dorothystrangelove
Registered User

Well, it seems I ran out of Strangelove, for the time being. I hope that, between now and end of March, I won't show any signs of withdrawal.
You also sound like a pretty down-to-earth kinda woman and to be in the possession of a reasonably sized brain to go with it, so, even when you're only half as talented in organizing things as you are in writing, I'm sure those matters you have at hand will be handled smoothly.
Enough praise for now. Before you start floating off. With those reknowned British lateral winds, who knows where you might end up. I wouldn't want to miss out on what you've got up your sleeve, scribbling-wise.
In the meantime, I'll leave you be. Can't promise anything tho. :-)

You mean, you do something else besides writing? lol...
End March eh... Ah, the sweet torture of the wait.
Should you, in the meantime, find a fairly large hole in your agenda, there's a great exhibit at the London Tate about Belgian painter Antoon (Anthony) Van Dyck, who was King Charles I's personal court painter.
Should be interesting as there's many paintings from private collections displayed and at the same time you can get a whiff of the 17th century as well.

Guess who part two... (message service doesn't accept texts larger than 1500 characters)

Speaking of moods: I wasn't in one to continue reading Swifty Black's adventures. Also because the story itself seems to have some mood-swings. They could be related to the character of swifty himself, which is very rich and textured, allowing the guy to come across as very believable when going from arrogant mister know-it-all to scared kid in the blink of an eye. Make that two, or even three blinks.
Me not being in the mood could also be related to other stuff I'm reading. Just started Arthur C. Clarke's "The Last Theorem" and been lingering in John Irving's "Until I Find You" for a while now.
Plus the other stories I read on the site.
But I'll continue, what I lately have been calling "The Dorothy Strangelove Experience", regardless. Expect a review in an area near you, soon.
In the meantime, I stand in awe. Which will not last, as I will have to sit down in a minute. Wink.

Guess who...

Reply to your reply in my review of your story (this is getting complicated) of "His Mirror Image".

A man obsessed with creating his ideal woman would work for me, but maybe not for the 'general' reader in the Library. Disguising myself as that general reader, thus speaking as such, I feel there would be a problem with the sorrow part when the lead was male. The analogy with Dr. Frankenstein would be more obvious also, when trying to piece together his lost love, using another person/persona as his canvas.

For some silly reason (and this is the 'real' me talking again), the idea of a male going all fluffy doesn't seem to go down well with the full-blooded alpha males.
Bull, of course. I cry when I feel sorrow. But then again, I'm not your average full blooded alpha male. Full blooded, maybe. I'll have to check my genealogical tree for that. Alpha, sure. Male, no question. Average? Nope. Must disappoint folks on that part. Sure, I have my hormone charged macho moments, but I'm also sensitive (sensitive is a word which, since 1982, in a giddy way, reminds me of an Eddy Murphy sketch regarding Michael Jackson. Check Murphy's "Delirious: Live On Stage" to know what I mean).
Anyway, the 'general view' is all about clichés. Usually, clichés have a source of truth, otherwise they couldn't become what they are. On the other hand, people are bundles of emotions and moods. Those emotions and moods completely disregard gender, so the story would have worked both ways.

O, and another thing I just want to squeeze-in before you send in the troops to shut me up. I've been going through a couple of your stories again, and I think I've figured-out why you're able to paint such an accurate picture of a different timeframe.

I have the feeling you don't write from the 'now' and try to explain the 'then', but rather you seem to transpose yourself inside the timeframe you're writing about. That way, it's 'easier' to describe the surroundings without drowning the tale in too much detail.

Another possibility is you have a time machine, of course. Just don't get stuck off-time. It could prove difficult to get your new stories posted.

Anyway, it doesn't really matter how. The results are there to prove you do an excellent 'job'.

Cool, a dedicated woman!

I must agree that the Library is a source of many a good story. More so than I anticipated.

But as far as full-bodied stories go, meaning, not solely concentrating on the sexual aspects, there's no-one I know around here (so far) who but remotely equals you. Fact.

Though I have a vivid imagination, it's nice to encounter an author who doesn't count on the imaginative capabilities of the reader to fill in the blanks, but rather is able enough to present us with a complete picture.

So, if one day you should get published, I'll make sure to get in line at the bookstore for a copy...

Just wanted to tell you that, while you are most appreciative towards reviewers of your stories, I myself am very appreciative for your appreciation.

You obviously have, unlike a lot of the scribblers here, a real passion for writing. It shows. Both in your committed mini-novels, as in your replies.

I do sincerely hope that you'll still find a publisher. Because you deserve it. At least, the writer part in you deserves it. If I were in the publishing business, I'd put you on my "authors-next-to-get-famous" list without hesitation. Which doesn't help you one bit, of course, sadly. I'm not an expert, nor a connoisseur. Not even a critic. But I'm sure that someone with your abilities will eventually get published. No matter what.

Just wanted to say that. To keep an eventual hope alive, should you still nurture ambitions in that direction.

JJ