As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Ana’s Spoons: The Monthly QSF FF Takeover

Star Trek Angel One

Ana has a special topic for us this month: Spaceships. Aliens. Androids, alternative timelines, and answers to problems no one has solved yet. Speculative fiction offers authors a playground to try any number of scenarios impossible in the world as we currently know it. At the same time, this unfamiliar landscape allows freedom to make political statements that might not be permitted in realistic contemporary fiction. Why is it, then, that so much of speculative fiction presents the same dominant power structures of our current society, only dressed up as exciting and new? In past QSF discussions, I’ve asked what … Read more

News: Tyler Posey And Teen Wolf Cast Try To Explain Gay Slang

OK, a little fun this morning: Gay slang can confuse the most seasoned of us, but imagine if you’re a hetero actor in the cast of a hit series and get quizzed on the red carpet. The cast of Teen Wolf found out at New York Comic Con, when a Logo reporter asked Tyler Posey, Dylan Sprayberry, Cody Christian and series creator Jeff Davis to define simple queer terms like “otter” and “wolf.” We suspect at least one of these guys is just playing dumb. Get More: Logo TV See the Full Story Here

Announcement: Banished Sons of Poseidon, by Andrew J. Peters

Banished Sons of Poseidon

QSFer Andrew J. Peters has a new fantasy book out: A new fantastical adventure by the author of The Seventh Pleiade. After escaping from a flood that buried the above ground in seawater, a fractured group of boys contend with the way ahead and their trust of an underground race of men who give them shelter. For sixteen-year-old Dam, whose world was toppling before the tragedy, it’s a strange, new second chance. There are wonders in the underworld and a foreign warrior Hanhau who is eager for friendship despite Dam’s dishonorable past. But a rift among his countrymen threatens to … Read more

Announcement: Evolution: Genesis, by Lissa Kasey

Evolution: Genesis

DSPP author and QSFer Lissa Kasey has a new fantasy/paranormal book out: Evolution made music history when one bandmate turned vampire and another joined the vampire hate movement Preservation Group. Gene is trying to cling to the music as his relationship with Kerstrande begins to spiral into the darkness of hidden demons. Jaded by his years as a vampire flunkie, Kerstrande uses his newly won power over New York City to destroy his enemies and protect Gene. But a demon called a Fallen begins to take control of KC, slowly devouring his soul and through him the entire city. Battling … Read more

Discussion: Will the World End in Fire, or in Ice?

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Erica Pike: I’d like to talk about the apocalypse/post-apocalypse. It’s a major interest of mine. What kind of post-apoc stories are your favorite? What is your favorite aspect of the stories? The survival? The bad guys? The new society? Do you ever feel guilty for writing it because you’re killing kids off-page? What’s your favorite post-apoc LGBT book? For my part, I’d like to see some happy post apocalyptic books, where things are better after the meltdown. We don’t all have to be Mad Max, do we? Come join the discussion

Article: ‘Heather Has Two Mommies’ Author On The Struggle To Publish Gay Books

Reaching an audience is never easy, but what do you do when society is working against you? “Libraries were reporting that the book was either stolen or returned with its pages glued shut,” Newman recalled. “There was one library that found the book in the bathroom defecated upon. There were politicians who used the book for their own personal agenda. So all kinds of interesting things were happening during that time.” Full story at HuffPost

News: Pluto Has a Blue Sky and Water Ice, NASA Announces

Pluto

Pluto has a blue sky, NASA announced today, offering up more information revealed by the New Horizons probe’s visit to the planet last month: Pluto’s haze layer shows its blue color in this picture taken by the New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC). The high-altitude haze is thought to be similar in nature to that seen at Saturn’s moon Titan. The source of both hazes likely involves sunlight-initiated chemical reactions of nitrogen and methane, leading to relatively small, soot-like particles (called tholins) that grow as they settle toward the surface. This image was generated by software that combines information … Read more

Interview: Andrew Gordon, Author of Purpose

Andrew Q. Gordon

Today, Andrew Q. Gordon stops by the QSF blog to answer some of my questions. :) Thanks so much, Andrew, for joining me! JSC: When did you first start writing, and what was your first published work? Andrew Q Gordon: I first started writing stories in junior high school, but it wasn’t until college that I began to write seriously. My creative writing courses were basically required me to complete a short/novella length story in a semester. As much as I reflect fondly on those, none of them have ever been published or will be. JSC: Do you see a … Read more

Me Me Monday!

Welcome to 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 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

News: Pride And Prejudice And Zombies Trailer

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” So begins Jane Austen’s literary classic Pride and Prejudice … wait, that’s Seth Grahame-Smith’s Quirk Books parody Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The hit novel has long been slated for a film adaptation, originally with Natalie Portman starring and producing with David O. Russell directing. But nearly six years later there’s finally a first glimpse ahead of the February 2016 release date, with Igby Goes Down director Burr Steers at the helm and Downton Abbey and Cinderella star Lily James … Read more