Tonya R. Moore's Blog: Tonya R. Moore, page 39

Spec-Fic Trifecta: Podcast Preview

I have a new pet project in the works.

Spec-Fic Trifecta will be a monthly 15-minute podcast dedicated to three things spec-fic.

Each month I will choose one book, one comic, and one TV show or movie to feature on the episode. There will also be a Q&A section where I answer selected questions from listeners or readers of this blog.

Listen to the Preview:

Episode One of Spec-Fic Trifecta is set to launch on April 10, 2016.

The post Spec-Fic Trifecta: Podcast Preview appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.

Read my Flash Fiction on Patreon

The first of my new monthly flash fiction pieces was posted��on��Patreon today.

For those not already familiar with Patreon, it is a platform for creatives to share their work and be supported by readers/fans.

In their own words:

Patreon is recurring crowdfunding for artists and creators. We help creators of all kinds get paid for what they love to do. We help fans support and engage with their favorite artists.

How it works

I will post a new piece of science fiction, fantasy, or horror flash fiction each month and make it available for everyone to read. If you like my stories, simply Become a Patron. You can pledge any amount, starting at $1 per month.

Those who pledge $1 or more will be added to my Patreon Supporters page on this website. Those who pledge $5 or more also get a signed thank you note from me via snail mail. Finally, those who pledge $10 or more also get a free, bundled PDF collection of all of my short stories that are currently available to be��purchased from Smashwords and Amazon.

My first big goal is set at $50 monthly. Once that goal is reached, I will post a bonus piece of flash fiction, in addition to the monthly offerings.

What to Expect

You may have noticed that I no longer share short stories or flash fiction on this blog but I still wanted to share some of my shorter works with readers.

The flash fiction that I will be sharing on Patreon will all be new works that have never been published or posted online before.

AN EXCERPT
“Space Age Mermaid”

Sulily sleeps suspended inside a transparent, cylindrical womb filled with luminous blue fluid. Her suit sticks to her body like a second skin and has knobby nodes that run up the length of her spine and end at the soft helmet’s base at the back of her neck.��

From the center of the helmet, wires fan outward and upward, gathering at the control center at the top of the container. Sulily���s mouth and nose are covered by a breathing apparatus with a serpentine root that coils and stretches down to the base of the cylinder.

From time to time, her eyelids flicker and her fingers and toes twitch. Otherwise, she simply floats in suspended animation, unaware of even the small, robotic jellyfish that swim around her, monitoring her vitals and the state of the life-preserving fluid. Her unconscious body has already been floating inside the cylinder for three years.

She will sleep like this for two more years, awaken for three then sleep again for two more years. When she awakens for the second time, this space age mermaid and her companions will be orbiting a whole new world. At least, that���s the plan…

[CONTINUE READING ON PATREON���]

The post Read my Flash Fiction on Patreon appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.

Writing and My Authentic Self

There is something not quite right with my writing. I can���t quite put my finger on what that ���something��� is, but it���s definitely problematic. I can tell you this much: I���ve never been completely satisfied with a single story that I���ve written.

I used to think it was simply a matter of a lack of self-confidence combined with low self-esteem but lately, I���ve been thinking that it might be something else entirely. It���s more like looking in the mirror and not quite recognizing the person looking back at me.

It���s not that I think that my writing is disingenuous. It just feels as if there is some important part of myself that I haven���t quite managed to pour into my work, which leaves me feeling as if there is something missing from what I���ve written. If that���s the case, I can���t quite figure out what it is that���s holding me back. Or I should say, I have yet to discover what it is.

That���s just one way of looking at things, though. On one hand, I really do want to pour more of myself into my work. On the other hand, I realize that trying too hard comes with its own set of problems. Balance is important, plus I fully realize that a general sense of dissatisfaction isn���t necessarily a bad thing for a writer. There���s nothing wrong with continually seeking to improve one���s self and one���s work. Something tells me, though, that it���s not just ���improvement��� that my work needs.

So, how do I find this indefinable thing that I lack?

For one thing, I think I���ll start journaling more. Presently, I have a private journal but I haven���t been writing in it. I really think that consistent journaling is a great way to get in touch with my authentic self. I tend to keep a lot bottled up inside, maybe some of that stuff belong on the page instead. Getting into the habit of ���stream of consciousness��� writing might be just the thing that eventually helps my authentic Self to shine through the page.

Maybe there are depths to my own psyche waiting to be plumbed. Maybe it���s high time I choose to walk some dark path on a journey of self-discovery. My work has always had some dark bent to it, come to think of it. Maybe it just hasn���t been dark or bizarre enough. Maybe it���s all been a bit too sane.

 

Feat. Img. Src.

The post Writing and My Authentic Self appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.

The Work in Progress

I’m in trouble, you guys. It would seem that this book isn’t going to write itself.

So far, I’ve constructed the plot as well as several setting and character profiles. I still feel like the prewriting isn’t done yet. I’ve done a lot of work but the story is still mostly trapped inside my head. I’m currently in limbo, that weird stage halfway between planning and actually writing the first draft. For those watching the progress meter on Leviathan’s Descent, it’ll be quite some time before you’ll see any changes but have no fear, I am making progress… however slowly.

The thing is, I’m really looking forward to actually writing this story. I dream about the characters and their escapades. My notebook is full of random notes and fragments of scenes. It’s slow going. Every day, I open Scrivener and review the plot and add notes. The complete story is taking form inside my head, little by little, day by day. All I can think at this point is that I certainly have my work cut out for me.

It will be quite a while before this book is nearly ready to be published–before I’ll even be ready to post an excerpt or two. A part of me is impatient and just wants to get to it already. The other part of me wants to take things slowly. I want to write a truly good story. For that to happen, I think I will need to take my time.

In the meantime, I’ll be releasing the occasional short story—hopefully getting them published somewhere. Speaking of which, my short story “The Darker Side” will be published in Tachyon Node Magazine very soon. I’ll make an announcement when that issue goes live.

(Feat. Img. Source)

The post The Work in Progress appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.

Stop Worrying About What Not to Write

Are you afraid of messing around with tropes? What about your plot? Is it too dark? Too light? Is your main character too perfect? Too flawed? Are you afraid to bore, perturb, or even disgust?

How many articles did you read this week that made you look back at your own work and cringe?

There’s no limit to the number of voices out there that are only too happy to tell us what or how not to write. I’m not here to fit you with rose-colored glasses. A lot of what these people say is true. Some things work for stories. Some things don’t.

As a creative, no matter what you do, there’s always the risk that your work won’t be well received. There’s also the chance that it will.

Readers aren’t stupid. They aren’t looking to be pandered to. Most readers are intelligent enough to realize that a story is simply an invitation to take a peek into a writer’s inner world. They don’t have to like or even appreciate what they find there, but maybe they will. It’s all about entertaining the possibilities.

Have your fun.

Don’t be afraid to take a silly idea and run with it. Revel in every second of writing it because once you’re done writing a story and you let it loose upon the world, you lose the ability to enjoy the “creating” part of the process.

Now, you’re just another hapless author waiting to see how your work will be received. You may have an inkling. It might get accepted somewhere and your editor or publisher might be able to predict a story’s success with some degree of accuracy, but no one ever really knows for sure.

So why sit there staring at a blank page and worrying about stuff you can’t predict? The best part of being a writer is the writing.

Experiment. Carouse. Fuck up.

That’s your freedom. That’s where the fun stuff happens. Tie yourself up in knots worrying about what comes later… later!

Don’t let worrying about what not to write ruin writing for you.

 

Stock Images from Pixabay & Openclipart

The post Stop Worrying About What Not to Write appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.

Fix the Gender Disparity in Superhero Movies

Silk Spectre (image from watchmen.wikia.com)

There is a gender disparity in the superhero movie genre. Males seem to get all the glory and rarely is the central lead role in a superhero film granted to a female. Women in superhero movies are more likely to be relegated to the roles of misguided villains, sidekicks, or damsels in distress who must wait for their male counterparts to swoop in and save the day on their behalf.

Males enjoy a somewhat even playing field while females are left at an obvious disadvantage. Women are either largely under-represented or when present as lead characters, often grossly misrepresented; yet, while producers argue that superhero movies with female leads are destined to flop, there is a growing demand for stronger female representation in the superhero genre.

The top 25 highest-grossing superhero movies of all time all featured males as the central leads. This problem carries over from the culture of print comics where we generally have complex male characters overcoming all manners of odds in order to save the day.

In her article, “The Female Link: Citation and Continuity in Watchmen” in Journal of Popular Culture, Erin M. Keating points out that female heroes have historically been rendered invisible or impotent in the comic-book genre. This brings to mind, Jean Grey of the X-Men, who upon evolving into Phoenix, adopts a position of neutrality in the central conflict driving the entire story, and is ultimately sacrificed.

Rogue (image from wikipedia.org)

In Watchmen, we have Silk Spectre who is presented as the only neutral, and I would go so far as to say somewhat impotent hero featured. This is a stark contrast to the men of Watchmen who are all motivated by political and righteous conviction and are powerful in their own right. Keating also observes that Silk Spectre’s life is portrayed only in terms of her relationships with the men in her life. Her existence has little meaning outside of this context.

As in the case of Spiderman, Iron Man, and Captain America, male heroes are usually transformed into improved or idealized version of themselves. This is not the case for females. Whenever females are present as main characters, they are portrayed as scantily clad, hyper sexualized caricatures of their gender.

Where comic books have even made the leap to portray female heroes as complex characters, powerful in their own right, Hollywood has seen fit to infantilize and reduce these characters to casualties of their femininity.

Take Rogue from X-Men, for example. In the comic books, Rogue is self-actualized adult with the power to incapacitate anyone she touches. Rogue in the X-Men movies has been made into a teenage victim of her own powers, who ultimately seeks to rid herself of the very ability that makes her extraordinary.

Black Widow (image from marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com)

There is a distinct lack of equality when it comes to banking on male versus female leads in the superhero movie genre.

Take Marvel’s Avenger franchise, for example. Of all the avengers to have landed their own lead role in a feature film, only the female character Black Widow has yet to be granted a lead role in her own feature film. Now that Scarlet Witch has debuted, we are left with two powerful female superheroes in sore need of their own feature films.

Now that Scarlet Witch has debuted, we are left with two powerful female superheroes in sore need of their own feature films.

The question is, will Hollywood deliver?

As revealed in the case of the famously leaked email of a Sony executive, it has been argued that movies such as Catwoman and Elektra have shown that superhero movies with female leads are destined to flop.

Haven’t superhero movies with male leads have had their fair share of flops as well, though? Movies such as Daredevil, Green Lantern, and most recently The Fantastic Four weren’t exactly box office smash hits.

If Hollywood can still bank on male heroes, despite failure, they should be able to bank on female heroes as well.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (image from www.calvin.edu)

One might also argue that superhero movies target a male audience, which would perhaps explain the hypermasculine bent to these storylines, however, numbers show that the genre also appeals to a large female demographic.

Avengers, Age of Ultron grossed over $27 million in one night, and 40% of that audience was female. I daresay, a big factor that drew in such a large female demographic was powerful female characters such as Black Widow and Scarlet Witch.

There is a troubling absence of female heroes as central lead characters in the superhero movie genre but as proven by the success of TV shows such as Jessica Jones and Agent Carter, and movie characters such as Black Widow and Scarlet Witch, there is a growing demand for stronger female representation in the superhero movie genre.

The post Fix the Gender Disparity in Superhero Movies appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.

Space Opera Courts the Mainstream

Science fiction author and fan, Bob Tucker, coined the term Space Opera in back in 1941, perhaps as a deprecating term in the spirit of the horse operas and soap operas of the time.

Eventually, it became the buzzword for pulp science fiction novels from the 1930’s, 1940’s, and the science fiction movies from the 1950’s.

Today, the term Space Opera brings to mind sweeping, character-driven tales of action and adventure on an epic scale.

Originally, these stories were thought to lack much character development but that has changed, I daresay for the better, over the years.

The Advent of the Jedi

When I mention a certain story set “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,” a single movie franchise will inevitably come to mind. Originally the brain-child of one Simon Oliver, Star Wars was reworked and made into an epic hit by George Lucas and snowballed into an overnight phenomenon following its debut in 1977. The original trilogy, released between 1977 and 1983, garnered a cult following.

Though I’m not much of a fan of the prequels, I suppose the same could be said of the prequel trilogy released between 1999 and 2005.

George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney back in 2012. Since then, the epic series has been injected with a new burst of life. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, released in December of 2015, has been a box office record smashing, global hit.

Where no One Has Gone Before

The other day, my landlord and I were talking about Star Trek and he mentioned Space Seed. This episode of Star Trek first aired in 1967. In the Space Seed episode, Captain James T. Kirk and crew encounter a sleeper ship full of enhanced humans who proceed to attempt to take over the Enterprise.

The sequel to this episode came fifteen years later in the form of 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan with, amazingly enough, the same cast of actors playing aged versions of the characters from Space Seed.

Like Star Wars, the Star Trek television series and movies have spawned a phenomenal cult following. With the advent of the reboot movie series, Star Trek’s popularity has exploded, capturing the hearts of the mainstream and hardcore fans alike.

Through the Wormhole

Some while ago, in The Leviathans that Inspired Slumfairy, I mentioned a television series called Farscape.

I remember, late one night, coming across the awesome story of John Crichton, an astronaut who has somehow tumbled down the proverbial rabbit hole and winds up on the other side of a wormhole, aboard a sapient, biomechanical ship named Moya, who is occupied by a bunch of escaped alien prisoners. I was immediately hooked.

Though it only lasted four seasons and perhaps didn’t quite achieve the cult following it deserved, Farscape earned three Saturn Awards for Best Syndicated/Cable TV Series between 2000 and 2002. Plus, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars received an Emmy Nomination for “Outstanding Special Visual Effects for A Miniseries, Movie or a Special.” in 2005.

In Our Backyard

The Expanse is a space opera television series on Syfy, based on the series of novels by James S. A. Corey. Set in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system, the Expanse follows several characters as they become entangled in a conspiracy that threatens to upset the tenuous balance of power that keeps Mars, Earth and the Belt from going to war. Only seven episodes in, The Expanse has all of the makings of a cult hit.

Personally, I’m all agog over this series. The science is solid. The special effects are amazing. The drama is real. Nothing is one hundred percent predictable. For one thing, you never quite know who is going to die next. No one is safe. I love that.

Of course, Star Wars, Star Trek, Farscape, and The Expanse are just a few of the amazing space opera series which have captured the imaginations of casual genre fans to hardcore SF devotees alike. I haven’t even mentioned Battlestar Galactica or Lexx, plus I’m sure there are a ton more I’m forgetting.

More and more of the writers I hear about or talk to are experimenting with space opera. I just recently added Jacqueline Koyanagi’s “Ascension” and Nnedi Okorafor’s “Binti” to my reading list. My Hegira series of short stories is also space opera. You can read more about these stories in The Lore of Hegira.

The post Space Opera Courts the Mainstream appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.

2016 Reading List Update #1

My extra-curricular reading has been very slow lately. I’m actually still on the early bits of Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84. A rock solid read so far, I just can’t seem to scrounge up enough reading time between working, writing, and school. To be more accurate, time management isn’t the problem, just that my brain is pretty much shot by the time I finally get around to reading for fun.

Even so, the reading list keeps growing.

The following are a few absolute gems that are waiting in the wings to be thoroughly read:

Binti

Nnedi Okorafor

Blurb:

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti’s stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself — but first she has to make it there, alive.

 

Woman of the Woods

Milton Davis

Blurb:

The latest Sword and Soul novel by Milton Davis returns to the land of Meji, the amazing world of Uhuru.

It tells the story of Sadatina, a girl on the brink of becoming a woman living with her family in Adamusola, the land beyond the Old Men Mountains.

But tragic events transpire that change her life forever, revealing a hidden past that leads her into the midst of a war between her people and those that would see them destroyed, the Mosele.

Armed with a spiritual weapon and her feline ‘sisters,’ Sadatina becomes a Shosa, a warrior trained to fight the terrible nyokas, demon-like creatures that aid the Mosele in their war against her people.

 

 

 

Ascension: A Tangled Axon Novel

Jacqueline Koyanagi

Blurb:

Alana Quick is the best damned sky surgeon in Heliodor City, but repairing starship engines barely pays the bills. When the desperate crew of a cargo vessel stops by her shipyard looking for her spiritually-advanced sister Nova, Alana stows away.

Maybe her boldness will land her a long-term gig on the crew. But the Tangled Axon proves to be more than star-watching and plasma coils. The chief engineer thinks he’s a wolf. The pilot fades in and out of existence.

The captain is all blond hair, boots, and ego . . . and Alana can’t keep her eyes off her.

But there’s little time for romance: Nova’s in danger and someone will do anything—even destroying planets—to get their hands on her!

 

Wool – Omnibus Edition

Hugh Howey

Blurb:

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden.

But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism.

Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.

 

 

 

 

 

The Grove

Jennifer Foehner Wells

Blurb:

Hain, a sentient plant creature, defies instinct and genetic imperative by holding herself separate from the planet-encompassing vegetative super-intelligence known as the Mother. Hain wants to explore the stars but when she finally encounters aliens, her destiny is forever changed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strangelet, Volume 2, Issue 1

Various Authors, Strangelet Journal

Blurb:

Year 2 of Strangelet begins! Women Writing Women: Transformations.

A collection of women writers and poets writing about women transforming.

 

 

The post 2016 Reading List Update #1 appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.

Black Science Fiction Society

Black Science Fiction Society is a community created to celebrate and promote diversity in speculative fiction. The brain-child of Jarvis Sheffield, Black Science Fiction Society seeks to showcase and develop works of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and sword and soul in all of their many forms and mediums.

It has long been a goal of mine to create an online community with a focus on Black Science Fiction. Not simply a group or magazine, but an interactive site where consumers as well as developers of

Black science fiction can communicate, support, collaborate and thrive together. ~ J. Sheffield

Black Science Fiction Society’s Philosophy and Manifesto are grounded in the concepts of diversity, creativity, and community.

With a membership of over 9,000, Black Science Fiction Society has evolved into a wonderful social network for genre fans and creators alike. My favorite feature on Black Science Fiction Society is the chat area. It’s an awesome place to banter and share ideas with fellow creatives.

This multi-faceted community offers a little bit of something for everyone.

Fans can support Black Science Fiction Society and get their own awesome Black Sci-Fi art prints.

Genesis Fiction Magazine is a seasonal print & e-magazine dedicated exclusively to the black science fiction genre. Members of the Black Science Fiction Society social network are invited to submit. Please see the Submission Guidelines for details.

There is also Genesis: An Anthology of Black Science Fiction which presents collections of some of the best work that the black SF community has to offer.

Other Projects

The Genesis Science Fiction Radio Show features conversations with creators and consumers about relevant topics in science fiction from a black perspective.

I was recently interviewed on The Genesis Science Fiction Radio Show. You can listen to it here

Earth Squadron – 3-D Movie Project: Earth is threatened by unknown aliens who travel from their home planet to Earth to subjugate its people and loot it of resources using their superior technology and vicious nature.

The post Black Science Fiction Society appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.

This Human Being

When I was growing up, an older adult woman told me:

“You were born with three strikes against you; you’re female, you’re black, and you’re poor.”

Before that moment, it had never even occurred to me that any of these things were reasons I was supposed to hate myself. I didn’t know that I was supposed to go through life, negatively defined by the color of my gender, the color of my skin, or the size of my bank account.

What about the human being that I was on the inside? Didn’t I matter? Wasn’t I supposed to matter?

As I grew up and started to pay more attention to society around me, it became increasingly apparent that I was expected to live as if defined by these things. I’m supposed to “know” my place as a woman and do all the things women are expected to so. I’m supposed to act black enough, whatever the hell that means. Whatever self-worth I have left after that, is supposed to hinge entirely on the size of my wallet.

Who cares about the human being inside? Why should I matter? Why should I even dare think I’m supposed to matter?

I’ve struggled with depression for many years. A traumatic incident when I was fourteen did a number on my already shaky self-esteem and altered the course of my entire life. Toxic family relationships took care of the rest. At a very low point in my life, I started to think that maybe that older woman and society were right after all.

What did the human being inside matter? I didn’t matter. Why had I ever thought that I was supposed to matter, in the first place?

I wanted to die. I contemplated suicide many times.

Still, there was something inside me that refused to entirely give up on existing. Fortunately, my job affords me certain benefits. I was able to get the professional help that I so desperately needed. It wasn’t easy. It isn’t easy. I struggle every day, but the struggle is worth it.

This human being is worth it.

It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of the color of my skin. I’ll neither hate myself or try to compensate for the fact that I’m female. I believe in living within my means, but the size of my bank account is nobody else’s damned business.

This is what the human being inside me has decided. I no longer care about whether or not I’m supposed to matter.

I matter.

I won’t waste another second of my life, atoning for the fact that I exist.

The post This Human Being appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.