If there's a quote I'm taking into my 48th year, I think this is it. Let's see how it manifests itself.

In other news, the lovely Marie Rebelle over at Rebel's Notes has run the Smut Marathon for a couple years now and this year she's spear headed an actual book about erotic writing called Enigma Variations. Marie used examples from the 2018 Smut Marathon to illustrate her assignments and I'm featured in one of them! I'm so pleased to be a part of this project and I encourage anyone who has an interest in erotic writing to participate in the marathon next year and also to buy this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Enigma-Variations-Marathon-Erotic-Writing-ebook/dp/B07WW7JB4S

If you aren't American, just google Enigma Variations and Smut Marathon and you'll find a online link via Amazon or Resonance Press..

I highly recommend the Smut Marathon as a writing exercise. I don't know of any other writing competition that takes writers through so many different challenges, gradually increasing the assignments in both difficulty and word count. I've competed against many really talented creators and I got to stretch my own abilities and write in ways that were fun and uncomfortable and difficult and rewarding and also incredibly useful.

I've participated in the marathon for a couple years, though I'm out of the competition for this year as of the last round. And though I'm not sure that I'll compete again next year (I have a month or so to think on that) I can say without any hesitation that I've written pieces I'm really proud of as a result of this competition. And I'm really so honored to have one of them find a home in an actual book. 

Thank you Marie for all your work on the marathon and on this book. It's such a pleasure to be associated with so many amazing writers.

Happy Wednesday everyone. XO

Dinner plans?
Mary gaped at Come-N-Save’s hothouse cucumbers, still sheathed in thin plastic (seamed for her pleasure): it had been too long since she had a proper salad.
With a firm cucumber nestled in her basket, she wandered the produce aisles gently squeezing plump round tomatoes and flicking wet droplets off a long hard carrot with a curved tip that suddenly looked very familiar. Mary’s cheeks flushed. She gasped as she plunged an experimental finger into a ruffled head of lettuce, lightly pressing on the tight small bud at the core, and made a decision. Sucking the moisture off her finger, she left damp marks on her phone as she texted “You should come over tonight.” She smiled. Now to find the perfect creamy dressing. 

I wrote this for the second round of last year's smut marathon. The first line was the prompt, written by Su Orwell in the first round, and the assignment was 100 word microfiction to finish the story. Even within the challenge of the word constraints, I enjoyed my own personal challenge of writing something erotic without a single bit of sex in it. However, this entry was one of the ones I liked more than any other voters did. But I still like it. Plus now it has a picture to go with it. :)

Happy Sunday everyone.