Salsa Nocturna Liner Notes: Forgive Me My Tangents

This is only barely a short story, but it has a special place in my heart.

I say that because there's really only the loosest semblance of a beginning middle and end and there's no conflict to speak of. It's almost more like the personal revery of one character, and more importantly, the chronicle of a particularly relevant night in two characters' lives. I'm okay with that. First of all, it's tiny. I'd never publish it as a stand alone but within the context of the book it has its own genuine resonance and swagger. Plus, to me CiCi's voice and meandering thoughts can carry a little rambled anecdote.

Also, Tangents is the only story in Salsa Nocturna with no supernatural elements. To me, this brings the characters to life a little more. They may be 300 years old or have ghost vision, but they still stay up all night, surrounded by their memories; they struggle with their internet connections, contemplate what might have been, feel the pitter-patter wonder of a new relationship. They are beautifully human.