My Speculative Fiction Swoons

I realized while I was putting together this list that I really love a person who is not what he or she seems. So, my crushes all come down to character development, I guess. It's no surprise, since I'm a writer who writes with characters at the core. I can't write a scene that doesn't revolve around a conversation or inner monologue. Anyway, seeing a character with a total flipside makes me love their real personality that much more, not to mention the creator of their characters. So let's get started.

I've been in love with the Wasp ever since Marvel did an animation of The Avengers called "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" where the Wasp featured pretty prominently. I love the modernization of Jan VanDyne, mostly because she knows where her power lies, money-wise (she pays for all her boyfriend's research) and superpower-wise. Let's check her out - I love how tiny she is, and how much damage she can still cause.

Next up is Chuck Bartowski. This show was kind of sci-fi biopunk - the basic premise is that this guy, Chuck, accidentally downloaded a top-secret government computer into his brain. So a CIA agent gets tasked to keep him safe, and, of course, hilarity and love ensue. I just...I really swoon over Chuck. He's tall, geeky, funny, reasonably built, and, as you'll see, romantic and a good kisser. What's not to love?

Johnny Storm, AKA the Human Torch, is just...I don't even know. But I need smelling salts every single time, you guys. His boisterous overconfidence combined with that kick-butt power? I mean, he's literally hot.

I know I share this next crush with a LOT of people. I think Peeta Mellark was the real hero of the Hunger Games. He used his brains to make it through. I don't think his crush on Katniss was ever fake, but he definitely put a different spin on it depending on which situation he was in. Just watch both these clips and tell me the combination of his brains, voice, and face don't make you swoon in completely different ways.

Here's a COUPLE I have a crush on. Daredevil and Elektra. Their combative introduction in the 2003 movie is just adorable to me, and what I really love is the way Elektra handles herself. Not to mention that the brilliance of Daredevil's "blind justice" when the dude is actually blind? I just love it. Also, Ben Affleck's shoulders. Enough said. 

Next up is Gambit. He's a lesser known Marvel hero, an X-man. Most of his relationship with Rogue seems to consist of Gambit making over-confident, Cajun-accented advances on Rogue and her screaming at him and/or throwing him out of her car. And while I would normally not condone this kind of behavior from a guy, Rogue both seems to genuinely enjoy it and is plenty strong enough to handle herself. So this comes off as adorably over-confident? Maybe?  Not to mention that, watching as an adult, I'm realizing that his dirty jokes are HILARIOUS.

Last, the ultimate of my spec-fic swoons - Jean Grey. She's a class-five, or Omega-level, mutant. There are only like six of those in all of Marvel canon. In non-geek speak, she's bordering on goddess territory. Despite this, she mostly works as a scientist, and is ballsy enough to go by her own name - no superhero names for her. She's just always been my favorite. Hands down, no competition. 

What about you guys? Who are YOUR biggest swoons from speculative fiction, and why?

Leigh Ann Kopans is May's Affiliate Blogger. To find out more about our guest author positions here at the League, click here.

Raised on comic books and classic novels, Leigh Ann developed an early love of science fiction and literature. As an adult, she rediscovered her love for not only reading, but also writing the types of fiction that enchanted her as a teen. Her debut novel, ONE, is about a girl with only half a superpower, the boy who makes her fly, and her struggle to make herself whole.


Leigh Ann, her husband, and four children live in Columbus, Ohio. When she’s not immersed in the world of fiction, you can find her obsessing over the latest superhero movie or using her kids as an excuse to go out for ice cream (again.)

Twitter: @LeighAnnKopans
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeighAnnKopansbooks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6439443.LeighAnn_Kopans
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/leighannkopans/

One

by Leigh Ann Kopans

More info

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.
It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves.

My Favorite Music for Speculative Fiction Writing

I don’t know about you other writers out there, but I need music to write. Especially during that first draft frenzy, I need that “soundtrack” to give drive and rhythm to the words spilling out via my fingers onto the screen.  Sometimes, it’s one song on a continuous loop; others, it’s a few select songs that share a certain mood; and yet others, it’s a whole darn playlist, each song chosen because it so perfectly fits an aspect of plot or character.

I’ve written a few types of speculative fiction books so far – time travel, futuristic post-apoc, near-future biopunk – and it seems like the same songs are appearing on two or more playlist. That means they’re GREAT speculative fiction-writing songs.

I thought it’d be fun to share my go-to soundtrack builders with you, talk a bit about their mood, and then you can leave your most-used or favorite tunes in the comments below. Good? Good.

Wake Up – Arcade Fire (This is when the kids in your spec fic inevitably realized that the system is corrupt and they feel like they’ve grown up with that realization. Happens in every. Stinking. One.

Demons – Imagine Dragons (Great if one of the biggest struggles your character has to overcome is within herself.)

A Thousand Years – Christina Perri (A love song, mostly for Time Travel and immortals, because, you know – a thousand years.  But oh my heck is this a gorgeous song.)

Us Against the World – Coldplay (This is a song for when your characters have decided to face down a huge threat together. It’s a quiet song about partnership and solidarity, and sticking it to the man.)

Meteor Shower – Owl City (Not for the lyrics, necessarily, though for ONE they’re totally apropos. But I just think this song sounds like soaring hope. I love it.)

Radioactive – Imagine Dragons (This is THE SONG for apocalyptic books. Totally freaky and powerful.)

Oh! Gravity – Switchfoot (Good for any flying, spaceships and superheroes alike.)

Supermassive Black Hole – Muse (Good for fight scenes or anything involving particularly awesome tech, and/or cunning plan-hatching of any sort)

Below My Feet – Mumford and Sons (A prayerful, somewhat triumphant song, awesome for a story’s denouement, especially after some hard-won battle.)

Kiss Me – Ed Sheeran (Come on, now. Your book has kissing in it, right? Put this one on your list. You can thank me later.)

Okay, fellow speculative fiction writers! What are your go-to songs to match what you write?

Leigh Ann Kopans is May's Affiliate Blogger. To find out more about our guest author positions here at the League, click here.

Raised on comic books and classic novels, Leigh Ann developed an early love of science fiction and literature. As an adult, she rediscovered her love for not only reading, but also writing the types of fiction that enchanted her as a teen. Her debut novel, ONE, is about a girl with only half a superpower, the boy who makes her fly, and her struggle to make herself whole.


Leigh Ann, her husband, and four children live in Columbus, Ohio. When she’s not immersed in the world of fiction, you can find her obsessing over the latest superhero movie or using her kids as an excuse to go out for ice cream (again.)

Twitter: @LeighAnnKopans
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeighAnnKopansbooks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6439443.LeighAnn_Kopans
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/leighannkopans/

One

by Leigh Ann Kopans

More info

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.
It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves.

Kid's Speculative Fiction

Hello! This week we're welcoming a new Affiliate Blogger to the League, Leigh Ann Kopans. She has a great series for us all this week, so, without further ado, here's Leigh Ann!

Why is so much of children’s fiction speculative?

When I look at the top Young Adult and Middle Grade bestselling books on Amazon, almost every single one involves otherworldly stuff: Outer space, apocalypses, dragons, dystopias, zombies, sorcerers, or monsters. In contrast, less than half of the adult titles do.  Why the disparity? Why are children so much more inclined to read and enjoy speculative fiction than adults?

It’s fun, engaging, and lets them escape!

For many children who read a lot, the real world is far from complicated – which also means that it’s boring.  It’s funny for kids to imagine their teacher is really an undercover Fury, like in THE LIGHTNING THIEF, or that their nanny could transport them to another world via chalk drawing, like in MARY POPPINS. Maybe their regular, boring school is just temporary, because when they turn eleven, they’ll be getting their letter from Hogwarts.

At the same time, speculative fiction spins everyday occurrences into spectacular metaphors – for example, a parent with strict rules about chores becomes Cinderella’s evil stepmother. Kids’ heightened emotions and penchant for drama have suddenly found a context in which they are normal.

It helps their imaginations grow

When children see elements of what they know – the tail of a fish and the upper body of a human can combine to create a mermaid, for example - they start to learn to look at the whole world as a possibility, rather than something they have to accept just the way it is.

Reading speculative fiction is a lesson in spinning the elements of reality into a world that doesn’t exist, or doesn’t exist yet – and all the things that would happen in that world. Speculative fiction nurtures budding creative minds, and kids’ growing brains hold tight to the opportunity to do that.

It helps kids deal with real life in a less painful way.

“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”

― G.K. Chesterton

Yes, Harry Potter is dealing with the loss of his parents and growing up in an unfamiliar world and battling the darkest evil out there  - but Harry Potter’s world isn’t real. (Or, if it is, we can’t see it, or go there.) Speculative fiction, like any good children’s literature, deals with the search for identity and place in the world, but some of the potentially more painful elements – death, poverty, disappointing one’s family – are framed in a way that lets kids touch them, examine them, deal with them, without it feeling too raw.

It Helps Develop Character and Morality

Speculative Fiction does just that – Speculate. It frames tough what-if questions into situations that are far enough removed from real life to let kids grapple with them. As in Beth Revis’s ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, what would you do if you were faced with the tough choice that is presented to Elder at the end? (No spoilers!)

By observing kids their own age taking on tough choices in leadership, friendship, and relationships, younger readers can ask themselves what they would do in such a situation – without the choice being real enough to actually apply to their real lives. This lets them answer in a variety of ways, feeling out what they would do while sparing themselves judgment.

Have you noticed that the younger set is more apt to like Speculative Fiction than other age groups? Why do you think that is?

Leigh Ann Kopans is May's Affiliate Blogger. To find out more about our guest author positions here at the League, click here.

Raised on comic books and classic novels, Leigh Ann developed an early love of science fiction and literature. As an adult, she rediscovered her love for not only reading, but also writing the types of fiction that enchanted her as a teen. Her debut novel, ONE, is about a girl with only half a superpower, the boy who makes her fly, and her struggle to make herself whole.


Leigh Ann, her husband, and four children live in Columbus, Ohio. When she’s not immersed in the world of fiction, you can find her obsessing over the latest superhero movie or using her kids as an excuse to go out for ice cream (again.)

Twitter: @LeighAnnKopans
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeighAnnKopansbooks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6439443.LeighAnn_Kopans
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/leighannkopans/

One

by Leigh Ann Kopans

More info

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.
It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves.

Using a Sense of Wonder in your writing

Having a sense of wonder in your books is important no matter what genre you write and what age group you write for, but it’s especially important that you have it in spades when you are writing speculative fiction— fantasy, sci-fi, alternate reality, post-apoc, dystopian— because it’s one of the largest reasons that fans of speculative fiction read it.

In a lot of ways, speculative fiction lends itself to evoking a sense of wonder. It’s a world we’ve never been in before (or at least a version of the world that we’ve never been in), so everything’s new and fascinating. A sense of wonder comes strongly from the setting, as well as from the magic if it’s fantasy, from the government if it’s dystopian, from how things are different in post-apoc and alternate reality, and from the vastness of the universe and the possibilities of technology in sci-fi.

But the sense of wonder doesn’t have to just come from setting. In Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction the term sense of wonder is defined as follows:

SENSE OF WONDER n. a feeling of awakening or awe triggered by an expansion of one’s awareness of what is possible

Another definition: To be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel

So anything that brings about a sense of awe, amazement, or makes you more aware of what is possible will bring about that sense of wonder that a speculative novel needs so greatly.

Like with characters. We’ve all known that person who’s just slightly crazy and spontaneous enough that they’re fascinating to be around. Or the friend that’s brilliant, and listing to them speak can open your mind to seeing the world in a whole new light. Any character that introduces the reader to new possibilities, or in ways that bring about admiration or awe, introduces your reader to wonder. Your characters can introduce a sense of wonder every bit as strong as seeing the vastness of the universe.

photo credit: write_adam via photopin cc

It doesn’t take the vastness of the universe to evoke a sense of wonder. It can come from the tiniest of things. From something as small as a bit of magic that helps a single blade of grass grow. From watching an insect community that flourishes even though it’s inside a space ship. From seeing a single cog fall and stop a massive piece of machinery from working. From noticing the shapes that ice forms on a metal wall when temperatures outside drop rapidly.

photo credit: Auzigog via photopin cc

When you use a variety of ways to introduce your reader to wonder— from the vast to the minuscule, from setting to characters— your story will be much more satisfying.

What's your favorite way to introduce wonder?

Conference Tips for BEA and Beyond!

With BookExpo America right around the corner, I figured this would be a great time to share a little conference wisdom for people who may not have ever been. These are tips for anyone—authors, bloggers, reviewers, librarians, and fans alike. While BEA was the inspiration for this post, these tips come in handy for ANY conference or convention, big or small, publishing or otherwise!

1. Wear comfy shoes. I know this seems like a no-brainer, but the number one complaint you hear at BEA and other conferences is "Oh my god, my feet are killing me!" In winter, boots make great footwear because you can find stylish boots that still have arch support and good soles. Summer, however, is more tricky. Ballet and similar flats are the go-to "comfy" shoe of choice, but more often than not these are murder on your feet due to the thin soles and lack of support. Try brands like Merrill's and Easy Spirit that are designed to support your feet.
2. Bring a friend. If you're an easy-going extrovert who has no difficulty meeting and mingling, then don't worry about this one. But if you're shy, an introvert, quiet, etc., conferences can be really overwhelming. It's great to have someone there who you know, and can hang out with whenever there are lulls in the meet-and-greet parade, so you don't feel isolated. If you don't have anyone in person who's going with you, try meeting up with some fellow bloggers or authors who you know online who are intending on going. You may find they're just as relieved as you are to have someone to hang out with!
3. Plan your route. Conferences, especially ones as huge as BookExpo America, can be overwhelming, even if you think you're braced for it. Know which booths you want to hit ahead of time, and stop by each as soon as you get there to pick up their schedules. The most sought-after books aren't usually just lying around for anyone to pick, the publishers will have "drop" times, and you'll need to get in line for those, sometimes far in advance of the actual drop. These publishers will have their drop schedules on little handouts that you can grab. So plan ahead and prioritize! 
4. Take notes. You're going to meet a LOT of people, and while you think at the time that you can't possibly forget them, in a few weeks you'll regret it if you don't write something down. I tend to jot notes on the business cards I get handed, to help me put a face, or a conversation, with the name on the card. Which brings me to my next tip!
5. Bring business cards. This one is a source of contention, as some people don't think business cards are useful. I, however, fall into the "why not?" camp. If you're at an industry conference, I recommend bringing some sort of business card or other physical reminder of who you are. (Many authors use bookmarks, which is great, because we're in the book industry.) Personally, I particularly like business cards that have a picture of the person on them, because I'm terrible at matching names and faces in hindsight.
6. Follow up! You've met well over a hundred people in the span of a few short days. Do you remember them all? In a month, will you remember them all? (By the way, you with the photographic memory, I'm not talking to you. You can just go be smug in that corner over there.) No? Yeah, I didn't think so.  But say one of those hundred people emailed you the following week to tell you how much they enjoyed meeting you and how much they look forward to working with you in the future. You'll remember them now! So my last pierce of advice is that you should follow up with the people you meet who you really want to remember—and who you hope will remember you. BEA, and conferences like it, are all about networking and making connections in what can otherwise be a very solitary industry if you don't live in NYC yourself! Don't let those connections fade away.

Do you have any tips to add? Sound off in the comments!

If you're planning on coming to BEA this year, please come up and say hi if you spot me! I'll be there with Aussie co-author extraordinaire Amie Kaufman, and if you want to see where we'll be at any given time, check our schedule. We'll be giving away and signing copies of THESE BROKEN STARS and copies of SHADOWLARK. See you there!

The Science of Madness

I recently began researching insanity for the purposes of a WIP. I had some pre-conceived notions about what I would find, mainly in relation to the spotty medical care of the insane long ago. What I found was much more interesting than anything I believed I would dig up. It seems that we don't really understand a lot about insanity even today.

A lot of this has to do with the fact that the human brain and its workings remain as mysterious to us as the deep ocean blue. Doctors have been studying the brains of syphillitics, insomniacs, manic-depressives, serial killers, and even "normal" people, for a long time. Progress has certainly been made as far as understanding many, many things that we formerly were pretty clueless about, but it seems that every new discovery brings with it a massive revision of what we thought we knew twenty years ago... or even five years ago.

Madness and creativity have been good friends for a long time, something that anyone who has read more than a few paragraphs about some of the greats can tell you. But when I started digging around in the modern parameters for establishing schizophrenia, I became a little... well, I'll go ahead and use the word paranoid.

Because doctors have no way of documenting the internal processes of the insane, they have to rely on external behaviors to diagnose schizophrenia. Here's a general list of symptoms from the Mayo Clinic:

Positive Symptoms:

• Delusions:  These beliefs are not based in reality and usually involve misinterpretation of perception or experience. They are the most common of schizophrenic symptoms.
• Hallucinations:  These usually involve seeing or hearing things that don't exist, although hallucinations can be in any of the senses. Hearing voices is the most common hallucination among people with schizophrenia.
• Thought Disorder:  Difficulty speaking and organizing thoughts may result in stopping speech midsentence or putting together meaningless words, sometimes known as word salad.
• Disorganized Behavior:  This may show in a number of ways, ranging from childlike silliness to unpredictable agitation.

Negative Symptoms:

• Loss of interest in everyday activities
• Appearing to lack emotion
• Reduced ability to plan or carry out activities
• Neglect of personal hygiene
• Social withdrawal
• Loss of motivation

Yep. I dare any writer lost in the drafting process to look at these lists and defiantly declare they exhibit zero of these symptoms.

Now, be assured I'm not making light of mental illnesses. I've been doing some heavy research and learning a lot about the diagnosis (and mis-diagnosis) of mental illnesses both in the past, and not-so-distant years. There have been plenty of people institutionalized that were less outwardly insane than you or I. On the flip-side, some people who really need help don't get it because their symptoms aren't extreme enough to warrant intervention. 

In the end, the most glaring fact I've taken away from my research so far (and please, be aware that I know exactly how much of a layman I am) is that we really don't understand the human brain very well, even today.

If I've piqued your interest check out this recent TEDtalk about what we know - and what we don't.

Would You Live On Mars?

So I saw the other day that the Mars One mission now has over 78,000 applicants for a one-way mission to Mars.  That's close to 100,000 people saying that they are willing to leave behind their families and friends, not to mention beer and sushi and the other little luxuries of life (like, you know, being able to breathe outside) in order to live and probably die on Mars.

Of course, you're trading those little luxuries for something intensely rare and exotic: dust storms like blizzards, tiny winking sunsets, quirky moons, and the chance of seeing a little rover out and about.  And maybe Gary Sinise.

The thing is that we've fantasized about about going to Mars for over a hundred years.  Sometimes it's awesome, sometimes...not so much.  What's the science fiction verdict about living on Mars?

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury: Humans come to Mars in 1999 and after some initial hostility and misunderstandings with the Martians, manage to colonize the entire planet and kill all the Martians with chicken pox.  Then there's nuclear war on Earth, so most of the colonists go back to be with their loved ones.  Only a few lone humans are left to live in the shells of the terraformed and "civilized" planet.  Verdict: Humans are jerks, and some Martians too (but mostly humans.)  But the planet itself is reasonably safe and easy to tame.

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis: A philologist named Ransom is knocked out and kidnapped for a Mars mission that's really all about gathering gold, which is supposedly plentiful on Mars.  The Martians are dying out, but refuse to invade Earth because they're better than that.  But they still send Ransom and his companion back to Earth in a spaceship doomed to fail because they think humans are jerks.  Verdict: Like I said, humans are jerks, and the Martians refuse to truck with that nonsense.  Planet has tons of wealth, but we're not invited to the party.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein: Valentine Michael Smith, a human orphan raised on Mars by the native Martians, returns to Earth as a young man.  He witnesses Earth's flaws and foibles, and uses his tremendous gifts to start a church combining existing elements of Earth spirituality with telekinesis and other psychic abilities.  His church is persecuted and he's killed.  Verdict: Humans are jerks, and the Martians will only refrain from killing us if we stop being jerky and get more awesome.

The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson: The First Hundred colonists are brought to Mars via the spaceship Ares and complex political and personal narratives ensue, leading to revolutions, battles with Earth, and eventually the transformation of Mars into a habitable planet, complete with water, air and plants.  Boosted by this success, humans spread out across the universe.  Verdict: Humans can be jerks, but a lot of times aren't, and can overcome great obstacles to achieve amazing things.

Overall verdict: Mars isn't a bad place to live, but since people are people whether they're on the Olympic peninsula or the Olympus Mons, stuff can go wrong.  Or right.  Or both, which is what history suggests would happen.  And if we ever met extraterrestrials, they would think we are horrible, horrible people.

Would you do it?  Risk death by radiation and suffocation and your jerky neighbors in the dome to the right in the name of exploration and discovery?  Of being in the vanguard of human spacefaring?