The year in review

Posted by Stella Harris in Uncategorized

Sure, everyone gets contemplative this time of year, but I think a look back can also be very valuable. Knowing where we’ve been helps us figure out where we’re going.

At the beginning of 2012 I pledged to take my writing more seriously, focus on getting published, and try to make a career out of being a writer.

With that goal in mind, it’s been an incredible year:

  • My story Fanboys was published in The Boys Club.

  • My story Blindside was published in Like it or Not.

  • I got to meet Chuck Palahniuk

  • My sex life was blogged about by one of my favorite erotica authors.

  • My story Turnabout was published in Felt Tips.

  • I have several upcoming releases including The Big Book of Bondage and Sudden Sex.

  • I’m editing an anthology for Storm Moon Press called Missed Connections. (You’ve still got a couple of days to submit!) It will be released in May of 2013 and putting it together is going to be a huge adventure!

  • Overall, I’ve had 12 stories accepted in 2012 which includes 10 anthologies and one website. Some of those I haven’t been able to announce yet – and that means 2013 is already shaping up to be a great year!

Looking towards 2013 I know I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’ve made a number of resolutions and I look forward to being able to write a very exciting year in review in twelve months.

Thank you for being with me on this journey.

xoxo,
Stella

Stranger than fiction

Posted by Stella Harris in Uncategorized

About a month ago I tweeted a picture of myself reading in a bathtub. It happened to be one of Alison Tyler’s (wonderful) books. She saw the tweet, loved the picture, and asked if she could post it to her blog. I enthusiastically agreed.

An email discussion ensued, where I explained the circumstances that led to my reading her book, in a bathtub, wearing a dress. She was just as tickled with the story as she was with the picture. You can read the whole story over on her blog today.

I’ve gotta say, it gives me a special kind of surreal thrill that my actual sex life is being blogged about by one of my favorite erotica authors. Truth is stranger than fiction indeed.

While we’re talking about Alison Tyler, this seems like a great time to remind you I’m in two of her upcoming anthologies. The Big Book of Bondage and Sudden Sex. Both can be preordered now!

xoxo,
Stella

Fanciful inspiration for Missed Connections

Posted by Stella Harris in Missed Connections

The deadline for Missed Connections is just about a month away – hopefully your stories are nearing completion!

But in case you, like me, sometimes wait until the last minute to write a story, I thought I’d send some more inspiration your way.

I saw this article yesterday and it really got the wheels in my mind turning. So many possibilities!

Really, go take a look, I’ll wait.

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Back now? Can you imagine the possibilities for Missed Connections from a place that might not even exist? It boggles the mind. There are so many directions to take an idea like that. And I’m giving you this one for free.

So go, my lovelies, and write! I can’t wait to read your amazing stories.

xoxo,
Stella

Guest Post: Sommer Marsden’s Lion Hearted

Posted by Stella Harris in Guest Post

Sommer Marsden is one of the first names I encountered when I set foot in the world of erotica. When I saw that I would be sharing the pages of a book with her (The Big Book of Bondage – out on January 15th) I squealed with delight. I’ve since learned that not only is she a fantastic writer, she is a lovely person, too.

That’s why I’m so delighted she’s stopping by my blog today to promote her new book, Lion Hearted.

About Lion Hearted:

Tryg Avondale is the muscle for his pride, and when he’s called upon to hunt down two missing teens, he sees the job for what it is – a chance to give his pride a break from him and his “nature”. Tryg is a gay lion and it’s not something his “family” seems to embrace.

He takes with him Luke Dorchester – an empath and the perfect travel companion. Luke can feel and soothe every emotion that coils deep inside Tryg, and the sex between them is the hottest Tryg has ever known. Tryg has no intention of letting his emotions go any further when it comes to this brand new man. But he also has zero intention of letting him go. What follows is a road trip from campground to campground, hot nights in hotel rooms and close encounters spent together as they follow the scent of the two abducted shifters. A scent that takes them to Divination Falls, a haven for shifters and associated magical folk; a place where an old evil will surface and Tryg will learn just how far his love for lion-hearted Luke must take him.

Are you excited yet? I know I am!

Hungry for more? Read an excerpt…

HUMP!

Posted by Stella Harris in Uncategorized

I went to a showing of the HUMP! festival last night and had an amazing time. What really made it for me was the overall energy of the show – both on the screen and in the audience.

It warms my heart to see joy and diversity brought to porn and sex, not to mention laughter. So much of the public discourse on sex is tarnished with shame… even in largely liberal areas there seem to be a great many taboos.

HUMP! reminded me of what I try to do with all of my writing; put positive representations of all kinds of people out into the world.

There are so many ways to express our identities and sexualities, it would be a shame to limit ourselves to a few culturally accepted norms.

I’m happy to see this trend beginning to shift, thanks to festivals like HUMP! and a lot of the writers working today, the market is filling with examples of all kinds of people making their version of love.

Chained to my work

Posted by Stella Harris in Uncategorized

Photo of me by the very talented Joseph Robertson (http://josephericrobertson.com/)

It’s almost November, and I imagine most of you know what that means – it’s time for NaNoWriMo!

For those of you participating, feel free to look me up and add me as a writing buddy, you can find me over there as StellaByStarlight

This will be the fourth year I’ve participated. I had to skip last year on account of being out of the country for half the month. I’m all for a challenge but writing from Haiti and Russia just didn’t seem feasible.

So… only a day and a half to go and do I know what I’m writing? No idea. I’m torn between working on a longer piece – as is typical – or simply trying to write 50k worth of short stories.

What I love about NaNoWriMo is people coming together for love of the written word. I love the support – both online in the forums and during write-ins all around town. So the word count really doesn’t matter in the end, it’s all about the experience.

Inspiration for Missed Connections

Posted by Stella Harris in Missed Connections

Tall and proud? Completely shaven man? What are these people all about? Clearly, there are stories to be told.

Are you working on your story for Missed Connections yet? They’re due on January 1st, but don’t wait to get started!

Still need more ideas? Check out your local missed connections ads or the ones from any city of your choice. Here are some highlights from where I live;

  • I was the youngest person in the Phych Ward; you were the cute Korean guy who happened to be 25. We passed love notes and held hands when the staff weren’t looking.
  • You’re tall and wear glasses most of the time. Typically you make iced coffee for me on Mondays and sometimes Tuesdays.
  • you were sitting at the bar alone on sunday afternoon. you: yellow cardigan. me:black shirt,black hat. i wanted to chat with you but then you were gone. your smile made my day.
  • I was reading Norwegian Wood in the South Park Blocks. You defended Salinger & lamented not getting a Lit degree. I defended Tess & assured you books wouldn’t leave you. I still don’t trust Holden Caulfield.
  • I was headed to the ER, saw you on the yellow line MAX platform. We made eye contact and you smiled at me. I tried to smile back, but was in too much pain to say hello. I regret it.

I don’t know about you, but I could read these all day! So many stories just waiting to be told.

Your assignment: Start thinking. Start writing. Submit!

xoxo,
Stella

I’m such a tease

Posted by Stella Harris in Uncategorized

I just turned in a story I’m incredibly excited about – but I can’t share any details just yet.

I want to give you something, though, so here’s a hint – my writing soundtrack:

Care to guess what my story is about?

I have other bits and pieces of good news that I can’t share just yet, but be patient my doves, details will be coming soon.

xoxo,
Stella

Call for Submissions: Missed Connections

Posted by Stella Harris in Missed Connections, Submission call

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m editing an anthology for Storm Moon Press. I’ve been working with them for most of the year and have been consistently impressed with how well they treat their authors.

I’ve been kicking around the idea of a Missed Connections anthology for a while now and I’m very excited to be making it a reality.

Please take a look at the details of the call below and feel free to share this information far and wide.

I can’t wait to read your amazing stories!

Submission Deadline: January 1, 2013
Expected Release: May 3, 2013
Genres: Contemporary
Theme: General
Pairings: Heterosexual
Word count: 10,000 – 20,000

No matter how happy we eventually become with our lives, we never forget the one who got away. Maybe it was the handsome stranger on the subway who smiled so sweetly but hit his stop before you had the chance to say hello. Or the adorable girl at the coffee shop who caught you reading her favorite book but had to get to class and couldn’t stay to chat. Everyone has a story of that epic love that never was. But what if there could be a happy ending after all?

What happens when you meet that incredible someone you just can’t get out of your mind? Just chalk it up to a lost opportunity? Or do you take a chance and try to track them down? Enter the “Missed Connection” ad. Just a when, a where, and a description of the two people involved, but each one representing a love in potential if only the stars were to align just right.

Show us the stories of the connections that don’t go missed forever. Every story should contain one of the characters leaving a short “Missed Connection” ad in a newspaper or on a website, and the romance that begins when the ad is answered. Stories can be sweet or funny or surprising, but should definitely be hot and steamy. Let’s see how sparks fly when two ships passing in the night finally come together. Twists and turns, heartache and angst, are all fine along the way, but for Missed Connections we’d like your characters to find their HEA or HFN ending.

Read the full SMP sumbission guidelines.