A Child Was Born

Zine
Title:	A Child Was Born
Publisher:	Kimberwicke Enterprises/Haunted Medium Publications, then reprinted by Creation
Editor:
Author(s):	Lisa Swope
Cover Artist(s):	Barbara Gipson
Illustrator(s):
Date(s):	December 1988, reprinted in 1992
Medium:	print zine
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Beauty and the Beast (TV)
Language:	English
External Links:	WayBack Machine link to the online flyer, Archived version
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

A Child Was Born is a gen Beauty and the Beast novel by Lisa Swope.

The first edition contains 82 pages and the second one contains 86 pages. Neither edition contains interior art.

cover of 1992 edition, Barbara Gipson

cover of 1988 edition

Nominated for Best Novel, 1990 TunnelCon Fan Quality Awards.

Summary

Joe assigns Catherine a case involving a research facility and, during her investigations there, she discovers the truth of Vincent's birth and his mother. Catherine reunites mother and son who then must work to establish a relationship with each other. Well-written.

Excerpt

From a flyer:

Genetic research. Catherine was chilled to the hean by the words staring so boldly at her from the FBI report. "'Creation Concepts" was the name f the facility. Then she saw the address. She stared at the numbers...Then scrabbled for a phone book.

She double-checked the address of the warehouse. Then she checked the address of St. Vincent's Hospital. They were on the same street, bordered the same alley, and were less than ten blocks apart. And Creation Concepts had been in business thirty-five years....

Colleen sank down to press her face against the glass of the bassinet. He was not normal; she hadn't thought he would be...But, oh, he was beautiful. Slowly, carefully. Colleen raised the glass of the bassinet. "Please, please don't wake up...I don't know what to do if you wake up. And if you cry, they'll hear you. and if they hear you. everything is lost...."

"Colleen, I would like you to meet your son." He turned, seeing his son's pale face and astonished expression for the first time. Vincent's blue eyes reflected distress no less than that of the woman before him. Father reached out to capture one huge furred hand in reassurance. "Vincent, I would like to introduce you to Colleen Somerset." He tugged gentry, and Vincent obediently moved a few paces forward. His eyes remained totally fixed on the tiny stranger before him. His head cocked to one side as he recorded every detail of this woman he had longed to see for so very long. The object of his attention was not quite so pleased. Colleen stared in horror at the enormous soul before her. Even as the analytical part of her mind recorded details, her heart tried frantically to deny them. This creature was massive. He had Leslie's build, only slightly exaggerated. This monstrous being had her mother's eyes, and a wild mane of red-gold hair not too unlike her own strawberry blonde...Her baby? It hesitantly held out one great furred paw-claw-tipped, she noted - and rumbled softly. "Colleen?" No. This full-grown, adult creature couldn't be her baby. Not her sweet tiny newborn.... "Not" she gasped, backing away from the proffered hand. "No. NO!" "Colleen." Catherine grabbed her arm, trying to contain this situation gone awry. "Colleen, wait! This is Vincent!" "No!" she fairly screamed. "NONONO!" Colleen surprised Catherine with sudden strength, and managed to wrench free of her grasp. She backed away slowly, staring at her son in absolute horror.

"No...." she whispered, then turned and bolted out of the study and into the tunnel.

Reactions and Reviews

A novel of Vincent's birth, entwining the past with the present, until mother meets son. No space aliens, test tubes, Paracelsus, or other weird plots. Just warmth, compassion and love. Artwork by Barbara Gipson.

One of the first and still the best return of Vincent's mother stories, beautifully written. V & mom's discussion/dissection of “Cyrano” is particularly acute and appealing.