I am nothing if not hyper-specific when it comes
to the themes of my anthologies. When I’m conceptualising a pitch for an
anthology, I often have a very clear idea of not just how I interpret the theme
but also the kind of stories I want to see between those pages. The tone I’d
like, the flow of the stories... it’s all in my mind when I send off that call
for submissions to be approved.
This... wasn’t how Dancing with Myself blossomed into being. Like, at all. Dancing
with Myself is my first anthology as an editor for Sexy Little Pages, but it wasn’t the
first idea that was brainstormed between publisher Anna Sky and I. I was in the
process of drafting a call for a completely different anthology. The only
problem was the fact that I couldn’t make it work in my head. I wrote about
seven different versions of that call before binning it.
And then I had a thought. Specifically, I
thought of a title.
Yep, the concept for this whole anthology came
together via a title and my own disappointment at a lack of anthologies about
solo sex. I just wanted stories celebrating masturbation in all its forms. I
wanted a diversity of characters, a variety of situations and catalysts, but
most of all, I wanted it to be fun. The end result covers a range of
sexualities, genders, desires and abilities, and it celebrates the noble art of
self-pleasure in a plethora of ways. I am so very proud of this anthology, its
contributors and the fact that the whole thing came together from the title of
a Billy Idol track.
Blurb + buy links
Nine
sizzling, sexy stories of self-love and self-discovery, edited by (and with a
story from) Jillian Boyd, featuring Dena Hankins, T.C. Mill, Jordan Monroe,
Leandra Vane, LN Bey, Jones, Hollis Queens and Rachel Woe.
In this sensually spellbinding collection, nine
authors explore just a couple of the ways one can get themselves off – stories
that don’t just hone in on the how, but explore the why, and the “oh... oh my”
Dancing with Myself delves into the heads and between the sheets of a
long-distance submissive and her dominant, a cam girl reminiscing, an artist
entranced with her unusual subjects and many more.
Excerpt from “Obey” by Dena Hankins
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When
Ella had asked if she ever did any submissive work, Maddie had answered
honestly. No. The next question crossed the line of professionalism and Maddie
felt no compunction about refusing to reveal whether she’d bottomed in her
personal life. Her private sex life benefited in ways from her professional
one, and vice versa, but she didn’t blur the lines and describing her few,
playful forays into restraint and spanking would erase them.
Sex
work was a sacred vocation for Maddie. Her small list of clients, most with
physical impairments, provided a modest living and a wide and deep avenue for
the expansion of her sexual energy. She’d grown so much since she started doing
this type of body service after years as a physical therapist. Boundaries—and
being invited to cross them, the power of setting or releasing them—made more
sense to her than they used to. The textures and smells and the powerful
reality of desire-slicked bodies fruited under her control. Her terms, her
choices, put at the discretion of another’s desires.
All
that sounded somewhat like soft-sided versions of dominance and submission to
her. Imagining how this session would go, she’d thought that Ella would order
her around and that she’d find ways of bringing sexiness to Ella’s orders. This
wasn’t that. Somehow, it kept getting away from her.
