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'08 Authors Insider Tips


Everything About Epublishing
by Angela James
Epublishing: A Different Way


FictionCraft
by Louisa Burton
The Publishing Biz
Critiquing: To Give and ...
Commerical vs. Literary...
Antiformalism for Fun &..
So You Want to Write a Novel


The Write Stuff
by Ashley Lister
5 Steps to Success
Inspirational
Opening Passages


Two Girls Kissing
by Amie M. Evans
Be a Finisher ...
Listen to Your Characters
Conferences: Act Now ...
Starting an Erotic Story
Exercises & Writing Prompts
Revising & Rewriting


Guest Appearances

Adventures in e-Publishing
by Lisabet Sarai

How to...Influence Editors
by Alison Tyler

Marketing your e-Book
by Brenna Lyons


2008 Smutters Lounge

Ashley Lister Submits
by Ashley Lister
Role Play
Busy Doing Nothing
Picture of a Fish & Chip...


Cooking Up A Storey
by Donna George Storey
Tie Me Up, Please …
The Smut-Writer’s Holiday
Never Trust the Narrator ...
Compare and Contrast
Following the Pen
Naked at the Farmers Market


Get All Worked Up
with J.T. Benjamin
Raising Daughters
Jamie Lynn
Utopias
Lust
The Good Old Days


Pondering Porn
with Ann Regentin
Masturbating on SSRIs
Sex and Disability
Besides Ourselves


Sex Is All Metaphors
by Jean Roberta
Sex Is All Metaphors


Provocative Interviews

Between the Lines
with Ashley Lister
Talking with Debra Hyde
Jeremy Edwards


Erotic Hot Spots
by William S. Dean
Interview with Tilly Greene
Interview with Devyn Quinn


Getting Graphic
with William S. Dean
New Times for Readers...
The Future in Words ...
Interview with Fantagraphics


On Writing Erotica

The Accidental Pornographer
by Lisabet Sarai

The End of Innocence
by Lisabet Sarai

Get Them Off in High Style
Helena Settimana

So, You Want To Write Erotica?
by Hanne Blank

Lust Bites
Kristina Lloyd, Portia Da Costa & Mathilde Madden

Book Review by Ashley Lister



Lust Bites by Kristina Lloyd, Portia Da Costa & Mathilde MaddenLast month I wrote a serious article discussing erotic fiction.

The article was written as part of my current coursework and I conceived the idea in response to the Bad Sex in Fiction Awards. For those of you who don’t know, The Bad Sex in Fiction Awards are presented annually and were established by the late Auberon Waugh, then editor of the Literary Review. The intention was, “…to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel, and to discourage it.”

The point of my article was to explain that, whilst there are many truly atrocious sex scenes being written, there are also some authors who write consistently exciting and arousing erotica, and I thought these should be celebrated.

Unapologetically, I will admit that the article had a UK bias. I have the greatest regard for the many well-respected US authors currently producing erotic fiction. But I was trying to sell this article to a UK audience and I was trying to make the point that Britain can produce quality authors and not just awards for incompetence.

And so I mentioned three of my favourite erotic authors who I know are based in the UK. I mentioned three ladies who consistently produce quality erotic literature that deserves to be praised. I mentioned Kristina Lloyd, Portia Da Costa and Mathilde Madden.

Imagine my surprise when I then received a copy of Lust Bites. Lust Bites is an anthology of three vampire-themed novellas. The authors who have produced these stories are: Kristina Lloyd, Portia Da Costa and Mathilde Madden.

Which meant, even though I wanted to rush around to all of my friends (well, both of my friends—I’m not that popular) and tell them about this bizarre coincidence, I had to spend the weekend incommunicado. Three of my favourite authors, one of my favourite themes (I adore vampires) and all produced by the talented team who work on Black Lace’s deliciously deviant output. I suppose it could have been better. But not without a lot of alcohol and the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer all being naked, in my house, and whispering excerpts from Lust Bites into my ear as they did the housework and then cooked some fajitas.

From beginning to end, Lust Bites is enjoyable. The novella length stories allow each writer to showcase their work in something more substantial than a short story without the reader-commitment that is needed for a full-length novel. The theme of vampires in erotica is perennially popular and, with these three stories sitting in the same volume, the reader can see that different writers tackle the familiar themes in vastly different ways.

Mathilde Madden’s "Under Her Skin" follows the traditional style of a dangerous vampire in a brooding castle with a helpless heroine at his mercy. The story is contemporary—and as typically edgy as a lot of Mathilde’s writing. But it has a wonderful feel of Bram Stoker’s original Dracula with its overwhelming sense of raw and untamed sexuality.

Portia Da Costa, with "Buddies Don’t Bite," brings her vampire into the minutiae of the twenty-first century. Zachary is Teresa’s landlord, best buddy and a platonic companion who will gallantly attend a wedding with Teresa when she wants to get back at her ex. Zachary is also a vampire. With her usual strength of character, sense of fun, and powerfully passionate prose, Portia Da Costa shows us that even the lifeless hearts of the undead can still beat with the stirrings of romance.

In "Vampire’s Heart" Kristina Lloyd takes us to the ends of the earth (well, the Arctic) and tells the wonderful story of Esther and Billy. Esther and Billy are two hearts that have been separated by centuries, death and dastardly division. As any romantic will tell you, true love has to triumph in these circumstances. But, with Billy’s vampiric companions working to slake the thirsts of their own agenda, the happy-ever-after resolution is not necessarily the inevitable outcome of this bloody arousing tale.

For those of you who haven’t yet met Kristina, Mathilde and Portia, Lust Bites is a fantastic introduction to their talents. For those of you who love a romance that’s strong enough to warm a cold, dead heart Lust Bites is essential reading material. For those of you who want to see some of the UK’s greatest erotic authors telling torrid tales of virile vampires, Lust Bites has to be your next purchase.

Ashley Lister
January 2008


Lust Bites

(Virgin Black Lace; January 1, 2008; ISBN-10: 035234153X)
Available at: Amazon.com / Amazon UK

______
© 2008 Ashley Lister. All rights reserved.


About the Author:
Ashley Lister is a UK author responsible for more than two-dozen erotic novels written under a variety of pseudonyms.His most recent work, Swingers: True Confessions from Today's Modern Swinging Scene (Virgin Books; ISBN: 0753511355), a non-fiction book recounting the exploits of UK swingers, is his first title published under his own name.
Ashley’s non-fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines, including Forum, Chapter & Verse and The International Journal of Erotica. Nexus, Chimera and Silver Moon have published his full-length fiction, with shorter stories appearing in anthologies edited by Maxim Jakubowski, Rachel Kramer Bussel and Mitzi Szereto. He is very proud to be a regular contributor to ERWA.
Websites: www.ashleylister.co.uk / ashleylister.blogspot.com



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'08 Book Reviews

Anthologies

Best Fantastic Erotica
Review by Ashley Lister

Best Women's Erotica '08
Review by Ashley Lister

Bound Brits (ebook)
Review by Ashley Lister

Deep Inside: Extreme ...
Review by Cervo

Dirty Girls
Review by Rose B. Thorny

Hide and Seek
Review by Ashley Lister

J is for Jealousy
Review by Ashley Lister

K is for Kink
Review by Ashley Lister

Lust Bites
Review by Ashley Lister

Sex & Candy
Review by Ashley Lister

Possession
Review by Lisabet Sarai

Seriously Sexy
Review by Ashley Lister

White Flames
Review by Lisabet Sarai

Yes, Ma'am: Male Submission
Review by Angelika Devlyn

Yes, Sir: Female Submission
Review by Angelika Devlyn

Novels

The Art of Melinoe
Review by Ashley Lister

Gothic Heat
Review by Ashley Lister

The Hidden Grotto Series
Review by Lisabet Sarai

The House of Blood
Review by Lisabet Sarai

Incognito
Review by Donna George Storey

Nicholas
Review by Victoria Blisse

One Breath at a Time
Review by Angelika Devlyn

Phantasmagoria
Review by Ashley Lister

Serve the People!
Review by Donna G. Storey

Sunfire (eBook)
Review by Lisabet Sarai

Templar Prize
Review by Angelika Devlyn

The Wicked Sex
Review by Ashley Lister

Wild Kingdom
Review by Angelika Devlyn

Gay Erotica

Best Gay Romance '08
Review by Vincent Diamond

Lesbian Erotica

Best Lesbian Erotica '08
Review by Donna George Storey

Best Lesbian Erotica '08
Review by Ashley Lister

The Night Watch
Review by Lisabet Sarai

Non-Fiction

America Unzipped
Review by Rob Hardy

Best Sex Writing '08
Review by Rob Hardy

Bonk: The Curious Coupling
Review by Rob Hardy

The Humble Little Condom
Review by Rob Hardy

The Not So Invisible Woman
Review by Ashley Lister

Who's Been Sleeping in...
Review by Rob Hardy