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What's New - August, 2001


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Saturday August 31, 2002

Raven's Ravings by Raven

Hellooo Gang!

Hope you have been enjoying your week.. I have caught up on all the fiction I can get my hands on and have a nice bit of reading here for you for the holidays. I don't know if I will have time to post this weekend but will be sure to post on Tuesday if nothing else.

I have a wonderful ramble from and up and coming author who's story Fate can be found on Forevea Xena :)

Raven- I'm a bit overwhelmed by being asked to ramble... but thanks! So here it goes...

Hi to all the readers out there and I'd like to thank everyone who has read my stories and been so kind as to write me and let me know how much they have enjoyed them! Believe me, its those emails that keep me going sometimes!

I hate to admit that I've been rather lax lately on updating my current work, Fate, do to Real Life being a real bear! After recovering from a, no I'm not kidding, 25 day migraine and getting back to work... I discovered much to my horror that I get the privilege of working 6 days a week and 10 hours each and every day. Isn't that just sheer bliss? NOT... but I sold my soul to Uncle Sam and he says the mail must go out so I guess I'll keep working these horrendous hours for the forseeable future! I promise that I am working on Part 11... I just haven't had much time to do it in! So I beg you to be patient!

I've been a Xena fan since Season 1, episode 1 and I've been a fanfic fan for almost as long! I finally got up the nerve to put my own work out there and was pretty overwhelmed by the response! So, I guess this writing gig is pretty cool and I'll probably keep it up! I have people asking if I'm going to expand on Summer Reign and if there will be more of Ash and Lauren to look forward to once Fate has concluded. Yes and Yes! So keep your eyes open and I'm sure you'll see more of my chicken scratches available soon at a site near you!

In conclusion, I would just like to thank Raven for her positive feedback and the honor of rambling with you all. And thanks to Forevaxena for posting my work and feeling it deserved a cover by her! That really blew me away! Thanks everyone!

Kaia

hlkaia@attbi.com

  • Shaken By KG MacGregor posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Raven Highly Recommends

  • Stirred By KG MacGregor posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Sequal to Shaken! Raven Highly Recommends!

  • Uncertain Twilight By At3sparky posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    In the future, a lonely shuttle pilot meets the woman of her dreams; or does she?

  • So Close, So Far By Dimples posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Primal Touch By Amber posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Sibling Rivalry By Katia N. Ruiz posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Brass Ring Part 28 By Mavis Applewater's posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Raven Highly Recommends

  • Ruby's Cafe By L. Crystal Michallet-Romero posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Told in the narrative style, this original tale depicts the time when the author's grandfather attempted to capture the illusive American Dream.

  • In All The Empty Places By Janneen Brownell posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    This is about two women who rediscover each other. Two years ago Victoria lost Alec because of a past Alec couldn't or wouldn't explain. Fate brings them back together and once Victoria learns the truth, she has to decide if they can have a future together.

  • Deconstructing The Box By Kel posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. This is the story of a young woman with a heart of gold and will of steel. After a particularly violent break up with her abusive lover, Reilly Fredericks finds the strength she needs to move on with her life and her brand new career with the help of her teacher and dear friend, Tia. Tia persuades her younger friend to stay with her while she tries to heal the physical and emotion damage that her former lover caused. Along the way, Reilly's and Tia's friendship will grow stronger as they each find out more about the other and themselves.

  • Fire Within Part 1 By Anita Louise posted Amazon Trails (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Golly Goanna By Friday posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Meet You There by Blue to Dragon's Quill And Ink (U)
    It's a unique and slightly strange tale of two women that live out their lives in a haunted house. But do they live with ghosts, or are those voices something else? posted (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

Tuesday August 27, 2002

Raven's Ravings by Raven

Oh another post! Hope you all enjoy!!

  • Solemates By F.C. Barnes posted Lady Savay's Salon (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. Raven Recommends

Monday August 26, 2002

Raven's Ravings by Raven Hey Gang!

Hope you are all doing well! I for one have been quite busy ..all great things.. but have not had a chance to update..so sorry to those who count on us for new stories and I am working on getting this updated today as you can see and will work to post at least every other day. I am adding a new person to post quite soon so keep tuned to us for more updates!

Today's ramble comes from a Mavis Applewater and I highly encourage you to check out her fiction and her site!!!

From the mind of Mavis, which can be a very scary place.

Once again I’ve been invited to ramble and find myself at a complete loss as to what I should talk about. I’ve already addressed the whole misconception that I’m evil. I’m not and don’t bring up that whole food poisoning thing from Finding My Way. It can happen. Or the way I slip little unexpected comments into my disclaimers. It’s not like it some kind of plot to make folks world wide spew their beverage of choice at their monitors.

Anyhoo I asked members of my egroup what I should talk about and the overwhelming suggestion was that I discuss how I manage to slip a plot into my PWPs. Honestly not all of them have a plot. Test Drive is certainly remiss. But as for why I put a plot into my PWPs? I have no idea. It just seems to sneak in there when I’m not looking. I’m just a little bartending bard from Boston. I certainly didn’t realize that I was doing it. Like with Miss Larilia’s Lesson I just had to go and throw in things about how difficult it was during that particular era for two women to be together. I think part of the reason is that I tend to give my characters real occupations. Like in Coffee Break which is the story of a phlebotomist and a cable installer. Or Special Delivery the one with the mail carrier and the Librarian. Or perhaps it is the situations I put the characters in like in A Short Vacation, where a woman falls in love with her cousin’s wife? Or in the whole Home For The Holidays series were a woman is forced to drive her ex-lover home for a holiday gathering. It is really hard to say how or why it happens. I guess I just have a deep desire to understand why these two people are together. All I do know is that the Wednesday Afternoon Series has been running for one year as of July 12th and thus far my overactive imagination has come up with almost sixty stories. Yikes! Which can only mean one thing not only do I have an overactive imagination but a really filthy one at that. If you are interested in finding out for yourself you can join my egroup at yomavis-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or check out my website http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/findingmavis

My work including my series, Finding My Way, Just One Of Those Things and The Brass Ring (which is a work in progress) can also be found at The Royal Academy Of Bards, Mary D’s Bards Corner & The MinDom. Now that I have explained all of that I need to let you know that The Brass Ring is almost completed and it will be followed by a new series called My Sisters Keeper also keep an eye out at the end of the year when I hoping to release the sequel to Finding My Way which I swore I would never write. I lied. Thanks for letting me ramble.

Mavis Applewater yomavis@email.com

  • Love Thy Neighbour - Prologue and Chapter One by Wolfsword posted Wordscape Fiction (Beyond Uber Alt)
    This is the story of two women who have had to live with violence their whole lives, told through the eyes of Nicki Finnley. She's trying hard to forget painful memories, but that's proving difficult when next door to her, Karen Bates is crying out for someone to help her. How much are you willing to put aside for someone you barely know?

  • Body and Soul part 3 by Lariel posted Wordscape Fiction (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Angelus has a mystery to solve, and the outcome could mean the difference between salvation and damnation. There's a lot at stake - but all she wants is to be left alone to live a normal life

  • A Sibling's Rivalry By Katia N. Ruiz posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Frances DeValoi, a young successful lawyer, is a womanizer with quite a few notches on her belt. But when she meets Katie Rosenberg, things change... Katie Rosenberg, an accounting student, is instantly captivated by the mesmerizing gray eyes. At first she resists the magnetic pull towards the lawyer, but their love is instantaneous and could survive anything... maybe. Ross Devaloi, Frances' brother, is also in love with Katie. Will he ever rest until he gets Katie?

  • Chicken Little By Larisa posted Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Raven Recommends

  • And I Saw Her By Verity posted Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
    This is a story about puppies and the courage it takes for them to stand up and say, "I don't like like Puppy Chow!" Okay not really, but I bet your wondering what it is about now. Well, I'll give you a hint, I't's about the love between and the moments in time that strengthen and reaffirm that love. Just read it! it won't hurt . . . I think. : )

  • Baby Makes Three By Larisa posted Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Raven Recommends.

  • Heart of Africa By GS Binkley posted Next Chapter (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Complete

  • The Calling By Pam Lord posted Bard's Corner (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Complete

  • Musical Chairs By April Hladis posted Amazon Trails (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Raven Recommends

  • Noemi Part 6 By Katia N. Ruiz posted Amazon Trails (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Provenance Part 11 By Cruise posted Cruise's Fan Fiction Site (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. Raven Recommends!

  • Lessons Part 10 -12 By Kimberly Pritekel posted What's Ya Poison (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.. Raven Highly Recommends

  • Original Sin Part 19 By Malaurie Barber posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. Raven Recommends

  • Tie Break Part 18 By Bonnie posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Poetry in Motion Part 8 - 9 By Harley posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

    • Caution: Under Construction part 38 By Vertigo posted Vertigo's World (Beyond Uber Alt)
      Continuing story Raven Highly Recommends!

      Friday August 16, 2002

      Raven's Ravings by Raven Hope you all are having a GREAT Weekend .. as I have been.. i.e. why the posts are late :) Well here is a wonderful ramble by a talented author and then well I have fiction, fiction, fiction for you to catch up on !

      So without further ado .. here is Alex Tryst!!

      When Raven first asked me to write a ramble for her website, I felt honored to do so, but I had no idea what to write about. Having undivided attention is something that I am unused to, so I am thrilled that someone is reading this right now, and I just wanted to say thank you up front.

      As I began contemplating my options for subject matters, I quickly realized that maybe this would be a good time to let my readers know more about me. I often get e-mails from fans about my work, which I absolutely love, but when I read someone else’s stuff, I often find myself wondering as much about the writer as the story, so if any of you have ever wondered about me, this is your chance to find out all there is to know about my journey as an author.

      When I was just a young lass, I realized that I was different from the other little girls my age, and my first two crushes influenced me more as a person and writer than I could’ve ever known. The first girl I ever had a crush on was a fifth grader named Shannon. I was only in the third grade, and she and I collided in the hallway one afternoon after school. I still remember like it was yesterday the way my body responded, the rapid cadence of my heart and the smell of her skin. In fact I still have a picture of her to this day tucked away with other memorabilia, so I could never forget her face. The encounter was fleeting, but my young heart and body had come alive with wonderful feelings I had never known. However with this awakening came my first discrimination. In my elation I mentioned to one of my best friends at the time what had happened, and her reaction to my declaration was less than positive. That was also a moment that has been etched into my soul, and I learned that general society was not accepting of same-sex relationships.

      My second crush was the summer of 1986 when I was ten. My eyes were opened again by a fourteen year old named Candy. My family had gone to visit my grandfather in Indiana for the summer, and she lived in a trailer behind his modest home. She had a younger brother my age, so from the first day my brother and I hung out with them, playing stick ball in the field just down the road and setting firecrackers off in his sandbox. I was captivated by the girl who usually lingered on the perimeter watching us, but one day things changed. She came knocking on my grandfather’s door alone, and since my brother had gotten in trouble, he wasn’t allowed to go outside to play, leaving me alone with the goddess of my innocent fantasies. Unfortunately I don’t remember everything that we did or said that day, but I will never forget at one point I had started chasing her, and as we rounded the side of my grandfather’s house, I leapt to tackle her, bringing her down into the grass. We were laughing as I pinned her to the ground under me. Her long blonde hair was radiant as it shimmered in the summer sun, and her hazel eyes sparkled in mirth as she looked up at me. That was the first time I ever wanted to act on my craving to touch another girl, but having learned from my past experience, I held back. Instead I laid on my charm whispering sweet nothings and watching her flush at the compliments. Looking back as an adult, I realize that she was as attracted to me as I had been to her, but I was too afraid to do what I truly wanted, which is how I lived the majority of my formative years.

      My sexual awareness continued to plague me as a youth, and I found my only outlet in writing. It was there that I could lose myself in my feelings for these female temptations around me. You see, I was brought up in a religiously conservative household in which I knew my sexual orientation would be frowned upon, so I kept it to myself for years, only showing slivers of my true feelings through writing where I could say and do anything that I desired. During that time every girl that had ever caught my interest found her way into my stories where I could explore the infinite possibilities of my longing, but yet I was determined for a long time to be the person my parents expected. However I never could completely turn my back on my feelings. I knew they were there to stay, and I knew I had to find a way to control the urges that were becoming stronger as I grew older.

      Finally at the tender age of eighteen I wasn’t able to live the double life any longer, and I tried to come out to my family at which point they shoved me back into the closet, refusing to believe that I was a lesbian. Having found my numerous writings though spanning the course of eight years, they were forced to face the truth of the situation, and my life has never quite been the same. My family is gone now, and yet I am finally free to live the life I always wanted.

      However now that I am on my own and found a wonderful woman in which I am planning on spending my life, I am still writing, because I have yet to put to rest the battles that I have faced for the majority of my childhood. The theme of almost all my work is the same, a woman struggling to come to terms with her sexuality, often times having to reconcile her feelings with her faith. It is also true that I still find writing as my outlet for women I find attractive but can’t have and be in a monogamous relationship. My wife says that I only write now because I am oversexed, and she doesn’t give me enough attention, forcing me to find ways of dealing with my voracious sexual drive, but it is about much more than that. I write so that others do not feel isolated. My journey was a lonely one, and I had no one to confide in or seek out for support, so if I can even show one other person that someone has walked their same path, it would make me feel like I’ve made a difference. However as an adult my need for writing has also expanded. I will continue to post stories in hopes that I might touch a reader, but additionally one day I hope to be able to say that I have been published. This is a secondary goal but one that keeps me just as motivated to plug away at my keyboard at every spare moment.

      If any of you are interested in publishing me, please send me an e-mail. (I’m not kidding about that.) For those avid readers, it would be an honor if you would peruse my work. You can find most of it at www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7915. It’s a lovely little site with many authors, and all you have to do to find my stuff is click on my name Alex Tryst. You can also feel free to send me an e-mail at alextryst@hotmail.com. I would love to hear from you.

      Thank Alex! I highly recommend you check out her site for some great fiction!!

      Now lets catch up on a few days worth of fiction!!!!
      Enjoy! Raven!!!!

      • At the Crossroads By Medora MacD posted The Bards Corner (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story part 1.

      • New Beginnings By Erin O'Rielly & J M Dragon posted The Bards Corner (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story part 3 and 4.

      • Noemí By Katia N. Ruiz posted The Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story part 6. Raven Recommends

      • Poetry in Motion By Harley posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story part 7.

      • Ripples in time By Lois Kay and Cbar posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story part 6.

      • Game, Set and Match By Ali Vali posted lynka's (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story part 1-5. Raven Recommends!

      • Dreams Part 24 By ROCshadow posted ROCshadow's Corner (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story.

      • Body and Soul part 2 by Lariel on Wordscape (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Angelus has a mystery to solve, and the outcome could mean the difference between salvation and damnation. There's a lot at stake - but all she wants is to be left alone to live a normal life. Continuing story.

      • If Your Gone Part 1 by Xenickz on Merwolf's Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story.

      • Heart of Africa By GS Binkley posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story.

      Friday August 16, 2002

      Raven's Ravings by Raven Hellllooooo!

      Hope your all having a good week.. it looks like a few bards have graced us with some wonderful fiction! So I will not delay and let you read on!

      Have a great weekend.. I may or may not be able to post till Monday.. but I will try! Thinking of you all and doing my best!

      Raven

      • This Means War Part 12 By K Simpson posted Devil's Workshop (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story. Raven Recommends!

      • Lessons Part 7 By Kimberly Pritekel posted What's Ya Poison (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story. Raven Highly Recommends!!!

      • IIf You're Gone by Xenickz posted on Academy of Bards
        Beth and Cole - childhood friends and soulmates. A realistic view of how life can tear at the very fabric of a relationship. Can they find their way back to one another?
        Continuing story.

      Tuesday August 13, 2002

      Raven's Ravings by Raven Good Evening Folks!

      I have a nice ramble for you from the author of a few wonderful tales such as Seeing You Again for the First Time the wonderful Colleen!

      It's kind of hard for me to ramble on about myself because over all I think I'm a pretty average person, but I will try my best to think of something.interesting or not. Since this is my fifteen seconds of fame, so to speak, I would to thank Raven for inviting me to offer my humble words.

      I guess I could explain a little about my personal creative process. I am a photographer/artist by trade, so I must be very organized. But when it comes to my writing, it doesn't seem to work out that way. I do keep a journal of story ideas, which at last check had about a dozen entries, but after that it zig zags every which way. First off, I don't write an outline for my stories. I've tried, but it always ended up changing in about twenty different ways, so I just gave up. I always know the major points I want to achieve within the story, but after I get the first chapter down I tend to drift and just start writing things from anywhere in the story that pop into my head.

      Paragraphs or sometimes just a sentence or two of dialogue will flash into my brain when I'm nowhere near a computer. That's where the dozens and dozens of pieces of scratch paper, post it notes and index cards come into play. And yes, I have even been known to grab a square of bath tissue if it' s the only thing available. The ironic thing about that is, that according to an e-mail I received after my very first story was posted was that my story should have followed it down the drain. But I never let one sour grape discourage me. 99% of the letters I have gotten were extremely positive and flattering and have given me the encouragement I needed at times to continue.

      Anyway, my disorganized menagerie of notes and ideas do come together in the end to form a complete and I hope, somewhat intelligent story. As those of you who have read my stories know, I always try to have lots of mushy romance and warm fuzzy moments, that's just how I am. And my #1 rule is always have a happy ending. That's not to say that my stories don't have their fair share of angst. In fact, I have a story in mind that would take place in a much darker future and would be very different from any of my previous works. I hope to get around to that one someday.but even then, it will adhere to my number 1 rule.

      I try to split my free time between writing fan fiction and reading it. I have many favorite authors and I read at least ¾ of everything that is posted at my favorite sites. If it weren't for their inspiration, I never would have endeavored to enter the fan fiction arena.

      I have had a lot of inquiries lately and I am hard at work on the sequel to Seeing You Again for the First Time, which is titled Blindsided. Look for it later in the year.

      I would like to end with a big thank you to all the readers. And more thanks to all of my fellow bards. Keep creating so we all can keep enjoying.

      Colleen

      Colleen's email

      • Language of Love By Shortbard posted at The Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Can a modern day archaeologist and a warrior from ancient Greece establish a meaningful relationship when they don't even speak the same language? If the language is Love, anything is possible.

      • Heart of Africa By GS Binkley posted at The Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Heart of Africa is about a young woman who battles poachers, commercialism and greed to preserve Africa's beauty and encounters an unlikely comrade along the way.

      • Ripples in Time part 5 By Lois Kay and cbar posted at The Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story.

      Sunday August 11, 2002

      Raven's Ravings by Raven

      Hope you all had a good weekend! I have some updates here for you and a special ramble from two of my favorite serial bards!

      Introducing K.Darblyne and Carrie Ryan the magic behind the great series.. Unbroken!!!

      Thanks for the invitation to 'Ramble' and promotion of our works. Carrie Ryan is a little busy right now with multiple gigs and releasing TGB's first CD, That Girl Band - Cum and get it. Hmm…or was that…Come and get it? One never knows with the spoken word over cell phones these days. Can you hear me now?

      Even though Brooke and Sam (our two main characters in UNBROKEN) are still trying to get on with their honeymoon, the rest of Brownstone Recordings is working, and mighty hard at that. If you want to know what I think...Brooke told Peter and that office manager, Ida to keep Carrie's group busy so that the honeymoon could go on and on. Well, that's just my opinion. I mean, you figure she's got a lot of...ah...um...time to catch up on for not fooling around in thirty years, especially with all those groupies hanging all over her when Anti-Zero was high on the charts. Yeah, I know, some of them were high in other ways too, but that doesn't matter now, does it? Well, at least not until we get into the second season.

      Jjkl;...Yikes! Brooke's sister C.C. just slapped my fingers and copped an attitude at me for giving too many hints away. I should have known that she'd leave you in charge to guard the secrets while they're away. Okay, enough about our joint story. Are you satisfied, C.C.? Hey, didn't your mother ever tell you that your face could freeze like that? Jeez, children these days.

      Oh...yeah, I almost forgot to mention that Carrie's other story is ON RAVEN'S WING. How can I ever forget that one? If it hadn't been for our Aussie friend Michelle G. getting our book covers mixed up and sending her mine for THE FELLOWSHIP, we would have never met. I'm sure that all the readers of UNBROKEN are grateful for that little confusion in E-mail addresses and we are too. Thank you, Michelle G. for seeing that DarRyan25 and KDarblyne2 were both one and the same from an UNBROKENMold.

      I'm sorry, I almost forgot to introduce myself with this entire 'Ramble' going on. I'm K.Darblyne, co-author with Carrie Ryan for UNBROKEN and author/creator of my own THAT HEALING TOUCH SERIES. You know, the one with Dr. Garrett Trivoli and Nurse Danni Bossard as a Trauma Flight Team based in Pittsburgh. The series consists of: THE FELLOWSHIP, UP IN THE AIR, AND TALES OF TWO that have been completed.

      TALES OF TWO by the way, was a very nice addition to my original line up of stories that I co-authored with WolfDragon. We used this tale to try our hands at an Uber meets Uber approach: the Flight Team of mine meeting Kristina Von Deering and her partner, Nicole McGrail from WolfDragon's DAREDEVIL SERIES. It made for a pleasant, yet revealing way for Garrett to come face to face with her inner demons and learn to build a new life out of her past and present experiences. I'd like to thank WolfDragon for indulging her creative efforts and time in my growing experience. I owe her a lot for encouraging me to let others read my stories. Without the constant prodding to let her post THE FELLOWSHIP to her web site, I would not be here during BeyondUber's Bard Appreciation Month. Thank you, Fran.

      While I'm in that "Thank you" mode…I'd like to thank another master bard for helping me when I first started writing. Her name is Annie Azel and I'm sure that you've read some, if not all, of her wonderfully global stories. She travels a lot with her job and draws on that knowledge of her sightseeing endeavors to enhance her stories. If ever there was a travel log writer of Uberdome, it's her. Without Annie and her good friend and beta reader Inga, I'm not sure that my characters of Danni and Garrett would be where they are now. Thank you, both.

      As a lot of my readers know, I've been posting chapters of the next book in THAT HEALING TOUCH SERIES called LEARNING CURVES. I'd like to openly apologize here for not being so timely with updates to it. When I started putting the series together, I'd had it all mapped out in time and details. I like my readers to think that they are seeing the characters' lives unfolding just like their own. I wrote as if the events happened the week that I posted the chapters to the net. (No, it is not the fact that I like to tease my readers with occurrences of near sexual exploits. I can assure you that Danni and Garrett are moving in that direction…just at their own time and pace.) Unfortunately for all of us, the events of real life came too close to the story line in this one. It has been so difficult to write LC that I'd almost given up writing at all. Ask my beta readers and I'm sure, if you pressed them hard enough, they'd tell you what I confided in them. I felt guilty in a way for not seeing the reality of it and warning others of my own predictions into the future. To overcome this, I now write in the past…after things have quieted down. Never fear though, this will not be the last in the series. I do have several more plotted out and waiting to be written.

      So there you have it, my life as a bard in a nutshell. But it's not complete without the fans and readers that feed us. Why do I say that? I can't tell you what it means to a bard to have E-mail in our boxes from you, the readers. A good feeding can fuel our muses for any length of time. I bet you never realized what a quick word or two of encouragement could do to a bard. Let me give you a case in point.

      Not long ago, a new fan dropped me an E-mail about my series. There was something about the ease with which she wrote that stirred me to answer back. Now, don't get me wrong, I answer them all. But this one was different. To make a long story short, we got to be E-mail buddies and corresponded regularly. Over the course of E-mailing one another, I found out that my new friend was a criminal justice major. This was nice to know since I have an idea on the back burners for a detective story and I appropriately dubbed her, Lil' Criminal.

      Well, recently Lil' Criminal started her stint of internship as a Special Agent/Postal Inspector and I just had to tell her about my…ah…run in with the U.S. Post Office. All of a sudden, in mid E-mail, the muses tapped me on the shoulder and a new story was given birth. It is a short one. It takes an off beat look at something out of our daily lives and adds a little bit of our own paranoid fear of things around us. I'm using this 'Rambling' here to announce the posting of it to WolfDragon's website. The name is Going Postal and Loving It found at

      http://www.netrover.com/~voyager/GoingPostalandLovingIt.htm

      I'm sure once you read it you'll see how this Lil' Criminal and her very unintentional feeding sparked the idea. Thank you, Special Agent Vi…Oops, I better stop there, I don't want to get you in trouble. After all, we both know what those Postal Inspectors are like…or do we?

      So, let me quit this 'Ramble' and let you get on with your readings. There are a ton of good stories out there for your pleasure. Just do me one favor and if you take anything away from this 'Rambling' let it be this: FEED THE BARDS! Hey, if no one is reading us, then why in the name of Xena are we writing?

      My thanks to both BeyondUber and Raven for inviting us to 'Ramble' and give you a little insight into our lives. Yeah, right. Like they'll ask us again. (LOL) Well, I guess it's back to writing the stories now. I'll be waiting to hear from you all at KDarblyne2@aol.com for both Carrie and myself. That is, after you are done reading.

      Sincerely,

      K.Darblyne and Carrie Ryan

      K Darblyne These great bards can be contacted via their site listed above!

      • Lovers Tryst By Larisa posted The Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Sequal to Body Parts! Raven Recommends!

      • Until Soon By Indigal posted Academy of Bards(Beyond Uber Alt)
        Original alt-uber fiction, rated R (with some explicit same-sex love scenes): Andrea, (Andi), a second year English grad assistant at a small New England college, has spent the last few years healing physically and emotionally after a serious injury and a heartbreaking relationship. At a school function, she meets Cara Jane, (CJ), a senior basketball star on the college team, and both women are immediately drawn to each other. Over the course of several months, they discover what it means to make important decisions concerning love and relationships.

      • Lessons part 6 By Kim Pritekel posted What's Ya Poison (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story Raven Highly Recommends!

      • Young At Heart By Muzza posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Raven Recommends

      • Time Fell Hand By LJ Maas posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story. Raven Highly Recommends

      Friday August 9, 2002

      Raven's Ravings by Raven

      HI! Well I have a ramble treat for you tonight! Yep..S. B. Zarben Author of stories such as A Soldier's Peace

      Here is the ramble!!

      Mmmkk... here it is, my ramble. And it really is a ramble, too, it all just kinda came out:

      When I got an e-mail from Raven telling me about this ramble thing that I had not heard of, I was intrigued. So I said 'Sure, I'll do it' and then wondered 'What exactly do I have to do?' Raven suggested I check out some rambles at Beyond Uber so I did. I decided that I would attack this the same way I attack my writing. Sit down, start typing, and see what ends up on the screen. So that's what I'm doing.

      I didn't start out wanting to write fan fiction, but after so long of reading it I started to think, well why shouldn't I? People have told me that I'm a good writer so I decided to give it a shot. The only problem was, I didn't have a story to tell. I have a love for history, especially the older stuff and I was currently looking into Russia and the revolution. And of course I decided, hey, that'd be cool. So I started writing, not sure exactly what was going to happen or even who these people would end up being. I don't like outlines... I don't use them... I usually start with an idea or some characters and a general idea for an ending, a few scenes I want to happen and start writing. So that's what I did and it turned into Revolutionary. The response for that was tremendous, especially when I posted the conclusion and people complained 'That's not an ending!' But I wasn't ready to write a sequel yet.

      I was pleased that I had actually written this story, larger than anything I had written before so I did it again. I had a lot more character development this time, and less plot line when I started, but as I wrote, it evolved into A Soldier's Peace. Personally, I like it better than Revolutionary... don't ask me why, I haven't much of a clue! :)

      I found myself getting all these ideas, tons of them, so now I have this little notebook where I write down the ideas and the opening parts of the story. I love interesting openings, I find I can't get into something without a good beginning so I'm endeavoring to write good ones for all my stories. I think I'm doing an okay job. And titles, I found these great ideas for titles and wrote them down, they all matched up well with ideas I have... that's something I struggled with for A Soldier's Peace, a good title. At the moment I'm writing a sci-fi, which is really cool cause it all comes from my imagination. There is no research to do, no worry of getting procedure right and blah, blah, blah. I'm really enjoying it, but I'm kinda a slow writer which is why it's only up at my site. [shameless plug>

      Okay... I think that's all I have to say. I probably bored you all to death, but hey, that's life, right? I find the best thing about fan fiction, whether you read or write or both, is the interaction you get with the people. Everyone is always so kind and helpful and encouraging, and even though I've only been writing for a short time I know I've made one good friend because of my writing. For that, I couldn't be more thankful. So make sure you tell those writers how much you enjoy their work, I know it makes me feel damn good to see mail in my inbox from readers. If you don't, they'll all stop writing.

      S.B. Zarben S. B. Zarben Visit her site at http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/sbzarben

      • The Legacy By Simahoyo posted Merwolf's Academy (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Gabrielle's unscrupulous cousin enlists Xena and Gabrielle's help to claim a family treasure.

      • Long Time Passing By Simahoyo posted Merwolf's Academy (Classic X & G story)
        Classic Xena and Gabrielle story shows their lives as older women.

      • Lessons - Part 5 By Kim Pritekel posted Merwolf's Academy (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story.

      • Noemi - Part 5 By Katia N. Ruiz posted Merwolf's Academy (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Continuing story.

      Thursday August 8, 2002

      Raven's Ravings by Raven

      Hello All You Fan Fiction Addicts!

      First I have to appoligize for the delay in postings and beg forgiveness from many fans and wonderful authors out there that have rambles awaiting my posts!

      I have been remiss in posting lately .. you see a little bit of joy has entered my life and I have been selfish and enjoying my time away ! Hope you will all forgive me and keep coming to Beyond Uber for your Fan Fiction Addiction! To insure posting occur more frequently I will be working on getting a bit of help with the actual posts.

      I will also begin posting Author ramblings by Friday!.. Till then enjoy the following offerings!

      • Hypatia's Shadow By AH-ladis posted Amazon Trails (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Completed! Raven Recommends!

      • If the Tights Fit By Mr. Valentine posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        The superheroes of Hellenic City find themselves face to face with a new villain. Who is the mysterious Conqueror? What are her evil plans? Why do sidekicks have such godawful names? Why do fools fall in love? None of these questions will be answered in this exciting adventure!

      • Poetry in motion parts 2-3 By Harley posted Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
        Is change the antithesis of control? According to Deven Masterson, control has become an illusion and change is a bitch. An expert at controlling herself, situations and those around her, Deven watches as the cherished discipline she has developed over a lifetime slips away through her fingers. Rhian McKenna, a woman in self-imposed exile, steps out one evening at the insistence of her best friend and crosses Deven’s path in a chance encounter that marks the first of many crossroads she will face. From the moment they face off, Rhian makes it obvious she doesn’t accept Deven’s ideas about control and proves adept at taking it away. Seemingly incompatible, both women stand at a precipice of change – between burdened past and the unknown future that could transform who they are.

      Saturday August 3, 2002

      Random Ramblings by Celine

      So, Raven, our intrepid Beyond Uber editor, asked me to send a note to y'all. Seems she went and decided to have a social life (I mean, really... the nerve of some people! ;) ), and has been kinda busy this week.

      Let me just through out a "you go, girl!" at Raven, and send on a ramble I wrote the other day, but didn't feel up to finishing. I've not been feeling all that great recently, so my time online has been... eh, reduced, I guess you could say. So, no fiction updates (I apologize), as I'm not quite up to it at the moment.

      But since, really, you're just here to read me ramble (ha!), on with the show...

      In Tango the Wonder Kitty news, I am happy to report he didn't make any great escapes today. In fact, he didn't do much of anything today, which was nice. That meant he didn't break anything, or end up with mouthfuls of black hair from one of my other cats, Pesha. Those two have an interesting relationship... Pesha taunts Tango, Tango chases, Pesha hisses, and Tango somehow ends up with Pesha's hair in his mouth. He's always seems proud to have that hair, too, because he sits around for quite a while with it sticking out of his mouth like it's a trophy. I suppose it is. He's not getting any... um, tail (he's been neutered, you know), so he takes it out on Pesha's tail. Or something like that. And Pesha's loves to tease him, so it all works out.

      In Purple Plaything news, I noticed a couple of days ago I've put over 2000 miles on the scooter. That's not bad considering I live in a pretty small town and the scooter doesn't go over 30mph. I've noticed some things in my time on the scooter... teenage boys try to get me to pop wheelies, older folks usually say "now that's the way to travel" or something to that effect, guys ask me how fast it goes and how much gas it gets to the gallon (not enough, apparently, if they're any indication), and little kids really like the scooter and will generally wave at me as I go by. If I'm parked somewhere with it, little kids usually ask, "Is that yours?"

      And, of course, folks *really* like my 'girls kick ass' bumper sticker -- young and old alike, and gender is unimportant. In fact, an older guy who looked like a farmer was getting into his truck, and he stopped to tell me he really liked the sticker. One guy came up to me and asked if it was true. I said absolutely, and he jokingly jumped back and said he was gettin' out of there, then.

      And all of that is okay by me. It's all been a pretty nifty experience.

      And once again, I would like to thank the fine bard, Mavis Applewater (visit her site, which is home to about a zillion PWPs -- which I read strictly for the plots, of course -- and quite a few full length stories to boot -- http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/findingmavis), for giving me the 'girls kick ass' bumper sticker in the first place.

      In book publishing news, there's a new publishing co. called Limitless, Dare2Dream Publishing, co-run by spiffy bard Sam Ruskin. Check 'em out:

      They have some very cool bards lined up and are looking for submissions, so I suggest you skedaddle right on over there.

      The Beyond Uber What's New from July has been archived