First Draft Excerpt - Angelic Kiss

Excerpt from the new story in first draft form, which means there are definitely grammatical errors lurking. This isn't the beginning of the story - just an excerpt that will go in near the beginning. I'm still reworking and fiddling with the beginning - one of the hardest parts to work up in a story along with the ending. :P Let me know what you think.

Excerpt: Angelic Kiss

Spero placed a gentle kiss on her lips. The touch of his lips was sweet and left the cool, tingly aftertaste of fresh mint tickling her mouth. Eyes still closed, Sara inched forward for another taste. Her eyes flashed open in alarm as she stumbled forward into nothing, discovering that Spero had taken a step… a distressfully large step back from her. The satisfied look on his face reassured her that a sudden bout of stinky breath on her part hadn’t driven him away.

“That was nice. But could we do it again? Say for a little longer?” She smiled coaxingly, taking a step closer to him while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“I like you.” Spero responded with a hint of reproach in his voice. He took another step back.

“Okay. I like you too.” Sara gave him a puzzled smile, then tilted her head slightly and teased, “typically that leads to more kisses and longer kisses.” She took another step forward, then huffed out an exasperated breath as he once again stepped back from her. Was it body odor? She had showered that morning. And used deodorant. Oh no. Maybe angels didn’t like kissing? Was it considered sinful? Oh god… ooops… golly – did that mean sex would be instant internment in hell? Oh, that would suck. Not to mention put a big fat crimp on the lusting for an angel thing.

“I like you…” Spero repeated hesitantly, before adding, “…and respect you. I don’t want to take advantage of you.” His perfectly formed mouth tilted in a bashful smile while he watched her with those amazing silvery grey eyes.

Sara quelled the urge to roll her eyes. Spero was shy. It was cute. Sort of. She had a sneaky suspicion that she was going to have to take the role of aggressor in the relationship if she planned to be kissed - and more - with any kind of regularity. Not that they had a relationship. Could a human and an angel even have a relationship? And where did you find the answers to those types of questions? Was there a Wiki-pious?

Glancing down at the toes of her red high tops so he wouldn’t see the amusement in her eyes and possibly feel being insulted, Sara said, “I promise I won’t be taken advantage of if you kiss me again. And I’ll still respect you in the morning too.” She couldn’t hide the tiny lilt of laughter that crept into her voice. This guy… angel… whatever… was just so entertaining.

Sara watched in disbelief as Spero’s shoes slid yet a step back from her. Unbelievable. It was just a damn kiss, not a marriage proposal! Okay, fine. She could take a hint that was whapped over her head, several times in rapid succession. The guy definitely did NOT want to kiss her again. Every ounce of humor fled as she glanced up, fisting her hands on her hips.

“Why the hell did you kiss me in the first place if you didn’t want to?” She demanded, cringing inside as she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. She’d practically thrown herself at him after his nearly plutonic peck at her mouth. God! Did they come anymore pathetic than her? He “liked” her. Hello. Key word for I just want to be friends, but in her oblivious state of angel lust she had taken it to be an invitation for more. Where was the nearest toilet? She so needed to flush her head a half dozen times.

“I did want to Sara. I told you, I like you.” Spero said, eyeing her curiously. It was obvious her sudden mood swing had him baffled.

At least he had stopped backing away from her predatory stalker self. Mentally kicking herself repeatedly, Sara shook her head in self disgust. It wasn’t his fault. There was something so innocent and openly trusting about Spero, that she knew he hadn’t intended to mislead her about his intentions. It was her own damn fault that she misread his signals, thinking he wanted HER, when all he really wanted was a friend. Her hormones were to blame. It was a crystal clear that it has been way too long since she’d been laid when she resorted to projecting lust on an angel for cripe’s sake.

“Look, I get it.” Sara said, her lips curved into a wry smile as she waved a hand in the air dismissively, “I apologize that I took a simple kiss to mean more than I should have. We’re all good, Spero.” Sara glanced around the bar as if an excuse to escape the awkward situation she was in might jump out and rescue her. She didn’t see an excuse, but she did notice the dark man, dressed in black jeans and t-shirt, leaning against a wall, watching her and Spero with unusual intensity. As soon as her eyes met his, he flashed a crooked grin and started a slow prowl in her direction. He didn’t walk her way, he glided. The hot look in his eyes set off a sizzling flush inside her. Uh-oh. If that wasn’t trouble headed her way then she didn’t know what was. One embarrassment an evening was her quota. Forget the excuse. It was time to cut bait and run.

Grabbing Spero’s hand, Sara rapidly shook it as she blurted in super-fast speak, “Well, it’s been fun Spero. Thanks for the kiss… I mean the drink. I need to head home. Maybe I’ll run into you again sometime. Good luck with all the angel stuff.”

Flashing him a falsely bright smile, she twisted to hurry away, but was brought up short when he didn’t release her hand, causing her to do a little bouncing stumble. His grip tightened as she frantically tried to tug it free.

“I don’t understand,” Spero frowned, ignoring her attempts to free her hand. “Why would you want to end our date so soon after we just agreed we like each other? Have I said something to offend you?”

“Date?” Sara squawked, gaping at him. Oh boy. Talk about mixed signals. Now she was completely confused. She had no time to process that thought since a pair of very warm hands settled on her hips and she felt the heat and hardness of a body press up against her from behind. She froze. No, no need to see who it was. She knew without turning her head, it was the dark stranger who had been watching them. His sensual aura that had screamed at her from across the room, wrapped itself around her like a scalding hot blanket.

“Who’s your pretty friend Spero?” a voice purred next to her ear as his hands flexed on her hips. A warm breath tickled the hairs along her neck causing her to tremble as her entire body blushed, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She had just been dipped into a vat of molten heat. The deep, accented voice touched her in places inside that it had no business touching. Especially while she still had her hand in the grasp of an angel.

Some updates and mark your calendars

I'll be guest blogging over at Erotic Muses on Monday, July 27th. Last time I did this y'all blew away the number of comments on a guest post. Would be cool to do that again. Heehee!

I am taking questions about erotica, about writing, about women and sexuality, or basically anything you want to ask.

I have one so far from GingaPaul "Why is it [Erotic stories] better than movies or pictures?"

I'm expecting another, potentially embarrassing one, from the incredibly talented Shelley Munro. Since she's known me for a long time, there is noooo telling what it might be. :P

Send me your questions and help me come up with a topic for the post that would interest y'all.

I'm leaning toward discussing women breaking down sexual taboos since it is something i've wanted to dig into deeper for awhile. Erotica can have a direct impact on how women view themselves sexually and can create a comfort level in exploring one's boundaries. What do you think? Too complext for a guest blog? :D

The show went really well last night. I think with the news that George Lucas already has permission to build his new office complex and a museum in the Presidio that the debate ended at a draw. It was quite a lively discussion though and fun. I need to find more things that Johnny disagrees with me on.

For writers who haven't seen it yet - Samhain is taking short story submissions for a series of Angel and Demons books. I've got my story outline done and characters named (thanks Anil for the help with that) and am looking forward to this wicked little tale. Fingers crossed that it gets accepted. I think the storyline is original enough to entice and will be hot enough to deliver a little seat wiggling heat.

Since there doesn't seem to be any info on the submission that i can link to - i'm reposting the call here:

Angels for whom heaven is not enough. Demons searching for redemption in a mortal’s arms. Seraphim, nephilim, heaven’s warriors or creatures from the pits of hell—love could be waiting for them all.
Samhain Publishing invites you to step into the light or embrace the forces of darkness with stories of angels and demons from any mythology. Will your angels be wicked and your demons be wanton? Only you can decide on which side of heaven or hell they’ll fall.

Samhain Publishing is seeking submissions for their Spring 2010 demons and angels themed anthology. Stories can be of any genre or heat level, and submissions are open to M/F, M/M, or multiples thereof, but all submissions must feature either an angel or demon theme (or both!) as integral to the story. Submissions should be 20,000 to 30,000 words in length.

Submissions are open to all authors previously published with Samhain as well as authors aspiring to publish with Samhain. Submissions must be new material, previously published material will not be considered. Additionally, manuscripts previously submitted, whether individually or for past anthologies, will not be considered either. Please be aware that manuscripts submitted to this anthology cannot be resubmitted at a later date unless by invitation from an editor. However, submissions with merit for possible publication at Samhain are and will be passed to interested Samhain editors even if not chosen for the angels and demons anthology.

Chosen manuscripts will be published as separate ebooks under their individual titles in Spring 2010 but will be combined as one print title for Winter 2010 print release.

To submit a manuscript for consideration please include the full manuscript (of 20,000 to 30,000 words) with a comprehensive 2-3 page synopsis in addition to a letter of introduction/query letter which details the genre, heat level and story length. Full manuscripts are required.

As well, when you send your manuscript, please be sure to use the naming convention Title_AngelsDemons_MS and Title_AngelsDemons_Synopsis. This will ensure that your submission doesn’t get missed in the many submissions we receive, and makes it easy for me to find in my ebook reader.

Submissions are open until November 1st and final decision will be made by November 16th.

Submissions and questions can be directed to Angela James at editor@samhainpublishing.com Please put Angels and Demons Anthology in the subject line.

And finally - Gaddy has a steamy poem up that is worth reading. I can see this one as more of a song, although that may not be what he intended when he wrote it. I so need to do another co-writing with him again.

DAMage Report - We Don't Need No Stinking Museum

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/04/BAKU18ICI7.DTL

Apparently the bowling alley in the Presidio in San Francisco has a great deal of sentimental value to a large number of people. An Art Museum - not so much. The citizens are passionate enough about their bowling alley and decaying army base and parking lots that they have hawked a big wet loogie on the offer of a world-class museum complex that would house works by Warhol, Richter, Calder and more from the Donald Fisher collection.

There are of course two sides to every story. The residents want to preserve the historical integrity of the area which is the site of a Spanish settlement and former U.S. military base. The main argument seems to be that the museum complex would compromise the rundown area. Ironically, the Presidio Trust still plans to move forward with revitalization plans for the Main Post building, including building a lodge, rehabilitating and expanding the historic theater. So they want it untouched? Apparently the hard-on is mostly for Fisher, the founder of GAP. The Fishers had scaled back their plans to accomodate preservationists, but opponents were not satisfied.

One of the opposers to the museum plan, Nancy Ewart wrote "This wasn’t a free gift but a 21st century version of a land grab with the addition of a 119-room hotel, meeting space, a restaurant and a bar; two new theaters and the creation of a heritage center....it’s a real mistake to assume that everybody is honest, ethical and eco-friendly where there’s money to be made." http://www.examiner.com/x-13996-SF-Museum-Examiner~y2009m7d5-The-Fisher-Museum-at-the-Presidio-is-a-nogo

Let me think about this - we have a neglected historical area in a tourism destination city. A wealthy patron of the arts has offered to turn into another tourism destination for the city and the residents are wallowing in conjecture, maybes, what-ifs and ...honesty? Is San Francisco recession free or something? They apparently have no interest in another means of drawing dollars to a deprived area of their city. Or any interest in supporting the arts.

Matthew Baume comments "Now the Presidio can return to what it once was and always shall be: a gigantic, partially-beautiful piece of land that nobody remembers exists."

Does anyone have Mr. Fisher's number? I have a nice southern city that would just love to have some wealthy patron toss money our way in support of the arts.

Guest Blogging at Erotic Muses on July 27

http://eroticmuses.blogspot.com/

Mark your calendars y'all and let's flood the blogsite with comments and discussion like we did last time. Any topics in particular anyone would like discussed in regards to erotic writing?

I don't mind including a question and answer portion if you have any questions you've been bouncing around inside your heads.

And thnx Lisa Andel for asking me to return. Wahoo! :P

Art that imbeds itself in your mind and heart

This weekend while browsing through a gallery with a friend, i ran across the art work of a rather phenominal artist. Lucy Hunnicutt paints folk art that is not only rich with storytelling and humor, but also quite brilliant in use of symbols and historical references toward religious themes/tales.

Her paintings don't just hold you captive... they make you feel good. Not a lot of art can do that - evoke a sense of heartfelt pleasure while viewing it. I've had to limit my collecting to local artists because face it - any free cash i may have for art usually funnels into my own work. But this is an artist i covet. I want one of her paintings. I want it more than i want icecream on a hot, blistery day. And you can bet I'll be tracking her until i can get one.

http://www.southernbreeze.net/tour152.htm

DAMage Report - Arts and Antiquities Tug-a-War

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/arts/design/24abroad.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp

An ongoing controversy over ownership of ancient artifacts is in the limelight right now due to the opening last month of the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece. Two centuries ago, Lord Elgin, serving as ambassador to the Ottoman empire, hauled away half of the Parthenon frieze and various other pieces of the historic site. The Elgin Marbles as they became known have been housed in the British Museum since the 1800's and provided enormous inspiration to generations. The original reason the British gave for retaining possession of the famous Marbles was that Greece didn't have the facilities to adequately care for or display the art. With the opening of the new Acropolis museum that argument no longer stands. And the Greeks want their marbles back.

It raises the question of who exactly does looted or "repossessed" historical art and artifacts belong to. The country in possession of it or the country of origin? Obviously great art and historically relevant works "belong to the world" but that doesn't resolve the question of who gets to claim ownership of it. Possession nine tenths of the law or should countries like Greece be allowed to keep and preserve their cultural history? The question has the museums of the world in quite a pickle. As one article in the Economist states:

"As curators all over the world will see it, those who call for the permanent return of the Parthenon sculptures from London are arguing for international museums to be emptied.

Many other collections have a more dubious provenance than the marbles—think of the British Museum’s Benin bronzes, seized in a punitive raid in Nigeria; of the Pergamon altar removed from Turkey and now in Berlin; of Chinese treasures carried off during the Boxer rebellion and again during the civil war; of hundreds of works in Russian museums that were snatched from their owners in the Bolshevik revolution.

You cannot go very far in righting those wrongs without entangling the world’s museums in a Gordian knot of restitution claims. That is why, in December 2002, 18 of the world’s leading directors—from the Louvre to the Hermitage and from the Metropolitan Museum to the Getty Museum—argued for a quid pro quo. The Munich declaration, as it is called, asserts that today’s ethical standards cannot be applied to yesterday’s acquisitions."

It is definitely a tricky problem when looking at the bigger picture. Public sentiment, including mine, seems to run toward giving Greece her artifacts back. As Brooke London pointed out to me yesterday, if another country came over and tried to take our Liberty Bell, saying they could provide better care for it (we did crack that bad boy after all) we would all be up in arms in a skinny minute. Take our historical artifacts? Like hell!

DAMage Research - A Culture's Art/History... who does it belong to?

***http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/arts/design/24abroad.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp

"As to whether Elgin had legal authority to remove the marbles, the Ottomans being the ruling power, as the British maintain, Mr. Pandermalis paused. “The problem is not legal,” he decided. “It’s ethical and cultural.” George Voulgarakis, a former culture minister, wasn’t so circumspect when asked the same question. He said, “It’s like saying the Nazis were justified in plundering priceless works of art during the Second World War.”

So both sides, in different ways, stand on shaky ground. Ownership remains the main stumbling block. When Britain offered a three-month loan of the marbles to the Acropolis Museum last week on condition that Greece recognizes Britain’s ownership, Mr. Samaras swiftly countered that Britain could borrow any masterpiece it wished from Greece if it relinquished ownership of the Parthenon sculptures. But a loan was out.

Pity. Asked whether the two sides might ever negotiate a way to share the marbles, Mr. Samaras shook his head. “No Greek can sign up for that,” he said.

Elsewhere, museums have begun collaborating, pooling resources, bending old rules. The British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre and other great public collectors of antiquity have good reason to fear a slippery slope if the marbles ever do go back, never mind what the Greeks say.

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"Greece is insisting that the British Museum surrender the marble sculptures that Lord Elgin took down from the Parthenon and carted away in the early 1800s.

As curators all over the world will see it, those who call for the permanent return of the Parthenon sculptures from London are arguing for international museums to be emptied. Many other collections have a more dubious provenance than the marbles—think of the British Museum’s Benin bronzes, seized in a punitive raid in Nigeria; of the Pergamon altar removed from Turkey and now in Berlin; of Chinese treasures carried off during the Boxer rebellion and again during the civil war; of hundreds of works in Russian museums that were snatched from their owners in the Bolshevik revolution.

You cannot go very far in righting those wrongs without entangling the world’s museums in a Gordian knot of restitution claims. That is why, in December 2002, 18 of the world’s leading directors—from the Louvre to the Hermitage and from the Metropolitan Museum to the Getty Museum—argued for a quid pro quo. The Munich declaration, as it is called, asserts that today’s ethical standards cannot be applied to yesterday’s acquisitions"

***http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13900966

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"The Parthenon was built between 447-432 B.C., at the height of ancient Athens' glory, in honor of the city's patron goddess, Athena.

About half the surviving sculptures were removed by Scottish diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 1800s, while Greece was still an unwilling part of the Ottoman Empire. Most belong to a frieze depicting a religious procession that ran round the top of the temple."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090617/ap_on_re_eu/eu_greece_acropolis_museum

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/22/Greece-urges-Britain-return-sculptures/UPI-36201245680874/

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"The Greek government on Monday pointed directly to regurgitated excuses and a continued negative stance by British Museum officials regarding the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, with a government spokesman stressing that "all excuses used by those who invented different pretenses to keep integral parts of this unique monument outside Greece have failed."

"They should return them," spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said,referring to the Marbles during the first week of operation for the New Acropolis Museum at the foot of the Acropolis.

"They (Marbles) should be brought back to Greece to the place they belong. It is unacceptable for a monument to be broken into pieces. I am certain that those who will visit the Museum will not have the slightest doubt that this has to be done and I am certain that in the end it (return of the Marbles) will."

He also spoke of "desperate efforts by those who have done wrong, to defend their positions."

Antonaros also expressed certainty that the Museum itself will play a decisive role in demolishing "obsolete positions, ones that will be impossible to defend anymore." http://www.ana-mpa.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?maindoc=7722962&maindocimg=7718871&service=10

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Acropolis Museum reignites Marbles debate

Opinion still divided on whether artifacts in British Museum should be returned to be put on display in new building in Athens

REUTERS

Two 1st to 3rd century AD terracotta statuettes are seen on display at the entrance to the New Acropolis Museum, which will be inaugurated during an opening ceremony tomorrow.

By Christian Flood - Kathimerini English Edition

For Cambridge University Classics Professor Mary Beard, the Parthenon Marbles aren’t just a historical treasure; they’re a life-changing event. Seeing the famed pieces of Acropolis sculpture in the British Museum’s Duveen Gallery at age 5, Beard says, was “gobsmacking” – one of the things that influenced her to devote her life to the study of the ancients.

No surprise then that Beard – the well-known author of the 2002 book “The Parthenon” – was among a crowd of academic, artistic and political luminaries descending on the New Acropolis Museum for a series of invitation-only inaugural events that began on Wednesday with a tour for arts correspondents and the Greek media.

Greek officials have been meticulous about the proceedings: allotting four days for the events and inviting a long list of international guests, while framing the opening of the museum as an opportunity to cement public support for the stance that the Marbles – unceremoniously transported to the United Kingdom by British Ambassador Lord Elgin in the early 19th century – should be returned to the Acropolis.

AP Slides of the so-called Kritios Boy are projected onto the walls of the new museum on Wednesday night. The 5th-century BC Kritios Boy was one of the statues dedicated by the ancient Athenians to their patron goddess Athena on the Acropolis.

Divisive

But for several people with a stake in the new museum’s opening who spoke to Kathimerini English Edition in the past week, the issue remains divisive. And even Beard, a lifelong admirer of the Marbles who was set to attend an event yesterday evening for scholars and various supporters of the sculptures’ restitution, said she hadn’t been convinced either way on the issue.

“I’m not in favor of sending [the Marbles] back, I’m not in favor of keeping them,” Beard said from her home in Britain earlier this week. “I don’t think there’s many of us in the world like me who are actually on the fence about this... we sit extremely uncomfortably on the fence, the enemy of both sides, looking and wondering about the arguments.”

Such sentiments are hardly in keeping with the wishes of the Greek Ministry of Culture, which, in online materials documenting the “official Greek position” on the Marbles, lists an excerpt from a 2004 interview with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis forecasting consensus in favor of the sculptures’ return.

“We are dedicated to our goal, the return of the Marbles,” the interview reads. “We feel optimistic that in the end, even the most doubtful will be convinced, and will change their attitude toward the matter.”

Converts

Undoubtedly, the new museum has won some converts. When Athens-born Oxford historian Angelos Chaniotis made his first trip to London to see the Marbles in the 1980s, he did not believe they should be returned to Greece.

Fresh from the clutches of a military dictatorship, the country lacked the infrastructure to make the display of the sculptures a viable priority, he said. Pollution, lack of restorative efforts on the Acropolis, and limited funding for necessary archaeological research elsewhere in the country were all concerns. And the old Acropolis museum, Chaniotis said, “was not adequate for the Marbles.” But from the outset the new facility promised better, he said.

“When it was clear that a very good museum was going to be built, I felt that there was absolutely no reason not to support every effort to return the Marbles there,” said Chaniotis, who planned to attend inaugural events this week. “The New Acropolis Museum is much better in every way than the British Museum in terms of display and research possibilities – it is in every respect the better environment for the exhibition.”

Others have been less quick to acknowledge the new museum’s ability to change the discourse on the Marbles. The British Museum, which planned to send two representatives to the inaugural celebration according to spokeswoman Hannah Boulton, maintained last week that it would not relinquish the sculptures, new museum or no.

“[The museum] doesn’t alter our view that the sculptures in the Museum’s collection should remain here as part of the unique overview of world cultures that the British Museum exists to present,” Boulton wrote in a statement to Kathimerini English Edition last week.

Add to that the fact that the new museum, a decidedly modern structure delayed for years partly by concerns over how its design would fit with its surroundings, has its detractors on the home front.

Detractors

“It’s certainly a functional venue,” said Ioannis Petropoulos, a classics professor at the Democritus University of Thrace and chairman of Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece. “But its appearance is highly controversial, and I along with many think it’s a monstrosity out of proportion and out of tune with its surroundings, both the local architecture and the physical landscape.”

The new building, Petropoulos said, should not lead to the prioritization of further contention about the Marbles at the expense of other efforts like revamping Greece’s classical education system and improving archaeological and display practices in areas more provincial than Athens. Modern Salamis, site of a naval battle that “changed the course of human history” in 480 BC, is now little more than a “dumping ground,” Petropolous said, pointing to sites away from the Sacred Rock that deserve the nation’s attention.

Re-education

“Charity begins at home, so let’s get more professional, more scholarly at the provincial level and let’s re-educate the Greeks about the Parthenon,” he said. “I’m sure very few Greeks actually know the names of the individual buildings on the Acropolis. Ask a typical Greek high school student when it was built, who built the Acropolis, how do you spell ‘Parthenon,’ and I’m sure many people will be nonplussed.”

But for now, with all eyes trained on the Acropolis, and a third-floor display space in the new museum reportedly waiting for the receipt of the Marbles, the debate over their location seems destined to end no time soon. Beard, for one, has no problem with that – calling the Marbles controversy “one of the most interesting cultural debates going on at the moment” and citing its value for the worldwide discourse on the ownership of historical artifacts.