"Single White Female Looking for a Woman like ...."

I know that every morning you go thumbing through the personal want ads. You grab the latest copy, a cup of coffee, and settle in for a good time, trying to find something to catch your eye, hoping and praying that today's edition is gonna catch your attention... 

"Single white female looking for that special lover. A one Women Woman who doesn't want no other !  

Oh, you never can tell She just might be your dream come true. A single white female looking for a woman like you !

Ok ... so this is definitely not my choice of words, not that I wouldn't want to put words together like that. It's just that they are not mine! The words are a slightly adapted version of Cheryl Wrights "Single White Female" - a popish country song. You can watch the music video here or the slightly twisted edition from Capital Pride here).

I've been pondering the question of Looking. Not the stalking kind of looking, but rather the kind of Looking you would do if you where Looking for Love. For a woman to share your life with or maybe - if that's your thing - a woman to share a shortish fling.

Who will catch your eye ? The Bookish Butch Woman from Montréal or the Femme ? I for one hate the labels ! Why would you want to divide the world in Butch / Femme ... in those who put on a nice shade of lipstick to go out and those who keep their hair short, in whom shave their legs and whom doesn't, in which women wear heels and which prefer comfortable shoes, in who reads F/F romance's to relax and who tinker with her car for exactly the same reason ?

And what about the woman who change the wheels on her car on Saturday morning, puts on comfortable boots for a walk in the afternoon, and gets herself ready for going out ... in lipstick and heels in the evening ? What label would you put on her ? 

Let's leave the labels behind and take a look around the F/F Universe. This is a place for stereotypes and that's actually a lot like labels, but who cares it just for fun .... right?!

So I'm out looking for love ... hopefully in the right places ... and where would I go if I wanted a gentle(wo)man. "Love in Photographs" by Alex Tryst would be a good place to start. I'm not really an Alex Tryst fan, probably because the stereotypes got to strong for me, but the photographer Torrance might be a match for ... Annett Benning. Torrance is talented and rich (a nice combination), and she finds what her heart is looking for in her model Helen ... but she has to put in a bit of work to get what she wants !

I am a big Badsquirrel fan, but "Dark Side of the Moon" explores a way of life that is really not my cup of tea, it might be yours, so if the world of BDSM and a bit of gender bending is what you are looking for then I think that Jordan -  master of the house - might be able to match Annett Benning in style!

I know that Milla Jovovich and her Versace Jeans is not new to you, but this picture reminds me of Sheridan of Vertigo's "Caution: Under Construction". Sheridan is a woman in trades, a skilled construction worker and a womaniser, who meets her match in Keefer, a building inspector with a love interest ... Sheridan! You can read this for the hot stuff .... or just for the romance.

When we speak of women of trades I have to mention "Rumors" by Badsquirrel. This is where you'll meet Kelly the auto mechanic with the softest of soft hearts, all of it invested in the memory of a teenage crush on Hannah - the owner of "Doggie Styles". This is among my absolute favourites.

I'll leave the picture of Milla Jovovich while pointing you in the direction of Eunice, the owner of a horse farm (is that a rancher ??) with a broken heart, which will heal to the tones of Molly's guitar and soft songs in Dee's "Fenced Fields", but I'm not done with the women of trades. I have to introduce you to Sara from L.A. Tucker's "The Light Fantastic". This is a great story where you'll find Sara playing the role as "Jack of all trades" at her brothers up and coming golf course while hiding from the world. Well that is until Chloe gets her hands on her heart.

If you like the women of trades, you might also fancy Cordie. She is captain of the swordfishing boat "Dawn Piper". You might ask why you should go visit with Cordie .... what kind of romance could a week long  swordfishing trip amount to for a lesbian among a crew of fishermen .... ok ok - I'll give you a clue ... Cordie is ordered to take out the boss's daughter and introduce her to the world of swordfishing! I'll leave the rest to your imagination or to the pen of Barbara Davies in "Beneath the Surface". This is Bound to fascinate you ;-)

It's been rather easy to find F/F stories picturing the stereotype gentle(wo)men wearing a suit, sporting a manish name, and harbouring a heart just waiting for the right woman to tear down the walls build around it. 

I find it a bit more difficult to locate the "women I want" when I go looking for the opposite. The women with a clearly feminine touch, a nice shade of lipstick, wearing skirt and heels, not for the sake of an office job, but because this is her preference. It's not that these women don't exist in F/F stories, they do. I think that it's just that they don't stand out as much as the stereotype manish lesbians. If you are looking for the feminine touch you can follow along as I hunt for women in heels. 

A couple of women in heels and nice dresses ..... well I do think that Beth and Amy of Fingersmiths "Once" lets our minds eye enjoy them in pretty gowns for a wedding. Now don't jump ahead of the storyline - it's definitely not their wedding, they are just friends (!) - but I guess that it's safe to say that each of them would love to be more than that .... if they could only find a way.

I think that it's also safe to say that Mimi looks quit stunning in her gown for the charity auction which proves to be her first date with her stepsister Jolly, whom Mimi has had the BIGGEST crush on since puberty...... I guess that the almost incestuous reference might sound a bit upsetting, but trust me on this, Mimi looks good in her gown and equally good when dressed in leather or in the buff ... and once her master carpenter and architect Jolly gets past the sisterhood thing Molly do get a chance to take charge of her life and of Jolly's. In case you are wondering this is Ali Vali's "A Place to Dance"

As for heels I do think that Torrey fund a pair to go with her pant suit when Taylor finally found the time and place to take her out! This is B.L.Millers "None So Blind", and if you haven't read this romance yet, I think you should. Torrey and Taylor goes way back, but - as usual - a misunderstanding had them separate before they could declare their love. So we get their story in flashbacks while we follow the slow rekindling of their friendship and the reshaping of their future ... it's an enjoyable read.

I'll keep on the lookout for women in heel's - let me know if you get lucky .... NO not that kind of lucky ! Just you know lucky ...  as in stumbling on a woman in heels - preferably purple ones in your reading.

The Light Fantastic by L.A.Tucker

Do you know how much time and hard work it takes to create a golf course?

Well you might not really care as you think of golf courses as an unnecessary evil that uses up valuable resources for no better reason than creating a bit of fun for people with the means to enjoy it. If that is the case then do remember this is just fiction - and good romantic fiction at that.

Let’s go back to square one and maybe you will answer the question now. Do you know how much time and hard work it takes to create a golf course? No ? Then do tag along with Sara as she works the land at her brother Dave’s soon to be golf course. You will either find her on the tractor mowing or beneath it as she works out the latest mechanical problem. Do not worry about gate crashing - Sara usually works alone - the only company she accepts is that of her nephew Nelson and her brother Dave. Anyone else might just set her of on yet another anxiety attach. 

This is classic uber when it is at its best so you might be able to guess what or rather whom might help Sara get over her angst and back in a life of her own? Well it might help if you knew that Sara is a tall, blue eyed beauty. Did you say Chloe ? As in the small green eyed outgoing local drama teacher and librarian ? If you did you are spot on!

Sara is actually a local celebrity as she attended the local High School and College before she went of on a modeling and acting career that made her a household name. After an accident she dropped out of the limelight and disappeared only to resurface at her brother Dave’s house a few years later with a battered face and soul.

Reading this you might think that “The Light Fantastic” is about Sara, but really that is not the case, it is about Chloe and all the things her work as a director of the musical “Oklahoma” at the local High School sets in motion in her life and in the lives of those around her. And things do move along in this story, not always in a straight line - we do after all need bumps in the road to keep us interested - but forward all the same for Sara and Chloe, and for all the subplots acted out by the lovely supporting cast of local characters.

It would be too simplistic to call this a romance as “The Light Fantastic” has a much broader appeal - it’s a general drama with many interesting and well developed characters, it is humor, witty dialog and great entertainment. This is one of the truly great fan fic’s!!

“The Light Fantastic” seem to have been published by Regal Crest back in 2003, but it does not seem to be readily available any more.

If you find Sara and Chloe and their friends entertaining you might want to look up the sequel ”Inside out” or the little Halloween stories “Küssen Des Banditen” and “The Foursome”.  

Between a Memory and a Dream by L.A.Tucker

Meatloaf is great for Thursdays, chicken and biscuits will go over well on a Wednesday, Tuesdays well ... how about a Swiss steak, if you throw in some fried fish on Friday and an Italian sampler platter as a Saturday special you have got yourself the new menu of The Duck Inn. 

If you can stomach the meatloaf and a romance that is a tad long in the making find yourself a quiet corner at the back of the bar at The Duck Inn and watch out for the inn owner Duck and her tenant Marie.

Duck is a woman caught up by her parents failing health. First she nursed her mother until she died and now she has taken over their inn and the job of looking after her father. With a declining business and a less than fit father, Duck has little if no life outside the inn.

Something needs to change! And even if she does not know it Marie is the woman who will help turn things around for Duck .... and herself. Marie keeps busy with an unusual number of little odd jobs like dog grooming, pet sitting, teaching ballroom dancing, cooking and banjo playing just to mention a few. Her coming and goings through the bar at the inn is followed closely by at least one set of very interested eyes. 

If you are a trained lesfic reader you will know that the largest obstacle to finding true love is the misconceptions that our protagonists live by - and in the case of Duck and Marie they each take the misunderstandings to heart and live in the firm belief that their feelings for each other is not reciprocated.

Both you and I know better - so just sit back and wait for the one special serving of meatloaf that will end all the misunderstandings.

This is a short story with a singular focus on Duck and Marie, the long covered looks they send each other and their non existing communication, but it's sweet - so if you "do" sweet and you can live without a roll in the hay go look it up.