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Genres

Announcement: A Call to Arms, by Shiriluna Nott and SaJa H.

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QSFer Shiraluna Nott has a new Fantasy out with Saja H.: War is brewing on the eastern border of Arden. The shaky truce between Arden and the neighboring realm of Shiraz has all but dissolved, and both sides are building their forces for battle. But in the quiet farming community of Willowdale, the rumors of war are the least of young Gibben Nemesio’s concerns. With both parents dead and two younger brothers to care for, Gib doesn’t have time to focus on anything besides keeping food on the table. Everything changes the day he receives a conscription notice and must … Read more

Ripped From the Headlines

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Today’s topic is from QSFer Angel Martinez, just home from GRL: “Favorite new scientific/ medical advances you want to use in a story.” There are so many to choose from – 3-D printers, Lab-grown penises, the oPhone app to send smells across the internet.. how do you choose just one? So what recent scientific or medical stories caught your eye? And how would you build a story around one of them?

Announcement: Prince of Faith, by Belinda McBride

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QSFer Belinda McBride has a new book out today, the third in her Uncommon Whore Fantasy series: Held captive in a whorehouse, Markus Dayspring wakes every morning with a thirst for revenge, and collapses every night with a prayer for strength. He lives on in spite of deadly addictions and a crippling, shameful secret. When he’s rescued by a man from his past, his reawakened love threatens to crush his damaged soul. Caius also has a secret, one that could ultimately kill him. But his vow to rescue Markus is stronger than guilt, fear and even his loyalty to King … Read more

Guest Post: Romance Among the Stars, by Jamie Lynn Miller

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Many thanks to Scott for having me here today to talk about my new novella, An Endless Sea of Stars. Keep reading to see how you can win an Amazon gift card! I’ve been a sci-fi fan since 1977, the year that a little film called Star Wars hit the movie screens. I was only six years old back then. While my friends wanted to go see Bambi I was begging my dad to take me to Star Wars. My mother thought I was nuts and refused to go, saying my dad was just wasting his money because I wouldn’t … Read more

Announcement: Sarge, by Bey Deckard

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QSFer Bey Deckard has a new book out: Sometimes it’s just about being in the right place at the right time… with the right person. Sarge is the short story of a burgeoning D/s relationship between two space marines stationed on an alien planet where an endless war drags on. Sergeant Wilkes is a hard man with a long, celebrated military career. Brawny, tattooed, and utterly submissive, Murphy is just an interesting diversion… until Sarge realises he has found something truly rare. Excerpt You’re a good boy, Murph,” he says softly to me. “You get me home, get me patched … Read more

World Building Tricks and Tools

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer Jim Comer Conlangs: “World building.” We’ve talked about this before, but it’s one of my favorites – especially for sci fi or fantasy. Today I wanna break it down a little. As a whole, this generally means creating a convincing, immersive experience – when it’s done well, you feel like you are inside the author’s world, and no matter how strange or futuristic (or fantastic), it works. Some of my favorite sci fi and fantasy worlds for their immersive qualities are (in no particular order) Majipoor, Pern, Middle Earth, Dune, The Land, and Shannara (ok, … Read more

Weird Westerns

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer Cynthia Ward: “LGBT Weird Westerns? I would think Weird Western fantasies of any subgenre would cover a lot of WW territory? (supernatural horror, dark fantasy, urban fantasy, magic realism, occult, high fantasy, steampunk fantasy, fantastic bizarro, fantastique, fairytale, fantasy surrealism, etc).” OK, I’m game. One of my favorite underrated sci fi movies of the last ten years was Cowboys and Aliens. I was hooked from the moment I heard the titles, and I may have been the only one, but I thought the movie was awesome. Then, of course, there’s Firefly, the ultimate Western in space, … Read more

Announcement: Seidman, by James Erich

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QSFer James Erich has a re-release – an historic YA Fantasy novel out: In Viking Age Iceland, where boys are expected to grow into strong farmers and skilled warriors, there is little place for a sickly twelve-year-old boy like Kol until he catches the eye of a seið-woman—a sorceress—and becomes her apprentice. Kol travels to the sorceress’s home, where her grandson, Thorbrand, takes Kol under his wing. Before long Kol discovers something else about himself that is different—something else that sets him apart as unmanly: Kol has fallen in love with another boy. But the world is changing in ways that threaten those … Read more

Going to Hell (and Heaven)

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For our paranormal topic today, I thought we’d talk about angels and demons and the religious angle of the paranormal genre. There’s lots to work with here – Heaven and Hell themselves, gay angels (oh, the wings), misunderstood demons, exorcisms on skype (thank you Jon Stewart) and so much more. Many shows and novels have covered this ground – Supernatural did it with the occasional nod to gay fans (and of course the homoerotic subtext between Sam and Dean). So my questions today – have you written or read any Christian gay paranormal stories? If you did write something in … Read more

Announcement: Weatherboy, by Theo Fenraven

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QSFer Theo Fenraven has a new paranormal book out: After fifteen-year-old Tuck finds a Maya artifact while on vacation in Guatemala, his whole life changes. To his surprise, he discovers he can make it rain and snow. A local weatherman happens to be around when Tuck creates a waterspout near his home in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and the next thing he knows, someone from the Department of Homeland Security is picking him up at school and taking him to their offices in Orlando. From there, things only get weirder and more dangerous when he’s escorted to Washington, D.C. With help … Read more