Monday, April 01, 2013

Full-Metal Orgasm!

(from M.Christian's Teachnorotica)


This is exceptionally cool! I am very jazzed to be in the newest issue of Full-Metal Orgasm - with a piece on sex in science fiction. Here's a tease - and for the issue itself you can order it on amazon ... and be sure and check out Full-Metal Orgasm's tumblr!


Science Friction: 
A Slightly-Snarky Look At Sex In Science Fiction ... 
And Why It Hasn't Been Good But It'll Get Better

Heeellllooo, Future! 

Sure, we might not have jet packs or food pills but, come on, look around – go ahead, we'll wait...

You done?  Come on, admit it: this is the fuckin' future: cell phones with more computing power than (the good half) of Einstein's grey matter, access to just about every book ever written ... and, more importantly, every episode of Star Trek (including the animated one) just a finger-swipe or mouse click away; self-driving cars self-driving themselves just around the corner; actually, honestly, good Dr. Who episodes; apps than can tell us in a second what took Kepler, Galileo, Tycho, and all the rest of those wonderfully-bearded astronomers their entire lives to learn; we have robots scruttling over Mars, poing under rocks for life; little blue pills that can raise even the most flacid of bridges; plastic breasts; genital cosmetic surgery; totally outraegous porn as easily found as Star Trek ... and even - gasp - a black President.

Gay marriage is working its way to being totally legal, and - best of all - no big deal; and ganja fans will soon be able to .... what was I writing about?  Oh, that's right: before you know it weed will also be totally legal, and - best of all (again) – no big deal.

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Sex Sells - How To Write And Sell Erotica: Now With Brown Paper Tickets!

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)


Remember how I mentioned that I was going to sign up for Brown Paper Tickets - so folks can RSVP and re-pay for my events?  Well - ta-da- here's the link so anyone can book early for my upcoming Sex Sells: How To Write & Sell Erotica class for the wonderful Center For Sex And Culture next month!


Sex Sells: How To Write & Sell Erotica
Saturday, April 13th from 10:00AM to 1:00PM
$20
The market for erotic fiction and nonfiction is booming! There actually is a secret to writing great erotica - and you'll discover just what that is in this fun, hands-on workshop with well-known erotica writer and teacher M.Christian.  For the beginning writer, erotica can be the ideal place to begin writing, getting published, and - best of all - earning money. And for the experienced writer, erotica can be an excellent way to beef up your resume and hone your writing skills. M.Christian will review the varieties of personal and literary expression possible in this exciting and expanding field. He'll also teach you techniques for creating love and sex scenes that sizzle.  Plus: current pay rates, how to write for a wide variety of erotic genres, where and how to submit your erotic writing, and more.

I'm Teaching Sensual Caning For Fantasy Makers!

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)


This is wonderful: I'm going to be teaching Sensual Caning: How To Use The Rod In New And Exciting Ways for the celebrated FantasyMakers Academy on Sunday, April 14, 2013, from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.  

Here's the info:

Fantasy Makers Academy


Directions will be sent to confirmed guests by MzGrayce - MzGrayce@gmail.com


Cost: $20 per individual guest and $15 each for additional partner.


Dress code: Discrete on the street and comfortable once you're inside.


Description:   
The cane is one of those 'legendary' BDSM toys that is far too often used with dramatic flare - rather than erotic effectiveness. In this very special class, cane wielders will learn the difference between using a rod as a prop and, instead, how to use various types of cane (wood versus plastic, thin versus thick, etc) to send the receiver to new erotic heights. With this unique - and sensual - technique even those scared of the rod will be enticed to being on the receiving end of the not-so-scary cane.

About M.Christian:
M. Christian has been an active participant in the San Francisco BDSM scene since 1988, and has been a featured presenter at the Northwest Leather Celebration, smOdyssey, the Center For Sex and Culture, The National Sexuality Symposium, QSM, San Francisco Sex Information, The Citadel, The Looking Glass, The Society of Janus, The Floating World, Winter Solstice, and lots of other venues. He has taught classes on everything from impact play, tit torture, bondage, how to write and sell erotica, polyamory, cupping, caning, and basic SM safety.

M. Christian is also a recognized master of BDSM erotica with more than 400 stories in such anthologies as Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, Best Bisexual Erotica, Best Fetish Erotica, and many other anthologies, magazines, and other sites; editor of 2t anthologies such as the Best S/M Erotica series, Pirate Booty, My Love For All That Is Bizarre: Sherlock Holmes Erotica, and more; the collections Dirty Words, The Bachelor Machine, Love Without Gun Control, Rude Mechanicals, and more; and the novels Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Me2, Finger's Breadth, Brushes, and Painted Doll. His site is www.mchristian.com
 

PLEASE NOTE

Our venue is small and seating is limited, so even if you've joined us before please respect our limits by insuring you are on our RSVP list FOR THIS EVENT.

Everyone needs to do this please - contact mzgrayce@gmail.com

Once the spaces are filled we will maintain a waiting list in case of last minute changes. Directions will be given to confirmed guests.

If you haven't heard from MzGrayce that you have been added to the RSVP list for this event your place is not being held. This event listing is informational only and not a confirmation source. Thank you for your understanding and attention to details in advance.

If cost is prohibitive please contact us to discuss a fee waiver.


Monday, March 25, 2013

Coming up: Sex Sells: How To Write & Sell Erotica

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)


Just a little advanced announcement that I'm going to be teaching my very well-received Sex Sells: How To Write & Sell Erotica class for the wonderful Center For Sex And Culture next month!

(btw, I'm playing with setting up a Brown Paper Tickets account for early sales, so stay tuned on that as well)

Here are the details:

Sex Sells: How To Write & Sell Erotica
Saturday, April 13th from 10:00AM to 1:00PM
$20
The market for erotic fiction and nonfiction is booming! There actually is a secret to writing great erotica - and you'll discover just what that is in this fun, hands-on workshop with well-known erotica writer and teacher M.Christian.  For the beginning writer, erotica can be the ideal place to begin writing, getting published, and - best of all - earning money. And for the experienced writer, erotica can be an excellent way to beef up your resume and hone your writing skills. M.Christian will review the varieties of personal and literary expression possible in this exciting and expanding field. He'll also teach you techniques for creating love and sex scenes that sizzle.  Plus: current pay rates, how to write for a wide variety of erotic genres, where and how to submit your erotic writing, and more.





Saturday, March 23, 2013

Welcome To Weirdsville: Some of the Biggest Spills And Accidents

(from M.Christian's Meine Keline Fabrik)


 This is exceptionally cool: a brand new piece I wrote for Dark Roasted Blend - on Some of the Biggest Spills And Accidents - just went up. Check out the teaser below - and for the full thing just click here.

And, don't forget, I have an entire book of this stuff available right now: Welcome To Weirdsville!


Some of the Biggest Spills And Accidents

"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes." -Oscar Wilde

What makes this quick look at ten big-time spills, accidents, and boo-boos especially scary is that they far too often involve stuff that you’d think we'd be taking extra-extra-extra special care with: industrial waste, nuclear weapons, molasses, and - more shocking than anything else - beer.

Even though evolution has graced us homo sapiens with two of them, the briefest glances at the history of extremely large scale accidents is more than enough to make us wonder if we should be sporting nothing but thumbs.

10. The Demon Core

It seems as soon as mankind started splitting them, we've been letting atoms slip through our fingers. Even putting aside the sad irony of Marie Sklodowska-Curie dying by her own discovery of radioactivity, our earliest attempts to harness the power of atomic energy are filled with shuddering tales of glow-in-the-dark slip-ups.



Back in 1945, when the scientists of the Manhattan Project were first banging blocks of uranium together, there was a nightmarishly series of accidents involving what - very aptly - came to be called The Demon Core.



Basically just a little-less-then 15 pound ball of plutonium, in August 21, the core went first went demonic when Harry Daghlian accidentally dropped a brick of tungsten carbide into it. Heroically, Harry managed to pull the brick out - avoiding a supercritical reaction - but died shortly thereafter from radiation poisoning.



A few months later, on May 21st, Louis Slotin tried to – and if this doesn't make you shiver then nothing will - "tickle the dragon's tail' by basically pushing the core as far as they could ... his only safety feature being a carefully inserted screwdriver.



All it took was for that well thought-out safety feature to slip and the core went momentarily supercritical: as with Daghlian, Slotin managed to prevent a chain reaction, but fatally dosed himself - and exposed eight other people nearby with enough radiation to seriously shorten their lifespans.



9. The Kyshtym Disaster

American scientists weren't the only ones fumbling and bumbling with nuclear power. On the other side of the world, the Soviets were racing with mad abandon to catch up with their counterparts ... emphasis on the phrase "mad abandon."




In the closed science city of Ozyorsk, they built the vast plutonium manufacturing plant of Mayak. Unfortunately, they were more-than-a-bit fumbling in the dark when it came to nuclear power, and on September 29th, 1957 a radioactive waste tank exploded. While the blast itself was impressive - it tossed the tank's 160 ton lid completely off - the release of toxic materials contaminated the region, resulting in an estimated 8,000 deaths.



What's particularly surreal about the The Kyshtym Disaster is that it didn't officially exist: the Soviets simply erased not just the accent but the town itself. The name "Kyshtym Disaster" is used because Ozyorsk and Mayak were erased from all subsequent maps and Kyshtym just happened to be the closest landmark.



If that makes you shake your head, keep shaking: there are reports that while the Soviets made Ozyorsk and Mayak "go away" the CIA knew of the disaster but kept the information secret to protect the US's own nuclear power industry.

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Friday, March 22, 2013

Rainbow Reviews Likes Me2

(from M.Christian's Queer Imaginings)


Very cool review from Ryes from Rainbow Reviews about my queer horror/thriller Me2:
He looks just like you. He acts exactly like you. Every day he becomes more and more like you, taking away that what was yours until there's nothing left. You may think you've met your match ~ or your double ~ but that's not even close.
Me2 is a psychological thriller about self and identity, written in a unique and interesting structure. The book starts off with an unnamed narrator who works at Starbucks. The narrator mentally labels the Starbucks customers by the flavor/cup sizes of the coffee they order and the personalities he associates with those coffees. This is not different from the way he views the world in terms of brand names. His description of himself also doesn't distinguish him from other men like him. His daily activities are routine, and he even gives his looks a name: a Boy of Summer look.
One of his Starbucks customers tells him about aliens, or clones, amongst us. They blend in with everyone else so you can't tell them apart. He starts wondering if there's someone out there trying to copy him in order to blend in. Suddenly, he starts seeing himself everywhere, and he's not sure why. Parts of the book read like dream sequences as his paranoia grows and he confuses small details like which car is his and which house is his.
The idea planted in his head about doubles and clones begins to consume all his thoughts and he comes to the conclusion that people really are copying details of himself to take over his life. As a result of all this, he begins questioning his identity and wondering what makes him different and what makes him an individual in a world operated by brand names and labels.
Me2 is set up with eleven chapters and three epilogues. Each of the chapters are titled (in order) "Me," "Me2," "Me3," "Me4," etc. The narrator of each chapter is not necessarily the same one from the previous chapters. The epilogues lead up to the publication of this novel, with an amusing letter from the editor to M. Christian (or whoever wrote this book).
Me2 is a well-written and well-thought out take on the issue of identity, and Christian writes with gripping and clear prose. He delivers the "horror" aspect without fail and executes a wonderful build-up. Me2 is an excellent novel that provokes thought and introspection; highly recommended.

I'm Quick & Dirty!


I'm thrilled to be part of my great pal Maxim Jakubowski's brand new anthology Quick & Dirty Erotica! 
Over 130 of the very best short pieces of erotica writing are complied here for a steamy and sensual read of “quickies” in 1,500 words or less, from some of the best loved writers in the field. Fans of The Mammoth Book of the Best New Erotica are sure to enjoy this exciting and edgy new collection.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Fantastic News From A Fantastic Publisher!

Okay, I might be just a tad prejudiced (as I'm also extremely fortunate to be an Associate Publisher for them) but my all-time favorite publisher, Renaissance E Books/Sizzler Editions, has just announced a total and complete and utterly amazing rebuild of their home site. 

Stay tuned - you will be absolutely amazed!



Visitors To Sizzler Editions Will See The Following 
Until April 1, When We Open Our New Site!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Thinking Outside Your Box - On KD Grace's Blog!

This is very, very cool: check out a brand new article/essay fun-thing I wrote for the wonderful KD Grace's blog!

Here's a tease, for the rest just click here.


 Thinking Outside Your Box...
Or Writing Isn't Always About Writing

Sure, we may all want to just cuddle in our little garrets, a purring pile of fur in our laps, leather patches on our sleeves, a pipe at the ready, and do nothing but write masterpieces all day and night – with periodic breaks for binge-drinking and soon-to-be legendary sexual escapades – but the fact of the matter is that being a writer has totally, completely, changed.

I’m not just talking about the need to be a marketing genius and a publicity guru – spending, it feels too often, more time tweeting about Facebook, or Facebooking about tweeting, than actually writing – but that authors really need to be creative when it comes to not just getting the word out about their work but actually making money.

A lot of people who claim to be marketing geniuses and publicity gurus will say that talking about you and your work as loud as possible, as often as possible, is the trick … but have you heard the joke about how to make money with marketing and PR? Punchline: get people to pay you to be a marketing genius and/or a publicity guru. In short: just screaming at the top of the tweety lungs or burying everyone under Facebook posts just won’t do it.

Not that having some form of presence online isn’t essential – far from it: if people can’t find you, after all, then they can’t buy your books. But there’s a big difference between being known and making everyone run for the hills – or at least stop up their ears – anytime you say or do anything online.

Balance is the key: don’t just talk about your books or your writing because, honestly, very few people care about that … even your readers. Instead find a subject that interests you, and write about that as well. Give yourself some dimension, some personality, some vulnerability, something … interesting, and not that you are not just an arrogant scream-engine of me-me-me-me. Food, travel, art, history, politics … you pick it, but most of all have fun with it. Forced sincerity is just about as bad as incessant narcissism.

Okay, that’s all been said before, but one thing a lot of writers never think about is actually getting out from behind their computers  or out of their garret to take in the opening to this. Sure, writing may far too often be a solitary thing, but putting yourself out there in the (gasp) real world  can open all kinds of doors. I’m not just talking publicity-that-can-sometimes-equal-book-sales, eithe. There’s money to be made in all kinds of far-too-often overlooked corners.

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Reminder: Thinking Outside Your Box: Creative Adult Marketing

(from M.Christian's Classes And Appearances)


This is going to be a LOT of fun:


Thinking Outside Your Box: Creative Adult Marketing
Tuesday, March 19, 7:00PM - 10:00PM

Center For Sex And Culture
1349 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
$20
Let's face facts, folks: the adult business world has totally, completely changed – marketing and advertising tricks that used to work simply don't anymore ... which is why, more than ever, thinking outside the box is key to raising above the rest. Twitter? Tumblr? Live Streaming? Facebook? While there are a lot of options, many of the techniques that a lot of gurus and experts say only really work for experts and gurus ... and not for most people. 
In this fun and provocative lecture you'll learn to learn the differences between what other people say you should do and what actually works – including when to play by the rules and when not to, how to rise above the rest, and how to manage your marketing time and dollars.

Thursday, March 14, 2013