Okay. Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, look! It’s a table of contents! The kind folks over at the NewSmutProject are putting together not one but two smart, realistic anthologies of erotica this fall, and I am lucky enough to be included in their collection of character-driven smut. Heart, Body, Soul features nineteen stories, listed here in alphabetical order by title. They saved the best for last with my story “Very Impulsive/Very Angry.”
I’ll hopefully write about what makes the NewSmutProject so great in the future, but erotica fans will notice right away the abundance of new authors (and even TBA pen names). Many of these authors are better known for their fandom works, and others are just fresh faces. As a never before published author myself, this is crazy exciting. It can be discouraging to see the same (incredibly talented and prolific) authors over and over again when I pick up anthologies from Cleis, and a startup press like the NewSmutProject is an opportunity to let some new kids share the awesome but less formulaic work they’ve been producing in their own corner of the internet.
Seeing “Very Impulsive/Very Angry” in print is going to be surreal and immensely satisfying, as it was the story that inspired the rest of my thesis. I showed it to Bob (or as the Wesleyan administration calls him, Professor Steele) during my junior year of college and he told me point blank, “Write six more of these.” It in my characters wrangle with a bunch of college-age feminist issues like slut-shaming, negotiating consent within hookup culture, and female sexual assertiveness. Cora Rowe, consummate tightly-wound good girl, finds her personal life falling apart. Her solution? To show up at the apartment of campus lothario Devon Allbritt and demand to, um, borrow his notes from their American History class.
The table of contents for the other anthology, Between The Shores, focuses on consent in erotica and can be viewed here.
Heart, Body, Soul Table of Contents
Advisedly and Soberly – Kitty Gamble
Close Pairs – Andrew Metallo
Creatures of the Night – Tiana Tatanov
Dr. Charles Cleans House – Paul Henry
Enjoy the Present – Spencer Koelle
Judith and Eleanor – Hanna Lockhardt
Kinbaku for Beginners – TR Verten
Leap of Faith – Jo Mathieson
Mistress of Victories – T.C. Mill
Mr. – Sue Lenée Cix
Red, Right, Returning – Eglantine
Sworn Upon the Altar of God – Kara Stanton
Tempestuous – Evadare Volney
Territories – Dee Maselle
The Dressing Room – Guinevere Chase
The Light at the End – Penname TBA (holyfant)
The Simpler Solution – Melinda T. Charvill
Tryst – Alex Freeman
Very Impulsive/Very Angry – Ella Dawson
Ella Dawson 