Ruth de Jauregui's Blog
October 1, 2015
October Is Black Speculative Fiction Month!!
Thanks to authors Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade and a group of like-minded authors, artists and fans of Black speculative fiction, October is now Black Speculative Fiction Month. It's a time to expand our horizons beyond the traditional tropes found in speculative fiction and explore new worlds based on the African diaspora.
Go by the Black Speculative Fiction Month website, at http://blackspeculativefictionmonth.com/, or The State of Black Science Fiction Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/blackscifi/, to learn more about the authors and the books that they write that feature Black, POC, and other characters (that might include also whites, nonhumans, and aliens too!!)
Go by the Black Speculative Fiction Month website, at http://blackspeculativefictionmonth.com/, or The State of Black Science Fiction Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/blackscifi/, to learn more about the authors and the books that they write that feature Black, POC, and other characters (that might include also whites, nonhumans, and aliens too!!)
May 28, 2015
Tanith Lee Has Walked On ~ May 24, 2015
The fabulous Tanith Lee, born in 1947, has left us.
Author of over 90 novels, including several YAs and YA trilogies, her imaginative and wonderfully written fantasy and science fiction won many awards.
The first Tanith Lee that I remember reading was The Silver Metal Lover. It ' s still on my shelf, and I think I'm going to reread it this coming week. I haven't read it in a long time, so I'm sure I'll find more to ponder on than I did 20 or 30 years ago.
I'm going to add some of her YA work to Alien Star Books. Her rich prose is romantic without being melodramatic. Teens who enjoy deep, dark, rich prose will love her work, from science fiction to fantasy to horror to lesbian fiction. She did it all.
Farewell Tanith, though we never met in this life, perhaps someday we will walk together beyond the stars.
Author of over 90 novels, including several YAs and YA trilogies, her imaginative and wonderfully written fantasy and science fiction won many awards.
The first Tanith Lee that I remember reading was The Silver Metal Lover. It ' s still on my shelf, and I think I'm going to reread it this coming week. I haven't read it in a long time, so I'm sure I'll find more to ponder on than I did 20 or 30 years ago.
I'm going to add some of her YA work to Alien Star Books. Her rich prose is romantic without being melodramatic. Teens who enjoy deep, dark, rich prose will love her work, from science fiction to fantasy to horror to lesbian fiction. She did it all.
Farewell Tanith, though we never met in this life, perhaps someday we will walk together beyond the stars.
April 18, 2015
Interview With the Author: Neal Litherland
My friend, author Neal Litherland, recently published an anthology of Steampunk Noir stories, "New Avalon: Love and Loss in the City of Steam." He has been very helpful and encouraging to me as a new author (I've been a writer, now working on some fiction and looking toward that title of "author.") He, in fact, inspired my own main character "Bitter."
I had some questions for Neal about his burgeoning career as an author, as seen from our YA lens:
When did you start writing? At what age?
The first time I wrote a story and got that unique thrill was in 8th grade (it was an extra credit project that horrified my teacher. I was beaming). It wasn't long after that I made being a professional author my life's career goal.
What are your YA appropriate books?
Definitions of “appropriate” will vary by reader. Some people will say it's sexual content that makes a book inappropriate, but others will say that violence, or even harsh language disqualifies it. I was reading Stephen King, Clive Cussler, and Battletech novels in 6th grade, so my own judgment is likely questionable. That said I believe New Avalon: Love and Loss in The City of Steam would be appropriate for mid-to-older teens. The anthologies Shadows of a Fading World and Sidekicks are also good choices for those who want good stories without a lot of questionable content.
Adult books/anthologies?
For those who like violent stories SNAFU: An Anthology of Military Horror and its upcoming sequel SNAFU II: Survival of the Fittest are great anthologies that feature two of my stories. For those who like a dose of blood and terror in their books American Nightmare is a great anthology I'm proud to be a part of, and for those who prefer something more titillating my story in the anthology Big Damn Heroines from Storm Moon Press is a great example of how you can marry sci-fi and erotica.
Your favorite genre?
Horror is always going to be the queen of my heart. No matter what other genre I'm writing touches of the bleak, the terrifying, and the disturbing always bleed through unless I go back through with the editor's scouring pad and scrub them all out. Most of the time I just leave them though, because I feel they add character and help define my voice as an author.
Your favorite characters in your books?
I never really think about favorites, though some of them are certainly louder than others. Each character embodies something unique, unusual, or downright bizarre, which makes each of them a distinct note in the song.
Who are your diverse characters?
Diversity has become a bigger and bigger issue for me over the years, both as a writer who wants to do my part for representation in fiction and as a professional who sees a demand and wants to fill it. New Avalon has several female characters, as well as characters of color for example. Luke Delacroix, the lead in my story “The Slog” in the upcoming SNAFU II is a black soldier from Louisiana who runs afoul of the impossible while on tour in Vietnam. “Terror on Saturn VI,” my story in Big Damn Heroines features a squad of female space marines investigating a distress call on the prison colony on Titan.
The list goes on and on. While I've got plenty of big, white fellows in my works I see no reason to limit my stories to where those are my only protagonists.
Have you found it difficult to write female or diverse characters? How?
Yes and no.
I think a lot of the times we cling to “write what you know” like a safety blanket, afraid to step out into other areas. I'm not a woman, nor am I a black or latino man, so why would I write their stories? I'm not a nine-foot tall alien/human hybrid super-soldier, a Martian gun-for-hire, or a psychotic serial killer who lives behind a Comedy mask either, but I had no problem telling those stories.
Writing diverse characters isn't easy, especially if you want to be accurate and fair. As with anything it gets easier with time, practice, and research though. Judging from the reactions of my readers (particularly to “The Unusual Transformation of Abraham Carver” which was told in first person from a female character's perspective) I like to think I'm doing it right most of the time.
What's your latest WIP?
The current work in progress is a novel that expands the world and characters found in my short story “Heart of the Myrmidon” which was published in the End of Days anthology, and its prequel “Gods and Heroes” which will be out this fall in Golden Age from Long Count Press. A post-apocalyptic military thriller with shadowy conspiracies, illicit research programs, and protagonists who are very different from what you might expect.
Many, many thanks to Neal for taking time to let me interview him about his work and thoughts on writing. If you're looking for horror stories, or other genres with that twist at the end, you'll love his work!
I had some questions for Neal about his burgeoning career as an author, as seen from our YA lens:
When did you start writing? At what age?
The first time I wrote a story and got that unique thrill was in 8th grade (it was an extra credit project that horrified my teacher. I was beaming). It wasn't long after that I made being a professional author my life's career goal.
What are your YA appropriate books?
Definitions of “appropriate” will vary by reader. Some people will say it's sexual content that makes a book inappropriate, but others will say that violence, or even harsh language disqualifies it. I was reading Stephen King, Clive Cussler, and Battletech novels in 6th grade, so my own judgment is likely questionable. That said I believe New Avalon: Love and Loss in The City of Steam would be appropriate for mid-to-older teens. The anthologies Shadows of a Fading World and Sidekicks are also good choices for those who want good stories without a lot of questionable content.
Adult books/anthologies?
For those who like violent stories SNAFU: An Anthology of Military Horror and its upcoming sequel SNAFU II: Survival of the Fittest are great anthologies that feature two of my stories. For those who like a dose of blood and terror in their books American Nightmare is a great anthology I'm proud to be a part of, and for those who prefer something more titillating my story in the anthology Big Damn Heroines from Storm Moon Press is a great example of how you can marry sci-fi and erotica.
Your favorite genre?
Horror is always going to be the queen of my heart. No matter what other genre I'm writing touches of the bleak, the terrifying, and the disturbing always bleed through unless I go back through with the editor's scouring pad and scrub them all out. Most of the time I just leave them though, because I feel they add character and help define my voice as an author.
Your favorite characters in your books?
I never really think about favorites, though some of them are certainly louder than others. Each character embodies something unique, unusual, or downright bizarre, which makes each of them a distinct note in the song.
Who are your diverse characters?
Diversity has become a bigger and bigger issue for me over the years, both as a writer who wants to do my part for representation in fiction and as a professional who sees a demand and wants to fill it. New Avalon has several female characters, as well as characters of color for example. Luke Delacroix, the lead in my story “The Slog” in the upcoming SNAFU II is a black soldier from Louisiana who runs afoul of the impossible while on tour in Vietnam. “Terror on Saturn VI,” my story in Big Damn Heroines features a squad of female space marines investigating a distress call on the prison colony on Titan.
The list goes on and on. While I've got plenty of big, white fellows in my works I see no reason to limit my stories to where those are my only protagonists.
Have you found it difficult to write female or diverse characters? How?
Yes and no.
I think a lot of the times we cling to “write what you know” like a safety blanket, afraid to step out into other areas. I'm not a woman, nor am I a black or latino man, so why would I write their stories? I'm not a nine-foot tall alien/human hybrid super-soldier, a Martian gun-for-hire, or a psychotic serial killer who lives behind a Comedy mask either, but I had no problem telling those stories.
Writing diverse characters isn't easy, especially if you want to be accurate and fair. As with anything it gets easier with time, practice, and research though. Judging from the reactions of my readers (particularly to “The Unusual Transformation of Abraham Carver” which was told in first person from a female character's perspective) I like to think I'm doing it right most of the time.
What's your latest WIP?
The current work in progress is a novel that expands the world and characters found in my short story “Heart of the Myrmidon” which was published in the End of Days anthology, and its prequel “Gods and Heroes” which will be out this fall in Golden Age from Long Count Press. A post-apocalyptic military thriller with shadowy conspiracies, illicit research programs, and protagonists who are very different from what you might expect.
Many, many thanks to Neal for taking time to let me interview him about his work and thoughts on writing. If you're looking for horror stories, or other genres with that twist at the end, you'll love his work!
June 19, 2014
Did you enjoy that book? Write a review!
Did you enjoy that book you read last night, last week, or last month? Even a short review on Amazon or Goodreads helps support that author in his/her efforts to bring you more stories.
Believe me, writing is a solitary lifestyle. When I'm in the throes of writing, I may not speak to anyone outside of my family for days. If I didn't have pets and kids to feed, I might not go outside of the house for weeks at a time!
A review of a book is an encouraging event. I know that I'm not throwing my stories out into a virtual windstorm of words on the Internet, to fly away to the stars or sink to the black depths of anonymity. Even a short review, on the order of "It was good. I liked it." is a good thing for an author.
So the next time you read a book and you really liked it, please think of the author and post a quick review of the book.
Thanks!
Believe me, writing is a solitary lifestyle. When I'm in the throes of writing, I may not speak to anyone outside of my family for days. If I didn't have pets and kids to feed, I might not go outside of the house for weeks at a time!
A review of a book is an encouraging event. I know that I'm not throwing my stories out into a virtual windstorm of words on the Internet, to fly away to the stars or sink to the black depths of anonymity. Even a short review, on the order of "It was good. I liked it." is a good thing for an author.
So the next time you read a book and you really liked it, please think of the author and post a quick review of the book.
Thanks!
May 1, 2014
List of Books With Black Main Characters
I recently put this list together for Milton Davis for a Youth Symposium on science fiction and fantasy. It features Black main characters in science fiction and fantasy written for a teen audience.
Now of course this website has more books focusing on other races/colors/ethnicities/aliens/non-humans, etc. There's room for everybody here on Alien Star Books, we only discriminate against poor writing, inappropriate stories for the target age range (teens and young adults), appropriation and ugly stereotypes.
Anyway, I kept the parental warnings on the list for your convenience, because the books do vary in their age levels. You're welcome to copy this document and distribute it far and wide. I'd appreciate it if you kept the footer with the website name.
Thanks so much!
[image error] alien_star_books_-_black_protagonists_in_teen_and_ya_science_fiction_and_fantasy.pdfFile Size: 208 kbFile Type: pdfDownload File
Now of course this website has more books focusing on other races/colors/ethnicities/aliens/non-humans, etc. There's room for everybody here on Alien Star Books, we only discriminate against poor writing, inappropriate stories for the target age range (teens and young adults), appropriation and ugly stereotypes.
Anyway, I kept the parental warnings on the list for your convenience, because the books do vary in their age levels. You're welcome to copy this document and distribute it far and wide. I'd appreciate it if you kept the footer with the website name.
Thanks so much!
[image error] alien_star_books_-_black_protagonists_in_teen_and_ya_science_fiction_and_fantasy.pdfFile Size: 208 kbFile Type: pdfDownload File
December 7, 2013
Alien Star Books was featured on Twinja Book Reviews!
Yes, this little book website (and I) were featured on
Twinja Book Reviews
on December 5th, 2013!
The lovely owners of the blog, Afro-Cuban American twins Guinevere & Libertad Tomas, are just the sweetest, nicest bloggers. If you're looking for book reviews, especially for YA readers, go check out their blog! They're both voracious readers and when they write a review, you get an in-depth review that'll fill you in on the details without giving away the story.
Highly recommended -- Check them out!!
The lovely owners of the blog, Afro-Cuban American twins Guinevere & Libertad Tomas, are just the sweetest, nicest bloggers. If you're looking for book reviews, especially for YA readers, go check out their blog! They're both voracious readers and when they write a review, you get an in-depth review that'll fill you in on the details without giving away the story.
Highly recommended -- Check them out!!
October 20, 2013
Johnnie Walker - Illustrator & Artist
I was at an art event in Kerby, Oregon, yesterday and much to my surprise and pleasure, I met Johnnie Walker! She was displaying her art, ceramics, paintings and a book that she'd illustrated,
Beauteous Black and the Mysterious Forest.
While the book is available here on Alien Star Books, I'd encourage you to use
JW Pottery and Art.
October 1, 2013
October is Black Speculative Fiction Month!
Yes, Black speculative fiction finally has a month of its own, thanks to Milton Davis, State of Black Science Fiction FB page and the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History. Check out events at
Black Speculative Fiction Month
, and blogs at
Wagadu
and
Reading in Black
.
Now, not to repeat everything that's in these great blogs, but I agree 100% with this. Our kids desperately need heroes of Color. The stereotypical great White hero isn't going to help my son or daughter picture themselves as superheroes or spaceship captains or magical beings with mystical powers. The point is, if all you present to our kids is gritty urban, too-close-to-real-life images of poverty, illegitimacy, substance abuse and anti-heroes, and you don't give them any positive images of a future or alternate reality where they can be a spaceship captain, or a sword carrying African hero, or a magic wielding teen at a boarding school, you give them nothing to look forward to -- because gritty realism rarely has a happy ending. Our kids DESERVE happy endings in their fiction.
I'm really excited about Black Speculative Fiction Month!
Now, not to repeat everything that's in these great blogs, but I agree 100% with this. Our kids desperately need heroes of Color. The stereotypical great White hero isn't going to help my son or daughter picture themselves as superheroes or spaceship captains or magical beings with mystical powers. The point is, if all you present to our kids is gritty urban, too-close-to-real-life images of poverty, illegitimacy, substance abuse and anti-heroes, and you don't give them any positive images of a future or alternate reality where they can be a spaceship captain, or a sword carrying African hero, or a magic wielding teen at a boarding school, you give them nothing to look forward to -- because gritty realism rarely has a happy ending. Our kids DESERVE happy endings in their fiction.
I'm really excited about Black Speculative Fiction Month!
July 9, 2013
Evolve - A YouTube Series
It's not often that we find a video series that stars a young Black woman. This science fiction series has made a good start with the trailer and two episodes. Check it out!
July 8, 2013
Diverse Books for Younger Readers
I'm telling you, great minds think alike. My friend, Delia Rodriguez, who I hadn't talked to in a while, has her own book website focusing on diverse books for younger children! Wow!
She's hooked up as an Ambassador for Barefoot Books (click on the website name). You can order through her website or if you're in Illinois, she can come out to your event or school to share her love of books and help you obtain the diverse books that you've been searching for online and in bookstores -- and not finding in the mainstream markets.
If you're looking for books for babies up to ages 12+, she can help you!
She's hooked up as an Ambassador for Barefoot Books (click on the website name). You can order through her website or if you're in Illinois, she can come out to your event or school to share her love of books and help you obtain the diverse books that you've been searching for online and in bookstores -- and not finding in the mainstream markets.
If you're looking for books for babies up to ages 12+, she can help you!
