A Somewhat Big Bang

A Somewhat Big Bang

Ad Astra has been showcasing quality Star Trek fan fiction since early 2009. During that time, the site has grown, and it currently is home to over 100 authors with at least one story of any length published on the Archives. The forums are the social space for the site, with a somewhat different number of members as there are separate log ins. The blogging community contains, as of this writing, a total of fourteen blogs.

We’ve been busy!

And now we’re about to get even busier.

For fan fiction authors, there is no expectation of monetary compensation. Therefore, why do we do it? We do it for love. And we do it for reviews.

In order to encourage considerably more in-depth reviewing and a give and take discussion between the writer and readers, we have devised the Ad Astra Book Club, called Boldly Reading. Every month, we’re going to showcase a work by one of our own fine authors.  Works can be short or long, or even in progress.

Our purpose is to delve more deeply into these works.

Boldly Reading

What are the author’s influences and motivations? What did the readers get out of the work? Would a sequel be a good idea, or should the work stand alone? How does canon fit in? Are there original characters? If so, where do they fit into the overall framework? Does the author have a message to get across? Is there a blog entry on the work (and, if there is, where does it fit in?)? Did the work succeed in its mission?

Boldly Blogging

These and many other questions will be answered in the forums, in the subforum specifically created for the book club.

We’ll also provide blog prompts, intended to not only tease out more participation on this aspect of the site, but also to provide insights that can be used when reading future book club selections.

C’mon and join us, and get reading and blogging! And who knows? Maybe we’ll tag your story next!