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Are Publishers Even Necessary?

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In the ongoing feud between the major publishing houses and Amazon, Yglesias has no sympathy for the publishers: Wisdom on this subject begins with the observation that the book publishing industry is not a cuddly craft affair. It’s dominated by a Big Four of publishers, who are themselves subsidiaries of much larger conglomerates. Simon & Schuster is owned by CBS, HarperCollins is owned by NewsCorp, Penguin and RandomHouse are jointly owned by Pearson and Bertelsmann, and Hachette is part of an enormous French company called Lagadère. These are not tiny, helpless enterprises. Were their owners interested in the future of … Read more

Announcement: The Fifth Son, by Blaine D. Arden

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QSFer Blaine D. Arden’s Fantasy novel The Fifth Son comes out on 11/28: In a land where magic is commonplace, Prince Llyskel has none. He can’t command spells, he has never been taught to fight, and as the fifth son of the King, he will never rule. Everyone believes he’s a weakling, most of all himself. Powerlessness is Llyskel’s problem—and his pleasure. In his secret fantasies, the prince dreams of nothing more than finding himself helpless at another man’s hands… particularly the hands of Captain Ariv of the Guards. Then Ariv makes Llyskel’s dream a reality, and as the powerless … Read more

Me Me Monday!

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Welcome to ME ME MONDAY at our FB discussion group – your chance to pop in and tell us about your latest success. Have a new book or short story coming out? Let us know. Just sell something? Let us know so we can cheer you on. HOW IT WORKS: I’ll pin this topic to the top of our FB discussion page for the day. –Please post your announcement as a separate post, so I can also share it over to our FB page (as opposed to this discussion group). –If you want, send me your book announcement info at … Read more

Is The World Ready For A Gay Superhero?

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Perhaps inspired by the casting of openly queer actor Ezra Miller in the title role of The Flash (set to hit the big screen in 2018), TheWrap asked a number of Hollywood’s out and prouds (plus a few allies) to weigh in on Hollywood’s recent LGBT superhero surge — both in terms of the characters themselves and the people who play them. While the casting of gay, lesbian, or bisexual actors in superhero or villain roles is hardly novel (witness Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold on the TV version of The Flash, John Barrowman as Malcom Merlyn on Arrow, or … Read more

Announcement: Apollo, by Cree Storm

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Today we have the third book in Cree Storm’s Twelve Labors series: Murray and Apollo have silently loved each other since the day they met. When they go to the lands below to find the stolen scrolls needed to release Zeus from prison, Apollo and Murray discover they are mates. Murray is blissfully happy until he is kidnapped. Taken to an old mining cave, Murray is scared. He knows that Apollo is doing everything he can to find him. However, Murray also knows that Hera and Aries will be there soon to take him and the scrolls away. Not wanting … Read more

Fan Fiction – Cross Genre Edition

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I thought we’d have a little fun today. Many writers get their start in fan fic – writing their own stories in someone else’s already-established universe. But that’s old news. Here’s my thought. Construct your own fantasy world (and by fantasy here I mean “not real” – using at least two characters from two separate writer/universes and genres, and describe their story. Extra points for an LGBT twist. Extra extra points for coming up with a celebrity nickname for your new couple. And mega points for a photoshopped photo of the two. :P So for example, a young Captain Kirk … Read more

Announcement: Precog in Peril, by Theo Fenraven

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QSFer Theo Fenraven has a whole paranormal trilogy out: Gray Vecello meets Cooper Key, and the adventure of a lifetime begins as they explore the river on the houseboat Gray’s grandfather left him in his will. Three of Swords: An old houseboat, a hot young guy, a couple of murders, and more mysterious keys than you can shake a stick at: it’s an adventure Gray Vecello and Cooper Key will never forget. Gray has the sight, just as Graham had, but will it be enough to save them both? Knight of Wands: Gray Vecello and Cooper Key are back in … Read more

There’s a Screenplay of The Princes and the Treasure!

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A few days ago, we published the story that the rumors going around of a Disney adaptation of a children’s book about two gay princes were sadly untrue. But there is a silver lining. This week, the author of the book “The Princes and the Treasure”, Jeffrey A. Miles, contacted me: “I am the author of the children’s picture book with a gay marriage titled “The Princes and The Treasure.” You wrote a very nice article about the book. However, there is a movie screenplay adaptation of “The Princes and The Treasure” children’s book with the title “Princes.” The screenplay … Read more

A Gay Messiah

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer Jim Comer: “Do we need a gay messiah? Do we want one? Basically, despite all of the “Jesus-was-gay” stuff, what would a QUILTBAG messiah be like? What would an LGBT Buddha be like? Do we want a queer Muhammad? Can we tell this kind of story? SF is fill of messiahs, such as Phil Dick’s VALIS books and Heinlein’s ‘Stranger in a Strange Land.’” Jim supplied this link to Rufus Wainwright’s video for the song “Gay Messiah”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV7UGntnEks So let’s tackle this from a sci fi angle – there are many religions in the world … Read more

Climate Change Makes for Crazy Winters

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Let the sci fi plot bunnies proliferate (and maybe a few plot squirrels too): It may be the timeliest — and most troubling — idea in climate science. Back in 2012, two researchers with a particular interest in the Arctic, Rutgers’ Jennifer Francis and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Stephen Vavrus, published a paper called “Evidence linking Arctic amplification to extreme weather in mid-latitudes.” In it, they suggested that the fact that the Arctic is warming so rapidly is leading to an unexpected but profound effect on the weather where the vast majority of us live — a change that, if … Read more