Tag Archives: Olivia Waite

Out of This World LGBTQ Sci-Fi: Nobody’s Baby and Hell’s Heart

10 Mar

Nobody’s Baby
by Olivia Waite
Nobody’s Baby is Olivia Waite’s second clever retro-futuristic Science Fiction Mystery set on an ship journeying through space to bring former inhabitants of Earth to their new home. People’s memories are backed up and they are given newly grown adult bodies so that they can keep a consistent population while on board; no pregnancies are allowed, so when a baby is discovered it leads to a series of discoveries that expose a diabolical murder. Waite packs a lot into a short work with great characters, an intriguing who dunnit, interesting world building focused on a society which prioritizes memories, and even a bit of romance. If you enjoy Nobody’s Baby, you may also want to check out Waite’s steamy historic and paranormal romance novellas.

Hell’s Heart
by Alexis Hall
Hell’s Heart is Alexis Hall’s clever re-imagining of Moby Dick as a space opera hunt for a legendary leviathan. As an Easter egg, he even includes the same dedication to Nathaniel Hawthorn that Melville included in his original. Filled with clever humor and inventive spins on the Moby Dick with an added sapphic romance (many of the characters are gender swapped), this novel will delight fans of quirky science fiction as well as amuse readers familiar with the classic novel who are looking for a fresh fun spin. I’m a long time fan of Hall and previously blogged about some of his terrific speculative fiction and romances. If you enjoy this work you can also check out The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, Hall’s reinvention of Sherlock Holmes.

For another Moby Dick reinvention, you can also borrow Call Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu Guo, which is told from the perspective of a girl who disguises her self as a cabin boy to join a whaling ship. For a truly unique audio experience you can listen to Burt Reynolds read an abridged version of the original.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Mind-Blowing Murder Mysteries by Romance Authors: Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder and Murder By Memory

19 Mar

Check out these two new mysteries whose author makes the jump from solving the mysteries of the heart to writing intriguing murder mysteries. Of course they couldn’t resist including a little romance in there too!

Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder
by Bellamy Rose
In Pomona Afton Can Solve a Murder, Pomona, a New York hotel heiress, is frozen out of all her accounts when her grandmother dies under suspicious circumstances. In order to get back the lifestyle she has grown accustomed to she will have to figure out what really happened to her grandmother. The son of her former Nanny, Gabe, gives her a place to crash and a helping hand; his mom’s retirement is also on hold till the killer is found. Though Pomona wonders if the money might be worth less than having Gabe’s love in the long run. I enjoyed the many twists and turns the mystery took and the romance between Gabe and Pomona was sweet, but I thought the novel also had interesting things to say about friendships, familial relationships and the pressure that money can put on even the best people to make not so ethical decisions. This reminded me a bit of the funny sitcom Two Broke Girls if they had to solve a mystery. Rose writes romances under the name, Amanda Elliot, including Love You a Latke and Best Served Hot.

Murder by Memory
by Olivia Waite
Murder by Memory is a novella that packs a lot into its short length with a mystery set on a generational ship, the Fairweather, where death doesn’t have to be the end as long as a person’s memories are properly backed up. During an electric storm, Dorothy awakens from a long rest after her previous lifetime, but not in her own body. She is one of the ship’s detectives and this case is particularly important since someone is not only killing bodies which can be replaced, but also deleting minds from the storage library. I enjoyed the cozy mystery aspect of the story and also the interesting science fiction world building of the story which includes drinks which can bring to life memories like summer thunderstorms. I hope we see more of Dorothy and the Fairweather in the future. Fan’s of Waite’s Feminine Pursuits series of historical lesbian romances, The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics, The Hellion’s Waltz, and The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows will enjoy the bit of romance that Waite also infuses into her Murder by Memory plot.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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