This marks my 9th appearance in this series under various names, which I'm pretty excited about. But "The Further Adventures of Miss Scarlet" marks my first appearance as Emily Byrne so it's still like a first time! You can find links for buying this lovely book here. There's a Goodreads Giveaway in progress and you can sign up here. I hope you enjoy this installment of the series1
Table of Contents
Introduction by Editor Sacchi Green
Dust Rose de Fer
Ascension Louise Blaydon
Tomato Bondage Teresa Noelle Roberts
The Royalty Underground Megan McFerren
Reunion Tour Harper Bliss
Hot Blood D. L. King
Make Them Shine Sossity Chiricuzio
Tears from Heaven Jean Roberta
Luscious and Wild Sinclair Sexsmith
Smorgasbord R. G. Emanuelle
A Professional Rose P. Lethe
Easy Anna Watson
Grind House Valerie Alexander
Give and Take Annabeth Leong
Mirror, Mirror Frankie Grayson
The Road to Hell Cheyenne Blue
The Further Adventures of Miss Scarlet Emily L. Byrne
Introduction
The Best Lesbian Erotica series has a
special place in my heart. Twenty years ago, in 1996, Tristan Taormino and
Cleis Press published the first volume of Best
Lesbian Erotica, and in 1999, to my amazement, my own very first erotica
story made it into that anthology. When Tristan Taormino called and said that
she loved my piece because it was so different
I was hooked on the series and the entire genre for good. (Tristan also
very kindly pointed out the many improvements I needed to make, of course; I
had a lot to learn.) Seven more of my stories made it into further editions of Best Lesbian Erotica, although I got a
bit distracted in recent years with editing ten themed anthologies of lesbian
erotica myself, eight of them for Cleis Press. Editing this one feels like the
greatest honor of all.
Back in 1996 there were far fewer markets for
well-written lesbian erotica than there are now, but there were many majorly
talented writers with the courage and the burning desire to tell the stories
demanding to be told, stories that can still stir your senses and linger in
your mind. There have been some changes in erotica over the years, largely in
how far we dare to go and how much we think we can get away with, but I still
remember stories from those earlier years as challenging as any written today.
The main difference these days is in the quantity of
lesbian erotica available, and the numbers of people writing it well. For this
2016 edition (the title, Best Lesbian
Erotica of the Year, has changed just a bit, but it’s still the same
series) there was a superabundance of excellent work, and choosing was a
harrowing as well as stimulating experience. Tastes differ, of course,
especially when it comes to erotic preferences, so not every story will push
every reader’s buttons, but for me the writers here make this edition
outstandingly worthy of Best Lesbian Erotica’s
long tradition of sexy excellence.
In the limited space of a single anthology, “best”
has to take into account factors beyond any single measurement of quality. An
apples and oranges comparison just won’t cut it; envision instead, say, peaches…smooth,
rosy, rounded peaches…and pears…and maybe the occasional heavy melon… But don’t
worry. No actual fruit metaphors are abused in this book.
Like Tristan way back then, the idea of “best” for
me includes “different,” whether it’s a brand-new treatment of a familiar theme,
a way with language that makes the words dance to an inspired beat, or a plot I’ve
never seen before. Beyond those, each story has to contribute to a balance in
the work as a whole, which should include a variety of themes, settings,
voices, tone, and diversity of ages, ethnicities and physical attributes. Above
all, “best” should mean original ideas, vividly drawn settings, creative
imagery, fully developed, believable characters (even if occasionally that
requires readers to suspend disbelief for the sake of arousal), and, of course,
plenty of steamy sex, with intensely erotic scenes that flow naturally from the
story as a whole, ranging from vanilla to BDSM to edgy frontiers that defy
classification.
Originality takes many forms. D. L. King melds the familiar
tropes of werewolves and lesbian auto mechanics into a character as likable as
she is sexy. Megan McFerren’s characters take refuge in a London bomb shelter
during WWII. Emily L. Byrne’s brilliant incarnation of Miss Scarlet seduces a
police detective in the NYC subway system. Louise Blaydon’s “nice girl” and “bad
girl” strike sparks together forming a band on the gritty side of Liverpool in
1961. There are stories with touches of humor, or moments of tenderness, or
immersions in the no-holds-barred depths of bondage and the keen pleasures of
pain—and now and then all three at once.
What you get, in this anthology, is a seemingly
infinite variety of lesbian erotic desires, in all the heat, beauty and power
of both our darkness and our light. I’m immeasurably grateful to all these
writers who crafted their stories as only each one of them could, and offered
them to be included here.
From me, from the writers, and, I hope, from many of
you readers; Happy Twentieth Birthday, Best
Lesbian Erotica of the Year! Birthday spankings may be in order, but be
gentle with your paperbacks. With e-books—well, maybe you’d better find a
surrogate spankee. Just read a few of these stories with her to warm things up.
Sacchi Green
Amherst, MA
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