Boogieman in Lavender – Page 8

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Jeff Baker, Boogieman In Lavender; Reading Tom Reamy

June 28, 2018February 11, 2018 by Jeff Baker

Somewhere in my files is the beginning of a bad story called “Summer Job.” It’s wordy and takes an overly long time getting started. It has a small-town Kansas setting, an adolescent protagonist and an element of dark fantasy—all things that appear regularly in stories I’ve written. But I wasn’t trying to be Jeff Baker; I was trying to be Tom Reamy. I first stumbled across Tom Reamy’s short fiction in an anthology of horror stories from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The story, “Insects in Amber” grabbed me right off with its setting in an old (and … Read more

Boogieman in Lavender: Back to 1962

January 14, 2018January 13, 2018 by Jeff Baker

They Also Serve First, a nod to the fine blog “Galactic Journey,” http://galacticjourney.org/ which posts entries on sci-fi and pop culture from 55 years ago, and is where I first heard of the story in the September 1962 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. A little bit of our literary history. The September 1962 issue included the story “They Also … Read more

An Imaginary Anthology of the Imagination – Boogieman In Lavender

December 13, 2017December 12, 2017 by Jeff Baker

Just call this one an early/late Christmas idea for the LGBT writer/reader on your list. The only hitch to this is the anthology I’m talking about doesn’t exist. (At least, not yet!) I’m a big fan of the “Mammoth Books Of…” series. 500 plus page collections of fiction on various themes: Egyptian Whodunits, Comic Fantasy, Extreme Science Fiction to name a few. Also, several volumes on non-fictional subjects as … Read more

Boogieman in Lavender – Wilde Stories 2017

November 13, 2017November 12, 2017 by Jeff Baker

Yes, there’s a gay version of Ronald Reagan in here, in one of the stories of Lethe Press’ Wilde Stories. The alternate history version of the former President is only one of the surprises in the 2017 edition of the year’s best gay speculative fiction edited by Steve Berman. “Frost,” by ‘Nathan Burgoine borrows from “Frosty the Snowman” but in subtle ways (the mention of the broomstick was worth a smile!) and adds another origin story, as well as a poignant statement about the nature of magical transformations. “Where’s The Rest Of Me?” by Matthew Cheney (the aforementioned alternate Ronald … Read more

Boogieman In Lavender: How I Became a Bisexual Author – Jeff Baker

October 14, 2017October 13, 2017 by Jeff Baker

Notice that it is not “How I Became a Bisexual Author.” That part is easy. As a Bisexual, I would be a Bisexual author whether I was writing about spaceships or hog futures. Lately there’s been a lot of talk about “Bisexual erasure,” Quite often, a Bisexual who is involved with someone of the same gender will be assumed to be Gay. Likewise, a Bisexual involved with an opposite gender partner is assumed to be straight. And often the Bisexual in question will just let the assumption slide by uncorrected. (A friend of mine said he had to come out … Read more

Jeff Baker—Boogieman In Lavender

September 14, 2017September 13, 2017 by Jeff Baker

Troy, Kansas, looking northwest August 21, 2017 about 1:06p.m. Moon’s shadow approaching. (Photo by Jeff Baker) Driving to Troy, Kansas to Wait for the Moon By Jeff Baker Here is my account of traveling to see the total solar eclipse last month. (Note: All times Central Daylight.) August 21, 2017, 6:45 a.m. Wichita, Kansas: Heading out, patch of blue sky in east. Clouds otherwise. Sprinkling. 7:58 a.m.: Mild traffic. Cloudy. Tantalizing glimpse of blue sky—may be clearer up north. Saw orange sunrise. Am at truck stop outside Emporia, Kansas. About 1/3 of the way. 9:00 … Read more

My Favorite Horror Story – Jeff Baker, Boogieman In Lavender

August 13, 2017August 12, 2017 by Jeff Baker

Back in 2000, Mike Baker (no relation) and Martin Greenberg edited an anthology called “My Favorite Horror Story.” The setup was simple: several horror writers (Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, F. Paul Wilson) were asked to pick a favorite horror story and tell why they picked it. Chosen authors included Robert Bloch, Phillip K. Dick and Japanese master Edogawa Rampo. This anthology appeared before the recent big boom in LGBT-themed genre fiction, so I could select a story for the anthology (if asked, nobody has.) So, which LGBT-themed horror story would I pick as my favorite for an anthology? The story … Read more

Boogieman In Lavender: Working In The Slush Factory

July 12, 2017July 11, 2017 by Jeff Baker

This is for writers and more importantly, for those people who want to be writers. There is an inescapable reality to anyone who writes and puts their work out into the market. That part is simply; it might not sell. A lot of times, on average, it will not sell. At least not at first. Every writer deals with rejection. Usually in a form letter or e-mail, sometimes with a more personal mention of your work; maybe even encouragement (“Please let us see more of your work.”) or criticism. (“Way too wordy.”) This is all part of the writer’s life, … Read more

Boogieman In Lavender Review: Heiresses of Russ

June 13, 2017June 12, 2017 by Jeff Baker

The story was that some people had learned to read again.—-line from “The Tip of the Tongue” by Felicia Davin. That most conventional of female archetypes, the bride, figures in several of the unconventional stories in “Heiresses of Russ,” the 2016 edition of the best Lesbian speculative fiction of the year, edited by A. M. Dellamonica and Steve Berman and published by Lethe Press. Leading off is the first of several award nominees, (Nebula nominee, shortlisted for the Hugo and Tiptree awards) “Grandmother-Nai-Leylit’s Cloth of Winds,” by Rose Lemberg. A story of gender fluidity, magic and deepnames where men and … Read more

Jeff Baker: Boogieman In Lavender: “Oh, The Horror!”

May 13, 2017May 12, 2017 by Jeff Baker

Call it dread, terror, fright or the heebie-jeebies, all beings know fear. The universality of this emotion may partly explain the popularity of the genre, a popularity that stretches back way before Stephen king or Clive Barker. Even before Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” over 200 years ago. Back maybe to the days of caves and early Man huddled in groups around a fire listening to tales that thrill. LGBT readers (and viewers) are no strangers to the appeal of fear. One might immediately assume we have a special set of fears; being outed. Public stigma and discrimination from being out. The … Read more