| | | | | BlueMusings August 28, 2017
| | | | LJ Cohen
Science fiction, fantasy, assorted weirdness | | | | | | | | | Promotions 
If you enjoy reading fantasy, take a look at this promotion: over 35 fantasy novels available free through September 1, 2017. THE BETWEEN is included in this promotion, but if you've already read it, there are many more to choose from. While I've been reading mainly SF of late, I'm looking forward to finding a few new fantasy authors.
New Release 
Book 7 of Patty Jansen's popular AMBASSADOR series is out now. If you enjoy high stakes space opera thrillers and galactic politics, (um, yes, please!) take a look at this series. Patty offers book 1 SEEING RED free when you subscribe to her newsletter and it's definitely on my TBR list! I haven't read the Ambassador books yet, but I very much enjoyed her ISF-Allion series, and these sound just like my cup of tea. | Spotlight: THE BETWEEN 
Changeling's Choice, book 1 This is not Shakespeare's Oberon and Titania. And Lydia has no desire to be their chosen one. Welcome to the subtle war between overt and covert magic, where every choice has consequences. THE BETWEEN, Changeling's Choice book 1: a modern take on the myths of Faerie.
High school senior, Lydia Hawthorne, is less than grateful when Oberon has her snatched from the mortal world and she finds out she's actually Fae. And not just any Fae, but a trueborn with enough inherent magic to tip the balance between Oberon and Titania's warring Bright and Shadow courts.
But that's their game and she doesn't want to play by their rules. Together with Clive Barrow, a Bright Court Fae with embarrassing family ties to the mortal world, Lydia fights to regain her old life, fueling her magic with the very human power of love and loss, challenging the essential nature of Faerie itself.
The Between is book 1 of the Changeling's Choice series. Lydia's story continues in Time and Tithe, also available. Get it free, here,* along with a selection of other fantasy novels. Available until September 1, 2017 If you have read and enjoyed THE BETWEEN or any of my books, I would very much appreciate it if you might consider leaving an honest review. *You won't be subcribed to my mailing list twice! I promise. | | | | | | LJ Reads I read widely, across genres and when I've found something I've enjoyed, I'll share it with you. YMMV* because what we enjoy is almost always personal. (*Your Mileage May Vary) | Thieves of Fate, book one Tracy Townsend 
Okay. I feel almost guilty about this one because I got to read the ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) and it won't be available until November. (Though it's available for pre-order now.) This is not my usual kind of book - it's an alternate world fantasy with quasi-steampunk elements, but it's also unlike any other steampunk book I've read. It features metaphysics, a book that writes itself (the unseen author is possibly God, running a scientific experiment on the future of mankind through observations of nine random people. It's part thriller, part metaphysical treatise, part mystery and all entertaining. An alchemy (yes, pun intended) of wonderful things. The characters are vivid and original and the world building is brilliantly done. A lot of writers and writing books talk about voice, but it's a nebulous concept that isn't always apparent or done well. If you want to see an example of voice matching the book in a perfect marriage of tone and content, along with a rolicking good story, read THE NINE.
| | | | | | | The Science of Science Fiction " In altering the DNA code of human embryos, the objective of scientists is to show that they can eradicate or correct genes that cause inherited disease, like the blood condition beta-thalassemia. The process is termed “germline engineering” because any genetically modified child would then pass the changes on to subsequent generations via their own germ cells—the egg and sperm. " About a month ago, scientists in the US reported the first successful attempts to use CRISPR, a gene editing tool, to literally rewrite the human genetic code. Researchers took sperm cells from donors who carried genetic mutations (though they didn't specify which mutations) and were able to edit out the mutations in the resulting embryos by interfering at the time of fertilization. While this has been done in other countries, the Portland, OR team brought several improvements to the process, including uptake of the error correction in significantly more of the embryo's cells. None of the resulting embryos were allowed to develop past a few days and it is currently illegal to use this technology to create viable human embryos. But we are closer and closer to any number of science fiction stories - most of which have dystopian elements - that center around custom editing of DNA. All technology reaches the point where we realize we are capable of doing something. The biggest question is whether we should. We are significantly short sighted in seeing the larger context and consequences of our inventions, but this one has the ability to change the definition of what it means to be human and as such, needs even more careful consideration. | | F-Bom The founders of F-BOM (The Feminist Book of the Month) interviewed me on FB live last week. You can see the replay here! "F-BOM novels are hand-selected by F-BOM staff for awesome storytelling and high-quality writing. But more than that–they’re books by self-identified women of all shapes, sizes, colors, sexualities, and journeys. These are the stories of people whose voices and visions we aren’t often exposed to, because they have to fight so hard to get into the spotlight." | Upcoming events October 6-8, 2017 Springfield, MO I'll be appearing at Missouri's GAME con as a guest of honor. Come find me there! | How am I doing? I hope you are enjoying these newsletters. Please let me know if you'd like to see me cover a particular topic or theme. More recommendations? More links to promotions? More science of science fiction? Excerpts? You can let me know by replying to this newsletter or emailing me directly: lisa@ljcohen.net | | | | | | | You're receiving this email because you're probably a reader and some flavor of fellow geek. More specifically, you opted in at LJCohen.net or entered a contest/giveaway which required your email to subscribe. You may unsubscribe at any time in the link in the footer below, but I do hope you stay a while. ©2017 LJ Cohen. All rights reserved. | | |
