Author Archives: Carma Spence
Take a Shore Leave in July
Shore Leave is a fan-run science fiction convention held each year in the Baltimore area. It often has a Star Trek emphasis, but has expanded beyond that, as well. The 33rd convention will be held July 8-10, 2011 and registrations are now open. Guests have yet to be confirmed or announced, but they usually include […]
Travel Reads: Changeless
The second book of Gail Carriger‘s The Parasol Protectorate trilogy is a delightful supernatural steam punk novel with a sharp British wit. Summary As Changeless opens, Alexia Maccon, formerly Alexia Tarbotti, has been Lady Woolsey for about three months. Her werewolf husband is having a heated discussion with the castle’s ghost, waking her at some […]
Podcast Episode 7: Strong Women in Genre Fiction
In Episode 7, author Cynthia Kraack and I discuss her novels, Minnesota Cold and Ashwood, both set in a bleak future and featuring strong female protagonists. Along the way we talk about the difference between speculative fiction and science fiction, how women approach leadership roles, and the evolution of strong female characters in genre fiction. […]
Is It Just Me? Hawaii Five-O‘s Genre Connections
Is it just me or is Hawaii Five-O acting like a genre show without any genre themes? Think about it … Three of the four series leads have genre roots. Alex O’Loughlin was the lead, Mick St. John, in Moonlight. He’s also appeared in the sci-fi horror flick Man-Thing. Daniel Dae Kim, most recently from […]
Holiday Fantasies Coming Up on the Hallmark Channel
There’s something about the Christmas season that lends itself to flights of fancy. This year the Hallmark Channel has several on its schedule that I only took notice of because they’ll give us all a chance to see some genre stars we may not have seen in awhile. The Santa Suit starring Kevin Sorbo Even […]
Review: Red: Werewolf Hunter
With a cast of familiar faces (at least to me), SyFy’s movie of the week Red: Werewolf Hunter proved to be an entertaining take on the werewolf sub-genre. Quick Aside: Although the movie was promoted as telling the true story of Little Red Riding Hood, there was no mention in the movie at all about […]
Travel Reads: Ship Breaker
Set in a dystopic future where global climate change has caused rising ocean levels to flood much of the Gulf Coast of the U.S., Paolo Bacigalupi’s young adult novel Ship Breaker tells a story of choices, loyalty and the real meaning of family. Summary Nailer is a teen who works on the ship breaking yards […]
Podcast Episode 6: Could Alien Astronauts Survive a Trip to Earth?
In Episode 6, I chat with the author of Dead Astronauts, Woodrow Wilson about his book, his name and his proclivity for cooking. We also cover the possibility of life (intelligent or otherwise) in the universe, the myriad ways that alien astronauts would not survive a trip to Earth, cooking and how having eclectic interests […]