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How True Blood Became a Paranormal Allegory for Gay Rights

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In 2000, Alan Ball, a TV writer who’d worked on Grace Under Fire and Cybill, hit the jackpot. American Beauty–a satirical melodrama he’d written about the suffering, brutalizing, twisted soul of the suburbs–won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Sam Mendes), and Best Actor (Kevin Spacey), which is not too shabby for a movie that was originally turned down by Chevy Chase. Ball, whose script had already earned him a Golden Globe, took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The 43-year-old Ball found himself turned overnight into a very hot property. In an earlier era, this would … Read more

Preferring to Perfectly Plan My Plot

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I’ve been writing for a long time. I mean, like a really long time. I wrote my first short story when I was in fourth grade, and submitted it to a contest at the University of Arizona. It won, and you can probably still see it somewhere in the dusty archives there. In my teens, I embarked upon my writing career in earnest. But I had one big problem. I didn’t like to plot out my stories. Instead, I like to be surprised by what might happen next, like my readers. So I would sit down in front of a … Read more

To Be Takei

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A gay sci fi icon is profiled in a new documentary: The third feature-length project from filmmaker Jennifer M. Kroot, whose previous endeavors include the 2003 sci-fi/fantasy Sirens of the 23rd Century and the 2009 biographical doc It Came from Kuchar, details the professional achievements, political activism, and personal life of Takei, who proves to be as accomplished as he is downright likable. The weight with which Kroot approaches the three principal aspects of Kroot’s life tends to vary, leaning in favor of his work for gay rights, but we find ourselves duly engrossed in his personal and professional stories … Read more

Vegetables as Characters

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OK, so we’re watching a recent episode of the awesome show Face Off, where make-up artists compete against one another. This one’s called Twisted Trees, and it’s about creating a character that’s based on a certain type of tree. A few writers have written vegetarian characters in Fantasy – the Ents of the Lord of the Rings spring quickly to mind. Or how about the Ellcrys in Terry Brooks’ Shannara series, that springs from a living being? So today I’m wondering about writing vegetation – trees, bushes, heck, even fungus – as fully realized characters. Have you done it? Have … Read more

“Doctor Who” Features Its First lesbian Kiss

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Doctor Who has been criticized for featuring an on-screen lesbian kiss for the first time ever, in last night’s season premiere. The latest episode of the sci-fi series, titled Deep Breath, aired last night on BBC One to over 7 million people, in addition to special screenings in over 400 cinemas. In the episode, Silurian lizard-woman Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh) was forced to lock lips with her human wife Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart) – the first time they have done so on screen. The pair have recurred on the show since 2011 and have long been portrayed as lovers. See … Read more

Child, What Be Thy Name?

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Picking names for your sci fi characters for the near future isn’t too bad – just use some of the more modern recent names, throw in a curve ball or two, and you’re golden. But what about when you’re dealing with the far-flung future? Or with an alien race? For your average human in the 25th century, you probably don’t want to go with Brittany, Chelsea, Justin or Tom. But you also have to be careful not to go too far in the other direction and come up with names that people will find too strange and hard to remember, … Read more

Why No Gay Sex in Game of Thrones Books?

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I understand that most people watch the HBO series “Game Of Thrones” for its copious and brutal acts of violence and for its regular bouts of carnal exercise. It’s noticeable, however, that this carnal exercise has explicitly been of the heterosexual variety in George R.R. Martin’s books, though that’s not the case on the TV show adapted from the novels. Why might this be?… “Frankly, it is the way I prefer to write fiction because that is the way all of us experience life. You’re seeing me from your viewpoint, you’re not seeing what someone over here is seeing,” Martin … Read more

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