Happy Valentine’s Day! Please submit to me!

No, I’m not talking to my partner (who doesn’t need to be asked to submit to me <3) but rather to the talented erotic writers of the world: the New Smut Project is compiling our third anthology, and seeking breathtaking flash fiction!

Stories can be in any genre or setting–contemporary, historical, other worlds, time travel…  Whether your characters find satisfaction through BDSM, fetish, or vanilla encounters, in long-term romances or one-night stands, it’s all good. This is an erotic collection, so submissions should be arousing. But how explicitly you want to portray the sex, and what counts as sex, is entirely up to you – be as blunt or as oblique, straightforward or experimental, as you like.

No limits on the gender or number of participants. We DO want to see stories that are inclusive, sex-positive, feminist, and that offer positive portrayals of LGBTQA+, kinky, and poly characters. We want to publish stories by #OwnVoices authors and about characters from around the world, from diverse racial and class backgrounds, of diverse body types, abilities, and ages. All characters must be of legal age and express their consent. Safer sex practices are awesome. Details of realistic sexuality, from arousal nonconcordance to stubbing your toe as you (try to) pad sensuously across the bedroom, will be received with delight.

I’m serious about the arousal nonconcordance, friends. I read Come As You Are and cannot shut up about it. If you submit a story about arousal nonconcordance and I publish it (and believe me, I will try to) I am going to find Emily Nagoski’s (virtual) address and hammer on her (virtual) door to tell her about it.

I’ll also be especially excited to publish #OwnVoices stories celebrating trans women, trans men, and nonbinary people; stories exploring non-penetrative sex (for any reason: vaginismus, personal preference, trauma history, a spirit of experimentation); and stories in historical settings from around the world (we’ve received some great speculative fiction and contemporary so far, and even some time travel, but I think there’s definitely room for some good historical treatments). Ultimately, anything that knocks my socks off will be embraced, and frankly what I’m going to fall in love with next is probably something I haven’t even thought of.

The other thing that sets stories about at this length is their voice and narrative style. Particularly, writing that doesn’t sound like anyone else’s. Metaphors are regions of great risk as well as great reward. Prose poetry welcome; rhyming poetry will have a harder time.

My fangirling above is in the singular first person, but Erato is also co-edited by Alex Freeman and Guenivere Chase. I don’t think they disagree with my preferences but they certainly have their own as well :D.

The full submission guidelines are here on our Tumblr blog.

I’ve also made posts on Twitter  (where unfortunately you can’t edit Tweets to correct typos…) and Facebook. You’d be sweet to share them.

Erato’s deadline can be tracked and submission response times reported at Duotrope and Literarium.

And Erato has a Goodreads page— it’s not too early to add to your “To Read” shelf!

Further updates will be sent out through the New Smut Project’s newsletter.

I’m still experimenting with potential cover art, but here are some options to set the mood…including someone very special to me on the far left <3. Hey, it’s Valentine’s Day eve, I’m allowed to be sappy!