We all love to talk about our Favorite Things, but it’s not always the latest and greatest that charms us. Sometimes it’s those foundational favorites, the works that shaped us, that we find ourselves returning to again and again. Here at Speculative Chic, we decided it was way past time to create a dedicated platform to […]

Everyone who knows me knows that I am entranced by Bowie — have been ever since I heard “Starman.” In junior high my two favorite pop stars were John Denver (one could not escape John Denver in Colorado in the ’70s) and Bowie. I saw Labyrinth on the big screen, on opening day, because in […]

Working at a bookstore has its sad moments. That may sound like a strange thing to say, but it’s true. Going through the shelves and picking out all the books that are due to be returned is one of them. I always get sad when books we only have a few copies of have to […]

Though I’m obviously saying it anyway, it almost goes without saying that much like its source material, any appraisal of Mike Flanagan’s 2019 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel Doctor Sleep can only ever be truly assessed under the looming shadow of Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of its predecessor, King’s The Shining. This is […]

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 new column dedicated to discovering what inspires a particular author and their […]

Howdy, dear Chicers! Well, it’s February, which means groundhogs, candy hearts, and, if you’re like my friend Tom, one birthday every four years. February is also a wonderful time for a discussion about the perks and perils of writing. Imagine it, if you will: Two people, a man and a woman, sitting across from one […]

Examining the weird/gothic landscape through eyes firmly embedded with set of rainbow lenses, Tanith Lee erected severely Weird Gothic Towers and Spires throughout the map, starting with her debut novel, The Dragon Hoard in 1971.  Her edifices are constructed using the building blocks of fairy tales, myths, standard fantasy, vampires, and just plain strangeness, and […]

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 Jessica McHugh, who joined us […]

Hail, and well met, strangers and returning friends! If you’ve journeyed long and far and missed the adventures at Speculative Chic this week, worry not — here’s what we do same time, same place: recap our latest stories and special guests for you this week. Grab your trusted steed and let’s set off! Monday This […]

It’s Valentine’s Day! In honor of all the lovey-dovey feelings going around today, we’re going to talk about ships — relationships, that is! Romance crops up in all sorts of stories, and the speculative genre is no exception. We asked our contributors to share with us their favorite romantic couples, and we opened it up […]

I’m a huge Stephen King nerd. I mean, I don’t have a map of his multiverse on my wall or anything, but I own hardback copies of most of his books, have read almost everything he’s ever published (still missing a bunch of very early short stories though), and have watched just about every King […]

Another Dungeons & Dragons post! What can I say? I’ve got the game on the brain.  One of my favorite parts of Dungeons & Dragons is coming up with the backstory of my character. Why would someone choose a life of danger and adventure in the world?  There’s a running joke that every character in […]

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 Barb Han, whose new novel, […]

One of the great things about Science Fiction and Fantasy is that they are entertaining while offering a new social or political perspective or commentary. We love these books, movies, and TV shows because they get so much right, they tell a great story, they make us think, and of course they entertain us. But […]