Saturday, December 21, 2013

My Life Until Death by Robynn Penelope Mussell

My Life Until Death is a strangely wonderful story, although it's not without its flaws. First, it could definitely benefit from the guiding touch of an editor, both to tighten up the prose and to provide a bit more flow to the overall structure. Second, even for a fictional autobiography, it does strays a bit too far into fantasy, particularly with the accidental surgery and multiple pregnancies.

Having said all that, there's a passion and an honesty to the story that can only come from someone who has lived the struggle, and that resonated with me. You can feel Robynn Penelope Mussell's pain in its pages, just as you can share her longing to be loved, and her desire to hold on until the very end. There's a wistful sort of wish-fulfillment to the entire story, and even if it does stray too far into fantasy, it's hard to deny that, at some time, we haven't shared those very same fantasies.


Friday, December 20, 2013

Freebie Fetish Friday - Get 'em while they're hot (and free)

Well, if it's Friday, then that must been it's time for Freebie Fetish Friday!

Every Friday I take the initiative to search through thew newly free titles on Amazon, and to identify those that might be of interest to trans* readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don't have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon's free reading applications, and covert it (if need be) with Calibre. I can tell you I do most of my reading on my iPad, using Kindle for iPad, and it works beautifully.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, though, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you this week's freebie reads (just click on the covers below):

Thursday, December 19, 2013

A Perfect Solution by K C Carlton

A Perfect Solution” by K C Carlton is another novelette I enjoyed. Our hero is a person grappling with both his gender identity and his sexual orientation. As a young man, supported by a first love to feel free to demonstrate his true feelings, he tries his hand at a female gender presentation and a lesbian sexuality.

With the sudden, unforeseen and unexpected end of this relationship, and after a suitable period of grieving, he eventually experiments with other lifestyles. At first a heterosexual transgender person and then a “straight” gay man, he finds pleasure in all sexualities and gender identities.

Sound confusing? It’s actually quite titillating. Along the way he finally meets up with the real love of his life, only he doesn’t know it at first as he is still mourning the loss of his first girlfriend. Eventually though, he lets go of his angst and fully embraces this new love, only to have her ripped from him under the most horrible of circumstances. Eventually though, the ship of love rights itself and sails away toward very a happy and loving conclusion.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Redemption at the Rose Saloon by Tom Tame

Though generally I prefer longer books, as a big fan of this author I purchased “Redemption at the Rose Saloon” by Tom Tame. This novelette turned out to be another success by a writer who pens books about gender transformation and forced feminization, with a little BDSM thrown in for good measure.

As the story of unfolds, a posse of very bad hombres who are up to no good ride into a strange and unfamiliar Texas town. We wonder, as they have their way with some of the lovelies at the Rose Saloon, will they live to regret their ubermacho and savage behavior? At first blush one might think so, but when the dust settles it may be quite another story.

The author captures the flavor of the Old West where a man might kill you just for looking at him the wrong way. But our protagonist learns that it can be like a breath of spring to finally free himself from all this testosterone-driven stress and wallow in some of the lovelier things that life can bring. Great read.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

UnFeminine by James .P Katus

"Unfeminine" by James P. Katus is a wonderful book that covers a variety of subjects from gender change to the ethics of transplants. John, our hero and eventually our heroine, is a real man's man. He's the kind of guy who's at the top of his game in all he attempts. He's a top notch lawyer and a former football star. He's also a bit of a chauvinist with an angry temper to boot.

Through the miracle of science his brain is transplanted into the body of his sister who has the misfortune of perishing in the same accident that renders his body unusable. This story is partially about the difficult and agonizing adjustment of a man to adopt a female gender role. However, another huge part of the story is about the ethical decision to transplant his brain to his sister's body at the expense of another person who sadly and suddenly becomes an eligible candidate.

This story is beautifully written and intricately woven as it moves to an exciting and brilliant conclusion.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Changed into a Pregnant Latina by Mindi Flyth

Changed into a Pregnant Latina by Mindi Flyth is a really cool little short story about a nasty radio "shock-jock" who more than meets his match in the form of a vitriolic fan he offends.

When the sexist and racist diatribes of a radio talk show host become too much for a female listener, a shocking and vividly graphic transformation forces a mean radio personality to live a life he disdains.

Friday, December 13, 2013

It's Frock! It's Free! It's Fantastic!

I am delighted to announce that the holiday issue of Frock Magazine is now available, and it's a great one!

Be sure to check out my regular "Frock Books" review column for a trio of books that any gurl would be delighted to find under the tree:

A Change is Better Than a Rest by Marco Biceci

The Turning by Mark Barwell

Eustacia's Secret: A Love Storyby David Bennett Laing

There's also a great piece on the Fantasia Fair, a gorgeous Frock Chick in Lauren Smith, and a Frock Doc piece on breast augmentation.

Completely free, and available digitally,  Frock Magazine is one of the finest transgender lifestyle magazines around, and one that prides itself on being coffee-table friendly (i.e. free of any erotic content, suggestive ads, etc.).


While you're at it, we're always looking for new and exciting stories and articles to share, so if you have a transgender related idea you'd like to see in Frock Magazine, or a 
story/article you'd like to share, please drop me a line (sally AT frockmagazine DOT com).


Don't just pick it up for my column, though - the magazine has a wonderful variety of articles and features, looks absolutely gorgeous, and is a wonderful read. Please hop on over to  Frock Magazine and give it a read today!

Freebie Fetish Friday - Get 'em while they're hot (and free)

Well, if it's Friday, then that must been it's time for Freebie Fetish Friday!

Every Friday I take the initiative to search through thew newly free titles on Amazon, and to identify those that might be of interest to trans* readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don't have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon's free reading applications, and covert it (if need be) with Calibre. I can tell you I do most of my reading on my iPad, using Kindle for iPad, and it works beautifully.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, though, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you this week's freebie reads (just click on the covers below):

Thursday, December 12, 2013

The Other Sex by Tiffany White

Please Note: The following review is suitable for adults only.

In contrast to the almost homophobic reluctance within the futanari genre, the gender-bending genre is delightedly open-minded. The Other Sex, billed as A Collection of Five Original Sci-Fi/Fantasy Gender Transformation Stories, is a wonderful collection that reminds me very much of that fact. Filled with stories of both magical and scientific transformations, it shares steamy sexual escapades that do not give a damn about gender.

Even though the first story is largely non-sexual, I loved the glee with which the boys and girls cast their friends into the magical gender-shifting waters. There's no fear, no shame, no uncertainty - just an unbridled passion to explore and experience the moment. The next two stories are very sci-fi, but one is superbly well-developed in its protagonist's emotional transformation into a lusty, fertile woman, and the other is just over-the-top delightful in its escalating perversions.

The fourth story was a typical haunting/possession, entertaining but nothing we haven't read before, while the last story - in which magical coconut bras change a young man into each of his customer's perfect woman - is just so much fun, I was sad to see the collection come to an end.

I must say, Tiffany White is a lovely author, and if The Other Sex is any indication of what TG World Books is publishing, then I am eager for more!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

S.A.A. Calvert Talks Gender, Sexuality, and Sussex Border Stories

A special treat for our readers this morning, as our very own Samuel sits down for a chat with the lovely S.A.A. Calvert, author of the Sussex Border Stories. If you haven't had a chance to give her a read yet, you can check out Samuel's reviews of Cold Feet and Something to Declare.


♥ How long have you been working on the Sussex Border Stories and how did they originate?

I was going through a bad patch in life, which is a commonplace for most transgendered people. I found some writings by a woman who I now count as a friend I have never met (telephone and e-mail) and decided to have a go at some writing of my own. Like Topsy, it grew, and while I had a clear story arc for 'Something to Declare' it left a large loose end that needed tying up, hence Melanie's story in 'Uniforms'. I started writing the stories in 2009, and am now working on another one, 'Sisters'.

♥ Do all the Sussex books have a common transgender theme?

Yes. They are all ways of looking at differing aspects of the whole process of transition and acceptance, as well as what is termed 'repudiation'.

♥ Of the three books that I've read so far, some of the characters are people I've already come across earlier in your novels and it's nice to see them and hear from them again. Is this pattern of recurring characters continued across the entire series?

Perhaps it is self-indulgence, but yes, they keep cropping up. What is a joy for me is the challenge of writing them from differing perspectives, as almost all of my work is in the first person. I had a little giggle at portraying Sarah as a hot rock chick (her own self-image) as well as a hard-faced blonde (Annie's view)

♥ I believe there are seven Sussex books and I've read three of them so far. How does the reader determine the order of the novels?

There are eight at the moment, with one more on the way. The books should be read in the following order, so as to make sense of the events:

Something to Declare
Uniforms
Cold Feet
Ride On
Riding Home (after the short Cold Feet at Christmas)
Cider Without Roses
Too Little Too Late
Extra Time

And, when I finish it, 'Sisters'. 'Viewpoints' is unrelated.

♥ It's obvious from your writings that you believe in the power of relationships, particularly as they can assist people through the difficult times that gender transition brings. Does this concept come from your own life experience?

Yes. There have been many, many times when the spectre of Captain Paranoia on my shoulder has been driven away by the simple fact of a friend, or an understanding family member, simply being there. I really believe that the nasty folk of this world are in a tiny minority, compared to those we can rely on, but they are far more memorable.

♥ The character of “Auntie” Alice is one of my favorites. She is an older person who changed gender roles rather late in life, something I still think about myself. I note that your main protagonists transitioned at different life stages and you seem to have a knack for describing the problems associated with transition that are inherent at various ages. Where did your expertise originate?

Alice is someone I feel for deeply. I claim no expertise in these things apart from my own experiences, but what I try and do is get inside the character. These are the issues; how would I feel? Transition for me is a later-life issue compared to others. I have friends who transitioned in their late teens and twenties, as well as others who waited until their families, their children, were grown and settled. What I have tried hard to address is as many differing experiences as I could. I don't want to write about androgynous teens who simply have to put on a skirt to become the most beautiful girl in school, and then turn out to be intersexed. It's a nice fantasy, a warm and fluffy dream, but I want to do my best to get under the skin of what happens with most of us. We have to do it, no matter what we look like, and so the best has to be made of what we have available. Alice is lucky: she has a Great Dark Man beside her.

♥ In "Ride On," the book that I am currently reading, the gender therapist appears to be rather astute and insightful. Have you had personal experiences, possibly both good and bad, with therapists during your own personal journey?

Good and bad, and by bad I mean abysmal. I have stuck with three therapists for the Sussex books, Sally, Raj and Alec, and they are all as human as I can write them. Sally Flint, the one I think you mean, is simply a woman who cares too much. The world is full of pain, and she does what she can to eliminate it. Sometimes, it breaks her.


♥ Please say a few words about the common themes that run throughout your books: music, cycling, rugby, and, of course, beer?

I am a big fan of rugby, a keen supporter of the Welsh team, of course, and what I like about Rugby Union is that it is a game for all shapes and sizes as long as basic fitness is there. It also served as a good metaphor for the 'flight into hypermasculinity' that many transwomen experience.

Cycling is something that a lot of my trans friends also indulge in, because it is a solitary pursuit in many ways. On a long climb, or on a flat road with no slope change, it is very easy to enter a zen state, where the mind examines life's worries and takes them apart, component by component. That can really help. Climbing, on the other hand, concentrates the mind on closer things, such as hitting the ground from a considerable height, and helps to keep other problems in proportion.

Beer is god's way of showing he loves us, to quote Benjamin Franklin (I think). There is evidence that beer was invented before bread, which shows that humanity sometimes gets its priorities right.

Music, though, is a higher thing. and I wonder of someone is either completely human or completely sane if they do not, even in a small way, respond to some form of it. It takes a person out of themselves and gives them a wider vision, even if only for the length of a pop song, and it crosses boundaries of culture, gender and language.

♥ You touch on the interaction of gender and sexuality. In your own life did you discover any surprises about the nature of the relationship between these two areas?

No great surprises for me, though there is a lot written about 'changing sexuality' with transition. There are in many cultures strong prejudices against homosexuality, and someone presenting as one sex would be considered gay if they admitted to an attraction. This is the obverse of the tragedy of Iran, where gay men are given surgery to 'make them women'

Transmen and transwomen are simply men and women, but their birth sex will continue to influence others' perception of their sexuality. Not a simple area.

♥ I'm told you conduct seminars on transgender issues. Please tell us about this.

Very simply, I am a member of a group that gives advice to many large bodies about trans issues, offers half-day or longer educational session, and gives support to trans people. The educational sessions include information about UK law (such as the Equality and Gender Recognition Acts) as well as advice on management issues. Above all, we deliver personal stories about our own history and allow people to meet transpersons who identify openly as such. Many say "You're the first I've ever met", to which we offer the rider "knowingly"

Some people don't engage, and some are openly hostile, but the bulk are open and understanding. We look to break down conscious and unconscious barriers.

♥ Is there anything else you wish I had asked you?

Not really. I will offer one thing: GID is clearly a very personal thing, and while it follows a number of broad and alternative paths, it is different for each sufferer. I stressed to a group yesterday that the term so often used, "lifestyle choice", is drivel. Nobody in sound mind would go this way by choice. We are, however, in a situation not of our creation, so please: just a little bit of tolerance.


Great interview! A huge thanks to S.A.A. Calvert for taking the time to stop by and answer our questions. Like I said, if you haven't had the chance to give her a read, check our Samuel's reviews above, or just dive in and get started on any of her novels - you won't regret it!

Monday, December 9, 2013

2013 Elisa Rolle Rainbow Awards Winners!

Elisa announced the 2013 winners of the Rainbow Awards yesterday. Be sure to stop by and check out all the winners, but I'd like to take a moment to showcase the short-list and winners of the Best Transgender Novel category.

First of all, there was a tie for the winning spot:

1 (tie). I Know Very Well How I Got My Name by Elliott DeLine

The night he loses his virginity, he becomes Dean. Amy Wagner names him—and she would know best. Amy knows all kinds of things that Dean doesn’t understand—things about sex, music, and the darker side of life. All Dean knows is his safe suburban home with his parents, books, and imaginary games. Until now, he’s been able to hide his true identity, even from himself. To the rest of the world, he is a teenage girl—an awkward, boyish teenage girl, but a girl nonetheless. Meeting Amy changes everything. Soon that protected world around him begins to fall apart, and he is left with no other option but to face himself and the truth. I Know Very Well How I Got My Name chronicles Dean’s clumsy progression through the American public school system. It is the 90’s and early 2000’s, in suburban Syracuse, New York—a world in which LGBTQ bullying is not yet a hot topic in schools, and there is little tolerance for outsiders of any kind. A prequel to the award-winning novel Refuse, Elliott DeLine’s second book is about the prevailing myths surrounding bullying and abuse, and the hardships of being young and transgender without a community, support, or a roadmap.

1 (tie). The Left Hand of Calvus by L.A. Witt

Former gladiator Saevius is certain fortune’s smiling on him when a Pompeiian politician buys him to be his bodyguard. But then his new master, Laurea Calvus, orders Saevius to discover the gladiator with whom his wife is having an affair. In order to do that, Saevius must return to the arena, training alongside the very men on whom he’s spying. Worse, he’s now under the command of Drusus, a notoriously cruel—and yet strangely intriguing—lanista.

But Saevius’s ruse is the least of his worries. There’s more to the affair than a wife humiliating her prominent husband, and now Saevius is part of a dangerous game between dangerous men. He isn’t the only gladiator out to expose the Lady Verina’s transgressions, and her husband wants more than just the guilty man’s name.

When Saevius learns the truth about the affair, he’s left with no choice but to betray one of his masters: one he’s come to fear, one he’s come to respect, and both of whom could have him killed without repercussion. For the first time in his life, the most dangerous place for this gladiator isn’t the arena.


As for the two runners-up, they are:

2. Roving Pack by Sassafras Lowrey

Click, a straight-edge transgender kid, is searching for hir place within a pack of newly sober gender rebels in the dilapidated punk houses of Portland, Oregon circa 2002. Ze embarks on a dizzying whirlwind of leather, sex, hormones, house parties, and protests until hir gender fluidity takes an unexpected turn and the pack is sent reeling.





3. Becoming Agie by Grigory Ryzhakov

"Becoming Agie" consists of two novellas about a M->F transsexual scientist called Agie. In "Usher Syndrome" she opens her heart to someone who would accept her for what she is. But her destiny has other plans and Agie has to fight for her love in the most challenging and unexpected way. In "Pumpkin Day" Agie tries to solve a mysterious disappearance of a giant pumpkin into a cavern beneath Slown City. Meanwhile, a lonely, well-to-do man called Jake has to choose between courage and prejudice to pursue his love interest. A lost notebook brings the two lives together. "Usher Syndrome" was adapted for stage and performed at London’s Barons Court Theatre in 2010.


Congrats to all!

Friday, December 6, 2013

Freebie Fetish Friday - Get 'em while they're hot (and free)

Well, if it's Friday, then that must been it's time for Freebie Fetish Friday!

Every Friday I take the initiative to search through thew newly free titles on Amazon, and to identify those that might be of interest to trans* readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don't have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon's free reading applications, and covert it (if need be) with Calibre. I can tell you I do most of my reading on my iPad, using Kindle for iPad, and it works beautifully.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, though, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you this week's freebie reads (just click on the covers below):