Do Clockwork Cowboys Have Hearts?

I’ve been mulling on the tendency for setting-heavy stories to also feel soulless. The tin-man without a heart, all surface shine. Steampunk’s banged around pretty hard for this, and I’ve thrown a few punches myself at stories that focus on corsets and burgeoning industry without acknowledging the syphilis and squalor of Victorian-era Europe. Not that [...]

Violent Heroines.

Super, super interesting essay that explores the use of sexual violence in urban fantasy. This paragraph especially made me sit up and think: When I look for heroines, I look for heroines who choose violence as a tool because it works for them, not because it’s thrust upon them. I want heroines who are powerful [...]

Banned Book Day.

I found out about this through a few sites, but The Rejectionist gets straight to the point about it: write a review of your favorite banned book as a protest against the fuckwittery that is censorship. A lot of books I admire and love are on this list, which isn’t even comprehensive beyond one decade, [...]

First Impressions.

I’ve just started reading a book I picked off the shelf on a whim. It’s not my usual cup of tea — space opera — but the title caught my eye and after thumbing through a few pages, I decided to give it a try. The villain is introduced immediately, which doesn’t bother me. What [...]

A case of Fe2O3.

The chemical compound for rust is one of the few things I remember from my days in chemistry class; don’t ask me why. At any rate, last night was the first time in days that I had a chance to thoroughly work on TTR. The writing reflected this lack of practice, with my prose bearing [...]

The “D” Word.

I’ve been thinking a lot about death, lately. There are a couple of death anniversaries coming up in my family (Now there’s a perfect name for a band if there ever was one. “Death Anniversary.” I’m thinking crust punk), so it’s not surprising. Learning that Pete Steele has passed away doesn’t help, either. So of [...]

Oil and Water?

I recently read a debate on a writing forum over whether science fiction and fantasy should be stuck together under a shared tag. You know, the dreaded science fiction/fantasy label. There was a lot of “Ew, cooties!” from each camp that I just didn’t (and still don’t) understand. Maybe it’s because I love to read [...]