13 Sexy Reads for Your Beltane Boudoir
By Carol Queen

copyright©2003 Samantha Collins

Some of us, blessed with unfailingly vivid imaginations, never have cause to pick up an erotic book. For the rest of us, however, a volume of sexy stories may very well have an honored place by our bed. A well-written story transports into another person's skin and skull - but we still bring ourselves to it, and perhaps never so much as when the tale is erotic.

I've been writing erotic fiction for over a decade and reading it for far longer - and I've identified as a Witch since at least 1976. I think that most erotica is in some sense pagan; "All acts of love and pleasure," after all, are the Goddess's rituals - and I'm sure I am not the only author who has followed a story into magical space. So I have compiled a list seasoned, as it were, with my own preferences, as perhaps any such list would be, of great books for Beltane.

Autobiography of a Flea
by Anonymous. Written in the late 19th century, Autobiography of a Flea has one of the most unique narrators in erotic literature - a flea who goes along for a very bouncy ride. Like much old erotica, this work also contains sly send-ups of Christian morality, but it's also worth reading for a lusty education about the other side of Victorianism.

The Story of O
by Pauline Reage. The Story of O is the classic of dominance and submission, with a deeply romantic undercurrent - O's submission represents commitment and belonging. Still, the SM depicted here is not for the faint of heart.

Mr. Benson
by John Preston. The late John Preston was a giant in the field of gay arts and letters, and the most important gay male erotic writer ever. Mr. Benson is his magnum opus.

Macho Sluts
by Pat Califia (now Patrick Califia). The number one dyke erotic writer of the 1980s and 1990s is now a queer man, but this is one writer who always had the ability to ignore the boundaries.

Rubenesque
by Magenta Michaels (collected in Herotica 2). A good place to begin, this sweet, hot tale follows a plus-size woman at lunch who finds a surprise waiting under the long tablecloth.

Vox
by Nicholson Baker. Some find this slim novel too cerebral, but in my opinion, you can never have too much brain in your sex. For readers who love characterization, Baker is your man. He's hugely imaginative and not afraid to make us smile.

Carrie's Story
by Molly Weatherfield. Another one that's strong on character and that explores BDSM roles and relationships. Carrie and her master play hard but step lightly around the questions and limitations posed by their unorthodox relationship.

Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After
edited by Michael Thomas Ford. Once... gives us erotic twists on fairy tales written by women; the stories in Happily... are by men. Most scenarios are queer and some of the most moving and creative erotica around. Out of print, but great if you can find them.

Sophie's Smoke
by Mark Stuertz in Sex Spoken Here, edited by Carol Queen and Jack Davis. This story knocked me out when I heard Stuertz read it at one of Good Vibrations's Erotic Reading Circles. This one features good cigars and a cool, self-possessed woman.

Leather Daddy and the Femme
by Carol Queen. Since this is my list, I'm including my (and readers') favorite of my works. Bisexual, cross-dressing Miranda likes leather daddies, who usually want to throw her out when they find out she's a woman - until she meets Jack.

All Shook Up
by Bill Brent in Starf*cker, edited by Shar Rednour. This whole anthology is delicious fantasy fodder - who hasn't daydreamed about sex with a star? Brent takes as his leading man none other than a young, sneering Elvis.

Anal
by Marilyn Jaye Lewis in Best Bisexual Erotica, edited by Carol Queen and Bill Brent. Truly a night of debauchery. Maybe we don't want to go back to the 1970s, but when authors set an erotic story there, just about anything goes.

Waiting to Be Discovered
by George C. Simpson in Best Bisexual Erotica 2. This is a sweet, sexy story about the night the narrator came out as bisexual. Readers who love threesomes will wish they were in this bed (re)experiencing their own erotic awakening.

Carol Queen won the title of World's Best Erotic Writer in 1994. For more about her and her writing, see www.carolqueen.com.