Progress report!

I put together all the raw material I have compiled, since 2004 (oh shame), for the Guide to the Okal Rel Universe, and discovered I had 74 pages in WORD. Without pictures.

That was motivating.

I have been working my way through, cutting and editing, for the last four mornings, and am currently on page 20 of 74.

My goal is to have the guide prepared, with black and white images included, and delivered to Windstorm by the end of March. Then it will be on to Pretenders, as the next print publication, and some offerings for the web site to get the juices flowing and make use of pieces that have languished for too long.
posted by Lynda at 07:51   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
One of the strange things about the web is the way one keeps discovering things that are brand new -- to you -- but have been hidden in plain sight for years. I just came across a review of Cecilia Tan's anthology, The Erotic Fantastic, for example, which includes a favorable mention of "The Bride's Story".

The review by Oberon, in www.bluefood.ca, has the following to say about "The Bride's Story".

In between are gorgeously executed tales of sensuality and lust, seduction and conquest, surrender and betrayal. In M. Christian's State, a whore from the future becomes the perfect sex partner, my mimicking the state-of-the-art in non-human pleasuring. In Eric Delcarlo's The Jail Of His Mind And The Songs Within, a spy uses sex as a weapon to extract information from his cellmate in a futuristic prison where the walls have eyes. In Lynda J. Williams' The Bride's Story, lessons of love become a battle field between a young bride's Matron and the Courtesan she pays to teach her the ways of the world.

"The Bride's Story" was my first professional sale. I remember how excited, and a bit squeamish, I was about being included in S&M Pasts, the original book that it appeared in. I was treated very professionally and respectfully by Cecilia Tan, the editor, but -- well, I guess I can sum it by saying "The Bride's Story" was the mildest in the book. And being published in any book with S&M in the title wasn't something I could brag about to my dear mother. We are all bundles of contradictions.

"The Bride's Story" is a tale from Von's years as a courtesan. It is rather sweet, despite the nasty moments. The bride's matron is the real heroine. Determined to see her charges better prepared for the ugly side of sex than she was herself, she tries to force Von to ravage a frightened servant, as a de-romanticizing exercise for the bride. Von, of course, is just not the type. And Matron has to adjust her world view to accommodate at one decent guy.

I was honored when Cecilia wanted to republish "The Bride's Story" in her "best of" anthology, Erotic Fantastic. I have seen the book in university bookstores, as well, which is gratifying.
posted by Lynda at 05:12   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
Most pleased to see Courtesan Prince mentioned in the UNBC news letter, for being named picke of the month in December by Deep Magic.
posted by Lynda at 07:51   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
It has been a long time in coming, but David and I finally hit the "publish" button for the updated homepage for the ORU. See http://www.okalrel.org for the simplified update. Plan to plod away at revamping the BOOKS link and adding a sort of "tour" feature based on a series of slides, as the spirit moves me. David has introduced style sheets which should also help with the tidying up. If nothing else, we've managed to squeeze out the excess white space and simplify the message for the casual visitor. :-) No changes to the bulk of the site. Pecking away at revisions in situ, a bit at a time.
posted by Lynda at 23:08   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 1 comments

 
I'm glad to see our friend Julie Czerneda on the list, as well as the short story "Still Life with Boobs" from Talebones magazine. Congratulations, ladies!
posted by Virginia at 09:46   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 1 comments

 

"Intelligent people can believe remarkably stupid things. It's a big world."

Den Valdron, in conversation on SF Canada.

posted by Lynda at 08:46   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 1 comments