New Pseudonym Alert!

I just put out an ebook called Waitress Takes More than the Tip and it marks a couple of firsts for me: it’s my first ebook under a pseudonym (“N.J. LaHoise” – it’s no “Richard Bachman”, I know, but then again I’m no Stephen King) and it’s my first ebook of hetero erotica.

Except it’s not entirely hetero. It’s three stories by three different narrators that comprise a loose arc. I submitted the first story to Penthouse Variations back in November. I was so determined to get into Penthouse Variations! It was one of the first porno mags I’d ever seen, back when I was eleven and somebody showed me a stack of porno mags under a pile of tar paper in the train yard. According to their call for submissions you couldn’t email your story, you had to print out a manuscript and mail it in, which was so cute. And they paid $400 a story! There are hardly any porno mags still publishing erotic fiction these days, let alone ones that pay for it.

It was all so charmingly old-fashioned. So maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised when I didn’t receive a reply, then looked at their website and noticed that their most recent issue had come out three months ago. Apparently Penthouse Variations is dead, but weirdly enough there doesn’t seem to be any notice of this on the internet. Maybe magazines are dying off so quickly that it isn’t even a story anymore. I was so pissed, though! I missed the boat by three months.

I wondered what to do with that story and then I got this idea for a story collection that would be like a daisy chain: so two people would fuck in the first story, and in the next one a character from the first story would fuck somebody else, then that person would narrate the next story and so on. It would create this whole community through stories that would maybe intersect and get messy with intrigue and relationships.

That’s what I wound up doing but I only went three stories into it. The first one is about two friends cheating on their significant others, and it’s a hetero story featuring the oh-so-taboo (in some sectors of the hetero world, anyway – Penthouse Variations called for this type of content) subject of anal sex. The next story is about a lesbian encounter. The third story is about a guy finding out he’s been cheated on, and he winds up getting fucked up the ass with a strap-on.

It was all very fun to write but I have no idea how to market it. So here it is. I hope people will be interested enough to check it out cause I think it could be a fun read even if it’s not your particular cup of tea. Please ignore the el cheapo cover art, which literally took me ten minutes to Photoshop.

Life Update

Heya. Not a ton to report. Life continues apace at the commune. I recently completed a painting project (see above) and I love this one maybe more than any of the others I’ve done. I worked on a newsletter and I just released an ebook of straight erotica under a pseudonym (more on that once it actually uploads). I’m in Pittsburgh for the week, and it’s raining.

New Story Alert!

I just posted a new story: Office Politics. Give it a read and consider purchasing my recently-released ebook “Buddy”, which features two brand-new stories including one about fucking your dad’s best friend.

New Ebook Alert!

I put together an ebook with two brand-new stories. It’s called “Buddy” and it’s out now.

It’s a guy thing: two buddies, helping each other out. Nobody has to know… Natty Soltesz, incomparable author of hot ‘n porny gay erotic fiction including the 2016 Lambda Literary Award nominated story collection College Dive Bar, 1 AM, presents three stories of buds bein buds:

Living the Dream: Fuck as much as you want, as long as you want, as many times as you want: that’s the dream, and only a good buddy can make it real.

Best Buddies: Two old buddies learn that marriage can’t kill a solid friendship, and hot sex can only make it stronger.

Waylaid: A young man on his way to college gets stuck in his hometown for the summer, but his dad’s best friend makes it worth his while.

Buy it on Amazon!

This Can No Longer Be Ignored

Lambda Awards Report: Still a Bridesmaid

Well, I lost again. I hadn’t intended on going to the Lambda Awards this year but at the last minute I got this idea for an acceptance speech so I made the trip happen on a whirlwind tour through NYC. I had a fun time putting together my look for the ceremony but I didn’t get to make my speech, which is a shame. As was the case with the last time I attended the awards, neither of the winning authors in the gay & lesbian erotica categories showed up to accept them. I’m like C’mon, Lambda: not only did I look fabulous, I had good things to say. I wanted to acknowledge the particular ability of porn writers, which is to make people cum through words. It’s a power I’m awfully proud of and which I take quite seriously. But it’s back to life, back to reality, and I’m glad about that. Awards are cute and all (even cuter when you win, I’d expect) but just doing the work is the real goal and its own reward. 

I Moved to a Commune

I moved to a commune a few months ago. I don’t know how much more I want to say about it. I’ve always been reticent when it comes to broadcasting details about my life online (that’s one way I show my age) and the place I’ve moved to also avoids media exposure. It’s a special place, for sure, but in another way it’s just like any other: people living with each other and trying to get along. My daily life varies but usually it’s some variety of writing, art-making and helping out with various tasks. I’m learning a ton. I’m also very much out of my element, which is a gift and a challenge.

I first came to this place five years ago and had the novel experience of feeling like I’d found “my people.” I’d never identified with a community before – not even the gay community, really – and it was intoxicating. I’ve come back several times over the years, and about three years ago I decided I wanted to live here.

It was not an easy decision. I’d lived in Pittsburgh since I was eighteen. I have deep friendships there, a support network, a family. I had to get rid of most of my stuff and move out of my beloved apartment. I had to quit the job I worked at for the last nine years. That wasn’t so difficult – I was pretty burnt out on it – but it did thrust me into the great financial unknown. The hardest part was rehoming my cats. I found a really nice guy on Craigslist who lived just a few blocks away from me and adopted both of them. It wrenched my heart out but I know I did right by them.

To complicate matters I fell in love about two years ago. I told him my plans from the outset so it wasn’t a shock when my time to leave came around, but it still wasn’t easy. We’re hundreds of miles apart but we talk almost every day, and the freedom and trust he’s given me to follow this dream only strengthens my love for him. I don’t know what’s going to happen – does anybody? – but I ain’t skeered.

I’m where I’m supposed to be. I grew up in a small town and I’ve always wanted to get away from the city again. I get to explore the connection I have with this community and learn some valuable life skills. I get to wake up every morning and do what I was born to do – write – and I’ll be able to do that until I need to make money again.

What I’ll do then is anybody’s guess. More than anything this experience has been a lesson in living life one moment at a time. For most of the past three months I’ve been living out of a tent. I never wanted that, but it was an opportunity – to fall asleep at night to the owls hooting, to wake up to the birds singing. I’ve tiled a bathhouse, shoveled shit out of composting toilet and helped build a staircase. I’ve also written. Nothing too significant, mostly cleaning up old projects that I hope to have out in the world soon.

I’ll let you know how it all turns out.

Rainbow Book Fair

I’ll be selling books and zines and other undefinable things at the Rainbow Book Fair this Saturday! I’ll be tabling with the fabulous writer and fellow Go Deeper Press author Dario Dalla Lasta. I love this event, it’s always a good time so if you’re in the New York City area come out and say HAYYY.

The Eighth Annual Rainbow Book Fair
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
524 W. 59th Street (just west of 10th Avenue)
Saturday, April 09, 2016
12:00pm – 6:00pm

New Ebook Alert!

I put together an ebook with two brand-new stories. It’s called Service-Oriented and it’s out now.

Natty Soltesz, incomparable author of hot ‘n porny gay erotic fiction including the 2016 Lambda Literary Award nominated story collection College Dive Bar, 1 AM, presents two stories of sexual service:

Taking it for the Team: Coach will do whatever it takes to keep his team’s heads in the game. Including giving them head.

A Stepfather’s Responsibility: When life’s pressures bear down, where’s a young man to turn for some relief? No one ever said raising a stepson was easy…

Because I’m living in a place that’s not well connected, internet-ally-speaking, it’s hard for me to get the word out as good as I can about this one. But I think the stories are both pretty good and I hope you’ll be willing to plunk down five bucks to check it out. The unfortunate thing is one of them is an incest story, but to satisfy the market I’ve had to change that to a “stepfather” story. I hope to get a non-censored version of that story out in the world sometime soon.

I just quit my job to live on a commune! Buy my new ebook! On Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Life Update

Okay, so, about two weeks ago I rehomed my cats, moved out of my apartment, quit my job and moved to a community in rural Tennessee. That’s a lot! To compound things, this community has no internet access and spotty cell service (no data connection). So. I am on some type of journey, which doesn’t involve a lot of connection to the outside world. But I will do my best to update things and share things as I can.

Like this – my most recent story collection, College Dive Bar, 1AM, was recently announced as a Lambda Literary Award finalist! That’s awesome. I like a little validation.