Speculating Canada: Canadian Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy

November 12, 2012

Upcoming Interview with Helen Marshall on Thursday November 15

Helen Marshall’s book Hair Side, Flesh Side has recently been published. I was so excited about reading it that I wanted to interview her and get some further insights. You can check out my review of Hair Side, Flesh Side posted on October 27, 2012. Check out this interview on November 15 to get some more insights on the interplay...

Interviews/News Comments: 2

November 10, 2012

Monster Worlds and Mental Illness

A Review of D D Barant’s Dying Bites (St Martin’s, 2009) By Derek Newman-Stille Jace Valchek is an FBI officer and a forensic scientist. She is used to things following understandable rules and used to having a strict moral code: no grey areas. When she is tossed into a world where the population is made up of 37% vampires, 43%...

Fiction Book Reviews Comments: 2

November 9, 2012

Quote – Monsters Not Buried As Deep As People Think

“Only a monster could do this, and monsters should be buried deep. At least that’s what people tell themselves…. Then they’re shocked at how ordinary their monsters are. They could be anyone. Monsters are never buried as deep as people think.” -Stephanie Snow – “Dog Fight” in UnEarthed (Third Person Press, 2012).

Quotes Comments: 0

November 8, 2012

Why SF is not so “Out There”

An Editorial by Derek Newman-Stille I often hear from people that they can’t suspend their disbelief enough to enjoy SF, and I always find that amusing because… the real world is more bizarre, weird, and unbelievable than most SF authors could dream up. We have all come from star dust in space that has spun off into a planet and...

Editorials Comments: 6

November 7, 2012

Quote – Revealed By Being Read

“The moment our words are read by someone else, we’re revealed for who we are, what we feel, how we believe.” -Julia Czerneda – Introduction to Douglas Smith’s Chimerascope

Quotes Comments: 0

November 6, 2012

Interview with Liz Strange

An Interview with Liz Strange By Derek Newman-Stille I met Liz Strange at Can Con in Ottawa, a conference on Canadian Speculative Fiction. She was part of a panel that initiated a great discussion about representations of Queer or LGBTQ2 people. After hearing her speak, I wanted to have the opportunity to share some of her insights on Speculating Canada....

Interviews Comment: 1

November 5, 2012

Quote – Stories Change Your Life Forever

“There’s stories and then there’s stories. The ones with any worth change your life forever, perhaps only in a small way, but once you’ve heard them, they are forever a part of you. You nurture them and pass them on and the giving only makes you feel better.” -Charles de Lint – The Conjure Man In The Very Best of...

Quotes Comments: 0

November 5, 2012

In a strange turn of events, yesterday I was interviewed rather than being an interviewer. Check out this insightful interview by Susan Rocan. I learned a lot about myself when answering her questions

Uncategorized Comments: 0

November 4, 2012

Bullying, Bodies, and Baddies

A Review of Timothy Carter’s Evil? (Flux, 2009) By Derek Newman-Stille Fitting perfectly with the current interest in the bullying phenomenon and finding ways to stop bullying, Timothy Carter’s Teen Fiction novel Evil? features a queer-oriented teen growing up in a small town in Northern Canada. His town is highly Christian and even teens in this town admonish people for...

Fiction Book Reviews Comments: 7

November 3, 2012

Quote – Building Fantastic Creatures Called Stories

“Writers are used to building fantastic creatures. We call them stories. We construct them from the pieces of ourselves that make us who we are – all the accumulated detritus of a lifetime of experiences, good and bad, happy and sad, remembered and imagined.” -Douglas Smith – “Author’s Introduction” to Chimerascope

Quotes Comments: 0