Books

Blog Posts

The Sound of Thunder (On Young Adult SF/F)

/

This weekend is the Austin Teen Book Festival. I’m excited about attending — not only because a number of the authors making an appearance at the festival share the same literary agency I do and our agency is a pretty tight little community on its own, but because I find YA inspiring and energizing. Also? My next series may be categorized as YA.[1] [listens for the groans] There are reasons for this. I worked at BookPeople in the Teen Book section for six years. Therefore, I have a background in Teen Fiction. My agency specializes in younger fiction (YA, picture books and mid-grade.) But the biggest reason why is because… that’s where it’s all happening. It’s where the LIFE of SF and F is these days. It’s where all the really cool ideas are encouraged and welcomed and nurtured, and where, by the Gods, authors are even paid for their work. Adult SF and F seems to be dying. Here’s where I type “Don’t Panic” in small friendly letters. DON’T PANIC. Or wait… maybe you should. Let’s think about this. The adult markets have been

Claire's Rhysling Award
Blog Posts

This Katamari Feels Mostly Like C.S.E. Cooney

/

(That’s probably because you rolled up nothing but Claire!) This week I am visiting the sparkly C.S.E. Cooney in her well-appointed Rhode Island garret, right across from the Victorian strolling park. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the magnificence that is C.S.E. Cooney. Never fear, that shall soon change! C.S.E. Cooney is a writer of plays, poetry, and stories, an actor, a narrator, a singer and songwriter, a blogger, an editor, a lover of sea kings, and an all around infectiously delightful person. Here are a few bits of her gloriousness:

Blog Posts

Mining the Genre Asteroid: Zenna Henderson

/

Mining the Genre Asteroid is Paul Weimer’s look at the history of the science fiction and fantasy field, bringing to light important, interesting and entertaining books from science fiction and fantasy’s past to you. The stories take place in mid 20th century Arizona.  Stranded aliens live in tiny, isolated communities. They’re human-looking-and-acting aside from a few unusual (and often hidden) abilities and powers, and the stories focus on their isolation and the challenges of being strangers in a strange land. Many of the characters are children, or young people, coming to terms with their status as being of The People, as well as the challenges of just growing up and coming to maturity.  Some journey to the small communities unaware of their own special heritage, only learning of their forgotten and lost status as being of the People after they arrive. These are poetic, beautiful stories that focus on character, emotion, and a light touch on genre elements. Her voice is strong, clear and unique. Is this the latest work from a slipstream writer? An up and comer that I might meet at Wiscon or Readercon? A teacher at Clarion, perhaps? The newest writer for Angry Robot’s Strange Chemistry line? No, this a writer, a woman writer, no less, who wrote the bulk of her work in the 50’s and 60’s, and not under a pen name, either. Let me introduce you to Zenna Henderson.

Blog Posts

My Superpower: Geoffrey Girard

/

My Superpower is a regular guest column on the Skiffy and Fanty blog where authors and creators tell us about one weird skill, neat trick, highly specialized cybernetic upgrade, or other superpower they have, and how it helped (or hindered!) their creative process as they built their project. Today we welcome Geoffrey Girard to talk about how his Supreme Strategic Suspicions relate to Cain’s Blood… In Cain’s Blood, the teenaged clones of infamous serial killers (Bundy, Gacy, Berokowitz, Dahmer, etc.) cause all sorts of nasty havoc. I was somewhat puzzled by early reviews that focused on how “dark and violent” the book is. I’d never really thought about that. I just wrote about what might happen next, the most-likely thing in a given situation.  When Scott Smith, the author of The Ruins, called the book “very dark,” I didn’t think much of that either, until I watched The Ruins for the first time in years and thought: “THIS guy thinks I’m dark!” It was the first time I stopped to consider what I’d ultimately created. And How.

Blog Posts

Mining the Genre Asteroid: Ringworld

/

Mining the Genre Asteroid is Paul Weimer’s look at the history of the science fiction and fantasy field, bringing to light important, interesting and entertaining books from science fiction and fantasy’s past to you. Welcome to the inaugural installment of Mining the Genre Asteroid. On a recent podcast, a Campbell award winning writer admitted that they had not read our first book, a seminal work of the field,  and so I thought that it would be a fine place to begin the column. Imagine a ring of material the size of Earth’s orbit around the sun. A vast structure with a surface area millions of times the size of earth’s continents. Hundreds of different human-like and not so human like species run rampant on it, at all sorts of levels of technology.  And yet, the builders of this amazing structure seem to be gone. This ring is not only an enigma, but it’s even unknown to the universe at large, until a powerful alien puts together an expedition of misfits to explore its mystery. I give you RINGWORLD.

Blog Posts

My Superpower: Stina Leicht

/

My Superpower is a regular guest column on the Skiffy and Fanty blog where authors and creators tell us about one weird skill, neat trick, highly specialized cybernetic upgrade, or other superpower they have, and how it helped (or hindered!) their creative process as they built their project. Today we welcome Stina Leicht to talk about how being meticulous, overly analytical, and sensitive relates to her work. —————————————————————————————— There should probably be a sign hung over this post that reads, Don’t Try This At Home, Kids… Frankly, I’m not sure I’d call any quality I have a ‘super power.’ (Well, other than the ability to find a goth outfit in any store.) I’m a ball of positive and negative traits that constantly war with one another–in short, I’m a human being. As luck would have it, that happens to work in my favor from time to time. My husband loves to call me a ‘method writer.’ He does this primarily when I rush outside after an ice storm[1] and tramp around in the thin layer of snow with my head tilted like the Victor dog, Nipper. Dane loves to shout, “Remember your coat!” because half the time I’m so wrapped up in capturing the experience that I forget silly little things like self-preservation. It’s why, when I took rally racing lessons as part of my research for Of Blood and Honey and its sequel And Blue Skies from Pain, he made me promise not to race on the track with other drivers.[2] When I broke my arm in Kung Fu class last summer, my biggest thought was, So, this is what it feels like. How much does it hurt? What can’t I do? What can I do? Why do I know something is wrong? How long does it take for the

Scroll to Top