Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Now I know my ABCs…


I first had the idea more than ten years ago. A slew of sexy little anthologies you could slide into your purse or backpack, whipping one out when you wanted to lose yourself in a brief burst of primal pleasure:

A is for Amour.
B is for Bondage.
C is for… well, it was originally Carnal. And then Concubine. I dabbled with Cunt and Climax, but finally settled on Co-Eds.
D is for Dress-Up.

And it was over a table in the Cleis offices in San Francisco when I got the nerve to pitch them. What publisher would sign on to 26 books at once? Cleis would. There was a bit of shuffling at first, over cover designs and layouts. A bit of discussion on the topics themselves. K is for Kissing? No… too sappy. Kinky? Yes, much better. And if O is for Orgies then M can’t be Menage. Should A be for Anal? Or is that too in-your-face? (To play around with body images for a moment.) If P is for Panties, then U can’t be for Underwear and K can't be for Knickers…. You get the picture.

Even beyond the titles, this was one of the most difficult series I’ve ever worked on, because the books are so short. Only 12 stories per tome. You might think that would make things easier, yet sometimes I received more than 300 submissions for a theme. But cream rises, and ultimately I chose my favorites. Stories that were sexy and sophisticated, like Pervertable by fellow LustBiter Mathilde Madden, featured in B is for Bondage:

You look so big—tall and bulky—filling the shop’s doorway in your leather jacket, with your shaved head and slightly greying moustache. Every inch the old school master. You smile at me, a little indulgent smile that I hope means that you find me as dream-fulfilling as I do you, and then you give a little jerk of your head that makes me trot after you, as if the response is already hardwired.
I've known you less than twenty-four hours.



And College Reunion by Andrea Dale from C is for Co-Eds:

“Count them off,” Grant growled.
I wanted to giggle, my predicament was so clichéd. But no laughter was able to bubble past my lips. It wasn’t so much fear as anticipation that caused my breathing to quicken. Pressed against the hard, polished wood of the old desk, my nipples were taut and swollen. My cunt quivered, my clit throbbed, and I could smell my slick arousal.
Any moment now, the hallowed halls of my alma mater would resonate with the sound of Grant’s broad palm making sharp contact with my mostly bare ass.
Hell of a college reunion!


And Puss-in-Boots by Shanna Germain from D is for Dress-Up:

I found them by accident. I’d given up the search, days and days, maybe a week ago even. Then, the night before his birthday, there they were, in the window of a second-hand store: the boots. Knee-high, black leather with at least a five-inch heel. Even through the window glass, I could tell the leather was that soft, stretchy kind, something with enough give to slide over my muscled calves. I leaned in closer to the window, put one hand up to block out the glare from the street lamp. The toes were long, but not pointed. Jesus, they were perfect, just what my husband had asked for. I’d been so sure I wasn’t going to find these boots that I’d already bought him an expensive back-up gift. Who cared? I’d been given a last-minute blessing and I wasn’t about to turn it away.

And from my own story, Above You, in A is for Amour:

It’s as if he’s never seen a girl with dyed black hair before. Never seen pale skin or dark eyes, all of the things that make me an aberration in Hollywood where blonde and blue are the only colors in the crayon box. But I’ve seen people like Adam before. Tall, lean, and handsome in a hick sort of way. He’s probably very suave (in Erie, Pennsylvania), but a little bit more earnest than the type I go for. Read between the lines: I’m just like Adam. I yearn for the ones who ignore me.
Adam says that he loves me.
And he says it even before I go down on him in the elevator.


So here they are. The first of the series. Four luscious, lovely little books. With perfect pin-up princesses adorning the covers. So divine. So damn sweet. Ready for the plucking…

And now that you know your ABCDs. Next time, won’t you play with me?

XXX,
Alison

P.S. Post a comment sometime this week, and I’ll choose from the group to win a copy of the first four books….signed by me and sealed with a kiss.

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so happy to be in B is for Bondage. The book is Beautiful and it is my first story in an AT edited book!

Hooray.

Nikki Magennis said...

Those are some of the most beautiful covers I've seen. Congratulations Alison, for such a wild and lovely idea! (And girls, for your delicious excerpts.)

Kristina Lloyd said...

"And it was over a table in the Cleis offices in San Francisco when I got the nerve to pitch them."

Alison Tyler, you're incorrigible.

I love these covers. They're so sweet. Do we know what Z is yet? I can only think of Zoophilia. Bet you're not going to tell us, are you? Ah, you're such a tease.

Anonymous said...

Surely, as any Spice Girls knows, Z is for Zig-a-zig-ah!

Vincent Copsey said...

I really want Z to be for Zig-a-zig-ah, now. Maybe then we'll finally know what the hell they were singing about.

And yep, the covers are lovely.

Megan Kerr said...

Lovely lovely luscious! So if A isn't for Anal and B isn't for Bottoms, does it get a look-in anywhere? M for Miner? O for Oops, It Just Slipped I Didn't Mean To Put It There, Honest? Can you do a big alphabet poster as a tie-in? I always forget if O comes before R or vice versa, and where V fits in. (Oral comes before Rippers? On Top comes before Rack?)

On the subject of codified erotic lists - some years ago a girlfriend and I made up the 12 Days of Birthday for a friend whose birthday falls very close to Christmas. To the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas, naturally.

"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
A dripping and juicy pussy..."

Here's the whole thing, from the top:

"On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Twelve inches in...
Eleven cocks a-coming
Ten bags o'wank
Nine fags a-felching
Eight lezzers licking
Seven vestal virgins
Six slappers slapping
Five... golden... showers...
Four sweaty pits
Three anal fucks
Two bouncing breasts
And a dripping and juicy pussy..."

Right, I hope that lot doesn't get the blog flagged...

Anonymous said...

At least now you can be sure that anyone who googles on "Jane Austen" and "anal fucks" in the same search string will be led directly to this blog. : )

Alison Tyler said...

Have to say that I'll never sing that Xmas carol exactly the same way again ("five golden showers" being my new favorite lyric).

I am in love with these covers. Truly. Am finishing up E, F, G, H right now (Exotic, Fetish, Games, Hardcore)... the covers are supposed to be up on Amazon shortly. They are just as fine as these ones. In fact, Exotic may be my favorite so far.

And Z?

Zippers.

XXX,
Alison

Anonymous said...

Aw, that would have been a cool series to submit to. :( Oh well, I guess I could just hope to win one. Besides, I *love* the covers.

May said...

Ooh does that mean you'll apply your red lipstick and plant a kiss on the first page of the book? *g*

Olivia, that's fabulous! Just the thing for a raunchy Christmas party.

Nikki Magennis said...

Alison, Could you do posters? I'd LOVE an alphabet poster with all the little women curling round the letters.

Kristina said...

Best.package.deal.ever.

(Yay! Books!)

Kristina Lloyd said...

Ha - Jeremy just made me laugh out loud. I think I scared the cat. I'll have to try that google in a few days and see if it works.

Has everyone here entered our lovely Valentine's comp? Just checking ... Today's our last day. Click on the big red loveheart in the sidebar and you will be transported, utterly. Last day to enter my Asking for Trouble giveaway too, just a few posts down from this.

Heck, we have 3 giveaways going on right now. This feels good.

And look, there's another Kristina with a K (as people like us are officially called). Everything's multiplying. Weird.

Anonymous said...

Alison I also like the idea of posters and one with all the covers and letters on it would be very nice.

Raymond

Mona said...

Great covers. Congrats Alison

Madeline Moore said...

Oh Alison, I would soooooo like to play with you next time. These are so sweet and adorable looking it's almost surprising how sexy they are.

I know you made the deal with Cleis over the table. My question is, whose desk do I have to have lunch under to get to submit? To the series, of course...

Dayle A. Dermatis said...

Ooh! You quoted my story! What a thrill--thank you!

And I love the idea of posters, too. I hope you like enough of my stories that I can point to the poster and say, "And I have a story in this one...and this one..and Teresa has a story in this one...and then there are these with Mathilde and Shanna stories...!"

Megan Kerr said...

I'm under the desk with Madeline - you can tell by the faint strains of dubious choral works drifting up through the paperwork. (Did anyone else have to sing Gaudeamus Igitur at school? After 'post molestam' we always used to sing 'molest the postman'...)

So, hi, Madeline. Kind of dark under here, isn't it? Whose legs do you think we're looking at?

Madeline Moore said...

Dunno, but whoever owns these legs has got a great set of gams. Hey!Jeez Olivia it won't do you much good to be licking my - kneecap...although it ain't doing me no harm!

Fiona Locke said...

Please tell me S is for...

Alison Tyler said...

Yesssss, yesss, yessss...

S is for Spanking.

Just for you, Fiona. :)

AT

Anonymous said...

I have to confess everytime I buy one of the books you editted I always skip right to your story Alison. Thank you so much for the daily blog, secrets, memories you share with all of us.

~ le

Janine Ashbless said...

It's going to get crowded under that desk... Go on, budge up.

Megan Kerr said...

(To the tune of Gilbert Sullivan's "Three Little Maids")

Three little bards of porn are we,
Under the desk with girlish glee,
Pert as a school-girl, sharp as a bee..
Three little bards of porn...

Three little bards who all are wishin'
Alison might give us permission
To make a most impure submission -
Three little bards of porn...

Alison Tyler said...

Okay, Sweet Olivia,
Write to me... my email link is on my blog (under the view profile part, I think) ... Because I don't know how to reach you!

Cheers,
AT

Madeline Moore said...

Hey,I was here first. Quitcher pushin'...I like the three little bards song...I like the golden showers ditty too...everyone is so clevah, here at lust bites. But back to books - I see Cleis is mentioned in this month's issue of Jane magazine. 'Smut for Smart People'is the name of the article. Also mentioned? Violet Blue. So...are we at the top of our game, here at lust bites, or what?
Now, I've enjoyed this little under the table tete a tete a tete atit but...my knees are achin' so, I am outta here! Alison, I am going to buy every one of your ABC books, right now.

Unknown said...

Lovely covers, lovely subject matter!
Hey-I just realized I have an advantage over most of you lust-biters-I LIVE near San Francisco. Perhaps I can throw myself over the actual desk/table where Alison was?

Actually Alison thought she did have a piece from me for the ABCD's but it was another KP-so funny

Alison Tyler said...

It was bizarre, Kate. But as she was a first-time writer, she ended up changing her pen name so she wouldn't have to compete with you! Crazy thing was that I'd been holding onto her story for about 3 years. She subbed it for Down & Dirty 2, and I wound up using it in "Got a Minute?" I always feel awful when I drag things out like that. I hope authors understand that when I love a piece, I will work my hardest to find a home for it.

Didn't realize you were near SF. I think of you as being in the UK, even though you wrote that you were transplanted to CA!

Okay... enough rambling about nothing. Back to work...
AT

tetewa said...

I love the concept of this series, I'm looking forward to reading them and also love the covers!

Anonymous said...

Whew -- the books look hot! Can't wait to see them! Thanks for the excerpts...

Anonymous said...

"Yes, yes!"

*joins the cheer for posters!*

"Move your ass over!"

*joins the under-the-desk movement*

Anything else I can join today? Hehe.

s.

Alison Tyler said...

I'd be remiss in saying that another Lustbiter, Teresa Noelle Roberts, has a delicious rope bondage story called "Shinju" in B is for Bondage. Here is an excerpt:

Moisture welled between Juliette’s legs. If she were to part them, she was afraid the sensuous liquid would be visible, a gleaming slick on her thighs. But that didn’t matter, because she wasn’t going to part her legs. One of the odd things about this particular tie was that you could stand like a lady in church—head high, legs together, shoulders back—while someone did perverse things to you.

Cheers,
AT

Anonymous said...

Ah, lovely Alison... I had everything crossed that H would be for heels, but I'm coming round to hardcore ;o)
I was wondering whether Cleis are thinking of doing a box set of all 26... wouldn't that be a gorgeous gift for the girl / guy in your life? The poster idea is fabulous -and it would be a lovely treat if it came with the box set... am I getting greedy?

Anonymous said...

It all sounds glorious! Count me in!

Elyse

Anonymous said...

Wow--a boxed set! Can't you just see that as the hottest thing for Valentine's 2009? Maybe lovers could roll a 26-sided die to pick the next book from which to read aloud. : )

Anonymous said...

What wonderful covers! I can't wait to read them. Congrats to the 'cream of the crop' for getting the chance to be in such extraordinary books.

Lotsa love,
Alisha Steele

Emerald said...

I think the alphabet series concept is spectacular and delightful -- with covers to match! Major kudos to AT for coming up with the idea and getting it launched, and, of course, for working so hard now to get them out to her adoring readers. :)

Alison, your editorial/writerly magnificence just doesn't ever seem to waver! ;)

Namaste all,
Emerald

Alison Tyler said...

Thanks, Emerald!
And I've passed on the idea for the poster to Cleis. We'll see what they can do. I LOVE the thought!

AT

Anonymous said...

i've been waiting with dripping um, uh, anyway... for this series to come out since the covers first made there appearance over on miss tyler's blog.
love, love, love!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on quite a unique concept.

I'm in! (there goes that infernal giggling from the back you keep referring to...)

Anonymous said...

I'm all for the posters. The covers are too lovely!

Count me in as well!
x
Holly

Maria, Lover of All Things Romance said...

They sound really hot, count me in

Unknown said...

Alison,

I adore the covers, and love the concept for the books! Did someone say there will be a S is for Spanking book? You gotta love that!

Anonymous said...

This is my first time commenting on this blog, Alison I'm a big fan. Me and my bf have been using some of what you write in your blog to give us ideas. It's defintely broaden our horizons. Thanks.
Also I would LLLLLLOOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEE to be the winner of the books!!!

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness, what an adorable concept. Just what my bookcase needed, a smutty alphabet!

Definitely going to have to look into these.

Anonymous said...

These books look amazing Alison! I LOVE the covers!!

Mai

Anonymous said...

Alison,

Now that your series has provided a warmer and more arousing meaning to each delicious letter of the alphabet, perhaps we need to hunt for more letters, new sounds to trip off our lips as we murmur sweet musings of alphabetic delight.

Joel A. Nichols said...

hi, Alison,

I'm one of those writers who submitted to D&D 2, but much to delight and good fortune, have ended up in C is for Coed (after a non-start in Luscious to boot!). Thanks! I really appreciate your holding on to the story.