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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: A Harmony of Fire and Earth, by Antonia Aquilante

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A Harmony of Fire and Earth - Antonia Aquilante

QSFer Antonia Aquilante has a new MM (demisexual) fantasy book out: A Harmony of Fire and Earth. Prince Edmund of Thalassa and Prince Arden of Aither are eagerly anticipating their upcoming wedding, but the danger to their kingdom hasn’t lessened. They have a plan, but they won’t be able to carry it out alone: they need a strong wielder of each Element, whom they can trust implicitly, to carry out the magic. Rhys is a commoner and wielder of Earth magic. He and his sister have made a living from the use of their magic for years and have become … Read more

FOR WRITERS: Exploring Heaven and hell

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FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer J. Scott Coatsworth: Let’s talk Heaven and Hell – in all of its religious (Christian and non-Christian) incarnations. Have you written about one or the other, or both? Did you run into any challenges doing so? Writers: This is a writer chat – you are welcome to share your own book/link, as long as it fits the chat, but please do so as part of a discussion about the topic. Join the chat

SCIENCE: Decapitated Worms Can Regrow Their Brains

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For some worm species, decapitation is no big deal — they just grow a new head. But far from this superpower being an ancient skill, a recent study suggests that this ability is a relatively recent adaptation, at least evolutionarily speaking. Regeneration is unusual in animals, but the species that can do it are sprinkled throughout the animal kingdom, and include sea stars, hydras, fish, frogs, salamanders and spiders, as well as worms. Regrowing body parts was long thought to be an ancient trait, with diverse animals tracing the ability to a distant shared ancestor that likely emerged hundreds of … Read more

Following Oscar Wilde – Boogieman In Lavender

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Oscar Wilde

       Following Oscar                                                 By Jeff Baker “In the old days, men had the rack. Now they have the Press.” —Oscar Wilde. It is possible, in the United States, to have crossed paths with the legendary Oscar Wilde without knowing it. Wilde did a lecture tour of the U.S. in 1882 that was supposed to last a few months. He wound up staying about a year, and crossed the States, touring the East and West coasts, traveling through the South and even visiting Canada. For years, however, the specifics of Wilde’s itinerary were a matter of debate, but now a … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: Witchblood, by Lissa Kasey

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Witchblood

QSFer Lissa Kasey has a new MM paranormal/fantasy book out in her Kitsune Chronicles series: Witchblood. Sebastian Volkov, a fox shifter raised among werewolves, ran from everything he ever loved after a brutal attack that left him fearing his own shadow. That night a single kiss saved his life and left him with fantasies of a man whose face he couldn’t remember. When Sebastian’s car breaks down in a small Washington town, he meets an Alpha werewolf who reminds him vaguely of a stranger’s kiss. A year ago Liam Ulrich, Alpha of the Northern Cascade’s Pack, shared a magic filled … Read more

FOR READERS: People Who Do This

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FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Louise Auty: What jobs or professions do wish you’d see represented more often in spec fiction? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat

Rowling confirms Dumbledore and Grindelwald had ‘Sexual Relationship’

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Harry Potter author JK Rowling has confirmed that fan favourite character Albus Dumbledore had a “sexual relationship” with dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. The author made the revelation after recent prequel film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald teased a long-rumoured gay romance between the pair. Speaking in a bonus feature on the on the film’s Blu-ray release, Rowling confirmed “there is a sexual dimension to this relationship.” “It was passionate, and it was a love relationship. But as happens in any relationship, gay or straight or whatever label we want to put on it, one never knows really what the other person is feeling. You can’t … Read more

ANOUNCEMENT: Men in Love and At War, by LJ Collins

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QSFer LJ Collins is stopping by to share his “Men in Love and At War” series. Books 1-5 in the series are on sale for 50% off: bit.ly/2CRKv6z Get It At Amazon Giveaway Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway! LJ is giving away a complete ebook set of the Men in Love and at War series! Enter via Rafflecopter: a Rafflecopter giveaway The Books MistelaMen in Love and at War Book 1Genre: M/M Paranormal Romantic Suspense When the cruise ship Luke Ganes is working on sinks off the coast of South America, he thinks he has met … Read more

FOR WRITERS: Writing Queer Horror

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FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Brandon Lesane: How is queer horror different from straight horror? How can we adapt the conventions of “mainstream” horror for our own purposes? Writers: This is a writer chat – you are welcome to share your own book/link, as long as it fits the chat, but please do so as part of a discussion about the topic. Join the chat

SPACE: Alien World Saved From Exile

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A distant alien world that was potentially on its way into exile in interstellar space was rescued by the gravitational pull of a passing pair of stars, a new study argues. These findings support arguments that close stellar misses help sculpt planetary systems, the researchers said. Although Earth and most of its sibling planets have relatively circular orbits around the sun’s equator, Pluto and many other dwarf planets have more elongated, tilted orbits. Previous research suggested these distorted features are potentially due to a close approach from another star during the solar system’s infancy whose gravitational pull hurled things helter-skelter. … Read more