MONDAY FAN FICTION REPORT - 3/1/99
[Previous report was for 2/24/99]

Hi all,

I've done a little remodeling at the LUNACY FAN FICTION REVIEWS web site. There's now a SEARCH feature available thanks to this nifty new service available over the Net called FreeFind. The SEARCH feature allows you to search all the pages at my site for keywords meaning you can type in a title, author or even a phrase included in one of the reports. I've added a HINTS page with some more information on how the searching works and how to optimize your searching. You can find the HINTS page at: https://lunacyreviews.ausxip.com/hints.htm

The Lunacy pages now all include a link to this SEARCH feature.

CHARIOT'S XENA ART INDEX featuring links to fanfic art and regular Xena art has moved. The New URL is: http://chariot.tsx.org. Chariot has also added a SEARCH feature for the site.

Justice House Publishing is now making available for publication Sharon Bower's outstanding LUCIFER RISING. For ordering information go to http://www.houseofbards.com/Store/lr_information.htm

Justice House Publishing's HOUSE OF BARDS site is also sponsoring a Xena fanfic short story contest. For contest rules, categories, and prizes visit the contest web page at: http://www.houseofbards.com/JHP/short_story_contest.htm

Tim Wellman's site THE JOURNEY CONTINUES which was at http://www.timwellman.ramlink.net/xena/has now officially closed its doors. Any bards who had their fanfic posted exclusively at that site PLEASE make sure to move it elsewhere so those tales can remain a part of Xena fanfic. Be forewarned that a certain lunatic is gonna be driving you crazy otherwise ;-)

I've added some new names to both the BETA READERS DIRECTORY and the EXPERTS DIRECTORY as of late. Bards if you need editing help make sure to check out the list of volunteers in the BETA READERS DIRECTORY at: https://lunacyreviews.ausxip.com/beta.htm

If you need subject experts to help you with information for the story-in-process take a look at the "experts" in the EXPERTS DIRECTORY at: https://lunacyreviews.ausxip.com/experts.htm

If any Xenites want to volunteer for either of those the pages cited above contain information on how to do so. It's a terrific way to give back a little to those bards who so generously share their stories with us guys.

I'm including two SPECIAL SECTIONS tonight - one for fellow STRANGERS IN PARADISE fans and another for fellow STAR TREK VOYAGER fans.

ALTERNATIVE FICTION

FULL BOAT by T. Novan
Fun uber Western set aboard a steamboat where wealthy entrepreneur Morgan Delaney is among the many participants in a wild poker contest with a fortune as the ultimate prize. Also on board is reporter Gabrielle Stafford - a young woman with a face that has haunted Morgan's dreams for years and who apparently has been having similar dreams only starring the entrepreneur instead. Immediately sensing the connection between them Morgan and Gabrielle give in to their emerging feelings even as danger draws near plunging them into a murder mystery that will threaten their very lives and along with it a love as old as time. T. creates a good sense of suspense here with a decidedly sizzling depiction of the relationship. Nicely entertaining. - 34 pgs.
https://ausxip.com/fanfic6/fullboat.html

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING by Xenrielle
Sweet little vignette that has the warrior reflecting on the gift that is her partner - 1 pg.
http://www.ozemail.com.au/%7Exenriele/yarns/stories/while-u-were-sleeping.htm

WARLORD METAL by Redhawk
Part 4 is now available. Redhawk continues a tradition of original, well-written uber fanfic with a new tale set in the world of Heavy Metal music where teenager Sonny Middlestead soon finds herself drawn to the new singer for her brother's band - a troubled young woman with striking green eyes who comes from the streets and is carrying more emotional baggage than Sonny could ever suspect. In this latest part, after three years obsessing over a woman who seems willing to be with everyone BUT her, a determined Sonny sets out to fulfill her dreams never suspecting how in doing so she'll be fulfilling the dreams of another as well. Blurring the lines between the Xena/Gab uber archetypes, this story is delivering some nicely sensitive characterizations of two people as different as night and day forming an unlikely friendship in a world that doesn't often make life easy. DO NOT MISS! [unfinished] - 17 pgs.
http://members.spree.com/romance/dmredhawk/Warlord/Metal1.html

NANO #6: THE FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS by Jules Mills
Part 7 is now available. The sixth installment in Jules already classic NANO SERIES finds Grace and her nano tech back home and busy at work while they continue building a life together. It's a life already full of both domestic and professional challenges as Doc seeks the help of a professional in trying to understand the darkness within her and both struggle to fulfill the promise of the technology they're working on. This latest part has Dana and Grace dealing with the bureaucracy at the office and then getting some official visitors. Jules has achieved an easiness in her depiction of these characters and the relationship they share that continues to make her stories a rare treat. Exceedingly well-written, this new story promises the same mixture of humor, passionate romance and heartwarming emotions that have put Jules Mills among the creme-della-creme of XWP fanfic talents writing today. NANO #6 gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! [unfinished] - 10 pgs.
http://members.tripod.com/~jules_mills/nano6p1.html

HURRICANE WATCH by Melissa Good
The conclusion is now available. Missy gives us all a VERY nice way to end the year and begin a new one with the promise of more TERRIFIC fiction to come as she unveils the sequel to her megahit TROPICAL STORM. Returning to work after the Christmas holiday, Dar and Kerry find themselves back in their usual hectic routines with one slight change - there's a new face on the block - an old one from Dar's past hired specifically to challenge the brilliant executive and with a grudge to settle as even more incentive. In this final part as things settle down in the office, Dar and Kerry come into posession of some ancient family heirlooms just in time for their commitment ceremony, making those heirlooms once again the symbols of eternal love they were once so very long ago. Continuing the characterizations from her first contemporary uber novel, Missy immediately starts to weave here an intriguing plot certain to reveal more about her heroines' past and to test them both emotionally and professionally. Lots of atmosphere, exceptional storytelling, charming humor and a profoundly appealing vision of the love between two soulmates always ensure the quality of a Melissa Good story. Her latest gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! - 11 pgs.
http://www.merwolf.com/hurricane1.html

SPECIAL SECTION - STAR TREK VOYAGER

JUST BETWEEN DUSK AND DAWN by G.L. Dartt
The latest installment in G.L.'s magnificent JUST BETWEEN SERIES marks a departure in G.L.'s usual style as she delivers a fascinating character study of both Katheryn Janeway and Seven of Nine chronicling the Borg's effort to reach her distant partner after a tragic accident threatens to push Janeway into a deep depression. In parts almost strictly dialogue, this story offers a fascinating insight not only into who these two women are but how they feel about one another, their friends, the circumstances they find themselves in and the destiny which despite the odds somehow worked to bring them together. A master when it comes to characterizations and to the depiction of the Janeway/Seven relationship, G.L. deepens those even further with this pointedly satisfying offering that you should be adding to the top of your MUST READ list right NOW! This gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! - 35 pgs.
http://www.northco.net/~janeway/15dusk.htm

SPECIAL SECTION - STRANGERS IN PARADISE

First of all - the official STRANGERS IN PARADISE Web site is now open for business and it's TERRIFIC folks!! With contributions from SIP creator Terry Moore himself, the site includes sneak peeks at upcoming SIP issues, reviews of current issues, an episode guide, art gallery, a discussion forum where you can chat with Terry and fellow SIP aficionados, character biographies, an SIP store, and a number of other wonderful treats. This is a REQUIRED stop for any SIP fan - http://strangersinparadise.com

Here are some new offerings in the SIP comic series:

STRANGERS IN PARADISE Vol. 3, issue #21 by Terry Moore
The latest installment in the series continues the story Terry began back in issue #17, looking at Katchoo and Francine's life ten years in the future. This new issue is part of a flashback as Katchoo remembers what drove her best friend out of her life one fateful day so long ago. It depicts one of the most heart-wrenching confrontations between our two heroines on the very day that Katchoo's first major art exhibit debuts. On the brink of finally finding success and recognition as an artist, Katchoo finds herself instead loosing the most precious thing in her life while a furious Francine, unwilling to let go of long-held insecurities and fears decides to distance herself from the one person that has always been there for her. Both the art and the storyline in this latest issue are poignant, intense and beautifully crafted. Another tour-de-force in a series that continues to get my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! [Note: The issue costs $2.75 and can be purchased from your local comics store or directly from Abstract Studio, P.O. Box 271487, Houston, TX 77277, USA - include $3.00 for postage and handling.]

STRANGERS IN PARADISE Vol.6: HIGH SCHOOL! by Terry Moore
This latest SIP graphic novel chronicles the beginning of one of the most touching friendships in comic book history as a desperate-to-fit-in, insecure high schooler named Francine meets Katchoo - a tough girl from the other side of the tracks struggling just to survive amidst the horror of abuse and the cruelty of an uncaring world. Suffering through the angst of high school these two unlikely soulmates forge a bond fated to bring them back together no matter how far apart circumstances will drive them apart. Vol. 6 also includes the now classic SIP tribute to XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS which has Katchoo suffering a head injury and suddenly waking up in a world where she and Francine are dressed suspiciously like a certain warrior and bard of our mutual acquaintance ;-) A must for any SIP fan, this latest compilation is funny, nostalgic, and deeply stirring. In a word - brilliant. It gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! [Note: The issue costs $8.95 US and can be purchased from your local comics store or go to the SIP Web site - ISBN 1892597071.]

If any of you would like to learn more about Terry's FANTASTIC comic series STRANGERS IN PARADISE take a look at my at my SPECIAL REPORTS page. The series is about the very special friendship between two soulmates and features a lot of the same elements that originally made XWP such a hit.

For those of you reading this post who are not familiar with the term alternative (alt.), it refers to ADULT stories that add a romantic element to the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle, depicting them as more than just friends.

Happy reading!

Lunacy 8-)