Another Book in Me

I made my living as a technical writer for over 50 years and I had a some success doing it. Two of my books were best sellers and a few years ago, I received one of the most prestigious awards in my field in honor of my writing career.

Writing this blog has been a success, too. It usually gets 5,000 hits per day and is approaching 15 million hits over its 12-year run.

The success of this blog inspired me to write a book on the subject, which I did four years ago. But unlike my technical books, the sales of my trans book were poor despite its good reviews. Sales were so poor that I swore I would never write a trans book again.

Sunday, I received the following e-mail from a woman I met at a workshop we both attended 10 years ago.

I just read your book, Fantasia Fair Diaries, and I want to congratulate you and say thanks for sharing your experiences at Fan Fair. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Your writing seemed as if you were just talking to me as you did when we met at the [workshop] several years ago in New York.

As I was reading, I kept thinking how wonderful it would be if you would write a book about your life. And then, near the end of Diaries, you mentioned you were contemplating doing so.  Have you done so by now? I want to purchase a copy ASAP if you have. Your story is fascinating and I have highest regards for your kindness and friendship.

Wow! Her e-mail made my day and since receiving it, I have been mulling over writing another book.

I am certain I have another book in me, but do I want to put in the effort of writing another book just to be disappointed again?

Wearing Hemant and Nandita (Source: Rue La La)

Filippo Timi femulates in Italian television's Favola.

Plugging Fantasia Fair

We almost lost Fantasia Fair.

Last fall, there were stories and rumors swirling around about Fantasia Fair's imminent demise. I will not repeat any of them here because I don't know which stories are true and which are false, but the bottom line was that Fantasia Fair was folding its tent after the their long run as the longest running transgender event in this neck of the woods. We lost so many other transgender events the last few years, losing Fantasia Fair would be the another big blow to our community.

Fantasia Fair is unique. Most other transgender events take place in a hotel. Some of those events sponsor quick trips out among the civilians, but most of the time, the attendees are cooped up in the host hotel for a long weekend.

Fantasia Fair is eight days a week. And instead of being stuck in a hotel, attendees live and breathe out among the civilian population of Provincetown, Massachusetts. The whole town is our oyster and is completely supportive of the girls and boys in attendance.  

The good news is that Fantasia Fair regrouped. The event has been saved and will be back in its groove from October 14 to October 21. They even have a fresh new website where you can learn all about the event and sign up to attend yourself.

By the way, I want to thank the folks behind the new website for mentioning my book, Fantasia Fair Diaries, which recounts my experience attending the Fair. Read the book and it will whet your appetite to become a future Fan Fair attendee.

Wearing Diane von Furstenberg (Source: DVF.com)

Abby, Brigitte, Ethan, Stana and Jan at Fantasia Fair in 2010

No Fantasia Fair for Me

On Sunday, a sister blogger wrote, "While I’m packing for Fantasia Fair this week some random thoughts…"

It takes me at least a week to pack for Fantasia Fair, so I took her comment to mean that she will be packing this week for Fantasia Fair, which is next week.

Monday morning, I woke up and smelled the coffee. I looked at the calendar and realized that she actually meant that Fantasia Fair is this week!

A couple of things threw me off.

She posted on Sunday that she was packing, but on Sunday she should be in her car on her way to Provincetown (or already there) and not home packing. 

The other thing that threw me off is that being semi-retired, I am not as calendar aware as I was when I was working. (What day is it?)

Anyway, Fantasia Fair is this week and I will not be attending. I will miss the sights and sounds of Provincetown and I will miss my friends who will be attending.

I thought about driving to Provincetown (it's a four-hour trip), spend a day or two during the Fair to meet up with my friends and take in the events that are open to the public. But that takes a little planning and obviously, since I did not even remember that the Fair was this week, I did not plan ahead.

In the past, I had a wonderful time at Fantasia Fair and I am sure I would have a good time if I attended again.

Maybe next year!

(If you would like to find out more about Fantasia Fair, I recommend my book Fantasia Fair Diaries.)

Wearing Ralph Lauren

A young male femulates Sailor Moon Jupiter.

Fantasia Fair's Downside

I will not attend Fantasia Fair this year. I will miss the sights and sounds of Provincetown and I will miss my friends who will be attending next week. But there is a downside to attending Fantasia Fair that I will not miss, as described in this excerpt from my book, Fantasia Fair Diaries.

Home town, not Provincetown

Will I attend future Fantasia Fairs?

As my euphoria peaked at the end of the week, I told anyone who asked that I would be back next year and that I would begin saving money for the trip on Monday to make next year’s trip possible.

After the banquet Saturday night, I began reconsidering my return next year or any year.

The civilians in Provincetown are aware that the circus is in town, which makes it impossible to pass. Every tall woman is a potential man, so the civilians check out every tall girl to see if that is the case.

I never experienced anything untoward in Provincetown, but being a very tall girl, I soon became annoyed by the inspection that I (and all the other tall girls) had to undergo every time we walked outside.

If you are a closeted femulator and want to get out of the closet in a safe way, I highly recommend Fantasia Fair to you, but I don’t need that. I could take the money I saved to bankroll a trip to Fantasia Fair and have a wonderful time shopping for a new wardrobe in the malls and outlet stores of Connecticut.

Sure some people might gawk at me as I shopped, but most would not because (1) they would not be alerted beforehand that a crossdresser may be in their midst and (2) I often pass and do not attract attention to myself in a bad way, that is, in a way that gives away my birth gender.

I had a wonderful time at Fantasia Fair and I am sure I would have a good time if I attended again...

Maybe next year!

Wearing Alice + Olivia.

Barbra Ann Taylor's 2013 working girl Halloween costume.
"When I dress for Halloween at work, I try to blend in. Some of the customers did not realize who or what I was."

Packing

Packing for Fantasia Fair is always a crap shoot. Over-packing is usually the result. The following excerpt from my book Fantasia Fair Diaries describes that dilemma facing a fashionista packing for a week in Provincetown.   

All I need cosmetics-wise (vs. all I over-packed!)

It was a dark and stormy night.

Actually, it was a dark and stormy week… at least the meat of Fantasia Fair week. Tuesday through Friday, a Nor’easter blew through Provincetown — not the best weather for strolling around town, but that did not stop the girls from getting out and strutting their stuff up and down Commercial Street.

I was prepared bringing an umbrella and three types of outerwear to keep me warm and dry throughout the week. I probably could have gotten by with just two types of outerwear because I only wore my black sweater coat once. Most evenings, I wore my white fake fur jacket and most days, I wore my blue trench coat.

The trench coat got rave reviews. My B&B owner, Chris, loved the coat and I received unsolicited comments about it (“nice blue”) from strangers while walking around town.

Over-packing, I brought the following items that I never wore: two sweaters, two tunics, one blouse, one corset, one pair of leggings, one pair of shoes and way too much jewelry. I also brought too much makeup and too many boxes of stick-on nails; the set of nails I stuck on Sunday afternoon survived the whole week. I relied on my iPhone for photos, so my Canon camera, its charger, tripod, and computer cable could have stayed home.

On the other hand, I left my light-up makeup mirror at home and missed it, but managed to survive using the mirror and lighting in my bathroom.

My schedule was very full because there were a lot of things that interested me at Fantasia Fair this year and I tried to take in as much as I could. About half the things were at the Boatslip Resort, which was a half mile from my B&B. The other half was at The Crown & Anchor, which was two blocks from my B&B.

For things at the Boatslip, I carried my heels and wore my 1-1/2-inch Payless wedges for walking and switched to my heels at the thing. For things closer to my B&B, I wore my nude or black patent Payless heels and carried my wedges just in case.

That shoe strategy worked for me most of the time. The only just-in-case times occurred after a couple of particularly busy days walking up and down Commercial Street — my feet could not even stand the short two block walk in heels back to my B&B.

Wearing Boston Proper.

Actor Zach Braff in television's My Summer as a Girl (1994).

I'm a Paperback Writer!

My new book, Fantasia Fair Diaries, is now available from in paperback, as well as a Kindle e-book. According to Amazon, my book is the “#1 New Release in Transgender Studies.”

By the way, free Kindle apps are available for most major smartphones, tablets and computers. I don’t own a Kindle, but I do read Kindle e-books on my iPad, iPhone and MacBook Pro using the free Kindle app, which you can download here.

Wearing Renamed (skirt).

Young femulator's mirrored selfie

Transgirls just wants to have fun!

Now that my new book, Fantasia Fair Diaries, is done, I would like to have some fun as my favorite time of year (autumn) arrives!

Shopping is always fun for me and with Fantasia Fair less than seven weeks away, I can shop for my trip to Provincetown. I really have just about everything I need. Just have to stock up on hosiery and find a debutante ball gown!

The theme of this year's Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award Banquet is Fantasy Debutante Ball and I haven't a thing to wear! Sure I own a few evening gowns and cocktail dresses, but none of them really qualify as a "debutante ball gown."

A girl can't have enough shoes (at least, this girl "can't") and when I noticed that Nine West was having a BOGO sale earlier this week, I pointed my browser to their website as fast as possible to order the "lavish T-strap pump" that I was drooling over last week. But I was very disappointed ― they were sold out in my size!

I'll keep my fingers crossed and maybe they will restock my size!

(And a tip of my chapeau to Evelyn for sending me the image above.)

Wearing Cynthia Rowley.

Correen Clark in 1996.

Coming Soon is Now!

My new book, Fantasia Fair Diaries, is now available in electronic-book format from the Kindle Store on Amazon; here is the link. In a few days, printed copies of the book will also be available.

Read early and read often!

Busy as a T

It was another busy weekend.

A month ago, I had volunteered to staff my town's historical society's booth at the local country fair on Sunday. Of course, when I volunteered, I did not foresee that my mother-in-law would be in the hospital, so my trips to the hospital had to be worked around my volunteer time at the fair. Any free time was used to work on my book, Fantasia Fair Diaries.

I finished the contents of the book on Friday. Over the weekend, I worked on the book's format. Two are required: one for the printed hard copy and one for the electronic e-book version. 

The print version is done. I just have to tweak the e-book version some more and then I begin the actual publication process. 

I'm so tired!

Wearing Trina Turk.

Allied prisoners of war femulating at Stalag Luft-3 during World War II.

I'm Back

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

I'm back from vacation. The weather was perfect, but things were very hectic.

Mother-in-law was transferred from a rest home to a hospital and we spent a lot of time visiting her. Her prognosis is not good.

On the femulation front, I continued preparing my book, Fantasia Fair Diaries, for publication and I worked with Erin Fisher-Daily on planning the Fantasia Fair Fashion Show. (The Fantasia Fair Fashion Show webpage should be updated with our plans real soon now.)

Wearing Ariella Joelle.

Actress Eva Gabor helps actor Kenneth Moore femulate.

Life's a beach!

Just a note to say that I am enjoying my vacation, taking in the beautiful weather, putting the finishing touches on my book Fantasia Fair Diaries and chasing meteors.