For your consideration ...

Golden Pigtail Awards nominations have opened!

The nominations for the Golden Pigtail Awards, a prize for erotic fiction run by Alexa Sommers, are open until January 21. You can submit your nominations here, in 16 gloriously filthy categories.

This is my first year in this game, and considering the competition I’m not expecting to be in the running for these, but should you be so moved I certainly wouldn’t mind a vote. This week I’ll be listing a few of my titles that I think fit the categories, and next week I’ll let you know who I think is truly worthy.

The "Begging for More" Award for BDSM Erotica

This isn’t really my scene, but I have hit a few light BDSM notes in my stories and even briefly ranked on Amazon’s charts during a sale for one. That lucky title was Pounded at Pirate Land, where Denise gets all tied up in knots. Penelope gets into a little spanking in Shagged in the Bookshop, and I introduced a little wax play in Crammed at the Christmas Craft Fair, so those seem like fair game for nominations as well.

The "More the Merrier" Award for Harem/Reverse Harem Erotica

I stumbled into this niche with Throuple, which started as a hot roommate story and morphed into a polyamory tale. Katie’s Christmas Cracker features the same gang of four lovers, in a variety of permutations.

The "Take all Cummers" Award for LGBTQ+ Erotica

My most explicitly bisexual story of erotica awakening is The Night of the Storm, in which Joe discovers some hidden desires when he encounters Caleb on a dark and stormy night. Crossing Swords With the Fencing Club is playfully bisexual, too, and A Siren’s Tales features a bisexual awakening. I suppose I’ve got a hankering for the polymorphous perverse, so you can expect a bit of exploration to happen in most of my stories.

The "Tickler" Award for Parody/Comedy Erotica

On Amazon, I put most of my titles in the “Humorous Erotica” category, largely because there’s no “General Erotica” category; even though they’re not all intending to be funny, there are laughs in most of them, because sex is very silly if done correctly. And while there are no great slapstick moments in any of them (derived from the batacchio in comedia dell’arte, which was a not very subtle phallic symbol — it’s dicks all the way down), I think Crammed at the Holiday Craft Fair and Shagged in the Bookshop are my funniest stories.

The "Not Afraid of the Dark" Award for Dark/Taboo Erotica

My work tends to be on the light and frolicsome side, and while I’ve got a new taboo title out now, I haven’t delved into the truly perverse yet. But Baby Bump is on the dark side, with a healthy dose of satire, some (fully consensual and enthusiastic) breeding, and some socio-political commentary.

The "Yes Alexa Finally Released Paranormal Bondage" Award for Paranormal/Horror Erotica

My ambitious Halloween tale Lightning in a Bottle, Passion in the Stars features ghosts of a sort, and a mad scientist; and A Touch in the Dark is a lighter take on the paranormal, in which I do great disservice to my favorite Edwardian ghost stories — M.R. James is surely blushing in his grave.

The "Hearts will Race" Award for Romantic Erotica

Obviously The Contours of Desire fits the bill, as does A Dip in the Lake. I think Phil and Jessie make a pretty great couple, and having Petra join them just makes it so much cozier and sexier.

The "Any Holiday is a Smut Holiday" Award for Holiday Celebration Themed Erotica

My Christmas offerings would be good to nominate here: both Crammed at the Christmas Craft Fair and Katie’s Christmas Cracker capture the holiday spirit. If we’re a little more ecumenical in the holiday selections, I think The Betwixtmas Switch would be a nice choice, as would A Touch in the Dark.

And finally,

The "Levelled Up" Golden Pigtail Rookie Smut Star of 2023

This award only requires the author’s name, so be sure you spell it right: “Cornelia Quick”, your eroticist par excellence, always here to provide you with a fun and filthy read.