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THE WINNERS OF THE
SPRING 1998 EROTICA CONTEST
May 24, 1998
Here Comes the Judge
They say the sun never sets on English perversion, and as if
in proof three of the seven winning stories in our Spring 1998
Erotic Fiction contest come to us from over the water. First among
these and in first place is INITIATION, by Sarah Wyatt, whom
I am happy to welcome back to these pages with her tale of a rite-of-passage
and an ending sure to rattle many cages. I confess that it jolted
even me, and I'm hard to jolt.
[NOTE: Previously I have determined winners by place, but I
have found it impossible to rank any of the following stories
above the others in terms of quality, appeal, and merit. Therefore,
I select them all as second-place winners.]
Next from England comes THE
CONTRACT, by JW--a lush and steamy tale told in that inimitable
cool English manner--and THE
SECTION HEAD by Rexx, a story firmly in the English tradition
of straps and canes and management's exploitation of the laboring
class.
Someone (perhaps Stephen King) once observed that there's only
a fine line between horror and comedy, and as THE PATHWAY: A JOURNEY IN FOUR PARTS
attests, there's a thin line between horror and eroticism as well.
Of course, we do not endorse the sorts of activities which author
BJF describes, and we deliberated at some length whether one of
the subplots so far exceeds the "safe, sane, consensual" creed
as to disqualify it from our pages (which emphasize consenting
sex among adults). So be warned: this tale is not for those who
can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Instead,
this story follows in the tradition of DeSade, whose politically
incorrect, yet ghoulishly arousing writings still fuel SM fantasies
today.
I was hooked by the title of ON
THE ART OF WAKING A SLEEPING WIDOW WITH WASABE, by Anima,
a quiet narrative of loss and a sort of reawakening. There are
no overt sexual acts described in this story. It rewards close
and thoughtful reading. Wasabe is Japanese horseradish, for the
benefit of those who shy from sushi bars, tart as mustard and
hotter than hell.
THE SHOPPING TRIP,
by SaucyLady, is a slice-of-life so real that I imagined I could
even identify the shop (The Noose, in Manhattan, if it matters).
This is one of the best female- perspective stories of submission
I have ever seen.
Finally, LAUNDRY
DAY, by SheDragon, is a delightful story of female supremacy,
abject humiliation, and clean sheets.
Please note that the copyrights of these stories are held by
the authors: these stories may not be reprinted or reposted without
the authors' explicit permission. I will forward requests to the
authors if you ask me nicely.
Until next time, happy reading, play safe, and be well.
Will
THANKS TO ALL ENTRANTS!
We extend our personal thanks to the hundreds of writers who
submitted their works to the Spring '98 competition. It was hard
to limit ourselves only to seven because the submissions keep
getting better and better--and there were so many of them!
We hope you'll think of us again when the next Erotica Contest
rolls around.
MAKE A NOTE OF IT: The next competition will be announced in
September 1998.
Read you again then!
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