April 15, 2020
Hi, dear Chicers! I hope you’re all staying safe and healthy. We are truly blessed/cursed to live in interesting times, aren’t we? Thanks to social distancing, the Internet has become a more important place than ever, especially since it allows us to get up close and personal without ever leaving home. Speaking of which, I had the amazing opportunity to…
December 12, 2019
Zombies, Anyone? I’m not really a zombie girl. They freak me right the heck out. I can read about them — no problem. But visual media? Television? Movies? Yeah, I’m sure there’s a pressing root canal I need. A friend of mine was on the Walking Dead’s first couple seasons, so when it started, I thought I’d watch it and…
July 18, 2018
Back in May, five months late, I joined Speculative Chic’s New Year’s Resolution Project. My goal was/is to read all forty-seven books and eight novellas in the In Death series by J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts. Since then, I’ve been a little…preoccupied with the series. See my last two monthly posts examining the series. (For those keeping count: I’m on…
May 3, 2018
I really love talking about the zombie apocalypse. I find the idea sparks a lot of passionate conversation, whether you’re normally a fan of speculative fiction or not. There’s something about the trope that really brings out the inventive side of people. That’s very true of Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of Zombie Abbey, which I read a few weeks ago. And today…
April 20, 2018
“April showers bring May flowers.” It’s an old saying, and one that got me thinking about the nature of storms in storytelling. Storms are perhaps one of, if not the most, versatile of narrative devices. First of all, there are plenty of storm flavors: thunderstorms, tornadoes, blizzards, hail, hurricanes, etc. And in speculative fiction, they can be brought on by…
April 19, 2018
Over the years, I’ve discovered that my favorite kind of horror movie is the kind where it feels realistic, and by realistic, I mean within context of the story we’re given. On top of that, it needs to feel real within: obvious special effects don’t work for me, and cheese-tastic/campy horror has never been my wheelhouse. I want the kind…
April 9, 2018
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 author Jeff Strand, whose latest young adult, punk rock novel,…
April 4, 2018
Zombie Abbey (2018) Written By: Lauren Baratz-Logsted Genre: Young Adult Horror Pages: 352 (Kindle) Publisher: Entangled Teen Disclaimer: I received this ARC from the publisher with the understanding I’d give it an honest review. Why I Chose It: I’m not really into zombies when it comes to dramatic horror, a la The Walking Dead. That show gives me serious anxiety.…
March 9, 2018
So, it’s been a pretty brutal winter this year in North America (our home base). Are you as absolutely done with it as I am? It’s blowing snow as I write this, and the forecast predicts another snowfall this weekend. Fortunately, spring is just around the corner, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. When I started thinking about what our…
January 22, 2018
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 actor and convention volunteer and enthusiast Tony Gowell. You may…