As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Announcement: Healing, by Grace R. Duncan

by

QSFer Grace R. Duncan has a new post-apocalyptic romance out: In a world that’s gone to hell, will you let old fears keep you from the chance at more than just survival? When Duncan stumbles into a pharmacy in search of something to fix his broken leg, he’s surprised to find someone else there. Like the rest of the post-pandemic world, it appeared empty. Instead, he discovers Mark, a former nurse who walked away from his profession after losing too many patients to the virus. Despite swearing he’d never practice medicine again, Mark patches Duncan up over Duncan’s protests. He … Read more

Wolves and Werewolves

by

Thought we’d cycle back to a popular topic in paranormal circles. Werewolves go way back in popular mythology, but like many other creatures, they have evolved from night terrors to responsible members of society – see Teen Wolf, True Blood, Twilight, and others. So let’s try to separate myth from, well, myth. And throw in a little nature too. How do our modern-day werewolves differ from “traditional” wolf shifters out of fairy tales? How about from the werewolves of the thirties and forties, or sixties and seventies? From “real” wolves? And how would you freshen up the werewolf myth to … Read more

Announcement: Prosperity, by Alexis Hall

by

Alexis Hall has a new steampunk book out called Prosperity: A breathtaking tale of passion and adventure in the untamed skies! Prosperity, 1863: a lawless skytown where varlets, chancers, and ne’er-do-wells risk everything to chase a fortune in the clouds, and where a Gaslight guttersnipe named Piccadilly is about to cheat the wrong man. This mistake will endanger his life . . . and his heart. Thrill! As our hero battles dreadful kraken above Prosperity. Gasp! As the miracles of clockwork engineering allow a dead man to wreak his vengeance upon the living. Marvel! At the aerial escapades of the … Read more

Paying Markets for LGBT Fiction

by

Today’s topic is from QSFer Bob Hole: “Paying markets we may not have heard of, especially short stories.” There are so many great publishers out there doing journals and anthologies and novellas and full-length novels in LGBT genres. I’d nominate the new MCB Quarterly from our own Angel Martinez and friends. So what other great paying venues do y’all know about for LGBT work?

Announcement: Precious Metals, by L.A. Witt

by

L.A. Witt has a new steampunk book releasing today: For Constable Paul Benson of the North-West Mounted Police, monotony is a blessing. As a provision inspector below the Chilkoot Pass during the Klondike Gold Rush, he’s seen miserable conditions and gold fever turn civilized prospectors into madmen. Joseph Starling is on his way to the Klondike to find the men who savagely beat him, murdered his eldest brother, and stole their mining machine. They’ll kill his youngest brother if Joseph doesn’t operate the machine for them—it won’t work without him. With time running out, Joseph must purchase an expensive ticket … Read more

Me Me Monday!

by

Welcome to ME ME MONDAY at our FB discussion group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/qsfdiscussions/members/ 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

Lesbian Colony on Mars?

by

Andrew Sullivan makes the case for women on Mars. I can already see the lesbian plot bunnies proliferating: Last year, Kate Greene and five teammates simulated living conditions on Mars for a NASA-funded project (the experiment actually took place on a volcano in Hawaii). What she noticed while collecting and managing data: Week in and week out, the three female crew members expended less than half the calories of the three male crew members. Less than half! We were all exercising roughly the same amount–at least 45 minutes a day for five consecutive days a week–but our metabolic furnaces were … Read more

Mirror, Mirror

by

Our topic today comes from QSFer Rebecca Cohen: “I do like parallel dimensions and alternative universes.” Oooh, me too. I still remember that Star Trek episode, Mirror Mirror, where everyone had an evil version of themselves in an alternate universe. Or the Phantom Zone from the Superman comics. Or the paths of the Silfen in Peter Hamilton’s Commonwealth series. So how about you? What are some of your favorite “alternate Earth / parallel dimension” stories? And how could we use them to explore LGBT life?

Announcement: Untouchable, by LV Lloyd

by

QSFer LV Lloyd has a new sci fi book out: Untouchable is a story about two men, Alan Stewart, First Lieutenant on the space ship Qatar and Captain Robin Lang of the Huan Police Force. Stewart and Lang have been best friends since their days in the Space Academy, despite the fact that Stewart is gay and Lang has a wife and son, Max. However Max is growing up and their friendship is threatened when Lang believes Stewart has designs on his son. When Max, now an adult and a recent recruit to the Qatar, is assaulted in a gay … Read more

Make Your Own Animal Hybrid

by

Many ancient legends feature creatures that are part one thing and part another – the Chimera, the Griffin, the Centaur… ok, so the last one is half human, but still… So I thought we’d have a little fun today. The Daily Mail has an article with a great sampling of some of the possibilities of morphing two animal species, including the Guinealion above: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2448571/Hilarious-Frankenstein-style-creatures-photos-ordinary-animals-morphed-together.html So what two species would you like to see merged? And what would you do with your new creature in a fantasy or paranormal (or heck, even sci fi) story?