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I'm just getting over the flu and missed a whole week of work. I think I have a bit of lung material left. Can't wait to get back to work and have everyone be angry with me. Whoopee! But alas, all this mucus production has turned my thoughts to this site.
Again, thank you for all the nice letters proclaiming your support of this site. It really does mean a lot to me :) It saddens me to then have to say that I've been disinterested, preoccupied, [fill in the blank]. I'm not quite ready to pack it in yet, but I have been thinking about retirement. I wouldn't shut the site down, however. And I'd make sure everything submitted was up before leaving. Anyway, it must be pretty obvious that I'm losing interest. I wish it wasn't happening, but it is. Just thinking out loud... In any case, I'm starting the next batch of updates based on the 'author interviews' that I received. My email program crashed a coupla weeks ago and it garbled a bunch of my messages. And I still have the email worm problem (%@%$!*$). I'm going to post a list of people from whom I received interviews from, and if you sent one and don't see your name...you know the routine. But I'm also determined to finish a major update to my glossary, so, that's taking precedence at the moment. There won't be a story update here for at least a month. Most likely longer :/ I'll definitely try to have one up before Christmas holidays. I'm also trying to get access to a scanner. I have so many Xena pics that I wanna add it's driving me nuts! BETA-READERS Oooo! Here I am blathering about thoughts of quitting and more wonderful people have offered up their beta-ing services!! Three cheers for BrokenQuill and Atrophy! Check it out. SITES Sad to see that FanFiction.Net has removed all NC-17 stories from their database; especially considering a kind of semi-independent Xena fan fic world had developed there. Not that I can claim to be familiar with the stuff. It was too haphazard and 'G' rated for my liking. And rumour has it that the quality of the work on that site isn't as impressive as the quantity. Still, seeing yet another easily accessible and consistently updated portal to fanfic go all safe and 'suitable for kids' is rather depressing. As a result I'm moving their banner off of my main page over to the link page. Kinda silly for an adult site to so prominently endorse a sanitized site. On a high note, a new Xena index has been established and it looks great. Check out The Mammoth Index of Xena: Warrior Princess Fan Sites. Got a kind letter from Mswami, who is the new keeper of XENADOM and the XenaBondage list. Apparently kpuppy handed over the mantle after having some troubles with their server. The list is still active, and the stories that were listed on the site are being added to The SinTrade Inn as Dark Angel gets permission from authors (SinTrade Inn is back up, incidentally :). As for the future of XENADOM itself... I'm slowing updating the link section. BARDCON 2003 Bardcon is back and it's finally on the west coast! Here's the official word from Joseph Connell: "Bardcon.org will be holding it's second annual convention in Las Vegas May 24-25, Memorial Day weekend 2003. After the first meetings' success in April 2002 held in Chicago, fan fiction writers and readers were asking if the hosts would do it again the following year…even before the current event ended. With so many requests, Bardcon organizers immediately went to work on year number two. Started by three Xena fan fiction bards in 2001 – Joseph Connell, Heartbrkn Bard and CN Winters – Bardcon.org provided two days of topics and conversations for panelist in an assortment of various fan fiction genres. Everything from Buffy to Silence of the Lamb's fan fiction was examined. The event is a celebration of writing (and reading), which encourages audience participation. Bardcon.org also plans to host the event in different cities each year so a single US location doesn't lay 'claim' to it. 2002 the Midwest held the event. This year the West will have the honor. Future events will be hosted for the Southern and East Coast fans. Everyone regardless of location however is invited to attend. In fact 2002 saw visitors traveling from all over the US and abroad from Canada. For more information on this years' events, learn about last years program visitors, or participate in our Banner Exchange, please check out www.bardcon.org for details. Hope to see you in Las Vegas!"
WHY THIS SITE NEVER GETS UPDATED Oh, and just to prove how incredibly single-minded and focussed I really am, I was diddling around with the betareader links and filled out a 'Why Will You Go To Hell Quiz'. Worth it, even with the resulting pop-ups. Thanks Christine :) Not for the easily offended. Hah! As if there are any of those types hanging around this pit of filth.
 Why Will You Go To Hell? brought to you by Quizilla
NEW INTERVIEWS Interview questionnaires were just sent off to all the new authors who have submitted works to the site. If you are new to the archive, have submitted a story, and have yet to receive a questionnaire, please send me an email and I'll get a copy to you. I'm sure I missed a couple of people. AUTHORS I CAN'T REACH There are a number of authors for whom I do not have a working email address. If you see your name/handle here, please contact me :)
I hope all you fellow Canadians had a nice Canada day. I spent the day in true Canadian fashion watching American television and vegging out on the couch. Oh, and editing fan fic ;) And happy Independence Day to all you yanks. What better way to celebrate our collective freedoms than with some smut? Works for me! Okay, here's the whole long-winded shebang... E-MAIL WORM That virus I was worried about turned out to be an email worm. I've tried using a program to get rid of it but crap keeps getting sent out from my address and I keep receiving more too. I've downloaded a trial version of Norton Anti-virus and it seems to have stopped the onslaught. But once the trial runs out (I'm broke), I dunno... I might be changing my email (grrrr). In the meantime, be careful with any mail from Ashera@asherasarchive.com with attachments. Not that I ever opened any executable file from an email, so how the worm got into my system is beyond me. I really don't understand how worms work. I apologize to anyone who is unlucky enough to catch it from me. Ilene sent me a url (apparently listed on Mary D's) that has a program which deletes the files that the worm sends. Unfortunately, for me it hasn't managed to root out the origin of the problem. You can find the program here. You can also get more info here. To top things off, some loser spammer joined the asherasarchive mailing list in order to post some credit card garbage. Grrr. I banned joesmtihsa@yahoo.co.uk, but I'm sure this kinda crap will only continue. I hope there is a Hell cause stupid fuckin' losers who make and send out viruses, worms and spam will have their own special wing. 'Scuse my french. LOST SITES JOXEROTICA: Their server went bankrupt and the files may not be retrievable. Also, sockii had lost interest in the fandom long ago and the maintenance of the site hadn't been in her hands. Status: Questionable XENADOM: Nope, I don't know what happened. I was told they were taking a break. That's what Klancy7 passed along. Whether they're coming back or not I don't know. I don't have a current email addy for kpuppy. And no I don't know how you can find any of the stuff that was up there. Sorry :( Status: Unknown VIRTUAL PLETHORA: Anyone know what happened to Loginasme? I hope this site isn't gone. It was a great resource. Status: Unknown HERCULES ULTIMATE GUIDE: Ditto. Hopefully XOR will revive their old section. I haven't updated the links yet. Removing all of these disappearing sites just depresses me. JULY IS BARD APPRECIATION MONTH Stephanie Soloman over at The Royal Academy of Bards has announced that they've made July "Bard Appreciation Month." Send out as much feedback (and you really should make it useful feedback - not just, 'your story is cool'), and if you come out with the most feedback sent you'll receive a gift from the Academy. Here's the official blurb: "With lots of people noticing and talking about how feedback to the writers is down, we here at the Academy decided to do something about it! We are declaring July as "Feed the Bards" month. What we would like for you, the readers, to do is every time you send a note to a bard, cc or bcc us at feedthebards@yahoogroups.com. On July 31st, send us a tally of how many bards you took a minute to thank and whoever has the highest number will get a token of our appreciation from the Academy." 
Check out their site for more info. Now more than ever we need to reward the bards who have expanded our interest in, and enjoyment of, the shows we love - and who are keeping the Xena fandom going strong. BETA READERS PAGE I was just about to take the Beta Readers page down, as it looked like no one was going to ever offer to be listed, but someone has finally been great enough to volunteer. Maybe if I update more regularly more people will start using it. Hopefully. There are other great beta lists, but they tend to be garnered toward one type of fan fic or another. I'm sure people would appreciate a list with people who have various tastes. Or maybe I should take the Academy's lead and run a contest for prizes. I've got some Xena merch I could spare... Hmmm UPDATE I know, I know. So much for 'tomorrow.' Why anyone would trust any promise I made is beyond me anyway. I just got a new job (FINALLY!!) and a new roommate (who's a bigger slob than me - and I didn't think that was humanly possible) - and I'm painting the entranceway (I'm never painting again until I own). And I've got an inner ear problem. Ever had vertigo? Wouldn't wish it on anyone. My life is chaos. I burnt three things while working on the update today. Enough whining... There are fan fiction, resource and media updates today. 38 new fan fiction stories have been added into the archive and 76 new photos are up in the gallery. I've updated the character page and it is now current up to 'The Abyss.' There are also new author interviews on the new authors page. And again, this update would have been impossible without the work and patience of Sara and Ilene. Oh, and thanks to everyone who continues to send submissions and letters of support despite the fact that I suck ;) This site isn't going anywhere. Matter of fact, I'm helping a friend build an affiliate site, so the fire has been re-lit under my butt. I hope it stays there for a good while longer. Battle on! ;) And I'm now going to occasionally post unedited submissions (if they're one file, the pairing is easy to ascertain & the file doesn't contain info the author wishes to remain private) to the files area of the asherasarchive mainling list. Just a way to circumvent my accursed tardiness. Oh, and if anyone cares, I've updated my Xena Trading Card page.
There are 38 stories new to the archive, a mix of f/f, m/m and m/f.
A Journey of Love (59 K)
Ardent Warrior...Passionate Bard...Jealous Queen (50 K)
The Stoic Warrior (71 K)
The Courtly Butch Meets the Lady Aria (10 K)
Come To My Window (12 K)
Aria's Dream (8 K)
Emergence (23 K)
Surrender (39 K)
Is That Cash Or Charge? (54 K)
Only One Chance (37 K)
Pillow Talk (17 K)
The Look of Love (40 K)
My Favourite Mistake (37 K)
Accidents Will Happen (64 K)
Heat of the Night (49 K)
In The Clear Light of a New Day (85 K)
Frustration Break (80 K)
Bodyrock(50 K)
Camping With Xena (23 K)
The Aphrodite Factor - Part One (63 K)
The Aphrodite Factor - Part Two (63 K)
A Dark Day (23 K)
Puzzle Pieces (38 K)
'Twas the Night Before Solstice (147 K)
The Graduate (102 K)
Home Movies (17 K)
The Great Mount Olympus Ambrosia Contest of 1999 (76 K)
A Twist of Fate (152 K)
Forced Affair (9 K)
One Night Long Ago (10 K)
Nocturne (35 K)
Some Enchanted Evening (8 K)
Leather After Dark (30 K)
Betrayals (25 K)
Slayers in Xena-Land (87 K)
Three In A Bed (17 K)
War vs. Lust (10 K)
With Friends Like These... (31 K)
STORY UPDATE I don't have enough time to make a full update tonight, but 38 new stories can be found on the Title page. I'll finish the update tomorrow or Wednesday. I also made a photo update to the Gallery in June. And I've made the Character List current up to 'The Abyss.'
WARNING: VIRUS ALERT! I had a virus sent to me thru email. I didn't open it and my computer seems okay. But I got an email from Heartbrkn asking me what the zip file was that I'd sent her, and I haven't sent anything to her. I've been getting a rash of spam lately, including stuff that seems directed specifically at me. Do not open any attachments from emails with my address (Ashera@asherasarchive.com). And if you do receive something, can you please tell me. I don't send attachments (except to Ilene and Sara occasionally). I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm going to check into it. The spam and the virus seem to be two separate incidents, but I've just been getting weird email lately and I feel like I'm being targeted. Be careful. Oh, and please don't send me any attachments except story submissions. Thanks. I'm just finishing up a big update. Was hoping to get it up today, but I thought that I ought to post this message right away. I'll have the story/media update done by tomorrow probably.
LIFE GOES ON: Well, rather than trying to write something which will ultimately be inadequate - and unnecessary, considering the amount of tributes already out there - my small tribute to Kevin Smith is a special section in the gallery that displays every picture of Kevin that I have. I will also continue with a design for a shirt, the proceeds of which will go towards the foundation made in his name. UPDATES: Just a media update for now. 30 new photos are up in the gallery. New stories and new author interviews are almost ready to go.
KEVIN SMITH FOUNDATION: Okay, so there is a foundation being set up by Kevin's agent Robert Bruce, Lucy Lawless, Michael Hurst, and involving Kevin's family. I will be making an Ares shirt and the proceeds will go to the foundation once it is established. The site URL is http://www.kevinsmithfoundation.info
KEVIN SMITH DIES AT 38:
Jamie sent along a suggestion that I make some kind of tribute. I was thinking about doing something, but it's all a bit too surreal for me right now. Jules suggested an Ares shirt. Anybody know his favorite charity? If you want the official story so far, check out The New Zealand Herald. What a horrible and pointless loss. Goodbye, Kev. We'll miss you.
NON-ENGLISH SITES: I've been meaning to add non-English fan fiction sites to the links page for ages, but have finally started. If anyone knows of Xena or Hercules fan fiction sites that include at least PG rated stories in any language (other than English of course) please send the URLs to me. And a description of the kind of fan fic they carry would be nice too, if possible. Thanks :)
SEND IN YOUR INTERVIEWS: I know this is unbelievable coming from me, but I'm actually waiting on other people right now. I've been editing stories with Ilene's help and now just need some of the new author interviews in order to finish an update. First off, because of the confusion with email service over the holidays some questionnaires were probably lost moving one way or the other. I apologize for any inconvenience to authors who might have filled out their questionnaires only to have them be lost. Still, if you want your stories to get in with the next update, be sure to send in your completed interview - whether or not you've sent it in before. Or confirm with Sara as to whether she has your completed questionnaire or not. Remember, all authors new to the archive have the option to be interviewed, so even if you've just recently sent in a submission (and I haven't forwarded your name to Sara yet), you can request a copy of the interview questions from Sara. However, if you wish to decline the interview, please send me an email. Thanks. ANY LEXX FANS? I've become hooked on the weird science fiction series Lexx (which is part Canadian - yay for us;), and I'm tired of trying to stay on top of all the different times the show is on here (as well as all the different seasons they have airing). Anybody have good quality episodes on tape and willing to make copies for me? I'm sure there's something I can trade for them. I've got a bunch of Lucy and Renee interviews...a spare 4/5 series card set...maybe some photos? And I could supply the videotapes and S&H. Anyone?
MORE PICS: Added another 31 photos into the gallery. I was going to post pics from the two 2002 calendars as well, but the watermarking on them is really bad. I'll try scanning them with different settings another time. Still lots of regular pics to come. Thanks to Angie for help with the scanning! OTHER POOP: Working on a story update, and almost finished tweaking additions to the glossary.
NEW PICS: I've added over 50 new photos into the gallery, including the FIN folio. I've also implemented the new organization of that section, but I'm not finished with the design. I also still haven't finished scanning all of my pics (plus, some of my scans were gimbaled), and I'm probably going to be bad and order some of the new season folios, so, more to come as always.... BTW, I loaded up a whole lot of pictures, so if you find anything wrong, please send me an e-mail. Thanks. ANGIE: I was over at a Kinko's somewhere in Vancouver and while there was lucky enough to stumble across a Xena wallpaper made by one of the staff. Angie, whoever you are, you make damn good wallpaper :) Now, can you get me a discount? *jk* Xenites are everywhere!
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? Well, I did want to just pop in to post a quick 'seasons greetings' message Saturday night Dec 22nd, but discovered that the site was gone. Merry Christmas indeed. I didn't panic too much because I have the site backed up and I believed that my host backed things up as well (which they did), but it was more than a little disappointing. Anyway, after a few inquiries I found out that it was a matter of money and a misunderstanding. Servers have no loyalty, I tell ya. Hopefully this won't happen again, but with the Net, it's anyone's guess.... In any case, the quest for a new job has taken on a new urgency ;) Which is why my front page (www.asherasarchive.com) will soon lead to different areas on this domain, include work related stuff for me. So...the new 'official' entrance for this site is going to be http://www.asherasarchive.com/warning.html in a coupla days. It's up now, so if anyone wants to change their bookmarks or links ahead of the switch it might be a good idea. LOST E-MAIL: Related to the site going down, I lost a bunch of e-mail (including stuff I mailed out). I was hoping that the server would have been saving emails during the down time, but apparently they weren't (generous bastards). I don't know exactly when the server put my domain on hold, so I unfortunately cannot give an exact timeframe as to when mail was lost. It looks like I stopped getting it around Dec 20th, and started getting it again sometime on Jan 3rd, 2002. If you are worried that I might have missed your email, please resend it. This includes fanfic submissions (Jrpanther, I got your submission :). I'm really sorry for the inconvenience. STORIES: By request of the author I removed the story A Chance Encounter. This means I also removed Celtic Bard's interview from the New Authors page. But happily I also reinstated Alexiares' two stories It All Began With A Trout and And it Continued with a Skunk.... I need to make a new headcount but I think that there's roughly 400 stories on the archive now. I'll start keeping track again soon. BARDCON 2002: Here's the lowdown from Heartbrkn: "Bardcon.org will be holding their first (of what hopes to be) annual meeting in Chicago April 13th and 14th, 2002. Tickets will be $45 and include admittance for both days. We expect first year attendance around 200 people and we are planning things accordingly. Rooms will be available at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield be priced $89 for singles and $119 for quad rooms plus tax. In addition, a dinner is also being planned for 7:30 pm on Sunday, the final day of the convention for $30 at Tomboy Restaurant. We're currently looking for fan fiction writers who would like to meet with fans that weekend to discuss the characters we love. Buffy, Xena, Star Trek, Star Wars, you name it - it's a workshop/panel/seminar atmosphere which will let the 'bards' interact with the readers and vice verse. As an added bonus to Xena fans, the About Face Theater will be doing a musical revue of Xena Live II with two special performance times for us on Saturday. The audience can do a Q and A with the shows stars and writers after these performances. Ticket prices for Xena Live will also follow soon. Currently, we're searching for fan fiction writers from all areas on the web. If you think you're interested in attending and/or would like to be part of a discussion/signing event please email bardcon@hotmail.com and information will be sent to you. If you know of anyone who might be interested please spread the word. We've been to many official conventions over the years and one of the most appealing aspects is the fan run events during those times. This is a convention created by the fans for the fans so we ask that you take the time to consider it and please let us know if you would be willing to commit to a tentative schedule. Thank you for your time, Bardcon Organizers
CN Winters - cnwinters@hotmail.com For more information check out the Bardcon site or The Ultimate Xena Fan Fiction Index. I sure wish I could go. LOST SITES: Thanks to Simon for sending me the links to The Righteous Cause of Strife Temple and Chakram-1's Xena:WP - Fan Fiction Index. And I used the XAS' posts to update some other sites in the links section. COMING UPDATES: We are working on story updates, but in the short term I am polishing off new additions to the glossary and gallery sections. I will also try to update the character listing sometime in the near future. THE FUTURE OF XENA? So, has it sunk in yet? Xena: Warrior Princess is really over. I don't think that it really sank in for me until just recently. Will there ever be a film? I sure hope so. But if not, it sure was fun while it lasted. As for the fan fiction, it goes on...
I hope everybody had a great holiday season! Much love =)
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It just doesn't seem real. How could such a great guy in the prime of life - and who was unquestionably destined to become a huge international star - suddenly die? Jules (Xena Torres) and I had a Kevin-a-thon today, and watching him on Xena, game shows, hosting, singing, it never did sink in. I've been worshipping this guy for years. How can he be just...gone? And then I started thinking about how I'll never be able to see him at a convention now, or have the chance to gawk at him while he signs a photo. How selfish is that? Three kids and a wife left behind, as well as countless other loved ones, and I'm thinking of conventions. But it's a fan reaction, isn't it? That's as close as we get. And we loved him too, in our strange little way. What wasn't to love?
