Green Eggs and Ham

Zine
Title:	Green Eggs and Ham
Publisher:	Whatever You Do, Don't Press, Agent With Style, New Leaf Press (distributor)
Editor(s):	Mystery Frank
Date(s):	1991-1996
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Quantum Leap
Language:	English
External Links:
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Green Eggs and Ham was a gen Quantum Leap anthology that ran for ten issues. It was edited by Mystery Frank.

It contained a variety of Quantum Leap fanfiction, including a few crossovers with other fandoms, some examples being Battlestar Galactica (1978), War of the Worlds, and Northern Exposure.

The title references a Dr. Seuss picture book, "Green Eggs and Ham", published by Random House in 1960.

The first two issues were created when the show was still on the air; the third one was published after the much-disliked final episode of the series.

Distribution and Some Foreshadowing

The zine was distributed by New Leaf Press until 1997 when the publisher and editor, Mysti Frank pulled distribution rights following a period of inactivity from the distributor. This has ironic foreshadowing in the many controversial actions taken by Agent With Style in then-current, and later, years.

Gen Only Please

"Green Eggs and Ham" is a Quantum Leap zine for those who don't know, with a Kate cover--front and back!)... The only rule about subs for this zine is that I'm not taking slash. To me, QL just doesn't seem able to handle that particular variety. But it's free-for-all on all my other zines.

Issue 1

front cover of issue 1, Kate Nuernberg

back cover of issue #1, Kate Nuernberg

Green Eggs and Ham 1 was published in March 1991 and is 115 pages long. It was a 1992 FanQ nominee.

The cover pages (front and back) were made by Kate Nuernberg. The cartoons are by Leah Rosenthal; Sheila Paulson, Ruth Kurz, Esther Reese, and Folger's Crystals each contributed to the rest of the art, in turn.

From the zine:

All contributions were accepted in exchange for a free copy of the zine or a pro-rated discount. All rights revert back to the authors and artists upon publication. This zine is copyrighted; any attempts to copy, store, redistribute or out-and-out bootleg will result in the perpetrator being leaped into Dan Quayle. For life. Think about it. Meanwhile, laugh. Cry. Send LoCs!

The editorial:

Have you ever tried to write a parody of a universe and just couldn't get it off the ground? Well, I've found a sure-fire way to overcome a slow start. You just take a true-universe story and feed it into a scanner. What shows up on the computer screen can be hysterical! Take, for example. Sheila's story, "Show Me the Way to Go Home," a Quantum Leap crossover with Battlestar Galactica. I learned to my astonishment that the hero of the story, StarDuck, was being chased by the deadly and dreaded Nylons. (Would you say that the Nylons have StarDuck on the run? It wouldn't be that much of a stretch.) (Sorry.) That he was being helped by All and Sum. (By this time I was sure something wasn't adding up.) (Sorry. Again.) And that StarDuck had dumped poor Cassiopeia (Cassie) in favor of a new puppy love. Yep, you guessed it. Lassie. And if that weren't bad enough, Sum, er, Sam has to get his information from a hybrid computer named Piggy!

Next week we tackle Miami Mice, er. Vice.

Totally out of right field is the fact that this zine came together in less than six weeks. Most, if not all, of the credit goes to the wonderful contributors who came through when I needed them. (Thanks, Esther. Now, what bank do I rob to pay my phone bill? Or as the scanner calls it, my "phoney bilk." Something Freudian there. Hmmm...)

Donations to buy Dean Stockwell a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is progressing nicely. It shows how committed the man is to his cause when he said that only money coming from recycling could be donated. Those donating the most will receive Quantum Leap cast jackets. Remember, many recycling centers don't give receipts, so this is all on the honor system. But just writing out a check for $200.00 isn't going to do anyone any good, so get out there and start picking up those cans! Send donations to Christina Movroudis. I don't have her address handy, but ask around. Someone will know it. Donations accepted until May 1, 1991.

Next up is the recent postal hike. (Believe me, that was an unintentional pun.) Since The Hols of CI5 got caught in the middle, I asked that people please make up the extra .50 per zine it cost me to mail them, but let it slide if I never heard back from them. (And a big thank you to those I did!) Anyway, much as I hate it, it now costs $2.90 to mail a zine and Green Eggs is the first one from WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T PRESS! to reflect the recent increase. If you look at the list on the last page, you'll notice that I've upped the prices of all the zines accordingly. If you want to yell at someone, grab the phone and give your local post master/mistress a holler. 'Tain't my fault. As always, here's where I plug the next upcoming zine, which is Chalk and Cheese 9, coming out in May for MediaWest. And there's lots of good angsty, smarmy stuff here, fen. Send in those SASEs. (Speaking of which, THANK YOU, Janet, for sending me a whole slew of .04 stamps to make all the SASEs I had/have on file mailable again. Most people probably didn't even think of it, and I salute you for having done so. It's fen like you who make it all worthwhile.)

While reading GE&H, you'll probably notice a dearth of artwork. What little there is, is certainly first-rate, but we need more Quantum Leap artists! If you know of any, please either send me their name and address, or send them mine. This is a great forum to get a good reputation.

Lastly, I've decided (with a good nudge from Kelly and Jane) to take an informal poll of anyone who's named something after Quantum Leap, be it pet, VCR, car, room or significant other. I'll start the ball rolling with announcing I have a cat named Quantum; Jane and Kelly have cats named Sam and Tina. What about the rest of you?

• Cartoon Leah Rosenthal (1)
• A Little Bit of Hell by Kathy Hintze (2)
• Time For a Friend by Barbara Staton (9)
• Show Me the Way to Go Home by Sheila Paulson (a crossover with Battlestar Galactica (1978)) (10)
• The Nail by E.R. (32)
• Cartoon by Leah Rosenthal (35)
• Shrouded in Murmuring Hemlock by Linda Terrell (36)
• Infinity's Hero by Barbara Staton (43)
• Friends by Kelly Hill (44)
• The Letter by Kelly Hill (48)
• Voices by Sheila Paulson (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL story) (52)
• Cartoon by Leah Rosenthal (73)
• Mystifying Leap by Dr. Seuss (This is a metafic that has Sam leaping into the zine's publisher. An excerpt: "Have you read this stuff?!" Speechless, he thrust the page he'd been reading at Al. The paper wafted slowly to the floor at the hologram's feet and Sam muttered in exasperation. He bent over, snatched the paper from the tile and slammed it face up on top of the copying machine. Al stepped over and read the offending text, blinked and reread it. A low chuckle escaped him. "Well, it seems our mystery gal is a bit of an underground publisher. Knows the correct usage of lay and lie, too," he approved. Sam groaned. "Mystery gal? Y'mean you don't even know who I am?" "That's your name, Sam -- Mystery Frank, or Mysti for short."") (74)
• Most Clever Request for Information by Louann Qualls (78)
• Allies by Esther R. (79)
• Short Hop by Linda Terrell (A Knight Rider crossover Sam leaps into KITT.) (82)
• Windmills by Jane Rafferty (89)
• Premature Acceleration by Khrystyna (92)
• Friendly Fire by Esther R. (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL story). A-Team crossover. (94)

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Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

Al cries: 4

Sam cries: 1

They hug: 1

[zine]: Green Eggs and Ham" is also a fabulous fanzine, and I say this as a rival editor who still wants you to buy mine first. Smarm on top of smarm, all well-written and with some great artwork. I particularly loved 'Voices," where for awhile Sam thinks Al has turned on him. "Friendly Fire" was also great - it gave an explanation of Al and Ruthie’s marriage I found totally convincing, plus a look at Al ten years ago and how he felt about Sam. I wanted to grab Al and shake him, because I think he did love Ruthie even though he never recognized it as such in himself. Al in this version apparently thinks he never loved anyone but Beth and (as a son) Sam.

[zine]:

Five out of five stars. This is currently my choice for best QL zine. I haven't been able to put it down, I must have reread it five times! My favorite stories are A Little Bit of Hell and Friendly Fire, but they're all good. I'm not much on poetry but I liked Time for a Friend and Most Clever Request for Information - ouch, Dr. Suess is my level of understanding poetry! Art - uniformly gorgeous. The cover is to die for, by Kate Nuernberg. Cartoons - uniformly bizarre - as expected from Leah Rosenthal!

• "A Little Bit of Hell" - Kathy Hintze. I loved this one because I am always pulled into character background stories and this is about Lt. Calavicci in 1973. The real kick was the ending.
• "Show Me the Way to Go Home" - Sheila Paulson writes a very interesting Galactica cross universe story. I can just see Al and Starbuck getting along fabulously, trading cigars and pilot stories.
• "The Nail" - Esther Reese writes a short a kiss with history and a turning point in Al's life.
• "Shrouded in Murmuring Hemlock" - Linda Terrell, a change of pace leap. I was in stitches over the first paragraph, Sam trying to sort out four feet and non-binocular vision, "I'm Bambi".
• "Friends" and "The Letter" - Kelly Hill. I'm glad to see Sam get home safely, though I agree that he will probably have some trouble adjusting. Interesting comparison of leaping and dragonriders going between.
• "Voices" - Sheila Paulson. (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL story) I could see this one as an episode. Sam leaps in to hear the reading of a will, and "he" inherits most of the wealth. Nobody else is pleased with this and someone is out to get him. The only problem I had was that I don't think Brian could have discovered that much classified information about Project Quantum Leap that quickly, and believe that it could actually be happening.
• "Mystifying Leap" - "Dr. Suess". Sam learns about fandom the hard way, putting out a zine. I agree with others comments that Sam would not react so casually to reading Chalk and Cheese.
• "Allies" - Esther Reese. Senator McBride visits the project. She finally remembered why she recognized the name Sam Beckett and has a message for Al.
• "Short Hop" - Linda Terrell. An OK story but it's mostly a gimmick, Sam leaps into KITT. Especially liked Al's comments to KITT and KITT's comment about Al's outfit overloading his color sensors.
• "Friendly Fire" - Esther Reese. (1992 Fan Q nominee - Best QL story) I didn't watch the A Team but I had no trouble following this story, the best one in the zine. Sam is an Army officer working with the Team and they've been captured on a Navy base. Then they meet the Admiral in command of the base, oh boy.

I've been reading Quantum Leap zines as fast as I can get a hold of them (I've found 12 so far, with 3 more ordered) and GE&Hl is my very favorite. And #2 is in the works! Oh, boy! I haven't been able to put it down; I must have re-read it five times! My favorite stories are "A Little Bit of Hell" and "Friendly Fire," but they're all good. I'm not much on poetry, but I liked "Time for a Friend." "Most Clever Request for Information"—ouch. Dr. Seuss is my level of understanding! Art—uniformly gorgeous. Cartoons—uniformly bizarre—as expected from Leah!

On to the stories: "A Little Bit of Hell"—I loved this one because I am always pulled into character background stories. The real kick was the ending. "Show Me the Way to Go Home"—very interesting. I can just see Al and Starbuck getting along fabulously, trading cigars and pilot stories. I'm glad Sheila's a fast and prolific writer, and that she seems to share my favorite fandoms.

"The Nail"—a kiss with history and a turning point in Al's life. "Shrouded in Murmuring Hemlock"—a change of pace leap. I was in stitches over the first paragraph, Sam trying to sort out four feet and non-binocular vision.

"Friends" and "The Letter"—I'm glad to see Sam get home safely, though I agree that he will probably have some trouble adjusting. Interesting compari son of leaping and dragonriders going between.

"Voices"—more from Sheila. I could see this one as an episode. The only problem I had was that I don't think Brian could have discovered that much classified information about Project Quantum Leap that cjuickly, and believe that it could be happening.

"Mystifying Leap"—Sam learns about fandom the hard way, by putting out a zine. So, tell us, Mysti—what does the waiting room look like? (-Heh, heh. I'll never tell. But they sure do have great hot er, chocolate there! -- MF)

"Allies"—Vice Admiral? It fits.

"Short Hop"—Okay, especially Al's comments to KITT and KITT's comment about Al's outfit overloading his color sensors.

"Friendly Fire"—I didn't watch the A-Team, but I had no trouble following this. Loved it! One question—were we supposed to recognize where Sam leaped at the end? I haven't got a clue. (-Esther says, "No, you weren't. I just thought it would be a neat leap. — And I may even write it someday."-- MF)

I loved it! Thank you for my copy of GE&Hl. which arrived safe and sound a couple of weeks ago. I was very impressed.

The first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful Sam cover by Kate Nuernberg. Little did I realize my enjoyment was about to be doubled, for upon turning it over, I discovered an equally wonderful Al portrait adorning the back. Two colour covers? Worth the price alone! I look forward to seeing more of Kate's work. And more...and more! (-Kate has already finished the artwork for the cover of 6E&B3, and it's wonderful! But while you're waiting for that zine to come out, take a look at the gorgeous cover Cheryl did for us this time!-- MF)

Eager to get stuck right into it, I then proceeded to do a quick recce (i.e. a thumb flip-through). The 'look' of the zine was very professional. As I am big on artwork, I was perhaps a little disappointed with the shortage, but what there was well enough made up for it. I especially like Sheila's Al portrait on page 23, and the one on page 90. Looking forward to seeing more from Sheila, too! (-Look no further. Sheila's intriguing story, "Partners in Crime," graces the pages of this very zine!-- MF)

The first thing I read was the editorial, and upon reaching the end, I knew I was in for a treat. (I have just recently become the proud parent of a new word processor, which I have named Ziggy. Zigs, for short. Not very ori ginal, I'll admit, but then I never thought about calling it anything until I read your editorial!) (-For results of this very informal poll, check further in the zine.-- MF)

"A Little Bit of Hell" was the first story I read and I loved it. Kathy got it just right. I liked the ending, leading into M.I.A. Good stuff.

"Friendly Fire" was excellent, a definite highlight of the zine, as were all the stories by Esther Reese. I eagerly await her next story! (Esther's stories didn't quite make the deadline for this ish, being as her personal life has been shifted about and she's still adjusting, but they are first in line for GE&H3.-- MF)

Perhaps the only problem I had with the zine was trying to make it last! I had to force myself not to read the whole thing in one sitting. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for volume 2.

I enjoyed Green Eggs and Ham 1. Quantum Leap was shown here briefly [in Australia] (5 episodes). I loved it, but they have never shown any more of it.

Hopefully, they will in the future. Meanwhile, I have your zine.

While I enjoyed the entire zine, I loved "Friendly Fire" and "Show Me the Way to Go Home". No prizes for guessing who likes Dirk Benedict. I also enjoyed the poem, "Infinity's Hero". These three stick in my mind, however, as I said earlier, I enjoyed the entire zine.

I'm the tall redhead you met at RevelCon. I just wanted to tell you again how much I'm enjoying your zine. I didn't find any story or piece of artwork I didn't like, although I thought the poems were a little strained. (This is the way I feel about most amateur poetry, however.)

I loved "A Little Bit of Hell" for its portrayal of Al, although I've used Tina in some of my own stories and written her a little differently.

"The Nail" was great, again for its portrayal of the early Al. "Shrouded in Murmuring Hemlock" was truly weird, but great; I read the original Bambi. too, and liked it vastly better than the kiddie movie Disney made. (-Check out Jane Mailander's version of 'The Star Stag' further on. It's a hoot!-- MF)

My two all-around favorite stories were "Voices" and "Friendly Fire". I suspected in "Voices" that the nasty Al was not the real one, but not until after Sam woke up the next morning. Then I remembered the clues about Brian asking for photos, recordings, etc. on Sam Beckett and the people around him.

(Al doesn't have blue eyes, but that's trivial.) (-Whoops, sorry about that. Our favorite admiral has brown eyes.-- MF) The way Sam collapsed when he thought he'd lost Al's friendship was completely convincing. The speed with which they pulled themselves together worked great, too. Sam didn't want to believe Al could hurt him, and they're both smart people. It makes sense they'd fix things up quickly.

"Friendly Fire" particularly got to me. I wouldn't have thought a story involving the A-Team could be that good. I loved the parts about Sam and Al's early friendship, about Tom and Ruthie. I've noticed that almost all fans assume that Ruthie died instead of leaving Al like his other wives. (-Most likely because he said, "when I lost Ruthie," not "when I divorced Ruthie."-- MF) I wanted to grab Al and hug him as badly as Sam did, when he was talking about Ruthie's death. I couldn't figure out if "the admiral" in this story had already lost Ruthie or not, but it didn't matter much. I just assumed he hadn't because if he had, he might have suspected who Sam was from what Sam said to him. (-To quote from the story, " [Sam] remembered why Al was wearing his dress whites at 3 in the morning. He'd just returned to Norfolk after burying his wife in New York."-- MF) The way Sam and Al (both of him) could comfort each other just by standing there was magnificent. Esther Reese has a firm grasp of the fact that very deep love, and even jealousy, can exist in a relationship that isn't the least bit sexual. This story was incredible, and I only wish Esther had sent it to my zine instead. I'm looking forward to anything else she might write.

I got the zine, and on the whole, was quite impressed, particularly because of how little time you had to put it together. Most all of the stories were great, and the art was excellent. (I want it known here that I'm not talking about my own stories.) Before I get into the kudos, I'm going to do the criticisms. (I hate ending letters on an iffy note.)

I really don't think that Linda Terrell has a feel for QL stories. Her writing is always at least competent, and at her best, quite lovely, but I keep wanting to ask, 'Has this woman been watching the show?' I felt personally uncomfortable with the ending of the Bambi story. I don't think I like Seun being forced to fuck a deer, and I don't think that it is something that fits in with the message of the show. The Knight Rider story never grabbed me, though I think that it might, if I had been a bigger fan of the show. (I have nothing against crossovers; QL seems ready made for it. My only regret is that Magnum has been seen as a TV show. Airwolf, however, is still fair game, and I remind you that Al has a penchant for spiffy white suits... I wonder if Morella's number is in the admiral's little black book?) (-According to the March 7-13 issue of the TV Guide, "If Tom Selleck plays along, Scott Bakula may hula his way to Hawaii for Quantum Leap's fall opener, and the time travelling Sam Beckett will find himself in an episode of Magnum, P.I." So, what is this word 'continuity'?-- MF)

The other complaint isn't really something I can complain about story- wise. I really loved Kathy's "A Little Bit of Hell," and at the same time, I really hated it. Her facts were off, and because of that, it really spoiled a lot of the story for me. (Remember me, Mysti, the woman who called Annapolis to check a fact?) Now, I realize that a lot of people aren't compulsive about this, but 'tis mine own compulsion and it works for me. I am not about to tell Kathy what she should and should not do, except to say, please, more of the shower scene kind of stuff in the future. It rarely gets better.

And, since one should put their money where their mouth is, here's some infoirmation to print in your LoC column. I trotted down to the library and got a book called The Vietnam Experience; The False Peace, by Samuel Lipsman, Stephen Weiss and the editors of Boston Publishing Company. It's one of a series on the Vietnam War years, home and abroad, and looks to be a good and common reference source.

So, for those of us that want to use Al's background in Vietnam, here are some facts:

1) He flew an A4, which is a single-seat bomber/fighter. Its main mission was to bomb, but it was agile enough, and fast enough, to be able to dog fight. It delivered its payload close to the ground, so the odds are that Al was shot down by Soviet SAMs, which were making their combat debut in Indochina about the time he went down.

2) The Navy's ranks (for officers) are different from the other services. When Al was at the academy, he was a midshipman. (He would be called 'Mister Midshipman'.) Upon graduation, he would become an ensign, which equals a first lieutenant in the other services. After ensign, comes lieutenant, captain. It. commander, commander, and admiral. (They had commodores once, but they don't anymore because they felt that too many people wouldn't understand that commo dores were admirals, too. After all, brigadiers were generals, and they said so. You figure it out.) Admirals fall into the following classifications: one star—Rear Admiral, Lower Half; two stars—Rear Admiral, Upper Half; three stars—Vice Admiral; four stars—Admiral of the Fleet.

3) Miscellania: You don't salute indoors, and you don't salute when you're not 'covered' (wearing your hat). But if you're outside, you ought to be wearing a hat. ... If you've won the Congressional Medal of Honor, everyone salutes you first. Everyone, regardless of rank. ... There are dress whites, mess dress, duty blues, flight suits and khakis. Dress whites we've seen; Tom was wearing duty blues; and anyone watching CNN during the Gulf War has seen the other 'working clothes.' Mess dress are for the serious nose bleed occasions where you wear your medals and rank, and leave the fruit salad at home. I don't think there are hats for mess dress, but I'm checking. ... You first come to parade rest, and from parade rest to attention. You never just snap to attention. And you only salute from attention. ... The practice of wearing your rank before you draw your upgraded pay is called 'franking.' (Smile now, Mysti.) (-Hey, I've been franking my entire life! -- MF)

There's much more, of course, but you'll have to read my stories, or do your own research. I guarantee you, it's better (and worse) than anything we could make up. Back to the zine. Sheila's stuff was great, as usual, and the cover was smashing. The back wasn't too bad, either. I even liked all the poems, and I usually don't. Bravissima, Khrystyna, especially.

I wanted to write and tell you how much I enjoyed Green Eggs and Ham 1. The cartoons by Leah Rosenthal were cute and funny; she has a very succinct style.

"A Little Bit of Hell" was a little confusing. If it was Al's dream, why was he in Brimer's head? (-It was a shifting POV dream?-- MF)

"Show Me the Way to Go Home" was a good way to integrate BG into our universe: Come, but not now. Cy was cute. Great illo of Al.

"The Nail" was short and sweet. That leap I can see, even if it didn't change history.

The Bambi story was impressive. Linda Terrell obviously has read the Salton book. I especially liked the reference to this not being the first leap into the four-footed kind, Sam's reaction to the stag's heightened senses and the 'God' passage at the end. Interestingly weird.

"Friends" and "The Letter" were nice vignettes.

"Voices" was a lovely plot-ful story.

"Mystifying Leap"—absorbed reading isn't the reaction I'd expect from a male, non-fan reading Chalk and Cheese. Maybe Al, but I'd think a blush and averted eyes would be Sam's reaction.

"Short Hop" flirted with slash, but never made anything of it.

"Friendly Fire" was an impressive story. Blew me away! The confidences shared seemed real. This had to be the way it happened. And the A-Team came off well, too.

I just finished reading your zine. Green Eggs and Ham 1. I absolutely loved it. Since I have over a dozen QL zines already, a lot of the authors were familiar to me. I also liked the short piece you penned about Sam leaping into you. (-Thank you for your kind words, but I'd like to take opportunity to say that I am not Dr. Seuss and that I did not write "Mystifying Leap." I have twelve people who say that they will personally kill me if they find out I'm writing new stories when I have six unfinished stories in my files! I will only say that the good doctor is a person who wants to keep his/her identity secret, but is busily writing a story called "Coffee Break," which will be in GE&H3.-- MF)

Thanks for sending me Green Eggs and Ham 1. It's a very good zine, and I like Kate's color covers!

I loved "Show Me the Way to Go Home"! Sheila always finds the most imag inative ways to cross QL and other shows. Poor Starbuck! And Cy was a delight. What an ending! When Sam didn't leap home, you could feel how hard it was for Al. And, gee. Sheila sure does like drawing Al, doesn't she? "The Nail" is good, too. It was neat that Sam got to figure one out before Al. And I, too, would have loved to have seen Al's face when he realized why Sam had been there!

Poor Sam... He's been Mr. Ed, an elf, a lab chimp, and in this zine, he was Bambi!

I also liked Kelly Hill's "Friends," especially with her mention of 'going between.' Another Pern fan! But, yuck, what an awful nightmare for poor Sam to have! It's cold 'between'!

"Mystifying Leap"? Oh, groan. (Cute idea!)

I'm really starting to look forward to seeing Esther Reese's name in QL zines. She's very good at QL stories! I especially loved the idea of Al keep ing notebooks full of information and impressions he would want to give Sam when he gets back, that she postulated in "Allies". And she did a terrific job with "Friendly Fire". It's a neat idea to think of Al and Murdock knowing one another, for one thing.

Nice to see a Ruth Kurz illo again, too. (-Because of a communication snafu — we're not sure on whose end — Ruth was surprised to see her illo appear in GE&Hl. for which I heartily again, and in print, apologize. Sorry, Ruth.-- MF)

What do I think, huh? Who can think straight after watching or reading Quantum Leap? My mind is so busy tossing around ideas and theories, trying to make sense of things.

I loved your zine. There is nothing at all to complain about, and a whole list of things to praise. As for the stories, I first loved "Show Me the Way to Go Home." Then, of course, "Voices." Coincidence that they are by the same author. I was also moved by "Friendly Fire," being an old fan of the A-Team. I can't remember when a show or its stories have moved so much from laugh ter to tears and back again. There seems to have been an "Al" theme here. He's my favorite, so I welcomed it.

Probably the only story I had a problem with was "A Little Bit of Hell." I couldn't help feeling there was something I just wasn't getting in that one. I know it's my fault for being dense, but it irked me, anyway.

The art covers were lovely. Leah's Dr. Who and Mr. Ed cartoons I had seen before, but I still smiled. The Simpsons drawing was new to me.

"Mystifying Leap" was fun, though I knew from the title that something was coming—I just didn't know what.

The poems were to the point and touching, and I enjoyed them as well. Thank you for putting out a wonderful zine. I look forward to #2.

GE&Hl was superb. Yeah, those Kate Nuernberg covers are to die for, ain't they? So was Esther Reese's lovely somber Al on page 109. And Leah Rosen thal's cartoons are, as always, in a class of hilarity all their own. (I've seen hers in STARLOG—I love her cartoon where Sam leaps into Laura Palmer...) Barbara Staton's "Time for a Friend" really had me watering up. Good stuff, Barbara—keep it up! "Infinity's Hero" was good, too, but I'm an inveterate Al fan. Scott Bakula's a generic drop-dead-gorgeous guy, but I never get tired of reading Dean Stockwell's face. (And I live close enough to drive to Hollywood to see him get a star on the Walk of Fame on Leap Day, 1992! Yay!) (-I'm green with envy; I missed this! My accountant said I could go see Dean or pay my rent and eat for the next three months. It was a hard choice...- MF)

I've said for a while now that a good writer could do a Gilligan/Skipper slash story and have you weeping by story's end. I say this because I found myself devouring "Friendly Fire" by Esther Reese. I've never seen A-Team in my life and don't intend to start now, but it's a fine story, and the characters were handled well enough that I didn't have to have watched the show to enjoy it. The three-way scene with Admiral Calavicci, Sam and present-day Al knocked my heart out.

You're quite right about "Most Clever Request for Information."

"Shrouded in Murmuring Hemlock" was well written, obviously by someone who loved the Bambi books as much as I did (I was lucky enough to have read them before seeing the Disney movie). But I'm getting a little sugared out on A/U stories where a human becomes a noble animal. (Don't ask me how I felt about the "Bodie is a centaur" series or, worse, the "Illya the unicorn" stuff in Comrades.) Real animals are smelly and stupid—and sorry, gals, but this applies to cats, too! Yes, I worked for several months in the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum as "The Only Female in Fandom Who Doesn't Worship Cats.")

The one thing that every zine has picked up on is the intensity of the emotional ties between Sam and Al. "Shock Theater" was 99.49% of the purest hurt/comfort ever done in one episode of any fan-favored show. (They probably blew their "hurt/comfort" budget for the rest of the season.)

And as for the season premiere...sigh. Why do I have the feeling that Donna Elysee Beckett is going to usurp Christine Chapel as the Most-Stomped-Upon Female Character in Fan Media Fiction? That's a flaming cheat, that is.

"Surprise! Sam's been married all along and we forgot to tell him!" Well, of course the TV hero has to kiss the girl in each episode, and he can't do that if he knows about wifey waiting at home for him... But no wonder Sam forgot his wife — Donna is an eminently forgettable character. Ziggy was a better match for Sam (and should be introduced to Orac at once!). Ah, 'nuff said or I'll get depressed.

Green Eggs and Ham 1 is a wonderful zine! I've lost track of how many times I've gone back and read and re-read bits of it.

The color covers are beautiful. Kate evidently is quite talented in cap turing expressions. As a matter of fact, all the artwork was first rate! The 'look' of the zine is quite professional. The borders and graphics to fill in half pages are nicely done.

As for the fiction, I'm overwhelmed! There are so many things I loved that I can't list them all lest I burden you with a ten page LoC! I'll try to hit the highlights.

I'm an Al fan, and "A Little Bit of Hell" and "Friendly Fire" both really moved me. Kathy's ending, leaving Al so upbeat when he's about to walk into M.I.A. and Esther's handling of the scene when he confesses to "Scotty" his deep feeling for the "kid" were both fine examples of writing.

Rarely do I ever cry at fiction, fan or otherwise, but the ending of Sheila's "Show Me the Way to Go Home" nearly did me in. When Al tears into the waiting room and finds Bobby, not Sam, it's heartbreaking. Later, his accusing shout, "It should have worked!" to silent stars was beautiful.

Congratulations on a first class zine. I'm already looking forward to the next issue.

First, it goes without saying that the covers are beautiful. I've got a room crammed with zines of all types from all sorts of fandoms, and yours certainly stand out visually cimong them all! The print is nice and clear, the binding is much appreciated over the usual staples-which-pop-midway-through-the-read, the plastic over-cover is a blessing and your zine has to be one of the most error-free I've seen. Great proof-readers! Oh, and you have nice filler and side graphics art!

Now, about the contents. Leah Rosenthal's cartoons are (as always) a howl. And all of the art is of exceptionally high quality. I'm especially taken by the portrait of Al on page 23—lovely expression on that one. I'm currently trying to get up the nerve to send you some of my artwork for consid eration for GE&H2. I feel rather daunted by the caliber of what I've seen in this fandom so far, but that probably won't stop me! (-Well, either it did stop you, or you sent your artwork to someone else, 'cause I didn't get it. I beg real purty once you give me a chance..

"A Little Bit of Hell" is a wonderful short-short. The author does won ders with so few words. Nice characterization of Al. (I do hope you pass all these comments on to the folks concerned.) (-Nope, I let you do that.- MF) Normally, I find fannish poetry pretty dreadful, which is why I must make such a point to say that "Time for a Friend" is beautiful! I read it...then read it again...and when I finished the zine, I went back and read it one more time. It's very compelling.

I really don't have much comment on "Show Me the Way to Go Home". Sheila Paulson is definitely one of my favorite QL writers. I suppose I'm just one of the rare few that doesn't care much for cross-universe stories. It did help that I used to watch Battlestar Galactica, and that Starbuck was my favorite.

"Friends" and "The Letter" are nice short-shorts, too. I'm partial to the first one.

"Voices" was most definitely my favorite story in the zine. I'm a disgustingly smarmish sort of person, and I love a good QL story with emotional conflict in it (providing it has a happy ending, of coursel). The scene where Al comes back and Sam is under the impression that he was there the previous night is great stuff. Ditto for the dialogue that follows. "Windmills" is nice, too. I enjoy things from Al's POV.

"Friendly Fire" is exceedingly well-written and I enjoyed reading it, particularly the talk between the admiral and Sam, though I'm not sure Al would ever tell a total stranger things that are personal. However, I'm not an A-Team fan by any means, though I'm familiar enough with the characters to know who is whom. I think my favorite bit from the story was the scene where Al gives Sam the cigar and Sam recalls the similar event when he received the Nobel Prize.

Oh, and I hope Random House doesn't jump you about using the Seuss stuff. Some of the book companies can get pretty paranoid. (So can some of the production companies who put out these wonderful tv shows we get so het up about, because, technically, we are all using copy-righted characters and situations. ...But I won't tell If you won't.-- MF)

I look forward to getting info on your next issue of GE&H. You do a lovely zine.

This is a gorgeous zine and you, the writers, poets and artists should all feel very proud over what you have accomplished. The covers are particularly striking (and would be sure to get a potential reader's interest at some con -- MF) and many, many thanks for doing it in a spiral-bound format and putting clear plastic covers over Kate Nuernberg's delicious artwork. You're a real life-saver. (Think of coffee stains on those beautiful covers... Shiver!)

From the very first story by Kathy Hintze to Esther Reese's end story, the zine is full of incisive, detailed work which was both true to the characters as shown on Quantum Leap, as well as providing the reader with much needed background on these two fascinating men. In particular, Al was handled well. All your authors demonstrated a seep sense of empathy and caring for this extremely complicated man. As a writer, I really don't think you could ask for a better character to write about—there is so much incredible detail to this man's life that you could never run out of material.

Several stories I found particularly engrossing: Kathy Hintze's "A Little Bit of Hell," both of Esther Reese's stories and Sheila Paulson's "Voices." On Kathy's story, I hope that she will do more exploration of Al's life during that time period as she caught the tension very nicely.

About Esther's work. What can I say, she's got herself a fan! Both "The Nail" and "Friendly Fire" were detailed in description and the dialogue rang true. I fervently pray that she'll do more stories, particularly about Al out side of the Project.

As usual. Sheila Paulson's work is delicious and, while I enjoyed the Battlestar Galactlca crossover, I've found myself reading "Voices" over several times. Goodness, but she certainly knows how to write those wrenching scenes!

Still, though, I enjoyed all the stories and the poetry, and the border-work was a unique touch that really sets off the quality material. I look forward to reading GE&H2 and I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that you can get it out in time for Christmas—I can't think of a better Christmas present, can you? (-Janna, if you've had your fingers crossed all this time, I urge you to go to hospital immediately! But your copy of the zine will be waiting when you get out.-- MF)

I noticed in a couple of the stories that the authors seemed to be of the opinion that (a) Al is a quantum physicist, and (b) Ziggy is controlling the leaps. On the first point, from what we have seen of Al's knowledge and what we know of his education, he appears to be either an electronics or engineering type. It makes sense—Sam has the theories and Al knows what to build to make them reality. In A Portrait for Troian, Sam was getting instructions on how to rewire the 'ghost box' from Al, and that's not something a physicist would know how to do. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they teach quantum physics at Annapolis. (-However, we know that Al also went to which does teach quantum physics.-- MF) On the second point, it's been observed time and again on the show that Ziggy, Sam, Al and the rest of the crew have very little to say about the leaps. Once Sam was in the system. Someone Else took over. If Ziggy were controlling it, Sam would have been home long ago.

Question: I have never been able to quite figure from the show if Sam has won a Nobel Prize or if he's just been nominated. The most specific reference I can remember is Al's comment from the pilot. "Well, you made it, that's Nobel Prize stuff right there," or something to that effect. Anyone know? (-It has been stated that Sam won a Nobel Prize, though not for what.-- MF) Another thing I noticed in several of the stories is a surprising use of language. Now I am not at all offended by any sort of language except for racial/sexual orientation epithets. I have a major league mouth myself, so I can't point fingers at anyone. However, from what we have seen of Sam's character, aside from the occasional 'hell' or 'damn,' the man just doesn't cuss. Al, I have no doubt at all, can turn the air blue if he so chooses (I'd have loved to have been a mouse in the corner when Sam leaped the first time)—but he's a street kid who ended up in the military, after all. But for Sam, the language simply goes against the character we have been shown. That's my personal observation, accept or reject as you see fit.

Now on to specifics: First off, kudos to Kate for the covers—primo stuff! The front cover especially—she has really got the 'oh, boy' look down pat. More of the same for future ishes, please? "A Little Bit of Hell"—beautiful! Very heartfelt, and an excellent touch to have Dr. Brimer be a former POW. Who would know better how to communicate? "Time for a Friend"—I don't normally care for rhyming poetry, but I do like what this one has to say. Someone like Al, who has spent his whole life building walls for fear of getting hurt, opening up to Sam. That had to be tough for him. And the fear that, but for the grace of a Senate committee, his best friend could be stranded alone in time, must be a nightmare. "Show Me the Way to Go Home"—Sheila was good when she was writing for Facets (-Jane's and Slobhan Rafferty's media zine-- MF) all those years ago, and she's gotten better as time went on. I didn't watch much of Galactlca when it was on, but you don't need to know that much; Sheila has backfilled very well for those of us not in the know. Fine writing and plotting, and a real gut-wrencher when Al realizes that Sam didn't get to stay in his own time. Ouch!

I do like the touch with the cigars. Somehow I doubt, with all the puffing Al and Starbuck have done, a few micro-organisms are going to hurt either of them. "The Nail"—Am I correct in assuming that the title comes from the poem that starts 'For the want of the nail, the shoe is lost...'? (-You are.-- MF) Short, sweet and to the point. Al got the 'nail' he needed at the time he needed it most.

"Shrouded in Murmuring Hemlock"—Well, it's not a dog, but at least it has four legs. Interesting, and believable if, like me, you don't c[uite buy into the notion that Sam's physical body leaps. (Sorry, I just can't swallow that!) I'm not sure I quite got the point of the story—was he the inspiration for Bambi? I think the chronology might be a little wonky, if so—since Sam read the book as a kid. For him, 'kid' could have been four years old. (—Or two, since he tells Al that his mother used to calm him down at that age by giving him a book to read.-- MF)

"Infinity's Hero"—evokes the saying that a hero is someone who hangs on for one more minute. That's what Sam seems to be doing. I'm waiting for some one to write that man into a nervous breakdown. Even for a guy who wants to re-invent the wheel every 33 seconds, all this has got to be a strain on the old psyche. He just keeps holding on, for several 'one more minutes', one more leap, knowing that he is helping others the only thing saving his sanity. That, and the presence of Al. Very nicely done.

"Voices"—again. Sheila has done a fine job, but I do have one major quibble with this one. That's the scene where Sam, bound and blindfolded, is told off by 'Al.' As well as these two men know each other, I can't quite believe that Sam would think 'Al' was on the level with telling him off like that. And what's this about Al's 'dubious' help? Dubious? Sam would be up shit creek without Al and Ziggy to pull his ashes out of the fire! I also think it would have been nice to have gotten a little more of Brian's mimicry in, but that's a very minor point. One stumbling block in an otherwise terrific story, but I haven't seen anything much this season on the show that had less glitches. Considered trying to do this one as a script and finding an agent. Sheila?

"Mystifying Leap"—Dr. Seuss, you have gotten silly! A good chuckle, though, and lots of fun. And "Most Clever Request for Information"—very good!

"Allies"—Ah, yes, it did come to the Senator as she slept! Vice Admiral —how very appropriate! Good stuff.

"Short Hop"—Again, I didn't watch much of Knight Rider, either, but there's enough detail here for us layfolk. If he can leap into a deer, why not a computer? Especially one like KITT? However, it's really not nice to send him into K-9...

"Premature Acceleration"—Except for the third line in the first verse, which strains a little for the rhyme, I like it a lot. Also, one quibble, very minor: Al was still drinking at the beginning of the first season, and the poem says, "I haven't had a drink in six years." Sam hasn't, as far as we know, been gone that long. Again, minor point. (-Khrystyna says the poem was based on information in the writer's bible for QL, which states that "at one point, Al bottomed out in life...drinking may have been a part of it...and was sort of rescued/given a second chance by Sam," and adds, "when Al was at one of the low points in his life and kicked out of the Star Bright Program, Sam helped him get his life back together and brought him in on the Quantum Leap Project." Khrys believes Al's references to drinking during first season were just his attempts to prod Sam into remembering, since a Beckett in his right mind would strenuously object if he thought Al was actually imbibing again.-- MF)

"Friendly Fire"—Esther, you are a prolific little thing, aren't you? The best was saved for last. With a few minor changes, this could make a kick-ass episode. I didn't watch A-Team, either (I don't watch much of what's on, and haven't for a long time), but that does nothing to impede the enjoyment of the story. Extremely well done. Loved Al's entrance as the admiral—I can just see him quietly cutting the colonel to ribbons. Very nice touch about Ruthie, and very sad. Someone else who noticed the way Al said, "When I lost Ruthie," not "when she left me" or "when we split up." Good little aside about time travel. Al's 'us and them' speech is right on the money, and I can see Seim trying to break his jaw for apologizing for being alive when Tom wasn't. Not a glitch in sight, and worthy of a Fan Q at the very least. Keep 'em coming, Esther!

Of most of the stories that I've read, I have to say that I liked "Voices" the best. Too often I've read far too many QL stories where the one character (usually Al) knows all the answers — but at the cost of making Sam look like an idiot. I like stories like "Voices" in which Sam and Al work together as friends. I also like the fact that though the idea of a (good) young man who has inherited millions is a common plot, the author. Sheila Paulson, was not afraid to show a little sibling in-fighting. This added dimension made the family that Sam leaped into much more believable. Too often, people, especially family members, are shown with too much 'sweetness and light' and sadly, the aired episodes have followed this sugary trend. I also like the two short pieces by Kelly Hill. I like her idea of showing us what happens after Sam leaps home.

Without a doubt, my favorite poem was Louann Quails' "Most Clever Request for Information." Too bad that this short piece probably didn't earn Quails a contributor's copy; it was easily the best piece in the entire zine. (-Jt earned Louann a discount on the zine, which is part of the policy stated on the back page of every zine I put out.-- MF)

As I read the stories, I was puzzled by one re-occurring idea: the fan writers automatically assumed that Albert Calavicci also has a physics degree from M.I.T. Since it's been established on the aired show that Al met Sam at M.I.T., could these writers be assuming that Al was there studying for a degree also? (-It states in the writer's bible that "Al went to M.I.T,, where he had a Lithuanian girlfriend, Danesa, who worked in the Chemistry Lab." This is possibly the basis for that assumption.-- MF) Me, I just took it for granted that Al was there "headhunting"—on the prowl for bright young minds for recruiting into the military, or adding to our nation's think tanks. QL tells us that Al was a Navy pilot, then spent years and years as a POW in Vietnam, then years of political infighting for him to reach his rank as admiral, then the Star Bright Project, whatever that was (-It was a 'predecessor to Project Quantum Leap, ' which Al 'headed up from the mid-60's to 1990.'-- MF), and his current assignment as project observer. Al with a degree? And in physics? From M.I.T.? When would he have the time? (M.I.T. ain't exactly a junior college, you know...) (-With so many writers working on the show, all with their own ideas of Al's timeline, it becomes difficult to work out exactly what he did when, and expect to stay sane. However, until someone actually states on camera that Al is not knowledgeable in the area of physics, quantum or otherwise, I'll accept any story that says he is.-- MF)

Here's hoping that the next issue of Green Eggs and Ham will feature more of this "fanfic plus."

Green Eggs and Ham 1 was excellent. I bought it as a Christmas present for a friend of mine. My favorite story was "Friendly Fire." I laughed when they did the scene in the admiral's office in the last aired episode (-Running for Honor-- MF) —it reminded me so much of the zine story. I was pleased that the relationships between the A-Team were not neglected in favor of a sole focus on Sam and Al. It added a lot to have the styles of showing they care run in parallel.

"Voices" did very well at showing how much Sam and Al depend on each other. Taking away their certainty in one another hurt more than most purely physical pains.

"A Little Bit of Hell" was well-written and a story I can re-read, but no one aspect of it really sticks out in my mind a month after reading it.

"Short Hop"—was cute. I loved Michael's comment about KITT stealing his girls. I also thought it showed a lot about KITT and Michael's partnership that KITT automatically sends his own version of Al's image so that Michael knows what is going on. Even though they're not getting along at the moment, they're still partners.

"Friends" and "The Letter"—were painful, but well worth it. I ached when I read the letter that Sam left.

"Show Me the Way to Go Home"—was good, although painful. It had to hurt Sam to be back home in a body so close yet not his own. This one also shows how deep Al and Sam's relationship goes. Even though he's already short of sleep and even though he has to convince skeptics that an enemy is approaching from space, Al never considers letting Sam fight his battles alone—or even with someone else at his side.

"The Nail"—was a feel-good story that worked for me. I finished it with a strong sense of well-being.

"Shrouded in Murmuring Hemlock"—was okay, but it didn't really draw me in like others did.

I really enjoyed the vignette, "Allies," where the senator brought Al his promotion. It showed a softer Al. When he tells her Sam was a fool not to take advantage of leaping in as her husband, I got the impression that it was said much more as a compliment to her personality than to acknowledge his hormones.

I was impressed with "Request for Information." It felt like Seuss. The Mary Sue (Mysti-sue?) story was cute. (-One more time, I am not Dr. Seussi Maybe I should put this on a billboard. -- MF) However, I think Sam would be a little more surprised that nice school teachers were reading this stuff!

I don't have the zine with me, and I don't remember the art well enough to comment except to say that the covers were excellent. Well done, Kate! And well done, Mysti, for a wonderful zine!

If you only buy one QL zine this year, check this one out. Because (1) it’s got almost everything -poetry, cartoons, crossovers, humor, angst, amusing plot twists, stunning smarm, and some very bizarre ideas (Sam as a deer? Sam in a computer?); (2) it’s well written, well produced, some fine art, all around high quality; and (3) it’ll make you feel good. Well, it made me feel good anyhow. The front and back covers are in color -Sam looking a touch goofy on the front, Al a touch skeptical on the back. I also quite liked the illo of Al on page 23.

The rest of the art was fine, and for once there’s a fair amount of it (especially if you count Leah Rosenthal’s cartoons). I’m not much of a poetry fan, but I even liked those in this zine -particularly "Premature Acceleration’’, which didn’t always scan that well but grabbed me anyway.

The first story, "A Little Bit of Hell", frustrated me. It’s very well written, but it starts out as if it’s going to tell about Al adjusting to society after being a P.O.W., then shoots off in another direction just as I’m getting involved. I would have enjoyed a much longer historical bit, especially if it were all written as well as what we got.

"Show Me the Way to Go Home" crosses with GALACTICA, but the author gets around my usual problem with crossovers by setting it some time after Sam originally started leaping -Sam switches with Starbuck shortly after Starbuck crashes near the QL Project. Thus Sam and Al and Starbuck and Cy can all interact. There are those who might accuse the author of writing the whole stoiy just to erase the existence of GALACTICA 1980, but really there’s more to it than that. Mostly emotional torture. Sam is home -but he’s not. Al has him back, but doesn’t know for how long. And Starbuck... ultimately, I think, the author’s hardest on him, although Al's the one who agonizes about it most. A logical decision, but a painful one.

"The Nail" is a nice little scenario with Sam getting a glimpse into Al’s past. Next is "Shrouded in Murmuring Hemlock." I don’t remember Salton’s book being existential, but I read BAMBI when I was eight or nine, so perhaps it went right over my head. This story does nicely pick up some of the grandeur of the book, somehow managing to mix it with the humor of the show.

The next two are linked. Friends is a glimpse of Sam and Al after Sam returns to the Project. A nice vignette. But the follow up story, "The Letter", doesn't succeed as well. It starts out fine, but then Al finds a letter Sam wrote before leaping and the letter and ensuing dialogue didn’t quite ring true true. Too cliched, somehow, and not quite as solidly in character.

The title to "Voices" has two meanings, one of which is obvious and the other only revealed two thirds of the way through. In a slight twist on my understanding of the series, Sam thinks the man he’s inhabiting was originally committed because his brother managed to tape Sam talking to Al. But the real problem is that the bad guy figures out not only that Sam isn’t who he appears to be -but who he really is.

In "Mystifying Leap", Sam leaps into the zine editor as she’s trying to get one of her PROFESSIONALS zines printed. Amusing, lots of in-jokes but usually clear in context.

Senator McBride (from the episode 'Honeymoon Express') drops in on Al for a vignette called "Allies." A lot there for such a short bit -some of what Al plans to do once Sam comes back, how Al plans to bring Sam up to date and the like. Not sure I agree with all the conclusions, but interesting and well done. The next story. Short Hop is acute idea that got out of hand. Sam leaps into KITT (the car in KNIGHT RIDER), while KITT is wallowing in computer angst, I found it a bit confusing -quotes and slashes and italics and sentences all in caps, written in first person from Sam's point of view but he still 'thinks' in between slashes -and although I never got totally lost because everyone's pretty solidly in character, it was a pain. Further. KITT at one point says he's not going to let Michael in on a conversation, then a full page later it's stated retroactively that KITT has been relaying everything to him. Since Michael never reacts to Al suddenly appearing in the car with him or to Sam's voice, it's a little hard to pin down where 'everything' begins. It's also a bit unclear how Michael's picking up Sam -is KITT speaking with two different voices? I dunno. Still, although the story itself didn't do much for me. I love the tag.

Windmills is a first person vignette of a rather deistic Al retrospecting. My favorite line is. "Little did we dream that the windmills you were tilting at would tilt back."

Finally, we have "Friendly Fire", across over with the A-TEAM. I'll quickly assure you that Sam does not leap into any of the main characters and tnen give you my initial impression. Wow. Just wow. When I say this is stunning. I mean it literally. I just sat there in a vague, warm, glowing haze. Gosh. Ahem. Okay, if I were feeling real nitpicky. I'd complain about Decker's characterization. At one point the author contradicts what he did in asimilar situation in an aired episode. Since this minor problem undoubtedly bothers only a few A-TEAM fans, and it didn't knock me totally out of the story anyhow, refer back to the last paragraph and then read on.

If smarm was always this well done I might wallow in it more often. Even if you hate cross overs and aren't much for the A-TEAM. I think you'll like this. If you are an A-TEAM fan that'll just make the enjoyment a little richer, 'cause their characterization's as dead on as Sam and Al's. Sam gets anew glimpse of Al. Al gets anew glimpse of Sam. the reader gets new glimpses of both of them. Everybody suffers nobly but fortunately not in silence. The writing is tight, original and rich. And I really don't want to say anything about it except "Get your hands on this puppy!"

With a zine this diverse, it’s hard to know here to begin. There’s a nice mix of stories here, from the truly comedic to the deadly serious. First the art: as always, Kate’s cover illos are beautiful, particularly the expression on Sam’s face as he realizes he's about to leap. Most other illos here are by Sheila, who, along with Ruth and Esther, has done a wonderful job. Leah's cartoons are irreverently off-the-wall and some of the funniest bits in the zine.

Next up, poetry. I’ve never been a big fan of it, but I like the ones here. “Time For a Friend” is a succinctly accurate characterization of Al. “Infinity’s Here” tries to be the same for Sam, but I found it lacking in comparison. “Most Clever Request for Information” is wonderfully loony and just as clever as the title would have you believe. “Premature Acceleration” is by far my favorite here, though. 30 lines of occasionally forced by always forceful rhyme, summing up the entire project from Al’s POV. I like.

Finally, the stories. "A Little Bit of Hell" is a very well-written piece dealing with Al's return home after the war, with a kick-in-the-stomach kind of ending. I had to recuperate for a few minutes before I could go on after that one. "Show Me the Way to Go Home" is a QL/Battlestar Galactica crossover which I fully enjoyed, despite the fact that I've never seen BSG. All characters involved are so well sketched that it doesn't matter whether you've watched both shows. Good angst on the part of everyone involved.

"The Nail" is a nice bit, with Sam getting a glimpse into Al's past It's easy to see how this "Arrogant kid" could have grown up to become the Admiral Calavicci we all know and love. "Shrouded In Murmuring Hemlock" has Sam as a deer trying to ward off poachers. It's a fairly good story, but something I can't quite name kept me from enjoying it fully. Perhaps it's the fact that Sam swears reputedly, something we've (almost) never seen him do in the actual series. It's good, but not as good as many of the others here.

"Friends" and "The Letter" are a pair of companion pieces narrating the first couple of days after Sam's leap home. Once again, I like. If he has to leap home (again) in the series, let it happen this way.

The title of "Voices" has two meanings, only one of which is readily obvious. The brother of the man Sam leaps into tries to get him committed by taping Sam's conversations with Al. How he manages to get so much information on a top-secret project so quickly I don't know (the story takes place a year before Al's present), but if you swallow the fact that he does the rest of the story works well.

"Mystifying Leap" has Sam leaping into the zine's editor, a story she swears she did not write. Funny and (as far as I can tell) dead-on character-wise.

"Allies" is a sort vignette showing a conversation between Al and Senator Diane Macbride, who has finally realized why the name Samuel Beckett seemed so familiar to her before. A nice piece; short but concise, showing both of their attitudes towards leaping and towards each other, as well as Al's plans to bring Sam up-to-date when he leaps home.

"Short Hop" has Sam leaping into KITT, the car from Knight Rider. I've seen enough KR episodes to appreciate the character, at least in the beginning of the story, but the four-way conversation between Michael, Sam, Al, and KITT seems a little over-cliched. It starts out with some good angst but rapidly overdoes it.

"Windmills" is a wonderful little piece of Al reflecting on leaps both past and yet to come, trying to put it all in perspective.

And last but definitely not least is "Friendly Fire.' I haven't watched The A-Team since I was about six years old, but all the characters seem to be well drawn, and Al is extremely well represented here. This is unquestionably the best piece in the entire zine; a taut little gem about Al's wife Ruthie, his attitudes towards death, and how he feels about Sam — and yes, there's even a Real Plot besides all of that grabs you and doesn't let go until the leap out—and lingers behind even then.

What's left to say that hasn't been said? Green Eggs Ham #1 is one of the best QL zines I've read. Buy it.

Issue 2

front cover of issue #2, Cheryl Meidinger-Carter

a flyer for issue #2

Green Eggs and Ham 2 was published in March 1992 and contains 188 pages. It was a FanQ nominee - Best QL Zine. The covers are not credited by the publisher but are by Cheryl Meidinger-Carter; interior artwork is by Pam Heath, Nola Frame-Gray, H. Ann Walton, Terri Librande, and David Lawrence.

[From a flyer for this issue]:

Yep, we enjoyed it so much the first time that we're doing it again! Green Eggs and Ham 2 is now open for submissions. Already received is a wonderful Quantum Leap/My Partner the Ghost crossover by Sheila Paulson. What happens when Al the hologram meets Marty the ghost? It boggles the mind! Upset at the inconsistencies in the episode, "Eight-and-a-half Months"? ('What happened to the baby?' springs to mind.) Well, Esther Reese has decided to tackle the problem. She promises no answers, but the journey is well worth it. Imagine the conversation Al and Verbena Beeks (the project shrink) have concerning what the heck happened during this leap. Words will fail you, but they don't fail Esther.

Many others have sent forth feelers ("...I have this idea..."), so why not join them? GE&H2 is looking for more wonderful stories, poems and artwork by the people who forced NBC to forget the damn Nielsons and listen to the fans! (Ghod, what a concept!) Put your thinking caps on. You can do it, I know you can. (I have great faith. I also know what fen will do for more heart-stopping artwork like Kate Nuernberg's covers on this issue.)

The zine will be out sometime in December (and if you hold me to that... well, I pity the fool...), so the deadline for stories and poems is November 1, 1991 and the deadline for artwork is November 15, 1991.

Again, there will be a gorgeous color cover: a melange of scenes from past and present episodes. I saw the original (half-finished) last year at a con -- absolutely stunning.

The rest is up to you, folks. Keep those cards and letters coming.

[The publisher must have had some trouble at the printers, as per a letter of comment in the third issue]: I had to laugh at your final problem with getting the zine out, but it really was quite ridiculous! Kinko's must have been out of their tree, asking you for letters of copyright agreement for all the stories for Green Eggs & Ham 2! Since when is that a printer's right? Well, it might look funny now, but I'm sure it wasn't for you at the time and you must have been ready to tear your hair out. That has to be a first; in all my years of fan writing and editing, I've never heard anything so silly! They're probably the cheapest printer, too, right, or else you could look elsewhere next time? Need less to say, I think that was very resourceful of you, asking friends with fax machines to 'forge' letters. It's a pity Sam Beckett couldn't have leapt in and saved the day! Can you just imagine the dialogue from Al!! (-This situation hasn't arisen at Kinko's again since my alternate persona. Pushy Broad, and the manager sat down to have a little...talk.-- MF)

[From the zine]: (c) March, 1992. Green Eggs and Ham 2 is a PWP publication ('Profit? What profit?!) of WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T PRESS! All contributions were accepted in exchange for a free copy of the zine or a pro-rated discount. All rights revert back to the authors and artists upon publication. And if I ever find out who put me on the mailing list for seminars on how to cope with stress, I'll strangle 'em! Meanwhile, laugh. Cry. Send LoCs!

[from the editorial]:

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another fantastic issue of Green Eaas and Haml We've got something here for everyone: a little laughter, a few tears, a lot of smarm and a great relationship. You can't go wrong.

One thing that makes it so difficult in putting out a zine of a show that is currently running on the air is that, so often, what someone writes is contradicted by the show. Or the show will contradict itself. Soon you have people arguing over whether this or that is correct—or even possible. I have only one policy on that: if it's stated on Ceunera, it's so. Even if the show later says, 'Hey, we were only kidding. Forget that episode ever aired.' So if you think it's Sam's body leaping from time to time and place to place, more power to you. If you think it's Sam's soul/ba/essence, keep on truckin'. I won't argue either case (although I do have my own preference), and will accept a story based on either one. When QL goes off the air (Ghod forbid!), then fandom as a whole will sit down and decide what is cannon and what isn't, and what's acceptable and what isn't. Some fan fiction will be so tremendous that it will seem, years later, as though people actually saw it performed on their tv sets and some will argue 'til they're blue in the face that it's so. But until that happens, I'll take it like it comes.

One small matter to anyone (old hand and new alike) who is thinking of sending me a story: please include a SASEI This is only fair to any zine ed and will probably speed up a return letter to you.

[snipped]

Those of you who got to go to what Scott Bakula termed 'the first annual Quantum Leap convention' have made me green with envy, as I couldn't attend, but quite a few of you made it up to me by calling (Three hours, Terri?!) or writing (ten pages, Ann?!) me and giving me the low-down on it, and I gratefully kiss your feet (if you wash them first). If there is a second con, as rumour says, in Florida next year, I'll be first in line to buy tickets. I just mourn the missed opportunity to meet so many of you that I only know by mail. Ah, well, someday...

• Letters of Comment by D. Readers (1)
• A Friend Indeed by Barbara H. Victor (Sam's leap has long term effects this time.) (16)
• Streams of Flow by Terri Librande (Sam straightens out a '60's hippy who would have died from a drug overdose, again with long term results.) (26)
• Cartoon by Nola Frame-Gray (35)
• Moody Blues by Jackie Wagner (36)
• Partners in Crime by Sheila Paulson (crossover with My Partner, the Ghost, another universe where one character is solid and the other isn't. The ghost can see Al, who isn't too thrilled with the idea, and they must all work together to solve a crime.) (40)
• Informal Poll of QL-Related Objects by Youse Guys (56)
• Cartoon by Jane Mailander (57)
• Photographs by Jane Mailander (At the end of Sam's leap to Vietnam, Al shows him another important picture, from his office.) (58)
• Special Delivery by Ann Raymont (Sam's a mailman, running from two familiar Dobermans. The TV network exec that owns them always asks his mailman what he's watching on TV, to decide what to renew. Sam never heard of the sitcom he asks about, so it's to be canceled. Al's disappointed - he admired the sleazy lawyer lead character.) (62)
• Cartoons by Nola Frame-Gray (65)
• One Small Leap by Rebecca Reeves (Sam finds out just how hard it is to run a variety show. Without the help of the leapee's nephew, Robin, he never would have managed it, especially since he had to keep avoiding the pig) (67)
• The Time Traveller by Jane Mailander (83)
• The Project Observer by Jane Mailander (84)
• Journey's End by Shari Ramseur (death story) (85)
• Here I Come to Save the Leap! by Elaine & Anne Batterby (Sam's Barry Allen this time, and can't deal with another red suit.) (89)
• Appointed Rounds by Terri Librande (Sam leaps into a doctor delivering a baby ... in Oak Ridge, IN ... in 1953. But he's really there for another patient that isn't doing as well.) (104)
• Cartoon by Nola Frame-Gray (112)
• Cartoon by Jane Mailander (113)
• The Female Factor by Meg Garrett (Sam leaps into a British actor [Martin Shaw] filming a pilot for an action show [which is The Professionals]. Ziggy says he's there to make a woman, or women, happy, so when the producer feels the other lead actor isn't working out, Sam's to suggest a replacement. Ziggy then says Sam has made thousands of women happy - but Al can't figure out why. (An in-joke for Pros fans: Anthony Andrews was originally cast as Bodie and they switched in mid filming to Lewis Collins.) (Quantum Leap/The Professionals RPF) (114)
• At a Price by Janna Stockinger (An Al story, not necessarily set during the project, though Al already knows Sam. The Admiral hitches a ride on a Navy cargo plan and has a rough trip.) (122)
• Silent Night by Ann Raymont (Sam's a Korean war vet, working at a Catholic children's home. It's Christmas eve, 1953, but he's not just there to play Santa. He takes an immediate dislike to the other new worker, Butch, but can't figure out why.) (139)
• Cartoon by Nola Frame-Gray (147)
• Those Who Wait by Jeanne O'Donnell (War of the Worlds story, Sam is Norton Drake this time, and he is paralyzed. This story isn't a "undo the second season" leap.) (148)
• A Fond Farewell to Dr. Seuss by Hugh Haynie (188)

• 

  from issue #2, Terri Lebrande

• 

  from issue #2, H. Ann Walton

• 

  from issue #2, Nola Frame-Gray

• 

  from issue #2, Terri Lebrande

• 

  from issue #2, Terri Lebrande: a visual pun referencing the title of the zine? ("It ain't easy being green."), Sam Beckett and Kermit the Frog

• 

  from issue #2, Pam Heath

• 

  from issue #2, H. Ann Walton (oddly, this exact same illo with the exact same page number [87] is also in the next issue where it illustrates the story "For the Love of a Child")

• 

  from issue #2, not credited

• 

  from issue #2, Terri Lebrande

• 

  from issue #2, Terri Lebrande

• 

  from issue #2, H. Ann Walton

• 

  from issue #2, David Lawrence

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

Five out of five stars.

GE+H 2 starts off with LOC's for #1, including mine (!) and even one all the way from Australia. In addition to the stories, there are Nola Frame-Gray cartoons and Jane Mailander poetry.

The stories are:

"A Friend Indeed" - Barbara Victor: Paradox, paradox. Sam's leap has long term effects this time.

"Streams of Flow" - Terri Librande: Sam straightens out a '60's hippy who would have died from a drug overdose, again with long term results.

"Moody Blues" - Jackie Wagner: After this I hope it is Sam's body leaping - I wouldn't wish this problem on him. :-)

"Partners in Crime" - Sheila Paulson: QL crossed with 'My Partner, the Ghost', another universe where one character is solid and the other isn't. The ghost can see Al, who isn't too thrilled with the idea, and they must all work together to solve a crime.

"Photographs" - Jane Mailander: At the end of Sam's leap to Vietnam, Al shows him another important picture, from his office.

"Special Delivery" - Ann Raymont: Sam's a mailman, running from two familiar Dobermans. The TV network exec that owns them always asks his mailman what he's watching on TV, to decide what to renew. Sam never heard of the sitcom he asks about, so it's to be canceled. Al's disappointed - he admired the sleazy lawyer lead character.

"One Small Leap" - Rebecca Reeves: Sam finds out just how hard it is to run a variety show. Without the help of the leapee's nephew, Robin, he never would have managed it, especially since he had to keep avoiding the pig. Poor Sam. :-)

"Journey's End" - Shari Ramseur: A final leap I hope we don't see.

"Here I Come to Save the Leap!" - Anne and Elaine Batterby Sam's Barry Allen this time, and can't deal with another red suit. At least he doesn't have to fly this time. I think Anne and Elaine are working there way through every recent obscure fandom, leaping Sam into odd situations.

"Appointed Rounds" - Terri Lebrande: Sam leaps into a doctor delivering a baby ... in Oak Ridge, IN ... in 1953. But he's really there for another patient that isn't doing as well.

"The Female Factor" - Meg Garrett: I loved it, but it may be too much of an in joke for non-Pros-fans to get. Sam leaps into a British actor filming a pilot for an action show. Ziggy says he's there to make a woman, or women, happy, so when the producer feels the other lead actor isn't working out, Sam's to suggest a replacement. Ziggy then says Sam has made thousands of women happy - but Al can't figure out why. (To get this one, you have to know that Anthony Andrews was originally cast as Bodie and they switched in mid filming to Lewis Collins.)

"At a Price" - Janna Stockinger: An Al story, not necessarily set during the project, though Al already knows Sam. The Admiral hitches a ride on a Navy cargo plan and has a rough trip.

"Silent Night" - Ann Raymont: Sam's a Korean war vet, working at a Catholic children's home. It's Christmas eve, 1953, but he's not just there to play Santa. He takes an immediate dislike to the other new worker, Butch, but can't figure out why.

"Those Who Wait" - Jeanne O'Donnell: Yet Another War of the Worlds story, Sam is Norton Drake this time, and he is paralyzed. At least it isn't another "undo the second season" leap.

"Physician, Heal Thyself" - Kelly Hill: A serious and sad story. Sam's there to help a doctor in his last weeks dying of AIDS.

All the stories are well written, with good characterization and plots, but no spectacular standouts like in issue one. "Silent Night" is probably my favorite, "One Small Leap" was cute too. "Special Delivery" and "The Female Factor" may depend too much on in jokes for the new fan, though I liked both a lot.

Impish cover of Sam by Medinger-Carter. Gives off that "come on in and see what's on offer" aura, doesn't he?

"A Friend Indeed" and "Streams of Flow" are fun to read, "Connections"- style stories where you try to figure out how the incident during the leap is going to affect the other crisis going on back at the lab.

I live close to Nola Frame-Gray; I got a sneak-preview of her unique interpretation of "The Leap Back," and just about bust a gut laughing. She and I discovered that during the premiere of "TLB" we simultaneously joined the Donna Beckett Assassination Squad. I have noticed a tendency in post-TLB stories to ignore, dismiss, background or outright kill Donna. More power to them, I say; at last year's MediaWest I had a button made up: Hey, Donna! Leap THIS! Should start a Kill-Donna Story Contest... (Someone already has—a zine called Prima Donna. -- MF) Wasn't the actress' fault, either. It was Bellisario's for creating such a flavorless wimp of a wife for Sam, a woman who honest-to-God stands on the dock (in a shawl -- MF) watching the Pequod sail away, bravely self-sacrificing for her man and making sure everyone around her knows it. What could possibly have attracted her to someone like Sam in the first place? And in a dramatical sense, Donna was a cheat. You're not supposed to invent a wife for a main character four years into a series! And Donna's presence disrupted that whole episode. Dr. Beeks didn't get to say a single word—as Nola humorously noted. Sam doesn't rush to the phone to talk to his brother Tom; he doesn't talk to the family he's missed for three years—he doesn't even look in a mirror, for Christ's sake!—because he's too busy playing snuggle-bunnies with the Hostess Twinkie. And whatever miniscule sympathy you feel for Donna's situation is shattered the moment she snaps, "I don't care!" when she's told Al will die. Gee, he only saved her husband's life 23 times... So, to whoever named her 'garbage disposal Donna' — Right on, sister! After all. Donna was just another disposable TV female — you'll notice she hasn't been referred to since. And they wonder why we find the male characters more interesting than the female ones...

"Moody Blues" was—dare I say it?—a period piece.

Sheila Paulson again proves her agility in crossing the supernatural with our favorite time travellers with "Partners in Crime"—someone else who fondly remembers My Partner the Ghost! By the way, what is the deal on Al and ghosts? I became a QL fan towards the end of the second season, and haven't seen all the episodes from the first two years, you see...

[snipped]

"One Small Leap." Hands down, my favorite story in the issue. As an unashamed Muppet fan, I applaud Rebecca Reeves for flawlessly fusing the gentle world of The Muppet Show with Sam & Al's Excellent Adventure. She didn't just go for the belly-laughs, of which there are plenty (Sam passing out when he sees Kermit's face in the mirror, Scott Bakula having a frog in his throat, the moose having trouble at Immigration); she captured the souls behind the felt and foam that were brought to life so lovingly by Jim Henson and Richard Hunt, and are still done by their successors. Big Bird would ask if it hurts to have an amnesia-spell. My only complaint was that I wanted the story to be longer.

Loved the borders and lettering for my sonnets—very Arabian-Nights. (They look like flying carpets, don't they? Appropriate... --MF) Especially loved the information that there is now a new diehard QL fan who got hooked because of my two poems. That news made my day. (When I explained to my mother that the phone call was from a woman in Texas who liked a poem of mine in an amateur magazine, she bragged about it to her friends for the next couple of days!)

"Journey's End"—entirely believable. I can't see Al letting a little thing like death stop him from helping Sam. Also a believable premise—that Sam's life ends with his final leap.

"Appointed Rounds." Yes, return to the good old days when a woman's life was always worth less than the one she supported in her womb—better for her to die than to abort. (Actually, that's in character with Bellisario's beliefs— he's already given us his opinion of women's worth by creating Donna the Twinkie.) But Al's comment that "nothing good would have come of it" if the mother and her Down's-syndrome child had both lived rankled. The people Sam leaped in to save are "better off dead"? In that case, Sam ought to be able to sit on his hands for the next couple of leaps and watch people die, right?

"Female Factor"—spot on, Meg! A nice little story about the backstage goings-on on the set of The Professionals (says the woman who knows nothing about British television-producing). "Thousands of women" happy? How many millions of women are in England...? (-Don't forget the rest of the world -- MF)

And that David Lawrence Al on page 176...ah.

"Physician, Heal Thyself"; thoughtful, moving and believable; a poignant finish to the zine.

Just wanted to drop you a quick note to tell you how much I liked GE&H2! Being an Al fan, I especially liked "At a Price." I was under the impression that this story took place a long time after Project Quantum Leap concluded. I've seen some other things that Janna has done and she really is a very talented writer. Also, Nola Frame-Gray's cartoon depictions of "The Leap Back" had me laughing out loud. I'm relatively new to the QL fandom. I got hooked this season and have enjoyed catching up on what I've missed on USA. So, I had only first viewed the episode when NBC rebroadcast it a few months ago. I, too, thought Donna could have been a better character. She did too much whining when Sam was going back to save Al. I wondered how the writers could have Sam be married to such a selfish woman—as Sam is quite the opposite. But I thought it was just my own perception until I saw Nola's cartoons. Nola captured my thoughts exactly and made them funny. I'll never be able to watch that scene without laughing again. You included some of my favorite QL authors: Terri Librande, Sheila Paulson, Jane Mailander, Ann Raymont, Shari Ramseur...and introduced me to some new favorites as well. I also thought that the overall look of the zine was very professional. The cover was great and I liked the typesetting. The plastic cover was a nice touch as well (my two little boys have made their mark already on less protected zines).

Picked up Green Eggs and Ham 1 at Virgule, and now that I've finally had time to read it, it's left me in desperate need of new superlatives. Or to put it more simply, I can't think of anything you could have improved on. To begin with, the artwork is generally excellent. Sheila Paulson's Al and Sam on pages 23 and 47 respectively, are beautifully drawn; Leah Rosenthal's cartoons are—as always—terrific; and Kate Nuernberg's spectacular color covers are themselves well worth the cost of the zine. As for the stories...well, if I get started, I'll probably never stop, so I'll just say that there really wasn't anything I disliked, though naturally I have my favorites. "Friends" and "The Letter," for instance, give us a touching and plausible homecoming, while Sheila Paulson, with "Voices," not only tells an intriguing tale, but tugs at the heart as few writers can. Finally, all three of Esther Reese's stories capture Sam, Al and the rela tionship between them superbly. The poignant irony of "The Nail" and the compact but dead-on-target character study at the heart of "Allies" could only be surpassed by "Friendly Fire"—heart-rending, utterly believable, and an experience to be savored time and time again (not that any of this surprised me, mind you; I've admired Esther's work since my introduction to it in Blake's 7 fandom, so I'm delighted to find her writing Quantum Leap. Now, if someone could just talk her into watching The Equalizer...).

I really enjoyed "Friendly Fire"—I can't believe I'm saying that! When I saw it was an A-Team story, I nearly just skipped over it. I'm sure glad I didn't. It was the best one in the zine. The author, Esther Reese, seems to have done her homework, and I'm not just talking A-Team, here. I grew up in a Navy (career) family and much of the terminology was very familiar to me. I checked with my dad on the inter-service transfer, as I'd never heard of one. Please convey my appreciation for a job well done. I would love to see Bellisario do a story where there are 2 Als, one in the past and the hologram! Wouldn't that be tricky?! (

Thank you for Green Eggs and Ham 2. For years now, I had watched one friend after another become a QL fan, but resisted even after I realized it was more than just another TV show with stereotypical good-looking guys. I knew these two men had character (and good looks, of course). I supported the idea of the show, liked Bakula and Stockwell, read the comic books and watched around ten episodes. Then I bought GE&H2 in mid-1992. Occasionally, over the months, I flipped through the pages, glancing at the lovely poetry, cartoons and art work. For someone who considered herself only faintly interested in the show, I should have known the warning signs of growing addiction. After casually look ing through the zine for months, a few of the stories caught my eye. "At a Price," "Photographs," "Special Delivery" and "Journey's End" (not to take away from the charm of any of the other stories) made me the belated QL fan I am today. I was captivated after reading those stories. I began marking Tuesday nights on my calendar this season and making a mental note to be home by 6 PM for the daily USA episode. When I visited Universal Studios, my heart skipped a beat when our sightseeing tram drove within a few feet of the house in which they were filming the recent Christmas episode (all of the cast and crew had stopped and were watching us drive by). I dropped big bucks at the Studio store buying the (expensive but worth it) set of QL coffee mugs, etc., etc. Now I've reached the ultimate stage; I'm going to the L.A. QL con. (-You lucky duck. Hope you enjoyed it -- MF) It's all due to you and your marvelous zine. Many thanks. (-Many welcomes. Now that the show's been cancelled, without much hope of finding a home elsewhere, we fen are going to have to stick together and keep this fandom alive.-- MF)

I loved GE&H2 very much. My favorite stories were "Silent Night" and "Photographs." I have always liked stories that show a glimmer of Al's sensitive vulnerability and I think these stories captured it perfectly. I cried for several minutes following those stories and had to control myself before continuing on. I feel that Jane Mailander and Ann Raymont did an excellent job. One question on "Silent Night": was Butch supposed to be the Butch from "Shock Theatre"? I got the impression that it was. (-Ann says no. Astonishing how many bullies named 'Butch' there are, isn't it?-- MF) I also loved "Moody Blues." Sam experiencing that monthly inconvenience and his reactions to it were, to say the least, hysterical. I could just picture the story as if it was filmed. All in all, a wonderful effort.

As promised I am sending you my thoughts on Green Eggs and Ham 2. For me, this was a 'dark' zine in that its low points were greater than its highs. This being so, I will give my likes and dislikes. Feel free to cut any part if too long.

In "A Friend Indeed," Al's heart attack was well described as was Sam's reaction both as friend and doctor to the situation of seeing Al taken away. Sam finding that in helping Joey, he had helped his friend Al made for a nice ending.

In "Streams of Flow," the mounting tension is done very well. The switching from Sam to the Center to Al is kept in character for each part(s). Bring ing in the possibility of a psychic connection was also well done, as is the fact that the person Sam had become is working on the Project.

"Moody Blues" was tooooo familiar. Less said.

I enjoyed "Partners in Crime" and would like to see the original show the characters are based on. (-That would be "Randall and Hopkirk (deceased)"—or "My Partner the Ghost," as it was called in America—a wonderful English show that has a private detective and his dead partner's ghost taking cases and solving mysteries.-- MF)

"Photographs" has mixed reviews. As in crying when happy or laughing when sad. Well written and the personalities are good.

"One Small Leap" did not do a thing for me. I enjoy Kermit and the Muppets. I do not understand the reasoning behind this storyline. For some reason, it made me sad.

"Journey's End". Again, ups and downs at the same time. Well-written, similar to O'Henry, but if you're a detective, you can see something coming. Dress whites? On Al, who is a psychedelic's dream? Al is in the Navy, and has worn his dress whites on several occasions.-- MF)

"Here I Come to Save the Leap" is funny. I watched the show (-"The Flash"-- MF) and found I liked it when Sam, with a little help from Al, subconsciously became Barry. Could see the differences/similarities of the two shows. Very good.

Sam being the OB/GYN to his own mother (-in "Appointed Rounds"-- MF) and being the attending physician to himself was stretching things a bit. If you suspend reality, it worked. It followed its own rules, so the story worked, but, for me, it was very sad and helped to color my perception of the whole zine.

I got a big kick out of "Female Factor." Al not knowing what was going on. I could just see 'Martin' wondering what is going on. Did Ziggy ever tell?

"At a Price" was another story that colored my perception of the zine as dark. It is very well written and the characterization of Admiral Albert Calavicci seemed to my small understanding to be just about perfect. The descriptions of the plane, other personnel and the flashbacks show either good research, personal experience, or a combination of both. The touch of becoming personally concerned for the man, not just the admiral, by the men on the plane as well as the men coming to meet him was well portrayed. As was the admiral's reaction to the concern of his men for him. Though I have a sneaking suspicion that Sam is the only person that he might welcome concern from or accept without feeling exposed to the world.

I found "Silent Night," though well-written, sad. It did bring Al to his sister's bedside so he could see she believed in his promise to return, and allowed Sam the chance to return some of the strength Al had given him. But I felt down after reading it.

"Those Who Wait" was well-written again (good writers/storytellers, as well as good editors). I am not as familiar with War of the Worlds, but from what I do know of it, the characters did not seem to be out of character. Questions: Why would Ironhorse leave the suite if it would kill Dr. Blackwood? Is it that both Sam and Norton are computer buffs the reason Sam is there? Why could not Norton find the "river" where the doctor is left?

I think that "Physician, Heal Thyself" was the final straw. AIDS is a fact of life. It, like cancer, is a slow and sometimes painful way to die. One's friends have difficulty knowing what to say, how to say it, and react in as many ways as there are individuals. This showed some of the ways. As in the rest of the stories, it was well-written and the characterizations were very good. I am not sure if the writer was writing an "I hope this is how I would act" story or if this is a coping mechanism for a very personal experience. Either way, she has done a good job of showing how, even at its best, it is a sad time and it may seem to go on forever and not long enough.

I got GE&H2 and read it all in two days. Very nicely put together. You do such a professional-looking zine. I was moved by the Dr. Seuss cartoon on the last page—I confess I thought of Green Eggs and Ham when I heard of his death.

Though I have to confess my first love is Real Ghostbusters instead of Quantum Leap, it was still a pleasure to delve into a zine full of leaping. Favorite stories include Kelly's "Physician, Heal Thyself." I was moved by the story and really felt for poor Sam.

"At a Price" was very well written. Poor Al—I don't know how he survives his life. He's achieved so much, but with so little reward. When I read this story, I found myself wondering if it were a crossover with a universe I didn't know. I still don't know if it is or not, but I realized that the reason I thought that was because the characters were fleshed out and came alive for me, and it isn't often enough in fan fiction that invented characters spring off the page so readily. Nice work.

I confess I figured out "Female Factor" from the title, being an old time Pros fan, but I enjoyed it all the more for that.

Rebecca Reeves did something I thought impossible, leaped Sam into The Muppet Show and made it work. I liked this story a lot. Rebecca turns in a good story every time and I'm delighted when I find another because the odds are that I'm going to enjoy it.

I especially loved the Al picture on page 176. Very nice style. I envy anyone who can do crosshatching and make it look like a person. When I try, it looks like a bunch of lines that wish they were somewhere else. This was very well done.

I was sorry not to see another Esther Reese story since she writes so very well, but I talked to Esther yesterday and she told me some plotlines and said she was sending them to Green Eggs and Ham. Reason to look forward to the next issue. (-And the next, and the next...-- MF)

I'm sorry I didn't watch The Flash enough to really appreciate "Here I Come to Save the Leap," though I have to say I enjoyed it without knowing the other show. I think that's possible. Usually what happens is that I read a cross over, think, "I'd like to watch that show," and then, naturally, it is no longer on TV. I've gotten into a fandom or two through the back door like that. In fact, it was through reading fan fiction that I got into The Real Ghostbusters.

I love the idea of crossovers. There is a zine out called For Those Who Came in Late which gives backgrounds of a lot of the more obscure shows.

All in all, another nice, thick QL zine to enjoy. Thanks for the good work, Mysti, and I'm delighted to hear there will be a number 3.

I loved the way Terri's artwork seemed to illustrate "Silent Night." Even though I think I've seen the photo that pose is from, with the shadows and all, it really worked for me! Thank you!

I liked the opening story very much. Also both of Terri's, and Shari Ramseur's (having read her novella Shattered. I should have known she's not afraid to kill anyone off!).

I have trouble with crossovers in general, unless I know the universe or unless the writing, plot, characters, etc. stand alone. Sheila's always do! And I'm familiar with The Flash favorite! By the way, he loved the story, too!) so I liked that one. The others, not as much. The mixture of cartoons, poetry, art and fiction was just right, and typos were practically non-existent. Great jobl

Back to Barb's story (-"A Friend Indeed"-- MF) , I, too, have toyed with the idea of Al collapsing in the Imaging Chamber. Visions of Sam being so concerned and frustrated and helpless, and over the course of a day, Al just lying there, and people wondering why Sam keeps skirting that spot on the floor...well, never mind. I don't think I've read a story yet (until this one) that actually did something like that. It's always fun to discover your own ideas brewing in someone else's imagination and seeing how they come out. (-Or frustrating, depending on whether or not they beat you to the punch. One person I know nearly flew to L.A. to personally beat Donald's head in when he delivered That Episode Which Shall Not Be Named [that causes the Ruppenboogie curse] only two days after she had told me the plot of a story she was writing involving Sam and Steven King...-- MF)

I thought "Photographs" was wonderful. It filled up the slightly empty feeling I had after watching "The Leap Home; Vietnam" when I realised the depth of Al's sacrifice for Sam and his brother.

I don't usually care much for poetry, probadly because I write some that is pretty awful, but I thought that both "The Time Traveller" and "The Project Observer" were well written and touching. Good stuff, Jane Mailander!

"Journey's End" bothered me. I guess that it should have. Death usually does bother people, even though it is just another part of life; another Door.

"At a Price" gave me another peek into the life of the admiral that we rarely see. Al is much more than he sometimes lets us see.

"Physician, Heal Thyself" touched me personally because I see many AIDS patients in my work, and I know the emotional pain that they deal with is often overwhelming.

Last but not least; the artwork in this issue was wonderful! The color cover was great, and the pictures of Sam and Al were top-notch. The pic of Al on page 176 was my personal favorite...something about the eyes. Pure Al, all the way. Can't wait for GE&H3. Hurry! (-Hurry, she says. Once a year, the editor respondsJ Twice, if the submissions start piling up. Thrice, if you can arrange me a date with Scott Bakula...-- MF)

After reading these zines, it leaves me somewhat nervous about sending my story to you. I think I'm intimidated! I'm having someone critique it for me as we speak and as soon as I'm done making changes, I'll see if I have enough guts to send it to you! I've written over 50 short stories, but never one intended for such a wide audience (I usually just write for myself). (- Ruth's story was so enjoyable that it graces the pages of this very zine. -- MF)

I think this is all listed in the book How Not To Write an LoC; first, I'm typing at work during breaks; second, I've let too much time elapse between reading the zine and commenting on it. Sam isn't the only one with a swiss-cheesed memory! So excuse me if this is disjointed...and I'll admit now, I'll probably not comment at all on most of the stories that are cross-universe. Generally, I'm never familiar with the universe the author is using (unless it's something screamingly obvious like Trek or Ghostbusters—and in the latter, I don't even know which character is which!) and don't care for that type of tale as much as I do the straight-forward QL story.

As with your first GE&H, your zine is nicely bound, easy on the eye and possesses a very nice piece of cover art. I like your borders and clip art, too—especially that marvelous border/box for Jane Mailander's poem, "The Time Traveller" and the companion piece, "The Project Observer," (both of which I thought were marvelous...and I don't often like fan poetry). Oh, and I like your simple titles, too—some editors go overboard to the point where you can hardly tell the name of what you are reading.

Now, about the insides..."A Friend Indeed" is a nicely written little story. I especially liked the little twist about Sam saving the boy, who in turn saves Al in the future. Neat. The dialogue is well done, too...they sound like Sam and Al.

"Streams of Flow" had that incredibly neat (my word today) idea of having Sam leap into someone under the influence of drugs (gee, I wish they'd air some thing along these lines—it could be dramatic in a major way!). My only problem with this story is that it seems Sam managed to overcome the effects awfully quickly...or maybe I was just in the mood for a lot of psychological angst here!

Now, about Nola's cartoons...I've got to admit I used to think they looked pretty sketchy, but this latest batch is not only hysterically funny, but the expressions on the little figures are a howl! I don't know what I laughed harder at—Al pointing out that he can't be expected to keep up with Sam's wife as well as all his past ones or Saint Donna decreeing permission for Sam to save Al. (I hated that with a passion, too.) Very funny parodies!

"Photographs" is very good indeed—I like the observation on Al's part that the existence of the children compensated for what he went through in Vietnam. Poor man needed to get something out of those years.

I've gotta admit, "One Small Leap" was funny...but then, I've always liked Kermit...and chuckle at the idea of Sam fighting off an amorous Ms. Piggy. Now, tell Rebecca Reeves to please write that Lethal Weapon/QL cross she started. (Uh-oh, didn't I just say I didn't like those kind of stories? Ah, there are exceptions to every rule...).

"At a Price" is probably the most well-written piece in the zine—and it totally frustrated me! I never could pin down exactly what was going on...what general year we were in...what had happened to Sam... Frankly, it kinda depressed me! But then, I'm one of those people who like consistently happy endings. Not much of a realist, I fear! I like that illo on page 141—interesting negative effect. Can I use the word "nice" again, or will the Redundancy Police come get me?

"Silent Night" is nice, especially the last two pages.

"Physician, Heal Thyself" is the other most well written story in the zine. It wins out on characterization and plotline; a good story with a strangely positive feel for such sober subject matter. My only complaint (as with all QL stories—aired ones, too) is that the real David missed out on seeing his friend make peace with himself. The poor guy's going to come back and feel nothing but guilt because his friend is dead—and he's not going to remember being there. Sad. (-In my QL universe Sam and the leapee pass each other in hyperspace as the leapee returns to his/her body and Sam goes on to his next leap, and the two exchange information and memories. Thus, when the leapee opens his/her eyes back in his/her body, it was as though s/he had been there the whole time, experiencing everything Sam did.-- MF)

Really great portrait of Al on pg. 176—especially the eyes.

It's a great zine; I can't remember anything I didn't like. And you've got some really nice artwork! Nola Frame-Gray certainly has a warped imagination, not to mention a terminally odd sense of humor!

Jackie Wagner was unbelievably mean to Sam...!

Jane Mailander's "Photographs" was very special. I'm an old softy; I had tears in my eyes...for that one, and for "Silent Night," of course. *sigh* I've seen some great QL crossovers, but I never would have thought of crossing it with the Muppets! Great job, Rebecca! But leaping him into Roger Murtaugh?!?

Jeanne O'Donnell did a really nice job with "Those Who Wait." QL seems to cross very well with WOW.

Kelly Hill's "Physician, Heal Thyself" was probably the best-written story of the zine. And out came the tissues again...

Loved Green Eggs and Ham 2. It was waiting for me when I got home from work and was read cover to cover before I went to bed that night. Consequently, I was a write-off the next day. It was a terrific zine as far as I was con cerned. There were no bad stories, but "The Female Factor," "Journey's End," "A Friend Indeed" and "Streams of Flow" were particular favourites. As for the wonderful cover illustration—I kept turning back to it for an admiring glimpse as I read the stories. Cheryl Meidinger-Carter is truly talented. I can hardly wait for Green Eggs and Ham 3. Do you know if an episode guide for Quantum Leap has been done? It's started showing over here again, but I have no idea if we have missed any of the episodes. I have a feeling we probably have.

GE&H is a pleasant QL zine. There were a number of stories that I liked— and a few that I felt were a bit overdone in angst.

[snipped]

"A Friend Indeed"—the idea of people suddenly popping up at the Project once Seun has done his change in the past is starting to drive me nuts. I wonder how Al and the others (like Seeks and Gushie) would react, after learning of all these changes from Ziggy? Would any of them start to wonder: What is real? Am I really here?

"Moody Blues"—I winced at the PMS symptom description, probably because it's been used as an excuse to deny women advancement. But Al's last line was worth the whole story.

"Partners in Crime"—I loved Sam's remark about Jeff's situation: "...lucky if he didn't end up in a rubber rooml" Al's and Marty's aversion to each other, and grudging willingness to work together for the sakes of their partners, rang true. So did Sam's desire to get out of the rain when he was the only one of the trio who could feel it.

"Special Delivery"—What was Sam's grin hiding? Is there a future tale coming where he does an entire leap without Al?

"One Small Leap"—I got a kick out of this one: Sam with the Muppets! I also got quite a bit of laughter out of the in-joke of Scott Bakula having a "frog in his throat" (and everywhere else). But I felt like telling Sam; "Lighten up! This show is so crazy, you have to laugh or cry!"

"Journey's End"—This story I liked best, because it was a happy ending, of sorts: neither Seun nor Al was left behind to mourn the loss of the other. But some questions were raised in my mind about the behavior of the others in the Project. Somehow, I just can't see Gushie leaving Sam and the monitors totally unattended while he had to go to the bathroom. Wouldn't he have summoned some one else, like Dr. Beeks or Dr. Donna Elysee?

Also, had the people at the Project learned of Al's fatal accident? Or had God chosen to conceal it from them until both men had "crossed over"?

Finally, had God chosen to conceal the news of Sam's final fate from Al at first? Judging by Al's parting lines, he assumed Sam would go back to his life on Earth—and learn of Al's death then. Did God then tell him: "You have one more task: bring Sam back. He's crossing over now."? As I said, though, I loved the happy ending. It's good to see that even an "evil-minded lech" (like Al) could finally get in. I'll bet the Enemy raged over losing that soul forever.

Finally, "Streams of Flow"—if the people at the Project have any initiative (and I believe they do), they should be working on modifying the Imaging Chamber (maybe during leaps), so another person could come in to function as a backup Observer, if necessary. Hopefully they could find someone who, although not as close to Sam as Al, would not grate on Sam's personality the way the substitute did this season. Nothing against Al—but accidents can happen, and he might not be able to regain consciousness so quickly next time. (-They did a quick patch-job on Ziggy so Gooshie could take over as Observer in "Killin' Time" when Al was shot, but the holographic connection to Sam was sporadic and spotty at best. Whether or not this situation caused the Project folks to fine- tune Ziggy so Gooshie could take over instantly (and clearly) for Al if the need ever arose again, we never found out.-- MF)

Last story of comment (I promisel)—"At a Price." Interesting: a hurt-comfort story where the person comforting Al wasn't Sam. I liked it for the ties shown between Al and other Navy cohorts. But I wonder—what will happen in the future as Al's gallery of nightmares is filled not only with his Vietnam P.O.W. experiences, but the leaps with Sam? I wouldn't be surprised if the electric chair incident and Sam's being shot as a priest pop up in his next ravings. It could lead to new questions in his comforters' minds. I also wonder if this could be paving the way for an emotional and physical collapse on Al's part, after Sam leaps home? Dr. Beeks may have two patients on her hands then.

I was thrilled to get my contributor's copy and rather than gobble it down in one sitting I forced myself to cherish every moment and managed, barely, to stretch it out to a week. This was helped by the insanity at work, and a real lack of free time, but that's a whole other story.

I love the picture on page 141 by Terri Librande. The photo I have of that pose is quite small; they used it once in our TV Guide! (-the Canadian edition only, which annoyed lots of American fen-- MF), but I love the black and red combination Scott is wearing; he usually wears much more muted colours. Regard less, he looks stunning and Terri's rendition is very good!

Trying to recapture some of my impressions after the fact is always a little difficult, but while reading the zine, I'm so eager to get on to the next story, I seldom take notes. First off, I was very impressed over all. It's a great zine. The cover was bright, conveyed the essence of Quantum Leap and captured my interest right off. In fact, all the artwork was very good. Again, I liked Terri's piece that accompanied my story, "One Small Leap." I know it must be a challenge for some people to even think of Sam as Kermit the Frog, let alone draw itl She did a great job...I'm green with envy! Ha, ha.

It's hard to single out any particular piece as they're all so good and offer a nice contrast of styles, but David Lawrence's Al on page 176 definitely captured something, as did Pam Heath's Sam on page 121. And what can one say about Nola Frame-Gray's creative cartoons except that this lady must have a fun/kinky way of looking at life.

"A Friend Indeed" by Barbara Victor was enjoyable and had me rooting for Sam. I might be a bit morbid, but I would have liked to have seen Al's heart attack earlier in the story so that Sam's worry and aloneness could have influenced things a bit more. Within the series, Al once mentioned that he had the flu, but we've never actually witnessed a time when he couldn't be there. Have we? (-Well, not at the time you wrote your letter, but since then, yes, we have. In "Klllln' Time" when Al Is shot and Gooshle takes over as the hologram.-- MF) Given the number of years he's been Sam's Observer, you'd think some thing would have come up by now. I don't wish a heart attack on him, but anxiety on Sam's part could certainly add to the drama. I know fan writers aren't above this sort of tension—I've used it before myself on at least one occasion—but it would be nice to see it in the series.

"Streams of Flow" by Terri Librande also offered moments of tension. Yes, I know there's a huge debate about whether it's Sam's body or mind leaping...it probably dwarfs the gay controversy, the chimp controversy and maybe even the Donna controversy. In fact, though, I think most fans agree it's the mind/soul/ whatever rather than the body. Basically, as in most series, the writers can change the angle depending on the needs of the story. As I point out in one of my stories, maybe there's even an overlapping, with Sam and his host sharing a "unique spot in time and space" so that elements of both are present. Anyway, Terri also gave Gooshie a full name which kind of made me stop for a moment. That hasn't been established, has it? It's just a bit of poetic license, right? (-Right. Gooshle has not been given a formal name, nor Is It listed In the show's bible, so you're free to choose your own.-- MF)

"Moody Blues" by Jackie Wagner. Here we go again with the body/mind bit, but who cares, it was fun! I suppose there have to be some male QL fans out there. I'd be curious to hear their impression of this little vignette. Sam got to experience pregnancy, why not the other end of it? While everyone is different, had I been him, I think I would have snapped Al's head off a little more aggressively. Grrr....

"Partners in Crime" by Sheila Paulson. I agree wholeheartedly with the people who commented in the LoCs about Sheila's knack for writing QL. I always enjoy her stories (her Blake's 7 ones are super, too) and I only hope she doesn't give up QL altogether. As for this story, I only vaguely remember Randall and Hopkirk — I think it showed once here, briefly—but the way the story was done, I had no trouble following it at all. It was a good mystery, regard less of those involved, and very easy to visualize.

"Photographs" by Jane Mailander, was well done, but the filmed ending of "M.I.A." is so engraved in my mind, I found adding to it a little distracting. Not that what she added didn't ring true to the characters; I just had trouble slotting it in within the context of the show. Should also comment here that I loved her dragon cartoon. How's the line go about "out of the frying pan...into the fire"? Jane's poems were also good, though I'm not a fan of poetry. I'm old fashioned and really only get into the traditional rhyming sort.

"Special Delivery" by Ann Raymont was fun. Having now seen 2 episodes of Eisenhower & Lutz and being a firm fan of the Romance/Romance soundtrack, I don't know whether to applaud Sam or curse him. I suppose if he'd stayed a letter carrier a bit longer, we could have had our revenge by forcing him to carry the mountains of mail to be delivered to Scott and Dean!

I'll skip over my own "One Small Leap," but 1 will say that I'm happy to see it in such good company. I was a little demented when I wrote it and I only hope others enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

"Journey's End" by Shari Ramseur was a bit of a cruel twist of fate for both Sam and Al. I suppose it would have been even worse had Sam gotten 'home,' only to find Al not there. Oh, but I do like happy endings...sometimes... "Here I Come to Save the Leap!" by Elaine and Anne Batterby. I always enjoy their crossovers, even if I'm not overly familiar with the other show they use. In this case, I saw one or two episodes of The Flash, so I was at least able to follow what was going on. I honestly don't remember whether or not the show used it more creatively, but I would have liked to see Sam/Barry's "talent" used for more than just getting into a building quickly. Still, I suppose it's a skill slightly more limiting than leaping into other people's lives...

"Appointed Rounds" by Terri Librande. I had to feel for Sam in this one. It would be very hard to be at one's own birth, near one's own family, and not be able to share the moment. Also thought the life and death contrast was very well done.

"The Female Factor" by Meg Garrett. Again, I'm really not up on The Professionals, though I know a lot of people who are and others who have worked with one actor or the other, so the story was interesting, to say the least, and seemed to ring true. And Sam in the tight jeans wasn't all that painful to imagine.

"At a Price" by Janna Stockinger was very good. And somewhat dark. It certainly held my attention even though I couldn't place it within the timeline of the show. When did it take place? At one point, Al mentions Sam, although he also seems to hold some military post and I don't really see him returning to that after the Project. (-Al would not he 'returning' to the military after the Project because he has never left the military. He is still an active-duty admiral, assigned as liaison between the Project, the military and the govern ment.-- MF) Basically, I just felt a real desire to reach out and hug the man.

"Silent Night" by Ann Raymont. I think a lot of people would like Sam to encounter Trudy, if not to save her, then to at least allow Al to share a moment with her. And Ann certainly let us share the hurt as well.

Those Who Wait" by Jeanne O'Donnell had an interesting twist in that Sam was able to do the right thing by not doing anything. Jeanne's right...that can often be harder. The only War of the Worlds I'm familiar with is the second season, though none of the real fans of the show seem to write within that one. Luckily, I've read other crossovers, so I think I'm beginning to get to know Ironside and Drake through osmosis. (- I think you mean 'Ironhorse.' don't you? Ironside is the crime-solving guy in a wheelchair—although he and Norton could have fun playing wheelchair basketball. Hey, I sense a crossover coming on...-- MF)

"Physician, Heal Thyself" by Kelly Hill. I used to hope that one day QL would tackle the subject of AIDS, but now I'm not so sure. Given the unfortunate restrictions placed upon them by the networks and (yes, really) the viewing public, I think this subject might get better treatment in stories like Kelly's. This one actually brought tears to my eyes and I could definitely "see" the characters.

I suppose I should also mention the LoCs section because it was so complete and took up a good chunk of the sine. Don't worry, I won't start a letterzine going here, but I found many of the comments on Green Eggs and Ham 1 very interesting. I will comment briefly on Esther Reese's letter regarding research, simply because it reminded me of the writer's panel at the QL con in Los Angeles. In case you haven't heard, Deborah Pratt and Chris Ruppenthal were saying how much detailed research goes into every story. Tommy Thompson added that that was usually the case, as in Paul Brown travelling at his own expense to Washington to research the chimp story and the one about the blind dancer.

But Tommy also gave an example of his own research style. For the episode about the wrestler (-Heart of a Champion-- MF), he put a picture of a wrestler (-Hulk Hogan, no less- - MF) over his typewriter, and that was it! I guess it goes to show that making sure you have the right facts is important, but in itself, it doesn't guarantee a good story. If I only wrote stories about subjects I'm very familiar with, I wouldn't get all that many done. I make a trip to the library at least once during the writing of most of my stories—it's one way to expand my knowledge while having fun. But I'm also leery of putting too much detail into a story on a subject I'm only somewhat familiar with; otherwise, there's bound to be someone who knows more about it than I do—probably Esther!

I love Esther's stories. I'd probably go so far as to say she and Sheila Paulson are my favorite QL fan writers on a regular basis. Maybe a lot of this has to do with Esther's attention to detail...or maybe it's just that she's also a darn good writer.

Well, if I liked GE&H #1 (and you know I did), then I loved this second issue. It's got the same variety—angst, humor, just plain silliness—that made the last zine so much fun to read, but there’s more of it. You truly can't go wrong. Comments on the art: Cheryl's cover, with pics from a variety of episodes, is good, although I do favor some of the pics over others. The other art goes from okay to stunning. Nola's and Jane's cartoons are the highlight of the zine, providing a lot of humor which is needed to balance out many of the stories. Pause for applause. Now on to the literary works.

As far as poetry goes, there are only 2 contenders here, both by Jane Mailander “The Time Traveler" and “The Project Observer." Sam and Al in iambic pentameter? Don't question it; it works. “Photographs," also by Jane, is a thoughtful alternate ending to “The Leap Home Part II—Vietnam" that I almost like more than the original. “Moody Blues" is funny and leans very definitely towards the theory that Sam's soul (or whatever) leaps and not his actual body. An interesting situation.

“A Friend Indeed" and “Streams of Flow" both have the same paradoxical theme, that of Sam causing something in the past that directly affect's Al's present. If you ignore the fact that the space-time continuum should be disappearing more rapidly than the ozone layer about now, they're both extremely good. “Partners in Crime" is a crossover with My Partner the Ghost that I enjoyed despite having no knowledge of that fandom. Al's reaction to the supernatural hasn't changed any; he’s just as squeamish as ever. Marty's reaction to A1 isn’t especially welcoming either.

“One Small Leap," obviously a crossover with The Muppet Show, is entertaining in a strange sort of way. Rebecca has given the Muppets some very human characteristics (Robin saving for medical school?) that add to the humor of the story. “Here I Came to Save the Leap!" crosses QL with The Flash. It's an interesting story, although I never really got into The Flash so I suppose I failed to appreciate it fully. "Those Who Wait" is a crossover with the same fandom I couldn’t identify in Play It Again's “Eagle Feathers." Taken as straight QL, though, it’s a good story.

Issue 3

cover of issue #3, Kate Nuernberg

Green Eggs and Ham 3 was published in May 1993 and contains 234 pages. The art is by Kate Nuernberg (front cover), Cheryl Newsome, H. Ann Walton, ADC, Todd Parrish, Jane Mailander, and Terri Librande.

The editor includes: "Everyone who has put up with me lately. Let me tell you, though, putting out four zines in two months is enough to make anyone bitchy."

[The zine's disclaimer]: (c) May, 1993. Green Egos and Ham 3 is a non-profit publica tion from WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T PRESS! and does not intend to infringe upon the rights of Bellisarius Productions, Universal, Brand/Falsey Productions or any other holders of copyrights or trademarks of Quantum Leap, Northern Exposure, Remington Steele, The Terminator or Fractured Fairy Tales. All contributions accepted are in trade for one free copy of the zine or a pro rated discount. No bribes of stringing up the Donald until he rewrites the ending to 'Mirror Image,' the Canadian version of any HI tapes or truckloads of Tab were offered, though any of the above will get you the lost zine master of your choice from Kinko's. Laugh! Cry! Send LoCs!

[From the editorial]:

Okay, that's itl I give up! How the hell am I supposed to edit stories by Quantum Leap canon when there is no canon? I know, we've all moaned and bitched about trying to keep continuity with the show in spite of Donald Bellisario's best efforts to confuse us, but the series finale, "Mirror Image," was just too much. Now it's Sam leaping himself around? And he can go home any time he puts on his ruby slippers and mutters, "There's no place like home... There's no place like home..."? Puh-lease. Al and Beth are now supposed to have been married for almost 39 years? Not only does this insult our intelligence (Al and Beth's marriage was in trouble long before he even went to Vietnam) and ruin all the lovely, angsty stories we've written about the hell Al went through when he came home to find Beth remarried, but it's makes a mockery of the pain and closure Al went through in "M.l.A." when he said goodbye to Beth and finally let her go. Pissed? You bet.

The final episode left more questions than it gave answers (stupid NBC promos aside — "All of your questions will be answered tonight!") and most fen agree that it should have been a two-hour special so Donald would have the time to get around to telling us exactly what the hell was going on. Ah, well...

(A quick aside: speaking of confusion, in two separate scripts written by Donald himself, he has spelled names in the following variations: Gooshie/Gushie, Verbena/Verbina, Elysee/Alesee. Is it any wonder we all have different spellings in our stories? For the sake of continuity within the zine, I've used all the former spellings since they were from the pilot script, but from now on, all bets are off. Use either one!)

[snipped]

On a different note, GE&H4 is filling up rapidly and my eyes are bugging out watching it grow. Soon, it'll spill over into GE&H5. That's one good thing about all the continuity glitches — it gives us a reason to explain why that particular event happened/thing was said...and make it make sense. It's our continuity now!

[A fan reports on an event]: Stockwell Star Ceremony Report: Nola Frame-Gray, Kathy Ring (a friend from San Diego) and I carpooled to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Leap Day 1992 to watch. Dennis Hopper and Roddy McDowall were there, as well as Scott Bakula (who kept a very low profile so as not to eclipse Dean, good on ya Scott!). Afterwards we trooped around the block looking for a restroom— finally went into the Roosevelt, to find it crowded with people for the lunch they always give the star recipient. After we used the facility, Kathy and I sat on a planter in the lobby while Nola talked to Jim Rondeau. Suddenly Kathy went stock-still and whispered, "Jane, look who's coming..." We didn't move a muscle as Dean Stockwell walked past us. Kathy could have reached out and touched him—I could have put my arms around him. Two seconds after he passed us, we both wailed "Ohhh..." and nearly collapsed. For the rest of the day (we went to Tommy's in downtown L.A. for their famous chiliburgers, and roamed the beautiful CalTech campus), Kathy and I would catch each other's eye and sigh, "Ohhh..." Naw, we're not Dean Stockwell groupies... And none of us went to that blood-sucking robber-baron (excuse me, Creation) QL con. (I'll be at MediaWest if anyone wants to see my photos of the Star Ceremony.)

• Cartoon by Jane Mailander (1)
• Letters of Comment (2)
• Oh, My Paws and Whiskers! by A. 'Nea Dodson (18)
• Shell-Shock by Esther Reese (25)
• Quantum Exposure by Jane Mailander (crossover with Northern Exposure) (30)
• The Birth by Miriam Elizabeth Cooper (60)
• I'm All Shook Up!, filk to the tune of the Elvis Presley song "I'm All Shook Up" by Karen Blocher ("With love to all you Californians who missed "The Curse of Ptah-Hotep because of the April 22, 1992 earthquake.") (63)
• First Impressions by K. Hanna Korossy (64)
• For the Love of a Child by Ruth Calkins (73)
• Peabody’s Improbably History by Paul Woodard (in script form) (96)
• Steeling Time by L.C. Wells and Candy Culhane (98)
• By the Waiting Room, One Evening, poem by Robin K.(132)
• By the Waiting Room, Another Evening, poem by Robin K. (133)
• White Rose, poem by Leah S (134)
• Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Shari Ramseur (135)
• Fortunate Circumstance by Terri Librande (143)
• A Sympathetic Ear by Miriam Elizabeth Cooper (145)
• In the Waiting Room Alone: Fourth Eve, poem by Robin K. (155)
• A Moment of Reflection for the Lonely, poem by Robin K. (157)
• Beeks by Esther Reese (158)
• Control Room, Ninth Evening, poem by Robin K. (159)
• Angels by Ann Raymont (160)
• Cartoon by Jane Mailander (167)
• Crisis Of Faith by A. 'Nea Dodson (168)
• Hopeless Causes by Leah S. (171)
• Less Than Total Recall by Gary Himes (174)
• A Change Of Mind by Mindy Peterman (176)

• 

  inside page from issue #3, Cheryl Newsome

• 

  inside page from issue #3, Cheryl Newsome

• 

  inside page from issue #3, H. Ann Walton (oddly, this exact same illo with the exact same page number [87] is also in the previous issue where it illustrates the story "Journey's End")

• 

  inside page from issue #3, ADC

• 

  inside page from issue #3, Todd Parrish

• 

  inside page from issue #3, Todd Parrish

• 

  inside page from issue #3, Todd Parrish

• 

  inside page from issue #3, Terri Librande

Issue 4

cover of issue #4, Cheryl Meidinger-Carter

Green Eggs and Ham 4 was published in 1994 and contains 202 pages.

• Letters of Comment by D. Readers (1)
• Matchmakers by Leah S. (14)
• Cartoon by Jane Mailander (15)
• Between Leaps by Jane Mailander (crossover with Pern) (16)
• The More Things Change by Leah S. (42)
• Quantum the 13th by Jane Leavell (crossover with Friday the 13th: The Series) (44)
• As You Believe, So Shall You Do by A. 'Nea Dodson (80)
• Old Sam Beckett by Jane Mailander (83)
• On and On by Ruth Calkins (84)
• Cartoon by Sherlock (95)
• Try a Little Tenderness by Kate Murphy (96)
• Immortality by Elena Collier Schmitt (102)
• Retrieval by Elena Collier Schmitt (120)
• To Al, With Love by Jane Mailander (130)
• ...And Leave Them Living by A. 'Nea Dodson (131)
• Cartoon by Sherlock (147)
• Sing a Song of Evil by Mindy Peterman (148)
• Cartoon by Sherlock (202)
• art by Cheryl Meidinger-Carter (front cover) and Sherlock

Issue 5

Issue 5 was published in May 1994 and contains 194 pages.

cover issue #5, Joe Kindel

• Coffee Break by Dr. Seuss (1)
• College Years by Jo Fox (9)
• Just Lucky, I Guess by Cathy Madden (23)
• Time Warp by Kate Murphy (26)
• Heavenly Intervention by Miriam Cooper & Joyce Hatcher (27)
• Second Chances by Michelle Christian (57)
• Double Crossed by Elena Collier Schmitt (59)
• Wherever My Road May Lie by Terri Librande (92)
• Bothered and Bewildered by Lorraine Anderson (100)
• Cartoon by Sherlock (119)
• Happy Birthday, Al by Jill Eldridge (120)
• The Three Doctors by Beth Hlabse (126)
• Blue Jeans and Sam by Kate Murphy (155)
• If I Should Die Before My Wake by Elena Collier Schmitt (156)
• The Company of Solitude by Robin K. (166)
• And Miles to Run Before I Leap by J.R. (174)
• The Words He Doesn't Say by Jeanne Williams (181)
• art by Sherlock, Joe Kindel (front cover), and Terri Librande

Issue 6

cover issue #6, Cheryl Meidinger-Carter

Green Eggs and Ham 6 was published in May 1995 and contains 154 pages.

• Letters of Comment by Everybody and His Mother (1)
• Time on the Couch by Haze ("Verbena Beeks talks to Al about the stress of his work with Sam.") (7)
• Old Friends by Carol Zara ("Sam visits Al's grave.") (14)
• Kindred Souls by Melissa Mastoris (16)
• Leap into Hell by Jo Fox ("Sam leaps into a POW in Vietnam.") (17)
• Ladies' Day Out by M.J. Frank ("Donna and Beth talk about having partners who are missing in action.") (35)
• Killin' Time by Terri Librande ("Al adjusts to being rescued.") (39)
• Leaper with the Blue Jeans On by Kate Murphy (48)
• Elephant Man by Elena Collier Schmitt ("Sam leaps into a zoo worker who needs to prevent his friend from getting killed in an accident with the elephants, but the situation is complicated by an attractive co-worker...and the question of just who she's interested in.") (49)
• Memory Persisting by Robin K. ("Al's POV during "Shock Theater". (65)
• Time in a Bottle by Barbara Staton (69)
• Demon Run by Autumn Lee (70) (crossover with Shadow Chasers) (reprinted from QL+ #1)
• Please Understand by Melissa Mastoris (82)
• Victim of Circumstance by Leah S. ("Sam has to stop a serial killer without getting his host killed as well.") (83)
• Al's Prayer by Melissa Mastoris (90)
• Running Away by Lorraine Anderson ("Sam leaps into a young woman about to elope with her boyfriend...if they can keep from getting killed by a man with an unhealthy obsession with her.") (91)
• Green Eggs and Ham en Croustade by Beverly Brownlee (103)
• Together Again for the First Time by Jane Freitag (105)
• art by Cheryl Meidinger-Carter (front cover), <=minds-i-view=>, Sherlock

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 6

As Karen Funk Blocher once said of “Quantum Chain,” “I shouldn’t review this, I’m in it.” Well, I’m sorry:-), but I couldn’t ignore Julie’s desperate plea in the last Hologram. That said, I’ll compromise by not reviewing my own story. OK with everybody?

You should also know that I have been a ‘zine editor in the past, which is why I found Mysti’s editorial extremely interesting. It recounts an incident she had with one of her writers: apparently this writer put his story out on the World Wide Web some time before it was to appear in #6. Mysti was quite justified in being upset... this is almost tantamount to prostituting yourself, then representing yourself to your fiancé as a virgin. (OK, my language is a bit strong.) This sounded like a case of ignorance rather than intent, simply because the author did inform Mysti what he had done... but it does make one wonder what less principled authors might do...?

“Time on the Couch,” By Haze: A nice little story of Al finally coming to understand himself and how he’s affecting his contacts with Sam. I would have liked to see a greater sense of completeness about it. It seemed a bit sparse, and I expected it to go further than it did.

“Old Friends,” by Carol Zara: A rather nice little vignette that details a friendship that transcends time and death.

“Leap Into Hell,” by Jo Fox: A good story about consequences and the very real possibility of trading one life for many others. While the epilogue brings up some very important points, I believe the story would have been much stronger had these points been somehow incorporated in the main part of the story. It’s also a bit disconcerting when the story jumps from 1st person in the main portion to third in the epilogue.

“Ladies’ Day Out,” by M.J. Frank.: This is a nice short story of Donna and Beth bonding through the similarities of their situations. Nothing much happens except lunch, but it goes from conflict to resolution in 3 pages. Personally, though, I would think she would be more angry at Sam than sad, no matter how illogical she knows that attitude to be. But that’s just my opinion.

“Killin’ Time,” by Terri Librande: This is one powerful story of Al’s fight to survive as a POW in Vietnam. The writing is crisp, and I could see Al in every word. (I’m not just saying that, Terri.)

“Elephant Man,” by Elena Collier Schmitt. Sam has to save an impulsive co-worker from disfigurement, and jump-start a romance. This is one story I can definitely see as a TV episode. In fact, I would love to see Scott react in some of these scenes. There's also some wonderful Sam & Al dialogue in this story.

“Memory Persisting,” by Robin C. Kwong: A vignette from Al’s point of view in “Shock Theater.” This has got to be what Al was thinking during the inkblot scene.

“Demon Run,” By Autumn Lee: Is Sam fighting a psychopath or a messenger from Hell? I liked this story, but I had the funny feeling it was a crossover... and I have no idea what the other show is. Ah, well, it doesn't make any difference, it's still a good story. (Later: I found out it was “Shadow Chasers.” Hmmm. Missed that one entirely when it was on TV.)

“Victim of Circumstance,” by [Leah S.]: Another story which ends with a punch. Sam’s after a “psycho” who’s in a murderous rage. It raises the question who should or shouldn’t be saved, and that all people believe they're right in what they do, no matter how the world views them. “Running Away,” by Lorraine Anderson: I’m not going to review this... it's mine... but I do want to tell you that this story was written long before the Brown-Simpson/Goldman murders. I also wanted to tell you that while the story does put a Black man in a bad light, most of the Black people in this story are presented in a positive manner. In spite of my own doubts of how I portrayed them, being a white female, I’ll leave it to you to decide whether the story is successful or not.

“Green Eggs and Ham en Croustade”-- submitted by Beverly Brownlee from an unknown source: OK, this isn’t a story, this is a recipe. But I’d like to hear whether this is any good. It sounds wonderful, but I can burn water without even trying...

“Together Again for the First Time,” by Jane Freitag: A story of what happened after “Mirror Image”. It’s relatively long, but as far as I’m concerned, it was worth every page. And Al’s reaction to what his daughter was wearing on the beaches of Hawaii is priceless.

Together with some nice poetry by Melissa Mastoris, Kate Murphy, and Barbara Stanton, and some great illustrations by Cheryl Meidinger-Carter, <=minds-i-view=> , and Sherlock (although at one illo each, it does seem a bit scant), this makes one nice ‘zine. Even if I weren’t in it, I would recommend you buy this!

Issue 7

Green Eggs and Ham 7 was published July 1995 and contains 173 pages. It includes stories from the zine Welcome to the Next Level. The front cover is by Sherlock.

• In Dreams Haze (1)
• Oh, Boy! by CarolMel Ambassador (11)
• Beginnings by Jo Fox (12)
• Quantumbusters by Jane Leavell (18)
• The Last Dance by Melissa Mastoris (52)
• Changes by Jane Freitag (53)
• Al's Turn by Melissa Mastoris (61)
• Where There's a Will by Carol Zara (62)
• Contender by CarolMel Ambassador (65)
• Love Me Tender by Cathy Madden (66)
• A Letter by Terri Librande (84)
• A Time to Heal by Elena Collier Schmitt (85)
• Bits and Pieces by Melissa Mastoris (103)
• Que Sera? by Carlotta Barnes (104)
• Fighting Chance by CarolMel Ambassador (108)
• Between the Lesser Hours by Robin K. (109)
• Faith, Hope and Clarity by Jill Eldridge (128)
• Quantum Leap Theme Lyrics by Lea Ames (138)
• Guardian Angel by Eileen Roy (139)
• Soulsearching by Adina Ringler (141)
• The Wall by Terri Librande (148)
• Uncrossed by Kathy Mclaren (149)

Issue 8

Green Eggs and Ham 8 was published in May 1996 and contains 160 pages.

cover of issue #8, Sherlock

• Future Boy by Carol Zara (1)
• Sam's Saltatorial Words of Wisdom by Khrystyna (4)
• Soliloquy by Janice Bilby (5)
• Reunion by Jo Fox (6)
• Sam's Saltatorial Words of Wisdom by Khrystyna (16)
• Something or Someone by Melissa Mastoris (17)
• The Nighthawk and the Pussycat by Autumn Lee (18)
• Sam's Saltatorial Words of Wisdom by Khrystyna (21)
• Desert Sands by Kerry Blackwell (22)
• Sam's Saltatorial Words of Wisdom by Khrystyna (27)
• Last Words by Melissa Mastoris (28)
• Epilogue by K. Hannah Korossy (29)
• A Divine Intervention by Mindy Peterman (33)
• Sam's Saltatorial Words of Wisdom by Khrystyna (161)
• art by Terri Librande and Sherlock (front cover)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 8

REVIEWED BY Lorraine Anderson:

I sometimes wonder if Mystery Frank ever sleeps. Looking at her advertisement, she has nine zines open for submission, and 47 zines available for sale... I presume she edited and published all of these! And I thought it took me forever to do just two! She released three new Green Eggs and Ham for Media*West 96; this is the first one. I've read 8 and 9, but have not yet gotten to 10. Next time...

"Future Boy," by Carol Zara, examines Sam's feelings when he travels home after his father's funeral. This story has some nice images and a nice conclusion, but I don't quite see the connection between his plans to go to school after his father's death and the Captain Galaxy ring. Certainly, he decided to make time travel a reality -- why? Probably to "save" his father, but it's never quite stated.

"Soliloquy," by Janice Bilby, is a prose poem that details Al's agonizing decision to help Sam rescue Tom Beckett from his certain death in Vietnam. Nicely done.

"Reunion," by Jo Fox, is a Sam-goes-home story after three years of Leaping without Al... but it's a sad homecoming. The project is shut down, Gooshie is dead, Sammy Jo has disappeared, and Sam must fix the problem. This story has believable dialogue and believable emotions, but seems too short. Maybe it's because I'd like to actually see the Leap Sam made to fix everything and not just Al's final perception of everything being right with the world.

"Something or Someone," by Melissa Mastoris/"Last Words," by Melissa Mastoris. I've written some poetry, but I don't feel adequate to judge it. I thought these were nice poems with nice images.

"The Nighthawk and the Pussycat," by Autumn Lee. I'm not going to spoil it about who or what Sam leaps into, I'm just going to say that obviously Ms. Lee subscribes to the "soul Leaping" theory, at least for this story. A cute little piece of fluff - ;-).

"Desert Sands," by Kerry Blackwell, has Al emerging from the Imaging Chamber to find himself married to Beth... but not in quite the way you would think... and Al has to get used to this. Another story that could have been much longer, and seems somewhat incomplete.

"Epilogue," by K. Hannah Korossy, Sam returns home, and Al feels somewhat useless until Sam reassures him. Would Al get into a blue funk like this with Sam home? I'm not sure. Would Al really believe that Sam wouldn't still need him? With his personality, it could go both ways... but I'm not sure he'd tell Sam about it either way.

Sam's Saltatorial Words of Wisdom, by Krystyna, are scattered throughout the book. Kinda cute, mostly generic.

The internal artwork is by Terri Librande; the front cover is by Sherlock: I bought her beautiful painting done from this nice line drawing, so I get to see it in color every day and you don't, heh, heh, heh...

"A Divine Intervention," by Mindy Peterman. I'm penpals with Mindy; we've been sharing stories with each other for four or five years now. So you can take this review as you wish: I think this novel is wonderful. It takes up the bulk of the zine... from page 33 to page 161. (See why the previous stories were short?)

The novel starts out with Sam Beckett in a very odd motel room, one in which he is not allowed to stay. Meanwhile, back at the Project, everyone is mourning Sam's death, and, in 1981, a young girl contemplates joining a "commune", run by a Reverend Judah... a charismatic leader with questionable tastes. Eventually, it all fits together as the Project works to undo what's been done and save Sam, in spite of himself.

As in any good novel, there are a number of subplots to keep the interest up: Al's guilt, Sammy Jo's discovery, a fascinating new character who may or may not be a Committee mole, internal problems in Judah's compound, family problems and crazed boyfriends for the young girl, Tom Beckett's loyalty, and, finally, the bit of pure evil (in the form of Judah) that Mindy almost always seems to put in her stories.

I had only two small quibbles in this story, one of which I've already shared with Mindy. The first is that she makes a big deal about the project not fading away after Sam's death in 1981... as if that would make a difference. It would be true if Sam had Leapt into his younger self and then gotten himself killed (wait a minute, that's a paradox.) But Sam's timeline was straight until 1995... unless he changed something directly dealing with the Project, of course the Project's timeline wouldn't change.

The second is personal: Oh, Mindy, I wish you hadn't done that to Tom! Well, at least you didn't kill him off...

Altogether, another very satisfying zine.

Issue 9

Green Eggs and Ham 9 was published in May 1996 and contains 196 pages.

cover of issue #9, Sherlock

• Follow You, Follow Me by Miriam Elizabeth Cooper (1)
• Sam Grinches Mrs. Who by Lorraine Anderson (9)
• Sam's Saltatorial Words of Wisdom by Khrystyna (14)
• Do You Believe in Miracles, Mr. Stanton? by Jo Fox (15)
• Teach a New Dog Old Tricks by S.L. Schneider (33)
• Sam's Saltatorial Words of Wisdom by Khrystyna (37)
• Maggie's Last Photograph by Melissa Mastoris (38)
• Tapestry by Kerry Blackwell (39)
• Crazy Little Things by Micheline Caputo (61)
• Wishful Thinking by K. Hanna Korossy (62)
• The Price by Melissa Mastoris (74)
• Shadows of the Night by Wendy J. Sotos (75)
• Father Figure by Sheila Schneider (80)
• Sam's Saltatorial Words of Wisdom by Khrystyna (88)
• As Others See Us by Kerry Blackwell (89)
• Roommates by Carol Zara (121)
• Fractured Mirror by Leah S. (128)
• A Time of Care by Janice Bilby (132)
• art by Terri Librande and Sherlock (front cover)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 9

REVIEWED BY: Lorraine Anderson:

Ok, ok, this is another zine I'm in. I'm not reviewing my stuff, uh-uh, no way. Maybe I can get somebody else [to do it for The Hologram]...?

"Follow You, Follow Me," by Miriam Elizabeth Cooper, is post-Mirror Image story about what happens if Al walks out and doesn't remember Beth at all in his life... not even as a second set of memories. It's a believable story with nice characterizations and an ending that doesn't promise happily ever after.

"Sam Grinches Mrs. Who," by Lorraine Anderson, is a QL/The Grinch crossover, set in somewhat dubious rhyme. (Well, I never claimed to be a poet.)

"Do You Believe in Miracles, Mr. Stanton?" by Jo Fox: It's 2012, and Project Manager Sammy Jo Fuller is overseeing her son, Mark "Tas" Fuller, who is trying to locate... a dying Sam Beckett. Absorbing dilemma, nice idea, but I can't quite imagine Sammy Jo not guessing who her father is if she's been at the project that long. But that's just my opinion.

"Teach a New Dog Old Tricks," by S.L. Schneider, is a Tequila and Bonetti/QL crossover, and Sam Leaps into the dog. I never saw Tequila and Bonetti, but the story is cute. I like how Sam drops the dog's aura when he stands up. I also like the mental pictures I get of Sam when he does that (you see, Sam isn't wearing any clothes... ahem!) A little short, but I can't imagine taking it much farther.

"Tapestry," by Kerry Blackwell, is yet another Sammy Jo story, detailing parts of her life from when she met Sam through Sam's return to the Project (hope I'm not letting the cat out of the bag.) It's an good analogy to compare the Project to weaving a tapestry, which is a nicer mental image than that tangled ball of string. Like most stories that detail a long period of time, it seemed a little disconnected to me, and it also seemed that Donna reacted a little strongly to the news of Sammy Jo's relationship to Sam.

"Crazy Little Things," by Micheline Caputo, is the other story I had something to do with... I tried to Americanize it from the semi-fractured English it was originally written in. (Hey, no criticism of Micheline here; after all, I don't know French.)

"Wishful Thinking," by K. Hannah Korossy, details the journey of a businesswoman, Sandra Crockett, to the Project and what she finds there about her past, and how she helps the Project's future. After all of the Sammy Jo stories, it was a relief to find another result of Sam's Leaping lurking around... but that's not being fair to the story. I would like to see more of Sandra Crockett.

"Shadows of the Night," by Wendy J. Sotos, is a story detailing Al's last evening before capture by the Vietnamese, set to military time. It's less than a story, but a little more than a vignette... I'm not sure where to put it. It seemed a bit sparse on detail (and a lot sparse on any internal conflict), but I like the idea of using the military time.

In "Father Figure," by Sheila Schneider, Sam is trying keep Jonathan Raven and Herman Jablonski and two others from being killed by a ninja group. This story feels like a crossover to me; I'm not sure why. But what story or TV show? Am I missing something? *probably, shrug* Interesting twist of who tries to do the final murder, and the final scene was a bit incredible, but I spent the whole story trying to figure out who the heck these two were, since it seemed like there was a whole back story I didn't know.

"As Others See Us," by Kerry Black- well, has Sam leaping in to find himself sharing a lunch with... Admiral Calavicci. Of course, Sam embarrasses himself before he realizes that he has Leapt into his biographer, a widower named George Harmon who's having trouble dealing with his wife's death. His job is to save Harmon's daughter from running away and being killed. This is a nice story, well told, with an interesting interlude with Tom Beckett.

"Roommates," by Carol Zara, has Al taking refresher courses on the GI bill at MIT, and guess what kid is his room- mate? A good story of how the two cope with the effects the Vietnam War had on both of their lives.

"Fractured Mirror," by Leah Starsky, has Donna contemplating leaving Sam after he Leaps to get Beth for Al. I dun- no. Would Donna really be that petty to deny Al's happiness over her marriage... if he even had remembered the marriage? The story rings a little false to me; of course, I have to admit that we only saw the grown-up Donna in that one show.

"A Time of Care," by Janice Bilby, has Sam Leaping into a car going over an embankment... with no way of stopping it. His job, this Leap, is to live, and the story details how Al tries to help him do that, and, along the way, Sam helps someone else from his sickbed. It's told from Al's point of view. I thought it was a engaging story... maybe a little mushy.

Phew. A lot of stories this time. This zine also has some nice poems by Melissa Mastoris, agreeable interior art by Terri Librande, and a joyous cover by Sherlock.

Issue 10

Green Eggs and Ham 10 was published in May 1996 and contains a single 200-page novel by L. Elizabeth Storm called, "Palm Reader." The cover page itself was made by RAG.

cover of issue #10, RAG

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 10

This one is a novel by L. Elizabeth Storm, who wrote the QL books 'Pulitzer' and 'Angels Unaware'. This is a good story, but reminds me of just why time travel can be such a confusing subject. And it's rather cruel to poor Al; apparently, when Storm isn't constrained by an editor, she can be quite the torturer.

REVIEWED BY: Lorraine Anderson:

This 'zine is a novel: "Palm Reader" by L. Elizabeth Storm, presumably the one who writes the pro novels... hey, I don't know her! (Can there be two Elizabeth Storms? Well, maybe, but the odds are.... ahem!) (And, for the record, I really enjoyed "Angel's Unaware", even the surprise ending.)

The story starts out with a confusing Prelude (which makes some sense, in retrospect), an agonizing prologue with Alia and Zoey (not for me, for Alia), and then Chapter 1 starts out in a Presbyterian Hospital in Albequerque... Al and Tina were in an automobile accident, not expected to live through the night. Sam leaps home, is surprised not to see Al by his bedside, and is told the horrible news. What follows is a tale of deceit and friendship and manipulation... by friends and enemies both.

Phew! A lot of things are happening in this novel, and I would be hard pressed to explain anything without spoiling a lot of surprises. I really enjoyed reading this. The only problem that I could see was that it started getting very confusing around the middle... she has every one of the main characters making a Leap of some form or another: Verbena, Gooshie, Tina, Al, Alia, Zoey, Thames, AND Lothos (Donna was in Washington during all of this.) And, towards the middle, she's dealing with at least three different timelines... well, four, considering Sam Leaps back to a time in which an earlier version of himself is still in the past. I'm not sure how to solve this problem though, short of attaching date markers to each scene change... which seems dreadfully awkward.

While reading this, I also started wondering thinking about the pro novels, and why this wasn't one of them. "Palm Reader" really could've been a pro novel, but, as well written as it is, it has a number of factors against it: a) despite some light spots, it's generally very dark in tone, and b) it's confusing, as I said before. And the "Quantum Leap" pro novel series is rather fragile (I understand it's not selling that well), so they don't dare pub- lish a dark, confusing novel for the general public of what was usually a light-hearted series.

That's my theory, anyway. I'd be interested in Ms. Storm's comments on this. (And Julie's too, of course!)

But for us hard-core Leapers... buy this 'zine. You will not regret it.