September 16, 2020 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 […]

August 18, 2020 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 […]

September 17, 2020 We’ve reached the end of our journey with the eighth and final season of Voltron: Legendary Defender, and what an emotional, fulfilling ride it’s been. I’ve braved (with ease) every episode and compiled for you detailed season reviews covering everything from acting and animation to the very elements of storytelling — plot […]

Happy Thanksgiving! Here at Speculative Chic, we hope you are having a delightful day full of fun, food, and family. If none of those things sound appealing, or if you’re not in the United States, that’s okay, because we’ve got something to cheer you right up! In recent years, it’s become a thing for stores […]

September 28, 2020 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 Drake-Thomas, […]

November 3, 2017 Dear Sherry, A number of years ago, I entered a short story contest and won. Yay me! One of the prizes was tuition in a writing course. Something the teacher said has stuck with me all these years. She said that I shouldn’t take the time to picture the story in my […]

September 15, 2020 Editor’s Note: content warning for violence, abuse, and potentially triggering subject matter. Marrying a vampire is a terrible idea. Just ask Dracula’s brides. As much as I love Bram Stoker’s novel, most of Dracula’s “romantic” encounters are nonconsensual. He uses mesmerism or some other form of mind control to seduce his prey […]

December 8, 2017 2017 was not the year I expected it to be. This time last year I was working away on a first draft of a novel and planning all kinds of other writing projects. While I was fairly certain I wasn’t going to actually accomplish all my writing plans, I had settled in […]

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 […]

September 29, 2020 I first learned about Final Fantasy in Nintendo Power magazine around 1990. In a multi-page spread, Nintendo announced the Summer of Final Fantasy with great excitement. The fan mag promised us dozens of hours of story and exploration with a customizable party in a massive new world. When the game released, I […]

The Mercy Journals (2016)  Written by: Claudia Casper Genre: Post-apocalyptic fiction Pages: 231 (Paperback) Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press Why I Chose It: I had not heard of The Mercy Journals until Speculative Chic asked the contributors if we were willing to review the books nominated for the 2017 Philip K. Dick Award. I was so […]

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 young adult author A.M. Rose, […]

Are you dreading going to Thanksgiving Dinner and having your cousins make fun of your Star Wars shirt? Or visiting a new-to-you comic shop on Black Friday and getting asked for your comic credentials? Over the holidays, there’s an excellent chance most of us will run into friction at dinners, parties, sales, and so forth. […]

December 31, 2019 Welcome back to Sound Off!, a semi-regular column where members of Speculative Chic gather together to chat about the latest BIG THING in entertainment. This time, join for the end of an era and discuss Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which premiered in the United States on Friday, December 20, 2019. Sound […]