Taboos fascinate many writers and artists because we are rebels at heart. We’re drawn to the forbidden, the denied, the unacceptable.
Read MoreYou’re Not Supposed to Write That: Taboos in Speculative Fiction
He had no idea that I loved him. He barely acknowledged that I existed, a maid twice over, little more than a shadow in empty hallways. Trapped in unhappy marriage and prisoner in his own castle, he did not conceive that anyone loving him was even possible. The baron was a man of war, not of love.
Read MoreBlood from StoneThe little boy gazed up at the beautiful girl seated cross-legged on a tree stump. She wore tights, a sparkly skirt, and enormous plastic wings. Her wild hair was decorated with twigs, leaves and flowers. Her small, pointed face was painted with make-up. Strands of plastic ivy decorated the guitar across her lap.
Read MoreSprigWhen I was twenty years old, my best friends and I stepped off the edge of the world.
Read MoreSplinterWhispers prowl through the rubble that surrounds the leaning house. Half-fallen buildings stand on either side, as though a careless giant strode through the town and only by chance missed the one house—surely when the gods choose to wreak destruction on all, they are not so capriciously merciful to one.
Read MoreErzulie DantorAPEX MAGAZINE: What sparked the idea for “Sprig” and made you want to write it down?
ALEX BLEDSOE: The initial inspiration came from taking my kids to their first Renaissance Faire this summer. My own history with renaissance fairs is pretty iffy, so I resolved to try to see the experience through their eyes.
Read MoreAn Interview with Alex BledsoeI became a professional at SF/F conventions through a retro route; I started as a fan. For years, my husband and I attended conventions (mostly media), went to panels, attended parties, collected autographs, and made friends with fans, conrunners, and pros.
Read MoreThe 21st century SF/F professional at Conventions
If the Programming Team at a science fiction convention does its job properly, the end result should be a clean schedule that always presents interesting items for attendees and program participants alike.
Read MoreBehind the Convention Curtain: ProgrammingThe translation of Goxhat poetry presents many problems, due in part to the Goxhat language, but also to the biological and social realities that underlie the language. The foremost problem is the Goxhat’s ambiguous sense of personal identity.
Read MoreThe Glutton: A GoxHat Accounting Chant