I am delighted to welcome Somaiya Daud today! Her YA science fiction novel, Mirage, centers on a young woman who is torn from her family and home moon because of her remarkable similarity to a princess in need of a body double. It’s one of my new favorite books; it’s powerful, emotionally intense, and character driven with beautiful writing and realistically drawn relationships. Mirage also introduced me to a new favorite main protagonist: Amani, whose empathy, bravery, and wisdom come […]

Today’s guest is fantasy writer Tasha Suri—whose amazing debut novel, Empire of Sand, went straight to my favorites shelf on Goodreads after I finished it. Set in a world inspired by Mughal India, Empire of Sand is an elegantly written, character driven, deeply affecting book that excellently weaves in themes like resistance, choice, and the strength of bonds between people. Most of all, I loved the character at the heart of the novel, Mehr, and the way she paves her path with […]

Keeping with Women in SF&F Month tradition since she first started the recommendation list project in 2013, Renay is once again kicking off this year’s series of guest posts! Renay contributes to the wonderful site Lady Business, the 2017 Hugo Award winner for Best Fanzine, where she writes enthusiastic, thoughtful coverage of science fiction and fantasy (and provides excellent recommendations!). She also co-hosts the Hugo-nominated Fangirl Happy Hour podcast. Hello, friends! Welcome to Women in Science Fiction & Fantasy Month—2019 edition! […]

Since 2012, every April at Fantasy Cafe has been dedicated to showcasing the wonderful work that women are doing in fantasy and science fiction—and I’m excited to announce that the eighth annual Women in SF&F Month starts today! The first week’s schedule is below, but first, here is some background on Women in SF&F Month in case you’re not familiar with it: For the last few years, I’ve set aside reviews and other book coverage during the month of April and […]

Thank you very much to last week’s guests for their essays! Here are links to the final pieces in this year’s series in case you missed either of them: Mary Fan (Jane Colt, Starswept) discussed writing female secondary characters who are not sidekicks to the male protagonist—and how she avoided this in her dark YA fantasy novel Flynn Nightsider and the Edge of Evil (coming out on May 15!). Ann Aguirre (Sirantha Jax, Razorland, Ars Numina) shared some of her […]

Today’s guest is RITA Award–winning writer Ann Aguirre! Her Sirantha Jax books, beginning with the romantic space opera Grimspace, are addictive reads that wonderfully balance plot and action with character development and relationships—and due to that combination, it was a series that made me realize that I could love science fiction every bit as much as fantasy! She’s also the author of many more books, including but not limited to the Corine Solomon series (urban fantasy), the Dred Chronicles (romantic science […]