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Review: City of Monsters by Andrea Speed

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Another ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords.com review (crosspost)   Rating: 4 stars out of 5 Hunter Burrows used to be an insurance investigator on Earth. But something happened 6 months ago and Hunter ended up a shifter of unknown species who was transported to Nightshade, a literal city of monsters in a near-Earth dimension called Dev. Nightshade is filled with vampires, weres of all types, zombies, reverse tooth fairies, and yes, even Yetis. Left somewhat amnesiac by the transition between dimensions, Hunter learns that having a job is high priority and becomes a finder for a fee. Since Hunter doesn’t know what type of … Read more

Dorchester Gay Pride Parade Has Sci Fi Theme

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HUNDREDS of supporters came out in force to celebrate this year’s Love Parade. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their supporters took to the streets of Dorchester to march in the parade, which had a sci-fi theme this year. The parade, which was launched in 2009, is a celebration of love and acceptance and has been increasing in size each year since it began. The march began at the town pump and ended at Maumbury Rings where celebrations continued with live music and comedy acts. Organiser Chris Kendrick said: “The parade went really well. We went with a Star … Read more

Writing in Another Land

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Okay, so we’ve talked about writing a different kind of person than you actually are – maybe you’re a straight woman writing gay romance. Or maybe you’re a gay man writing a transgender character. Or someone in Iceland trying to imagine the experience of someone in South Africa. That last one gets to today’s point. There’s an old adage – “write what you know.” But so often, we are challenged to write things and places that we don’t know it all, especially in science fiction, fantasy and paranormal. And these often require research to get the details right. Recently I … Read more

Straight Women Love Gay Porn

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OK, so it’s not specifically sci fi, gay or fantasy, but this caught our eye since such a large proportion of both writers and readers of MM romance are women: In 2001, Salon received the equivalent of a Dear Abby letter from a straight women confessing, “[Gay porn] turns me on like no heterosexual porn ever has. What’s up with that? Am I a freak?” In response, writer Tracy Clark-Flory recounted her experience co-judging the Air Sex Championships, during which the all-female panel of judges was often “recoiling in disgust.” That is, until a man unexpectedly and vigorously began reenacting … Read more

How True Blood Became a Paranormal Allegory for Gay Rights

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In 2000, Alan Ball, a TV writer who’d worked on Grace Under Fire and Cybill, hit the jackpot. American Beauty–a satirical melodrama he’d written about the suffering, brutalizing, twisted soul of the suburbs–won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Sam Mendes), and Best Actor (Kevin Spacey), which is not too shabby for a movie that was originally turned down by Chevy Chase. Ball, whose script had already earned him a Golden Globe, took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The 43-year-old Ball found himself turned overnight into a very hot property. In an earlier era, this would … Read more

Preferring to Perfectly Plan My Plot

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I’ve been writing for a long time. I mean, like a really long time. I wrote my first short story when I was in fourth grade, and submitted it to a contest at the University of Arizona. It won, and you can probably still see it somewhere in the dusty archives there. In my teens, I embarked upon my writing career in earnest. But I had one big problem. I didn’t like to plot out my stories. Instead, I like to be surprised by what might happen next, like my readers. So I would sit down in front of a … Read more

To Be Takei

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A gay sci fi icon is profiled in a new documentary: The third feature-length project from filmmaker Jennifer M. Kroot, whose previous endeavors include the 2003 sci-fi/fantasy Sirens of the 23rd Century and the 2009 biographical doc It Came from Kuchar, details the professional achievements, political activism, and personal life of Takei, who proves to be as accomplished as he is downright likable. The weight with which Kroot approaches the three principal aspects of Kroot’s life tends to vary, leaning in favor of his work for gay rights, but we find ourselves duly engrossed in his personal and professional stories … Read more

Vegetables as Characters

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OK, so we’re watching a recent episode of the awesome show Face Off, where make-up artists compete against one another. This one’s called Twisted Trees, and it’s about creating a character that’s based on a certain type of tree. A few writers have written vegetarian characters in Fantasy – the Ents of the Lord of the Rings spring quickly to mind. Or how about the Ellcrys in Terry Brooks’ Shannara series, that springs from a living being? So today I’m wondering about writing vegetation – trees, bushes, heck, even fungus – as fully realized characters. Have you done it? Have … Read more

“Doctor Who” Features Its First lesbian Kiss

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Doctor Who has been criticized for featuring an on-screen lesbian kiss for the first time ever, in last night’s season premiere. The latest episode of the sci-fi series, titled Deep Breath, aired last night on BBC One to over 7 million people, in addition to special screenings in over 400 cinemas. In the episode, Silurian lizard-woman Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh) was forced to lock lips with her human wife Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart) – the first time they have done so on screen. The pair have recurred on the show since 2011 and have long been portrayed as lovers. See … Read more

Child, What Be Thy Name?

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Picking names for your sci fi characters for the near future isn’t too bad – just use some of the more modern recent names, throw in a curve ball or two, and you’re golden. But what about when you’re dealing with the far-flung future? Or with an alien race? For your average human in the 25th century, you probably don’t want to go with Brittany, Chelsea, Justin or Tom. But you also have to be careful not to go too far in the other direction and come up with names that people will find too strange and hard to remember, … Read more