Sign in

Carmine Pen Press

@carminepenpress.bsky.social
55 followers 24 following 125 posts

Indie publisher of steamy stories and poetry. 20% of proceeds go to charity. Queer owned. Founded in 2025 in the PNW.

PostsRepliesMedia
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
#FictionFriday "Unmasked" by Philip Thorogood Neurodivergent Marcus has never found a person he could relax with enough to be his full sexual self. Until a surprise blind date introduces him to a receptive woman. 2157 words, sub/dom vibes, spice level 3. carminepen.com/unmasked-by-phil-thorogood
carminepen.com
Unmasked by Phil Thorogood - Carmine Pen Press
FictionSpice Level 3 Marcus had kept his world narrow by design. Every evening the blinds closed at the same angle,
000
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
Julie Shiel @forgottenbeauty.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
My poem "The First Time" has been published by The Carmine Pen and can be read below: #writing #poetry #poem #writingcommunity #authorsky #writesky
1153
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
This week we bring you a sensual poem from Julie Shiel. The First Time Do you remember the first time you possessed me, how every second was crystal sharp and even the moon held its breath... carminepen.com/the-first-ti... #PoetryThursday #Poetry
Image text reads: The First Time. Julie Shiel. Do you remember the first time
you possessed me,
how every second was crystal sharp
and even the moon held its breath;
the story you spoke in my ear
as you pinned me close,
your slow words sending
shockwaves through my body
until I shook in senseless desire
and you made me your own?
continued...Image text reads: The First Time. Julie Shiel. ...continued. It was a game we played in the black
until it was all that existed,
each thought folding into
when, where, how long until next time,
stolen moments and gasping cries
the only salvation until
you could claim me once more.

We could never get enough,
never tire of the shadow fairytale
that fed our addiction
where you are the wolf
and I am your willing victim,
those humid stolen kisses
now leaving me lost and aching
for your control.
040
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Read "Don't Stop", an erotic poem by Pause Reflect Move Forward. carminepen.com/dont-stop-by-pause-reflect-move-forward/ #IndiePress #IndiePublishing #Poem #Poetry #EroticPoetry
carminepen.com
Don't Stop by Pause Reflect Move Forward - Carmine Pen Press
He was balder than I was I served him bush He buried his face in it He did
050
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
We are excited to introduce our first flash nonfiction piece, a personal essay by Agatha Valencia called "the kind of man i want". Read it at carminepen.com/the-kind-of-man-i-want-by-agatha-valencia/ #PersonalEssay #FlashNonfiction #IndiePublishing #IndiePress
030
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
Julie Shiel @forgottenbeauty.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
My poem "Briar Rose" has been published in the new edition of Stygian Lepus! You can check it out here: www.stygianlepus.com/edition-32/ #writing #poetry #writingcommunity #fantasy #poetrycommunity #speculative
stygianlepus.com
Edition 32 - OUT NOW
Edition 32 turns its gaze outward and inward at once—toward fractured histories, haunted landscapes, and the quiet horrors that take root in ordinary lives. These stories explore what happens when mem...
0184
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Anyone having a Valentine's Day sale? Share here!
000
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
This week we bring you a sensual poem from Julie Shiel. The Great Hunt Tell me a story, my wolf, of a great hunt chasing the chill Autumn night through twilight shaded wood to the neon of the dirty streets, of stalking fascination to my lonely lair. carminepen.com/the-great-hu... #Poetry
010
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Only 2 weeks until Valentine's Day, so you need something sexy to read, right? ​​Between the Stacks, a library-themed erotica anthology, is only 99¢ this week at most storefronts. ​20% of proceeds go to EveryLibrary, an organization that supports libraries. books2read.com/between-the-...
A carmine-red square decorated with yellow stars and white squiggles. A picture of an ereader with the cover for Between the Stacks. Text: 7 sexy stories for only 99 cents. carminepen.com/books
022
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
#PoetryThursday 3 Haiku by Jon Petruschke Read more erotic poetry at carminepen.com/category/poetry/ bodyboarding wave after wave of her orgasms she unwinds with him in her vacation spot west coast sunset the last time she went down on me #Poetry
050
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
Last call for submissions! We are closing to submissions on January 5th. Submission guidelines: carminepen.com/submissions/ Sign up for our newsletter to find out when we open submissions again: carminepen.com/subscribe/ #CallForSubmissions #Erotica #Romance #Poetry
023
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
#PoetryThursday Haiku by Jon Petruschke Read more erotic poetry at carminepen.com/category/poetry/ don’t be shy she whispers into his open fly I turn you up so the neighbors can hear midwinter night can’t get far enough into her #Poetry
020
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
It's the Smashwords 2025 End of Year Sale! "Between the Stacks" is 25% off all month! www.smashwords.com/books/view/1... #indiebookstore #EOYSale25 #ebook #sale #books2read #indiebooks #erotica
032
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
LonelyWritersClub (ChiMetroNW) @lonelywritersclub.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
In case you missed it, Jessicamarie Wermes' new drop with a kick of spice! 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ #PoetryCommunity #poetrysky #poetry #eros #eroticpoetry #lonelywritersclubnw #poetrynews #indieauthor #jessicamariewermes #carminepenpress #spicy
031
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
gradientdescent @gradientdescent.net · 26/11/2025
Hey look! It’s me! For cheap!
034
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
We're having a sale on Between the Stacks! It's only $1.99 on SmashWords with coupon code L48AZ. And as always, 20% of proceeds go to EveryLibrary! smashwords.com/books/view/1795658 #Erotica #Smut #BlackFridaySale
021
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
#WeAintBuyingIt! This Black Friday, make your dollars count and pause shopping from major corporations. You can choose not to spend at all with a full black out, or redirect your spending to small and local businesses. weaintbuyingit.com
120
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
Gail Carriger @gailcarriger.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
10 Best Ways Readers Can Support Authors They Love gailcarriger.com/2023/06/07/s...
0226
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
unforth | Claire Houck | Duck Prints Press @duckprintspress.com · 06/11/2025
Anyway I hadn't heard anyone talking about this, so I guess I'm gonna talk about it. Spread the word if you're thinking about doing an nsfw KS project, Stripe apparently might pull your funding at literally any step of the process, with zero warning!
the "myth of consensual sex" meme, remade. Entitled, "The myth of artistic freedom," It shows a man and a woman lying together, mostly naked, with speech bubbles that say "I want to draw it" and "I want to see it," and next to them are the Mastercard and Visa logos with a speech bubble that reads "I don't!" Bottom text says, "Isn't there some random payment processor you forgot to ask?"
1127822271
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
We're on Chill Subs! Keep track of calls for submission, add us to lists, and rate us! www.chillsubs.com/publisher/ca...
030
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Carmine Pen Press is proud to participate in #FallOfFreedom, a nationwide cultural movement uniting artists, institutions, and communities. Take part this November 21–22 as we use our voices, art, and energy to stand against censorship and celebrate freedom. Go to falloffreedom.com to learn more.
061
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
Johannes T. Evans @johannestevans.co.uk · 03/11/2025
Between the Stacks: Stories of Lusty Librarians, Amorous Authors, & Bawdy Bookstores, is an anthology of erotic short stories across all manner of bibliophiles - mine is a stern librarian and a new florist. Available in eBook and paperback from @carminepenpress.bsky.social: carminepen.com/books/
BETWEEN THE STACKS, stories of lusty librarians, amorous authors, and bawdy bookstores. erotica by johannes t. evans, gemma moon, a. boss, jack stein, day s grant, achilles king, cheeky boutée, edited by elisabeth dove.
162
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
"c*ck in your hand i imagine you spread legged living room couch marital bed" Read this erotic poem by Jessicamarie Wermes at carminepen.com/thinking-of-me-by-jessicamarie-wermes/ #Poetry #EroticPoetry
010
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
"It will be your ubiquitous beauty that is my inevitable fatality." Read "My Best Poem" by Rob Yedinak at carminepen.com/my-best-poem-by-rob-yedinak. #Poetry #EroticPoetry
My Best Poem
an erotic poem by Rob Yedinak

Read it at
carminepen.com
010
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Looking for something romantic yet spooky to read this month? Gemma Moon brings us her recommendations for paranormal romance and horror romance, from sweet to sizzling. carminepen.com/romances-for... #BookRecommendations #HalloweenReads #SteamyRomance #ParanormalRomance #HorrorRomance #Romantasy
000
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
Powerful letter from a non-verbal autistic person. Give it two minutes of your night and feel your heart expand.
3459154
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
S. Morgan Burbank | Project Tasman Releases Nov. 11 @anotherindiewriter.com · 18/10/2025
When y'all buy from indie authors, it impacts us profoundly. Especially if it goes outside the circle of authors trading a few dollars back and forth amongst ourselves.
524496
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
Gemma Moon's bestselling novelette is only 99 cents this week! MFMM werewolf smut. www.amazon.com/Mate-Pack-We...
A black, gray, and red book cover depicting three howling wolves in silhouette. Text reads: Bound and Knotted. A Mate for the Pack. Gemma Moon.
000
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
#PoetryThursday "gospel: lake geneva" by Jessicamarie Wermes Read more erotic poetry at carminepen.com/category/poetry/ #Poetry
gospel: lake geneva
Jessicamarie Wermes

i have found blood boils behind the cold of a zipper. the peel of skin and salt, bared free to the dark of the sticky night. he traced his fingers tentatively up my arm, the sigh in a soft moan. my mouth full of a question never asked. hunger, a ripe fruit staining our knowledge of the other.

we spent the afternoon lips slick with want, how it flavored every word said. tasted of blue moon ice cream, chocolate beer and spiced honey. i stood dripping lake water into a puddle as his eyes searched the brief body i could lend him. the distraction i was willing to give him. 

and i wonder if i swallow the good in every man, will i know the bad when it rots on my tongue. his baptism of spit laced with mango weed smoke, no place holier than the gravel of a parking lot. 

then i ask, how deep do your sins go and do you like the feel of them in the back of my throat.
030
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
#CallForSubmissions Flash fiction & essays relating to neurodivergent sexuality. Authors will be paid 4¢ per word. carminepen.com/submissions/fiction-nonfiction/
065
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
"I have a confession to make." Get your copy of #BetweenTheStacks and read @gradientdescnt.bsky.social's gay erotica "Secrets and Lilacs". The ebook is on sale today for $2.99 for #BannedBooksWeek. 20% of proceeds go to EveryLibrary, an organization that fights book bans. carminepen.com/books
000
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Only 2 more days to get Between the Stacks for $2.99! carminepen.com/books #EroticaAnthology #Smut
034
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
"Would you like to see my dungeon?" Get your copy of #BetweenTheStacks and read @hellostarshine.bsky.social's BDSM and trans erotica "Xalted". The ebook is on sale for $2.99 all of #BannedBooksWeek. 20% of proceeds go to EveryLibrary, an organization that fights book bans. carminepen.com/books
064
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Get your copy of #BetweenTheStacks and read more of Cheeky Boutée's menage erotica "F*ckathon at the BookCon". The ebook is on sale for $2.99 all of #BannedBooksWeek. 20% of proceeds go to EveryLibrary, an organization that fights book bans. carminepen.com/books
"Caitlin knocked on the hotel room door. She was nervous, but she tried to appear cool, calm, sophisticated. It was not every day you got invited to an award-winning author’s private party. Especially when that author had blue eyes you could get lost in, and broad shoulders, and…

"The door opened into a large suite full of people.

"Everyone was naked."
032
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
gradientdescent @gradientdescent.net · 06/10/2025
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to support my shenanigans as an author, this is on sale! The head librarian in my hometown kept a newspaper clipping up on his wall from the local paper accusing him of being a pornographer. He was that proud of standing up against censorship.
052
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Get your copy of #BetweenTheStacks and read more of @johannestevans.bsky.social's gay historical erotica, "A Temple by Any Other Name." The ebook is on sale for $2.99 all of #BannedBooksWeek. 20% or proceeds go to EveryLibrary, an organization that fights book bans. carminepen.com/books
“A library is a temple as any other, as I said,” Marian purrs, taking Cassian’s earlobe between his teeth and tugging gently on it.

“I wasn’t expecting such pleasure in Crossroads,” Cassian says, breathing heavily. “I was anticipating engaging with other men only on visits to the city.”

“What does a library host but a million cities in neat and tidy order?”
044
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Ebook on sale for $2.99 during Banned Books Week! 20% of proceeds go to EveryLibrary, and organization which fights book bans. carminepen.com/books/ #Erotica #BannedBooksWeek #Smutober #BBW2025
#BetweenTheStacks by the Numbers
7 short eroticas in 1 anthology
4 contemporary
2 speculative
1 historical
3 straight
3 gay
1 lesbian
1 trans
4 libraries
2 bookstores
1 bookcon
5 spice rating 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
100
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
Censorship is no 1984. To help you celebrate your right to read, the ebook of BETWEEN THE STACKS is only $2.99 all week. 20% of proceeds go to EveryLibrary, an organization that fights book bans. books2read.com/between-the-... #betweenthestacks #BannedBooksWeek #BannedBooksWeek2025 #Erotica
033
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
MaxMagenta @realmaxmagenta.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
🌶️The last (of three) of my poems published by Carmine Pen Press.🌶️ carminepen.com/sin-eater-by... Special thanks to @carminepenpress.bsky.social #poetrysky #poetry #poem #erotica #spicy
sin eater

it’s hard to talk
with a
ring gag
in your mouth
your own private
Gethsemane
at least
that’s what you try
to say
but
he
keeps hitting
the back
of your throat
and it
just comes out
like
mmmmmmphhhhpmmphh
his fingers
interlocked within
your braids
demonstrably breaking
commandments
with each thrust
finishing
he gives you
a piece of
his soul
genuflects
then
exits the
confessional
as you wait
for the next
parishioner.
021
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
Fusion Fragment @fusionfragment.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Important distinction, for whoever needs to hear it today: A rejection of your story is not a rejection of you as a writer!
18819
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
it’s hard to talk with a ring gag in your mouth... Read all of "sin eater" by @realmaxmagenta.bsky.social at carminepen.com/sin-eater-by-max-magenta/ #Poetry
040
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Want free books? Grab these ARCs in exchange for honest reviews, including our own Between the Stacks: Stories of Lusty Librarians, Amorous Authors, and Bawdy Bookstores. Erotic Romance: booksirens.com/bundle/eroti... Steamy Romance: booksirens.com/bundle/steam... #FreeBooks #ARCs
030
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
#PoetryThursday Today's poem is by Brian Sheffield. Brian Sheffield is a Pushcart Prize nominated performance poet and stage actor based out of the Central Coast of California. He is a co-founder of Mad Gleam Press and an editor with Moon Riot Press. carminepen.com/the-morning-... #Poetry
[The morning climbs a stair onto its roof] by Brian Sheffield
1.

The morning climbs a stair onto its roof,
A distance waking up its stiffened limbs
And stretching out between the earth and sky.
I can see you start your appearance here.

Your shadow grants a visit, but my eye
Can only catch a moment of your hair.
As the day ascends and begins to wane,
I think I forget your taste, your blossom.

Oh, but my lips hold you, my tongue can hear
A lingered whisper as though you were near

Enough to tell me the secrets of your door.
I am a blasphemy, a crooked spine,
You are a wind’s chorus across a moor.
Time holds me there with you in a warm line.2.

You walk me through the white sutures of time
Where nature petals herself open, slow –
Memory grasps me firmly by the arm
And offers me a comforting squeeze.

I am still hungry for the curvature
Of your face, which rises behind me on
Each morning, and hands the light over to
Santa Lucia, who stands above Pacific Grove.

Even as the water crawls away, only
To slink back in quick leaps, I still meander

On the shifting edges of this rounded bay.
Your fingers wear the wet diamonds of your skin,
Your arms are a soft forest of calm warmth.
The rising flames of dawn lay in your hair.

The sky becomes a blushing lake. The clouds
Recount your stories. Suddenly, they weep.

Brian Sheffield
010
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
We adore this poem by David Whyte. onbeing.org/poetry/every... #Poetry
Text reads: Everything is Waiting for You
Written and read by David Whyte


Listen
After Derek Mahon

Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone. As if life
were a progressive and cunning crime
with no witness to the tiny hidden
transgressions. To feel abandoned is to deny
the intimacy of your surroundings. Surely,
even you, at times, have felt the grand array;
the swelling presence, and the chorus, crowding
out your solo voice. You must note
the way the soap dish enables you,
or the window latch grants you freedom.
Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.
The stairs are your mentor of things
to come, the doors have always been there
to frighten you and invite you,
and the tiny speaker in the phone
is your dream-ladder to divinity.

Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into the
conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.
020
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Happy #PoetryThursday! This week's poem is from Ennis Rook Bashe. carminepen.com/the-summoner... #Poetry #IndiePress
010
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
gradientdescent @gradientdescent.net · 17/08/2025
If you’ve been waiting for a non-Amazon way to pick up this here book that I’m part of, now’s the time! Remember, everyone needs to own at least one physical book on hand to seductively pass to a handsome stranger with a hand-written proposition tucked inside.
052
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 17/08/2025
You can now buy #BetweenTheStacks on bookshop.org and support your local book shops! bookshop.org/beta-search?...
bookshop.org
Bookshop.org US
021
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
Johannes T. Evans @johannestevans.co.uk · 17/08/2025
What's nice about writing so many romance and erotica characters who are in various ways disabled is how many lovely messages i get from other disabled people saying how exciting and fun it is to see people like us portrayed as desirous and desired, something other than burdens or lessons for others
16311
Carmine Pen Press @carminepenpress.bsky.social · 17/08/2025
Stream and Blood was a great panel on sex in horror and dark fantasy. Tomorrow I'll post some of the books the panelists recommended. #SeattleWorldCon2025 #WorldCon #WorldCon2025 #WorldConSeattle
030
Reposted by Carmine Pen Press
Lancer 🔞 @snunukiss.bsky.social · 16/08/2025
Being "wholesome" and "non-problematic" and "vanilla" won't save your ass if you're a smut artist. We're all going to be affected, so stand up for your peers even if you don't like their themes because censorship is going to kill art and then ourselves. -A "wholesome, non-problematic" smut artist
171616706