TMcCallahan

Hello Miss Lisa, Thanks for reading and taking the time to pen a review. I very much appreciate it. This isn't one of the "canon" fairy tales, but that choice was purposeful on my part. I hope you'll consider checking back in with my blog. I've joined Andrew Q Gordon's writing group and am posting free fiction every Friday. It's a Great group of writers and authors who post everything from fantasy to young adult. As for my absence, I had a 3-book contract deal go bad (details are on my blog) and right now I'm in the process of resubmitting those novels for publication elsewhere. I've also submitted the first book of "Dust & Ash" (meaning chapters 1-15) to a publisher. If they re interested I will probably have to remove the series from GA. As soon as I know what's to become of the series I'll post word of the developments on my blog and Facebook page. Regardless of whether D&A is published by a traditional publisher or if I choose to raise funds and self-publish, the Aries will be cometed and available for sale In its entirety. Hope that answers your questions. I wish you a warm & wonderful winter holiday season. Be well ~ Tucker

Dear Timothy, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a review. Seven Ravens isn't a very well-known fairy tale, so I'm not surprised that you aren't familiar with it. That's actually one of the reasons I chose it. So many authors have taken the common fairy tales and done erotic versions that it's considered trope now. I was more interested in exploring gender constructs than erotica, so this story worked nicely. Once again, thank you for reading & reviewing. I wish you a wonderful & warm holiday season. ~ TWM

Oh Lover, if you're classified as a hoarder you should see our new place. "The House That Love Built" is home to seven bisexual artists of one kind or another. We have one room of nothing but comics and graphic novels. Had my privileges rescinded just the other day for rolling a kerosene heater in there. Flammable, you know. If we ever did have a fire we'd all perish in the towering inferno of swirling words. As for gay novels, I nominate "Like People in History" by Felice Picano (my favorite book ever) and "The Golden Boy" by James Kenneth Melson. So vivid. Kisses All - Tux

A gender-bent twist on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.

A man and his wife blessed with many acres of land produced bountiful harvests every season of grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. The gods smiled on them further, and year after year the wife gave birth to the most beautiful daughters the country-folk had ever seen. Seven in total and named for the days of the week, the daughters were sweet-natured, kind, loving, graceful, gentle, hard-working, and very fair of face. The man and his wife were not happy, however. Despite their many blessings,

I must chime in with Cia. Gay romance has gathered a following mostly due to Kindle and eBook availability - essentially the ability of a reader to read whatever they want and not have anybody else *know* what they're reading. There's a definite illicit thrill in sitting on the subway train and reading what half the people in the car with you would consider to be a "naughty book." It's a vicarious thrill and a great number of people enjoy it and pursue it. That said, the trend toward amazing LGBT literature started long before Kindle became a buzz word. The best LGBT titles I have aren't on my Kindle app - they're on my bookshelf and most of them are so old they're dog-eared.Your blog entry made me think specifically of Like People In History by Felice Picano, which is one of my stand-out faves of all time. Now, if you want to write sex and you just feel uncomfortable doing it... then I highly suggest Elizabeth Benedict's The Joy of Writing Sex: A Fiction Writer's Guide. It's by far the best of all the texts I've read, reviewed, and used over the years. Benedict was the first to draw the line between writing sex and writing pornography - two different things - and that's usually the most important lesson we learn as fiction/romance/erotica writers. Best of luck to you, CG. I hope you do continue to write. Anybody who loves it should do it. Cheers - Tux

To My Most Beautiful and Delicious Queen Iza, I'm not sure how I missed this review, but allow me to offer 1000 apologies for not responding to it. I'm very glad to hear "The Pied Piper" was one of your favorites, too. It's such an amazing story, mostly because it's one of very few Grimm's tales (I believe the actual number is less than 6) which are true or based on actual, documented events. That, for me, makes it far more interesting than most of the other fairy tales which is usually moral lessons. In my honest opinion, the only difference between science fiction and fantasy are the races and the source of your mojo. You want races based on mythology and magic then you're dealing with fantasy. If you're creating aliens and working with technology, it's science fiction. And I don't particularly care who agrees or disagrees with me, but mixing and mingling the two is a no-no. Readers don't like fairies in space any more than they like trolls who use positronic sex-bots. (Oh, the stories I could tell you about bad novel subs...) But back to my little fairy tale. I'm so glad you enjoyed Gadet, Narkykos, the storms, and the story. I had a blast writing it. So much fun. And you aren't the only person who thought it was too short. My beloved disaster twins (B & his wife) are both of the opinion that I should continue with this and follow Narkykos and his starship around the multiverse. We'll see. Thank you as always for taking the time to read and pen me a review. I'm so deeply indebted to you at this point for your kind and glowing words. You're my number one fan, milady. Be Well - Tucker

Hi Bill! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and write me a review. I really appreciate it. You're so correct. The original lesson of the "Pied Piper" fairy tale was to honor your word above all else, and Narkykos as Nature's Voice has the means to enforce that lesson above and beyond that of the original Piper. It's great to hear when the world-building is successful. In a piece this short, every word counts. I'm very glad I chose the right ones - the ones that resonated the strongest to create the finest images, at any rate. I'm certainly glad you enjoyed reading the piece. I wish you a warm and wonderful spring. Be Well - Tucker

Hey Dolores, Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave me a comment. I'm really glad you enjoyed the story. While I don't have any plans to continue "The Storm Singer," I am giving some thought to revisiting other classic fairy tales and reshaping them along the same lines. I had a ton of fun with "The Pied Piper" and this project. Be Well, Tucker

Wayne, Thank you very much for reading and reviewing "The Storm Singer." I, too, love the original story of the Pied Piper. It was my very favorite fairy tale growing up. I'm not entirely sure what it was about the image of the piper in his motley, parading through the dark town in the dead of night, gathering up their children and spiriting them away that so titillated me as a child, but something definitely struck a chord! I've tried several times over the years to rewrite the fairy tale using different conceits, but I've never been successful. This time, for this anthology, it was just suddenly right and everything clicked. You know what they say; when the muse chooses to strike, she often uses a hammer... Thanks again for your compliments and I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Have a great spring season. Be Well, Tucker

Addy! Thanks so much for reading and commenting on "The Storm Singer." I can't even tell you how humbled I'd be should you choose to use my little fairy tale as a teaching device. There is no higher praise of one's work in my opinion. And no, I didn't make the name Narkykos up... it was randomly generated for me. I started writing as a kid, and my fascination with names started in the fourth grade, when I was about 10 years old. That's when I bought my first name book, "First Names, From Abby to Zach." Since then I've gone on to collect name books and have over three hundred from all over the world, dating back to the nineteenth century. But they've become obsolete due to the proliferation of online name generators, particularly fantasy name generators. I keep a page of links for the best ones and that's where all the names in this story came from. Gadet, Pagil, and Narkykos were all randomly generated after I set specific parameters. I'm kind of fanatic about my fantasy and sci-fi names. At any rate... thanks again for reading, my apologies for the tardy reply, and I wish you a lovely spring. Be Well, Tucker

Hello Miss Lisa - I'm so glad you chose to read the story. Sometimes, I think, we get caught up in genre. When really, if a story is well crafted with a thoroughly realized plot, a vividly described world, and fully developed characters, the genre becomes moot. I'm glad the storm details translated so realistically. I have to give some credit to my current boyfriend. He's got a degree in meteorology and survived Sandy, so I was lucky enough to have a primary source for extreme weather and the devastation caused by it. Narkykos's original request for 100 souls was not because he desired any payment. He tells them in his final speech that he would've chosen the 100 best and brightest to recolonize and rebuild the planet after the Razing Storms ran their course. So the storms were always going to return. What he offered was a chance for Gadet to avoid total extinction. They chose to be greedy. Because Pagil offered himself up, Narkykos chose to spare his life. So he did save one Gadetan. But the rest of the planet he hurried past the storms to the final event. As he said, he was Nature's Voice, the final word on who lived and died. He was beyond judgment or remorse. Based on the contents of his ship alone, he travels the multiverse doing nothing but deciding which planets will live or die, prosper or perish. What was one more? Nature is neither good nor evil, but perfectly neutral. And so is Narkykos. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks again for reading and commenting. I hope you have a warm and prosperous Spring. Be well ~ Tucker

Howdy KC! Not sure if you Facebook - you probably do - but there's a webzine called "Authors Publish" that runs contests pretty regularly. Their latest one was to pitch your novel in one sentence. Now I know a lot of people looked at that like a screenwriting challenge and wrote a log or tag line, but for me, a one sentence novel pitch is exactly what you said: when you're hooked on a story and have to read more because of the very first sentence. I edit for a living, and I'm constantly harping on my authors about books that start with "It was April" or "It was 4pm" or some other weak generic line. Doesn't really matter if it's sci fi, romance, mystery, western, or paranormal. That first line should sell your story and capture your reader. So THANK YOU, dear lady, for the pat on the back. I'm glad I hit the mark with a fishhook of a first line. And that I might have inspired you to write a bit of sci-fi... well damn. That's just awesome-sauce. I love your stories and follow your blog, so bring it on! I'll be waiting to read anything you choose to produce. Thanks again for reading and commenting. I wish you a productive Spring. Be Well ~ Tucker

Cole! My new friend via Jo & Addy! Nice to see you, man. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and leave me a comment. I think one of the most important things to keep in mind when writing a short story is pacing. Getting bogged down in unnecessary details or getting involved in too many subplots or minor characters has ruined more than one short story. It's nice to hear that I struck a good balance with "The Storm Singer," especially as it's much shorter than the stories that I usually write. Thanks once again and I'll be seeing you in Gaia Town, I'm sure. Take care and Be Well. ~ Tucker

My Darling Jo - I was actually in a whimsical mood when I wrote it. The story is based on a fairy tale: "The Pied Piper." That particular tale by Grimm has historical truth and fact behind it, and I've always wanted to write my own version that was darker, but how could I possibly get darker than a mystery man who steals a village's children because they didn't pay for rat extermination fees? Answer? Destroy an entire planet, of course! And after I finished the rewrites and edits of chapter 65 for "Dust & Ash" I was so ready to get down to some serious destruction... I'm just amazed I managed to do it in less than 5,000 words. That was a bet between me and my wife, who was certain I couldn't write a complete story in under 5K words. Vengeance is mine and it is sweet. At any rate, I sincerely appreciate you reading and commenting, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the story. Be Well ~ Tucker