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Horror

We Already Have the Wheel: Werewolves and Toxic Masculinity

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John Allenson

We Already Have the Wheel. Werewolves and Toxic Masculinity.  Growing Hair in Funny Places. The western werewolf myth has been incredibly stable for most of its history up until the turn of the last millennia.  Most of the stories, legends, and court cases reflect the same understanding of what it means to be a werewolf going back to the Greek legends of King Lycaon. The main stream of the King Lycaon story, with many regional differences is this:  Zeus (sometimes with Hermes) appears in the city of King Lycaon.  The king doubts that the person claiming to be Zeus is … Read more

For Readers: Attracting New Readers to Queer Speculative Fiction

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queer books

Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Amelia Faulkner: I’d love to discuss how to attract readers to queer genre fiction. As in, what does it take for a spec-fi reader to pick up Queer spec-fi rather than Het-normative spec-fi? Is there any hope for mass-market appeal? That kind of thing. 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

Why We Still Do This

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Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror have been called “escapist literature.” Much of it may rightly be described as pure entertainment, although sometimes it may have a loftier purpose. In my case, I write entertaining fluff. Starstuff and shadow blended for the pleasure of the reader (and the writer). Hopefully an entertaining diversion from the mundane reality of the world. But reality has a tendency to intrude. The massacre at Orlando’s Pulse club on June 12 has shoved the idea of plotting out something entertaining to the background. Creatures of the night find their power to terrify fade into insignificance in the … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: ‘Frankenstein’

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“But I have one want I have never been able to satisfy; and the absence of the object which I now feel as a most severe evil. I have no friend, Margaret, when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate in my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavour to sustain me in dejection. I commit my thoughts to paper, it is true, but that is a poor medium for the communication of feeling. I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me, whose eyes would … Read more

Announcement: This is How it Ends, by Nick Wilgus

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This is How it Ends

QSFer Nick Wilgus has a new sci fi/horror book out: High school juniors Billy Gunn and Rory Wilder return from a weekend camping trip to find a mysterious plague has wiped out their small town of Port Moss, Mississippi. The question of why is only the beginning—especially when the dead refuse to stay dead. Figuring out what happened is job one for Billy and Rory. But complications quickly set in. Not only do the dead rise, but a freak storm threatens torrential downpours as winter looms. And enormous ships appear in the sky, bringing with them alien visitors with technology … Read more

Announcement: Clothed in Flesh, by William Holden

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Clothed in Flesh

QSFer William Holden has a new historical horror book out: George Sutton, a London constable, is suddenly thrown into a battle between good and evil, brother against brother, and doesn’t know he is the key to the city’s survival. It’s the eighteenth-century and the dead are coming back to life. When Constable George Sutton receives a summons from an old friend late at night, he only knows she is in distress. He’s little prepared to find Elizabeth aged decades in a matter of days. He’s even less prepared to learn his longtime friend and husband to Elizabeth has risen from … Read more

Announcement: Anagnorisis, by Kate Ledbetter

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Anagnorisis

Kate Ledbetter has a new horror book out: A deadly presence torments two families, leaving bloody fingerprints on their lives. The murder of a young mother haunts the conscience of her surviving son, Tyler, but when the haunting becomes real and threatens the lives of the people closest to him, Tyler may just be the last to know. Set in the floodwaters of rural Tennessee, Anagnorisis is a novella of real-world horrors carrying over to the supernatural. It’s written in a solid voice, and told with raw, unflinching honesty. Content Warning: This book contains graphic depictions of domestic violence. Buy … Read more

Announcement: Chasing Sunrise, by Lex Chase

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Chasing Sunrise

QSFer Lex Chase has a new Fantasy / Horror / Paranormal book out: The once glorious aisa kingdom of Darkmore lies in ruins, and King Sevon Maraté is trapped. Sevon endures unrelenting abuse and is used as a scapegoat by Lord Dominic Ravensgrove, who rules Darkmore from the shadows. Coping by dressing in gowns and jewels, the effeminate king relishes the scraps of freedom he is given to be himself. As a verkolai, Sevon possesses the ability to part the Veil separating his world from hundreds of others. His gift provides a chance for escape, but Dominic refuses to relinquish … Read more

Exclusive: Teaser of the Upcoming WROTE Podcast LGBT Halloween Episode

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Hey all… we’ve got something really cool today – a teaser for the 3MMuskateers Podcast (now changing to WROTE to be more inclusive) for Halloween. The folks at WROTE have pulled together seven short stories for Halloween, and are giving them the full spooky treatment: The 3 M/Musketeers podcast has realized it’s time to be more LGBTQ inclusive. Their new brand, WROTE Podcast – “Written on the Edge” – celebrates queer storytelling in all genres and across all mediums! To celebrate this move forward, your hosts have teamed up with several podcast alumni authors to put together a Halloween Storytime … Read more

Article: Read The Best Gay Speculative Fiction of the Year!

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What do you think? Have you read anything by these authors? Read The Best Gay Speculative Fiction of the Year! Want to explore some strange new worlds that are genuinely new? Then you’re in luck—because Wilde Stories: The Year’s Best Gay Speculative Fiction has just been published! Here’s the full TOC: “The Love of the Emperor Is Divine” by Tom Cardamone “The Vampire of Xanthos” by Andrew Warburton “The True Alchemist” by Sonya Taaffe “The Mortuaries” by Katharine Duckett “What Glistens Back” by Sunny Moraine “Passion, Like a Voice—That Buds” by Steve Berman “True North” by Chaz Brenchley “The Oily … Read more