WE MYTHOLOGIZE AND WE EROTICIZE. THERE’S money in both . . . Giant-Squid Erotica (to be read aloud to a lover):
It was almost unbearably delightful to cobble this section together (which was originally about five times as long, before my editor and her keen eye reined me in). In my research I kept bumping up against these sensual—downright erotic—descriptions of the giant squid. Seriously: read this short section aloud and tell me that the nape of your neck doesn’t get at least a little sweaty, a little flushed. Do you have a favorite line from Owen’s 1880 descriptions here? If so, how come? I have my favorite, but I’ll keep that to myself for the time being…
