Posts Tagged ‘science fiction’
Race, Culture & Politics: Why Hair Matters—I’m Featured on John Scalzi’s ‘The Big Idea’
Posted on: May 11, 2017
I’m was so happy this morning that I probably started running around in circles, like this pug:
Why?
Because today I’m featured on John Scalzi’s blog in his ‘Big Idea’ section. He selects science fiction writers, with new books, to write about the ‘big idea’ that is connected to their work.
I get deep talking about why hair matters, racial legacies, questionable beauty practices, what it meant to grow up being told I had “good hair” and how those themes inspired my new novella, Reenu-You.
It was an honor to be chosen for ‘The Big Idea’. I loved having a chance to share my passion discussing the intersection between hair and culture with his audience.
Read the essay here and feel free to leave a comment on his site!
The Panama Writing Retreat: An Invitation to Unleash Your Creativity (And Get Something Done) This Summer
Posted on: May 10, 2017
Dear Creatives,
Have you heard about my Imagined Futures: A Transformative Writing Workshop in Panama?
This workshop is your opportunity to leave everyday life behind and get away for a week to be fueled, renewed, focused and coached by me to WRITE* without ANY distractions!
It’s amazing to think of how much writing you could do, isn’t it?
Just imagine what this workshop in a retreat setting, and the extra resources, will do to help you make PROGRESS on the writing that is most important to you.
I am leading the Imagined Futures workshop from July 2-6. And, then I am staying another week to do my own writing!
You can come for my workshop specifically or just come to write (or create in another medium) through the Summer Artist Residency.
Imagined Futures will draw on speculative fiction ideas for its inspiration (in keeping with the broader them of the program). However, writing in any genre will be welcome.
Think about it…Meals are prepared for us, we’re right on the beach, there’s structured and unstructured time…and great exercises. We are going to Time Travel with our past, present and future Writing Selves!
This workshop is hosted by Creative Currents Artist Collaborative. Creative Currents Artist Collaborative is an Atlanta-based, internationally focused arts organization whose mission is to widen and deepen public engagement with the arts and cultures of Africa and the Black Diaspora. They do this by connecting artists, scholars and arts enthusiasts with exciting and varied arts-based cultural experiences. They offer a year round roster of cultural trips and workshops, of which the 2017 Creative Currents Summer Artist Residency is one.
Join me in Panama, and make 2017 the year your creative work gets DONE!
Let’s do this together.
Check out the details here. Feel free to email me with questions: mtb@creativetickle.com
*the Summer Artist Residency encourages artists of all kinds to apply.
I had an awesome cover reveal yesterday at Black Girl Nerds for “Reenu-You” my new sci-fi novella. Today Reenu-You is launched!
What if a visit to the salon could kill you? What if a hair product harbored a deadly virus? My novella is about viruses, the politics of beauty and unlikely female heroes. It’s got a thriller and apocalyptic feel.
Kat, an out of work ski instructor, just wants to pack up her dead mother’s things, leave New York City and return to Aspen. Constancia, a talented but troubled young woman, just wants to start her first semester of college. They both use a new hair product called “Reenu-You”. Within days, along with other women of color, they find themselves covered in purple scab-like legions— a rash that pulses, oozes, and spreads in spiral patterns. They are at the epicenter of a mysterious virus spreading throughout the city. Is it corporate malfeasance or an orchestrated plot to kill minority women? These unlikely heroines are forced to confront their deepest fears to save themselves and others.
Want to check this novella out? Of course you do! My publisher is hosting a giveaway on their site. Just go here and enter to win! While there check out a snippet of the essay that I wrote for their ‘Inspirations and Influences’ section. The full essay is included with the e-book!
COVER REVEAL: I have been DYING to share this news with you. My new sci-fi novella, “Reenu-You” is being released this week. Last fall, I had the incredible good fortune of my novella being selected as one of the four to be published this year by the AWESOME Book Smugglers Publishing. They are a small (but mighty in spirit) press interested in all things speculative fiction and with a real commitment to diversity and feminism. Since December, I have been knee-deep in edits, proofs and marketing. Whew! I will post more about that process soon.
I am THRILLED that Black Girl Nerds is doing an exclusive cover reveal today!
Reenu-You is a sci-fi thriller that explores what happens when a mysterious virus is transmitted through a “natural” hair product. Set in the 1990s, the novella explores race, gender, the politics of beauty and corporate conspiracy. Female friendships, unlikely heroines and hair—what more could you want?
Would you consider visiting the Black Girl Nerds website and possibly leaving a comment? The more traffic they get, the more they are encouraged to promote this cover reveal. TY!
Watch this space for more Reenu-You news soon!
This is the way I feel today!
Review: Blood Cruise by Jake Bible
Posted on: August 6, 2016
Over the year, I’ve become a fan of Jake Bible’s ‘Writing In Suburbia’ podcast. Writing in Suburbia is geared toward pro-writers, but is chock-full of great information for writers at all levels. The podcast is irreverent and speaks to the less glamorous side of the writing life (e.g. embracing housework chores of the day). Jake’s a prolific writer across many genres. He typically writes a novel a month. You read that right, a novel a month!
I decided to read his fiction and started with Blood Cruise, since I rarely get an opportunity to read thrillers. The title and cover art immediately hooked me. 
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. What’s not to like? There’s something for everyone: action/adventure, mystery, intrigue, horror and a little science fiction. Bible keeps the pace going at an incredible speed. He achieves this through the use of zippy and effective dialogue that reveals character, short chapters and excellent plotting.
The set-up starts off pretty simply: Ben Clow thinks he is going on a short vacation on a private cruise with Maggie, his girlfriend and Nick, his friend and former poker buddy. Despite stepping onto a yacht named Lucky Sucker, little does Ben suspect that soon he will encounter gangsters, spies, deep cover agents and other suspicious characters, and a giant, genetically modified, blood-thirsty sea monster. The sea monster is compelling and scary. Bible moved pretty seamlessly through various characters’ viewpoints. And, although I wouldn’t have minded lingering with several of the characters and experiencing more of their internal thoughts, these issues didn’t knock me out of the book. He did a superb job at telling a gripping story with believable and interesting characters. This is a fun read and makes me want to explore more of his work.
Woo-hoo! A few weeks ago I did a cover reveal about my story that is in UnCommon Origins.
It’s now really here. The UnCommon Origins anthology launched this week and I am thrilled! Get it here!
UnCommon Origins: A Collection of Gods, Monsters, Nature, and Science
UnCommon Origins presents 22 depictions of moments on the precipice, beginnings both beautiful and tragic. Fantastical stories of Creation, Feral Children, Gods and Goddesses (both holy and horrific), and possibilities you never dared imagine come to life.
Including stories from some of the most talented Speculative Fiction and Magical Realism authors around, UnCommon Origins will revisit the oldest questions in the universe:
Where did we come from?
and
What comes next?
We even have our own book trailer!
My story, ‘The Curl of Emma Jean’ is about two sisters, race, fairies and the God Faunus. What more could you ask for?
My writing buddy, Fraser Sherman gave a thoughtful (and positive) review of the collection on his excellent blog. We already have over 50 reviews on Amazon! It’s also trending in the horror anthology Amazon category.
For three months, our publisher P.K. Tyler has been working on promotion and also teaching myself and the other 21 authors about how to launch a book. I’ve learned so much and I can’t wait to share some of my insights with you in another post.
If you like speculative fiction, you’ll enjoy this collection. It’s got something for everyone. Get it here.
Also, if you’re willing to provide an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads or your blog, within the next two weeks, contact me about getting a complimentary copy.
In other news, last weekend I attended the historic State of Black Science Fiction Convention in Atlanta. It was a mind-blowing experience. SOBSFC brought together creators from different mediums (e.g. filmmakers, comic book artists, writers, producers, scholars, etc.,) to converge, discuss and share about the world of sci-fi and the Black experience over the past two centuries. There were panels on everything from Afrofuturism in Arts and Culture to Black Southern Folklore in Horror Literature.
I even dipped my toe into SteamFunk cosplay for the first time ever. Loved it!
I plan on writing a blog post about attending this transformative con.
June is my birthday month and with this book launch and conference, it’s been a fantastic one so far. I hope your June has been offering you writerly goodness.
