So Let's Dance, The Last Dance

Tomorrow we leave for home. After almost three weeks in Australia, it's time to go home and get back to reality. Part of me is glad, ready to go home and get creative again, get back into my routine of writing. But, a big part of me will be sad once I'm sitting in that plane seat (and not just because I'm stuck there for 13 hours.) This place is magical to me, and it has been again this time.

So much good stuff, it is hard to list it all. Tim Tams and Lemonade. Exhausting but exhilarating walks. The sights, the sounds. The hot firefighter who smiled at me. It was all good. Even the bad stuff was good. That's how vacation is.

But, now life beckons. I have contracts to sign and send, stories to finish and send and so much more. It is time to spill the beans to everyone in my life that this is it. This is who I am and this is what I want to do. So I will bid Australia a fond farewell and look forward to seeing those United States I love so much.

(There are things I will not miss about Australia too. . .(only a few) No unsweetened Iced Tea. No free drink refills. The fact that books are so dang expensive. The unfavorable exchange rate. The lack of ice in general. No Cool Ranch Doritos. )

So, I shall return soon to writing more regularly. Until then, G'day.

One of Us Has to Drive, One of Us Gets to Think

Good things are always around. Sometimes you just have to look for them. I just found out, while passing my time in Sydney, Australia, that I am to appear in the upcoming anthology Tasting Him, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel. Also, one of my stories is slated to appear in the magazine Bust, in the August/September issue.

It is such a relief to finally have my work published. I hope that this is a sign of things to come. While I am halfway across the world, it is nice to know that I'm still accomplishing things. This vacation has been more productive than any other I've ever been on.

So check out my work in those locations and let me know what you think.

You Better Run, You Better Take Cover

Well, we've arrived in Sydney, and after some comedy, some sleep and some great tea, we are ready to hit the city yet again. Rove McManus was hilarious last night, and our nap in the afternoon was epic.

Just before we took off, I finally got some great news, and it looks like my work will be finding its way into the world. It was such a great way to leave the country. But, why does Australia have to be so far away?

Anyway, now that I am feeling more normal, the creativity seems to be flowing again. Look out world, who knows what this place will do to me?

Are You Hiding Somewhere Behind Those Eyes?

Just too much to do this weekend. Here is an excerpt from one of my recent stories to tide you over until next week.


"You don’t make me feel uncomfortable, just exposed. I guess that is the best way to say it. I feel like you can read my mind, even if you can't."
Again, I was awestruck at how corny I was, but he just smiled a little half smile, and took one more drag of my cigarette, before dropping it into an empty beer can.
"Maybe I can." He turned to me, hand back on my thigh, a little higher this time. He paused and leaned slightly forward towards me. "Because, I know you want me. And I think, every time you’ve zoned out this weekend, you’ve been thinking about me."

I tried not to seem shocked, but I knew I was failing miserably. He could read my mind, that bastard. Or was I just that obvious?
"Well, we like ourselves a lot, don’t we?"
"Fine, then I'm wrong. But, I have to tell you, if you wouldn't keep looking away, you might see that you aren't the only one with something to hide."
I took a moment to process what he has just said, and before I could answer, he was speaking again.

"The question is, if that is how we feel, what are we going to do about it?"
He was leaning closer to me, his hand massaging the inside of my thigh, causing my breath to catch in my throat. I didn’t think a verbal response was in the cards at this point. So I decided to act. I reached my hand down to his muscled forearm, feeling its firm surface. It was covered in a sheet of tattoos that extended up and beyond the border of his shirt sleeve. I started pushing his hand, slowly, higher and higher, until his long, thin fingers were resting between my now spread legs. I didn’t know where I was getting the nerve, but I knew that I couldn’t stop. I wanted him too much to turn back.

Now, it seemed, I couldn’t look away from his eyes. I wanted him to see. I willed him to see all the things I had been thinking and feeling, all the things I had been wanting from him all weekend. He was gently rubbing my clit through my jeans, leaning forward until he is just inches from my face. I felt his breath, warm and moist against my lips, smelling vaguely of pot and beer. He was closer still, his lips just barely grazing mine. I opened my mouth, just a little, and I didn’t know where the words came from, but I had to say it.
"Kiss me." It didn’t even sound like me. It was like it was coming from somewhere else, someone else. He smiled again. It started with just a sweep across my mouth, our lips rubbing so gently, it almost tickled. It was all I can do to stop myself from grabbing him and pulling him to me, but I didn't. I just enjoyed the tease, the game. The hand between my legs was suddenly gone, and I moaned quietly in disappointment. Before I could protest any further, he was pulling me into his lap, so I was straddling him, right there on the couch.

I tilted my hips ever so slightly, my clit pressing into the erection I now felt through his jeans. He pulled me forward, to kiss me. But, now it was my turn to be a tease. I kept my lips hovering just above his, until he wound his fingers roughly through my hair, just like I imagined he would, and pulled my mouth down on top of his. He pushed his tongue into my mouth and I sucked on it hard. His hands relaxed and moved out of my hair, down to my shoulders. Our tongues, sliding deeply in and out of each other’s mouths, moved in time to my hips grinding into his pelvis.

His mouth moved away from mine, sucking and biting the skin where my shoulder and neck meet. I closed my eyes and sighed as his arms wrap around me, crushing my tits into his hard chest. Suddenly, we both froze when we heard Andrew stirring, both of us aware of him for the first time. My heart felt like it is going to pound out my chest, partly from Andrew’s sudden movement, but mostly because of Jason’s body under mine. We both turned our heads to look at him, waiting. He shifted his head from side to side and then slumped further into the cushions, filling the space I had vacated on the sofa. His body, now horizontal, slumped toward the front of the couch, and he started snoring.

Mistress Never Tells a Lie

God, what a long week it has been. After waiting and waiting for some good news, I finally gave up. And, I'm finally coming clean about what I've been doing. I was hesitant to tell anyone about my writing, since I didn't have a lot to show for it yet. But, I got over myself and realized that the only way to make it real, was to share it with other people.

So far, the reaction has been good. I can't wait until I can hold a book in my hand that has my name in it. Hopefully, someday soon that will happen. Until then, I just have to keep on writing.