Monday, May 10, 2010

Upcoming Projects

Unfortunately, the Circlet Press website is a little under the weather right now, so a few of the books I've been working on are currently floating in the aether. However, we anticipate them going live soon, so here's a list of what's to come.

Single Author Books

The Innocent's Progress and Other Stories by Peter Tupper

"The Innocent's Progress" appeared in the first volume of Circlet's steampunk erotica trilogy, Like a Wisp of Steam, which I edited with Cecilia Tan. Tupper's collection features four stories set in his alternative-Victorian universe, plus a steampunk retelling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Tupper's stories are finely crafted, engaging, and deeply sexy, sometimes disturbingly so.

1901: A Steam Odyssey by Lionel Bramble

This erotic "penny dreadful" is a spin-off of another short story, this one featured in Circlet's Like Clockwork. The adventuress extraordinaire Lady Cheyenne returns and, with her stalwart companions, must rescue the earth from a vast conspiracy authored by the inhabitants of Mars, Venus, our own moon, and planets beyond. By turns funny and thrilling, and always arousing, this is a steampunk adventure novel that should not be missed.

Short Story Collections

The Wonderland Duet

I put out a call for erotica inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass, and I got so many interesting stories that I decided to put out two volumes.

Like the Knave of Hearts

Featuring stories that are lighthearted, silly, or just full of rollicking sexuality.

Lily White by Morwenna Drake
A World of Her Own by Alex Picchetti
Tarts and Tea by Holly Abair
A Wasp, a Wig, and a Wanton Woman by Gary Westfahl
Wonders Wild and New by Verity Penvenen

Like a Vorpal Blade

These are the stories I got that were darker, deeper, and they've lingered with me since I first read them.

If This Be Not Love, it is Madness by Theresa Sand
The Perfect Creature by Bernie Mojzes
Midway Rides by Alex Picchetti
Waking by ADR Forte
The Boiling Sea by Angela Caperton

Of course, Elementary Erotica is coming up soon too, but I'm still in the reading period for that. Which reminds me: I'm still looking for erotica featuring Holmes, Watson, and all their cronies! Send me stuff!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Sex Gadgets

The incomparable Midori recently posted an article entitled Sex Toys of the Future. Go over there to read it and then meet me back here.

I'm interested in sex toys for two reasons: I sell them at my day job, and they are inextricably linked to steampunk for me. The DIY aesthetic of steampunk means that there's a machine for everything that can be thought of, from meal making to time travel. Usually, the workings of these machines are rather arcane, and tend to only make sense to their creator. Given that we, as humans, have a tendency to turn just about anything into a sex aide of some sort, it follows that steampunks would do the same.



However, it's difficult to find modern sex toys that fit have that steampunk look. Some of the Lelo line, and the Eroscillator come close, but where are the gears? Where are the clockwork vibrators? Somehow, this just doesn't cover it.

I'm with Midori on this one. Our brave and creative DIYers and modders need to get on this. I want daring, modern, and above all beautiful sex toys!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Guest Blog at Oh Get a Grip!

The Coming Revolution
Or, What's So Punk About Steampunk Erotica

It's probably the most common criticism you hear about steampunk: it's all goggles and steam engines and pretty clothes, and there's almost nothing about the Victorian age's major crimes. You don't often read steampunk adventures that deal with crushing poverty, cultural jingoism, and sexual repression and hypocrisy.


While it might be fair to say this of most steampunk fiction, it's not true of all, and it is certainly not true of steampunk erotica. What could be more compromising than seeing the Victorians with their pants around their ankles and their petticoats flipped over their heads? The rebels and rogues, adventurers and heroes that populate these tales live their lives in direct opposition to the status quo; theirs and ours. Not only are they infused with the spirit of independence and exploration, but they are also in tune with their desires.



Read the rest at Oh Get a Grip!