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Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for February 2021

It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie and small press authors (as well as the occasional Big 5 book) newly published this month, though some January books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

Once again, we have new releases covering the whole broad spectrum of speculative fiction. This month, we have epic fantasy, urban fantasy, sword and sorcery, paranormal mystery, paranormal romance, fantasy romance, science fiction romance, science fiction thrillers, space opera, military science fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, dystopian fiction, Cyberpunk, Steampunk, historical horror, LitRPG, magical realism, fairy tales retellings, dragons, elves, mermaids, superheroes, aliens, UFOs, interstellar wars, intergalactic smugglers, headless horsemen, matriarchical werewolves, crime-busting witches, crime-busting ghosts, lovelorn cupids and much more.

Don’t forget that Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month is also crossposted to the Speculative Fiction Showcase, a group blog run by Jessica Rydill and myself, which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things speculative fiction several times per week.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

Conviction by Jennifer Blackstream:

Shade’s FBI partner has shot a kelpie.
Again.
And this time, the law may not be on his side…

Agent Andrew Bradford once used deadly force to stop a kelpie from kidnapping a human teenager. And now Shade has gotten a call saying he’s done it again. Flesh-eating kelpie dead, human victim saved.

At least, he thinks that’s what happened.

He doesn’t remember.

His inability to clearly recall the night’s events forces Shade to seek answers among the monsters of the Otherworld. She’ll have to question scheming leannan sidhe, malicious waterhorses, and take a dangerous step into the world of vampire politics.

Otherworlders are nothing if not opportunistic. And there are plenty of powerful players ready to take advantage of Shade’s desperation to do whatever it takes to save her partner…

The Wolf of Rajala by Richard Blakemore and Cora Buhlert:

Before Kurval became King of Azakoria, he was a wandering mercenary and monster slayer for hire.

One day, Kurval is hired to take out the monstrous wolves that have been besetting the village of Rajala. However, he quickly finds that the wolves are not what they seem. He also realises that the wolves have a very good reason for attacking the villagers…

This is a novelette of 8700 words or approx. 30 print pages in the Kurval sword and sorcery series, but may be read as a standalone. Includes an introduction and afterword.

Mercadia Stalling by Shaka Bry:

Immortality takes time. Armageddon is inevitable. Love is somewhere in-between.

In a faraway fairy tale world, the first mermaids and merliens are evolving. Maya, the newly crowned queen of Mercadia, is learning how to rule. Hermann, freshly immortal, is brimming with strange feelings. When they meet, sparks will fly.

Mercadia’s magic is vanishing. An apocalypse is brewing. To save their species, explorers are going to have to step up. Someone will have to risk everything and travel through a portal to an ocean realm called Earth.

Before they had tails, mermaids and merliens basked in the glow of eternal life. Existence is about to accelerate.

Secrets of the Sword III by Lindsay Buroker:

I’m Val Thorvald, tough butt-kicking assassin and soon-to-be wife of Lord Zavryd’nokquetal. He’s a dragon from another world, and he’s haughty, arrogant, and has horrible taste in footwear, but I love him. Our wedding is going to be amazing.

At least… I’d like to think so. But when the coffee shop I’m a co-owner of gets bombed, our youngest employee goes missing, and the entire elven family I didn’t know I had shows up for a visit, my wedding preparations take an alarming turn.

Oh, and did I mention that Zav’s clan is coming to the wedding? Dozens of dragons flying into the Seattle area. What could possibly go wrong?

Cupid by Delmeza Carlton:

As a Cupid, Orel has plenty of experience helping other people find love, even if he’s unlucky in that department. But when he ends up covering for another Cupid at a speed dating event for singles in the leadup to Valentine’s Day, he dares to hope.

Can a lonely Cupid find love?

Or will he fall victim to the Cupid curse, too?

 

Heather’s Marauders by M.D. Cooper:

When the Alliance calls in the ISF Mech Corps, they never know what the situation might hold, but one thing is always for certain: the shit has hit the fan.

Heather had never even heard of the Tchyros System until orders came in from the Hegemon herself; an urgent message to deploy an entire division of mechs into the system with orders to put down an insurrection before it topples the democratically elected government.

A simple enough task for her mechs, but Heather knows that if she’s going in, then the situation on the ground will be far from clear cut—and her suspicions hold true upon arrival.

‘Murky’ doesn’t even begin to describe the situation and as Heather attempts to determine who is in the right, the Marauders find themselves in the middle of a three-way battle for control of the system with no clear path to peace.

If the Marauders are to keep the system from falling into utter chaos, Heather will need to…to… come up with a hell of a plan.

If only she knew what that was.

Pagan’s Veil by Matt Eaton:

Washington Times-Herald reporter Edna Drake receives an anonymous tip about a classified government program in possession of a fully functional flying saucer.

But before she can publish she’ll need to prove it, which won’t be easy.

It’s 1952… the flying saucer frenzy is at its peak. Sightings are through the roof across America.

Nobody knows what’s going on, least of all the government.

Yet Drake is sure President Harry Truman and the US Air Force know a lot more than they’re willing to admit.

Standing between her and the truth is retired soldier and wartime spymaster ‘Wild’ Bill Donovan.

Donovan is worried America will end up at war with the Soviet Union if Drake gets too close.

Pagan’s Veil brings you face-to-face with the men who’ll do anything to keep their secrets under wraps.

Dagger of Doom by Rachel Ford:

A fully immersive virtual reality system. A beta testing opportunity that’s the stuff of dreams – or a nightmare that may never end.

Jack Owens has been stuck in Marshfield Studio’s newest virtual reality RPG for so long that his mind is starting to break down the barriers between his real body and his avatar.

In-game, things aren’t looking any better. The greatest evil the world has ever known is coming back, and it’s turned heroes everywhere to stone. Men, elves, and dwarves cower in their holds as the coming darkness looms. The only thing holding the wolves at bay? Jack and his merry band of ne’er-do-wells: a pair of purse-cutting goblins, a morally ambiguous ranger, and a throat-cutting giant.

While Jack works with Marshfield Studio to save his mind in real life, he has to work with his in-game team to rescue the world’s heroes, and save the day. If they can keep from plying their dark trades on each other long enough to survive, anyway…

Weapons Free by Daniel Gibbs:

Thirty-five years of peace. One vicious attack destroys it all.

Reservist Lieutenant Justin Spencer loves every minute of flying fighters through space during his annual two-week tour with the Coalition Defense Force. The job back home isn’t nearly as thrilling as blowing up asteroids with the squadron under his command, but it keeps him close to his wife and daughter. After all, joining the CDF was only for the free education. Justin never expected a battle, much less a war.

With one shot across his cockpit, peacetime fades into memory.

An unexpected enemy emerges with overwhelming force designed to obliterate the Terran Coalition. The League of Sol has a different name, but it’s the same communist regime that chased away much of Earth’s population hundreds of years ago.

Illusions of returning home are shattered in a single instant. Simulated battles become all too real, and it’s full-on engagement or permanent elimination. Death and destruction erupt across the Terran Coalition and leave Justin in a protracted war with only one truth remaining.

The battlefield will leave no one unscathed.

Reign of the Colossus by Nicole Grotepas:

How many enemies can one hero have?

The faces of Holly Drake’s foes have never been so clear, yet so out of reach.

As kinks stop the flow of cash towards Holly’s goals to build her own empire, she must choose between solidifying her standing against the growing forces of evil…

…or saving her crew.

Never got enough of Firefly? Already longing for a new season of The Mandalorian? Then dip into this entertaining cast of characters and space adventure and grab your copy of Reign of the Colossus today!

All the Pretty Witches by Lily Harper Hart:

Hannah Hickok was looking for adventure when she inherited Casper Creek from her grandmother.

She got more than she was bargaining for.

Now she’s grappling with two ancient sister witches, both of whom are inhabiting the bodies of others, and a war is brewing.

Hannah knows she has to fight on the side of good but she’s not certain their ally has anybody’s best interests at heart, and it has her faltering. On top of everything, there’s a new demon on the loose and he appears to have joined sides with the dark witch who wants to end them all.

Life has never been easy for Hannah but it’s harder than ever for her now. The magic she’s only recently discovered is taking hold … and growing. That makes her an appealing target for the sister witches should they want a stronger body to leap into.

Cooper Wyatt loves Hannah with his whole heart but fear has gripped him by the throat. He wants to help Hannah with her battle but he’s not sure what he has to offer … other than loyalty. He will protect her with his dying breath, although she’s determined to make sure that’s not necessary.

Ancient evil is about to take on a powerful new witch. Who will be left standing? It’s anybody’s guess.

Project Charon 1. Re-Entry by Patty Jansen:

On the backwater world of Cayelle, Tina Freeman runs a shop with her son Rex: fifteen years old, half-human, half-android with a massive chip on his shoulder about having been born without arms or legs.

The shop makes a modest profit, but when a creditor turns up wanting his money back, everything goes pear-shaped.

She needs money, and needs it fast. Another creditor is impossible to find. That leaves her one option: to return to the world she fled fifteen years ago and Kelso Space Station, where her spaceship has languished for over fifteen years, and finally sell the thing.

Tina worked as scientific officer in the Federacy Force’s top secret Project Charon, and was forced out when she rang alarm bells about particles that escaped out of a rift to another universe.

As it turns out, the alien dust has been infecting people in her absence, causing profound changes in human behaviour.

When Tina re-surfaces at Kelso, her presence is a threat to those who still defend the project, including her ex-husband, and they want to shut her up, but her continued silence may well mean the end of civilisation.

The Last Exit by Michael Kaufman:

Set in Washington D.C. in the near future, climate change has hit hard, fires are burning, unemployment is high, and controversial longevity treatments are only available to the very rich. Enter resourceful young police detective, Jen B. Lu, and her ‘partner’, Chandler, a SIM implant in her brain and her instant link to the Internet and police records, and constant voice inside her head. He’s an inquisitive tough guy, with a helluva sense of humor and his own ideas about solving crimes.

As a detective in the Elder Abuse unit, Jen is supposed to be investigating kids pushing their aging parents to “exit” so they are eligible to get the longevity drug. But what really has her attention are the persistent rumors about Eden, an illegal version of the longevity drug, and the bizarre outbreak of people aging almost overnight, then suddenly dying–is this all connected? Is Big Pharma involved?

When Jen’s investigations of Eden take her too close to the truth, she is suspended, Chandler is deactivated, and her boyfriend is freaked out by “the thing inside her brain.” This leaves Jen to pursue a very dangerous investigation all by herself.

Fire Fight by B.V. Larson:

The colonies of the Faustian Chain have gone dark. No star freighters have come from the star cluster for decades.

Captain Bill Gorman, a smuggler on the Fringe, is one of the few who know the truth. He’s personally battled the alien invaders who’ve overrun the human colonies of the Chain. He and his crew are faced with a choice: will they fight the invaders, or will they run?

Find out in FIRE FIGHT, the thrilling sequel to STAR RUNNER.

Extinction Protocol: Rogue by Marc Landau:

They rule with a cold-steel heart and an iron fist. But these technological terrors haven’t reckoned with the revenge brewing in one man’s soul.

Harkly Colson has only a tenuous grasp on his humanity. Living off the grid after the war with the machines cost him his family, the grizzled veteran clings to his few pleasant memories of the time before mechanized oppression. But when a rare trip into town goes sideways and a female cyborg shows up near his home, he fears the ruthless rulers have sent an assassin in judgment.

Discovering the girl is an escapee from an experimental facility, Hark takes her in and tries to nurture her human side. But with computerized killers seeking them both, rescuing the young hybrid may prove to be a fatal mistake.

Will Hark’s last chance for redemption come with a lethal price?

Rogue is the first book in the gripping Extinction Protocol post-apocalyptic science fiction series. If you like futuristic combat, determined fugitives, and rising up against the state, then you’ll love Marc Landau’s dark vision.

Freaky Mage by Amanda M. Lee:

The members Mystic Caravan have Georgia on their minds as they land in Savannah … and immediately find trouble.

In a city full of ghosts, Poet Parker expects a few magical things to happen, but when an evil cult sacrifices a young woman on the beach next to their camp, things take a turn nobody was expecting. Thankfully, she’s not alone for this fight.

Zoe Lake-Winters is considered the most powerful mage in existence. She’s brash, full of herself, and ready for a brawl. When she and her husband bring their daughter to the circus, Poet is immediately intrigued. She can feel the power rippling off Zoe, and it’s the sort of power that can force a reckoning.

The cult has magic, but it’s not enough to frighten Poet. It’s what they’re protecting that has everybody in a tizzy. It seems there’s a door to another plane, and the enemy trying to cross over to a world they were driven from is significant.

With Zoe and her mouthy daughter Sami on the prowl, Mystic Caravan is in a tumultuous state. On top of her normal worries, Poet also has to contend with her boyfriend Kade Denton, who is delighted to have another mage to learn from even as he struggles to trust his new abilities.

Magic is might, and there’s magic bubbling at every corner of Mystic Caravan. That’s a good thing because for the final fight they’re going to need every ounce of it they can muster.

Worlds are about to collide, and nobody will ever be the same again.

Vengeance and Dinner by Sophie Love:

Marie Fortune, 39, a successful dog groomer in Boston, leaves the stressful life behind and heads to a small town in coastal Maine to create a new life. She remains intent on renovating the old, historic house her great-aunt left her and giving it a new life as a B&B. Yet there was one thing she couldn’t plan for: the house is haunted. Two things, actually: her great-aunt also left her a dog—and he is far from a typical dog.

When Marie is invited to exorcise a supposedly haunted house, she encounters a twist she never could have anticipated. But before she can wrap her mind around the situation, a man turns up dead—forcing her to solve the case and to clear her own name.

New Moon Rising by Brandy Nacole:

Meet Tamsin Grey, witch extraordinaire…

At least, she would be if the High Council would heed her family’s warnings.

For decades her grandmother had tried warning the council that the supernatural races were not safe, especially the witches. She could feel the darkness that haunted the bloodlines, as could Tamsin as she got older.

A hopelessness often troubled Tamsin’s dreams, dreams filled with secrets hidden in the dark wood. Secrets the council had tried to hide. She feared for the witch’s future, as well as the other supernatural races, if she didn’t unravel the dreams meaning. But how?

It wasn’t until three years after her grandmother’s death and a life outside of Pyreshore, New Hampshire that she gets her chance. A letter inviting her to become a Keeper. It was the ticket she needed to bring her home and give her the opportunity to right a wrong so many chose to ignore.

But upon returning she finds that not only will she have to worry about the Witch’s Keeper watching her every move, but also Talon Strohm, son of the witches High Council. Talon tells Tamsin she can trust him but revealing the truth to him could put everything in jeopardy.

Tamsin will have to make a choice, trust Talon or let her only chance to save the witches slip away.

After all, every secret needs a Keeper

Kelianna by Leah Negron:

What my fellow countrymen do not realize is that the tales are true. From the leprechauns to the fairies, the banshees to the pooka, the merrow to the kelpie, the changelings to the far darrig, they all exist.

There are many more creatures; some of them are good and stand by us in the fight to keep the evil ones at bay. The others, the dark ones, try to destroy everything that is good in the world.

Now there is a new threat, one that I have never seen before. Thankfully, Tiamat sent word through the portals to warn me of what is coming.

It’s time to bring my forces together for the battle of a lifetime. It looks like it’s going to be one hell of a Bloody Valentine’s Day.

Choosing Cleo by Ava Paris:

This isn’t Sci-Fi. This is my lab.

He is a gorgeous Swede who has a couple of secrets, the biggest being that he isn’t a Swede at all, he’s an alien from another planet. She is a curious scientist who lives in her head, and who would never have imagined what she is about to discover.

Will he be able to help her break out of her head and into the world around her? Her world, which is slowly falling apart and needs her to come to the rescue? Together, will they be able to make a difference before it’s too late?

Tiamat by Serenity Rayne:

You would think I was living a fairy tale life. I live in my ancestral home high up in the mountains, and I am heir to the Ice Dragon throne. With the standard court drama and Prince’s trying to court me that don’t measure up to the man in my dreams, life can be quite stressful at times. But in the darkness, an old evil lurks, one we thought my mother Aurora had extinguished long ago. Villagers start going missing by my father Klaus’s pack lands, and all signs point to the Strigoi. Time to help mom and get my talons dirty; this will be one bloody Valentines Day.

 

Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons by Keith Rosson:

With Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons, award-winning author Keith Rosson once again delves into notions of family, identity, indebtedness, loss, and hope, with the surefooted merging of literary fiction and magical realism he’s explored in previous novels. In “Dunsmuir,” a newly sober husband buys a hearse to help his wife spread her sister’s ashes, while “The Lesser Horsemen” illustrates what happens when God instructs the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to go on a team-building cruise as a way of boosting their frayed morale. In “Brad Benske and the Hand of Light,” an estranged husband seeks his wife’s whereabouts through a fortuneteller after she absconds with a cult, and the returning soldier in “Homecoming” navigates the strange and ghostly confines of his hometown, as well as the boundaries of his own grief. With grace, imagination, and a brazen gallows humor, Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons merges the fantastic and the everyday, and includes new work as well as award-winning favorites.

Mermaid Song by Anthea Sharp:

Five delightful fairytale retellings from USA Today bestselling author Anthea Sharp. Featuring magical cats, romance, and a touch of wistful faerie enchantment, escape the everyday with these entertaining new twists on old tales.

Mistress Bootsi
A girl sets out to seek her fortune – and luckily, she has a clever cat for a companion, in this Puss in Boots retelling.

The Sea King’s Daughter
The Little Mermaid, reimagined in an ancient Celtic setting full of wild and bittersweet magic.

Faerie Song
A magical retelling of the Pied Piper, with a dark faerie twist.

Escape: A Liza Roth Adventure
A princess on the run and her feline companion find adventure and danger on Starhub Station in this story based on the Icelandic fairy tale Kisa the Cat.

Waltzed
A Victorian Cinderella retelling complete with an absent-minded Godmother, an orange carriage, and a slipper mishap. Prepare to be swept away into this (nonmagical) fairytale romance written under the pen name Anthea Lawson.

Headless 1776 by Tom Schneider:

THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN ORIGIN STORY

America wasn’t the only thing birthed in 1776. The year also gave rise to the brutal terror of the Headless Hessian.

Elijah sets off from Philadelphia to the village of North Tarrytown. There, his path leads to a showdown with the murderous horseman on All Hallows Eve, and his deeds give birth to a legend.

 

Bridget Bramble and the Wandering Elf by Aurora Springer:

Fantasy romance. A young witch escapes the destruction of her home and embarks on a perilous quest for the fabled land where elves and humans live in peace.

In a land threatened by cruel invaders from the east, Bridget Bramble lives in a small village where she barters herbs and carved buttons. When marauders target her village and murder her family, she flees into the woods. Armed with her Granny’s advice and a bag of magic buttons, she sets out on the perilous journey to Oakenwald, the fabled land where elves and men live in harmony. As she travels farther from home, she encounters malicious creatures from the worst kind of folktale.

Lost in the foothills of the mountains, Bridget meets the elf, Windswift the Wanderer. He offers to guide her across the mountain range. But what is the elf doing in human lands? Can an ordinary, or almost ordinary, human girl trust a cold hearted elf to lead her to safety?

Epic fantasy adventure and romance with darker overtones. This story weaves elements of folklore and a quest for a safe haven in a land where magic is real.

The Fall of Rho-Torkis by Tim C. Taylor:

When your worst enemy has your back…

…you know the mission is doomed from the start.

Sergeant Osu Sybutu of the Legion had a simple mission. Take five men and travel unobserved to a location in the capital where he would deliver a coded phrase to a contact. Simple, that is, except for the fact that there was a war going on, and all the different factions he had to pass by on the way would cheerfully shoot him on sight. And that was only if the planet didn’t kill him first.

Militia Sergeant Vetch Arunsen’s task, however, was far more complex. Shepherd a group of hated rivals across the frozen wastes, keeping them safe from everyone who wanted to kill them, which was pretty much everyone. Including the oddball troopers under Arunsen’s own command, who would happily shoot the Legion soldiers if given the slightest opportunity.

Legion versus Militia. Joint defenders of the Federation. In theory. Their mutual loathing, however, could burn the armor plate off a battleship. For rival sergeants Sybutu and Arunsen, there’s only one way their squads could survive trekking across the iceworld of Rho-Torkis.

Legion and Militia.

Teeth of the Rakshasa by B.J. West:

Revolutionaries, thieves, or terrorists?

Depending on who you talk to, Spider King and his cohorts in the infamous Gordian Net are either criminals or revolutionaries in the ongoing struggle against the corporations that have replaced the federal government of the formerly united States.

Nobody pushes their notoriety as Robin Hoods harder than Spider himself. Arrogant and egotistical, Spider is a veritable rock star of the hacking world. It would be annoying if he wasn’t actually every bit as good as his talk.

Attracted by their reputation, a peculiar client approaches the Gordian Net with an opportunity that could be the score of a lifetime. But what first appears to be a simple hack-and-grab run quickly snowballs into an all-out war with the most powerful tech company in the world.

Spider will have to outthink, outrun, and outmaneuver the most ruthless street operatives in San Francisco without becoming the next victim of a new weapon of unspeakable horror.

Super Gone by Mel Woodburn:

High school sophomore, Emma Edgin takes a break from being Dragon Girl to learn how to be a better superhero.

Plus, supers have been disappearing, regardless of whether they’re a villain, hero, or just scraping by. Emma’s sure the Super Commission is to blame.

So, when she accidentally reveals a friend’s superpowers—powers she didn’t even know he had—they try to flee.

But the Super Commission arrests two of her friends, forcing Emma to team up with a Dragon Girl fan who sees the future and her rich cousin.

Can a handful of teenagers defeat the shadowy government agency or is Emma’s freedom super gone?

Indie Crime Fiction of the Month for February 2021

Welcome to the latest edition of “Indie Crime Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Crime Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of crime fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though some January books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

Our new releases cover the broad spectrum of crime fiction. We have traditional mysteries, cozy mysteries, historical mysteries, Victorian mysteries, Jazz Age mysteries, 1950s mysteries, paranormal mysteries, science fiction mysteries, hardboiled mysteries, humorous crime fiction, police procedurals, crime thrillers, legal thrillers, environmental thrillers, conspiracy thrillers, science fiction thrillers, dystopian thrillers, romantic suspense, police officers, amateur sleuths, private investigators, FBI agents, lawyers, journalists, serial killers, missing persons, elder abuse, crime-busting witches, crime-busting socialites, crime-busting maids, crime-busting dressmakers, crime-busting ghosts, detective AIs, murder and mayhem in Chicago, Washington DC, New Orleans, Pennsylvania, Maine, California, Suffolk and much more.

Don’t forget that Indie Crime Fiction of the Month is also crossposted to the Indie Crime Scene, a group blog which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things crime fiction several times per week.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

A Design of Deceit by Blythe Baker:

Upon hearing rumors of “dark” goings on at a nearby country estate, Iris Dickinson cannot resist the pull to become involved. When a sudden storm traps her on the property, she must navigate the dangerous waters of a family mystery she does not fully understand, without the help of her sister Lily.

But there is more than one mystery haunting Iris, as shadowy childhood memories resurface. Can she survive one “storm” before being overtaken by another?

 

An Unexpected Misfortune by Blythe Baker:

Anna Fairweather’s resolution to delve further into the death of her father is interrupted by a fresh murder investigation. When a dinner party at the home of the attractive Jerome Townson ends in violence, it is up to Anna to get to the truth.

But with even her own employer a suspect, will Anna uncover a darker secret than she bargained for, one that could change her life forever?

 

Conviction by Jennifer Blackstream:

Shade’s FBI partner has shot a kelpie.
Again.
And this time, the law may not be on his side…

Agent Andrew Bradford once used deadly force to stop a kelpie from kidnapping a human teenager. And now Shade has gotten a call saying he’s done it again. Flesh-eating kelpie dead, human victim saved.

At least, he thinks that’s what happened.

He doesn’t remember.

His inability to clearly recall the night’s events forces Shade to seek answers among the monsters of the Otherworld. She’ll have to question scheming leannan sidhe, malicious waterhorses, and take a dangerous step into the world of vampire politics.

Otherworlders are nothing if not opportunistic. And there are plenty of powerful players ready to take advantage of Shade’s desperation to do whatever it takes to save her partner…

Amid Rage by Joel Burcat:

A psychotic coal mine operator and cynical neighbors with an anti-mining agenda fight out a strip mine permit battle. Mike Jacobs, a 29-year old environmental prosecutor with Pennsylvania’s environmental agency, DEP, is caught between the warring factions, but is ordered to “babysit” the case. All Mike wants to do is to protect the environment and neighbors from certain harm as a result of the proposed mining. Sid Feldman, the Philadelphia lawyer for the mine operator, who oozes power and privilege, offers Mike a job midway through the proceedings. Miranda Clymer, the lawyer for the neighbors, pulls out all the stops to win Mike’s affection and assistance. Mike’s nearest and dearest friend, Nicky Kane is by his side as his paralegal. Mike must use all of his talents as a lawyer and rely on his discretion and courage to do what is right and not anger the political bosses for whom he works. In the cataclysmic ending, someone will die, but who?

The Uncountable Cost of Mystery by Beth Byers:

January 1926

Severine DuNoir and friends have left New Orleans and started on the trail to just what happened to Jane Oliver.

Things are confused and emotions are intense as they find Jane. The relief of finding their missing loved one fades as they have to face what they’ve found? Will their friendship survive? Where do they go from here?

 

Snakes and Ladders by Adam Croft:

A body lies amongst the undergrowth in Mildenheath Woods. His hands are bound behind his back, and he’s been killed execution-style.

But the victim isn’t a gangland kingpin: he’s a well-liked young man, never in any trouble, who had his whole life ahead of him.

But as Jack Culverhouse and Wendy Knight begin to dig deeper into what happened, a shocking new truth comes to light. Was the victim quite as innocent as he seemed?

Pagan’s Veil by Matt Eaton:

Washington Times-Herald reporter Edna Drake receives an anonymous tip about a classified government program in possession of a fully functional flying saucer.

But before she can publish she’ll need to prove it, which won’t be easy.

It’s 1952… the flying saucer frenzy is at its peak. Sightings are through the roof across America.

Nobody knows what’s going on, least of all the government.

Yet Drake is sure President Harry Truman and the US Air Force know a lot more than they’re willing to admit.

Standing between her and the truth is retired soldier and wartime spymaster ‘Wild’ Bill Donovan.

Donovan is worried America will end up at war with the Soviet Union if Drake gets too close.

Pagan’s Veil brings you face-to-face with the men who’ll do anything to keep their secrets under wraps.

Moonlight Dance Academy by Mike Faricy:

Desperate times call for desperate measures!

Hub Schneider and Val Harwood flee the upper midwest for sunny Florida. They’re unemployed, broke, and basicly, haven’t a clue.

Hub’s girlfriend had piled his belongings in the driveway and set her sights on someone else.

Fortunately, Val has come up with a get rich quick brainstorm. UniqueDancing!

Open a ‘Dance Academy’ and while Val gives lessons to wealthy seniors, Hub can break into their homes and steal precious items they’ll never miss.

What could possibly go wrong?JUST WAIT!

Start with J.W. Brooks, head of a criminal enterprise in Atlanta.

Add to that there’s the “little” problem of ‘Crazy Bobby Falconi’ mobster hitman. Lord only knows how things will workout. Better grab your copy to find out…

All the Pretty Witches by Lily Harper Hart:

Hannah Hickok was looking for adventure when she inherited Casper Creek from her grandmother.

She got more than she was bargaining for.

Now she’s grappling with two ancient sister witches, both of whom are inhabiting the bodies of others, and a war is brewing.

Hannah knows she has to fight on the side of good but she’s not certain their ally has anybody’s best interests at heart, and it has her faltering. On top of everything, there’s a new demon on the loose and he appears to have joined sides with the dark witch who wants to end them all.

Life has never been easy for Hannah but it’s harder than ever for her now. The magic she’s only recently discovered is taking hold … and growing. That makes her an appealing target for the sister witches should they want a stronger body to leap into.

Cooper Wyatt loves Hannah with his whole heart but fear has gripped him by the throat. He wants to help Hannah with her battle but he’s not sure what he has to offer … other than loyalty. He will protect her with his dying breath, although she’s determined to make sure that’s not necessary.

Ancient evil is about to take on a powerful new witch. Who will be left standing? It’s anybody’s guess.

The Last Exit by Michael Kaufman:

Set in Washington D.C. in the near future, climate change has hit hard, fires are burning, unemployment is high, and controversial longevity treatments are only available to the very rich. Enter resourceful young police detective, Jen B. Lu, and her ‘partner’, Chandler, a SIM implant in her brain and her instant link to the Internet and police records, and constant voice inside her head. He’s an inquisitive tough guy, with a helluva sense of humor and his own ideas about solving crimes.

As a detective in the Elder Abuse unit, Jen is supposed to be investigating kids pushing their aging parents to “exit” so they are eligible to get the longevity drug. But what really has her attention are the persistent rumors about Eden, an illegal version of the longevity drug, and the bizarre outbreak of people aging almost overnight, then suddenly dying–is this all connected? Is Big Pharma involved?

When Jen’s investigations of Eden take her too close to the truth, she is suspended, Chandler is deactivated, and her boyfriend is freaked out by “the thing inside her brain.” This leaves Jen to pursue a very dangerous investigation all by herself.

Valentine’s Day: Kiss of Death by Charlot King:

The quintessentially English Professor Elizabeth Green is not herself, shut in her bedroom she doesn’t even have time for her grandson, Godric, whom she adores. As the director of the student play, Godric, meanwhile, attends a College Valentine’s Banquet with some of his troupe. Soon after, he is one actor down, a body is found.

Meanwhile, Inspector Abley’s messy divorce has brought him alone up to Grantchester, as Sergeant Lemon steps in to lend support. With mystery after mystery building up, will Professor Green open her door to help?

Hugely popular author makes this beautiful historic city of Cambridge, England, leap off the page, with the eccentric Professor of poisons. Join the fast-growing number of readers of these page-turning whodunnits in the tradition of Agatha Christie, Colin Dexter, and grab a murder mystery fuelled by poison in the dark alleys of Cambridge!

Missing Amanda by Duane Lindsay:

P.I. Lou Fleener’s got a great disguise—he’s kind of short, slightly pudgy, and a little nondescript. But whatever you do, don’t get in a fight with him, even if you’ve brought a couple of buddies. Because you’re gonna lose every time. Some people just have a gift.

One of Lou’s is that nobody ever sees him coming, and he’s pretty much the Bruce Lee of street fighting. Who they see—especially if they’re female—is his tall, handsome friend Monk, and that brings us to Lou’s second superpower. He’s got a little something for the ladies too—he can dance like an Arthur Murray instructor.

Not your average 1950s Chicago P.I.

Duane Lindsay’s fresh take on the tough-guy detective is nicely buttressed by humor, graceful writing, and big, fun plots that sometimes evolve into intricate capers. Like this one.

It starts out nice and easy. Lou—an expert in Chicago gangster lore—is hired against his better judgment to find the adorable missing daughter of a wise guy. Only Amanda’s not really missing. In fact, there is no Amanda. The gangster’s got a devious agenda of his own.

But by the time Lou’s found that out, he’s got four crime bosses gunning for him, and he’s plenty pissed off. Not only should you never fight with Lou Fleener, you should also never piss him off. He quickly enlists Monk to outplot the plotters— because Monk’s super power is working out intricate and diabolical revenge plans. Next thing you know, Lou, Monk, a ragtag bunch of other P.I.s and blonde, intrepid Cassidy, Lou’s new squeeze, are conducting a dizzying array of heists that whisk the reader around glorious 1950’s Chicago.

If it all works, they get to live. And they might get rich. And for sure, somebody gets the girl.

Vengeance and Dinner by Sophie Love:

Marie Fortune, 39, a successful dog groomer in Boston, leaves the stressful life behind and heads to a small town in coastal Maine to create a new life. She remains intent on renovating the old, historic house her great-aunt left her and giving it a new life as a B&B. Yet there was one thing she couldn’t plan for: the house is haunted. Two things, actually: her great-aunt also left her a dog—and he is far from a typical dog.

When Marie is invited to exorcise a supposedly haunted house, she encounters a twist she never could have anticipated. But before she can wrap her mind around the situation, a man turns up dead—forcing her to solve the case and to clear her own name.

To Die For by Willow Rose:

Former FBI-profiler, Eva Rae Thomas is caught off guard by a murderous plan that sends her on a pulse-pounding race against time in this romantic thriller by Willow Rose.

It is a typical Tuesday morning. Scott Benton gets up, kisses his girlfriend Sarah goodbye, and goes to work.

But when he returns home from work later in the afternoon, his girlfriend of two years is gone.

And just like that, Scott’s life is turned upside down.

The police are after him, thinking he hurt her. His friends and family have turned their backs on him, thinking the same. Meanwhile, there is one thing Scott can’t stop thinking about.

Two months ago, Sarah told him that he should go looking for her if she ever turned up missing.

Former FBI-profiler Eva Rae Thomas has enough on her plate as it is: a newborn baby, an upcoming marriage, and a house not big enough to fit them all.

On top of it, she takes in a young girl who is in serious trouble, only adding to the strain on her family life.

When Scott Benton shows up and tells her she’s his only hope in finding his girlfriend, Eva Rae is inclined to say no, but she can’t get herself to do it.

Scott and Eva Rae used to date for a brief period in high school, and Eva Rae isn’t the type of person who just can stop caring about someone.

Especially when they have nowhere else to turn.

As the investigation deepens, Eva Rae Thomas finds out what it is from her past that Sarah was so afraid of, and she’ll need all of her profiling skills in the race against time to find the girl before it is too late.

The Valentine’s Day Murders by Kendall Scott:

It has been nine months since Constance Aberfield “retired” from her crime solving ways and she is loving every minute of it. That’s what she is telling herself anyway. Besides, with Valentine’s Day week descending upon the small town of Modest Peak, Constance is flat out too busy to even think of doing anything non-hotel related. Even if she wanted to work a case, she would not have the time.

Constance is so dedicated to her retirement in fact, that when she is alerted to a serial killer known as the St. Valentine Killer, operating in Denver, she refuses to take the case. Even Sheriff Nevil, begging for her help for a change, isn’t enough to get her back in the game. She really is done with that life.

But when the St. Valentine Killer makes his way to Modest Peak, and begins to target people close to Constance, she will have to ask herself if her self-imposed retirement is worth it. This is especially true when it becomes increasingly clear that only she possesses the skills required to put the killer behind bars once and for all.

Murder at the Races by Lee Strauss:

Murder is a wreck!

Rosa Reed attends a charity stock car race in Santa Bonita and expects to have an exhilarating time shared with family and friends. That ends when a driver inexplicably crashes into a guard rail and dies. When local assistant medical examiner, Dr. Larry Rayburn determines the death is suspicious, Rosa once again finds herself working with the handsome Detective Miguel Belmonte in an awkward and uncomfortable alliance to solve the murder.

Fancast Spotlight: The Skiffy and Fanty Show

It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines and fancasts featured by clicking here.

I have decided to expand the scope of the project to also cover fancasts, because the fancast category could also use a boost. And besides, the borders between fanzine and fancast are porous anyway.

So today, I’m pleased to feature three-time Hugo finalist The Skiffy and Fanty Show.

Therefore, I’m happy to welcome Shaun Duke and Jen Zink of The Skiffy and Fanty Show to my blog today:

Tell us about your podcast or YouTube channel.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show is, as you might have guessed, a podcast focused on literature, film, and other media broadly viewed as science fiction, fantasy, or horror. The show had humble beginnings, which is a nice way of saying we had no idea what we were doing because there weren’t a whole lot of SF/F/H podcasts back in those days. But we think we’ve figured it out (mostly). In a lot of ways, we’re just a bunch of mega dorks who want to have thoughtful and occasionally hilarious conversations about genre fiction and film, and that makes for a show that could best be described as “what Killer Klowns from Outer Space would be like if the klowns didn’t kill anyone and they were from Earth and had far too much time on their hands for semi-intelligent conversation.” Some might say that’s not an accurate statement, but we’ll let you be the judge!

On a more serious note, we’ve been at this since 2010. In those 10 years, we’ve discussed new and old works of film and literature, conducted interviews with authors from over a dozen countries, and given our time each month to semi-drunkenly discuss a supposedly terrible SF/F/H film (now selected by our supporters). In all that time, we’ve worked our butts off to draw attention to works by BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) and women authors, going so far as to set entire years to specific themes. In Summer 2020, we decided to permanently focus our positive coverage almost exclusively on the contributions of BIPOC creators, with a little wiggle room for Into the Wardrobe (our show covering children’s films from our childhood), Torture Cinema (our bad movie comedy review show), and other quite irregular shows with specific focuses (like Thrawn and On and On, our Star Wars literature discussion show). All of this work has, I think, earned us a pretty loyal following and the honor of being Hugo Award finalists three separate times. And if you’re reading this and are partly responsible for that: THANK YOU!

TL;DR: We’re a mega dork podcast about genre fiction in all its myriad forms, and we conduct interviews and record thoughtful discussions about all things genre with a diverse range of people.

Who are the people behind your podcast or channel?

The main folks are Shaun Duke and Jen Zink. But we have a whole lot of lovely folks who have joined us throughout the years, including Hugo Award finalist Paul Weimer, David Annandale, Alex Acks, Mike Underwood, Brandon O’Brien, Stina Leicht, and many MANY others. You can find a humongous list of folks who have contributed over the years here: https://skiffyandfanty.com/about/contributors/

Also: Shaun’s cat sometimes makes an appearance, and if we ever do live episodes again, you’ll see it happen in real time!

Why did you decide to start your podcast or channel?

It’s a tad complicated. Originally, Shaun wanted to start a podcast with Jen because he’d moved across the country and wanted to keep in touch. Shaun not having any sense, he just thought it would be real easy and there would be nothing to worry about in making a podcast for the general public about dorky things. Jen having some sense was initially reluctant. So there was a brief moment when Shaun did it with a fellow by the name of Adam before Jen finally came to her non-senses and decided “hey, I want to hang with my best friend and talk about genre fiction.” And the rest was history, as they say.

We didn’t exactly have lofty goals at the start. We just wanted to do a thing to stay in touch and talk about stuff we loved, and then we discovered that the thing we called a podcast had some influence, and we could use that influence for good. These days, we continue making podcasts to stay in touch with one another — that is a big motivation — but we also use the platform to be the change we want to see in the genre world.

What format do you use for your podcast or channel and why did you choose this format?

We have a bunch of different formats depending on the type of show we do. We release a good deal of episodes that are effectively discussions about a media thing (movies, TV, or books), and those follow pretty similar formats you’ll see elsewhere. Where we got “wild,” if you will, is with interviews and Torture Cinema.

For interviews, we had a good conversation about what kind of interview show we wanted to do, and we settled on the idea that we needed to read the book cover-to-cover and really dive into its themes and ideas with the author. Why? Well, Shaun and Jen, who started our interview train, both studied in the same literature program, and deep-dive interviews were a good way to keep using those muscles while doing something a little different from others. It’s a lot of work, but we think the end result is pretty solid.

For Torture Cinema, we really just wanted to have fun at the expense of films of questionable quality. We use a Like/Dislike structure (originally 5-by-5s

The fanzine category at the Hugos is one of the oldest, but also the category which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines, fancasts and other fan projects are important?

There are two elements to this that seem important to us:

1) The Hugos are one of the few SF/F/H awards with categories designed to honor fans for their contributions to the field. This is, to put it bluntly, a Big Damn Deal.

2) SF/F/H doesn’t exist without fans. It cannot survive without them. If fans don’t wax lyrical about their favorite SF novels, line up for tickets to a new fantasy epic, write zines about their experiences new and old, make podcasts of their critiques of SF/F/H media, and so on, then the genre dies. Fanzines, fancasts, fan wikis, and all manner of other fan projects are fundamental to how we talk about SF/F/H, and without them making these things on paper way back before the Internet, during the Internet, and now today, we think things would be pretty dull.

This is one of the reasons we tend to think that the fan categories should be the most important ones at the Hugos. But they’re also important because the Hugo Awards are voted on by fans. No novel gets an award without fans selecting it, and that novel probably got there because fans were writing about it in their blogs or wikis OR talking about it on their booktube channels or podcasts. Additionally, fans are at the heart of what makes this giant community tick, and that means they are foundational to change. Fans writing critical reviews or challenging the status quo or pushing the boundaries to make SF/F/H a more inclusive space are so essential.

We need fans to keep doing what they do, and we need to recognize them for that work. Because it is work. Work done out of love, but work nonetheless. They give their love every day, and they deserve some back!

In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online and fancasts sprang up. What do you think the future of fan media looks like?

As with a lot of media, we’re probably going to see a lot more fan production move into video, which is hardly revelatory because so much of fan media is already there anyway. Fan media is increasingly more mobile today than it was 10 years ago, and that often means that the media that gets a lot of the attention is most usable on mobile systems. And it wouldn’t surprise me if we see more and more video-based work take the dominant spot for fan media production, especially as newer fans enter the fray with a wider array of technological know-how.

Beyond that, it’s honestly hard to predict. In a lot of ways, fan media is still tethered to the same media types of the last 20 years because that stuff just…works. So maybe someone will come along offering virtual reality experiences? That would be cool and terrifying.

The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Are there any awesome fanzines, fancasts, fan writers and fan artists you’d like to recommend?

Oh boy. You asked for here, so here we go! We don’t have fingers in all the pies, so forgive us if we’re just missing so much here! Some of our favorite Fanzines include Nerds of a Feather, Stitch’s Media Mix, Puzzle Box Horror, Morbidly Beautiful, Real Queen of Horror, Aidan Moher’s Astrolabe, Alasdair Stuart’s The Full Lid, Neon Dystopia, Speculative Fiction in Translation, The Mythcreants, Salon Futura, Journey Planet, and probably too many more to list (and oh my gosh I’m forgetting so many).

For best fan writer, we’d have to point to folks like Paul Weimer (we’re biased, but we love his stuff), Alasdair Stuart (for infectious joy), Alex Acks (also biased, but Alex writers great stuff), Foz Meadows (for truly exceptional analysis), Stitch! (their work on fandom racism is crucial), Aidan Moher (for that delicious gaming commentary), Camestros Felapton (for fandom analysis), Jason Sanford (for his fandom deep dives and pure bravery), Cora Buhlert (fandom/SF/F analysis — oh look, this is Cora’s blog!), Rachel Cordasco (for her razor focus on translated SF/F/H), and, again, far too many for us to list and also we’re forgetting so many.

For fancasts, we’re big fans of a pretty wide range of shows, including Aggressive Negotiations, Breaking the Glass Slipper, Dungeon Master of None, Fansplaining, Fictitious, and Our Opinions Are Correct. On this, we need to find more diverse shows that really scratch that itch for delicious fan and SF/F/H content, so scream at us about your shows! We’re also suddenly into a lot of Actual Play podcasts, which may or may not qualify as fancasts or dramatic presentations. Shows like The Adventure Zone, Crit Squad, The Critshow, Facing Fate, The Neon Streets, The StarBirds, and Tableverse (and here, we’re always open to more things, too).

This is really just a cue to the audience to fill the comments with more things. Do it!

Where can people find you?

Website:  http://www.skiffyandfanty.com/
Twitter:  @skiffyandfanty
Instagram:  @skiffyandfanty
Patreon:  http://www.patreon.com/skiffyandfanty

Thank you, Shaun and Jen, for stopping by and answering my questions.

Do check out The Skiffy and Fanty Show, cause it’s a great fancast.

***

Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

Fanzine Spotlight: Quick Sip Reviews

It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines and fancasts featured by clicking here.

I have decided to expand the scope of the project to also cover fancasts, because the fancast category could also use a boost. And besides, the borders between fanzine and fancast are porous anyway.

So today, I’m pleased to feature the two-time Hugo finalist Quick Sip Reviews, a blog which focusses on reviewing short speculative fiction.

Therefore, I’m happy to welcome Charles Payseur of Quick Sip Reviews to my blog:

Tell us about your site or zine.

At Quick Sip Reviews I review as much short speculative fiction as I can. For most of my time doing it, and through 2020, that meant basically a review post covering a short fiction issue or monthly content from a publication every weekday, with additional coverage of certain anthologies, novellas, collections, and the like. I’ve run some interviews, written a bit on reviewing and my own thoughts on genre related topics, and generally just tried as much as possible to celebrate the amazing works being produced in short SFF. Moving into 2021 I’m broadening my coverage but reigning in my review length, while moving to a weekly posting schedule rather than a daily one. But yeah. Short SFF reviews. It’s what I do.

Who are the people behind your site or zine?

While I’ve worked on collaborative blogs and projects like Nerds of a Feather and The Book Smugglers, Quick Sip Reviews has pretty much been my one man show since I started. So hello, I’m Charles Payseur! Hailing originally from the suburbs of Chicago, I now live in Western Wisconsin with my husband and two cats. Aside from my work at QSR, I’m also a fiction author and poet, and starting this year I’ll be adding anthology editor to my resume, as well as putting out a collection of my own short fiction.

Why did you decide to start your site or zine?

Equal parts love of short SFF and guilt. I actually got into reviewing kind of sideways, from a call at Critters.org to apply to review at Tangent. This was before I really knew anything about the field aside from having read in the genre since I was young. So I started reviewing there, and it’s not really something I was super happy with, for a number of reasons. So while I was reviewing there I applied to be a short fiction reviewer at Nerds of a Feather, and began a monthly column (The Monthly Round). My work in that brought me much more into the fandom side of things, and brought me onto Twitter, where I began to hear more about Tangent and its history. Because I’m sort of geographically distant from conventions and couldn’t afford to travel at the time, social media really was where I got to hear the conversations about short SFF reviewing that I had never been exposed to. And I decided I wanted to do something that didn’t empower Tangent to further the harm it was doing (a sentiment that was underlined by a homophobic review that Tangent ran that year and I got to witness from both within and without). It was then I made my excuses, left Tangent, and focused on my own work.

So, of course, I started a blog! I’d run personal blogs before and I just wanted to follow through on the promise of what I wanted to do in the field. I knew there was a hunger for longer form reviews that covered every story in an issue. So that became my mission, to cover everything put out at the venues that I would cover. So I picked a bunch of publications, both new and old, and got to work. I don’t know that I would have started or done as much if not for the desire to in some ways atone for my time at Tangent. But what’s sustained for the past six years is more than that, is the passion for short SFF and reviewing that got me into the field to start with.

What format do you use for your site or zine (blog, e-mail newsletter, PDF zine, paper zine) and why did you choose this format?

Blog 100%. Though I’ve recently changed the frequency and style of my posts, 2020 was probably the height of my blogging output, with posts every weekday. Aside from my bread-and-butter, reviews of whole issues, I also covered some anthologies, a bunch of novellas, and did some other miscellaneous nonfiction like interviews, essays, and updates. It’s just…what works for me, I guess. It fits my mission, with each blog post delivering full coverage of a particular issue or month of content. It also allows my reviews to be a bit more bite-sized, as over 40,000 words of content would probably get a bit long in the tooth for a monthly issue/zine format. Being a blog makes tagging and organization easier, which is important for those wishing to navigate based on author of publication or month. And again, it’s just something I was familiar with from running my own personal blog for a few years before I ever got into fandom.

The fanzine category at the Hugos is one of the oldest, but also the category which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines and sites are important?

For me, it’s that it shows people engaged in the field in ways driven by their passions. Some of the very best work in nonfiction and media coverage is happening in fan spaces, in fanzines. Because it’s people doing work that they are compelled to do for the sake of the work. It’s not really about making money, even for those who manage to make some, because there are likely more profitable ways to spend time. It’s about doing something because you have something to say and…say it. Now, I won’t say that there are no barriers to entry, especially because it’s often unpaid or greatly underpaid and there’s always the question of who can afford that. But, that’s still a very low barrier to entry, considering that otherwise, gatekeeping doesn’t have a centralized structure. Anyone can start a blog for free and start sharing things, and that’s rather wonderful, especially when it’s engaged and engaging, when it’s based on a love of the genre or a love of what the genre could be. And really I just love thinking too much about stories, and that I could start a blog and find that a lot of people were into exactly what I wanted to do, that’s magical.

In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online. What do you think the future of fanzines looks like?

I could see fanzines being reframed further over time. Could a social media account (a Twitter feed, for instance) be a fanzine? No one is paid for being on Twitter, and certainly the case could be made that a feed that contained mostly “original work” should count as a fanzine, but something like that would privilege those with large platforms, regardless of how those platforms were built. Now, for me, that seems a little bit not in the spirit of things, but it probably would go a way towards addressing the concerns in the previous question, because a well known social media feed would likely draw votes based on recognition alone. Part of the issue in my opinion is that our online time has become so commodified that older traditions in blogging are running into the ways that social media companies have caught up to their own technology and leveraged their algorithms toward making themselves money. So there’s intense competition for attention, and given that fanzines tend small and unpaid, they do get a bit drowned out, or at least a bit fractured, which I think is why the vote totals tend to be lower and less concentrated. Part of it, too, is that the tools for being paid for fan work have increased, which is in one instance a very good thing, but in another a very complicating factor in what makes a fanzine a fanzine. A Patreon cannot be a fanzine by its very nature, nor can a paid newsletter or subscription anything. So where does that leave us as routes forward? I’m not entirely sure, though I am excited to see what shape it might take.

The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Are there any awesome fanzines, fancasts, fan writers and fan artists you’d like to recommend?

So, so many. I’ve worked with and deeply appreciate Nerds of a Feather and The Book Smugglers. I love what A.C. Wise does and the care and attention of her reviews. Bogi Takács, Vanessa Fogg, Alex Brown, and Maria Haskins are also wonderful. Jason Sanford does great coverage of the field, and really there’s so many amazing people doing heroic work as fans.

Where can people find you?

Blog: http://quicksipreviews.blogspot.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/quicksipreviews
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClowderofTwo

Thank you, Charles, for stopping by and answering my questions.

Do check out Quick Sip Reviews, cause it’s a great blog.

***

Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

Fancast Spotlight: Hugo, Girl!

It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines and fancasts featured by clicking here.

I have decided to expand the scope of the project to also cover fancasts, because the fancast category could also use a boost. And besides, the borders between fanzine and fancast are porous anyway.

So today, I’m pleased to feature the Hugo, Girl! podcast, which discusses Hugo winners and finalists as well as other SFF novels from a feminist POV.

Therefore, I’m happy to welcome Haley Zapal, Amy Salley as well as Lori and Kevin Anderson of Hugo, Girl! to my blog today:

Tell us about your podcast or channel.

Hugo, Girl! is a book club-style discussion podcast. We all read the month’s selection, with someone designated as DM each episode, meaning that they’ll take the lead on guiding the discussion and providing a little research into the book and author. Before the episode, we painstakingly avoid discussing the book in our group chat lest we spoil the upcoming discussion and waste hilarious reactions. (This is harder than it sounds).

We structure each episode around recurring segments like Boob Talk, Misogynist Moment, and Goodies from Goodreads. We end with the hardest, and probably most divisive segment, “Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?” where we ostensibly decide if the month’s selection is more sci-fi or more fantasy, but in reality is code for “Did Haley like this book?” since she is a known Tolkien-hater.

One of our favorite reviews from Apple Podcasts described us like this – “Your smart, funny sci-fi book club: Three friends chat about books, share insights, and crack each other up.” That’s pretty much everything we hoped and dreamed our podcast would be!

Who are the people behind your podcast or channel?

Hugo, Girl! is hosted by three self-proclaimed space feminists: Haley Zapal, Amy Salley, and Lori Anderson. Our audio tech and editing wizard is Kevin Anderson. We all live and work in Atlanta, Georgia.

Haley has no memory of watching Star Wars for the first time — it’s always been a part of her consciousness. By 12 she was immersed in the Expanded Universe and writing her first novella-length fanfic. As an adult, she enjoys movies and books about space, and pondering if the speed of light really is the universe’s speed limit. She does not like fantasy, mainly because of all the horses.

Amy is a longtime sci-fi and fantasy fan. She cut her teeth on teen urban fantasy (including a dubious foray into vampire LARPing in her youth) and Star Trek:TNG and never looked back. In fact, her teenage commitment to one day wooing Wesley Crusher is probably how we got where we are today. Amy is fiercely committed to converting all of her friends to the Truth of nerdy pop culture, including but not limited to forcing them all to listen to the podcast.

Lori had no idea she was a sci-fi and fantasy geek until she was an adult, despite having read Melanie Rawn’s Dragon Prince series at least ten times between the ages of 15 and 20. She also read (and re-read) the Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow series, but didn’t acknowledge the truth until her first trip to Atlanta’s Dragon Con in 2012. And there, a true geek was not exactly born, but at long last acknowledged and embraced.

Kevin’s first memory of being a “fan” is, of course, Star Wars (or maybe He-Man, who can say). From pretending to run from AT-ATs in the Northern Alberta snow, to puzzling over the timeline of Back to the Future, he was a fan from an early age. Soon every trip to the mall required a stop at the bookstore, where he would go straight to the Sci-Fi section, choosing books based mostly on cover art (this was before Goodreads!). He continues his fandom with yearly attendance at Dragon Con, cosplaying such characters as Herbert West (Re-Animator), Ned Flanders, the 10th Doctor (Doctor Who), and “Mad” Max Rockatansky.

Several years ago, during a mind-numbingly boring stretch of unemployment and in need of a worthwhile project, Haley set out to read all of the Hugo Award-winning novels. She started a blog with the most excellent pun name of “Hugo, Girl!” (think: you GO, girl!) to help chronicle her journey. No entries were made, sadly, but she did end up reading about 10 books before her funemployment was up.  She had caught the fever, however — and a seed was planted.

Fast forward a few years later. Blogs are out, and podcasts are in — at least for 30-somethings looking for a fun, creative outlet. Haley’s ex-girlfriend at the time had been doing a podcast with her best friend for a while, viewing it as a way to cement scheduled hang-out sessions while also reading cool books together. Inspired by this, Haley decided a podcast with her best friends was something she definitely needed in her life — and she had just the perfect, catchy name to help convince Amy and Lori. They were sold almost instantly.

The fan categories at the Hugos were there at the very beginning, but also the category which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines, fancasts and other fan projects are important?

High-powered studio creations, like Marvel movies, and industry-lauded best-selling novels may get a lot of attention (and thus awards) because they have deep pockets of funding, but fan-centered media and creation is the lifeblood of sci-fi and fantasy. A perfect illustration of this divide can be seen even in cons. Your hosts are passionate attendees of the Atlanta-based Dragon Con (Lori and Kevin even got married at the con, on the floor of the Marriot Marquis in 2014!). The costumes, the panels, the parties, the overwhelming joy you get from Dragon Con — it’s incredible. But it’s the more corporate cons like San Diego’s Comic-Con that get the biggest stars and hugest announcements.

Fan-based media is important because it fosters a sense of community with everyday people you can relate to. With just a little equipment (and it’s getting cheaper every year!) anyone can start up a zine or podcast — and as a result, the act of production has become much more democratized, offering platforms for diverse voices, points of view, and participants. Other fans tuning into a DIY fan podcast can also contribute as listeners, communicating with the hosts via social media or email to provide much-needed feedback and criticism. In this way, fan-created media can oftentimes create a sort of self-sustaining ecosystem, and it’s fun (and eye-opening!) to experience in real-time.

We were about a year into Hugo, Girl! when the pandemic hit, so we were forced to begin recording episodes remotely instead of huddled all around Lori’s dining room table. It was a bit of a change at first, but remote recording has really been a blessing, as it’s enabled us to collaborate with other podcasts all across North America, including Hugos There, Androids & Assets, and Gribcast.  We’ve hosted a couple of one-off book clubs via Zoom, which gave us the opportunity to meet other podcasters and many of our most devoted listeners. It’s been great connecting with people who enjoy geeking out over the same stuff.

In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online and fancasts have sprung up. What do you think the future of fan media looks like?

If reading sci-fi for our entire lives has taught us anything, it’s that we’ll always adapt to whatever the prevailing technology is in our lives. We mentioned before the democratization of media production, and we think it’s only going to continue becoming more equitable, allowing nearly anyone to produce something that other people can read, listen to, or watch from anywhere in the world.

The media of the past was dominated by passivity  — reading words printed on a book shipped across the country, listening to a radio show beamed from 40 miles away. We believe the media of the future will keep evolving toward more interactivity, as people work on projects together and discuss, comment, and critique each other in near real-time.

The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Are there any awesome fanzines, fancasts, fan writers and fan artists you’d like to recommend?

For reading material, we enjoy The Science Fiction Project (it’s tough to Google, so here’s a link: http://lovehistory.net/blog/the-science-fiction-project/), the Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, Nerds of a Feather, and your blog! For listening, we recommend Hugos There, Androids and Assets, and Desi Geek Girls.

This one isn’t exactly fan work, but we also wanted to mention the podcast Newcomers because we think many of your readers might like it as much as we do. Two great comedians, Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer, watch all the Star Wars (yes, including the Christmas special) and Lord of the Rings movies for the first time and discuss. It’s lighthearted and hilarious.

Where can people find you?

We are Hugo, Girl! on Facebook, @hugogirlpodcast on Instagram and Twitter, and we can be reached via email at hugogirlpodcast@gmail.com. We’re pretty sure we’re on all the major podcast hosting apps, but if we’re not on the one you like, send us an email or a Tweet and we’ll try to fix that!

Thank you, Haley, Amy, Lori and Kevin, for stopping by and answering my questions.

Do check out Hugo, Girl!, cause it’s a great fancast.

***

Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

Fancast Spotlight: Appendix N Book Club

It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines and fancasts featured by clicking here.

I have decided to expand the scope of the project to also cover fancasts, because the fancast category could also use a boost. And besides, the borders between fanzine and fancast are porous anyway.

So today, I’m pleased to feature the Appendix N Book Club, a fancast has the mission to read and discuss the books and authors listed in Appendix N of the AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide with varying guests.

Therefore, I’m happy to welcome Jeff Goad and Ngo Vinh-Hoi of the Appendix N Book Club to my blog today:

Tell us about your podcast or channel.

We are a podcast about the literature that inspires our tabletop RPGs. Initially, we only focused on the Appendix N: a list of “inspirational reading” located in the back of the 1979 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide. Starting with episode 101, we are expanding the scope of the show to include ALL fiction that inspires our gaming. The first half of each episode focuses on the text from a literary perspective and the second half of each episode discussed the text from a gaming perspective.

Who are the people behind your podcast or channel?

Jeff Goad and Ngo Vinh-Hoi are the co-hosts. Both of us are fantasy tabletop roleplaying game enthusiasts who met in 2016 in Brooklyn, NY over our shared love of a game called Dungeon Crawl Classics. Each episode has a special guest and we have had guests ranging from Michael Moorcock to Jeannette Ng. Since Jeff is gay and Hoi is a POC, we also tend to chat about what it is like reading the fiction from a contemporary perspective. We also make an effort to have a diverse group of voices on the show as special guests.

Why did you decide to start your podcast or channel?

The Appendix N Book Club started out as an in-person book club at a small coffee shop in Brooklyn, NY in 2016. Jeff organized it and Hoi attended regularly. Hoi was like “We should turn this into a book or a podcast or something!” and by summer of 2017 we launched the first episode of the podcast.

What format do you use for your podcast or channel and why did you choose this format?

Our podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and just about anywhere else you can find podcasts. We chose the podcast format because we were both New Yorkers who listened to podcasts on the subway during our commutes and we thought that we should make a podcast that we would want to listen to.

The fan categories at the Hugos were there at the very beginning, but also the category which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines, fancasts and other fan projects are important?

Zines and podcasts are amazing formats because anyone can make them. There is no corporate gatekeeper who decides whose voice is more deserving of recognition. They are made for the people and by the people (cliche, I know!) and they are rarely motivated by financial gain (and good luck to those that are because that is a steep hill to climb!)

In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online and fancasts have sprung up. What do you think the future of fan media looks like?

The lower the barriers for entry become, the more people are going to share their materials. The future of fan media is that it is a medium that is going to grow and will include more diverse voices and perspectives previously overlooked (or actively oppressed).

The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Are there any awesome fanzines, fancasts, fan writers and fan artists you’d like to recommend?

We are huge fans of the Cromcast, a podcast about Robert E. Howard and pulp fiction from the early 20th Century. We are also not the only podcast looking at literature from a gaming perspective. We would also recommend Sanctum Secorum and the Tome Show for anyone looking for more shows like ours. We also love many gaming podcasts like Spellburn, Gaming & BS, the Grognard Files, and the MegaDumbCast.

Where can people find you?

Our website is appendixnbookclub.com, our Twitter account is @appendix_n, and our email address is appendixnbookclub@gmail.com.

Thank you, Jeff and Hoi, for stopping by and answering my questions.

Do check out the Appendix N Book Club, cause it’s a great fancast.

***

Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

WandaVision engages in some “Breaking the Fourth Wall” and finally delivers some answers

Even though much of fandom decided to go to war this wekk, it’s still time for the latest installment of my episode by episode reviews of WandaVision, Marvel’s new sitcom parody/Dickian faux reality paranoia. Previous installments may be found here. Also, may I remind you that Disney is still not paying Alan Dean Foster and others.

Warning: Spoilers and pretty significant ones at that behind the cut!

Wanda’s little sitcom paradise in Westview is slowly falling apart and quite literally glitching with various objects in the house (the twins’ videogame console, the milk in Wanda’s fridge, various pieces of furniture) shifting from decade to decade. Wanda’s control over her little world is clearly slipping and there’s little she can do about it, especially since she’s quite literally caught in the grip of depression and just wants to stay in bed all day long.

Tommy and Billy try to persuade Wanda to get up, especially since their videogame controllers have just turned into Uno cards, but only with limited success. Wanda simply doesn’t want to do anything except hang out at home in her pyjamas and a bathrobe. Billy complains about hearing voices in his head. Poor kid, he’s a bit young for his superpowers to kick in. Tommy and Bill also want to know where their father is (since Wanda woke up with the bed beside her empty), but Wanda doesn’t know. When they ask about Uncle Pietro, Wanda tells them, “That man is not your uncle.” Which is not wrong, though we do wonder what it was that persuaded Wanda not to trust “Pietro”.

The time has progressed to the present day now. The entire episode is in widescreen format, the interior of the house is furnished in the kind of blandly beige style that’s unfortunately fashionable right now (though the hexagonal shapes showing up on patterns throughout the episode are a clever hint). The episode is also interrupted by constant documentary-style interview bits, which are literally “breaking the fourth wall”. Apparently, this mockumentary format is borrowed from the sitcom Modern Family, which ran from 2009 to 2020 and racked up an impressive number of awards nominations and win during its run. As far as I can tell, having never seen a single episode, Modern Family is your standard suburban family sitcom, though with the twist that it acknowledges that remarriages, patchwork families and same sex families exist. Okay, so The Brady Bunch was a patchwork family, too, though not exactly a realistic exploration of the concept.

The title sequence with the word “Wanda” written in all sorts of contexts had me baffled, since it matches neither the title sequence of Modern Family nor the title sequences of The Office (which was also named as an inspiration somewhere) nor of How I Met Your Mother, which I thought would be a likely candidate, because its cast includes two Marvel actors (Coby Smulders a.k.a. Maria Hill and Zachary Levi a.k.a. the blonde one of the Warriors Three a.k.a. Shazam) as well as other geek favourites like Neil Patrick Harris (who has never been in a Marvel movie, amazingly, though he did play a supervillain in Doctor Horrible’s Singalong Blog) and Alyson Hannigan. Guardian reviewer Andrew Ellard points out that the title sequence is modelled after a sitcom called Happy Endings that I for one had never even heard of. Apparently, Happy Endings aired from 2011 to 2013 and was one of those sitcoms focussed on a group of young people finding life and love in the big city. So far, WandaVision has modelled itself mainly after family sitcoms and ignored the “young people in the big city” and workplace sitcoms, so the intro is certainly an interesting decision. And since Happy Endings doesn’t seem to have left a notable cultural footprint (even the Guardian reviewer had to look it up) and the title sequence may well have been the best thing about it, I wonder why that one was chosen. Maybe someone simply liked it.

As is common with modern sitcoms, the title sequence ends with the words “Created by Wanda Maximoff”, which normally honour the creator of the show in question. Of course, the twist is that the whole faux sitcom world of Westview was created by Wanda (or was it?), even though the actual creator and showrunner (who is mentioned in the end credits) is Jac Schaeffer. But I suspect Jac Schaeffer had no problem leaving the limelight to Wanda for one episode.

While the twins are attempting to pull Wanda out of her funk and make her deal with actual issues such as “Whatever happened to Vision?” or “Where is Pietro and who is he?”, Agnes drops by oh-so-helpfully and offers to babysit the twins, so Wanda can have some time to herself. The twins initially aren’t too keen on going with Agatha, but Wanda is happy to have more time to herself to mope and be depressed. Too bad that the house literally keeps shifting around her. Wanda’s mental state is reflected in the state of Westview and she’s rapidly losing control. She also keeps talking to the camera in this weird mockumentary format. At one point, the unseen interviewer even answers – to the surprise of Wanda.

We also finally get to see the interior of Agnes’ house, though her supposed husband Ralph is still invisible. Agnes does have a thing for a gothic interior design, though still in a respectably suburban way. We also meet her pet rabbit Senor Scratchy (last seen in episode two messing up Vision’s magic show) again, much to the delight of the twins. Particularly, Billy seems to enjoy being at Agnes’, because – as he tells her – it’s quiet there and he can’t hear Agnes’ thoughts, which is rather sinister. Tommy, meanwhile, is worried about his parents. Agnes, meanwhile, is helpfully telling the kids that life is meaningless and that their mama is crazy. Agnes also clearly likes to watch children’s TV (some kind of Claymation show I’m not familiar with). Furthermore, she, too, breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience.

Meanwhile, Vision awakes in the grass outside Westview, intact once more. However, a circus – a circus that we know is the Westview version of the S.W.O.R.D compound – has set up tent just in front of him. Vision goes to investigate, is mistaken for a clown and finally hooks up with Darcy (no, not in that way, though Darcy briefly thinks he is trying to date her). When we last saw Darcy, she was handcuffed to a S.W.O.R.D. vehicle and abandoned. Now, Darcy believes herself to be a circus escape artist. Vision zaps her free from Wanda’s (or is it?) mind control and the two team up, stealing an ice cream truck to get back to Wanda and Vision’s house. On the road, Darcy catches up Vision about everything that happened to him since he came to life inside the Avengers headquarters and decided that the skyline of New York and Wanda Maximoff were too pretty to look at to kill all humans. We wonder how Darcy can possibly know all that, since she wasn’t there for most of it, but then maybe Thor told her.

The look on Vision’s face is priceless. Because if you’ve ever tried to sum up the plot of either a longrunning soap opera or a superhero comic, you usually get to a point where you say, “Yes, I know it all sounds crazy, but I swear, it makes sense in context.” And that’s exactly the look Vision has on his face. Because Vision and Wanda’s backstory, both in the comics and the movies, is crazy even by superhero standards. Kat Jennings and Paul Bettany make a great double act, by the way.

Darcy finally says that even though the whole story sounds crazy, she has been watching several episodes of WandaVision and is probably the show’s No. 1 fan and she can assure Vision that the love between himself and Wanda is real, even if everything else is crazy. It’s a sweet statement and also true. Because if there’s one thing that WandaVision has managed, it’s convince us that a loving marriage between a bright red android with an infinity stone in his forehead and a depressed East European mutant with magical powers is not just possible, but perfectly normal. It’s also interesting that pretty much the first thing Vision asks Darcy is if the twins are okay. He may be an android and the twins are maybe three days old and rapidly aged to ten in that time, but they’s still his kids and he loves them.

However, someone – probably Wanda or someone else – is keeping Darcy and Vision from getting back to Westview via a battery of obstacles such as red lights at deserted intersections, random road construction work and finally a school crossing with an endless parade of little kids on strings (Was I the only one who found that ever so slightly sinister, particularly considering that there normally are no kids in Westview?). Vision also gets to talk to the camera and finally decides that he has enough, leaves the interview and just flies home, much to Darcy’s chagrin, since she can’t fly and Vision doesn’t take her along.

Meanwhile, outside the expanded Westview anomaly, S.W.O.R.D. has set up a temporary retreat, which just about sums up the state they’re in, since much of their personnel is currently pretending to be circus performers. Hayward is still shouting and doing his best X-Men villain impression, though. Monica Rambeau and Jimmy Woo have also escaped the expansion of the Hex and received the last bit of data Darcy hacked. It turns out that Hayward was trying to reactivate Vision and use him as a weapon – against Vision’s expressed wishes – but had no success until Wanda stole the body and took him to Westview. That’s also why Hayward is so keen on getting Vision back.

Monica and Jimmy meet up with Monica’s friend, the aerospace engineer (who is not Reed Richards, but a woman of colour), who has come up with a vehicle that – as Camestros Felapton points out in his review – resembles the Eagles from Space 1999, but with wheels. Monica wants to use the vehicle to reenter Westview and hopefully make Wanda see some sense. Jimmy Woo is not happy about this, because Darcy said that crossing the barrier twice had already affected Monica’s DNA, so crossing it a third time might do even worse damage. Monica, however, is determined.

The first attempt to break through the barrier with the Land Eagle goes wrong, because the Eagle can’t break through and once it does, the Hex changes it into a regular van. Monica barely escapes and then decides to pass physically into the Westview anomaly, before anybody can stop her. This time, she even succeeds and finds herself in Westview in her regular S.W.O.R.D. outfit. However, Monica’s eyes have turned temporarily blue and she can suddenly see energy waves. Considering that in her superhero identity, which is known alternately as Captain Marvel, Photon and Spectrum, Monica can detect and turn into pretty much any kind of energy, we are witnessing the birth of a superhero here.

Monica goes off to look for Wanda and finally finds her at her home. However, Wanda is not happy to see Monica, since she has identified her as a enemy. Monica tries to reason with Wanda and tries to tell her that she knows what it feels like to lose someone you love (after all, Monica has lost her Mom to cancer and her aunt Carol took off to the stars twice without a word), but Wanda won’t have any of it. She calls up her glowy red hex powers, Monica begins to glow blue in response and also demonstrates that she knows how to do typical superhero poses. However, before the fireworks can start, who shows up but the ever helpful Agnes to give Monica the “We don’t want your kind here” smackdown and usher Wanda into her home?

Wanda is now ensconced on Agnes’ couch, while Agnes makes sympathetic noises. However, suddenly Wanda notices that something or rather someone is missing. “Where are the twins?” she asks. “Oh, they’ve probably gone off to play in the basement”, Agnes replies.

So Wanda goes in search of the twins and ventures into Agnes’ basement. At this point, WandaVision takes a sharp turn into horror territory again, because Agnes’ basement gives off serious serial killer lair vibes. And that’s before Wanda discovers the purple glowing roots on the walls. She follows the purple glowing roots and steps straight into Lovecraft territory, when she finds herself inside a hexagonal ritual chamber with glowing symbols on the walls and a Necronomicon-like grimoire displayed prominently.

Suddenly, Agnes appears and the door to the chamber falls shut. Agnes finally confirms what comic readers had long since suspected, when she introduces herself as Agatha Harkness, a witchy character from the Marvel comics, who is closely associated with both the Fantastic Four as well as with Wanda, Vision and their kids. Agatha in the comics is an ambiguous character and also about thirty years older than Kathryn Hahn, though they both share a taste for purple and black. Agatha in the TV series is younger, hipper and also much more obviously evil.”You didn’t think you were the only magical girl in town, did you?” she asks Wanda.

Cue a delightful title sequence (of sorts) for the show from the POV of Agatha, entitled “Agatha All Along”. We see of how Agatha messed up Wanda’s and Vision’s lives again and again, up to and including the appearance of “Pietro”. Oh yes, and she killed Sparky the dog, too, as she informs us with a sinister crackle. Considering what a huge taboo killing a dog is on US TV to the point that I’m surprised that the oh so family-friendly Disney+ allows a dog to be killed on one of their shows, this is the final confirmation, if any was needed, that Agatha is evil. The music and style of the “Agatha All Along” title sequence evoke both The Addams Family and The Munsters, though the font and music more closely matches The Munsters. And yes, I actually got that reference, since The Munsters were on German TV, when I was a kid.

This time around, we also get a post-credits sequence – a first for WandaVision – where we see Monica investigating Agnes/Agatha’s house, when she finds the cellar door. She opens it, sees the purple glowing roots and suddenly “Pietro” is standing behind her and forces her into the cellar. Cue the rest of the credits.

We finally did get some answers this episode, though there are still more questions, such as: Who is responsible for the Westview anomaly, Wanda, Agatha, both of them or someone else? What is Agatha’s plan? What the hell did Agatha do to the twins? Who the hell is the fake Pietro? Is he Pietro from the Fox X-Men universe or someone else? Where is Agatha’s husband Ralph and does he even exist?

Agatha’s pet rabbit Senor Scratchy might also provide a clue here. Now Agatha in the comics does have a familiar. However, it’s not a rabbit, but a cat named Ebony. There is, however, someone with the name Scratch linked to Agatha, namely the villainous wizard Nicholas Scratch who is Agatha’s son. Nicholas Scratch also has kids, a group of villains known as the Salem Seven. So is Senor Scratchy Nicholas in animal form? Is he Agatha’s unseen husband Ralph in animal form (cause I wouldn’t put it beneath Agatha to transform him)? For that matter, is the fake Pietro perchance Nicholas Scratch and therefore Agatha’s son? The ages don’t quite add up, because Kathryn Han was born in 1973 and Evan Peters in 1987, but then Hollywood often features mothers who are too young for their supposed kids.

I should mention this week’s fake commercial, which is for an antidepressant named Nexus. Now I find it disconcerting to see an as for a prescription medication on TV, since ads for prescriptions drugs are banned in Germany, only ads for over the counter drugs are allowed. The name Nexus is a reference to the Nexus of all worlds, the gateway to the multiverse, from the comics. And the ad announces that Nexus can “anchor you back to reality – or the reality of your choice”, which certainly sounds ominous.

WandaVision continues to be an entertaining delight and a lot better than I expected it to be. As Camestros Felapton says in his review, I’m not sure if the pay-off will eventually live up to the build-up, but the way there was certainly a lot of fun. The performances of Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn (whom I mainly associate with sappy grief councellor Lily from Crossing Jordan, a role that’s lightyears away from Agnes/Agatha) and Kat Dennings are top-notch and I agree with whatever reviewer said that in a just universe, both Elizabeth Olsen and Kathryn Hahn will be getting Emmy nominations this fall.

So bring on the finale!

Fanzine Spotlight: Deep Cuts in a Lovecraftian Vein

It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines and fancasts featured by clicking here.

Today, I’m pleased to feature Deep Cuts in a Lovecraftian Vein, a blog which discusses weird fiction and the Cthulhu mythos with a particular focus on the contributions of women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ people.

Therefore, I’m happy to welcome Bobby Derie of Deep Cuts in a Lovecraftian Vein. Bobby is also the author of Sex and the Cthulhu Mythos.

Tell us about your site or zine.

Deep Cuts in a Lovecraftian Vein is primarily a review blog devoted to looking at Lovecraftian and Cthulhu Mythos media by or about women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ folks. While there is a long history of the folks participating in the Mythos, their contributions tend to get overlooked. This often involves an unflinching look at the contemporary racism of Lovecraft and his colleagues. Other features of the blog include special essays on the women who corresponded with Lovecraft, and spotlights on women and LGBTQ+ editors of Mythos anthologies. The blog updates about weekly on Saturdays, although sometimes there is also a special Wednesday piece.

Who are the people behind your site or zine?

Right now, mostly just myself. I’m Bobby Derie, a pulp scholar who focuses mostly on H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, and my published works have included Sex and the Cthulhu Mythos (2014) and Weird Talers: Essays on Robert E. Howard and Others (2019). Deep Cuts also features some original interviews with a couple of women editors of Mythos anthologies, discussing their experiences in their own words.

Why did you decide to start your site or zine?

During my research, I found quite a lot of material related to women, POC, and LGBTQ+ authors which generally didn’t get a lot of notice or recognition among fans or scholars. I thought a weekly blog would provide a good way to explore this “hidden mythos,” to draw attention to some of the more obscure and interesting works, and maybe force me to read a little out of my comfort zone. As it happens, I’ve ended up investing quite a bit of original research into Deep Cuts as well.

What format do you use for your site or zine (blog, e-mail newsletter, PDF zine, paper zine) and why did you choose this format?

I have done fanzines in the past, when I was briefly a member of REHupa (Robert E. Howard United Press Association), but at the time I got the itch to start up Deep Cuts, I wasn’t currently a member of an AMA, and the blog format allows me access to a broader audience and more immediate feedback. Doesn’t give the tactile satisfaction of a physical product, but I pretty much set my own schedule.

The fanzine category at the Hugos is one of the oldest, but also the category which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines and sites are important?

Fanzines in the 1930s were the essential expression of being a part of fan culture; it was the medium of expression and communication. Correspondence and newsletters all played their part in the fan experience, but it was in the ‘zines that fans could get into argument, share original art, fiction, essays, and poetry, come up with acronyms and form theories. A lot of the community aspect of fanzines has since been taken over by internet forums and social media, but as far as curating content fanzines can and do still serve an important purpose today. They help shape the history and narrative of fandom and how it sees itself.

In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online. What do you think the future of fanzines looks like?

Blogs, digital fanzines, and websites are at once more widely available and a bit more ephemeral than physical fanzines. Same or similar functions, but at some point the site is hacked, or somebody doesn’t pay the hosting bill, or just gets abandoned, and then the content is gone unless it’s been archived. Fans tend to keep circulating old content if it’s of any value or interest, but whole chunks of the early internet have been more or less lost, even if you’re a serious digital archivist. It’s hard to tell what the future is going to be like – while many fanzines from the 1930s still physically exist in 2020, after nearly 100 years, there’s no telling what operating systems and data formats are going to be like in 2120!

I suspect fanzines will survive in some form so long as there are operating fandoms. While there has been a great push the last twenty years for the small-scale commercialization of fan-produced work (“turning the hobby into a hustle”), there are still thousands of people that just want to create and curate, as shown by the folks contributing to fandom wikis. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more fandom wikis be translated into semi-commercial prepackaged ‘zines through crowdfunding.

The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Are there any awesome fanzines, fancasts, fan writers and fan artists you’d like to recommend?

For fancast, I would recommend the Cromcast Chronicle ( http://thecromcast.blogspot.com/ ), which has been producing solid content on a regular basis, the guys are enthusiastic about their show and put a lot of effort into improving the production quality and staying on-topic while spreading their wings a little; recently, for example, they’ve been reading Karl Edward Wagner and Manly Wade Wellman, two great weird fiction writers who were huge but have sort of fallen out of the limelight today.

Where can people find you?

The blog is at https://deepcuts.blog, I occasionally run polls on twitter (@Ancient0History) to see what folks want as far as what new content is scheduled. Feel free to suggest something, I’m always looking for the next thing to review.

Thank you, Bobby, for stopping by and answering my questions.

Do check out Deep Cuts in a Lovecraftian Vein, cause it’s a great blog that illuminates a side of the Cthulhu mythos that’s rarely seen.

***

Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

Fancast Spotlight: Hugos There Podcast

It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines and fancasts featured by clicking here.

I have decided to expand the scope of the project to also cover fancasts, because the fancast category could also use a boost. And besides, the borders between fanzine and fancast are porous anyway.

So today, I’m pleased to feature the Hugos There Podcast, which has the mission to read all the Hugo winners with varying guests.

Therefore, I’m happy to welcome Seth Heasley of the Hugos There Podcast to my blog today:

Tell us about your podcast or channel.

My podcast is called Hugos There, and my tagline is “reading the Hugo-winners, one guest at a time.”

On each episode, I host a guest, and we discuss their choice of the winners of the Hugo Award for Best Novel. My guests have included authors, journalists, podcasters, sports writers, athletes, academics, theologians, and just ordinary SF fans like me. I love the randomness of having my guest choose the topic, so that in one episode we’ll be covering something from the 1950s, and in the next it could be the 2010s.

In 2020 I also started doing more general episodes under the title Comfort Reads, where the topic wasn’t limited to Hugo-winners or even genre fiction. Instead, the discussions revolved around what kind of books my guests looked to for comfort in troubling times. It seemed appropriate to do that kind of thing in 2020, and I intend to continue those episodes until I run out of guests.

Who are the people behind your podcast or channel?

Hugos There is a one-man show behind the scenes, but as I mentioned, each episode features a guest.

I also have a podcast focusing on adapted SF, called Take Me To Your Reader, that I co-host with my friends James and Colin.

Why did you decide to start your podcast or channel?

I’d been doing Take Me To Your Reader for a few years and enjoying a lot of the stuff I was reading and covering, but I wanted to challenge myself to read a lot of SF books I’d heard about but just hadn’t gotten around to reading. Surprisingly, not every well-regarded SF book has been turned into a movie.

After looking at lists of “SF Books You Should Have Read,” I settled on the list of Hugo-winners. I didn’t find any other podcasts doing the same project, so I dove in, hitting up many of my favorite podcasters and asking them to guest on the early episodes.

What format do you use for your podcast or channel and why did you choose this format?

I chose audio, mostly because audio editing is pretty straightforward and I didn’t feel video would add much to the project. Audio also pairs quite well with a book discussion format due to the prevalence of audiobooks. Listen to the book, listen to a discussion of the book. It’s a match made in Heaven.

The fan categories at the Hugos were there at the very beginning, but also the category which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines, fancasts and other fan projects are important?

If science fiction is worth anything, and I think we agree it is, it’s worth discussing and analyzing, and that analysis doesn’t have to be the sole province of professionals. Fanzines and fancasts are just so democratic, and the barriers to entry today are so low that literally anyone can carve out a niche and start producing great content.

The great thing about fan projects is that there’s a snowball effect to them. Often all it takes to encourage someone to create is to see that other people are doing it.

In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online and fancasts have sprung up. What do you think the future of fan media looks like?

I guess I envision fancasts of the future being like the Parlor Walls from Fahrenheit 451. I jest, but I do see them getting more interactive. Especially coming out of 2020, the year of Zoom, it’s easy to envision the future being more and more collaborative as technology allows us into each others’ spaces. Which sounds creepy. But I mean in a good way.

The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Are there any awesome fanzines, fancasts, fan writers and fan artists you’d like to recommend?

I confess I don’t follow as many fanzines as I should, but I hope I get a pass because of the amount of reading I have to do for my podcasts. But I do have podcast recommendations. Some of my favorites include:

The other members (that I’ve discovered at this point) of the Hugo podcast collective, including Hugo, Girl, and the Hugo & Nebula Readership Podcast.

I also love Spectology for intelligent discussions generally of newer SF, and Sci-Fi Onscreen for fantastic SF movie reviews.

I’ve been enormously influenced by Jason Snell and The Incomparable over the years, and it’s no coincidence I mined his podcast for guests, having at this point hosted episodes with six people who are either regular contributors or people I met through their listener community. I’ll get the rest of them eventually!

The Sci-Fi Christian is another podcast I’ve followed for years and always look forward to their episodes, even if they put them out at a rate I have trouble keeping up with!

Where can people find you?

My podcasts sites:

https://hugospodcast.com (Hugos There)https://pavementpodcast.com (Take Me To Your Reader)

Mostly you’ll find me on Twitter @hugospodcast, tweeting about grammar pet peeves, cooking adventures, and occasionally actually about SF.

Thank you, Seth, for stopping by and answering my questions.

Do check out Hugos There, cause it’s a great fancast.

***

Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

Masks and Magic 2021 – A Round-up of Indie Mardi Gras Speculative Fiction

Our monthly round-ups of new speculative fiction and new crime fiction releases by indie authors are a perennially popular feature. Therefore, we now offer you a round-up of our favourite Mardi Gras speculative fiction by indie authors.

These Mardi Gras stories cover the broad spectrum of speculative fiction. We have a lot of urban fantasy, horror and paranormal mysteries, but also historical fantasy, dark fantasy, religious fantasy, fairy tales, post-apocalyptic fiction and science fiction. There are angels, demons, Lucifer himself, dragons, ghosts, ghost whisperers, vampires, werewolves, witches, monsters, zombies, voodoo, ancient legends, family curses, cursed doubloons, human sacrifices, voodoo gods, kidnapped nuns, evil twin sisters, space cruises, precognition and much more. But one thing unites all of those very different books. They’re all set on or around Mardi Gras.

As always with my round-up posts, this round-up of the best indie holiday speculative fiction is also crossposted to the Speculative Fiction Showcase, a group blog which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things speculative fiction several times per week.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

Southern Monsters by Cora Buhlert

Three tales of monsters and terror in the Louisiana bayous.

When a young bride goes missing on her wedding day in Acadiana, the locals blame the Terror, the legendary monster that stalks the Crimson Bayou.
Remy Theriault does not believe in the Terror and he’s pretty sure the bride has done a runner. But the groom is his cousin and family is family. So Remy goes out to look for the runaway bride, only to find that sometimes, the old legends are true…

When their car crashes into the bayou on a dark Louisiana night, the swamp creature known only as Big Puffball might just be one family’s salvation…

When fishing boats go missing on the Mississippi River Delta, few people link these disappearances to the mysterious light that lit up the Louisiana sky only weeks before. But an astronomer from Tulane University makes the connection and discovers the horror that is the sphere that ate the Mississippi delta.

This is a collection of three short horror stories of 7700 words or approximately 27 print pages altogether.

Krewe of Souls by Elaine Calloway:

Mardi Gras, Mayhem, and Murder…

Tristan Pleasance is a ghost whisperer extraordinaire, but talking to his living father is another story. Family conflict prompts Tristan to bolt from his lifelong home in St. Francisville, Louisiana, to make a new life in New Orleans. But six months later, a family tragedy forces him to return home and he is thrust into a murder investigation where his past and future will collide.

Grace Lansing is a New Orleans columnist who yearns to write feature articles rather than puff pieces. To prove herself to her editor, she travels to the quaint town of St. Francisville to research their big Mardi Gras Krewe competition. But what seems an innocent cultural practice quickly turns into a web of intrigue—and getting too close to the handsome Tristan puts her in danger of becoming collateral damage.

Together, Tristan and Grace must find out who is responsible for the murders—before the Krewe of Souls is trapped forever.

Mardi Gras Maiden by Michael Dreysher Sr.

New Orleans 1854: A young woman, driven by curiosity sneaks into a brothel and stumbles into a Mardi Gras masquerade. She discovers that the ball is in reality an erotic ritual paying homage to Lucifer, the Great Prince of Evil and she is the guest of honor. The Archangel Gabriel sends four warriors from a dying world to rescue her but they arrive too late; the cult has slaughtered the girl, offering her as a sacrifice to Lucifer.

Rural Pennsylvania 1954: The same cult takes control of an entire town when their High Priestess seduces the land baron who owns it. They engineer a series of extramarital affairs among the residents which culminates in ritual debauchery. Gabriel has his avengers return to Earth with orders to wipe out the cult but Heaven has a dark side. A rogue spirit with an agenda of its own plans to kill these out-world warriors and the archangel’s champions find themselves defenseless in the center of a titanic struggle between two opposing forces from the Kingdom of Heaven.

Carnival in Sorgenbach by Raymund Eich:

Hans returned from the Great War, haunted. Not only by the horrors of the trenches, but haunted by visions of a more terrifying war to come. Would the parties and parades of Carnival 1919 offer him love and hope? Or doom him and his country to the devastation he foresaw?

 

 

 

Trapt by Rene Folsom:

Mardi Gras is coming, and no one is more excited than Jolie—The Big Easy’s resident good witch. Amidst the festivities, darkness creeps under the blissful veil of love she is entangled with. Her twin sister, the evil witch Melanie, is out to destroy Jolie before her powers can usurp her own, willing to stop at nothing to do so. Jolie, aided by Asher and his seven-man wolf pack, are set to keep New Orleans safe from Melanie’s sorcery, or die trying.

Enjoy the story of Jolie and Asher, a modern-day retelling of the classic tale Snow White.

Death Dealer by Graylin Fox:

My name is Cimmerian. I’m a dragon shifter living in New Orleans. Someone is screwing up my pre-Mardi Gras plans by leaving mutilated human bodies all over town. I have to find out whether or not a demon is behind this. If so, are they building a human to animate with demon magic? If not, we have a human serial killer just in time for the town to flood with tourists.

Things were so much quieter on vacation.

Damn, I’m glad to be back at work.

Dead Velvet Cheesecake by A. Gardner:

A hotel billionaire is dead, and Ember Greene is the prime suspect.

Misty Key’s annual Mardi Gras celebrations are approaching, and the Lunar Bakery is busier than ever cranking out beignets and King cakes. Ember is tasked with juggling her responsibilities at the family bakery with her newfound psychic duties which includes pet sitting a witch’s familiar named Whiskers.

But beads and baked goods fly when a body is found at the Crystal Grande Hotel, and a slice of the bakery’s red velvet cheesecake is to blame.

With an influx of tourists and religious protestors crowding the streets, Ember struggles to find the killer and clear her family name. After a parade float explodes, she discovers that the murderer has some unfinished business. Enlisting the help of her bloodhound Yogi, a pessimistic medium, and a troubled pet psychic leads her to one conclusion.

She’s been framed for murder.

Can Ember figure out who framed her before her family’s legacy is destroyed?

Mardi Gras Zombies by Bart Gnarly:

Seven college friends who attend the University of Connecticut (UCONN) together take a road trip down to New Orleans, Louisiana in order to have a good time during the Mardi Gras celebration. Mark, Nikki, Laura, Destiny, JT, Abe, and Steve are staying in a luxury hotel right on Bourbon St to party their brains out and to get away from the cold weather for a few days of fun and debauchery. Their only goals for this escapade are sex and drinking lots of alcohol, while listening to Rock and Roll, Blues, and Jazz at various bars. Partying in the French Quarter as a group will just be a bonus. The guys and especially Mark want to see as many boobs as possible. Unfortunately for them a zombie apocalypse happens during the midst of the Fat Tuesday celebrations. An amazing and relaxing adventure turns into a desperate fight for their survival. Which of them will live to go home again?

The Hexorcist by Lily Harper Hart

Ofelia Archer has a full life … which only gets fuller when a dead body lands in her backyard.

As owner of New Orleans’ premier supernatural speakeasy, Ofelia is always in the thick of things when the witch hits the fan. That’s no exception now … even when the local police start breathing down her neck.

Zach Sully has a colorful background. As a panther shifter, he keeps his true origins secret while walking the colorful streets of the French Quarter keeping law and order. A tourist murder draws him into new and uncharted territory, and a feisty witch is at the center of it.

Sully and Ofelia circle one another … warily … as they both try to solve a mystery that revolves around an outsider who somehow had ties to their little corner of the world. Eventually, they’re going to have to join forces … and it’s not exactly a comfortable meeting of the minds.

Chemistry is one thing. Trust is another. Ofelia and Sully will be forced to get over their inner misgivings and unite if they want to solve the crime … and stay alive in the process.

Welcome to a magical world, where the characters are colorful, the magic is fantastical, and the drinks are poured strong.

It’s Bourbon Street, baby, and you’ll never be the same again.

Creole Moon: Book of Roots by S.T. Holmes:

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is the perfect locale for a treasure hunt. When it coincides in the year of the Luperci festival, the magic world is turned upside down, and the feast of forgiveness turns into a fight of wickedness. This Mardi Gras festival is like non ever seen before or will ever see in the future.

Experience sibling rivalry at its finest as two sisters square off against each other for control of the book of roots. Unite with our hero, George Genois, as he is drawn deeper into the realm of magic and the forces of good and evil. If he thought his adventures with Mamuska and Ophelia were harsh before, then he is in for an even wilder time with these sisters. Each sister wants him as an ally, but George is interested in righting a wrong done only to him. Does George get his revenge?

A Rose at Midnight by Sylvie Kurtz:

He abandoned her to save her life. Now he must convince her he still loves her before the stroke of midnight on Mardi Gras . . . or condemn her to her death.

Nine years ago, Christiane Lawrence fell hard for a mysterious young music student. Even after he left her without a goodbye, the memory of Daniel Moreau haunts Christi every day when she looks at their daughter’s face.

Whenever Christi asked about her mother’s family, she was warned to stay away from the birthplace her mother fled. Now, grieving her parents’ death in a car accident, an invitation from Gabriel Langelier, a cousin she’d never met arrives, promising answers. This is her chance to give her daughter a taste of the family roots she never had.

What Christiane doesn’t know is that her mother’s warning sprang from real fear. Gabriel is obsessed with the legend of Rose Latulippe. He’s sure only someone from Christiane’s bloodline can fulfill his quest for eternal life. He must have her heart at midnight on Mardi Gras.

To save the woman he loved, Daniel made a bargain with the devil and abandoned her without explanation. And now she’s back in the middle of danger, bringing their daughter with her.

To have a second chance and earn Christiane’s forgiveness, Daniel has to convince Christi he still loves her before the stroke of midnight on Mardi Gras . . . or send her to her death.

Voodoo Dreams by Alana Lorens:

When her big trial goes bad, corporate attorney Brianna Ward can’t wait to get out of Pittsburgh. The Big Easy seems like the perfect place to rest, relax, and forget about the legal business. Too bad an obnoxious–but handsome–lawyer from a rival firm is checking into the same bed and breakfast.

Attorney Evan Farrell has Mardi Gras vacation plans too. When he encounters fiery and attractive Brianna, however, he puts the Bourbon Street party on hold. He’d much rather devote himself to her–especially when a mysterious riddle appears in her bag, seeming to threaten danger.

Strangely compelled to follow the riddle’s clues, Brianna is pulled deeper into the twisted schemes of a voodoo priest bent on revenge. To escape his poisonous web, she must work with Evan to solve the curse. But is the growing love they feel for each other real? Or just a voodoo dream?

Battlefield Z: Mardi Gras Zombies by Chris Lowry:

He found them!

Two of his three children are alive and now that he’s found them he won’t let them out of his sight.

It’s time to find his youngest daughter.

The last he knew she was heading to a refugee camp with her Mom and step-dad. He’s got a map of the camps back at Fort Jasper waiting.

All he has to do is keep his kids safe as they search for answers and a trip back to Alabama. The safest route floats them down the river. It keeps the Z at bay, but delivers them straight into a fortress that feels like paradise.

He has a choice. Hide behind the walls with two thirds of his heart and let the world burn or take a chance and continue the hunt.

An easy job if it weren’t for all the damn zombies.

The Outer-Universe Cruise Ship Mardi Gras by E. Miguel:

Space, there is a lot of it. Like really, a lot. As much space as there is though, it also happens to be very crowded. It is for this exact reason the Outer-Universe Cruise Ship Mardis Gras was created. While other cruises throughout the universe offer excitement and adventure, the Mardis Gras offers the mundane for those vacationers that are allergic to such excitement and adventure. The ship’s only constant inconstant is a Mardis Gras party held every other day.

Unfortunately for two passengers on the ship, this week’s cruise offers more than they signed up for. Escape pods, a slumbering Old God, and a Voodoo priestess robot all happen to show up on the unplanned itinerary this week.

Nocturne by Irene Preston and Liv Rancourt

It’s Mardi Gras, cher, but this year le bon temps kick off with murder…

For generations, the White Monks have treated the vampire Thaddeus Dupont as a weapon in their battle against demons. However, when a prominent matron drops dead at a party, Thaddeus and his lover Sarasija are asked to find her killer. Their investigation leads them to an old southern family with connections everywhere: Louisiana politics, big business, the Church, and an organization just as secret as the White Monks.

Meanwhile, an esoteric text containing spells for demon-summoning has disappeared, Thaddeus is losing control of le monstre, and Sara is troubled by disturbing dreams. These nightmares could be a side-effect of dating a vampire, or they could be a remnant of his brush with evil. As the nights wear on, Sara fears they are a manifestation of something darker – a secret that could destroy his relationship with Thaddeus.

Krewe of Hecate by Sim Shattuck:

A group of Mardi Gras wizards descend to the Underworld and capture the goddess Hecate so that they can display her during Carnival. But they didn’t understand that having the goddess of the Uncanny upon the face of the Earth would do to three unlucky New Orleans residents.

 

 

 

Burgundy Doubloons by T.J. Spencer Jacques:

You caught a doubloon at a Mardi Gras Parade – that was a bad thing.

Trent McGowan is going home. Home to his ailing mother. Home to the city of his childhood. Home to New Orleans. As Trent deals with the peculiar circumstances surrounding his mother’s illness, his family gets swept up in the excitement of Mardi Gras and all of the festivities of that intoxicating day. The jubilant crowds, breathtaking carnival floats, and oh yes, the throws! His youngest daughter Zoe catches one of those throws, a sparkling red doubloon, and that is where the story ends and begins.
Burgundy Doubloons is more than just a suspense thriller, it is everything that makes New Orleans the party capital of the world: only bloodier and darker.

For those who love a parade, Burgundy Doubloon answers a terrifying question: What if your child simultaneously caught a bead, and a murderous spirit? In this heart-palpating novel, you will meet the entire McGowan family, and the people determined to destroy them.

Finally, a paranormal thriller that takes place in New Orleans – as told by a native son who knows where the bodies are buried.

Poison and Wine by C.H. Valentino and Eldon Hughes:

Welcome to the Crescent City

Danni Toussaint has a nail in her chest as a mark of her debt to The Baron Samedi – a debt she can only repay with the souls he forces her to steal.

Michael Belew is desperate. Someone is kidnapping nuns in the Ninth Ward where he was raised an orphan, and he suspects a powerful enemy armed with voodoo magic.

When Michael asks for Danni’s help to find the kidnapper – or killer – they become pawns in a vicious game between The Baron Samedi and his brother, Lacroix.

The prize? Control of the most powerful source of magic in New Orleans.

Now, to protect the people of his city and save Danni from Samedi, Michael may have to sacrifice his soul.

Razor Valentine by Roland Yeomans:

MARDI GRAS … MAGIC … MURDER

In 1947 New Orleans THREE KINGS DAY marks the start of the official Carnival Season. Carnival, coming from the Latin words, carne vale, meaning “farewell to the flesh.”

Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte, Our Lady of Holy Death, is stalking the French Quarter streets killing apparently at random. What does the psychotic actress, Irene Dupré, know of this entity and what lies behind the murders? She remains silent, only smiling. Santa Muerte’s strange acolyte lurks in the shadows watching, waiting. Waiting for what?

Frank Capra is filming a historical fantasy in the city with Jimmy Stewart, Cesar Romero, and the enigmatic Irene Dupré. Former O.S.S. operative, now the film’s Prop Master, Lucas, finds himself in the middle of the mystery with more questions than answers.

His lost love back from the dead, Ingrid Durtz, and his best friend, Mitchell Mack, are at a loss on how to stay alive, much less catch a supernatural killer.

Then, there is Lucas’ former O.S.S. team mate, Father Darael, whose gift of a Seraph Blade is literally a two-edged blessing. You see, Darael is a Seraphim Provocateur. And Lucas is unsure whose side he is really on, the Celestial or the Fallen?