Ziggurat
The Ziggurat was named in honor of Duke Champlain on the eve of the expedition to the Vilcabamba mountains in Peru. Thermal imaging from low-flying planes had discovered ancient shapes beneath the dense forest. The archaeologists at the University wound themselves into endless discussions as to the origin of the pyramids: did they pre-date the Mayan settlements, were they the final link between the monuments of Central America and Egypt, were they the remnants of some other lost civilization? Duke -- born Duchess Urbania Champlain, much to the dismay of her mother -- wasn't interested in talk; she wanted to be the first one on the ground. She wanted to send back artifacts and images that would settle all the perpetual arguments.
"Ziggurats are Sumerian," Duke pointed out as Clio set the drink down on the bar. It was served in a narrow glass and the alcohol floated in thick bands: red, blue, amber and yellow.
"Sumerian?" Clio asked.
"The Sumerians were one of first civilizations in Mesopotamia. Right in the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and the Euphrates. It's all part of Iraq now. There isn't much left anymore but, yeah, once upon a time, they built immense monuments that were crude step pyramids."
"So there might be a connection." Like everyone else, Clio had her own theories about the buildings hidden beneath the endless jungle in Peru.
Duke raised her shoulders. "Sure, honey, there could be." She lifted the glass. "Thanks."
Clio smiled and watched the other woman sip from the red layer in the glass. "You'll be careful, right?"
"Always," Duke said. She made eye contact with Clio as she replied -- affirmation of message received and answer returned. "It's a reconaissance expedition," she said in an attempt to alleviate the other woman's concerns. "We've packed enough gear for four weeks. That's all. We'll have to come back to resupply at least, and that will take a week. I'll be back."
"I know," Clio said. "It's just..."
Duke sipped from The Ziggurat again, feeling the grenadine and blue curaçao mix as they passed her lips. Two distinct colors and tastes rushed together in her mouth. Like Clio and I, she thought. Unexpected mixtures, unexpected results. Life was full of little surprises, wasn't it?
writing
This is a reasonably comprehensive list of my published work, both virtual and physical.
THE MISFIT LIBRARY
I am Nine of Thirteen, one of the members of the Misfit Library, a writing collective which puts out a quarterly journal of our respective work. We are scattered across the globe and determined to change the face of the planet one story at a time. The link above will take you to Misfit Central where you can acquire copies of the journal as well as read exclusive online material.
SYMBOLIC
I wrote a column for OPi8.com's Transmit blogs: journals of the new dark underground. SYMBOLIC tracked the novel I was working on, referencing the process and the research materials which mad up the backbone of the work. In addition, SYMBOLIC busied itself with ruminations and considerations on the nature of language and communication. And a wee bit of mythology. The first 100 entries of SYMBOLIC can be found here on this site as well as at OPi8.com.
LITERARY REPRESENTATION
I am represented by Scribe Agency as my literary agents. Please contact these gentleman if you have any queries about my work.