A Celebration of Vernal Equinox

It’s the Vernal Equinox–the first day of spring. You wouldn’t know it to look outside my Massachusetts window. We still have snow on the ground and it’s quite chilly. But the sky is blue, it’s above freezing, and birds are building nests and singing for mates as they dart about my yard. Even through the lingering snow, green shoots are sprouting, hinting of flowers to come. Some trees have begun to pollinate–a mixed blessing for those of us with allergies. Indoors, seedlings await warmer weather. Outdoors, I’ve already planted some hardy, cold-weather crops, unlikely to be bothered by a bit of late snow.

The Vernal Equinox, known as Ostara or Eostre in certain pagan traditions, is one of the two days of the year when day and night are in balance. Going forward, we are officially in the “season of light.” It’s a time for new beginnings, new plans, new projects–and I certainly have plenty of those. New books. A new series in a new sub-genre. New plans with my co-author; for various reasons we’ve not been writing as Sophie Mouette lately, but Sophie is coming back. Look out, world!

Because I love this time of promise and power, Spring Equinox features prominently in several of my books. The most obvious example is Lady Sun Has Risen, which focuses on the rites of spring in the imaginary Soranian Empire: rites that involve sex with strangers to celebrate the reunion of the God and Goddess after a long winter apart. In some parts of the empire, things get a little…kinkier, as apprentice physician Miryea learns from Adimir, a handsome half-barbarian from a less “civilized” region:

When they had to pause for breath in the kiss, Adimir whispered, “Were this any other day, I would lay you down in the grass now and love you with my tongue and my cock until you screamed with pleasure. But in Thelana, the Lord and the Lady sometimes have a stormy relationship.”

“Do we have to…fight first or something?” She wanted to giggle at the notion–the idea of pretending to quarrel was so silly, even if it were part of the Thelanese ritual–but Adimir seemed so serious.

She’d have asked more questions, but she was finding it harder and harder to speak articulately.

He smiled sensuously, yet somehow menacingly. “No, we can go right to the reconciliation. The Lady has offered flowers, and her body, and her apologies. And the Lord loves her and desires her–but he is still hurt, not sure he can trust her to stay.”

“Is spring stormy in Thelana?” She’d heard similar legends to explain bouts of bad weather.

“Hardly ever. Sometimes when a couple quarrels, one or another must yield and make amends. Each year the men and women of Thelana enact the way in which Lady Sun lets her Lord know that she is truly sorry for having been away, and each year, we have a fine spring.”

Miryea was about to ask what the ritual was, but as Adimir kneaded at her bottom, it became clear to her. “She lets him…punish her,” she said nervously, remembering the combination of pain and pleasure when he’d struck her asscheeks before, the hot, shameful delight when he’d pinched her nipple. “And I must do the same?”

That wicked smile again. “You must yield to a spanking, yes. But don’t think of it as a punishment. The Lord loves his Lady, and by the time they get to spanking, he’s not angry any more. And she’s not really sorry she left for the winter, because she needed to bring summer to foreign parts.” He gestured vaguely, indicating somewhere far, far away. “But she feels bad that her lord was lonely. They need to do something out of the ordinary to clear the air between them, but really, it’s all about joy.” The hand clutching her butt slid forward, grazing between her cheeks to toy with her sex.

First one big finger slid into her, then two. Not deep, just enough to arouse her, tantalize all her senses, make her already damp pussy wet and throbbing.

“Will you do this for me?”

When she hesitated–less because she was indecisive than because she was having trouble talking–Adimir snaked his other hand to her clit. Circling. Stroking. Pushing her higher and higher yet, until her legs trembled and only his strength supported her.

“Will you?” he repeated, flicking at her most sensitive spot as he did.

And as pleasure rippled through her, her cry of “Yes” startled the birds out of the trees.
Lady Sun on Amazon: http://amzn.to/160BvVw

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The Equinox also plays a role in Lions’ Pride. Our heroes Elissa, Rafe and Jude must face the bad guys on the Equinox, and Elissa, a witch, is able to call upon the day’s energies to power her magic. This will be a short excerpt to avoid spoilers, but I think you’ll get the idea:

Elissa closed her eyes and reached for the silver cord and the copper one, feeling the three-way connection pulsing with nervous energy. She reached for the energy of the earth. Of the setting sun. Of the moment of balance that approached: night and day in perfect union, one season past and the next waiting to be born with the sunrise. Of the moon phase—a perfect half-moon would soon be visible in the rosy silver sky, although the last light still concealed it.

Lions’ Pride on Amazon: http://amzn.to/WE2G5A

What do you to celebrate the coming of spring? (If you’re somewhere where the season is turning from summer to autumn, I’d love to hear about that too!)