The Good, the Bad, and the Utahraptor is Published!

Jurassic Park is my favorite movie, has been ever since I was five. Yes, I was way too young to watch it. I don't know what my parents were thinking, but other movies I loved at that age include Tremors and Jaws, so... clearly I was not a normal child.

But back to Jurassic Park. I love dinosaurs. Like, I was that annoying kid who wouldn't play with a plastic allosaurus because it had the wrong number of toes. So a movie where they eat people? Fun!

I practically wore out my VHS, I can still quote large chunks of the movie, and I think Dr. Malcolm might have been my first crush. On second thought, it might have been Princess Jasmine. My point is, I loved the movie and its sequels.

　

However, being a dino-nerd, I knew it was not without its faults, especially regarding my beloved raptors.

For one thing, real velociraptors were the size of turkeys. The big ones like in the movies are more similar to utahraptors or deinonychuses. They also had feathers, damnit.

But I gave the movies a pass because we were only just discovering feathers when the first movie was made, and while they did discover utahraptor during production (if I remember correctly), the idea of a larger raptor had already been proposed in the scientific community and they thought it would be a subspecies of velociraptor. So, fine. I accepted it.

　

Then they announced Jurassic World.

Yes! A chance to correct their mistakes!

[insert disappointed sigh here]

Look. I love these movies with all my heart, but they made three mistakes with the new movies:

1. Wrong species of dinosaur

2. No feathers

3. Chris Pratt did not ride a raptor like it was a pony

　

Yeah, okay, maybe that last one isn't a scientific inaccuracy, but it was definitely a mistake, and I have taken it upon myself to correct these errors. So, without further ado, I would like to proudly present my dinosaur western, free to read and listen to on Cast of Wonders...

　

The Good, the Bad, and the Utahraptor

(narration by Sandra Espinoza)
http://www.castofwonders.org/2018/11/cast-of-wonders-332-dinovember-the-good-the-bad-and-the-utahraptor/

FreakShow Character Introduction: Lily

Every Monday from now until December 3rd, I'm introducing a character from my debut novel, Jack Jetstark's Intergalactic FreakShow! Today's character is...

　

Lily!

　

Lily is Jack's pilot. She's bold and sexy and not afraid to show off, but this confidence doesn't always extend to the rest of her life.

　

Lily is a freak, a descendant of people who were genetically engineered to have superhuman abilities when they hear a certain song. She grows wings and performs as an angel, though she refers to herself as an owl.

　

Most of my characters were inspired by lyrics from American Pie. Lily is the "angel born in Hell." Researching this phrase led me to Lilith, the Biblical mother of demons who was sometimes associated with screech owls (the Latin name of which, "Megascops, is referenced in her full name, Lilimeg Ascops). Before American Pie fixed my plot, though, there was a character that sort of became Lily, who was a lionfish-inspired mermaid. A minor character named Holly was given that description instead.

　

At first glance, there's nothing "wrong" with Lily. She's just a sexy bird who sometimes sleeps with men she hardly knows so they'll fall in love and buy her things. But the jewelry they give her is just a bonus: she enjoys toying with them, making them fall in love so she can break their hearts. She knows it's messed up, but it's just the way she is, and she would never do it to someone she cares about.

　

In my mind, Lily would be played by Elizabeth Banks.

　

(There was, briefly, a version of Lily that ACTUALLY ate men and spit them out, which I think was a reference to how owls eat things whole and spit out pellets full of mouse bones? But I gave the violent tendencies to Merulo instead. Thank. God.)

　

(I also want to stress that, despite everything I just said about Lily, the sexual content in the book is very minimal. Nothing more than a kiss happens on the page, her using men is only alluded to, and while its clear that Jack finds her very attractive, I don't think I describe it in any more graphic detail than saying her curves make his cheeks feel warm.)

　

Preorder here and add it on Goodreads!

　

Come back next Monday to meet the final character, Diantha!

　

Cover Reveal and Black Friday Sale

We're still raising money to fund Space Opera Libretti, and we're a little worried that it's going so slow. As little as $1 gets you an anthology of silly, inclusive space opera.
But we already have cover art! Check it out here.

(And we're still open for submissions: http://spaceoperalibretti.blogspot.com/p/submission-guidelines.html)


And two great anthologies are on sale for black friday - LOVE & BUBBLES and CIRCUITS & SLIPPERS, both just $0.99 this weekend! I'm in both, and co-edited L&B. Escape your holiday stress with sci-fi fairytales or queer mermaids or both!
L&B: https://amzn.to/2JCRrHS

C&S: https://amzn.to/2RAJvK1

Freakshow Character Introduction: Ruby

Quick word from our sponsor before we start: Brian McNett and I are editing an anthology of space opera. Our goal is for it to be a diverse and inclusive collection of humorous sci-fi with a musical bent, and it's important that we pay our authors decent rates.
If you can spare the money, it would mean the world to me if you would check out our Kickstarter. As little as a dollar will get you a copy of the anthology as soon as it's ready, which we hope will be this summer.
We already have some amazing stories on our shortlist, and when we reach $900 we're going to reveal the cover art we commissioned. Thank you.



Every Monday from now until December 3rd, I'm introducing a character from my debut novel, Jack Jetstark's Intergalactic FreakShow! Today's character is...

　

Ruby!

　

When I decided to introduce a character a week and planned out the schedule, I included Ruby because she's a big part of the story. I forgot, however, that I can't tell you why she's important without spoiling things. So here's what I can say:

Ruby Marta is the ten-year-old daughter of Diantha and Garon, the leaders of VesCorp, a ruthless company/government that rules over the universe with an iron fist. It's also the corporation that altered the genes of Jack's freak ancestors.

Except... is Ruby really Garon's daughter? After all, her mother and Jack were in love before Ruby was born, and she does have Jack's ruddy complexion...

Ruby is my absolute favorite character. She's sweet and totally unafraid of the monstrous freaks. My favorite scene in the entire book is when she returns to her mother's childhood home.

　

Preorder here and add it on Goodreads!

　

Come back next Monday to meet Lily!

Eligibility Post 2018

It's awards season! Here are all of my stories and books that were published this year.


Starred titles are the ones I would like to direct your attention toward the most.
 
**Anachronism (novella)- May 30, 2018

https://www.amazon.com/Anachronism-Jennifer-Lee-Rossman/dp/1911497944/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527783468&sr=1-7


Riot of the Wind and Sun - Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers - June 5 2018

https://www.worldweaverpress.com/store/p147/Glass_and_Gardens%3A_Solarpunk_Summers.html

Spider - Unfading Daydream - July 3 2018
https://unfadingdaydream.wordpress.com/2018/07/03/issue-5-mecha-is-here/



Login - Brave New Girls: Tales of Heroines Who Hack - July 5 2018

https://www.amazon.com/Brave-New-Girls-Tales-Heroines/dp/1719152616/


Jesus and Dave - Diabolical Plots - July 16, 2018
http://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-41b-jesus-and-dave-by-jennifer-lee-rossman/
  

Artist Unknown - Children of the Sky - August 1

https://www.amazon.com/Children-Sky-Schreyer-Ink-Publishing/dp/1988853257/ (out of print)

**One Last Ride on the Horse with Purple Roses - Luna Station Quarterly - September 5, 2018
http://lunastationquarterly.com/story/one-last-ride-on-the-horse-with-purple-roses/


Take Meme to Your Leader - UFO7 - September 18, 2018

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1720094888/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=ufopubcom-20&linkId=7396a8d7ebb85917a5e806d60c09e404&language=en_US


The Dog Who Walked with Zombies - Dark Ink: A Poetry Anthology Inspired by Horror - September 21, 2018

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Ink-Poetry-Anthology-Inspired/dp/0997483768/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1537553864&sr=1-1&keywords=9780997483765

The Cemetery Cat - From A Cat's View - October 14
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HDFV63S

The Leximancer's Rebellion - Battling in All Her Finery - October 16, 2018
https://amzn.to/2pRZcjY


The Wolf Mother - Under the Full Moon's Light - October 16, 2018


https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945654279/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539697230&sr=8-1&keywords=9781945654275


Shallows - Love & Bubbles - October 18, 2018
https://amzn.to/2CWSd22

The Courtship Dance - The Tangled Web - October 2018
https://www.purpleturkeypress.com/thetangledweb


**Jack Jetstark's Intergalactic FreakShow (novel) - December 4

https://www.worldweaverpress.com/store/p157/Jack_Jetstarks_Intergalactic_Freakshow.html 


**The Good, the Bad, and the Utahraptor - Cast of Wonders - November 30, 2018
http://www.castofwonders.org/2018/11/cast-of-wonders-332-dinovember-the-good-the-bad-and-the-utahraptor/


Mari Lwyd - Neon Druid - December 19, 2018
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LFNZK9W



Nesting (poem) - Multiverse: Shoreline of Infinity International Sci-fi Poetry Anthology - December 2018
https://www.shorelineofinfinity.com/product/multiverse-an-international-anthology-of-science-fiction-poetry/
 
Enough - We Shall Be Monsters - December 27, 2018

https://renaissancebookpress.com/product/we-shall-be-monsters/?fbclid=IwAR22tpB4TN02UEINQXz6xssA0GUrdSC1TKczXilEcYok5Zpp_Fb0pcQuNLQ



Harvest - Fall into Fantasy - December 28, 2018
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6346DP/


The Man Whose Left Arm Was a Cat (originally published in 2018 in Diabolical Plots Year Four Anthology, available free online as of 2019)

http://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-47b-the-man-whose-left-arm-was-a-cat-by-jennifer-lee-rossman/

FreakShow Character Introduction: Rubeno Mardo

Every Monday from now until December 3rd, I'm introducing a character from my debut novel, Jack Jetstark's Intergalactic FreakShow! Today's character is...

　

The Rubeno Mardo!

　

The Rubeno is Jack's ship. Technically his father's ship, though she miiight be a little bit stolen. She's an Aldebaran Highwire cargo ship, and her cargo hold has been converted into a carnival.

　

There are three named ships in the book. The Rubeno Mardo and Mia Nubo are named after Rolling Stones songs, Ruby Tuesday and Get Off of My Cloud, translated into Esperanto. The third is the Dorno Argenta or "Silver Thorn," a lyric from Vincent by Don McLean.

　

Preorder here and add it on Goodreads!

　

Come back next Monday to meet Ruby (who may have been named after the ship)!

　

Space Opera Libretti

So you'll be hearing a lot more about this project after my novel is published, but I'm editing an anthology with Brian McNett!

It's called Space Opera Libretti, and we're open for submissions until December 31.

We're also running a Kickstarter! Backers can get an ebook or physical book, as well as some unique rewards (like the chance to read the unedited first drafts of the editors' stories)!

We're already more than ten percent of the way to our goal, and the more we earn, the more we pay our authors.

Check it out here!

FreakShow Character Introduction: Cara

Every Monday from now until December 3rd, I'm introducing a character from my debut novel, Jack Jetstark's Intergalactic FreakShow! Today's character is...

　

Cara!

　

Cara joins Jack's crew early on in the book, and quickly finds her place on the ship as a mechanic. She's a young redhead who runs away to join the carnival, and is possibly the sweetest character in the whole book.

　

Cara is a freak, a descendant of people who were genetically engineered to have superhuman abilities when they hear a certain song. She can speak to electronics, and performs in the show as a cyborg.

　

I'm afraid of spoiling some important plot points if I tell you too much of Cara's backstory, so I'll tell you about my inspiration for her instead. Most of my characters were inspired by lyrics from American Pie, but Cara is the exception. Technically, Cara is short for Carabidae, a type of beetle (Beatle), but that's where the inspiration ends because Cara predates American Pie's influence on my plot.

Before Jack was a firebreather, before the music died, back when Jack Jetstark's Intergalactic FreakShow was just called "Freak Show"... there was a little redheaded girl who ran away to join a space carnival. That's right, this book was originally Cara's story. From a certain point of view, it still is, but saying any more would be ruining a whole bunch of surprises.

　

I'm not hip to who all the newfangled young actors are nowadays, but I imagine Cara as looking like a young Karen Gillam.

　

Preorder here and add it on Goodreads!

　

Come back next Monday to meet the Rubeno Mardo (the ship totally counts as a character)!