Speculative – Page 2

We’re All Bending Reality

By Olivia|2020-03-28T13:41:48-05:00May 15th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Author Guest Blog|Tags: gay, Queer Guys, Representation, Speculative|

By Alex London As a closeted teenager, thinking about any kind of future for myself was an act of speculative fiction. I attended a conservative all-boys prep school, a place where, at the time, athletes were kings and heroes and there was only one way to be a man. Any deviation from that way was seen as a personal failing. And I was failing. I had deviant desires and strange daydreams. I was different. I also had no gay role models and no books with gay characters to look to. Without any external guidance to look to, my [...]

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Writing an Intersex, Agender Character

By Katie|2020-03-28T13:42:03-05:00March 23rd, 2015|Categories: Archive, Author Guest Blog, Guest Blogs|Tags: agender, Intersectionality, Intersex, LGBTQIA, Speculative|

“...before you go on, yes, most likely whatever you’re about to ask is very rude. If you’re wondering about what’s under my clothing, it’s very rude. If you’re wondering about my genetics, my hormones, my biology… there’s a pretty damn short list of people for whom any of that is actually relevant. Having said that, for the sake of simplifying things: you and I would not be able to have children together, for example, unless we were to adopt or employ some extremely invasive medical science...” Ellis’ face showed that ey was unperturbed, perhaps familiar with impolite questions, [...]

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Orphan Blade by M. Nicholas Almand & Jake Myler: Review

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:20-05:00December 23rd, 2014|Categories: Archive, Book Review|Tags: Fantasy, gay, graphic novel, Horror, New Releases, Other Media, Queer Guys, Speculative|

“Orphan Blade is pretty gruesome,” the email warned. “You don’t have to review it if you’re not a fan of blood, gore, guts and monsters.” Nonsense! I thought blithely, cheerful and ready to accept whatever queer YA literature might grace my inbox for review. It’s a graphic novel. How gross can it be? As it turns out, gross enough to make me wince, flip through pages, and shiver with the kind of deep, primal disgust that comes with Jake Myler’s illustrations. Myler explore all the textural unpleasantries of skin – boils, scales, slime, and of course, what skin flaps in jagged shards [...]

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The Question of Queering the Mainstream Novel: A Conversation with authors Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:21-05:00December 5th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Author Guest Blog, Author Interview|Tags: Fantasy, gay, publishing, Queer Girls, Queer Guys, Representation, Speculative|

The story behind the story is sometimes, as they say, stranger than fiction. Stranger is the title of a Viking November release by Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith and, if you read this book, as I did (when Rachel asked me, in my paranormal YA novelist persona Tate Hallaway, to blurb it,) you might not think much more beyond how awesome and captivating a story of superpowers and survival in a post-apocalyptic future it is. Stranger (Viking Juveline, 2014) This book, however, almost didn’t get published. Sure, okay, you’re thinking, lots of great books don’t get published, what’s [...]

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Shadowplay by Laura Lam: Review

By Georgie|2020-03-28T13:42:23-05:00November 25th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Book Club, Book Review|Tags: Fantasy, Intersex, Non Binary, Speculative|

by Georgie Having read Laura Lam’s Pantomime - and loved it - I was super excited to read its sequel, Shadowplay, which follows Micah Grey’s journey as a fugitive after the tragedy at the end of the last book. Pantomime’s closing moment saw Drystan, the white clown from the circus, telling Micah that he knew a magician who they can trust. At first their only problem is being on the run from the policiers, but more dangerous things soon start to happen. Micah’s being tracked by a Shadow who is absurdly skilled at following him. And when they [...]

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Interview With Laura Lam

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:42:24-05:00November 15th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Author Interview, Book Club, Teen Voices|Tags: Fantasy, Intersex, Non Binary, Speculative, steampunk, Trans|

Sooo only like a month late, here is our interview with Laura Lam, author of our October and November Book Club books, Pantomime and Shadowplay! We had a lot of fun with this one, since Kathleen and I were also joined by Sarah and Laya, two of the awesome people behind lauralamfans.tumblr.com! Our transcript for it should be up soon. In the meantime, we're right in the middle of our Shadowplay book club! So grab a copy, join us on #GayYA Book Club on Tumblr, and let's discuss this wonderful book! (also check out the same tag on [...]

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Review: Pantomime by Laura Lam

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:42:27-05:00October 25th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Book Club, Book Review, Teen Voices|Tags: Fantasy, Intersex, Non Binary, Speculative|

by Georgie Penney Compared to my usual reading choices, this was the furthest out of my comfort zone that I’ve read in a long time, and I’m so glad that I decided to give it a go. Pantomime starts as the tale of two apparently unlinked young people: the young would-be trapeze artist Micah Grey, and the noblewoman who calls herself Gene who’s about to be married off, should her parents get their way. These boy-girl dual storylines are increasingly common in YA so I assumed something along the lines of a love story, albeit an unusual one. [...]

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Interview With Alaya Dawn Johnson: Transcript

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:42:27-05:00October 23rd, 2014|Categories: Archive, Author Interview, Book Club|Tags: PoC, Queer Girls, Speculative|

We interviewed Alaya Dawn Johnson author of The Summer Prince and Love is the Drug. Find the recorded interview here! V: Hey everyone, I’m Victoria. K: And I’m Kathleen. Today we have Alaya Dawn Johnson with us, author of our September book of the month, The Summer Prince. Alaya, thank you for joining us, all the way from Mexico City! A: Thanks so much for having me. K: The Summer Prince is a dystopian science fiction novel that takes place many years in the future. V: We chose it for our September book of the month because it [...]

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On Seasickness and Honest Sexuality in Witch Eyes

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:42:27-05:00October 20th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Book Review|Tags: Fantasy, gay, Queer Guys, Romance, Speculative|

GayYA is thrilled to welcome one of our new regular contributors Nathaniel Harrington! I'm going to do my best to keep this spoiler-free, which means avoiding talking about the main plot. Briefly, it's really good. The action is engaging, the villains are excellent, and the resolution is satisfying and still has real, long-term consequences for the main characters. Tracey balances the main plot with fantastic characterization, and that's really what I want to talk most about here. Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey (Flux, 2011) First, let's talk about the handling of Braden's sexuality. A lot of [...]

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Book Review: Unicorn Hunting by A.R. Hellbender

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:42:28-05:00October 15th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Book Review|Tags: Fantasy, Queer Girls, Speculative|

Reviewer: Leslie Rewis 3.5/5 stars 152 pages Unicorn Hunting by A.R. Hellbender was a very surprising read. Most of the YA fiction that I have read about queer characters tends to focus more on their coming out and what ensues because of it. If you are looking for a story with a queer character that has a plot line not revolving around coming out, Unicorn Hunting is a good place to start. This is the perfect book for a book lover of fantasy, action, and of course, non-straight crushes. Unicorn Hunting by A. R. Hellbender (BookCountry, 2013) [...]

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