An e-zine about spaceships, aliens, science, memory, motherhood, magic, and cats.
Both kids finished the first Animorphs book in less than two days and are well into the second.
I’m struggling to keep up, because I spent my evening after they went to bed leveling my Warcraft druid. But then, I think it’s more fun for the kids if they’re beating me.
It’s been a struggle to get the 9-year-old to read books that aren’t graphic novels. (Nothing wrong with graphic novels, but I’m a novelist and would love to get the kid hooked on pure text novels if I can.) Anyway, the kid loves to check little free libraries when we pass them…
The other night, we passed a little free library with several Animorphs novels, which reminded me I have all the e-books and have been meaning to read them. Continue reading “Starting to Read Animorphs”
When I was a kid, my dad would let my sister and me pick three things, and then he’d tell us a bedtime story about those things.
I’ve been playing with AI artists a lot lately, and I can see, some day, we’ll be able to do the same thing with an AI storyteller. Continue reading “In the Style of…”
I decided to run a comparison of the different AI artists using the title of my first book, “Otters In Space.”
So, organized by number of otters in them: Continue reading “Comparing Three AI Art Programs”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Daily Science Fiction, July 2017
Roscoe’s velvety nose twitched, but his long ears stood tall in spite of his jittery nerves. The view of Crossroads Station on the viewscreen was intimidating: three concentric wheels, rotating in alternating directions, each one lined with row after row of glowing windows. Shuttle pods and star cruisers of all designs were docked on the outer ring. Continue reading “The Crowds on Crossroads Station”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Every Day Fiction, June 2017
Star Shaker’s scales glittered and shone with rainbow colors under the spotlights. Her barbed tail swayed, and she flapped her tiny vestigial wings as she sang into the mic. With the backdrop of stars behind her, she looked like a mythical creature — a celestial rainbow dragon — not merely a pop-star reptilian alien with a good stage crew. Continue reading “Galaxy Shaker and the Celestial Rainbow Dragon”
My kid was trying to get up the courage to ask their teacher for help with something, so I asked Midjourney to “imagine courage,” so I could send them some courage. This is what I got:
The kid’s teacher was busy with another student, so I asked Midjourney to “imagine patience,” so I could send some patience along to them as well. Continue reading “Midjourney Illustrates Feelings”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Daily Science Fiction, August 2017
Roscoe’s long ears would not stand tall, no matter how he strained to hold them up. His reflection in the empty viewscreen looked haggard and scared, but he’d stared at it for long enough trying to compose himself. He would never be composed. He had to proceed anyway.
With a nervous twitch of his nose, Roscoe opened a communication channel to the planet below, and moments later, a familiar face filled the viewscreen: his cousin Chilchi. Her ears stood tall. Continue reading “Inalienable Rights”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Daily Science Fiction, August 2017
Chorif held out her upper wing, spreading her feathers to admire the rings and bracelets and pins she’d fastened among her pinions. Her wing glittered with gems from the ice asteroids around Tau Ceti and glowed with Erdidaniian opals. She looked like a queen, and she clacked her hooked beak happily.
All of the salvage crews based out of Crossroads Station had been searching for the lost High Royal Quejon’s vessel for months, but only Chorif had thought to seek out the uplifted lapine servant who’d run away from the Quejon and enlist his services. Continue reading “Principles Over Profit”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Daily Science Fiction, September 2017
The little lapine aliens hopped into the bar, one after the other, noses twitching and long ears swiveling. Narchi had never seen their species in the All Alien Cafe before, and all of a sudden, here were a dozen.
Narchi’s heavy hunched shoulders straightened a little at the sight of the group of them. There was something comforting about how they moved together, leaning in to whisper one to the other, all a part of a little herd. Continue reading “Crescent Horns and Tall ears”