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Tropes We Love

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The word trope often sends unpleasant shivers down the backs of speculative fiction fans. We think of overused themes, tired plots, and situations that have been beaten to death with an Andromedan shock club and then beaten some more. But really, a trope is simply a recurring theme or device when we talk about stories, so all themes when we break them down into their component parts are tropes. Science Fiction and Fantasy are full of them and fans will be able to yell out dozens of examples if you name one. We even have our favorites if we stop … Read more

Me, Me Monday!

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Welcome to ME ME MONDAY at our FB discussion group – your chance to pop in and tell us about your latest success. Have a new book or short story coming out? Let us know. Just sell something? Let us know so we can cheer you on. HOW IT WORKS: I’ll pin this topic to the top of our FB discussion page for the day. –Please post your announcement as a separate post, so I can also share it over to our FB page (as opposed to this discussion group). –If you want, send me your book announcement info at … Read more

Announcement: Ein, by Sorcha Black

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Ein

QSF author Sorcha Black has a new Fantasy book out: In love with a girl from school and the man hired to torture her, Einan is sent reeling when she thinks them dead. Destitute, she finds herself responsible for protecting children left uncared for in the wake of the Cedesian War. Poor children are disappearing all over the city. While struggling to keep them safe, Ein accidentally sparks a rebellion. Will love find her again in the chaos, or will she die a martyr? Warning: Dark themes, kink, dubious consent, Stockholm Syndrome, sexual assault. May be disturbing to some readers. … Read more

License to Explore

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Soylent Green

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Anastasia Vitsky: “I love the challenge of creating a world that is like but unlike the one I live in, and in some ways writing a “”fake”” world lets me be more brutally honest about the world I do live in. Right now, through the lens of this made-up world, I’m exploring topics I would never dare touch in a realistic contemporary romance, such as child slavery and child prostitution. And yet, I’m still writing a romance. What does sci fi allow you to do as a writer that you couldn’t do in realistic fiction?” … Read more

Announcement: Dreams of the Forgotten, by Lexi Ander

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Dreams of the Forgotten

QSFer Lexi Ander has a new fantasy book out: For Tristan and Ushna, nothing comes easy and with each passing day the challenges grow and the dangers multiply. The safe home they are building for their family and tribe is threatened from all sides, and the peace they seek is being torn apart by enemies and internal strife. Tristan dares not reveal his condition to any but those closest to him, all the while he’s plagued by dreams he cannot remember upon waking… And over all of it hangs the knowledge that his time with Ushna is running out. Because … Read more

How Environments Shape Society

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Cold Gay

Today’s topic comes from QSFer and Admin Angel Martinez: “How environment shapes your societies (atmosphere, ecosystem, etc)”. So let me elaborate a little. Is British Society a bit more polite than many others because of the colder climes (hey, that works for Canada too)? Do societies in warmer climes with more resources have the freedom to be more open, generally? Does the fight for resources bring out the worst in cultures, fostering discrimination? Would a new world where every birth counts to raise the population work against the expression of homosexuality? And how can we use these forces to write … Read more

Announcement: Garth’s Chronicle, by Edward Kendrick

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Garth's Chronicle

QSFer Edward Kendrick has a new paranormal book out – book three in the Immortal Angst series: When Garth is attacked by his ex lover, his life is saved by a stranger who then vanishes. When they meet again, Garth learns the name of his savior. François. What Garth doesn’t know is that François is a vampire. One who distrusts all but a few humans to the point of hatred. Despite that, they find they are attracted to each other—an attraction that François fights with all that is in him. When Garth finally learns what François is, the question becomes … Read more

Homophobia in Alternate Worlds

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer Jordan Marshall: “Including homophobia/heterosexism in our alternate worlds. Does excluding homophobia/heterosexism help us create better realities or do we erase the very real struggles queer people face.” Let’s face it – most of us want to see a future free of today’s homophobia. But is there a place in future societies for an exploration of discrimination against the LGBTI community? How can we use a future society to explore these issues in unique ways?

Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Time Slip Girl, By Elizabeth Andre

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The Time Slip Girl large

QSFer Elizabeth Andre shares her cover reveal of a new FF Sci Fi book excliusively with Queer Sci Fi: The Time Slip Girl, an interracial lesbian time travel novel published by Tulabella Ruby Press will be available for pre-order on April 19 and for sale on May 19. What if the woman you loved was more than a century away? Dara, a Chicago lesbian, is visiting London when she opens a door in an Edwardian house and slips into Edwardian England. Agnes, a beautiful London shop girl, takes in the bewildered 21st century American, but, as Dara begins to accept … Read more

Writing Dialects and Accents

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accents and dialects

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Kelly Jensen: I listen to a lot of audio books, and in one series in particular, the narrator does all the accents, which vary from regional to international. It really makes the book, which is why I pay extra to listen to this series, and others, on audio. As a reader, accents and dialects can be more difficult to decipher, however. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of word choice and speech pattern, and this works. That character’s voice acquires a recognisable cadence that stays with you throughout the book and/or series. As a writer, that’s … Read more