Lisa Mason's Blog, page 10

Reviews of Horror Movies: “Dreamcatcher,” “Silent Hill,” and “The Dead Girl” by Lisa Mason #filmcritic #horrorfilms #writer #sciencefiction #novels #publishedstories #screenplays

I generally dislike horror (sorry, horror editors and writers).

I’ve written a handful of horror stories myself—“Felicitas” published first in Desire Burn: Women Writing from the Dark Side of Passion (Carrol & Graf), republished in Strange Ladies: 7 Stories (Bast Books); “Guardian,” published first in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in Strange Ladies: 7 Stories (Bast Books); “Riddle” published first in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, republished in ODDITIES: 22 Stories; “Aurelia” published first in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, republished in ODDITIES: 22 Stories; and “Mysteries of Ohio” republished in ODDITIES: 22 Stories.

So just a handful.

And not gruesome horror stories. I’ve read some horror stories—and seen some movies—that, after it was all over, I wish I hadn’t put that vision in my consciousness.

Some horror movies I’ve liked: “Alien” you could call a horror story mixed with science fiction—the horrific image of the Alien is still borrowed today. “The Others” was a good, subtle horror movie with Nicole Kidman. I disliked “Under the Skin” but liked “Ex Machina,” which is another horror film melded with science fiction.

So a neighbor moved out of our expensive California neighborhood to Colorado and left us a big box of DVDs. Most were silly, fluffy rom-coms, a lot of them starring Brittany Murphy. We saw some of them, donated the rest to our lovely local library.

But there were three horror movies. Tom wanted to see them and talked me into it.

Okay. (Did I say I generally dislike horror?)

First, “Dreamcatcher.” I have a Dreamcatcher, a little circular wind chime with spokes and spires. It’s beautiful, a work of art of Native American design.

I wanted to see the movie because it’s directed by Lawrence Kasdan—who’s a respectable director producing several respectable movies—and based on a novel by Stephen King, which I hadn’t read.

Afterward, I was surprised that Kasdan consented to have his name on this inexcusable Dreck.

The horrific Alien in “Dreamcatcher” is modeled after “Alien” but it doesn’t pop out of a character’s chest. You’ll never guess where it pops out of. No plot spoilers here, but bloody toilets figure prominently.

All this is mixed in confusingly with childhood memories of bullying.

The film was so confusing and dreadful, I asked Tom several times to just turn it off. It was that bad. But we stuck it out till the end till the unsurprising climax with two huge monsters battling each other.

Not recommended for anyone.

Next up, “Silent Hill.” This involves a mother searching for her lost daughter in a fog-shrouded town up in the mysterious mountains. There were so many horrific images in this film, I watched peeking through my fingers.

The plot culminates with a fanatical religious cult that does terrible things.

But the plot concludes with a surprise twist.

Surprise twists are surprisingly difficult to pull off.

Tom was so intrigued by this movie that he wanted to discuss it with me (as we often do after seeing a movie). Nope, I never wanted to think of this movie again and all its dark imagery and all its twists and turns.

Recommended only for fans of dark horror films.

Next up, and last, “The Dead Girl.”

This film was written and directed by Karen Moncrieff and financed by a couple of big producers. The film was nominated for several 2007 Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Feature and Best Director, but it didn’t earn big BO because of the horrific nature of the tale.

The film has two brief horrific scenes—and that’s it. The rest of the action is just extremely anxiety-producing.

The tale is of a serial killer told by five women, Christopher Nolanesque, backward in time: The Stranger, The Sister, The Wife, The Mother, and The Dead Girl, who is played by Brittany Murphy in a role she could sink her teeth into (after the silly, fluffy rom-coms). She’s fantastic. (She’s also now dead from a drug overdose some years ago.)

The big surprise is Kerry Washington, who plays the Dead Girl’s roommate. She just POPS off the screen. Tom and I looked at each other and said, “Wow.” I’m not surprised she’s since made a great career for herself.

Some characters do inexplicable actions. I was haunted by the film, and the characters’ actions, for days.

I suppose that makes a good horror film. Haunting.

Recommended for horror fans. This is the best of the three movies.

So there you have it, my friends. Enjoy your Movie Night!

ODDITIES: 22 Stories is on Kindle worldwide, including in the US, in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback in the US, in UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia Australia
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories (“A must-read collection—The San Francisco Review of Books). On Nook, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo.
On Kindle at US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands.
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories is in Print in the U.S., in the U.K., in Germany, in France, in Spain, in Italy, and in Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia at https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1981104380
Visit me at http://www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, interviews, round tables, cute pet pictures, the bespoke artwork and studio jewelry of Tom Robinson, forthcoming works, and more!

A Locus Notable Book ODDITIES: 22 Stories by Lisa Mason #publishedstories #magazinestories #anthologystories #storycollection #sciencefiction #fantasy #historicalfiction #fandsf #asimovs #omni #immortalunicorn #impossiblestories #dailysciencefiction

A Locus Notable Book!
Here You Enter
Yesterday, Tomorrow & Fantasy
When I was mulling over stories to publish in my second collection, I noticed the stories fell into historical, futuristic, and fantasy categories.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories includes those previously published in Omni Magazine, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Full Spectrum 5, The Shimmering Door, Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn, David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible, Not One of Us Fiction and Poetry Journal, and Daily Science Fiction, plus six new stories.
“I find myself constantly surprised by the breadth of styles, places, and characters in this collection. ….sometimes you want to be surprised; and that’s what Ms. Mason delivers in this collection…. Like Ray Bradbury’s short stories, these never fail to surprise you with little sparkles and occasional rockets going off and spreading happy fireworks in your brain!”–Amazing Stories Online Review
Part !: https://amazingstories.com/2020/09/new-book-review-lisa-masons-oddities-part-1/
Part II: https://amazingstories.com/2020/10/lisa-masons-oddities-review-part-ii/
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is on Kindle worldwide including in the US, in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback in the US, in the UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan. New! Now in Print in Australia
Donate at paypal at http://paypal.me/lisamasonthewriter
Join my other patrons on my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23011206.
Visit me at www.lisamason.com updated for 2021 for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, beautiful covers, reviews, interviews, blogs, round tables, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, worldwide links, and more!

Film Reviews of “Tenet,” “Inception,” and “Memento” by Director Christopher Nolan Lisa Mason #filmcritic #writer #sciencefiction #novels #publishedstories #screenplays

Some years ago, I took a screenwriters’ workshop with Robert McKee, the author of STORY, an award-winning screenwriter himself, and famous for his workshops. The workshops started out in Los Angeles and were attended by not only screenwriters but actors, such as Julia Roberts.

At our workshop in San Francisco, “The English Patient” and “Memento” had been recently released and McKee spent an entire session in trashing those popular films. (In other sessions, we also analyzed “Chinatown” and, in particular, “Casablanca”, both of which McKee loves.)

He pointed out the logical flaws in “The English Patient” and when we went to “Memento”—McKee said incredulously, “You like that movie?”

I love all four movies and so did many of the participants in the workshop.

McKee thumped his chest with his fist and said, “I felt nothing.”

Fast forward to 2021. We, my husband Tom and I, decided to have a Christopher Nolan Movie Night, upon the release of “Tenet”, a time travel film, or living-backwards-in-time film.

I’m an expert at time travel and living-backwards in time. I extensively researched Summer of Love and The Gilded Age (both republished in ebook and print formats by Bast Books) and, a story, “Illyria, My Love” (republished in my second story collection, ODDITIES: 22 Stories, also by Bast Books).

So I was really looking forward to “Tenet”. The word “tenet” is the first word in Summer of Love, which leads with “Tenets of the Grandmother Principle”.

Nolan’s style, right from the start, is to set up a complex plot—sometimes overly complex—and cast the film with an ensemble of characters who move through the subplots. Nolan intercuts the subplots faster and faster leading toward the climax.

This intercutting style makes some subplots increasing incomprehensible but, more than that, makes the characters cardboard and unsympathetic.

“Tenet” starts with a super-charged, anxiety-producing, super-violent opening and slows from there. The film introduces the idea of “inverted entropy” and proposes people in the future want to destroy the past.

THIS IS NONSENSE. If future people destroyed the past, they wouldn’t exist in the first place to do the deed. That is elementary time-travel science. So right away, I totally disagree with Nolan’s premise.

The film scrolls with subplot after subplot (you can check the details of the plot on Wikipedia—I’m not going to reprise it here) with increasingly unsympathetic characters.

Curiously, for such a long film, the plot and subplots run out of steam in the last half an hour. A few less bombs exploding backwards in time and bit more plot would have been in order.

I was disappointed in “Tenet”. The international Box Office didn’t do well, not earning out the $200 million budget, even considering the Plague.

Only recommended for hardcore C. Nolan fans and hardcore science fiction fans.

Next up, “Inception.” We saw the film when it was first released and I remember liking it very much. The premise is interesting—“extractors” perform corporate espionage using technology to infiltrate their targets’ subconscious and extract information through a shared dream world.

This resembles my concept of “telelinking” into a “telespace” in my first novel “Arachne”, the second novel “Cyberweb”, and the upcoming third and final novel, “Spyder.” Like in Nolan’s film—before the film—you need technical equipment to achieve the mind-meld.

So the premise “Inception” is relatable and the concept of dreaming is common to everyone. There are two sympathetic subplots—the extractor’s wife’s suicide due to the illusion of shared dreaming and the son’s bedside watch over his dying industrialist father. Also, the extractor’s alienation from his children, which gets resolved.

Then Nolan sends an increasingly unsympathetic ensemble cast off into subplot after subplot, intercutting the subplots faster and faster until the film becomes wearisome. (Again, you can check the full film synopsis on Wikipedia.)

I liked “Inception” less than the first time.

Recommended for C. Nolan fans and fans of interesting ideas.

Finally, “Memento”. We saw the film also when it first released. Chris Nolan’s brother wrote the screenplay, C. Nolan directed it, the film was made for a cool $5 million. No special effects, just story.

As usual, there is a complicated plot—two subplots, actually, one going forward in time, the second backward in time. There is crime and mystery going back and forth. (Once again, you can read the synopsis of the film on Wikipedia.)

I’d disagree with Robert McKee on this one—there is a very relatable premise—due to an accident, a man can’t remember more than the ten previous minutes of his life. This plays into everyone’s fear of dementia.

That the camera stays for the two intersecting subplots on the main character, played by a Guy Pearce in a personable, nuanced, humorous performance, makes this film very enjoyable—if a little confusing at times.

Of all three C. Nolan films reviewed above, this is the best.

Recommended for anyone who likes a complex cerebral film.

So there you have it, my friends. Enjoy your movie night!

Join my other patrons on my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23011206.
Leave a tip to the tip jar at PayPal to http://paypal.me/lisamasonthewriter.
My second collection, ODDITIES: 22 Stories, is on Kindle worldwide including in the US, in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback in the US, in the UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan. New! in Australia

CHROME is in U.S. print as a beautiful trade paperback. Also in U.K. print, in German print, in French print, in Spanish print, in Italian print, in Japanese print and NEW! in Australia.. The ebook is on US Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, and on UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, India Kindle, Germany Kindle, France Kindle, Spain Kindle, Italy Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, Japan Kindle, Brazil Kindle, and Mexico Kindle.
Find the Print book of SUMMER OF LOVE in the U.S., U.K.,  France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and New in Print in Australia The ebook is on US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands.

Film Reviews of “Wonder Woman 1984”, “Birds of Prey”, and “Charlie’s Angels” Lisa Mason #filmcritic #writer #sciencefictionandfantasy #novels #publishedstories #screenplays

Our last Movie Night, in May, was a Girls’ Power Night. We loved the first Wonder Woman movie and were eager to see “Wonder Woman 1984”. About “Birds of Prey” and “Charlie’s Angels”, I’d heard mostly good things on Facebook so we were eager to see those, too. A good movie night was had by all, with some disappointment along the way.

The first Wonder Woman was helmed by writer-director Patty Jenkins and WW84 was, too. The first WW was fresh and action-packed with the gorgeous Gal Gadot.

This time Patty Jenkins is listed first as the screenwriter, on the next line Geoff Johns, and on the next line Dave Callaham, joined by “&”. When you have a screen collaboration by two (or more) writers, you will see the names on one line joined by an “and”. The separate lines for the names and the “&” means the subsequent writers added enough, or changed the first script enough, to warrant screen credit.

In other words, there were three iterations of the screenplay. Jenkins should have hired a fourth writer, a strict script doctor, for a fourth iteration to kill some of her darlings.

Because after the dynamic opening—a past-history sequence showing Diana in a competition as a child, and a present sequence, showing glimpses of Wonder Woman taking care of a present-day crisis—the film slows to a crawl (like “Tenet” in my previous film review).

As usual, you can read the whole plot on Wikipedia—I won’t reprise it here—but the problem is too many subplots. Unconvincing subplots. The main premise focuses on the Dreamstone, an ancient artifact with the power to grant one person one wish. Many critics have pointed out this is a cliché, but I was willing to consider the premise. (A missed opportunity: when Maxwell steals the Dreamstone, there is a large ring that once held the stone with writing inside. WW should have slipped on the ring as a bracelet and gotten more powers. That didn’t happen.)

Sadly, the twists and turns of the premise turn out to be not so twisty. Diana (WW) wishes for a deceased lover. The romance premise keeps her in civilian clothes and passive for most of the movie. And presents one controversial problem—her dead lover reincarnates into a presently living man. Some critics point out that the scene of Diana having sex with her dead lover is rape of the living man. That doesn’t bother me so much (sorry, guys) as the trope of body-switching. I wish it had been done better.

The subplot of the “cheetah woman” left me queasy.

Tom said he didn’t like seeing Diana cry or Wonder Woman beaten up.

The scenes of the failed entrepreneur, Maxwell, wanting his young son’s love were unconvincing. The son doesn’t resemble Maxwell—with the mother lacking, a serious casting mistake.

We (correctly) guessed the ending about half an hour to forty-five minutes before the film finished. I shouted at the screen, “Get on with it! Don’t drag it out!” The director didn’t get on with it, she dragged it out. Sigh.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, WW84 “underperformed” in the international BO, even considering the pandemic. THR also reports that a third WW movie is underway. Let’s hope Patty Jenkins hires that script doctor this time.

Recommended only for fans of Wonder Woman. The nice homage to a Wonder Woman Past midway through the credits was a nice touch.

Next up, “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” with Margot Robbie as the title character showing off a zany side of her acting that didn’t manifest in “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood”.

The film is based on a cartoon and, probably appropriately, is cartoonish, gangsterish, and super-violent. As usual, you can look up the full plot on Wikipedia. Midway through the plot, though, the story gets serious and involves some bonding friendship, much to the film’s credit. The story pretty much stays focused on the main plot.

The “Birds of Prey” vigilante group of kick-ass women is formed at the very end, opening the way to a sequel.

Some critics loved it, some hated it. The film underperformed at the international BO, not earning back its budget.

Recommended only for fans of super-violent cartoon movies. We sort of liked it.

Last up, “Charlie’s Angels” (2019). This is another vigilante women’s group pioneered on television in the late Sixties and Seventies.

In this iteration, the three leads are very appealing and the main thriller plot stays on focus. The film has described as an “action-comedy”.

As usual, you can read the entire plot on Wikipedia. I won’t reprise it here.

There is plenty of female braininess, female physical power, and female bonding.

There is even a huge surprise twist at the end, which WW84 and Birds of Prey lacked.

Of the three films, this was the best.

Recommended for fans of female-centered, action films.

So there you have it, my friends. An enjoyable Movie Night was had by all.

Visit me at www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, reviews, interviews, blogs, roundtables, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, worldwide links, and more!
Join my other patrons on my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23011206.
Leave a tip to the tip jar at PayPal to http://paypal.me/lisamasonthewriter.
My second collection, ODDITIES: 22 Stories, is on Kindle worldwide including in the US, in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback in the US, in the UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan. New in AustraliaCHROME is in U.S. print as a beautiful trade paperback. Also in U.K. print, in German print, in French print, in Spanish print, in Italian print, in Japanese print and NEW! in Australia.. The ebook is on US Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, and on UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, India Kindle, Germany Kindle, France Kindle, Spain Kindle, Italy Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, Japan Kindle, Brazil Kindle, and Mexico Kindle.
Find the Print book of SUMMER OF LOVE in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and New In Print in . New in Print inAustralia The ebook is on US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle worldwide in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands.

One Day in the Life of Alexa, My Novel Is In Print and an Ebook, Has Got New Reviews! Five Stars! Lisa Mason #SFWApro #SFWAauthor #Longevity #Aging #WarRefugees #FarFuture #killervirus #viruspandemic

From Goodreads came the first review of One Day in the Life of Alexa:
“One Day in the Life of Alexa, by Lisa Mason (Bast Books) incorporates lively prose, past/present time jumps, and the consequences of longevity technology. Kosovo refugee Alexa enrolls in a secret pilot program designed to extend her life span. Her best friend, Marya, is not accepted, but Marya’s infant aka “Little Monster” is. As the decades roll by, Alexa adapts to a life of constant measurement and surveillance. [Plot spoilers omitted] In reflection, the book is as much about the enduring trauma of war as it is about longevity technology, and in this it feels more like mainstream than science fiction. Mason’s skill as a writersustainsa quick, absorbing read with an appealing narrator and subtly powerful emotional rhythms (like the repeated refrain, “No matter how long I live, I will always remember this”)”
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35200314-one-day-in-the-life-of-alexa#other_reviews
5.0 out of 5 starsLisa Mason doesn’t disappoint us on that issue and gives us a look …
By R Bruce Miller on October 1, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
“Scifi is nominally about the future and the impact of technology on society. Lisa Mason doesn’t disappoint us on that issue and gives us a look at a desirable biotechnology with some serious long-term and unforeseen consequences. However, like all the truly great scifi writers, what she really writes about is you and me and today and what is really important in life. Alexa lives an improbable life and yet, somehow, is a very real everywoman. Solzhenitsyn would have appreciated the homage. Cats! Grow your own organic food! Yes, there is much fun to be had on this journey, but the message nonetheless is solid and important. I enjoyed every word even though this book spoiled my day because I had no choice but to read it in one sitting while drinking too much coffee.”
And here’s another five-star review:
“[Alexa] finds her internal resource that allows her to survive many more days in a much more uplifting manner than poor Ivan Denisovich. Discovering where her strengths [lie] is not depressing but uplifting for this reader.”
“I truly loved Alexa. The homage to Solzhenitsyn was wonderfully well done. Your concept and characters were on the mark and very timely. Bravo!”
Book Description:
Brand New Review (as of March 14, 2021):
One Day in the Life of Alexa (2017) 218 pages by Lisa Mason
GenGineer Laboratories created Longeva. A drug that promises to stave off the effects of aging. Alexa was in the first trial group to get it and eighty years later she is still sending in her daily test results. Told in a series of flashbacks we learn how Alexa went from refugee to tester and how she survived war, Marya, side effects, terrorism, natural disaster, accidents and life in general.
Short novel, it went fast. Well paced. So many dismal things happen that it could have just been depressing, but it never reached that point. Is it about greedy drug companies? No. Is it about denying empty calories in order to stay healthy? No. It’s many interesting scenes that kept the pages turning and explain how she went from refugee to where we find her in chapter one. 4.5 stars.
https://sfbookreview.blogspot.com/2021/03/one-day-in-life-of-alexa-by-lisa-mason.html
One Day in the Life of Alexa is an ebook on US Kindle (and at Kindle worldwide) at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711PP65J
One Day in the Life of Alexa is a beautiful trade paperback on Amazon US (and in seven other countries) at https://www.amazon.com/One-Life-Alexa-Lisa-Mason/dp/1546783091
Alexa Denisovitch, a refugee from Kosovo during the 1999 war, is just seventeen when she is accepted by GenGineer Laboratories as a Tester for Longeva, a revolutionary additive that may significantly extend her longevity.
But becoming a Tester has unintended consequences and Longeva causes devastating unforeseen side effects.
Confronting environmental, political, and personal perils of the future, Alexa must grapple with the tough questions of life, love, and death.
So there you have it, my friends. The novel is short, but I took a long time researching and writing it.
First Inspiration? A neighbor had a baby. Every time I saw both of them, the mom was pushing the baby was in a stroller. It seemed like I saw them for a long time, exactly like that. Then the mom and her baby moved away, and, in my imagination, the baby never grew up. From there, the story took off.
One Day in the Life of Alexa is in Print in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Japan.
Now an ebook on BarnesandNoble, Kobo, Apple, and Smashwords!
One Day in the Life of Alexa is also offered as a Kindle ebook at US Kindle, UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, France Kindle, Germany Kindle, Italy Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, Spain Kindle, Brazil Kindle, Mexico Kindle, India Kindle, and Japan Kindle.
Visit me at www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, worldwide links, beautiful covers, reviews, interviews, blogs, round-tables, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, and more!

ODDITIES: 22 Stories by Lisa Mason #publishedstories #magazinestories #anthologystories #storycollection #sciencefiction #fantasy #historicalfiction #fandsf #asimovs #omni #immortalunicorn #impossiblestories #dailysciencefiction

Here You Enter
Yesterday, Tomorrow & Fantasy
When I was mulling over stories to publish in my second collection, I noticed the stories fell into historical, futuristic, and fantasy categories.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories includes those previously published in Omni Magazine, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Full Spectrum 5, The Shimmering Door, Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn, David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible, Not One of Us Fiction and Poetry Journal, and Daily Science Fiction, plus six new stories.
“I find myself constantly surprised by the breadth of styles, places, and characters in this collection. ….sometimes you want to be surprised; and that’s what Ms. Mason delivers in this collection…. Like Ray Bradbury’s short stories, these never fail to surprise you with little sparkles and occasional rockets going off and spreading happy fireworks in your brain!”–Amazing Stories Online Review
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is on Kindle worldwide including in the US, in theUK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, in theNetherlands, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan.
ODDITIES: 22 Stories is in Print as a beautiful trade paperback in the US, in theUK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan.
Donate at paypal at http://paypal.me/lisamasonthewriter
Join my other patrons on my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23011206.
Visit me at www.lisamason.com updated for 2021 for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, beautiful covers, reviews, interviews, blogs, round tables, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, worldwide links, and more!

Updated for 2021! Publishers Weekly Review of Chrome, the New SF Novel by Lisa Mason. And More Reviews #LisaMason #SFWApro #SFWAauthor #CHROME #novel #speculativefiction #sciencefiction #womenssciencefiction #geneticengineering #CRSPRtechnology #offworld

 

 

Updated for 2021! Now a print book in seven countries and an ebook on Kindle worldwide!New Publishers Weekly Featured Review: “Mason entertains and elicits fascinating questions about human nature in this fast-paced, action-packed science fiction adventure.….The colorful cast raises the question of which ancestry is more savage: that of animals or humans? (CHROME reads) like a cinematic sibling of The Island of Doctor Moreau. Readers ….will be hooked.”
“An excellent semi-noir full-on SF work by a terrific author, Lisa Mason. . . .a science-fiction homage, in part, to the noir books and movies of the forties and fifties, only brought forth into a future time a quarter-millennium from now. . .  a fully-realized society.” Amazing Stories Online https://www.amazingstories.com/2019/12/my-last-column-lisa-masons-chrome-and-fsf-nov-dec-2019/
A Reader Review of Chrome:
“So Walter Mosley reread Animal Farm and The Island of Dr Moreau and says to himself, “Oh, yes indeed, I’ve got a terrific idea for my next best seller.” But! Lisa says, “Hold on, hot stuff. You’re too late. Chrome is already on the streets. Haha!”
Wow! I just tore through Chrome. So much fun. Oh, I guess I should take a time-out to say that it was very well-written too, but I was enjoying the characters and the story so much that the superb writing simply did its job and I had to consciously reflect to notice the excellent and clever construction and reveals. Uh, isn’t that the definition of good writing?
I’m not usually a fan of sequels, but could we please have at least one more romp with Ms Lightfoot and her sidekick Terralina?”
Yes, I’m working next on the second CHROME book and a third book to round out a trilogy, plus a prequel novella. LIBERATION DAY, which will explore the mysteries of the events leading up to freeing of the Blends from their cages.
The CHROME cover, by San Francisco artist Tom Robinson, is comprised of a dozen different elements which Tom carefully researched. We think the imagery looks kind of mid-century. I love the color scheme.
CHROME is in U.S. print as a beautiful trade paperback. Also in U.K. print, in German print, in French print, in Spanish print, in Italian print, and in Japanese print.
The ebook is on US Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, and on UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, India Kindle, Germany Kindle, France Kindle, Spain Kindle, Italy Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, Japan Kindle, Brazil Kindle, and Mexico Kindle.
Join my other patrons on my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23011206.
Leave a tip to the tip jar at PayPal to http://paypal.me/lisamasonthewriter.
Visit me at www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, reviews, interviews, blogs, roundtables, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, worldwide links, and more!

Strange Ladies: 7 Stories Lisa Mason “A Must-Read Collection” The San Francisco Review of Books Is in Print and an Ebook Worldwide New Reviews #SFWApro #SFWAauthor #storycollection #fantasyandsciencefiction #publishedfiction #shortstories #publishedstories

Updated for 2021! Published in print in seven countries and as an ebook on eighteen markets worldwide.
As I mulled over my published short fiction (now forty stories) for my first collection, I found seven wildly different stories with one thing in common–a heroine totally unlike me. I’m the girl next door. I have no idea where these strange ladies came from.
In The Oniomancer (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine), a Chinese-American punk bicycle messenger finds an artifact on the street. In Guardian (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine), an African-American gallerist resorts to voodoo to confront a criminal. In Felicitas (Desire Burn: Women Writing from the Dark Side of Passion [Carroll and Graf]), an immigrant faces life as a cat shapeshifter. In Stripper (Unique Magazine), an exotic dancer battles the Mob. In Triad (Universe 2 [Bantam]), Dana Anad lives half the time as a woman, half the time as a man, and falls in love with a very strange lady. In Destination (Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction), a driver takes three strangers from a ride board on a cross-country trip as the radio reports that a serial killer is on the loose. In Transformation and the Postmodern Identity Crisis (Fantastic Alice [Ace]), Alice considers life after Wonderland.
Five stars on Facebook and Amazon! “Great work, Lisa Mason!”
“Hilarious, provocative, profound.”
From Jeanne-Mary Allen, Author on Facebook and the Book Brothers Blog: “Kyle Wylde and I are thrilled to have found such a talented, dedicated, and brilliant collection of shorts in Strange Ladies: 7 Stories…Your style/craft is highly impressive.”
From the San Francisco Book Review: “Strange Ladies: 7 Stories offers everything you could possibly want, from more traditional science fiction and fantasy tropes to thought-provoking explorations of gender issues and pleasing postmodern humor…This is a must-read collection.” http://anotheruniverse.com/strange-ladies-7-stories/
From the Book Brothers Review Blog: “Lisa Mason might just be the female Philip K. Dick. Like Dick, Mason’s stories are far more than just sci-fi tales, they are brimming with insight into human consciousness and the social condition….Strange Ladies: 7 Storiesis a sci-fi collection of excellent quality. If you like deeply crafted worlds with strange, yet relatable characters, then you won’t want to miss it.” http://www.thebookbrothers.com/2013/09/the-book-brothers-review-strange.html#more
And on Amazon:5.0 out of 5 starsThis one falls in the must-read category, an appellation that I rarely use.
“I have been a fan of Lisa Mason from the beginning of her writing career, but I confess that I often overlook her short fiction. That turns out to have been a big mistake! I have just read Strange Ladies thinking I would revisit a few old friends and discover a few I had missed. Well, I had missed more than I had thought, and I regret that oversight. This collection was so much fun! I loved each and every story and enjoyed their unique twists, turns, and insights. I thank Ms Mason especially, though, for the high note ending with the big smiles in Transformation and the Postmodern Identity Crisis. Uh oh, I guess I still am a child of the summer of love. Well played. You made me laugh at the world and myself.”
“I’m quite impressed, not only by the writing, which gleams and sparkles, but also by [Lisa Mason’s] versatility . . . Mason is a wordsmith . . . her modern take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland is a hilarious gem! [This collection] sparkles, whirls, and fizzes. Mason is clearly a writer to follow!”—Amazing Stories
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat collection that will make you think
Format: Kindle Edition
“My definition of a good short story is one that you keep thinking about for days, and this book had several of them.”
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories (“A must-read collection—The San Francisco Review of Books). On Nook, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo.
On Kindle at US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands.
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories is in Print in the U.S., in the U.K., in Germany, in France, in Spain, in Italy, and in Japan.
Join my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23011206. I’ve got lots of goodies there for you with more on the way.
Visit me at www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, worldwide links, beautiful covers, reviews, interviews, blogs, round-tables, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, and more!

One Day in the Life of Alexa, My Novella Is In Print and an Ebook, Has Got New Reviews! Five Stars! Lisa Mason #SFWApro #SFWAauthor #Longevity #Aging #WarRefugees #FarFuture #killervirus #viruspandemic

 

 

From Goodreads came the first review of One Day in the Life of Alexa:
“One Day in the Life of Alexa, by Lisa Mason (Bast Books) incorporates lively prose, past/present time jumps, and the consequences of longevity technology. Kosovo refugee Alexa enrolls in a secret pilot program designed to extend her life span. Her best friend, Marya, is not accepted, but Marya’s infant aka “Little Monster” is. As the decades roll by, Alexa adapts to a life of constant measurement and surveillance. [Plot spoilers omitted] In reflection, the book is as much about the enduring trauma of war as it is about longevity technology, and in this it feels more like mainstream than science fiction. Mason’s skill as a writersustainsa quick, absorbing read with an appealing narrator and subtly powerful emotional rhythms (like the repeated refrain, “No matter how long I live, I will always remember this”)”
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35200314-one-day-in-the-life-of-alexa#other_reviews
5.0 out of 5 starsLisa Mason doesn’t disappoint us on that issue and gives us a look …
By R Bruce Miller on October 1, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
“Scifi is nominally about the future and the impact of technology on society. Lisa Mason doesn’t disappoint us on that issue and gives us a look at a desirable biotechnology with some serious long-term and unforeseen consequences. However, like all the truly great scifi writers, what she really writes about is you and me and today and what is really important in life. Alexa lives an improbable life and yet, somehow, is a very real everywoman. Solzhenitsyn would have appreciated the homage. Cats! Grow your own organic food! Yes, there is much fun to be had on this journey, but the message nonetheless is solid and important. I enjoyed every word even though this book spoiled my day because I had no choice but to read it in one sitting while drinking too much coffee.”
And here’s another five-star review, and then I’ll let you decide:
“[Alexa] finds her internal resource that allows her to survive many more days in a much more uplifting manner than poor Ivan Denisovich. Discovering where her strengths [lie] is not depressing but uplifting for this reader.” On US Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711PP65J
“I truly loved Alexa. The homage to Solzhenitsyn was wonderfully well done. Your concept and characters were on the mark and very timely. Bravo!”
Book Description:
Alexa Denisovitch, a refugee from Kosovo during the 1999 war, is just seventeen when she is accepted by GenGineer Laboratories as a Tester for Longeva, a revolutionary additive that may significantly extend her longevity.
But becoming a Tester has unintended consequences and Longeva causes devastating unforeseen side effects.
Confronting environmental, political, and personal perils of the future, Alexa must grapple with the tough questions of life, love, and death.
So there you have it, my friends. The novel is short, but I took a long time researching and writing it.
One Day in the Life of Alexa is in Print in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Japan.
Now an ebook on BarnesandNoble, Kobo, Apple, and Smashwords!
One Day in the Life of Alexa is also offered as a Kindle ebook at US Kindle, UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, France Kindle, Germany Kindle, Italy Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, Spain Kindle, Brazil Kindle, Mexico Kindle, India Kindle, and Japan Kindle.
Join my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23011206. I’ve posted delightful new stories, previously published stories, book excerpts, movie critiques and recommendations, and more exclusively for my patrons.
Visit me at www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, worldwide links, beautiful covers, reviews, interviews, blogs, round-tables, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, and more!

More Five-star Reviews of Cyberweb (Sequel to Arachne) In Print in Seven Countries and Also An Ebook on Eighteen Retailers Worldwide! #LisaMason #SFWApro #SFWAauthor #novel #cyberpunk #artificialintelligence #sciencefiction #womenssciencefiction #SanFranci

I just discovered two five-star reviews of CYBERWEB while I was collecting the print links. This book was originally published in hardcover by William Morrow, trade paperback by Eos, and mass paperback by AvoNova.
Now a new trade paperback from Bast Books, CYBERWEB is the sequel to ARACHNE.
4.0 out of 5 starsDEEPER THAN DEEP
Format: Paperback
On re-reading CYBERWEB a year later, I don’t think my first review does it justice. The writer has peeled off the difference between conscious robots and flesh and blood man. Almost without fanfare the robots are provided with souls. Her mechanical characters are given both consciousness and emotion. Their only difference to man is in their composition. This becomes very clear when the outmoded Spinner character uploads herself into Patina’s flashy, lifeless bodywork.
I MUST NOW RATE THIS BOOK FIVE STARS.
The writer, thus, dives deeply into the unseen world that controls man’s apparent freewill existence. By using mainframes as purposeful beasts, seeking to control fleshy man, some very deep philosophical questions are posed. She leaves it up to the reader to fill in the blanks to this very entertaining and thoughtful story.
THE OLD REVIEW READ:
Mason leads her cyberpunk reader into the arena of sci-fi comics. It’s not possible for humans to grasp the feelings and desires of these robot characters but it’s still a lot of fun to try. She challenges your imagination to follow her characters’ avatars, cones, cubes and three headed chimeras as they flit in and out of cyberspace. But hard questions are run up the flagpole. Can bodiless people exist in this virtual world of telespace? Can a soul exist in a nonorganic body? Should robots be discarded like machines when a new model arrives? Can our culture continue to absorb the changes computer power is unleashing? Is our reality but an extension of the bits composing telespace? Even the questions of what consciousness might consist of and whether it is really an advantage to being born as flesh and blood. She makes no attempt to answer these questions but even considering them makes this book a very creative endeavor. You could certainly invest your time on a much less entertaining story. Also it is short and sweet.
5.0 out of 5 starsInteresting…pretty cool actually…
Format: Paperback
Cyberweb is a pretty nifty cyberpunk novel…lots of interesting ideas..
So there you have it, my friends. One reader at a time…..
CYBERWEB is back in print in the U.S. at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1984356941
In the U.K. at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1984356941
In Germany at https://www.amazon.de/dp/1984356941
In France at https://www.amazon.fr/dp/1984356941
In Spain at https://www.amazon.es/dp/1984356941
In Italy at https://www.amazon.it/dp/1984356941
In Japan at https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/1984356941
Cyberweb is an ebook on US Kindle, BarnesandNoble, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords.
Cyberweb is also on UK Kindle, Canada Kindle, Australia Kindle, Brazil Kindle, France Kindle, Germany Kindle, India Kindle, Italy Kindle, Japan Kindle, Mexico Kindle, Netherlands Kindle, and Spain Kindle.
Join my other patrons on my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=23011206 for delightful brand-new and previously published stories, writing tips, book excerpts, movie recommendations, and more exclusively for my hero-patrons.
Leave a tip at the tip jar on PayPal to http://paypal.me/lisamasonthewriter.
Visit me at www.lisamason.com for all my books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, beautiful covers, reviews, interviews, blogs, roundtables, adorable cat pictures, forthcoming works, fine art and bespoke jewelry by my husband Tom Robinson, worldwide links, and more!