"Candy, in tha morning, candy on the way to school
Candy, at school, at lunch in the afternoon
Candy, in school, on your way home from school
Candy, at dinner, at dinner, in bed!

Mess up the mix, mix up the mess
Come on down yo, here's the address
At 6-1-2 Wharf Avenue,

Right next to the gentlemen's club."

I'll admit, I'm not a big erotica reader... or at least I wasn't until very recently. Sure, I've enjoyed quite a few classics - shorts by Anais Nin, a read through "The Story of O" a few years back, and a journey through the audiobooks of Anne Rice's earlier works like The Beauty Trilogy. But somewhere deep down, I had always assumed that erotica was lost when the internet was born. I grew up on sites like Literotica.com, and realized early on that I could write sexy stories better than what was being pushed around online for free.

Well, I'm still an aspiring erotica writer, but I no longer feel alone in the sea of sexy scribes! Last month I had the distinct pleasure of reading "Sweet Love", the first book from Clies Press that I have set my sights on, and I must confess... I was blown away.

Sweet Love is a book specifically written with couples in mind, with a heavy focus on male-female relationships. There was a definite kink-heavy slant to the book, so if BDSM isn't your thing, you may want to move on to cooler climates. I'm not complaining, because this book was hot HOT HOT!

The reputation that Clies Press has for edgy, ground-breaking and page-turning anthologies preceded them. In fact, I wanted to read this particular book of the four that were available in February/March because I am hoping I can write a short for them myself one day soon. If I ever am published in one such collection, I will count myself among amazing talent.

There were dozens of stories in this book, each one laid out with a brief and tantalizing description in the editor's introduction, but even after reading through the entire thing, there is one that stands out so prominently in my mind that I have to speak about it in particular. I mean, all of the stories were good. Many of them were great! A shining few were absolutely fantastic, but this doozy just completely blew my mind.

"Jump Or Fall" by Janine Ashbless is a story about artists. I love art, especially multi-media art like the piece described in this incredibly well-woven tale. The story immediately caught my attention with such riveting detail about the installation that the underlying sexual tension was in the beginning merely an appetizer. I felt as if I was right there, standing in the gallery, watching the gymnast and her photographer partner create something spectacular before my eyes. Reading this story was almost as good as seeing it in person. Reading the story made me wish and hope with all my heart that somewhere out there this artist really exists, and this beautiful piece that she creates in the story has come to life for others to see.

Don't get me wrong... I didn't forget about the sex. The description of the art piece was so clear and concise that the author was able to move seamlessly into the thickness of the artists' sexual tension and still leave me wanting, diving into the deep end of a quivering new relationship. The many faces of pain and pleasure exhibited in the gallery performance are mirrored as a new relationship buds, as two characters, raw with need and desire, come together to experience some strange, sweet release - something neither of them expected but both of them needed.

Look at me! Just talking about this tale is getting me all hot and bothered, and I'm thinking about going back and reading it over again. I can't wait to read it out loud to my lover, and for us to share in the Sweet Love.