Order [book in series=yearoffirstbook.book# (eg 2014.01), stand-alone or one-author collection=3333.pubyear, multi-author anthology=5555.pubyear, SFM/MM=5000, interview=1111]: 5556

Exploration Blues

Welcome to another Expanded Universe column where I feature essays from authors and editors of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, as well as from established readers and reviewers. My guest today is Carolyn Ives Gilman, who is a Nebula and Hugo Award–nominated writer and real-life historian at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Her novels include Halfway Human and the two-volume novel Isles of the Forsaken and Ison of the Isles. Her short fiction appears in many Best of the Year collections and has been translated into seven languages.

July 17th, 2015. Kate Lechler | Carolyn Ives Gilman | Expanded Universe, Giveaway! | 7 comments |

Kat Chats with Xe Sands

Xe Sands (pronounced EK-see) is one of my favorite audiobook narrators. She performs in many genres, but I’m mostly familiar with her SFF titles such as Juliet Blackwell’s books, Jeff VanderMeer’s Acceptance, and Kelly Meding’s DREG CITY series. I’ve read several online interviews with Xe in which I learned all sorts of interesting stuff such as:

how she got into this kind of work (she is not a professional actress,

July 7th, 2015. Kat Hooper | Juliet Blackwell, Kelly Meding | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 8 comments |

Where Music and Fantasy Intersect

Welcome to my first Expanded Universe column where I’ll be featuring essays from authors and editors of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, as well as from established readers and reviewers, talking about anything SFF related that interests us. My guest today is Peter Orullian, author of the VAULT OF HEAVEN series.

One commenter will win a book from our Stacks.

I write epic fantasy. I’m also a musician. So, for me, when Kate and I corresponded on possible topics for an article,

May 29th, 2015. Kate Lechler | Peter Orullian | Expanded Universe, Giveaway! | 14 comments |

Rename this horrible cover!

It’s time again for one of our favorite games!

Please help us rename the horrible cover of this book by Grande Dame Andre Norton.

The author of the new title we like best wins a book from the FanLit Stacks.

Got a suggestion for a horrible cover that needs renaming? Please send it to Kat.

We love this game!

NEXT WEEK’s Thoughtful Thursday column: We’ll be giving away all of the Nebula and Hugo nominated novels to one lucky winner!

May 21st, 2015. FanLit | Andre Norton | Thoughtful Thursday | 18 comments |

Marie Brennan and Mary Robinette Kowal on the Brave New Worlds Tour

I had the chance to see Marie Brennan and Mary Robinette Kowal at Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma California on May 7. I have a signed copy of Kowal’s Of Noble Family and a signed copy of Brennan’s Voyage of the Basilisk to give away to one lucky random commenter with a U.S. address.

“We dress like this all the time,” Mary Robinette Kowal said in response to a casual question, as she and Marie Brennan sat down at the table in Copperfield’s Books. “Mine’s really comfortable.

May 12th, 2015. Marion Deeds | Marie Brennan, Mary Robinette Kowal | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 15 comments |

Fifth Annual FOGCon + Giveaway!

Last month Marion and I attended FOGCon 5 in Walnut Creek, California (in the San Francisco Bay area) where I served on a panel called “When the Setting is a Character.” FOGCon, which stands for Friends of the Genre Convention, has a literary bent. Marion and I are going to discuss our experience here, and we’ve got a book to give away to a commenter.

Marion, what did you think of your first FOGCon?

Terry, I expected FOGCon to be fun because you recommended it, but this conference exceeded my expectations! From the Walnut Creek Marriott Hotel staff – consistently helpful,

April 10th, 2015. Terry Weyna and Marion Deeds | Catherynne M. Valente, Kim Stanley Robinson, Marie Brennan | Giveaway! | 4 comments |

Goodbye, Sir Terry Pratchett

Just an hour ago Sir Terry Pratchett‘s publisher, Larry Finlay, announced Terry’s death. He was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease in 2007, but found ways to continue writing even after he lost the ability to type.

Terry Pratchett will be remembered for his DISCWORLD novels especially. Though they may seem like goofy satires and parodies, they are always deeply thoughtful and often emotionally striking. And they almost always include more pithy phrasing than any one person should have been allowed to craft.

Pratchett was an innovator. He was quick to embrace the computer and to use the internet in his writing and for interacting with his audience.

March 12th, 2015. Ryan Skardal | Terry Pratchett | Thoughtful Thursday | 17 comments |

Weathering a Dearth of Ideas

Today we’re pleased to welcome Rachel Hartman, currently on a blog tour for her newest work Shadow Scale, the sequel to her very well-received Seraphina (I loved Seraphina and chose it for one of our favorite books of 2012). Today she’s writing about a problem many writers encounter at some point in their careers — writer’s block. More precisely, how she overcame hers and managed to finish Shadow Scale. As someone who has been greatly looking forward to this sequel ever since I fell in love with Seraphina,

February 26th, 2015. Bill Capossere | Rachel Hartman | Thoughtful Thursday | 47 comments |

Tolkien and the Great War: An exploration of Tolkien’s early influences

Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth by John Garth

Tolkien and the Great War is an obviously well-researched book that goes into explicit (at times I must admit tedious) detail on J.R.R. Tolkien’s involvement in World War I and its possible impact on his then-current and later writings. We begin by observing Tolkien’s earliest close friendships formed at St. Edward’s Grammar School under the auspices of the “TCBS” (an acronym for Tea Club, Barrovian Society) where the core group of Tolkien, Christopher Wiseman, Robert Gilson,

Stop Pissing on the Floor; the Challenge of the Second Book

Welcome to Brian Staveley, who’s on a blog tour for his second book, The Providence of Fire which I am greatly enjoying at this very moment. It’s outstanding! (I loved the first book, too.) Fittingly, he’s here to talk about the challenge of writing a sequel to a successful debut, and to ask you about sequels that you’ve enjoyed. One commenter will win a copy of both The Emperor’s Blades and The Providence of Fire. You don’t want to miss these books!

Stop Pissing on the Floor;

January 15th, 2015. John Hulet | Brian Staveley | Thoughtful Thursday | 38 comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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