April 30th, 2005

Added Part 17 of When You Dance With the Devil by Harley.

April 29th, 2005

Added part 5 of JS Connolly's Opening Doors

Added part 4 of Tides of Fate by Lena

April 28th, 2005

Added part 11 of PhantomBard's In An Age Before

Updated Eileen Marks' Ultimate Über List

April 27th, 2005

We don't have anything new that's ready so we decided to send Oz out to take you guys on a little tour of our home. Take it away Oz--

Greetings...My name is OZ.
<.OZ waves her arm and points to the room.>
and I will be your tour guide as we discover the crooks and grannies...ummm...nooks and crannies of the incredible cyber-institution known as the Royal Academy Of Bards.

http://www.academyofbards.org/

Follow me
<.she begins walking.>
as we discover the drama, the comedy, the musical, the poetic, the whacked and the out of this world...
and that's just the folks who work here.

The story library is even more...more...well...just more.
BTW, the RAOB has been around for a little over 5 years. WOW!

Our first stop down the illustrious and...errrr...
<.wiping fingers along the lamp table.>
apparently, ummm, dusty corridor...
excuse me a minute...

<.she pulls a small recorder from her pocket and clicks the button...note to self...invent SwifferDOG...a feather duster attached to the roaming guard dogs...guard and clean at the same time...heh..yeah.  She clicks it back off and stuffs it back into her pocket.>

Where was I ?
Oh yeah, our first stop is the TechWing or main floor offices of the techie mighty Munchkins.

<.OZ stops at a door...the door is heavy wood with reinforced steel bands and huge hinges.>

The techie Munchkins handle the day to day OPS of the Academy site.  The receive and code the stories and make sure that everything is running smoothly for the daily updates.

http://www.academyofbards.org/new.html

<.OZ pushes the door open...various sounds of clanking machinery can be heard as well as low growls...inside is a huge office with a small body of water in the middle.  On either side of the water are computer desks and equipment with the tops of two heads barely peeking out above the monitors.>

Ruth...
<.Oz points to one side, at the same time a head, revealing eyes, peeks up above the monitor.>
and Steph do the majority of the daily stuff.  They deal with all those pesky file conversions and formatting problems.  

Slightly behind us, you will see the Academy Top 10 Most Wanted Posters...those are the bards that consistently send in stories with formatting issues.  

What?
Um, yeah...one bard seems to occupy the top three spaces.
Uhhh, no the list isn't alphabetical, it just looks that way.

<.a loud growl is heard and suddenly a dart goes whizzing by, landing in the wall on one of the posters.>

Ahem...uhhhh...nice shot Ruth.  Ummm, apparently that particular bard must have sent in another story.  But, no worries, Ruth will get it fixed and ready to go.

On the other side of the pond...
<.OZ points to the right.>
is Cadryn.  

<.a hand waves briefly above the monitor.>

She is the primary backup techie.  And personally, has saved my computer ass-ets on many of occasions.  I usually scream for her when I'm having PC issues.  

Down there...
<.OZ points to the water channel.>
see that boat?  That's PT.

Huh?
No, it's not a PT Boat...we don't have room for one of those...it's more like a rowboat. I said it's PT's boat.

Hey PT!
<.PT sits up in the boat and waves vigorously.>

PT is the newest of the techies.  PT finds the dead links, fixes broken files, and also does backup duties on the daily updates.

Hey guys?  Where's the boss?
<.everyone points straight up.>
Ah, okay.  Steph is upstairs, guess we'll see her later.

Thanks for letting us peek in.
<.just then another dart goes whizzing by.>

Geez, it must be an epic.

Okay, let's continue the tour...our next stop will be the office suite of EM.  C'mon.

<.OZ leaves and closes the door.  Then continues down the hallway.>

Just to the left here, in this wing, we have the home of the Muse's Sandbox and the Ultimate Uber Listings aka Eileen's corner of the Academy.

<.OZ approaches a sliding glass door...tons of light pours through.  She slides the door open and gestures inside.>

C'mon.

<.the room is just as large as the MM office.  It has a huge sandbox to one side, various sand toys and partially built castles appear in the mini sand dunes as well as a few sitting people.  On the other side of the suite is a computer set up surrounded by an intimate conversation area with comfy chairs.  The whole office is tastefully and artfully decorated.>   

http://www.academyofbards.org/sandbox

http://www.academyofbards.org/uberlist
OH...
<.OZ begins to whisper.>
it looks like EM is working on a new Muse's topic.  I think that's SX and ummmmm, Redhawk and, oh yeah, Blayne Cooper.  

<.OZ points each one out.  They are all deep in conversation and up to their elbows in sand.  SX adds a little flag to the top of her castle, while Redhawk finishes a moat.  Blayne Cooper's sand castle looks suspiciously like the White House...go figure.>

EM does the Sandbox topic interviews as well as keeps the mighty, mighty Ultimate Uber Listings up to date.  She also keeps the author pages and is the one...
<.OZ looks around.>
shhhhhhh...she know everyone's multiple pen names.  
She know EVERYBODY!  And, BTW, for the record, she doesn't take bribes to reveal that info either.  I got a sand bucket upside my head the last time I asked.

Let's leave them in peace...We'll find out soon enough what was actually going on when the next Sandbox interview comes out.

<.OZ exits and slides the glass door closed quietly.>

Okay, just across the hall and down a short ways is the office of the master indexer, Lida.

<.OZ stops and points to the door.>
Here we go.  

<.the door opens.  Inside is a well lit office decorated in beautiful photographs of every possible subject.  The computer center sits directly in the middle of the room with a clear view of everything surrounding it.  Shelves and shelves of books are present.  No one is sitting behind the desk.>

http://www.academyofbards.org/ebooks

Hmmmm...guess Lida stepped out for a minute.  Lida is also known around here as the ebook magician.  She makes it possible for Academy hosted stories to be taken everywhere.  Think of it as McLida, millions served fast and easy take out books for lunch breaks.  But the best part is they are low in calories too.

Okay...I guess we'll catch up with her later.  Before we go into the newest addition of the Academy...let's go down to the basement.  

<.OZ goes back into the hallway and pushes on a decorative sconce on the wall.  A secret passage opens.>

Hmmm?
No, it's not a dungeon.  

<.OZ starts down the steps and looks back over her shoulder.>

What kind of fanfic have you been reading?  

The entire basement is the home of the Academy Artistes...aka Michelle, Evil J and Candy.  Steph thought lots of sound proof space was needed for them.  They like to bounce ideas around and this kept the noise from disturbing the other offices.  

<.the stairway ends at a door that looks like a refrigerator door, OZ pulls it open with a quiet swhoosh.>

Here we go...the Fridge...domain of the Artistes.   

<. The room is a playground.  Photos, clip art and other assorted graphics are tacked to the walls.  Toys litter the floor.  Art supplies are everywhere.>

Hi Guys!

<.OZ waves and Michelle and J stop flinging paper airplanes at each other for a few seconds and wave back...the flights resume.>

These folks are nice enough to let me play and hang out here.  Besides doing the "What's New" graphics and the specialty page graphics they also design the merchandise of the Academy Marketplace.  They just finished working on some terrific baseball related items for the charity fund raising project.  Michelle's chakkie-baseball graphic is awesome.

http://www.cafeshops.com/RAOB

We also keep the Academy Treasure Chest down here.  That's where we pull the prizes from for the Bard Challenges.  

These folks have wicked senses of humor.  Those Must XE-TV commercials proved that.  And, EVIL J there...takes particular relish in creating those pesky PUNzles, although she won't admit it.  

Well, I guess we should head back upstairs.  Later guys.

<.OZ heads back up the stairway.>

I still have the newest section of the Academy to show you and then we'll find Steph and go roam the library.  Steph is really excited about this new section.

<.the passageway closes with a slight thunk.>

C'mon...just up ahead here is the newest wing...it's still under construction.  It will houses the new Academy Reviewers.  Yep, our very own Siskel and Ebert...with weapons...sorta.

<.OZ stops at the door. And picks up two hard hats that are hanging on a hook on the wall.>

Here, put this on.  You'll thank me in a minute.

<.OZ opens the door.>

DUCK!

<.WHOOSH!.>

BD!  Whoa!  We have a guest.  

<.BD lowers the sword and grins sheepishly.>

This is Black Daemon, our head reviewer.  BD will be reviewing stories and rating them for folks based on the
blade scale.  The higher the blade count, the higher the recommendation.  All story genres are fair game.

http://www.academyofbards.org/reviews/

Occasionally, BD will be joined by the "mystery guest reviewer."  This person wants to remain anonymous for the moment but will contribute fanfic reviews as well on a continuing basis.  

Well, I guess we should leave and let BD get to...ummm... reading.  OH BD?  Steph asked that you please not swing that sword around by the new drywall.  We've had to have it patched and repainted four times now.  If you are gonna "raise swords" do it in the middle of the room, please.  You've maxxed out the monthly expense account already.

<.BD salutes with the sword.>

Have fun.
Okay, follow me...we'll head up to the penthouse, catch up with Steph and then come back down to the main library floor.

<.OZ exits back to the hallway.  Down the end a figure turns the corner.  It's Steph.  She spies OZ and abruptly turns back around into the direction she was coming from.>

Hey Boss!  Boss!  I have something to discuss with you...Boss?

<.Steph speeds up, oblivious to the hailing.>

Ummmmmm...tell ya what...go down this hallway and catch the elevator...go up a floor and you will find the massive library.  Make yourself at home.  If you see a Bard with a pitbull attached to her butt, that's TAP.  She's harmless.  I think she comes in just to exercise the dog.
I'll catch up with you shortly, okay?  I gotta talk to Steph a minute.

Boss!  Boss!

<.OZ takes off in pursuit.  Steph speeds up to a run.>

Boss! Wait up!  I have a few ideas!

April 26th, 2005

Welcome to the Academy, BlueMoonWriter!

If You Miss Once, Try, Try Again by BlueMoonWriter
summary pending

April 25th, 2005

Announcement from PD Publishing

P.D. Publishing is proud to announce that we will be re-releasing the stories of D. Jordan Redhawk http://www.pdpublishing.com/redhawk.html , Tiopa Ki Lakota, 3rd edition and Warlord Metal, 2nd edition. Both books will be available in the Fall of 2005.

Added Part 7 of The Strongest Bond by Maderlin Bidmead

April 24th, 2005

Added part 22 (conclusion) of Control by Kim Pritekel

April 23rd, 2005

Added part 21 of Control by Kim Pritekel

Added Parts 1-5 (revised) and Part 6 (new) of The Strongest Bond by Maderlin Bidmead

April 22nd, 2005

Added part 20 of Control by Kim Pritekel

April 21st, 2005

Here are three more from Mavis Applewater's Wednesday Afternoon Series.

O'Connor's Pub, a bartender tells one of her co-workers a spooky
Halloween tale but is it just a story?

Red Lotus, a fantasy about the search for Shangra La.

Wrong Turn, a short ditty about a woman taking driving lessons only
to be distracted by her attractive instructor.

Added part 19 of Control by Kim Pritekel

Added part 8 of Modern Crusaders by PsiDraconis

Added part 10 of In An Age Before by Phantombard

Added part 16 of Desolution by Maderlin Bidmead

April 20th, 2005

Here's the announcement you guys have been waiting for! Telltale Kisses - An Anthology is now shipping!

Telltale Kisses features offerings from new and familiar authors in a fabulous line-up: Nene Adams, Lynn Ames, Blayne Cooper, Linda Crist, Vada Foster, Sloane Grayson, Seana James, Tara Kerry, K.G. MacGregor, S.X. Meagher, T. Novan, Mykel Taylor O'Connor, Kim Pritekel, D. Jordan Redhawk, Patty Schramm, Miss Violet Spender, Ali Vali, D.I. von Alacalandra, Pat Winterburn and Lara Zielinsky coming together for the first time in a single volume to benefit a baseball program for kids ages 4-15. By supporting this charity endeavor, you'll directly benefit approximately 300 continue playing the game they love not to mention you get a high quality literary experience. All profits will be directed to the program.

Go get your copy today at http://www.scp-inc.biz/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=372

and in conjunction with this announcement the Academy of Bards has another one -

EVERYBODY SING!!!! (to the tune of Take Me Out to the Ballgame)

Give me the link to the Marketplace,
Give me the link right now.
Tell Tale Kisses the book is out.
They got the team shirts and caps there, no doubt.

Let me buy, buy, buy and support the cause
and help the kids smile a-gain.
Every one, two, three dollars help,
bring back the old ball game.

The Academy wants you to join our team.  Be you Bard, Reader or just Baseball fan...join one of the teams of the Academy League.  Step up to the plate and help a great cause at the same time.  
http://www.cafepress.com/raob/563054

We got your teams shirts, we got your team caps, we got your bumper sticker.  The Academy Artists designed something for everyone.  Proceeds will go to Steph's Junior Baseball Fund to help the kids.  Everyone's a winner in this game.

April 19th, 2005

Mulligan V: Best Ball by KG MacGregor
T he fifth installment in the adventures of Marty and Lou, two women in their sixties celebrating their newfound love. If you aren't familiar with these characters, you might want to back up to the first story, Mulligan, which was written for the Academy of Bards 2003 Valentine Special. That first story didn't get a numeral, because I didn't expect to keep writing these characters. But the ideas kept coming, so I've tried to write them all down.

This particular story was developed from several scenes that were cut during editing from the upcoming novel, Mulligan, available June 2005 from StarCrossed Productions and other retail outlets. The novel is based on the series, but offers a deeper—and sexier—look into the characters and how their relationship got off the ground.

Added part 18 of Control by Kim Pritekel

April 18th, 2005

Added Part 15 of Desolation by Maderlin Bidmead

Added Part 7 of Second Son by A.K. Naten

Added part 4 of The Persian Encounter by Patricia Wiseroostr and Xanjaa [X&G/alt/unfinished] 

April 17th, 2005

Added Part 13 and Part 14 of Desolation by Maderlin Bidmead

Added Part 16 of When You Dance With the Devil by Harley.

April 16th, 2005

Added Part 3 of Alphabet Soup by Alexiares

Added Part 12 of Desolation by Maderlin Bidmead

April 15, 2005

Announcement -
from Phil

HEY EVIL J!!!!
We stumped them...no one...NO ONE has turned in any guesses in the PUNzle. I know the brave bardy-type folks are writing stories for the challenge, I can hear them typing but nada on the PUNzle front.

Oooh, we have reached true evil greatness.

For those of you who have no idea what a PUNzle is...go to:
http://www.academyofbards.org/contest/2005/cooking/foodpuns.html

You will find a graphic of food puns. Each image represents food. I'll be nice and tell you that there are 49 answers. Guesses need to be turned in by April 30th. Just email them to the link on the page.

For Brave Bardy-types...the Bard Challenge is here:
http://www.academyofbards.org/contest/2005/cooking/

It also involves food items...in a sneaky little way. If you are looking for a fun writing project, check out the roools and the premise. Stories must be turned in by May 13th.

Good Luck All.

OZ

*******

Added Part 17 of Control by Kim Pritekel

Added The One by bsoiree [uber/alt/complete]
When Kendal, a NW police detective, has an unusual meeting at a convention with Savannah, a DA from the South, the question becomes, "Is Kendal 'The One' for Savannah?"

Added Parts One and Two of Inside by Tianna Shepherd [alt/incomplete]
Aislinn Majors goes to prison after killing an aggressive fan. Now she must become accustomed to her new life in prison.

April 14, 2005

Added Part 15 of When You Dance With the Devil by Harley.

April 13, 2005

Announcement -
from Nene Adams

Buy-a-Bard Auction III is still going!
Nene is for sale... or at least, her story-writing talents are yours for the taking once again. That's right - enter the Buy-a-Bard Auction III and you may win a personalized story written especially for you! You choose the setting, you choose the genre, you choose the adventure - take as much or as little control as you desire. Want pirate gals on the high seas? Chicks in chainmail? Regency romance? Mystery, adventure, historical, cyberpunk, horror, comedy, science fiction or fantasy - anything's possible! You can even become a character in the story yourself. Once written, this custom tale will become your sole property to do with as you wish. Winners will have the satisfaction of taking home a unique, one-of-a-kind story. Send your bid to wynna1@yahoo.com The silent auction closes on April 17, 2005. Winners will be notified by e-mail. If you are unable to participate in the Auction, please consider supporting the Living Library by making a donation through PayPal (link at my website: http://www.corrieweb.nl/library.htm or go directly to PayPal http://www.paypal.com - my PayPal ID is wynna1@yahoo.com We're grateful for any amount, and we'll be able to continue providing you with excellent lesbian literature. Thank you!

***

Added Part 14 of When You Dance with the Devil by Harley

Added Part 13 of Blindsided by Colleen

Added Black Cherry's five part series Skin Deep [uber/alt/complete]
Skin Deep, Eye of the Needle, Ink and Steel, Fossil Fuel, and Pushing Ink

Added Blind Date by D[uber/alt/complete]

Added The Flight of the Gryphon by Barbara Davies [uber/alt/complete]
An Arcadian pilot brings her country's new allies a gift that could change the course of the War against the Vieden Empire.

Added Dwelling in the Past by Fingersmith [uber/alt/complete]

Abbie Jameson needs to escape her life. A writer with no muse, and a marriage with no love. She retreats to Yorkshire in a bid to find her true self. But the ‘self’ she finds is not what she was expecting. Only the dark, enigmatic Kate Thomas can help her discover the truth.

Although a supernatural vein flows through this story, it is ultimately about love, self-discovery and the realisation that all we have to do is let go … and believe.

April 11th, 2005

Added part 2 of From the Manor Taken by Phair

Added part 3 of Tides of Fate by Lena 

April 9th, 2005

Added In An Age Before part 9 by Phantombard
It's vacation time, Helluin's second trip to Numenor and a scenic view of hell (Udun in Mordor).

April 8th, 2005

Added a compiled version of Define Destiny by JM Dragon.
This is the first book of the Define Destiny series. All six books in the series are now available as two-part compilations.

April 7th, 2005

Added Part 8 of Fourth and Goal by Strongsouljah. Wahoo! Welcome back!

Added a revised version of Two Steps Forward One Back [alt/über/complete],
the sixth story in J M Dragon's Define Destiny series.

April 6th, 2005

Added Part 2 of Alphabet Soup by Alexiares; a sequel to Omega's Folly.

April 5th, 2005

Announcement -
from Debra

The Canadian Lesbian Fiction Addicts April weekend was a hit! There is *too* lesbian fiction north of the 49th parallel.

Books that were available that weekend (some of which were available only that weekend) are now available at the site:
http://www.geocities.com/cdnlesfic/catalogue.html

Books for sale include:

NEW RELEASES:
Seasons ~ Anne Azel
Assorted Flavours ~ Lois Cloarec Hart
Black By Gaslight ~ Nene Adams

MUST HAVES:
Adeptus Major ~ Alex Mykals
Change of Pace ~ Radclyffe
Distant Shores, Silent Thunder ~ Radclyffe
Fated Love ~ Radclyffe
Hunter's Pursuit ~ Kim Baldwin
Malicious Pursuit ~ KG MacGregor
Never Say Never ~ Linda Hill
Shaken ~ KG MacGregor
The House on Sandstone ~ KG MacGregor
Treasured Past ~ Linda Hill
Walls of Westernfort ~ Jane Fletcher

**********************************

Added In An Age Before part 8 by Phantombard
This time Helluin is sent on an errand for her king to the city of ELven jewel smiths and the Kingdom of the Dwarves. There's some politics and the creation of a familiar weapon's precursor that foreshadows many things in Middle Earth.

Added Blood and Honor part 6 by Windstar and Zee

April 3rd, 2005

P.D. Publishing is extremely excited to make the following announcements.

First and foremost, we are proud to announce that two of our authors now have books in print and ready to order -- Roselle Graskey's Life's Little Edge and Lois Cloarec Hart's Assorted Flavours: A Collection of Lesbian Short Stories. Both titles are available in 6x9 trade paperback and e-book (PDF) formats. Our other big announcement involves our printing and distribution options. In an attempt to offer to authors, bookstores, and our reading customers something different, P.D. Publishing has established various avenues for obtaining our books. We presently offer our books directly on our website, via one of our many distributors, or through whichever avenue you prefer - bookstores or other online shopping sites. There is a long list of sources through which our books are available inside AND outside the US. What has taken us a bit of time to accomplish has been the establishment of printing books in Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Greece, Panama, and Poland. This is our effort to prevent, as much as possible, all our customers outside the US from paying outrageous shipping and handling charges or having the books caught up in Customs - resulting in a delay in arrival or a complete loss of the books.

Please check our website ( www.pdpublishing.com ) for futher details. We're continuing to update and improve the site, so please inform us if a link is not working properly.

Barb and Linda

Announcing the Buy-a-Bard Auction III! Nene is for sale... or at least, her story-writing talents are yours for the taking once again. That's right - enter the Buy-a-Bard Auction III and you may win a personalized story written especially for you! You choose the setting, you choose the genre, you choose the adventure - take as much or as little control as you desire. Want pirate gals on the high seas? Chicks in chainmail? Regency romance? Mystery, adventure, historical, cyberpunk, horror, comedy, science fiction or fantasy - anything's possible! You can even become a character in the story yourself. Once written, this custom tale will become your sole property to do with as you wish. Winners will have the satisfaction of taking home a unique, one-of-a-kind story. Send your bid to wynna1@yahoo.com The silent auction closes on April 17, 2005. Winners will be notified by e-mail.

If you cannot participate in the Auction, please consider supporting the Living Library by making a donation through PayPal (link above). Any amount will help us stay afloat, and we'll be able to continue providing you with excellent lesbian literature. Thank you!

***

Thanks a lot!

Nene

Haunting Shadows by JM Dragon [alt/über/complete]

April 2nd, 2005

<.sniff, sniff.>

What's that I smell...mmmmmmmm...smells like braincells thinking up new stories.

HOT DOG!

It must be Bard Challenge time again.

If you are counting...this is Lucky Number #13.

We call it...Now You're Cookin'.

This one has a fairly easy premise...kinda. It revolves around food...kinda. And has a very good chance of producing really tasty new stories.

The ROOOLS and Premise can be found here: http://www.academyofbards.org/contest/2005/cooking/

Please read carefully, we really hate to disqualify entries due to Roools violations.

Oh yeah...since I really miss the girls...please take note of the qualifier of Roool #1 and how you can pick up some bonus points.

For those who just want to participate and not compete, please feel free to play too. We would love to have you aboard.

We will have two winners...most food terms used and best story (as voted by the readers). As always, we may have honorable mentions as well. I'm funny like that. Kinda.

If there are any questions concerning the Roools and Premise...I can be found here: PHIL728@aol.com.

Deadline for story entries is May 13th. Send them to the link provided on the contest page. I will acknowledge receipt within 24 hours. If I do not, please contact me and we will try to find out where the little sucker ended up. <.g.>

NOW...for those of you who truly enjoyed the diabolical Toy PUNzle at Christmas time...

We're baaaa-ack!

Yep, EVIL J (who claims to be disassociating herself with this evil endeavor) and I put together another evil...no make that EVIL PUNzle for your enjoyment. Food Puns...and lots of them.

You can find the link on the Contest page just under the main contest graphic. Yes, we are sick little puppies...thank you very much. <.g.>

You have until April 30th to send in your answers (or best guesses) to the PUNzle...just use the link provided. And just to be really mean....we aren't telling you how many total answers there should be.

Honest, it has nothing to do with the fact we lost...ummm...can't count. Really. ;o)

The winner will be the one with the most correct. In case of a tie, random draw from the tied entries will determine the winner.

Okay...go check out the Challenge and Bon Appetit...errrrrr... GOOD LUCK everyone.

OZ

The Claiming by Emily First [alt/über/complete]
On a World far away,just nearby,Andrea Black has returned from Washington to Inbhir Nis after an abscence of 2years.Unaware that the Moerae are about to take advantage of her actions,she heads down into the city to meet her friend Cindy.(Kind of PWP)

April 1st, 2005

Eight Days in October by Kim Pritekel [alt/über/complete]
Summary Pending