Tech Lesbians Start Spoon and the Moon App

In the wild woolies of the Midwest, tech lesbians Margaret Hultz and Marie Davis, aka the Wickedly Sisters, have come up with an app for the Android Tablet or Kindle Fire that very well could revolutionize the way we read books. The new app "Spoon and the Moon" is an interactive fairy tale for adults, that features clever animations, a soundtrack, and a lot of unexpected turns, all woven through a magical storyline.

"'Spoon and The Moon' is something you've never seen before, a whole new way to digest media that combines the arts and sciences," said Davis. "It is the first in a whole new art form, and it's built by two lesbians; yay! We're so proud of that!"

The book notes include this enigmatic blurb: "Finally, after years of 'slicing and dicing hearts better than any Roncomatic product, Lil was ready to try love on again.' Yes, love again, despite the devotion of her precious spoon. Here is a cast of unique characters that include a lactose intolerant cow, a devious little dog, a two-fingered hero and a lying pair of panties. But, watch out... their Wishing Star isn't cute or cuddly, and while everyone will have wishes come true, wishes are tricky and fate is undependable, if not murderous."

Intrigued? You're not alone. The app -- which won the eLit award for Illuminating Digital Excellence and was named runner-up for Best App Ever -- is actually an adult novel, but also includes a soundtrack, animation and secret messages hidden throughout the whole story.

"We call them Easter Eggs, and you have to click on different places on the pages for juicy tidbits that the enrich story experience," said Davis. "It is such a different way to digest media that we call our audience Media Voyagers. We have created a unique adventure for people to go on, and also created the direction that all literature will be going in next century."

The two said that their most recent award had them traveling to New York City during the BEA to receive the 2013 Discovery Award from IndieReader, which also picked the app as one of their six books to fall for this season.

Hultz added that the music Easter Eggs are phenomenal, sourced from musicians from across the U.S. and France, including Emilie Hanak, who sings under name Milkymee. Every chapter opens with a song or some type of sound, among them the countdown of the Apollo 11 mission.

"You never know what you're going to find on the next page," said Hultz. "We have worked very hard to combine these extra materials with the novel, because the idea is to make sure the extras don't take you out of the story, but rather enhance it."

Davis and Hultz are centrally located, with one in Kentucky and the other five miles away, in Indiana. Hultz came to the Midwest after living in San Francisco, New York City and large European cities. After a horrific spinal infection in 2003, Hultz wound up in a nursing home. Each night, Davis would read a humorous story she had concocted to entertain her friend.

"I'm sure that the laughter she brought to me saved my life," said Hultz. "And these little stories eventually became 'Spoon and the Moon.'"

With her background as a syndicated columnist, Davis made drawings that were a good fit with Hultz' stories, and the two women started Wickedly Sisters, the branch of their business that focuses on LGBT stories. It is here that they publish fictional stories under noms de plume. The next will be called "Pocket Murder," and will be published by April 2014.

"I would say that all the Wickedly Sister products have elements for the LGBT community; that's one of our primary reasons to have this business, to tell whimsical stories for our community," said Hultz.

With the help of Davis Studio, the women also publish non-fiction stories. Their next app, titled "Civil War Truce," is a non-fiction story about Sister Lucy, a young woman who passed away during the Civil War and whose work affected soldiers so much on both sides that they called a truce for three days in order to bury her.

"She was a music teacher and only 21 when she passed," said Hultz. "We have wanted to do something with this story for more than 10 years. This new medium allows us to have period music, her backstory, and other media."

So check out the wave of the future with this new tech app that allows readers to become submersed in their story. And if you like it, you have a couple of lesbians to thank!

Spoon and the Moon offers EDGE readers a free app if they email [email protected] with the words Free App in the subject line.