Some people approach choosing a bouquet of flowers with all the care they would show an active nuclear bomb. They hem and haw and rearrange and harass the florist until their selection is as close to perfection as it could possibly get. If something doesn’t look right, they’ll scrap the whole thing and start over from scratch.
Me? I just go for what grabs me. Which usually has something to do with color. Bright, sunny colors if I want to cheer myself up, muted pastels if I want to relax, and exotic blooms if I’m feeling upbeat and funky. I’ve never bought flowers with the idea of seducing someone, or expressing how much I desire them. For one, I just don’t roll that way.
For two, there aren’t a lot of purple flowers in the floral section of Publix.
When Louisa asked the question—What color is lust?—I automatically thought of the color purple. Not a specific shade, but just the color in general. However, the longer I thought about it and the more I mulled the idea of lust having a specific color, I realized that, for me at least, purple is the color that symbolizes lust.
First, let me clarify by saying I don’t think there’s just one specific kind of lust. Just like there isn’t one specific kind or flavor of love, I believe that there’s a type of lust for every occasion and for every taste. And for every shade or nuance or lust, there’s a purple that washes over it.
There’s the innocent kind of lust you feel whenever you see someone attractive—nothing big, just an acknowledgment of the fact that this person pushes your oooh button. I like to imagine this as a pale lavender, enough tint to be a color, but not enough to be overwhelming. It casts a lovely little haze and burns off quick and clean, baring the true colors.
Then you have the lust that comes from knowing someone, even if only a little bit. There’s a comforting familiarness to it—a soothing plum shade. It doesn’t bore you, but entices you into wanting to know more, to see more, to experience more.
Sometimes lust can come out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning when there’s not a cloud in the sky. Like magenta, this kind of lust sears through your senses, leaves you weak and breathless and not entirely certain of anything. For this lust—and this color—too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing.
And finally, there’s the kind of lust that simply grabs you and refuses to let you go. There’s no explanation for it other than obsession—not the dangerous, deathly kind, but the sort that seeps into your bones and blood until it’s as much a part of you as breathing. When I think of this, I think of the color indigo—deep, rich, mysterious, and addicting.
If I ever manage to find flowers at Publix that help me say any of those things, I’ll clean them out.
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Shades of Desire
Book 2 Jude Magdalyn Series
All I wanted was a little peace and quiet.
Instead, I've got dead Covenant members and a steady stream of letters from the new guy in town. His beverage of choice? A 2002 Merlot, with a shot or two of powerful virgin blood.
On top of that, I'm breaking in a new police liaison, failing at playing matchmaker, and fighting nausea like it's a full time job.
Did I forget to mention that I've also got enough girls living at the Crossroads to start my own boarding school?
Peace and quiet? Out the window.
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Instead, I've got dead Covenant members and a steady stream of letters from the new guy in town. His beverage of choice? A 2002 Merlot, with a shot or two of powerful virgin blood.
On top of that, I'm breaking in a new police liaison, failing at playing matchmaker, and fighting nausea like it's a full time job.
Did I forget to mention that I've also got enough girls living at the Crossroads to start my own boarding school?
Peace and quiet? Out the window.
Buy Links
Hole in the Wall -- A Free Jude Magdalyn Kindle Short
About the Author
L.M. Pruitt has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. A native of Florida with a love of New Orleans, she has the uncanny ability to find humor in most things and would probably kill a plastic plant. She is the author of the Jude Magdalyn Series as well as New Moon Rising, featuring Cari Gravier, and Taken, featuring Frankie Post. She is currently at work on the next book in the Moon Rising series, Harvest Moon Rising, due out April 2012. Ms. Pruitt makes her home in Florida with two cats--one smart, the other not so much.
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/LM-Pruitt/364776895104
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/lmpruitt
Well, now you have me thinking of lust in color, I think I tend to think of it all smoky and muted like an old black and white movie...but then again, there are times when it's more vibrant and almost psychedelic....well, I'll be thinking about this all day now....What color is lust? Off to check out your free kindle download! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it a great topic? Makes you start to think, and then brainstorm ... and then ... it's good as a writing prompt!
ReplyDelete