True Tales of Lust and Love

by Anna David (Editor)

Overview

Anna David's True Tales of Lust and Love began as a one-time-only reading and storytelling show in January of 2012, a venue for writers and comedians to share and laugh at their dating disaster stories. But after selling out the venue and attracting immediate press and buzz--with articles in The LA Weekly, LA Times, Time Out, Flavorpill, and LAist, among others--David agreed to produce the show every month. It has continued not only to sell out but also to attract a growing list of authors, comedians, and Hollywood writers. As Time Out declared, "This is the place to go to see strong female performers."

With the show now booked indefinitely, and with audio recordings of each performance available on iTunes, Anna has collected the most popular and entertaining pieces into the first ever True Tales of Lust and Love anthology. The book includes essays organized into three sections--Casual Sex, Dating, and Out of the Ordinary--which collectively offer up funny, raucous, insightful, and surprisingly touching confessions about the quest for lust and love. Everyone has dating disaster stories, everyone needs to share and laugh at them, and this anthology will give readers the opportunity to do just that, with contributions from the funniest writers and comedians around, pulled from the world of books, TV, and film. True Tales of Lust and Love is the perfect complement for a funny or cynical Valentine's Day--and beyond.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781593765385
Publisher:	Catapult
Publication date:	01/07/2014
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Anna David is the New York Times-bestselling author of the novels Party Girl, Bought, the non-fiction books Reality Matters, Falling for Me and By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There, and the Kindle Singles Animal Attraction and They Like Me, They Really Like Me. She has written first-person sex, dating, and relationship pieces for The New York Times, The LA Times, Playboy, and many others. She appears regularly on The Today Show, CNN's Showbiz Tonight, The CBS Morning Show, Fox's Hannity and Red Eye, and HLN's Dr. Drew and was the sex and dating expert on G4's Attack of the Show for three years.

Read an Excerpt

Putting together an anthology featuring the brightest, funniest women you know is an honor but perhaps the best part of working on True Tales of Lust and Love is that it taught me how very much we can gain from both sharing and learning about each other’s romantic adventures. Even though I didn’t go through every single experience the women in my book describe, I related to nearly every feeling. And so I became curious about how much the book’s contributors got out of both sharing their tales aloud at the live show and within the pages of this collection. Of course—because I wouldn’t expect anything else—many of their answers surprised me.

ANNA DAVID: What did you gain, if anything, from writing about your romantic experience?

SACHA SCOBLIC (“Jammin Java Joe”): I gained a deep sense of personal embarrassment. Which I think is healthy. Everyone should be forced to write about their most embarrassing moments; it’s incredible how much you can learn from them. Someone once told me that if I couldn’t think of anything else to write to write a sex scene. Once you go there, well, you can go anywhere with your writing. Once the scariest, most awkward romantic moment is achieved on the page, then writing about, say, alcoholism or dysfunctional families is a breeze.

LAURA HOUSE (“My Very Own Stripper”): I gained personal understanding and acceptance. In my head, some experiences are scary, confusing, weird, shameful. But on paper, I get distance and perspective—like, "Oh, look what younger me did. I get it. It's fine." Then, sharing the story, no matter how bad/weird/shameful it might seem, people will always relate to it. It's healing.

DIANA SPECHLER (“My Boyfriend, Jesus”): I always felt some shame when I looked back on my twentieth year of my life—Why did I fall in love with a delusional man? Why did I keep giant Tootsie Rolls in my cupboard and more or less subsist on them? Why did I watch Waiting for Guffman so many times I memorized it? Why did I get drunk and pee on the sidewalk? Not behind a tree. Right on the sidewalk. In front of a dive bar in Colorado. Writing is a shame-reducer.

AD: If you performed this piece live, were there any memorable audience reactions?

SACHA SCOBLIC: Yes! I bedded a man in Vegas with such an embarrassing tattoo across the full of his back that I felt sorry for him in the morning! And then I ran like the wind!

LAURA HOUSE: A beautiful woman with a super sexy boyfriend came up to me and said, "I wish I had your life." I was stunned. I'd only ever wanted her life!

AD: Whom do you hope, if anyone, reads your essay?

SACHA SCOBLIC: Any and all other women who have also slept with this fellow!

LAURA HOUSE: Strippers and straight lesbians. I feel like there's a lot of good insight for them.

DIANA SPECHLER: A producer who has been dying to make a movie about a man who think he’s the Messiah and the young woman who loves the Messiah because he’s hot and because the woman is twenty and hasn’t yet developed the part of her brain responsible for critical thinking.

AMY DRESNER: Everybody else who knows this ”muse” or has dated him. And that’s a shockingly large number of wanton people!

SARA BENINCASA: Ira Glass, President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, all the other un-dead presidents, Oprah, my kindly Armenian psychiatrist, everyone who works at a co-op grocery store, my college writing professors, and a wisecracking donkey. Because I've always wanted to meet a donkey who can read. And I'd like to talk to that donkey about The Poisonwood Bible.

AD: Whom do you hope, if anyone, NEVER reads your essay?

SACHA SCOBLIC: The man I bedded in Vegas with such an embarrassing tattoo across the full of his back that I felt sorry for him in the morning.

LAURA HOUSE: Maybe my dad? And, if my former boss reads it, I hope he knows it was told with awe and gratitude. I loved that guy, and still think he's amazing.

DIANA SPECHLER: Maybe Maya Angelou? Or Salman Rushdie? I guess I feel self-conscious that some writers grapple with race relations and rape and religious fundamentalism and I write about the time my boyfriend farted in my bed.

SARA BENINCASA: I hope my dad never reads it. I hope my mom never reads it. I hope anyone related to me never reads it. I hope the family of whomever I marry never reads it. Can you imagine having a conversation with a future in-law about that one time when you were 31 and you humped a college student? Guh-ross.

AMY DRESNER: The guy I wrote about. And my ex-husband. And anybody who might ever want to date me.

AD: How would you handle the situation you wrote about differently today?

SACHA SCOBLIC: These days, I wouldn’t have lasted an hour with this guy, let alone a night, because I am sober. That means beer-goggling his personality would not be possible. Smart women and men are different on this: I think cute-but-dumb boys are difficult to last an hour with unless copious amounts of alcohol are at hand.

LAURA HOUSE: There is nothing I would have done differently in that particular situation—except, possibly, enjoy it more.

DIANA SPECHLER: I would like to think that in my thirties, I wouldn’t date a man who told me he was Jesus Christ.

SARA BENINCASA: I'd probably ask to meet his RA—you know, just to really get the full college experience.

Editorial Reviews

10/21/2013
While there is no shortage of books about the pleasures and perils of dating in the 21st century, David’s all-female collection stands out from the crowd. Based on a popular storytelling show that plays bars and clubs around Los Angeles, featuring writers such as Emma Straub, Laura House, Samantha Dunn, and Alison Agosti, all of the essays are smart, witty, unusual, and yet still (perhaps unfortunately, in some cases) relatable. The collection is divided into three sections: “Casual Sex,” “Dating,” and “Love—or Something Like It.” Humor and awkwardness feature throughout, but there is enough sweetness, especially in the latter two sections, sprinkled in to inspire even the most jaded to take a second look at their list of potential mates. Among the best stories are Agosti’s “Sex Playlist” (it’s hard not to laugh out loud at an awkward sex scene involving 12 different versions “Stand by Me”); Sara Benincasa’s “The Kid”; Sara Barron’s “The Clown”; Dunn’s “The Republican” (arguably the sweetest in the entire collection); Vanessa Marshall’s “Fresh Step”; and House’s “My Very Own Stripper.” None of the stories here fall flat; it’s a hysterical and touching read perfect for young women still figuring out their way in the dating world, though recommended for everyone. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"Daring, delightful, sexy, cool, sweet, and poignant--Anna David's compilation True Tales of Lust and Love explores the dark, moist corners of the female psyche, armed with pens, tears, and humor. I savored every word." --Gigi Levangie Grazer

"While there is no shortage of books about the pleasures and perils of dating in the 21st century, David's all-female collection stands out from the crowd...Humor and awkwardness feature throughout, but there is enough sweetness, especially in the latter two sections, sprinkled in to inspire even the most jaded to take a second look at their list of potential mates..None of the stories here fall flat; it's a hysterical and touching read perfect for young women still figuring out their way in the dating world." --Publishers Weekly

"[G]reat for reading out loud"--Cosmo

Praise for the True Tales of Lust and Love Series:

"These broads give good prose jobs" --L.A Weekly

"A night of love lives gone wrong--flame-out dates, awkward encounters and broken hearts--for culture lovers" --Los Angeles Times

"After so many solo book readings over the years, writer Anna David (Falling for Me, Party Girl) got a little lonely and decided to add funny, smart and sexy (really--they're all babes!) women telling stories about sex and love to her lineup. Enter: True Tales of Lust and Love. This is the place to go to see strong female performers. Case in point, big-name comedian Maria Bamford has woven tales here in the past." --Time Out Los Angeles

"The Mint celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, making it a true landmark (especially by LA standards), but the loyal fans of the live-music scene and local-hangout vibe already know that. Known for raucous, dance-inducing rock and funk music, plus the occasional alt-country and punk show -- as well as a great menu and cozy leather booths -- this spot is always a sure bet for a good time. Case in point: TV personality and author of books like Falling for Me, writer Anna David gathers a group of smart and sexy ladies to read their own romantic stories at the Mint's latest and most buzzworthy monthly live-storytelling show, True Tales of Lust and Love." --Flavorpill

"Val-Day lurks around the corner so what better way to compliment -- or counteract -- the ubiquitous hearts and flowers than with True Tales of Lust and Love from Writers and Comedians: author/TV personality Anna David's convocation of witty, wildly accomplished writer gals who know how to bitch slap a Hallmark card right out of existence." --Eat LA

From the Publisher