Hey there, space buckaroos! How was your week? My week consisted of happenings where things happened… a week so ho-hum that none of it is worth mentioning. I hope your week was by far more interesting and wonderful. And speaking of interesting and wonderful, get a load of all the goodies we had this week at Speculative Chic — it’s time for the Weekly Roundup!
Monday
This week’s special guest for My Favorite Things is Day Al-Mohamed, and we’re celebrating her release from Paper Phoenix Press — Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn. What sort of awesomeness can you expect from this week’s column? How about delicious earthy beverage, a sport that’s sharp and keeps you on your toes, and specially embedded surprises absolutely worth the hunt! Read here to find out more!
Tuesday
We’ve got a great listicle from Merrin celebrating none other than everyone’s favorite boyfriend, Jamie Fraser of the time-travel romance Outlander, which you can watch on Netflix. There is no Claire without Jamie and no Jamie without Claire — so how does this romance blossom and enrapture viewers? What makes Jamie a great boyfriend? Find out here!
Wednesday
Andrea is back for more from the world of Aldea with a short story from Lindsay Smith, Heartsong. Based on the Tales of Blue Rose tabletop games, Heartsong features “an agent of the Silence [who] finds himself at a moral crossroads when he meets a rhy-bonded Jarzoni priest-adept.” Andrea like the first short story in this series so much; is this second helping hearty or wanting? The answers you seek are here.
Thursday
Venessa is here to break down Freeform and Hulu’s Motherland: Fort Salem and take apart all the ways this show plays with the familiar — aka tropes — and busts them. This is more than just a tale of witches and witchcraft from Salem, Massachusetts. This is more than just your typical military academy. This is more than your regular flavor of romance. See what we mean here.
Friday
We’re hoping to give you some inspiration with this month’s Roundtable by showing you the new works we’ve discovered that are outside of our wheelhouse. Our contributors have strayed from the familiar to unearth some truly interesting and enjoyable gems we’d have otherwise missed. Read what we’ve discovered here.
Also for Friday, we’ve got special guest Danielle Ackley-McPhail sharing a sample of her book Eternal Wanderings, now available from Paper Phoenix Press! Read an excerpt of a story centered on “a journey from the boroughs of New York to the heart of Tir na nÓg” and a heroine “who must forge her own path.” Take a peek here!
Book Club
The discussion is drawing ever-closer! Our May Book Club pick is Melissa Caruso‘s The Tethered Mage. Lane will be hosting this month’s discussion, and you can familiarize yourself with the premise here.
You can also prepare for June’s Book Club selection, Heather Webber‘s Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, hosted by Kelly. You can read more about this pick here.
Meanwhile, we’ve also announced the following three months’ worth of book club picks:
- Matt Ruff‘s Lovecraft Country, hosted by Casey — JULY
- Clive Barker‘s Weaveworld, hosted by Michelle — AUGUST
- K.B. Wagers‘s A Pale Light in the Black, hosted by Ronya — SEPTEMBER
Read about the next three selections here.
I wish I had something witty and memorable to say here, so I’ll just leave you with a pic that describes my current mood perfectly. Enjoy, and we’ll see you next week for another one of your favorite internet recaps!
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