"First time adventure in France"
I love books, and I love writing because they give life beauty through order. All those confusing emotions felt in ephemeral moments can be paused, held and observed in peace without time harrying you on. Even if my words still...
"First sex with women"
I moved to Eastern Washington at the age of 22, settling into a raw, rural world of endless farms, shimmering lakes, and dusty mines. The air smelled of fresh-cut hay and pine, but with my long hair whipping in the...
"A freshman college girl's winter break turns out to be the perfect time for a 'first time'."
“Hi, Mister Gentry!” Colleen’s squeaky voice called out to Shane from the driveway while he was slicing up cardboard boxes to fit into the recycle bin.Sliding the box cutter closed, he stepped to the front of the car, waving to...
"A naïve girl's innocence shatters on a church ski trip when she's manipulated into losing her virginity, revealing a web of exploitation that haunts her through high school."
I remember that youth group ski trip like it was etched into my soul with a hot iron—every flake of snow, every whisper of wind through the pines, every bubble in that damned hot tub. I was a sophomore, just...
"Arterius and Liseria make a special connection"
On a scorching summer's day, Commander Arterius watched beneath the large oak tree, sweat trickling down his temple as he watched the infantry drill in the midday sun. Leather straps dug into their shoulders, their movements sluggish under the weight...
"In a South Indian village, a widow teaches a virgin boy to weave the Christmas Virgin by day and to worship the real one by night."
In Puliyoorkurichi village in rural south India, the Christmas crib is never small. Every year the parish builds life-size figures out of fresh palm leaves and pongal grass: Joseph with a real beard, shepherds carrying actual lambs, and a Baby...
"A young man’s first time, a woman’s Christmas countdown, and the artist who makes it happen."
‘Twas the twenty-sixth of December, not this year, but last year, and Jessica was sipping another cranberry vodka. Settled into a giant, overstuffed chair that she had restored herself, she leafed through the pictures and biographies of next year’s prospective...
"Her love is finally comsummated."
Noël was born on Christmas Eve eighteen years ago. Her parents thought it funny to name her Noël and not the English version of Noelle. People always typed her name wrong. Most times it wasn't a big deal. Noël is...
"My first girl and our sexual awakening"
I was still eighteen, buzzing from those secret rides and the explosive discoveries with him, but my girlfriend—sweet, shy Henrietta with her long brown hair and curious smile—was the one who occupied my daytime thoughts. We’d been dating a few...
Our daughter, Allie, turned 16 way too soon for our liking. I knew she wasn't sexually active; frustrated, boyfriends came and went. We were open about everything, and she had promised to tell me when that changed, so I was...
