Publishing
L.J. Stanton
READERS WANTED

Advance Review (or sometimes called Reader) Copies are books released to reviewers ahead of publication. These reviewers then post their honest opinions about the book on release day across multiple platforms (like Amazon and GoodReads). Whether it’s a 5 or a 1 star, an honest review is worth it’s weight in gold—which is one of the reasons ARC editions are free to the reviewer.

READERS WANTED
Book Club
L.J. Stanton
Book Club: FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros

Our first read is FOURTH WING, by Rebecca Yarros! Book club starts today, but if you're seeing this after Sept. 1 2023 don't worry: you have until the end of October to join and finish the book!

Book Club: FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros
Other, Patreon, Book Club
L.J. Stanton
Introducing: The Sword & Board Book Club

Life has been a little all over the place for the past couple months. I had surgery, my sister had surgery, my husband was let go from Twitch, and now we're in the middle of moving! So with all that excitement, the newsletter and Book of the Month went to the wayside. 

I want a way to continue Book of the Month, but in a way that lets me get to know you all better, and lets you see what an author looks for when analyzing and learning from a novel. That means, Book Club Time!

HOW TO JOIN

1. Sign up for a Fable.co Account
2. Join the Sword & Board Discord  
3. Click on the Fable Link pinned in #Book-Club
4. Follow the Fable instructions on how to pick up the book. 

Introducing: The Sword & Board Book Club
Media Critiques, Writing Advice, World Building
L.J. Stanton
Sexual Violence in Speculative Fiction

As an author, my mantra is to tell challenging stories and minimize harm. The major failing I see with sexual violence in many media forms is where the point of view and gaze fall. Particularly in western media, that gaze is often heterosexual masculine. That means sexual violence comes from that same perspective, and makes grotesque GoT Sansa scenes where her rape is all about the men (either perpetrator or witness). The violence is there to horrify and titillate the viewer. We should be horrified. We should never be titillated. Respect for the survivor is missing in these situations. I could break down where this failing is in a lot of media, but I don’t think that is the most important conversation to have. I think the more important questions are: 1) should sexual violence be included in stories for shock value, and 2) how can sexual violence be written.

Sexual Violence in Speculative Fiction
MoA Short Stories, Patreon
L.J. Stanton
The Gods Chronicle Anthology eBook Sampler

If you’re looking at this before May 1, 2022, we’re currently running a special promotion on our Patreon where when you sign up at any tier, you receive the patron-only Gods Chronicle Anthology, volume 1. It is an alpha read edition that gives a great deal of backstory for characters within The Dying Sun, such as Merikh, Loralee, and Nikias. It also gives perspective to oft talked about characters Mansur and Rajiya.

Below are snippets from each of the shorts within the anthology. If you’d like to read them in full, please consider becoming a patron. Tiers start at $5/month. Thank you!

The Gods Chronicle Anthology eBook Sampler

When Good Books Have Bad Protagonists: The Casual Misogyny of "Storm Front"

When Good Books Have Bad Protagonists: The Casual Misogyny of "Storm Front"

I want to preface this post by saying I have very much enjoyed Storm Front by Jim Butcher. So much so that I immediately moved on to the next book in the series. The world created by Butcher is enticing, dark, mysterious and dangerous. The magic is well thought out, and he spends just enough time explaining how it works for you to believe that Dresden is a masterful practitioner without belabouring the point. I also want to say I know nothing about Jim Butcher and am not implying that he is misogynistic. With that preface, let’s begin.

Author Update: Housekeeping and exciting news

Author Update: Housekeeping and exciting news

Progress, progress, progress! The manuscript came back to me, was reviewed, and is once more back in the hands of my extraordinarily wonderful editor for more hacking and slashing. I am now working on the next big to-do for publishing: cover art! We are inching forward in the home stretch, and soon The Dying Sun will be available for purchase.

"The Woman In Black" & "I Am Legend": That's right, Happy Halloween!

"The Woman In Black" & "I Am Legend": That's right, Happy Halloween!

It’s hard to believe that it’s autumn and almost Halloween living in near-seasonless SoCal, where the high today is 95F (a balmy 35C). The high wind warning, at least, is creating obliging scratching at the windows from branches and leaves all tousled about. It’s a far cry from my childhood, where costumes were made to fit over snowsuits. To feel a little more seasonable, I’ve joined in on the tradition of ready spooky books: The Woman In Black by Susan Hill, and I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. Both of these stories have been made into movies, but if you think you know the stories you’re wrong.

Book Review: A Woman Is No Man

Book Review: A Woman Is No Man

A Woman Is No Man, written by Etaf Rum, was recommended to me by a good friend, and now I recommend it to you. It tells the story of three generations of Arab women living in the US. A tale of immigration, of balancing assimilation vs separation of culture, and balancing tradition vs progress.

Book Review: Coraline, the Graphic Novel

Book Review: Coraline, the Graphic Novel

Coraline is a book about fear and bravery; of discontent and comfort. A book that, regardless of age, the reader will benefit from. It is a particularly good read for children and preteens who may identify with Coraline, but it should by no means be simply relegated off to the young adult section.

Book Review: Underground Airlines

Book Review: Underground Airlines

It feels fitting to listen to Les Miserables while writing this. Two stories of an unjust, relentless pursuit. Underground Airlines is set in an alternate United States where slavery was never truly abolished. While most states have made slavery illegal, the Hard Four have not. It should come as little surprise to the reader who the Hard Four are: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and a unified Carolina. The story follows Victor, a professional tracker set to find the location of the runaway slave Jackdaw. In doing so, Victor infiltrates an Underground Airline operation, and finds much more than he bargained for.

Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

I have read less of Neil Gaiman’s work than I would like. My first introduction to him was through Neverwhere (if you haven’t read it, you should). The Ocean at the End of the Lane is my fourth read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is told through the memories of a middle aged man returning to his childhood home. Forty years prior, a suicide was committed at the end of the lane. It set in motion a series of events that would forever change the protagonist’s life.

Book Review: The Man In The High Castle

Book Review: The Man In The High Castle

Books like this worry me. There is a fine line between being a disturbing warning about the dangers of racism, discrimination, slavery, and fascism, and normalizing it. The Man In The High Castle is frightening in it’s banality. It is a book I found worth reading as a writer. Philip K. Dick was an expert in his craft, and there are some positively brilliant moments that made me stop and reread them. On the flip side, there were several moments that made me roll my eyes from the clear lack of understanding (and perhaps even empathy) of a woman’s psyche.

Book Review: 'Arrows of the Queen'

Book Review: 'Arrows of the Queen'

Arrows of the Queen, written by Mercedes Lackey, is the first in the Heralds of Valdemar series. I lament the fact I was introduced to this book so (relatively) late in life, because I would have loved and cherished this book as a child. If I had read this book before my stint working at Chapters, I would have been recommending it left and right to young adults — but don’t let that deter you from reading this if you don’t generally like YA fiction.