LTROI competition

[snaps]

Is anyone else having a go at the Quercus competition? Its only open to UK residents so I guess thats just me and Dave DD

not long to competition closure. Not treating this seriously at all. Fuckit. But would love to see what Dave produces as he is a serious FF writer.

Edited. See next post.

[fish]

You're giving me withdrawl symptoms there Snapsie. Can't wait till you produce LTROI2.

[Ian]

Very interesting.

I'm afraid I've no idea what competition you're referring to, snaps.

Besides, I'm too busy writing smut.

[DMt.]

Yaoi?

"A joking alternative acronym among fujoshi (female yaoi fans) for yaoi is Yamete, oshiri ga itai, ("Stop, my ass hurts!")."

*

I sent in a short-short piece to the Quercus comp, will be very surprised if it gets anywhere.

[snaps]

My computer (as always ) knows much better than me , and has refused to allow me to give you a direct link.

However if you type into Google, something like : Quercus, competition, Lindqvist, it should take you to the right page.

A slightly scarey vid from John. Ostensibly this comp is to promote his publication of ''Let The Old Dreams Die'' translated into English, and due for release in Septemeber.

A collection of short stories, including a controversial coda, to LTROI.

My main interest in the competition, is WINNING, just so that I can refuse on-line publication rights to the wti forum. But I would host it here.

I may finish it, may not. Got a lot on at the moment.

[snaps]

Well here's the next part.,,,,,, See Next part.

[DMt.]

Sweet, snaps; the right stuff.

*

Eli and Oskar were still in Karlstadt; they had found an empty house, it was two nights after their pact, and they were all over the papers, radio and TV. Nonetheless, they still had to go out and eat; Oskar was feeling the first real pangs of the hunger now, and Eli was, with good reason, afraid he might lose his head. They waited on a lonely lane, at a deserted bus stop; and finally, a young man came slouching by.

*

Stefan was sick of it all, sick to death of it all; his dead-end job, his so-called friends, [well, except for Erik, and Juno maybe], his parents' constant quarreling, no chance of getting his own place - and now Carolyn had dumped him, for his next-to-best mate! It was intolerable. He was 17, but he felt 170. The white powder they had all had a dab of was not going well with all that beer, it was the middle of the night, he had stormed out of the party and left his lift behind, and he was miles from home.

Also, not that he gave a damn, he was not dressed for this cold, in his skinny jeans and thin hoodie. I don't care, he thought miserably, they say it doesn't hurt...or not when you're actually going, anyway...he blew on his chilblained fingers, but the cold immediately turned the moisture into ice. Damn. A bus stop, two kids sitting there.

*

The young man spoke to them, stopped; he said, "What are you two doing out here, at this time? You want to freeze to death?" They also were wearing thin clothes, and seemed unbothered by the cold, though both, he now fuzzily registered, were very white indeed, and also very thin.

"We're looking for someone", said Eli politely, holding Oskar's hand.

"Who?", Stefan heard himself say, and the little black-haired girl looked at him now directly for the first time, saying, as the blood drained from his head, and he swayed, some part of him falling into her bottomless eyes,

"Someone who wants to die. Someone who's just really, really sick of it all, has had enough, and wants to die."

Her voice was musical, but also strangely deep; it had a calming, soothing quality, there was something..."What?", he said, "What did you say?"

The blond boy said, "Well, do you or don't you?", a little impatiently; his eyes were nearly as huge and dark as the girl's, but there was something wilder, more volatile, in them, Stefan thought. He backed away slowly. Blackeberg. The Angel of Death. Oskar Eriksson. It couldn't be, not here.

The kids were sitting up, purposefully, as he backed away, so he stopped, and said, "I thought I did, but...no. I was wrong. I really, really want to live, you know, do something with my life. And I can't do that, if I'm...in bits. Can I?"

"It doesn't have to be like that", said the boy.

"What would you like to do, exactly?", said the girl softly, as if she had known him for years; and as he forced his gaze up from the floor, to meet their detached but curious stares, he thought briefly, she could tell you to do anything, and you'd probably do it. They're so beautiful, so terrible. If he lived, he had to try to draw this, blue-black ink and wash on stark white...

"Yes, you probably would", said the boy aloud, with a sudden grin, and the girl, also smiling now, said,

"Stefan. You are luckier than you ever thought you could possibly be. Go home; walk quickly, to keep warm. Be glad."

So he did, quickly, and he was; but later he often wished, more than anything, that he had remembered to thank them.

[snaps]

Nice one Dave! Is this your entry for the Quercus competition? I hope they will get some good ones to choose from, and I hope it isnt a wti-ingratiate. There's only really Jameron from Stoke-on-Trent who I know who may qualify as UK based, unless Vasily tries some subterfuge. ''I may be Russian/ American but a little bit of England will always be deep inside me'' (snaps finger up his ass-track )

I've given my work so far to Sam to look at. I think if I let rip with it it would be about 5K words which is too much. He may be able to hammer it into 3K words. i've got enough on with a broken lawnmower and impending visit to dentist to be able to focus real good, and the deadline is just a few days away

[DMt.]

Sam?

[snaps]

Samiam. or ''Sam I am'' if you are not familiar with Dr Zeuss. A sort of guru I know. Breathes about once every 30 minutes, speaks about twice a year, if youre lucky. Has helped me kick stuff into shape before. Not an ideal beta-reader, but knows his stuff.

[DMt.]

Your own personal Yoda, respect.

[snaps]

Your own personal Yoda, respect.

Yes. Something like that. But less energetic

[fish]

And I always pictured Sam as a dynamic go-getter.

Good luck in the comp guys, break a leg.

[DMt.]

I'd love to know what level of response Quercus have had, actually, not [only] from petty personal motives but because it's a clear manifestation of the publishing industry trying to come to terms with the reality of good fanfic.

[snaps]

I'd love to know what level of response Quercus have had, actually, not [only] from petty personal motives but because it's a clear manifestation of the publishing industry trying to come to terms with the reality of good fanfic.

Are you suggesting my motives are ''petty, personal'' , as if. *tsk, tsk*

Sam's had a look at it. Basically we have two versions, a respectable Nordic Noir version which might be in with a chance, or a ''yaoi'' version just to make Quercus wonder WTF Wolfchild and associates are promoting in their name

I don't know. I came across this pic yesterday. It's Yohio and a couple of band members bedding down during a break in recording of their new promo-video session which went on from 4.00 am Sunday to 4.00 am Monday this weekend. To me it just summarised ''unconditional love'' and ''buddyness'' without regard to sexuality.

I think I was trying to capture a flavour of this in my depiction of Oskar and Eli's relationship.