After my second year Fogcon has become my favorite conference. Modeled after the elder Wiscon, it’s a feminist sci-fi/fantasy/horror con. Like Wiscon, it’s not only feminist but commits to overall representation: gender, race, disability, sexuality, neuro-divergence. However, having also enjoyed Wiscon, something I like about Fogcon is it’s focus on reading and writing, where Wiscon …

Reviewing Wings Unseen in my last post, I articulated my feelings about time travel and prophecy in speculative fiction: “Two strong themes in this novel are rarely to my liking: (1) an emphatic good and evil binary, and (2) prophecy or destiny as a plot driver … Prophecy is like time travel for me: it’s …

My friend and fellow critique group member, Rebecca Gomez Farrell, has published her debut novel, Wings Unseen with Meercat Press. In the land of Lansera in a fantasy other world, three heroes must not only face but accept their destinies, despite their passions and dreams to do other stuff, in order to save their country …

My friend and colleague Margaret Killjoy has published a new novel/novella (It’s novella length in it’s own printed volume, so how about we call it a “short novel?”) The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion. Danielle hitchhikes to Freedom, Iowa, a ghost town settled by anarchy-punks. She’s searching for clues about her best friend’s mysterious suicide, …

I read a book by Margaret Atwood called Negotiating With the Dead, that’s about writing, but not about how to write. It’s six essays about writers’ relationship with readers, and about how the act of writing connects one with the underworld, thus the title. After reading the book, I can’t tell if she means this …

At the local Fogcon, I met L.S. Johnson, who I briefly worked with on my Online critique group, the first such person I’ve met face-to-face. She provided with her recently published collection of stories, Vacui Magia. I read it, and I suggest you do too. The back cover blurb starts, “Where does magic live? At …

Robert Wildwood has a new novel, Generation Snow, which like his previous work, combines science fiction, radical/progressive politics, and punk/artist culture. Duffy lives on Earth in a lush tropical region with frequent hurricanes, formerly known as Canada. A climate refugee from the south stops at Duffy’s robo cafe and Duffy is accused of harboring illegals …

I’ve been reading old science fiction. Not old as in classic, just old as in old. If I were looking for this stuff I’d go to sci-fi/fantasy specialty book stores, very odd independent stores, chi-chi used book stores. Occasionally I do but more likely, the pulp finds me when it’s discarded in dark alleys, on …