Best Erotic Romance Series Debut!

Have you ever tried to herd cats? It’s hard, I tell you.  Getting all those beautiful, headstrong felines to walk in the same direction, to behave and get along…. Whew! Exhausting!

What does herding cats have to do with books?  Well, editing an anthology of erotic romance is a bit like rounding up cats. Finding stories that are beautifully written and complement each other and organizing them in a way that makes the entire book flow naturally is a challenge, to say the least. But it’s a challenge I love and as I was editing my fourth anthology for Cleis Press, I found myself with an added challenge—to not only find stories that blended together well, but to find stories that were the very best of erotic romance.

Best Erotic Romance is the inaugural edition of a new series from Cleis Press. I received so many amazing stories that the challenge became narrowing those wonderful submissions to the seventeen stories I ultimately chose.

Here is my introduction to the collection:

Introduction: Simply the Best

What does it take to be the best? That’s the question I kept in the forefront of my mind as I edited Best Erotic Romance 2012. And so, when I sat down to sift through the submissions, I found myself reading many of the stories two or three times. It’s a complicated process, trying to determine what makes a story the very best of the genre. Obviously, excellent writing and storytelling are key, but I also looked for stories with characters I could believe in and root for. Characters I could fall in love with, just as they were falling in love (or finding ways to stay in love).

I am delighted to present this inaugural collection of Best Erotic Romance, the collection that I hope will set the bar for future editions. These are the stories that touched my heart and ignited my libido, that made me think about the nature of desire and the unpredictability of the human heart. Each of these seventeen stories weaves love and passion so tightly that one cannot be separated from the other. And isn’t that what a lasting relationship is all about? The need for connection and commitment, memories and history—and hot, wanton, uninhibited sex with a partner who knows us better than we know ourselves.

From tales of love (and lust) at first sight, such as Delilah Devlin’s “Drive Me Crazy” and Nikki Magennis’s “Dawn Chorus” to stories of established couples still passionate for each other, such as Andrea Dale’s “Memories for Sale” and Kate Pearce’s “Cheating Time,” the stories in this collection show that true love lasts, real passion never waivers, and lovers who are meant to be will always find their way back to each other. These lovers aren’t afraid of going after what they want, whether it’s long-lost love in “Blame It on Facebook” by Kate Dominic or a hot threesome among a married couple and a female friend in Erobintica’s “Till the Storm Breaks.”

The authors in this collection know that opening one’s heart comes with great risks and often greater rewards and that open communication and a spirit of adventure can make for a scorching sex life. They have created characters who believe all is fair in love and war and who take no prisoners in their quest for emotional and sexual fulfillment. Here you will find lovers exploring their desires in bedrooms, heating things up in the kitchen, splashing around in the bathtub, playing with sex toys, drinking champagne, getting it on in hotel rooms, staying warm in winter cabins, flirting in trucks and bars, making out in the great outdoors, and making love at dawn and midnight—all in the name of that greatest of all human desires: true love.

So, dear reader, I invite you to explore this delicious collection of erotic romance selected especially for you. I think you will find that what makes a story the best of its kind is based on the same intangibles that make people fall in love. It’s magic, I think. And when it comes to love and war, there’s only one thing I know for sure: love wins. Love always wins.

Kristina Wright
In love in Chesapeake, Virginia

This is the kind of book that is a delicious treat at the holidays—or a terrific gift for someone who is new to erotic romance and looking for a sampling of stories. And in that spirit, I would love to send one lucky commenter a copy of Best Erotic Romance! Winner will be selected at noon on Friday, December 23.

Happy holidays to all of you and thanks to Delilah for letting me take over her blog today!