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Short Story

Jeff Baker, Boogieman In Lavender—Oscar Wilde’s Canterville Ghost. October 2025

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Oscar Wilde

And Peace Shall Come to Canterville: Oscar Wilde’s “The Canterville Ghost” by Jeff Baker For Halloween, a look at a story by the legendary Oscar Wilde. Maybe his most famous story. A tale that blends laughs, chills, wonders and a tale of redemption. It’s been adapted in various media with varying degrees of success, but there’s nothing like the original short-story. “The Canterville Ghost” was first serialized in 1887 in “The Court And Society Review” and collected in Wilde’s book “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime” a few years later. It takes the classic ghost story and turns it on its ear. … Read more

New Release: Lesbians in Space: Where No Man Has Gone Before

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Lesbians in Space anthology

Space Wizard Science Fantasy has a new lesbian sci-fi anthology out: Lesbians in Space. Peanut butter and chocolate. Cheese and wine. Sex and rock n’ roll. History is full of great pairings. Get ready for your new favorite: Lesbians and Space! Join a host of intrepid explorers heading to the outer reaches of the galaxy, exploring planets, space stations, strange new worlds and interesting aliens. Launch into stories that span the cosmos, covering Space Opera, Xenobiology, Space Stations, Adventure, and Spaceships! From spaceship mechanics to intergalactic colony queens, heists, smugglers, gods, and sentient planets, Lesbians in Space explores the galaxy … Read more

Jeff Baker: Boogieman In Lavender “Snacking With Panthers.” Oscar Wilde’s Short-Stories. April 2025

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My Well-Worn Copy Of Wilde’s Short-Stories. Snacking With Panthers; The Short-Stories Of Oscar Wilde by Jeff Baker One of my very favorite short stories is Oscar Wilde’s “The Selfish Giant,” which I read as a children’s book in about third grade. The book included most of the text and the story was definitely there. I have since re-read the original many times and it was a few years later (also in Grade School, during those blissful days when a month stretched on for half a year) that I read Wilde’s famous novella “The Canterville Ghost.” That starts off as a … Read more

C. L. Moore’s “No Woman Born.” On Beyond Cisgender X – Boogieman In Lavender

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NOTE: This occasional series was inspired in 2019 by a suggestion from A. M. Leibowitz about a reading list for High School beyond the straight, white, male paradigm. In this edition, we won’t talk about a book, but rather about one story. We’ve met C. L. (Catherine Lucille) Moore several times in this column and in this feature. Moore (1911-1987)is the science-fiction and fantasy writer for the pulps from the 30s through the 50s in an era where women writing in that field were seemingly rare or concealed; whose use of initials was not meant to hide her femininity but … Read more

“We Mostly Come Out At Night.” On Beyond Cisgender IX. – Boogieman In Lavender

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For this ninth (!!!) installment of the column’s occasional feature “On Beyond Cisgender,” we go into a recent YA anthology perfect for the Halloween Season. This feature is about books recommended for High School readers that go beyond the usual “white, male, cisgender paradigm,” an idea suggested by Amy Liebowitz, (thanks very much!) several years ago. “We Mostly Come Out At Night,” edited by Rob Costello, published by Running Press Teens, Hatchette Book Group in 2024 https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/rob-costello/we-mostly-come-out-at-night/9780762483198/ features “15 Queer Tales of Monsters, Angels and Other Creatures,” to quote the cover blurb. Stories range from variants on a classic fairy … Read more

Looking At A Few Books (Yes, Just Looking!) Jeff Baker, Boogieman In Lavender

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Looking At A Few Books (Yes, Just Looking) by Jeff Baker Not much this month. Just a glance over and recommendation of a few LGBT themed books that have come my way. And full disclosure, I have not actually read all of them, mainly the anthologies I just got in the mail. (I will post links, although I have no affiliation with the books themselves.) First off I just received series editor Charles Payseur’s “We’re Here; the Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2022,” from Neon Hemlock Press. https://www.neonhemlock.com/books This edition edited by Naomi Kanakia and released in 2023. This is the … Read more

Jeff Baker, Boogieman In Lavender. Broken Metropolis. On Beyond Cisgender VIII

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QSF Broken Metropolis; On Beyond Cisgender VII by Jeff Baker AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is the latest installment of this column’s occasional feature “On Beyond Cisgender,” recommending books written by or that feature people beyond the “Old Dead White Cis Hetero Male Literature Canon.” It was suggested by A. M. (Amy) Leibowitz who was lamenting the choices of books for High School reading. I’ve been doing this feature since October of 2018 and it is even more important in an era of censorship and book banning. So, here’s the latest installment.—-jeff Queer-themed anthologies of science fiction and fantasy, while not dominating … Read more

“Potiphee, Petey And Me”: The Last Of Tom Reamy. Jeff Baker, Boogieman In Lavender

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Jeff Baker

Potiphee, Petey and Me; The Last of Tom Reamy by Jeff Baker The final story by the late fantasy master Tom Reamy has been published. It is everything a reader could hope for. “Potiphee, Petey and Me” was written for the final volume of Harlan Ellison’s cutting edge anthology series that began in the 60s with “Dangerous Visions.” But this volume “The Last Dangerous Visions” has never been published, despite several promised release dates (including September 2024.) Now Reamy’s final story has been published in a retrospective collection and it is indeed a dangerous vision. The collection “Under The Hollywood … Read more

New Release: 3 Gods, 2 Bets, 1 Texan – Eric Alan Westfall

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3 Gods, 2 Bets, 1 Texan - Eric Alan Westfall

QSFer Eric Alan Westfall has a new eclectic MM collection out: 3 Gods, 2 Bets, 1 Texan. A pair of competitive trickster gods strut into a Texas bar…and the Dragon King gives his seventh son an unknown Caravaggio for his hundredth hatchday. What could go wrong? Find out, in… 3 Gods, 2 Bets, 1 Texan: a 2139-word tale about Loki and Coyote competing for a Greek-named ranch hand in Jake’s Bar, located in Godsawful-Lonesome, Texas. A Caravaggio Hatchday: a 6238-word tale of a more-than-life-sized painting of Alexander and Hephaestion, ah, doing the deed (guess who’s on top) in glorious color … Read more

New Release: The Tale of Kami and a Desperate Man – Odessa Silver

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The Tale of Kami and a Desperate Man - Odessa Silver

QSFer Odessa Silver has a new free gay historical fantasy duet out: The Tale of Kami and a Desperate Man. Under the moon’s gaze even the strongest of loyalties are tested. What consequences befall a lovesick fool? In the world of Yamato, humans live alongside beings of strange power: kami, who see to the world, and fickle yokai that can bless or trap even the most wary of humans. Hotaka follows the guidance of the kami Tsukuyomi, but even kami make mistakes. And Tsukuyomi’s eyes aren’t the only ones that watch that night. Will Hotaka escape with his life, like … Read more