January 31st, 2006

Added part 8 of Storm by Kim Pritekel

January 30th, 2006

Hurricane Room by LC Jordan [alt/uber/complete]
Synopsis pending...

Added part 6 of Fireweed by Mickey Minner

Added part 6 of Fast Break by Mickey Minner

Added part 47 of Phantombard's In an Age Before

January 29th, 2006

Added part 5 of Fireweed by Mickey Minner

Added part 5 of Fast Break by Mickey Minner

January 28th, 2006

Reviews

The Royal Academy of Bards Reviews has been updated. Check it out for new reviews of the following works:

*"Vampire For Hire" and "Full Moon" by Kim Pritekel
*"The New Adventures of XENA: Warrior Princess: Welcome To The Neighborhood" by Ernie Whiting
*"Alpha & Omega" by AcidBurn
*"Avenging Angel" by Aurelia
*"The Resurrection of Molly Footes" by D.J. Belt
*"Irresistible Flame" by DJWP

Also, Daemon has put together a podcast (Daemoncasts) of fan fiction from the Xenaverse and other realms of fiction as well, and has set up a YahooGroup for those folks who are interested in hearing more. Check out the mp3 file at: http://daemonkayne.libsyn.com

Post your comments there or join the Yahoo Group (daemoncasts@yahoogroups.com) for more information.

[this is a GREAT listen guys! Daemon has a very good radio voice and now you can hear, not just read, how knowledgeable she is! The Academy is very proud to have this association. - steph]

Announcement
-from Kim Pritekel

Wow. You know, I've always seen you guys as my family, but I'm stunned, blown away, knocked off my feet. You guys have always managed to save my sanity by giving me an audience to write for. But now you guys have saved my life- perhaps not literally- but you've saved me from losing everything.

There just aren't words for me to express my gratitude and just how stunned I really am. Thank you guys so much.

I'm going to be okay, guys, and it's all because of you. My deepest gratitude. I love you all, always have, always will.

Kim Pritekel

Added part 4 of The Outfitter by M.E. Tudor

January 27th, 2006

When Hell Meets Heaven by JM Dragon [alt/uber/complete]

Dr. Amelia West, a noted psychologist, is asked by her childhood priest, Father Johansson, to visit a cloistered order of nuns and speak with one of the nuns. The father also asks a former cop turned private detective, Olivia Santos, to aid Amelia in solving the mystery of Sister Marie Clarise-Benoite. Hell meets heaven when the two women form a tentative bond in their search for the truth.

Added part 9 of Gravity by Lucid Dream

Announcement
- from Kim Pritekel

Hey, guys. Kim Pritekel, here. You have no idea how much of my pride I'm losing by doing this, but it's come down to that.

Just before Thanksgiving I lost my job due to circumstances far beyond my control. It's near impossible to find work at that time of year, and though I have pounded the pavement non-stop, have had no luck. I've been holding on as best I can, but am getting to a point of desperation. My phone was shut off a month and a half ago, and my internet is next to go in a week. I need help, guys. My rent is due, and I have but $40 to buy groceries and food for my cats.

I am willing to offer autographed bookmarks, signed copies of the original copy of First, for any possible help. I would never do this if it weren't a last resort.

Thank you, and forever changed and humbled, Kim Pritekel.

[from steph - you can paypal her the money to XenaNut@hotmail.com . Kim's given us a lot of her talent and time and I hope that we can help bail her out. Join me in sending a contribution her way.]

January 26th, 2006

Added part 7 of Kim Pritekel's Storm

Added part 7 of Dreams2fly's Triangles

January 25th, 2006

Added part 45 and part 46 of Phantombard's In an Age Before

January 23rd, 2006

A sad announcement
We are saddened to announce the passing of Amy Goodwin. Amy is survived by her sisters: Marcy, Linda, and Rosanne. Also within her immediate family are Mark Citrin ( her brother-in-law), Aaron and Ashley Citrin (her nephew and adopted niece), and Harley and Sophie Citrin (Aaron and Ashley's daughters, who will always refer to her as "Auntie Amy").

Amy will always be remembered for her caustic wit, compassionate heart, and undying love for all. With a multitude of friends and family mourning her death and celebrating her life, we know that she will live forever in our hearts, minds, and dreams.

If you live in the San Diego area, please contact us immediately for information on a Celebration of Life that will be announced at a later date.

When attending, please remember to bring your best stories, memories, and tall tales of Amy. By sharing these experiences, we all may improve our familiarity with Amy's life and learn more of the amazing person that was, is, and forever will be, Amy Goodwin.

January 22nd, 2006

Added part 4 of Fireweed by Mickey Minner

Added part 4 of Fast Break by Mickey Minner

Added part 6 of Triangles by Dreams2fly

January 20th, 2006

Added part 10 of Lissa's A Journey of Love and Life

January 18th, 2006

Announcement
-From Heartbrkn Bard

Hello all,
As you are all aware the UFFD has been down for over a month and a half. Well to make a long story short, we lost our domain name. We are going to be found at xenafanfiction.INFO instead of .COM. Please, please please, spread the word, wether its through an email, or posting it on your site. We should be up and unconstruction by Friday. The whats new page will be the first to come up. If you like you can post or forward this message on:
The UFFD will be up and running again, we hope by Friday 1/20/06. We were lost there for a while, but we did find ourselves.Please fix your bookmarks to note the new addy will be Xenafanfiction.info. Its the same as the old addy but no longer a .com. Looking forward to posting andemailing with everyone.

January 17th, 2006

NANO #7: WORK AND ENERGY by Jules Mills - [Alt, from www.lunacyreviews.com with permission]
Jules continues her fabulous NANO SERIES with Grace and Doc enjoying some quality time after their recent ordeal with the FBI. Doc knows just the way to release some of that pent-up stress too but ends up creating, much to her delight, one very determined and sexy little monster in the process. It's a playful, peaceful, loving time for the both of them but one unlikely to last in light of a pending family visit and the resurfacing of some unpleasant figures from the past... Grace and Doc are today easily among the most popular couples in uber fanfic with the reason for that very much in evidence in these opening chapters. Jules has given their relationship a spontaneity and wit and charm that is incredibly engaging and thoroughly addictive. The more you see of these two, the more time you want to spend with them. Starting of with some devilish humor, passionate romance and the inklings of serious conflicts to come, this one is well on its way to maintaining the quality of this exceptional series. It gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!

January 16th, 2006

Added part 5 of Renegade by Cheyne

January 15th, 2006

Added part 14 and epilogue of L.M. Townend's Daughters of Artemis

Added part 3 of Fireweed by Mickey Minner

Added part 3 of Fast Break by Mickey Minner

January 14th, 2006

Added part 4 of Lissa's The Return of Unity

January 13th, 2006

Happy Friday the 13th!

Welcome to the Academy, Just J and LC Jordan!

Chapter Fourteen by LC Jordan [über/alt/complete]
This is simply a short, early Valentine's piece and my first foray into posting at the Academy.

The True Test of Love by Just J [original/alt/complete]
What is the true test of love? How far would you go for the one you love? With a murderer on the loose; Sean will find out the answer as she and Jamie reunite on shaky grounds.

Added part 6 of Storm by Kim Pritekel

Announcement
-from Oz

First Oz didn't count right, then she didn't spell correctly so we have some adjustments to yesterday's winners announcement. Before I make the corrections, let me assure those who didn't win that the voters actually complained that all the stories were so good they couldn't decide! Too bad we can't get our bards to run for the U.S. presidency! At any rate, you guys did a fantastic job, you've again impressed the heck out of us! And now...to Oz's mess-ups -

Ahem...okay folks....OZ...ummm....OZ...uh....madeamistake.
I would like to add Story #10-The Most Special Christmas by Annie (Bard of New Mexico) as category #2-Co-WINNER. She managed to cram way more candy into her story than I first thought. Let's just say that if you ate her story...you'd die from a sugar rush. <.g.> Therefore, she will be added as a CO-WINNER and given a set of cool prizes for her supreme efforts. I, in the meantime, am being sent back to school to learn how to count. CONGRATS ANNIE!
The Academy sending me back to learn to count but how to spell as well. Our Cat 2 runner-up's name is Lex, not Len as I typed in my announcement. I'll be better by summer's challenge, honest.

- From S. Lynne

"Wow! *huge grin* I can't believe it! This totally rocks! I just wanted to say thanks to all those folks out there who voted for my story, I'm glad y'all enjoyed it enough to vote for it! And I also wanted to say thanks to the other incredibly talented bards who were a part of the challenge, you all are amazing and I am in awe of your incredible talents! And a HUGE thank you to OZ and all the other folks at the Academy for hosting such an incredible contest each year, it's gotta be a lot of work, and I appreciate everything y'all do to make it happen!
Thanks again and ROCK ON!
~ S. Lynne

January 12th, 2006

Added part 2 of Anne Laughlin's Past Tense, Future Perfect

Added part 5 of Triangles by Dreams2fly

Announcement

Well, the 2005 Solstice Challenge is over and all the candy wrappers...ummm...votes have been counted and recounted...I'm a Floridian, we do that. Alot. <.g.>

First of all, CONGRATS to Category 2 Winner Chris (All I Want For Solstice) for managing to cram 108 Candy names into the story. WOW!

Len (Fly Me To The Moon) managed to work in 100 and earns an honorable mention.

In the Best Story Category (category 1)...the voting was extremely close not only between the winner and the eventual runner-up but also between the two other stories right behind those two, both of which could have easily been runner-ups as well.

Anywho...
the WINNER of the Academy Bard Challenge is...
S. Lynne (Lee Lee's Diner).

<.APPLAUSE.>

I'm pretty sure I have written those words before....like last year. <.bg.> This makes S. Lynne's second Solstice Challenge win in a row.

Runner-up in the Best Story Category is Aurelia (Candy Is Dandy).

<.APPLAUSE.>

This, I believe, is Aurelia's first foray into Bard Challenges.
What a debut.

I would also like to give recognition to the other two bards/stories which dogged the Winner and Runner-up...BIG KUDOS to Ladyhawke (Bah Humbug) and Iro B. Hunter (A Conqueror's Carol). Very nicely done y'all.

If S. Lynne and Aurelia and Chris and Len would contact me privately, I will get your shipping info and prize preferences all sorted out. CONGRATS AGAIN.

As for the rest of y'all...
you read the stories, now go back and feed the bards. There were 17 wonderful Challenge stories...let them know you appreciated their time and efforts. Go on...shoo...

OZ (PHIL728@aol.com)

January 11th, 2006

Loved by a Stranger by Nightowl [über/alt/complete]
A woman is willing to take her life but a stranger shows up and decides to help her.

Added part 7 of Conflict of Interest (formerly known as Sausage Sizzler) by Weebod

Added part 4 of From the Manor Taken by Phair

Added part 2 of Fireweed by Mickey Minner

Added part 2 of Fast Break by Mickey Minner

January 10th, 2006

NANO #6: THE FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS by Jules Mills - [review from lunacyreviews.com]
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. 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 offers the same mixture of humor, passionate romance and heartwarming emotions that have put Jules Mills among the crthe crème de la crème of XWP fanfic talents writing today. NANO #6 gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!

January 9th, 2006

Presidio by Heruda [original/alt/complete]
Let's find out what really happened in that other life, the life which Jo from 'My West Coast Love' got a brief glimpse of.

Added part 44 of In an Age Before by PhantomBard

Added part 9 of Blood and Honor by Windstar & Zee

January 8th, 2006

An Announcement from Claudia
Well, the creeks are still rising, but we are some of the lucky ones here in Northern California. You now can check out the January issue of Khimairal Ink at http://www.bedazzledink.com/khimairal-ink/1-06issue/1-06cover. html

We have some great stories this month.

Barbara Davies is back with another wonderful Sci-fi tale. The always-creative Kam Caddell entertains us with a witty, slice-of- life play. Nann Dunne has put together a poignant story guaranteed to pull at the heartstrings and Sias Bryant has written a wonderful piece that will make you laugh and cry at the same time.

Enjoy!

Claudia Wilde

Loved by a Stranger by Nightowl [Über/alt/complete]
Summary pending...

January 7th, 2006

The Diary Part 2 by BlueMoonWriter [Über/alt/complete]
The sequel to The Diary

Added part 9 of Lissa's A Journey of Love & Life

January 6th, 2006

Added part 13 of L.M. Townend's Daughters of Artemis

Added part 5 of Storm by Kim Pritekel

January 5th, 2006

Added part 4 of Renegade by Cheyne

Request for Good Thoughts
from Ali Vali <terrali20@yahoo.com>

I could use some good thoughts for Mama. She finished her radiation today for breast cancer, but we found out today as well that she now has a tumor in her lung that's malignant. We're going to see a specialist tomorrow about having it surgically removed and we'll deal with the treatment factor after we know what we're dealing with.
She could use all the prayers people can send her way.

January 4th, 2006

2 New stories from Mickey Minner:
Fireweed by Mickey Minner [Über/alt/incomplete] - next in the Sweetwater Saga
Jesse and Jennifer are having trouble balancing the responsibilities of Jennifer's teaching position, running the ranch and the Silver Slipper and finding time for themselves and their children. Will an old friend offer a solution? In Fireweed, the women struggle with their growing family, the growing town of Sweetwater and a danger that neither of them could have ever imagined. Will their love continue to hold them together?

Fastbreak by Mickey Minner [Über/alt/incomplete]
Patricia Calvin is the coach of a women's professional basketball team looking for just the right players to take her team to a championship. Recently graduated from college, Sherry Gallagher is a player hoping to find a position with a professional team where she can begin a career in the game she loves. Neither is interested in anything more. What will happen when Coach Calvin unexpectedly asks Sherry to come to try-out camp?

Added Part 16 (Conclusion) to Hindsight by Lois Kay.

January 3rd, 2006

NANO #5: MOTION by Jules Mills [Alt] - review from lunacyreviews.com
Jules continues her exceptional NANO SERIES by continuing the story where NANO #4 GRAVITATION - NEWTON'S SECOND LAW left off. As their friend Rachel does a little quick house cleaning, Dana and Grace spend some quality time together, allowing the fierce connection between them to start healing the nanotech's body and soul. They know now, however, that neither will be safe again until they tie some loose ends from the past - loose ends that have Dana thinking about a dark part of her soul that although dormant most of the time these days remains very much a part of her. Relying on an economy of words to get their points across, Jules characters tend to reveal more in a few lines of dialogues than characters in other stories do in entire chapters. Her skillful use of dialogue create blunt, realistic exchanges that often add great charm to the characterizations while allowing her to keep a nice pace to the story even in the calmest of scenes. Jules has also done a great job updating the personalities of Xena and Gab so that Dana and Grace, although clearly following the Über archetypes, are also imbued with modern sensibilities. Simply put, this bard is a delight to read and this series continues to be among the crème de la crème in Über fanfic.

January 2nd, 2006

Playing or Watching? by Nightowl [Über/alt/complete]
What do you enjoy most? Play or watch?

January 1st, 2006

Happy New Year!

An announcement from Claudia Wilde
Hi all!
Mother Nature is flexing her muscles right now in Northern California. Our Editor, Carrie is surrounded by rising rivers, has lost power and has the computer with the ezine. This means our January issue will be delayed until January 2nd...hopefully, if the creeks don't rise...more.<g>

We have some great stories this month.

Barbara Davies is back with another wonderful Sci-fi tale. The always-creative Kam Caddell entertains us with a witty, slice-of-life play. Author Nann Dunne has put together a poignant story guaranteed to pull at the heartstrings and Sias Bryant has written a wonderful piece that will make you laugh and cry at the same time.

You can check out our past issues at: http://www. bedazzledink.com/khimairal-ink/index.html

Claudia Wilde

All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You by BlueMoonWriter [Über/alt/complete]
When a road trip doesn't go quite as planned, caution is thrown to the wind and fate takes center stage, twisting two seemingly otherwise perfectly organized lives into a knot that may remain untangled.

Added part 4 of Storm (formerly Riding Out the Storm) by Kim Pritekel

Added part 4 of To Find What Was Mine by Red Hope
Xena begins her fourth year in Chin where she teams up with Borias and faces the famous Lao Ma. Despite befriending her enemy, she is vanished from Chin and returns home to Greece with her army. Her first target is the Thrace Amazon Nation.