August 24, 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…
March 18, 2020
How do you get to the wondrous realms of speculative fiction? Why, you open a door and fall into another world, or pass through a gateway, one of which is the “The Jane Yolen Memorial Gateway to the West” — the arch through which you step, tentatively at first, elated but nervous, into the map. There are many entrances, both…
May 13, 2019
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 Kate Story, whose next book, Antilia: Seer and Sacrifice, comes…
March 11, 2019
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 Sandra Kasturi, whose short story, “The Beautiful Gears of Dying,”…
January 22, 2019
Pyschologists in science fiction or fantasy are kind of a rare character type. Professor X, Nancy Thompson, and Counselor Deanna Troi are great examples. It makes sense that Professor X would be a psychology professional, but to discuss his exploits would take pages that I don’t have here (so go here and here). And as a kid watching TNG who…
November 23, 2018
If you’re in the United States, you may be braving the crowds to get a start on your holiday shopping. Or you may be curled up at home and recovering from yesterday’s feasting. If you’re a writer, you may find yourself at a computer and trying your best to put what you see in your head on paper. If so,…
October 17, 2018
Where have we traveled this past year, faithful friends and fellow travelers? In August of last year, I joined this tour of the fantastic and fabulous map of our imagination, of the best places to go, where imagination knows no bounds, where boundaries blur in gray fogs, only to become clear in the light of day.
April 19, 2018
The weather outside is, quite frankly, frightful. You’ve seen all the memes about the general ick most of the country seems to be enduring. Since we seem to be skipping spring, let me propose a warm, idyllic escape, where the ocean is endless, warm, inviting; where the world is ordered, in balance, and where few men are in sight. Let’s…
February 9, 2018
2018 dealt a crushing blow when it was announced that Ursula K. Le Guin passed away on January 22. At 88 years young, Le Guin was anything but forgettable, a Grandmaster of Science Fiction, a Hugo, Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Pulitzer award winner, among many others. Here at Speculative Chic, we’ve talked about how Le Guin Changed the Map,…
February 14, 2017
This Month On Changing the Map It’s not often that you pick up a nearly fifty-year-old novel only to find that it mirrors your current political climate with uncanny precision. It’s a bit like hearing a sermon at the precise moment you need it. You’re grateful for the enlightenment, but vaguely unsettled that the good lord or the universe knew…