Whew! A lot has happened since our last feature. In less than two months, we saw two of our members promoted to Gallery Directors: ^GeneratingHype, our founder, and ^LadyLincoln, our industrious Romantic & Erotic staff member. On behalf of *WordCount, we'd like to congratulate them both on the promotions.

As for *WordCount, we haven't really disappeared. No, in fact we have a great excuse for our missing March feature: April Fools! We've got new prose to expose, and we're excited to make our full comeback. Next month is our birthday, after all.

(And what do we want for our birthday? Some new staff members!)




Tunneler by *LiKNa

Science Fiction: Dannie, a "tunneler," is on the run from the Alliance and inadvertently finds himself in a backwards king's service.



The Siren's Song by ~child-dragon

Fantasy: A lone figure descends into a dying world beneath the water, seeking the lost song of the sirens.



Beauty and the Beast II by ~nekrosys

Humor: This piece is about a support group for Disney Princesses. Boy, they have it rough.


Art Theft Guide by =budgie

General Nonfiction: If you've ever wondered why art theft is such a touchy subject, Budgie explains it from the personal perspective of an artist.



Blue by *sweetangel4eva11

Horror: A dream-like sequence of macabre fiction.


Tírame a las arañas by ~destro-k

Sociopolitical: A somber look at losing one's national identity.
*Written in the Puerto Rican "Spanglish" vernacular.



The Family Business by ~TheModernHooplah

Theatre & Scripts: An eerie scenario detailing what happens to kids who play with their trucks too much.


Finished by ~RevMEATZ

Romantic: A young man finds his muse in his soulmate, and in the vivid words leap from the page, like a musical.



Appearances by ~shadowghost13

Historical Fiction: A man may have many faces: husband, father, victor, and even murderer.


Photograph by ~lrigD

Fictional Life Stories: You share photographs and photographs share stories about people.



I Stole Solitude by ~bekkia

Spiritual: Sometimes we have to sneak some solitude when no one's looking.


The Mirror by ~Nicktroptopolis

Fictional Perspectives: This story is brief and deliciously enigmatic.





The Abandoned by `mooncalfe

Campbell...adds color—in this case red—to the OEL manga format, the better to highlight zombie gore. Actually, the red keeps the reader's eye on Rylie, a red-headed black lesbian in a swampy Southern town. She's trying to start a relationship with her crush, Naomi, while the world ends around them. Campbell beautifully captures the decaying grandeur of the South, with the palpable weight of its languid air. Wearing little clothing isn't sexual; it's survival in the heat. His characters are solidly fleshy, realistic and with presence. There's a thin line between sex and death, and the characters deal with both in nonsentimental, practical ways as they talk about life and what they want to become and finding someone to love.
-- Publishers Weekly

Available now through Amazon.com! Also be sure to check out Ross Campbell's other work: the serial, Wet Moon (vol. 1-3 currently available), and Water Baby (Minx).

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^LadyLincoln joined the *WordCount staff in November 2007, but she has long been a highly regarded figure in the deviantART literature community. If you've ever visited the literature boards (if not, you should) or contact with any of the many clubs and projects ^LadyLincoln dedicates her time to, you know what we're talking about!

As for her recent promotion, we don't mind repeating ourselves: there could be no better choice for our fourth Gallery Director. We are proud to have ^LadyLincoln on our team and fully expect her to make even greater contributions to the community as our new GD.

(Did you know she's a Lincoln scholar, too?)


What Dreams May Come I (Part I: 3,285 words)

Fantasy: This twelve-part fantasy follows the widow Mary Lincoln, and her relationship with a mysterious writer.


The Ballad of Valerie Snow (1,223 words)

Mature Romance: "One young woman’s search for love may ultimately lead her to where she least expects it."


Odd Girl Out (1,419 words)

Fictional Life Stories: For anyone who's ever felt like the odd girl out.




February and March saw an amazing array of prose Daily Deviations (check out a full list on our shoutboard). *WordCount would like to recognize just a few of those:

The Voicemail of God by ~Lady-Xythis (4,345)
Greis by *wordworks (446)
The Bellyard by =smoking-mirrors (404)
what might be missing by ~ddddisaster (1,350)

_{= WC team suggestion
= previously featured
= recipient on our team}

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