October 31st, 2004

A lone figure walks out.  She is wearing a dark suit, white shirt and fluorescent blue tie (heh!) and a very bad short haircut.  She stops, clasps her hands behind her and turns toward the screen. 

Hello.  I'm Oz. 

<.She points to the floor.>

You are traveling down a cyber road...

Okay, so it doesn't actually look like a road.  It would have but Steph cut off my budget.  I, personally, think it's because she still hasn't forgiven me for painting all the Academy office floors to look like yellow bricks.
<.sigh.>
Just play along, okay?


A cyber road that leads to the shadowy tip of reality...

<.fit of giggles.> 
like some of y'all  are based in reality anyway


You're on a route to the land of the different, the bizarre, the unexplainable...

Another day in the 'Verse <.snicker.>

Go as far as you like on this road. 

No worries, we don't charge a toll. 
Ahem...


It's limits are only those of your imagination. 

And what kind of mileage your mind gets. 
Be sure to fill-up before you get on the road.

This road is the route to a wondrous dimension...a dimension of sight, a dimension of sound, a dimension of mind.  You are journeying to a land of both shadow and substance, science and superstition, of the time and the timeless, of things and ideas.

NO...this is not the Jersey Turnpike.  That's even too scary for me.

Look at the signpost up ahead...

NO...not the Burger King sign, although some onion rings would be nice...

The BIG SIGN ahead.
Next stop...the Academy Halloween Zone.

Enjoy the stories and don't forget...FEED THE BARDS

http://www.academyofbards.org/halloween/2004

October 30th, 2004

Fallen Angels by Phantombard [alt/Über, horror, for mature readers]
Having been given free will in the moment of their creation, the orders of angels had the capacity to make choices. Among these was that of entertaining pride and ambition. It is said that one even went so far as to ascend in aspirations to enter heaven by right of his own will and become the equal of God, to usurp His prerogative of Creation, and to take a station above all other angels. For this, God banished Lucifer from heaven, throwing him down into hell, and with him fully a third of the angels, being those who had followed in the footsteps of his rebellion. These became numbered in latter days as demons under the dominion of Satan. Among the fallen were a Hashmalim of the Angelic Order of Dominations, separated from her beloved Tarshishim of the Order of Virtues. And having lost heaven, what greater misery could follow a fallen angel down the ages?

Have We Met Before On This Halloween Night by Pat Winterburn [alt/Über/complete]
It's Halloween night and the girls are going out to a party for the hospital's annual charity banquet. Except this year our four friends encounter some ghosts from the "roaring 20's", making this year a blast from the past.

October 29th, 2004

It's Nice to Dream by Sophie [classic/complete]
A young Gabrielle dreams about adventure.

Added part 11 of Control by Kim Pritekel and Alexa Hoffman

Added The Path to Hunter's Way part two of Shot Down by Tianna Shepherd

October 28th, 2004

A Slice of Heaven by Kim Baldwin [original/alt/complte]
Floodwaters strand TV reporter Lindsey Carter in a town too small for a stoplight, but she's not complaining. Meriwether may not have much, but it has a killer cafe and one scrumptious librarian.

October 27th, 2004

Welcome to the Academy first-time writer, Lauren Vaniste!

Adapting: A tale of self-discovery and love [alt/über/unfinished]
Eva Lokoak, a 15 year old native from the not so great lands of Jersey, enters a strange and unfamiliar world of a new high school after 8th grade graduation. And not just any high school either. It would be considered by some to be a "Special ED school". But it's not for the education; it is for the counseling, for Eva has had past horrors in her life that had caused her to be hard and cold as ice covered stone.
Depressed is more the word in fact. Her father had done some "THINGS" to her at a young age, and the school she attended before did not make things any better, especially since the local gang nearly killed her on several occasions, once with Eva ending up in the ER. And she had no idea what it was like to have friends, for she had none before.
But this changes when she enters the Special Ed school of McCann High. For boys actually hit on her rather then throw stones at her, and girls her age actually want to be her friend, and wonder why a girl so young and energetic can be so cold and hard.
And Eva avoids any contact with the students for a brief time, until two girls break through the cement Eva formed around her heart. And one of them has certainly captured Eva's eye, stealing her heart in the process, bringing her dead heart back to life.
This is a story about love, self discovery, homophobia, and adapting. And the healing power and strength a soul mate's love can bring.

Added part 8 of Academy's Finest by Sandra Barret

Added part 5 of Sleep Comes Too Late by Crystal Michallet-Romero

October 26th, 2004

Chilled Invisibility by Koda Graystone [complete/original]
In a world of hustle and bustle, people scurrying like mice in a maze. Have you ever felt invisible? This is a story of one woman's journey of being found.

October 25th, 2004

Added part 2 of Second Son by A.K. Naten

October 24th, 2004

Added part 7 of Garden of Earthly Delights by Fern Driscoll.

October 23rd, 2004

The Forsaken by David J. Duncan
TITLE: The Forsaken
SERIES: Amazon Scrolls 7
RATING: R (language, some violence)
SUMMARY: When Deirdre shows up in the Amazon Village with a dark secret, Xena, Gabrielle, Eve and Jasmine go looking for answers. What will they find? Who are the mysterious girl and the hooded stranger? And what do they have to do with the priestesses?
Read on and find out!

October 22nd, 2004

Welcome to the Academy Tianna Shepherd!

Shot Down [original/unfinished]
A young black slave, whose father got shot while trying to escape the plantation, vows revenge on the man who did it.

In The Light Of Shadows Chapter Thirteen of Mavis Applewater's Whispering Pines, Shawn and Faith try to spend some time getting to know one another again, until Shawn stumbles across a long forgotten murder.

Here are four more from Mavis Applewater's Wednesday Afternoon Series,
In Stewed, Screwed & Tattooed Org/Alt A fun filled trip to P-Town with friends turns into a nightmare for Aster when she wakes up the following day with the mother of all hang-overs, a tattoo and a wife.
Double Dating Org/Alt Joan and her lover go on vaction with another couple the simple trip takes an unusual turn when her lover decides she wants to do more than just double date.
Eternally (Everlasting Part Two) Org/Alt. In the sequel to Everlasting Rowan is King and learning that wearing the crown is a heavy burden.
Spring Training (Fielder's Choice Part Two) In this lengthy sequel Bobbie faces life on the farm, a new season without Cherish and much more.

October 21st, 2004

Alphabet Soup by Alexiares [unfinished/über/alt]
Alphabet Soup is the temporary title of the sequel to Omega's Folly. It picks things up a while after matters left off in the preceding story. More of the adventures of Benton Basilas, you could say, although that's certainly not all it is.

Added part 17 (conclusion) of Booyong Mountain by Lois Kay

October 20th, 2004

Added part 5 of Coward by Phair

Added part 7 of Dance with the Devil by Harley

New eBooks

Nurture by SX Meagher - I Found My Heart in San Francisco Series

Announcement

Sierra City by Gerri Hill is now available from Bella Books and amazon.com!

October 19th, 2004

Added part 7 of Academy's Finest by Sandra Barret

October 18th, 2004

We have a couple of welcomes today....first allow me to welcome a new munchkin to the group, PT! PT has been strong-armed...er...graciously volunteered to fix that errant links we sometimes have. You can reach us all at staff@academyofbards.org. Second, welcome to a first-time bard and therefore a first-time poster :) welcome to the Academy of Bards, t.e. brehm

I Propose by t.e.brehm [classic/alt/complete]
Gabrielle is having a hard time trying to propose marriage to Xena...she gets by with a little help from a friend.

Hope of Light by Koda Graystone [classic/alt/complete]
Those against them helped to separate them, can love still be found or will past betrayal's forever separate them.

October 17th, 2004

IFMHISF Book 14: Nurture by SX Meagher [Über/alt/complete]
It's been 3 months since the trauma of Karma, and both Jamie and Ryan would love nothing better that to return to the halcyon days before their lives were turned upside down. But, the return to normalcy isn't as easily obtained as they'd wish

October 16th, 2004

Circle of Stones by Mary Morgan [classic/alt/complete]
The only way Gabrielle can save Xena is by solving the riddle of a mysterious circle of stones.

A Certain Point of View by Dreams2Fly [original/complete]
The title says it all. Reality is shaped by our point of view. Eventually, everyone's reality must submit to someone else's point of view.

October 15th, 2004

Added part 3 of Rebel High by Dylan Carreiro

October 14th, 2004

Added part 16 of Lois Kay's Booyong Mountain

Added part 5, part 6, and part 7 (conclusion) of Niki's Past and Present

Added part 10 of Heartbrkn Bard's Designs of the Heart

October 13th, 2004

A Little Fable by Alexiares
Well, this is a silly story with Monty Pythonesque overtones. That's all I can say. You should read it.

Added part 6 of Garden of Earthly Delights by Fern Driscoll.

October 12th, 2004

Angelique by DJ Belt [original/alt/complete]
Laurie, aide to a U.S. senator, is suddenly thrust into the world of international espionage when she is marked for assassination. Rescued by a mysterious figure whom she only knows as Angelique, she must attempt to resolve the riddles of why she's a target and what motivates her strange guardian angel to protect her. Could it be... love?

Shadows by Ladyhawke [Über/alt/complete]
Lee and Katlin are caught in a situation they never would have dreamed of going near in a million years... But their need to be together ignores the high price and pain it will cause if they are discovered. Together they begin an affair, living in shadows, grabbing and holding on to each precious moment. Two years down the line the emotional cost on both of them is starting to reveal that one of them wants more...

Added part 2 of Rebel High by Dylan Carreiro

October 11th, 2004

Buy-a-Bard for the Holidays!

Getting a gift for the person who has everything is easy when you can give them the most unique present on the planet. Nene Adams has put her talents on the auction block once again to bring you the opportunity to Buy-a-Bard for the Holidays. Any genre, any style, any plot, anything you can dream up will be yours - from romance to comedy to mystery, horror or fantasy and everything in-between. Enter the adventure by becoming a character yourself! The completed story will become your sole property. Auction bids should go to wynna1@yahoo.com. Deadline for entering will be October 25, 2004 for a story to be delivered by December 20, 2004. All winners will be notified by email. To keep abreast of the action, bid amounts will be posted (daily) anonymously at Nene's site: http://www.corrieweb.com/library.htm

Be Santa's helper and spread the word!

Anyone who wishes to make a donation via PayPal (link is on my site) will receive a special thank-you - a Gaslight short story entitled The Body on the Serpentine, written especially for Supporters of the Library (October 2004). This story will not be available on-line until next year, and will be sent only to those who donate a token of my appreciation.

***
Nene

Rebel High by Dylan Carreiro [Über/alt/unfinished]
Rebel High is a series about Casey Farrell, a high school student who's uprooted from her home in New Orleans and moved to Long Beach, California and her experiences at the first all-gay high school in the U.S.

Island of Lost Memories by Alexiares [classic/alt/unfinished]
Be warned, this one is going to be *long*, and it does hook up with the other short stories I've got under my belt (except Liaisons Rididuleuse, which is being majorly revised). The title says what the story is about, overtly speaking. A woman wakes up on an island that she doesn't know, with all sorts of strange wonders she has never seen before. But wonders are no consolation when you desperately need to go home.

Heart Burn by Alexiares [classic/alt/complete]
Xena's army got out of control and Kallisto's home town was burned, her family destroyed. But there is an awful lot of detail that isn't available in that description... this story tries to give some of it.

Added part 6 of Academy's Finest by Sandra Barret

Added part 14 (conclusion) of Rolling Thunder by Mickey.

October 10th, 2004

Added part 10 of Control by Kim Pritekel and Alexa Hoffman

October 9th, 2004

Cry Wolf by Mary Morgan [classic/alt/complete]
Gabrielle is forced into a very uncharacteristic role and Xena must control all her natural impulses under threat of tragic loss.

October 8th, 2004

Added part 15 of Booyong Mountain by Lois Kay

Announcement
-from PD Publishing

Welcome our newest author Sara Bell. We will be publishing her story, The Magic in Your Touch, and it should be available by June 2005. For more information please see her author page.
Thanks for your support.
Barb and Linda

October 7th, 2004

Added part 4 and part 5 of Garden of Earthly Delights by Fern Driscoll.

Added part 4 of Coward by Phair

October 6th, 2004

Confession by Firelight [classic/alt/finished]
Determined not to repeat the sins of her past...Xena spends a soul searching evening tormented by her emerging feelings for a certain young woman from Poteidaia.

Added part 3 and part 4 of Past and Present by Niki

October 5th, 2004

An announcement from Mavis Applewater
I am happy to announce that I will be attending the Dare2Dream conference in Charleston, SC November 5th through the 7th. The event will take place at the Quality Inn Hotel and I will be signing copies of two new releases, Finding My Way which was my very first uber and PWP Volume III Home For The Holidays. In Finding My Way Stephanie tells her story she is following her well planned future only to have her world turned upside down when she meets Allison Kendell. Home For The Holidays was taken from the Wednesday Afternoon Series, and asks the question would you endure a trip home with your ex-lover and what would you do when you realized that you are still attracted to your first love? Follow Tressa and Lindsey from one holiday to the next each leading to a very steamy conclusion. Also for the first time fans of this series can read how the story ends in the final chapter which has never been previewed or released. I am very excited about the release of both of these stories and remember anyone who brings me coffee gets special treatment. For more information about this event visit the D2D website at www.limitlessd2d.net

Thanks Again,

Mavis

New Stories

Patient Troubles by BluDreamscape [original/alt/complete]
This is just a little PWP.

Just a Pinch of Black Powder by Mary Morgan [classic/alt/complete]
Xena and Gabrielle meet an extraordinary old man who presents them with a cruel dilemma. Can safeguarding the greater good sometimes come at too high a price?

October 4th, 2004

Added part 5 of Academy's Finest by Sandra Barret

Added part 13 of Rolling Thunder by Mickey.

Updated the Ultimate Über List by Eileen Marks

October 3rd, 2004 

Time by Ladyhawke [original/alt/complete]
There comes a time in everyone's life when you must face something that you don't want too. You can't run away and you can't hide, because time will always catch you. This is a short story that freezes one moment in my life onto the page. A moment that I would have given everything to change.

Added part 3 of Coward by Phair

Added part 4 and part 5 of Modern Crusaders Book 3: Even Heroes... by Psi Draconis

October 2nd, 2004 

Garden of Earthly Delights [über/alt/unfinished]
Kate's had enough of the world for a while. After retiring (at age 30) from the stockbrokering game mere weeks before the dot.com debacle, she's returned to her roots in tiny Hellman's Corner, in southern Maryland. She wishes nothing more than to whip her neglected garden and home into shape, and maybe do a few deals with the local real estate developers. Fate, however, plops a city girl right in her front yard, and she has the darndest time getting her out of it.

Cameron's on her way to big things in a competitive business. She's finally got a chance to do some actual (as opposed to virtual) reporting. But two weeks into her new job, she comes to a screeching halt, ending up with a totaled truck, a broken leg, and a big interview that got derailed - on purpose? Along the way, she also finds herself in no hurry to leave "the land of pleasant living", and the company of a tall, reclusive gardener.

Nobody shoves Cam off the road without her asking a lot of questions. Cam, and her reluctant sidekick Kate, try to find out why she was sideswiped, and why the commander at Pax River is suddenly unavailable for her interview.

As the plot thickens, the gals find that the Pax River Air Fighter Squadron, charged with protecting the skies over Washington and New York in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, may be in need of protection from within their own ranks.

Added part 3 of Choices - Challenges.  by Ladyhawke
Now after nearly two years Kathleen has survived her choices and rebuilt her life through chances. In front of her finally lies the challenge. Will she now face Carrie and find answers to the questions that have plagued her and drove her to destruction. Or will what she finds send her running again?

October 1st, 2004

No Guarantees by Greek Warrior (Joan) [über/alt/complete]
A very short story about a woman reminiscing on her life and lover.

Happy Anniversary by Emyster and Okie [über/alt/complete]
Join Abby and Lucinda as they celebrate a special anniversary with a very special surprise. PWP.

Added part 14 of Lois Kay's Booyong Mountain