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More great stories are coming in!
Here is my latest review of fifteen randomly selected Contest Stories:
A transwoman walks into a bar . . . and for once, she's mostly left alone with her own thoughts. Aylesea Malcolm's heroine, Rebecca, is a survivor who has learned the hard way that she can only rely on herself. Her internal monologue is biting, incisive, and amazingly well-written.
Jenny North delivers a completely new twist on the tale of a bad boy transformed into a sex kitten by a vengeful witch. The heroine of the tale is Zoe, a broad-shouldered transwoman with a sharp tongue, a big heart and boundless courage. Can the curse be lifted? Should it be? Great characters, dialogue and descriptions in this complex story of redemption.
Jane stood by her husband when he tossed her child out of the house for coming out as trans. Ten years later, divorced, short on cash and long on remorse, she longs to find her daughter, if only to apologize. Kristine Read's sensitive portrayal of a mother's guilt and a daughter's unresolved anger squarely addresses the difficulty of coming back from a deep betrayal.
Year after year, Clarence has resolved to bulk up and look more manly, and his best efforts never generate any results. Desperate to change his luck, he decides to try reverse psychology. He doesn't consider the possibility that the universe might have skipped out on psych 101! Terry Volkirch's dry wit provides a bit of a Douglas Adams feel to this story of unintended consequences.
Gender dysphoria isn't confined to people who look or typically act like members of the opposite sex. In Steph C's story, Mary, an older transwoman who spends days in the library writing, is a retired police sergeant. Friendly and approachable to the library staff, she hasn't forgotten any of her training — and it turns out libraries aren't always free of trouble!
A young transwoman so committed to truth that she calls herself Verity must challenge her own deep-seated assumptions and biases. Rosemary Howell's story of a feckless mother, two polar opposite fathers, and the family they tore apart is nonetheless filled with moments of courage, grace, and, finally, acceptance.
Suppose you couldn't say "no" to your dearest friends, and they couldn't say "no" to you? Even just for a night. What would they want you to do? What would you ask of them? Maeryn Lamonte spins this intriguing question into a story of friendship, love, and trust.
Marissa Lynn's fast-paced tale of time travel, body swaps and murder most foul will leave your head spinning and your heart wanting more! Despite all of the action, at its core we have the story of a transwoman with a big heart, a sharp mind, and the guts to go up against the bad guys . . . time after time.
Charlie and Ezra give a lift to a mysterious woman they see walking on the side of the road after dark. To thank them, she grants a deepest wish. But, is it Ezra's wish? Charlie's wish? Or, maybe, both? Emma (cemma2035, who, having been here first, is always "Emma Prime" to me!) provides a sweet story of magical transformation.
Many New Year's resolutions fall by the wayside— and some of them ought to. In NoName1's story, Jean resolves to purge all his female clothes. But his new girlfriend, surprisingly, pushes in a different direction. Perhaps Jean’s next New Year’s resolution will be better!
Due for a Change: A New Year’s Resolution Short Story
Sophie is a beautiful girl, newly aware of her "pretty privilege" and determined to do something good for someone less well endowed. The object of her altruism is Gio, the "shrimpy guy she studies with." Any reader of TG fiction might guess at what happens next . . . but don't allow yourself to be lulled into thinking you've taken this train before. Jennifer Sweet has a whole bunch of surprises in this well-written tale.
New Year Resolutions, Broken and Kept
In this strikingly different story, CTen wrestles with what happens to the world's child soldiers if, by some miracle, they survive. Rasa Tabula is implacable, powerful, capable of extreme violence— and yet, still, vulnerable and broken. Can she escape from the past that haunts her, or contain the violence that boils within her heart?
The "Real [effing] Outback" comes alive in Steph C's story of a transwoman, separated from her wife, cycling solo just as far from home as she can get. The sometimes bleak landscape tracks Ellie's interior journey, as she mourns a relationship that is foundering on the shoals of her transition. But there is beauty, too, and human kindness, and wise counsel.
A young transwoman is snowed in with her brother, her sister, and her brother's friend, who she had a crush on in high school. There's plenty of good feeling, but when everyone's had a few drinks, old tensions come out. Marissa Lynn's story illustrates how hard it can be to escape the patterns that formed in childhood and puberty -- but also, how worthwhile!
The government has created a "displacement machine" that it uses to overwrite the minds of enemies with those of a plugged-in field agent. But the best laid schemes o' rats and republics gang aft agley in this dystopian Melanie Brown SciFi story, and our hero finds himself in the body of a teenaged girl. Can she make her escape? And, if she does, what's to be done with her?
In case you missed them, here are links to Jill’s and my earlier blog posts about the stories that have been submitted so far:
