Dear readers and visitors

we're starting the New Year with the story promised months ago. Well, almost. I have finally managed to finish and edit "Dare", but hanibal will need a few more weeks to format, code and upload it (really, time management was so much easier when we were a mere couple of undergrads!).

But there are other things going on, too. I've always said that I'd look into publishing my novel-sized work (so far "Campus", "Small Steps" and "Jungle Fever") after filing my Ph.D. And since I FINALLY filed the manuscript in December, I started to look into things that now have turned into a veritable avalanche of contacts very quickly and very unexpectedly.

This means - as announced on my blog - that I have to remove my three novels from the internet for now, which I'm sure you can understand.

"Jungle Fever", "Small Steps" and "Campus" will eventually be available again: either in printed form, as published books, or (if publishing doesn't work out) once more in digital form online. I don't know how long the process will take, but it will be less than the seven years it took me to write "Campus".

It is thanks to you and your support and encouragement that I am trying to take this next step, after more than a decade of writing online. So many thanks to all of your for your advice, enthusiasm and help!

All the non-novel (fan) fiction I wrote (ST:Voy, CSI, L&O:SVU, Desperate Housewives, Terapia d'urgenza) will continue to be available here at var[title] without interruption.

As always (and as touted to the point of tediousness in these updates since 2008), the latest information on my writing can be found on my blog over at http://aniklachev.wordpress.com.

Meanwhile, we're looking forward to new writing projects, and to sharing them with you.

To all of you, a healthy, happy and successful year of 2011.

as always, best wishes
hanibal & Anik

Dear readers and visitors - if anyone still passes through these dusty halls...

Prompted just in time by a guestbook inquiry, I am happy to report that I do have a new story lined up to be added to the fiction pages, probably in a month or two, depending on how long completing and editing will take me.

It's a 100+ pages CPR fan fiction effort for Italy's doomed lesbian couple of "Terapia d'urgenza", which saw the whole series end with the lesbian being gunned down in the arms of her not-quite-yet-again girlfriend. In a parking lot to boot. (Erica, you remain unforgotten!). As always, knowledge of the show will not be required for reading, but I'll write a little introductory commentary anyway.

As for all things current and daily (and since hanibal has a tight work schedule and, actually, a life!), there's my blog, where any news regarding my writing and possible publishing can be found (mostly a big 'not yet', since that Ph.D. (remember that Ph.D. I started five years ago?) is an even bigger NOT YET still). Most of the time, though, I talk about opera (namely, about hot mezzo sopranos wearing white shirts) and share recipes from my kitchen or rant about LGBT causes and related TV shows. Feel free to stop by for a cup of a coffee and a comment at http://aniklachev.wordpress.com.

as always, best wishes
hanibal & Anik

Dear readers and visitors,

it's nearly spring and for the first time in 6 weeks, I managed to write a page on the Ph.D that I did not shredder again the same night. There's hope, after all! Of course, if the new story I'm writing on the side were my Ph.D., I'd only be 7 pages away from the 260 page count average that we are supposed to meet. Gaah!

hanibal, on the other hand, has passed the last part of her exam, after two years of prepping and studying and never having a free weekend and will soon be able to put a whooping new title onto her business card (hey, that makes at least one of us!) - congratulations!!!

In fact, I'm traveling over to see her to celebrate this weekend. -- Other than that, there's conferences and paper calls and speeches and student essays to grade and more pages to write and NOT to shredder, and there's still no new funding in sight... So, with all the carefree idle time on my hands, I decided to finally start a blog pertaining to this website to keep you updated more easily and more thoroughly (just think of of it as something akin to a set of extras on a movie DVD...). It is containing all updates notes and news on my writing projects, both fiction and otherwise, and there's the occasional glimpse into my kitchen, garnished with a bit of opera talk from a lesbian perspective. Feel invited to stop by for a coffee at http://aniklachev.wordpress.com

We wish you all a good start into spring (or autumn, depending on your hemisphere) and hope to be back soon with more news.

as always, best wishes,
hanibal and Anik

hanibal & Anik

Dear readers and visitors,

we apologize for going AWOL on you; it must have been all the champagne in celebration of the "Campus" completion.

No, we have no vanished from the surface of this planet and we are still writing and webmistressing, if that is a word. The "bad" news first: Our playtime is as limited as ever. hanibal is busy working on a big, big exam for a promotion at work; she has been doing so most of last year and will continue into spring. And my dissertation still isn't completed yet, either. Next tentative ETA is July, and there are still many pages between me now and that not-so-far-away date. In addition I've somehow ended up working as an assistant professor without any pay (oh the things we do for our CVs...) which I love, but doesn't do any good to either my deadlines nor my dwindling account.
Now the "good" news: I'm insane enough to still be writing fiction on the side, and hanibal is insane enough to still work as a webmistress to get these texts to you. At the moment, I am exactly 222 pages deep into a new novel along the lines of "Jungle Fever". I'm guessing about 1/2 to 2/3 of it is done at this point. I don't know yet when the edited version will be up here, but it should happen eventually.
After this novel, a tango love story of sorts, will be completed, I have another big, new novel lined up although I'm already scared it will be another of those seven year things... well, I hope not quite, for all our sakes.

At the moment, I need to put my PhD first and do only write for relief when I find an hour on the side or when the PhD pages drive me to absolute despair and I need something nice in comparison. As soon as the PhD is filed for defense, however (cross you fingers for July), I'll 1) look into the publication of my already finished scripts and will 2) also try to get started on the next big writing project. Hm, Perhaps I'll also get an actual job, too, but with the job prospects for a PhD in Humantites over here, I may have a whole lot of writing time on my hands while I working towards a cab driver's license. *G*

We'll keep you updated more regularly again, too.

We hope you all survived carnival without too many headaches
and remain with our best wishes,
yours truly,
hanibal & Anik

Dear readers and visitors,

it’s the end of a long journey today. Seven years! (and no, no time travel involved in this one. No admirals, either. Bugger.). We’re still a little incredulous ourselves, even though we spent much of the past weeks preparing for this day.

This is how the final Chapter of Campus started out:

With lots of black coffee and dedication, we nurtured this scrap of paper into a 173 pages finale for the saga and as of tonight, you can see for yourself how it turned out. We hope you will enjoy it!
All that remains for us to do now is to wish you happy reading hours and to thank you for many years of faithful companionship.

A few words on what will happen after tonight… and after I will now get VERY drunk on some VERY good Scotch and put on the diamond ring that I bought myself for this occasion, and did I already mention the Scotch?… Even though it is still somewhat difficult for me to imagine going to bed at night and not having a Campus scene waiting to be worked on, there will be post Campus life and there will be post Campus writing. And, since I have been asked about this frequently: Yes, I am also looking into publishing Campus. Further upcoming projects (minding that pesky dissertation that needs to be finished by the end of the year) include a new full novel, but before I embark on that, there are a few smaller projects I have in mind… The next thing will be a shorter novel resembling the constellation of ‘Jungle Fever’. I also have two plots for shorter, historical J/7 Über stories that have been on my hard drive forever and that I would love to write if time permits.

hanibal has graciously offered to continue working as webmistress despite her ever expanding workload, so I guess whatever I’ll write will find its way onto our site eventually… and we’ll be happy to welcome you again as our readers and visitors.

To the journey! And thank you all for making it worthwhile.

Yours faithfully,
hanibal & Anik