July 20, 2020
They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with John G. Hartness, whose most recent releases are Swamp Music…
July 15, 2020
One of the most common questions authors face is a deceptively difficult one to answer: “Where do you get your ideas?” Yet, the answers to that common question can be almost as interesting as the resulting story. Welcome to You’re My Inspiration, a column dedicated to discovering what inspires a particular author and their work. Whether it be a lifelong…
July 1, 2020
Some months I read really chewy books that require analysis. Some months I read books that are just so excellently put together, it’s a pleasure to review them. And some months, everything is so chaotic, I just read for the simple escape of it. Some books are meals, and some are appetizers. This is an appetizer plate for your consideration.
December 30, 2019
Every year, we invite our contributors to challenge themselves with the Resolution Project — a special event where our writers sift through all things speculative and settle on something worthy of personal conquest. The sky’s the limit when it comes to choices, whether it’s knocking through a back catalog, revisiting a popular franchise, or embarking on something totally new; whether…
December 6, 2019
Wow, we’ve already made it through the first week of December! How’s your month coming along? To a good start, I hope! Right now, I’m trying to muster the energy to put up my Christmas tree. Traditionally it’s up on December 1st and down by January 2nd…but every day I look at my pretty ornaments and just sigh. Why clean…
December 3, 2019
Magic Triumphs (2018) Written by: Ilona Andrews Series: Kate Daniels #10 Genre: Urban Fantasy Pages: 439 Publisher: Ace Books Why I Chose This: My 2019 Resolution Project for Speculative Chic is to read the books in the Kate Daniels series and finish up with a first read of the final book. This is my first time reading this title. The Premise: Kate has…
November 9, 2019
Hello, friends! Happy to see you again, and much thanks to Shara for covering for me while I was out and about chasing down the myths of Japan! I headed off to Shimane Prefecture to visit the stomping grounds of the kami: Susanoo, the trickster god of storms and sea; Amaterasu, one of Shinto’s most important kami and the renowned…
November 5, 2019
Iron and Magic (2018) Written by: Ilona Andrews Series: Iron Covenant #1 (Kate Daniels #9.5) Genre: Urban Fantasy Pages: 406 (Kindle) Publisher: NYLA Why I Chose This: My 2019 Resolution Project for Speculative Chic is to read the books in the Kate Daniels series and finish up with a first read of the final book. This is my first time reading this title.…
October 19, 2019
Greetings, boils and ghouls! I’m channeling the man of your screams — The Cryptkeeper — for this week’s Roundup, as an exorcise in truly terrible puns. Nothing inspiders more terror than awkward wordplay that requires far too much effort on my part, but I’m going to give it a try until I get the fang of it…or spontaneously combust from…
October 18, 2019
Magic Binds (2016) Written by: Ilona Andrews Series: Kate Daniels #9 Genre: Urban Fantasy Pages: 342 (Paperback) Publisher: Ace Why I Chose This: My 2019 Resolution Project for Speculative Chic is to read the books in the Kate Daniels series and finish up with a first read of the final book. I first read Magic Binds in 2017 and reviewed it at my own blog.…