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ci5hqTitle: The Ghost and Raymond Doyle
Author: Barbara Thomas
Pairing: B/D
Link to Story: in Unprofessional Conduct 5
http://www.palelyloitering.com/zines/unprofessionalconduct05.html
Link to Fusion Piece: trailer for The Ghost and Mrs Muir on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN6S6FwT5HM
So! ‘The Ghost and Mrs Muir’ is one of my favourite films. It’s based on a book (which I haven’t read) by Josephine Leslie/R.A. DickIn it, widowed Lucy Muir escapes the stifling care of her late husband’s family, and brings her young daughter Anna and her servant Martha to live by the sea. The estate agent tries to persuade her away from Gull Cottage, but she is drawn to it nonetheless, even after she learns that it is haunted (Lucy Muir has a lot more courage than anyone would think!). However, she soon has incontrovertible proof that Gull Cottage has a resident spirit – the soul of Captain Daniel Gregg (played by Rex Harrison) a sea captain who died due to mishap via gas heater. He wants his house to be turned into a home for retired seamen, and so he chases all prospective buyers away. However, he is soon impressed with Lucy Muir’s spirit, and they reach an understanding – and Lucy begins to ‘ghostwrite’ (not the most accurate description, but I couldn’t resist!) Daniel Gregg’s autobiography (entitled Blood and Swash).
But…as well as everything is going, there remains the thorny fact that Daniel is a ghost, Lucy Muir is a young woman, and love is only for the living…or is it?
It’s the most charming film – and The Ghost and Raymond Doyle follows the plot and premise pretty faithfully for the most part. I think as fusion stories go, the Pros characters fit well into this one. Bodie takes the seafaring Captain Gregg role, of course, and Doyle take the part of the widower, rather than the widow. He’s been living with a smothering mother and aunt – but we meet him after an illness causes him to turn his life around, so he’s now set on living the kind of life he’s always wanted to life, free of control. So he stands up to his mother and aunt – and he takes no nonsense from Captain Bodie, either. So the characters really work for me.
They have great teasing, in-character banter too ☺
“Don’t pretend to be dense, Bodie. Why did you run away from home?”
“My father and I didn’t get on.”
“Ah! And your mother – what about her?”
Bodie frowned ferociously. “You’re like a dog with a bone, d’you know that?” When Doyle’s only response was a querying lift of both eyebrows, he continued in a driven tone of voice, “My mother died when I was very little; I don’t remember much about her. My father took to the drink, and I ran wild. He and I never agreed about anything; we were too much alike, I think, and he was handy with his fists as well. Soon as I got the chance, I took off and never returned. Is that the sort of thing you want to know?”
“Yes! And I shall want more besides,” said Doyle. “It will turn the man in this book into a human being, and you’ll be surprised at the difference that will make.” He grinned unrepentantly at Bodie’s appalled expression, and added deliberately, “You must have been a horrible little boy, by the sound of all this!”
“I suppose you were a model of all the virtues!” Bodie shot back.
“Certainly,” said Doyle smugly. “With Aunt Charlotte breathing down the back of my neck, I had no other option.”
The tragedy of the whole situation is also nicely captured by Barbara Thomas – the frustration of a love that can’t be consummated – I love how they discuss how things ‘could have been’ – it really hammers home the heartbreak of their current situation.
“If you were still alive this house would not have been put up for rent, and quite probably we would never have met one another.”
The statement hung heavily in the gas-lit room…Even if his feelings were returned, what was the point? Bodie was dead – a ghost – they could not even touch one another…
Bodie was staring at him now, all amusement fled. “Don’t be daft, of course we would have met! You would still have left home and come to live in Whitecliff-on-Sea. Probably old Cowley would have talked you into taking on Laburnum Lodge, and that’s just down the road a bit. Whitecliff isn’t a big place; we would have bumped into one another sooner or later, and I have no doubt whatsoever we would have become friends. WE might even have ended up writing this book together.”
“Perhaps. But it would not have been the same, would it?”
Bodie’s gaze fell, but not before Doyle had glimpsed a flicker of something that might have been pain in its depths.
So – I think this is a nicely-written, well-handled fusion story, and I always enjoy reading it.
Nitpicks? I guess I don’t love that in this version, Doyle’s daughter is called Lucy instead of Anna for some reason. Since the female lead in ‘The Ghost and Mrs Muir’ is called Lucy, it tends to pull me out of this being a Doyle and Bodie universe. But that’s a very minor complaint.
Also, I don’t love the reason that Bodie leaves – he becomes worried that Doyle will commit suicide to be with him, and decides to leave Doyle’s life. In the film, Mrs Muir begins a relationship with a children’s book author – who highlights the impossible tension in Lucy and Daniel’s relationship. Daniel leaves (and causes Lucy to believe he has been a creation of her imagination).
I don’t think Ray and Bodie need to follow that exact pattern – actually, they have an inbuilt source of tension already – Bodie wants Ray to start seeing women and find a stepmother for Lucy, believing Doyle’s feelings for him to be harmful. The ‘believing Doyle will commit suicide’ thing seems a bit flimsy, and ‘INSERT BIG MISUNDERSTANDING HERE’ (Doyle has no intention of committing suicide). I just didn’t feel it was necessary. I think with a tweaking of the circumstances that were already there – Bodie is a ghost, they can’t be physically together, as an author Ray will be going out in the world and broadening his social circle – there would have been reason enough for Bodie to leave. And it wouldn’t even affect the final scene, where Doyle’s opening remark to the returned Bodie is absolutely PERFECT –
Bodie was standing in front of him, hands thrust into the pockets of his black jacket and smiling warmly.
“Hello, sunshine.”
Suddenly wide awake, Doyle sat up straighter in the chair. His former exhaustion had vanished, as had the construction in his chest and pain in his arm. He took a moment to note that it was a very, very long time indeed since he had felt quite so good before riveting his attention on the man in front of him.
“You bastard!”
How can you not love that?
I think I love this story even more BECAUSE it’s a fusion piece – the author has a nice balance of following the plot where it makes sense for the characters, but also deviating from it in order to better reflect how Bodie and Doyle would react to those particular circumstances. I think that’s a difficult thing to do, and that Barbara Thomasdid it so skillfully is a testament to her ability as a writer.
So, if you’ve read it, what are your thoughts? Do you think the Pros characters slot in well to the Ghost and Mrs Muir world? Do you think it followed the film too closely, or did you prefer the parts where the author deviated from the original piece? What did/didn’t you like about the story? Does it being a fusion piece enhance your appreciation of the story, or does it detract from your enjoyment of the story? Or does it matter at all, when the end result is this much fun?
Author: Barbara Thomas
Pairing: B/D
Link to Story: in Unprofessional Conduct 5
http://www.palelyloitering.com/zines/unprofessionalconduct05.html
Link to Fusion Piece: trailer for The Ghost and Mrs Muir on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN6S6FwT5HM
So! ‘The Ghost and Mrs Muir’ is one of my favourite films. It’s based on a book (which I haven’t read) by Josephine Leslie/R.A. DickIn it, widowed Lucy Muir escapes the stifling care of her late husband’s family, and brings her young daughter Anna and her servant Martha to live by the sea. The estate agent tries to persuade her away from Gull Cottage, but she is drawn to it nonetheless, even after she learns that it is haunted (Lucy Muir has a lot more courage than anyone would think!). However, she soon has incontrovertible proof that Gull Cottage has a resident spirit – the soul of Captain Daniel Gregg (played by Rex Harrison) a sea captain who died due to mishap via gas heater. He wants his house to be turned into a home for retired seamen, and so he chases all prospective buyers away. However, he is soon impressed with Lucy Muir’s spirit, and they reach an understanding – and Lucy begins to ‘ghostwrite’ (not the most accurate description, but I couldn’t resist!) Daniel Gregg’s autobiography (entitled Blood and Swash).
But…as well as everything is going, there remains the thorny fact that Daniel is a ghost, Lucy Muir is a young woman, and love is only for the living…or is it?
It’s the most charming film – and The Ghost and Raymond Doyle follows the plot and premise pretty faithfully for the most part. I think as fusion stories go, the Pros characters fit well into this one. Bodie takes the seafaring Captain Gregg role, of course, and Doyle take the part of the widower, rather than the widow. He’s been living with a smothering mother and aunt – but we meet him after an illness causes him to turn his life around, so he’s now set on living the kind of life he’s always wanted to life, free of control. So he stands up to his mother and aunt – and he takes no nonsense from Captain Bodie, either. So the characters really work for me.
They have great teasing, in-character banter too ☺
“Don’t pretend to be dense, Bodie. Why did you run away from home?”
“My father and I didn’t get on.”
“Ah! And your mother – what about her?”
Bodie frowned ferociously. “You’re like a dog with a bone, d’you know that?” When Doyle’s only response was a querying lift of both eyebrows, he continued in a driven tone of voice, “My mother died when I was very little; I don’t remember much about her. My father took to the drink, and I ran wild. He and I never agreed about anything; we were too much alike, I think, and he was handy with his fists as well. Soon as I got the chance, I took off and never returned. Is that the sort of thing you want to know?”
“Yes! And I shall want more besides,” said Doyle. “It will turn the man in this book into a human being, and you’ll be surprised at the difference that will make.” He grinned unrepentantly at Bodie’s appalled expression, and added deliberately, “You must have been a horrible little boy, by the sound of all this!”
“I suppose you were a model of all the virtues!” Bodie shot back.
“Certainly,” said Doyle smugly. “With Aunt Charlotte breathing down the back of my neck, I had no other option.”
The tragedy of the whole situation is also nicely captured by Barbara Thomas – the frustration of a love that can’t be consummated – I love how they discuss how things ‘could have been’ – it really hammers home the heartbreak of their current situation.
“If you were still alive this house would not have been put up for rent, and quite probably we would never have met one another.”
The statement hung heavily in the gas-lit room…Even if his feelings were returned, what was the point? Bodie was dead – a ghost – they could not even touch one another…
Bodie was staring at him now, all amusement fled. “Don’t be daft, of course we would have met! You would still have left home and come to live in Whitecliff-on-Sea. Probably old Cowley would have talked you into taking on Laburnum Lodge, and that’s just down the road a bit. Whitecliff isn’t a big place; we would have bumped into one another sooner or later, and I have no doubt whatsoever we would have become friends. WE might even have ended up writing this book together.”
“Perhaps. But it would not have been the same, would it?”
Bodie’s gaze fell, but not before Doyle had glimpsed a flicker of something that might have been pain in its depths.
So – I think this is a nicely-written, well-handled fusion story, and I always enjoy reading it.
Nitpicks? I guess I don’t love that in this version, Doyle’s daughter is called Lucy instead of Anna for some reason. Since the female lead in ‘The Ghost and Mrs Muir’ is called Lucy, it tends to pull me out of this being a Doyle and Bodie universe. But that’s a very minor complaint.
Also, I don’t love the reason that Bodie leaves – he becomes worried that Doyle will commit suicide to be with him, and decides to leave Doyle’s life. In the film, Mrs Muir begins a relationship with a children’s book author – who highlights the impossible tension in Lucy and Daniel’s relationship. Daniel leaves (and causes Lucy to believe he has been a creation of her imagination).
I don’t think Ray and Bodie need to follow that exact pattern – actually, they have an inbuilt source of tension already – Bodie wants Ray to start seeing women and find a stepmother for Lucy, believing Doyle’s feelings for him to be harmful. The ‘believing Doyle will commit suicide’ thing seems a bit flimsy, and ‘INSERT BIG MISUNDERSTANDING HERE’ (Doyle has no intention of committing suicide). I just didn’t feel it was necessary. I think with a tweaking of the circumstances that were already there – Bodie is a ghost, they can’t be physically together, as an author Ray will be going out in the world and broadening his social circle – there would have been reason enough for Bodie to leave. And it wouldn’t even affect the final scene, where Doyle’s opening remark to the returned Bodie is absolutely PERFECT –
Bodie was standing in front of him, hands thrust into the pockets of his black jacket and smiling warmly.
“Hello, sunshine.”
Suddenly wide awake, Doyle sat up straighter in the chair. His former exhaustion had vanished, as had the construction in his chest and pain in his arm. He took a moment to note that it was a very, very long time indeed since he had felt quite so good before riveting his attention on the man in front of him.
“You bastard!”
How can you not love that?
I think I love this story even more BECAUSE it’s a fusion piece – the author has a nice balance of following the plot where it makes sense for the characters, but also deviating from it in order to better reflect how Bodie and Doyle would react to those particular circumstances. I think that’s a difficult thing to do, and that Barbara Thomasdid it so skillfully is a testament to her ability as a writer.
So, if you’ve read it, what are your thoughts? Do you think the Pros characters slot in well to the Ghost and Mrs Muir world? Do you think it followed the film too closely, or did you prefer the parts where the author deviated from the original piece? What did/didn’t you like about the story? Does it being a fusion piece enhance your appreciation of the story, or does it detract from your enjoyment of the story? Or does it matter at all, when the end result is this much fun?
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no subject
Date: 2012-03-29 02:28 pm (UTC)Like you, I love the film and so this fusion was likely going to work for me unless the author really mucked it up. In the end, I enjoyed it, and I reread it occasionally, and I like it very much, although possibly not quite as much as you do. *g* I agree completely about the suicide misunderstanding that was unnecessary and over-the-top. I do have a little trouble accepting the premise of a passive, really rather feminized Doyle (to begin with). I mean, the film puts the female character into the position she is in, in part because she is female. Her bid for independence says a lot about her character and infuses the subsequent events. I've always admired her spirit and integrity. Putting a man into that role doesn't say the same things about his character, given the difference between the opportunities and roles of men and women at the time. I think the author did a good job trying to explain why Doyle was in that situation, but in the end, for me, he comes across in the beginning as passive and not at all Doyle-like. It's just a whole different vibe from the film and is something that I have to put aside. That niggling does get buried beneath the enjoyment of the story. *g* (And the fact that I put the story in the AU category, and thus am a lot more open-minded about the characterizations.) The fact of the matter is, I'm a sucker for the premise, so I find it a very enjoyable comfort read.
I think, though, it would be interesting to take the premise and move it into the CI5 world. Give it a harder edge; really think through some things.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-29 06:30 pm (UTC)Ha - yes, that is a bit good, isn't it? :)
I do have a little trouble accepting the premise of a passive, really rather feminized Doyle (to begin with). I mean, the film puts the female character into the position she is in, in part because she is female. Her bid for independence says a lot about her character and infuses the subsequent events. I've always admired her spirit and integrity. Putting a man into that role doesn't say the same things about his character, given the difference between the opportunities and roles of men and women at the time. I think the author did a good job trying to explain why Doyle was in that situation, but in the end, for me, he comes across in the beginning as passive and not at all Doyle-like.
That's really interesting, and I think I agree, in part at least. I was going to write that Doyle is a bit more subdued than I would imagine him to be - I just go by my feeling after reading, rather than analysis (which doesn't make for compelling argument - "Sure, you point to all this evidence. But I have A FEELING!"). But looking back, I figured the backstory, Doyle's illness, and the fact that he's still quite determined works okay to explain why he's not quite as Doyle-like as readers might want - like he's an alternate, road-less-travelled Doyle. But I like how you explain it. Putting him in the feminized role - no matter how well it's done or explained (and I do think Barbara Thomas does a good job on both scores) does create a certain 'hmm' at times. But it is quite easy to forget it and just go with the fun of the story :)
(OT: Yay for Mrs Muir love - I really loved her character in the film too!)
I think, though, it would be interesting to take the premise and move it into the CI5 world. Give it a harder edge; really think through some things.
That would be so interesting! I would LOVE to read that :)
no subject
Date: 2012-03-29 07:02 pm (UTC)Yes, and that gives me enough to just go with the flow and the charm of the story. Plus, there are still some essential Doyle-like qualities--like that "bastard" line. *g* Basically, it's a fun read.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-31 11:08 am (UTC)Have you read An Affair To Remember by Meg Lewtan? There the author just uses the 'idea' of the film, but changes the surrounding completely. It fits into the CI5 world.
I think both has its charms! Reading The Ghost... I always had the pictures of that b/w movie im my mind and I could 'see' (especially)Bodie and Doyle acting in that context(?). That was just amazing!
But I think I would have problems to see them in the High Society world of a Cary Grant and a Deborah Kerr... ;-). So it was probably a good thing that Meg Lewtan just uses this 'dramatic, big misunderstanding' premise of the movie. :-)
no subject
Date: 2012-03-29 10:42 pm (UTC)I really liked the story very much, even though it´s quite sad, even the end and though they´re together. Not because Doyle ddn´t get to say goodbye to his daughter and never saw his grandchild, but that they have to be dead in order to finally being able to "live" their love.
Except for the outburst when Bodie comes back to Ray, I can´t really see Doyle in this role. He´s so colorless, no backbone somehow....
It´s easier with Bodie, his playfullness, stubborn to leave the house to a stranger, making Doyle laugh while telling his stories!
What really irritates me in Au´s and specially in a fusion story, is the almost desperate use of character names from the series. Since it´s "The ghost and Mr. Doyle" it´s fine for the main characters to keep their names. But shouldn´t Cowley go by the name of the character in the movie?
And all the other uses of Pros characters really throws me off, because they´re from PROS, and some o the characters just can´t blend in with the fusion thingy.
So, now I´m going to read the other comments, and thank you for taking the time and making the effort of reccing this story here for our entertainment and discussing!
no subject
Date: 2012-03-31 09:29 am (UTC)It is a sad situation - but I find it really interesting at the same time, because it's so impossible. It's a really stubborn love story, because these people should never even have met, let alone fallen in love :) But absolutely, much sadder than love stories usually are.
What really irritates me in Au´s and specially in a fusion story, is the almost desperate use of character names from the series. Since it´s "The ghost and Mr. Doyle" it´s fine for the main characters to keep their names. But shouldn´t Cowley go by the name of the character in the movie?
Hmm - I can see your point, but I think it depends on the story, and how the characters fit into it, by which you can tell that I didn't mind Cowley the estate agent :) I liked how 'distasteful' he found the whole 'ghost-situation' - and I had the idea that Bodie really enjoyed messing up Cowley's attempts to sell Gull Cottage (because of the relationship between them in Pros)- which I wouldn't have thought if it had been the character from the film.
So, now I´m going to read the other comments, and thank you for taking the time and making the effort of reccing this story here for our entertainment and discussing!
Not at all - thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts! :)
no subject
Date: 2012-03-30 11:45 pm (UTC)I did enjoy the final scene - I think she did capture both of them there!
no subject
Date: 2012-03-31 09:38 am (UTC)Oh well - different strokes :) It wouldn't be very interesting if everyone liked the same things, so yay for disagreement and discussion! :)
I'm still not a big fan of AU. The Doyle in this story just didn't work for me - for many of the reasons listed by the others.
I do love AUs, and I love the idea of this story so maybe I'm more lenient about characterisation. I definitely think this isn't the Doyle you see in Pros episodes, but I found enough flashes of him that he worked for me in the story. But
I did enjoy the final scene - I think she did capture both of them there!
The final scene is a lot of fun :)
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
no subject
Date: 2012-03-31 08:41 pm (UTC)That's exactly what I love about the Pro's fandom. We all like different things, see the lads a bit differently, can accept them in different characterizations (or not! *g*) and yet we can have discussions like this one.
You did a great job on the review/rec. I hope you'll do some more!
no subject
Date: 2012-03-31 10:36 am (UTC)After that I wanted to enjoy the story, and I did! :-)
Maybe because I was in the mood for some old fashioned black and white romance?
And I love AU anyway. So I 'allow' the story to be more OOC than I would with a CI5 plot.
And the moment Doyle has made up his mind to leave his old home(after so many years... ;-)), he was very determined and brave - you can say Doyle-like. :-)
The suicide misunderstanding and the end was heartbreaking. But in a good way!
That's the kind of death story I can cope with.
It's of that kind you sit there sobbing desperately your Kindle wet, but feel better afterwards... ...;-)
Thank you for this rec! :-)
no subject
Date: 2012-04-01 01:50 pm (UTC)Yeah, if you're a fan of AU, I think it's definitely easier to give a bit more leeway to the story and characterisation :)
That's the kind of death story I can cope with.
Ha, yes - me too! Not generally a fan of death stories, so this is a nice compromise!
Thank you for this rec! :-)
Thank you for reading :)
no subject
Date: 2012-04-01 09:08 am (UTC)I liked the way our lads were slotted into the story, though I can see the film-based-story being fitted to fanon-lads rather than canon-lads in some ways. Doyle is often portrayed in historical fic as a gentleman in distressed circumstances of some kind or another, and Bodie his "rescuer" (very Mills and Boon, now that I've written it that way!), and that's what happens here... Despite that she gives Doyle a bit of spark in his dialogue with Bodie, as you say, and I get just enough of a glimpse of him to believe it is him, so that works.... Perhaps, too, it makes such sense that Bodie is the blood thirsty sea captain that Doyle had to take the part of Mrs Muir.
The suicide "misunderstanding" is pure fanon as well - a misunderstanding between the two of them that causes Bodie to run away (usually back to Africa and his mercenary career, here to the afterlife), but it's done differently enough that again it didn't just make me roll my eyes and put down the story... Interesting how that can work - what comes across as cliche from one author can be turned into something better by another... I do wonder why the author didn't go for the same plot device as the film though, for getting Bodie to leave - Ann Holly would have worked perfectly, especially as she left Doyle in canon, just as what's-his-name was discovered to be unsuitable for Mrs Muir... I can see Bodie having sympathy for them though, and deciding that he'd be best out of the way so that they can be happy together - he's compassionate about many people in Pros really, though its his other characteristics that are more loudly played.
So... I take the point that others have made, that Doyle was portrayed as much less himself than in the eps - as less of a fighter, in some ways, and perhaps too much "Mrs Muir" - but the story still works for me, and I'll no doubt re-read it again! Thanks for the prompt to re-read it this time! *g*
no subject
Date: 2012-04-01 02:12 pm (UTC)Wow - you are dedicated :) I hope you enjoyed the film! I knew about the TV series, but I've never seen it, and the story seemed to follow the film so well I just assumed it was based purely on that, and barreled ahead gleefully - because it meant I got to write about Rex Harrison, Gene Tierney, Bodie, Doyle, and black and white films all in one go!
I liked the way our lads were slotted into the story, though I can see the film-based-story being fitted to fanon-lads rather than canon-lads in some ways. Doyle is often portrayed in historical fic as a gentleman in distressed circumstances of some kind or another, and Bodie his "rescuer" (very Mills and Boon, now that I've written it that way!), and that's what happens here... Despite that she gives Doyle a bit of spark in his dialogue with Bodie, as you say, and I get just enough of a glimpse of him to believe it is him, so that works.... Perhaps, too, it makes such sense that Bodie is the blood thirsty sea captain that Doyle had to take the part of Mrs Muir.
Ha - that does sound very Mills and Boon (I am picturing one of those book covers now - the ones with the man stoically holding the swooning woman - and trying to fit it to Bodie and Doyle!). You're right though, in that the characters are more fanon than canon (though there are enough nods to canon that I can handwave it and see it as 'a' version of the lads). And that's so true, about Doyle-the-impoverished-gentleman and Bodie-the-rescuer...this does fit into the trope...though hard to see how it would be otherwise, given the plot of the film...although it would be fun if the story was about Doyle the estate agent trying to sell Bodie's house while Bodie tormented him and drove all prospective buyers out... :) The Ghost and the Estate Agent doesn't have quite the same ring to it, though, does it? :)
The suicide "misunderstanding" is pure fanon as well - a misunderstanding between the two of them that causes Bodie to run away (usually back to Africa and his mercenary career, here to the afterlife), but it's done differently enough that again it didn't just make me roll my eyes and put down the story... Interesting how that can work - what comes across as cliche from one author can be turned into something better by another... I do wonder why the author didn't go for the same plot device as the film though, for getting Bodie to leave - Ann Holly would have worked perfectly, especially as she left Doyle in canon, just as what's-his-name was discovered to be unsuitable for Mrs Muir...
Yes - I think it was handled well, for what it was, but I think the story would have been stronger without it. And yeah, I was puzzled too as to why Barbara Thomas didn't use Ann Holly - like you say, she would have worked very well in the Uncle Neddy role (that is a weird sentence to type about Ann Holly!).
So... I take the point that others have made, that Doyle was portrayed as much less himself than in the eps - as less of a fighter, in some ways, and perhaps too much "Mrs Muir" - but the story still works for me, and I'll no doubt re-read it again! Thanks for the prompt to re-read it this time! *g*
Yes - I think it's got a lot of charm, like the film, and that makes it a really nice story to re-read :) Thank you so much for commenting!
no subject
Date: 2012-04-13 03:56 pm (UTC)Actually, just sat down with the zine again, opened it, looked at the contents page and realised why. It's the final story in the zine. And one of my favourites is the first long story and there are a few others I like in it too. I think I simply end up reading the whole zine in order - or rather, trying to, and getting interrupted. There are risks to being the final story in a zine!
no subject
Date: 2012-04-15 09:03 pm (UTC)Definitely :) As I remember, it took me a while to work my way through to the story when I first got the zine! Any time I re-read, I get caught in the Kate MacLean story...so I definitely know where you're coming from! :)