Author Archives: Dayle

Burbank Book Festival (come see me!)

I’ll be on a panel discussion and also signing A Little Night Music this coming Saturday at the Burbank Book Festival. If you’re in the area, stop by and say hi!

Burbank Book Festival

May, 7, 2011
1:00 PM
Buena Vista Branch Library
300 N. Buena Vista St.
For more information call: 818.238.5620

The City of Burbank will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. To coincide with Burbank’s centennial celebration, the Burbank Public Library will host a mini-book festival at our Buena Vista Branch Library from 1-4 PM on Saturday, May 7th. The goal of the festival is twofold: to spotlight Burbank’s authors who have either self-published their book(s) or published through traditional avenues, giving them the venue to sell their books; and to encourage aspiring authors by offering information on writers’ organizations and self-publishing opportunities.

Indoors and out

We have some new Andrea Dale stories available: One that takes place in the big city and two set in the great outdoors. Enjoy!

“Come to My Window”

Small-town girl Katy craves the big city, the bright lights, the energy and passion…and the woman who would introduce it all to her. She finds all that and more in sophisticated Emilie, who presses her naked against a window and forces her to face her deepest, darkest desires. A lesbian short story “packed full of hot steamy sex.”

“‘Come to my Window’ by Andrea Dale is another story that I found refreshing and well written. It’s short, about 9 pages, but it’s packed full of hot steamy sex in a unique and fun setting – pressed against a window overlooking the city of New York. Who wouldn’t have an orgasm with that kind of view, not to mention the excitement of possibly of being seen in the act.”
— outinprint.net

“Further spankings and a dose of Gallic humiliation is administered in Andrea Dales’ ‘Come to my Window,’ a sort of coming of age story filled with revelations and humiliations while having one’s bottom pleasantly blistered.”
— eroticarevealed.com

“Come to My Window” originally appeared in Where the Girls Are: Urban Lesbian Erotica (Cleis Press, 2009)

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

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“In Flight”

When you’ve been screwed by an ex, it’s hard to trust again. It takes a red-tailed hawk named Rudy and a sexy falconer named Pam to teach a broken woman how to respect herself and love again. A spicy-sweet lesbian love story.

“In Flight” originally appeared in Best Lesbian Love Stories: Summer Flings (Alyson Publications, 2007) and was republished in Best Lesbian Romance 2009 (Cleis Press, 2009)

“Andrea Dale’s ‘In Flight’ has metaphorical power.”
— Seattle Gay News

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

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“After the Rain”

Can a homebody Adirondack hotel clerk find happiness with a gregarious world-traveling Australian? Or will their erotic encounter in the rain-dappled forest be the extent of their relationship? A sexy and touching lesbian short story.

“After the Rain” originally appeared in Travelrotica for Lesbians: Erotic Travel Adventures(Alyson Books, 2006)

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

Is kink your cup of tea?

“How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back”

Ella believed her kinky desires were perverted and sick. It takes a special man like Philip to teach her that she isn’t wrong, or different, or broken. Through bondage and exhibitionism, he gives his little mermaid her tail back. A deliciously sexy short story by a legendary erotica heavy-hitter.

“How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back” (in a sushi restaurant!) is as beguiling as a siren.
—Erin O’Riordan, Urban Fantasy Writers

I really loved the tale “How The Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back” by Andrea Dale. It is a lovely recounting of how a broken woman regains her power and womanhood through the love of a special man. Truly a special tale.
—Airen Wolf, Eden Fantasys

Of all the stories, I would say the most intriguing was “How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back.”
—Monica Solomon, The Romance Readers Connection

“How the Little Mermaid Got Her Tail Back” first appeared in Fairy Tale Lust: Erotic Fantasies for Women (Cleis Press, 2010), which received 4.5 stars from Romantic Times, and was republished in Best Bondage Erotica 2011 (Cleis Press, 2010).

Available in a variety of electronic formats

Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

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“Always a Bridesmaid”

Even though Veronica was a shrewish harpy, I’d always lusted after her. Now I had the opportunity to make this bridezilla pay…in a deliciously kinky way. A hot-and-heavy lesbian short story by a legendary erotica heavy-hitter.

“Always a Bridesmaid” originally appeared in Coming Together: Against the Odds (Phaze Books, 2009)

Available in a variety of electronic formats

Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

Wow! Great review!

A reader posted this amazing review of my story “From Bitter to Sweet” on Amazon:

“Andrea Dale’s ‘From Bitter to Sweet’ is snappy, sexy, and a little sarcastic – and the best piece of breakup erotica I have ever read. A little angry and very hot, Dale’s smart narrator makes her way from a breakup to new love, and it’s an edible journey the entire time (and exactly what I needed as I deal with my own emotional upheaval).”

Thank you, kind reader!

The story appears in Got a Minute? 60 Second Erotica (Cleis Press, 2007; edited by the amazing Alison Tyler) and will soon be available as a free ebook from Soul’s Road Press!

Two Wild West-themed erotica stories available from Soul's Road Press!

“Lily la Rouge, or The Ghost of Erotic Presents”

Can the ghost of a Wild West madame help a woman feel sexy again and reignite the lost spark in her marriage? A sexy and romantic short story by a legendary erotica heavy-hitter.

“Lily la Rouge” originally appeared at Fishnet.com, 2005.

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

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“Queens Up”

In this fan favorite short story, Josephine’s father has lost the family ranch—and Josephine’s hand in marriage—in a poker game gone bad. Josephine plots to win everything back by disguising herself as a man to compete in a high-stakes poker game herself…and her secret lover, Margaret, intends to make sure no one suspects Josephine’s deception.

“Queens Up” originally appeared in LAMBDA Literary Award Winner Lesbian Cowboys: Erotic Adventures (Cleis Press, 2009) and republished in Best Lesbian Romance 2010 (Cleis Press, 2010).

“In the silent-support and enduring understanding romance department, it’s hard to beat Andrea Dale’s historical ‘Queens Up.’ The setting of the American West is cleanly crafted and the time period of Westward Expansion accurate. The women, Josephine and Margaret, are depicted with the determination and intelligence to work within the ‘big picture’ of society’s expectations. There’s no blow-up women’s lib single moment, so frequent in stories set in historical times, just a strong current of thinking fast on their feet that brings these women alive.”

—Lara Zielinsky, LZFiction

“’Queens Up’ by Andrea Dale is the tale of Josephine who uses her skill at poker to undo her father’s mistakes and reclaim a home for herself and Margaret. This clever historical tale flows beautifully with excellent characters and exceptional prose.”
—Emily, Three Dollar Bill Reviews

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

Free fantasy story available!

“What Dragons Prefer” — free fantasy short story from Soul’s Road Press!

A dragon slayer arrives to rescue a threatened town, but the real threat and the dragon’s true desires are not necessarily one and the same.

“What Dragons Prefer” first appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Fall 1994; and republished in Dragons: A Celebration of the Greatest of Mythical Creatures, January 1996.

Available free in a variety of electronic formats from Smashwords
(includes formats for Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook).

Looking for a good laugh?

Squee! Soul’s Road Press has started making my fantasy and science fiction stories available! They’ve been doing such a great job with the erotica so I’m chuffed to get these stories out into the world again, too. (Erotica fans, don’t worry, there’s a lot more of that to, er, come, too!)

(Also: That’s right, Alia—stories you can read and enjoy!)

Here’s info on the first two:

“If the Shoe Fits”

Is Prince Charming really interested in Cinderella…or was it her shoes that captured his attention? A “funny (and rather ingenious)” short story (Errant Dreams Reviews).

“Dayle A. Dermatis’s ‘If the Shoe Fits’ is a funny (and rather ingenious) semi-modern twist on Cinderella, in which we find out why that shoe was really so important to everyone.” —Errant Dreams Reviews

“If the Shoe Fits” originally appeared in The Trouble With Heroes (DAW, 2009).

Available in a variety of electronic formats

Amazon |  Barnes &Noble |  Smashwords

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“Hell’s Belles”

Teaching etiquette to a spoiled debutante can be hell…literally.

“Hell’s Belles” originally appeared in Deathgrip: Exit Laughing (Hellbound Books, 2006).

Available in a variety of electronic formats

Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

Publisher's Weekly, on More Scary Kisses

Publisher’s Weekly has given More Scary Kisses (in which I have the story “Matchmaker” as Dayle A. Dermatis) a glowing review!

Edited by Liz Grzyb. Ticonderoga (www.ticonderogapublications.com), $15.99 trade paper (260p) ISBN 978-0-9807813-2-8

Talent shines in this beguiling collection of 17 paranormal romance stories from Down Under, many of which are more haunting and humorous than scary. Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice takes a turn as a barbaric demon slayer in Fraser Sherman’s “The Sword of Darcy,” while a sugar-crazed cherub does his best to reunite two lovers in Nicole R. Murphy’s “The Protector’s Last Mission.” A telepathic tentacle monster reluctantly wedded to a human woman finds a way toward happy-ever-after in Liz Coley’s “Marriage of Convenience.” On the creepier end, both Felicity Dowker’s “Berries and Incense” and Kirstyn McDermott’s “Frostbitten” will leave readers with chills. Martin Livings and Talie Helene close the anthology with “The Last Gig of Jimmy Rucker,” a brilliantly hypnotizing and heartwarming tale. Readers will be delighted by this introduction to some of Australia’s best paranormal romance writers. (May)

The derriere dilemma

Can you judge a book by its cover? Well, it’s far from an exact science, but a good cover can entice you to pick up a book by someone you haven’t heard of before, and a bad cover (whether one that misrepresents the book or one that is just poorly designed) can turn you away without giving the text a chance.

Even though e-books don’t have physical covers, a cover image is important when you’re browsing on Amazon or B&N or wherever. So Soul’s Road Press and I design covers for all of the short stories and novellas I’m selling, and we try to be as eye-catching as possible.

I had no idea designing covers was so much fun! and I think we’re doing a reasonable job at it. One of the challenges is that the stories we’ve been putting up so far are of the erotica/erotic romance type (don’t worry, SF/fantasy and romance fans, those stories will come!), and we have to find images that are spicy without being crude—along with being appropriate to the individual story.

So when we were ready to publish “Artistic License,” about an Italian statue come to life (or is it just a smoking hot dream?), we found a great statue image.

Here’s the first cover we put up:

But then we got a little notice from Smashwords:

“Although your cover image is tasteful, some of our retailers are super-sensitive to nudity. Please consider uploading a new image where his derriere is covered up a bit.”

The use of “derriere” made me laugh and laugh. (That and the fact that I’m pretty sure the derriere in question belongs to a female.)

Anyway, we went back to the drawing board, and you know what? I think the second cover is even better!

(We love feedback on our covers, so feel free to check ‘em all out at Soul’s Road Press and let us know what you think!)

And if you’d like to read “Artistic License,” it’s available for 99¢ as these fine venues:

AmazonBarnes & NobleSmashwords

I'm in a book trailer!

Well, at least, my voice is, reading two sentences from my story “Wasn’t It Good?”, which appears in Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex! I didn’t have time to get all gussied up and figure out how to record a movie of myself, so my voice is what you’re gonna get.

The book trailer is up on YouTube, and isn’t graphic, but it’s still probably NSFW. (It’s sensuous/steamy/sexy.)

Can you guess which excerpt is mine before you see the credits?  😉