Some Trans Science Fiction And Fantasy Books. You Can Find My Earlier Recs For F/f Science Fiction And

Some trans science fiction and fantasy books. You can find my earlier recs for f/f science fiction and fantasy here and my new recs for bi and pan books here. And ace book recs are here. Oh, and queer SFF by people of color.

Also I somehow totally blanked on this while making the powerpoint, but Charlie Jane Anders’ stuff should be in the last slide. Her two books are CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT and ALL THE BIRDS IN THE SKY. I’ll link to some of her short stories below the cut.

The queer SFF database’s tag for trans books is here. There’s more than I included in the rec post, so go knock yourself out!

I included the author identities because I figured people would want to know if the book was own voices. Disclaimer that gender is a weird nebulous thing and life isn’t easy or straightforward, so depending on when you’re reading this post (I’m writing 8/2/19), some of the authors I listed as cis might have had gender realizations. I literally saw this on Twitter this morning with one of the “more trans SFF” books, so figured it was worth saying. 

Below the text cut you’ll find the titles and authors, links to my queer SFF database (which includes links to trans reviewers and content warnings), and some of my favorite SFF short stories by trans people.

Keep reading

@the-wip-project Days 16 to 19 (Gosh, I'm so so late 😥)

Do you have prophecies and superstitions as part of the worldbuilding in your WIP? Could you add some?

In WIP2, the A/B/O fic, there's this trope about the bond mates create when they claim each other (which is one of my favourite parts of the ABO universe to be honest) that I decided to use as a prerequisite superstition from the point of view of one of the secondary characters; a secondary character who'll only appear at the beginning and vanish shortly after, but whose impact on the protagonist will be powerful enough to ingrain this belief quite deep.

Only to be debunked later by the other main character 😊

Think about an interview question for your main character/s and then write down what they don’t say. What secrets do they keep? What do they lie about?

Right, so I've decided to present this as an interview between my protagonist and his psyche:

Protagonist: Alphas are a plague. They suck, stink and can go to Hell. I don't need one in my life. I can totally live without them. I'm independent and strong and in love with myself. Who needs alphas anyway?

Superego: Right, I understand where you come from. Your reaction is logical and the emotional charge of your thoughts is legitimate. I'm sure though that, when you calm down, you'll be able to see things in a more composed and lucid way, and consider your words as a bit extreme.

Ego: SHUT UP! I.GOT. HURT! NOT THEM, I! So yeah, alphas are the scum of the earth. Just watch me live my life like I don't care, and learn!

Id: lol.

What ideas came to you recently from daydreaming?

Too many. Like....

I've trying to figure out how a toddler speaks in English and how adults would react. I've also been thinking about future scenes, which should normally happen a few chapters later, and I'm always debating with myself whether I should write them down while they're vivid in my mind or focus on where I'm at, now. I've also made some research on Hawaii for my other wip, so my head is also full of palm trees, paradise beaches, luxuriant vegetation in the volcanic outback (very pleasant part of the daydreaming here) and the serious talk that must take place in such an idyllic environment (pretty ironic)

How do you decide which WIP to work on?

I've been asking myself this question since I started the second wip *scratches head* (my writing involves as much daydreaming as head-scratching, I'm realizing) and I've come to the idea to write a bit of both at the same time. And it's quite satisfying, since I have the feeling of overlooking neither, even if I don't produce a lot. Besides, as they're very different, one really allows me to take a step back from the other and take the time to consider what I've just written (if it makes sense, what I forgot, didn't phrase accurately etc...).

Do you ever think you'll stop drawing fanart? No offense it just seems like the kind of thing you're supposed to grow out of. I'm just curious what your plans/goals are since it isn't exactly an art form that people take seriously.

Ah, fanart. Also known as the art that girls make.

Sad, immature girls no one takes seriously. Girls who are taught that it’s shameful to be excited or passionate about anything, that it’s pathetic to gush about what attracts them, that it’s wrong to be a geek, that they should feel embarrassed about having a crush, that they’re not allowed to gaze or stare or wish or desire. Girls who need to grow out of it.

That’s the art you mean, right?

Because in my experience, when grown men make it, nobody calls it fanart. They just call it art. And everyone takes it very seriously.

@the-wip-project Days 12 & 13

Prompt:

Unfortunately, things never go according to plan around here.

Indeed they don't.... I NEVER INTENDED TO WRITE THE FIRST CHAPTER OF A NEW WIP IN THREE DAYS!!! I'M SHOUTING BECAUSE I'M SUPER EXCITED!!!

Look at your characters, maybe even the one you created yesterday, and be honest. Do you have a type?

I've been scratching my head about this question. I don't know if I have a type of character. I certainly have a recurrent type of plot though lol.

What I could say is that my main characters are meant to complete each other one way or another and to meet half-way on their individual paths. My stories revolve a lot around building bridges, facing trauma, sweeping unpleasant truths from under the rug, starting personal inner journeys. So my characters are flawed from the start, aware or not of their own missing pieces and weaknesses (but soon to be) and I guess this is the type of personae I enjoy staging and following along the relative unknown of the plot, the encounters it brings about, self-discovery and retrieving some balance after their life being more or less disrupted.

I realise it may sound super heavy 😅, but it's not necessarily the case. It matches fluff as angst equally.

Day 25

@the-wip-project

Look who's back at it after almost a week MIA 😅 The moodboard is finally ready, by the way. So surprise by the end of the weekend ✨! I couldn't answer the previous questions this week, but know that I read every single one of them and I love them! They got me thinking a lot about my writing and creative process, in more ways than one.

The proof is that I've been steadily writing the whole week!

Back to today's question:

What have you learned recently, about yourself, about your writing, about your story?

I don't know how everybody will interpret "recently"; I'm going to go with the past year, which also happened to have been a tough year for all of us, wherever we are. Ironically, the pandemic and various lockdowns my country has been through have enabled me to reconnect with myself in ways I couldn't believe existed.

And the catalyst of this connection was my writing.

I already knew this activity counted a lot to me, to the extent that I adapt my weekly workload to my writing sessions (and not the other way round). Even though my writing buddy and I are really cool with the schedule, I know that I need it like breathing. And this past year, more than anything.

The lockdowns made me realise how much of an introvert I am, and the extent of 'me moments' I need to recharge: to quiet down my nerves, to ease my social fatigue (which I didn't understand before), even to reboot my work efficiency. Seeing my colleagues struggle with stress while their favourite sports club was closed, I really felt like the lucky one to be able to fulfil my favourite activity at home. Writing took a whole new dimension then. it was my luxury escape, away from anxiety-ridden news, from secluded areas, from masked interactions, from social distancing codes.

So did daydreaming about my story. I no longer try to control the phases I daydream but make do of any occasion I can seize. Just like the writing process itself, I purposefully allow myself to divert my thought to my stories, and turn this gloomy reality where I'm being tossed and turned, hanging by the thread of any overnight decisions on the way I'm supposed to live and act, into something positive, something productive, something I can control. Stories that are about healing, repairing, hope.

Writing has become the safe place, the respite my mind and body need to endure the reality. I don't know how long this situation is going to last; I pray it'll be better soon for all of us. But I've learnt to be resilient inside and to channel my powerlessness into redeeming creativity. And while at some point in my Wip 1, I feared I'd no longer be able to create after that, I was proven wrong and I'm awfully glad about it ✌

In a Muffled Hong Kong, Bookstores Offer Freedom of Thought

Some independent shops flout the new limits on free expression. Others try to come to terms with them. For readers, they offer a sense of connection in a changed city.

By Tiffany May

HONG KONG — When Hong Kong public libraries pulled books about dissent from circulation last month, Pong Yat Ming made an offer to his customers: They could read some of the same books, free, at his store.

Mr. Pong, 47, founded the shop, Book Punch, in 2020, after Beijing imposed a national security law in response to the antigovernment protests that rocked Hong Kong in 2019. The law broadly defined acts of subversion and secession against China, making much political speech potentially illegal, and it threatened severe punishment, including life imprisonment, for offenders.

Mr. Pong said he had opened Book Punch precisely because he did not want the city to fall silent under the pressure, and because he felt it was important to build a more empathetic, tightknit community as the law cast its shadow over Hong Kong.

“The social movement has changed the way people read and the value they place on books,” he said. “I want to bring out that kind of energy, that desire for change through reading.” He added, “Books are powerful, like forceful punches responding to the social environment.”

The venture is a potential minefield.

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