Then they learn about anal sex, and the entire process begins anew.

The very idea that one’s back-end is an erogenous zone—and not an erroneous zone— dumbfounds us at first. However, curious creatures that we are, it isn’t long before we’re thinking about everything from timid intrusions and full-out thrusts.

But anal pleasure as a means to intimacy and, dare I say, romance? That’s another story all together. And one I saw as a challenge. It’s easy to push the erotic edge when writing about anal sex, but to write about anal pleasure as an expression of love and commitment? As a means of discovery and fulfillment? As a way of finding or rediscovering or redefining love? Ah, well.

Yet the authors in this anthology accomplished all this. The women authors brought a sense of the protagonist’s quest to their stories, of journeys taken and discoveries made. The men, of longing fulfilled and of love born through intimate courage. The women wrote of sex-positive adventures, of love and lust and the binding power of intimacy braved. The men melted my heart, their tales poignant, candid, and revealing. And, of course, some of the stories were downright no-holds-barred sex romps. All of them left me awe-struck and beguiled. An editor couldn’t ask for a better experience.

I hope you’ll find similar discoveries as you read Back Door Lover. May its stories challenge your thinking, your creativity, and, most of all, your personal romantic and erotic energy.

Debra Hyde

November 2011