Matthew Cushing

Matthew Cushing is an American author of speculative fiction short stories and novels. His short story “The Rite to Vote” was selected as a 2021 Roswell Award Finalist, and his debut novel The Osect Indiscretion won the 2022 Gold Rush Literary Award for speculative fiction. His work has appeared for CreepyPod, the International Human Rights Art Movement, and in several themed anthologies. An aficionado of science fiction, magic, and the macabre, Mr. Cushing enjoys writing character-driven stories that explore the wonder of ‘what if’ – often with a dose of humor. Mr. Cushing has earned degrees from UC San Diego and Yale University, is a Co-Founder of the Speculative Fiction Writers Association, and volunteers as a Reader for Uncharted Magazine. An animal lover and amateur trombonist, Mr. Cushing lives in Connecticut. Visit his website at www.matthewcushing.com.
Two stacks of books. One has fancy, glided hardcovers and the other generic paperbacks.

Good Books vs Good Stories

by

Which would you rather read, a good book or a good story? The difference between the two has arisen a few times over the past couple of years as I’ve learned more about writing and publishing novels—and, of course, reading them. But which is more important? Which is better? A …

Foundation Book vs AppleTV Production

by

Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series is a seminal work of science fiction, prominently topping many lists of ground-breaking and genre-defining works. The original story consisted of three related books: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. Each represents a step for humanity in the evolving political progression from the current First …

Images of six book covers

Books Every Writer Should Have

by

A fantastic source of knowledge and inspiration for writers is other writers. Those who have been through it before can share their knowledge and experience with those who are just starting out or new to a certain area. From planning, writing, and editing to querying, publishing, and marketing—and everything in …

Face of William Gibson

The Influence of William Gibson

by

As a relatively new genre, at least in comparison to mystery or romance, science fiction has many pioneers making their mark and developing the genre in the last century. One of the most influential is William Gibson who is credited with coining the term cyberspace and is a founder of …

Chinese Flag with a rocket and the words Hugo Award with big stamp of Censored

Hugo Awards Bow to Chinese Censorship

by

What are the Hugo Awards? Hugo Awards are one of the preeminent speculative fiction awards. They call themselves a ‘science fiction award’, but many of the nominees and winners are clearly in other genres like fantasy, time travel, or even the supernatural. The Hugos date back to the 1950s and …

Pitching Experience [@mhcushing @RMFWriters]

by

When I attended my first writer’s conference—the Colorado Gold Writers Conference produced by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW)—it blew my mind. Two full days, from Friday afternoon through Sunday morning, of workshops and speakers that taught me a lot about writing. There were workshops for writers just getting started as …

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London

by

Review by Matthew Cushing Garth Nix explores Earth in a slightly-alternate 1983 London for his latest fantasy The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. The story follows Susan, a young woman looking for her father–a man she has never met. With only a few memories from her mother and a list of …

Pacing and Paragraphs

by

Having spent the last three years as a member of a robust online critique group and the last year as judge in a novel contest, I’ve learned several things about what makes writing effective. I’ve found many people have a story to tell, but only a small minority have the …

Matthew Cushing Named 2021 Roswell Award Finalist

by

Spec Fic Writers author Matthew Cushing’s short story “The Rite to Vote” was selected as a Finalist for the 2021 Roswell Award. Presented by The Lightbringer Project and the Omega Sci-Fi Awards, the Roswell Award is an international short science fiction story competition that provides an opportunity for science fiction …