AMBER LOVE 03-JAN-2013 The inaugural episode of VODKA O’CLOCK Season 2 is with the incredible writer JENNIE WOOD. Guest Co-Host Ashley and I have an in-depth conversation with Jennie about her new graphic novel FLUTTER and the questions it brings up about gender self identification, sexual orientation, coping/fitting in with social circles and more. There are spoilers about AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700 at the 30-min mark. Due to the ASM story finale, there is a potential trigger discussion on the subject of rape and how the characters of Jennie’s independent comic FLUTTER may experience similar controversy.

“FLUTTER is about a girl who shapeshifts into a boy to get the girl and then the chaos that comes from pretending to be someone she’s not.” ~JW

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You can read the first issue of FLUTTER for free at the 215ink website. Right away you’ll see that this graphic novel is more than a story about a teenage girl’s romantic relationship struggle. There are parental relationships with their child explored;  There are political agendas in the background of the story regarding marriage equality which is huge platform in today’s America.

“I didn’t look much further than myself. I grew up in a small town in North Carolina that was very conservative. And I grew up as a lesbian and I grew up uncomfortable in my own skin. And I didn’t come out like most people until college but I knew as early as elementary school I just didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel comfortable. I felt like an outsider. I felt like a spy.” ~JW

Jennie explains her own difficult adolescence as the source of FLUTTER and the character Lilly. She explains about the amount of time it took for her to become comfortable in her own skin. She said Chaz Bono was a huge role model. This year, the LGBT community got to see the public coming out of Lana Wachowski as a transgender woman in today’s judgmental world.

FLUTTER takes a character with special super abilities and forms a story that isn’t a “capes and spandex” superhero comic in any way. Jennie and her artist collaborator Jeff McComsey have found a sweet spot between slice of life independent comics with mainstream’s super powered worlds. FLUTTER’s first five chapters are out February 15, 2013 in digital and print formats. She’s writing Volume 2 now.

Jennie’s first prose novel A BOY LIKE ME also has a transgender character in it. She’s included part of her musical life in this book as well, like in FLUTTER where the characters form a band. Jennie’s original songs from the novel may someday become an official soundtrack for it. We can hope FLUTTER will have transmedia incorporation as well.

LINKS:

* Jennie Wood website
* Jennie on Twitter
* Flutter on Facebook
* Grub Street Boston, where Jennie got her start on FLUTTER in classes and workshops
* Lana Wachowski’s acceptance speech of the HRC Visibility Award via The Hollywood Reporter
* Scarlet Teen, website for teenagers for sex, gender, & orientation support

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.