Perfecting Description.

As writers, we read all the time. It's entertainment. It's also research. Sometimes, we get stopped short. You know the moment I'm referring to. You're reading a good book, totally engrossed then you come to that sentence, a paragraph that's so amazing it takes your breath away. Everything comes to a screeching halt and you just have to reread it. Well, I read this next paragraph just yesterday, and that's exactly what happened to me. Prepare to be in awe.

And, in the midst of the feathered darkness, an unknown faery arrived and stood staring at them with cavernous eyes. Her body was partially wrapped in a torn gray winding sheet that trailed behind her like the train of a gown. Vivid spots of red stood out on the cloth, like scarlet poppies in a field of ashes.
     Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr (HARPER an imprint of Harper Collins)

This is from the fifth and final book of the Wicked lovely series and it left me in awe of her talent. I can only hope that someday one of my own descriptions causes the same reaction. I was amazed that someone could make such a violent scene seem so beautiful. Guess Wicked Lovely is more than fitting. How are your descriptions? Are they this beautiful? How could you make them better? Give us an example of your own favorite description or from your own work if you like. I'd love to read it.