Laura Antoniou
Laura Antoniou is an American novelist. She is the author of The Marketplace series of BDSM-themed novels, which were originally published under the pen name of Sara Adamson.
Antoniou is also known for her work as an editor and pioneer on the field of contemporary erotic fiction and in particular as editor of lesbian erotica anthologies including the three-volume Leather Women series, Some Women, By Her Subdued, No Other Tribute, and a collection of her own short stories and essays titled The Catalyst and Other Works.
Antoniou's fiction and her essays on alternate views of sexual roles have been cited by writers on the evolution of erotic fiction, and on the social politics of gender roles. Documentary filmmaker and author Tanya Trepanier's described Antoniou as part of a growing trend of novelists exploring hybrid forms of identity, including cultural and sexual identity, that don't fit into simple categories, using narrative storytelling as a way of understanding identities that can't be easily defined in a traditional manner. In an analysis of contemporary novelists in the area of women's erotic fiction, Carolyn Allen cites Antoniou's writings as describing the concept that all relationships between people include elements of power exchange, with one partner taking the more dominant role even in day-to-day interactions. Nikki Sullivan, lecturer in Cultural and Critical Studies at Macquarie University, in her essay Sadomasochism as Resistance? refers to Antoniou's description of sexual roles as a loose structure, due to the many choices available to the participants, with the key element being the choice of which participant guides the activities.
Writings by Antoniou are at the Leather Archives and Museum.
Awards and honors
Partial bibliography
- Laura Antoniou, writing as Anonymous: Lady F, Masquerade, 1993,
- Laura Antoniou, Looking for Mr. Preston, Richard Kasak Books, 1995,
- Laura Antoniou, writing as Christopher Morgan, Musclebound and Other Stories, Alyson Books, 2002
- Laura Antoniou, The Marketplace, Circlet Press, 2010
- Laura Antoniou, The Slave, Mystic Rose Books, 2001
- Laura Antoniou, The Trainer, Mystic Rose Books 2001
- Laura Antoniou, The Academy: Tales of the Marketplace, Ed. Karen Taylor. Mystic Rose Books, 2000
- Laura Antoniou, The Reunion, Mystic Rose books, 2002,
- Laura Antoniou, No Other Tribute: Erotic Tales of Women in Submission, Rhinoceros Books, 1997,
- Laura Antoniou, Leatherwomen, Rosebud Books, 1998,
- Laura Antoniou, The Catalyst and Other Works, Mystic Rose Books 2004,
- Laura Antoniou, Lori Selke, Tough Girls: Down and Dirty Dyke Erotica, Black Books, 2001,
- Laura Antoniou, Christina Abernathy, Erotic Slavehood: A Miss Abernathy Omnibus, Greenery Press, 2007,
- Laura Antoniou, The Killer Wore Leather: An S/M Mystery, Cleis Press, 2013,
- Laura Antoniou, The Inheritor, Circlet Press, 2015,