Speculative Fiction That Asks Big Questions
By Tim Johnson Algonquin Books, ISBN: 978-1616204778 Paperback, 400 pages. ©2015 On the first day of their family vacation in Colorado, 18-year-old track star Caitlin drags her younger brother, Sean, out in the pre-dawn darkness to bike behind her as she runs. Hours later, the local sheriff calls. Sean has been badly injured in an…
NOTE: This post is about acknowledging the fact that I still have a lot to learn. In the first few paragraphs, I address a sensitive matter involving animal husbandry. Though I’ve tried not to go into great detail, and made every effort to maintain respect for the animals, if you think the topic will be…
Book 1, Chronicles of Ghadid By K. A. Doore Tor Books, ISBN: 978-0765398550 Paperback, 352 pages. © March 2019 Novice assassin Amastan is relieved to learn, after passing all his tests, that no new contracts are being issued. He’s not convinced he could really take a life and doubts his future with the secretive guild….
By Rebecca Enzor REUTS Publications, LLC, ISBN: 978-1942111597 Paperback, 400 pages. ©2019 First, humans discovered the Merfolk were real. Second, humans learned that Mer performances drew thousands of paying tourists to marine parks every day. Third, humans discovered that the Mer are not like Ariel. They’re lethal predators who can—and do—kill their human trainers. Only…
Most writers I know aren’t only writers. They’re also working professionals in a variety of other fields. They are parents, siblings, spouses, friends, neighbors. They have everyday obligations that can’t be put on hold or neglected. Time to write, when it can be found, is golden. So when a writer has more ideas than they…
By Gareth L. Powell Titan Books, ISBN: 978-1785655180 Paperback, 411 pages. ©2018 Three years have passed since the horrific war crime at Pelepetarn. Seemingly unconnected events draw four individuals—a Reclamation captain with much to lose, a poet with a past, an intelligence agent who wants out, and a warship with a conscience—into a distant, disputed…
By T. Frohock Harper Voyager, ISBN:978-0062825612 Paperback, 368 pages. ©2019 Diago, a nefil born of an angel-daimon pairing, has been tasked by the leader of Los Nefilim with finding The Key, a musical sequence that can unlock the barrier between realms and unite the nefilim’s voices, empowering them to save Spain from the coming darkness….
(or: My Teachers Were Right All Along) My husband has read (rather, heard) the epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan, more than once, and spoken highly of it each time. This year I finally decided to listen to his recommendations. I began reading Eye of the World, the first novel in…
I have a handful of short stories in my query list, ones for which I’ve been trying to find homes for months now. Each time I’d get a rejection, I’d shake my head and submit that piece elsewhere. Last week, I opened one of them to re-read it (it’s been a while). What I found…
I’m back! Didja miss me? After four weeks of a flash fiction class where we had homework every week, another week of preparing to teach a class for a friend, and three weeks of non-stop editing/re-reading/re-editing, I’ve finally sent off my latest draft to the next round of readers. Now I’m at a point where…