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ANNOUNCEMENT: A Gladiator Wedding, by W.M. Kirkland

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A Gladiator Wedding

QSFer W.M. Kirkland has a new MM time trvel book out in the Gladiators Through Time series: A Gladiator Wedding. Finally, the time has arrived that the gladiators and their partners have been waiting for: a truly Roman wedding ceremony. Or at least, as authentic as one can get in modern times. Join the five gladiators–Marius, Fabius, Lucius, Dursus, and Titus–as they join in love with their partners. New friends join them for the ceremony. Once the ceremony is over, the honeymoon begins… If you thought these gladiators were hot before, wait until they marry the men they love, because … Read more

Four Facts About Beloved Black Lesbian Science Fiction Writer Octavia Butler

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Octavia Butler

On Friday (June 22), Google celebrated the birthday of award-winning and Black lesbian science fiction writer Octavia Butler. “Octavia E. Butler’s legacy calls to mind the age-old question of whether life imitates art, or vice versa,” Google wrote in her tribute. “Today’s Doodle honors the author’s immense contribution to the genre of science fiction, including the diverse worlds and characters she brought to life.” The “Kindred” author died of a stroke in 2006 and she would have been 71-years-old today. But who is Butler? What were her stories about and what is the legacy she left behind? Well, we got you: … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: Blood Bathory: Absence of the Sun, By Ari McKay

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Absence of the Sun

QSFer Ari McKay has a new MM paranormal book out in the Blood Bathory series: Tyger tyger, burning bright… As theriomorphs in the service of Gaia, Tyr Gustavson and his lover Aaron fought against the vampires aiding the Third Reich during WWII. But even the fierceness of Tyr’s tiger form couldn’t save Aaron from being torn apart when a mission went horribly wrong. Lost in his pain, Tyr remained feral until he was unwillingly recalled to Gaia’s service seventy years later. In the forests of the night… When fighter pilot Adam Carson’s plane was shot down, he thought the worst … Read more

FOR WRITERS: AI and Romance

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robot - pixabay

FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Tam Ames: Virtual intelligence? AI? Have we discussed this? But could you have a romance between a human and software? Using virtual technology to have sex or communicate, but no physical body? Would we want to in the future? Could a good author really make readers believe it’s “real” romance? Join the chat

SCIENCE: Don’t Be Afraid of the Frankenfowl

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Frankenfowl

Scientists recently combined human stem cells with chicken embryos, but that doesn’t mean the researchers are breeding flocks of “frankenfowl.” Rather, the scientists are looking closely at how those embryonic cells organize themselves, to better understand how embryos develop and how cells build specialized body structures. Experiments that graft cells onto a growing embryo date to nearly 100 years ago, and in 1924, such experiments in amphibians led scientists to discover “the organizer,” a region of embryonic cells that manipulates the development of other cells. But an organizer in primate embryonic cells (humans included) has been elusive — until now. … Read more

GUEST POST/GIVEAWAY: Revenant, by Kristoffer Gair

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Revenant

Kristoffer Gair has a new MM paranormal thriller out in his Falling Awake series: Andrew O’Donnell’s childhood friend, Thomas, was murdered when they were ten years old. Nightmares and guilt have plagued Andrew ever since. And he believes himself responsible for delivering Thomas into the very hands of the men who committed the atrocity. Now, fourteen years later, Andrew is driven to uncover the mystery of what really happened to Thomas, the reason behind the brutal abduction, and whether the assailants—who were never caught—have set their sights on someone else. Even the help of an unlikely ally may not be … Read more

FOR READERS: Buying the Book

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bookstore - pixabay

FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Ryane Chatman: Where do you buy your books, and why? eBooks or paperbacks. 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

SCIENCE: Using a Rare Element to Redefine Time

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Time - Pixabay

A lot can happen in a second; you could meet a stranger, snap your fingers, fall in love, fall asleep, sneeze. But what is a second, really — and is it as precise as we think it is? Right now, the most-precise clocks used to tell global time have an error of about 1 second every 300 million years — so a clock that started ticking in the time of the dinosaurs wouldn’t be off by even a second today. But scientists think we can do better. So, they are looking to lutetium, a neglected rare-earth element that has been … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Last Child Part 2, by Sean Kerr

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The Last Child 2

QSFer Sean Kerr has a new queer horror book out: Thy will be done. The world is crumbling. Nation is set against Nation in a war that threatens to engulf the entire world. ‘I Tredici’ can only watch in horror as Jerusalem succumbs to constant bombardment, and they know that at any time the East Gate will fall, and they are powerless to stop it. Even in hospital, Samuel can’t escape the darkness that torments him. He thought the Universe was his friend, his one companion in his lonely existence. But now he is not so sure. It wants him…needs … Read more