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Columnists

U=(N/T)M*G: Beat

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To start this post, I must make the disclosure that I’m a Pagan. Yep. Not really a surprise, but I feel I must mention it all the same. A lot of Pagans believe that the Earth is sentient on some level and to some extent, and in a lot of ways, science has proven Pagans aren’t exactly wrong in this idea. Through a neat combination of radiation and rotation and oscillation, our blue marble as its own voice. So do all the other planets that share the light of our Sun. Its music, in a way. Heartbeats even, of the … Read more

Angel’s Bits: Plagiarism

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It’s a nasty, ugly word, isn’t it? Plagiarism. It rears up with shocking regularity in every writing circle – academia, journalism, fiction, biography. Every time I see a new case pop up in the romance or SFF writing communities, far too many people wail about their particular genre being plagued with it. It’s not true, of course. It’s everywhere. But there are some odd misconceptions about it and some predictable reasons why authors do it. According to USLegal.com, “Plagiarism is taking the writings or literary ideas of another and selling and/or publishing them as one’s own writing. Brief quotes or … Read more

Angel’s Bits – ‘Tis The Season for Paranormal

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Paranormal – those stories that fall outside what can be explained using what is known about the universe. Ghosts. Vampires. Werewolves and so on and… What’s that? All queer paranormal fiction is the same? All tropey and stuff so you don’t want to read it? There’s nothing wrong with tropey fiction of course. We all have our favorite comfort tropes and types of stories we enjoy reading. But what I’d like to do today is take a look at some examples of queer paranormal fic that doesn’t adhere so closely to the tropetastic side of things. Please note that these … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Discovering Magic

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People have always told me to write about what I know. I wanted to write stories about magic, but magic didn’t exist. Not for me. What seemed supernatural was usually a hoax. There was always a logical explanation. Don’t accept a world of superstition. Don’t be one of the people who blames magic for their problems. Don’t expect to use magic to solve your own. I read these warnings, listened to them, and absorbed them. They created the reality I lived in, a cynical reality, which wasn’t going to accept anything supernatural too quickly. In spite of these warnings, I … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: Tarantula Blue

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I love color. I can’t match it to save my everlasting soul, but I love it all the same. The entire spectrum from snow white to pitch. And when I found science about color, I just had to share it. Tarantula Blue is a term coined by the researchers of this structural coloration, and though the research is way above my paygrade, it has the potential for some rather interesting applications. Of course, optical advancement in technology, TVs and phones and computers, are a given. I’m more intrigued by the possible development this could have on culture and military or … Read more

Asta’s Annotations: The Path to LGBT Fiction

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Today I thought it might be interesting to discuss how we all came to LGBT fiction, whether as readers or writers.   For me, it all started with the film Van Helsing in 2004. Meeting fellow fans through the LiveJournal account I had at the time led me to discover fan fiction, and slash in particular. One of my earliest serious attempts at writing was a fan fiction with a Dracula/Van Helsing back story. I’ve written the occasional piece since—Rimmer/Lister (Red Dwarf), Hannibal/Will (Hannibal), Ragnar/Athelstan (Vikings), Sherlock/John (Sherlock), Steve/Loki (Avengers) etc.—and I still read a story or two when a … Read more

Queer Fantasy Roots: Astral Projection, Body-sharing, and a Platonic Threesome in Cavendish’s The Blazing World

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Queer Fantasy Roots

It’s become something of “a thing” lately to argue over who wrote the earliest science fiction novel, or what the foundational literature was that explores the common tropes and concepts of SFF. In my opinion, arguing over “first” or “most important” is like arguing over which superhero can beat up the others. Let’s just enjoy them all for what they are. One early novel chock-full of themes and tropes that would later become staples of science fiction is The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-World published by Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle in 1666. In brief: a young … Read more

Jeff Baker–Boogieman In Lavender

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                                                                                                         Queer 101                                                    By Jeff Baker               When I was scoping out markets for LGBT-themed science-fiction/Fantasy/Horror (1) short-stories (2) about five years ago, I decided to do my research. Not just into markets but into what sort of fiction of this type had been written and was being written today. The “had been” is important; there have been complaints that today are readers who gush over “Twilight” who have never heard of “Dark Shadows.”             So here are some, not all, of the books I perused (3) while I was figuring out exactly … Read more

Angel’s Bits – Stalking Authors in the Wild

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Authors are much more accessible these days – at least online. We can friend our favorite authors, follow blogs and Twitter feeds, see photos of them with friends and so on. But now you’ve decided to attend an event. Real life, three-dimensional authors will be there. (Gasp!) The time spent face to face with your author quarry can be limited at larger events. You might see them on a panel or at a signing. Other events are geared toward allowing readers to interact with authors. Though the setting doesn’t matter too much – you’ve spotted the author on your personal … Read more

Pineapples

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A set of business researchers over in England did a bit of science to prove something we already know: language changes. All the time. Evolutionary Linguistics is actually a pretty big topic, with scads of information. In my experience, slang usually comes first, before a word or turn of phrase is adopted into common usage. It’s a good thing, from an author’s point of view, challenging though it is to keep up with all the new words that are tried, accepted or dismissed aside. Like my friend Rich, who says pineapples to describe a bad idea or situation. In some … Read more