Encountered this organization via an e-mail. Group supports women at all stages of their experience as writers, and particularly those interested in writing about their experience.
posted by Lynda at 14:55   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 

An article in February 2004's Discover magazine made me think about sex and the Vrellish. Studies done in the 1990s by Martina Morris using computer simulations show that higher rates of infection in some African countries correlate with cultural practices that make it normal for people to have more than one regular, long term sex partner. Further work using a mathematical simulation explains why, beacuse a model in which people have long term, simultaneous partners create networks of connections through which the virus spreads during its most active phase, shortly after infection of any individual in the network. This was true even in comparison to a serial monogamy model in which each person had the same number of sex partners, in total, as in the multple, simultaneous sex partners model. If other sexually transmitted diseases have behaved the same way, over time, it might be one evolutionary "vote" for monogamy, even if practices one partner at a time.

This finding would have an impact on Vrellish behavior, particularly in connection with mekan'stan relationships. People's motives, power relationships and other issues would be different in Red Reach than in any real circumstances here on Earth, but since mekan'stan amount to multiple, long-term sex partners comprising a network through which disease might be transmitted, the epidemiological profile would be similiar.

I have always suspected Red Reach would be a nasty place for STDs. Sevolites themselves are a relatively small population, which led me to presume they are less dangerous to each other--with regard to naturally occuring infectious agents--than they are to the stationers they also engage in sexual relationships with. Stationers are non-highborns, in Okal Rel Universe terms, but not many of them would actually be commoner. They would be human/Sevolite hybrids, and a very tough strain, biologically, indeed. Sevolites have aggressive immune systems bioengineered to be better than the human norm, which is part of my excuse for the Vrellish not having an even bigger problem with STDs than they do. I have to allow, however, that highborn Red Reach Vrellish may well be carriers of STDs that do not make them sick, but could be very dangerous to stationers if passed on to them during an active phase.

All of which might lead to some restraint shown towards stationioners, by decent highborns, and perhaps even a "hands off" policy regarding one's stationers when neighbours are visiting. A sort of, "you can have sex with us but leave our staff alone" attitude. I have postulated that male Vrellish might have territorial attitudes to female stationers, quite different to their sexual relationships with female Sevolites. That is, that the males would have a differential breeding strategy that might look more like that of a harem-keeping human with regard to stationers, and complete equality or even some coyness depending on circumstances when dealing with a Sevolite peer.

posted by Lynda at 22:24   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
From a great web techie type resource, www.sitepoint.com, comes a great creative idea.

Type an open-ended phrase in to a search engine. Run with it. This was their idea... it has great results:

underestimate the human capacity

Enjoy. And happy gem-hunting.

Virginia
posted by Anonymous at 22:15   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 

I've been telling people for so long that Courtesan Prince is "nearly" done, I coaxed a quote out of my editor for posting to the blog, for confirmation. Thanks Adam. :-)

After an exhaustive (yet highly entertaining and enjoyable) few
months working with Lynda, I am very happy to have nearly reached
the end of edits for The Courtesan Prince. With only a few minor
touch ups (and a final read from the all knowing and all powerful
Publisher Brian), the editing should be wrapped up very shortly and
I am very excited to see how the book will turn out as it enters
the next stage of production.

Adam Volk, Editor at Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy

posted by Lynda at 23:38   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 
Please to report the third meeting of Northern Speculations went of swimmingly. We have a great group, joined this months by David Quast who took the plunge complete with a story submission, right off the starting mark. David is well known in Prince George as a thesbian. We are glad to have him. Also had a great start on a Japanese fantasy novel by Michelle, a young writer who does do her homework, and could discuss the Heian period of Japansese history with vigor, to prove it. I was particularly excited, of course, to see the start of an Okal Rel Universe story set on Earth 1,000 years before the period of the Edge Novel Series, from the Okal Rel Universe's very own Virginia! note: I have decided I can "claim" any contributors to this blog as the ORU's own, for blog purposes. No vassal oath or conscience bond implied or required.
posted by Lynda at 19:50   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 

A message routed to me via one of my Readers for the Future related lists tipped me off about this new initative. The Speculative Literature Foundation is a group of volunteers dedicated to raising the profile of quality Speculative Fiction as literature worthy of study by academics and appreciation by the public. Their website launched this month, Jan 2004.

Portion of e-mail from myself to SLF to say: "Nice to find you" Pleased to discover your organization. I am a member of Readers for the Future and a science fiction author. I have always viewed intelligent science fiction as literature, and feel it may be a necessary means for our species to create the big mistakes through fictional explorations rather than living them out. I also view speculative fiction as a way to dramatize, "written large", some of the challenges own fascinations and desires impose on our better aspirations, and to inspire ourselves to reach beyond them to a wiser future. Finally, speculative fiction has the power to ask some of the questions we desperately need to confront as the power of our technologies puts the impossible within our reach--and to ask those questions in a way that humanizes both the benefits and pitfalls through narrative.

posted by Lynda at 19:24   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments