Laura Antoniou (b. 1963) is the author of The Marketplace books. The main thread through these books is the idea of the marketplace, a secret society of people dedicated to training and selling slaves to qualified masters/mistresses. The books consist of:
- The Marketplace
- The Slave
- The Trainer
- The Academy
- The Reunion
Through these books, Antoniou explores the concept of meta-consent, gratification through service, consensual slavery, and the support structures needed to maintain a hidden society. Two characters are featured: Robin, a natural masochist who is trained to be a Marketplace slave by Chris. Robin struggles with her needs and desires having trouble satisfying them in pure service to her various masters.
Chris is a more complex character. Born a woman, Chris is a mix of dominant and submissive traits. A troubled childhood leads Chris into assuming the role of a man and eventually to surgical modfication. Chris is a trainer of slaves, having been trained himself in the classical Marketplace methods.
Laura Antoniou has also published many other books including the three "Leather Women" anthologies. Other anthologies include By Her Subdued, No Other Tribute & Some Women, plus a collection of her own short stories and essays titled The Catalyst and Other Works (2004). She has also written gay male erotica under a variety of pen names. She is a frequent speaker at BDSM events and lives with her partner in New York city.
