The Cougar Book - An Excerpt From Craig J. Sorensen's ADRIAN'S LOVER

One evening at the close of the 1970’s in Caldwell Idaho, while sitting on a milk crate overlooking Tenth Avenue and waiting for a customer to come in and break up the monotony, Craig Sorensen had a revelation. It may not seem earth shattering now, but to a man not yet twenty years of age, this moment would be defining in ways he had yet to fathom: There had to be more to life than pumping gas. He also knew he couldn’t take the same course that so many seemed to suggest was the only proper way for a young man to get to the next stage of life. An answer seemed materialize from the cold, dry Treasure Valley air.

Sorensen joined the US Army where he learned to work with computers not long before the introduction of the PC. Armed with a blitzkrieg education in the programming language COBOL, he embarked on a journey to define himself as a soldier, programmer, businessman, manager and in creative pursuits. Many life changes later, family, career and fully succumbing to his first passion of writing, Craig has never forgotten what it means to experience a change that helps to define a person.

A nearly lifelong fascination with sexuality and a love of both beauty and ugliness that makes getting up in the morning worthwhile brought Sorensen’s writing to the fertile ground that is erotica. Though he loves to write in many genres, he is infinitely comfortable in the expression of passion and sensuality. By combining this with the study of those changes, sometimes small and sometimes big, that shape lives, he has found his creative voice, and is grateful to have found places to express this voice in numerous anthology collections by a host of editors including Rachel Kramer Bussel, Maxim Jakubowski and recently in Jolie Du Pre’s enticing collection, The Cougar Book. His story in this anthology, “Adrian’s Lover,” explores a change akin to that moment sitting alone in that gas station in 1979.

Beyond continuing to develop short stories, Sorensen’s recent efforts are devoted to writing a novel based on those days not long after that revelation overlooking Tenth Avenue as he joined a mixed bag of soldiers in a Military Intelligence unit in West Germany.

He maintains a blog at http://www.just-craig.blogspot.com/


ADRIAN'S LOVER by Craig J Sorensen
THE COUGAR BOOK

Setup:
Brendan Vivaldi is a young writer who has landed in a small town working for a local newspaper. He is searching for direction in his life when he is assigned to do an interview at a local bar with a little known musician from the 70’s named Adrian Parker. From the very beginning, Adrian provides him with more surprises than he can handle.

Excerpt:

Adrian ripped into her guitar and belted out the vocals for another set. This time, she plied even more from that Les Paul Junior Guitar, with those long, strong hands. Her powerful voice caressed the room, now nearly empty. The passion of her performance didn’t dwindle in the least. At closing one of the few that remained brought up her old album. “Jesus, darlin’ where did you find that relic?”

The man folded his hands nervously. “I bought it new.”

“Oh, you’re a doll.” She signed it. The man blushed.

“May I?” The rightful owner handed it to me. Adrian had indeed been skinny. Her hair had been straightened and was cut short around her angular face. They’d put a tight silky purple blouse on her to make her eyes appear even more exotic and to showcase her high, full breasts atop her slim chest. Her skin was warmly tanned and buttery.


“You’re more beautiful now.” I suddenly worried she’d think it was just another line.

Her brows lifted like a draw-bridge.


I shrugged. “Well, you are.”


A soft, sweet smile like I’d not seen on her face opened. “Thank you, darlin.”


“Um, listen Adrian, I haven’t, um, asked all my questions.”


One knee pressed between mine. “I was hoping you’d say that.”


A fresh hard-on stretched my zipper. She took my hand.



BUY THE BOOK


WIN - Six different authors will stop by this week with excerpts from their stories to give you a taste of the different genres covered in this one hot anthology! One reader who leaves a comment on each of this week's posts (March 8th - March 14), will win an autographed copy of THE COUGAR BOOK!!! Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner!!!