Author: Kristen
The Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso Women in SF&F Month: Melissa Caruso

Today’s guest is fantasy author Melissa Caruso! Her Venetian-inspired debut novel, The Tethered Mage, is the story of a young noblewoman who accidentally breaks the rules to save her city—and accidentally binds herself to a fire mage while doing so. It was one of my favorite books of 2017, largely due to these two women and the fantastic world, and I ended up staying up until 2:00 one morning finishing it since I could not put it down. The second […]

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang Women in SF&F Month: R.F. Kuang

Today, I am delighted to welcome R.F. Kuang to the blog! The Poppy War, her upcoming debut novel and the first book in a new trilogy, is epic military fantasy inspired by twentieth century Chinese history, particularly the Second Sino-Japanese War. While waiting for The Poppy War to release in a couple of weeks—on May 1!—you can read the fantastic first chapter of the book on the Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog, as well as R.F. Kuang’s essay below. Be […]

Women in SF&F Month 2018 Schedule Women in SF&F Month 2018: April 16-20 Schedule & Week in Review

The first week is now over—thank you so much to all of last week’s guests! Here’s a summary of last week in case you missed any of their essays: Renay (Lady Business, Fangirl Happy Hour) opened Women in SF&F Month 2018 with a discussion of reading challenges and reading diversely as part of her continuing education. She also introduced the latest version of the list of science fiction and fantasy book recommendations by women including 2017’s submissions—which has now grown to around […]

Rowenna Miller Women in SFF Month: Rowenna Miller

Today, I’m delighted to welcome Rowenna Miller! Torn, her recently-released debut novel and the first book in the Unraveled Kingdoms series, was largely inspired by her research on women’s fashion during the late eighteenth century, particularly apparel created in the midst of the French Revolution. It’s set in a historically-inspired fantasy world featuring a city on the brink of revolution—and a seamstress who literally sews magic into clothing! Women and the Authenticity Falsehood in Fantasy Some people assume that there […]

Peng Shepherd Women in SF&F Month: Peng Shepherd

It’s my pleasure to welcome Peng Shepherd to the blog today! The Book of M, her upcoming debut novel, is partially inspired by Zero Shadow Day, during which peoples’ shadows temporarily vanish in certain parts of the world due to a combination of the current angle of the sun and their latitudinal location. Though this absence of shadows usually lasts only a few minutes, The Book of M features a near-future scenario in which some mysteriously lose them for far longer and gain […]