Readers
For Readers: Comedy in Paranormal
FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Angel Martinez: “How many vamps does it take to screw in a light bulb – or what non-serious paranormal moments have you enjoyed?” Since this is a reader chat, we won’t mention the many humorous paranormal exploits of a well known author friend of ours. *wing* 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
Angel’s Bits – Author as Reader
It bothers me on a wince-inducing, cellular level when an author says these words: I don’t have time to read. Dude (used in the gender-neutral, collective sense) – that’s part of your job as an author. To read. Oh, I know. We can’t read everything. Sometimes it’s difficult to grab enough time to read, certainly. Most of us don’t have the time to read all the books we’d like. But we have to grab, borrow and steal some time. Somewhere. Especially when an author writes genre fiction, it’s a good idea to understand what’s out there. Are we being too … Read more
What I Read When I Was Young
FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer John Allenson: “Reading queerfic you read when you were young. Does it still hold up?” Hmmm… for me, there was so little out there at the time, at least that I was aware of or could find. I read “The Dancers of Arun” by Elizabeth A. Lynn, which was the first thing I ever read that contained a (in retrospect) tame sex scene, but geez… And then there was Larque on the Wing, which helped spark my interest in magical realism. But I haven’t read them since – I probably should! So … Read more
For Readers: That Never Happened!
FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Marina Justyaoi: Historical fiction that plays fast and loose with reality, does it irritate you or make you wish it had been that way? (Particularly in same-sex relationships). 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
For Readers: Vote With Your Dollar
FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer ‘Nathan Smith: “How consciously do readers ‘vote with their dollar’? By which I mean I try very hard to purchase and pre-order LGBTIQA and AoC authors, #ownvoices, etc.?” I’m gonna expand Nathan’s topic scope a bit. I’d also like to ask, do you withhold your purchases from authors who you think have acted badly? Someone notoriously anti gay, for instance? Someone who has plagiarized in the past? Someone who has acted badly at cons? Or is the quality of the writing the most important thing? No name calling or calling out here … Read more
For Readers: Finding New Books to Read
FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Hank T. Cannon: How do you find the books you want: search patterns, key words, special techniques, etc? How do you find the stories you want to read? As writers, we tend to have voracious reading appetites and an innate need to read. So spill – what are your secrets to finding good fresh meat? 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