It's amazing how much of a role politics plays in our lives! Everything we do is affected by politics—local, state, federal, or international—to a certain degree. It makes sense that our fictional characters should be equally affected. When it comes to politics, I'm not ashamed to admit my lack of expertise. However, when I realized that politics play a large role in not just modern fiction, but fantasy and sci-fi as well, I knew I had to get a better understanding of it. I sat down with a few of my more politically-savvy friends to talk about politics in speculative fiction and how to make it work. P.S.: Check out this awesome article on Fantasy Faction about different types of governments to use in speculative fiction.

About the Panelists:

Alycia Christine Sears Alycia Christine is an award-winning artist and author of six books. Her fiction has received wide praise for its unique characters and vivid storytelling. Her award-winning art photography has been featured in Times Square. Whether writing speculative fiction, poignant nonfiction, or shooting vivid photography, her goal is to share the dramatic beauty and blessing found in every aspect of life—even the painful parts. When she isn’t writing or shooting photos, Alycia enjoys long walks with her husband, drinking copious amounts of tea, and coaxing her skittish cat out from under the living room furniture. Don't miss her latest book DREAMDRIFTER, the captivating sequel to SKINSHIFTER. Find her at http://alyciachristine.com/. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alycia-Christine-102673903123325/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlyciaCZS Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/alyciaczs/ Michael Baker A few things about me. My name is Michael and I’m 25 years old, live in the United Kingdom, and basically just a friendly guy (just ask my parole officer), who loves gaming and writing, and talking about random stuff in general. I’ll be posting loads of stuff about games I love, books I like, films I like, some news updates which I feel matter to me too. Blog: https://thousandscarsblog.wordpress.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Thethousandscar Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thousandscar/ Aaron Smith Aaron Smith is an author and attorney living in San Diego, CA with his lovely wife and two pitbulls. He’s decided to put the voices in his head to work. His fiction has been featured at LibertyIsland.com, Microhorror.com and he has provided social and media analysis for PJLifestyles.com. Aaron is currently working on an urban fantasy novel, Identity, and a horror/adventure graphic novel, Inner Demons. Twitter: @AaronCSmith1 Facebook: @aaronsmithauthor Amanda Langlinais Pepper Award-winning screenwriter, produced playwright, and author. Her latest novel CHANGERS: MANIFESTING DESTINY, first in a new YA fantasy trilogy, is now available from Evernight Teen. M holds a Master of Arts in Writing, Literature and Publishing and a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film. She has a love of Shakespeare, having both performed and taught his work, and has also interned on Hollywood film sets. M worked for Houghton Mifflin and Pearson before deciding to devote her full time to writing (and occasionally parenting). She lives in Livermore, California with her family, cat, and hamster. Find out more about her and her books at http://PepperWords.com. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mpepperlanglinais Twitter: http://twitter.com/sh8kspeare Josh Rutherford Joshua Rutherford is a Fantasy and Sci-Fi writer who resides in San Diego, CA. His debut novel, the epic fantasy tale SONS OF CHENIA, came out in December 2014. His second novel, MIDNIGHT, a feminist fantasy project, will be released in early 2017. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SonsofChenia/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692346163 Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorJKR