Alison Tyler
Encyclopedia
Alison Tyler is an American author, editor and publisher of erotica
, living in Northern California. She has authored over 20 explicit novels, hundreds of short stories and has edited more than 40 erotic anthologies.
' Black Lace and Cheek imprints in 1999.
Her short story fiction appears in a range of anthologies, including titles edited by Violet Blue
, Stephen Elliott
, Maxim Jakubowski
, Rachel Kramer Bussel
, Tristan Taormino
, Zane
and Tyler herself. She has edited numerous erotic anthologies for Cleis Press
and Pretty Things Press, the small publishing company Tyler runs.
Tyler writes in an intimate, semi-autobiographical style, focussing on themes of female submission
, spanking
, bondage
, bi-sexuality and group sex
. In August 2006, Tyler began blogging intensely about a former BDSM
relationship, described by The Guardian
as "a sulphurous personal memoir of past sexual activities which put Belle de Jour
's timid exploits in the shade." Initially intending to write confessionally each day for a month, Tyler continued with her story for 16 months, gaining a broad and loyal daily readership.
Described as a "trollop with a laptop" by East Bay Express, Tyler continues to blog regularly and in 2008 established Trollop Salon, an online forum profiling authors and artists she admires.
Tyler's work has been translated into several languages and her short story fiction appears in her collections Blue Sky Sideways, Bad Girl and Exposed. Her non-fiction includes Never Have the Same Sex Twice: a Guide for Couples (forthcoming) and The Other Rules, an erotic parody of Fein and Schneider’s The Rules
. In 2007, Tyler began editing a series of 26 alphabet-themed anthologies for Cleis Press, beginning with A is for Amour. The series is scheduled for completion in 2010 with Z is for Zippers.
Tyler is an upbeat supporter of non-mainstream sexualities, erotic fiction and pornography, asserting, "People try to make you feel bad by saying, 'You write porn.' But I won't feel bad for it."
Erotica
Erotica are works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or sexually arousing descriptions...
, living in Northern California. She has authored over 20 explicit novels, hundreds of short stories and has edited more than 40 erotic anthologies.
Career
Tyler began writing professionally in the early 1990s selling stories to Penthouse Variations and Playgirl. Her first novel was published by Blue Moon when she was 23. Tyler went on to write twelve novels for Masquerade Books before moving to Virgin BooksVirgin Books
Virgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
' Black Lace and Cheek imprints in 1999.
Her short story fiction appears in a range of anthologies, including titles edited by Violet Blue
Violet Blue (author)
Violet Blue is an American writer and sex educator.Blue wrote a weekly sex column for the San Francisco Chronicle. In her podcast, Open Source Sex, she reads erotica and discusses topics such as fetishes and oral sex. She also has a video blog. Blue wrote a feature about porn for women which was...
, Stephen Elliott
Stephen Elliott (author)
Stephen Elliott is an American author and activist living in San Francisco who has written and published seven books. He is also the founder of the political action committee LitPAC, which holds readings by authors to raise money for progressive candidates.-Background and education:Elliott grew...
, Maxim Jakubowski
Maxim Jakubowski
Maxim Jakubowski is a crime, erotic, and science fiction writer and critic.Jakubowski was born in England to Russian-British and Polish parents, but raised in France. Jakubowski has also lived in Italy and has travelled extensively...
, Rachel Kramer Bussel
Rachel Kramer Bussel
Rachel Kramer Bussel is an author, columnist, and editor, specializing in erotica. She previously studied at the New York University School of Law and earned her bachelor's degree in Political Science and Women's Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.-Career:Bussel is currently...
, Tristan Taormino
Tristan Taormino
Tristan Taormino is a feminist author, columnist, sex educator, activist, editor, speaker, and pornographic film director . She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with her Bachelor's degree in American Studies from Wesleyan University in 1993...
, Zane
Zane (erotica author)
Zane is an African American author of erotic fiction who has written over two dozen novels. She is best known for her novel Addicted. In 1997, Zane began writing erotic stories to pass the time after her children went to bed. She was living in North Carolina and working as a sales representative....
and Tyler herself. She has edited numerous erotic anthologies for Cleis Press
Cleis Press
Cleis Press is an independent publisher of books in the areas of sexuality, erotica, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, gender studies, fiction, and human rights. The press was founded in 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, later moved to San Francisco, and is now based out of Berkeley, CA...
and Pretty Things Press, the small publishing company Tyler runs.
Tyler writes in an intimate, semi-autobiographical style, focussing on themes of female submission
Female submission
Female submission describes a relationship in which a female submits to the will of another person. The submission can be voluntary and consensual or may be obtained as a result of duress. The dominant partner is usually a man, but sometimes it is another woman, or more than one person, or...
, spanking
Spanking
Spanking refers to the act of striking the buttocks of another person to cause temporary pain without producing physical injury. It generally involves one person striking the buttocks of another person with an open hand. When an open hand is used, spanking is referred to in some countries as...
, bondage
Bondage (BDSM)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
, bi-sexuality and group sex
Group sex
Group sex is sexual behavior involving more than two participants. Group sex can occur amongst people of all sexual orientations and genders...
. In August 2006, Tyler began blogging intensely about a former BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
relationship, described by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as "a sulphurous personal memoir of past sexual activities which put Belle de Jour
Belle de jour
Belle de Jour is a 1967 French film directed by Luis Buñuel. The film stars Catherine Deneuve as a woman who decides to spend her days as a prostitute while her husband is at work....
's timid exploits in the shade." Initially intending to write confessionally each day for a month, Tyler continued with her story for 16 months, gaining a broad and loyal daily readership.
Described as a "trollop with a laptop" by East Bay Express, Tyler continues to blog regularly and in 2008 established Trollop Salon, an online forum profiling authors and artists she admires.
Tyler's work has been translated into several languages and her short story fiction appears in her collections Blue Sky Sideways, Bad Girl and Exposed. Her non-fiction includes Never Have the Same Sex Twice: a Guide for Couples (forthcoming) and The Other Rules, an erotic parody of Fein and Schneider’s The Rules
The Rules
The Rules: Time-Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right is a controversial self-help book by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider, originally published in 1995....
. In 2007, Tyler began editing a series of 26 alphabet-themed anthologies for Cleis Press, beginning with A is for Amour. The series is scheduled for completion in 2010 with Z is for Zippers.
Tyler is an upbeat supporter of non-mainstream sexualities, erotic fiction and pornography, asserting, "People try to make you feel bad by saying, 'You write porn.' But I won't feel bad for it."
Novels
- The Blue Rose, Rosebud Books, 1995, ISBN 1-56333-335-X
- Dark Room, Masquerade Books, 1995, ISBN 1-56333-614-6
- Dial L for Loveless, Masquerade Books, 1996,ISBN 1-56333-386-4
- Venus Online, Masquerade Books, 1997, ISBN 1-56333-521-2
- The Silver Key: Madame Victoria’s Finishing School, Masquerade Books, 1998, ISBN 1-56333-614-6
- Learning to Love It, Black Lace, 2000, ISBN 0-352-34149-1
- Strictly Confidential, Black Lace, 2001, ISBN 0-352-33624-2
- Blue Valentine, Magic Carpet Books, 2002, ISBN 0-9726339-0-1
- The ESP Affair, Magic Carpet Books, 2002, ISBN 0-937609-45-5
- Sweet Thing, Black Lace, 2002, ISBN 0-352-33682-X
- Sticky Fingers, Black Lace, 2003, ISBN 0-352-33756-7
- Something About Workmen, Black Lace, 2003, ISBN 978-0-352-33847-1
- Rumours, Cheek, 2005, ISBN 0-352-33960-8
- Tiffany Twisted, Cheek, 2006, ISBN 0-352-34039-8
- With or Without You, Cheek, 2006, ISBN 0-352-34065-7
- Melt With You, Cheek, 2008, ISBN 0-352-34166-1
Collections
- Blue Sky Sideways, Masquerade Books, 1996, ISBN 1-56333-394-5
- Bad Girl, Pretty Things Press, 2002, ISBN 1-57612-183-6
- Exposed: The Erotic Fiction of Alison Tyler, Cleis Press, 2006, ISBN 1-57344-246-1
As Editor
- Naughty Stories from A to Z, Pretty Things Press, 2002, ISBN 1-57612-168-2
- Down and Dirty: 69 Super Sexy Short-Shorts, Pretty Things Press, 2003, ISBN 1-57612-190-9
- Hers: 30 Erotic Tales Written Just for Her, (co-edited with Thomas S Roche), Pretty Things Press, 2003, ISBN 1-57612-185-2
- His: 30 Erotic Tales Written Just for Him, (co-edited with Thomas S Roche), Pretty Things Press, 2003, ISBN 1-57612-186-0
- Best Bondage Erotica, Cleis Press, 2003, ISBN 1-57344-173-2
- Naked Erotica, Pretty Things Press, 2004, ISBN 1-57612-197-6
- Luscious: Stories of Anal Eroticism, Cleis Press, 2006, ISBN 1-57344-230-5
- Slave to Love: Sexy Tales of Erotic Restraint, Cleis Press, 2006, ISBN 1-57344-234-8
- Caught Looking (co-edited with Rachel Kramer Bussel), Cleis Press, 2006, ISBN 1-57344-256-9
- Got a Minute?: Sixty Second Erotica, Cleis Press, 2007, ISBN 1-57344-271-2
- Love at First Sting: Sexy Tales of Erotic Restraint, Cleis Press, 2007, ISBN 1-57344-281-X
- Hide and Seek (co-edited with Rachel Kramer Bussel), Cleis Press, 2007, ISBN 1-57344-291-7
- A Is for Amour, Cleis Press, 2007, ISBN 1-57344-263-1
- B Is for Bondage, Cleis Press, 2007, ISBN 1-57344-264-X
- F Is for Fetish, Cleis Press, 2007, ISBN 1-57344-284-4
- H Is for Hardcore, Cleis Press, 2007,ISBN 1-57344-286-0
- J is for Jealousy, Cleis Press, 2008, ISBN 1-57344-306-9
- K Is for Kinky, Cleis Press, 2008, ISBN 1-57344-307-7
- Open For Business: Tales of Office Sex, Cleis Press, 2008, ISBN 1-57344-311-5
- Frenzy: 60 Stories of Sudden Sex, Cleis Press, 2008, ISBN 1-57344-331-X
- Never Have The Same Sex Twice, Cleis Press, 2008, ISBN 1-57344-332-8
- Hurts So Good: Unrestrained Erotica, Cleis Press, 2008, ISBN 1-57344-328-X
- Afternoon Delight: Erotica for Couples, Cleis Press, 2008, ISBN 1-57344-341-7
- Playing with Fire: Taboo Erotica, Cleis Press, 2009, ISBN 1-57344-348-4
- Pleasure Bound: True Bondage Stories, Cleis Press, 2009, ISBN 1-57344-354-9
- Got a Minute?: Sixty Second Erotica, reissue, Cleis Press, 2010, ISBN 1-57344-404-9
- Hide and Seek: Erotic Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists, reissue, (co-edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel), Cleis Press, 2010, ISBN 1-57344-419-7