Shades of Sexy without Sex

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net "Sunbathing" by Graeme Weatherston

New Yorkers have been hit with four consecutive heat waves that have been absolutely brutal – especially at our house because we don’t enjoy the lovely luxury that is air conditioning. In my next life, I will *demand* central air or I’m not coming back. It’s just not worth it, screw psychic growth without AC!

I used to love the heat. I grew up in the Tropics; heat it came with the territory, literally. I worshipped the sun. Now not so much, I’m an Indian summer kinda girl now… where a bikini was sexy to me once, a shawl makes me hot now.

Sadly, these infernally hot days were full of idle haze because I was barely capable of reading or writing as my brain wilted and shrunk. I was vaguely coherent. So I am behind on a lot of things but even as I slowed down to an epic crawl, there is a lot of exciting things going on, many satisfying on very deep levels.

eFiction Magazine has splintered into genre categories (see Doug’s Kickstarter and lend him a hand, it’s a worth project). I’m helping out as a reader, reviewing submissions for the fantasy, noir and horror online magazines and some of the stories – which I expect we’ll publish in up coming issues – are fantastic! Some are really promising new talent and some expert word weavers are keeping the short story alive. If literature is sexy to you, you might want to get in on this (there's a link to the right to subscribe).

I believe the Tiki Tiki book project (Latinos at the Beach) might be expanded into something grander and I am really looking forward to confab with the blog’s publisher this weekend and plan out a far more fabulous thing than we intended. How sweet is that? Oh yes!!! It’s always great when plans work out exactly as you hoped, but an even better thing when they open the opportunity to greater things – that is providence. Kismet  is sexy.

Next week, we are going on a party cruise around Manhattan and it’ll be documented in the blog with photos and possibly some video. Dancing, darkness, the skyline: floating sexy!

I added a new short story to the manuscript for Because She was a Woman. I thought I was done, but after several days without actual writing I felt both an urge and a surge. I was pure release. I needed a cigarette after a furious session of absolute abandon. Creativity is very sexy.

The timetable for all new releases starts in mid August.

The next food column is shaping up around tropical fruits. It’s not all bananas and mango. Sex for the palate. (go with it...)

Now if the weather cooperates a little bit and allows my brain continued use for a few consecutive days a week, I’d get so much more done! Fulfilling your passions, now that is awfully sexy.

So Exactly Idle

Not much writing going on lately. It has been a relatively quiet (and at times hot, sticky and painful). I’d write about that but I was barely conscious for the two heat waves… 

I dreamed about ice cream once. That was awesome, but also fleeting.

I also dreamed about skiing: felt the bits of ice dislodge and hit my face, a shocking delight.

Woke up in mid cackle. (I tense up when I see a dusting of snow, imagine the absolute horror of an entire field of the stuff and me propelled to inhuman speeds atop two fragile sticks.)

I enjoyed the momentary feel of brisk coldness, but I was also laughing so hard it took me right out of the dream and back to the infernal reality.

It wasn’t all torturous moans. I made notes to finish The Scent of Honeysuckle. The next project is editing Because She Was a Woman and probably releasing it in the next month or two. Before all that, I’m planning on releasing the intro volume to the steampunk-influenced series.

There’s an end of summer whirlwind coming!