How often do books actually predict the future? More often that you'd think!
Can you think of any other examples not included in this infographic? Please, share them in the comments.
#RRSciFiMonth Author Interview: Rysa Walker
Q: First sci-fi novel you remember reading as a child?
A: It was actually a book of short stories that hooked me on sci-fi. I rarely got my hands on science fiction books as a kid. My primary "book pusher" (one of my grandmothers) had a preference for westerns & historical romance, and the local library was a bit lacking in the sci-fi realm as well.
Then my uncle, who is seven years older that I am and who was not exactly a stellar student, offered me five dollars to write a book report for him when I was nine or ten. (Yes, it was cheating. But what nine year old wouldn't be flattered and curious as to whether she could write something that would get past an 11th grade English teacher? I've always loved a good challenge...)
He'd been assigned science fiction as his genre, and he handed me a big, fat book of short stories. I was supposed to pick one, read it, and write a two-page report for his class. I got the book on Sunday morning, and I'll admit that the two-page report was probably not my best work, because I rushed it. The problem was that I read all of the stories and had a tough time deciding which one to write about. For the first time, I read Heinlein, Clarke, Bradbury, Asimov and many others. I finally picked "Flowers for Algernon," which is still one of my favorites.
The paper got a C+, which disappointed me at the time, but in retrospect, the teacher was probably very generous. My uncle was just delighted that he passed the class.
Q: Describe your perfect writing environment.
A: Around 11pm. Water bottle nearby. Social media off, desk so cluttered that I have to clear things away to see my monitors. No interruptions until I'm too sleepy to keep writing.
I rarely get any of those aside from the cluttered desk and water, since I have to get up at 6am to get kids off to school and there are almost always early soccer games on the weekends. So while I'm in fantasy land, I'll add two more: A cup of Double Bergamot Earl Grey that magically stays the right temperature and refills as needed and really dark chocolate (preferably Green & Black's 85%) from which all calories have been removed.
Q: Favorite sci-fi TV show (past or present)?
A: You do know this is kind of like asking a mom to pick her favorite child, right?
If forced to choose just one favorite, I'd go with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Lost might have bumped it out of that front-runner spot, if not for the fact that the writers botched the landing--the last few episodes were real clunkers.
Q: Tell us more about your outreach for student writers.
A: I'm currently part of a contest called The Sky's the Limit, along with fellow Skyscape authors Lori Lee, Christina Farley, Meredith McCardle, Chuck Wendig, and Jessie Humphries. The goal is to encourage creative writing in middle and high schools, and we've all been visiting our local schools to encourage young writers. All too often these days, the focus is on the required end-of-year tests. Creative writing gets very little attention in the classroom. It's not the teachers' fault--they'd love to have more time for it--but there just aren't enough hours in the day. We're hoping this will fill in the gap a bit.
The contest just ended on November 1st, but hopefully we'll be able to make this a yearly contest, depending on everyone's schedule. We'll be announcing the winners in January. Students only had to write the first 250 words of the story -- the goal was to get them thinking creatively and see who could come up with the best "hook" to make us want to read more. The grand prize winner will have the chance to complete the short story, and we'll assist the student in publishing it. There were lots of other great prizes as well, at each grade level (6-12), and a package of 30 Kindle Paperwhite readers for the school with most entries.
Q: If Twitter existed in the late 1800s, who would you follow?
A: Mark Twain. Susan B. Anthony. Lucy Stone, a suffragist who gets way too little attention. Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Edward Bellamy. A journalist named Miriam Cole, whose articles in various newspapers were so modern in tone that I could almost believe she had a CHRONOS key of her own. Frederick Douglass. I'd be retweeting Ida B. Wells's campaign to stop lynching. Victoria Woodhull. ...
I could go on for quite awhile. I suspect I'd be following at least as many people as I am today. :)
Q: Share your best time travel writing tips.
A: Keep it simple. Really wish I could go back in time and give myself this tip, because sorting out all of the timelines in Book 3 is making me a bit crazy.
Q: Favorite sci-fi movie?
A: If you'd simply asked favorite movie, it's a no-brainer. "The Princess Bride" wins hands down. As for sci-fi films, my favorite always tends to be the *last* really good movie that I see, possible because I have so many other favorites that I simply can't choose except for that one that is still really vivid in my mind. So I'm going to have to go with "Edge of Tomorrow" (aka "Live, Die, Repeat"), which we watched this past weekend. I resisted seeing it at the theaters despite recommendations of friends, because I really don't like Tom Cruise. But he was excellent in this, as was Emily Blunt. It reminded me a lot of another favorite film, "Groundhog Day," which isn't really sci-fi, but still hits many of the same themes.
Q: Recommend a recent read.
A: Rebel Wing by Tracy Banghart. Excellent YA sci-fi with a strong heroine. Banghart tackles stereotypes and still manages to tell an excellent story. And there's a book I'd really, really like to be able to recommend. I loved the writing and the characters in Jackaby by William Ritter. It was, as the early reviews promised, a mix of Sherlock and Doctor Who, two of my favorites. But I figured out who-dun-it way too soon for it to work for me as a mystery...and so did the teen reader in my house. Others seem, to have missed it, however, so if that kind of thing won't make you totally crazy, it's beautifully written and very whimsical. I'll read the next in the series, but I'm hoping he doesn't drop as many hints next time!
Q: If you had a CHRONOS key, where would you go and why?
A: I already did--virtually at least! Kate's jump to the 1893 World's Fair would be my dream trip. I would hang out for the full run of the Expo and stalk most of the historical figures mentioned above from the 1893 version of Twitter, along with a lot of other names that only a total Progressive era history geek would recognize. I would, however, steer clear of H.H. Holmes's World's Fair hotel and stay at the Palmer House.
Q: We would love a few hints about The CHRONOS Files, #3!
A: The Houdini story that began in the Time's Echo novella and drifted over into the second book will be resolved, and Kate will begin working with a new set of allies hinted at in the final pages of Time's Edge. In addition to Houdini and his wife Bess, Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Claflin have cameo roles in Book 3. Kate will also be taking her first jump into the distant future. I'm starting on that section of the book now, as I barrel toward the end of the first draft. It's kind of a bittersweet thought, since book three will be the last full-length book in the series. It's slated for publication next September, if all goes according to schedule, but there will be another novella, Time's Mirror (from Prudence's perspective) coming out in late spring or early summer.
A: It was actually a book of short stories that hooked me on sci-fi. I rarely got my hands on science fiction books as a kid. My primary "book pusher" (one of my grandmothers) had a preference for westerns & historical romance, and the local library was a bit lacking in the sci-fi realm as well.
Then my uncle, who is seven years older that I am and who was not exactly a stellar student, offered me five dollars to write a book report for him when I was nine or ten. (Yes, it was cheating. But what nine year old wouldn't be flattered and curious as to whether she could write something that would get past an 11th grade English teacher? I've always loved a good challenge...)
He'd been assigned science fiction as his genre, and he handed me a big, fat book of short stories. I was supposed to pick one, read it, and write a two-page report for his class. I got the book on Sunday morning, and I'll admit that the two-page report was probably not my best work, because I rushed it. The problem was that I read all of the stories and had a tough time deciding which one to write about. For the first time, I read Heinlein, Clarke, Bradbury, Asimov and many others. I finally picked "Flowers for Algernon," which is still one of my favorites.
The paper got a C+, which disappointed me at the time, but in retrospect, the teacher was probably very generous. My uncle was just delighted that he passed the class.
Q: Describe your perfect writing environment.
A: Around 11pm. Water bottle nearby. Social media off, desk so cluttered that I have to clear things away to see my monitors. No interruptions until I'm too sleepy to keep writing.
I rarely get any of those aside from the cluttered desk and water, since I have to get up at 6am to get kids off to school and there are almost always early soccer games on the weekends. So while I'm in fantasy land, I'll add two more: A cup of Double Bergamot Earl Grey that magically stays the right temperature and refills as needed and really dark chocolate (preferably Green & Black's 85%) from which all calories have been removed.
Q: Favorite sci-fi TV show (past or present)?
A: You do know this is kind of like asking a mom to pick her favorite child, right?
If forced to choose just one favorite, I'd go with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Lost might have bumped it out of that front-runner spot, if not for the fact that the writers botched the landing--the last few episodes were real clunkers.
Q: Tell us more about your outreach for student writers.
A: I'm currently part of a contest called The Sky's the Limit, along with fellow Skyscape authors Lori Lee, Christina Farley, Meredith McCardle, Chuck Wendig, and Jessie Humphries. The goal is to encourage creative writing in middle and high schools, and we've all been visiting our local schools to encourage young writers. All too often these days, the focus is on the required end-of-year tests. Creative writing gets very little attention in the classroom. It's not the teachers' fault--they'd love to have more time for it--but there just aren't enough hours in the day. We're hoping this will fill in the gap a bit.
The contest just ended on November 1st, but hopefully we'll be able to make this a yearly contest, depending on everyone's schedule. We'll be announcing the winners in January. Students only had to write the first 250 words of the story -- the goal was to get them thinking creatively and see who could come up with the best "hook" to make us want to read more. The grand prize winner will have the chance to complete the short story, and we'll assist the student in publishing it. There were lots of other great prizes as well, at each grade level (6-12), and a package of 30 Kindle Paperwhite readers for the school with most entries.
Q: If Twitter existed in the late 1800s, who would you follow?
A: Mark Twain. Susan B. Anthony. Lucy Stone, a suffragist who gets way too little attention. Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Edward Bellamy. A journalist named Miriam Cole, whose articles in various newspapers were so modern in tone that I could almost believe she had a CHRONOS key of her own. Frederick Douglass. I'd be retweeting Ida B. Wells's campaign to stop lynching. Victoria Woodhull. ...
I could go on for quite awhile. I suspect I'd be following at least as many people as I am today. :)
Q: Share your best time travel writing tips.
A: Keep it simple. Really wish I could go back in time and give myself this tip, because sorting out all of the timelines in Book 3 is making me a bit crazy.
Q: Favorite sci-fi movie?
A: If you'd simply asked favorite movie, it's a no-brainer. "The Princess Bride" wins hands down. As for sci-fi films, my favorite always tends to be the *last* really good movie that I see, possible because I have so many other favorites that I simply can't choose except for that one that is still really vivid in my mind. So I'm going to have to go with "Edge of Tomorrow" (aka "Live, Die, Repeat"), which we watched this past weekend. I resisted seeing it at the theaters despite recommendations of friends, because I really don't like Tom Cruise. But he was excellent in this, as was Emily Blunt. It reminded me a lot of another favorite film, "Groundhog Day," which isn't really sci-fi, but still hits many of the same themes.
Q: Recommend a recent read.
A: Rebel Wing by Tracy Banghart. Excellent YA sci-fi with a strong heroine. Banghart tackles stereotypes and still manages to tell an excellent story. And there's a book I'd really, really like to be able to recommend. I loved the writing and the characters in Jackaby by William Ritter. It was, as the early reviews promised, a mix of Sherlock and Doctor Who, two of my favorites. But I figured out who-dun-it way too soon for it to work for me as a mystery...and so did the teen reader in my house. Others seem, to have missed it, however, so if that kind of thing won't make you totally crazy, it's beautifully written and very whimsical. I'll read the next in the series, but I'm hoping he doesn't drop as many hints next time!
Q: If you had a CHRONOS key, where would you go and why?
A: I already did--virtually at least! Kate's jump to the 1893 World's Fair would be my dream trip. I would hang out for the full run of the Expo and stalk most of the historical figures mentioned above from the 1893 version of Twitter, along with a lot of other names that only a total Progressive era history geek would recognize. I would, however, steer clear of H.H. Holmes's World's Fair hotel and stay at the Palmer House.
Q: We would love a few hints about The CHRONOS Files, #3!
A: The Houdini story that began in the Time's Echo novella and drifted over into the second book will be resolved, and Kate will begin working with a new set of allies hinted at in the final pages of Time's Edge. In addition to Houdini and his wife Bess, Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Claflin have cameo roles in Book 3. Kate will also be taking her first jump into the distant future. I'm starting on that section of the book now, as I barrel toward the end of the first draft. It's kind of a bittersweet thought, since book three will be the last full-length book in the series. It's slated for publication next September, if all goes according to schedule, but there will be another novella, Time's Mirror (from Prudence's perspective) coming out in late spring or early summer.
Please, visit Rysa's website for extended content including BONUS CHAPTERS.
GIVEAWAY & REVIEW: The CHRONOS Files #RRSciFiMonth
When Kate Pierce-Keller’s grandmother gives her a strange blue medallion and speaks of time travel, sixteen-year-old Kate assumes the old woman is delusional. But it all becomes horrifyingly real when a murder in the past destroys the foundation of Kate’s present-day life. Suddenly, that medallion is the only thing protecting Kate from blinking out of existence.
Kate learns that the 1893 killing is part of something much more sinister, and Kate’s genetic ability to time-travel makes her the only one who can stop him. Risking everything, she travels to the Chicago World’s Fair to try to prevent the killing and the chain of events that follows.
Changing the timeline comes with a personal cost, however—if Kate succeeds, the boy she loves will have no memory of her existence. And regardless of her motives, does she have the right to manipulate the fate of the entire world?
REVIEW
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Time-travel details can sometimes be dizzyingly difficult to follow, but Walker piles it on with ease. From religious cults to serial killers, this book has it all and is executed magnificently. This is an action-packed read that will have you begging for more!
The CHRONOS Files series also includes TIME'S ECHO and TIME'S EDGE (both currently available) as well as book three, releasing next year.
AUTHOR
I grew up on a cattle ranch in the panhandle of Florida, thirty miles from the nearest bookstore, and ten miles from a library that was sorely underfunded. The librarian’s sole duties seemed to be telling me the book I wanted wasn’t in and shooing me back into the kid’s section. There were plenty of times that I would have sold my soul to get my hands on a new book, so there’s a slight possibility that the Kindle might be the result of a deal between my teenaged self and the devil. One grandmother tried to keep me supplied with books, although they were more likely to be the Louis L’Amour westerns and Barbara Cartland romances she finished reading than the science fiction and fantasy books I loved most. My other grandmother told me stories that awakened my interest in history and stirred my imagination.
I’ve held many different jobs with varying degrees of competence, including lifeguard at a waterslide (no one drowned), waitress (only a few broken dishes), actress in a melodrama theater (good reviews, except for my two left feet), web & multimedia development (I still dabble in that a bit) and, eventually, professor of history and government. If you can find a common denominator between all of those jobs, please let me know. I started writing before the waterslide gig, but only recently has it begun to pay the bills.
You’ll often (too often) find me on Facebook and Twitter. If you do, gently remind me that I really should be writing.
GIVEAWAY
- One (1) signed copy of TIMEBOUND
- One (1) signed copy of TIME'S EDGE
- Two (2) audio files of TIME'S ECHO
- Three (3) e-book copies of TIME'S ECHO
A Rafflecopter Giveaway
Stay tuned for a special #RRSciFiMonth author interview!
#RRSciFiMonth Intro & Giveaway
There are tons of fun things happening.
What are you looking forward to the most?
Check out the schedule and list of participants for more science fiction-y goodness.
We have a very special giveaway from Out of Print Clothing!
Make sure to check out their awesome Science Fiction Collection.
Facebook • Twitter • Tumblr • Pinterest • Blog • G+ • Instagram
Two (2) $40 gift cards are up for grabs, and the giveaway is International!
Two (2) $40 gift cards are up for grabs, and the giveaway is International!
If you are one of the lucky few to win, which item(s) will you choose?
Prepare for more #RRSciFiMonth goodies right here every Monday through the month of November.
GIVEAWAY & RECIPE: Overnight of the Living Dead French Toast #ZPocEating
The Art of Eating through the Zombie Apocalypse: A Cookbook and Culinary Survival Guide by Lauren Wilson
Just because the undead’s taste buds are atrophying doesn’t mean yours have to!
You duck into the safest-looking abandoned house you can find and hold your breath as you listen for the approaching zombie horde you’ve been running from all day. You hear a gurgling sound. Is it the undead? No—it’s your stomach.
When the zombie apocalypse tears down life and society as we know it, it will mean no more take out, no more brightly lit, immaculately organized aisles of food just waiting to be plucked effortlessly off the shelves. No more trips down to the local farmers’ market. No more microwaved meals in front of the TV or intimate dinner parties. No, when the undead rise, eating will be hard, and doing it successfully will become an art.
The Art of Eating through the Zombie Apocalypse is a cookbook and culinary field guide for the busy zpoc survivor. With more than 80 recipes (from Overnight of the Living Dead French Toast and It’s Not Easy Growing Greens Salad to Down & Out Sauerkraut, Honey & Blackberry Mead, and Twinkie Trifle), scads of gastronomic survival tips, and dozens of diagrams and illustrations that help you scavenge, forage, and improvise your way to an artful post-apocalypse meal. The Art of Eating is the ideal handbook for efficient food sourcing and inventive meal preparation in the event of an undead uprising.
Whether you decide to hole up in your own home or bug out into the wilderness, whether you prefer to scavenge the dregs of society or try your hand at apocalyptic agriculture, and regardless of your level of skill or preparation, The Art of Eating will help you navigate the wasteland and make the most of what you eat.
EXCERPT
You duck into the safest-looking abandoned house you can find and hold your breath as you listen for the approaching zombie horde you’ve been running from all day. You hear a gurgling sound. Is it the undead? No—it’s your stomach.
When the zombie apocalypse tears down life and society as we know it, it will mean no more take out, no more brightly lit, immaculately organized aisles of food just waiting to be plucked effortlessly off the shelves. No more trips down to the local farmers’ market. No more microwaved meals in front of the TV or intimate dinner parties. No, when the undead rise, eating will be hard, and doing it successfully will become an art.
The Art of Eating through the Zombie Apocalypse is a cookbook and culinary field guide for the busy zpoc survivor. With more than 80 recipes (from Overnight of the Living Dead French Toast and It’s Not Easy Growing Greens Salad to Down & Out Sauerkraut, Honey & Blackberry Mead, and Twinkie Trifle), scads of gastronomic survival tips, and dozens of diagrams and illustrations that help you scavenge, forage, and improvise your way to an artful post-apocalypse meal. The Art of Eating is the ideal handbook for efficient food sourcing and inventive meal preparation in the event of an undead uprising.
Whether you decide to hole up in your own home or bug out into the wilderness, whether you prefer to scavenge the dregs of society or try your hand at apocalyptic agriculture, and regardless of your level of skill or preparation, The Art of Eating will help you navigate the wasteland and make the most of what you eat.
EXCERPT
Bugging In or Nouveau Home Cuisine
The recipes here are quick, simple, calorie rich, and, perhaps most importantly, comforting. Yes, that’s right, they’re the zpoc equivalent of the post-financial-crisis comfort food trend. So get ready for warm, indulgent, and satisfying meals that can be fixed in a jiffy and/or need minimal attendance. These recipes are geared to the first days of the outbreak—when the power is either still running or has just gone out—and so, will focus on perishable ingredients that most people would have on hand in their refrigerators and freezers.
The recipes here are quick, simple, calorie rich, and, perhaps most importantly, comforting. Yes, that’s right, they’re the zpoc equivalent of the post-financial-crisis comfort food trend. So get ready for warm, indulgent, and satisfying meals that can be fixed in a jiffy and/or need minimal attendance. These recipes are geared to the first days of the outbreak—when the power is either still running or has just gone out—and so, will focus on perishable ingredients that most people would have on hand in their refrigerators and freezers.
Overnight of the Living Dead French Toast
Yields: 4 Hungry Survivor servings, 6 Regular Joe servings
Welcome to the zombie apocalypse! Tomorrow is a big day: you will be losing your head (hopefully not literally) trying to fend off the newly infected. On top of that, those pesky little weak spots in your fortress will surely present themselves, leaving you overwhelmed with survival and physical defense–focused activities. Before you go to sleep tonight (if it even seems safe to do so), why not plan ahead for breakfast? Not only will it help use up some of your perishables (milk, eggs, butter, bread), it will also give you a calorie-rich jump-start to your undead-filled day. If the power has already gone out, reduce the amount of time you soak the bread to a couple of hours and use an Oven Hack (page 6) to cook this bad boy.
Requires:
Chef’s or survival knife and cutting board
1 bread knife
1 small mixing bowl
1 mixing spoon
1 fireproof baking dish (preferably 7" x 11")
1 large bowl
1 whisk (or fork)
Piece of foil, to cover baking dish
Heat Source:
Indirect, conventional oven or other Oven Hack (page 6)
Time:
10 minutes prep
4-8 hours inactive soaking time
35 minutes unattended cooking time
Ingredients:
¼ c. (4 tbsp.) butter, melted
½ c. brown sugar
12 oz. bread (challah, raisin, French baguette, Wonder—whatever you got, preferably a mix of several different kinds), sliced into strips 2–3 fingers wide
½ c. dried cranberries or raisins
6 eggs
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 ½ c. milk, cream, or combination
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground ginger
Pinch of salt
3 tbsp. rum, orange liqueur, or brandy (optional)
1 c. nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds), roughly chopped and preferably toasted
Maple syrup, to taste
Method:
1. Mix together the melted butter and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl. Spread the mixture along
the bottom of the baking dish.
2. Put down a layer of bread fingers, overlapping and filling gaps where needed. Sprinkle with dried
fruit. Repeat with remaining bread and fruit.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and granulated sugar together until the sugar has dissolved,
about 1 minute. Add the milk/cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pinch of salt, and
liquor/liqueur (if using). Whisk until incorporated.
4. Pour the custard over the bread and dried fruit, sweeping back and forth to moisten the whole top
layer, filling any nooks and crannies. Cover with foil and let sit for 2 hours (no refrigeration) or at
least 4 hours to overnight (in the fridge).
5. Preheat oven (for perhaps the last time!) to 375°F or set up an Oven Hack (see Judging
Temperature, page 7).
6. Remove foil from the baking dish and sprinkle with the toasted nuts (if using). Drizzle lightly
with maple syrup.
7. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, then cover and bake for another 15 minutes to avoid
over-browning. Check after 20 minutes or so—cooking time will vary widely depending on your
setup.
8. The French toast is ready when the custard at the center feels set (i.e., not jiggly, squishy, or raw).
Let stand for 5–10 minutes, then drizzle liberally with more maple syrup before tucking in.
AUTHOR
REVIEW: Magic Bites
Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn't want it any other way…
This special edition includes in-depth information about the world of Kate Daniels, with descriptions of its characters and factions. Explore Kate’s Atlanta like never before with answers to FAQ and a quiz to find your place there. And don’t miss the prequel story “A Questionable Client,” as well as scenes of events in Magic Bites from Curran’s point of view.
This was one of those first-in-series that had been recommended to me countless times. I had high hopes, but it fell flat. The rhythm of the story flickered like a fey lantern. Sometimes, I was completely enthralled. Other times, I was bored out of my mind. Reading the special edition was helpful as there are a ton of extra features at the end (including a prequel novella). I read A Questionable Client after finishing book one, but it didn't help very much in filling in the holes. I loved the magic versus tech concept and the fact that vampires are actually monsters instead of just another glammed up love interest. I'm still a bit confused about the role of each faction but looking forward to book two, nonetheless. Kate was likable enough though I certainly don't feel invested in any of the other characters at this point. Hopefully, the next in series will captivate me. Otherwise, I won't be continuing with Kate Daniels.
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