Interesting article from Publishers Weekly about erotica e-books:

Sex sells—and always has—so why, in the realm of erotica, has sex sold surprisingly more during the past few years? Is it the ho-hum economy? The war on terror? It’s the Internet, stupid: empowering readers, writers and publishers of erotica, and offering instant access to a lively, diverse and ever-growing community. Only in the past few years have major romance publishers taken notice.

It’s a widely held belief in the West that the Kamasutra is a vaunted sex guide, filled from cover to cover with acrobatic erotic sexual positions, many of which should only be tried by couples willing to injure themselves. But the Kamasutra was never just a sex guide - in fact the sexual descriptions are primarily in a single chapter.

Artists and publishers have produced works illustrating Chapter 2 to an extent that this provocative imagery is the primary representation of the text. However, Little India has an articledelving into this idea and then discussing the ‘rest’ of the Kamasutra:

To put it bluntly, Kamasutra is not a book on positions in sexual intercourse. It is a book about the art of living - about finding a partner, maintaining power in marriage, committing adultery, living as or with a courtesan, using drugs - and also about the positions in sexual intercourse.

An interesting part of the discussion at Little India is the mistranslations in various editions.

J.R. Ward, a lawyer turned erotic tale spinner (okay, romance, but it’s paranormal and erotic), has created a series that is popular and different, and she stays down to earth and honest about her accomplishments.

When asked during this interview about how she had the confidence to write her first novel, J.R. was blunt that the artist always has a nagging self doubt:

” It wasn’t confidence at all. It was compulsion. It’s never been about confidence for me. Every day, I sit down and I’m like, “Is this going to be good enough? Am I going to be able to take this scene far enough? Is the line-by-line writing correct? Did I get the images sharp enough? Does the dialogue fly?” Certainly, I have more confidence than I used to because the books have been very well received, for which I’m very grateful, but it’s a compulsion. I’ve got to do it. I’ve got to get these stories out of my head. I have to figure out where they go. I have to be with these characters.”

Anastasia Rabiyah writes erotic fiction - a lot of erotic fiction. Her personal daily goal is 2,000 words, which has lead her to publish quite a few books, including Nimmet, Goddess of Love, which is coming out soon:

Also, my futuristic erotic romance, Nimmet Goddess of Love, is zipping through the mail, heading my way so I can proof her. Cross your fingers. As much as I love this story, there’s a mysterious jinx upon it. It was first subbed to Ellora’s Cave and they “never ereceived the submision” and then it was subbed to Twilight Fantasies Publications and they closed their doors. Nimmet’s third sub was made to loveyoudivine where she has been released in ebook formats. Print has been a chore to get going. I like pretties in my print book, little decorative thingies that add some style. Nimmet’s decor didn’t sit well with the printer and it was rejected, leading to a whole reformat. Holding that book in my hands will be a small victory against the jinx.

Author preciousharlot has posted a sex and submission story at Lusty Library:

My Submissiveness is taking over my body.. and it scares me a little

I can feel it all around me Closing in to my core

I feel that i cant control it any longer, i used to be able to

i don’t know what happened… A friend says that I’m craving something

i need something…. a Dominate part

Rachel Kramer Bussell, author of over 100 erotic stories, teaches an Erotica 101 workshop, does erotic readings and more:

The double-edged sword of personal writing is evident in some of Bussel’s favorite work. Her 2001 story “Lapdance Lust,” about her first lapdance, contains no sex. “There’s a – not necessarily a naivete, but a willingness to believe in the fantasy of the strip club that’s sweet in a way,” she says now. Another favorite piece is about a breakup, a true story (called “The End”) about someone who wound up reading it later. While they’re friends now, she says, writing about real life is “a tricky thing. It’s important to be totally free when you’re doing the writing, but afterwards, it takes on a life of its own.”

Let’s be blunt here. Ang Lee’s Chinese language film, Lust, Caution is not just a sex story. To call it that is to ignore it’s depth of character, the lush story and dark undertones, the masterful crafting of a story that pours out of the screen in gushes. For a movie with such serious and explicit erotic scenes that it was banned in China, sex hardly has anything to do with it.

This is one of the the most amazing films you will ever see. But be forewarned; it is going to affect you.

Western moviegoers may not be familiar with Tony Leung, but he is without question one of the finest actors living today. Leung has made a name for himself over the past twenty four years playing the romantic hero. In this film, he fills the screen as the gentle and dangerous Mr. Yee, a Japanese sympathizer who carries out brutal justice on his own Chinese countrymen. Yet, he knows inwardly that he is a doomed soul, carrying out the killing orders of people he does not respect. He is lost to his fate, and he knows it.

As Leung puts it, Lust, Caution is a love story between ‘Evil and Human.’

Considering that the lead of the film, playing opposite Leung is actress Tang Wei in her first film, it is astounding that she equally fills the screen, and it is even more astounding that she plays two distinct characters perfectly and flawlessly. As her character transforms from a Chinese everywoman into the guise of a socialite wife of a Chinese businessman, she literally becomes larger than life in the role. It consumes her.

The story of Lust,Caution is intertwined around these two, as she is bent on seducing him to have him assassinated, while he seems aware that she is not what she seems; yet still he is touched by her.

This is more than a love story. It’s real. It’s a struggle.

The movie ‘Deception’, which is being billed as an erotic thriller, has been dubbed as ‘dull’ in a review by PhillyBlurbs. It is a astoundingly damaging statement to make about a file that is supposed to strike two of our favorite pleasure zones - how one can set out to make a file that is supposed to thrill and arouse and achieve neither is almost an effort unto itself.

Sex and Business

We could go on and on about the deal between Zanox and ObsessionArt, but the article is full of dry corporate speak, so we’ve hit upon one key point that we found interesting:

The ObsessionArt gallery has been designed as the world’s first specialist online retailer of high quality nude, figurative and erotic art, boasting a vast range of exclusive prints and original art from internationally acclaimed artists and photographers, including classic realist painter Lee Jones, who is known for exhibiting alongside the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.

Basically, the two companies are teaming up to offer affiliate programs and advertising for erotic art.

Sexy Circus

British columnist David Adams poses the question, ‘Is the circus sexy?’

Well, let’s take it a step beyond and ask ‘Why isn’t anyone making a sex circus?’

The Prague Post has a piece discussing the exploration of the erotic and exotic at Book World Prague, a show that takes place April 24-27 in, well, Prague of course.

Straight Women, Gay Sex

Neal Plakcy poses the question “Can a straight woman write convincing gay fiction?” over at GayWired.

So, you want some quick, free sex stories? Something not too involved, but hot, just a moment of light passion?

Check out the quickie Briana Frost Sex Stories #25 from Guy Hogan.