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Sci Fi

Announcement: Desert World Allegiances, by Lyn Gala

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Desert World Allegiances

DSPP author and QSFer Lyn Gala has a new sci fi book out (second edition): Livre once offered Planetary Alliance miners and workers a small fortune if they helped terraform the mineral rich planet. People flocked to the world, but then a civil war cut the desert planet off from all resources. Half-terraformed and clinging to the edge of existence, Livre devolved into a world where death was accepted as part of life, water resources were scarce and constantly dwindling, and neighbors tried to help each other hold off the inevitable as the desert fought to take back the few … Read more

Flashbacks: Awesome or Bane of Your Existence?

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Flashbacks

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Tam Ames – “Flashbacks in books. Discuss. (As in memories, not PTSD type flashbacks)”. OK, I’m game. I regularly use flashbacks in my stories. I try not to overuse them, but it’s not uncommon for me to use at least one entire scene as a flashback, usually to illuminate a character. But over-use of them can lead to confusion unless it is handled very carefully. In the novella I’m working on now, I do use them fairly liberally, but in a very structured way. So here are my questions – as a writer, do you … Read more

Strange Sci Fi Sex Scenes

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Weird Sex

Today we have a fun topic – what’s the strangest sci fi love scene or sex scene you’ve ever written or read? We’ve discussed this one before, and fair warning, there are almost always tentacles at some point. So have at it – what are some of the quirkiest sci fi love scenes you’ve read or written?

Power and Energy

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Future Energy

Today’s topic comes via QSFer Belinda McBride: “Power and energy. How are your communities powered? Is it clean power? Fossil fuel? What runs your transportation?” Going forward as the world warms up, the type of energy we use will become more and more inportant. But beyond that, we’ll need different forms of energy and engines if we’re going to cross the solar system more efficiently, or even cross the gulfs between the stars. So get out your crystal ball today and share your predictions for the future of energy. And share, also, some of your favorite books that have dealt … Read more

Announcement – Pandemonia: Combustible, by Darcy Abriel

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Pandemonia: Combustible

Amber Quill Press author and QSFer Darcy Abriel has a new sci fi book out: Earth of 4035 is a wasteland populated with sectors of penal colonies, seeded through the generations by its life-long inhabitants of criminals, lunatics, political prisoners, and DNA-spliced mutants, all ruled by a powerful conglomerate of scientific researchers called the Nucleate. One such sector, Pandemonia, is situated on the former European continent in the vicinity of Paris, now a hunting ground of a world gone horribly awry. Drayce Eth, of dragogen-spliced DNA creation, rules one quandrant of Old Paris with a strong hand. He has never … Read more

YA in Speculative Fiction

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Gay YA

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Anastasia Vitsky: “Could we have a day devoted to YA?” I think it’s a great idea. While I haven’t written any yet myself, there’s a market for it. So here are my questions today – do you write or read LGBT YA sci fi, fantasy or paranormal books? If you’re an author in this genre, how have they been received? What sells and what doesn’t? Is it difficult navigating the line between what’s acceptable and what’s not in YA? And as a reader, what are some of the stand-out books you’ve read?

Created vs. Evolved

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werewolf evolution

QSFer Hank T. Cannon has an interesting question for us today: Do you prefer “evolved” creatures and races, or creatures that are expressly created by other beings, these “creators” being either on the page or off the page? If both created and evolved exist, is there a conflict between them? What about those who are created, and then evolve? It could apply equally to paranormal, Fantasy or sci fi stories. In paranormal, for instance, we can have werewolves who “evolved” from a natural process, or those who were “created” by a man-made virus. In Fantasy, again maybe elves and dwarves … Read more

Where Are All the Wise, Older Protagonists?

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer Paula Wyant – “Topic suggestion for the group: Ageism. Inspired by this article: http://io9.com/the-worst-taboo-in-urban-fantasy-1692481622 – The Worst Taboo In Urban Fantasy. I’d like to broaden this out a bit to cover sci fi and fantasy. I’s kid of understandable why we don’t see a lot of senior protagonists in MM romance – or in romance in general. Readers want to read about young, pretty people falling in love. But that excuse falls apart when you’re talking about speculative fiction that’s not romance-based. And yet, the same rules seem to apply. Old, wise characters (or even … Read more

Today’s Cranks Are Tomorrow’s Movements

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Bronies

Today’s topic comes from QSFer John Allenson – “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Future. Virtually every religious or social movement of the past started off as a small group who’d be considered cranks by their general society. Which modern fringe/crank group would you like to write about as a major group in the future?” This one sounds like fun. Will Bronies grow up to rule the world? Will the Westboro Baptist Church become a nationwide movement of hate spewing protesters? Or maybe Queer Sci Fi buys Random House in 2031. :) Let your imaginations run wild!

Mercedes Unveils New Robo Car Concept

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Mercedes Concept Car

Before letting any press within a few miles of the F 015, Mercedes stressed that it’s only a prototype, without the fit, finish and finesse you might expect from a Mercedes. Smart move, because this thing runs like a 70’s-era Jaguar with dodgy electrics. The touch screens are unresponsive. The buttons that open the door don’t always work. It can’t handle the heat of a pleasant Bay Area day, in part because much of the car is made of plastic that changes shape in hot weather. The trunk is stuffed with computers that don’t like the heat either, so when … Read more