Hi,

If you read my other Story, An Unfinished Symphony, you know that I blogged while I was posting it. The blog drew different kinds of comments than the story did and allowed me to discuss what was happening in the story without being bound by the narrative.

If you have an questions, let me know!

Jacqui is, of course, a fantasy. It mostly explores the life of a transsexual who was kind of late in coming out, and does so only because the stress of his life has driven her to the edge. Nonetheless, it is set in the real world. There's no magic, sci fi or special universe rules to make things happen.

Like almost all stories on this Big Closet and its sister sites, Jacqui requires a bit of suspension of disbelief if you want to get the most out of it. There are lots of details we could quibble about (and believe me, Karen and I quibbled a lot while writing this - that's one of its strengths), but I think the real issue is how does a reader get the most out of a niche story like this one.

Because Karen has such a great imagination, Jacqui has a strong narrative, with some surprising twists and turns. Reading it to see where the plot will take you will be rewarding. It's loaded with detail about dressing, dresses, uniforms, corsets and heels. Karen is a connoisseur of things like that and frankly, all the petticoats and tight leather make me shiver as well. So, if thats what you like, you'll not leave here disspointed.

Jacqui also has tons of interior dialogue, especially by Jacqui, so if you enjoy exploring feelings and motivations you'll be able to indulge yourself. But most importantly Jacqui is a story about coping, a story about being thrust into dark places that could intimidate and defeat you, but which are really opportunities as well if you can grasp them.

Most maid stories are about the guys who end up defeated by their challenges. They end up abjectly humiliated and living in some sort of subhuman state. Jacqui is a story about one of the fighters. Pushed to the edge, she struggles back. It's not always an easy read. How could a story of transition be an easy read? But I think it's a rewarding one. I hope you'll let me know what you think.