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Readers

For Readers: Favorite Paranormal Writers

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Paranormal seems to be one of the dominant genres in LGBT fiction these days. From wolf shifters to ghosts, from cuttlefish (yeah, you kew I couldn’t resist) to vampires, and from zombies to mummies (hey, when was the last time someone did an LGBTIQ mummy story?), there is so much to choose from. So who are your current favorite LGBTIQ Paranormal writers, and why? Writers, this is a reader chat, so feel free to join in, but please do not reference your works directly. Join the chat

For Readers: When the Protagonist Is Not a Twink

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older gay men

Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Hank T. Cannon: Maybe it’s because I’m in my 40’s, but I’ve gotten a little (and I do mean a little, because it will pass) tired of reading about teenagers and twenty-somethings. I’ve recently discovered an urge to find novels involving older protagonists. So does the age of the protagonist matter to you? How does it affect your expectations? Writers, this is a reader chat, so please feel free to join, but do not discuss your own works directly. Come join the chat

For Readers: When Did You Know?

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It’s hard to be different. Many of us can remember that nagging sense that there was something wrong with us. That we were different from other people around us, a fundamental internal thing that most folks would not understand. I’m talking, of course, about loving science fiction. In a world of Kardashians and Hiltons and Cosmopolitan and Vogue, some of us would rather cuddle up with am Asimov, Clarke, or Martinez than a copy of People Magazine or the latest posts at TMZ. So how old were you when you first realized you were a sci fi nut? And what … Read more

For Readers: Which Do You Like Best?

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Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Richard Wood: Speculative fiction is an umbrella term for a number of genres that speculate on what could be in our world and beyond. We cover four of these at QSF – SF, Fantasy, Paranormal, and Horror. My own favorites are Sci Fi and Fantasy – I’ve always loved the generally optimistic nature of these two genres, especially sci fi, when it supposes that we will live in a wider and fairer world some day than we do today. Of the four general categories of stories this group covers, SF, Fantasy, Paranormal, and Horror; … Read more

For Readers: I Know How to Do That

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how to

Today’s reader topic comes from Hank T. Cannon: How do you as a reader feel about the ‘competence’ of a character. If someone is supposed to be good at something, do you expect them to be good at it on the page, or is it fine to simply be good at it? If it is something that has an effect on the plot and they are noticeably incompetent, or incurious within the realm of that supposed competency, does it affect your enjoyment? Writers, feel free to join the chat, but please do not reference your own books directly, as this … Read more

For Readers: Favorite Sci Fi Subgenres

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sci fi genres

There are many flavors of science fiction. There’s the classic sci fi of Clarke and Bradbury and Asimov, the steam driven anachronism of steam punk, the virtual world of cyberpunk, alternative histories in which things turned out very differently, hard sci fi that deals with space ships and fission and fusion, and romantic sci fi where the relationships are often as important (if not more so) than the science. These are just a few, So what’s your favorite subgenre of sci fi, and why? Give a few examples (extra points for LGBT works!). Authors, feel free to participate in this … Read more

For Readers: Biased Reviews

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bad review

Today’s reader discussion topic comes from Julia Flowers: How can you tell a legitimate review from a solicited (or paid) review, or someone’s spouse or family member? It’s a good question. I’m not sure if there’s any concrete way to “tell”, per se. But maybe other readers out there have some insight. For reviews, how do you separate the wheat from the chaff when looking for a new book to read? Join the chat

Reader Discussion: How Queer Sci Fi Changes

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gay sci fi

Today’s reader discussion topic comes from QSFer Elizabeth Barrette: Changes you have noticed in queer sci fi over time, good or bad. Things you see that are not portrayed, or usually done badly, that you wish for more and better portrayals of. Things you find annoying that you wish to see less of. So what do you think? How has queer si fi changed over the last two decades? How has it improved? What could be done better? Join the Chat

Reader Discussion: Outing the Mainstream

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Kirk Spock Gay

There’s a whole world of fan fiction out there – people who love a book or film or show or series, and write their own version of it. It’s a way to put their own stamp on something they love. Needless to say, for many years, fan fic was also a way for us to queer the universe. To see our own LGBTIQ faces reflected in our favorite shows, even if they continued to shut us out. So now it’s your chance. Which mainstream speculative fiction characters would you like to see outed as LGBTIQ? Who would you put together … Read more