NOTE
In the wake of my recent posting on the Queered Fiction anthology BLOOD FRUIT comes another review.  This time from Swamp Dweller reviewer Ash who had the following to say about For Her Eyes:

       "...snags you unexpectedly and sucks you in, both with the beautiful writing and intelligent, dark [plot]..."

There was general praise for the collection as a whole with the review citing the anthology as a RECOMMENDED READ closing on a note that "[BLOOD FRUIT is] a great collection, and one of the better reads of the year for Swampdweller. I definitely encourage anybody interested in a unique anthology to give this book a try!"

Read the full review by Swamp Dweller here.

This NOTE relates to the post "For Her Eyes".

Dear Intrepid Reader,

I thought I'd write today about my contribution to the Queered Fiction horror anthology, BLOOD FRUIT.  My short story in the collection, For Her Eyes, is a dark fairytalesque tale with the blurb: "Angeline's life just turned into a fairytale, but there's something wicked scratching its way through the walls..." The piece took as its central mystery/horror an idea that I had conceived many years before, which came to mind when I sat down to write something for BLOOD FRUIT.

    There  have been some great reviews for the anthology overall and 'For Her Eyes' has been receiving some marvellous praise. Naomi Clark, author of the brilliant urban fantasy novel SILVER KISS, wrote:


    Reviewer Ephemera over at Rainbow Reviews wrote:


    Author Alex Draven also posted a review of BLOOD FRUIT on librarything.com and had the following to say about For Her Eyes:


    The entire collection boasts "Eleven tales from new and established authors of Queer Speculative Fiction" with stories by Shanna Germain, Jamie Freeman, Laramie Dean and others. "A Queer Collection of Dark Tales of the Macabre and the Horrific", BLOOD FRUIT is something wicked for horror fans and those who like a little dark in their fantasy. For those who open its pages--electronic or print--what were some of your favourites in the collection?  Why did they tingle your spine just right?

Yours, 

Quinn Smythwood

Dear Intrepid Reader, 

Welcome to my small little blog on the web.  It's not much, but it is home and this will be the place where I talk about (and with) imaginary people, as well as share musings on my own writing and writing in general. I'll also have the opportunity to interact with you, the reader...which is both a wonderful and a terrible (that's spelled terrifying) prospect.

    After tentatively entering the fraught world of writing towards publication, with toes now wet in anthology seas (A Wolf's Moon in QUEER WOLF published by Queered Fiction; For Her Eyes in BLOOD FRUIT published by Queered Fiction), I've decided that it's time to establish a hub web presence and this blog 'QUINN SMYTHWOOD: Life With Imaginary People'  is it.

    For those of you who tag along, I hope that you'll find life with imaginary people an interesting ride, as much as I have and do...but please note: I'm not on speaking terms with other people's imaginary friends.  Although, I certainly don't mind if you're keen on introducing them.

Yours, 

Quinn Smythwood