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Religious Iconography in Fantasy and Paranormal Stories

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Since today is Sunday, it seems fitting to tackle a new topic here at QSF – the use of religious iconography, including angels, demons and devils, in Fantasy and Paranormal stories. This practice has a long and studied tradition, going back to some of the very roots of Fantasy (see CS Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles) and Paranormal (often drawing on themes of heaven and hell). But it seems to me that there’s a particular opportunity here for storytelling from an LGBt point of view – our community was long persecuted by the Church, and even now, most opposition to … Read more

John Barrowman Interviewed By Windy City Times

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John Barrowman is that rare person: the multitalented heartthrob. Barrowman – who was born in Scotland and raised in Joliet, Illinois – may be best known for playing omnisexual Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and its popular spinoff, Torchwood, although he’s fulfilling many a fan’s fantasy as Malcolm Merlyn on the CW series Arrow. ( This writer personally remembers him from the short-lived ’90s nighttime sudser Central Park West, or C.P.W.)… Windy City Times caught up with Barrowman last week, talking with him about his sci-fi work, Broadway, Robin Williams and Barrowman’s marriage to Scott Gill. … WCT: So … Read more

Where is All the Lesbian Sci Fi? (And Transgender and Bisexual and…)

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There’s a huge market for MM Romance these days. Dreamspinner and others have built a whole business plan around it, and I’m always astonished when I see just how many titles there are out there. To a lesser extent, this holds true for MM sci fi, romance and otherwise. The same white male POV that has long held sway in traditional sci fi seems to exist in the LGBT sci fi market. Most stories out there seem to be about men, and often white men. I’ve been wanting to see more diversity in LGBT sci fi for years, bot in … Read more

Lesbian Sci Fi Film Debuts in Durham, North Carolina

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A lesbian sci fi web series has been produced as a feature film. WUNC reports: People rarely associate gay and lesbian films with the science fiction genre. But a Durham-based production company, KVWorks, created a sci-fi lesbian web series. They adapted the two-year series into full length feature film. Frequency debuts at the 2014 North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Durham this weekend. Host Frank Stasio talks with writer and director Piper Kessler and producer Monique Velasquez about their work. It’s great to see LGBT sci fi, and lesbian sci fi in particular, getting some exposure.

My ADD Brain

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OK, so I don’t officially have Attention Deficit Disorder. But I, like many writers, do have a creative brain, one that seems to love to be distracted by just about anything. Especially when I’m writing. Especially when I’m on a deadline. Like right now. I have a short story (well, almost a novella) that’s due for submission 9 days from now. And I haven’t finished the first draft yet. I think I’ll finish it to day if… Oh look, something shiny! Seriously, it’s hard sometimes to focus on the writing. Part of it is that I seem to work better … Read more

A Taste of Honey Bear Anthology: Excerpt From “Banyan Court” by Samuel Scott Preston

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Editor’s Note: I’m a part of a new anthology that just came out on 8/18 from Dreamspinner Press: A Taste of Honey. And while the book is not Fantasy, Sci Fi or Paranormal per se, some of the stories in it include magical realism or present-day fantasy. Here’s the final excerpt. :) –Scott Just from Dreamspinner Press – A Taste of Honey – the ultimate bear romance anthology. Guys don’t have to be in their twenties, perfectly sculpted, and hairless to be hot. Bears are real men with real bodies–and that doesn’t always mean a perfect six-pack or an immaculately … Read more

Ghosts, Spooks, Hauntings, and Other Mayhem From Beyond the Grave

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Okay, it’s time for another foray into the paranormal. Today, I’m taking about an area that gets little press these days, what with all the shifters, vampires, and zombies that seem to be roaming the Earth these days. Whatever happened to the good old-fashioned ghost story? You know, your Amityville Horrors, your Paranormal Activities, your Poltergeists? The kind of story that, without ever showing the creepy antagonist, could raise the hairs on your arms? I still remember watching Poltergeist, and getting the thrill of my spine when the little girl put her hands on the TV screen, filled with static, … Read more

A Taste of Honey Bear Anthology: Excerpt From “The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Getting Over Yourself” by Robert B. McDiarmid

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Editor’s Note: I’m a part of a new anthology that just came out on 8/18 from Dreamspinner Press: A Taste of Honey. And while the book is not Fantasy, Sci Fi or Paranormal per se, some of the stories in it include magical realism or present-day fantasy. I hope you’ll indulge me as I share the intros to a number of these stories in the lead-up to the book’s release. :) –Scott Just from Dreamspinner Press – A Taste of Honey – the ultimate bear romance anthology. Guys don’t have to be in their twenties, perfectly sculpted, and hairless to … Read more

Writing in Your Own Tongue

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Some very successful fantasy novels have flirted with inventing their own language or languages – among them the Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien was a professional philologist and Old English specialist) and George R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. But many writers just use a few choice words in their new lingua, to give their stories a bit of High Fantasy flavor. To be sure, a new language isn’t an absolute necessity in Fantasy – it really depends on the story you are telling. But it can add a bit of flair and flavor to your work, setting it apart … Read more

A Taste of Honey Bear Anthology: Excerpt From “Life’s Tiny Surprises” by Tara Spears

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Editor’s Note: I’m a part of a new anthology that just came out on 8/18 from Dreamspinner Press: A Taste of Honey. And while the book is not Fantasy, Sci Fi or Paranormal per se, some of the stories in it include magical realism or present-day fantasy. I hope you’ll indulge me as I share the intros to a number of these stories in the lead-up to the book’s release. :) –Scott Just from Dreamspinner Press – A Taste of Honey – the ultimate bear romance anthology. Guys don’t have to be in their twenties, perfectly sculpted, and hairless to … Read more