LA TUCKER ISSUE
Volume III, Issue 4 - August , 2002
==============================================
Today's issue includes:
1. Feature Article -- Interview with Uber fanfic bard LA Tucker,
author
of "The Light Fantastic"
2. Xena quote/Xena humor
3. Featured FanFic and Short Review -- LA Tucker's Ubers
4. Xena News -- All the news that's fit to reprint
5. Featured Links -- Tucker's website
6. Xena: Warrior Princess Episode Guide
"The Deliverer," "Gabrielle's Hope," -- "The Debt"
7. The Uber Zone? RMB's "Alma Mater"
8. Feedback
9. PRIVACY/NO SPAM POLICY!
10. Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
11. Credits
12. Archives
13. DISCLAIMER
==============================================
Shameless Advertising

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==============================================
1) Featured Article

Interview with Fanfic Uberbard LA Tucker

"The Light Fantastic," to be published by RAP publishing and due out
in August 2003, its sequel "The Inside Out" (both reviewed below) are
not only two of the best and wittiest ubers we've ever read, but two
of the most entertaining novels period.

When we asked Tucker for this interview she accepted with the
stipulation that we had to come up with some "fun, off-the-wall, and
invigorating" questions. So if it seems a bit more irreverent and
loopy
than usual that's our excuse.

XINE: Do you have anywheres near a complete grasp of just what a gem
of
a classic romantic comedy you've created here?

TUCKER: Well, uh, thank you! All I hoped to do was to add to a
growing
body of romantic comedy long-form Ubers out there -- and if I have,
then
I've accomplished my goal. As for whether it's a gem or a rock, that
remains to be seen in the eye of the reader. And without the major
mindbending influence of having read Madam President (Blayne Cooper
and
T.Novan) a bazillion times, I would have never even tried writing at
all.

XINE: Just how punny do you think you are?

TUCKER: Not much, really, at all. Most days I am a huge embarrassment
to
my family, friends, and coworkers. My friends and relatives tend to
roll
their eyes at anything that comes out of my mouth. I think I just
transferred those personal quirks to a computer screen. One of my
close
friends, who had no idea I was trying to write, read The Light
Fantastic
after completion, and gave me the best critiques I've ever gotten --
and
the worst, too. She said, "You write exactly the way you talk and
act."
She said that with a big grin on her face, so I'm guessing it was her
idea of a compliment. And perhaps an insult, too.

XINE: What's par for the course? Any zen of golf Big Picture/life
lesson
links and metaphors to pass along to us duffers as we putter along in
the game?

TUCKER: Oh, God, I really hate comparing sports to life. I'm a hack
golfer at best -- grass stained sneakers, saggy shorts, grubby t-
shirt ,
silly ballcap when I play 9 holes -- and of all the sports I've ever
tried my hand at, it is the most frustrating and funny endeavor out
there. I still am of the mind that it's not a sport, but an exercise
in
frustration with a stick and a ball. Perfectly sane people going
ballistic over the smallest mistakes and miscues. Getting stuck in the
traps and hazards of life as we go along from hole to hole. Trying to
perfect the mechanics of a swing, and then have it all fall apart by
unexpected interruptions, topping the ball, missing the mark.
Kerplunk!
Most of all, it's a very quiet activity, where a person has lots of
time
to watch the antics of those around them -- all bluster and swagger
one
minute, then lamely trying to explain away screw-ups and make up for
them forever afterward. The most dignified, intelligent people losing
it, acting nutsy, all in the pursuit of doing a little better than
they
did the day before. Is there a life lesson in there? I'm not sure,
but I
try to observe and internalize dialogue and the way people react in
everyday situations, at the golf course, at a convenience store, in a
doctor's office. I love hearing 'stories', especially by entertaining,
everyday people just trying to get by.

XINE: What other ubers (characters) are present in the piece? Do you
specifically search for a way to incorporate XWP elements (Chloe's
tattoo e.g.) or do they just sort of fall into place organically? (I
loved the most recent off-hand ref to "The Scottish Play.")

TUCKER: I love to sneak in references of the here and now regarding
ROC
and LL, and especially show stuff, even stuff from fanfic. It tickles
me. Just small stuff, sometimes bigger. Chloe's the Talk -- 'leaving
me
behind while you go have the (house) adventure.' MacBeth. Eli. Henna
tattoo. Marcy modeled physically after Ephiny. Paul as dimbulb Joxer.
Lucy's constant squinting segued into vision problems. Tossing in
dialogue from the show, but out of different people's mouths, instead
of
the uber counterpart. John Deere tractor as Argo. Jay Caesar
'crucifying' them through being the critic for the play. The umbrella
as
avenging sword. Cargo the horse. Lucy's affinity for the Three
Stooges.
The Gossiping Biddies as Amazon elders. I know alot of this stuff is
probably missed, but I don't try and purposely emphasize it, it's all
flying around aimlessly in my head and if it fits to the situation,
all
the better. Chloe's new hairdo -- dark red hair, cowboy boots
(although
I was ahead of the curve on these changes -- I must be psychic, I
wrote
that a LONG time ago, before the advent of her appearance in MacBeth.)
Again, this is what makes it fun for me and pays tribute to the show
that I loved. And I have to admit, I really enjoy the pointed digs I
toss at Rob Tapert, too.

XINE: Is humor endemic to your mindset or is it simply situational to
the storytelling?

TUCKER: All right, you made me look up 'endemic'. That's what it is
alright, endemic. <g> If pressed to explain, I suppose I look at
everything to
find the humorous possibilities in it, to set up the more dramatic
scenes, and then they just perpetuate over and over, from silly to
angst
and back again. Most of the bad/difficult things that have happened in
my own life seem to have come without a 'big event' precipitating it.
Usually, it's miscommunication and the unexpected that throw perfectly
functional human beings way off course. How people deal with it is
usually just as wickedly funny, but only afterwards, when seen with
the
gift of retrospect. At the time, it's awful and frustrating. Three
years
down the line, and many therapist bills later, it's all a hysterical
laugh when you have to relate the details to an awed crowd.

XINE: What prompted your short uber  "Convergence" (New Age meets
cute in
a convenience store) and do you intend to expand on those rather
wacky characters?

TUCKER: Ahah, the story no one ever read, and if they did, they must
have hated it. Three things prompted that story. One, my friendship
with
my co-writer, Sage Walker, a woman who practices and embraces the old
healing arts of Shamanism and Reiki -- things I was ignorant of, and
fascinated with after making her acquaintance. She quite rightly, I
think now, attributes many of life's happenings to simply not being
aware of unseen forces and influences. Me, I like to have something
concrete to lay blame on -- Osama Bin Laden, a dippy store clerk, a
lumpy mattress, a bad haircut. Concrete things. And not to mention the
fact that I've been held up three times while working behind the
counter
of a store.
But I don't think that way any more -- now I believe in fate and the
unpredictable vagaries of the universe, and that something out there
has
a diabolical and sometimes enlightening plan for our lives, and we
don't
have any control over it. It makes for more interesting 'excuse
making'
on my part - I was late, not because of a flat tire, but simply
because
I was somehow supposed to be stuck on that stretch of highway for an
hour so I could meet and talk to the nice cop who stopped and helped
me
change my tire in the pouring rain.
Second, I think of it as my Uber crossover homage to the best small
town
setting I've ever witnessed on screen, The Andy Griffith Show.
Convergence and its characters were written with the same intention of
the show -- small town at its weirdest, gentlest best. Oh, and it was
fun to write, too, so I hope to revisit the characters. A wannabe cop
and a ditzy, sincere New Ager. Sounds like a good time to me.

XINE: What's next? Are you let down now that it's over, enervated or,
conversely, energized to another project? Any more ubers brewing, more
Chloe and Sara?

TUCKER: Enervated and ennui is moi. Not much stewing going on in my
mental crockpot right now. I'm writing a more serious 3 part shortish
orginal alt fic story, Between A Memory and A Dream, which is almost
complete and is currently being posted in parts. I'm planning on
devoting a lot of my time to beta-ing for a new writer -- I didn't
have
a beta reader for The Light Fantastic, and I fruitlessly searched for
one. I sure could have used the guidance. I plan to revisit Chloe and
Sara in a short Halloween story for Merwolf, but I don't want to write
them in long story form again. Best to let them muddle on without me.
I'm whooped.
But on the other hand, I have some ideas floating around ...

XINE: Do you chuckle maniacally when you write this stuff?

TUCKER : I reread it, and yeah, I get a giggle. I admit it. Some of it
falls flat, some of it is lame, some of it is goofy and good natured.
I
give myself credit for trying.
But on a personal note:
I wrote The Light Fantastic during one of the worst stretches in my
life, the absolute agonizing worst. I wrote it to escape the unending
tension and sorrow in my life -- my father was slowly dying in a town
two hours away from me, and I couldn't sleep at night --so I wrote
instead, for months on end. Between work, traveling, worrying,
writing,
caffeine overload and the total lack of sleep, I have no idea where
all
the humor came from -- I look back at it now and think I must have
been
a lot crazy at the time. I had three chapters left to write when he
passed away in early September last year, a week before 9-11. I
finished
TLF a few nights before his memorial service on October 1st. After
writing 'Finis', I sat down on the floor of my kitchen and cried my
heart out for hours. I hadn't done any crying all those months that my
dad was slipping away and I was obsessively writing to keep the real
world at bay. Everything was all bottled up in me and maybe someone
with
a psych background can explain to me how I was able to write romantic
screwball comedy when I was barely functioning and completely stressed
out. Very few people knew what was going on, I kept it to myself. It's
still pretty unbelievable to me that I wrote that story when I did. I
can only think that my dad was always there with me, telling me a
funny
story, and somehow urging me on.

XINE: Does the human honesty of this fine work impress you as much as
it
does us? (I would remind you of the truer than true heart to heart--
and
eventually mouth to mouth--scene between Chloe and her best friend
Marcy, the Ephiny uber. Perhaps the most high-relief real moment among
all the other true to life observations.)

TUCKER: My favorite writing so far was that scene involving Marcy and
Chloe. Long term friendships evolve and change constantly, and I
decided
to keep their relationship uncertain and unresolved at the end of the
story. No easy, huggy pat answers there. But to keep up that kind of
emotional intensity each chapter would be impossible for me to write
without it becoming overblown. But the kiss / break up between best
friends set the stage for the other troubles to come perfectly, if I
do
say so myself, and was essential for the both of them moving on. I was
actually snuffling like a baby when I wrote that kiss scene, as when I
wrote the scene with Nelson having left Stonecreek without saying
goodbye. Not all of us are emotional rocks. I certainly am not.

XINE: Ever play "spin the car" for real? Where'd you end up?

TUCKER : My friend and I invented Spin the Car in our teens, and we
hold
a copyright on it. :) Akron. Toledo. Pittsburgh. Beaver Falls.
Buffalo,
Toronto, Cleveland, Philly. And every little town with a decent diner
in
it in between. I even did a solo 'Spin the Greyhound Bus' once, and
ended up in Minneapolis for a year. Ah, the idiotic folly of youth.
And
oh, although you didn't ask -- I am the Kissing Bandit. Semi-retired.

XINE: Why panic attacks? (As well wrought out as Missy's
verisimilitude
in describing full-blown claustrophobia for both Xena and her uber
Dar.)

TUCKER: I write what I know, which is always good advice to budding
writers, at least in my case. I've lived with ten years of
panic/anxiety
disorder now, which hit me like a freight train shortly after turning
30. I was a testcase for Paxil before it hit the meds market. It never
goes away, but it does get better. When it first started, it totally
screwed up my life for years. I'm mostly better now, thank you, but
watch out on the days when it hits me. :)
I've shuddered through Missy's depictions of Xena/Dar's bouts of
claustrophobia, she's right on the mark when she writes those scenes.
Perfect.

XINE: A woman and her John Deere. Care to wax eloquent on that
particular mount?

TUCKER: Again, a matter of writing what I know. I don't know Harleys,
I
don't like horses (oh, quit throwing things at me! one bit me once!) I
drove a rusted out brown Subaru station wagon for years, I hang out a
bit at golf courses, I cut large areas of grass, I get lost in
airports
and try to act like I'm unfazed. There's not a day goes by I don't see
the John Deere logo on something. And I like yellow and green.

XINE: Any back of the van (aka Johnson, Cliburn, Heflin, et al)
experiences remotely comparable to report?

TUCKER: I've already admitted to being the Kissing Bandit, how much
more
humiliation am I to subject myself to? <g> Actually, much of what has
happened in the stories are of a personal nature. What those
particular
plot points are, I ain't about to confess. And I left out a particular
favorite Van of mine: Greta Van Sustern.

XINE: As a fellow appreciator of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals (as
well as a theater major who also did "Oklahoma!" in high school) how
much fun
(with your clothes on) was it to incorporate Drama into the drama?
(Did
you half-smile at the thought of X&G relating to the lyrics of "People
Will Say We're in Love?" For you kids, that's an earlier version of
"Let's Give 'em Something to Talk About") And thanks for the most
entertaining PBS pledge break of all time.

TUCKER: I've been a slobbering fan of PBS and NPR forever. And, of
course, musicals. I don't have the first clue about being in them, but
I'm a fanatic. I was in a 9th grade production of 'I Remember Mama'
as a
bit player -- must have been my Irish-looking red hair and green
eyes --
and that is it for my theatrical experience. Other than, of course,
being in the enthralled and appreciative audience. So it was great fun
to write the musical experience within the big story. Theater is just
an
extension of my appreciation for all the arts. Movies, plays, dance,
television, books, photography, painting, music, the guy at the beach
who builds fantastic sandcastles. Nothing I like better than being
swept
away in some kind of experience by talented people. But being a reader
is my favorite past time. I much prefer reading to writing. Writing
does
not come easy to me, not at all. So far, I never much plot anything
out
before hand beyond the next chapter. I've never felt more drained in
life as after I've written something. And since this is very new to
me,
the act of writing, I don't yet feel that it's an integral part of
who I
am. It's certainly not how I would describe myself. 'Writer' would be
way down on my self description list, somewhere between movie trivia
geek and former 7th grade Ping-Pong champ. I'd much rather discuss or
read other people's writings than my own -- those are the people who
really fascinate me, give me a smile, make me enthuse with wild
enthusiasm.

XINE: Is Doris (their old high school principal, she of the deadly
umbrella) remotely related to any actual human being living or dead or
otherwise engaged? She is a corker. Equal bits Margaret Hamilton, Mary
Wickes and any of those great straight-ahead no-nonsense character
actresses of yesteryear. Who could play her today?

TUCKER: Doris Raeburn is a conglomeration of every strong older woman
I've ever admired or gasped at in wonder. She's who I want to be when
I
get to be that age-- no nonsense, totally crackers and fearless, and
definitely a corker. I named her after Doris Day, whom I revere just
as
much as Patsy Cline. I did model her spirit after a movie actress,
Maureen O' Hara, who could play feisty, comedic and wise roles with
equal aplomb. But I don't see her physically as Maureen. I do love
character actor/actresses though, most times more often than the leads
themselves. They can truly make all the difference in a film/
movie/story, so I took extra care in fleshing them out in my stories.
Weak supporting cast, weak story, at least in my mind. Great
supporting
character actors I like: Joan Cusack (my pick for Marcy), Janeane
Garafalo, Allison Janney, William Macy, Mo Gaffney, Bonnie Hunt, Queen
Latifah, Kathy Najimy -just to name a few off the top of my head. Gig
Young, Tony Randall, Christopher Walken, Walter Brennan, Steve
Buscemi.
The perfect Doris -- maybe the late great Thelma Ritter? Do you
remember
her perfect deadpan, sloshed asides in 'Pillow Talk'? Watching her act
with Rock and Doris -- pure cinematic glory. But in the end, I think
I'll leave Doris to the reader's imagination. Perhaps they have a
favorite relative, friend or boss that could fill that role.

XINE: The replay of the scene from "Desert Hearts" (the only real
out-and-'out' lesbian romance we have on film) is inspired and great
giddy glorious playful fun, the best bit of role-playing foreplay our
theatrical pair could have engaged in. It works both as hommage of
high
calibre, a reminder of a great moment in romantic movie history (and
herstory) and as a healing 'subtext' to the relationship. What brought
that on?

TUCKER: I have the whole movie memorized. Word for word. I can turn
off
the sound, and repeat every bit of dialogue from beginning to end. I
had
it for years on VHS and I had just gotten it on DVD ... so one thing
led
to another.
Scary stuff, huh?
I knew I had to write a difficult 'reunion' scene between Sara and
Chloe, and didn't want them to have to jump right into having the
proverbial 'sensitive chat' just yet. I think people want the comfort
of
relating on an intimate level, physically, before they are ready to
tackle the big, emotional issues. Which, I believe, is why 'pillow
talk'
is so welcome -- first the physical, then the emotional stuff is
related
on a more relaxed, cozy level when a couple's guards are down. So, I
bald-faced 'borrowed' that scene from Desert Hearts -- as a familiar
way
for them to reconnect physically in a fun and unique way. It was also
a
kick to have them relate to each other on a theatrical level, with
Sara
being a B-movie actress, and Chloe a director/ frustrated actress. And
the tough brunette/ hesitant blonde Uber characterizations are there
in
all three stories, the XWP show, my story and Desert Hearts. I can
actually see LL/ROC playing out that scene, as well as the whole
movie.
Although Helen Shaver, does any woman have a better whiskey voiced
delivery than she does?

XINE: Was it really 7 of 9, or more like Six of One...?

TUCKER: Oh damn, you speak of the wonderful Rita Mae Brown. Six of
One
is my favorite novel of hers, much more so than the landmark Rubyfruit
Jungle, and anything else she's written, especially her
(unintentionally) hysterical autobiography. I like that kind of small
town setting, that's obvious. And if it's of a lesbian nature, all
the better. Fried Green Tomatoes, anyone?
I've never watched that incarnation of Star Trek, but have seen many
pictures of Seven of Nine, so it seemed like a good fit. God knows
where
all my influences and subsequent homages come from. I seem to
internalize the weirdest occurrences and then connect them to even
odder
things.

XINE: I felt so privileged to have a minor fillip of a comment I made
re:  Doris Day's "Calamity Jane" end up in text. I am honored.

TUCKER: Again, I have to reiterate my love for the romantic comedy.
Who
better to reference -- Doris Day, who still makes my heart beat fast
and
makes me laugh in gratitude? Thank you for the comment and subsequent
inspiration.

XINE: Loved Chloe's whole CA dreamin' sojourn, the ambiance (amazing
for
not having scouted out the territory personally), the cameo appearance
of Drew Barrymore who possesses that Gabular quality which ROC
exploited
so cannily in her "Rockford Files" tv movie playing opposite big Jim
Garner like the pro she was even then; the laid-back, dreamy-eyed west
coast soul-searching that leads to her return as a "hottie" in one of
the funniest scenes in "The Inside Out," striking her lover literally
dumb.

TUCKER: All due credit goes to my beta reader, TK, for any California
ambiance in the story. She knows the territory, through and through
and
made sure the story reflected the atmosphere. Without her help, Chloe
would have spent an introspective week in downtown Pittsburgh, an
area I
know well. Drew Barrymore -- I adore her, and imagined her to be
friendly and accessible in the right setting, so the perfect 'star'
for
Chloe to run into in California.
And I have never, unfortunately, seen the Rockford Files episode you
referenced. I am aware of it, and hope (desperately!) to see it some
day. ROC rocks.
I had to have Chloe leave town to do some soul searching, and come
home
changed in significant ways. She's still essentially Chloe, but the
first impact on anyone you know or meet is their physical
characteristics. And we do hate change, don't we? Physical changes --
the hair, the clothes, -- all are very jarring, especially when we
aren't forewarned. We're such shallow beings, we take such stock in a
person's physical appearance. And when that changes, we tend to
believe
that the person underneath has changed, too. Case in point, I went
from
my natural redheaded state this summer, to nearly a white blonde, and
I
think some of my friends and relatives thought that I had gotten a tad
bit blonder in sensibility and more vapid than I usually am. I tried
so
hard to keep the story evenly balanced between Sara and Chloe. But I
knew this was basically Chloe's story when I decided to write the
sequel. I still have mixed emotions as to whether I did a decent job.
Truly, I felt that Chloe was the villain and the hero of the story.
She
did some foolish, hurtful things, I thought, but needed to do them to
explore her confusion, and return much more confident and poised than
when she'd left. But this is fiction -- if a lover of mine took off
for
a week in California without telling me first, let me tell you, she
would have come home to finding her clothes and knick-knacks on the
front lawn. Later, Gator.
And I know that many of the readers were disappointed that I didn't
resolve Chloe and Marcy's friendship issues, or continue the story
with
Marcy giving birth, and some other plotlines. But the fact of the
matter
is I wanted to keep it all in the timeline of Sara and Chloe moving
from
dating duo to committed couple. The OK, we love each other, we're
having
great sex, now what? angle. The rest of it, well, the minor plot lines
are on-going in the fictional characters' lives. Not every issue can
be
tied up neatly in a chapter, or a series of chapters or in the course
of
a book. That wasn't my interest in the telling of the story. The lives
go on after the end of the story, and those storylines get resolved
offpage. I kept my eye on my major prize, the near breaking then the
making of the solidified relationship between Sara and Chloe.

XINE: I hope you fully realize you could/should be gainfully,
creatively
employed and critically praised with the best of them. Sincere
heartfelt
thanks for one of the best reads I have ever had. Belongs in hard or
soft covers, on everyone's shelf. This is the one. The one online uber
above all others that I would pick to become a mainstream novel and be
made into a film or tv series. As good or better than any of the pay
cable or network, often over-rated, current 'hot' 'quirky' 'dramady'
series. This is the great american novel for women. What's more
american
than libraries, used car lots, and a high school production of
"Oklahoma!" I ask you? Touching, outrageously, unremittingly, laugh
out
loud funny. Never sentimental, yet brimful of genuine human sentiment.
The Good Stuff. The Real Deal. The Genuine Article.

TUCKER: Well, if I read you right, I think you liked the stories, and
I
sure appreciate your sentiments even if I don't believe I'm deserving
of
them. I'll simply shut up and say Thank you! <g>

XINE: Want to give us a recommendation of a recent FanFic Pick?

TUCKER: You betcha. I just wrote an author some glowing and gushing
feedback, and if you haven't read her story, well, I really love it. I
read it recently between mental blocks. I was wrong, new twists can be
applied in the Uberworld, and she's absolutely amazing. The best 'meet
cute' I've ever encountered, and the humor is fabulous. The story is
called 'Shaken' by KG MacGregor,
http://www.merwolf.com/academy/fanfic/k/kgmacgregor_shaken1.html
posted
at Merwolf, and the blurb for it is perfectly awful for such a
wonderfully crafted story. If you take the time to read it, and like
it,
and write to her afterwards, tell her I sent ya. This woman has real
talent and I really want to help champion her story. But this woman is
new, so she needs readers pointed in her direction. It was posted
complete. Tremendous stuff. I also am a huge fan of anything FlyBigD
writes. Lately I've been reading Sinful (Cindy Hart), Radclyffe, Ernie
Whiting (absolutely spectacular stuff!), Amber., Cate Swannell,
Gabrielle Goldsby, Queenfor4. Lariel, ArdentTly, Patricia Ennis, BL
Miller, Advocate, Kamouraskan, Friction, Jp, Archeobard, Ogami, Belle
Reilly, LJ Maas, Mark Annetts, Temora, KatLyn, Barbara Davies, Vivian
Darkbloom, Anima, deboX, CJ Wells, CL Bactad, Gin, Jenbob, Smitty and
innumerable others. As you can see, I read quite a bit. I reread The
Deal by M. Ryan for the hundredth time and still crack up. I buy as
many
books as I can afford. As long it's not post AFIN, I'll most likely
give
it a go and enjoy every last word of it. That's what it's there for,
right?
==============================================
2) Xena Quote/Xena Humor

Xena Quote

Here is a lovely quote, one of our all-time favorites, from the fanfic
alt X&G classic "Cerberus' Challenge" by Puckster

"When true desire has been checked for too long, and then is suddenly
given the language of physical love, enormous forces are released into
the world. In that instant, an uncultivated hillside in what would
someday be called South America, collapsed in a mud slide. But also in
that very same instant, there were hundreds of miraculous recoveries,
several million original ideas, and a record hatching of monarch
butterflies. You just never know what love will do."

Amen.

==========

Xena Humor?

Bobble This
http://www.klaatucollectibles.com/xena.htm


I don't know, is it only me? But don't they have that same kind of
crazed look as the Zuni fetish doll in that old "Trilogy of Terror"
tv-movie starring Karen Black?
==============================================
3) Featured Fan Fiction

LA Tucker's Uberfic

(The first review is reprinted from an earlier issue.)

The Light Fantastic
by LA Tucker
http://www.merwolf.com/academy/fanfic/l/latucker_lightfantastic1.html

The first out and out comedy uber I've come across. I adored it. So
well
written and so damn funny. The Xena uber is an actress in crisis
hiding
out in her hometown and the Gab uber a director (of a high school
production of "Oklahoma!" which really took me back to my theater
days),
the dialogue is crisp, sparkling, the characters completely real and
endearing and contemporary; it deserves to be a published, well-read
and
beloved novel, to become a delightful film or series. This is the best
amusing, small-town, picaresque novel I've read since the great Fannie
Flagg's "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" with, maybe, a
little quirky touch of k.d. lang's far north film "Salmonberries"
thrown
in. Did I mention I LOVED this novel!? You gotta love a book that has
parodies (and good ones) as chapter headings beginning with the
unforgettable (and thoroughly, hilariously germane to the story), "All
the World's a Stooge." Romantic Comedy does not get any better than
this
one. Do yourself a favor.
Five*****stars!
============
The Inside Out
by LA Tucker
Sequel to "The Light Fantastic"
http://www.merwolf.com/academy/fanfic/l/latucker_insideout1.html

The welcome and equally charming and amusing continuation of the love
affair of Chloe and Sara as they struggle toward committment (to each
other--or is it temporary insanity as one of the partners flies the
coop
for warmer pastures way out west?) Everything must change. But never
underestimate the power of a well-placed henna tattoo, a pair of
cowboy
boots, or some roleplaying foreplay from one of your favorite romantic
movies. Neuroses were never more hilariously nor humanely presented.
Come on folks, can we talk her into a trilogy now that she's brought
us
thus far?

Five*****stars!
============
Convergence
by LA Tucker with Sage Walker
http://ils.merwolf.com/academy/fanfic/l/latucker_convergence.html

A tad quirkier than her novel length ubers this short story involves a
wannabe cop (a security guard) who, one fateful (and enchanted)
evening,
bumps elbows with a tall, dark, and ditzy (!) New Ager veggie psychic
in
a convenience store. A stop that turns out decidedly inconvenient till
they both realize there's more going on here than meets the Third Eye.
Some things were just meant to be.
Somewhat reminiscent of the wacky uber milieu of "Deja Vu All Over
Again." It's really a very sweetly quirky (as opposed to quirky for
it's
own sake which I tend to hate) tale with a charming and magical
denouement...this could be published in any number of best short story
anthologies. It's a delight.
Five*****stars!
============
Between a Memory and A Dream
by LA Tucker
http://www.merwolf.com/academy/fanfic/l/latucker_memoryanddream1.html

More somber in tone than her other rather light-hearted ventures this
longish short story is a self-described change of pace. Also referred
to
as more of a trend (?) toward general alternate fiction. Beyond Uber?
Though I still found it uberish. An emotionally disgruntled bartender
is
caught off guard by a grudging mutual attraction when she rents the
room
over the old family bar to a terribly peripatetic young jane of all
trades (whose many skills include ballroom dancing and the banjo!)
Five****stars!
==============
The Kissing Bandit
by LA Tucker
http://www.merwolf.com/academy/halloween/latucker_kissingbandit.html

A short short from the Bards' Challenge Halloween special last year
wherein best friends Chloe and Marcy in their younger years engage in
a
spate of spin the car on All Hallow's Eve. Like a begged for bag o'
cotton candy, marshmallow novelties, and other childhood favorites
it's
airy, sweet, but less filling.
Five*****stars!
===========
Star Rating
***** The Full Chakram!
**** Foreplay
*** Two sais and a whimper
** Half staff better than none
* Kiss Joxer or Caligula, your choice
==============================================
4) Xena News

Delicious News for ROC Fans from Creation

PLANS AFOOT FOR OFFICIAL XENA FAN CLUB KIT #6

"We're working round the clock to put together our next fan club kit.
We'll let everyone know when it is time to consider ordering, but for
now here's some news from Sharon Delaney concerning one of the
features
that will be in the next kit!

You can visit our website at:
http://www.creationent.com/cal/
AOL <a href="http://www.creationent.com/cal/">Click</a>
Thanks,
Your friends at Creation Entertainment"

"For all the Renee O'Connor fans who won't have a chance to see her
playing Lady Macbeth, we will have a "taste of Lady M" in fan club kit
#6. Yesterday we went with Renee to Pt. Fermin Park where the play is
being performed and did some filming.
First was a short sit-down interview in street clothes. After that was
over, Renee asked if we'd like to film some of her physical warm-up
routine. She proceeded to sit down on the ground and put her foot
behind
her head! Turns out she does a yoga routine to warm up. She went
through
a series of moves for the camera.
Renee then changed into the blue costume from the play and began to
recite some of Lady M's speeches. We filmed her walking along the
stone
fence that runs above the cliffs, delivering her lines full-out to the
sea. I mentioned that one of the other actors did his rehearsing on
the
other side of the fence. Renee hiked up the dress and hopped over with
my camera crew right behind her! With the wind making the most
incredible moving sculptures of Renee and the blue gown, she put her
arms out and continued to recite. She looked like Kate Winslet on the
bow of the Titanic -- eyes closed, face up to the sky. The shoot was
only scheduled for 45 minutes, but Renee stayed for an hour and a half
and kept asking for more things to do! And, yes, we did get the
Macbeth
"Undo the Curse" Rap delivered right into the camera lens in Renee's
sauciest manner <G>
We had a still photographer there and took lots of pics that we will
have available very soon."
- Sharon
http://www.creationent.com/outback/fanclubs/
=========
It appears that a new addition of "Xena Live!", "Xena Live! 3", is
due to open in the 2002-2003 season at About Face Theater in Chicago.

Visit their website at http://www.xenalive.com/. to read more.

=========

Xena Live!" Stars Online Interviews:

The next best thing to being her...

Inside The Head of Elizabeth Laidlaw:
(Xena)
http://www.whoosh.org/issue69/ilaidlaw1.html

Here's one for Amy Metheny:
(Gabby) http://www.whoosh.org/issue69/imatheny2.html
=========

Call for Scripts for New Virtual Season!

Season 8 of Xena the Warrior princess will be coming to the internet
in
September we are currently looking for volunteers as writers, beta
readers, artists, and translators.
http://MacavityCat.tripod.com/Profile.html To participate in the all
new
adventures coming this fall, feel free to contact:
xwpvs_team-owner@yahoogroups.com For full details go to:
http://macavitycat.tripod.com/xwpvs-nufq.html
============

Call for Uber Bards et al Posted at AUSXIP

"One of the greatest things to come out of this fandom is that bards
who
started out writing fanfic have developed into good writers who are
worthy of being published. Also publishing companies have been born
from
this fandom who help those writers get started. My personal view is
that
if the Xenaverse helps to get a writer noticed 'out there' then it's
great. Imagine the Xenaverse without fanfic? I can't. It wouldn't be
the same. So please support the bards, support the publishers and get
behind them. The benefits to the fandom is that we have better
writers -
everyone benefits.
This is why I'm adding the following message from Dare 2 Dream:
Introducing Limitless, a company for women, by women, about women. At
this time, Dare 2 Dream (D 2 D), a Limitless Company, would like to
send
out an invitation to all bards and artists. If you are interested in
having your work considered for publication, please drop us a line. We
welcome your submissions and promise to reply promptly. D 2 D is proud
to announce the upcoming publication of Paradise Found by Cruise and
Stoley, Defined Destiny by J M Dragon, Amazon Queen by Queen Laese,
Golden Gate by Erin Jennifer Mar, Guardian of My Heart by Charlsie
Todd,
Desert Hawk by Diana C. Evans and a volume of Poetry by Trish Shields.
Audio books will soon be available. In addition, the CDs and cassettes
will feature the musical talents of Bindi. Up The River by Sam Ruskin
is
currently in stock and ready for immediate shipping. All of the above
titles can be pre-ordered at this time. D 2 D also hosts a
wonderful collection of Photo Cards including the Gallery de Souza,
The
New Zealand Collection, Around the World, I Wish I'd Said That, and
others.

Our new workshop, Writer 2 Writer, will soon offer a completely
one-on-one Writer's Workshop. If you've ever wanted to write poetry, a
short story, an article for a magazine, or simply write a better
resume
this is the place for you.

We encourage you to submit articles, photos, ideas, comments, poetry
and
short stories for our new magazine, Woman 2 Woman. The premiere issue
of
the bi-monthly magazine will be October 2002. Subscriber copies will
be
sent in late September. This magazine will cover topics of interest to
women. If it matters to you, it's important to us. As we all know,
the Xenaverse has inspired a lot of wonderful work. We at Limitless
want
to showcase as much of it as possible. Just remember: The only thing
that stands between your dream and reality is you. Contact Sam or
Anne at LimitlessD2D@...

The new website should be fully operational soon and we will certainly
send the link at that time. Meanwhile, we look forward to hearing from
you."
--
The Australian Xena Information Page updating the Xenaverse since
1996.
http://ausxip.com/index2.html
============
Message from Uberbard Lori Lake

"I am happy to report that Under The Gun is ready to print and is now
available through the RAP bookstore. The information will make its way
to the distributors and online sellers, but that takes some time. Only
The Open Book has it listed so far, but the others will soon follow.
Join me in a big sigh of relief! Next up for editing is Different
Dress,
followed by the book of short stories. In between, I will keep working
on the first draft of Missing Link, see if I can work the bugs out of
Isolation 2020, and keep writing notes and doing research on the next
Dez/Jay adventure, Have Gun We'll Travel.
I hope to see bunches of you at Dragon Con. I'll bring copies of Under
The Gun. If you specifically want one reserved (or a copy Ricochet In
Time or the 2nd edition of Gun Shy), write me so I can earmark the
book(s) for you.
Hope everyone is having a good evening!"
Lori
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lori L. Lake, Author of GUN SHY and RICOCHET IN TIME. To be published
in
August 2002, UNDER THE GUN. For more information, go to:
www.LoriLLake.com or see Renaissance Alliance Books at
www.rapbooks.biz
============
A message from Lori Lake:

Here is a call for information, questions, and comments regarding the
books of Missy Good, LJ Maas, Karen "Kas" King, T. Novan, Sue Beck,
and me.  Please feel free to submit any info to the email address at
the bottom.

Thanks, and hope everyone is having a good day!
Lori

Prisms Media presents popular female authors for TV show airing on
public access TV (in Atlanta GA) !!

During this upcoming labor day weekend Prisms Media will be shooting
an upcoming show including some of your favorite female authors!  You
have read their stories, bought their books, read their stories on-
line; now here's a chance to see them, hear them and share their
experiences in writing.

Melissa Good, LJ Maas, Lori Lake, Karen King, T.Novan and Sue Beck
will be appearing in a show that will discuss writing, reading, uber-
fiction, the publishing industry, and anything else that their fans
would like to know.  {Collective published works include:  Gun Shy,
Ricochet in Time, Under the Gun, Tumbleweed Fever, None So Blind,
Meridio's Daughter, Prairie Fire, The Claiming of Ford, Madam
President, The Road to Glory, Cobb Island, The Story of Me, Tropical
Storm, Eye of the Storm, Hurricane Watch, True Colours: Books 1, Many
Roads to Travel, Retribution, Restitution, and Redemption.}

In the spirit of interactivity, I would like to open up a forum for
you to submit any questions you may have, topics you would like to
see addressed, or comments to our authors pertaining to some burning
curiosity you may have, but never had the nerve to ask.  Although the
taping will be a closed set, I would like to invite everyone to
submit any type content that will help to build the foundation for
the show.  When it airs you will have an opportunity to see your
questions addressed and your opinions discussed.

Submit this information to Prisms Media and we will do our best to
create a show that is catered toward your entertainment and
intellectual minds.  Hopefully, this will be the 1st in a long line
of programs that will not only include the viewers as passive
participants, but as vital partners by utilizing their input.

As the details of the show are confirmed, Prisms Media will keep you
informed.

Thanks in advance,
MONIQUE (Prisms Media)
prisms@...

=====================

Message from Missy; Plea for DVD

"Rumor has it that Universal might be wondering if there really is a
market for Xena DVD's. If you are interested in Xena on DVD - you
might want to let Universal know you are. Go to
http://www.universalstudios.com/homepage/html/contact_us/ and click
Accept.

Then choose Home Video and DVD's - and send them a quick note. I did
- because darn it, I want those episodes on DVD because I have a nasty
habit of snapping videotapes off inside my VCR and it's a lot harder
to
mulch a disc."


M
============
Good News from Mary D

"I was just reviewing the June stats for ausxip and I thought I would
share some interesting figures with you :) The counter on the what's
new
page & the index page is not a good indication of activity on the
site -
it's a rough guide. The logs from the server are a better guide to
what
is going on with the site since it counts all activity. Total Hits
for June 3,836,566.  Total Hits for January - June 200,219,098,398.
What does
this tell me? Xena may be long gone from our TV screens but people are
still interested in the show. That's a good thing and therefore ausxip
will continue :-)
Battle On!"
MaryD
============
And speaking of Missy Good...

On how Missy can manage to write two two two stories at once...

She's ambidextrous, well, amgaydextrous.

ooo, Good one

Semi-seriously, the woman must be a sort of autodidactic automaton
with
pen...er quill in both hands like some scribbling bardic hindu deity.
"Champion," beginning with the rough stuff (more action than Gab can
shake a stick at!), has shaped up to be another rousing action
adventure
tale with beaucoups of hurt/comfort to satisfy any afficianado. And I
thought it would suffer by comparison and companioning with "Shadows."
Oh me of little faith. Chalk up yet another classic to her tireless
devotion to characters.
=============================================
5) Featured Links

Tucker's website
www.latucker.net

(Under Construction)

"The site is very much in the growth phase and no where near
complete."

Her stories can be found at Merwolf and Ausxip.

Also, people may write to her at latucker@... if they would
like to be put on a story update only announcement list.
==============================================
6) Xena: Warrior Princess Episode Guide
by Bacchae2

Episodes Fifty - Fifty-three - "The Deliverer," "Gabrielle's
Hope," "The
Debt"

I'm treating these two two-parters or four-part arc as two two-hour
episodes.

"The Deliverer"

Where things really started going wrong for our beloved duo in a
season-long arc of tragedy that began with "The Furies." Never travel
to
the land of the banshees with revenge in your heart--no good thing
will
come of it. Brittain. Caesar. Bodicea. The Druids. Stonehenge (seems
Xena was responsible, in part at least, for that too). A witch's brew.
How amusing that the druidical cultists engaged in human sacrifice
speak
softly in proto-christian terms. Krafstar, the kelt in the kilt, yet
another prettyboy face that Gab becomes enamoured of, transmutes to
the
title character to visit the wrath of Dahok upon our poor blood-
innocent
bard. He acts as godaweful go-between to Deliver something more than
bad
news; the facilitator of fecundity as the young bard is literally
raped
by evil.

Subtext Rating: Love in the Ruins. "You're a little late...I'm already
Torn..." Was Gabby so ticked at Xena dragging her there and then
abandoning her that she actually wanted to sleep with the keltish boy
to
proclaim her independence of the warrior? Would she have if their
guard
had not been present after they were captured by Caesar? Did he remind
her of Perdicus, perhaps? Was Xena mightily jealous? (She looks as
though she's eaten a sour grape or two.) Xena does save Gab from the
same fate Caesar inflicted upon her, the breaking of both legs as she
hangs on the cross. "Timing" is everything though. Both in foreplay
and
friend saving. She battles for her bard, heart-broken by her lost
innocence (losing one's innocence in blood has a whole other meaning
as
well) and cradles Gab in her arms, finally. But-- Everything has
changed...
============
"Gabrielle's Hope"

A curious sensuous dream that turns nightmare. Gab relives her first
kill. What an ironic title as we look back upon and remember the much
happier, light-hearted time in earlier days when Pandora's Box became
a
metaphor for the hope we all carry inside us, the optimistic young
bard
more than most. Shattered now. In this lively remake of "Rosemary's
Baby" poor Gab goes though hades as she gives birth to a watermelon
sized preemie from hell. Xena inadvertantly becomes The Once and
Future
King of England when she blithely pulls Excalibur from the stone, The
Banshees have a bad hair day, one of many, Gab is in sackcloth, o dear
what can we do, baby's in black and we're feeling blue... The
controversy over Xena's single-minded determination to kill her
beloved's demon devil daughter not only began The Rift arc, but the
rift
among fan factions as well. There are those who still can't figure out
what Gab was upset about. As well as those who never forgave the
warrior. How soul-shatteringly sad it was to see one friend run from
the
other. Something we thought we'd never see. The distrust is planted
beween them and will almost destroy them. And as Missy has so
chillingly
enunciated in her stories, it is as if it deliberately, evilly
contrived
to do so, in fact, it would seem. By whatever Powers That Be.

Subtext Rating:
Strange Cravings... "She's relentless." Xena, still only middling
attentive to her bard's needs, does manage to midwife, nurture, and
nursemaid the birthing mother...for awhile. She can be gentle, tender
and loving when she wants to be. Sigh. She holds the young woman in
her
arms still sporting those sexy demon-induced passion marks on her arm.
"You are the Gate, the Way, the Spring." Xena might say the same thing
to her bard if she'd get over that aloof tougher than leather act.
(I'd
always wondered how in the previous ep and in this one they could make
it look like Lucy had actually picked up Renee and was even carrying
her...having seen a few of La ROC's ultra petite costumes up close and
personal I now understand--she just did it!)
============
"The Debt" (Parts I & II)

One of the most extraordinary made for tv films of genuine cinematic
quality that I have ever seen in decades of viewing. Pageantry,
savagery, and a sensual love story gorgeously filmed. The phenomenal
Jackie Kim's knowing performance as Lao Mao is pure stillness and
peerless depth personified. A singular character creation one doesn't
often see on tv. Sumptuous, luscious cinematography, costumes,
setting,
etc. The series reached a pinnacle here that it never quite achieved
again. Gab's betrayal (and Xena finding  her in Ming Tien's bed no
less)
is perhaps the most shocking moment in the series and thoroughly
unexpected. Despite the bard's protestations to altruistic motives, it
is only too clearly obvious that it is the other woman, Xena's old
flame, that provokes her eye-popping display of the green-eyed monster
within. Not until "Forget Me Not" will Gab come to admit to her
overwhelming Jealousy in the matter. And that angry, resounding slap
from the bard's small hand as Xena knelt before her in tears spoke
volumes as grande and substantial as Lao Ma's Book. As did Gab's tears
through laughter when Xena requests the touching intimacy of a nose
scratch. This ep is where subtext becomes darkly maintext. They had
full
control of their narrative here and made some memorable tv.

Subtext Rating:
Paybacks ARE a bitch. Never was an opening scene more extraordinary in
picking up right where the previous ep left off. At the end of Gab's
Hope the bard was pouring out her heart's blood over the Moses Gambit
she was forced to perform for her now 'lost' and presumed dead (by
Xena)
child. This was Gab's First Lie. Which will come back to haunt them.
Big
Time. Now, as the bard had removed herself from their sleeping furs to
muse alone Xena rolls over as if it is the most natural thing in the
world and extends her arm in an obviously second-nature, habitual
gesture to wrap it around the woman she fully expects to be lying in
bed
right next to her. And, in fact, when her arm finds no bard where she
expected her to be this apparently unusual and unforseen turn of
events
instantly wakens the sleeping warrior and sets her off in search of
her
partner. Both subtle and blatant, if this did not establish the nature
of that relationship beyond a reasonable doubt than nothing could. The
first tentative I love yous are exchanged in what will become a mantra
in episodes to come. Once they started saying it, they couldn't stop
themselves. And mistress of the kiss that is not really a kiss-- You
can
call it mouth-to-mouth (uh, resuscitation, of course...it sure
resuscitates me, gets my heart pumping alright), giving the breath of
life, but that underwater kiss which was just and only 'that' was one
of
the most erotic images I've ever seen on television. Call it what you
will, Lao Ma's Kiss stays with you.
==============================================
7) The Uber Zone?

Rita Mae Brown's "Alma Mater"
Is it or isn't it?
by bacchae2

From Chapter one...I'd say yes...they have the attributes (though she
messed with eye color), they 'meet cute,' the tall, strong, dark one
comes to the little blonde's 'rescue,' and if I were reading this
online
I'd have absolutely NO doubt that I was reading uber. Alma
Mater...interesting title...yeah yeah yeah, it's set at a college (Wm.
and Mary to be precise)...but...aside from the latin meaning,
Tennessee
Williams taught us, in "Summer and Smoke," that the name Alma means
soul...(soul...mother?) and so...like Sean Connery in the SF movie
"Zardoz" who has an epiphany by accident when he finds a copy of "The
Wizard of Oz" and placing his fingers over certain letters on the
cover
comes up with the name of the off-stage god-like title character, I
placed my thumb over the R in the title and, voila, a codename
for...soul mate? Hmm... I know, I know, I'm in "Paul is dead"
territory
here. Also, the supposed Xena uber's progenitor (her mom), her
creator,
her author in a manner of speaking, is named "R.J." This is highly
coincidental I am sure and maybe she was 'subconsciously' writing an
uber...but it could be 'the real thing.'
Oh...and the alleged Xena uber's last name is...get ready for
it...Savedge. (The Gab uber is "Chris Carter" ! in keeping with genre
tv.) They admit to feeling "love at first sight" for each other. And
this, in Chapt. 8, was the clincher for me:

  "You take life as you find it," Vic echoed the Savedge creed.

"You think?" Chris' eyebrows shot upward. It occurred to her this was
diametrically opposed to her own worldview.

"I do."

"What about changing things for the better?" Chris asked.

"You do what you can, but at some point you have to accept fate." Vic
replied.
******************
And this, in chapt. 18, I take as Confirmation:

Vic took a deep breath. "I could never hate you. And no, I don't know
if
you and I are going to, well, whatever women do--ride off into the
sunset together. I don't know anything. But I know I am alive and I'm
strong. And maybe whatever happens is supposed to happen. I'll learn
from it. I'll be a better person for it. Fear isn't an option."

I enjoyed this more than any Rita Mae novel I've read in years. ("Six
of
One" is still her best.) That doesn't mean, however, that, as with
many
RMB novels, you won't feel like tossing it across the room from time
to
time. I think is IS an uber. But, then again, maybe it's just a
question
of the chimp churning out one of Shakespeare's plays after an
inordinate
amount of time spent in front of the keyboard. Heh. We can see uber
anywhere...where there's that dark/light dichotomy. Even on the covers
of the lurid old pulp fiction paperbacks where a dark butch inevitably
'menaces' a petite blonde femme. In David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive."

RMB has the XU describe herself at one point as "how many six foot one
women with jet-black hair are there?" (exactly) when the police are
looking for her and has the GU say (and this is THE clincher) "Girls
just got to have fun." Of course, she couldn't quote it EXactly, that
would be TOO obvious... She underlines the visual sight of them, short
and tall, dark and light from others' pov. And even the dust jacket
is a
very nice companionable painting of a pair of canoe like boats on the
river water side by side.

And the XU says "I believe we make our own luck." Isn't that, like, a
direct quote from Xena?

You'd think she'd have lesbian fans/friends who are XWP and fanfic
fans
or who, at least, know about the phenom who would've told her about
it.
But I'll wager she was a fan of the show.
============
Take a SIP

Here's another intriguing "Strangers In Paradise" comic cover...
http://www.strangersinparadise.com/issues/volume03issue41.html


Now does this remind you of anything as much as it does me? Someone
once
sent me that amazing pic of ROC in bareback costume from the 5th or
6th
season, it might've been something Missy had posted. It was a shot,
facing away from the camera, of her incredibly buff, muscular back,
with
a weapon strapped to one leg and she was holding something,
saddlebags?
in her other hand, just like this image. Does anyonel have that
picture
or know where I can find it to compare?

And here is the classic cover (it's on a trade paperback and a tee
shirt
too) that looks so much like LL/Xena to me. The black eye just makes
it
all that much more raffishly uber somehow. First in the upper left
hand
corner.
http://www.strangersinparadise.com/issues/collectedsipvol01.html
============
The Real Deal

An uber classic revisited

From the late Tonya Muir's sequel to "With Faltering Steps," "Making
Strides"

"Everything was about this. All the frustration and anger and rage
boiled down to this small blonde woman and how she made her feel. It
was about being wanted and needed. It was about being loved today as
every other day, despite moods or problems or outside forces. It was
about loving someone so much, you only wanted to please them and fill
them and honor them with your body. "
=============
A Few Recent Uber Picks

"Illumination"
by Jules Mills

Wow. Talk about LONG awaited.
Jules Mills has finally revived the Nanoverse series! And we assume
that
virtually everyone in the virtual Xenaverse has read the first 7
parts.
Here is part 8:
http://www.ausxip.com/fanfiction/nano/Nano8-Illumination1-4.html

Goddess, I missed these incarnations and their erotic (there's a hot
love scene in the current update, extra added bonus), sometimes
amusing,
always breathlessly exciting adventure. Tres brilliant. So near future
it's almost not even sf. Much better than that cyberpunkish tv show
"Dark Angel."  She put up part one of "Illumination" some time ago at
Bard's Corner and I would check periodically to see if she's added to
it--not for many many many moons--until recently. Thanks, Jules. It
may
be slow in coming, but it's always of such superb quality.
============
"Engravings of Wraith"
by Kiera Dellacroix
http://merwolf.com/academy/fanfic/k/kiera_wraith1.html

One of the best action thriller ubers since "Lucifer Rising." Nicely
parallels the major storylines of XWP...what am I saying?! Nicely?
Masterfully.  Brilliantly. Memorably. I wept at the 'death' of the
Xena
uber here, something I could not do during the actual FINale, being
too
shocked and sickened to mourn. I have to thank this bard for a much
needed catharsis. This is a superbly executed novel and a great read
by
any standards. The XU has black as night eyes just like her ultra
violent alter ego in "Dreamworker," a switch I didn't mind in this
case.
And the surprisingly shy, sweet, sexually inexperienced (but soon to
be
awakened) XU (a deadly ex super secret agent formerly involved with
the
IRA and trained as a killing machine a la La Femme Nikita) is
diametrically opposed to the sassy, brassy, brazen, and brash XU of
the
same author's sci-fi uber below.
============
"Icehole"
by Kiera Dellacroix
http://www.merwolf.com/academy/halloween/kiera_icehole1.html

Don't go there. Unless you can handle it.
Dellacroix's sf uber "Icehole" was written for the Bard's Academy
Halloween special issue. I went looking for it after I finished her
excellent uber "Engravings of Wraith" and wanted to read more. This
science fiction uber was extremely funny, highly erotic, and very very
gross.

Loathe at first sight instead of love. Which is a delightful
turnabout.
But I cringe when bards mess around too much with physical attributes
(=
hair and eye color). These ubers torture each other mercilessly,
banter
(deliciously politically incorrect), throw things, have tantrums,
display bad behavior before they get down to...well...you know...and
then an alien spaceship frozen in polar ice a la the sf classic "The
Thing" with an unhealthy dose of X-Files for bad measure throws a
spanner in the works for sure. This takes place on a secret, isolated
military base, XU is the CO and GU is the MD. Nail-biting suspense
ensues. But have a strong stomach if you dare to venture beyond the
Tracy/Hepburn friction of the love story. This, remember, was a chilly
Halloween horror story, and it's chilling as all hell.
============
And just for good measure, and because I can, here's a great pick for
solid, classic X&G non-stop action-adventure in the Grand (and Good)
tradition.

Storms of War
by JLynn
http://www.amazontrails.com/xena/stormsofwar1.htm

I really loved this epic (it's long) which could be published as a pro
Xena novel as is. Though there is a growing awareness of the true
nature, between them, of their relationship, it's nothing that was
not,
finally, explored on the series. This is X&G as we want to remember
them, warrior and battling bard. Rousing stuff.
=============================================
8) Feedback

Hi Bacchae!
Just read the latest issue of the Xine, always a pleasure, of course,
but your Lori Lake interview was truly sweet. How is it you keep
coming
up with these wonderfully intelligent questions that engender equally
intelligent answers, and more, create a dialogue that's not only
informative, but greatly entertaining? It's a gift, I tells ya!<G> And
we're lucky you've got it! It's always nice to learn a little about
the
person behind the talent. Speaking of which, having seen the error of
my
ways, and, as the Academy has declared this "Feed the Bards Month,"
would you kindly send the following on to Lorilei for me? Just some
long
overdue feedback. Thanks, B., and keep those Xines coming!!

Jo/Friend
**********
Hey Bacchae,
I am responding to you personally since you seem to have almost
single-handedly produced the latest e-xine (and don't we all marvel at
what can be accomplished with one skilled hand <wink, wink>). Anyhoo,
especially enjoyed the interview with the talented bard Lorelei.
Your incisive questions and her patiently detailed answers were a
delight. She is as loquacious as Dez is reticent, huh? Nice to know
she
is prolific in ALL her writing! I do agree that her work is definitely
pro quality. So many of the talented bards in the xenaverse could
indeed
be published by mainstream houses. Maybe some of them will actually be
awakened to that possibility through efforts of fans like you who go
the
extra mile to expose these so-called amateurs for what they are -
writers who <gasp> can WRITE!! Anyway, keep up the good work. I look
forward to the next xine (AND the next offering from the featured bard
who, I must say, does not appear to be gun shy at all <G>). With my
sword at your service,
Flighty Aphrodite
**********
I read every word of the interview. It was excellent and made me want
to
go find the books. I had to laugh at the comment about reading fic
and not remembering much of what was read. It's like I read and ditch
it
from my head in no time at all so I can make room for new input which
I
take in and ditch...and so on. I also got a kick from the comments
about
Cagney and Lacey. I used to love that show and now I watch Sharon
Gless
on QAF, love her depiction of Michael's mom, Deb. She's so real and
has
such heart.
I also read the review of ROC's Lady MacBeth. It seems to me an
unlikely
role for her, but what do I know? Seems your obsession with the dear
girl has not waned. <BG>
Sorry I did not write and tell you my thoughts sooner. The Xine was
great as always.
Hope you are doing extremely well.
Love,
Jan
**********
btw, I enjoyed reading the latest exine, as always they were really
interesting articles and reviews :o)
Jo :o)
=============================================
If you have any comments, suggestions for content, or articles to
submit
to this Xine, then please contact Lady Adrell at ladyadrell@...
(We
are accepting submissions for featured articles. Send to above
address.)
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11) Credits
The Xena E-Xine Staff:
Founding Editor: Lady Adrell
Editor/Head Writer: Bacchae2
Researcher/Writer/Assistant Editor: Sue
FanFic Critic: Staff
Website Analyst: Staff
Episode Guides: Bacchae2
==============================================
12) Archives

Only the first 17 issues of Volume I are still available for reading
at
our old website. The Archives need a new home.
http://exine.tvheaven.com/archive.html

Newer issues are posted at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xenaexine/messages

As always, if you'd like to be mailed any previous issues just let us
know.
==============================================
13) DISCLAIMER
No banshees or druids were defamed during the making of this
xine...well, maybe just a little, but they're tough, they can take
it.
==============================================
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==============================================
THANKS FOR READING!
==============================================