L'Amour de Femmes

Our (extremely) Fond Farewell

After much deliberation, and with much sadness, L’Amour de Femmes is closing.

Our blog will remain here. Our ffn profiles, both L’Amour de Femmes and the For the Love of Women Contest will remain up, but PMs have been turned off. And this tumblr will exist as long as someone has access to it. The Twitter account will be closed shortly.

We had a great time doing this blog, and tumblr, and running the For the Love of Women Contest. We got so much out of this; new friends, great femme, gorgeous pictures. It has been a truly wonderful experience and we will miss it. But as time moves, so do we.

Thank you all for your support and love. We started this for ourselves, because we wanted femme to get the recognition it deserved. We kept at it because other people jumped up and said ‘We want that too!’ And it was bigger than we ever dreamed. We’re glad we could help it happen, and know that you will all continue writing and reading great femme. So hearts to you all.

Thank you for playing with us, writing for us, sending us lovely pictures and recs. We’re glad you got to know us, and we got to know you.

All Our Love, L’Amour de Femmes

Red Fades Before Blue author (and professional sex kitten), HoochieMomma!

Today we chat with the author of Red Fades Before Blue, (the story that took second place in the Public vote during the FTLOW contest), HoochieMomma!

L’amour De Femmes: Hey darling! Thanks for chatting with us. How did you first hear about the contest and what made you think, hey, I’d like to write for those fine ladies!

HoochieMomma: I heard about the contest through Twitter, as I hear about most fandom-type stuff. I immediately thought, ‘oooooh. Now THAT’S a train I want to get on.’

L’amour De Femmes: Had you written femme before?

HoochieMomma: No, never. I wrote two pieces around the same time.

L’amour De Femmes: Take me through your process. How did you come to the idea for Red Fades Before Blue? Where did you start?

HoochieMomma: I came up with the pairing first. I decided I really wanted to write some Leah, because I kind of adore her. And I adore Julia Jones too; she’s totally my Leah. And then I wondered who in the world would be a worthy match for her.

And of course, there was Alice.

I’d just started writing my other femme piece from a prompt. It was Alice / Rose, and I realized that I really, REALLY liked writing femme Alice.

L’amour De Femmes: I think it says a lot that you went with Alice POV, too, with Red Fades Before Blue.

HoochieMomma: Yes. I guess that was because I realized I liked writing her - I hear her quite well in my head, if you see what I mean. I came up with the pairing, then I kind of visualized Alice with the amnesia, in a dingy, grimy, menacing place, and that’s when the Red Fades Before Blue bunny hopped on in.

The fading… the amnesia (a canon trait I am fascinated by). I love Ani DiFranco and I adore Sorry I Am, the song I lifted the lyrics from.

I guess that going back to the red/blue theme in the fic, I really did ‘see’ them both as the colours that I assigned them. I hope it comes through. Sometimes, in tiny ways in life, I definitely have a touch of synesthesia going on and I hope that I managed to work that in without it seeming too contrived and just a plot device based on the lyric that ‘seeded’ the fic.

And so… the rest, as they say when ‘they’ are being trite, is history.

L’amour De Femmes: I definitely think it came through. The indigo, Leah’s hair, all brilliant.

What I think spoke to me with the story, was it was incredibly fluid, if that makes sense. I love the stories that are able to draw me in and take me to the place where the characters are - you don’t flat out say immediately that this is where Alice is and you don’t give away all the details immediately… because she’s CAN’T.

HoochieMomma: Yes.

L’amour De Femmes: Which, I believe, is part of the appeal.

HoochieMomma: I wondered if that might irritate readers but so far, nobody has said that it did. I guess people will be prepared to forgive the minor frustration as it becomes clear that she doesn’t know herself, and somehow, I hope that works to add empathy with her condition.

L’amour De Femmes: I think the reader is definitely able to, if not RELATE to her, at least understand where she is in her life and I love that immediate sense of protection she has for Leah.

HoochieMomma: I love Leah’s gift to her, showing her a part of herself, and I like the bittersweet way that we learn at the end she won’t remember. I hope it works.

L’amour De Femmes: I’d say so!

HoochieMomma: It worked in my head, at least.

L’amour De Femmes: What sort of things do you look for when you’re reading? Do you have any femme stories that you’re over the moon for?

HoochieMomma: I adore Red Letter Year by theswandive. Again, it’s Alice (are you sensing a pattern here…?).

When I’m reading femme, I look for everything I would look for in a het or mm slashfic… i.e. excellent writing, gripping plot and of course: (I’m a h00r) achingly hot smut. I’m only kidding about the smut.

Or am I?

I also like authenticity. I don’t like: Oh! No boys around! Let’s have a girl! ;)

L’amour De Femmes: Valid, valid point.

I’m assuming that you read the other stories in the contest, too. Were there any that stood out to you - ones that you really enjoyed?

HoochieMomma: Oh, definitely.

Reformations (wearingwords). Without a doubt. Fabulous. It was just awesome. Masterful. And, so, so hawt.

I also liked brokende’s one with Victoria and Bree, My Escape.

L’amour De Femmes: Tell me a bit about your other femme fic; what’s it called and what is it about?

HoochieMomma: It’s called Fleeting Image; it’s a vamp fic and I really like it.

It was written as part of the YuleTwi’d Gay slash exchange. And it was the first time I wrote Rose!

L’amour De Femmes: What are you working on now?

HoochieMomma: At the moment I’m working on a bunny for the fandom for Tsunami thing. I think it’s Victoria / Leah. And my multichap WIP, which is Romano-Celtic Edern and Bellona (Falling Empire of a Heart).

Thanks so much to HoochieMomma for taking the time to chat and give us a bit of insight. If you haven’t read Red Fades Before Blue… what are you waiting for? Especially with Julia as inspo: