I am very excited to confirm that The Space Girls are back for another year in the Self-Published SciFi Competition #5.
We’ve had some line up changes in The Space Girls this year! We are welcoming back Kerry, Nancy and Tina, and joining us is Hel. Here you can find some info about each of the judges as well as where you can find their reviews and socials.
This year’s contest has 124 books across 6 teams and we have an initial allocation of 25 books. I’ll be posting our initial thoughts and our verdicts as we go along.
Keep up to date on how we are doing through our Team Update page.
Claire (team lead)
Hi, I’m Claire! I live in Sudbury in Suffolk, UK.
I enjoy reading all types of fiction, especially sci-fi, fantasy and horror, but my favourite genre is post-apocalyptic and dystopian. This is my fourth year judging for SPSFC and my third time leading a team. I’m also a panellist for the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award, which celebrates indie fiction authors across genres.
Other than reading, I am a big fan of pinball — my partner and I have 30 pinball machines between us, and we play in and organise tournaments across the UK.
Hel
Hi, I’m Hel (Helyna L. Clove, she/they), a science-fiction/fantasy novelist, a lover of all types of storytelling, hot comfort drinks, and a universe full of stars.
I was born and raised in Hungary, in a small village a few miles off the shores of Lake Balaton, but I currently live in Wales with my small family of a wonderful boyfriend and Puddle, the tortoiseshell cat. This is my first year of judging for SPSFC, and I’m also a judge in the indie novella competition SFINCS. So far, I love both! Apart from reading, I also love cooking and baking cautiously, playing video games, and occasionally commandeering radio telescopes in my day job.
Kerry – The Reading Ruru
Kia Ora, I’m Kerry and I reside in the capital city of Aotearoa New Zealand.
I’ve been an avid reader for 50 years and my favourite loves are Fantasy and Sci-fi (or a combo of them both). I’m now in my 6th year as a judge for SPFBO and this will be my 4th time as a judge for SPSFC. I’m extremely passionate about SP/Indie books and these days they make up about 90% of my reading material. When I’m not reading I am a loud advocate, ally and peer supporter of people living with disabilities, sex workers, drug addicts and the LGBTQI+ community.
Nancy
Hi! I’m Nancy Foster, a Mexican indie author that mainly writes fantasy stories in English. This is the first time I am a judge in a writing competition, so this is a new experience for me. I mainly volunteered because it looked like fun and to help give the competition a bigger boost in popularity. When I am on vacation, I like to travel to very far-flung parts of the world. I hope to have a great time and to offer more books the visibility they deserve.
Tina
Hi, I’m Tina. I’m from Ontario, Canada.
This is my third time being a judge in the competition. My own novel, What Branches Grow, was a semi-finalist in the first year of the SPSFC.
I review books on Instagram, BookTube, and Goodreads, a good percentage of them being Advance Reader Copies (mainly from NetGalley). I review primarily sci-fi and fantasy, but I also enjoy historical fiction, horror (in particular, folk horror), lit fic, and the odd romance (though I’m very picky about the tropes).
When it comes to the competition, while I go into all novels with an open mind and attempt to be objective, my preferences lean towards the first contact trope, (exhaustively detailed) alien cultures, a plot that’s a little on the weirder side, LGBTQAI+, and I never say no to alien-human romance. Given I’m an editor, I’m also particularly conscious of things that disrupt the narration flow (such as head-hopping, passive voice, etc.).
Outside of reading, I enjoy writing, boating, paddle-boarding, Trivia, paint by number, hanging with my daughters and partner, video games, cooking, and travel.
