Broad Universe News from A Broad

The Immortal Gifts Podcast

Katherine Villyard — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:40:37 GMT

How does an immortal being deal with death? Immortal Gifts is a vampire novel, but readers call it unusual for its focus on down-to-earth grief and healing.

Whether you’re low-vision, have the kind of job where you need audio to get through your day, or just have a hellacious commute, Katherine Villyard has you covered! She's releasing her audiobook as a podcast! New episodes drop every Monday.

Podcast page: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2590051

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhQiWBjDWW3aeTq1vPsnvNsinrwMQU780
Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/Juhi0fGp5k8?si=aIYtP84DPlNFnBfF

Head to the stars with SFWA's Quasar!

Broad Universe Treasurer — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 17:22:21 GMT

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) builds upon the energy of its annual Nebula Awards Conference with Quasar: A Fall Online Nebula Event.

Join SFWA Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 15 to 16 for a weekend of panels, workshops, seminars, office hours, and special presentations dedicated to professional and professionalizing writers in speculative fiction.

Experience a dynamic chat between two of SFWA’s Grand Masters, Lois McMaster Bujold and Nicola Griffith before a surprise announcement about next year’s Nebula events.

“It’s going to be an incredible event, with a big announcement that you won’t want to miss,” says SFWA President Kate Ristau. “Bujold and Griffith will set the stage for our launch into 2026 with an in-depth conversation on speculative fiction, followed by an announcement that will shift our course for the years ahead. Make sure you join us for Quasar...!”

This year’s theme focuses on the whole writer and celebrates of creative excellence alongside the important work of building community, wellness, and collaborative practice across mediums, genres, and industry professionals.

From opening poets to closing booksellers; from indie creators across publishing mediums to horror across the ages; from debunking scientific myths to hosting a session on Tarot need-to-knows for SFF worldbuilding: Quasar brings together creators across the spectrum for energizing conversations that will serve our writing practice in the world ahead.

This has been a challenging year in publishing, with contract issues arising around themes of AI piracy, merch clauses, moral rights waivers, copyright, and rights reversion. To empower creators in the face of red flags, Victoria Strauss of SFWA’s Writer Beware® joins literary agents Alice Speilburg and Natascha Morris in conversation during a hands-on seminar.

Events launch at 1 pm Pacific Time on Saturday, Nov. 15 and run until late afternoon Sunday. Registrants receive access to all recorded Quasar panels and presentations in this fully virtual conference until June 2, 2026, SFWA's 61st Anniversary Nebula Awards Conference, Chicago, IL, USA.

Register today and join the conversation at https://membership.sfwa.org/event-6301796. Details on pricing and discounts for members of various professional groups on the events page. Review conference program at events.sfwa.org. For more information, contact SFWA’s event team at office@sfwa.org.

Final boarding takes place on Friday, Nov. 14

Julia races against "The Secret Countdown"

Broad Universe Treasurer — Sun, 18 May 2025 22:00:00 GMT

Find your next favorite read and celebrate Broad Releases for July 2025!

Title: The Secret Countdown

Author: Gloria Oliver

Working for the Paphal Saĝiga — the Secret Humankind — has forced Julia out of her loner habits, kicking and screaming, but the hunt for an elusive enemy grinds on.

In the third and final installment of the Discoveries of Julia Xero, Julia’s search puts her friends at risk and draws a stranger -- a nurse -- from her once-hidden past into her life.

Frustration and fury drive Julia as she struggles with the emotional damage caused by the nurse, while she races against time to stop a nefarious plot that will rip away the future lives of millions of children.

The Doomsday Clock is counting down. Julia careens closer to the razor's edge as she tries to find a way to stop it. The Secret Countdown, the heart-stopping finale of the Discoveries of Julia Xero urban fantasy thriller series will release in July and the novel is ready for pre-order.

About Gloria Oliver:

Born in Puerto Rico, Gloria has lived in Ohio, New Hampshire, and Texas, where she makes her home. She worked as an accountant during the day and wrote in her spare time. Her short fiction has been published in several anthologies, and she has more than fifteen novels and novellas in print.

For free fiction and more information, visit: www.gloriaoliver.com.

He lied about his identity. Two hundred years later, he’s still paying the price…

Broad Universe Treasurer — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 23:59:28 GMT

Find your next favorite read and celebrate Broad Releases for February, 2025!

Title: Immortal Gifts

Author: Katherine Villyard

Prussia, 1841. Abraham only ever wanted to play violin. Hiding his Jewish status so he can study at the prestigious Berlin Academy of Music, the eager young man is delighted to find a patron who believes in him.

But he’s mortified when his new friend turns him into a vampire … and Abraham earns the fury of an ancient antisemite who vows to see him permanently dead.

Fleeing the hate-mongering fiend across the decades, the sensitive violinist at last settles in twenty-first-century New Jersey with a mortal woman.But when he discovers his relentless tormentor has tracked him down yet again, Abraham despairs he’ll never find true happiness.

With everyone he’s ever loved at risk, can he escape the rage of a ruthless bigot?

In a complex tale woven through history, Katherine Villyard delivers a fresh and insightful twist on the vampire novel. Infusing the narrative with profound themes of love, betrayal, and the nature of monsters, she crafts an unforgettable saga of surviving prejudice that will keep readers turning pages deep into the night.

Immortal Gifts is the thoughtful first book in the Immortal Vampires contemporary fantasy series. If you like well-drawn characters, dual-timeline storytelling, and pulse-pounding suspense, then you’ll adore Katherine Villyard’s compelling read.

Buy Immortal Gifts to tap a vein of devotion today!

Praise for Immortal Gifts:

“One of Villyard’s strengths as a storyteller is her skill in using vampire mythology to explore themes of otherness and persecution … (and) … use of supernatural elements to explore very real historical patterns of religious persecution.
– Edward Sung for IndieReader

“Immortal Gifts invites readers to re-evaluate the meanings of things such as life, death, freedom, hate and love from the first page. Katherine Villyard manages to capture some of the most poignant questions we ask ourselves as we go through our individual lives. Is it worth being able to live forever if, in the end, we’ll lose the ones we love to mortality? Is Death really the ultimate enemy to life, or is death just life’s misunderstood old friend? To stop hate, do we need to restrict our freedoms? This book makes readers ask and answer tough questions not only about the characters and plotline, but about their own beliefs, understandings, and dreams.”
–Megan Weiss on Reedsy Discovery

“...Immortal Gifts defies the usual formulaic writing of the genre to return to the meat of a superior vampire novel: good tension, wry humor, psychologically deep characters, and the allure, promises, and pitfalls of immortality.”–D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

About Katherine Villyard:

Katherine’s parents met singing opera and started taking her to choir practice when she was six weeks old. She attended four elementary schools and four high schools before getting master’s degrees in art and library science. Naturally she works in IT, abusing SQL Server for fun and profit. When she’s not working or writing, she’s probably playing the Sims or spoiling cats. Her greatest ambition is to rule the world.

To learn more, visit: www.katherinevillyard.com

Bittersweetness & Light shine out in new collection

Broad Universe Treasurer — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Find your next favorite read and celebrate Broad Releases for February, 2025!

Title: Bittersweetness & Light

Author: Anne E.G. Nydam

If you crave a little sweetness and light in a time that feels bitter and dark, explore Bittersweetness & Light, Anne E.G. Nydam’s latest collection of luminous short stories, poems, and artwork.In this book, you will visit a hidden mushroom world with an asteroid scanner, spelunk into a book with a librarian, study the Rainlings and their delicate raindrop homes, or spend a week in the Home for Dispossessed Familiars.

Without denying the pain in the world, this beautiful book invites you to embrace the possibility of joy. From love potions to alien spores, and from dream fish to a puzzled ghost, you can find magic that can be knitted, glimpsed from the kitchen window, or assembled from a flat-pack kit.

Spanning a range of fantasy and science fiction settings, the twelve fantastical short stories, ten evocative poems, and dozens of whimsical relief block prints are by turns poignant, humorous, and always warm-hearted. This enchanting full-color collection invites you to look for goodness and share reasons for hope.

About Anne E.G. Nydam:

Anne Nydam has written and illustrated numerous books including On the Virtues of Beasts of the Realms of Imagination. She serves as the poet laureate of Needham, MA, USA, where she teaches block printmaking workshops.

Nydam believes that refusing to succumb to cynicism and finding joy is an act of fierce defiance.

To learn more, visit NydamPrints.com. Pre-order at nydamprints.com/books

Venture into a litany of universes

Broad Universe Treasurer — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 02:26:13 GMT

Find your next favorite read and celebrate Broad Releases for February, 2025!

Title: Litany for a Broken World

Author: LJ Cohen

A young girl's disastrous first foray through the multiverse cleaves her from her family and abandons her in a homeless encampment, adrift in a world and a body not her own.

A doctor struggling with grief volunteers for the annual Boston homeless census and is confronted by the impossible and her deeply buried childhood trauma.

A lonely, disaffected seer rejected by those he seeks to help is drawn from his home by a desperate call across the world walls.

When the three strangers, each broken in some way, are drawn together in a conflict between those with the ability to travel the multiverse and the organization seeking to exploit them, they must risk everything that matters to heal the fractured places in themselves and throughout reality.

First in the Entangled Realities trilogy, Litany for a Broken World is an adult reworking of The Wizard of Oz that takes place in the very real world of a Boston homeless encampment and releases Feb. 10, 2025. eBook pre-orders are live now at www.ljcohen.net/litany.html.

Praise for the novels of LJ Cohen:

“Cohen has real talent with character development and interaction, and prickly, defensive Ro is a sympathetic and interesting heroine.”

—Publishers Weekly on Derelict

"Parallax is an adrenaline rush, ripping you across the galaxy at the speed of light. LJ Cohen's seemingly effortless narrative about a galaxy drowning in corruption and rebellion features a group of teens struggling to protect not only themselves but those they love. It will take hold of you at page one and never let go.”

— K. B. Wagers, author of Behind the Throne, The Indranan War Book 1

The writing process:

LJ Cohen found the path to creating Litany for a Broken World, her ninth novel in print, helped her grow as an author and develop new skills for this ambitious work.

"Some stories come pouring out onto the page in a rush. Others need to be coaxed out from under the bed word by word,” she says. “Litany for a Broken World was the latter. I was in New York at a writing retreat with Broad member Randee Dawn six years ago when this book began.”

Cohen took six years to draft and revise this story.

“Along the way, I wrote and discarded about a novel's worth of words and spent far too much time mired in self-doubt. But with the support of my writing community and especially Broad Universe members, I was able to keep going.”

Her work on the second story in this series is underway. Learn more at www.ljcohen.net.

Find your next favorite read!

Broad Universe Treasurer — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 20:23:31 GMT

Celebrate Broad Releases: Summer 2024!

Hail the Feminist Witches!

Meet the coven in BrightFlame’s speculative, solarpunk debut.

Title: The Working

Author: BrightFlame

A modern coven must thwart a looming eco-cataclysm and find the key to the bright future we need.

Betsy is a modern-day Witch with an ageless problem: She's worried about screwing up her coven's ritual. Again.

But the coven has a bigger issue to face—the destruction of their home thanks to a fracked gas pipeline. And then an even bigger problem—a greed-fueled entity will soon obliterate Earth’s ability to support life.

Tarot cards indicate the coven must sort among allies and threats, human and ethereal. Follow Betsy, Sail, Fire, Mari, and Tal as they disentangle the truth and seek the magic to avert the cataclysm.

Fans of The Once and Future Witches and The City We Became will love The Working for its feminist, justice-seeking, ensemble cast.

"A heady mix of magic and environmental activism, written by a real Witch who knows her stuff and has a gift for embedding knowledge of trance and ritual into fiction.”

—Starhawk, bestselling author of 13 books including The Fifth Sacred Thing

"In The Working, BrightFlame shows us why she's a master of climate fiction and lunarpunk. Her novel is a compelling narrative following five witches seeking to repair what's wrong with the world. I was left wanting to have a meeting with this coven. Highly recommended!"

—Renan Bernardo, Nebula and Ignyte finalist author of Different Kinds of Defiance

"BrightFlame’s writing is a joy and a gift. The Working stays grounded in actionable solutions to the existential threats of corporate greed and climate change, with the characters fighting for better futures on both the physical and metaphysical planes."

—Sarena Ulibarri, author of Another Life.

BrightFlame (she/they) writes, teaches, and makes magic towards a just, regenerating world. She’s a member of the Climate Fiction Writers League, and her short fiction is featured in Solarpunk Creatures, Bioluminescent, and Solarpunk Magazine. Her globally acclaimed workshops for magical and mainstream audiences foster interconnection and resilience, and help us expand our notion of what is possible. She co-founded the Center for Sustainable Futures at Columbia University that features her workshops and nonfiction. She lives on Lenape territory (Turtle Island/U.S.) with a human, a forest, a labyrinth, the Fey, bees, turtles, fungi, rocks, and many other nonhumans. Visit brightflame.com for musings, doodles, workshops, and more.

Close calls, secrets, and a do-or-die heroine!

Julia Xero is back and she's in shock.

Title: The Secret Aftermath

Author: Gloria Oliver

A twenty-year-old secret lies revealed. Someone wants it reburied at any cost.

Julia Xero is now marked for termination with extreme prejudice.

At twenty-two, the introverted orphan found her dream job cleaning up after the dead and even acquired a family worth staying and fighting for.

The semi-stuck-up hidden race she works for doesn't take the news that she's not entirely human well, but Julia stubbornly stands her ground despite one of them "shockingly" trying to kill her outright.

Remanded into her employer's custody, Julia is desperate to skip past these inane distractions so she can concentrate on stopping the true danger—a plot to neuter a large portion of humanity without their consent.

The Secret Aftermath is the second book in the Discoveries of Julia Xero urban fantasy thrillers.

More than willing to kick ass and take names, Julia obstinately pushes forward despite the realization that someone can't abide her very existence. Can Julia stay alive long enough to discover and stop her new nemesis while keeping her newfound family from becoming collateral damage?

Gloria Oliver lives in Texas, making sure she stays away from rolling tumbleweeds and freak storms, while bowing to the wishes of her feline and canine masters. She is the author of nine fantasy, science fiction, and cozy mystery novels. Visit: www.gloriaoliver.com.

Find your next favorite read!

Broad Universe Treasurer — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 16:30:00 GMT

Celebrate Broads' Spring 2024 Releases!

Dive in and “Be the Sea!” with Clara Ward's newest novel

Title: Be the Sea
Author: Clara Ward

In the near future, marine scientist Wend Taylor heaves themself aboard a zero-emissions boat skippered by the elusive nature photographer Viola Yang and crewed by Viola’s younger cousin, Aljon.

Guided by instinct, ocean dreams, and a shared birthday in 1972, they barter stories for passage across the Pacific.

Story by story, the trio rethink secrets, flying dreams, and how they experience their own minds.

When they reach Hawaiʻi and prepare to part ways, opportunity and mystery pull them closer together as Wend navigates an ever-shifting future, complicated by bioengineered microbes and a plot to silence scientists, entangled with inexplicable dreams and a calling to Be the Sea.

“Be the Sea is a significant book in the way it talks about communication, community, and neurodiversity.”

— Nebula-winning writer Cat Rambo

Clara will appear at:

March 28-31: Norwescon in Seattle, WA as a panelist

Friday, Mar 29 at 4 pm Book Launch party in Presidential Suite
Saturday, March 30 at 8 pm Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading in Cascade 10

April 7 at 2 pm: author event at Capital Books in Sacramento, CA

Clara Ward lives in Silicon Valley on the border between reality and speculative fiction. When not using words to teach or tell stories, Clara uses wood, fiber, and glass to make practical or completely impractical objects. Their short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Decoded Pride, Small Wonders, and as a postcard from Thinking Ink Press. Discover more about them at clarawardauthor.wordpress.com

Find your next favorite read!

Broad Universe Treasurer — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Celebrate Broad Releases: Fall 2023!

Kepner goes "Out Far Enough"

Linda Tiernan Kepner has released "Out Far Enough," a science fiction novel with romantic elements set about 250 years in the future.

The Comte de Bourriac, an exiled nobleman managing an agricultural space station, and Police Officer Jem Grayson race to investigate a possible homicide and preserve a lost paradise before the answers kill them.

For more information, vist: www.LindaTKepner.com.

Find your next favorite read!

Broad Universe Treasurer — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:54:12 GMT

Celebrate Broad Releases: Spring 2023!

Title: Avelune: Book III of the Sky Seekers

Author: Larissa N. N. Davila

Celebrate the upcoming release of Avelune, the third book in the epic fantasy series The Sky Seekers by Larissa N. N. Davila! Fans of Robin Hobb and N. K. Jemisin will fall hard for Avelune.

Fans of Robin Hobb and N. K. Jemisin will fall hard for Avelune.

Shorn soldier Jhared Denaban flees his country, seeking a new purpose and a place to belong. Lady Nemiah wins a chance to end ages of violence, if she will sacrifice herself. In this gripping third book of The Sky Seekers, alliances deepen, passions are awakened, and the consequences of a legacy of oppression rip the very fabric of the world.

“Larissa N. N. Davila paints a compelling portrait of a world and an individual teetering on the edge of chaos. . . . Jhared's journey is a compelling search for discovery and redemption that leads readers on another breathtaking flight of fantasy.”

—Midwest Book Review

The release party will be at George R.R. Martin's Beastly Books in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Friday, June 2 at 5 pm and feature Davila signing books and answering questions, as well as tasty food and beverages. Find more of Davila book tour events, including virtual talks, at Stone Raven Press.

Find your next favorite read!

Broad Universe Treasurer — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 04:49:03 GMT

Celebrate Broad Releases: Winter 2023!

Title: A Wreck of Dragons

Author: Elaine Isaak

“Pacific Rim” meets "How to Train Your Dragon" in this young adult science fiction adventure from Waterdragon Publishing. Giant Robots meet Dragons in this new adventure from Elaine Isaak.

With his giant robot, Norgay, teenage orphan Johari leads a team of scouts to find a new planet for mankind. The prospective world has it all: a great climate, nearly perfect air, and no signs of civilization. As the team dives in, Johari's best friend risks exposure to the alien world to claim biological samples that might be the salvation of their own species. Then the sample he shatters draws the wrath of angry, flying reptiles, and his own robot companion sacrifices itself to shield the fragile humans. Johari races to save his friend and raise one of their precious bots from beneath an alien sea—only to find he's being hunted by dragons.

As he's cast into a world of doubts, Johari suspects that these monsters are more than they seem. Will he claim a new world for mankind—and allow them to destroy their own humanity?

Purchase your copy of this “thought-provoking” and “breath-taking” novel in paperback, hardcover or electronic formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, IndieBound. For more purchase options, visit Waterdragon Publishing.

Title: Love Stories, a short fiction collection

Author: Katherine Villyard

What is love? What can love drive us to do? In Katherine Villyard’s collection of seven previously published and five previously unpublished stories, love pushes her characters to revenge, to reach beyond the boundaries of life and death. To rescue a family member. To fight the good fight without even knowing it, or to risk everyone and everything to save someone who may or may not be worthy. To make the wrong decisions and walk into hell. To transcend who we are.

Love Stories is IndieReader Approved" (4.8 stars,) a Booklife Editor's pick, and was favorably reviewed by Kirkus. Learn more about Love Stories in IndieReader’s interview with Villyard, where she answers questions like "What is the main reason someone should really read this book?" and "When did you first decide to become an author?" and “Are you a toad sister or a rose sister?"

Purchase your ebook or print book at books2read.com/kvlovestories. For more news from Katherine Villyard, sign up for her newsletter.

Manuscript Love Contest Now Open!

Broad Universe Treasurer — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 17:42:52 GMT

Hop into Spring and win a FREE copyedit!

Do you have a fiction manuscript in need of editing love this spring, but can’t find an editor or maybe don’t have the funds to get the quality edit you dream of? Enter the MANUSCRIPT LOVE contest to win one of two full copy edits from editors Ripley Patton and Roxanne Bland, who is a Supporter of Broad Universe.

Submissions accepted until March 14, 2023.

For more information, visit ripley-patton.com/manuscript-love-contest

Celebrate July book releases!

Broad Universe Treasurer — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 15:00:00 GMT

Celebrate Broad Releases: July 2022!

Title: The JOY of Murder, A Daiyu Wu Mystery

Author: Gloria Oliver

When a highly respected member of the Little Mexico community is killed in 1930s Dallas, all the evidence points towards socialite Grace Pierce, wife of a local businessman and a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. Grace's son Truman turns to Daiyu Wu and her unique detective skills for help, but Dai, who is blind, quickly discovers that nothing about this case is what it seems. With her companion Jacques and canine bodyguard Prince Razor, Dai must navigate a family in turmoil, racial tensions, and shady business deals to find the actual killer before Truman's mother is sentenced to death.

Second in A Daiyu Wu Mystery series. Pre-order for this July release.

For free fiction and The JOY of Murder Release Celebration Giveaway, visit the author's website.

Stories read at Norwescon

Broad Universe Treasurer — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 19:00:00 GMT

Thank you for joining us for the Rapid Fire Reading at Nowescon 44

Here is a list of the readers and their work:

K.G. Anderson's “Miss Hackenberry Brews Tea” is in 99 Tiny Terrors, and "Yoga for Protestors” will be released in June 2022 in The Protest Diaries from B Cubed Press. Visit writerway.com/fiction for more stories.
Carole Berg, Son of Avonar. Available in print, eBook and audio from WordFire Press, Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Find Carol's other titles at www.carolberg.com and www.categlass.com.
Rebecca A. Demarest's "Under the Wire," unpublished flash. Find Rebecca's published work at rebeccademarest.com.
Jude-Marie Green's "First Instance," an unpublished short story. Find more of Jude-Marie's work in several anthologies and online magazines.
Debora Godfrey's “Don’t get the Bible Wet” from Alternative Theologies: Parables for a Modern World
Marta Murvosh's two scenes from The Call of Water, an unpublished work in progress. Visit murvosh.weebly.com/fiction for Marta's published stories.

For bios on all the readers, please view the BU norwescon flier 2022-fullpage.pdf

Thank you everyone who attended in person or virtually. And a huge "Thank You" to Norwescon and their programming volunteers who have made Broad Universe welcome for more than 10 years.

Reading at Norwescon - April 16, 2022

Broad Universe Treasurer — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 19:05:53 GMT

Join us at Nowescon 44 from 8-9:30 pm Saturday, April 16 for a fun, fast-paced reading featuring several authors.

The convention is offering a free virtual membership and the Rapid Fire Reading will be among the panels streamed.

The authors reading are: K.G. Anderson, Carole Berg/Cate Glass, Rebecca A. Demarest, Jude-Marie Green, Debora Godfrey and Marta Murvosh.

For those new to Rapid Fire Readings, each author will have about 10 minutes to read a selection.

More details at https://broaduniverse.org/event-4563098

D. H. Timpko's middle-grade novel shortlisted for the Gertrude Warner Award

Broad Universe Treasurer — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 18:15:00 GMT

Broad News:

The Firma Twins and the Flute of Enchantment by D. H. Timpko is among 20 books selected for 2021 Gertrude Warner Book Awards in Middle Grade Fiction's short list. The Gertrude Warner Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in middle-grade fiction. Finalists and winners will be announced in late June.

Timpko's novel is the second in her Firma Twins Adventure series, and she hopes The Firma Twins and the Flute of Enchantment will be selected as one of the award's SF/F & Paranormal Middle Grade finalists.

Finalists will be announced June 25, 2022 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference. The Gertrude Warner Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Timpko has been a Broad for more than 12 years.

Interested in hearing more about The Firma Twins and the Flute of Enchantment? Read KIRKUS REVIEWS:

"In this middle-grade adventure, a half-alien twin ends up surrounded by bloodthirsty creatures while searching for a powerful artifact. . . . Adults who have attended SF conventions will recognize the broad parody presented by the plot, as Timpko details author readings and dealers’ rooms. . . . This endearingly strange tale with entertaining SF elements highlights the value of different viewpoints."

Dealer's Room Tables in the pandemic

Broad Universe Treasurer — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 00:14:00 GMT

The Broad Universe Motherboard supports our volunteers by prioritizing their safety. We want to keep our supporters as safe as we can during these times.

For the next 3 to 6 months, the decision whether to host dealer room tables at conferences will be determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the state of the pandemic, the location, size, and setup of the conference, and the number of Broads available to staff the table in addition to any other mitigating factors.

We hope that by the spring, we can resume offering dealer's room tables for conventions, and we encourage Broads who are interested in managing these tables or who have questions about this decision to reach out to us via the President or the Motherboard.

Broad Universe requires Rapid Fire Reading participants to wear masks over their nose and mouths even while reading as required by the Pandemic Masking Policy Participants must also follow any additional requirements set out by the conference. This is vital if we are to continue to be a part of these conferences during the ongoing pandemic.

The Motherboard

Broad Universe

Missing Arisia? Join us for a reading!

Broad Universe Treasurer — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 04:36:41 GMT

Missing Arisia?

Then join Broad Universe for a Not-Arisia-RFR at the time the convention would have occurred!

The Motherboard hopes this virtual event on Friday, Jan. 14 at 7pm ET will help soothe those missing the annual convention, which was canceled for 2022.

For those new to Rapid Fire Readings, each author will have about 8 minutes to read a selection. Don't miss the chance to discover your next favorite author!

Registration is required! Visit our Calendar and the event listing to sign up.

Featuring authors: LJ Cohen, Randee Dawn, Marianna Martin, Anne Nydam, Dianna Sanchez, Kathy Sullivan, and Jo Weston.

Website is live

Broad Universe Treasurer — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 01:31:54 GMT

Our new website is live, and if you're a Broad, you're likely wondering how to get into Broad-only content.

Here's the directions:

Select the head-and-shoulders icon in the upper right corner.
The icon will change to pale blue after logging in and then you can access Broads-only content.
Set up your password. We're sorry we couldn't keep the old passwords. They were known only to you. You can even reuse your old one.
On the Login page, select Forgot password.
Enter the email that you use with Broad Universe.
A password will be emailed to you.
You should receive a password quickly. If you don’t check your SPAM folder. If a password hasn't arrived in an hour, then email the Treasurer. Some of you have used two or three emails with us, so please send the best email to receive Broad Universe information.
Once you get your password, login using your email.
Start exploring!

The new site offers profile and privacy settings you control! Your profile appears in the public Directory so that readers and SF/F/H fans can learn about your work.

To update your profile (and please do, regularly!), log in, then click on the head-and-shoulders icon.
Your name is followed by View profile | Change password | Log out
View profile takes you to My Profile where you can update or change information. Here you can:
- See what the public sees by selecting My directory profile.
- Add the cover art for 2 books along with titles and buy links.
- Add your pronouns
- There are several other options on the My Profile to explore, including:
- Member photo albums, a great place for artists to post their work
- Privacy, where you can select how much you want to share with the public and other Broads. For professionals looking for more freelance gigs, having your contact info public might be helpful.
Don't forget to save changes when you're done!

After you login in, checkout the Welcome Broads page. Contact the Motherboard with any questions.

Website moving this weekend!

Broad Universe Treasurer — Sat, 01 Jan 2022 18:42:31 GMT

Please pardon the digital dust for a few days

While we don’t anticipate any lengthy or major disruptions, we’re about to move our website to a new web host, change our email provider, and make other large backstage technical changes.

So for the next couple days, if the site is down, or your email inquiry seems to have temporarily fallen through a wormhole—there’s no cause for alarm, and we’ll be back online and fully operational before you know it.

Thanks for your patience through any hiccups, and we hope you’ll love the new site.

Warm regards,

The Motherboard

Prepare for a new web platform for Broad Universe

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 18:21:01 GMT

The Motherboard is getting ready to migrate to a new web platform.

As part of preparing for this change, we need to ensure that our database of Broads is up-to-date. That way when we move everyone's account to the new database, we know we have accurate contact information.

You can help us by logging into your Broad Universe account and updating your contact information and names. Please ensure your main email, your names (pen names, the name you use in face-to-face interactions,) websites, etc. are all up-to-date. We don't share your information EVER.

To double check your profile, log in and then click on For Supporters. Select Manage Your Profile from the dropdown menu. Then click on Edit your account information. Update any missing or incorrect information and save.

Please log in and update your information by July 15! Questions? Want to help? Just email officers(at)broaduniverse(dot)org.

Black Jade – A Daiyu Wu Mystery is available for Pre-Order

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 18:19:57 GMT

From Gloria Oliver comes a new cozy historical mystery series - The Daiyu Wu Mysteries.

Book 1 - Black Jade - is now available for ebook pre-order and live for the trade paperback.

Could an old-fashioned ballgown be used to commit murder?

Daiyu Wu is aware that fear of the Yellow Terror has made her nationality a rare breed in the Lone Star State. Being Chinese and blind makes her doubly unique in 1930 Dallas. Despite these impediments, anyone who dismisses her for either fact does so at their peril.

One day, at her family-owned laundry business, Dai detects the scent of burned garlic. With the help of her companion, Jacques, the source is soon discovered. It is a green ballgown. The gown has money pinned inside it to pay for the cleaning, but oddly, it came with no address label to identify its owner. Her extensive knowledge leads Dai to believe someone has committed murder using arsenic. The perpetrator is trying to use White Laundry to hide the evidence. But no mention of foul play turns up in the newspapers, and there's not enough proof to convince the police there's been a crime.

Her curiosity and intellect stimulated like never before; Dai ignores the possible consequences and sets out to solve the mystery with the help of her canine companion, Prince Razor, and her confidant, Jacques Haskins. It's either that or let the killer get away with it — assuming a spoiled popinjay, his jealous self-appointed girlfriend, and Dai's overprotective parents don't get in her way.

Sample chapters and more info at: https://www.gloriaoliver.com/daiyu-wu-mysteries/black-jade-a-daiyu-wu-mystery/

Available at your favorite retailers.

Broad Universe NetGalley Program on Hold

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 18:18:05 GMT

At its second quarter meeting, the Motherboard voted to pause Broad Universe's NetGalley program for at least 6 months because of the increased costs to subsidize the program. We will reevaluate the decision at our October meeting.

Broad Universe’s NetGalley program began in 2014 to make the review service affordable for small presses and indie authors. (The regular cost starts at $450.) Our program never made money, but initially the difference between the cost of the service and the fees we received was nominal.

In 2020, Broad Universe experienced a steep drop in the number of titles scheduled, and despite a 2-for-1 deal offered during the summer of the pandemic, interest has not returned.

In December, we reduced the number of books featured each month from 10 to 5 and hoped that 2021 would bring a resurgence of interest. Unfortunately, we often had only one book scheduled each month.

The NetGalley program has routinely accounted for almost half of Broad Universe's annual expenses but this benefit was used by a fraction of Broads. Without corresponding income from the program, the cost created an unsustainable situation and led to the Motherboard’s decision to put our NetGalley on hiatus.

To help us determine the level of interest in bringing back this service, we ask authors and publisher who would like to schedule a book on NetGalley in late 2021 and early 2022 to Contact Us. Please provide details about the number of books, release dates and the number of months the titles would be listed.

The Motherboard would like to thank all Broads who volunteered for NetGalley team between 2014 and 2021. These volunteers worked every month for years to promote, schedule, invoice, check files, and send data to authors and publishers. The Motherboard is deeply grateful for their time and efforts. We could not have offered this service without this amazing group of volunteers.

-- Broad Universe Motherboard

Broad Universe News from A Broad

The Immortal Gifts Podcast

Head to the stars with SFWA's Quasar!

Julia races against "The Secret Countdown"

He lied about his identity. Two hundred years later, he’s still paying the price…

Bittersweetness & Light shine out in new collection

Venture into a litany of universes

Find your next favorite read!

Find your next favorite read!

Title: Be the SeaAuthor: Clara Ward

Find your next favorite read!

Find your next favorite read!

Find your next favorite read!

Celebrate Broad Releases: Winter 2023!

Manuscript Love Contest Now Open!

Celebrate July book releases!

Celebrate Broad Releases: July 2022!

Stories read at Norwescon

Reading at Norwescon - April 16, 2022

D. H. Timpko's middle-grade novel shortlisted for the Gertrude Warner Award

Dealer's Room Tables in the pandemic

Missing Arisia? Join us for a reading!

Website is live

Website moving this weekend!

Prepare for a new web platform for Broad Universe

Black Jade – A Daiyu Wu Mystery is available for Pre-Order

Broad Universe NetGalley Program on Hold

Title: Be the Sea
Author: Clara Ward