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Message-ID: <38147asstr$1031213407@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Peaches and Cream <peachescreamreviews@yahoo.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} {REVIEW} Peaches and Cream Wrap-Up
Date: Thu,  5 Sep 2002 04:10:07 -0400
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Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories,alt.sex.stories.d
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We'd like to take a moment and do a little wrap-up of our stint as
Romance Festival reviewers. If there's anything we could leave you
with, it's that only you, the reader, can make the final decision
about the value of any story. 



CREAM:  So many stories, Peaches!  So many good stories!  I'm really
glad we did this.  If we had not done this reviewing thing, I am sure
I would have missed most of these.  This romance festival was really a
great idea.  So I guess first of all I'd like to thank the organizers,
and second of all I'd like to thank the writers--all the writers.  It
was fun.  It was exciting.  It was sexy.

PEACHES: My hat goes off to all those that organized and contributed,
as well. The Festival was such a success that it was overwhelming. But
you're right, Cream, jumping in with both feet this way forced me to
read all the stories--all seventy *new* stories. I'm glad I did. There
were loads of surprises, some very rich stories, and some extremely
sexy moments.

CREAM:  But most of all I'd like to thank you, Peaches.  It was
educational seeing you read stories, getting your opinions, your
vision.  Eye-opening sometimes.  And sexy, too.  You're a good reader.
If I were a reader looking at these reviews, I think I'd trust your
opinions more than mine.  But most of the time we didn't differ by so
very much, did we?

PEACHES: Reading the stories as a pair allowed me to see things I
might have easily missed, if not for your eyes, Cream. But all in all,
it's pretty amazing how little we disagreed. Of course we each had our
own preferences of style and story, but the great thing about this
festival is there are enough stories here, that everybody can find
something to their tastes. 

CREAM:  These stories showed a lot of variety.  A lot of originality.
A lot of really good writing. And almost every story, even if not so
well written, had something special to it.  A hot moment. A vivid
scene. A compelling character.  Only a small handful of these stories
"missed" entirely for me, and that might be as much because of my
tastes and background as anything else.

PEACHES: There were a couple for me that were misses, as well, but I
wonder if I were to reread them now if I might think differently.
Mood, background, and tastes all have to be taken into account when
any reader comments on a story. It's that diversity that makes reading
and writing a unique challenge.

CREAM:  One thing that surprised me, though, was that some of the
best-written stories were the least "romantic."    "Junk Bonds"  by
Selena Jardine and "Time Piece" by DrSpin, for example, are among the
most "professionally written" of all the stories.  And excellent
stories they were in every respect, but neither of them is likely to
give most readers a romantic glow for having read them. 

PEACHES: It goes to show you that writers will veer outside the
guidelines. But when they do, they need to do it well. With stories
like, "Junk Bonds" by Selena Jardine, "Timepiece" by Dr. Spin, and "It
Started With A Kiss" also by Dr. Spin, it's easy to forgive that lack
of romance.

CREAM:  It's not that these story are not "about" romance. It's not
even that they are completely "anti-romantic."  They just have a
relatively low "swoon factor."

     A lot of the stories were wonderfully original. For pure
provocative originality perhaps none of the stories topped Y. Lee
Coyote's "First Meeting."  I didn't give it a particularly high kiss
rating, but I urge all readers to take a look at it. It's a story that
continues to roam my mind.  I still don't think it was completely
successful, but maybe if I were handing out the kisses today, "First
Meeting" would get quite a few more. It was one of the highlights of
the festival for me.  I guess this just shows that my kisses can't be
completely trusted.  I can't even trust them myself.  A story I liked
a lot yesterday might seem flat today. A story I didn't "get"
yesterday might really excite me today.

PEACHES: Yes, Cream, I know how you feel about "First Meeting" 
you've mentioned it to me on a couple of occasions. I may not feel as
strongly as you, but I certainly see your point. There were other
creative and original stories that I liked just as well, "Love Tree"
by Musenik, "POV" by Qsilver, "The Outcrop" by Johndear, and
PleaseCain's "The Tale of Mato Tipilia."

CREAM:  Yes, Pleasecain's stories showed awesome originality. What's
more, I thought his "Amerikka A Fully Automatic Love Story" was
hilarious, probably the funniest in the festival, and I thought his
"The Tale of Mato Tipilia (Bear's Lodge)" was beautifully done and
unique. Neither one should be missed.  But if you're just going to
read one PleaseCain story, read "Song of Ourselves."  It is seriously
hot, poignant, and romantic. It's not a story anyone is likely to
forget.  Another wonderfully original story, this one about a
whirlwind marriage, is "Something Blue" by Adrian Hunter. It continues
to grow in my estimation.  I rated it four kisses before; I'd rate it
much higher now.

PEACHES: I think it's safe to say that PleaseCain was the 'belle of
the ball.' He submitted to each category and all three stories were
unique, masterfully crafted, and a joy to read.

CREAM:  So many of the stories had deliciously hot erotic moments, it
would take too long to list them all. Following the kisses isn't the
best clue.  For example, I thought  "Loving April in Summer" by
Alessia Gerini has as hot and erotic a scene as appeared anywhere in
the festival, though overall I thought the story was somewhat
deficient.  The Biff Jones story, "Ice Sweat," also got a relatively
low rating but had deeply sexual moments.  Not all the stunning images
were exactly erotic: sometimes it is a non-image that sticks with me:
consider the young lad's shriveled penis in Katie McN's "Miller's
Pond."  You don't always have to give blow-by-blow details to make a
stunning point.  My favorite image, though, is Selena Jardine's in
"Junk Bonds"--the guy's wedding ring on a chain smacking his
unfaithful wife in the forehead as he fucks her.  Did I say don't miss
that story?  Don't miss that story.  If I were picking overall
favorites it would be in my top three.  It's about romance but it's
not quite deep down romantic enough to be my very favorite.  Maybe my
favorite "prolonged" image is the goings-on under the blanket in
Celia's Batua's very short "Sunspots." It goes on my don't miss list.
The story with the most prolonged sexual intensity and the best
tease--I've got to consider  "Lingerie An Instant Messenger"  by
Father Ignatius and Selena Jardine.  The story I thought was the most
fun was Pred's over the top romance: "The White Knight." 

PEACHES: There are so many single magical moments in far too many
stories to try and remember them all. I hope that the reviews did a
fair job of pointing these out. But I do have some stories that are
now some of my romantic favorites: "Still Together" by Oosh, "Moon
Ghosts and Memory Boxes" by Desdmona, "When We're Ready" by Krystoff
Vagabond, "Summer Storm" by Mat Twassel, and "Delayed Gratification"
by Wiseguy.

CREAM:  You're right, Peaches--many excellent stories.  Of those not
mentioned by either of us yet, I'd like to especially recommend:
Construction Workers by Father Ignatius, Obsession by Desdmona, Summer
Heat by Souvie, Delayed Gratification by Wiseguy, Picnic 01 and Picnic
02 by Uther Pendragon, and Red Revenge by Frances LaGatta.  But my
favorite story of all, and without doubt:  deeply romantic, deeply
sexy, professionally written, and with unforgettable characters in an
unforgettable situation: End Game by H. Jekyll.  This one just blew me
away.

PEACHES: Without a doubt, the story that shines the brightest in this
festival is "End Game" by H. Jekyll. 10 total kisses from us, Cream,
and hopefully lots of congratulations from everyone else to H. Jekyll.

I think that just about sums it up for us, Cream. It's been fun. It's
been tedious. I wouldn't change a thing.

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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