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Magical Realism

Review: Every Heart a Doorway.

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Title:  Every Heart a Doorway Author: Seanan McGuire Series: Wayward Children Genre: Magic Realism, and Queer Fiction Publisher: Tor Books Pages/Word Count: 176 pages Blurb: Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Quests Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children. Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss … Read more

Announcement: A More Perfect Union

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A More Perfect Union

QSFer J. Scott Coatsworth and Jamie Fessenden have stories in a new book from Dreamspinner (BG Thomas invited us to be a part of this great project): On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States made a monumental decision, and at long last, marriage equality became the law of the land. That ruling made history, and now gay and lesbian Americans will grow up in a country where they will never be denied the right to marry the person they love. But what about the gay men who waited and wondered all of their lives if the day would ever come … Read more

For Writers: Urban Fantasy vs. Magical Realism

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Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Therese Woodson: I’d love to talk more about Urban Fantasy – what classifies something as urban fantasy vs magical realism vs regular fantasy. This is a topic near and dear to my own heart – as I write a bit of both. I’d say urban fantasy presupposes a whole magical framework in our world, while magical realism is more subtle – almost a heightened reality. So my questions today – how do you define Urban Fantasy? How do you define Magical Realisim? And how do you think they are different from one another? Join … Read more

“‘Til Darkness Falls” by Pearl Love

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Genre: M/M Mystery Romance Length: Novel   THIS FANTASTIC mystery starts off in the historical past, with a prince falling in love with a slave in Ancient Egypt. The prince is forced into a marriage, and the soon-to-be princess is furious that the prince loves a slave, so she not only arranges the death of the slave, but curses them to misery for all eternity, compelling them to live their hopeless tale throughout the ages. The only caveat: she has to be there in every one of their incarnations to ensure their unhappiness, or she gets damned for all eternity. … Read more

For Writers: Tech and Trans

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Trans Sci Fi

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Elizabeth Barrette: How magic or technology can allow people to alter their bodies, and what that means for transfolk. This is a fascinating one, and a tricky one. I used magic to “transform” a trans character, and ran it by one of my trans friends. I was surprised by some of the minefields I was walking across without even knowing it. How would your trans character feel about having their physical gender changed to match their internal one? Are we being myopic thinking every trans person would want such a thing? What about gender non-conforming … Read more

Discussion: Magical Realism

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer John Marshall: Magical realism. When we include magic in our paranormal settings, do we look to the real word or do we seek something totally original? If we do choose to use real world cultural traditions, how can we both indulge in poetic licence but also be sensitive to the history of white authors sensationalizing non-western cultures in really shitty ways? This topic is near and dear to my heart, as I often include magical realism elements in my stories. I love how it can add a different element to an otherwise run-of-the-mill contemporary tale. … Read more

Review: “Burning Intuition” by Makenzi Fisk

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Genre: Lesbian Paranormal Mystery/Thriller Length: Novel   MINNESOTAN POLICE officer, Erin Ericsson, travels to Canada to catch a criminal that fell through US cracks. Lily is a killer who is just getting started in her killing career—she’s only a teenager. Besides her trusty knife, the same one she stole from her dead mother who died of suspicious circumstances, Lily uses fire to wreck havoc, and instill terror in her victims. No one is safe. Not Erin or Erin’s loved ones. Not her own family. Not even her friends, including the girl she meets in school, and her family. She’s a … Read more

Object-Driven Fiction

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One Ring

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Victroria Stagg Elliott: I will confess this question is derived from the essay I had to write for my AP English exam in high school. What about using objects to drive a queer science fiction/paranormal story? What objects are overused? What objects might be kind of fun? My AP English essay focused on how Desdemona’s hankerchief drove a lot of the story of Othello. We could come up with some interesting plot bunnies. Oooh, this one is near and dear to my little writer heart. I write a fair amount of magical realism stories, and … Read more

“The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde

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Genre: Gay Paranormal Historical Length: Novel   As is well known, this is a story about a man, Dorian Gray, whose soul is housed in a painting, keeping his body from showing the stains of his immorality. The novel is told in third person omniscient, mostly using these three viewpoints: Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward, and Lord Henry Wotton. Dorian Gray is an impressionable youth, beautiful beyond measure. Basil Hallward is a painter, and inspired by Dorian, he paints his portrait week after week, until one day he creates his magnum opus. Lord Henry is a good friend of Basil’s, and … Read more

“Between the Lines” by J. Scott Coatsworth

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Genre: Gay Urban Fantasy Romance Length: Novella   Brad Weston is the chief of staff for a Republican California state senator, and it seems like he has everything going for him. Sam Fuller, fresh out of college, is also working for the GOP as Weston’s aid. They work hard for their party, even when they face constant homophobia, but neither really knows how bad they’re discriminated against until Weston enters an antique shop, looking for a present for his boyfriend for their anniversary. The enchanted trinket he finds exposes Weston to all the hate in the world, and the revelations … Read more