As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

For Readers: Hot Trends

Hot Trends

Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Cheyenne Meadows: What do people think are the growing trends in speculative fiction that readers want right now? Are shifters still hot? Are stories about other worlds picking up readers? What do the readers want to see? 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

Where No Gay Has Gone Before: Men on Mars!

  For the past fifty years, we’ve been sending spacecraft tour next-door neighbor, Mars.  Starting with Mariner 4 in 1965, which did the first flyby.  The Soviets achieved the first soft landing with the Mars 3 probe in 1971.  Long before those milestones, sci-fi authors have looked to the Red Planet with their own speculative fiction such as Mars being inhabited by aliens (Percival Lowell’s 1895 Mars) and Earthlings on Mars (Ray Bradbury’s 1950 The Martian Chronicles). Now such fiction could become reality in the next twenty years.  Although the minimum distance between Earth and Mars is roughly 35 million … Read more

Announcement: Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters, by Angel Martinez

Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters

QSFer Angel Martinez has a new MM urban paranormal/fantasy book out: Kyle Monroe’s encounter with a strange gelatinous creature in an alley leaves him scarred and forever changed, revealing odd abilities he wishes he didn’t have and earning him reassignment to a precinct where all the cops have defective paranormal abilities. Just as he’s starting to adjust to his fellow misfit squad mates, Kyle’s new partner arrives. Tall, physically perfect, reserved, and claiming he has no broken psychic talents, Vikash Soren irritates Kyle in every way. But as much as he’d like to hate Vikash, Kyle finds himself oddly drawn … Read more

The Golden Rules

etiquette

Hey all… Here’s what I posted on FB this morning about the discussion group rules: Hey all… this is a fantastic bunch of folks, and it always amazes me that we have nearly 1800 members, and yet have so few incidents and ruffled feathers. That said, there have been a few issues in the group lately, so I wanted to take a moment to go over a couple things with y’all. The main reason this group works so well is that we all respect one another, and we focus on talking about queer speculative fiction. Sometimes the discussions get a … Read more

Angel’s Bits – Those check boxes on the contract

Hi all! For today’s Bits, I wanted to talk a teensy bit about book formats and media. In the past couple of years, I’ve seen more publishers going for a “check box” type of contract where the formats are listed and the ones included in the specific contract are checked off. So what are all these things? eBook Self explanatory, up to a point, but you should know what formats your publisher offers and where they distribute. PDF, epub, mobi and html are the most common (mobi is the Kindle format, though most Kindles now can handle multiple formats with … Read more

Announcement: Behind the Uniform Anthology

Behind the Uniform

Mischief Corner Books has a new anthology out which includes several speculative fiction stories, as well as our own Jon Keys and Toni Griffin: Uniformed careers are a matter of choice and of sacrifice – military, fire, police, forest service, etc. – and the people who choose these careers are often dedicated to a fault. But sometimes dedication can come with a hefty price. Behind the Uniform illustrates the physical or emotional sacrifice and the hard choices that sometimes come with such all-consuming dedication. A Wolf in Cop’s Clothing by Toni Griffin Marcus Holland loves his job as a small … Read more

For Writers: Why the HEA?

Happily Ever After

Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Hank T. Cannon: Why happy ever after? Is it because a lot of the people here write romance, and the genre demands happy ever after or happy for now? I’m not talking about classic “moralistic” anti-gay non- happy endings, but pyrrhic victories, truly heroic sacrifices, and prices of war? Join the chat

Sulu Gay Kiss Cut From “Star Trek Beyond”

An “intimate,” “welcome-home kiss” between Sulu and his husband was cut from Star Trek Beyond, says actor John Cho, who earlier this month made headlines after revealing that Sulu was gay in the latest film. In a new interview with Vulture, Cho talks about the character development and some of the concerns he had. Said Cho: I was concerned also that there might be Asian-American backlash. There has been this feminization of Asian men, so I thought this might be seen as continuing that lineage, which I disagree with personally, but I brought it up. I was also concerned, scientifically … Read more

Announcement: On Wings of Thunder, by M.D. Grimm

On Wings of Thunder

QSFer M.D. Grimm has a new MM fantasy book out: Trystan is an unchosen angel—shunned by society, bullied, and without a future. In a hidden well, Trystan discovers a carving of a dragon, who were once the commanders of demons and now believed extinct. But Trystan learns the carving doesn’t depict an ordinary dragon. Stories tell that millennia ago, the great dragon Asagoroth and his demon army nearly conquered the three realms but he was killed by the five elders. The powerful angels combined their life forces to cast a spell, sacrificing their lives. But history is full of falsehoods. The … Read more

For Readers: Are You Inspired?

Inspiring

Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Ryane Chatman: Are you inspired by what you read? Beyond the entertainment factor. It’s a good question. I do enjoy reading most speculative books, but every now and then one comes along that moves me, that makes me think for a long time after I finish it. What are some of those books in queer spec fic for you, and why? And did any inspire you to some kind of action or change? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works … Read more