Giving Time, Money, and Thanks

Tis the season, as the saying goes. For the amazing erotic altruists who contribute to Coming Together, however, the season of giving is year 'round. Decade 'round, even. That's right, Coming Together turned 10 this year! Hard to believe that I've been steering this sexy ship for that long. 

I mean, wasn't it just yesterday that the Rainy Day Story Challenge took place in the Literotica Authors' Hangout?  In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, those stories became the Hurricane Relief Edition.  That collection contains the first real story I ever wrote.

By real, I mean it was more than simply a detailed sex scene prefaced by a few paragraphs (if that!) of literary foreplay. It had an actual plot. And, while sex was certainly integral to the story line, the tale involved several characters that did not participate in any sexual activity and a conflict that did not involve sex. Clocking in at 12,000 words, it was triple the length of anything I'd written to that point. Until that story ("Wetter Has Never Been Better"), I'd never aspired to do anything other than commit my fantasies to words in the hope they'd stop haunting my every waking moment.

Here's a snippet:

It was in Starbucks that she first noticed him: tall with curly salt-n-pepper hair; clean shaven; business suit with cowboy boots. He had an air about him. Supremely self-confident, but not arrogant.

Choosing an adjacent table, if those Frisbee-sized things could accurately be called tables, Stormy caught a whiff of his cologne. Mmm! One of her favorite scents. He pecked away at a fancy-looking laptop, thoroughly absorbed in the activity.

Stormy studied him obliquely. The suit looked expensive. The boots were polished. Square jaw. Amazing hands. Long fingers, rugged but not calloused. No wedding ring. Impeccably groomed. Broad shoulders with not a trace of pudge around the waistline. Seriously fuckable, was Stormy's final assessment as she tossed her empty cup in the can and strolled to her boarding gate.

Looking forward to a full three hours' rest during the non-stop service from Charlotte to San Jose, the capitol of Costa Rica, Stormy found her seat and grabbed three tiny airline pillows. The flight was far from full, and with any luck, she'd have a whole row of seats to herself. Next year at this time, she vowed to herself, this same flight would be booked to capacity thanks to her winning campaign.

She buckled up to avoid being pestered to do so at take-off, rested her head against the window, and closed her eyes—putting on her best "Do Not Disturb" persona in the hopes that the adjacent seats would remain vacant so she could stretch out later.

Waking with a start, Stormy realized that the plane was in the air and that she did indeed have the row to herself. She turned sideways to put up her legs and noticed HIM—the Starbucks guy—across the aisle. He looked at her intently, with a rather cryptic expression on his face, and his gaze was unnerving. Stormy felt her body respond.

"Business or pleasure?" he suddenly asked.

"What? Oh, um—business, actually. Maybe some pleasure. You?"

"Same," he said, extending his hand across the aisle. "I'm Charlie."

Unbuckling, Stormy scooted over to the aisle seat, "Stormy. Nice to meet you."

She would have gladly continued the conversation, but Charlie turned back to his newspaper. So, Stormy put up her feet and tried again to sleep. Images of this enigmatic man danced through her mind, making her fidget a bit. She realized that perhaps she should have packed her vibrator. After all, the last thing she needed was the distraction of perpetual horniness. On such a short trip with such an important objective, she simply did not have time for such diversions.

The next thing she knew, Charlie's hands gripped her ass. His lips met hers in an exquisitely languorous kiss—their bodies one, sweat shimmering on skin. Intense. Grinding.

Stormy's own groan woke her. Disoriented, she looked about, with realization slowly dawning. A dream. Just a dream. But, wow, what a dream! Maybe, she thought, if she could get right back to sleep, it'd pick up where it left off.

As she shifted to a more comfortable position, she noticed Charlie studying her, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Blushing, Stormy again closed her eyes. Hours later, she was awakened by the flight attendant instructing her to buckle up. Alas the dream had not returned, but perhaps that was for the best, she mused. Stormy stretched and retrieved her carry-on, fully rested and ready to experience whatever Costa Rica had to offer.

There are moments in life -- critical junctures -- that we seldom recognize when they occur but that become obvious in hindsight. Writing this story was one of them. It sparked my interest in all aspects of publishing and led to the acquisition of the skills required to keep Coming Together afloat. And, in the synergistic manner of passion, Coming Together is one of the endeavors that keeps me afloat. It's immensely satisfying to give of oneself. In fact, I'd say it's one of two things at the very peak of my emotional "hierarchy of needs." The other is a creative outlet.

Thanks for sticking with me as a ramble through this post! Please let me know in the comments if any part of it resonated with you.  (One random commenter will win an ebook copy of "Erotique," the first tale in the ArtiFactual series.)

Happiest of holidays to you & yours!

peace & passion,

~ Alessia / Imp

Thinking about L.A. Banks

RT Orlando 2009

I learned today, via Facebook, that Ms. Leslie (L.A.) Banks is not well. This makes my heart heavy. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Banks at Romantic Times in Orlando in 2009 after she'd written the introduction (see below) to Coming Together: At Last (our bestselling anthology to date), and I found her to be incredibly warm & genuinely caring.

When next our paths crossed, it was at RT in Columbus the following year. We talked about her incredible experience of meeting President Obama & introducing him at a rally (video embedded below). Ironic that the subject of that introduction was health care.

There is a fund accepting donations for Leslie's growing medical expenses. (Click here for more information on how to donate.) Please contribute if you have the means. <3

peace & passion,

~ Alessia

March 8, 2010

 

From Coming Together: At Last, Introduction by L.A. Banks: 

What is the color of the most powerful force in the universe, love? When we look at hope and freedom and change and passion, do these words conjure a race or ethnicity, or are they values and ideals that cross the boundaries of form?

These are the questions I ask myself as I watch the world news. Surely a mother down on her knees wailing at the sight of a collapsed school building in earthquake-ravaged China is no different than the aggrieved father searching desperately for his children in cyclone-stricken Myanmar, who cannot in my mind be distinguished from the traumatized grandmother clutching pictures of her grandchildren to her breast as rescue workers look for survivors in the tornado-ripped heartland of America, any more than those people's cries are different than those of a mother in Darfur lifting her child up to a UN truck begging for mercy… or Baghdad's suicide bomber-embattled children wondering where their parents are after an explosion.

Then is there any difference between the people mentioned above and their losses than that of the inner city mom standing over her shot teenager calling on the Lord for mercy, than there would be for the suburban mother who has just learned that her teen has tragically wrapped their car around a tree on prom night and didn't make it? Images, images… oh, we have all seen them, paused, and held our palms against our hearts when we have. Maybe we've said a silent prayer for those people caught in the grip of tragedy because we can identify with their pain. For that glimmer in time, we don't see differences; we see the feelings and emotions of our fellow man and woman.

If we are really thinking, feeling members of humanity, we are called upon to reach down into our souls to ask fundamental questions. Can one deny that the waters of Katrina or those of the dreadful tsunami refused to delineate between religion, ethnic heritage, age, or gender? Did helpers who scrambled to assist survivors weep less for an orphaned child because of that child's hue? That's not what we saw during and after the 9-11 disaster. We saw people of all races and origins rushing in to help, some even giving their lives for strangers. We saw love sublime, strangers helping strangers, just because it was the right thing to do.

Therefore, it seems that the only logical conclusion one can come to is that love, hope, passion, pain, suffering… all these things are a condition of being human, and are not conditional upon what type of human one happens to be according to labels. A baby crying pulls at one's core, no matter what ethnic group that child was born into by the accident of birth… laughing children have that same effect. Tears shed for a profound loss also move us and break down walls. But if tragedies are so compelling, then let's step back for a moment and peel away the layers to consider one additional level of awareness. If we can understand the cries that follow a bridge collapse in Minnesota, and/or any number of horrific events that have happened, why can't we understand the colorblind nature of love?

It is one of the greatest conundrums in the world, in my opinion—because if people are laid prostrate from a loss of a loved one, doesn't that mean that they had to love whomever the tragedy befell? Doesn't that mean they loved their child just as you would love your child… that they loved their parent or spouse or friend or partner just as you would have loved yours? If we accept that as truth, then how can we regulate love to an artificial parameter like race, when we've just gone around the globe in this small exercise of recalling current events to show that all people have been touched by loss (which means they have also all been touched by love)?

For how can you have loved deeply and not weep when you have lost? It wouldn't matter, then. You'd remain dry-eyed and stoic. But that's just it. We've seen communities and families devastated and the pain of that spread out in roiling waves that effect us, even a half a world away while watching the news. Thus we can only conclude that where the tragedy hit, people were connected to others that loved them, and once the victims were no longer in the world, that bitter reality created indelible suffering for someone who cared that they were alive.

With that as a premise, rather than wait for a disaster or an act of God to create a glaring media frenzy to show just how human we are, why not embrace love for all people when the skies are clear and calm, when the waters have receded, when the shelling has stopped, and while there is laughter in our midst? Love is joy. Love is freedom. Love is hope. It is something that we all deserve and is provided for in abundance in the universe and on our planet, like air, as an ultimate act of God.

I personally believe in love and light… and the indomitable human spirit. I believe in hope and grace and caring, and in heroes and sheroes, maybe that's why I write about them... just as I believe in a Higher Power that levels the playing field, eventually… and I believe in angels. Most of all, perhaps, I believe in the ability of people to change for the better, to open their hearts and to receive the greatest power in the universe (and to use it for good)… and that is the power of love.

Peace and Stay in the Light!

~ L.A. Banks

Magic Mojo

My hypochondriac daughter inspired this bit of creativity. Take the largest bottle of chewable Vitamin C you can find, and replace the label with this... and allow the child to self-medicate. :)

Cause I'm the Mom

This is going on my kids' bedroom walls, framed. The Cafe Press poster reads:

DO YOU LIKE LIVING IN THIS HOUSE?
WAYS TO ENSURE I DON'T KICK YOU OUT:

Place all dirty dishes in the kitchen sink before going to bed each night. (Bonus points for rinsing.)

Place all dirty laundry down the chute before going to bed each night.

Ensure all dirty laundry is right-side-out and, if necessary, spot treated.

Do not use upholstery or bedding as a tissue. Boogers & snot-glaze do not belong on the arms of the sofa or the sides of your mattress.

Do not use upholstery or bedding as a napkin, either. Wipe greasy fingers on a napkin or even on shirt! (See above re spot treating.)

DON'T SPILL STUFF.

Don't create environments ripe for spilling stuff. Leaving glasses of juice on the table for the cats to knock over during the night is just. plain. stupid.

If stuff is spilled, fetch someone who knows what the hell they're doing to aid in its clean-up IMMEDIATELY -- not three days later, after the nail polish has become a permanent part of the decor.

Wipe the kitchen counter (and NOT onto the floor, either) after preparing food.

Don't give the cats people food unless you're prepared to have your nose rubbed in cat puke the next day.

Turn off lights & televisions when you're the last person leaving a room.

Learn how to thoroughly wipe your ass (without clogging the commode). No one wants their clothing laundered with underwear that look as if they were used as toilet tissue. It's just too damned gross.

REPLACE THE TOILET TISSUE if you use the last of the roll. (Don't know where it is? ASK! It's NOT hidden, and it's not a secret.)

Speaking of the toilet, should you take a Black Sunday dump, please wipe the underside of the seat so that it doesn't dry craptacularly speckled. (See below re microwave and splatters.)

If you make a mess, CLEAN IT UP! Leaving it for someone else is rude and inconsiderate, no matter how old you are. Period.

A good example: the microwave. It takes all of 30 seconds to wipe away the Beefaroni splatters if done while they're still wet. Two hours later, a power tool is required. Popcorn grease? Same thing.

If I step on a Lego in my bare feet again, everyone will be punished. It will be brutal and likely involve forced consumption of dead bugs. Lesson? PICK UP YOUR TOYS!

Thanks. Your cooperation will make life so much more pleasant for everyone. I'll be happier, and you won't have to sleep on a park bench.

Love, Mom

Purring tonight on Sex-Kitten Radio

Join me this evening at 10pm Eastern on XXBN where I'll be chatting with the one and only Gracie Passette on her radio show, Cult of Gracie.

We'll be talking about erotica, smut writing, altruism, and Coming Together.

Two Lips Reviews Under Fire

Title: Under Fire
Author: Alessia Brio and Will Belegon, editors
Publisher: Phaze
Genre: Anthology
Publication date: 2007
ISBN: 978-1-59426-857-1
Pages: 288
Series: Coming Together
Reviewer: Aviana
Heat Level: F/M; F/F; M/M; M/M/M
Rating:

Coming Together: Under Fire is a collection of short stories and poems dedicated to the victims of the Southern California wildfires in October 2007 and to the courageous men and women who battled those blazes. All the proceeds go to help the victims, some of whom will surely struggle for years to put their lives back together. As part of the Coming Together series - benefiting a variety of charities and natural disasters, Coming Together: Under Fire is both an extremely worthwhile project and the perfect book to dip into before bedtime.

Editors Alessia Brio and Will Belegon made sure this collection of 37 short stories and poems include something for everyone. Many of the entries have fire as a theme, but not all. Some of the stories seem specifically written about the Southern California fires, mentioning names and places familiar to those who lived through those harrowing days, such as myself.

Poetry lovers will be delighted to find poems comprise half this volume and are interleafed between each short story. I especially liked the way the editors italicized the poetry titles in the table of contents, making it easier for the reader. It’s impossible to review all 37 entries in one short review but a few stand out.

Burn Zone by James Buchanan is a touching and erotic story about 3 firefighters, two city fireman and one smoke jumper. The men are roommates and when two of them hear the third is having trouble dealing with the loss of his teammates in an out-of-control brushfire, they go looking for him. Once they finally find him, they force him to face his guilt while affirming the unique bond they share as friends and a sexual threesome.

Drive-In by Tilly Green is a fun story about a very sexy and pent up firefighter and his patient girlfriend enjoying public sex at a private beach party. She finally gets up the nerve to express her deepest feelings and naturally that’s just when he gets paged to come back to work.

Slow Burn Blues by Lefty McGee is a powerful poem about a man drinking whiskey in a smoky bar while listening to a woman sing the blues. In just a few short stanzas, the story of this man’s regrets and his overwhelming shame is revealed.

Blind Date by Stephanie Vaughan seems written specifically for this volume. It’s the sexy story of two gay men on a blind date - arranged by one of their moms, no less! One happens to be a firefighter on call which gives the story a nice tension. The two quickly hit it off and although things go from spark to inferno they also manage to connect emotionally in a very special way.

The last title of this anthology, The End of the World by Gwen Masters, is an astonishingly tender tale of a married couple lost in the vast Gibson Desert of Australia. It’s unbearably hot, the food and water are running out and they know they can’t last more than a couple of days. With nothing to do but wait to die, they are forced to finally face the reasons their marriage failed. Although The End of the World has nothing to do with fire per se, it’s a story of hope in the face of total disaster – a fitting end to this fine collection.

http://www.twolipsreviews.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3126&Itemid=36

Lettin' it all hang out

Author Sherry Morris spells out small press promo woes on her blog. Have a read. Then go write.

Me? I'm fondling the medallion I received in today's mail for the 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Check it out on the Coming Together blog.

Happy Father's Day from Phaze

Everyone has a dad, so celebrate yours with some erotic fiction! Take 20% off your entire order from the Phaze site all day today & tomorrow using coupon code BIGDADDY08.

And, if you're lucky enough to still have your dad around, give him an extra big squeeze today & tell him how much he means to you! I miss mine every damned day.

Road Trip!

So, I'm off on a much-needed, non-working, long weekend road trip with my dear partner. I'm picking him up at the Pittsburgh airport in the morning, then we're headed to Baltimore by way of Gettysburg. We'll have dinner at Phillips tonight and stroll around the Inner Harbor.

Tomorrow, we'll do more Baltimore stuff and take our sweet time getting to DC for the evening ball game. Saturday, we plan to hit the Smithsonian during the day. Then, Saturday evening, the primary reason for the trip: we're GOING to the True Colors concert! We'll be proudly sporting our Coming Together: With Pride T-shirts and passing out promo buttons.

Back to Casa de Brio on Sunday for a couple days before I have to return him to the airport for his flight back to San Diego. Then, it's headlong into summer... with kids out of school and very little in the way of travel until fall.

With Pride's First Review

I'm not the least bit surprised to read a glowing, A+ review about this book. As an editor, the quality of the submissions simply blew me away. Here's what Shira from Simply Romance Reviews had to say:

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Coming Together - With Pride. This collection of stories and poems took me on an emotional roller coaster- joy, pain, arousal, laughter, enlightenment, love, disgust, passion, and submission. Every story was an eye-opener.

These stories were perfect in the way that they complimented each other and fit together in harmony. I highly recommend this book not just because all the proceeds go towards a greatly needed cause but because it was a beautiful collection of stories that I felt came straight from each author's soul.

Coming Together: With Pride goes on sale (ebook & print) in less than 3 weeks!

Cyclone Nargis

Coming Together's up to something... again. Something good. Check it out!

Lucrezia Magazine Interview

The February (GLBT-themed) issue of Lucrezia Magazine is now available. I'm absolutely thrilled with the in-depth interview about Coming Together!

~ ~ ~

Under Fire at Joyfully Reviewed

Join some of the authors and poets of Coming Together: Under Fire from noon 'til 6pm Eastern today on Joyfully Reviewed's Yahoo!Group! They'll be posting excerpts and talking about what inspired their hot contributions to this charity anthology.

~ ~ ~

Under Fire

Available NOW in both ebook ($7) and print ($16) from Phaze!

~~~

EPPIE Finalists Announced!

WOOT! I'm thrilled to be a part of TWO of the finalists for the 2008 EPPIE Awards. Coming Together: For the Cure (Erotica) and Phaze in Verse (Poetry) now proceed to the final round of judging.

For the complete list of finalists, visit the EPIC site. (If that doesn't work, Emily Veinglory's posted the full list on the EREC blog.) Winners will be announced at EPICon in March. Hope to see you there!

This Just ROCKS!

Coming Together: For the Cure is a Top Pick in the January 2008 issue of Romantic Times BOOKreviews (magazine):

COMING TOGETHER FOR THE CURE
by Alessia Brio, Editor

RT Rating: ½
Category: EROTICA
Publisher: Phaze.com
Published: January 2008
Type: Erotic Romance (Anthology, E-book)

Phaze's 2007 charitable anthology takes on breast cancer, with proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization. These 20 tales encompass a wide range of encounters, including same-sex male and female and BDSM. Some stories are sweet, some blistering, some artistic, others intellectual. The souls of the writers shine through, showing the beauty of loving relationships in deep and often poignant ways.

Summary: The strongest stories in this collection deal with breast cancer survivors. Other tales follow characters dealing with difficult situations, like the loss of a pet or a relationship, or characters struggling to revive flagging relationships. And some are paranormal tales. There's truly something for everybody. (PHAZE.com, dl $7.00)

—Jennifer R. Wells-Marani

Passionately Pink - For the Cure

Dress your blog in PINK throughout the month of October and join the Coming Together: For the Cure team by making a donation in any dollar amount via the Coming Together page on the Susan B. Komen for the Cure site!




And, while you're surfing, check out ERWA's review of Coming Together: For the Cure. Now available in both ebook AND print from Phaze.


It's erotic altruism at its finest!

Have you been squeezed lately?

Mammogram day. I just got home. The timing is fortuitous, given the recent release of Coming Together: For the Cure, huh? I love the image above (and want it on a T-shirt), even though the editor in me is screaming: It's FRESHLY SQUEEZED!

Anyway, in my typical duller-than-dirt promo way, I'll cut to the chase: Please take the Comment: For the Cure blog tour, if you haven't already done so, and leave a comment on each. You'll be raising $$$ for a great cause, and you may win a book in the process.

peace & passion, y'all *squeeze*

Comment: For the Cure

Fellow erotic romance author, Alison Kent, is hosting a blog comment contest in support of Coming Together: For the Cure.

Please pop on over to her blog and leave a comment! For each ten comments received, she'll buy a copy to use as a prize! Thanks, y'all.





peace & passion,

~ Alessia Brio, editor
Coming Together: For the Cure

P.S. Holla to the Bitchery for the linky goodness!