In January, 2026 I participated in a creative writing group led by Chelsea Bolan. This was my first writing group in a couple decades. Prior to that my focus was on journaling, memoir, and a lot of boring business writing. I was lucking to be part of a fantastic group of very creative people with very different writing styles and genres. One person was writing a fantasy adventure, another a gritty memoire of life on the streets. I've been motivated to continue my writing with my own exploration of genres and settings to see what works best for me. I've had a lot of fun with this writing, and I hope some people enjoy reading it.
This is part of my test writing, with the same characters in different genres and settings. I had a lot of fun imagining Alex in a regency romance; it's my first time writing the genre. My reading background is more Patrick O'Bian than Jane Austen. As a note for the reader, Alex is a transgender woman living at a time when medical transition is not available. I tried to write this with sensitivity to how she sees herself balanced against how others see her. London, 1817 Alex sat in her bedroom, brushing her hair, gazing at a small mirror perched on her rosewood dresser. She was dressed in a simple cotton nightgown, the trousers and frock coat from the dance crumpled in the corner. Her bedroom window was cracked open and the scent of jasmine drifted in from the garden, a faltering glow from a late June twilight infused the room with a hint of red and orange. Alex peered in to the mirror, a touch of rouge on her cheeks. She heard a knock at the door, “come in”. The door opene...
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