Thinking about Nu Fetish

Just a quick note: Fulani’s non-fiction thinkpiece about fetish – specifically about Christopher Cumingham’s Nu Fetish, hence the title ‘What’s Nu?’ – is just out in Erotic Review (dated 24 March 2012).

For those who haven’t been keeping up, Erotic Review is no longer a paid-for electronic magazine but a free website with a whole load of insightful comment on everything from burlesque to obscenity and internet dating to HIV – plus some pretty neat fiction.

Oh, and there’s a long and slightly literary post over at his other blog, Fulanismut, about how erotica’s suddenly become a major publishing genre in its own right.

Sharazade and the 1001 Nights

A friend of ours recently decided to ‘experiment’ with self-publishing. The result is, in her own words, ‘A Short-Favored Thing, But Mine Own’ – and considering her online name and pen-name, Sharazade, are you really surprised she’s called it the 1001 Nights Press?

She has three books out to date, all of them relatively short – around 9000 words, so longer than most short stories but shorter than novella length. One, Good Girl, is her own (it’s also on Amazon.com, Amazon UK and some other places, and includes a second short story with it); the other two, Sharing Lucy and Taking Jennifer, are by James Wood. They’re all e-book only, and  Smashwords offers 10 different formats.

Good Girl appears to be trending rather well at the moment and Sharazade is already known for her book of stories, Transported, as well as contributions to other collections.

James Wood is newly-published, having been writing erotica for quite a while but not putting it out to a paying public. We’ve read Sharing Lucy, which is about a young freelancer who’s pressured by her manager (and lover) to make a business presentation ahead of schedule. However, when she arrives at his office to find him with a good-looking guy who turns out to be the client, she discovers it’s not so much a case of making a “presentation” as being the presentation. Some light bondage and heavy sex with both men follows…

Wood’s writing is, let’s say, rooted in the tropes of erotica from 20-30 years ago. It’s the kind of style that will be familiar to those who read Erotic Review magazine. But that’s not a criticism, and nor is it to say it’s outdated, really. Erotic Review has been undergoing a renaissance recently, since its re-launch as online-only; and anyway, Fulani writes for it. As a story, it has male characters whose attitudes and behaviours are somewhere between cavalier and chauvinist, but that’s perfectly acceptable for a good fantasy. It’s one of the best stories out there of its type and in that kind of style. Wood is certainly someone to watch for in the future.

And if that’s not your thing… well, there’s always M. Christian, with his generally more surreal and outlandish fantasies such as Love Without Gun Control.

So there you go – a heads-up on a new press, a short book review and namechecks for some other writers all rolled into one post.

New on Jane’s Guide!

We’ve just noticed two of our friends have also now appeared in the Jane’s Guide new listings.

Sharazade, Jane’s Guide says, is ‘a professional writer, editor, and consultant that has a real love for writing smoldering erotica that takes its time with the reader.’ Absolutely. Oh, and she has a collection of stories out, ‘Transported’, that are broadly about sex and travel. Well worth reading, and available direct from the publisher, on Smashwords and from several other places – the full list of links is on Sharazade’s blog.

It was Sharazade who first suggested to us that we should submit DeliciouslyDeviant to Jane’s Guide, so it’s hugely gratifying to see her blog listed there as well.

Erotic Review is a ‘London-based literary magazine that publishes original fiction, editorials, reviews, art, and much more … to get a feel for the publication, they allow you to look over three free issues! Other free areas of the site include a blog and a reviews section. Subscribers to the site gain access to all of the back issues (which as of this review included 18 full issues) and 3 entire books from the Erotic Prints Collection. If you enjoy literate smut, this is a great treat to give yourself!’

We have a great fondness for Erotic Review because it was the place that published Fulani’s very first erotic story. It’s had a chequered history and runs on a shoestring. It has a deliberately retro feel in parts – for example in the illustrations and line drawings, though not the photography. Some of the contributors are people like high profile journalists in areas such as political reporting, and who are prepared to go on record with sex-positive and pro-erotica views. Oh, and some of the fiction is pretty deviant.

Founded in 1995 by Jamie Maclean, it went through a number of incarnations and owners until Jamie bought it back and relaunched it in 2007. One amusing personal detail, well-known in London circles and on Wikipedia – Jamie is the son of Sir Fitzroy Maclean, a British secret agent in World War II and reputed to be one of several inspirations for Ian Fleming’s James Bond.

Jamie is on record as saying “I wanted to bring something out that made people think of sex in a more responsible way. Or even an irresponsible way, as long as it made them think.”

While Jamie remains editor, ER is currently owned by his long-term associate and frequent ER contributor Kate Copstick, whose background includes a degree in law and work as an actress, stand-up comedian, journalist, children’s TV presenter, motor racing TV presenter, TV producer, judge at the Perrier comedy awards and patron of an HIV charity. Apart from all that she’s also very out about being bisexual. Perhaps her best-known quote, from the days when she was a presenter of a children’s TV show: “You should see what went on, off-camera, on Playschool: very educational”.

The Independent newspaper has published a couple of articles about ER’s struggles to survive, including the one the Copstick quote comes from and a report that the experiences of one of ER’s former editors, Rowan Pelling, are to be the basis for a Hollywood film. (Incidentally the article describes ER as ‘defunct’, which it clearly isn’t – a mistake the newspaper has made on a couple of occasions now!)

It’s about time Erotic Review did well – so much effort has gone into it over the years, and almost uniquely it has both a mainstream respectability and a transgressive edge, with a combination of both serious and humorous material. So it’s really pleasing to see it now listed at Jane’s Guide.

Fulani story in Erotic Review

Just a quick note that the January issue of Erotic Review (issue 117, the ‘Free Love’ issue) has a story by Fulani, ‘Nostalgia, All over Again’.

Bearing in mind the issue is very sixties-themed, it’s a kind of homage to a little bdsm scenario out of Oh, Calcutta! – and maybe one or two other iconic films, books and plays of that era.

Erotic Review is a subscription-only e-publication, but good value at only £25 for 12 issues. It has a mix of features, provocative thinkpieces, stories, artwork and photoshoots – and even things like erotic crosswords, just to prove it’s classy and upmarket (which it is) and has some intellectual muscle (which it does). Hell, even the twee New Yorker style illustrations, rather than the liberal use of photos, proves it’s not your average ‘erotic’ fare.

If you don’t want to pay the subscription, you’ll have to wait until the story turns up on their free magazine page. However, the three mags on the free page don’t currently include any issues with Fulani’s stories in… so just pay the money!

If you’re really looking for a free story on here, look at the previous posts – and if you’re read those already, you’ll have to wait a day or two for the next one because it’s not finished yet!