Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Denise Dechene: What are your thoughts about sex in YA books (dealing with teens 15 and older) should there be sex on page or do you think it should be fade to black? This is always a tricky one. Let’s approach this with our usual (trademarked) QSF calm and collective reasoning. :) Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat
Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Hank T. Cannon: What kind of sci-fi tech makes you go “OOOOOOOOOOOH!!!”? For a long time, for me it was transforming vehicles. The Veritechs from “Robotech,” the cars from the short-lived “Pole Position” cartoon, and of course “M.A.S.K.” among others. I think, from a nostalgia perspective, “Mighty Orbots” is my favorite of them all, if only because of the specific mention of matter manipulation tech in the transformation and unity process. Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! … Read more
Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Tam Ames: Which book have you had fantasies about inserting yourself as a character in that book? A world you wish you could experience for real because of characters you just adored or settings you would want to experience for yourself. For me, it’s totally Pern. I would kill for a fire lizard (or a night with a green dragon rider *snicker*). Anne McCaffery built such a compelling world, and I greatly mourn her loss. How about the rest of all y’all? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join … Read more
Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Tam Ames: What’s your fave type of werewolf? Can only change on the full moon? Whenever they damn well please? Movie-types half-man/half wolf? Those that retain some animal traits while human? Not saying one is better than the other but what kind do you like to read about. Tell us one of your fave werewolf characters. Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat
Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Hank T. Cannon: Do you like “overplots” in your sci-fi/fantasy? Do you like your novels/series purely self contained, or do you want each book to advance a larger plot? It’s a great question. For me, it depends. I like to know, going in, that it’s a series if the book I am reading is gonna end on a cliffhanger. Otherwise, it can be really abrupt when you reach the end of a realluy good read and realize the author hasn’t published the next one yet. *glares at Albert Nothlit* But as long as I … Read more
Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Lindsey Wilson: How much LGBTQ content is needed for a book to be ‘a queer book’ versus a ‘a book with some gay people in it maybe’? It’s a great question. This came up at Rainbow Con last year on a panel I was a part of. I will hold my answer for a bit – I am curious to see what everyone else things. Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat
Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Tam Ames: If you’ve had any close encounters with authors, tell us of one “author behaving beautifully” to you or to fans that you observed. Name and fame here. It’s true, most authors are nice, regular people, just like you and me. One of my most fabulous (other) author encounters was when I first met Angel Martinez at Rainbow Con, and she was warm and congenial and not in the slightest bit crazy. Of course, then there was the time I met Ben. And Jamie. And Rory. And Lexi. And Pearl and Freddy and … Read more
Violence in fantasy: I’ve noticed that I prefer a certain amount of violence in my fantasy novels. Is the violence necessary to the milleu? It doesn’t have to be physical violence, one of the things I like about Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint series and Melissa Scott’s Astreiant, is the kind of social violence that can be inflicted and those results. So what do you think about violence in fantasy? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat
Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Richard Wood: Who makes the decision whether a LGBT book or story is YA suitable or not? Is it the author or the publisher and do different publishers have different standards of what is suitable as far as depictions of sex in a LGBT YA rated story? It’s a good question. For instance, I’ve often heard that works with fade-to-black sex scenes… you know: “Christian took Skylar by the hand with a wicked grin. He pulled him down onto the bed as the door slowly closed behind them…” …are “suitable” for YA because there’s … Read more
Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Anastasia Vitsky: I think the difficulty is the perception that there is no market or readership of F/F. It’s a perception shared by many in this group, unfortunately. Our assumptions shape our reality. I don’t have any good answers here, just observations. It’s true, I didn’t know how much FF was out there until someone opened my eyes. So today is dedicated to talking about FF books, especially in speculative fiction. Who are your favorite authors? What are your favorite stories, and why? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to … Read more