Author name: Paul Weimer

Paul Weimer is a SF writer, gamer, reviewer, and podcaster and an avid amateur photographer. In addition to the Skiffy and Fanty Show, he also frequently podcasts with SFF audio. His reviews and columns can also be found at Tor.com and the Barnes and Noble SF blog. He is best seen on twitter as @princejvstin and his website.

Masculinity in SF
Blog Posts

Book Review: Masculinity in Contemporary Science Fiction by Men: No Plans for the Future 

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Masculinity in Contemporary Science Fiction by Men: No Plans for the Future  by Sara Martin is an academic study of several male authors and their relatively recent work. The book, in their own words: “Exploring a broad selection of writers and works, the fourteen chapters present a panoramic overview of men’s contributions to current SF and explore their slow but noticeable progress in the representation of gender. The impact of feminism and gender studies, and the demands of readers, have profoundly transformed men’s SF, which now presents far more caring and vulnerable male characters. The old stereotypes are being replaced by a collective reflection on how men and masculinity are changing, though the lack of a common agenda results in novels that, while exciting and often challenging, sometimes miss the chance to imagine a better, anti-patriarchal, pro-feminist future for men and for all human beings…”

Photo of Julie E. Czerneda, from https://czerneda.com/press-kit/ -- she is wearing a light blue/gray sweater over a blue blouse, with blue glasses, and blond shoulder-length hair.
Blog Posts

Guest Post: “Why did I start writing cozy fantasy?” by Julie E. Czerneda

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I certainly didn’t mean to, not consciously. “Cozy fantasy” wasn’t a thing when I set out to write A Turn of Light, my first fantasy novel, but as the term’s used today? In hindsight, what a perfect fit! A bit of backstory, if I may. I kept my intention to write fantasy secret for decades. For a couple of reasons. Most importantly, I was already, and happily, writing science fiction for Sheila E. Gilbert at DAW Books, with several novels under contract, as well as editing my own anthologies. Not the best time to put forth such a, well, off-track notion. And, I confess, I was hesitant. Could I write the type of fantasy I wanted? Lyrical, filled with wonder, immersive—to write it, to do it justice, I’d have to find my fantasy voice, distinct from my science fiction one. To develop a living landscape in terms that wouldn’t feel like my customary science-based planet-building, even to me. I like challenges but those seemed daunting. (Note to amuse you later: I was also firmly convinced I could and must do all that in under 90K.) The easy part was knowing what kind of fantasy I’d write if I had the chance. It had to be joyous. No victims. No violence. No wars. I craved wonder and wild magic. More than that, I wanted a story with community. People who were kind to one another, coming together as needed to work to a common goal. You know, ordinary folks living ordinary lives, just surrounded by wild—as in natural—unpredictable magic, under no one’s control. Lacking the term “cozy,” I thought of it back then as my “cup of cocoa and a blanket on a chilly damp afternoon” story. To write, one day.

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