Synopses & Reviews
Sex and death have always been interrelated. The French describe orgasm as la petite mort (the little death). The Victorians believed a man’s climax depleted his physical strength and moral resolve and brought him closer to death. Likewise, a woman’s engagement with the sex act equated a loss of vitality. Indeed, sex and death have long been themes in literature. (A contemporary example of this is J.G. Ballard’s acclaimed novel
Crash.) There is clearly an interest in fiction that draws parallels between sex and death.
Dying for It satisfies this literary craving by providing readers with an exciting and entertaining variety of textual (and, it is hoped, fictional!) expressions on the subject.
Contributors include novelists from across the literary spectrum: Lauren Henderson; Vicki Hendricks (Voluntary Madness, Sky Blues, Miami Purity, Iguana Love); Adréana Robbins (Paris Never Leaves You); Tobsha Learner (Madonna Mars, Quiver); Niall Griffiths (Grits); Lisette Ashton (The Bloodlust Chronicles, Original Sins, Property, Hot Pursuit); and the editor, Mitzi Szereto.
For readers of mainstream fiction, crime, mystery, erotica, fantasy, horror, and everything in between, Dying for It is an enticing experience and offers it all.
Synopsis
Sex and death have always been connected. The French call orgasm "la petite mort" (the little death). In Shakespearean England, "to die" also meant to have an orgasm. The Victorians believed a man's climax depleted his physical strength and moral resolve and brought him closer to death. Likewise, the sex act drained women of their vitality. We are as keen to examine sex as we are death: put the two together and you have an explosive, daring literary venture into the taboo. Dying for It: Tales of Sex and Death satisfies with an exciting and entertaining variety of expressions on the two most intimate human acts. Contributors include novelists from across the literary spectrum: Lauren Henderson; Vicki Hendricks; Adréana Robbins; Tobsha Learner; Niall Griffiths; Lisette Ashton; and the editor, Mitzi Szereto.
About the Author
Mitzi Szereto has nearly a dozen books to her credit, including the critically acclaimed "Erotic Fairy Tales: A Romp Through the Classics," and the anthologies "World's Best Sex Writing 2005" (TMP), "Wicked: Sexy Tales of Legendary Lovers" (spring 2005 from Cleis Press); "Foreign Affairs: Erotic Travel Tales," and "Erotic Travel Tales 1 & 2" (all from Cleis Press). Shes also penned several best-selling erotic novels under the name M. S. Valentine: "The Celia Collection," "The Governess," "The Captivity of Celia," "The Possession of Celia," "Elysian Days and Nights" (all from Blue Moon and Venus Book Club), and "The Martinet" (Chimera UK and Venus Book Club). Aside from having pioneered the erotic writing workshop in the UK and Europe, this transplanted Californian is a well-known fixture on the international interview circuit, appearing frequently on television and radio. She also travels in academic circles, presenting papers on erotica at literary conferences. Her outspoken views on the erotic literary scene have made Mitzi a trendsetter, earning her a reputation as an author and editor who has put the "literature" back into erotica. She conducts her erotic writing workshops around the world, from the Greek islands to the Cheltenham Festival of Literature. Her anthology "Erotic Travel Tales 2" is the first anthology of erotica to include a Royal Fellow of Literature.