited. Who’ll be there?

Janine Ashbless, Jacqueline Applebee, Jacqueline Brocker, Essemoh Teepee, Ciara Fin, K. D. Grace, Remittance Girl and NJ Streitberger and me. Possibly more, although we’ll have to wait to see.

We’ll be reading from Where the Girls Are, The Sweetest Kiss, Carnal Machines, Voyeur Eyes Only, Seductress and even from my super-secret, won’t be released until April, Under Her Thumb!

KD: Wow! What a way to spend your time in the UK! And in such fab company too! I can hardly wait! I see from your blog that your visit to the UK is a mini book tour for your exciting new anthology, Seductress: Tales of Immortal Desire. Can you tell us a little bit about this anthology and what inspired you to edit an anthology of tales about succubi.

DL: That’s exactly it; it’s an anthology of succubus erotica. I’d gotten addicted to Richelle Mead’s succubus series and then addicted to Lost Girl (originally a Canadian television show, now being produced by the Sci Fi channel in the US and thought we needed to have a book of succubus erotica. Here’s an added bonus about succubus erotica: succubi, by their very nature, are dominant, so succubus erotica tends to be femme dom erotica. Cool, huh?

KD: This is totally cool! I’m especially fond of succubi too, since one figures prominently in my latest novel. I’m very excited about this anthology! Tell us, D. L. why do you think the dark, the paranormal and things that go bump in the night mesh so well with the erotic?

DL: Jeez, you really expect me to THINK at 3 in the morning? Well, OK. I think all those things, including sex are mysterious and exhilarating. They make our pulse race and excite our senses, so when you put two of them together, they tend to enhance each other. I know that seems simplistic, but if I weren’t so fried, I could discuss the relationship for quite a while. Maybe I will at one of the venues—or maybe not, but it would be a good discussion, don’t you think?

KD: Definitely a great discussion! And it was rather mean of me the throw it at you in the wee hours when it deserves to be savoured. Sounds like you’re here in the UK to work, DL. Will you be making any time for a little fun too? If so, may I ask what?

DL: Oh, yeah. I plan to check out Portobello Market in Notting Hill. I’ve never been in London during a market day before. I’ve also got tickets on the Eurostar to Paris. I’ve never been to Paris and plan to spend a day wandering, taking pictures, eating and drinking. I really hope it isn’t raining… I also want to catch up with friends, have some good food and drink and just enjoy London. I don’t know what else I might get up to, but I’m sure I’ll find plenty to do.

KD: Sounds like the perfect way to spend your down time! Looking down the list of delicious goodies you’ve penned or edited, I’m struck by the variety – everything from steam punk to erotica for couples. Dare I ask what type of erotica is your favourite?

DL: That’s easy: femdom erotica. But I really can’t say I’ve written anything I haven’t liked. I suppose I’m most comfortable with femdom because that’s who I am, though. I’ve got my first anthology of femdom coming out this spring; April 9, to be exact, which happens to be the day before my birthday, so what a great birthday present. I’m really excited about the book, Under Her Thumb: Erotic Stories of Female Domination. It’s hot! But I’m also excited about my latest call for submissions for the exact opposite: Slave Girls: Erotic Stories of Submission. Check out the call at the Erotica Readers and Writers Association (http://www.erotica-readers.com).

KD: What’s coming up next from D.L King?

DL: Oops, well, I guess I just answered that question… I’m also working on the third book in the Melinoe series. This one’s called A Slave of Melinoe and it’s Adam’s story. If you’ve read the books, you might remember his a Mistress Susan’s boy. Can’t tell you when it will be out, but I am finally working on it. I’ve got a lot of new stories coming out soon in books edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, Alison Tyler and Maxim Jakubowski. I guess I’ve been busy lately.

Anyway, thanks for posting my ramblings and I hope people will come out to the various venues in the next few days. I think we’ll have a lot of fun.

KD: Thanks for stopping by, D.L. Can’t wait to see you in London soon!

About D. L. King:

D. L. King spends an inordinate amount of time reading and writing smut in her New York City apartment and postage stamp sized garden. She is the editor of Seductress:Erotic Tales of Immortal Desire, The Harder She Comes: Butch/Femme Erotica, the Independent Publisher Awards Gold medalist, Carnal Machines: Steampunk Erotica, The Sweetest Kiss: Ravishing Vampire Erotica and the Lambda Literary Award Finalist, Where the Girls Are: Urban Lesbian Erotica. D. L. King is the publisher and editor of the erotica review site, Erotica Revealed. The author of dozens of short stories, her work can be found in various editions of Best Lesbian Erotica, Best Women’s Erotica, The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica, as well as such titles as One Night Only, Power Play, Lucious, Hurts So Good, Fast Girls, Gotta Have It, Please Ma’am, Sweet Love, and Frenzy, among others. She is the author of two novels of female domination and male submission, The Melinoe Project and The Art of Melinoe. Find out more at dlkingerotica.blogspot.com and dlkingerotica.com.

When D.L. King in not globe-trotting all over England, find her here:

http://dlkingerotica.blogspot.com
http://www.dlkingerotica.com
http://twitter.com/d_l_king

Libraries Getting Sexy Between the Sheets

November 17, 2012Blog, NewsBetween the Sheets Festival of Erotica, erotic fiction, erotica in libraries, erotica reading, novel, The Initiation of Ms HollyK D Grace

Something very exciting is happening right now, something that a year ago I would never have imagined. Libraries in the UK are celebrating erotica! Starting November 16th, and continuing for the next month, many libraries throughout the UK will be taking part in a festival of erotica with a collection of 30 titles that bring together classic erotica, 80s bonkbusters and modern best-sellers. Here’s the list of the 30 titles chosen http://between-the-sheets.org/titles/ I’m very happy to draw your attention to title number 5 on the list. That’s right, The Initiation of Ms Holly is going onto the shelves of libraries across the UK! I couldn’t be prouder to have Holly numbered among so many amazing titles by so many amazing authors.

I’ve been asked to blog on the Between the Sheets website on the day Holly is featured, which is Tuesday November 20^th. During the month-long celebration, some of my erotica-writing colleagues and I will be visiting libraries around the UK giving talks and readings. Here’s a list of libraries and events in your area. Be sure to check back regularly as the list of events is constantly being updated. Kay Jaybee and I will be speaking December 5^thand 6^th at Dudley Libraries in the Birmingham area. I’ll have those details for you next week, along with possible others. If you’re in the area, please stop by and join in the celebration.

The list is only a tiny fraction of the great erotica out there, erotica that I hope also will be finding its way into a library near you very soon. The history of erotica is a long and fascinating one, and it’s very exciting to be a part of that history in the making. No matter the feelings one has toward Fifty Shades of Grey, there’s no denying that the flood gates have been opened, and erotica is now no longer the secret of a few. It’s now taking its rightful place on the library shelves. That’s definitely something worth celebrating.