SF Women A-Z: Isaak and Isidore

For the letter "I," I'd like to feature Broad Universe member Elaine Isaak. She's published poetry, short fiction, and novels. She also creates metal sculptures and custom stuffed animals. You can find a list of her works and the buy links on her website.

Another "I" author is Sarah Isidore, author of The Daughters of Bast trilogy. In this trilogy, a young Druid priestess finds herself serving the Egyptian goddess Bast while facing both Sekhmet and Julius Caesar. The series continues with the priestess's descendants. I had the first book for many years but eventually sold it, figuring I'd never find the rest of the series. Of course, I finally found the other two books at Half Price and had to buy back my own copy of the first book. Did I learn my lesson? Of course not. I sold the trilogy back when I finished it, which is why I had to use a photo of Amazon's webiste. Amazon.
Find out more about these books on

Are you inspired to add any other "I" authors to this list?

SF Women A-Z: Hats off to Hoffman, Hogarth, Hopkinson, and Huff

H stands for "Help! There are too many great authors under this letter!"

Nina Kiriki Hoffman is an award-winning (Nebula, Bram Stoker, plus nominated multiple times for the World Fantasy Award and several other awards) SF, fantasy, and horror novels. Her style reminds me a bit of Patricia McKillip. I've read a few of her works, such as The Thread that Binds the Bones, The Silent Strength of Stones, and A Red Heart of Memories. Learn more about Hoffman on Wikipedia and Amazon.


 I discovered M.C.A. Hogarth through her Kickstarter for Black Blossom. The concept intrigued me enough to make me back it, and I wasn't disappointed. Since then, I've gone on to enjoy other stories of her, particularly those set in the Pelted Universe. (It features genetically engineered animal-human hybrids who colonize space.) She's a hybrid author and artist, and she recently helped persuade SWFA to open its doors to indie authors. I don't qualify (yet), but I would definitely support her for SWFA office. Learn more about Hogarth on her website, Wikipedia, and Amazon.

Nalo Hopkinson has won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer, The Locus Award, the World Fantasy Award, and others. She was a Guest of Honor at WisCon in 2002, and if my memory serves me correctly, I was part of her group for the writers' workshop that year. Learn more about her and her work at her website, Wikipedia, and Amazon.

I discovered Tanya Huff through her Blood books, which features a vampire paired with a detective. I've read some of her other series too, such as the Wizard Crystal and Enchantment Emporium series. Learn more about her on Wikipedia and Amazon.

Honorable Mention: Sarah Hoyt (blog, Wikipedia, Amazon)

How many other SF women authors with "H" names can you add to this list?

SF Women A-Z: Great Gs: Gentle, Graykin, Griffith, and Grotta

Here are some of the great women SF/fantasy authors whose names begin with "G":

There is nothing gentle about war or women warriors in Mary Gentle's The Book of Ash series. She writes alternate history and high fantasy. You can learn more about Gentle on Wikipedia and find her books on Amazon.

Justine Graykin is a sister member of Broad Universe. She's written short stories in various anthologies such as UnCONventional (one of the co-editors is also a member of Broad Universe) along with novels. Learn more about her on her website.

Nicola Griffith is the wife of Kelly Eskridge, who was featured earlier in this series. Griffith is the author of Ammonite, which I think I read a long time ago but don't have in my current book collection. Find her online on her blog, Wikipedia, and Amazon.

Finally, let me close with Sally Wiener Grotta, sister member of Broad Universe and author of The Winter Boy, a post-apocalyptic story set in a world where older women use sex to train male leaders. Learn more about Grotta on her website (since her husband is also a writer, the site features both of them).

 Do you have any other authors to add to this list? Feel free to add them in the comments.

SF Women A-Z: Fantastic Fs: Fendley and Freisner

I first encountered T.W. Fendley through the Blog Ring of Power, where we would cooperate with other SF/F fantasy authors to post multi-part author interviews on our blogs. She's also a member of Broad Universe. Her novel Zero Time combines the Mayan civilization with aliens and time travel in an incredible mix. Her latest release, The Labyrinth of Time, is a YA time travel book. Learn more about her on her website and on Amazon.

Ester Friesner meets the criteria for the letter "F" both with her last name and her style (funny). I know her best from her Chicks in Chainmail anthology series, which has been out for over a decade and is still running. As I researched her, I learned she's currently writing about historical princesses. You can learn more about Friesner from her Wikipedia and Amazon pages.

If you know of any other SF/Fantasy authors who fit into this category, please share them in the comments.

SF Women A-Z: Excellent Es: Elgin, Elrod, Emshwiller, and Eskridge

We lost one of our great authors in January with the passing of Suzette Haden Elgin. I was privileged enough to meet her at WisCon in 2001, as you can see by the autograph. She was a Guest of Honor at WisCon in 1982 and 1986, long before I started attending. In addition to writing feminist science fiction, Elgin was also a poet, linguist, and non-fiction writer. I'm surprised Native Tongue didn't earn any major awards; is it too late to give Elgin a posthumous Tiptree? Learn more about her on Wikipedia, and buy her books here from Amazon.

P.N. Elrod was a favorite read of mine for a long time. I enjoyed her Vampire Files series set in 1920s Chicago, but I lost track of the series somewhere along the way. It looks as if she's become an anthology editor and a hybrid author to boot. Find her at her website, Wikipedia, and Amazon.

Another former WisCon Guest of Honor making this list is Carol Emshwiller. I have two of her works (The Mount isn't pictured), but unfortunately no autograph. She is an excellent short story writer. You can learn more about her on her website, Wikipedia, or Amazon.

 I know of Kelley Eskridge through her novel Solitaire, about a woman who endures a virtual solitary confinement. Eskridge is married to another SF woman author, Nicola Griffith, who will also be featured as part of this blogging challenge. Learn more about Eskridge via her website, Wikipedia, and Amazon.

Honorable Mentions: Phyllis Eisenstein and Anna Erishkigal, who was featured on the Blog Ring of Power.
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Would you add any other authors to this list? Please post them in the comments.

SF Women A-Z: Delightful Ds: Datlow, Dellamonica, and Durgin

Technically, Ellen Datlow is more well-known for editing than for writing, but I thought it was worth including her, since I've read several of the anthologies she's edited. You can find her Wikipedia page here.

A.M. Dellamonica has written over thirty short stories, but I'm more familiar with her novels such as Indigo Springs (which I really enjoyed) and Blue Magic. Here are links to her website, Wikipedia entry, and Amazon page.

I know Doranna Durgin from her fantasy work such as Changespell and Dun Lady's Jess, but she also writes romance and mystery as well. I think she may be a hybrid author and is self-publishing her backlist, but I'm not certain. Here are links to her website, Wikipedia entry, and Amazon page.


Please feel free to add more woman SF/fantasy authors in the "D" category in the comments.

SF Women A-Z: Cool Cs: Charnas, Cherryh, Clegg, and Czerneda

Again, there are so many great authors categorized under "C" that I can only highlight a few of them.

Suzy McKee Charnas is a founding member of Broad Universe and a winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Tiptree awards. Unfortunately, I don't have any of her works in my collection, but you can find lists of her works on her website, Wikipedia, and Amazon.

C.J Cherryh is another well-known author and Hugo award winner. I think I've read the first book in her Foreigner series, but I'm more familiar with Rusalka and the sequels. Here are her Wikipedia and Amazon pages.

Jaleta Clegg is another member of Broad Universe. She's appeared on my blog, though I can't remember when. You can find a list of her works here and on Amazon.

One of my favorite SF authors is Julie E. Czerneda. I think she creates fantastic aliens, and I had the pleasure of meeting her at World Fantasy when it came to Madison. (At least, I think it was that con.)
I have more of her work beside the Species Imperative series shown here, including A Turn of Light. Here are the links for her website, Wikipedia entry, and Amazon pages.

Honorable mentions include Mona Clee, Flynn Connolly, and Leah Cutter.

Did I miss any women SF/Fantasy authors? Please feel free to mention them in the comments.

SF Women A-Z: Bountiful Bs: Baudino, Bradley, Bujold, Buroker, and Broad Universe

There are so many great SF/F women authors with "B" names that I couldn't limit myself to one. One could say they are quite bountiful, even...

Gael Baudino--I included her because Gossamer Axe introduced me to lesbian characters and made me sympathize with them. (Prior to that I didn't know much about them--yes, I was sheltered.) Fiction is a wonderful way to open the mind, especially if it's science fiction.

Wikipedia entry

Author Page on Amazon


Marion Zimmer Bradley--Despite the deplorable accusations of child sex abuse that came out last year, MZB is too well-known to be left off this list. I was a big fan of her Sword and Sorceress series for a while and thought about submitting a short story to this anthology, but I didn't get anything to the point where I felt it was worth submitting. The series is still going strong, so maybe I should come up with a story for it.

Wikipedia entry

Official website

Link to books on Amazon


Lois Bujold--A relatively recent discovery for me. I was awed by her Chalion series--and a bit embarrassed that my Season Avatars series (which I first drafted long before I read Bujold) features both season-based deities and a country named Challen. We take the basic ideas in vastly different directions, IMO. I'm not very far along in the Vorkosigan Saga; I recently read Cordelia's Honor. I plan to get the next book in the series when I return to the library.

Official website

Wikipedia entry

Link to books on Amazon

Lindsay Buroker--An indie fantasy author who's become an automatic buy for me. Her books feature witty dialogue and plenty of action. She also offers good marketing/business advice on her blog.

Official website

Author page on Amazon


Honorable Mentions: Terri Bruce, sister member of Broad Universe and the founder of the Blog Ring of Power. She has a series about a ghost's journey through the afterlife.

I've read some of  Elizabeth Bear's work and respect her writing skill. Unfortunately, I can't think of the titles I've read at the moment, but I do have a few samples of hers in my immense TBR list.


Special Honorable Mention to all the members of Broad Universe, which is dedicated to promoting women writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It was founded at WisCon fifteen years ago, and I'm proud to say I'm been a member since the beginning. We support each other online and at conventions. I'll be featuring some of these women individually during the rest of this blogathon. You can find the current full roster here.


Got any comments about these authors, or do you have more to add to the list? (I'm saving Octavia Butler for a critical position in the alphabet, so I didn't forget her.) Feel free to discuss them below.

SF Women A-Z: The Awesome Asaro

Welcome to the 2015 A-Z Blogging Challenge! Whether you're a veteran A-Z blogger or a newbie, this is one of the biggest blogging events of the year.

Lack of visibility continues to be a problem for SF/fantasy women authors. This month, I'll be introducing you to over 60 women SF/Fantasy authors. Many are well-known and have earned lots of accolades; others are up-and-coming. They're traditionally published, indie published, and hybrid. They come from all walks of life, and they write everything from hard science fiction to urban fantasy. I've read at least one book by most of these women, but some of them are new to me too. Hopefully by the time this month is over, you'll have discovered at least one new-to-you author. So, let's get started.

Name: Catherine Asaro

Asaro is an award-winning author of everything from hard science fiction to romantic fantasy. She's a dancer with a doctorate in chemical physics (so she writes scientific papers too), not to mention a past SFWA president and editor. How much more awesome can one woman get? Learn more about her and her works on Wikipedia.

Social Links: Website

Find her books on Amazon.

My personal thoughts:I'm most familiar with Asaro's romantic fantasy Lost Continent series. Above is a picture of the books of hers that I own. (I will be using mostly pictures of my own paper books or eBook covers during this challenge. If I personally know the author or have interviewed them in the past, I'll use pictures I have from them as well.) I'm particular about romance (which is part of the reason I prefer it as a side plot and not the main focus of a book), but I did enjoy the relationships in this series. I haven't tackled the Skolian Empire series yet, but the reader's guide on Wikipedia will be a big help whenever I have a chance to start that series.

Do you know of any more "A" SF/Fantasy women authors? If so, please tell us about them in the comments.

IWSG: Inspiration or Perspiration?

Agatha Christie said about her career, "There was a moment when I changed from an amateur to a professional. I assumed the burden of a profession, which is to write even when you don't want to, don't much like what you're writing, and aren't writing particularly well."

One of the things that first attracted me to writing was reaching the flow state, where you know the material so well, where high demand meets high skill, that your words flow effortlessly. Most of my writing sessions, however, are not like that. I get distracted, I have to figure out what come next in the scene and if the scene is leading me toward the climax, and I tend to edit as I write. But eventually, if I keep writing, I move closer to the flow state.

Don't be afraid of the perspiration. It might lead you to the inspiration.

Scattered Seasons Thunderclap Campaign

The Thunderclap campaign for Scattered Seasons I mentioned yesterday has been approved. If you're not familiar with Thunderclap, it's a type of promotion in which you ask a specified number of supporters to donate a tweet or Facebook status to help you spread the word about your event. It's similar to Kickstarter in that you must reach your goal (or number of supporters) for the campaign to launch. Anyway, here's the beautiful banner Maria Zannini at Book Cover Diva designed for Scattered Seasons:

And here's the link to the Thunderclap itself: http://thndr.it/1F9wXxO

I'd appreciate your support. If you have a Thunderclap campaign of your own, please share the link in the comments so I can return the favor. 

Reading and Writing Updates

The A-Z Blogging Challenge starts on Wednesday! I'll have to sneak in a few posts about Scattered Seasons during April, but for now I can report that I'm just waiting for the paper cover before I order the proof. You can pre-order the eBook on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and iTunes. I have most of the promo ads lined up and am also going to start a Thunderclap campaign to announce the release. More details will be coming out when that's launched.

In the meantime, I'm continuing to work on the first draft of Chaos Season, Book Three in the Season Avatars series. I'm also planning to prepare a mini story collection featuring the four Season Avatars before the events in Scattered Seasons. This would be a permafreebie to introduce the series to readers (in addition to Seasons' Beginnings, of course.) Two stories are already written, so I'm working on the other two. After I get one of these projects finished, I'll have more time to work on the next story in the Catalyst Chronicles series, which will feature a minor character from Twinned Universes and be a bridge between that book and Book Three, Catalyst in the Crucible. Short stories are harder for me in some ways than novels, but I would like to get more written so I can put them in a collection and prepare a print edition.

Do you remember the reading challenge issued back in February to stop reading books by a certain type of author for (straight white males) a year? I've been mulling it over and decided I would find that challenge frustrating, even if I shortened it to a month. (I could read twelve books in a month, which would be equivalent to reading one book a month for a year.) I read for entertainment and education, and I generally don't research an author before deciding to read a book. I also don't like being forced to read only a certain type of author, as that would give me reason to resent their work. I already read a lot of women authors, though I don't exclude men either. What I think is more sustainable in the long run is to be more open to reading authors whose background differs from mine in some significant way, such as racial, ethnic, nationality, or class. I could try to read at least one book a month from an author that fits that description while continuing my normal reading. I've already done one for March; now I have to pick one for April.

So, how are your projects going? Feel free to share in the comments.

Science of the Week, 3/27/15

This will be the last Science of the Week post until May, as the A-Z Blogging Challenge starts next week and I need to spend extra time visiting other blogs. I have to admit that when I don't prepare this feature, I miss reading the articles. Hopefully you enjoy reading them too.

Here are some of the most interesting science news articles I read this week:

Brain tumor cells decimated by mitochondrial "smart bomb"

Quantum experiment verifies Einstein's "spooky action at a distance"

Our solar system may have once harbored super-Earths

Landmark study proves that magnets can control heat and sound

Real "skinny water"? Special microbes make anti-obesity molecule in the gut

Large Hadron Collider scientists hope to make contact with parallel universe

Scientists recover T. rex soft tissue
(This is an older article, but it's still pretty incredible.)

Thousands of atoms entangled with a single photon

Have a good weekend, and I'll see you Monday.

Scattered Seasons Cover Reveal and Pre-Order Available!

Yesterday, I received the final front cover of Scattered Seasons from Maria Zannini of Book Cover Diva. Ready to feast your eyes on it?

 Here's the description:

Lady Gwendolyn lo Havil is an Ava Spring, born to heal others and lead the Season Avatars of her generation. Season Avatars with divine magic must work in groups of four to save the country of Challen from Chaos Season, times when all of the seasons appear at once. When the current Ava Spring dies in a riding accident, Gwen must find the other three Season Avatars she will link with.  But two of them are missing, and with Gwen's own magic crippled by a cursed pottery shard, she will have to use all of her skills to find the Avatars scattered across the country of Challen. During her journey, she meets a stranger who claims to know the shard's origin. Is he truly an ally of the Season Avatars, or is he trying to stop them from uniting?

I have officially made this available as a pre-order on Amazon and on other channels through Draft2Digital. (Links will be posted here and on my website as soon as they are available.) Scattered Seasons will go live on April 28, 2015. (I figure it will be my birthday gift to the world.) From now through May 6, 2015, you can buy it for $0.99. After that, the price goes up to $2.99.

eBook Prices

Last week, a book from one of the authors I follow on Goodreads came out. The announcement said the eBook was available for a “special introductory price,” so I checked it out on Amazon. Do you think the price was 99 cents? $4.99? No, it was $9.99. I closed the tab without even downloading the sample and headed over to my library’s website to put the book on hold.

Everyone has different price ranges they’re comfortable with. For me, I have no problem with prices of $4.99 and below for fiction and nonfiction, though I generally read the sample first before deciding to buy. (I may buy the book outright if it’s a nonfiction book on sale or if I’m familiar with the author’s work.) If I’d read the author before and consider myself a fan, I’m willing to go a little higher, maybe up to $7.99. 

Any price that’s higher than a paperback for a novel, however, is more than I’m willing to pay. At the speed I read (more than 200 books a year), I can’t afford to read $9.99 eBooks. They’re not a good value for me, especially if I’m going to read the book once and remove it from my Kindle to conserve space. Even $7.99 may be daunting if the book is part of a long series and I would have to pay over $100 to read the entire series. At that point, I will borrow the book from the library if possible, look for cheap secondhand paperbacks if the book has been out for a while, or simply skip the book and quietly rejoice at being able to shrink my immense TBR list.

I’m willing to spend over $10 on non-fiction eBooks, particularly if I think it will be useful for writing. Since non-fiction is only about 20-25% of my reading, and not all my non-fiction costs that much, I can manage the occasional splurge. 

If you read eBooks, what price ranges are you comfortable with? Does the subject matter or familiarity matter?

Science of the Week, 3/20/15

Happy Spring Equinox! In the world of my fantasy Season Avatars series, each Season Avatar is born on the equinox or solstice of his/her season. Today, therefore, would be the birthday of my character Gwendolyn lo Havil, the Spring Avatar and protagonist of my forthcoming Scattered Seasons. I wish I could time each book to come out in the appropriate season, but that might mean holding them back for longer.

Anyway, here are some of the most interesting science news articles I read this week:

Almost 150 of our genes may come from microbes
(bacteria, viruses, and other organisms can transfer genes directly to humans--and the process is still ongoing)

Oncologists reveal reasons for high cost of cancer drugs in the US

Scientists discover gecko's cleanliness secret (They have special small, hair-like spines that cause water drops to collect and roll off the gecko's body. This technique could be applied by humans to protect electronics.)

Nearly 70 percent of evangelicals do not view religion, science as being in conflict

Cyborg beetle research allows free-flight study of insects

Moral decisions can be manipulated by tracking eye gaze

Scientists discover how to change cancer cells into harmless immune cells

Iron rain fell on early Earth

Have a good weekend, everyone, and see you on Monday!

Facts for Fiction: The Copernicus Complex

Yesterday I finished reading The Copernicus Complex: Our Cosmic Significance in a Universe of Planets and Probabilities. Long ago, people used to think the Earth was the center of the universe until Copernicus showed the Earth revolved around the sun. These days, it seems obvious that we're just a Johnny-come-lately species stuck on an infinitesimal rock going around an average star in an average solar system...or are we?

This book attempts to help humanity figure out its place in the universe by looking at everything from the formation of solar systems to the beginning of life.  Among other things I learned from this book is that our solar system is unusual compared to others that have been found around other stars, the inner planets of our solar system may not have stable orbits (Mercury could crash into the sun, or Venus into us), and megaviruses may have devolved from other life forms. Altogether, the evidence suggests that we do occupy a special niche in the universe, but our ultimate significance to the universe depends on how much we explore the universe, even if we have to do it by machine instead of in person.

Although this was an interesting book to read, it's not a research book full of information I can use in my own stories. It is useful to step back every now and then to look at the big picture--and you can't get a much bigger picture than this.

Do we dare disturb the universe? Feel free to comment below.

Project Updates

I'm back from my much-needed blogging break. I did miss blogging, especially reading science articles for my Science of the Week posts, but I did need the time to catch up on various things. Here's a quick update:

A-Z: My posts are done, and I've created tinyURLs for all of them. Now I just have to prepare the daily tweets and brace myself for visiting a lot of blogs in April.

Scattered Seasons: I've heard back from four of my beta readers and revised according to three of their comments. The final one hasn't gotten back to me yet, so I should follow up with her soon. In the meantime, the cover is in progress, and I'll reveal it when it's ready. In the meantime, you can add it on Goodreads if you so choose.

Chaos Season: I've written about 26,000 words so far and estimate I'm about a third of the way through. Hopefully I haven't just jinxed myself to bog down in the middle. I'd like to get the first draft done by June, though April and May will be busy for me.

How are your projects going? Feel free to share in the comments.