Amy Barnes's blog

It was such a delight to see Tristan Taormino's status message on Facebook: "Who wants to review my book?"

I do! I do!

Quiver generously provided me with a copy, pictured above. The clever use of actual sex toys within the book cover's text gives a glimpse of the lighthearted nature Taormino takes to the subject matter. Sex toys are presented as a matter of fact, not as a "novelty."  However, this book is absolutely for novices.

With chapters on sexual anatomy, reasons for sex toy use, and shopping, this book places itself squarely within the realm of "First How-To Book." For that purpose, it's wonderful. Those who wish to learm more about sex toys before purchasing, or who want to get over squeamishness or shame issues will enjoy this book thoroughly. All sorts of toys are discussed at length, and in a pleasant, educational way. The tone of the book is straightforward and joyful. It was a pleasure to read: easy, direct prose coupled with a gorgeous layout and short chapters. The range of sex toys covered is comprehensive.

Next week is Read an eBook Week! I think  you should read one to your lover, personally. March 7 - 13 is designated as the time frame.

Of course, we read eBooks all the time around here. And with Apple's release of the iPad this month, I predict ebooks will become even more popular. I've read that Steve Jobs imagines the iPad will help Apple get back into the education market, and I can see this happen easily: textbooks can become rich, interactive experiences.

Do you use an eReader? Our stories are all  in .pdf format right now, so if your reader can handle that, you can take your erotica will you. I'm working on formatting everything in ePub, as well. Please let me know in the comments what you think of that choice.

Tell a friend to read an eBook next week, and thanks for your continued support.

Click here to view the ebook trailer for "Love on the Side of the NJ Turnpike."  Lux Zakari is amazing! Not only does she write high-quality shexy shtories, but she makes videos, too! It's awesome--thanks, Lux!

Paper Bag Press will be 1 year old on February 14, 2010!  How will we celebrate? By giving away two erotic short stories to every account holder!

Don't have an account? Just click "Login" at the left, and you will see a tab to create a new account. Sign up for an account, and that's it! That's all you have to do.

On February 14, you can then celebrate with us by enjoying your erotic short story--with yourself, or someone you love. How incredibly appropriate! Happy Birthday to us!

Please spread the word--via Twitter and Facebook, or on your personal blog. Thanks for helping us celebrate!

Please consider writing in Paper Bag Press at the Preditors and Editors Reader's Poll. At the bottom of the list, you can write in our name, and also give a link. Please use this link:

http://www.paper-bag-press.com

Thanks for spreading the love!

Our own Stephanie Bryant received high praise in a review for "Hunter," her vampire story published right here at Paper Bag Press. Of course, i was not surprised at all--she rocks. I promised  to publish only the highest-quality erotica, and now you can see I'm not the only one who thinks so about this story.

From the review:

"A tantalizing short-story from a vivid writer, “Hunter” is one great read. I can’t believe it was only fifty pages - the author packed so much into it. I hope she continues Haley and David’s tale, and I plan to be on the lookout for more of this woman’s work."

Enjoy the entire review here.

Buy the story here.

This post is quite long. If you haven't got the time, come back later, maybe? I have been encouraged by EPIC to share this open letter. Please feel free to re-post it as you see fit.

***

This week, we are publishing:

"Love on the Side of the NJ Turnpike"

and

"Rites of Spring, Ch. 2."

Squee! Stay tuned!

Banned Books Week is next week! There are many ways to celebrate, but might I recommend reading one of our fine stories on this site?

Another way to celebrate is to write a dirty story yourself. Submit it to us here.

What are your favorite banned books?

You read that right. Paper Bag Press is looking for the highest-quality erotic short stories on the planet. Specifically, we need more lesbian erotica.

Why not niche it up? We want lesbian SUPERHERO erotica. Who would a lesbian superhero thwart? Who would she love? What trouble would she get into, during the course of her exhausting, feminist, crime-fighting days?

You tell me.

Stories from 5,000 - 10,000 words are encouraged. We have boutique pricing and an incredibly author-friendly contract.

Our submissions FAQ is here: https://www.paper-bag-press.com/pages/submissions-faq

Our submissions portal is here: http://submissions.paper-bag-press.com/

We wanna read about the womyn!