Mature Audiences 18 + Warning in effect today!! :)
America's Darlings
by: Gail Bridges
Publication: Ellora's Cave Publishing Inc ( June 2013)ASIN: B00DJ725P0
Length: 166 pagesGenre: Erotica
This book contains explicit content not intended for people under 18 years of age.
Synopsis:
Leah Collins is a sexual gymnast, a brilliant athlete poised to compete in the Mexico City Olympic Games of 2112. She takes pride in her advanced skills in the sexual arts, but performing Courtesan’s Treat and Raging Volcano in front of thousands of cheering fans is no easy task, especially when sexual malfunctions threaten. At her side, a pillar of strength and compassion, is her best friend, Benson White. He is the one who scrapes her from the ground when her self-destructive tendencies surface. Benson is a talented sexual gymnast in his own right, the other half of America’s Darlings. They hope for a gold medal. What neither of them expects is to fall in love.
Buy it: Amazon | Ellora's Cave
Is a Picture Really Worth a Thousand Words?
I can’t remember when I first heard
this saying, but it was a long time ago. It may have been in high school during
an Honors English class. Or perhaps earlier, in sixth grade, in that
weird-but-wonderful class taught by the world’s coolest art teacher, Mrs.
Rainbow. Maybe I first heard someone say it on TV, or maybe it came from my
Mother who adored pithy sayings, or – who knows? – it could even have been some
daffy cartoon character on a long-ago Saturday morning. If so, the saying went
in one ear and out the other because the character had a ridiculous quacking
voice and, besides, who really listens to cartoons?
Whatever the circumstances, I’m sure I believed the words.
It’s a no-brainer, right? A picture is worth a thousand words. Simple.
Everybody knows it.
But I’m not so sure.
To me, the saying hints that images are better than
words. According to Wikipedia, the first instance in print was arguably an
advertisement for Auto Supplies in Piqua, Ohio, in 1913. Many more usages of
the saying soon followed, and I imagine it didn’t take long for it to enter the
common lexicon. To the detriment of language.
Words deserve their due, I say.
I don’t hate pictures. Not at all! As an artist, how could I
hate pictures? I’ve worked in many artistic media: I’ve painted (my Fine Arts
degree is in oil painting), I’ve worked in metals, in ceramics, in photography.
I’m also a musician. And I’m a published author.
As a writer, I use words as though they were paints. Nouns
and verbs are manipulated on the page as if they were Cobalt Blue or Alizarin
Crimson on stretched canvas. Paragraphs and dialogue, as if they were perspective
and composition. Story arcs, as if they were negative space. I’ve come to
understand that writing and painting are so very similar: which word do
I use – “stalk”, “reed”, or “spear” – to describe a blade of ocean grass? Which
color do I use – Viridian Green, Hooker Green, or Phthalo Green – to
visually render the same foliage?
Is one way of portraying the world better than the other? I
think not.
Words paint a picture for the reader, right? Then why not let
them do what they do best? Getting lost in a book and using my imagination to
create my own mental picture of the action, the setting, the characters – all
of it! – is what I most love about reading. Curling up on a cushy couch on a
rainy day, picturing the bleached hot landscape of a favorite book … it’s
sublime. Think about it: a reader is actually treated to two art forms in
one!
And no two readers experience it the same way.
If I, as a writer, can prompt my readers to imagine scenes
they’ve never seen, I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. Creating a world in
a stranger’s mind is…something beautiful …something to be proud of. Someday, I
may take a vacation from writing. I may drag out my paint tubes and crusty
brushes and wrinkled canvases. Most likely, I will enjoy every moment of putting
color to work, and will be thrilled to be creating visual artwork again. But
don’t be fooled: never again will I believe that painting is better than
writing.
I have three grown children. I live in Seattle, Washington with my husband and our five cats.
In the past I have worked in a variety of different artistic media. I have a BFA in painting from the University of Washington, and for over fifteen years I made award-winning Fine Art Jewelry (silver and handmade ceramics) and sold my work at local and regional Fine Art and Craft shows. My business, Vivid Arts, flourished - but always, I felt driven to write. Two years ago, no longer able to deny the writing muse, I took an open-ended sabbatical from my art shows. Since then, I've written two novels and a number of published and unpublished short stories.
Stalk Gail:
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Leah's Favorite way to spend an evening:
Knit a Cozy Scarf
(Prize includes):
Pattern with complete instructions to knit a scarf, in your choice of stitching design
Knitting needles
2 skeins of yarn
Tea
Chocolate
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