From the Erotica Readers & Writers Association
By Lisabet Sarai
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Dear Carnal Collaborators with Cupid,

We’re back from our winter hiatus (hope you had some warm, cuddly company during those long January nights!) and ready to fire you up for the annual festival of love. I’m referring, of course, to Valentine’s Day. You’ll find ample erotic inspiration in the February edition of the Erotica Readers & Writers Association, from ardent verse to velvet restraints. Bring your lover(s) and browse together!

This month’s Erotica Gallery reminds me, once again, that there’s no place on the web like ERWA. If you’re bored with reading the same tired old sexual scenarios, our contributors will rekindle your excitement. This month’s crop of stories includes warring Biblical tribes, woolly role playing, weird fun with electricity, sex in space, and a mysterious, arousing message from the past. We also have ten amazing flashers ranging from sensually evocative to utterly filthy, and some of the most gorgeous erotic poetry I’ve ever read.

Hands (and other body parts) down – the best free erotica on the ‘Net:
erotica-readers.local/story-gallery

In addition, we’ve updated the ERWA Treasure Chest with the best of galleries from 2012, conveniently categorized so you can easily find exactly what suits your mood at the moment.

Dig for buried pleasure:
erotica-readers.local/treasure-chest

Once you’ve read everything the Gallery has to offer, though, what then?  Our Books for Sensual Readers section will satisfy even the most intense literary lust. Check out the 2013 editions of the always exceptional BEST WOMEN’S EROTICA, edited by Violet Blue, or BEST EROTICA ROMANCE, edited by Kristina Wright. Circlet Press has an eclectic new anthology entitled LIKE A COMING WAVE: OCEANIC EROTICA, edited by Andrea Trask. Or if you want to feel virtuous as well as horny, pick up a copy of my charitable vampire erotica anthology, COMING TOGETHER: IN VEIN, which supports Doctors Without Borders and features many authors familiar to ERWA denizens. Fans of F/F fiction should snap up Radclyffe’s BEST LESBIAN ROMANCE 2013. And I definitely want a copy of Jerry Wheeler’s anthology TRICKS OF THE TRADE: MAGICAL GAY EROTICA. Who wouldn’t, with that incredible cover?

We’ve got dozens of great novels, too. Alan Daniels’ SPANK: THE IMPROBABLE ADVENTURES OF GEORGE ALOYSIUS BROWN sounds like a ribald romp reminiscent of classic Victoria smut. The resuscitated Black Lace has a new edition of Portia Da Costa’s wonderful librarian fantasy IN TOO DEEP. RIDING THE ETHER, the second volume in K.D. Grace’s Lakeland Heatwave Trilogy, is finally out. Lynne Connolly offers up rock music and romance Louisiana style in BORN ON THE BAYOU.

All these titles, and many more, can be yours before you can say “Cupid’s Cock”. Just follow our convenient links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and shop your heart out! Every red cent you spend after that point – even for the chocolates and the flowers – helps support ERWA.

Indulge your passion for the written word:
erotica-readers.local/books

Looking forward to the night of February 14th? Why not pick out a toy or two to enhance the experience? As usual, our monthly Sex Toy Scuttlebutt column offer a quick and dirty (hmm) summary of the latest and greatest erotic implements, including direct buy links. Personally, I want a Matryoshka Vibe. (Are you listening, lover?) This month we also have a fun article on the history of sex toys by the adult merchandise pioneers at Adam & Eve. Phil Harvey, the founder of Adam & Eve, fought the U.S. government for your right to purchase sex toys. (You can read about this struggle in The Government Vs. Erotica: The Siege of Adam & Eve. Take advantage of his victory!

She who comes with the most toys wins:
erotica-readers.local/sex-toy-playground

Next, let’s slide on over to the Adult Movies section, where I found lots of arousing new titles. My first pick is the bisexual drama “Paint”, about an ambitious young painter who falls for her (female) mentor while being wooed by a sleazy gallery owner. (The tag line really grabbed me: “It’s not just complicated. It’s abstract.”) “The Last Shag” deals with sex before the apocalypse. What would you do if the world were about to end tomorrow? In the totally trangressive category, I’m drawn to “Mother Superior”, directed by Nica Noelle. A whole convent of lovely nuns, struggling with their lesbian urges, ruled over by a strict superior with her own dark desires. Very kinky cover! And the Classic Porn section features “7 Into Snowy”, an erotic take on Snow White directed by the immortal Radley Metzger. If you’ve never seen any of Metzger’s films – well, you should remedy that as soon as possible!

Candlelight dinner, wine and a sexy flick – the perfect Valentine’s Day!
erotica-readers.local/adult-movies

Inside the Erotic Mind this month, we have a lively three pages of discussion on the topic of circumcised versus uncircumcised penises. You’ll find a wide range of opinions on both sides of the issue. Then there’s the lady who wrote: “Personally, I prefer both.” Got to love her! You can join the conversation; just click the “Participate” link.

Dare to explore inside the erotic mind:
erotica-readers.local/inside-the-erotic-mind

Our featured Web Gem this month is the award-winning adult retail shop, Good Vibrations, where adults shop for adult pleasures. Whether you’re looking for your first sex toy or your twentieth, something vanilla or kinky, for her, for him, or for the two of you, Good Vibrations can help. Good Vibrations’ sex-positive attitude is apparent in their upbeat website and excellent customer service. Use the following link, along with discount code ERWA13 (at check out) for a 10% discount. www.goodvibes.com/?kbid=22518

Just a darn minute, you may be thinking (especially if you’re one of our subscribers who writes erotica). What about the Author Resources pages?

To give you more variety and content, and to enhance interactivity, we’ve shifted most of our writing-related articles to the ERWA blog. Every month, more than a dozen experienced authors contribute posts on the art, craft and business of writing, with a focus on erotica. Ashley Lister offers exercises to limber up your pen and your brain. Kathleen Bradean and Donna George Storey discuss the trials of writing novels. M. Christian looks at the publishing world from the perspective of seventeen years experience. Remittance Girl deconstructs societal attitudes about sex and fiction. I post about whatever happens to be bugging me that particular month… You’ll find the full slate of contributors in the right hand side bar. In February, C. Sanchez-Garcia joins the blog with craft-oriented articles, and Lucy Felthouse shifts from quarterly to monthly contributions. We also post all new Calls for Submissions on the blog as they arrive.

Share in the writing experience:
erotica-readers.blogspot.com

You can still find archives of previous columns on the main ERWA website – a wealth of information and inspiration – as well as our up-to-date listings of submissions calls and publishers’ guidelines. New additions this month include the Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica 12, Coming Together: Girl on Girl (edited by Leigh Ellwood), updated submission guides from Ellora’s Cave, and a contest from Lyrical Press where the prize is a contract with a $100 advance.

Sell off your darlings:
erotica-readers.local/erotica-authors-resources

I think I’ll stop here. February’s so short, I want to make sure you have plenty of time to experience all this stuff I’ve been raving about. As for me, I’m on my way back to the Playground with an assignment from my master. I’m supposed to pick out the butt plug he’s going to make me wear to the Valentine’s Ball. Guess it should be scarlet, to match my corset…

Concupiscently yours,
Lisabet Sarai

NASTY BUSINESS  – BDSM erotica from Lisabet Sarai
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Write, learn, and play on ERWA. Details at:
erotica-readers.local/erwa-email-discussion-list