Saints and Sinners

by Donna MacMeans

I have a dilemma.

I'm leaving Friday for Lora Leigh's reader event in Huntington WV known as RAW (Readers Appreciation Weekend). The event has a theme of Sinners and Saints complete with a costume dance on Saturday night.

I have no costume.

Part of the problem (beyond the obvious procrastination) is that I wasn't sure what I wanted to be -- a sinner or a saint... wings or a devil's horns...what would you choose?

Now I have to admit a certain affinity toward a sinner costume. It's a well accepted assumption that bad girls have more fun, right? Quite honestly, I've never been a bad girl and I'm running out of time to try (grin).

However, all the sinner costumes show more skin than costume and, quite frankly, God created some bodies to be covered. Such a body is mine (sigh).

I thought about reviving my pink corset, and using that to promote the sort of bad girl image necessary for a proper sinner. (You may recall that corset inspired the observation from my daughter as she tightened the laces, "Mom - it's like you have a butt crack that goes right up your back!")

However, I'm a little concerned about the potential for a wardrobe malfunction. I love to dance. Once the music starts, it'll be hard to keep me off the floor. It's difficult enough to breathe in that corset much less dance. If the girls escape ... well... just the thought is enough to nix the corset.

So maybe I should go as a saint (though I'm not sure anyone would actually buy that). I've certainly seen enough angel wings on sale and I imagine a halo wouldn't be too difficult to construct out of tin foil. I have enough years of crafting kid's costumes to let such a small thing as a halo deter me. But wings are something of a pain when you're dancing. They have a mind of their own. Hmmm...not sure an angel costume will work.

So what about some other sort of Saint.

Val Kilmer played a thief known as The Saint in a movie by the same name. I don't think I could make a costume to resemble Val Kilmer - but I liked the idea of having an excuse to use his photo.

I found a group known as SAINT for Saving Animals In Need Together. I think I could make a convincing old dog.

Would God strike me dead it I went as this guy (minus the beard, of course)?

So help me out? Any ideas out there to save me from being excluded from the fun? If you're going to RAW - what are you going as? If you're not going to RAW - what would you go as if you could?

If you leave a comment, you've a chance to win a copy of Tracy Spear's Heart of the Wolf or Suzanne Enoch's Before The Scandal. So help a poor sinner...saint...out.