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

Book Review: The Empire of Gold

Book Review: The Empire of Gold

The Empire of Gold is the end of the Daevabad Trilogy (which includes The City of Brass and The Kingdom of Copper). I admit when I picked up The City of Brass I didn’t much care for Nahri. It took me well over a year to decide to keep going with the series and pick up The Kingdom of Copper. S.A. Chakraborty grew a great deal as a writer between those two books, and more again with The Empire of Gold.

Book Review: Magic's Pawn

Book Review: Magic's Pawn

If you have not read the back of this book or the official description, do yourself a favor: don’t. It will spoil the last quarter of the book for you. In fact, try to avoid looking at the front cover while you’re at it. Instead, I offer this unofficial account:

Book Review: Children of Blood and Bone

Book Review: Children of Blood and Bone

Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone is a richly built fantasy based off of Nigerian culture and myth. That is reason enough to recommend this book to audiences who need to expand their reading horizons. There is a great deal more to recommend in Children of Blood and Bone beyond decolonizing your bookcase. It is a story that flips the waning magic trope on its head.

Book Review: The Tiger at Midnight

Book Review: The Tiger at Midnight

The Tiger at Midnight follows Esha, the rebel assassin known only as the ‘Viper’ to her enemies, and Kunal, a Blood Fort soldier tasked with hunting the Viper. But nothing is as it seems, and quickly both Esha and Kunal are forced to reevaluate their beliefs as they struggle to fulfill their missions.

Book Review: The Shining

Book Review: The Shining

If you have seen the movie or the Simpson’s movie parody, you may think you know the story of The Shining. You might think you know what you’re in for, notwithstanding the fact that movies always vary a little from their source material.

You have no idea what you’re in for.

Book Review: Blood, Sweat, and Pixels

Book Review: Blood, Sweat, and Pixels

I love videogames. Blood, Sweat, & Pixels gave me a renewed respect for the incredible work that goes into each and every one of the games I have loved and liked. It gave me a renewed dislike for company mismanagement that destroyed the prospects of so many games (like neutering Dragon Age II).