M.O.Anderson

Worldshift: The Speculative Fiction Writers' Summit 2025 Speculative Fiction Writers' Summit

I'm attending this event. RT if you think others will find this helpful 🙌 worldshift.manyworldswriting.com

Re-reading "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson and I'm just in tears -- it's an incredible emotional journey. From a YA Sci-Fi no less!

Looking for recommendations for other YA/adult Sci-Fi/contemporary mashups that will make me feel all the feels!

These are all so beautiful! The cover of Future's Edge really caught my eye a few days ago and this is an excellent reminder to read it! :)

Yay Malachite! I also have a WIP (very early stages) about a dwarven geologist named Malachite! Let's start a name trend lol

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FEAR is a Contemporary YA with creeping Sci-Fi Horror as a metaphor for trauma, with:

A sharp-witted teen coping with alienation and PTSD

A geologist who hides in her research rather than confront her dark past

A looming 👽 threat

(also, the 🐶 they rescue)
#questpit #W #YA #SF

Dark ferns background An Agent's Guide To: LAST CHANCE MATCH New Adult Dystopian Romance "Find the one who's to die for."

The Pitch: Calasca’s government uses science to appoint soulmates, but the 0.6% of the population who don’t receive a match face extermination at thirty. A new reality show, Last Chance Match, sets out to change that and gives the matchless another shot at life. Downtrodden waitress, Cera accepts the invitation, but is quickly deflated when she’s paired with the cocky and entitled Ryde. The show takes a dark turn when a fellow contestant is killed after being eliminated, forcing Cera and Ryde to fight for their happily ever after—and to make it out alive.

The comps: THE KILL FACTOR by Ben Oliver Both with a killer reality show setting to win freedom SILVER ELITE by Dani Francis Both with opposing factions and biased government HEART OF THE SUN Both with second chances and dislike to lovers arc

The Tropes: Arrows pointing from a mock cover of LAST CHANCE MATCH book with ferns with the following tropes: Dystomance Touch her and die Dislike to locers Forced proximity Second chances Soulmates

Dear Citizen of Calasca,

Pack your bags! I am happy to extend an invitation for you to join us on LAST CHANCE MATCH, a new reality holovision program where LOVE ISLAND meets SQUID GAME and BLACK MIRROR. We promise you’ll find the one who’s to die for.

#W #R #SF #S #QuestPit

THE HUNGER GAMES X THE FIFTH WAVE

After a missile explodes near San Francisco, ending a half century of global peace, 16-year-old Zuriah Laguerre and her 7-year-old twin siblings begin a dangerous journey to safety and discover an enemy not of this world. #Questpit #Q #YA #SF #S

Mood board/Agent's guide for my novel CARGO - a queer SF/heist/romance - 110,000 words "Did you hear? There's a human on board." A graphic of the wall of a spaceship with sticky notes and polaroid photos taped up. There are twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling. alien ship's cook (fussy, anxious) + terrifying monster (ordinary human)

PITCH: Tai’s terrified of humans. Everyone is. Violent pack hunters, humans are notorious for their strength, sharp teeth, and carnivorous appetites. But the ship’s cook is safe among the multispecies crew of the cargo hauler Coreward Baker: everyone knows the warrior species rarely leave their own space. Then Captain Raz hires Clarke, a human horticulturist. Even after Tai overcomes their fear, they can’t stand Clarke. She’s bossy. Annoying. Useless in the galley, bad in a space suit. She might as well be cargo. Worse, she’s intent on befriending Tai—and why can’t they stop thinking about her, anyway? That’s when things go wrong. As Tai starts to realize their feelings for Clarke, they’re horrified to learn that nobody on their crew of dropouts and runaways is quite who they seem, least of all Clarke. And it’s no coincidence. Raz reveals they’ve each been handpicked for a heist he’s spent years planning—and no one’s allowed to say no. PRIORITIES: make dinner remain cozy haul cargo go for drinks pull off one last score try not to fall in love

FIRST PAGE: “Did you hear? There’s a Human on board.” I choked on my noodles and turned to stare at the diners at the next table. Like most of the restaurant’s patrons, the pair had hidden their profiles, a halfhearted attempt at anonymity. “Gross,” the speaker’s crewmate said, oblivious to my alarm. “I hope it leaves soon.” “Don’t let it hear you say that,” the first worker laughed. She made a show of looking for Humans, her eyes darting from table to table. It. I frowned. I knew the workers’ language distinguished between people and things, and ‘it’ was an unkind choice of words at best. The second worker shuddered. “I don’t know why we let themcome here.” The first laughed. “Are you going to stop them?”

COMPS: Murderbot by Martha Wells Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wisewell The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers TROPES: Non-binary narrator masking anxiety with sarcasm lying to themselves non-human perspective (afraid of humans) neurodivergent main characters metaphorically disabled protagonist slow-burn friends-to-lovers and enemies to lovers in the same relationship disabilitynorm and queernorm setting found family loveable pet/terrifying monster

WAYFARERS x MURDERBOT x SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN

Everything fell apart when the human came aboard. Instead of nice meals and quiet cargo runs, Tai's stuck with bickering crewmates, sinister criminals, explosions, and worse, a human who wants to be friends. #QuestPit #A #Q #R #SF #OV #LGBTQ

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FEAR:

A lifetime of trauma & isolation leaves foster teen Nellie deeply distrustful & self-reliant.

Then 👽 lights appear in the sky.

She seeks refuge in the wilderness with Anna, a grieving geologist.

Survival is hard. But trusting someone is harder.

#questpit #W #YA #SF

The image shows a horror-comedy novel cover titled "DAD BODIES." The top of the cover reads "THE GAME JUST TOOK A DAD TURN" with "DAD" in a different color. The background features a haunted house with multiple towers and illuminated windows against a dark backdrop. At the center is a 20-sided die (D20) used in tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, with visible numbers including 1, 7, 13, and 19. The die is surrounded by red blood splatter effects. At the bottom of the cover are six men with expressions of terror and shock. One man is wearing a white shirt over his head. These men are the dads referenced in the title.

CABIN IN THE WOODS × JOHN DIES AT THE END × KNIVES OUT

When their detective friend is murdered during their annual gaming retreat, 5 dads must rely on years of #TTRPG experience—and puns—to solve the crime before they're all killed off like NPCs in a badly written campaign.

#QuestPit #A #H #M #Q

This image is a book cover design for a novel titled "Happy Death Inc." by B. Van Bodegom. The cover is divided into three distinct horizontal sections: 1. Top Section: Features a cartoonish blue sky with white clouds and a bright sun. At the top, a tagline reads: "How much would you pay to die with a smile?" The word "HAPPY" appears in large, playful, hand-drawn-style font, partially overlapping the sky background. 2. Middle Section: A photograph of a deceased man in a suit, lying in a casket. He has an exaggerated smile on his face, almost unnaturally wide and clean, suggesting artificial enhancement or post-mortem alteration. Overlaid on this image is the word "DEATH" in the same large font as the previous word. 3. Bottom Section: A cartoon city skyline in pastel tones, similar in style to the top sky background. The word "INC." is overlaid prominently in the same large font. At the very bottom, in smaller capital letters, it says: "A Novel by B VAN BODEGOM"

BLACK MIRROR × SEVERANCE × THE GOOD PLACE

Having a happy death is a luxury service for the rich and Wren is the rising top salesman—until a cynical coworker and a depressed billionaire force him to rethink it all in a world where even your last smile has a price tag.

#QuestPit #A #S #SF #W

This is also amazing!

Love this! Soft sci-fi is my favorite!

I want this to be a movie NOW! So good!

A Venn diagram of Genre Overlaps in YA Sci-Fi. A Different Kind of Fear is an introspective book, with alien influence, and apocalyptic survival.

A Venn diagrams of thematic overlaps in YA Sci-Fi. A Different Kind of Fear features themes of powerlessness vs. resistence, fear as transformation, and belonging and found family.

WE ARE THE ANTS x THE LAST OF US

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FEAR:
Bullied & abused, a teenager runs away, leaving her vulnerable on the streets when 👽 invade.

Along with a grieving geologist & a stray dog, she struggles to survive & find meaning in a world on the brink of collapse.

#questpit #W #YA #SF

Anything that RC Bray narrates.

The most draining part is the guilt. When I work on my WIP, I feel guilty for not doing on my other ($) work stuff. When I'm not reading enough I feel guilty. When I'm editing, I feel guilty that I'm not finishing drafting remaining chapters. It never ends.

Thanks! It's a slow-burn Sci-Fi, still very much a WIP :)

My #WIPSnips contribution for the day - "street" comes up a lot in my contemporary YA Sci-Fi "A Different Kind of Fear" as the MC ends up running away and living on the streets... leaving her exposed and vulnerable just as aliens arrive 👽.

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPromtps

Great advice! 😁

She's witty, self-reliant, and tough. All things developed out of necessity, but they also hold her back from what she really needs.

I work out different sentences by talking to my dog as we go for a walk. His indifference keeps my ego in check.

An excerpt from my WIP "A Different Kind of Fear"

My #WIPSnips contribution for the day ("trash") from my contemporary YA Sci-Fi novel "A Different Kind of Fear." Can you guess the age of my protagonist?

Feedback welcome!

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Oh great suggestion - thank you!! <3

M.O. Anderson (@m0anderson) Introducing “Meditations of a Geologist” - my 100-word flash-fiction series about the timelessness and beauty of our planet, posted here weekly.

Over on SubStack, I post "Meditations of a Geologist" - my 100-word flash-fiction series about the timelessness and beauty of our planet. Posted weekly, no paywall/newsletter sub required.
substack.com/@m0anderson/...

#flashfiction #microfiction #geology #writingcommunity #writesky #sciencewriting

I like the idea of novel swaps too! Especially if that person has an interest in my work. I guess I also am looking for the community aspect of a group, so maybe I need to focus more on chemistry than expectations, and try a few approaches :)

What do you look for in a writing group? I went to my first and the ✨vibes✨ were off, and they weren't super into YA (only the broader SFF genre). Still some good insights, but not quite the community I hoped for. Tips welcome!

#writeringcommunity #scifiwriters #writingtips #thiswritinglife

ohhhh I like that, and how you explained it - nice strong concept that can be explained concisely! Finished or WIP?

Where are the YA Sci-Fi writers at? Looking to connect - tell me about your book/WIP so I can follow you!

#writersky #writers #writerschat #writingcommunity #booksky #amwriting #scifi #ya

Hi! Not quite ready yet for beta readers, but I will absolutely reach out soon! Thanks, and happy to connect!