Last-minute radio info

Hey, I now have a direct link to listen to the Coming Together radio program tonight (9:00 to 11:00 p.m. EDT). There's also a chat room, whereby (or within which, if you like to take the "room" metaphor all the way) listeners can submit questions to be hurled at us interviewees!

There's something on the air

I don't have much that's new to say about my upcoming radio appearance, except that now that we're at Saturday, the event has gained the coveted "tomorrow" status! Oh, and I think you may actually get to hear two or three Jeremy readings, rather than just one. (Note: That's two or three Jeremy readings heard individually, not two or three Jeremys reading simultaneously. Though since I'll also be phoning in for a live interview, I suppose I could interrupt myself. But that would be rude.)

Anyway, go here to listen. The program runs from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Sunday 7/27.

Multimedia

I'm being offered in a couple of media formats this week! If you want your Jeremy in a magazine (and you live in the UK), you have your choice of the August issue of Scarlet, which includes my piece "Unruly" (about a woman who gets turned on by petty rule-breaking); or the August issue of Forum (UK), which includes "Do Friends Tickle?" (about how a little mild tickling can spice up a nonrelationship). And though I don't live in the UK, I understand that the newsagents will usually let you buy two magazines at once—so don't feel you have to choose. I believe the August issues of both mags are available nowish or verysoonish. The Scarlet is as pictured here. I don't have an image of the Forum cover, but look for that magic August date.

And if you want your Jeremy in audio format, tune in to the Coming Together radiothon on Passionate Internet Voices Radio, from 9:00pm to 11:00pm Eastern Daylight Time on Sunday, July 27. At some point in the program, you'll hear my prerecorded reading of "The Secret to Perfect Fondue" (which appears in print form in the erotica-for-charity anthology Coming Together: Under Fire, and which is also available as a download—$1.99 for charity—here). In addition, I'll be calling in live to participate in the author interviews.

Erotic fun, yesterday and today

When I say "today," I mean it literally! As I mentioned, I'm assisting Donna George Storey with some fun and games at Lust Bites, at this very moment. (Yes, I can be in two places at once. I do it with mirrors—including one on the ceiling, if you please.) So come on down!*

*From the ceiling.

As for the "yesterday": Well, what I really mean by "yesterday," in this context, is "last Thursday." Because awesome event photographer Stacie, who helped make last Thursday's In the Flesh event a toe-curling success, has given me permission to post this photo of the authors involved (minus Yours Truly, at Yours Truly's request).

Top row, left to right: Scott D. Pomfret, Rachel Shukert, Samara O'Shea, Susan Wright. Front row, left to right: D. L. King, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Anna David. Masturbating under table: Jeremy Edwards.

Lest you think I am just an elaborate hoax: I promise, I really was there! I was even really wearing a fedora. If you don't believe me, ask EllaRegina.

Playing games with Donna

Donna George Storey's Amorous Woman blog tour continues! On Monday, July 21, Donna will be at Lust Bites, where she'll invite readers to get in on the game of love by spending some virtual time checking out Japan's love hotels. (Or should I say "checking in"?) As a guest of the guest, I'll be horning in (ahem) with a game of my own—an interactive cross-pollination of Amorous Woman and Mad Libs, which will provide you with a chance to win a copy of Donna's book!

Snippets and Snacks

Last night's In the Flesh was a smut-writer's idea of a great time! (Well, one idea—I have many "great time" ideas, hence all the erotic writing.)

The Happy Ending Lounge is a groovy place indeed. And from the outset, I had the opportunity to shake booty—sorry! wrong word—shake hands with many people that it was an honor, a pleasure, and a thrill to meet.

Gracious, generous host Rachel Kramer Bussel arrived with shopping bags full of gifts and goodies. Now, if you think wrestling EllaRegina and Mrs. Jeremy for possession of free porn is an easy undertaking, then you obviously weren't there last night. If I hadn't already been in condition, having wrestled Craig Sorensen for possession of Kristina Lloyd's Split this spring, I might not have had a single Penthouse Variations to my name as of this writing.

The place was packed: by the time the entertainment began, we were all cheek to jowl—and our faces were touching as well. Rachel got things going, then turned the mic over to Samara O'Shea. After turning the mic right-side up again, Samara read us erotic, revealing journal entries from Sylvia Plath and Anais Nin (writing separately, of course—as far as I know, the two women were not BFFs). D. L. King shared a riveting sex-in-public story that you can all read soon in Frenzy (ed. Alison Tyler), after which Rachel read a sensuous story from her Spanked anthology (a piece written by Rick Roberts). Scott Pomfret closed the set with some hilarious excerpts detailing the emergence of his identity as a gay-porn-writing Catholic.

After we'd all settled down enough for Rachel to be able to proceed again, we heard a captivating narrative from Rachel Shukert, a tale of a coming-of-age experience replete with vivid details. Then came Anna David's delicious excerpt, which comprised a brace of spontaneous sexual experiences that her protagonist navigates with a delicate ambivalence.

I was next. I explained that I would be reading from the POV of a girl, since the first-person narrator of "Tire Stud," my story in Rachel's Rubber Sex antho, happens to be female. The story, in its complete form, would have been a little too long for this event, so I abridged it by means of a "jump" in the middle. (Fortunately, I'm a pretty good jumper for a man [reading as a woman] my age.) Imagine how shocked the audience was to find, after the jump, that the two characters I'd introduced had hooked up!!!

The reading concluded with erotic fantasy author Susan Wright's rich depiction of a determined eleventh(? I may have the century wrong)-century woman's bold bargain with a ship's captain.

Then we drank and chattered some more, and the club filled up with balloons. (I'm not implying a cause-and-effect relationship between these factors, mind you; I am merely reporting.)

What a splendid evening!

And now, with the cupcake report for Greater Eroticaland, here is the fabulous Mrs. Jeremy. Take it, MJ! (And help yourself to italics, my love—what's mine is yours.)

As promised, there were cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes. Our table of four writers and two hangers-on (I do pride myself on my tenaciousness) received an entire box of Whole Foods mini vanilla cupcakes, which were quite good. But cupcakes were just the beginning, as plates of various snacks were showered on us. Yes, the food came to us, so no unseemly elbowing at the trough was required. Crispy and salty, chewy and chocolaty, and both (lots of chocolate covered pretzels). I particularly approved of the tiny peanut butter cups. Rachel even handed out entire bags of snacks as prizes for triva. One question was the title of Jeremy's story, but I had to recuse myself, alas. (I'm tempted to call him Mr. Jeremy to match my own moniker, but that would just be silly, wouldn't it?) A lovely evening all around! Thank you, Rachel.

In New York? Let's Spend the Night Together!

Just a reminder to those in NYC that the night—tonight!—was made for erotica. That's In the Flesh, 8:00 p.m. at Happy Ending Lounge. I'm guessing the venue is air conditioned; so why shell out for a movie on a hot night when you can watch frisky writers like me talk dirty for free? (And why pay $14.00 a gallon for popcorn when you can have free cupcakes?)

Salient (and salacious) details here.

In the Flesh: Thursday!

Author's notebook: The first through third drafts of the post title read "Thursday: In the Flesh!" But on the fourth draft, I found I wasn't quite satisfied with this. I showed it to my wife, and she thought it was fine; but something still didn't sit right. Then, while I was letting the title gel, I happened to see a post on someone else's blog called "Monday: What I Had for Lunch," and so now, on top of everything else, I was afraid people would think I was plagiarizing—though in reality I came up with my title before reading the other one. At that point I decided to get some sleep before attempting further revisions. When I woke up this morning, "In the Flesh: Thursday!" just popped into my head. I'm so pleased I'll probably take the rest of the day off.

This is a public service reminder (or maybe a "private service reminder," since to some extent it's self-serving) that I will be reading on Thursday, July 17, as part of the "In the Flesh" erotic readings series in New York! (Reading aloud, that is—I don't mean I'll be sitting in the corner of the bar, absorbed in a novel.)

The lineup, you ask? In alphabetical order by first name? Anna David; D. L. King; Jeremy Edwards (yoohoo!); host Rachel Kramer Bussel; Rachel Shukert; Samara O’Shea; Scott Pomfret; and Susan Wright.

Not only is admission free, but free candy and cupcakes will be in the offing! (I believe the offing is just off the room in which we'll be reading—hence the name.)

In the Flesh will take place on Thursday, July 17 at 8 p.m. at Happy Ending Lounge, 302 Broome St., NYC. Click here for more details!

As you might imagine, I'm thrilled to be on the program! If you're in the area and up for some sex (in prose form) in public on a hot summer night, I hope you'll make the scene.

Amorous Woman on my doorstep

[Note: For the story behind this story, go here and here.]

When I enthusiastically signed up for the blog tour celebrating Donna George Storey’s erotic masterpiece, Amorous Woman, I thought I’d be interviewing the author.

But though the woman here with me today looks a little bit like Donna, this character—and I use the term advisedly—has something more ... fictitious about her.

In fact, my guest is Lydia—the unforgettable protagonist of Amorous Woman, an adventurous yet vulnerable American whose sensuous, lonely, and complex sexual odyssey through Japan are the raw materials for Donna’s artistry. Apparently, Lydia got tired of letting her creator get all the attention for telling her story. So she bolted from the book, headed off into the blogosphere, and insisted that I entertain her here, in the fictional flesh.

How could I turn down an offer like that?

Jeremy
I’ve never interviewed a fictional character before. What’s the etiquette? (Like, do I have to keep my clothes on?)

Lydia
Well, Jeremy, as you know, my “odyssey” has made me into a much more thoughtful and compassionate person. I noticed on your blog you like to hang out with nothing but your boxers on with a fedora draped over your knee, so if you’re most comfortable that way, by all means, strip down. I’ve seen naked men before—LOTS of naked men—and I can handle it ;-)

Jeremy
Thank you—that’s much better. Pardon me a moment while I retrieve my notebook from my boxers.

Okay, first question: As I’m sure you’re aware, Donna is a very gifted writer. Tell us how her portrayal of you gave you insights into your own needs and behavior.

Lydia
“Gifted” writer? Hmm, to give credit where credit is due, the old girl did put in a lot of time at the computer on this project. The poor thing downed so many Diet Snapples during those dawn writing sessions, I was worried for her. Worse than opium, absinthe and cigarillos, that stuff. But the truth is—and getting in touch with the truth is another thing I learned from my amorous journey—Donna’s “talent” involved listening to ME. True, she forced me to sit down and tell her everything. That alone definitely helped me put my adventures in perspective. Telling all made me realize that when I was back in Japan I let my desires trump common sense most of the time. Okay, maybe all of the time. With each encounter I usually thought I wanted sex. Rolling around naked with a hot man, juicing up the sheets, screaming my throat raw when my head explodes in one of those full-body orgasms—what’s not to like about that? But I realize now I was looking for other things at the same time. I’m not going to tell you what those things were, you have to read the book. But I will say Donna was like a therapist for me in that sense--and she didn’t even charge me! Still, I am a rather restless person and it’s time to “graduate” from therapy, cut loose a little.

Jeremy
Were there junctures at which you had to redirect the author? Moments at which you felt you had to assert elements of your internal logic over things you didn’t “feel” in the plot outline? (Did she even show you the synopsis when she was preparing the book proposal, or did she send you to the movies that day?)

Lydia
Donna and I were pretty much in sync, but she did have some problems with the male characters. Men are always mucking up the best laid plans. There were two guys in particular who refused to follow the script. One is Masaru, the charming bad boy. He was always trying to improvise. He didn’t like some of his lines and I agree that the versions he insisted on sounded much better. Come to think of it, I am actually rather pissed at Donna for what she did to him, it could be one of the reasons I just had to get away--but that’s for another interview. The real surprise was Dr. Shinohara, the elegant dentist. I mean first of all, who ever thought a dentist could be so sexy? Back in Washington D.C. my dentist was this horse-faced guy with hairy hands who was always asking me stupid questions when my mouth was wedged open. Annoying as hell. Dr. Shinohara, on the other hand, was one of those courteous gentlemen with lovely cheekbones who just oozed wisdom. Plus, he was HOT. Our stereotype of the Japanese male over here is ridiculous, but believe me, I’ve met some spellbindingly seductive fellows. Dr. Shinohara was one and, well, he had a mind of his own. He just refused to follow the script and took his pleasure with me in his own special way.

Jeremy
Since, as a fictional character, you’re not constrained by time and space, I imagine you can relive your favorite moments at will. What’s your favorite moment, among those related in the book?

Lydia
There are plenty of moments I like to relive when I’m alone and feeling a twinge, if you know what I mean. The hairbrush scene, the hot spring scene, “around the world” with Masaru—a very creative man in bed. But if you’re going to make me choose just one moment, it’s the encounter with the luscious Dr. Shinohara I was just talking about. It’s been twenty-four years and his touch still lingers. Mmm, excuse me, how much longer is this interview going to take? With all of this talk about my past lovers, I’m starting to feel a few twinges right now….

Jeremy
I’ll try to talk faster. What’sitlikeforyouwhenDonnareadsfromAmorousWomaninpublic?

Lydia
Jeremy, dear, I’ve willingly choreographed and performed a live sex show in front of dozens of drunk men at a year-end party—do you even need to ask? When Donna reads, or rather, when she channels me at her readings, I get to tell my story again. It was great fun doing it for those two handsome California boys in Amorous Woman and it was fun to do it at The Booksmith in San Francisco a few weeks ago. I’ve got plans for appearances in LA and New York and I can’t wait to parade around naked—maybe I should get back home for those. Exhibitionism is obviously one of my vices, not that there aren’t plenty of others. Fortunately, Donna always chooses a nice, juicy scene, like the threesome with the prostitute at the Imperial Hotel. I could live that one over and over again!

Jeremy
I know our readers will want a “bonus.” Can you relate any of your sexy exploits that didn’t make it into the novel, because of space constraints? (I promise I won’t tell Donna.)

Lydia
Donna was in a bit of a rush to get me to Japan, so she left out some pretty spicy scenes from my days at Princeton. Most people think Ivy Leaguers spend all of their time in the library studying to be dentists, but they do other things in the library, too, that would make those library ladies faint.

Jeremy
Not the library ladies I know.

Lydia
Oh, yes? You have to give me their names. Anyway, back to your question, I did fairly well academically, but I got an A+ in extracurricular sex. My boyfriends there were willing to try anything. We tied each other to those bunk beds with my pantyhose, blindfolded each other with scarves, annointed each other’s bodies with Thomas Sweets’ ice cream and chocolate sauce. College was training for all the things I did in Japan, but I understand Donna writes short stories, too, and I think she lifted some of my experiences for those. I don’t begrudge her. Writers are thieves, after all.

Jeremy
[Sotto voce] Let’s not get insulting, now—I mean, there may be some actual thieves reading this, and they might take umbrage at such a comparison.

Next question: Do large groups of fictional characters from across the entire history of literature ever get together for monster parties when we mortals aren’t looking? Is there a particular convention center you guys favor, or do you like to spread it around?

Lydia
How did you know? Of course we do, and just for the record, we include memoirists because over here even they’ll admit what they’ve written is fiction. I’ve partied with Anais Nin and Henry Miller, Fanny Hill of course. And the original Amorous Woman, Oharu. She’s a REAL character. Sometimes—and I know you’re waiting for this confession—the clothes come off and we couple in every imaginable way, our bodies twisted into pretzels of yin-yang depravity. Why not? It’s all safe sex here in Fictionland. As for location, should you want to join in, which I know you do, you can find us wherever things are happening, Paris, the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. I suppose I should add that not all parties are as amusing or sweaty as ours. Some of these people are as stuffy and humorless offstage as they are on. Mr. Causabon from Middlemarch? Still a pill, although Dorothea and Will Ladislaw and I had a very nice threesome once. Beneath those petticoats, she hid a passion that surprised me…

Jeremy
[To himself, as he writes in his address book] Im ... perial ... Hotel.

So now that you’ve told us what you get up to with other characters, could you describe your ideal date with a devoted reader?

Lydia
Everyone thrives on attention, Jeremy, you won’t deny it’s true for you. For me it’s even more important—attention literally brings me to life. I adore my readers. I’ll do anything for them, and I do mean ANYTHING. Pick your scene, come on over to my Japan, take any role you please. My lovely readers can be me and I’ll whisper directions in their ears—rise up from the water now, take your breasts in your hands, turn and show him your shapely ass, tease that sucker until he’s panting like a dog. Or they’re welcome to take the part of my lovers and do all of those nasty-but-very-nice things to me. In that regard, I’m still very easy….

Jeremy
And, speaking of attention ... I know that the public is already clamoring for a sequel. Are you available, if Donna makes you an offer?

Lydia
It would have to be a damned good offer, but I’d consider it in the future if my co-stars are worth bedding. For now I’m having a bit too much fun relaxing and hanging out in Kyoto with my buddies from Amorous Woman. Sleeping my way around Japan was EXHAUSTING. Pass the sake, would you? And it was a true pleasure talking with you, Jeremy. Those boxers suit you. But I have to be going. I’m not quite ready to settle down yet….

Interviewed by Ashley!

I'm so honored to be the interview subject (or, since I'm the interviewee rather than the interviewer, do I mean "object"? or maybe "gerund"? "adverbial phrase"?) ... anyway, I am truly honored that the legendary Ashley Lister has interviewed me for the July installment of his "Between the Lines" column at the Erotica Readers & Writers Association website! I always love reading Ashley's various columns at ERWA—he's a paragon of writerly wisdom and dazzling wit—and it's a thrill to be the subject—er, to be his guest in one of them. The interview is about the writing process for my story "Impressionism," in which an art dealer arranges a few special, ahem, exhibits.

For those not already familiar with ERWA: It's a wonderful, free resource that is an immense boon to the erotic writing (and reading) community. I visit constantly for the reviews, the comprehensive listings of submissions opportunities, and of course the variety of terrific articles. This month, for example, in addition to those by Ashley, you'll find columns by Hanne Blank, Amie M. Evans, Ann Regentin, Jean Roberta, and Donna George Storey.