Gotta Catch ‘Em All: Pokemon Go Showed Me The World Through My Protagonist’s Eyes

“Watch out!” I caught my Laddie’s arm before he stepped off the curb, uncomfortably close to an SUV speeding down our street. The neighbor scowled at us from behind the wheel, but my Laddie was too absorbed in his phone to notice. “Stupid zubat got away,” he muttered. “You need a bodyguard to play Pokemon … More Gotta Catch ‘Em All: Pokemon Go Showed Me The World Through My Protagonist’s Eyes

The Invisible Woman: Sexual Segregation in Sci-Fi

My guest post on the gender gap in science fiction posted on the LibraryJournal SELF-e blog today, just as Iron Man 3 co-writer Shane Black revealed that Marvel’s corporate interests forced him to change the gender of the movie’s villain to sell more toys. According to Black, the original script featured a female version of antagonist Aldrich Killian, … More The Invisible Woman: Sexual Segregation in Sci-Fi

Gender and Genre: Female Sci-Fi Authors are NOT an Alien Species

Okay. Rant time. Remember when Blue Karma won some indie publishing awards late last year? One of the granting organizations just published interviews with the winning authors. Awesome, right? Except for one thing: “[We] recently caught up with author J.K. Ullrich, whose book Blue Karma won the science fiction category. You can click the link below to visit [our] website and read more about his winning … More Gender and Genre: Female Sci-Fi Authors are NOT an Alien Species

Millions Weep A Fountain: A Sci-Fi Writer Remembers David Bowie

“Here am I sitting in a tin can/far above the world/planet Earth is blue/and there’s nothing I can do…” Rich layers of synth and guitar oozed from my mother’s monolithic turntable speakers. They probably stood taller than I did the first time she played me one of her David Bowie LPs. His music provided a … More Millions Weep A Fountain: A Sci-Fi Writer Remembers David Bowie

Review: World War Z

The new year brought zombies down upon us. My Laddie, desperate to fill the void left by finishing Fallout 4, started playing Dying Light and scampers off to his computer after dinner, chanting “zombies, zombies, zombies!” My monsters are pagebound, re-animated only in my imagination: after letting it languish on my reading list for years, … More Review: World War Z

Schrödinger’s Star Wars: Multiverses in Popular Fiction

“Did you see the new Star Wars movie?” I texted my friend last weekend. He’s one of the few people in my circle who shares my lifelong affection for the franchise, so I was eager to discuss it with him. “No,” he replied. “I don’t want to see what they did to it.” For him, a … More Schrödinger’s Star Wars: Multiverses in Popular Fiction