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Juno News12.02.09 IN THIS ISSUE:
OUR SEQUENTIAL SUPERNATURAL SLEUTHS & THEIR EARLIEST PREDECESSORS We hope you've discovered (or re-discovered) Keira Kelly's adventures in the Blood Lines series by Maria Lima: MATTERS OF THE BLOOD, BLOOD BARGAIN, and now BLOOD KIN in the last few months. Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator, is now back in her third, just-released, book by Carole Nelson Douglas: VAMPIRE SUNRISE. Before December is out Linda Robertson's Persephone Alcmedi will return in the second book of the Circle series: HALLOWED CIRCLE. These fictional Juno heroines might all be termed "occult detectives". Traditionally occult detectives need not have extramundane talents themselves (although some do) but they are usually involved in solving mysteries involving the supernatural. Notable early examples of characters who dabbled in supernatural sleuthing include E. and H. Heron's Flaxman Low who appeared in a series of stories published in Pearson's Magazine (1898-99), Algernon Blackwood's Dr. John Silence (first appearance in 1908), and William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki, the Ghost Finder (first story published in 1910). All were male. Fictional female detectives came along much earlier. Mrs. G. in "The Female Detective" (1864) by Andrew J. Forrester Jr. is usually cited as the first woman detective in fiction, unless Mrs. Paschal in the anonymously-authored short stories collected in "The Experiences of a Lady Detective" was published in 1861 (a possibility according to some experts) rather than six months after "The Female Detective" in 1864. Even earlier, Wilkie Collins's Marian Halcombe in "The Woman in White" (1860) is seen by some as acting as a detective, although she's certainly not the protagonist of the story. Eleanor Vane in Mary Elizabeth Braddon's "Eleanor's Victory" (1863) is an amateur sleuth unraveling the mysteries of her father's death, but she winds up relying her husband and a male friend to solve the crimes. The earliest *female occult detectives* I've run across are F. Tennyson Jesse's Solange Fontaine (first story appearance in 1918) and Luna Bartendale, heroine of the novel "The Undying Monster (A Tale of the Fifth Dimension)" by Jesse Douglas Kerruish (1922). Solange Fontaine is a Frenchwoman with psychic powers-"gifted by nature with an extra spiritual sense that warned her of evil" and give insight into people she encounters. She solves mysteries intuitively rather than rationally. The stories combine romance with detection and the fantastic. F. Tennyson Jesse, one of the few women journalists to report from the front in the WWI, also wrote plays, poetry, two collections of letters, a translation from French, a history of Burma, a book of criminology, and edited and introduced six volumes in the Notable British Trials series. The "F" is for Fryniwyd and yes, she was related to Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Her father was cleric and a nephew of the poet. (More here: http://tinyurl.com/yg4p8kz and here: http://tinyurl.com/ykrvyxc.) In "The Undying Monster", Luna Bartendale, who calls herself a "supersensitive", is asked to solve the Hammand family curse, a mystery that has long gone unsolved despite attempts by famous supernaturalists. Luna is quite the detective in an action-packed plot that involves not only a family curse, but ancient burials mounds, secret rooms, the possibility of vampirism, and lycanthropy. She falls in love with Oliver, last of the Hammand line and, as love evidently erodes her psychic powers, one must suppose her career as an occult detective ends when she marries Oliver at the end of the story. There is no sequel. (The story behind the author and book is also fascinating, see: http://lovecraftismissing.com/?p=535) "The Undying Monster" is available, free, online in PDF. Other online texts of interest:
DECEMBER SNEAK PEEK From HALLOWED CIRCLE by Linda Robertson: [May differ slightly from published version] Behind me, at the dinette, Nana cleared her throat. It sounded like the mustering of grouchy thoughts in preparation of her last-ditch effort to talk me out of the Eximium. Worse, it was followed by the long inhalation that began long-winded lectures. Thinking to head that off as long as possible, I turned saying, "Find anything in the Codex about fairies yet?" I moved into the kitchen and started making another half-pot of coffee. She rasped that breath away. "No. Why do you keep asking about fairies?" "A water fairy came to me in the grove the other night." "A fairy?" Clearly surprised, she sat straighter and leaned forward. I'd successfully headed off whatever tirade she'd been prepping. "I haven't seen a fairy since the Concordat went into effect," she said. "The grove... must've been riding the ley. Was it male or female?" "Female. Blue. Her eyes were... too big." I pushed the button to start the brewing. Nana gave a small laugh and resituated in her seat to face me better. "You'd never seen one, had you?" "No." "Big or small?" I indicated with my hands. "Two feet maybe." "They can grow bigger at will, almost to full human size." She pulled out her cigarette case. "She must've spooked you since you keep asking if there's anything about them in the Codex." She put the filter of one between her lips and flicked her lighter. "She had a warning for me." The lighter's flame disappeared. She jerked the still unlit cigarette from her mouth and demanded, "A warning about what?" I strode around the counter and sat across from her. "Apparently our vampire-wizard never rescinded his bonds after the Concordat." "Did she threaten you, trying to get you to influence him to break it?" "No, nothing like that. She seemed infatuated with him and even said she was eager to be called on... it's the other three. She said they were plotting against him and she knew that I must be special to him, since he entered my circle. She fears they will act against me to get to Menessos." Nana remained silent, tapping the dinette top thinking. "That means an earth fairy, a fire fairy, and an air fairy... north, east, and south. I will give this some thought." "I increased the perimeter. Should I boost the wards to make them stronger?" "Your vampire's blood oath should keep them out. If they incur his wrath he will be less inclined to break their bonds." "He's not my vampire." Nana harumpfed. "Fine. I'll put iron horseshoes over the doors. You do have a ladder?" "You get the horseshoes, I'll do the climbing and nailing." After a moment, I asked, "What if they try to take me hostage, saying they'll free me if he severs their bonds?" She made a face. "They wouldn't take you. You're not a virgin."
WEB SITE UPDATE There are now pages for SHADOW BLADE (http://juno-books.com/shadow- blade.html) and DEMON POSSESSED (You can also now download a bookmark for VAMPIRE SUNRISE! (PDF, pretty big file.)
HAPPY HOLIDAYS: Cheers! However and whatever you celebrate this time of year, here are some hot drinks we hope will bring you cheer. Slow Cooker (Non-alcoholic) Wassail
Combine ingredients in a slow cooker [a.k.a Crock-Pot (R)]. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 2-8 hours. Float orange slices on top for garnish. Or you can heat it almost to boiling on the stove in a saucepan, then transfer to slow cooker to keep warm and serve. * * * Hot Rum Punch
Combine all ingredients except rum into slow cooker. Set on high until simmering. Reduce to low and simmer for at least an hour. Strain to remove spices. (Return to cooker to keep warm if making only two-three servings at a time.) Add rum. Serve in large mug. Garnish with additional cinnamon stick, is desired.
SUBMISSIONS With the exception of manuscripts I've asked for completed versions of, everything received as of September 16th has had a response. Quite a few submissions since then have also received responses. More should be cleared out soon. Tips:
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