July 18, 2018
Back in May, five months late, I joined Speculative Chic’s New Year’s Resolution Project. My goal was/is to read all forty-seven books and eight novellas in the In Death series by J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts. Since then, I’ve been a little…preoccupied with the series. See my last two monthly posts examining the series. (For those keeping count: I’m on…
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May 3, 2018
I really love talking about the zombie apocalypse. I find the idea sparks a lot of passionate conversation, whether you’re normally a fan of speculative fiction or not. There’s something about the trope that really brings out the inventive side of people. That’s very true of Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of Zombie Abbey, which I read a few weeks ago. And today…
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April 20, 2018
“April showers bring May flowers.” It’s an old saying, and one that got me thinking about the nature of storms in storytelling. Storms are perhaps one of, if not the most, versatile of narrative devices. First of all, there are plenty of storm flavors: thunderstorms, tornadoes, blizzards, hail, hurricanes, etc. And in speculative fiction, they can be brought on by…
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April 19, 2018
Over the years, I’ve discovered that my favorite kind of horror movie is the kind where it feels realistic, and by realistic, I mean within context of the story we’re given. On top of that, it needs to feel real within: obvious special effects don’t work for me, and cheese-tastic/campy horror has never been my wheelhouse. I want the kind…
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April 9, 2018
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 author Jeff Strand, whose latest young adult, punk rock novel,…
Read More » April 4, 2018
Zombie Abbey (2018) Written By: Lauren Baratz-Logsted Genre: Young Adult Horror Pages: 352 (Kindle) Publisher: Entangled Teen Disclaimer: I received this ARC from the publisher with the understanding I’d give it an honest review. Why I Chose It: I’m not really into zombies when it comes to dramatic horror, a la The Walking Dead. That show gives me serious anxiety.…
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March 9, 2018
So, it’s been a pretty brutal winter this year in North America (our home base). Are you as absolutely done with it as I am? It’s blowing snow as I write this, and the forecast predicts another snowfall this weekend. Fortunately, spring is just around the corner, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. When I started thinking about what our…
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January 22, 2018
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 actor and convention volunteer and enthusiast Tony Gowell. You may…
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December 20, 2017
Every year on Christmas Eve, my friends and family perform an epic rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” People group up and choose numbers. We have a conductor. It’s loud and ridiculous, and probably the reason this idea popped into my head. So, my friends, come forth and join me in a chorus of “The Twelve Days of Spec…
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November 15, 2017
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’ve compiled a list of the speculative fiction actresses for whom I’m most grateful, which means I’m pulling from some of my favorite speculative fiction movies, tv shows, and video games for the most talented actresses. So I guess you could say this is also a list of my favorite things, making it double the fun. Really,…
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