Christianity vs. Science Fiction
Of late, I am sensing that lines have been drawn and sides chosen in the camps of Science Fiction (& Fantasy) and Christianity. There’s a virtual wall between the two fandom groups- and that’s a […]
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The Pros and Cons of Comicon
It is the day before the first day of spring. As I sit in my office chair, working at my computer, the giant snow thrower passes by and deposits a massive blast of snow onto […]
You Got Grit in my Fantasy Story
(Cue stoner voice) “You got grit in my fantasy story, man!” “Nah man, you got fantasy in my gritty story, dude!” Convergent evolution is the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages. The […]
Sex and the Senshi
(Author’s Note: This article deals with issues regarding sex and sexuality in a non-explicit manner. Regardless, it might not be safe for work.) Usagi, the titular character of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, is a great […]
Amazing News, Thursday, March 28th 2013
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, articles linked to here are sourced from SF Signal and File 770. One of my all-time heroes gets a “non-action” figure all to himself. Forrest J. Ackerman, Science Fiction’s #1 Fan, […]
The Fury – Blu-ray and Expanded Soundtrack
Those difficult teen years. A time when you have no money, power or influence, and have to spend your day going to school without getting paid for the privilege. Have to do what adults say […]
CROSSROADS: Western Series Interrupted by Illness
Sorry, folks. I know some of you were looking forward to the final installment in the Crossroads: Western series, but I’m afraid I have been laid low by a really nasty virus plague. As a […]
Sequential Wednesdays #6 – An Ode to Young Heroes & Unfinished Stories
All good things come to an end is a truth we all know to be unwavering. Knowing that truth, however, doesn’t lessen the blow when something truly remarkable ends unfulfilled. The most recent entrant into […]
Using the Subtext of Body Language in Storytelling
Kinesics is the study of “body language”, which explores how movements and gestures project a person’s hidden thoughts. Blushing is an obvious reaction. But more subtle ones can be used. When body language contradicts verbal […]
How Much Will They Pay? Pricing E-books for Fun and Profit
Since my first time up at bat I discussed how to know when you should self-publish, it is now time to answer the second question on everyone’s mind when it comes to self-publishing: what should […]
Amazing News, Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Irish Times on The New Future of SF via SF Signal Interesting piece on one of my faves – Cordwainer Smith – in the Atlantic. (via SF Signal) Technology outstrips society and the law once […]
How Science Fiction Can Save the World
Welcome internet traveler. I will be stockpiling neatly organized bits into a collective known as a blog along this portion of your journey. Do not fear for your personal safety, as I will take great […]
Eli Roth Goes Digital
If you are a fan of Eli Roth (director of Cabin Fever and Hostel) then you will be excited that his next venture is a TV series called Hemlock Grove. This is his first step […]
Jules Verne and Amazing Stories
As a writer whose work exerted a mighty influence on science fiction, it is entirely appropriate that Jules Verne and Amazing Stories had a tight relationship. That relationship began, of course, 21 years after Verne’s […]
Moonlight and Manners: A Review of Goblin Moon by Teresa Edgerton
There was already awareness that a new strain of fantasy had developed when Donald G. Keller first labeled it “fantasy of manners” in his article “The Manner of Fantasy,” published in the April 1991 issue […]
Characters: Ben Reich from The Demolished Man
The Demolished Man is a classic of SF. The story of Lincoln Powell’s faceoff with Ben Reich is worthy of the first Hugo, and is still an entertaining read today. Beyond the well imagined world […]
Amazing News, Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Those who think that re-booting the original Star Trek was a good idea will probably think that the latest Star Trek Into Darkness promo is also a good idea: a bunch of drones carrying light […]
Deconstructing Horror: Haunted Houses
Yesterday, upon the stair, I met a man who wasn’t there He wasn’t there again today I wish, I wish he’d go away… – Hughes Mearns, Antigonish We are all haunted houses. – H. D.. […]
Self Publishing for Beginners
This week I became an author. After reading about Hugh Howey, I was inspired to collect the three installments of The Carrion Files into an e-book which I then put on Amazon (as part of […]
Review: At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft
While delving into the realm of science horror, I had the goal to read all of HP Lovecraft’s work. Having already read or listened to a significant portion of his fiction, I thought it would […]
The Long and the Short Of It
So you’ve got this great idea bouncing around in your head. It’s been following you around for a while now. You’ve worked out a few details, maybe sketched a basic outline, and now it’s time […]
It’s Pretty – and Deadly: Horror Animanga
[Author’s warning: the following post contains images with some violent and/or graphic themes. Please proceed with caution.] Any of my friends could tell you how much I hate horror movies. Whether it’s the hack-and-slash or […]
Amazing News, Monday, March 25, 2013
Via Huffingtonpost – The Most Detailed Map of the Internet to Date Hacker’s “broke in” to about half a million devices worldwide to create the most detailed map of internet usage to date. Want to […]
A Sneak Peek at The Flames of Shadam Khoreh
The Flames of Shadam Khoreh Bradley P. Beaulieu In last week’s post, I discussed crowdfunding as a publishing strategy, ending with a list of crowdfunded books I intended to review. The first of those is […]
To ISBN, or Not to ISBN?
I’ve been on the brink of buying a ten-pack of ISBN numbers a half-dozen times the last few weeks. The reason I haven’t just pinched my nose and stepped off into the deep end is, […]
Playing the Short Game: How to Sell Your Short Fiction (Part 10 in series)
Dear Editor…: How to submit short fiction Welcome back to my on-going and generally (kind of, sort of) weekly series on how to market and sell short fiction. These posts are written in a very […]
No. 11 Ursula Le Guin, Darkness, Exile, Dispossessed, and Human Sexuality.
Dear Miss Kidd, Ursula K. Le Guin writes extremely well, but I’m sorry to have to say that on the basis of that one highly distinguishing quality alone I cannot make you an offer for […]
The Artful Collector: “Excuses, Excuses”
And when we can’t have what we want….despite our best efforts to strategize for maximum gain? Then What? Oh, do we have excuses. Pick one: 1. End up the underbidder? “It was too expensive for […]
Pulling Back the Publishing Veil: Life of Copyright Terms
There has been much talk this week about the contract terms of Random House’s new digital imprints. John Scalzi, president of the SFWA has had several posts on his his blog and Hydra’s (that’s the digital […]
About Author
Michael J. Sullivan is a speculative fiction writer who has written twenty-five novels and released nine. Eight of his fantasy books (The Riyria Revelations, and The Riyria Chronicles), were published by Hachette Book Group’s Orbit imprint. Hollow World, a science-fiction thriller was released by Tachyon Publications. The first four books of his new series, The First Empire, has sold to Random House’s Del Rey imprint, and the first book is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2016. He can be found on twitter, through his blog www.riyria.com, and on his facebook page and his publisher’s page for the series.
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