I never cared for the distinctions of “hard” or “soft” science fiction. Any good sci-fi story should strive for plausibility, and heavily technical ideas are often best explored through their societal impact. Why not employ the strengths of both categories? In my own work, I aspire to fuse character and concept so the protagonists’ journeys … More The science behind the sci-fi: a new post series!
I knew something was wrong when I woke to the television muttering downstairs. My parents rarely watched anything other than evening news and weather. If they’d turned it on at nine a.m. on a Tuesday, it could only mean trouble. In trepidation I crept downstairs and into the living room. Mom sat in front of the … More Fiction’s Dark Mirror: Dystopia and the 9/11 Generation
Wednesday. I hit the alarm, staggered to the bathroom to get ready for work…and gasped as a cosmic pearl dazzled my bleary eyes. At 5:45 AM, the moon still hung over the field behind my house, shrouded in lavender dawn clouds. The sight was breathtaking, and appropriate: it’s not just Wednesday, it’s Moon Day! July … More Moon Day 2016: Four Facts About Luna that Influenced My Science Fiction
“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
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
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
Wild Type 