Ramble - on this and that

As you might have noticed I'm not really doing any reading at the moment! Well that's not entirely true, I do read stuff but either I'm just jumping from one "old" and well proven online story to another or I'm enjoying myself with general fiction which does not really fit the theme of this blog.  

So this time I'm just going to give you a mix of whatever comes to mind....

Have you been following the news on The Royal Academy of Bards ? If not then perhaps you ought to look up the entry for the 11th of August and learn which bards was voted into the Academy's Hall of Fame this summer. If you need a suggestion on what to read you can look up the list of the stories voted into the Hall of Fame as well.

I'm happy to see that Ann McMan and her story "Jerico" was voted into The Hall of Fame. It's a fun, mushy romance with a killer dialogue, but I guess that you know that by now ? 

McMan's latest story "Dust" made it to the Hall of Fame as well. This is a quite different type of story, a sort of "political thriller" with a romantic twist, not the mushy romance type of story that I'm so fond of ;-) 

"Dust" is what Evan stirrers up when she goes hunting for the dirty parts of an up and coming politicians life before the party decides on the backing of the candidate. This time she finds not only dirty secrets but also an estranged, but very good looking - lesbian - wife, lurking in the side wings of the up and coming senator's life.

This is LesFic so YES Evan and the senators wife do get to know one another "up close and personal", but somehow I keep looking back ...is this for "real" of just a trick for Evan to get close to the information that she is looking for or for the senators wife to keep a close tap on what Evan is digging up?? If you like LesFic thrillers don't miss this one - it's very well written. A tight and precise language and a well structured storyline even if it drops of a bit at the end.

You can find both "Jerico" and "Dust on the Academy and on Ann McMan's website. "Jericho" and  "Dust" might be the last free fic's from McMan's pen - it seems that she has made it into print with her first book. This is great as she really do turn out stories with a good quality of writing.

While we are on the theme of Hall of Fame Stories lets take a stroll back in time at The Academy's Hall of Fame - maybe you have missed out on a really great read. Come along if you need a bit of guidance.

2010 was the year that one of my favorite romances with humor entered The Hall of Fame. If you have missed "Miss-Match" do not hesitated to look it up - its everything you need in a LesFic - jumping the fence, coming out, a blind date, women looking for the one to spend their life, and everything in a mix of great dialoge and a well put together storyline with likeable characters.

While we are on the subject of A.C.Henley - one of the two co-writers of Miss-Match - I might as well tell you that she also penned "One-Two-Oh" a little story of cowgirls and on how come every lesbian within a 500-mile zone decides to show up on Rose's doorsteps, even though she really only has eyes for Charlotte. 

From The Hall of Fame Voting in the year 2010 you might also like Zee's "Comic Book Life" this time you'll get a story based on the concept of "young love that never dies" mixed with a bit of fun and a child that you have to keep your eyes on.

I'm not going to walk through every Hall of Fame voting with you - you can do so on you own, but I might just point out a few other favorites that have earned a place in The Hall of Fame though the years.

Artemis Callaghan's "Something so Close to Love" received the necessary votes to enter The Hall in 2008. I do like Callaghan's writing and "Something so Close to Love" has characters with more depth than the usual online fic. There is a review somewhere on this blog - if you want to know more before you commit yourself to a reading.

The first year that The Hall of Fame voting took place some of the best uber writers was voted into The Hall ... Radclyffe, SX Meager, Missy Good, LJ Maas, Ali Vali and KG MacGregorer. Among the stories chosen for The Hall of Fame that year is another long time favorite of mine "None So Blind" - it doesn't get more romantic than that. You can look up the review on the blog by looking up the reviews on stories by LJ Maas.

Should you want to take a break from the world of words maybe you can relax with some pic's - no, not interested ? Well what if I told you that we are talking "America the Beautiful" by Elle ? As a teaser I'll give you Hillery Swank.

Elle says: "We searched from coast to coast to find the loveliest celebrity native of each state in the union (plus the District of Columbia!)".

If this is not the kind of pic's you fancy you can always look up the latest show from "The Big Picture at Boston.com". Beware - it's not always pretty !

For pretty and adventurous pic's I always visit National Geographic. Last time I stopped by I met with "The Rower". Did you know that it takes 2.5 mio. oarstroks to cross The Pacific ?

Have fun !

Tumbleweed Fever by LJ Maas

A cat has nine lives or so it's said, how many lives are left for man ? Probably considerably less and even less if you are a woman living your life as an outlaw. Dev has survived her share of hardship and brawls, but she might just have used up her share of lives. Had it not been for Hank finding her beaten up, bleeding from a couple of gunshot wounds, left to die by her gang of outlaws, she wouldn't be here, among the cattle hands at the ranch with time to dream of a better life.

You might ask what a reformed outlaw dreams about - the next cattle drive? A couple of shots of whisky at the bar in town? A hot bath? A soft bed? A night in a woman's arms? Noooo - Dev's dreams are way beyond a quick shack. She dreams of a home where a fire and a good meal wait every night and of HER, the one woman who would share her life.

Now you wouldn't think that there was such a thing as an extra chance in the life of women out west, back in the time when a few buffaloes could still be found to range freely, but if you believe LJ Maas, there was such luck to be found. For Dev her lucky chance is Art - a big cattle rancher and uncle - looking for a hired hand to stay with his niece Sarah at her small ranch, after the death of her husband. For Sarah, Dev is not only a way to keep her ranch, but a chance to find the love that has eluded her until now.

If you fancy the "instant attraction" or "soulmate" theme of the uber genre look no further, this is a classic with strikes of lightning hitting home once "blue eyes meet green", but of course no one will act on the attraction right away. So you will get amble chance to follow the hardship of loving from afar, never knowing if your love is wanted. And as this is Women in the Wild West you will get amble chance to watch triggers being pulled fast and men dying - they wouldn't have to - die that is - if they weren't so stupid as to threaten what Dev considers to be hers. Dev is not one to share, at least not the woman of her heart!

The Western theme is not my favorite among online lesfic, but I thought I would give it a go as I did enjoy LJ Maas' "None So Blind" a lot. "Tumbleweed Fever" is not in the same league as "None so Blind", but it's not half bad either - so if you like uber's of the Western genre you could give it a go. On the other hand if this is your first time venturing out with Women of the Wild West you might want to try "The Western Chronicles" by BL Miller and Verda Forster for you first ride, but you will have to be a bit nifty with the Wayback Machine to get your hands on an online copy of this fic as it has been taken offline.

You can find links to more Western lesfic on the Listmania page.

None So Blind by LJ Maas

When you have a bit of spare time on your hand put the kettle on and make your favorite drink, pull up a chair and get comfortable. Are you ready to relax with a romantic read ? Oh I  forgot,  if you have a gf around maybe you ought to tell her that you have some reading to do ...  but do you have to tell her that you aim for some recreational reading ?

Lying or omitting bits of information often creates a lot of misunderstandings in a relationship, and I'm not one to suggest that you start down that path, even though it seems that it's a sure way to create a classic romantic lesfic read ! One that LJ Maas masters with great efficiency in "None So Blind".

When your are ready then press the link above and prepare to meet our favorite blond; Torrey Gray a freshman coming to stay in the TAU ALPHA ZETA house on the campus of the University of Main and her new roommate, the brooding raven haired biker babe and college senior; Taylor Kent. You might say that Torrey and Taylor is as different as night and day, but it just takes one look - as green eyes meet blue - and we are all convinced that the ladies can find common ground.

At College Torrey and Taylor becomes inseparable friends, a friendship based on omission of the one truth that Taylor thinks will break them apart. You might be able to guess what truth that might be?

The story of Torrey and Taylor goes back and forth in time between their college years together and the present day living very far apart. Today Torrey is an author struggling with a sort of writers block and a single mother to her teenage daughter Jessie, who is going through a difficult phase in life. At the same time Taylor spends her life out in sunny California having a successful career as an artist, but missing something or rather someone important in her life.

What can possible push the women down the path towards a happy ending ? Jessie ! The one thing that will bridge the differences and misunderstandings between Torrey and Taylor seems to be their shared wish to help Jessie on with her life. And when Torrey reach out to her friend for help, Taylor is happy to take Jessie in for a while.

This is a classic lesfic based on the assumption that two women are able to keep their hearts desire a secret from each other for years! If you can accept that fact, you will most likely enjoy the story of Torrey and Taylor, their daughter Jessie and the long road they have to travel from friends to lovers. It's a great romance that has made it on to my list of favorite reads a long time ago - if you like a mushy and classic romance you really should give this one a try.