The Effect She Can Have

She has no idea. The effect she can have. There were a number of things that struck me in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games (which I only got around to reading just last month — yeah, I’m behind the curve), but that line had particular resonance. It’s Peeta, Katniss’ fellow tribute, talking to their mentor [...]

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Who Was the First Kickass Heroine?

I ask the question not because I’m writing an essay, or because my latest heroine is going to reference all the great KHs of the past, but because I’m curious. And because I’m lazy. So why not ask the group mind here at SFNovelists? I’ve done a little googling. There are several lists in Wikipedia [...]

Call Me A Rebel (Or, My Life As A Novella-ist)

I know that this website is hosted by SFNovelists.  I know that, by definition, we focus on novels around here, on full-length speculative fiction.  And for all of my writing career, I’ve been a novelist. But last month, I branched out a little bit.  I published my first novella, Capitol Magic. This wasn’t my first [...]

The Skill List Project: Fight Pacing

This is another post in The Skill List Project: an attempt to list all the skills involved in writing and selling fiction, particularly science fiction and fantasy. Last time, I talked about fight scene basics. The post got several thought-filled comments from knowledgeable writers/fight savants, and I urge all you readers to check them out. [...]

Characters Striking Out On Their Own

I’ve written before about how my characters sometimes surprise me, doing or saying things that I had not anticipated. At times they have subtly steered by narrative in directions I hadn’t anticipated; on occasion they have taken my books in radically new directions, rendering useless outlines for the the second half of a novel, or [...]

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Twenty-five First Chapters from Twenty-five Writers

SF Novelists proudly offers you OPENING ACTS, a free ebook presenting twenty-five first chapters across the spectrum of science fiction and fantasy. Twenty-five tastes, to tempt your appetite for adventure...to lure you into unknown worlds...and give you something new to read.

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Featuring:

7th Sigma

by Steven Gould

Bone Shop

by T.A. Pratt

Bones of Faerie

by Janni Lee Simner

The Brahms Deception

by Louise Marley

Carousel Tides

by Sharon Lee

The Cloud Road

by Martha Wells

Dangerous Water

by Juliet E. McKenna

The Dread Hammer

by Trey Shiels

Flesh and Fire

by Laura Anne Gilman

Fright Court

by Mindy Klasky

The Heretic

by Joseph Nassise

House of the Star

by Caitlin Brennan

Indigo Springs

by A.M. Dellamonica

Jade Tiger

by Jenn Reese

Kat, Incorrigible

by Stephanie Burgis

Medium Dead

by Chris Dolley

Midnight at Spanish Gardens

by Alma Alexander

Play Dead

by John Levitt

Shade

by Jeri Smith-Ready

The Snow Queen’s Shadow

by Jim C. Hines

Spellcast

by Barbara Ashford

The Spirit Lens

by Carol Berg

TruthSeeker

by C.E. Murphy

Up Against It

by M.J. Locke

With Fate Conspire

by Marie Brennan

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