Happy birthday, shadowlass!
Here's to another of my favorite writers. (She also made me my very first icon, of my lovely grey guy. Obviously, this is not her major Claim to Fame, but it is indicative of her generous spirit and is much appreciated!) Speaking as a reader to fellow readers, if you enjoy character studies which consistently display versatility and quality, you'll definitely want to explore her work. (Frankly, that's much more important information than the more pedestrian facts that it's BtVS/AtS, and when there's a pairing it's het B/S. What it is, is darn fine writing.)
I first encountered shadowlass's writing at http://allaboutspike.com, where I read the absorbing longer piece "Bag of Bones" and the haunting short sketch "Tabula Mortis." "Bag of Bones" finds Spike back from Africa, but someone isn’t happy to see him in Sunnydale again; it's an insightful mix of character study, romance, and mystery, one so clever constructed that I couldn't figure it out and yet, once you know whodunit, turns out to be exactly right. "Tabula Mortis" is a selection of character voices and emotions in the aftermath of . . . something. It is painful and poignant and perfect. These, and many more, can be found at her website, the unduly modestly titled "Small Bites," located at http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/shadowlass/index2.html. One of the longer works is the achingly effective "Scar Tissue," with Wesley, seeking redemption after the loss of Connor, encountering a Faith taken captive by Wolfram and Hart. Another I always find moving is "Settling In," which examines the impact of a post-"Chosen" Shanshued Spike from seven different POVs. This is a powerful way to explore character and plot, not a mere writerly device. You'll also find the delightful "A Very Joan and Randy Christmas," a light-hearted piece which uses the memory wipe in "Tabula Rasa" to set up a charming, funny story. These descriptions give some sense of her talent and versatility: the works indexed here range from G to NC-17, from light comedy to angst, from character study to carefully plotted longer work. There's never repetition; the only constant is the high quality of the writing and the depth of the development. Her mastery of voice and character: awesome. You simply can't go wrong with any of these. She's been gracious enough to let me spell-check some of the recent chapters of her current WIP, "Possession." (In all honesty, I can’t really call myself a beta here, since there's no way I'm qualified to give a writer of this caliber editorial advice . . . and she almost never lets a typo slip by, either, so mainly it's just a great excuse for me to get to read the newest chapters before anybody else--and I love that!) This is a very distinctive story, so one can easily follow the roughly monthly updates, but if you are simply philosophically opposed to WIPs, you'll find plenty to keep you busy among the other fascinating works I've noted above, and the many more I haven't. I could rave on and on about them . . . but since your time would be much better (and more enjoyably) spent reading them . . .
So happy birthday, shadowlass! Although I've tried here, I really can’t tell you how much I admire your writing. But thanks so much for giving it to us!
I first encountered shadowlass's writing at http://allaboutspike.com, where I read the absorbing longer piece "Bag of Bones" and the haunting short sketch "Tabula Mortis." "Bag of Bones" finds Spike back from Africa, but someone isn’t happy to see him in Sunnydale again; it's an insightful mix of character study, romance, and mystery, one so clever constructed that I couldn't figure it out and yet, once you know whodunit, turns out to be exactly right. "Tabula Mortis" is a selection of character voices and emotions in the aftermath of . . . something. It is painful and poignant and perfect. These, and many more, can be found at her website, the unduly modestly titled "Small Bites," located at http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/shadowlass/index2.html. One of the longer works is the achingly effective "Scar Tissue," with Wesley, seeking redemption after the loss of Connor, encountering a Faith taken captive by Wolfram and Hart. Another I always find moving is "Settling In," which examines the impact of a post-"Chosen" Shanshued Spike from seven different POVs. This is a powerful way to explore character and plot, not a mere writerly device. You'll also find the delightful "A Very Joan and Randy Christmas," a light-hearted piece which uses the memory wipe in "Tabula Rasa" to set up a charming, funny story. These descriptions give some sense of her talent and versatility: the works indexed here range from G to NC-17, from light comedy to angst, from character study to carefully plotted longer work. There's never repetition; the only constant is the high quality of the writing and the depth of the development. Her mastery of voice and character: awesome. You simply can't go wrong with any of these. She's been gracious enough to let me spell-check some of the recent chapters of her current WIP, "Possession." (In all honesty, I can’t really call myself a beta here, since there's no way I'm qualified to give a writer of this caliber editorial advice . . . and she almost never lets a typo slip by, either, so mainly it's just a great excuse for me to get to read the newest chapters before anybody else--and I love that!) This is a very distinctive story, so one can easily follow the roughly monthly updates, but if you are simply philosophically opposed to WIPs, you'll find plenty to keep you busy among the other fascinating works I've noted above, and the many more I haven't. I could rave on and on about them . . . but since your time would be much better (and more enjoyably) spent reading them . . .
So happy birthday, shadowlass! Although I've tried here, I really can’t tell you how much I admire your writing. But thanks so much for giving it to us!