The Gellboar on #LisaBurtonRadio

Hey there, all you downtrodden folks. Those who’ve been repressed by unfair rules and regulations. You’ve landed on Lisa Burton Radio, the only show that interviews characters from the books you love. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl, and I have a treat for you today.

Ask yourself this. What would you do if you were denied participation in something because of your gender? Would you give up and move along? Would you fight for your rights? Maybe you’d be passive aggressive about it. That’s exactly the kind of choice my guest today was faced with. “Welcome to the show, Dan Forster, or should I say Christine Cooper?”

“Dan is fine. Christine is my stage name.”

“Right, Dan. Remember that name, folks, because we’re going to circle back to Christine Cooper. For now, Dan, would you please tell our listeners how that came about?”

“Men are forbidden to work magic in my homeland of Chantain. In order to practice my art, I have to pose as a woman. The only way I know to make money is to perform at clubs and parties, under my stage persona.”

“I’ve seen your act, too. You’re so feminine in your disguise! I would never have guessed.”

“Let’s hope nobody else guesses, either. Any man caught wielding magic is arrested by the Monitors. They usually aren’t seen again. I can’t afford for that to happen. My daughter is depending on me.”

“You say that men aren’t allowed to work magic, but women are? That seems unfair. Who made up that rule?”

“It’s Church law. Years ago, magic was everywhere. Both men and women could be sorcerers. The Church of the Mother disapproved, but there wasn’t much they could do. They couldn’t stop people from working magic, any more than one could stop people from using electricity. But then, a coven of sorcerers reached too far. They wanted exotic materials and explored into another realm to get them.”

“By realm, you mean another dimension?”

“Yes. But there were creatures… people… living in that dimension. They saw the explorers as invaders and fought back. The coven was acting in secret, so no one knew where they were getting their materials. Then suddenly monsters were in the streets of Yabble and Chantain. Our sorcerers retaliated, and it escalated from there.”

“A war across dimensions! Must have been scary times.”

“I wasn’t alive then, but I’m sure you’re right. In the end, all the sorcerers raising so much power caused a dimensional collapse. The two realms became one. Nations were destroyed, and fighters from both sides became stranded behind enemy lines. That was when the Church took control. The Holy Mothers decreed that men could not be trusted with so much power. We’ve lived under their rules since them.”

“And I take it that moving to a place that is a bit more progressive isn’t an option for you?”

“If only! But I couldn’t move my family. My wife, Marilyn, was seriously ill. Her doctors were here in Chantain. After she passed away, our daughter Grace came down with the same thing. She was too sick to be moved.”

“That’s terrible! But I do understand some of what you feel. I mean, I try to live under the radar myself as a robot girl. Fame carries a price though, doesn’t it?”

“Yes… Yes, it does. I never tried to push for fame, though. I only wanted enough money to support my family. But even I attracted a fan or two. There was one who kept coming back for autographs. It was one of the creatures, a Gellboar. If I’d been allowed to study sorcery, I might have realized what she was up to a lot sooner.”

“A Gellboar? I’ve never heard of that before.”

“It’s a real monster, let me tell you. Gray slimy skin, a humanlike face, but tentacles on their arms and legs. If I hadn’t had help, it would have killed me and Grace both.”

“This seems like a good time to tell our listeners about your help.”

“That would be Christine Cooper. Not my stage persona, another magician from over in Yabble. She’s a performer, too. Very good with fire and transformations. Also handy with a gun. We met when the manager at the Cauldron thought it would be clever to have us both appear together.”

“That had to create a bit of tension. Was she pissed that you borrowed her name?”

“She was mad, but not because of that. I didn’t know about her, and we’re both professionals.”

“Then why was she upset?”

“She figured out my secret when we both fought off the Gellboar. Not too happy about it. But once we realized the Gellboar was responsible for Grace’s sickness, she stepped up.”

“It’s great to find a friend when you don’t expect it. Well, Dan, it’s been my pleasure to host you today. I wish you and the “real” Christine Cooper all the possible luck in your adventures. I hope you can find a way to help your daughter. Any final thoughts for our listeners?”

“People ask why I don’t quit working magic since it’s against the law. I invite anyone who thinks that way to just stop breathing for a few minutes. You’ll see how easy it is to give up being your deepest self.”

“You can read all about Dan’s adventure in The Gellboar, by Deby Fredericks. This novelette is priced at the bargain price of 99¢. What are you waiting for? Get your copy today.

“Before you leave, please use those sharing buttons. They help spread the word, and I know Deborah and Dan would do it for you when your character appears on the next Lisa Burton Radio.”

***

Deby Fredericks has been a writer all her life, but thought of it as just a fun hobby until the late 1990s. Her first sale, a children’s poem, was in 2000. Since then her work has appeared in Andromeda Spaceways, Boys Life, Cricket Magazine, and others.

Find her online at www.debyfredericks.com or www.facebook.com/AuthorDebyFredericks

Blurb

The Holy Mothers have decreed that only women can be trusted with the awesome powers of sorcery. But Dan can no more live without magic than he could go without breathing. Disguised as a woman, he struggles to provide for his sickly daughter through illicit magic. But his life of lies has drawn a darker eye than that of the Holy Mothers…

Amazon link

Draft2Digital link: