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Ancient Aramaic Incantation Describes Fiery Devourer – Live Science

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devourer

A 2,800-year-old incantation, written in Aramaic, describes the capture of a creature called the “devourer” said to be able to produce “fire.” Discovered in August 2017 within a small building, possibly a shrine, at the site of Zincirli (called “Sam’al” in ancient times), in Turkey, the incantation is inscribed on a stone cosmetic container. Written by a man who practiced magic who is called “Rahim son of Shadadan,” the incantation” describes the seizure of a threatening creature [called] the ‘devourer,’” wrote Madadh Richey and Dennis Pardee in the abstract of a presentation they gave recently at the Society of Biblical Literature … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: Holiday Hijinks, by Toni Griffin

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Holiday Hijinks

QSFer Toni Griffin has a new MM paranormal book out in her Hounds of the Hunt series: Holiday Hijinks. This year the holidays seem to be rubbing Archie the wrong way. He can’t stand that damn happy music blasting in the stores and all over the radio. The decorations went up far too early—and don’t even get Archie started on how cheery everyone is. Seeing the holidays cause Archie to slip back into a depression, Adze decides to take matters into his own hands. The one thing his mate has always wanted is to see the Tudor houses in England. … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Tomte, by Jamie Fessenden

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Tomte

QSFer Jamie Fessenden has a new MM holiday fantasy book out: Tomte. RYAN ANDERSON has known something was wrong since he was a teenager. He’s been tormented by a sense of emptiness and loss—but what did he lose? He has no idea. Then a mysterious man appears, calling himself Tomte, a Swedish word Ryan remembers hearing from his grandmother in his childhood. It means “Christmas elf.” With the help of his older brother and his nine-year-old niece, Ryan begins a journey to discover what happened fifteen years ago, when he disappeared during a winter storm and didn’t reappear until spring. … Read more

SPACE: Star Births Its Own Twin – Live Science

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a star is born

A close-up look at the birth of a star has revealed a surprise: Not one new stellar body, but two. In 2017, scientists using a new array of radio telescopes in the Chilean desert were observing a massive young star named MM 1a in an active star-forming region of the galaxy more than 10,000 light-years away. As they analyzed the data, they realized that MM 1a was accompanied by a second, fainter object, which they dubbed MM 1b. This, they found, was the first star’s smaller sibling, formed from the spray of dust and gases it holds in its gravitational … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Curse of the Old Woods, by Elizabeth Andre

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The Curse of the Old Woods

QSFer Elizabeth Andre has a new FF paranormal book out, book one in her new Paranormal Grievance Committee Chronicles series: The Curse of the Old Woods. Two rival lesbian paranormal investigators. A dangerous cursed entity. Long dark nights in the old woods. Maya Nicholas doesn’t need any help finding ghosts. They find her and talk to her all the time. Julie Sussman doesn’t need any help either. She solves plenty of cases, both normal and paranormal, without any special abilities. When they learn that both of them have been hired to find a teenager, lost decades ago in the haunted … Read more

Me Me Monday!

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Me Me Monday Holiday

Welcome to M3: 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 we can comment on yours specifically –Check out the other posts and congratulate and share them too! And congratulations!!!

Are Black Holes Portals to the Future? – Live Science

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black hole - pixabay

Black holes are among the most mysterious places in the universe; locations where the very fabric of space and time are warped so badly that not even light can escape from them. According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, at their center lies a singularity, a place where the mass of many stars is crushed into a volume with exactly zero size. However, two recent physics papers, published on Dec.10 in the journals Physical Review Letters and Physical Review D, respectively, may make scientists reconsider what we think we know about black holes. Black holes might not last forever, and … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Lights, by Carrie Pack

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The Lights

QSFer Carrie Pack has a new queer horror/lesfic book out: The Lights. It’s winter break and Molly Monroe is content to enjoy her town’s annual Festival of Lights with her girlfriend Chelsea at her side. But almost immediately after the lights go up, the town’s children begin to act strangely, especially Molly’s own brother, Roger. When their next-door neighbors are killed in a grisly double homicide, Molly begins to suspect the incidents are linked. Now she must convince her parents and the rest of the town to take down the Christmas lights before everyone gets killed. Universal Link Excerpt I … Read more

FOR READERS: Are You Inspired?

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inspired - pixabay

FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Ryane Chatman: Are you ever inspired by what you read to do something new? Beyond just the entertainment factor. 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