Columnists
U=(N/T)M*G: Dreaming
I have a theory about the life on this planet. If there’s a brain, there’s intelligence, no matter how rudimentary. If there’s intelligence, there are dreams. Now, I don’t have clue what, say, a fish is dreaming about as it’s suspended in water, but I have noticed little twitches in my little Mycroft Betta when he’s asleep. The same twitches my zebra finches have when they’re sleeping. Same with the Cat Army. Same with my teenager. So, when I noticed this article about dreaming spiders (CW: SPIDERS), I wasn’t surprised. Terrified because spiders. Not surprised though. It did get me … Read more
Forewarned Is Forearmed—Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender
Forewarned Is Forearmed by Jeff Baker They’re after us. And since I’ve found that a lot of the LGBT community don’t keep tabs on all the right-wing hate groups and I actually do, I decided to post a little information on some of the groups we should watch out for in case you or your friends or family come across a story online or otherwise from one of these groups, a story which may sound convincing and is often presented as “news.” I have been monitoring groups like this since the early 1990s. American Family Association Founded by onetime segregationist … Read more
In Which Christopher Isherwood Signs In Twice. Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender
In Which Christopher Isherwood Signs In Twice! By Jeff Baker I treated myself to a rather pricey early birthday present last month: a signed copy of Christopher Isherwood’s novel Prater Violet. The autograph from Isherwood (1904-1988) was what I paid an extra penny or two for. But I wound up getting more than I paid for. Not one, but two autographs, as well as something of a mystery. First, a little background. Christopher Isherwood was the well-traveled, openly Gay author of (among other works) “Mr. Norris Changes Trains” which inspired “Cabaret” and “A Solitary Man” which inspired the recent movie … Read more
Gay in the 1980s: Showtime’s Pioneering “Brothers” – Boogieman in Lavender
The Nineteen-Eighties. It was literally a different era. Cable television was just catching on. Home computers were almost prohibitively expensive. “Google” was a misspelling of a Ukrainian writer. There were hardly any openly gay regular characters on T. V. Steven Carrington on “Dynasty,” and Jodie Dallas on “Soap” in the early 80s and that was about it. The intervening decades brought us “Will and Grace,” “Tales of the City” and the real and fictional versions of “Ellen.” And somehow the Waters Brothers and their friends have gotten lost in the shuffle and in the dim and musty years. In the … Read more
Sources of Inspiration: What Is Magic?
I’ve always been fascinated by magic. A tent appearing out of nowhere with a table and plates covered with food at the wave of a wand. Only to disappear again with a wave of that same wand. People transforming (or being transformed) into pigs or ornaments. Being able to transform yourself into a beam of light which streaks across the landscape from one location to another. Or hurling beams of light at people to harm or heal them. I’ve fallen in love with all of these flashy moments, trying them out (or some variation) in my own stories. Other writers … Read more
The Ghosts of E. F. Benson—Jeff baker, Boogieman in Lavender
The Ghosts of E. F. Benson by Jeff Baker In that era of over a century ago there was a surfeit of novelists, intellectuals, humorists, archaeologists. As well as writers of otherwise “serious” literary literary fiction who dabbled in ghost stories. As well as families who produced more than one notable writer. British writer E. F. Benson (Edward Frederic Benson) fit all of those descriptions. Born in 1867 to an English cleric who later became Archbishop of Canterbury, Benson is best known today for his Mapp and Lucia novels, which have been adapted for radio, movies and Masterpiece Theater. His … Read more
Sources of Inspiration: Blogging
Every year I take part in the Blogging From AZ April project. It’s always about the same characters, only I use a slightly different theme. This year it’s Character Origins. When did these characters come to me? What inspired them? One year it was Character Conflicts. What is the main conflict for the character in the plot? Another year it was Character Snippets. As with Rainbow Snippets, I posted six sentences of story involving these particular characters. Every time I participate in this project, I’m reminded of these characters. I’m reminded of the stories I’ve written. Every time I learn … Read more