Guide

I honestly don’t remember what first drew me to Dishonored. Maybe my husband was watching the guys at Achievement Hunter play it, and I thought the gameplay looked cool? That’s the most likely explanation. But whatever the reason, I got it on sale, and then it sat in my Steam library forever, because that’s the […]

After the jam-packed twisty delight that was season two of Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal, complicated as a Moebius strip ourobouros, season three — the climax of this luxuriant and decadent meal — can seem, at first glance, almost schizophrenic. On revisitation, the best way to approach it may be as two mini-seasons shoved into a single […]

One of the most common questions authors face is a deceptively difficult one to answer: “Where do you get your ideas?” Yet, the answers to that common question can be almost as interesting as the resulting story. Welcome to You’re My Inspiration, a column dedicated to discovering what inspires a particular author and their work. […]

At Speculative Chic, we feature a lot of authors who share everything from their favorite things to the inspiration for their work. But why not also share their fiction? Welcome to Fiction Friday, where you’ll be able to sample the fiction of a variety of authors, including those who write at Speculative Chic! Today, we’re […]

One of the most common questions authors face is a deceptively difficult one to answer: “Where do you get your ideas?” Yet, the answers to that common question can be almost as interesting as the resulting story. Welcome to You’re My Inspiration, a column dedicated to discovering what inspires a particular author and their work. […]

It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end. (Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness) The field of Speculative Fiction is often accused of being “escapist” as though that’s a bad thing.  We all need escape every now and then, and escape […]

Indie publishing (also known as self-publishing) has been around for quite a long time, and with the introduction of ebooks and print-on-demand, it is a legitimate and growing industry. Being an indie means wearing a lot of hats and shifting among different roles, all necessary to the overall job of being an authorpreneur. Last month, […]

When I first saw the artwork for Ooblets, I was intrigued. The strange blob-like creatures were adorable, and I love me a good farming simulator. What made Ooblets stand out, though, was that the Ooblets (what the little creatures are called) dance battle each other. Ooblets (2020) Developer & Publisher: Glumberland Platform: Xbox/Epic Games Genre: […]

In further efforts to keep myself occupied during these the days of our Ronapocalypse, I’ve been mainlining movies and TV shows like it’s my job. It isn’t, but I can do my job while things play in the background (yay working from home!), so that’s what I’ve been doing for the last several months.  Recently, […]

They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, whose latest […]

At Speculative Chic, we feature a lot of authors who share everything from their favorite things to the inspiration for their work. But why not also share their fiction? Welcome to Fiction Friday, where you’ll be able to sample the fiction of a variety of authors, including those who write at Speculative Chic! Today, we’re […]

When I finished reading Borne, I was pretty smitten with the world and characters that Jeff VanderMeer had created (I’m still smitten, to be honest, and it’s on my list of books to buy for when I have room on my shelves again). Eventually, I learned of this short story set in the same universe. […]

Seems hard to recall a time when I didn’t like podcasts, especially when there are shows like Unwell to keep me happily occupied. When I first started trying to listen to podcasts, I had a hard time finding shows that made it worth struggling through my audio-processing issues. Now, frankly, I’m drowning in them! And […]

I hate novellas. I very rarely ever feel that this length of book properly tells a story. However, I kept reading fantastic reviews for Follow Me to Ground. Then my favorite blogger, Jenny Lawson aka The Bloggess, chose it for her book club. Lawson finds humor in difficult situations, like her offbeat upbringing and struggle […]