Lexa died one month ago, and the internets are still mourning and raging and demanding better representation. Because two episodes after our beloved, earnest, take-no-shit, definition of amazing female representation, Commander Heart Eyes was killed by a stray bullet, The 100 killed off over a dozen characters in 42 minutes, three of them with…

My wife asked me last night, after putting up with my week-long binge watch of The 100, why I like post-apocalypse stories. Because the fact is, I love them. Might even be my favorite genre. So, I’ve been trying to answer her question, and I think it has to do with the way the apocalypse…

Antonin Scalia has died, and people have a lot to say about it. There are those who have been quick to lavish praise on this lion of an intellectual, this constitutional powerhouse, this uniquely funny and acerbic jurist. It’s also been interesting to hear from (mostly gay and African American) people who wonder why a…

Welcome to my stop on the Ylva-Bywater Blog Hop! In case you’re just joining us, we’ve already had posts from Jove Belle, Rachel Spangler, Cheryl Head, Gill McKnight, Baxter Clare Trautman, and Carol Rosenfeld. Today, I want to write about the second novel, and its relation to expectations. My first novel, Barring Complications, was a…

I’m excited to accept the Ylva Blog Hop baton from Cheri Crystal. It makes me feel like I’m running a relay. Which is the closest thing to running I’ve done in years, so thanks Cheri! Ah, running. Something one of my two protagonists in my first novel, Barring Complications, does. And something that two of…

  My wife asked me, after we saw Carol together, if I would have married a man had I lived in an earlier time. It’s hard to say, really. The choice faced by so many women who lived in Carol Aird and Therese Belivet’s time was often between romance and children, and I didn’t know…

(originally posted on 10/5/15) I’ve blogged about Once Upon a Time before, and that post was mostly focused on the feminism of Season One. Having now caught up with the show, and spent a wee bit of time internetting about this SwanQueen fandom that people have so many strong opinions about, I’m wading into the debate about…

(originally posted on 8/28/15) *This post contains NO spoilers past the pilot Hester High School—god, I bet we all wish we had gone there. Located in Austin, Texas, this is a school where those who protest corporations the loudest, those who drive the most eco-friendly cars, and those with the most alternative sexualities are the…

Had at least one other trans character on the show If a character who had been in and out of the show since Season One or Two had been trans, and friendly with the girls, and generally good, it would have gone a long way to supporting the writers’ claims that their reveal wasn’t transphobic….

(originally posted on 5/20/15) I’m almost embarrassed to admit how long ago a friend of mine recommended I watch Revenge—because it was pretty much yesterday and I just finished watching the last episode of the series. I’m truly skilled at binge watching. Suffice it to say, I devoured the series, which was a compelling combination of…

(originally published on 3/25/15) Ylva Publishing asked me to write a post about what I’m working on these days, so I dished about revising a novel, neuroses, and chocolate. Enjoy! http://www.ylva-publishing.com/blythe-rippon-revising-a-novel-and-how-chocolate-helps/#comment-9947

(originally posted on 2/24/15) Note: this post assumes you’ve seen the end of season two. There’s so much to say about The Fall that I’ve put three blog posts in one. Happy reading! Part I: Sexy Stella, stroppy Stella, railing against a world of men. One thing is certain about Stella Gibson’s brand of femininity, power, and…