July 31st, 2005

Announcement

The first annual inductees to the Academy of Bards Hall of Fame will be announced August 1st. We'll keep you posted!

Added part 2 of Organi by Mickey

July 30th, 2005

Added part 10 of Hindsight by Lois Kay 

July 29th, 2005

Added Living a Dream and The War of the Exes as part of Linda Crist's Between the Lines series

Added part 8, part 9 and part 10 of Cruise's Double Play

July 28, 2005

The Outfitter part 1 by M.E. Tudor [original/ALT/incomplete]
Robin Hawke has owned Outfitters Inc. for six years, since her father had decided to retire and left it to her to run. Robin had grown up hunting and fishing in the mountains of southwest Colorado so running this business came natural to her. She loved taking people out on expeditions and showing them the safe and proper ways to hunt, fish and hike in the Colorado Mountains.

Robin was a simple woman but she learned some very serious lessons of the heart when she became involved with a rich socialite from New York who took advantage of Robin’s innocence then left to go back to New York and her rich girlfriend leaving Robin bitter and angry. Robin vowed not to get involved again. Then, Marianne Jones came into her life.

Robin finds the small blond frustrating and infuriating but was drawn to her none the less. Marianne refuses to acknowledge the night they had shared on the trails and the attraction she feels for Robin.

The two come together on a dangerous journey to stop a developer who is planning to level Bear Head Mountain to develop a new ski resort. In their effort to protect the land and each other, they find their passion for each other overwhelming.

Added part 26 of When You Dance With the Devil by Harley. This is the conclusion of this story.

July 27th, 2005

Chakram by Aurelia [ Classic/ALT/complete   Alt Timeline]
Shipwrecked on a remote island, Xena and Gabrielle try to come to terms with their new relationship, and the inquisitive nature of active nine year-old. Is this idyllic setting as perfect as it seems, or is it the home of something more sinister?

Added part 23 of PhantomBards's In an Age Before

Added part 11 of Second Son by AK Naten

Added part 7 of Damek Keep by Sandra Barret

July 26th, 2005

Added part 9 of Twilight by Kim Pritekel

Added part 10 of Untitled (working title - Iditarod) by Redhawk

Announcements

From:Albuquerque Annie

I finished a slightly alt. Mel/Janice story and need a beta reader to look over the plot, continuity, and that kind of thing. (Good grammar, spelling, etc. are a big part of my job, so I'm strong in those already.) If anyone is interested, please email me at silverdolphin12@hotmail.com. Thanks to the folks who run this board and thanks to anyone interested.

From: Intaglio Publications
We are delighted to announce that LJ Maas has joined Intaglio Publications. A native of Chicago, LJ currently resides in Oklahoma with her partner. A full time author and artist, she also finds time in her busy schedule to teach computer graphics and writing classes at a local college. LJ and Intaglio Publications will be bringing back several of your favorite novels and releasing three new books in the Conqueror Series in the upcoming months.

NONE SO BLIND
LJ MAAS
ISBN: 1-933113-41-3
Release Date: October 2005
Torrey Gray hasn't seen the woman she fell in love with in college for 15 years. Taylor Kent, now a celebrated artist, has spent the years trying to forget, albeit unsuccessfully, the young woman who walked out of Taylor's life.
Best friends forever, neither woman ever had the courage to speak of the passion they felt for one another. Now, an unusual but desperate request will throw the old friends together again. This time, will they be able to voice their unspoken desires, or has time become their enemy?

JOURNEY'S END
LJ MAAS
ISBN: 1-933113-45-6
Release Date: October 2005
Ancient Greece: A place where slaves and prostitutes have more rights than the women who reside there. Aedon, a lone woman, known as The Lion, is determined to change the course of history.  No match for the mortal man, and feared by many, Aedon fights to defend her homeland. Driven by a dark demon within, she loses herself completely to a darkness that has turned her from defender of the weak, into an evil Lord Conqueror.
Can anyone tame the beast within? Will there be anyone brave enough to try?

July 24th, 2005

And Playing the Role of Herself... by dabkey [original/alt/complete]
Caid Harris is an ex beer commercial actress who’s made it to the big time and can’t believe her luck. A plum role on a hot new cop show has Caid sharing her once private life with a horde of press and media, sharing the screen with a temperamental southern belle who she calls friend, and sharing her trailer with a leggy brunette who leaves her tongue-tied, slightly off-center, and just a little breathless. And the roller coaster ride that took Caid from a beer hawking ‘Balentine Babe’ to the role of tough cop Rita Stone gets even more interesting when the show’s creator wants to push the envelope and decides Caid is just the woman to do it.

Feel Like a Woman by Evecho [original/alt/complete]
Single lesbian mum gets what she needs.

Fingersmith's Dwelling in the Past. This is a revised version. [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.

July 23rd, 2005

Added part 25 of Dance with the Devil by Harley

Added part 16 of Coward by Phair

July 22nd, 2005

Reminder

July is "Feed the Bards" month at the Academy. We did this because a number of authors, even very well-known ones, were worried about the lack of feedback when they put out new stories. Stories they put a lot of time into, sometimes over a year, and the end result is you and I have something to read. have you read a story in the last day, week or even year? If so did you say 'thank you'? Even the shortest note of acknowledgement can brighten someone's day. Please feed a bard today.

July 21st, 2005

July 20th, 2005

July 19th, 2005

Added part 7 of Intuition by KM 

July 18th, 2005

July 17th, 2005

Just a reminder...you have about 1 more week to decide which (ANY) 5 Bards and which (ANY) 5 stories to nominate for the 2005 induction into the Academy Of Bards Hall Of Fame. 

We will count up all the votes and will induct YOUR top 10 Bards and YOUR top 15 stories. 

Send all your nominees (in one email please) to: academy_contest@yahoogroups.com

The only Roool, of course you knew there would be one, is that the Bards must have at least one story hosted at the Academy and ALL stories nominated must be hosted at the Academy. 

BTW, you need not nominate a particular Bard to nominate a particular story and vice versa. 

Also, July is Feed The Bards Month. Now is the time, while you are deciding on your favorites, to drop the Bards an email and tell them how much you appreciate them sharing their talents. 

OZ
http://www.academyofbards.org/
If you read'm, feed'm

Added part 6 of Damek Keep by Sandra Barret 

July 15th, 2005

July 14th, 2005

Whatever Will We do Now? by Fantasy [über/alt/complete]
summary pending

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

"Hearts and Flowers" by Fingersmith
"Wall of Silence" by GabGold
"Misplaced People" by CG Devize
"Random Thoughts" by Claire Withercross
"Destiny Conquered" by Linda Crist
"Conquering Heroine" by CN Winters and Amy
"In All The Empty Places" by Janneen Brownell
"Bleedin' Hearts" by D. Jordan Redhawk

July 13th, 2005

July 12th, 2005

Added part 8 of Untitled (working title Iditarod) by D. Jordan Redhawk 

July 11th, 2005

Added part 21 of In an Age Before by PhantomBard

Added part 5 of When We Met by B.Soiree 

July 10th, 2005

Added part 9 (revised) of Hindsight by Lois Kay 

Added part 24 of Dance with the Devil by Harley

Synopses for two stories by Ri:
My Knight by Ri [Über/alt/complete]
A corporate raider tired of her life gets something to eat and meets someone who changes it forever.
Until There Was You by Ri [Über/alt/complete]
A christmas tale set in the old west the only two women in town meet and find that they have more in common they had ever dreamed.

July 9th, 2005

PD Publishing would like to welcome our newest author Kim Pritekel. Her novel, First, should be available by Spring 2006. For more information please see her author page, www.pdpublishing.com/pritekel.html. 

--from debra butler 

Coming Home from Lois C. Hart is available at the Canadian LesFic Addicts catalog for those wanting to avoid the shipping delay from the US. http://www.geocities.com/cdnlesfic/

Added part 9 of Hindsight by Lois Kay 

Added part 7 of Twilight by Kim Pritekel

July 8th, 2005

Added single file (complete) of Don't Ask, Don't Tell by SK Allen

Added part 8 of Blood and Honor by Windstar and Zee 

July 7th, 2005

Added part 14 of Blindsided by Colleen 

July 6th, 2005

Added part 20 of In an Age Before by PhantomBard

Announcement 

"Counterfeit World" has just been released--no, it didn't ESCAPE!--by Intaglio Publications. It's available online from Starcrossed Productions.
http://www.scp-inc.biz/

It can also be ordered by bookstores in the U.S. and Canada through Ingram.

"Counterfeit World" is science fiction with elements of mystery and romance. It's set in a future where the World Government runs the Earth and corporations vie for control of Space. Shon Emerick, a professional negotiator, goes to Traqstar, a commercial space station, to investigate allegations of sabotage and murder. She finds herself distracted by Brianna, a young associate who seems oddly familiar, and by mistakes from her own past. On her quest for the truth, Shon catches a mouse, takes a walk in inner space, and falls toward the center of an icy moon.

July 5th, 2005

Ageless Dance by Evecho [alt/pwp/complete]
summary pending 

Added part 8 of Hindsight by Lois Kay 

July 4th, 2005

Added part 7 of Redhawk's Untitled (working title - Iditarod) 

July 2nd, 2005

You can find the issue at: http://www.bedazzledink.com/khimairal-ink

We are currently accepting submissions for the next issue in October. Ad space available. 

Happy reading! 

Claudia Wilde
Publisher/ Bedazzled Ink Publishing Company
http://www.bedazzledink.com/khimairal-ink

Double Trouble by R Nolan [alt/original/complete]
Little did Kris know that the traditional first baseball game of the season played each April between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers would change her life. Tripping in front of the dark-haired Erin and caught ogling to boot, was only the preamble for the tall blonde, as both ended up splashed with beer in the stands and laughing good naturedly about the accident and clean-up. So begins what will be bound to open old wounds and make both women stronger as they find in each other a connection, and love, lust, trust, kids and trouble times two and more will decidedly make their relationship a rocky one but ultimately worth pursuing.

Memories and Revelations by Ri [alt/complete]
Set between The Crusader and Past Imperfect, Xena tries to get Gabrielle to understand why she was going to leave her with Najera and the vision she keeps having over and over.

Added part 4 (conclusion) of Greek Warrior's Loose Ends 

July 1st, 2005

First

Introducing Undercover Tales by Blayne Cooper, KG MacGregor and SX Meagher

"It's here! A trilogy of stories from three of the most ..." 

Hmm ... what characteristic do we share? Hottest ... best ... funniest ... sexiest ...? No, none of those. 

Let's just say, "A trilogy of stories from three ... writers who combine to spin their version of stealth ... intrigue ... covert operations ... even good old-fashioned betrayal.

"Undercover Tales by Blayne Cooper, KG MacGregor and SX Meagher. Three novella-length stories teeming with action, drama, tension and even better ... sex!

"You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll beg for more." (No refunds will be offered if these particular emotions are not experienced.)

"Available now and forever from Starcrossed Productions, Inc. www.scp-inc.biz , our favorite on-line bookseller."

And

Hello
<.waving.>
It's me OZ again.

It's July...and you know what that means...
sun,
surf,
fun,
reading 
and feeding the bards. 

As we have done in previous years, we are asking everyone to go on a feeding frenzy and stuff them Bards' mailboxes to bursting.  Let them know just how much you appreciate them sharing their talent with you.  We ask that when you send your emails to the individual Bards, you CC us at feedthebards@yahoogroups.com

The person who feeds the most bards, in July, will get a personalized prize designed by the world famous Academy Artists.

In conjunction with FTB Month, the Academy would like to introduce a new annual event.  The Royal Academy of Bards is starting construction on a new wing.  This new wing will be the Academy Of Bards Hall Of Fame. 

Each year, in July, we will ask you to vote for your favorite (any) 5 Bards and (any) 5 Stories.  It doesn't matter what genre they write or what size stories. 

The only criteria is that the Bards and Stories nominated must be hosted at the Academy. 

Which Bards tickle your fancy, drive you to dramatic distraction, or consistently keep you up all night reading their latest offerings?  Which stories are so well written you go back to reread them again and again even though they are engraved in your memory forever? 

Now is the time to honor them.

We will take all your votes and tally them up.  The top 10 Bards and top 15 Stories will be our initial induction for 2005.  Subsequent years will induct 5 Bards and 10 Stories.
These Bards and Stories will receive a special banner on their pages indicating they are the your Hall Of Fame choices, as well as listing on the Hall Of Fame main page.

In addition, the Academy will be sending each Bard a special personalized item to commemorate their induction.

A Bard will only be inducted once, however, they may have multiple Stories inducted (in future years as the voting merits). 

The voting period will run until July 24th.  Then we will count up your selections and announce the new Hall Of Fame members.

Please list your choices (5 Bards/5 Stories) in a single  email  and send it here:   academy_contest@yahoogroups.com

The Academy of Bards Staff would like to once again express their deep appreciate to all the Bards who continue to share their talents and provide entertainment and, in some cases, enlightenment to readers everywhere.

Now...go read, go feed  :o)

OZ
One more thing...please send in your votes for the Hall of Fame only once.  Steph knows EVERYONE and EVERYTHING and if you try to pull something sneaky...let's just say...it won't be pretty.  ;o)