Frolicon

Come see me at Frolicon this weekend in Atlanta.  Here’s the master schedule for your convenience.

I will be participating in a Ask a Writer Series, along with a distinguished group of authors and publishers, at Frolicon in Atlanta.

Friday at 11 am until 12:30 pm, I’ll be in the Cancun Room talking with several others on the craft of writing:

Whether you’re struggling with characters who won’t do what you want, a plot that doesn’t seem to want to come together, a story that never seems to want to be finished, difficulties making your words flow the way you want, etc etc come ask our panel of writers how they do what they do. Writers block, word choice, narrative flow, any question of the writing craft is appropriate. Each writer will give a brief overview of their process and then we’ll have at your questions. Come see if any of us should have our poetic licenses revoked.

On Saturday at 2:30 pm until 4:00 I’ll be part of a panel discussing Are Writers Tops and readers bottoms?

After reading some books, you may suspect that the writer is a sadistic bitch/bastard, but just like with any good scene, don’t you feel great afterward? Who are the best “tops” in our field? Or are writers masochists, who love to suffer through everything their characters do? Some would say you have to be a glutton for punishment to be in the writing business…  So, who’s right? Are writers tops or bottoms? And is the relationship between writer and reader essentially a consensual contract? Discuss.

At 4:15 pm I’ll be doing a reading in the Cancun room along with Kate Vassar.  I’ll have books to sell, Tales from the Whipping Post, and Wolffie’s Cane for Cuffs. They can also be purchased here.

Then it’s PART-AY TIME!

Cecilia Tan Presenting at Frolicon.

As it so happens, this year I have an opportunity to attend Frolicon. As I was perusing the event, I was pleasantly surprised to see a prominent author presenting, Cecilia Tan.

Here is a short bio taken from her website:

Cecilia Tan is a writer, editor, and sexuality activist. She is the author of Mind Games, The Hot Streak, The Siren & The Sword (Magic University, book one), White Flames, Edge Plays, Black Feathers, The Velderet, and Telepaths Don’t Need Safewords. She has the distinction of being perhaps the only writer to have erotic fiction published in both Penthouse and Ms. magazines, as well as in scores of other magazines and anthologies including Asimov’s, Best American Erotica, and Nerve. She is the founder and editor of Circlet Press, publishers of erotic science fiction and fantasy.

Her stories, essays, and articles in have appeared in dozens of magazines and anthologies including Best America Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, Best Women’s Erotica, Playboy Online, The Mammoth Book of New Erotica, On A Bed of Rice, Dark Angels, Penthouse, Ms. magazine, Asimov’s, Nerve, Gothic.net, Fenway Fiction, Periphery, and many more.

If you are interested in publishing some of your erotic short stories, there is a circle of writers who collect material for anthologies. Among these writers are Susie Bright, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Carol Queen, and others.

“Susie Bright calls her “simply one of the most important writers, editors, and innovators in contemporary American erotic literature.”

If you seriously have an interest in publishing your writing, this is a great opportunity to connect with a publisher and ask questions.

She’s presenting five classes.

I feel very strongly about of the lack of information about switches.  I’ve been very vocal on several bdsm boards about discrimination, misinformation, and myths clouding our reputations as play partners.  My goal was to illuminate, demystify, and provoke dialogue.

The presentation was geared to dominants and submissives.  What a surprise.  With the exception of two people, the attendees were switches.  <Insert broad grin> It was a curve ball, but a pleasant one.  As I began the session literally straddling an invisible line, each face turned into expressions of recognition.   It was as if finally, we were on the same page but on different paragraphs.

ALL the attendees added their two cents worth and the time flew by.  We shared experiences and talked about solutions.   We became a small self contained support group.  I felt that all of us walked away with food for thought and discussion.   You can find my notes here:  Switches’ Dilemma

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