Warriors of Love

[qcrisp]

I think the -ess suffix for femininity is a pretty one that would be a shame to avoid. Although there are exceptions, like 'manageress', as you say, that is a bit of a mouthful. (I think the "-trix" suffix ugly by comparison).

Perhaps because of its bizarre angularity, I rather like the '-trix' suffix. Possibly another attraction, for me, is the irregular plural '-trices'. If it were generally applicable to words ending in 'x', we would be putting things in bocices, perhaps, which might be pronounced like 'boxes', but has quite a different look. Also, I rather like the letter 'x', which is more of an ornamental embellishment to the alphabet that a utilitarian necessity. A box could perfectly well be a bocks, but it would be sad day that the substitution was made. People (not just me) seem to like the 'x' so well that it is assigned the additional duties of signifying a kiss, marking the spot on pirate treasure maps, and so on.

All of that said, I use (I'm sure) the suffix '-trix' very little in The Warriors of Love. In fact, there is (I believe) only one pre-existing '-trix' word to be found in the entire series. That is 'genetrix'. It means 'female parent' (the male form is 'genitor'). The word isn't my invention, but seems handy for a female parent who is not the mother. I think though, that the word is only written in full as 'genetrix' a time or two in the entire series, and not at all until Volume 11. Contracted as 'genny' the word is important and used frequently from Volume 3 Daisy onwards. Daisy's genny is Modesty Clay.

There is also a '-trix' neologism which first appears in Volume 2 Margaret, but possibly doesn't figure in any of the later volumes. That is 'Surretrix' which means the same as our 'lesbian'. An association with Surrey, rather than Lesbos, is appropriate for these books.

Talking of feminine endings, particularly with 'trix', I like 'executrix'. This article lists some others:

http://www.cjr.org/language_corner/womens_suffixes.php

I hadn't heard of 'aviatrix' before.

Another word of feminine connotation and specialist usage that I quite like is 'matriculate', which apparently has roots in 'matrix'.

 

[Odalisque]

Talking of feminine endings, particularly with 'trix', I like 'executrix'. This article lists some others:

http://www.cjr.org/language_corner/womens_suffixes.php

I hadn't heard of 'aviatrix' before.

Another word of feminine connotation and specialist usage that I quite like is 'matriculate', which apparently has roots in 'matrix'.

Thank you, that's an interesting little article. I was rather surprised that the writer takes the feminine suffix as being '-tress', rather than '-ess'. A lot of examples do end with '-tress', but others don't (amongst those springing immediately to mind are manageress, goddess, lioness and tigress).

My reading has taken in the history of aviation (one of my interests), and so I had encountered 'aviatrix'. Both the masculine (aviator) and feminine forms of this word have passed from contemporary usage.

Both 'matriculate' and 'matrix' stem from the Latin 'mater'. Perhaps interestingly, a person may matriculate into an alma mater. The language of motherhood runs deep in our mother tongue.

I was pleased to read the conclusion of the article:

In the end, it’s not about sex at all. As a wise editor used to say, “Nouns have gender. People, bless their hearts, have sex.”

Indeed! People too often confuse sex and gender. Sex (male, female) is biologically given. Gender (masculine, feminine) is socially or linguistically constructed.

 

[Nemonymous]

That's got me more enamoured of the -trix female suffix. An interesting article.

Of course, in many non-English languages, the male and female 'forms' are part of every noun. I've noticed that at the end of a classical concert, there is often the cry of BRAVO from the audience. Often, though, if it is a female soloist, BRAVA is shouted. Of course, in 'Warriors of Love', one cannot imagine much call for the use of BRAVO!

The following from earlier in the thread seems very interesting. By the way, the opening of the gospel is here. Should we replace John with Jane?

Take, if you will, what I believe to be the start of St John's Gospel. (I own many books, but the Bible is not amongst them, otherwise I'd check.) If memory serves, it goes somewhat in this manner: "In the beginning was the word..." How much more sense would this make, if we substitute "womb" for "word", and alter "God" to "the goddess"?

 

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

I found there are still copies of Jane & Daisy (book 7) floating around. Would it make any sense to read if I can't find books 2-6? Still haven't got around to the first book but had it several years at least.

 

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

So I got Jane & Daisy and it says on the back that they all work as singletons, a relief.

 

[Odalisque]

I found there are still copies of Jane & Daisy (book 7) floating around. Would it make any sense to read if I can't find books 2-6? Still haven't got around to the first book but had it several years at least.

I'm much surprised to learn that there are copies of Jane and Daisy "floating around". It was self-published and (surely) very few copies exist.
But, yes, my intention was that any of the Warriors of Love novels could be read it in its own right without, necessarily, the reader being familiar with any of the others.
Jane and Daisy is the third novel to be narrated by Jane Brewster. The sequence is:
Jane (WofL Vol 1)
Jane and Eaquellety (WofL Vol 4)
Jane and Daisy (WofL Vol 7)
Jane and Celebrity (WofL Vol 10)
Oddly(?) Jane and Daisy is the only volume in the series at which I've looked recently. I thought the beginning was a particularly fine evocation of the mid-winter festival. A few pages later, I felt rather overwhelmed by the number of characters. But perhaps the overwhelming nature of the text, at this point, is necessary to convey the nature of the Belle House Community. It also contrasts sharply with the camping in the snow portion of the book, a contrast worth making, possibly a necessary contrast.

 

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

Why were all the books taken off the print on demand service? I see print on demand books deleted frequently and it often seems like it was not the intention of the author or publisher.

Do you plan to make them available again?

 

[Odalisque]

Why were all the books taken off the print on demand service? I see print on demand books deleted frequently and it often seems like it was not the intention of the author or publisher.

Do you plan to make them available again?

The Chomu Press edition of Jane was taken down because its publisher ceased to exist.
The previous self-published titles were removed because that was one of the stipulations of my Chomu contract.

I have no plans to make the books available again. I couldn't face the depressing business of submitting the material to publishers. As to self-publication, it cost me quite a lot of money and brought no income at all in return. I am old-fashioned enough to think that authors should be paid for their work, and should not pay for publication. If you (or anyone you know) is prepared to act as a literary agent for the Warriors of Love or as publisher of the series, I am willing to cooperate with the project.

If you are interested in my work more generally, there are fifteen (I think) commercially published e-books of my age regression and spanking fiction. See here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pet-Jeffery/e/B07DJVR432?ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vu00_tkin_p1_i0