Romance? It belongs in real life!

I started a rather lively discussion here on romance in sci-fi. I like mine kept to a minimum. However, in real life, baby, bring it on! I mentioned here on Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys that I have been spending much of my time dancing. Well, you know what dancing leads to…

Guess who's engaged? w00t!!! Kevin wrote a song for me that ended in a proposal and played it during the band's break at my 50th birthday party (yes we hired a band for the occasion!).

I knew he had been writing a song for me, and knew he was going to play (kinda hard to tuck an electric guitar in your pocket), but didn't know the song was finished, that that's what he was going to play, nor that it contained his proposal. Is that romantic, or what?

And the insurance came through, so I can replace my MacBookPro…then they promptly cancelled Kevin's policy. What bastards! His one and only loss and it was chicken feed. Really! I will name names this time. It was Hartford. Steer clear folks.

Enough about me. Here's what's new in Sci-fi circles:

A new spec fic mag, Waylines Magazine, is offering short films in addition to short fiction. Not a bad idea! Send them some love via Kickstarter. Their first issue in January will feature Cat Rambo and her Near + Far, which will be reviewed shortly here at SFOO. I interviewed Cat three years ago here on Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys. 

The Host trailer is now available at MTV.com. I tried to load it. Maybe you'll have better luck.

Iron Man 3 - Booyah!

The Hobbit is less than a month away!

Author and freelancer - the juggling act

This one falls in the ODDyssey category. I now have a new and improved back, but no job. I think I mentioned here before that the magazine I worked for couldn't wait while I had surgery and recovered from same. They were already down one writer.

I figured it was meant to be. Now I can go freelance like I wanted to do in the first place (but couldn't because we needed the benefits) while on unemployment and subsidized COBRA. Yesterday I spent an hour composing a proposal at elance.com only to have the job awarded while I was typing. Very frustrating. Why is it that no one wants to pay artists what their worth, by the way?

And I just paid $15 to have my employment verified. Why did I do that? Can't people just google and find that stuff? Harumph. I did it because I need to get noticed. That's all I've been doing for the past six years when I haven't been writing. I'm not vain. I know it's not enough to be a good writer. You have to be seen and get connected. But all of that was for my fiction, which, face it, until I hit the bestseller lists won't pay the bills by itself.

Hopefully, I can juggle both without developing a multiple personality disorder. Enough whining. On to science fiction.

Anyone who has been following me for long knows I love lists. So does Brian Gilmore over at Ranker. He sent me this one: Top 10 TV Shows That Overstayed Their Welcome. It fits here because many of them are speculative in nature. Of course, I think there are even more that were cut before their time - Firefly, Invasion, Torchwood and Jericho come immediately to mind. I still miss Max Headroom. That was British - from the 80s I think.

The discussion about Romance and Sci-fi rages on over at Tor where Heather Massey quotes my recent entry on the subject.

And because I love it when people send me stuff, especially when it isn't a request to review a book in a different genre, and like to give artists a break, here is an independent film for your enjoyment entitled The People Outside.



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Female spec fic writers and romance in sf/f

What a tremendous response to my questions, "Why do I read more male SF writers?" posited last week. There were so many great suggestions (I did ask for them) of speculative fiction authors who happen to be female that I thought I would compile a list for my readers from the comments given last week. I love lists.

But before I dive into the list, I'd like to point you in the direction of Robert Appleton's posts on Romance: Bookvana and The Galaxy Express. Robert Appleton explores the topic of romance in speculative fiction and comes at it from a unique perspective, that of a male writing romantic speculative fiction. It's definitely worth checking out. There's also a book giveaway tied to the first blog I cited.

Now, the list, in no particular order, of speculative fiction authors who were mentioned that I should read if I want spec-fic without romance. Some of the commenters may have fudged a bit on the no-romance thing, but the list is still populated by authors they enjoy reading.


Mary Rosenblum
Octavia Butler
C.J. Cherryh
Connie Willis
Lois McMasters Bujold
Anne McCaffrey
Madeleine Le'Engle
Ursula K. LeGuin
Sharon Shinn
Andre Norton
Elizabeth Moon
Jo Clayton
Kathleen Ann Goonan
Julie Czerheda
Joan Vinge
Jacqueline Carey
Janet Kagan
Nancy Kress
Susanna Clark
Chris Moriarty
Linda Nagata
Robin Hobb
Steph Swainson

And the following list from Nancy Jane Moore:

Gwyneth Jones
Laurie J. Marks
Vonda N. McIntyre
Anne Harris
Brenda Clough
Sarah Zettel
Rebecca Ore
L. Timmel Duchamp
Sue Lange
Sheri Tepper
Suzette Haden Elgin
Suzy Charnas
Nisi Shawl
Nicola Griffith
Kelley Eskridge
Kelly Link
Mary Gentle
Lisa Tuttle
Molly Gloss
Andrea Hairston

And one commenter suggested looking at Women Writing Sci-Fi, Your Picks and Tip Tree Award winners.

That ought to keep us busy supporting female spec-fic writers! And don't forget to check out all of the fine ladies I've interviewed. A complete list can be found to the right.




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