Kristen Brand

Welcome!

Hi. I’m speculative fiction author Kristen Brand. If you’re looking for a good book in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, then you’re in the right place. My novels all have fast-paced action, witty banter, and at least a hint of romance. I’m a huge nerd, which is pretty obvious in my writing, and I love reading and talking about books, comics, and short stories.

Check out my Books page for a full list of my novels. Or start reading my free superhero serial, Fight Crime! (A Love Story), online right now.

Thanks for stopping by!

Short Story: The Monster with Many Eyes

We all have our monsters. Sometimes, we feel ashamed by them, but we shouldn’t let that stop us from asking for help fighting them.

That’s the concept behind The Monster with Many Eyes, which is also a story about two girls beating the crap out of a monster. It appears in the Winter 2019 issue of the speculative fiction magazine The Colored Lens, and you can read it now by clicking this link or the image below.

Check it out, and let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading. ❤

Mary Jane Watson’s Wedding Dress is Perfection (And Other Thoughts on Weddings and Comics)

So… I’m getting married later this month.

I know, right? It’s incredibly exciting yet stressful. I’m super ready to marry this man, but wedding planning is such an ordeal, you guys. It’s given me a deep and unyielding sympathy for every character in a superhero franchise whose wedding ceremony was crashed by marauding supervillains.

That poor couple spent months searching for a venue, finding an officiant and a caterer, choosing colors, arranging centerpieces, ordering favors–and I’ll stop now, otherwise this post will become a 500-word checklist of all the things you need to do to plan a wedding.

And then some costumed jerk comes and ruins everything. You’re never going to get those months of your life back!

Flash Wedding Gif — NO RORY. THIS IS LITERALLY THE WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN.

Continue reading Mary Jane Watson’s Wedding Dress is Perfection (And Other Thoughts on Weddings and Comics)

New Superhero Fiction of 2019 (Part 3)

Happy Halloween, everybody! I should probably have a Halloween-themed post today, but it’s been a while since I’ve done a roundup of new superhero fiction, so here we are. I’ll say it’s still Halloween-related, since a lot people dress up as superheroes for the holiday. 😉

As usual, I haven’t read all of these books personally, so check out the reviews and previews before purchasing. And happy reading!

This post contains affiliate links.

Sidekicks: Superpower Chronicles Books 1

by Arthur Mayor

All the superheroes died, who’s left?

My life is full of choices. Paper or plastic, cake or pie, tackle my chem homework or give a supervillain a well-deserved smackdown? (The answer’s obvious: cake.) When the leader of the world’s most powerful superhero team asked me to become Raven, his apprentice, that was the easiest choice ever. But I blew it. Continue reading New Superhero Fiction of 2019 (Part 3)

Free Ebook Friday: Coffee and Ghosts by Charity Tahmaseb

Being a bookworm ain’t cheap. Fortunately, there’s a ton of free ebooks out there. Unfortunately, sorting through them to find one you like can feel as tedious as searching through receipts during tax season.

Free ebook Friday spotlights a free ebook I’ve personally read and enjoyed, and hopefully, it’ll help you find a good read. The posts come out on random Fridays, not weekly, and the books featured will probably be speculative fiction.

This week’s pick is:

Book Description:

Come for the coffee, stay for the supernatural adventure. There’s more than one way to catch a ghost, and it’s never been this fun!

Katy and her grandmother have always used coffee to catch ghosts. It pays the bills and keeps them in high-end beans. But after her grandmother dies and a rival ghost hunter moves to town, Katy fears things will never be the same.

She’s right. Continue reading Free Ebook Friday: Coffee and Ghosts by Charity Tahmaseb

Autumn Tag – Are you Ready for Sweater Weather?

It still feels like summer here in Florida, but I adore autumn. So when I came across the Autumn Tag over at Perfectly Tolerable, I knew I had to jump on that bandwagon, even if I’m a bit late.

Rules: Answer the questions, link back to the creator, and tag other people.

1. Hot Chocolate – what is your comfort book?

When I’ve had a bad day and find myself in need of a comfort read, I usually turn to fanfiction instead of books. I don’t know what it is about some fics that’s so soothing and comforting–exactly like a cup of hot chocolate. I love crossovers especially, and nothing’s better than an epically long story that’s actually completed. And boy, oh boy, have I read a lot of Harry Potter fanfiction in my time. Continue reading Autumn Tag – Are you Ready for Sweater Weather?

5 Short Stories About Witches (that you can read for free right now)

I’m going to be a witch this Halloween. I’ve got the hat and the black dress, and I just need to figure out my makeup.

Witches have always been one my favorite paranormal beings. Maybe it’s the spells and potions or the feminist undertones. It could also be a side-effect of growing up reading Harry Potter. Or maybe it’s just the aesthetic.

Witch Aesthetic — It’s probably the aesthetic.

Anyway, if you can’t get enough witches, either, here are five short stories about them that you can read online. They all have different tones and fall under different subgenres, but each one is spellbinding in its own way. (See what I did there?) Continue reading 5 Short Stories About Witches (that you can read for free right now)

5 Supernatural Superheroes who Deserve more Spotlight

October is finally here, and that means a month filled with jack o’ lanterns, witches, and ghosts.

Although, to be honest, I don’t limit that spooky energy to October. I get my fix year-round by reading paranormal fiction. There’s something about things that go bump in the night that I just can’t get enough of in stories, especially when it comes to the heroes who fight them.

Comics has no shortage of the supernatural, and it’s one of favorite niches in both the Marvel and DC universes. Though I have my complaints about the Doctor Strange movie, I love that it introduced magic to the MCU, and Legends of Tomorrow got twice as awesome when they started fighting demons and introduced John Constantine.

Those two characters along with Blade, the Scarlet Witch, Zatanna, and a few others are what I consider the A-list of magical/supernatural superheroes. (Though I don’t think Zatanna has had a live-action appearance since Smallville. She really needs her own movie.) Today, I want to shine a spotlight on some paranormal superheroes who may be less popular but are all awesome characters who deserve more attention. Continue reading 5 Supernatural Superheroes who Deserve more Spotlight