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Boogieman in Lavender

Jeff Baker: Boogieman in Lavender – Sleator and Selden; of Genies and Singularities

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Jeff Baker

We are out there. We are not always obvious. In the days before the 21st Century’s sometimes grudging acceptance of LGBT YA authors, such authors labored largely in the closet, their works publicly known while their orientation was not. Two authors whose works have recently crossed my desk again are William Sleator and George Selden. Both names are probably jogging a bygone memory or two. Both had at least one familiar hit; Sleator with “Interstellar Pig,” and Selden with “The Cricket in Times Square.” And both men had definite LGBT connections. I’ll start with Sleator (pronounced “Slater.”) I first encountered … Read more

Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender; “For Identification Purposes.”

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Jeff Baker

Here’s the big question in writing LGBT fiction; what makes a story “gay?” Gay characters? Gay themes? And how does an author identify a character as gay? This has, I realize, been talked about before. Two obvious ways are number one, the “coming out” story, which as a literary device has been done to death and is somewhat out of fashion right now. Number two; simply have your main character make out/hop in the sack with a same sex character. This sometimes takes the whole thing into the realm of erotica, something I don’t write very well at all. Then … Read more

Review: “Transcendent” – Boogieman In Lavender

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Transcendent

“Transcendent,” edited by K.M. Szpara, is the latest “Best Of” collection from Lethe Press. The question arises, would there be enough Transgender-related speculative fiction for a full anthology, let alone an annual series? The answer, judging from the fifteen stories assembled here, is “yes.” The stories display a surprising variety, never straying from Trans characters, (some not obvious) or themes. Transformation is an obvious recurring motif in the stories but when it occurs, it is often in subtle and startlingly different, and entertaining ways. “The Librarian’s Dilemma,” by E. Saxey, features a group “seeding” an archive, The Hairad Collection, which … Read more

Jeff Baker – Boogieman In Lavender: Queering Old Stories

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Jeff Baker

Gaying The Story Up; or “Keep It Light, Keep It Bright, Keep It Gay.”   by Jeff Baker               I’ve done it. At least I’ve tried it. Taking a story I’ve written and making it appealing to an LGBT market by inserting a gay theme or character or making a character gay. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.             There was a riff on the superhero genre I wrote about ten years ago. Couldn’t sell it, and then I saw a market for an LGBT-themed anthology. So, I tweaked the story a little, made one of the characters in the … Read more

Jeff Baker—Boogieman In Lavender

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                                         Wilde Stories 2016                                                 By Jeff Baker               Science fiction, magical realism, fantasy and plain old horror. All are on display in the 2016 edition of Wilde Stories, editor Steve Berman’s annual “best of the year” collection devoted to gay speculative fiction.             “Imaginary Boys” by Paul Magrs is one of several stories in Wilde Stories with a young adult protagonist. In this case David, raised by a single working mother, dealing with homophobia and with a visitor from Somewhere Else thrown into the mix. The story is both touching and funny with laughs coming from the least-likely … Read more

Jeff Baker—Boogieman in Lavender; “Armageddon or Not.”

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Author’s Note: I had planned to run a review in this monthly space, but recent events seemed to call for something else. The review is saved for next time, and Happy Thanksgiving!—-Jeff.                                         Armageddon or Not by Jeff Baker             I’ve been a political observer for much of my adult life, and actually a performing political satirist (think Mark Russell) for a little of it and so I think I can speak with a little authority on the recent and not entirely unjustified anxiety over the results of the recent election. We don’t know yet what the world will be … Read more

Jeff Baker–Boogieman In Lavender

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                                                                                                         Queer 101                                                    By Jeff Baker               When I was scoping out markets for LGBT-themed science-fiction/Fantasy/Horror (1) short-stories (2) about five years ago, I decided to do my research. Not just into markets but into what sort of fiction of this type had been written and was being written today. The “had been” is important; there have been complaints that today are readers who gush over “Twilight” who have never heard of “Dark Shadows.”             So here are some, not all, of the books I perused (3) while I was figuring out exactly … Read more

Jeff Baker—Boogieman In Lavender

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The View From Worldcon, or Down On The Swanwick River by Jeff Baker A stack of autographed books and a head full of memories. Those are the souvenirs from a few days at MidAmeriCon II, the World Science Fiction Convention, held in Kansas City, MO August 17 through 21, 2016. We got there Thursday the 18th in time for me to drive over to the Crown Center (the vast convention facility where the convention was being held) and see it all for myself. I had been to Bouchercon (the Mystery Writers of America Convention) in Cleveland in 2012 so I … Read more

Boogieman In Lavender: The Strange Bust of HP Lovecraft

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(I wish to thank the folks at the Gahan Wilson website for their kind permission to use the photo of the World Fantasy Award shown here.) The World Fantasy Awards were established in 1975. The award is a bust of legendary horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, designed by mordant cartoonist Gahan Wilson (himself no slouch as a writer!) For about twenty years there was no fuss, but now Lovecraft is being replaced. More than likely because of racial attitudes which cannot simply be dismissed by the fact that this was a man born in 1890 who lived until 1937. But … Read more

Jeff Baker—Boogieman In Lavender

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Jeff Baker

The Better Part of Wisdom The Better Part of Wisdom By Jeff Baker   In contrast to a lot of other science fiction writers, Ray Bradbury wrote no gay-themed science fiction, no fantasy stories with gay characters. But the author of “The Martian Chronicles” did write at least one story with openly gay characters, and while it has no elements of science fiction it is worth taking a closer look at. In “The Better Part of Wisdom,” we are introduced to Tom and Frank in their cozy apartment, one happily using the other’s lap as a pillow, when they are … Read more