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Review: Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders

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Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders by Samuel R. Delany reviewed by J. Comer As a fan of Samuel R. Delany’s works and as a teacher who has assigned one of his memoirs to classes, I was pleased to see this novel. Readers may know of his Dhalgren, Delany’s 1973 novel, or of Stars in My Pockets Like Grains of Sand, a story which affected me deeply. As his earlier work did, this novel challenges its readers. Readers of Delany may well be familiar with pornography, and perhaps with the strange “anti-pornography” which Delany invented in works such … Read more

Announcement: A Call to Arms, by Shiriluna Nott and SaJa H.

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QSFer Shiraluna Nott has a new Fantasy out with Saja H.: War is brewing on the eastern border of Arden. The shaky truce between Arden and the neighboring realm of Shiraz has all but dissolved, and both sides are building their forces for battle. But in the quiet farming community of Willowdale, the rumors of war are the least of young Gibben Nemesio’s concerns. With both parents dead and two younger brothers to care for, Gib doesn’t have time to focus on anything besides keeping food on the table. Everything changes the day he receives a conscription notice and must … Read more

Ripped From the Headlines

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Today’s topic is from QSFer Angel Martinez, just home from GRL: “Favorite new scientific/ medical advances you want to use in a story.” There are so many to choose from – 3-D printers, Lab-grown penises, the oPhone app to send smells across the internet.. how do you choose just one? So what recent scientific or medical stories caught your eye? And how would you build a story around one of them?

Announcement: Prince of Faith, by Belinda McBride

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QSFer Belinda McBride has a new book out today, the third in her Uncommon Whore Fantasy series: Held captive in a whorehouse, Markus Dayspring wakes every morning with a thirst for revenge, and collapses every night with a prayer for strength. He lives on in spite of deadly addictions and a crippling, shameful secret. When he’s rescued by a man from his past, his reawakened love threatens to crush his damaged soul. Caius also has a secret, one that could ultimately kill him. But his vow to rescue Markus is stronger than guilt, fear and even his loyalty to King … Read more

What Do You Wanna Talk About?

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OK, it’s time once again to send in the things you want to talk about – anything covering sci fi, fantasy, or paranormal topics – LGBT or otherwise. What are you passionate about? Do you wonder why Vampires like the taste of blood? Would you like to see stories about elf-warf hybrids? Does the worry about a future backlash agaonst LGBT rights keep you up at night? We want to hear from you. Share a few topics you’d like to see discussed on our blog and Facebook discussion page, and if we use your topic, we’ll also give you credit. … Read more

Interview With Jamie Lynn Miller

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We also have an interview with Jamie Lynn Miller, author of the new book, An Endless Sea of Stars: QSF: What inspired you to write “An Endless Sea of Stars”? Jamie Lynn Miller: An actor I admire recently had some dealings with NASA that I was following along with. It really got me thinking about the space program and wondering if and when we’ll ever be able to explore outside our own galaxy. Next thing I know, the entire plot pretty much popped into my head about Earth’s quest to build our first interstellar spaceship. Then a cute Lieutenant and … Read more

Guest Post: Romance Among the Stars, by Jamie Lynn Miller

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Many thanks to Scott for having me here today to talk about my new novella, An Endless Sea of Stars. Keep reading to see how you can win an Amazon gift card! I’ve been a sci-fi fan since 1977, the year that a little film called Star Wars hit the movie screens. I was only six years old back then. While my friends wanted to go see Bambi I was begging my dad to take me to Star Wars. My mother thought I was nuts and refused to go, saying my dad was just wasting his money because I wouldn’t … Read more

Me Me Monday!

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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

Announcement: Sarge, by Bey Deckard

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QSFer Bey Deckard has a new book out: Sometimes it’s just about being in the right place at the right time… with the right person. Sarge is the short story of a burgeoning D/s relationship between two space marines stationed on an alien planet where an endless war drags on. Sergeant Wilkes is a hard man with a long, celebrated military career. Brawny, tattooed, and utterly submissive, Murphy is just an interesting diversion… until Sarge realises he has found something truly rare. Excerpt You’re a good boy, Murph,” he says softly to me. “You get me home, get me patched … Read more

World Building Tricks and Tools

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer Jim Comer Conlangs: “World building.” We’ve talked about this before, but it’s one of my favorites – especially for sci fi or fantasy. Today I wanna break it down a little. As a whole, this generally means creating a convincing, immersive experience – when it’s done well, you feel like you are inside the author’s world, and no matter how strange or futuristic (or fantastic), it works. Some of my favorite sci fi and fantasy worlds for their immersive qualities are (in no particular order) Majipoor, Pern, Middle Earth, Dune, The Land, and Shannara (ok, … Read more