Thank you so very much to all of this year’s guests for the amazing essays and making April 2024 another wonderful Women in SF&F Month! Also, thank you to everyone who shared their posts and helped spread the word about this year’s series. It is always very much appreciated!
Although this year’s series has ended, I wanted to make sure there was a way to find all of the guest posts from 2024 for anyone who missed them during April. This was the thirteenth annual Women in SF&F Month, which is dedicated to highlighting some of the many women doing fantastic work in speculative fiction genres. Guest posts have included both discussions related to women in science fiction and/or fantasy and more general discussions about the genre(s) and what makes them special, experiences and influences, writing, and creating stories, characters, and/or worlds.
You can browse through all the Women in SF&F Month 2024 guest posts here, or you can find a brief summary of each and its link below.
This year, I also shared about 5 series I love that I think deserve more readers and more discussion in bookish/SFF communities. These recommendation posts and their links follow the guest post list.
Through May 3, there is a US-only giveaway for one of two books from Seanan McGuire’s New York Times bestselling, Hugo Award–nominated InCryptid series: either Discount Armageddon (the first book) or Aftermarket Afterlife (the thirteenth and latest book).
Women in SF&F Month 2024 Guest Posts
Buba, Gabriella — “Fantasy Safe Spaces: Facing the Specters of the Past Now They’ve Come Back to Haunt Us”
Saints of Storm and Sorrow author Gabriella Buba shared about using fantasy fiction to dig into troubling topics and how she grappled with things that grieve her, including colonialism and the loss of women’s rights, in her debut novel.
Chan, Eliza — “Into the Retelling-Verse”
Fathomfolk author Eliza Chan wrote about the appeal of retellings, from different versions of Spider-Man to folktales, and why she chose to use and rework a familiar fairy tale and different mythologies in her debut novel.
Chen, Amber — “Using Fiction to Empower Girls in STEM”
Of Jade and Dragons author Amber Chen discussed fictional representation of girls and women in STEM and incorporating this into her YA fantasy novel (and recommended a few SFF books with girls in STEM or girls wreaking havoc in male-dominated worlds!).
Dimova, Genoveva — “Female mentors in fantasy”
The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters author Genoveva Dimova wrote about being drawn to older women in mentorship roles, writing one in Foul Days and Monstrous Nights, and older female representation in media.
Leow, Amy — “Villains, Grey Areas, and What Women Can and Cannot Be”
The Scarlet Throne author Amy Leow discussed her love of unhinged, messy women and shared about creating her debut novel’s protagonist to be an evil, irredeemable character.
Mills, Samantha — “The WIP of Theseus”
The Wings Upon Her Back author Samantha Mills wrote about the heart of story and some questions about change and transformation that made their way into her debut novel.
Mohamed, Premee — “Speculative War and Writing What You Cannot Know”
The Siege of Burning Grass author Premee Mohamed shared about how she keeps writing fiction involving war and why she chooses to explore it in speculative settings.
Samotin, Laura R. — “Writing Found Families With Two-Dimensional Characters”
The Sins on Their Bones author Laura R. Samotin wrote about one of her favorite tropes and how she made her cast of characters well-rounded when incorporating it into her novel.
Women in SF&F Month 2024 Recommendation Posts
The Books of Ambha Duology by Tasha Suri
There are many reasons I adore these beautifully written, deeply affecting fantasy novels, but the most memorable to me is the two women who are the heart of each story: sisters with some of the divine in their blood. (Each of these books also has a lovely romance.)
Chronicles of the Bitch Queen by K. S. Villoso
This trilogy about a queen grappling with her role(s) in the world has everything I want in an epic fantasy series. I especially appreciate the author’s masterful use of voice and skill with creating unusually real, complex characters.
The Mirage Duology by Somaiya Daud
This gorgeous young adult science fiction duology about a young woman forced to be a princess’ body double has a wonderfully developed, complex female friendship as its main relationship focus. In addition to that, I adored the protagonist for her bravery, insight, compassion, and poetic voice/soul.
Swords and Fire by Melissa Caruso
This is a well-paced, entertaining epic fantasy trilogy with heart, humor, and sharp dialogue, and it takes some common story beats and tropes and does something a little different with them. The first book kept me up reading until 2:00 AM, and the next two books were even better!
The Warchild Mosaic by Karin Lowachee
This is my favorite science fiction series, largely because Karin Lowachee’s characters are more complex, flawed, compelling, and real than most fictional people. She is a master of voice, characterization, and ripping my heart out.
