The Light Shineth Upon...
A twice-monthly highlighting of a particular author who, through quality writing attention to details such as spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure and consistency of plot, deserves a larger audience. Links are provided to their stories. Visit them, partake of their efforts, and, above all, send them a message (praise or constructive criticism). Also, if you would be so kind, let them know that you found them through this feature of mine. On behalf of these authors, and of course, directly from me, I give you thanks.
7/1/02: The Light Shineth Upon...Krystoff Vagabond
Krystoff Vagabond is a relatively new presence at ASSTR and ASSD. I particularly enjoyed his story "Wednesdays and Fridays", a romantic story with the kind of ironic twist that pleased me. "Felicia: A Love Story" is a growing-old-together story I thought was quite touching. Tell him the Reverend sent you.
7/15/02: The Light Shineth Upon...Empath and Dancer
Empath and Dancer are a husband-and-wife writing team. I highly recommend Dancer's Alphabet Game. Also take a look at the semi-autobiographical Mikel and Nadine stories (you will see them noted on their website). When you send them your comments, please cc a copy to my attention also. They are sometimes slow in answering, and I will be happy to respond to readers on their behalf.
8/1/02: The Light Shineth Upon...Hammon Wry
Hammon Wry is a poet and author who has perfected the art of the flash. No, not that kind of flash, but rather Flash Fiction, as in a complete story of under 300 words. She has chosen to do flash stories based on the Featured Word of the Day. check them out, you'll be glad you did. Her poetry can be found on ASSTR, but you might have to Google for the Word of the Day features, or you can ask her nicely, and perhaps she will accommodate a request. You can contact her at HammonWry@yahoo.com. Let her know you found her through The Church of the Erotic Redemption.
8/15/02: The Light Shineth Upon...Jens
Jens Shimokitazawa writes the most amazing stories. Highly evocative and descriptive, there is a definite Oriental flavor to their writing, even though the settings are distinctively American. They are working on a number of stories at the moment, and are posting them on two sites: ASSTR and Freespeech. Go. I insist. You'll thank me later, trust me. Let them know you found them here by e-mailing them at shimokitazawa1@yahoo.com
9/1/02: The Light Shineth Upon...Ellen Hayes
Ellen Hayes is an author whose use of character is exceptional. Her major work is a long series (86 stories so far!) based on the character of Eugene Tucker, better known as Tuck. Ellen also writes f/f fiction, and I highly recommend "Kelly's Diary, Excerpt 1" and urge you all to write to her and demand Excerpt 2. Maybe the push will get her to actually write Excerpt 2.... You can contact her at ellen@barkingduck.net
9/15/02: The Light Shineth Upon...Timos111
Today's featured author is Timos111, an author who has been posting stories to ASSTR only since May, but has previously written stories under the name of Rod Stiffener (collection has been archived by Kristen Becker, according to his profile). Timos enjoys the build-up, his stories progressing through more and more suspenseful moments, until the...how can I put this?...the climax, if you will, of the story. A fine example is "The Thrill of the Chase". He can be reached at timos111@hotmail.com
10/1/02: The Light Shineth Upon...The Secret Grrl
The Secret Grrl is a new presence on ASSTR, one that certainly deserves a much wider audience. Currently, there are only two stories on her site. The first, "Vicarious Satisfaction", is a beautifully written story. It is surpassed by the second story, "Seduces Me", a Silver Clittie Nominee for September. Do yourself a favor, and visit her site. You will, I promise, be as big a fan of The Secret Grrl as I am. She can be contacted at TheSecretGrrl@hotmail.com
10/15/02: The Light Shineth Upon...Hephaestus
Hephaestus is another resident of ASSTR. I found his site when I was surfing through the "New Authors" section (which is kind of a misnomer: new authors to ASSTR do appear on this list, but so do any other authors who have added to their sites). The story I was most drawn to is "Innocence". I also have read "Her First Time", and enjoyed the story strictly from a technical standpoint. It's a story about a girl who has been unknowingly hypnotized by her boyfriend. I've never been much of a Mind-Control fan, and hypnosis of this type, to me, smacks of that kind of disbelief. If you can swallow the premise, however, I would encourage you to give it a try. It is, as m-c stories go, very well written.
11/1/02: The Light Shineth Upon...Simon
I was surfing through the ASSTR Authors index, looking at profiles, when I came across Simon. I dropped over to his website and found "Leah", a thoroughly enjoyable story. I followed that with a look at a story that completely enthralled me, a deceptive tale entitled "Wendy". Think Wendy, as in Wendy Darling, and Peter Pan (who plays a very minor role in the story), and Peter's shadow. Go. Read. You won't be sorry.
11/15/02: The Light Shineth Upon...Writer's Cramp
Grab a cuppa joe and find a comfy chair, because Writer's Cramp provides us with long and involved stories. For instance, his Family Fantasy series, in a trilogy, is over 1.2 MB of very interesting text. Enjoy, and let WC know the Reverend sent you.
12/1/02: The Light Shineth Upon...Medea
This lady is a new member of the ASSTR community. I found her while I was looking through the New Authors listings, and was attracted to her story, "Tomorrow", a first-time story that even manages to figure in an appropriate quote from "Macbeth". I also enjoyed "Consent", but a word of caution: it is a rough role-playing story. Just let Medea know you found her through the Church.