· 2005
Like the sweet heat of a palate-pleasing curry or the brilliant radiance of bougainvillea, the short stories in Mary Anne Mohanraj's Bodies in Motion will delight the senses and sensibilities. Her tales follow two generations of two families living on the cusp of disparate worlds, America and Sri Lanka -- their lives and ties shaped, strengthened, devastated, and altered by the emigrant-immigrant ebb and flow. Through stunning, effervescent prose, intimate moments are beautifully distilled, revealing the tug-of-war between generations and gender in stories sensual and honest, chronicling love, ambition, and the spiritual and sexual quests of mothers and daughters, fathers and sons.
· 2022
No one expects love to bloom after a cancer diagnosis, but breast cancer survivor Mary Anne Mohanraj has written a heartfelt romance about two people finding each other at a difficult time in their lives. Kate Smith, an aspiring artist facing a difficult cancer diagnosis, and Devan McLeod, a flower shop owner, meet when they are both experiencing life changes. They’re surprised to find that in opening themselves up to each other, they open a new path forward in their lives. This little book intercuts poems the author wrote over the course of her own cancer year with a garden romance. It draws on the experiences of the author, who was diagnosed with breast cancer and successfully treated with chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Mohanraj is an enthusiastic Chicagoland amateur gardener, and during treatment, she took great solace in her garden. She hopes this book bring solace and joy to its readers.
· 2023
When award-winning author Mary Anne Mohanraj learned she had breast cancer, she immediately began recording the details in her blog. Tornado is her honest, day-by-day account of diagnosis, chemo, surgery, radiation, and reconstruction, over a three-year period. One out of eight women gets breast cancer. You know someone who has it, or work with someone, or may have been diagnosed yourself. This is a book for all of us, but especially for anyone facing a breast cancer diagnosis for yourself, or for someone you love.
· 2022
Jenny returns to her home planet in the midst of civil unrest. A stay-at-home order has been issued in the wake of anti-alien protests, and only she can escort her neighbor Katika, a Razuli girl, home safely. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
· 2014
The Stars Change: an erotic science fiction novel-in-stories. On a South Asian-settled university planet, tensions are rising, and as they reach the brink of interstellar war, life (and sex) continues. Humans, aliens, and modified humans gather at the University of All Worlds in search of knowledge... and self-knowledge... but the first bomb has fallen and the fate of this multicultural, multispecies mecca is in question. Some people will seek solace in physical contact, some will look for spiritual answers, while others will find their strength in community, family, and love. Some will rush home to make love to their wife. Or wives. Or husbands. Or indeterminate gender human and/or alien partners. Others will be forced to decide where they stand -- what is worth fighting for, or maybe even worth dying for. In The Stars Change, author Mary Anne Mohanraj presents a multi-layered, thought-provoking, and far-reaching work on sexuality and the connections between people--whether male or female, human or alien. The Stars Change is part space opera, part literary mosaic of story, poem, and art. It is fitting that a book that emphasizes the power of community was funded through Kickstarter. Begun as a project entitled "Demi Monde," The Stars Change is the result of the money raised by supporters that went to pay for not only the art and illustrations in the book, but the author's time, allowing her to focus on writing for that crucial interval. About the Author: Mary Anne Mohanraj is the author of Bodies in Motion, Sri Lankan-American linked stories (HarperCollins), as well as Silence and the Word, The Best of Strange Horizons (ed.), Aqua Erotica (ed.), and The Poet's Journey (a children's fantasy picture book). Bodies in Motion was a finalist for the Asian-American Book Awards and has been translated into six languages. Mohanraj received an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Prose (2006). Mohanraj lives in Chicago, where she teaches creative writing and post-colonial literature at the University of Illinois; she also taught at the Clarion workshop in 2008. She is a graduate of Clarion West, and holds an MFA and a Ph.D. in creative writing.
· 2017
Love is the most dangerous game of all in Tremontaine, the hot new online serial set in Ellen Kushner's Riverside universe. An unexpected offer from the Duke de Tremontaine forces a difficult decision upon Rafe. Pursuing her infatuation with the forger Tess, Kaab stumbles across evidence of murder . . . and hears the tale of a legendary crime. Meanwhile, Micah takes a bold step forward in unlocking the mystery of celestial navigation, putting the security of Kaab's people at risk. This episode is brought to you by Malinda Lo, who knows that the secret to a good wake is to keep the beer and the stories flowing.
Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new entry in Ellen Kushner's classic Riverside series. This is the 5th episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Alaya Dawn Johnson. Diane hosts a spectacle as she campaigns to be named duchess in her own right, forcing Vincent to confront his past. Kaab and Rafe exchange notes on the thefts plaguing both their families. Rafe tries his own hand at spycraft in his attempt to find Will. Domestic strife with Tess causes Kaab to consider—and reconsider—who, what, and where she considers home. Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.
Swordplay, scandal, and sex—welcome to the world of Tremontaine, a glittering new chapter in Ellen Kushner's classic Riverside series. In a city that never was, sex, scandal, and swordplay combine in a melodrama of manners that returns readers to the beloved world of Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint! A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a passionate young Scholar with dreams beyond his reach; a Foreign spy in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a Genius on the brink of scientific revolution—when long-buried lies threaten to come to light, the stakes are high, and more than lives may be lost. Mind your manners and enjoy the chocolate in a dance of sparkling wit and political intrigue. Duchess Diane Tremontaine, the crowning gem of her city’s high class, sits in her manor’s window on The Hill and looks over her domain with eyes that cut and a mind that schemes. Far below, and far away from the glitz of wealth, a poor country farm girl named Micah looks only toward her family, the harvest, and the complex web of math that entrances her. At the Docks, the newly arrived Ixkaab Balam surveys the same city from the deck of her family’s merchant vessel and sees a land to manipulate for fortune and fun. And at the University, a passionate scholar named Rafe bristles at the classism constraining his ambitions and dreams of revolution.
Plots within plots ratchet up the intrigue in this week's installment of Tremontaine, the episodic web series set in Ellen Kushner's Swordpoint universe. A moment of staggering inspiration and insight sets events in motion that have the potential to fracture friendships, shatter alliances, and remake the balance of power in the city . . . and the world. As Micah explores the implications of her discovery, and Rafe moves quickly to exploit them, Kaab is faced with a calamity that threatens not only her own future, but that of her family and the Kinwiinik people. This episode is brought to you by Paul Witcover, who comes at the changing of the tides to throw our heroes for a whirl.
A shortage of chocolate sets the City on edge in this bittersweet installment of the Web's favorite episodic serial! Diane's secret arrangement with the Balam family bears fruit as a strategic withholding of chocolate wreaks havoc on the city's social fabric, from the Hill to Riverside. But Kaab has her own private stash, for which she has a special use in mind, involving a certain pretty forger. Meanwhile, Rafe sits for his exams, with his dreams of starting his own school hanging in the balance. Diane ploys all her wit and wiles upon the Dragon Chancellor. This episode is brought to you by Alaya Dawn Johnson, who takes her chocolate with a dusting of chili powder and not so much as a smidgen of cream.