From a Whisper to a Roar

Zine
Title:	From a Whisper to a Roar
Publisher:	Kimberwicke Enterprises/Haunted Medium Publications
Editor(s):	Kim Prosser, Lisa Swope, and anonymous others
Date(s):	May 1995
Series?:
Medium:	print zine
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Beauty and the Beast (TV)
Language:	English
External Links:	WayBack Machine link to the online flyer
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From a Whisper to a Roar is a het 84-page Beauty and the Beast anthology. It contains five stories and poems.

Summary

Because of popular demand (and, yes, complaint), we're no longer stopping at Vincent and Catherine's bedroom door. Love scenes (and consummation scenes) are included in this zine. They're written in the style of the love scenes in such romance novels as Harlequin Presents (not Harlequin Temptation, which is just a little too much for our blushes).

Contents

• Here Kitty, Kitty (a reworked version of Beast Beloved Tales #1) (1)
• Portrait of Beauty (30)
• Checkmate (39)
• It Must Have Been Love (47)
• On Broken Wings of Song (70)

Reactions and Reviews

An unusually disconnected collection of stories, even for an anthology zine. In "Here Kitty, Kitty," the zine's only signed story (by Prosser/Swope), we get Vincent's profound dislike of his periodic full-body haircuts, conducted by Father with the aid of Winslow. Then that's dropped to pursue a "first time" sexual encounter between Vincent and virginal Catherine (???!!). Vincent discovers bubble gum, then meets Edie and a very hostile Joe at an engagement costume party at pregnant Catherine's apartment. This, all in one story. The reactions of Joe and Vincent to one another are effectively portrayed, though.

The brief "Portrait of Beauty" has Vincent commissioning said portrait (of Catherine, naturally) from friend Sam, who's determined to depict Catherine's longing which Vincent has somehow thus far managed not to recognize. Prosser's patented lovelock-making figures in this tale.

In "Checkmate," Catherine sensually distracts Vincent to tip the balance in a challenge chess match between besotted hubby (who finds pregnant Catherine rivetingly attractive) and determined Samantha.

"It Must Have Been Love" has Devin mediating between frustrated, despairing Catherine (who's been seeing quite a lot of Elliot Burch) and melancholy, conflicted, jealous Vincent by encouraging Vincent to read books on sensual/sexual assertiveness. When Vincent begins experimenting with the techniques thus learned and listening to his much more assertive Other side, his confident masculinity is a revelation to everyone... particularly Catherine.

The final story, "On Broken Wings of Song," is either infuriating or reassuring, depending on your viewpoint. In it, returning late from watching The Phantom of the Opera with Vincent, sleepy Catherine makes an unconsidered, frank reply to Vincent's question about whether, if she were Christine, she would have stayed with the Phantom. Too late, she realizes Vincent identifies with the Phantom and has taken her dismissive remark ("Are you kidding? He's ugly, he kills people, and he lives in a sewer. Yuck. Who'd want to stay with that?") as applying to himself. Worse, that one moment of frankness leads Vincent to reevaluate his relationship—or lack of relationship—with Catherine and come to some hard realizations. His reaction takes him through grief, despair, anger, and withdrawal: he bricks up the threshold below Catherine's building and refuses to speak to her. Can she persuade him to change his mind? Can this really be happening to such Classic lovers? Depending on how readers feel about Vincent's realizations and actions, they'll either find this intense, well-written story's surprising resolution satisfying...or a major cop-out. The reviewer happens to be of the latter persuasion.

Though the zine includes sexual interludes, they're discreetly conducted with no naming or description of the more personal body parts. The cover and few pieces of interior art are by Shirlea Hatcher.