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THE WEEKLY FIX: Fix the World

I’m relaunching The Weekly Fix, with a twist. For now, instead of a serial tale or a short story, I’m sharing excerpts from the stories in the forthcoming Fix the World anthology. This is a fantastic collection of twelve hopeful stories from sci-fi writers on how to fix some of the greatest problems we face as a world. Preorder it here. From the Sun and Scorched Earth Bryan Cebulski The glint of the mech’s armor drifted across Lukas’s room and hit the monitor on his desk sometime mid-morning. He’d been sitting at his computer since before dawn. He stood and … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Technobabble

technobabble mumbo jumbo - Yay Images

One of my friends/fans, Joel Arellano, asked me to talk a bit about technobabble in sci-fi, so here we go. Oxford defines technobablye as “incomprehensible technical jargon.” Basically, in sci-fi, it’s when a writer throws in a bunch of high-tech words to make their story sound all sciencey and shit: Jelyk pulled the thromb-whistle to spin the arkensphere up to speed. Somewhere in the guts of the Hawkthorne, the mighty raction engines powered up, ready to thrust the massive ship into hyperspace. See? I really know my technobabble. I bet you don’t even know what an arkensphere is, but now … Read more

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Gillian St. Kevern

Gillian St. Kevern

Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work. Today, Gillian St. Kevern – I realised I wanted to be an author when as a teenager, I found myself getting annoyed that the characters in the books I read weren’t doing what I wanted them to do. Now that I’m a writer, they still don’t. I write in a variety of genres, ranging from short and silly contemporary romances to urban fantasy and mystery. In my non-writing life, I currently live in … Read more

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THE WEEKLY FIX: Fix the World

I’m relaunching The Weekly Fix, with a twist. For now, instead of a serial tale or a short story, I’m sharing excerpts from the stories in the forthcoming Fix the World anthology. This is a fantastic collection of twelve hopeful stories from sci-fi writers on how to fix some of the greatest problems we face as a world. Preorder it here. Who Shall Reap the Grain of Heaven? J.G. Follansbee Father James Bohm banked the SkyTrac T-44 crop duster over the abbey’s airstrip, feeling the mild tug of G-force on his broad shoulders and back. He never got tired of … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: I Wish I’d Known

Joel Arellano

Last week, I asked The Universe for ideas for my future columns, and The Universe, personified in one Joel Arellano on Facebook, replied: “A list of 10 Things you wish you had known before publishing your works.” I’ve been doing this writing thing semi professionally since 2014, so I should be able to come up with ten things to tell my newbie writing self, right? Here it goes: Rejections Happen. Don’t Let Them Stop You. If you give up being a writer because of rejections, you’ve lost the game. You may be an awful writer, or you might be the … Read more

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Thomas M. Kane

Thomas Kane

Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work. Today, Thomas M. Kane – I grew up in the woods of Maine. When I first read Tolkien at age eleven, the forests and mountains of Middle Earth seemed like home. The Empire Strikes Back came out at about the same time, and snowy Hoth also looked pretty familiar. As a teenager, I discovered role-playing games, and by the time I finished college, I was publishing gaming supplements.  My gaming publications include GURPS Espionage, … Read more

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THE WEEKLY FIX: Fix the World

I’m relaunching The Weekly Fix, with a twist. For now, instead of a serial tale or a short story, I’m sharing excerpts from the stories in the forthcoming Fix the World anthology. This is a fantastic collection of twelve hopeful stories from sci-fi writers on how to fix some of the greatest problems we face as a world. Preorder it here. At the Movies D.M. Rasch “Ticket line or snack line?” This is our first time out with her kids. I want to get this right. Or at least right enough. “I’m good with either,” I answer with my best … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Help Me! I’m Falling!

man falling - deposit photos

Each Monday, I wake up and sit down to pen this Point of View column, and the words pour out of me, a writer in his prime, pontificating on the art of the written word, my life, and the world around me. Usually I scribble out a pithy, insightful screed that makes my readers smile and nod, or sometimes grimace and cry. Today, I got nuthin.’ On the rare occasion when such a tragedy occurs, I turn to you, dear reader, to see what you’d like me to talk about. So please tell me in the comments below what you’d … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Of Scales and Fire – Natalina Reis

Of Scales and Fire - Natalina Reis

Natalina Reis has a new MM gay/bi paranormal/urban fantasy romance out, Of Magic & Scales book two: Of Scales and Fire. And there’s a giveaway! The cast of supporting characters from Natalina Reis’s “Of Magic and Scales” are back and stronger than ever, and so are the pop culture references and silly jokes Aiden likes so much. As Aiden and his new family are joined by an unexpected antagonist that may yet prove to be their undoing, will their (un)domesticated new life as a couple be turned upside down? Aiden Mercer’s life has changed dramatically since his days of being … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: The Boy Who Chased After His Shadow – Jeff Jacobson

The Boy Who Chased After His Shadow - Jeff Jacobson

Jeff Jacobson has a new gay YA urban fantasy romance out, Broom Closet Stories book 3: “The Boy Who Chased After His Shadow.” And there’s a giveaway! What If an Evil Witch Was Controlling Your Thoughts Without You Knowing?Soon after being whisked away to Seattle to live with an aunt and uncle he barely knew, Charlie Creevey learned that he hailed from a family of witches. After settling into this unfamiliar life, his feelings toward his new friend Diego Ramirez began to grow into something more serious. And if that wasn’t enough, he failed to stop the nefarious witch Grace … Read more