I've heard from a few readers who have been following my tale Forever Claire about how Claire would handle male puberty and become the woman, if you've read in the beginning, that she becomes.
I had some good advice about this, but to be honest, I wrestled with even addressing it. I want Forever Claire to maintain some the form of sweetness and innocense that I've tried to portray.
I leaned for a while into not mentioning it at all, and just leaving it to the readers' imagination. I had already made the decision not to go into the "full details" of it, all of the while knowing that my main character, Claire, doesn't have the options of Nicole, my main character in Emerging from the Cocoon.
In the end, I did feel the need to address it and hope I did so without betraying the full nature of the story.
I appreciate all of the comments about the story I've received. They've been greatly appreciated.
***A note on a few of the historical references in the story for those who aren't familiar with the American Civil War, especially the UK readers who may not be versed in U.S. history.
Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg were two Union (northern) defeats in 1862-63. By midsummer 1863, when most of the events Forever Claire take place, the prospect of the United States remaining one country seemed bleak, especially with the Confederate (Southern army) attempting its second and most serious invasion of the north.
I've mentioned two Confederate generals. Robert E. Lee was the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia and perhaps the most revered general of the war. His army opposed the Army of the Potomac (a Union, northern army), which is the army that I mentioned that Ross van Husan was an officer in.
The Sanitary Society...pays homage to the Sanitary Commission, an organization made up of prominent women who provided medical supplies and met other needs of the Union army.
I've mentioned Clara Barton. She was a famed combat nurse in the war who later founded the American Red Cross.
And I mentioned the Underground Railroad...which was a system set up to help slaves escape to freedom. It included stops along the way and citizens, white and black, who helped in the plight of slaves trying to escape.
Comments
American History
I have normally refrained from reading much Civil War History regarding the Battles because it seems like it was such a tragedy for this country. I am told that our family had people on both sides of the war.
I am very interested in non battle events then. Even some of the normal happenings seem so poignant to me. I wonder how people could bear it all.
I did read an article about the diary of a Colonial Woman which made me angry with all men for a while, and here, I was one at the time! It was a great deal of guilt to deal with. That was one of the driving factors behind my own transition.
This woman was sold by her father at about 12 years old to a man who owned a farm. Actually, her father may have been one of those endentured servants who had not worked off he and his family's freedom. One of the most heart breaking things I have ever read, narrated how her new husband sold her baby to another family. What a monsterous thing to do to a woman! It was just awful and it took me a while to get over. Perhaps it speaks to the harshness of the times.
I was talking to a young philosophy student today about women's feminisim and he is forming an opinion that men are sometimes not so mean to women, but because of their nature get abused simply because they are less agressive. We will have more discussions on the matter, I am sure.
There is another author here who wrote a story about the use of Equine Estrogens to feminize children. Factual or not, the story was compelling to me. Of course, the Catholic church castrated young boys for the chior, but I do not know the time period.
Itinerant writes some wonderful fiction set in pre Common Era time. I am very taken by some of the characters in that story.
I love your writing.
Many Blessings
Gwendolyn