Most of us remember our firsts. Loves. Kisses. Crushes on girls. I wanted to explore my character’s first time with a woman. It was great fun to do since she, like me, was totally open-minded from the start. I remember very clearly a time a long, long time ago, when I danced with a girl for the first time. Like, really danced. Like we knew we were into each other. That kind of thing. I didn’t go to the dance club expecting it. I had no idea I’d meet her. It just happened. And once that happened, I had to go further. It was obvious to me that she was a lesbian. Like Rachel, the protagonist in my latest short story, A Kiss is A Kiss is A Kiss, she had a manner about her that might as well have been a neon sign with an arrow pointing at her saying “lesbian” in flashing red. I, like Mavis, the love interest in the story, had never kissed a girl but I had had crushes.
Like Mavis, I knew that there was more to my crushes than the kinds of girl crushes my friends said they had on Angelina Jolie. I sensed that there was something greater there. That once I went there, I would not want to go back. And it was true. I didn’t kiss the girl on the dance floor that first night because I sense there was something real between us. And, true enough, she became one of the brief-yet-meaningful loves of my life. Though our story didn’t end the way Mavis and Rachel’s does, the beginnings are definitely similar. I wanted to explore that memory because I really think that we should be open to having all kinds of firsts in life.
I really wanted to get across that even though Mavis hasn’t technically been with a woman, she clearly recognizes that longing within herself. I think that’s true for many of us no matter what first thing we are about to try. Firsts are delightful. Let’s live in a world where we keep finding new experiences.
Excerpt from A Kiss is a Kiss is a Kiss:
“So, you’ve never been with a woman, then?”
“No,” she looked down like she was shy about it. I didn’t know what to make of it.
“But you want to?” I could hear the hopefulness in my voice.
“I’ve been fantasizing about you ever since you came into the coffee shop on my first shift.”
“Wow, Mavis. I am so, so honored. Seriously, I think you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met,” I said, wanting so badly to kiss her but knowing deep inside that I didn’t want a tragic love affair with a straight girl.
“But?”
“But I can’t just have cheap sex with you and walk away. My heart doesn’t work that way. I just can’t.” Mind over matter. Reason over lust.
“Who said anything about walking away?” Her face was serious.
“Do you think you are actually gay?”
“I know I am.”
Bells and whistles and clanging pots and pans and every single merry-making, jubilant sound went off when she said that. This was a big moment. A huge moment, not just for one woman but for all lesbians everywhere. I wanted to send a rainbow signal into the sky: A goddess has joined our ranks…and on Pride, no less.
“Well, I don’t want your first time with a woman to be in the dirt behind the bushes. We’re going to my place. Right now.” I took her by the arm and she giggled. We ran back to my place like we were on a mission. We were. This was a Pride emergency. I don’t know what came over me but it was as though I suddenly saw clearly what needed to be done and I was honored to be the woman for the job.
Blurb for A Kiss is a Kiss is a Kiss:
On Pride morning, bookish and reserved Rachel musters the courage to talk to her barista crush, only to discover she’s not alone in her desires.
Where does an introverted bookish dyke hang out on Pride morning? Her local LGBTQ bookstore, of course. While helping to put together the store’s annual float for the parade, Rachel reveals that she has a crush on the barista at the coffee shop next door.
The bookstore gang encourages Rachel to step out of her comfort zone and talk to the barista, even though Rachel is convinced she must have a boyfriend. Much to her surprise, the girl flirts with her and even shows up at the bookstore on her coffee break, where she introduces herself as Mavis. In spite of her shyness, Rachel lays bare that she has had a crush on Mavis for some time and Mavis—to everyone’s surprise—wants to know what Rachel is doing after the parade.
Beside herself with disbelief, Rachel skips through the parade. She is so unsure of herself and the new connection with Mavis and she’s convinced that Mavis is straight. When Mavis confesses she has never been with a woman, Rachel must face her worst fear—that she was right. But it doesn’t take long for Mavis to convince Rachel that she’s up for a new experience.
Rachel doesn’t want to be an experiment and she has a hard time trusting that Mavis wants more than just a bit of fun on Pride. Can she take the leap of faith so necessary in taking their connection to the next level?
General Release Date: 18th August 2015
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About Destiny Moon:
Romance heroines have saved my sanity numerous times through break-ups and life changes. I find escaping into a romance both soothing and revitalizing—and even better when there are some steamy scenes to tantalize the imagination.
For most of my adult life, I’ve concentrated on carving out a serious career, but a number of love-hungry, sassy characters keep taking over my mind, insisting that I daydream, live vicariously through them and tell their stories. Watching these women emerge on the page gives me a different sort of satisfaction than I get from my day job. It is a joy to share them with readers.
I live in a tiny apartment in a crowded city and I like to think there is something romantic about this. I did manage to find my soul mate here.
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