Today is the deadline for submitting to Vampyres: A History Written in Blood. I'll be submitting my Bessie Smith/George Gershwin vampire story, which I've decided to title "Rhapsody in Blood." Here's another short excerpt:
Bessie was glad to be inside, away from prying (blue) eyes that might accuse her and Rita of being where she had no business being. She was even happier when Rita pressed a tall glass of clear liquor into her hand. It was gin – not the shine was used to – but it would do in a pinch. It helped her make it through the round of how-do-you-dos she had to endure before her host would shut up and let her at the piano.
Taking steady sips of her drink, Bessie looked over at the piano. She didn’t recognize the white man on the bench, lazily vamping an up-tempo melody; he hadn’t introduced himself to her at the door. He had Benny’s slicked-back black hair – maybe a little longer, a few more curls tucked behind his ears. He didn’t have Benny’s milk-pale skin. He wasn’t Josephine Baker-brown like Rita, but he had a little color, like he’d just come back from vacation in Mexico. His cheeks blushed pink, and his eyes shone a vivid hazel.
The other white folks in the room, Benny included, were dressed to the nines, but not the piano player. His style was as laid-back as his piano playing, casual and flashy at the same time. The high shine of his black leather shoes said he had money, but his attitude said anything but stick-up-the-ass.
One glance at the piano player and she knew two things: he would be with her for the rest of her unnatural life, however long that would be, and he was, at the moment, slowly dying.
***
On a loosely related topic, there are some very cool sales happening now at MYHABIT. Today and tomorrow, you can still get a DODOcase for your Kindle Fire. These handmade covers, built to resemble an old-fashioned bound book, come in seven solid colors and a peacock pattern. This is the sky blue:
The other really cool thing at MYHABIT right now is the collection of wall art inspired by Andy Warhol and his unique pop art style. I've always loved Andy Warhol: his drawings of cats, that banana he designed for the Velvet Underground album cover (I have the boxed set with the peelable banana), his oft-parodied Marilyn Monroe image, his insane movies - even Lili Taylor in I Shot Andy Warhol. Warhol died when I was 9, but he remains a source of endless fascination and inspiration.
2 comments:
Love that excerpt!
Thank you, Sheila!
Post a Comment