Friday January 24, 2003

Raven's Ravings Raven :)

Happy Friday!!!

Today I have a request and then a ramble for you. The request, as you know we here at Beyond Uber love to support the authors and the publishers of these wonderful works. We would like to extend that thanks and to aid all of you in different countries,states and cities by listing your local women's book stores. These stores are a part of our community and in many cities struggle to stay open and provide their patrons with service. In many communities these book stores also help keep us aware of current actives in our areas and give us a place to meet new friends.

So in the spirit of sharing these with others we will be setting up a page of the stores name, address and if they take orders over the phone for fiction (so phone number will be needed) as well as links to their websites if they maintain one.

So what is my request... well it is for you to share your local stores information with us here and we will be happy to post them on our new page. This may help many who may not be aware of the resource in their own town to not only purchase fan fiction but other women's products while supporting your local community.

Please email me the information at ravensnevermore@attbi.com and if you speak to someone at your store please let them know that they can link to us and we will be happy to help promote them as well.

Thanks and lets show these folks our support!

Now on to our favorite fun.. a rambling :)

Today you are treated to another older ramble that I have pulled from my vault by Ah-ladis! I highly recommend her stories, they are among the first that I had read when Uber was just a gleam in my eye ;)

So on with the ramble and be sure to email her and let her know she is appreciated!

~~~~~

Hey Everybody!

Rambling, aka (in my case) babbling, isn’t exactly a new thing for me :) so here goes...

First off lets get all nice and comfy starting off with my real name: April Hladis. My writing name is in fact an inside joke; I’ll let you in on it. Look at my last name will you? How would you pronounce it??? WRONG! Whenever a teacher scrolled down to my name in their little delaney (I think that’s how it used to be spelled) book they’d turn a bit gray around the gills. Suddenly, the poor thing would pluck up some courage and say “Ahhhh...Ladis?” Ha! Huh? Okay, so it’s not that funny. For the record it’s pronounced Ha-lad-isss. Now put it all together.....waiting......great! Well, what’s in a name anyway?

Moving right along...all comfy and cozy? Excellent.

The single most asked question I’ve received over the years, (this part is going to be about my first story “Make a Wish”—just in case you’re slightly confused by the sudden shift in subject ;) is ‘where did it all start?’ That’s easy, though the answer is a multi-part one. Don’t fret, it’s not too long.

I’d joined the Xena bandwagon after I saw the episode “Is There a Doctor in the House?” Did I mention HOOKED? No? Well, definitely HOOKED! One fine day I was surfing the net looking for a Xena website—the Forum I believe—Suddenly, I was directed to the “Obsession” site. With a name like that, who could resist? I soon discovered that it was a site dedicated to Fan-fiction.

“Fan-fiction?” I actually said out loud, “What the heck is Fan-fiction?”

I couldn’t understand why people wanted to write about already established tv characters!

“For goodness sake, (I do remember using a little profanity at the time, but I’m trying to keep this kleen), “why not just wait for the next %#$@!!! Xena episode!”

That’s what I thought until I read “Truth or Dare” by WordWarrior. I was floored.

“What an interesting concept!” I said, not out loud this time.

I read a few more stories by other authors. I thought:

“Maybe I could write one too!”

Then came the next thought.

“Oh right! Like I could possibly compete with these wonderful wordsmiths!”

I got an idea into my head that if I only wrote a Part 1 and nobody liked it I’d be off the hook! I wouldn’t have to finish! Scared out of my mind I uploaded part one of ‘Make a Wish’ to Obsession. It took a while for them to post it, so I naturally thought that was that. I and my stinky story had been rejected. Feeling strangely relieved, I went on with my life and turned my attention to other things.

Yet another fine day found me casually checking my email and saw addy’s that didn’t look familiar. I opened them and to my surprise readers were demanding another installment. Now feeling beyond ecstatic, though somewhat unsure of where my story was going from there, I wrote and eventually finished my semi-uber yarn.

Where did your Jenny character come from? Is the second most asked question I’ve received. This answer is much shorter. Really. She’s a compilation of a few people I’ve known over the years, plus a bit of me thrown into the pot. Which bit? I’m not telling ;) All I’ll say is that Jenny was a joy to breath life into.

Over the years I’ve been so encouraged and delighted by the awards I’ve been fortunate to get, but the best for me is still the readers. They are the grease that...hmmmm...how does that go again? Well, they’re the grease that makes this engine go. Thanks to all of you for hanging in there. As we used to say in Brooklyn: love you’s.

AHladis's StoriesCan be found here!!

Email your support and appreciation for sharing her fiction with us! AHladis

Now on with today's Latest and Greatest!!! P.S. Support the Bards!

• The Growing 3- Chapter 4 y SwordnQuil (Sue Beck), T Novan and Okasha posted on The Bard's Corner (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• No Ocean Deep Part 4 By Cate Swannell posted on Cate Swannell's Homepage (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• sCoincidental Meetings By Mel R.C. Parts 1 - 4 (Revised) and part 5 By Mel R.C. posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• No Way Out (Clone Fiction) By Richard Kloosterboer posted on Bards Corner (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Road From Kilimanjaro By KG MacGregor posted on Bards Corner(Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Icon By T Novan posted on Bards Corner (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Amicus Humani Generis part 20 by SB Zarben posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Island of Beasts By Carola "Ryuchan" Eriksson posted on Academy of Bards(Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• story By posted on (Beyond Uber Alt)
  The Island of Dr Moreau, über version. Mike has reached absolute rock bottom in her life when she's brought ashore on the small island that would be the focus of her nightmares, and what she finds might just turn her life around.

• The Last Letter by Carola "Ryûchan" Eriksson posted on Academy of Bards(Beyond Uber Alt)
  The tale of a female King, and how she had spent her life loving the woman her father arranged for her to marry, only to one day realize that her bride may never come to share those feelings.

• Mark of the Mermaid by Carola "Ryûchan" Eriksson posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  A dark and gory tale about the curse of the mermaid's flesh and the poor unfortunate souls that fall under it. The lure of eternal life comes with a heavy price, and even for those that attain it, an eternal life in solitude is no gift to cherish. So all that remains is to wander through life in search of the one, that one person that can share that unending life - the one allotted to you.

• Ignorance is Bliss by Carola "Ryûchan" Eriksson posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  Dash is a very unusual turtle. Not only is she very dangerous to any and all male turtles in the vicinity, but she tries to give her human friends some dating advice... it really isn't her fault that humans keep forgetting the important parts, is it?

• Darkness Behind The Desk By Taleweaver posted on Dragon's Quill (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Blind Side of Love updated By Dreams posted on Midnight Island (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Arcade by Tiggster posted on Tiggster's Site (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Stolen Soul By BalticBard posted on her site (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Flight of Shadows part 3 By Sparky posted on her site (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Second Changes Complete By Tiggster posted on Tiggster's site (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Pup Power by Patty Schramm posted on Blondi's Site(Beyond Uber Alt)
  Raven Recommends

Wednesday January 22, 2003

Musings by Xanadu

Hi! Wow, it's been a tireing week. Our presses broke down at work, so we had to work half the weekend, and I didn't get a second day off. Not a happy camper, no sirrie bob. But, other than that, the week is going well. I mean, it's nearly Wednesday, which means that the week is half over, which means that if all goes well, I MAY have a full weekend, though probably not. grrrrr The presses aren't due to be fixed until the beginning of February.

Anywho, you guys don't need to know about all that junk. So, as I need to go eat dinner, (see that? I care so much I brought you all fic before I ate dinner!) so I'll leave you to your evening of reading. Enjoy! And feed the bards. Chicken always works nicely.

Thursday January 16, 2003

Raven's Ravings By Raven...how could you have guessed?? :)

Today your are treated to a ramble by Bonnie the Author of Tie Break.. now here's Bonnie!!

Ooookaaay. I'm invited to ramble here.

I'm immensely flattered, but ... Rambling. Should come easy to me considering my story Tie Break just ran into its 30th chapter despite the fact that it was supposed to be over in 12 chapters max ... and it ain't over yet. (grin)

Ah, well, seems I'm a bit more detail-oriented than I ever knew myself to be. Must be the Virgo in me, but that is an entirely different story. While I'm sitting here trying to figure out what to ramble about, I'm thinking about the fact that I write most of my stuff while I'm at work. Oh, and I read some things at work, obviously. I mean, don't we all? Come on, be honest ... Okay, you don't have to nod and yell all at once, I can't see it anyway. The good thing is that I have a nice private office with a door that actually closes. And it's not a glass door either. Makes reading PWPs that much more ... comfortable. Especially on Wednesdays ... I never could resist Mavis' Wednesday Afternoon Series and it's always a nice way to start a Wednesday morning at work. Rituals are important, I think. (VBG)

So, is there a connection between working and writing creatively? Or between working and being a well-read fan fictionist - yes, I know that word doesn't exist, but I didn't want to say reader, so there ... I don't know, actually, but I did find out first-hand that boring meetings are good for action scenes, and very boring meetings are good for red hot poetry. Or love scenes. And who knows what you're jotting down on your legal pad anyway? To all the world you're looking like the diligent little worker that you are while you're brooding over just the right way UberX is gonna kick Villain A's ass. Cool. Good thing, I like it.

Now what am I going to ramble about ...?

Be sure to check out Tie Break at :

• Tie Break By Bonnie posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  Anne Patakis and Shana Wilson are best friends and have a serious problem with timing. They love each other, but never quite get around to mentioning that. There's a lot of Angst in this story (or so I've been told) - so beware. A love story mystery drama, for lack of a better description.

And email her at : berlinpup@yahoo.de

Now on with some new wonderful fiction.. and don't forget to feed the bards!!!

• Raging Horses Part 5 By T Stratton posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Moving On Impulse: Book 4 Part 14-Conclusion By Mezzo posted on What's Ya Poison (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Unbroken # 3 Going To The Head Of The Class By Carrie Ryan and K Darblyne posted on Anti-Zero (Beyond Uber Alt)
  Raven Recommends!!

• Beyond The Breakwater Part 1 By Radclyffe posted on Mary D's (Beyond Uber Alt)
  This sequel to Safe Harbor, Sheriff Reese Conlon and Doctor Tory King face the challenges of personal change as they define their lives and future together. Twenty year-old Brianna Parker makes a sacrifice for love that threatens not just her happiness, but her life, when she returns home as the newest member of the sheriff's department. One summer in Provincetown, each woman learns the true meaning of love and friendship.

Raven Recommends!

• A Thousand Shades of Success Part 6 (conclusionn) By Taleweaver posted on Blondi's Writing Works (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Infinite Loop (Completed) By Meghan O'Brien posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Noemi Parts 6-7 (Conclusion) By Katia N. Ruiz posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Fire Within part 9 By Anita Louise's posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Shadow of the Soul (Completed) By Melissa Good posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  Raven Recommends!!

• Walking the Dog into Danger : by Lord Nessa posted on Kindredspiritlodge (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Blind Side of Love New Updatesby Dreams posted on Midnight Island (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

Tuesday January 14, 2003

Musings by Xanadu

Hiya! How goes it in the world of Xenaland? Not so bad here. It's Monday, so things can't be fantastic, but it wasn't a bad start to a week, either. I had a nice, relaxing, writing-filled weekend with my girl. Well, she read as I wrote. Then we cleaned house. Wow, that took a while. We've become very bad people. Quite messy. lol Anyway.

It is exactly a month before Valentine's Day. Anyone have any good, romantic plans? Romantic plans? Plans?

Okay, okay, I've tortured you all enough. Here's some great stuff for you all by some very talented writers who deserve recognition. This has become my Beyond Uber mission, apparently. Feedback, people! Feedback!

Sunday January 12, 2003

Raven's Ravings by Just little of CRS Me :) Happy Sunday to you all!

Have you ever misplaced something? Come now we have all done that right? Please say something.. ok ok I just was well cleaning out my email box and I found a little folder that contained a huge surprise...

I am ashamed and delighted to find that back in August and September I had created this handy dandy folder to keep rambles that authors had sent me.. truly my dream was to be organized and to provide you and the authors with exceptional service....well I misplaced my handy dandy folder apparently and missed posting about 17 author rambles..

Yes! I should be beaten.. you can email Mystic your complaints and I am sure she will abuse me as required for this grievous error. ;)

So to your delight I will be posting these missed rambles in the coming weeks. As some of these rambles make reference to the season or latest happenings I wanted to let you know that these were old rambles never before seen. So sit back and get ready to enjoy some fun rambles with my apologies to you and the authors for the delay!

Our first ramble is from Trish Kocialski.. You will love her work and please email and let her know how much you have enjoyed her ramble and fiction!

Hi Everyone!

Wow! What a nice email I received from Raven to contribute a Ramble! (Thanks for the opportunity Raven!) Now I just have to figure out what to say…well, guess I’ll start at the beginning (don’t worry, it wasn’t that long ago!).

Like many of you, I got ‘hooked’ on Xena: Warrior Princess a while ago (Season three, actually). I wasn’t astute enough to catch on at the very beginning of the series, but soon caught up and it’s been a heck of a ride since! What amazes me most, is the way this series has affected so many people across the globe from so many walks of life. Through the Xenaverse, people have met their soulmates, turned their lives around, left abusive situations, made new friends, helped support many charitable causes, and, in my case, prodded me to achieve a dream.

That dream was to write a novel that would be entertaining and fun. When I wrote my first story (Forces of Evil), I had no idea or even anticipated, that it would actually be published. I’m basically a quiet, in-the-background kind of person who just gets a kick out of writing. In fact, I’m having so much fun, I’ve finished three full novels (Forces of Evil, Blue Holes to Terror, and Deadly Challenge) and am working on my fourth book now.

So, what do I write about? Well, I’ve always been heavy into reading mysteries and action/adventure type stuff, so my stories reflect that background (some of my favorite non-Xenaverse authors are Clive Cussler, Patricia Cornwall, Jonathan Kellerman, Janet Evanovich, and Sue Grafton to name a few). I also try to inject a bit of humor into the stories…well, as much humor as you can when the fate of the world is at stake…LOL! My main characters are Colonel Deanna Peterson (Army Intelligence) and DEA Special Agent Katherine O’Malley. I’ve put them through some pretty hairy situations and so far, they’ve fallen in love, saved the country from terrorist plots, and survived personal vendettas with minimal injury to life and limb. I use real places and try to inform my readers of the places I’ve lived or visited. The stories are full of twists and turns and may even surprise you at times (hopefully, you won’t be able to figure out the ending at mid-book!).

Well, I guess that’s about all for now. If you haven’t read any of my stuff I would love for you to read one or all (of course, I would!). You can read them on-line at my website: http://xenamultimedia.com/trish, at Mary D’s site, or the Academy of Bards site. You can of course, purchase the books too (my publisher would love that!) from Renaissance Alliance Publishing, Inc. at http://rapbooks.biz. (Yes, Carrie, I’m shameless too!). I’m often at events like BardCon or DragonCon or Xena Conventions, so I hope to meet some of you there! Oh, yeah…what Carrie said about feeding each other (Readers and Bards) goes for me too!

Sincerely,

Trish Kocialski

tkocialski@catskill.net

Now on with some new fiction!!

• The Pirate Treasure By Barbara Davies posted on Midgit's Site (Beyond Uber Alt)
  In the Caribbean of the 1670s, notorious pirate Captain Meg Etherege sets out to plunder a brigantine bound for England. (Alt/Uber)

• Convergence: Season Two Episode 212 Sweet and Low By Blitzgal posted on Convergence Virtual Television Series(Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Modern Crusader: Adeptus Major parts 20-21 By PsiDragonis posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• My Sister's Keeper part8 By Mavis Applewater posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  Raven Recommends!

• Life's Little Edge By Roselle Graskey posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Luckiest Break By Dimples posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Three of Hearts By Dimples posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  .

• Harvest (Complete) By G.E. Birch posted on Academy of Bards(Beyond Uber Alt)
  Set in the mid-west The Harvest is the story of 2 women (Carolyn and Elise) whose lives connect in a seemingly random way. After Carolyn's maiden aunt passes away, leaving the farm to her, Carolyn finds herself unexpectedly plunked in the mid-west. There - urban out lesbian meets an isolated asexual farmer. As the two women are drawn together each struggles with her own past to come together in the present to harvest desire

• Deja Vu By Alec Rene posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Reunion By Angharad Governal posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Deal The Conclusion By Paully Adams posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Perfect Gift By HkdonXetG posted on Dragon's Quill and Ink (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Children of Infinity 3 By Moon posted on Moon-struck (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Murder has Two Faces Part 8 By Tonya S. Coley posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Love on the Ice Part 8 By Stoley posted on her site (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• I Remember You and parts 1-3 of The Queen and the Conqueror By Jrockit (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

Saturday January 11, 2003

Helloo!

Hope you all are doing well and here is some fresh fiction for you to start off your weekend!

• sReflections In A Golden Eye - Book 3 By ArdentTly posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Resistance and Resurrection part 4 By ArdentTly posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Raging Horses Part 4 By T. Stratton posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Courageous Hearts By T. Stratton posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Riding Against the Odds Part 5 By Faranath posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Debts part 3-4 By Alecto posted on Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Life's Little Edge By Roselle Graskey posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  Callan O'Malley is everything Terri Barclay knows she should be afraid of. O'Malley freelances as a gun runner for a biker gang and Terri is hiding her own secrets. Thrown together by circumstance they find their lives turned into a certain chaos.

• Through Thick and Thin Part 2 By Dimples posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• CityScape By Casi Eve posted on Academy (Beyond Uber Alt)
  A writing assignment brings Shelby to Chicago where she discovers a new side to the city and gets more than a tour guide in Taryn. If only every trip was so productive...
  Complete!

• Tie Break part 23 By Bonnie posted on Academy of Bard (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Growing Chapter 2 By Sue Beck (SwordnQuil), Okasha & T. Novan posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  Raven Recommends!!

• On Azrael's Wings Part 21 By D. Jordan Redhawk posted on Redhawk's site (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Infinate Loop By Meghan O'Brien posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  "Reluctantly dragged to a straight bar by two co-workers, shy software developer Regan O'Riley never expected to meet the perfect woman. Mel Raines never expected to *be* anyone's perfect woman, at least for more than a night, but when the stoic cop becomes involved with Regan she finds that she's considering something more meaningful than casual sex for the first time in her adult life. When tragedy strikes Mel's life, the two women are propelled along in their tentative friendship and growing love by way of an impromptu road trip to the American Southwest. Along the way they encounter a series of adventures, confront their pasts, and forge a new future...together."

Tuesday January 8, 2003

Howdy, gang! Well, it's Tuesday, nearly Wednesday. This means, well, that's it's Tuesday. So, I had an interesting day at the office, was interviewed by two different local newspapers for my book, so that was kind of cool. Though, I gotta tell ya, I HATE having pictures taken of myself. Just not a favorite past time. Anywho, it was kind of cool.

So, did anyone do anything interesting since I talked with you last? Such as, for New Year's? We watched Xena on DVD, season 1, which I got Lex for Christmas, and then, with our wine glasses filled with sparkling grape juice, we toasted in 2003 with Dick and his thousands of buddies in New York. Nice, simple, safe.

Anyway, gotta run, my friends. Have a great night, and happy reading! Now, what do you all need to do? Beside go reading, yes, you got it- FEED THOSE BARDS!

Sunday January 5, 2003

Happy 2003! Hope you all are enjoying a great new year!
Things are finally starting to slow down in the house of Raven YEA!!!!

Now comes the time to begin to take down the Christmas Tree unless your like some whom believe that Christmas is a year round event and that it is just to much trouble to put those lights back into those itty bitty boxes.. how the hell do that do that any way??

Did everyone get their big sale items the day after Christmas or were you like Mystic and I and hid out in our home as the malls were raided by crazed sale monsters... I tell you it is dangerous out there!

Now for some great news on the Fan Fiction front.. we have a wonderful new Serial by some of the best out there:

SwordnQuil (Sue Beck), T Novan and Okasha

This is a serial, after the fashion of the Green Mile. It’s an uber/sci-fi/horror/post-apocalyptic piece. If your tastes run more toward present day, or past history, this might not be the story for you. If it is, please, read on.
Raven Recommends!!! This serial will be posted weekly and is completed 6 parts in advance of each posting!

• The Growing By SwordnQuil, T Novan and Okasha posted on The Growing (Beyond Uber Alt)
  Raven Recommends this new Serial for us to enjoy weekly!!!

Now enjoy some fiction!

• Triumpphant of Love By Alex Tryst posted on The Athenaeum (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Homecoming Book 2 Growing By JTD posted on JTD's Own (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• No Ocean Deep By Cate Swannell posted on Cate Swannell's Site (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Growing By SwordnQuil, T Novan and Okasha posted on The Growing (Beyond Uber Alt)
  Raven Recommends this new Serial for us to enjoy weekly!!!

• Chilled Out By Mindwalker 78 posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Modern Crusaders Adeptus Major By PsiDraconis posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Poetry In Motion Part 16 By Harley posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Mountain of Love Part 8 By Psyche-B posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• The Deal Part 5-6 By Paully Adams posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Sierra City By Gerri Hill posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  Chris McKenna gladly escaped the crowds of Yosemite to work as the new Search and Rescue in tiny Sierra City, nestled just west of Lake Tahoe. Always a loner, she didn't mind the seclusion of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Jessie Stone, a successful but reclusive writer, is haunted by memories of her childhood and finally returns to Sierra City after sixteen years of estrangement from her mother. The odd assortment of residents of this small mountain town bring them together but it is Annie Stone, a woman Chris has grown to admire and a woman Jessie still feels hatred for, that binds the two. Through lies and deception, they still cannot deny the growing attraction that will brighten both their lives . . . if only they will allow it.

• Time Fell Hand Part 15 By LJ Maas posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
  

• Amicus Humani Generis Part 19 By SB Zarben posted on Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)