SciFi & Fantasy Novels

• Most Topular Stories

• MORE AUTHORS CONFIRMED FOR DISCOVER FESTIVAL

  SFFWorld - News

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

• Batman: No Man's Land by Greg Rucka

  SF Site

  16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  First there was the Contagion, a modern-day plague that washed over Gotham City leaving its population decimated. Then came the Cataclysm, a massive earthquake with its center just miles from Gotham's downtown. Costing $100 billion to rebuild the wasted city, it was a price tag the government quickly decided they did not want to pay. Those who wanted out were evacuated but hundreds of thousands stayed, unwilling to leave their homes, or perhaps having nowhere to go. With the bridges to the mainland demolished, the United States government washed its hands of the whole affair. Gotham City was…

• William Shatner returning to Broadway, and then touring the country

  SFScope

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:45 pm

  William Shatner will be appearing in the Music Box Theatre with Shatner's World: We Just Live In It in February and March, and then touring the country with the show through March and April...

• The Skill List Project: Writing Descriptive Passages

  SF Novelists

  James Alan Gardner

  23 Jan 2012 | 7:18 am

  This is another post in The Skill List Project: an attempt to list all the skills involved in writing and selling fiction, particularly science fiction and fantasy. As promised last time, we’re going to look at writing description, one of the most important skills in prose fiction. When you think about it, prose fiction primarily consists of two types of writing: dialogue and description. If you aren’t transcribing what characters say, then you’re describing something: people, places, things, or actions. Admittedly, novels can contain other types of writing: essays, for…

• A Bleak Day in Space History: The Apollo-1 Tragedy

  The GrayMan Forum - Blogs

  Gray Rinehart

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:08 am

  Some space history moments we might rather forget ... but in some ways they're more important to remember. Like this one. Forty-five years ago today -- January 27, 1967 -- the Apollo-1 capsule caught fire during an on-pad test, killing astronauts Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee. (The Apollo-1 crew. L-R: White, Grissom, Chaffee. NASA image.) Originally known as AS-204 (Apollo-Saturn-204), the mission was scheduled to be launched on February 21st. The test being run was officially known as the Space Vehicle Plugs-Out Integrated Test, Operational Checkout…

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  SFFWorld - News

• MORE AUTHORS CONFIRMED FOR DISCOVER FESTIVAL

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

• Angry Robot's Open Door Month returns

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

• New Event, Leicestershire, England

  7 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

• Dark Hall Press - new Horror Fiction imprint,

  2 Nov 2011 | 11:00 pm

• Justin Sweet Art Exhibition (US)

  27 Oct 2011 | 11:00 pm

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  SF Site

• Batman: No Man's Land by Greg Rucka

  16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  First there was the Contagion, a modern-day plague that washed over Gotham City leaving its population decimated. Then came the Cataclysm, a massive earthquake with its center just miles from Gotham's downtown. Costing $100 billion to rebuild the wasted city, it was a price tag the government quickly decided they did not want to pay. Those who wanted out were evacuated but hundreds of thousands stayed, unwilling to leave their homes, or perhaps having nowhere to go. With the bridges to the mainland demolished, the United States government washed its hands of the whole affair. Gotham City was…

• Four Stories by Paul Di Filippo

  16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  The author claims that two possibilities exist for why writers choose to tell single-idea SF: 1) According H.G. Wells, writers should not beleaguer readers with too many strangenesses in one narrative. 2) SF writers are stingy with their ideas. A third reason not mentioned by him may be that writers want to make a clear, philosophical extrapolation of a single idea or theme. If they add too much to the pot, they fear cooking something more like mud than stew.

• The Children of the Sky by Vernor Vinge

  16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  Marooned in the Slow Zone, the last surviving human population has a clear goal; rebuild their technological civilization in time to protect themselves from the Blight that is surely coming their way. Unfortunately, almost all of them are teenagers or young adults, and they're not sure they believe an official story that includes their parents as the villains who freed the Blight.

• Forever Azathoth: Pastiches and Parodies by Peter Cannon

  16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  The stories here all qualify as Lovecraftian metafiction, ranging from parody to pastiche to homage. The author adds spice to this stew by calling in elements from authors as disparate as William Faulkner and James Herriot. The most surprising and surprisingly successful combination is the importation of P.G. Wodehouse's air-headed Bertie Wooster and Bertie's "gentleman's gentleman," the unflappable Reginald Jeeves, into the world of Lovecraftian weirdness.

• The Goblin Corps by Ari Marmell

  16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  This doorstopper of a book seeks to reverse the bog-standard LOTR-style hero quest by presenting the story from the perspective of the bad guys. As we soon learn, the machinations of Morthul, dreaded Charnel King of the Iron Keep, have failed. Centuries of plotting come to nothing, due to a band of so-called heroes sent by good King Dororam. The price paid for thwarting evil, is the cold blooded murder of Princess Amalia, Dororam's only daughter. As winter falls upon the Brimstone Mountains, a grieving Dororam begins to assemble a mighty army, with the intention of finally destroying the…

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  SFScope

• William Shatner returning to Broadway, and then touring the country

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:45 pm

  William Shatner will be appearing in the Music Box Theatre with Shatner's World: We Just Live In It in February and March, and then touring the country with the show through March and April...

• Edward McKeown's Was Once A Hero now available

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:18 pm

  Edward McKeown's new novel, Was Once a Hero, follows a reluctant privateer as he searches the stars for his lost love, a missing naval intelligence officer...

• Coming from Boom!, Camilla d'Errico's Tanpopo takes a journey to experience true emotion

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:43 pm

  Camilla d'Errico's Tanpopo hardcover graphic novel tells the story of a superhumanly intelligent and inhumanly emotionless girl attached to a mysterious machine seeking emotions...

• Designer Eiko Ishioka Dies

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:28 pm

  Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka (1938-2012) won an Oscar, a Saturn, a Grammy, and worldwide acclaim for her work in costuming, set design, graphic design, and much more...

• Actor Nicol Williamson Dies

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:08 pm

  Scottish-born actor Nicol Williamson (1936-2011) was nominated for a Saturn Award for playing Merlin in Excalibur...

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  SF Novelists

• The Skill List Project: Writing Descriptive Passages

  James Alan Gardner

  23 Jan 2012 | 7:18 am

  This is another post in The Skill List Project: an attempt to list all the skills involved in writing and selling fiction, particularly science fiction and fantasy. As promised last time, we’re going to look at writing description, one of the most important skills in prose fiction. When you think about it, prose fiction primarily consists of two types of writing: dialogue and description. If you aren’t transcribing what characters say, then you’re describing something: people, places, things, or actions. Admittedly, novels can contain other types of writing: essays, for…

• Competence is hot

  Marie Brennan

  16 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  By now everybody and their brother has probably seen the post by (SF Novelists’ own) Jim Hines, wherein he attempts to pose like the women on the covers of some fantasy novels. The results are suitably absurd — not because there’s anything wrong with Jim, but because there’s something wrong with the covers. He caused himself actual physical pain, trying to replicate some of those poses. Ah, you say, but Jim Hines is a writer, a class of people known for their sedentary lifestyle. Those heroines are probably all in fantastic shape, the better to kick supernatural ass.

• What’s Your Favorite Anecdote About Learning How to Write?

  S.C. Butler

  14 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

   Mine is easy.  It was in a college writing class many, many years ago.  Not an MFA writing class, but the kind of writing class that pre-meds, business, and chemistry majors used to take, because deep in their hearts they didn’ want to be doctors, entrepreneurs, or scientists.  They wanted to be writers.  Creative writing classes were part of the English and American Literature Department at my school, but that was because no one else wanted them.  The English and American Literature Department didn’t want them either, but enough students did, so they were offered…

• Promotion, self-promotion, and all that jazz

  Alma Alexander

  5 Jan 2012 | 6:31 am

  See, here’s the thing – nobody likes a shill for their own stuff. For very excellent reasons. If a person – an artist – a writer – doesn’t seem to be capable of uttering six straight words without beginning the next sentence with “In MY book…” – well – there is only so much you can take of THAT. Young and naive and terribly terribly enthusiastic writers do it a lot – they have to be patiently and politely told that gatecrashing other people’s conversations at convention parties, for instance, with gushes about their…

• A Writer’s Letter To Santa

  David B. Coe

  23 Dec 2011 | 4:30 am

  Dear Santa: First of all, I want to assure you that I have been very good this year.  Really.  I’ve done A LOT of writing; I’ve put my butt in my chair just about every day.  (My butt’s actually a little flat and wide at this point for all the writing I’ve done.  But that’s probably more than you wanted to know.)  I’ve met my deadlines.  I’ve dutifully posted at my various blogs.  I’ve read a bunch, done a ton of research, and tried my best to keep my website up to date.  Oh, and I’ve been nice to my wife and kids and friends. …

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  The GrayMan Forum - Blogs

• A Bleak Day in Space History: The Apollo-1 Tragedy

  Gray Rinehart

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:08 am

  Some space history moments we might rather forget ... but in some ways they're more important to remember. Like this one. Forty-five years ago today -- January 27, 1967 -- the Apollo-1 capsule caught fire during an on-pad test, killing astronauts Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee. (The Apollo-1 crew. L-R: White, Grissom, Chaffee. NASA image.) Originally known as AS-204 (Apollo-Saturn-204), the mission was scheduled to be launched on February 21st. The test being run was officially known as the Space Vehicle Plugs-Out Integrated Test, Operational Checkout…

• Missing the Moon, 50 Years Ago: Ranger-3

  Gray Rinehart

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:11 am

  Fifty years ago today -- January 26, 1962 -- Ranger-3 launched from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas-Agena rocket. (Ranger-3. NASA image.) Ranger-3 had several mission goals, only the last of which would be fulfilled: "Transmit pictures of the lunar surface to Earth stations during a period of 10 minutes of flight prior to impacting on the Moon" "Rough-land a seismometer capsule on the Moon" "Collect gamma-ray data in flight" "Study radar reflectivity of the lunar surface" "Continue testing of the Ranger program for development of lunar and…

• 'Buckshot' Launch Attempt

  Gray Rinehart

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:09 am

  A half-century ago today -- January 24, 1962 -- a Thor AbleStar rocket out of Cape Canaveral attempted, but failed, to launch a group of five small satellites for the U.S. Navy. (SOLRAD-1, the precursor to SOLRAD-4. US Navy image.) The launch was called Composite-1, or "Buckshot," and intended to launch: SOLRAD-4 (Solar Radiation or SR-4) -- intended to measure and analyze solar emissions, but also incorporating the GREB IV (Galactic Radiation Experimental Background, also known as Galactic Radiation and Background, or GRAB) reconnaissance payload Lofti III -- Low-Frequency…

• International Microgravity Laboratory, Flight 1

  Gray Rinehart

  22 Jan 2012 | 3:18 pm

  Twenty years ago today -- January 22, 1992 -- the Space Shuttle Discovery launched from Kennedy Space Center carrying the International Microgravity Laboratory on its maiden voyage. (IML-1 spacelab module and tunnel in the shuttle's payload bay. NASA image.) The STS-42 crew -- U.S. astronauts Ronald J. Grabe, Stephen S. Oswald, Norman E. Thagard, David C. Hilmers, and William F. Readdy, Canadian astronaut Roberta L. Bondar, and German astronaut Ulf D. Merbold -- "was divided into two teams for around-the-clock research on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and the…

• On Being an Old(er), New(er) Writer

  Gray Rinehart

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:47 pm

  Or, brief thoughts on my 2nd year of Campbell Award eligibility. How can someone this old be a new writer? This is what comes from having second or third careers: the experience of once again being "new" at something. It's actually a pretty familiar feeling for me, having gone from assignment to assignment in the Air Force ... especially since so many of my assignments were wildly different from one another. But it's also odd to be pushing 50 years of age and yet be a newbie.* But when it comes to this science fiction and fantasy writing game, I feel newer than new. I've made some…

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  Eric James Stone

• Free Kindle Ebooks for the Week of January 23

  Eric James Stone

  23 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am

  Here’s a list of what will be free this week: January 23: “The Robot Sorcerer“ January 24: “P.R. Problems“ January 25: “Bird-Dropping and Sunday“ January 26: “An Early Ford Mustang“ January 27: “Resonance“ Each story will be available free from Amazon’s Kindle store until about midnight Pacific Time on its promotional day, but you don’t need a Kindle to read it. You can use the free Kindle app on your computer or smartphone.

• Why My Website Won’t Be Here Tomorrow

  Eric James Stone

  17 Jan 2012 | 6:01 pm

  Congress is considering two ill-conceived bills, SOPA in the House and PIPA in the Senate, that would cause problems for the security of the Internet. As part of a “strike” to protest these bills, my website will be be gone tomorrow for twelve hours, and will instead forward to a site about stopping these bills. Mine will not be the only site on strike tomorrow: the English portion of Wikipedia will black out for 24 hours. (I’m using the SOPA Strike plugin for WordPress to automatically black out my site and then restore it afterwards.)

• Free Kindle Ebooks for the Week of January 16

  Eric James Stone

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:59 am

  Here’s a list of what will be free this week: January 16: “Like Diamond Tears from Emerald Eyes“ January 17: “Attitude Adjustment“ January 18: “The Final Element“ January 19: “The Man Who Moved the Moon“ January 20: “Salt of Judas“ Each story will be available free from Amazon’s Kindle store until about midnight Pacific Time on its promotional day, but you don’t need a Kindle to read it. You can use the free Kindle app on your computer or smartphone.

• Free Kindle Ebooks This Week

  Eric James Stone

  9 Jan 2012 | 1:29 pm

  Now that my free Kindle ebook promotions are repeating, I don’t want to blog each one, because that would be so repetitive for many of my readers. So here’s a list of what will be free this week: January 9: “Resonance“ January 10: “The Ashes of His Fathers“ January 11: “Tabloid Reporter to the Stars“ January 12: “Betrayer of Trees“ January 13: “In Memory“ Each story will be available free from Amazon’s Kindle store until about midnight Pacific Time on its promotional day, but you don’t need a Kindle to read it. You…

• The Mathematician and the King: A Fable of Cleverness

  Eric James Stone

  7 Jan 2012 | 5:09 pm

  Once upon a time there was a king who had a very difficult problem. A mathematician was able to solve the problem, and the king told him to name his reward. “I don’t ask for much,” said the clever mathematician. “A single gold coin today, and that each day for the next thirty days you double the amount you give me.” “So it shall be done,” said the king, who was not very clever at math. On the tenth day, when his treasurer sent the payment of 512 gold pieces, the king began to be concerned.  On the twelfth day, when the payment reached 2048 gold…

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  Fabianspace

• My Novel's Journey: Old Man in the Void

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am

  This week was filler week for me.  Since I had that month-long break before jumping into the manuscript again, I thought I should go back and reread, and since it was a yucky week, it seemed a good assignment.  I discovered a couple of consistency errors, like I was calling the alien ship "she," or "it," and I found a couple of spots where I decided to strengthen the descriptions, add some dream sequences, and such.I have a lot of dream and memory sequences.  Dex is old, getting into his eighties, but even more, he's been working on the edges of a black hole for a long time,…

• Notes from Homilies: Suffering & Sacrifice

  22 Jan 2012 | 12:31 pm

  Saw an interesting blog post by Roman Catholic Cop.  He was challenged to record one thought from the weekly homilies at Mass.In Matthew Kelly's talk, "The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality"  he suggests taking ONE thing from father's homily on Sunday and to write it down in a journal.  He says after one year of going to mass you will have an amazing guide to spirituality. I like this idea, so I'm going to attempt to do the same here.  Too often, I find something at Mass really touches me, but as soon as I get out the doors and have to deal with lunches and kids and…

• Help me pick a excerpt!

  20 Jan 2012 | 9:44 pm

  There are two things I hate about writing a book:  the back-cover blurb and picking an excerpt.  And with Live and Let Fly, I've been asked to pick not one, but two!  Help!I went through the manuscript and picked three likely candidates for the mini excerpts.  Would you read them and vote in the comments section on your favorite?  I'll sweeten the pot by putting your name in a raffle for one of my books, including Live and Let Fly!Based on feedback, I'm removing #2 from the race.  It seems to appeal most to Vern fans, and of course, we want to reach readers who…

• On Writers and Plumbers

  16 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am

  I had a rotten week.  Last week actually stunk, too.  Both were related to writing and publishing, but I don't want to get into the details here.  The result is I didn't feel like writing or marketing or talking about them. (Still don't, actually.)So what am I doing about it?  I'm writing and marketing and talking about them. I'm in this as a career, and if you've read this blog before, you know I use the plumber analogy.  Plumbers don't refuse to fix your sink because they "aren't feeling inspired."  They don't sit around the house depressed that "the…

• My Novel's Journey: Old Man in the Void - Clawing out of the Information Well

  12 Jan 2012 | 8:08 am

  I'm back to writing The Old Man in the Void, which (to refresh memories) is a science fiction novel based loosely on Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.  Instead of a hero's journey like most modern novels, this is a man-against-nature adventure, in which relic hunter Dex Hollister gets pulled into a black hole by a ship he captures. I'm having a lot of fun with it, but because I put it away for a month to finish up Neeta Lyffe 2: I Left My Brains in San Francisco, it's been a rough week getting back into the astrophysical saddle.  Not only did I have to re-familiarize myself…

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  James Maxey - Jawbone of an Ass

• Answering the Polygamy Equivalency

  6 Jan 2012 | 6:29 am

  Yesterday in New Hampshire, Santorum explained his opposition to same-sex marriage by equating it to polygamy:Santorum retorted, “Are we saying that everyone should have the right to marry?”When the audience member told him yes, he shot back, “So anyone can marry can marry anybody else, so, if that’s the case, then everyone can marry several people.”I hear this a lot, and I always find it a bit

• The Hazards of Love, Explained

  2 Jan 2012 | 5:35 pm

  I've been obsessing over the Decemberist's album the Hazard's of Love. It's a fantastic fairy tale love story told as a rock opera. Most of the story is relatively easy to follow, but there are some gaps that are left open to interpretation. I thought I'd take my stab at interpretting things. If you haven't heard the album, you can probably stop reading right here. I'm addressing this post to

• Favorite Albums I Discovered in 2011

  29 Dec 2011 | 4:56 pm

  I've been seeing a lot of "Best of" lists in recent days, and been thinking about my own favorite music discoveries of the year. This isn't a "best of 2011" list, since most of the albums and artists I've been listening to recorded their work years ago. But, it was all new to me.This year marked a significant shift in my music listening habits. Save for a few rare instances, I'm buying 100% of my

• The War on Christmas

  25 Dec 2011 | 10:18 am

  First, as an atheist, I'd like to apologize for the behavior of some of my brethren this season. Specifically, I'm talking about the atheists who flooded the lottery system for a town in California in order to claim 15 of 18 spaces reserved in a public park for a holiday display. Ordinarily, these spaces were used by local churches to stage nativity scenes. This year, however, only three churches

• Through the Looking Glass

  3 Dec 2011 | 9:40 am

  This week produced one of those moments in politics where I felt, once more, that I lived in a Looking Glass universe. The heart of the weirdness started when Newt Gingrich said something right on the borderline of common sense, always a dangerous place for any politician to wander. Gingrich said, if I may paraphrase, that our child labor laws hurt poor children who would enjoy long term benefits

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  Side-Show Freaks

• Remains of the Witch—Tony Pi

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:25 am

  For the 2011 Codex Writers Halloween Contest, I had received a story seed from another member: “reflection in a pool or other liquid”.  Aside from bobbing for apples, which didn’t inspire me, I was stuck on how water might be involved with the holiday. It seemed the wrong season for swimming.Luckily, the phrase “other liquid” was an interesting ‘out’, and seemed like a good starting point for a brainstorm. Quicksilver. Tea. Ink. Poison. Milk. Honey. Oil spill. I had all the makings for a Mad  Hatter’s tea party, but no plot.So I returned to the Halloween theme and…

• Letter From The Editor - Issue 26 - January 2012

  14 Jan 2012 | 12:20 am

  Here comes issue 26 of IGMS. A lot of news items have surfaced since our last issue came out, the biggest of which was the signing of Harrison Ford to play Battle School commander Hyrum Graff in the upcoming Ender movie. Indiana Graff meets Hyrum Solo—exciting news, indeed. But outside of the three-ring circus known as Hollywood, we’ve got a few exciting news items happening right here at the InterGalactic Medicine Show. First of all, the long-awaited InterGalactic Awards Anthology - Vol. 1 has just been released by Spotlight Publishing.It's a collection of the winners of the 2010 IGMS…

• Jared Oliver Adams Weighs In

  2 Dec 2011 | 10:21 am

  …on the genre conversation regarding his story, Whiteface. I asked Mr. Adams what genre he considered Whiteface to be.  His answer is below: I'm intrigued by this question. I've actually spent some time thinking about it myself, because I submitted it to Writers of the Future and wondered if they perceived it as "not-fantasy-enough." But, I'm a teacher, so I'll answer your question with another question. If you stripped George R R Martin's Westeros of its magic, would "Song of Ice and Fire" still be fantasy? To me, the magic element in SoIaF is the least compelling…

• Genre Musings and Whiteface

  30 Nov 2011 | 9:15 am

  One afternoon, ensconced in the posh InterGalactic Medicine Show offices, fellow Assistant Editor Eric James Stone and I fell into a disagreement. “What genre is Jared Oliver Adams’s Whiteface?” he asked. I put a dollop of caviar on a slice of baguette while I considered his question.  “Historical fantasy.  Historical because it presents a culture similar to a primitive culture that might be found on Earth.  Fantasy, because even though they are humans, and their culture is analogous of a number of pre-historical societies, they are not factual.” He mumbled something…

• Nanoparticle Jive—Tomas Martin

  21 Nov 2011 | 7:28 am

  I started writing the story that would later become 'Nanoparticle Jive' when I was halfway through my PhD in nanophysics at the University of Bristol. I don't know how many of you are familiar with the work that goes into a doctorate, but over the course of three hard years I gradually came to refine my definition of a PhD as a 'voluntary nervous breakdown with graphs'. Research is a gruelling process that often requires long hours trying to make your experiment work, but it is the existential angst of not knowing  the right answer  that really got to me. When you start a science…

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  Kathryn Cramer

• Protesting SOPA & PIPA

  Kathryn

  18 Jan 2012 | 7:16 am

  This blog is closed for the day in protest of two proposed bills SOPA and PIPA. For more information click HERE

• Year's Best Fantasy 10 Table of Contents

  Kathryn

  21 Dec 2011 | 7:58 am

  I am pleased to announce the table of contents for Year's Best Fantasy 10 edited by David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer, forthcoming from Tor.com. Dragon’s Deep · Cecelia Holland The Green Bird · Kage Baker Dulce Domum · Ellen Kushner The Parable of the Shower · Leah Bobet The Dragaman’s Bride · Andy Duncan Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela · Saladin Ahmed Images of Anna · Nancy Kress Icarus Saved from the Skies · Georges-Olivier Chateaureynaud The Coldest Girl in Coldtown · Holly Black The Score · Alaya Dawn Johnson Sleight of Hand · Peter S. Beagle Bigfoot and the…

• Handmade #Occupy the Adirondacks Christmas Wreath

  Kathryn

  6 Dec 2011 | 11:32 am

  This handmade wreath was made out of chicken wire and pine cones by one of my children as a 4-H project this past weekend. The Guy Fawkes mask was added this morning: the handmade wreath was a little oblong from the weight of the pinecones, and the opening in the middle seemed just right for the mask on my bedroom wall. It hangs on our front door which is right next to our bookstore, Dragon Press Bookstore, a science fiction specialty shop in Westport, New York.  

• Cigarbox Faust by Michael Swanwick at the Dragon Press Bookstore, 10/8/11

  Kathryn

  10 Oct 2011 | 2:33 pm

• Good Morning, Westport!

  Kathryn

  2 Sep 2011 | 5:45 am

  sunrise 9/2/11 Westport, NY.

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  KRAD's Inaccurate Guide to Life

• Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch: "The Most Toys"

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:29 pm

  Data gets kidnapped by Artie from Warehouse 13, Picard and the gang think Data's dead, and we see people wearing very very silly clothes. The TNG Rewatch collects "The Most Toys."An excerpt:But the main thing that makes this episode stand out is seeing two of the finest actors around, [Brent] Spiner and [Saul] Rubinek, going at it. The banter flies beautifully between these two, and it’s just poetry in snark. Add [Nehemiah] Persoff for a scene, and it’s just gold. Great great stuff.

• Friday fanfare: "Ordinary Day"

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:20 am

  I first was introduced to Great Big Sea by wrenn when we went to see them (alongside Bob Greenberger and his family) at Webster Hall a ways back. I've become a big fan of this Newfoundland-based band that does rocking Irish folk music. I recommend their stuff wholeheartedly, but this one is Wrenn's favorite, so I'm making it today's in honor of her new job. :)

• why you shouldn't give books away

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:35 pm

  So my good buddy Dayton Ward posted a blog entry about the way in which he will sign your book. It's a great post, you should read it as, like most things Dayton writes, it will make you laugh. (Sometimes, that's even his intent!)Anyhow, when he posted a link to the blog entry on Facebook, wrenn told a short version of a story of how a funny inscription can come back to haunt you. See, way back in 2005, I gave a book to a fellow guest at a convention. I autographed it, of course, and provided an inscription that was specifically tailored to this person.Fast forward to late last year, and…

• pet photos!

  24 Jan 2012 | 6:49 pm

  It's been far too long since I used this blog for what blogs are supposed to be for -- PET PHOTOS!!!!!(I used to think it was cat photos, but then I got a dog. Changes your whole perspective, especially when the dog is as totally awesome as Scooter.)First we have Belle and Newk in repose on our bed:Then we have Scooter, first on one of our chairs:And on the couch:

• Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch: "Hollow Pursuits"

  24 Jan 2012 | 2:35 pm

  We meet the wonderful Lieutenant Reg Barclay, the goddess of empathy, Wes as Gainesborough's Blue Boy, Data looking freakishly like a Guy Fawkes mask, and other joys as the TNG Rewatch engages in a few "Hollow Pursuits."An excerpt:This episode works on pretty much every level. Besides the introduction and development of a character outside the normal idealized humans we tend to see on Trek (particularly on TNG), we also get a fun little puzzle, some hilarious holodeck scenes (every actors chews all over their holo-roles with gusto, with Sir Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and Wil Wheaton…

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  Robert J. Sawyer

• For your consideration: WWW: Wonder

  Rob

  14 Jan 2012 | 12:52 pm

  Nominations are now open for the Hugo, Nebula, and Aurora Awards — the time when writers (cough, cough) respectfully remind you of what they had published in the previous year that’s eligible for these awards. For me, it’s my twentieth novel, the concluding volume of my WWW trilogy of Wake, Watch, and Wonder. The title of the final book — the one currently eligible for awards — is styled WWW: Wonder in the United States and just Wonder in Canada and the rest of the world. All of these editions appeared in 2011; feel free to cite any one of them on a nomination…

• Four “must-read” science-fiction books

  Rob

  8 Jan 2012 | 11:07 pm

  Five years ago this month, TORO Magazine asked me to recommend four “must-read” science-fiction books. Half a decade later they’re still great reads: THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells (Tor): Wells created it all: time travel, space voyages, alien invasions, genetic engineering, antigravity, invisibility — you can’t write SF without riffing on good ole H.G. But he also knew that all those things were mere trappings; SF is really a medium for social commentary — and he rips the British class system a new one here. GATEWAY by Frederik Pohl (Del Rey): The job of…

• Watch wins Aurora Award!

  Rob

  20 Nov 2011 | 8:12 pm

  Robert J. Sawyer‘s novel Watch, the second volume of his WWW Trilogy, won the Aurora Award today — Canada’s top honour in science fiction and fantasy — for Best Novel of the Year. The award was presented at the 31st annual Canadian National Science Fiction Convention, SFContario 2, in Toronto. The vote ranking: 1st: Watch by Robert J. Sawyer (Penguin Canada) 2nd: Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay (Penguin Canada) 3rd: Stealing Home by Hayden Trenholm (Bundoran) 4th: Destiny’s Blood by Marie Bilodeau (Dragon Moon) 5th: Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell (Great…

• Sawyer transhumanism lecture Monday night

  Rob

  15 Nov 2011 | 4:29 pm

  Free transhumanism lecture! Free snacks! Plus you get to be part of the studio audience for TVOntario’s Big Ideas series: it’s all happening this Monday night, November 21, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. at The Gardiner Museum in Toronto, 111 Queen’s Park (just across the screet from the ROM). Sponsor: The Literary Review of Canada, co-producing with TVOntario’s Big Ideas. Humanity 2.0 Robert J. Sawyer, Canada’s leading science-fiction author and internationally respected futurist, on the tomorrow we imagine — and the one we are creating. When Marshall McLuhan…

• Wonder named “booksellers’ pick of the year” in adult SF&F by Quill & Quire

  Rob

  12 Nov 2011 | 12:15 pm

  Quill & Quire, the Canadian publishing trade journal, has posted its Booksellers’ Picks of the Year: Science Fiction and Fantasy. The adult choice is Wonder by Robert J. Sawyer; the young-adult choice is Once Every Never by Lesley Livingston. You can read the article here. Robert J. Sawyer online:Website • Facebook • Twitter • Newsgroup • Email

• 

  Whatever

• Cory Booker Gets It Right

  John Scalzi

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:50 pm

  The Newark mayor the subject of same-sex marriage, specifically in New Jersey, but generally applicable everywhere. When courts decide for same-sex marriage, those who oppose it say it should be the choice of legislatures. When legislatures decide for it, those who oppose it say it should be the choice of the voters. I have no doubt whatsoever that if the voters decided for it, those who oppose it would be in the courts trying to stop it. The folks who oppose same-sex marriage don’t really want anyone to say it’s okay. They just want it not to exist.

• Today’s Interesting Commercial Discovery

  John Scalzi

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:07 pm

  I went to go make myself a cheese quesadillia today because cheese+tortilla+1 minute in the microwave = GAAAAHCHEEZYGOODNESS, and I noticed that we have two bags of tortillas in the refrigerator, but one is labeled “Original Wraps,” and the other is “Large Flour Tortillas.” The tortillas inside both are exactly the same — same size, same calorie count, etc — but I also happen to notice that the “wraps” package is a six count package, while the “flour tortilla” package is an eight count package. So then I went upstairs to my computer…

• Single Serving Scalzi

  John Scalzi

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:05 am

  Hey there — Subterranean Press has released another on of my short stories for the Kindle and Nook: “Tale of the Wicked,” which originally showed up in the New Space Opera 2 anthology, back in 2009. It’s got spaceships and aliens and battles and computers and explosions, not necessarily in that order, and it’s a pretty good story if I do say so myself. Here’s the link to the Kindle edition, and to the Nook edition. In the UK? There’s a Kindle edition for you too. Everywhere else in the world? Working on it. While I’m pointing that out, this is…

• I Am Running For SFWA President (Again) (Again)

  John Scalzi

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:17 pm

  It’s come round that time when the Election Committee of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America makes its call for candidates to serve on our board. I have decided to step forward once more (last, last very last time I swear) as a candidate for President, a position to which I was first elected in 2010. I had originally intended to step down at the end of this term, but on reflection decided there were still some things I wanted to accomplish in the role, and it made sense to try them over the course of an additional year. Whether I get that year will be up to SFWA members,…

• She’s At It Again

  John Scalzi

  26 Jan 2012 | 3:25 pm

  This is not the first time Krissy has been caught hugging babies with her teeth. But can you blame her? They are so tender! You could just eat them up! Just! Note: The baby survived, largely untasted.

• 

  Magical Words

• Outlining your novel: a method.

  A J Hartley

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:58 am

  Ok, let’s start by saying what this isn’t: it’s not a post about why you should outline rather than write by the seat of your pants (and it would be great if we could stay away from that particular... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• A Year In The Life: Week 2

  Catie Murphy

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  All right, really it’s weeks 3 & 4, but we’re going to refer to this as a 26 week series rather than complicate it any further. So: Week Two of what this job is like down there in the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Authors’ Checklist of Dos and Don’ts

  Lucienne Diver

  25 Jan 2012 | 7:23 am

  Another of my Agent Anonymous articles originally published in the SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) Bulletin: Authors’ Checklist of Dos and Don’ts You may be right; I may... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• 

  Chrysalis

• Getting it Wrong

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:53 am

  Sandra Tayler made an intriguing post yesterday on the importance of getting things wrong.She's talking mostly about parenting. But the principle applies equally well to writing.I tend to be a perfectionist when writing. I want every word to sing, every phrase to evoke vivid images. I want every scrap of dialogue to feel completely believable and every plot twist to turn reader expectations on their ears.But when I'm writing a first draft, perfectionism is not my friend. It is not possible to get the dialog exactly right when you haven't written far enough to fully understand your characters.

• All or Nothing

  25 Jan 2012 | 3:34 am

  My story "All or Nothing" is now up at Daily Science Fiction. It's a fun little romance inspired by the number Zero, and is part of the Numbers Quartet series.

• I am now a karate student.

  20 Jan 2012 | 12:14 pm

  This happened mostly by accident. We've been looking for a sport to help our son improve his coordination and body tone. This turned out to be rather challenging because the social intricacies of most team sports are stressful for him.Karate, it turns out, is exactly his thing. Watching his free trial lesson, I could see why. There is an exact position for each part of the body to be in at each moment. No one moves without the trainer's command. There is no roughhousing; only concentration and the knowledge that each motion you learn has a clear, practical application in combat.In computer…

• News, News and More News.

  14 Jan 2012 | 11:42 am

  Ebooks for Awards ReadersMovement is eligible for this year's Hugo and Nebula Awards and has been getting some very positive responses. I'm hoping it may have a (very slim, but definitely extant) chance of making this year's shortlist.Accordingly, I'm offering a free copy of Movement to awards readers, in whatever format they prefer. If you know someone who's eligible to vote for the Hugo or Nebula Award, please encourage them to get in touch with me.Ebook GiveawayIf you're not into the whole Awards Thing, but would really like a free copy of Movement, there's still hope. Inspired Kathy is…

• Busted

  14 Jan 2012 | 10:54 am

  Our three-year-old requested a glass of warm chocolate milk before going to bed. While the milk was warming and she was waiting snugly in her bedroom, I decided to make a swift detour to the computer. If I hurried, I figured, I could finish a few last-minute tasks and my daughter would never realize I'd been shirking my motherly duties.I forgot that she is perfectly attuned to the sound of my keyboard.From down the hall and around the corner an indignant voice said, "Mommy, I see you're working!"Oops.

• 

  No Fear of the Future

• Tonight in Austin: Mexican SF reading

  Chris N. Brown

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:05 am

  Tonight the Mexican writers Bernardo Fernandez (aka Bef) of Mexico City and Pepe Rojo of Tijuana will be reading at Book People to celebrate the publication of Three Messages and a Warning: Contemporary Mexican Short Stories of the Fantastic, our new anthology of Mexican fiction in translation. Bef is a novelist and comics auteur whose latest novel, the narco thriller Hielo Negro ("Black Ice") won the 2011 Grijalbo Prize. Pepe is a professor of media studies and fiction writer who received extensive coverage in 2011 for "You Can See the Future From Here," a 6-week series of science fictional…

• Trip the Mexican Fantastic

  Chris N. Brown

  13 Jan 2012 | 9:18 am

  "Variation on a Theme of Coleridge" by Alberto Chimal from Chris N. Brown on Vimeo. (Video by Daniel Rojo of Mexico City/Tijuana, postproduction by Morgan Coy of Monofonus Press/Teleportal Readings in Austin.)The video embedded above features Mexican author Alberto Chimal reading his wonderful short short "Variation on a Theme of Coleridge" from the new anthology Three Messages and a Warning: Contemporary Mexican Short Stories of the Fantastic, which I had the good fortune to co-edit with Eduardo Jiménez Mayo, and which is being published by Small Beer Press this month.As chronicled on this…

• Ambient Starsky

  Chris N. Brown

  6 Jan 2012 | 9:15 am

  (A gallery of screens found in a dissipating tributary of network culture.)The WatcherRed ZebraCaptain Dobey's Negative Space9:303011Cathode Rapture1975

• Lennon & NK-Presley's Greatest Hits

  Chris N. Brown

  30 Dec 2011 | 9:39 am

  A week of smirking at the North Korean cult on full funereal display is coming to an end. Elvis has left the building in style, his smiling bouffant gaze atop an armored 1974 Lincoln rolling the powdered streets of Pyongyang. The videos of the mourning citizens are pretty intense—powerful evidence of an authentic "God is dead" sentiment among at least some of the people.The Team America gag isn't so funny when you see those people on their knees bawling in the snow. That state casts a spectacular spell over its population.North Korea is the last sideshow freak of the geopolitical carnival.

• Winter's master key

  Chris N. Brown

  25 Dec 2011 | 8:02 am

  If The New York Times had the comics section it needs (and really could do something cool with, mixing new indie strips, Wednesday Comics, and great vintage stuff), this downer of an article about how politics prevents us from even trying to really understand what's going on with our overtaxed climate would be counterweighted by Mark Trail's placid meditation on mistletoe and holly.In the future, when network culture makes me my own newspaper every day (as it kind of already does), the Mark Trail lightness that follows the climate change depression will be annotated with a deeper reading.

• 

  pat esden

• Researching Agents on Twitter: a dozen thoughts in 140 characters or less

  12 Jan 2012 | 2:15 pm

  One of the best ways to research literary agents is to follow them on Twitter. It can help you discover if your dream agent is all she or he seems—or if different agent might be a better fit. You can get an idea about what an agent is looking for and a handle on their tastes. Basically, Twitter following agents will help you know more about them as individuals, that will help you make wiser choices about who to query, and in turn will lead to a higher request rate.  Here are a dozen of my thoughts about following and researching agents on Twitter . . .Read the rest on my sister…

• The Main Character's Greatest Fear as a Character

  11 Jan 2012 | 12:10 pm

   Before I started my WIP, I did a lot of thinking about my main character’s greatest fear. My WIP is a gothic novel, so I decided I wanted a fear that would be particularly pervasive in that sort of story—you know, genre expectations and all that stuff. I also decided to take my main character’s fear one step further. I’m trying to make the fear active, not in the literal form of a flesh and blood antagonist, but in the way setting can be treated as a character.  My main character’s fear is of the dark. It’s not a small fear, like I had as a…

• Wedding Details: a question for the hive mind

  30 Dec 2011 | 9:05 am

   I’m working on another article for Vermont Bride Magazine and am wondering if there are any details that you remember from weddings you’ve attended?  One wedding detail which always stands out to me is live music before the ceremony. Groom’s cakes aren’t that common in the northern part of the US, so they also draw my attention in a good way. What beautiful or sentimental touches have stood out to you?If you'd like to take a look, here's a link to Vermont Bride Magazine's website. http://www.vermontbridemagazine.com/

• Happy Holidays to Everyone!

  24 Dec 2011 | 10:12 am

  Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all my friends and family. I’m looking forward to things slowing down at the shop, so I can spend more time around here and in my writing den. See you soon!

• Jaye Robin Brown Interviews High School Age Me

  15 Dec 2011 | 7:41 am

  Here is a rare photo of me during my high school years. I mostly avoided cameras. If you want a peek at what was going on behind that smile, check out this interview with high school age me on Hanging on to Wonder.http://jayerobinbrown.blogspot.com/2011/12/memories-of-high-school-you-pat-esden.html(Sorry I haven't been commenting on many posts lately. Florist and Christmas equal crazy busy)

• 

  SF Novelists

• The Skill List Project: Writing Descriptive Passages

  James Alan Gardner

  23 Jan 2012 | 7:18 am

  This is another post in The Skill List Project: an attempt to list all the skills involved in writing and selling fiction, particularly science fiction and fantasy. As promised last time, we’re going to look at writing description, one of the most important skills in prose fiction. When you think about it, prose fiction primarily consists of two types of writing: dialogue and description. If you aren’t transcribing what characters say, then you’re describing something: people, places, things, or actions. Admittedly, novels can contain other types of writing: essays, for…

• Competence is hot

  Marie Brennan

  16 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  By now everybody and their brother has probably seen the post by (SF Novelists’ own) Jim Hines, wherein he attempts to pose like the women on the covers of some fantasy novels. The results are suitably absurd — not because there’s anything wrong with Jim, but because there’s something wrong with the covers. He caused himself actual physical pain, trying to replicate some of those poses. Ah, you say, but Jim Hines is a writer, a class of people known for their sedentary lifestyle. Those heroines are probably all in fantastic shape, the better to kick supernatural ass.

• What’s Your Favorite Anecdote About Learning How to Write?

  S.C. Butler

  14 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

   Mine is easy.  It was in a college writing class many, many years ago.  Not an MFA writing class, but the kind of writing class that pre-meds, business, and chemistry majors used to take, because deep in their hearts they didn’ want to be doctors, entrepreneurs, or scientists.  They wanted to be writers.  Creative writing classes were part of the English and American Literature Department at my school, but that was because no one else wanted them.  The English and American Literature Department didn’t want them either, but enough students did, so they were offered…

• Promotion, self-promotion, and all that jazz

  Alma Alexander

  5 Jan 2012 | 6:31 am

  See, here’s the thing – nobody likes a shill for their own stuff. For very excellent reasons. If a person – an artist – a writer – doesn’t seem to be capable of uttering six straight words without beginning the next sentence with “In MY book…” – well – there is only so much you can take of THAT. Young and naive and terribly terribly enthusiastic writers do it a lot – they have to be patiently and politely told that gatecrashing other people’s conversations at convention parties, for instance, with gushes about their…

• A Writer’s Letter To Santa

  David B. Coe

  23 Dec 2011 | 4:30 am

  Dear Santa: First of all, I want to assure you that I have been very good this year.  Really.  I’ve done A LOT of writing; I’ve put my butt in my chair just about every day.  (My butt’s actually a little flat and wide at this point for all the writing I’ve done.  But that’s probably more than you wanted to know.)  I’ve met my deadlines.  I’ve dutifully posted at my various blogs.  I’ve read a bunch, done a ton of research, and tried my best to keep my website up to date.  Oh, and I’ve been nice to my wife and kids and friends. …

• 

  Something Wicked

• ICE Winners!

  Stephanie Rowe

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:07 am

  Thank you for all your entries and excitment about the ICE contest! We had 34 entries, which meant 3 prizes! YAY!  The winners are:Skyla11377PrincessroseRoseanIf you three winners could email me from my website, www.stephanierowe.com or on facebook with your email addresses and let me know whether you want the Nook version or the Kindle version, I will send you your prize!For all those who didn't win, I have a bunch of books coming out over the next few months, and I'll be hosting lots of giveaways for those books, so there will be plenty more chances to win! Plus, ICE was just…

• Conference Season

  Shirley Damsgaard

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:28 am

  I’m still in the grip of the winter doldrums that I mentioned last week. However there is a glimmer of excitement beginning to glow. Why? Conference season is coming up! Personally, I love going to them and if I had unlimited resources, I would attend far more than I do. It’s always a hard decision to decide which ones to attend and which ones to pass by. As it stands right now, I’m booked for two—the first annual Romfest in Gatlinburg, TN and sponsored by author Trista Michaels; and the second is back to Louisville, KY for Fandom Fest.Romfest is going to be a blast. Sherrilyn Kenyon…

• And the Winner Is . . .

  Casey

  25 Jan 2012 | 10:46 am

  A couple weeks ago I posted a message about a contest. I now have a winner! It'sLori YLori, send me an email:casey@caseydaniels.comAnd let me know which of the Pepper Martin books you'd like. There's a blurb about each on my website:www.caseydaniels.comSince I'm also Kylie Logan, author of "Button Holed," you can also choose that book.Thanks, everyone, for playing along!

• Zombieland comes to town

  Angie Fox

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:07 am

  Something happened last week that still has me grinning every time I think about it. "The Run for Your Lives" Zombie-infested 5K is coming to St. Louis.Now I've been stalking this race for awhile. They've been doing it in lots of other cities for the past few years. And the website cracks me up.Basically, this is a 5K obstacle course where zombies try to "eat" you. Now this not being the actual end of civilization as we know it, the zombie threat is more to your ego. Each runner is given a race belt with flags. And similar to flag football, the flags can be torn off until none are left. At…

• Shawntelle's Swag

  Shawntelle Madison

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:56 am

  Happy Monday, everyone!It's been a busy week so far. I've been glued to the computer working on new projects and barely had time to come up for air. In addition, I've had other fun projects cooking in the pot. Swag for COVETED! It took me a few months to finish the designs and then get everything printed and made. But I finally got them done and now I can show them off to you.First of all, my Romance Trading Cards:And here is all of them with the backs and the front shown.Next, I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time out to read an excerpt of my book and pre-ordered it. As a debut…

• 

  theinferior4+1

• New Review at B&NR

  theinferior4+1

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

  I take a gander at a history book about FDR:http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/In-the-Margin/The-Plots-Against-the-President/ba-p/6765Posted by Paul DiFi.

• New Review at LOCUS ONLINE

  theinferior4+1

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:04 pm

  I've just started reviewing for LOCUS ONLINE. My first post considers THE FLAME ALPHABET.http://www.locusmag.com/Reviews/2012/01/paul-di-filippo-reviews-ben-marcus/Posted by Paul DiFi.

• Ballard on Film

  theinferior4+1

  23 Jan 2012 | 3:41 pm

  I never knew of this adaptation of JGB's "Low Flying Aircraft" till today.There are three snippets of it also on YouTube, totalling 30 minutes out of the film's 80-minute runtime.Posted by Paul DiFi.

• Sidewalk Memorial

  theinferior4+1

  21 Jan 2012 | 9:41 am

  This curbside memorial in Providence has been in place for at least a year, but it never gets dilapidated. Someone keeps renewing it.Fittingly enough, it's on Angell Street.Posted by Paul DiFi.

• Bonnie Eviscerates the Inside of Her Crate

  ljgoldstein

  19 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pm

  Killing the stuffed moose was outside, and was Okay.  Destroying the crate was inside, and was Bad.  (I do understand that this is a difficult concept for a puppy brain.)  One of the things our puppy trainer told us was that I had to be not as friendly to her, to be a little harsh and distant until she starts to mind me.  I'm trying, but it's very hard -- especially when she looks at me with that cute puppy expression.

• 

  Wyrdsmiths

• Friday Cat Blogging

  Kelly McCullough

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:05 pm

  Shocked, I tell you shocked!Don't you wish you were this cute?Sleeping cat rampant, sable on a field taupe.Is it secret? Is it safe?U like mah boatz? I sailing on the carpet sea.What are you looking at? Cats love water.Everyone knows that.Cat descending a staircase…very slowly.

• Smart Things

  Kelly McCullough

  22 Jan 2012 | 3:06 pm

  I thought it was way past time to get back to my smart things write ups.Via Theodora Goss, Jeff Vandermeer saying smart things about how to live as a writer."They" It can be singular gender neutral and perfectly correct, the historical and grammatical case. Gabe Doyle (graduate student and doctoral candidate in Linguistics) saying smart things about language.Tobias Buckell saying smart things about self publishing and attitude. As someone who is strongly considering shifting some of my publishing to an indy model, I quite agree with this.

• Thor

  Eleanor

  20 Jan 2012 | 11:05 am

  I saw the movie Thor again and did a couple of posts -- one long -- about it on my blog. I know what this about. You fall in love with a movie for silly, personal reasons and then do a complex analysis, demonstrating that it is worth falling in love with. Anyway, if you are interested, my blog is listed off to the right.

• Friday Shameless Self-Promotion Cat

  tate hallaway

  20 Jan 2012 | 9:53 am

  Wha...?? How did SHE sneak in here!!!????

• Friday Cat Blogging

  Kelly McCullough

  20 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am

  I haz a thought, but it's very hard to hang onto.Duuude!Ima be a dragon when I grow up, call me Toothless!Scratch harder, you missed a spot.Call me Coconut, King of the Jungle!Come over here so I can smite you.We think that you should stay. No, you don't get a vote.

• 

  Face of Chaos

• Review: Stealing the Elf-King’s Roses

  Lynn

  5 Jan 2012 | 9:38 am

  Stealing the Elf-King’s Roses by Diane Duane My rating: 3 of 5 stars Part fantasy, part science fiction, and part police procedural this is a truly genre-straddling book. The parts don’t always blend as well as I would have liked. I came away thinking I would almost rather Duane had told . . . → Read More: Review: Stealing the Elf-King’s Roses

• Review: Austenland

  Lynn

  18 Dec 2011 | 12:27 pm

  Austenland by Shannon Hale My rating: 1 of 5 stars I don’t expect A-plus historical accuracy in a chick-lit romance billed as an homage to an Austen obsession, but I was disappointed when the point-of-view character didn’t know the difference between a chamberpot and a bedpan. When I realized that the . . . → Read More: Review: Austenland

• Review: Boneshaker

  Lynn

  6 Dec 2011 | 8:31 pm

  Boneshaker by Cherie Priest My rating: 3 of 5 stars I learned that Boneshaker is going to be made into a movie while reading the book. Oddly, I can envision the theme-park ride more easily than I can empathize with the characters. View all my reviews . . . → Read More: Review: Boneshaker

• Review: Hereward

  Lynn

  21 Nov 2011 | 12:37 pm

  Hereward by Victor Head My rating: 3 of 5 stars “Hereward” has the feel of a commissioned book — someone approached Mr. Head, saying — “Why don’t you write an up-to-date biography of Hereward the Wake?” Mr. Head might have replied — “There’s nothing to write. There are no contemporary sources; there . . . → Read More: Review: Hereward

• Review: Power and Profit: The Merchant in Medieval Europe

  Lynn

  15 Nov 2011 | 4:35 pm

  Power and Profit: The Merchant in Medieval Europe by Peter Spufford My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is not to race through…there’s something to be learned on every page. From what was traded into and out of Europe to how it was transported and what it cost every step of . . . → Read More: Review: Power and Profit: The Merchant in Medieval Europe

• 

  Joe Abercrombie

• An Action Tour-de-Force

  Joe Abercrombie

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:24 am

  Time was I used to post every whiff of opinion about my books that google could sniff out.  Scrag end mention on an inactive LiveJournal account?  You’re in!  These days, I have to say, I’m a little more circumspect.  The quantity of opinion out there, it weighs heavy, and outside of the scramble of promotion surrounding a new release, it takes something particularly insightful, inflammatory, noteworthy or (of course) grovellingly complimentary to arouse my interest. But fitting firmly into the insightful category is a balanced and (unsurprisingly) finely written assessment of…

• ConFusion

  Joe Abercrombie

  24 Jan 2012 | 4:49 am

  Back from Detroit, somewhat jet-lagged and with a cold, but had a brilliant time – can’t remember more fun at a convention, in fact.  Some highlights? Doing a reading alongside Robin Hobb. Being taught the correct coastguard method of sticking my ass out while shooting by Myke Cole. Being mistaken for Admiral Akbar by John Scalzi. Visiting Subterranean Press’s warehouse of awesome books, nerf guns and foam-rubber swords. I accidentally shot Brent Weeks with an arrow.  Then he tried to kill me with a sword.  Then I tried to kill him with a dagger.  Then, while I plotted…

• Gone Fishing

  Joe Abercrombie

  18 Jan 2012 | 4:01 am

  I’m off up to London and thence to Detroit City to participate in Epic Confusion, where activities will include an all-star authorial D&D session featuring: Brent Weeks – Cleric Scott Lynch – Gnome Illusionist Elizabeth Bear – Ranger Jim Hines – Fighter Peter Brett – Monk Pat Rothfuss – Wizard Joe Abercrombie – Thief And being Dungeon Mastered by Myke Cole and Saladin Ahmed. How cool is that?  Alright, so it’s not exactly cool as most of the world’s population would define the term.  But I still reckon it’s pretty cool,…

• Uncharted 3

  Joe Abercrombie

  12 Jan 2012 | 4:31 pm

  I really am spoiling you lot with the level of posting on this blog as late.  It is positively snowing high quality bloggage around here.  Let us see whether this continues into – I don’t know – the second half of January?  Anyway, to the matter.  The latest game wot I have played is Uncharted 3, and it’s a humdinger.  I’d have to place it 2nd in the games of 2011, which was an excellent year for games, as it goes, just behind Skyrim, although the two are difficult to compare, in a way, since Skyrim gave me about 100 hours of pleasure and Uncharted 3 gave…

• Pimpage

  Joe Abercrombie

  12 Jan 2012 | 5:06 am

  It seems to have become something of a fashion for authors to point out what they’re eligible for, marshalling their internet warriors for assault upon various awards, or possibly promoting the genre and its plaudits to a wider voting public, depending on how you see it.  A veritable internet arms race, some might say.  Others would call it unbelievably crass.  I, of course, am above such earthly concerns, though I would note in passing that The Heroes was published this year and it was pretty bloody good even if I say so myself.  Of course, if when falling over yourself to vote for…

• 

  Dan Abnett

• Year Out, Year In

  Dan Abnett

  9 Jan 2012 | 2:39 am

  Happy New Zing!I hope Santa found you all on the right side of the Naughty/Nice event horizon. Any interesting resolutions out there?All of us here at the haunted Fortress of Abnett had a good time, thanks for asking, but Nik and I are now plunging headlong back into work. I'll blog about what I'm doing in coming days. But yes, Duke Leto, Matthew et al, it does include Pariah.Today, I mainly wanted to do a quick update of the competition, which is still running... so hurry and enter! More of that in a second. First, matters arising from the last post: I've tried Tortoise - not bad at all. The…

• Xmas (only the names have been changed)

  Dan Abnett

  23 Dec 2011 | 1:10 pm

  Or, to be fair, forgotten.Ah, Christmas (or whatever you want to call this time of year). You've been a long time coming. I knew this year was going to be busy, but... you know. It's been REALLY busy. It's put the 'complete and utter dick' into really, RI-COMPLETE-AND-UTTER-DICK-ULOUSLY busy. Gah.It's been so busy, I'm not even going to start this blog post with the requisite, "Sorry it's been ages since I last posted but blah deadlines blah blah lazy asshat blah blah..." I'm mean, I'm not going to even. It's so long since my last proper blog post, my last proper blog post is a dot to me…

• No Man's Land

  Dan Abnett

  8 Dec 2011 | 4:34 am

  Yes, I know it's been a very, very long time since I updated the blog. Forgive me, but I've been a little busy with "Know No Fear", the story of the Battle of Calth. You'll get to read it in the spring.This is just to say that a new gaming shop is opening in my home town of Maidstone, and, since I know Justin, the owner, I said I'd pop in for a couple of hours on opening day, Saturday 10th December. I hope to see lots of you there. I'm sure I can be persuaded to sign a book or two between 1-3pm.As an enticement, there will be a raffle, and I'll be drawing the winning tickets. Various games…

• Due to a technical error...

  Dan Abnett

  29 Oct 2011 | 3:25 am

  ... there are revised times for Games Workshop store signings at Bluewater and Thurrock Lakeside today. I will be at BLUEWATER in the morning from 11 til 1pm, and at THURROCK LAKESIDE in the afternoon from 3 til 5. I look forward to seeing you there.

• Event update

  Dan Abnett

  25 Oct 2011 | 3:54 am

  Reports on the New York ComicCon (with pics) plus that competition I was talking about - all coming soon.For now, details of the most pressing signings:This Saturday (29th), I'll be at Games Workshop Lakeside from 11 - 1, and then Games Workshop Bluewater from 3 - 5 for some serious Salvation's Reach and other BL goodies signing action. Official details here.The following weekend (November 5/6), I'll be a guest at the Lille Comic Festival along with some very illustrious company. See you there!

• 

  Colleen Anderson

• Apocalypse Diet Summary: Days 20-24

  colleenanderson

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:37 pm

    One way to solve the post-apocalyptic food shortage. From thinkgeek.com Apocalypse Diet (AD) Day 20: I had Chinese food leftovers again today. And somehow this last week had a lot of dining out in it, which isn’t that common for me. Dinner consisted of a half a flour tortilla with two slices of diminishing cheese, some sundried tomatoes and garlic. Later on, dinner consisted of calamari at the restaurant. And wine; did I forget to mention the wine? It helps the zombies go down. Apocalypse Diet (AD) Day 21: Saturday; I almost cheated today. I was out so late last night, and ended…

• Apocalypse Diet Summary: Days 16-19

  colleenanderson

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:46 am

  What would a zombie restaurant serve? Creative Commons geekstir.com Apocalypse Diet (AD) Day 16: Starting the third week of the Apocalypse Diet and indeed I have not bought any food so far for 2012. I’m also not allowed to buy alcohol for home consumption but if I’m going out I’m allowed. I rarely drink much at home alone so this isn’t a big deal. As far as fresh vegetables go I still have brussel sprouts, garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, beets, turnip, bok choy and gai lan. But the last of the mushrooms went yesterday. Goodbye, mushrooms! I’ll miss…

• How Writers Get to Be Slaves

  colleenanderson

  20 Jan 2012 | 4:04 pm

  Salon.com Stockphoto: NickS I haven’t talked about writing in a while but with the new year and the holidays out of the way I’ve been doing a submission blitz, as well as getting caught up on some reading for CZP. In my search for new or interesting or well-paying markets I’ve been going through www.ralan.com (the best site for speculative markets) and www.duotrope.com (the best site for poetry and fiction with average response times listed). There are some things that have started to irk me, which have always annoyed me but continue to perpetuate a bad precedent. Forget…

• The Skinny On Models

  colleenanderson

  17 Jan 2012 | 2:56 pm

  In the fashion industry, this is a normal size. Creative Commons: scrapetv.com I’ve talked about this before, but it bears repeating. Back many years ago when I was in the throes of my eating disorder, classified as bulimia, I attended some group counseling sessions. Now my bulimia was not the normal one, where you gorge and vomit. I didn’t vomit. I starved myself, then gorged and then my bodily functions did a bit of a natural purge, but it was an uncontrolled desperate, self-hating way of eating and never on healthy foods. People with eating disorders never gorge on carrots or…

• Apocalypse Diet Summary: Days 12-15

  colleenanderson

  16 Jan 2012 | 12:52 pm

  Zombies might like them, but you won't catch me eating any organs. Creative Commons Elisabeth Feldman Apocalypse Diet (AD) Day 12: Today was another quinoa and  mole (molay not moles) day. There was only about 1/2 cup of mole and likewise for the quinoa so I was pretty hungry by the time I got home, almost hungry enough to eat brains! Actually, if my freezer was filled with nothing but kidneys, brains, tripe, heart, tongue and all those other organ meats I would rather go outside, gnaw trees and take my chances with the zombies. They can have the organs. Blech! For dinner I used up the…

• 

  Eleanor Arnason's Web Log

• Thor 2

  Eleanor

  20 Jan 2012 | 10:03 am

  Patrick points out that I have written a synopsis, not an analysis. I am a story teller, not a critic. And strangely enough, the movie is complex enough to require description in some detail.I use the word simple a lot in my synopsis. Myths are simple, and so are most comics, though comics can be complex. I used to think that one of things I liked about science fiction, including my own work, was a certain brightness and flatness, a lack of nuance. Compare a 1960s Abstract Expressionist painting to a 17th century Dutch painting. The abstract painting is big and bright and flat. The Dutch…

• Thor

  Eleanor

  20 Jan 2012 | 7:46 am

  Switching to a more useful topic than MFAs in Creative Writing, I want to write about the move Thor. I just saw it for the fifth or sixth time. I really like it. Why? It's just another silly Marvel superhero movie. I am going to talk about the entire movie. So this is a spoiler alert. Though of course you know how the movie will end already. Myths and comic books tend to come to the obvious ending. I like the three realms that we see: Asgard, which is a science fiction city of the future combined with a Renaissance court; Jotenheim, which is cold and dark and bare, even spookier than the Old…

• MFAs

  Eleanor

  15 Jan 2012 | 11:18 am

  Foxessa made this comment on my MFA post. I am copying it here in full, because she is spot on:The main reason for getting an MFA is that in the realm of academic credentials, an MFA is considered a terminal degree. You must have a terminal degree in order to be considered for an academic teaching position of any kind.Writers and artists get tired as they get older. They don't generally make much money from their art or their writing, nor do they get health insurance, pension or other benefits. At some point teaching in some form can help one transition into the next phase of life with some…

• MFAs

  Eleanor

  7 Jan 2012 | 9:41 am

  This is something I posted on facebook. I've wondered about creative writing degrees for a long time. What is their purpose, except to train creative writing teachers? I mean, you get a degree in dental hygiene, and you can get a job. It used to be that a degree in journalism could help you get a job, and for all I know college training in business and technical writing are still useful. But creative writing?I am prejudiced in this area. I have taken some classes in writing poetry, which were fine, though I'm not sure I learned much. (The best one was in Iceland, with awesome birdwatching.)…

• Note

  Eleanor

  4 Jan 2012 | 7:41 am

  I wrote a lot more about class and language, and then decided I was taking Barbara Jensen's ideas in directions she had not intended. So I will wait for her book, which comes out this July, and read it.In the meantime, I deleted a couple of posts as being bullshit.*I had to add back part of what I cut, because the uncut version of my post on Barb appeared in The Twin Cities Daily Planet. I have to stand behind what I've said in public. I continue to think about Barbara's essay and think of the ways different kinds of people use language. She is contrasting blue collar workers with…

• 

  THE SKINNER

• Loony Tunes

  Neal Asher

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:55 am

  Bloody hell, it’s pouring out of me. It’s 3.25PM as I write this and I’ve done my 2,000 words despite having taken an 8-mile cycle ride and despite twittering like a canary. I think this might be due to the constraints I had to write under with The Departure, Zero Point and Jupiter War. In those books I was writing about the near future and necessarily had to limit myself to technology that was a few steps back from A C Clarke's Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Further constraints of course kicked in with the later books because they had to relate to…

• Maldon Prom

  Neal Asher

  26 Jan 2012 | 1:45 am

  We took a little walk around the Maldon prom a couple of weeks ago. Here's a few pictures: Maldon on the mud. Thames barges. This is where they have the Maldon mud race. More boats. HSE haven't found this yet. View back towards Maldon from the prom. The prom lake, which used to be a swimming lake that thousands visited every summer until some berk dived in (ignoring the presence of 'No Diving ' signs), smacked his head on a post and died. Subsequent involvement of the HSE and a compensation claim closed the lake to swimming. Congratulation all round.  The statue…

• Open Thread

  Neal Asher

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:52 am

  Many other blogs have open threads and I've been thinking about having the same here. In fact this is one. People often want to comment (or vent) about something that is not the subject in hand so this will give them the opportunity to do so. I'm using this picture for this one but, if people do come and avail themselves of this open thread then maybe later someone can come up with some sort of design for which I'll provide some sort of prize... 

• Stem Cell Success

  Neal Asher

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:10 am

  Hitting the sack last night to read for a while I did not get to see the 10.00 o’clock news (probably a good idea) but I did hear some mention of a stem cells success. On Twitter this morning I picked up on a story about two people, who were losing their sight, being treated with embryonic stem cells. One of them, a 51-year old graphic artist who was ‘legally blind’ i.e. could read nothing on an eye-chart, and a 78-year old suffering from macular degeneration. A week after having cells derived from a days-old embryo injected into her eye, the graphic artist could count fingers, and…

• Storm brings snow to Sahara Desert

  Neal Asher

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:58 am

  I bet you didn't realize my short story was so famous. Hur hur.

• 

  windupstories.com - fiction by paolo bacigalupi

• The Alchemist (and The Executioness) now available in ebook

  Paolo

  31 Dec 2011 | 11:37 am

  For those of you with an ebook reader, my novella “The Alchemist,” is now available in DRM-free ebook formats. “The Alchemist” originally started as a fun side project with my fellow author and friend, Tobias Buckell; we were both interested in writing something different from our normal work, and hadn’t tried writing fantasy before. We created the world together, and then each of us wrote a novella set in that shared world. Here’s the synopsis for the world: Magic has a price. But someone else will pay. Every time a spell is cast, a bit of bramble sprouts,…

• SHIP BREAKER gets a new cover

  Paolo

  22 Sep 2011 | 2:07 pm

  The paperback release of SHIP BREAKER seems to be making its way into the wild, a little ahead of its official Oct. 3 release day. Here’s the new cover, with all its shiny medals, and a more adventure-oriented design. I quite like it.

• SHIP BREAKER just won the Printz Award

  Paolo

  10 Jan 2011 | 2:59 pm

  aka the The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature This is so unbelievably cool.

• Some thoughts after the National Book Awards

  Paolo

  19 Nov 2010 | 3:11 pm

  Above: Myself and Jennifer Hunt, my fabulous editor; My agent extraordinaire, Martha Millard, myself, and Anjula, the one who believed in me before anyone; and finally, Sara Zarr, NBA judge and previous finalist, along with myself and Jen, throwing the Little, Brown salute. I had a ridiculously good time at the National Book Awards. Lots of readings and signings and fancy dinners and fabulous company. Alas, SHIP BREAKER did not win. But, you know, I’ve won a lot of awards this year, so I’m not complaining. When you’ve eaten as much cake with as much icing as I have,…

• National Book Awards/NYC Signing and Reading

  Paolo

  13 Nov 2010 | 3:35 pm

  I’ll be in New York City for the National Book Awards this coming week. Unfortunately, most of the events associated with the awards are limited and/or closed events. However, I will be doing one public event on Monday night at Books of Wonder along with NBA finalists Kathryn Erskine (Mockingbird), Walter Dean Myers (Lockdown), and Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer). Should be a cool event. Details below. Author panel and signing with NBA Young People’s Literature Finalists Monday, Nov. 15th, 6-8pm Books of Wonder 18 W. 18th Street, between 5th and 6th Ave. New York, NY…

• 

  Dar Kush

• 27 Jan 2012 | 8:57 am

  Steven Barnes

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:57 am

  "That which you persist in doing becomes easier to do."--Ralph Waldo Emerson new blog post!http://ping.fm/8LOdw

• TAGR #13: The Sixth Sense

  Steven Barnes

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:51 am

  No, not M. Night Shyamalan's best movie, but rather the culmination of the entire Napoleon Hill philosophy. And again, he is playing in a realm beyond rational thought. If you can't go there, I suggest you simply assume that he and his mastermind were wrong. On the other hand, if you are willing to speculate a bit, I believe something quite useful can be gained."The sixth sense defies description! It cannot be described to a person who has not mastered the other principles of this philosophy, because such a person has no knowledge, and no experience with which the sixth sense may be…

• TAGR #12: The Brain (as broadcaster/receiver)

  Steven Barnes

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:56 am

  "MORE than twenty years ago, the author, working in conjunction with the late Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, and Dr. Elmer R. Gates, observed that every human brain is both a broadcasting and receiving station for the vibration of thought."--Napoleon HillNow, there is really no way to interpret this other than that Napoleon Hill, and perhaps a number of those brilliant and successful men whose lives he studied, believed that psychic abilities exist, including telepathy and forms of clairvoyance. And this has been, and continues to be, a sticking point for many who might otherwise appreciate this…

• TAGR #11: The Subconscious Mind

  Steven Barnes

  24 Jan 2012 | 7:50 am

  TAGR #11: The Subconscious Mind"THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND consists of a field of consciousness, in which every impulse of thought that reaches the objective mind through any of the five senses, is classified and recorded, and from which thoughts may be recalled or withdrawn as letters may be taken from a filing cabinet."--Napoleon HillAnd this is one of those moments when you can peek through the artifice to see what Hill is actually concentrating on. One of the "secrets" of TAGR is that Hill alludes to a certain principle embedded in every chapter. Other books and courses have of course spoiled…

• TAGR #10: Sex Transmutation

  Steven Barnes

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:57 am

  My favorite principle, and by far the most controversial aspect of the entire program. When TAGR was first published, this chapter had to have been an absolute scandal. Subsequent editions oten pruned this chapter, most commentaries ignore it, and some of the "modern" versions are woefully inadequate.Basically through interview, study and observation of famous, successful men (and a few women) Hill came to the conclusion that, among other things:1) "Sex Transmutation" is the ability to adapt sexual energy into creative inspiration and work.2) Men rarely reach their peak of productiveness…

• 

  Christopher Barzak's

• Turning Points

  Christopher Barzak

  19 Jan 2012 | 2:49 pm

  This post is short, but I wanted to point any of my readers over to the blog of writer Nova Ren Suma (author of the fantastic novel, Imaginary Girls), where I’ve guest blogged in Nova’s Turning Points series. My turning point:  turning from writing the short story to the novel, and then from the novel to a novel-in-stories. There’s also a giveaway for copies of both of my books, so do leave a comment to be entered!

• Taking Stock: 2011

  Christopher Barzak

  19 Dec 2011 | 4:58 pm

  Well, it’s that time again.  End of the year and all.  Every year I try to write down the various things I’ve done–written, published, won, been nominated for, sold for the future, etc–and lay it out like I might in a proper journal.  It’s been a while since I’ve kept a proper journal, but most likely those who read this can tell I pop up regularly when university is not in session, and when it is in session…well, I’m usually up to my ears with work to sit down and gather my thoughts about myself and what I’m working on (or wishing I…

• New Music Crush

  Christopher Barzak

  12 Dec 2011 | 9:12 pm

  Robyn is weird.  I barely remember her former early 90′s self, which was largely forgettable over-produced, mediocre dance music/love ballads that sounded like the dance music/love ballads of the time.  But thanks to the most recent episode of Saturday Night Live, I was turned on to Robyn’s reinvented contemporary self, and she made some really cool choices.  She still is a pop dance type, but she’s a totally weird diva, instead of trying to fit in.  This is probably made more possible by the Coming of Gaga, but after obsessively reading interviews with Robyn, this sound…

• Attack of the Killer Collections

  Christopher Barzak

  11 Dec 2011 | 1:52 pm

  Every year around this season of gift giving, I see lots of posts by writers and readers and online stores, advising people what books would make great gifts.  Usually, these lists consist entirely of novels.  I’m a big fan of novels, but I might be an even bigger fan of short story collections.  But even I can be swayed by novel-fever, and in the past (not the recent past, but back when I did blog regularly past), even I’ve recommended buying novel A and novel B, etc.  This year, I’m recommending three killer short story collections that I’ve read in 2011.  Of…

• The 24 Hour Brother

  Christopher Barzak

  6 Dec 2011 | 8:57 pm

  Just a heads up for interested readers:  my short story, The 24 Hour Brother, is now available to read in the new issue of Apex Magazine. You can read it by clicking here. The story is an odd one.  Two things formed the story initially: one for form, one for feeling.  1.) I’d been wanting to write a story in which the life cycle of a human being was completed within a very few pages, and to hopefully, maybe, achieve some kind of emotional resonance over the occurrence despite the brevity of their stay.  2.)  With that in mind, I happened to read an essay by Joyce Carol Oates in…

• 

  The Battersblog

• JUST WHO THE HELL DO I THINK I AM?

  Lee Battersby...

  8 Jan 2012 | 1:42 am

  For reasons that largely escape me, but which may have contributed to my becoming sadly addicted to home reno shows of the "Better Homes & Gardens" variety a few years back, Luscious Lyn and I have recently started to watch Who do You Think You Are, an English show in which celebrities of the second stripe pretend to discover facts about their family history without acknowledging the team of researchers working behind the scenes who have carefully prepared every square inch of the utterly 'spontaneous' revelations well beforehand.In truth, watching the likes of John Hurt and Jeremy Irons…

• WIDESPREAD MOC-AGE

  Lee Battersby...

  8 Jan 2012 | 12:12 am

  Ever since I've started building Lego again, I've been looking for a way to display my MOCs in an easily-collated and viewable way, but nothing has really hit the nail on the head.Now, however, thanks to boredom and the run of the computer, I've found MOCpages, which gives me easy uploads, a WYSIWYG editor, and general levels of technological simplicity even a buffoon like me can deal with. Added to which, easily accessible galleries that show me just how unsophisticated my little creations are when compared to some of the insane designs going around.Still, we all have to start somewhere.So…

• A LITTLE BIT OF GUESTING

  Lee Battersby...

  8 Jan 2012 | 12:02 am

  I've been invited to detail my Angry Robot journey so far over at Ripping Ozzie Reads, and the results have been posted.I leave out the bit about cocaine-fuelled orgies with supermodels on corporate jets because they're still to come, but I'm fully expecting that to be part of the next post......

• WORD

  Lee Battersby...

  7 Jan 2012 | 11:58 pm

  It's been a couple of weeks since it's been announced, but word up to Perth writer Martin Livings, who has revealed the superb artwork for his upcoming collection Living With The Dead.The cover itself is here, whilst you can also see the full wraparound in this post. Martin's an underrated writer, and this is a collection that's going to be worth the pocket money.

• I, OF COURSE, AM A GROWN UP

  Lee Battersby...

  1 Jan 2012 | 3:45 am

  The kids might get to sit around at parties playing Lego, but some of us are grown ups and have grown up duties to attend to.Which is why I made these before everyone arrived: Asteroid ScoutAmbulance TransportCanyon Racer Steamship Explorer

• 

  throw another bear in the canoe

• go to the north. the decisive battle will be fought there.

  it's a great life, if you don't weaken

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:35 pm

  being a review of sorts of The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie (January 2011, Gollancz/Orbit US)I have mixed emotions about this book.On one level, it's a hell of an effort--a deeply ambitious book that attempts to do for fantasy novels what Platoon did for war movies. It's a crack at a dog's-eye view of war, and fairly successful on that front. However, I feel that it suffers a little from its own singlemindedness.Abercrombie can write a hell of a sentence, and though in the first hundred pages or so he often seems to be chasing metaphors a little too enthusiastically, his style eventually settles…

• a storm-age, a sword-age

  it's a great life, if you don't weaken

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:48 pm

  I have a cold. Darn you, winter airplanes. Darn you to heck.But I also have a nice review of Range of Ghosts from A. M. Dellamonica, and a cartoon me as diabolical mad scientist in a lovely post by plunderpuss on why Viable Paradise might be good for you.And I have a new S.F. Squeecast: "The Middlesquee!" With special guest Javier Grillo-Marxuach of The Middleman fame. Like you couldn't have figured THAT out.  In this episode we talked about:SYFY original movie Swamp Shark (shared by Seanan McGuire)Tower Prep (shared by Javier Grillo-Marxuach)Gail Simone‘s run on Birds of…

• love, the kind we clean up with a mop and bucket

  it's a great life, if you don't weaken

  26 Jan 2012 | 2:03 pm

  Whole lot of book-finishin' goin' on.tyop du jour: The jostling tan and brown animals, their wooly heads bobbing, straining on long pipe-curved necks, lunched forward.

• i remember days full of restlessness and fury. i remember nights that were drunk on dreams.

  it's a great life, if you don't weaken

  24 Jan 2012 | 7:07 pm

  From the PW review of Range of Ghosts (Elizabeth Bear. Tor, $25.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-7653-2754-3)"Bear launches a trilogy in a fantastic new world with this compelling tale.... Bear creates a vivid world where wizards must sacrifice their ability to procreate in order to control magic and the sky changes to reflect the gods of the land's rulers. The strong setting and engaging characters will have readers eager for the second installment."In other news: ConFusion was awesome, the mighty Myke Cole blogs about the all-star fantasy author AD&D1E game he and Saladin Ahmed ran (and that Peter…

• this is what happens when you piss off the internets

  it's a great life, if you don't weaken

  18 Jan 2012 | 9:13 am

• 

  New @ GregBear.com

• DISCUSSION: Primordium

  19 Jan 2012 | 7:01 pm

• DISCUSSION: Hull Zero Three - How Far?

  19 Jan 2012 | 7:01 pm

• DISCUSSION: Your book saved my fathers life!

  17 Jan 2012 | 7:01 pm

• DISCUSSION: Book Signings?

  17 Jan 2012 | 7:01 pm

• DISCUSSION: Halo Primordium

  16 Jan 2012 | 7:01 pm

• 

  Journalspace.com Blogs - Site Wide Activity

• zjl006 wrote on their own wire:

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  28 Jan 2012 | 11:34 am

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  Vicious Imagery

• "How could I handle work on a day like today?"

  DAVID BISHOP

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:47 am

• Australian politician plagiarises Aaron Sorkin

  DAVID BISHOP

  26 Jan 2012 | 3:32 am

  An Australian politician has been caught out, shamelessly stealing a speech from Aaron Sorkin's screenplay for The American President. Wonder if the local press corps had to ask each other how to spell erudite afterwards?

• Genius: Aardman animates Batman, Catwoman

  DAVID BISHOP

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:14 am

  Via @edward_ross and @AlyMathers.

• Another almost Animal from The Muppets clip

  DAVID BISHOP

  24 Jan 2012 | 2:59 pm

  Liam Finn and Greg Saunier compete for the role of Animal the drummer in any future [non-puppet] version of The Muppets.

• Dead moody: The Glove - A Blues in Drag

  DAVID BISHOP

  24 Jan 2012 | 2:19 am

  Robert Smith from The Cure and Steve Severin from Siouxsie and the Banshees teamed up for a side project called The Glove in the early 1980s. Among my favourite tracks on their album was this swirly, late night instrumental, A Blues in Drag. Here's a promo clip for that track which I'd never seen before today. [I heart YouTube.] Enjoy...

• 

  Gibberish

• Friday Night Videos

  Jayme Lynn Blaschke

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:11 am

  You know, there's a lot of new music coming out that I actually like, believe it or not. And by "new" music, I mean anything from the past 5 years or so. It seems that for every slickly-packaged, insubstantial pop tart like Katie Perry, there's another, more soulful singer emerging that is willing to experiment and take music into less-traveled territories. More often than not, they're Brits. What's up with that? Amy Winehouse is the obvious example, simply because she got there first, but sadly, personal problems limited her musical output before her untimely death. Adele is so wildly…

• The perils of rewrites, or, why Dawson and Mier must go

  Jayme Lynn Blaschke

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:08 pm

  For the past week I've worked furiously polishing up my Chicken Ranch book proposal, adorning it with whistles and bells, all in preparation for sending it off--along with the first several chapters--to prospective publishers. It's put up or shut up time for me if I want the book to see the light of day in 2013, which just so happens to be the 40th anniversary of the Chicken Ranch's infamous closure. Marketing opportunities like that don't come around every day.So in the course of my preparations, I'm also revising and polishing the first three chapters of the book, which will accompany the…

• Friday Night Videos

  Jayme Lynn Blaschke

  20 Jan 2012 | 11:10 am

  Okay, let's complete the Moonlighting-related trifecta. I mentioned Al Jarreau last week, specifically the duet with Sheena Easton of "On the Roof (Roof Garden)" for her early 80s TV special Act 1. It's pretty obscure--the Act 1 songs were never released on any soundtrack, nor were any included as bonus tracks on her regular album releases (save for her duet of "We've Got Tonight" with Kenny Rogers, but that was already a big hit by then). Three things are apparent in this video--1) Easton and Jarreau sound pretty good together, 2) Easton is very short. We're talking elfin, here, and 3) many…

• Friday Night Videos

  Jayme Lynn Blaschke

  13 Jan 2012 | 10:42 am

  Last week's video clip from Moonlighting got me thinking about another song from that show. No, not Al Jarreau's theme song (although Al's got some pretty impressive chops. I'm a particular fan of his duet of "On the Roof" with Sheena Easton) but rather Billy Joel's "Big Man on Mulberry Street." This particular song came from Joel's The Bridge album, and while it was never released as a single, the folks at Moonlighting took it and built an entire episode around it, structuring a Broadway-style dance narrative to the music that predated Twyla Tharp's collaboration with Joel by more than a…

• Acorn mania!

  Jayme Lynn Blaschke

  10 Jan 2012 | 1:32 pm

  There's a big old burr oak outside my office that's dying. It's got a fungal infection and rotting inside, is dropping large limbs and is likely to collapse (on my office!) at some point in the future, so the Texas Forest Service has recommended it be cut down before anyone (namely me) is hurt. It must've overheard those plans, because burr oaks are know to mast on occasion (produce an overwhelming number of acorns) and this tree produced an incredible amount this year, despite, I might add, one of the most severe droughts in Texas history that stressed many trees to the breaking point and…

• 

  Shaken & Stirred

• MIA

  Gwenda Bond

  24 Jan 2012 | 1:16 pm

  I know! I know! But not for long. Promise. More posts coming sooooon. Seriously.

• Empaneled

  Gwenda Bond

  17 Jan 2012 | 10:02 am

  Charles Tan, aka the hardest working man in science fiction, recently hosted an email roundtable on YA speculative fiction with Malinda Lo, Tehani Wessely, Cheryl Morgan, Tarie Sabido, and yours truly. It was great fun to do, although apparently I was trying to see how many times I could use the word conversation. (Answer: LOTS.) I blame holiday madness. The resulting conversationpanel is now live at SF Signal. Check it out if you're so inclined.

• Monday Hangovers

  Gwenda Bond

  9 Jan 2012 | 1:21 pm

  The wondrous Meghan McCarron has an *excellent* new story up at Tor.com, "Swift, Brutal Retaliation." You won't read another ghost story like this one anytime soon. Dept. of I Love This Kind of Thing: Maggie Stiefvater compares and contrasts the draft of a chapter, taking it from first version to last. Laini Taylor offers some questions to ask when a scene is giving you fits. I can't remember where I first saw this, but it's kind of amazing: "The Power of the Witch," a British documentary from 1971. There could have been no more perfect name for this bird…

• Happiest of New Years

  Gwenda Bond

  3 Jan 2012 | 2:38 pm

  ...to you. (Should that be Year's? or is Years okay? the day has passed, so I'm going SANS apostrophe, because I'm a rebel that way.) I am--like everyone else--playing catch-up and swimming as fast as I can coming out of the holiday. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say this year is already looking like it's going to be verrrry interrrrresting. More soon. *swims*

• This Was A Really Good Year

  Gwenda Bond

  31 Dec 2011 | 10:49 am

  In terms of reading -- I really do recommend all the books in the sidebar over there, and, as you'll see, my effort to winnow to a Top 10 resulted in a Top 17, that could just as easily have been a Top 20. But I forced myself to stop. Behind the cut tag (in reverse alphabetical order by author). Some Top Reads of 2011 How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma Bigger than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman Sandstorm: A Forgotten…

• 

  Swan Tower

• Letters from the Onyx Court

  Swan Tower

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:04 pm

  I'm tempted to follow in the shoes of Mary Robinette Kowal and participate in the Month of Letters . . . or rather, have my characters participate.But I don't want to advertise my home address to all the world, so I'd need to get a P.O. box. And that means I need to take the temperature of the Internet first, to see if there's any interest. Would you like to receive a letter from the Onyx Court? If so, drop a comment here, on Twitter (@swan_tower), or via e-mail (marie[dot]brennan[at]gmail[dot]com) to let me know.I figure all characters from that series (including the short fiction) are fair…

• The DWJ Project: Enchanted Glass

  Swan Tower

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:12 am

  When Andrew Hope's grandfather dies, he leaves Andrew in charge of his magical field-of-care -- with very little instruction as to what to do with it. And when a boy named Aidan Cain shows up on Andrew's doorstep, looking for safety from the inhuman things chasing him, the two of them have to work together to sort out just what is happening in the village of Melstone.This is one of Jones' newest books, surpassed only by Earwig and the Witch, which is one of the only things of hers I haven't read at all. It's a splendid example of two of the things Jones did beautifully well, which are vivid…

• Where I spent the last five days

  Swan Tower

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:27 am

  My parents need to have fortieth anniversaries more often. ^_^

• I suppose I should tell you . . . .

  Swan Tower

  21 Jan 2012 | 1:59 pm

  I'm in Hawaii. ^_^I couldn't mention it before, because it would have spoiled the surprise for my mother, but my father arranged to ship me, kniedzw, my brother, and my brother's wife out to Hawaii for a long weekend to celebrate my parents' fortieth wedding anniversary with them. As I type this, I can pause to look out over my balcony to the lagoon down below, where yesterday I swam and basked in the sun; just past it is the sea, where in a few hours I'll be going whale-watching.(Yeah, I might be gloating just a bit.)Quite apart from the beautiful surroundings, it's great to be able to hang…

• swan_tower @ 2012-01-18T10:16:00

  Swan Tower

  18 Jan 2012 | 12:16 pm

• 

  Contrary Brin

• Is Libertarianism Fundamentally about Competition? Or about Property?

  David Brin

  17 Jan 2012 | 1:30 pm

  Some folks have heard me beat this drum. But it’s a fresh-enough thought - going to fundamentals that run deep beneath normal politics - so that I am moved to raise it yet again. In part because someone recently asked me, as author of The Transparent Society: “Can transparency and libertarianism complement each other?” Now let’s have the simple answer first. Yes. A sane, better-focused libertarianism would be utterly compatible with transparency. In fact, it should be the very top priority. Both Adam Smith and Friedrich Hayek proclaimed that markets are healthy in direct proportion to…

• Two scientific mentors gone, but not forgotten

  David Brin

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:12 am

  Alas. Today I learned about the passing (a few days ago) of two great men who were mentors to me in both science and life, each of whom had a dedication or salutation in one of my novels. Professor James (Jim) Arnold and Professor Harold (Hal) Zirin. Jim Arnold had been one of the great pioneers in cosmochemistry - probing the chemical and isotopic composition of meteorites and lunar rocks, in order to reveal secrets about the origins of the solar system. Working with Harold Urey and others, he helped turn UCSD's sleepy little La Jolla campus into one of the world's greatest centers for…

• Do You Despise Congress?

  David Brin

  14 Jan 2012 | 12:15 pm

  Do you despise Congress? You’re not alone.  The current Congress’s 11% approval rating is the lowest since polling began. Yet, because of gerrymandering and the resulting hyper-partisanship, people tend to support their own particular Representative, and to heap the blame on the other party. Is everything just a subjective matter of partisan opinion? Are there  explicit statistical reasons to credit one party in particular with the present mess? "I think you'd have to go back to the 1850s to find a period of congressional dysfunction like the one we're in today," says Daniel…

• Politics Redux: Blue New Hampshire, Transparency and the latest episode of WikiLeaks Mania

  David Brin

  11 Jan 2012 | 3:50 pm

  First a note to Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry.  There's a point that your surrogates ought to be making - (with SuperPac deniability for you, of course!) Remind folks that New Hampshire is a Blue State. About as blue as they come. And hence, if the hybrid-type republicans of the Granite State prefer Mitt Romney... what does that say about him?  Redmeat for red South Carolina. Oh, but now on to things I actually know something about... == The Return of WikiLeaks == Last month, WikiLeaks launched its latest campaign, releasing nearly three hundred documents that reveal the…

• Whither Goest Capitalism? The fading American Middle Class... and putting Nehemiah Scudder on your car

  David Brin

  10 Jan 2012 | 10:43 am

  Re-lighting the political lamp, let’s commence with a crucial year in U.S. political history... by linking to a video that’s gone viral nationwide, “Capitalism Hits the Fan” by Professor Richard Wolff. Now, from the title I expected something tinged a little pink. What I found instead was completely fascinating - and not really "leftist" at all.  In fact, Professor Wolff passionately defends the general notion of capitalism.  That is, a competitively creative marketplace that encourages entrepreneurial start-ups and innovation. A market that would please Adam Smith and…

• 

  Dispatches from Tanganyika

• And The Ball And All

  Billy Martin

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:08 pm

  This is me at the Amon-Ra ball last weekend.Photo © 2012 by Grey Cross

• eBay, Old & New

  Billy Martin

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:45 pm

  Some eBay auctions ending this evening, and some new ones just up: hardcover first editions of The Value of X, Plastic Jesus, and The Devil You Know; the chapbook Con Party at Hotel California; and two anthologies, one old and one new -- Disco 2000, which originally published my story "Vine of the Soul," and The Mammoth Book of the Best of Best New Erotica, which reprints my "Entertaining Mr. Orton." All signed, all personalized at your request.Have launched into massive spring housecleaning. Tired, but even though I mopped floors all day yesterday, my back is not unduly sore. I credit…

• RIP Rexina

  Billy Martin

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:39 pm

  1996 - 2012Rexy was a sweet, stubborn, vocal old lady whose absence leaves a big cat-shaped hole in my heart. We found her and her brother Marcel as starving kittens gnawing on a chicken bone in Mid-City. Marcel is curled up in my lap right now, still going strong.

• Right Side Up, Dammit

  Billy Martin

  22 Jan 2012 | 10:26 am

  I have an announcement that should be happy-making for several of you who commented on the photo in this entry: Yes, the fleurs-de-lis on the display jacket I was trying on in the picture are upside-down. But the fleurs-de-lis on the packaged jacket I actually bought, took home, and wore to the ball last night are all proudly right side up. Which makes me happy too, because I don't like the upside-down fleur-de-lis thing either.The ball was fairly fabulous but I don't have the energy to talk about it right now. Here's my favorite costume from the tableaux, drag queen Maybelline Mascara as the…

• eBay, Footsteps, and Formal Wear

  Billy Martin

  19 Jan 2012 | 8:54 pm

  Kind of late in the day for it, I know, but new eBay auctions are up: hardcovers of Drawing Blood and Antediluvian Tales, plus the chapbooks Stay Awake, The Seed of Lost Souls, Used Stories, and The Feast of St. Rosalie, all signed, all personalized if you wish.Every night that I sleep at home -- and that's not as many as it should be these days -- I dream I hear footsteps coming down the hall. Weirdly (especially if you know me), it never scares me. I usually think it's Chris, but one night I thought it was Victor Pascow from Pet Sematary. Even then I didn't give a damn; I just thought, "Go…

• 

  Tobias Buckell Online

• New planting zone map reflects global warming’s impact on where things can be planted

  Tobias Buckell

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:37 pm

  When I was adding plants to my garden this year I found a fascinating fact that some of the plants that used to not be able to be planted in my zone were now being recommended for it. The US Dept. of Agriculture has caught up, and is changing the planting zones map. This will go out next year on all packets of seeds and planting zone recommendations: It’s the first time since 1990 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has revised the official guide for the nation’s 80 million gardeners, and much has changed. Nearly entire states, such as Ohio, Nebraska and Texas, are in warmer…

• US R&D map shows country falling behind

  Tobias Buckell

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:33 pm

  A presentation that comes with a map, via Neil Degrasse Tyson, that looks at the shocking change in US science research over the last 10 years:

• Halo Helljumper Series based on my short story Dirt Nearly Ready To Drop

  Tobias Buckell

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:04 pm

  So the Halo Helljumper webisode series is going to go live sometime today, and the miniseries is basically built around my novella Dirt from Halo: Evolutions. As you can imagine I can’t wait to see the first episode online. But as the last message on Facebook, they’re still uploading the first episode to the video service. Oh, wait, here it is: And direct YouTube link. As we wait, here’s a video interview with Dan Wang, the Director and Executive Producer: If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the preview (over 1/2 a million views so far): And here is the poster:

• Private space aims for around the moon trip

  Tobias Buckell

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:34 pm

  I’ve linked this before, but BoingBoing has a link to a more detailed description of the $150 million per ticket Space Adventures ride to the moon and back.

• Epic Confusion was epic

  Tobias Buckell

  23 Jan 2012 | 3:25 pm

  This weekend I attended Confusion, an SF/F convention where I got to hang out with an insane number of cool people. I got the twins a room of their own, and they were very impressed. Thalia climbed right into her hotel bed (I watch big TV, dad?). I spent a great deal of time hanging out in the lobby near the bar with an every-changing variety of friends. Like Kristine Smith and Jim Hines. Why is Jim holding a pair of extra small pink panties? That’s his story to tell. All I can say is that it involved John Scalzi and a D&D game, and leave it at that. Dave Klecha and I wrote a story…

• 

  Dark Roast

• Something to consider when considering.

  Coffee Em

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:16 pm

  An article in New Scientist magazine: US Voters Are Less Partisan Than They Think.(Against my better judgment, I'm leaving comments enabled. If you comment, be polite and respectful.)

• Screen acting master class

  Coffee Em

  21 Jan 2012 | 9:42 am

  Snagged from Mary Robinette Kowal:Warning: do not drink liquids while watching the last section.

• NO SOPA/PIPA

  Coffee Em

  18 Jan 2012 | 10:02 am

• Good grief, Charlie Brown!

  Coffee Em

  21 Dec 2011 | 2:35 pm

  Christmas is this Sunday. How the heck did that happen? And that means New Year's Day is next Sunday. And I'll have to get used to writing "2012" on things, and I'm not used to "2011" yet.If I pedal backwards really fast, can I get another month out of this thing?

• Magick4Terri: the last word!

  Coffee Em

  18 Dec 2011 | 11:13 pm

  Well, probably the last, at least from me. The auction has finished, and as Auction HQ requests in this post here, if you won an item you bid on, they need to hear from you to arrange the whole payment-and-delivery thing.Not sure if you won anything? Probably the kindest way to figure it out is to page back through the auction (which admittedly is GIGANTIC!) and double-check the comments thread on the things that first caught your eye. You'll find a final comment announcing the name of the winning bidder for each item.Or you could ask HQ to help you figure out if you may already be a…

• 

  Stephanie Burgis

• Limbo week

  Stephanie Burgis

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:13 am

  This has been a week spent in limbo as I've waited for different things. Most importantly and urgently, I'm waiting for MrD to get better. In the past 8 days, he's only been to school once, and that one time turned out to be a mistake. So, life for both me and Patrick is very much focused on looking after our sick little boy right now, with everything else put on temporary hold. I'm also waiting to hear back on a freelance writing audition, so that I'll know more about my writing schedule for the next couple of months. And although, last week, I finally made the scary (as a parent) decision…

• Sick Days and Reading Distractions

  Stephanie Burgis

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:12 am

  Oof. Poor MrD has been sick again ever since Thursday, getting worse in the last couple of days, so we're all pretty tired over here. I had two big freelance deadlines last week, so I'd been planning to spend this week happily re-immersed in my WIP, but...well, sick children change the game plan, to say the least. Honestly, I do sometimes feel frustrated about that when MrD's only a little bit sick, but when he's really sick, as he has been in the last couple of days, my priorities re-align themselves as naturally as compass needles. As frustrated as I can feel about not getting to work on my…

• Finding Heroines

  Stephanie Burgis

  19 Jan 2012 | 5:51 am

  There are nonfiction books that I read and enjoy, then set aside. There are nonfiction books that I find helpful in research. And then there are the books that I come back to again and again, the ones that feel genuinely life-saving to me.A couple of years ago, I beta-read Erin Blakemore's draft manuscript of The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder. Erin talks about 12 of her favorite classic novels by women, their heroines, and their authors' lives, focusing on the ways we can draw strength from their (often imperfect but brave) examples. She doesn't…

• Elsewhere on the web...

  Stephanie Burgis

  16 Jan 2012 | 5:48 am

  I just posted a blog entry at the Smack Dab in the Middle MG fiction blog about first lines in novels - and, in particular, why Kat Book 2 has a completely different first lines in its US and UK editions! Here's a quick snippet:With my second book, Renegade Magic, I struggled for ages to find the right first line. First of all, once I'd finished the first draft, I realized I was going to have to rewrite the whole opening of the novel. Sigh. That does happen a lot for me, unfortunately! Being an organic writer, I usually do have to write the whole book before I can figure out how it really…

• See You at Harry's

  Stephanie Burgis

  12 Jan 2012 | 4:50 am

  Here's something true about me as a reader: when I'm sick or sad or stressed, I want books that will make me feel better, books that will cheer me up and maybe even make me laugh. I avoid books that will upset me because, really, I have enough worries of my own to deal with.Now, here's another truth:Last night Patrick had to confiscate our Kindle from me because I was crying uncontrollably, so wrecked by what had just happened in the book I was reading that I could barely even breathe, I was crying so hard.This morning, though, I took the Kindle back. I started reading again, and ten minutes…

• 

  Mabfan's Musings

• Brian F. Walker: "Black Boy White School"

  mabfan (Michael A. Burstein)

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:49 am

  I spent six years teaching at the Cambridge School of Weston, and I made many friends among my colleagues and students. One of those friends was Brian F. Walker, who was in the English department and also worked in admissions in the time I was there. Brian F. Walker, Michael A. Burstein Photo copyright ©2012 J. Pickard. All rights reserved. Brian and I bonded over the fact that we were both writers. While I was writing science-fiction short stories, Brian was working on a YA novel based partly on his own experiences growing up in East Cleveland and attending a private school in New…

• Five Years Ago...

  mabfan (Michael A. Burstein)

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:06 am

  Five years ago today, I posted this entry.Five years ago this morning, my mother, Eleanor Mae Cohen Burstein, died. She was 70 years old when she died, and I had just had a message from her the day before in which she sounded fine.I don't really have much to say about her passing today. I've thought about discussing her life a little bit; as many of my friends know, Mom attended Mount Holyoke, Barnard, and Columbia Law School, and in her later years worked as an Administrative Law Judge. She died before she got to meet my children, but she did get to enjoy some of her other grandchildren…

• Brookline Patch Column: Now is the Winter of Our Discontent

  mabfan (Michael A. Burstein)

  20 Jan 2012 | 8:01 am

  Now is the Winter of Our Discontent, made glorious summer by...the unseasonable weather?In our latest The Brookline Parent column at Brookline Patch, Nomi discusses what it has been like for Muffin and Squeaker (and us) in a winter that up to now has been rather mild. Ironically, the column comes out just in time for us to find snow on the ground...Among the many things you'll find out if you read the column is how a friend's stuffed bear helped us convince Squeaker that yes, she really does want to wear her coat when the temperature is below freezing.Anyway, go read Now is the Winter of Our…

• New Horizons Launch Sixth Anniversary

  mabfan (Michael A. Burstein)

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:23 am

  As I noted over on the savepluto LiveJournal blog, six years ago today the New Horizons spacecraft was launched toward Pluto. Hard to believe we're only three and a half years away from seeing Pluto up close...

• Searching for an Umbrella

  mabfan (Michael A. Burstein)

  13 Jan 2012 | 10:15 am

  The rain yesterday and this morning reminds me that I've been meaning to ask folks if anyone could recommend a good umbrella.For many years, I've mostly bought relatively inexpensive umbrellas when I need a new one. What I've found, though, is that they tend to be of low quality, usually not lasting very long. A few months ago, I bought a brand-new umbrella at a local drug store to use that week; the very day I opened it, the umbrella fell apart, and I returned it for a refund.I've been using the same umbrella for years, but one of the spokes is no longer connected to the material, and it's…

• 

  Rachel Caine

• Mom's Mail: Episode 1

  25 Jan 2012 | 5:25 pm

  FIRST IN A NEW FEATURE!I'm going to cut this for length, so you can skip this incredible tale of what kind of fear mongering gets marketed to the elderly. BUT DON'T BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING.Let me 'splain.My mother is turning 85 in the next few months, and like many 84+ year-olds, she has trouble staying abreast of current events (or indeed, any technology invented after the rotary phone). And she gets LOTS of mail. Ridiculous handfuls of mail daily, from all kinds of crazy sources, because she is so polite that she actually *writes back* to these bulk mail idiots to tell them she's sorry she…

• Upcoming LAST BREATH tour events!

  1 Nov 2011 | 11:29 am

  Now available at retailers like Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Indiebound (independent booksellers), Books A Million, or retailers in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand!LAST BREATH TOUR EVENTS!November 1 - ONLINE video launch event - click to visit the Facebook Project Paranormal Books page, and choose the AUTHOR INTERVIEW tab!Starts at: 3 PM Eastern TimeYou can ask questions LIVE during the event, so be sure to get online and help us celebrate the release! We'll be having all kinds of fun.November 2 - Houston - Murder By The Book2342 Bissonett StreetHouston, TX 77005Starts at: 6:30 PM…

• LAST BREATH - LAST QUOTES!

  29 Oct 2011 | 10:53 pm

  LAST BREATH is coming on Tuesday, November 1! It's already available in the UK and Australia, so be on the lookout ... and it may be sneaking out early in some US locations as well!Now available for preorder at retailers like Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Indiebound (independent booksellers), Books A Million, or retailers in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand!QUOTE OF THE DAY #20 and #21 ... Twice as nice!Quote #20:Myrnin's gun was out, and there would be no opportunity now to reload. Mine had two shells left. As Myrnin dragged Oliver for the exit, I fired them in rapid succession,…

• THREE-FOLD LAST BREATH QUOTE OF THE DAY!

  27 Oct 2011 | 8:25 am

  Okay, I got way behind ... so I'm catching up!UK PEEPS: Last Breath is *already out* - go go go!Everybody else: Only a few days left to go! At the end of this I'm putting in my upcoming tour dates, so check it out, see if I'm coming close to you!Now available for preorder at retailers like Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Indiebound (independent booksellers), Books A Million, or retailers in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand!QUOTE OF THE DAY #17, 18, 19 ... Enjoy!#17: First, a little of Shane and Claire, with Shane being, well, Shane:"You're kidding," Shane said. "Do you think I want to…

• LAST BREATH QUOTE OF THE DAY: Eve, Shane, Michael

  23 Oct 2011 | 1:10 pm

  ATTN UK: Waterstones and Amazon UK have sneaked the book out EARLY. So go go go!ATTN EVERYBODY ELSE: Sorry.-----------------------------------------------------Now available for preorder at retailers like Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Indiebound (independent booksellers), Books A Million, or retailers in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand!QUOTE OF THE DAY #16 ... A little Glass House discussionMichael raised his eyebrows and glanced at Eve. "He doesn't sound crazy.""Er," she clarified. "Crazier. He sounds like he's back to normal, which is baseline crazy.""Says the girl dressed up in…

• 

  Pushing a Snake Up a Hill

• Star Wars Dogs

  Jeffrey A. Carver

  20 Jan 2012 | 5:44 pm

  This set Captain Jack howling! Dogs performing Darth Vader's Imperial March. It doesn't get much better than this. Call your dog over to listen before you press Play.

• It Ain't Over Till It's Over

  Jeffrey A. Carver

  14 Jan 2012 | 4:52 pm

  Thought we were done, were we? No such luck. Today [now yesterday] I was feeling a strange pain in my chest all afternoon -- not much of a pain, but enough to annoy me. In the evening it started to get a little more pronounced -- still not particularly bad, but enough to make me think about chest pains... men who ignore chest pains, and then drop dead. I sat and took my pulse. 96. Well, that's certainly a little high, isn't it? I went and took an aspirin, just to be on the safe side, and then checked it again, several times. Still 96. Damn. Why so high? The pain felt a little stronger, and it…

• Bleah!

  Jeffrey A. Carver

  9 Jan 2012 | 10:10 pm

  That's my comment for 2012, so far. For New Year's holiday week, Allysen and I took a long-anticipated trip to LA to visit family. The visit was great. Getting sick, not so much. The first hints of scratchy throat came on New Year's Day, while we were all seeing The Adventures of Tin Tin (fun movie). By the next day, I was a regular plague ship. I began coughing through the night every night. Worst cold in years. I'm sure I was no treat to be near on the airplane home, either. Upon arriving back in Boston, I wondered why my eyes were stinging so much. Could the air pollution possibly be that…

• Happy 2012!

  Jeffrey A. Carver

  1 Jan 2012 | 1:31 am

  It's not quite midnight here in California, where Allysen and I are visiting her brother and family, but we jointly decided to call it New Year at 9:00, when we knew the ball had dropped in Times Square. (Well, call it faith; we didn't actually check online to see if midnight had come to the Eastern time zone, but I'm pretty sure it did.) We're having a very nice visit, except that I'm fighting off a cold or something, and hoping I don't give it to anyone else.  We went to see TinTin today, and thoroughly enjoyed it in 3D, after an aborted effort to see it in Imax 3D. (The volume was…

• Holiday Book Sale!

  Jeffrey A. Carver

  22 Dec 2011 | 10:23 pm

  To celebrate the holidays, I'm joining with other Backlist eBooks authors in a huge $.99 holiday sale on selected ebooks in the Kindle and Nook stores, from right now through January 8! I decided—about half an hour ago—which book to put on sale. I'm going with Dragon Space: A Star Rigger Omnibus, regularly $6.99 for two novels in one: Dragons in the Stars and Dragon Rigger. That's right; I've knocked the price back from $6.99 to $.99, from right now through the first week in January, plus a day. (Or, to put it another way, until two days after Three Kings Day.) If you like dragons, and if…

• 

  incipit vita nova

• New Cover: Beyond Grimm

  ASterling

  22 Jan 2012 | 1:33 am

  Well, they might hate it, but . . .

• This content has been blocked

  ASterling

  18 Jan 2012 | 10:11 am

  This content has been blocked Best I can do - I have typepad.

• King Tut Looks Like Barbra Streisand

  ASterling

  13 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am

  When I first saw the reconstruction of King Tut based on CT scans of his mummy and modern forensic science, I thought - he reminds me of Barbra Streisand! Hmn. I think so! Don't look at a current picture of...

• Chopped School Lunch Ladies are Chefs With Heart

  ASterling

  8 Jan 2012 | 11:41 am

  Who would expect a Food Network competitive cooking show to educate, inspire and tug at your heart in a brief half hour episode? "Chopped" outdid itself with its incredible "school lunch lady" episode. Four east coast school cafeteria chefs competed...

• George Bush Holiday Cookie

  ASterling

  23 Dec 2011 | 5:07 pm

• 

  Jack of Ravens

• Swords Of Albion On Huffington Post

  MarkC

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:43 am

  My Swords of Albion books get a pretty detailed analysis on Huffington Post, looking in particular at how an Elizabethan fantasy can have some relevance to the world we live in today. Read it here, leave a comment.

• Elizabethan Ebooks

  MarkC

  20 Dec 2011 | 11:22 am

  Out now, from Bantam: ebooks of The Sword of Albion and The Scar-Crow Men. Elizabethan spies, supernatural threat, and the forces of Faerie – just in time for Christmas (or the holiday of your choice).

• Jack Of Ravens US Cover

  MarkC

  20 Dec 2011 | 8:01 am

  Here’s artist John Picacio’s cover for the Pyr edition of Jack of Ravens, Book One of Kingdom of the Serpent. Out in March, with books two and three to follow in subsequent months. For US readers, this is the final trilogy of the nine-book sequence that began with Age of Misrule. Jack Churchill returns, along with the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, Fabulous Beasts, Celtic gods, Ragnarok, the Otherworld and the wrapping up of every single plot-thread wound over the series. Can I suggest to all the readers who have been complaining about Gollancz’s failure to reprint the…

• Stonehenge Origins Uncovered

  MarkC

  20 Dec 2011 | 5:22 am

  Experts have identified the precise location in Wales of some of the megaliths used in the construction of Stonehenge. It’s a pretty major achievement to discover the location of the millennia-old quarry down to a few metres, but this also throws up some new mysteries. The rhyolitic rocks differ from all others in South Wales. The presumption is that they were chosen for a specific reason. How were they identified and why? There has been some interesting work done elsewhere into the acoustic qualities of particular stones at prehistoric sites. Is this important? And this discovery has…

• World’s End – German Cover

  MarkC

  12 Dec 2011 | 10:55 am

  Here’s the cover of the new German edition of World’s End. An interesting approach – that appears to be the long-buried bones of a dragon…

• 

  The Mumpsimus

• Metaphor Systems, Fictive Moments, and False Arrests

  Matthew Cheney

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:36 am

  Bradford Morrow, editor of Conjunctions and writer of The Diviner's Tale and The Uninnocent, in an interview conducted by Edie Meidav at The Millions:I may be overly optimistic or utterly blind, but my view of contemporary American fiction is that it is as rich as ever. Some of the best work is being written in what until recently was considered, at least among the conventional literati, genre fiction. Horror, gothic, mystery, fantasy, fabulism. There are so many stunningly original and serious writers working these fields. I have to think that anybody reading this interview would…

• Report Realism

  Matthew Cheney

  25 Jan 2012 | 10:54 am

  At Gukira, Keguro has posted some provocative thoughts on "report realism" in Kenyan fiction:Over the past 15 years and more specifically the past ten years or so, Kenyan writing has been shaped by NGO demands: the “report” has become the dominant aesthetic foundation. Whether personal and confessional or empirical and factual or creative and imaginative, report-based writing privileges donors’ desires: to help, but not too much; to save, but not too fast; to uplift, but never to foster equality. One can imagine how these aims meld with traditional modes of realism and naturalism and…

• Alternate History

  Matthew Cheney

  24 Jan 2012 | 8:48 am

  Ta-Nehisi Coates on Ron Paul's insistence that "compensated emancipation" would have prevented the Civil War:We are united in our hatred of war and our abhorrence of violence. But a hatred of war is not enough, and when employed to conjure away history, it is a cynical vanity which posits that one is, somehow, in possession of a prophetic insight and supernatural morality which evaded our forefathers. It is all fine to speak of how history "should have been." It takes something more to ask why it wasn't, and then to confront what it actually was. For more, see his first post in this…

• "Peter Torrelli, Falling Apart" by Rebecca Makkai

  Matthew Cheney

  23 Jan 2012 | 1:44 pm

  I've been reading through this year's Best American Short Stories, edited by Geraldine Brooks, little by little, almost randomly, not quickly, and mostly as a reward to myself when I get other work done. I got it as an ebook, because that's a nicely convenient way to read it. What ultimately attracted me to it was that this year's table of contents is more interesting to me than any in the last few years. (Finally, a BASS that isn't a Best American Rich White People!) My favorite story so far is Rebecca Makkai's "Peter Torrelli, Falling Apart", originally published in Tin House. For me…

• Amigo

  Matthew Cheney

  21 Jan 2012 | 12:47 pm

  When I was younger, I thought John Sayles was one of the greatest living filmmakers. I unhesitatingly said Matewan was among my favorite five movies (yes, I had a favorite five movies, something that seemed immensely important to me at the time). I made a special trip to see Men with Guns when it was first released — I saw it during a matinee in West Newton, Massachusetts, and I was the only person in the theatre. It was a glorious experience.But somewhere along the line, I began to re-evaluate Sayles's work. I saw all of his pre-Matewan movies, and they didn't really do…

• 

  John Crowley Little and Big

• Ewige weibliche

  John Crowley

  21 Jan 2012 | 11:13 am

  Friend EV, frequent contributor here and longtime friend, sends me this absolutely beautiful and almost supernaturally touching montage.  It misses the old and the atypical, but it's so exquisitely done:500 years of Female Portraits in Western Arthttp://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/portraits_women.html 

• What could you use instead?

  John Crowley

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:59 am

  It's sad when words that over time acquired specific and useful meanings lose them again.   Here's a quote from the right-wing Weekly Standard:You see, the problem in Europe isn't just that their tax rates are so high. It's lots of other things, too. To pick just three other causes: (1) European culture has elevated cohabitation to a nearly equal status with traditional marriage. (2) Religiosity has been replaced by secularism among native Europeans... I am certain that Weekly Standard deplores this trend -- but when did "religiosity" lose its negative…

• Daily Times

  John Crowley

  19 Jan 2012 | 5:48 am

  From today, in an article about the Leap Second and whether to forget about it.The problem is a distinctly modern one. Only a few centuries ago, people set their watches by the clock in the town square, and the time in each town was different from the next. That mattered little, since there was no need or ability to communicate with anyone elsewhere in the world.

• Most startlingly alliterative headline of the week

  John Crowley

  18 Jan 2012 | 5:43 am

  From the NYTimes today:Hikers Find Human Head in Hollywood Hills

• The Texas variant

  John Crowley

  17 Jan 2012 | 5:56 am

  Readers may remember the engaging discussion about the popularity of the (on the face of it) odd conversational gambit "I need you to..." or "You need to...".  In the NY Times today, this variant form:“Mitt, we need for you to release your income tax so that the people of this country can see how you made your money,” said Gov. Rick Perry of Texas.

• 

  ellen datlow

• Bound Galleys of After are in!

  ellen datlow

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:03 pm

   The book will be out in October. TOC below the jacketIntroductionThe Segment by Genevieve ValentineAfter the Cure by Carrie RyanValedictorian by N.K. JemisinVisiting Nelson by Katherine LangrishAll I Know of Freedom by Carol EmshwillerThe Other Elder by Beth RevisThe Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew KresselReunion by Susan Beth PfefferFaint Heart by Sarah Rees BrennanBlood Drive by Jeffrey FordReality Girl by Richard BowesHw th'Irth Wint Wrong by Hapless Joey @ homeskool.guv by Gregory MaguireRust With Wings by Steven GouldThe Easthound by Nalo HopkinsonGray by Jane…

• Fantasticon 2012

  ellen datlow

  22 Jan 2012 | 10:46 pm

  I'm delighted to announce that I'm Editor GOH at Fantasticon 2012, The annual convention for science fiction, fantasy & horror in Copenhagen. It takes place June 1-3rd. My co-guest is British sf writer Alastair Reynolds. Here's more info: Fantasticon 2012I was last in Copenhagen in the early 70s and am very much looking forward to returning. I'll be missing Book Expo, which will be a shame, but what would you choose? ;-)

• Soldier's Girl/Six Feet Under

  ellen datlow

  21 Jan 2012 | 11:22 am

  Why had I never heard of Soldier's Girl with Lee Pace, when it came out in 2003? I only discovered it after watching the series Pushing Daisies and then looking up everything else Pace has been in. The movie (I see it actually was a tv mini-series, which might explain why I was not aware of it), based on a true story, was made in 2003 and it's about a young soldier(Troy Garity)who meets and falls in love with a transgendered performer (Lee Pace) in a nightclub--and the repercussions. All the acting was good but Lee Pace's performance is extraordinary. I see that he was nominated for several…

• Photos from the KGB reading January 18-Link/Kelly

  ellen datlow

  21 Jan 2012 | 1:32 am

  Here are the photos from the terrific reading last Wednesday at KGB Bar

• In preparation for the e-pub of Wild Justice (aka Lethal Kisses)

  ellen datlow

  19 Jan 2012 | 4:23 pm

  I'm compiling a list of e-book reviewers for when Wild Justice is released. Bloggers and publications. The book was originally commissioned by Orion in the UK and was published there in 1996 as Lethal Kisses, a title which completely misrepresented the contents which were original stories of revenge and vengeance. Here's the TOC (There was a reprinted Ruth Rendell story in the original print book that will not be in the e-book). The book was never published in the United States and I have no recall whether it was ever reviewed here (probably not, although possible by Locus)Rare Promise by…

• 

  PeterDavid.net

• Bidding Adios to “Chuck”

  Peter David

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:01 pm

  On the one hand, I’m incredibly depressed that tonight is the finale of “Chuck.” On the other hand, I feel as if I should be grateful that we had the show for as long as we did. And the great thing about that is that it happened because fans took one of the favorite tactics of boycotters and censors, turned it around, and accomplished something positive with it. “Chuck” was always a demented, schizo series. In any single episode, the story could ricochet from broadly played comedy to high-stakes espionage. That didn’t always sit well with a lot of viewers.

• Space Cases: “Same Old, Same Old” Part 2

  Peter David

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  Originally published September 6, 1996, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1190 Last time, we presented Part 1 of Peter David and Bill Mumy’s unfilmed script for an episode of Space Cases. As we left the crew of the Christa, they were attempting to discover the source of a scene showing the ship’s (and presumably the crew’s) demise. EXT. SPACE (OPTICAL): The Christa flies by (stock shot). DAVENPORT (VOICE-OVER): I’d like you all to be brutally honest with me. INT. COMMAND POST: Davenport, Radu, Rosie and Bova are on monitor duty. DAVENPORT: It is important to me that, as your teacher, I…

• Space Cases: “Same Old, Same Old” Part 1

  Peter David

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  Originally published August 30, 1996, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1189 Gather round, kiddies—it’s another ripping installment of:  Useless Stories As I write this, I’m in sunny Montreal, where Space Cases is being prepped for its second season (set to begin in October). In that spirit, I’ve decided to show you a script that was written for the first season but—for a variety of reasons—didn’t get used. Written by Space Cases co-creator Bill Mumy and me, it shows the crew of the Christa learning one of the oldest lessons around: that the saying “May you live in interesting…

• The Big Fish

  Peter David

  20 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  Originally published August 23, 1996, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1188 A great personal tragedy had just struck at the household of Bill Mumy. Mumy and I were up in his office, working on a script for Space Cases, when Bill’s 6-year-old son, Seth, appeared at the door. Tears were rolling down his face as he sobbed out the heartrending news, “George the Third is dead and Ming ate him!” Bill was promptly consoling. I, of course, said the same thing that you doubtless said upon being presented with that declaration. Namely: “Huh?” Apparently, the tragedy had occurred in the Mumy fish…

• What Convenient Moral Outrage

  Peter David

  20 Jan 2012 | 3:30 am

  Newt Gingrich declared last night, when asked about his ex-wife’s recent interview, “I’m tired of the elite media protecting Barack Obama by attacking Republicans.” Funny. He didn’t have any problem with the elite media dog-piling on Bill Clinton during the time that he, Gingrich, was involved with the impeachment. PAD

• 

  Stephen Dedman

• On SOPA, piracy, copyright, etc.

  Stephen Dedman

  19 Jan 2012 | 12:58 am

  I've been wasting too much time arguing about these issues today, so I thought that rather than blacking out my dreamwidth and livejournal (i.e. making it look much the same as every day I don't blog, which is most of them), I'd state my position here.Writers, artists, actors, etc., have living expenses, and if they can't meet these through their art, they have to take other jobs, which mean they write/act/produce less, which leaves all of us poorer. Some entertainments are horrendously expensive to produce - opera, ballet, certain types of movie, etc. - and have to be paid for somehow. If we…

• You know you're reading New Scientist too much...

  Stephen Dedman

  2 Jan 2012 | 9:36 pm

  when your first thought on hearing "Summertime/And the living is easy/Fish are jumping/And the cotton is high" is that maybe we shouldn't be adding frog and marijuana genes to our agricultural produce.Addendum:While waiting for a bus, I turned this into a brief filk:Summertime,And the living is easy.Fish are jumpingAnd the cotton is high.I blame the genesFrom kangaroos and marijuana:Monsanto's gone too far this time.

• One of life's little mysteries...

  Stephen Dedman

  27 Dec 2011 | 11:33 pm

  may have been solved. While discussing movies over Christmas lunch, my mother told me how I'd come into the world: she'd gone into labour ahead of schedule while watching Psycho.

• Happy 50th Anniversary, WEST SIDE STORY!

  Stephen Dedman

  13 Nov 2011 | 4:32 am

• Joss Whedon does Shakespeare!

  Stephen Dedman

  10 Nov 2011 | 10:09 am

  A great interview with Joss Whedon, mostly about his low-budget modern-dress film of Much Ado About Nothing.

• 

  A.M. Dellamonica

• Why you should be absolutely panting to read Range of Ghosts

  alyx

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:04 pm

  Okay, how to say this without spoilers? Range of Ghosts is epic fantasy. The Internet may need more kittens, always more kittens, and in a similar vein fantasy readers always need more great sweeping adventures that pit Good Guys, some of them female, versus legitimately scary Evil Guys. Tales that explore the nature of life, death, politics, parenting, charting the right course for yourself, loyalty, and little posers like what love really means. And before you say “Yeah, Alyx, but you loooove epic fantasy, you would say that!” Actually, the truth is that while I like the stuff,…

• My first Buffy rewatch is up at @Tordotcom

  alyx

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:09 pm

  Many of you have probably already seen this, but I’m rewatching Buffy and I hope you might all play along. These posts will be going up weekly, probably every Monday, and I am having a lot of fun with them. Originally published at A.M. Dellamonica. You can comment here or there.

• AmReading : Simon Winchester’s Atlantic

  alyx

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:54 am

  Among Others, by Jo Walton turned out great… I loved every single page. I am now just barely into the intro for Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories, by Simon Winchester. I’ll let you know how that goes. Some Short Stories I’ve read and loved recently: “Terms of Engagement,” by M.K. Hobson “A Clean Sweep with All the Trimmings,” by James Alan Gardner Previously read in 2012 BOOKS 1. The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt 2. Among Others, by Jo Walton Originally…

• The Civilian Done it…

  alyx

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:09 pm

  One of the tricky elements of writing mysteries set in the here and now which feature amateur detectives–cozies, in other words, as opposed to procedurals–is writing in the police in a way that doesn’t make them improbably dumb, corrupt, or negligent. I’m really against the police looking ineffective. While it’s true that not all law enforcement officers are created equal, they have a big advantage over Jo Civilian in solving any given crime. They are more of them, for one thing. They have specialized evidence-gatherers and the legal right to ask impertinent…

• Naples, especially the museum

  alyx

  22 Jan 2012 | 1:05 pm

  Alyx Dellamonica’s photostream on Flickr. I am closing in on having all the photos from our trip uploaded to my archive on Flickr. The latest batches are from beautiful beautiful Napoli, and feature much in the way of cool old statuary. It was a wonderful museum–though a couple rooms I really wanted to see were closed. Napoli was every bit as cool as Rome and all of Sicily, but it felt like more work. By then we were tired, of course, but the combination of fatigue, only having a couple nights, dodging New Years’ celebrants and their (huge, noisy, numerous) explosives and…

• 

  Cory Doctorow's craphound.com

• Interview with CBC’s Spark on the coming war on general-purpose computation

  Cory Doctorow

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:32 am

  I did a quick interview with the CBC Radio programme "The Spark" last week from my office in London, talking about my idea of "the upcoming war on general purpose computing." They've just posted the unedited audio in advance of airing a shorter excerpt. MP3 link

• Little Brother stage-play in San Francisco

  Cory Doctorow

  17 Jan 2012 | 11:54 am

  There's a new stage adaptation of my novel Little Brother opening in San Francisco. Charlie Jane Anders from IO9 got to go to the preview and loved it, which is incredibly heartening, since I won't get to see it! So I'll just say that the version I saw was powerful and brilliant, and the cast was note-perfect, especially Daniel Petzold as Marcus Yallow. (The other two castmembers, Marissa Keltie and Cory Censoprano, have a harder task in some ways, since they play a variety of roles throughout the show. And they're both great as well.) The stage play uses a lot of pre-recorded video and some…

• Martian Chronicles, part two

  Cory Doctorow

  17 Jan 2012 | 4:13 am

  The StarShipSofa podcast has the second installment of Jeff Lane's reading of my YA novella The Martian Chronicles (here's part one). Lane does a great job with the reading. MP3 link.

• Podcast: A Vocabulary for Speaking about the Future

  Cory Doctorow

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:56 am

  Here's a podcast of my last Locus column, A Vocabulary for Speaking about the Future: Science fiction writers and fans are prone to lauding the predictive value of the genre, prompting weird questions like ‘‘How can you write science fiction today? Aren’t you worried that real science will overtake your novel before it’s published?’’ This question has a drooling idiot of a half-brother, the strange assertion that ‘‘science fiction is dead because the future is here.’’ Now, I will stipulate that science fiction writers often think that they’re predicting the future. The…

• “Martian Chronicles” reading

  Cory Doctorow

  11 Jan 2012 | 9:49 am

  The Starship Sofa podcast has produced an excellent reading of my novella "The Martian Chronicles," which was originally published in Jonathan Strahan's YA anthology Life on Mars. The reading is by jeff Lane, who's really talented. Here's the MP3 (the reading starts around 1:50).

• 

  Beluthahatchie

• Read in 2011

  Andy Duncan

  2 Jan 2012 | 12:23 pm

  Of the books I read in 2011, a few favorites, in publication order.Fiction:Jim Thompson, The Getaway (1959). Scary and increasingly surreal. Arguably a dark fantasy novel.Stephen King (as Richard Bachman), The Long Walk (1979). Relentless. A lifetime ahead of The Hunger Games.Ted Chiang, The Lifecycle of Software Objects (2010). As with all Chiang's best work, it's not only moving but keeps you thinking for months after you put down the book.Non-fiction:Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders (1974).  A spellbinding police…

• Marcellus Shale gas overestimated by 80 percent

  Andy Duncan

  27 Aug 2011 | 5:46 pm

  The U.S. Energy Information Administration says it will cut its estimate of the total natural gas in the Marcellus Shale by 80 percent to match the U.S. Geological Survey estimate, according to The New York Times.  "They’re geologists; we’re not," an EIA analyst said, rather sheepishly.To be sure, 84 million cubic feet is still a lot of natural gas, but that USGS estimate itself is generous, because it counts all the gas that's "technically recoverable," meaning using every iota of extraction technology available on the planet.  How much of that would be economically feasible,…

• Can a bar of soap in the bed prevent leg cramps?

  Andy Duncan

  27 Aug 2011 | 5:25 pm

  I've heard for years, especially from Sydney's family, that a bar of soap in the bed prevents nocturnal leg cramps.  Having never suffered that malady, I've never had occasion to try it.  Now Snopes.com labels the folk belief "undetermined," on the assumption that no one has proven or disproven it. I'm inclined, like Snopes, to attribute any benefit to the ever-reliable placebo effect, but I'd still like to know whether any scientists have tested this belief.

• A Father's Day remembrance on the Outer Banks

  Andy Duncan

  19 Jun 2011 | 3:05 pm

  While running errands today, I saw two women and two boys planting a cross beside the U.S. 158 bypass in Kill Devil Hills, N.C.I stopped to talk and learned the cross marks the site where Victor Wilson of Kill Devil Hills was fatally injured on his motorcycle in May 2010.  The boys are Wilson's sons, who were 13 and 6 when he died. Planting the cross was the family's Father's Day observance.Here's the original Virginian-Pilot account of Wilson's death, which credits police as saying that a pickup-truck driver leaving the Outer Banks Brewing Station across the highway pulled in front…

• Procrastination wins again

  Andy Duncan

  2 Jun 2011 | 2:03 pm

  In our absence this week, the bell post in our front yard finally fell down of its own accord, sparing us a chore we'd been putting off for five years. The timing is good, as Big Trash Day is next week.

• 

  Notes From The Geek Show

• SFF Translation Awards Prize Draw Fundraiser

  Hal Duncan

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:04 am

  The clue is in the title. Yes, the jury for the Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Awards are currently considering the various nominees, but in order to give prizes to the winners they need money. So, a fundraiser is afoot in which you can win prizes. I'm donating a signed copy of my poetry collection, Songs for the Devil and Death, and I note that Steve Berman of Lethe Press has donated a

• New Link, Not Quite New Story

  Hal Duncan

  22 Jan 2012 | 7:45 pm

  At some point I'll probably pick up where I left off before Christmas with my ramblings about mnemes and semes and whatnot. There is a big post on memes sitting half-done in Scrivener. But at the moment, I'm sworn to get my shit together and finish the fucking novel. So needless to say I procrastinated and updated the "Online Fiction" links to include my story from the latest Cabinet des Fées, "

• Happy New Year

  Hal Duncan

  2 Jan 2012 | 7:22 pm

  Having returned from my annual Hogmanay jaunt with mates to a remote cottage -- in the wilds of Dumfries and Galloway this year -- I just thought a quick wee post was in order to say Happy New Year to yez all.Unfortunately, my MacBook seems to have become a boddhisatva with the end of the festive period, extinguishing all ego in the form of the letter "i," so emphasis on the wee. Oh, it survived

• Of Mnemes and Semes

  Hal Duncan

  23 Dec 2011 | 7:18 pm

  The Philosophy of the ExperientialIn a previous entry, I kicked the notion of qualia around a bit and ended up with the notion of the aestheme, a term paralleling words such as phoneme or grapheme and basically decomposing to aesthetic morpheme. What with semes in the mix too, it looks like rhyme is the name of the game here, but hey, works for me. Besides, qualia sounds like a fucking Roman

• Atheism Is Not a Faith

  Hal Duncan

  21 Dec 2011 | 2:17 am

  Seeing an acerbic comment on Twitter the other day on the "atheist faith" having religious features in the shape of apostolic figureheads and a persecution complex, part of me thinks I can appreciate a skepticism as regards some hardline proselytisers who scorn all doubt of their position being the only legitimate position. Part of me, on the other hand, is well aware that I am myself a fairly

• 

  A Blister to My Eye

• Red Riding Hood

  David

  9 Jan 2012 | 5:46 pm

  I just watched part of the recent movie "Red Riding Hood" on TV. I had no idea that all the girls in a typical medieval village were so hot. And had such nice teeth. The young male leads were also quite pretty, and it's even possible that some of them are heterosexual. It was a flop in the theaters, I believe; it should have been a CW series. Gary Oldman chewed the scenery as a strange (of course!) priest. At one point, when looking for a witch among the villagers, he says that one of the signs to look for is a person exhibiting strange odors. Oh, Father. It's the Middle Ages.

• Regressive Voice

  David

  21 Dec 2011 | 6:44 pm

  Some years ago, I put an essay on my Web site titled Progressive Voice. It was a call for progressives to speak up and counteract the shrill volume of the right wing. I also said that progressives are the real Americans, and we have to make that clear to the country. I’ve had the occasional supportive e-mail in response. Today I got one from the other side. It demonstrates just how dangerous the right wing really is: David, I glanced over your manifesto with complete shock. Al I can say is Are you fucking kidding me?. You and any that think the way you do MUST be hunted down and permanently…

• Dust Net

  David

  11 Dec 2011 | 10:15 pm

  Governments want to control access to the Internet in order to remain in power. Corporations want to control access to the Internet in order to make lots of money. Both of them can maintain such control only as long as citizens/consumers are forced to access the Internet through a relatively few bottlenecks. Those are the points where government can choke off access; those are the gateways for the use of which corporations can charge exorbitant fees. Political activists in countries with repressive governments have devised ways ― e.g., dialup access to proxy servers― to bypass government…

• “What are you doing here?”

  David

  11 Dec 2011 | 11:11 am

  This is a small thing, but it bugs me. It seems to be new, and the buggishness factor grows each time I hear it. In TV shows, when Character A is surprised at encountering Character B doing something unexpected, A will say, “What are you doing here?” So far, so good. Much more commonly, the situation is that A unexpectedly encounters B in a place where B should not be. A should say, “What are you doing here?” Instead, A always says “What are you doing here?” Same emphasis as in the first situation, but completely inappropriate in the second. It’s as if TV actors and/or directors…

• Obligatory Thanksgiving Day Thankfulness Post

  David

  24 Nov 2011 | 2:51 pm

  Okay, I'll join the crowd and say what I'm thankful for. More to the point, since I’m an atheist and therefore don’t believe in a supreme being or other divine or supernatural force, I’ll say whom I’m thankful to. I'm thankful to Leonore for my wonderful marriage and daily happiness. I'm thankful to a bunch of 17th and 18th century political philosophers for the system we live under. I'm thankful to Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson for Social Security and Medicare. I'm relieved, rather than thankful, that the tides of politics have kept the Republican Party, that well of…

• 

  But Enough About Me!

• Re-reading and the Experience of Narrative

  Kate Elliott

  9 Jan 2012 | 2:23 am

  As far as we know, humans have always created narratives.  Before the invention of writing these stories would have been oral, spoken and/or sung, or ritualized as dance or as performances that one might equate to early theater. In pre and proto literate cultures as well as ones in which only a small percentage of the population can read, stories are often also be reinforced through images meant to remind the person seeing the image of a story they already know.  I have seen visualized representation of narratives in diverse places.  In Thailand there are numerous depictions of the…

• Using the story to explore the world: Benjamin Tate on Leaves of Flame

  Kate Elliott

  6 Jan 2012 | 3:34 am

  (KE): Today, a guest post   by Benjamin Tate HIS novel, Leaves of Flame, is out this week.   Once upon a time I started a novel.  I was in high school, I’d just decided that I wanted to be a writer, and so I tackled a novel (after a few half-hearted attempts at short stories).  I had an idea after all, and I had a map I’d drawn in U.S. Government class, and I could see the world in my head.  So off I went. Ten years and five drafts later, I had a book.  During those five drafts, the world and the map and the magic fleshed itself out, not to mention I managed to teach myself…

• Links of Interest

  Kate Elliott

  5 Jan 2012 | 2:34 am

  Aliette de Bodard writes about her story “Scattered Along the River of Heaven,” now available at Clarkesworld. I really love it when people talk about where stories came from or how they were written. This one started with poets: to be more specific, Aimé Césaire and Qiu Jin. . . . The whole Qiu Jin angle tied in with some thinking I’ve been having about revolutions and wars of liberation; and about messy transfers of power. Mainly, that revolutions always have a losing side, and that they create exiles . . . I wanted one of the strands of the story to be poems: the idea was…

• Ways of Struggling with Gender

  Kate Elliott

  4 Jan 2012 | 2:41 am

  YA writer Mette Ivie Harrison writes an excellent post on Gender Masquerades (mostly focusing on the tv show The Mentalist but with wider applicability): As it is now, any romance between them I think is simply too uncomfortable for a modern American audience which, for all our talk about equality between men and women, still clings to very stereotypical views of what is feminine and what is masculine. I wish that I believed that we would come to accept that labeling certain behaviors as “masculine” or “feminine” is just silly and ultimately confining to both men and women in the real…

• The Serpent Sea, Martha Wells, & talking up the books you love

  Kate Elliott

  3 Jan 2012 | 1:54 am

  Last year on the advice of Steven Gould I read The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells. Some years ago I had given Martha a quote for the first of her Ile-Rien trilogy: Martha Wells writes fantasy with a unique twist and a modern sensibility. The Wizard Hunters drew me in with strong characters and an intriguing setting and kept me reading as the plot raced headlong into a marvelous adventure. A great read! I lost track of the subsequent books in that series. In fact, they were not widely available. Wells’ career went through what we writers call a crash. She writes about it in this really…

• 

  Mirror of Ambrose

• In Medias Res…

  8 Jan 2012 | 8:47 pm

  Starting the middle of the academic year at the beginning of the calendar year always seems weird to me. But weird isn’t bad, so I’m getting ready to (as Horace and Ellison recommend) “begin in the middle and later learn the beginning. The end will take care of itself.” [Originally published at Ambrose & Elsewhere. Comments there are closed due to spambery--but not here on LiveJournal. You can also reach me on Twitter, or on Facebook.]

• Gaude! Gaude!

  24 Dec 2011 | 2:29 pm

  Breaking radio silence here so that I can wish a merry Christmas to those who celebrate it–and a happy weekend to all. [Originally published at Ambrose & Elsewhere. Comments there are closed due to spambery--but not here on LiveJournal. You can also reach me on Twitter, or on Facebook.]

• What a Nobel Mind is Here O’erthrown…

  6 Oct 2011 | 2:47 pm

  The Nobel Prize Committee passed over me and Bob Dylan again, in spite of my tireless efforts on behalf of American sword-and-sorcery and whatever it is that Dylan does. I called him up to commiserate. I said, “This is starting to look like a cultural bias against Minnesota expatriates! The Nobel committee has some explaining to do!” He implicitly agreed, saying, “Who the hell are you and how did you get this number? Stop calling or I’ll have you arrested.” It’s enigmatic crap like this that’s made him the prophet of a generation, maybe even a…

• James Enge Decennial Blues

  11 Sep 2011 | 1:45 pm

  Went down to the Black Swamp Arts Festival. Going to see my baby there. Actually, I went down there with her: so sweet, so warm, so fair. We saw/heard these guys there, among others: Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. They were great. Ten years ago today I was teaching a Latin class when the news came in about the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. I felt then that we should have gone on with the class, although it didn’t work out that way. (People had people that they were worried about, and that has to come first, even before things as important as Latin.) But I still kind…

• Dragon*Con 2011…

  8 Sep 2011 | 1:05 am

  … was a blast. That’s what it’s for, I guess. I flew in on Friday evening, met Diana, my partner in crime, at the airport, then rolled into town to check in. The con hotels were all full when I booked my room in July, so we ended up at the Regency Suites, three stops north of the con on the subway. Last year’s check-in process was a megillah, wrapped in a disaster, inside a snafu. I was dreading something like that or worse this year… but instead I sailed through and got my (pre-registered) badge in minutes. NOT HOURS. Even the same-day registration lines were efficient…

• 

  The Incomplete Blog

• [Politics | Religion] This is not a slippery slope

  Josh English

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:55 pm

  Here is my argument. For the record, I do not agree with the sentiments behind the premise:Being a good Christian who spends some time every day reading the Bible as God's inspired word, I come to realize that slavery is part of God's plan for humanity. Slavery was common. It was part of the economic system. There were ways people could thrive as slaves. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, used slaves and slavery in His parables yet did not say anything that made slavery seem like a bad thing. Even Paul wrote about the proper Christian relationship between masters and slaves without saying…

• [Politics] Voter Disenfranchisement

  Josh English

  12 Jan 2012 | 10:01 am

  I had this idea this morning: It's natural for Republicans to support voter disenfranchisement because they even support it for themselves. They are willing to disenfranchise the Republicans in 47 or 48 states to find their nominee.As I understand it, there will be 1,400 delegates to the Republican National Convention. Less than 12 have been decided, and a good number of them are willing to call the race based on less than 1% of the delegates having been chosen.This is ill, people.My party, the American Commons Party, will have one primary in every state on the same day of the year, with…

• [Art] Titian's La Bella

  Josh English

  8 Jan 2012 | 5:30 pm

  After church this morning, Stephanie and I (with the help of her folks) went to the Portland Art Museum to see Titian's La Bella.The painting itself has some optical tricks. The sleeves look like they are projecting from the canvas, and the left hand is painted with more realism than the rest of the body, especially her left index finger. It really pops forward.But what truly struck me was the description, which described a bit of the mystery behind the true subject of the painting. There are clues that anyone who can read these paintings. First, the undersleeves are a rich reddish-purple…

• [Politics] A flip-flopper, a bigot, and a loony walk out of a caucus...

  Josh English

  4 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pm

  really, does this joke need a punch line?Romney will get the Republican nod, and they won't be happy with it. He says whatever is convenient and he's trying to get elected without actually owing anyone political favors. He can't say his stand on anything has grown, because he's on both sides of every issue. He's the closest thing the Republicans have to a serious candidate, save Buddy Roehmer and Jon Huntsman. Romney claims to know how the economy works, but he made his money by firing people and outsourcing jobs. I don't want that for my economy, thanks.Santorum is an…

• Thoughts on character and plot

  Josh English

  1 Jan 2012 | 4:36 pm

  Last night, Stephanie and I went to see Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Someone (I suspect davidlevine) said it was full of sound and fury with little significance, and I have to agree. I knew Holmes was going to win. As soon as I heard the name of the castle, I knew the ending. It was a fun movie, but there was no buy-in on my part that Holmes or Watson were actually under any kind of threat. I'm okay with that, because I didn't expect much more than a few explosions and Robert Downey Jr in several different costumes.We also watched the remake of Clash of the Titans and I had the…

• 

  Doc 40

• UNDISCOVERED WOODY

  Mick

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:32 pm

  I see happy school kids singing Woody Guthrie’s "This Land is Your Land," unaware that Woody was a card-carrying communist, a lifelong supporter of the IWW, and that the song was written as a protest against the banal apple-pie patriotism of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America." "This Land is Your Land" was originally titled "God Bless America for Me," and the original chorus used that line

• THE FROZDICK FAMILY

  Mick

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:14 pm

  Bucky Frozdick liked to get drunk and make out with chicks in his UFO.

• A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

  Mick

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:01 pm

• ANOTHER PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

  Mick

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:58 am

• WE HAVE A SOLUTION FOR EVERY PROBLEM

  Mick

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:56 am

• 

  Talk in the Shadows

• Short Story "Seven Years" now available!

  LynnF

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:51 pm

  As promised, my male romance story is online at: http://cupoporn.net/2012/01/26/birthday-bash-free-story-15/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter Adult content.Enjoy!

• My Blushes, Watson!

  LynnF

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:16 am

  *Adult Content Ahead*A while back my friend, m/m romance writer Marie Sexton, asked if I'd contribute a spicy story to her website, Coffee and Porn in the Morning, otherwise known as Cupoporn on Twitter. It's a fun site, but be warned, it is rife with naked men. (Actually, that's probably the opposite from a warning for a lot of you). I said, "Sure!" little knowing how difficult it was going to be. I've spent so long avoiding writing stories where sex and romance are the main point! But I took it on as creative challenge and the result is that "Seven Years" will appear on the site at 7:30 pm…

• Maybe this isn't such a bad idea . . .

  LynnF

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:45 am

• Fan Art!

  LynnF

  20 Jan 2012 | 7:26 pm

  I haven't received any fan art for a while, and today not one but TWO spectacular pieces arrived. Here is new reader's Amanda Turco's haunting rendition of Tamir/Tobin. And from our very talented Casey Beck, a very mischievous Illia Cavish!Thank you both so much! 8-)

• Guest Blogger: Joshua Palmatier/Benjamin Tate

  LynnF

  11 Jan 2012 | 11:26 pm

  Today's guest blogger is Joshua Palmatier (aka Benjamin Tate), a fantasy writer with DAW Books, with two series on the shelf, a few short stories, and is co-editor with Patricia Bray of two anthologies. Check out the “Throne of Amenkor” trilogy—The Skewed Throne, The Cracked Throne, and The Vacant Throne—under the Joshua Palmatier name. And look for the “Well” series—Well of Sorrows and the just released Leaves of Flame—by Benjamin Tate. Short stories are included in the anthologies Close Encounters of the Urban Kind (edited by Jennifer Brozek), Beauty Has Her Way (Jennifer…

• 

  Eric Flint's place on the web

• The Road Of Danger – Snippet 59

  Drak Bibliophile

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  The Road Of Danger – Snippet 59           Lindstrom, though, frowned and said, “Look, Pensett, we’re not RCN, you know, even if you are. I’m not sure–”           “What I’m not sure about, mistress,” Daniel said, “is what these yobbos on the Estremadura are going to do if they find an ex-RCN officer on a blockade runner. I don’t worry about a trip to Westerbeke, but instead it just might be a dive out an airlock without a suit. And if they space me, well–”           He shrugged.

• A Rising Thunder – Snippet 19

  Drak Bibliophile

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  A Rising Thunder – Snippet 19 Which meant, as her listeners understood perfectly well, the tribute extracted from OFS’s empire of protectorate star systems. That particular revenue stream was scarcely what anyone might have called enormous compared to the League’s overall economy, but it was stupendous in absolute terms, and it belonged entirely to the League’s bureaucracies. That was one reason — indeed, the reason, really — Frontier Security had been allowed to build its empire in the first place. And, of course, it was also the primary reason nothing…

• The Road Of Danger – Snippet 58

  Drak Bibliophile

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  The Road Of Danger – Snippet 58           Her smile slipped. She did very much want to lift off. If the Princess Cecile had been ready to lift when the cruiser made for Daniel, Adele would have done so immediately, regardless of her cover as Principal Hrynko. As it was, all she could do at the moment was to determine what had happened. Later she would right it, if possible.           Adele entered the bow rotunda and strode across it to the bridge. Tovera was a silent shadow a step behind, and Osorio panted audibly at the unpracticed effort of the steep helical…

• A Rising Thunder – Snippet 18

  Drak Bibliophile

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  A Rising Thunder – Snippet 18 It was equally fortunate the newsies knew as well as anyone that the Assembly possessed no real power, because God only knew what would have happened if they’d actually bothered to cover its sessions. If any of their stringers had been there to report Hadley’s passionate address to the empty seats of Assembly Hall the public might actually have believed what she was saying — might even have started insisting someone in a real policymaking position listen to her! Of course, there was no mechanism for that to happen, but a lot of the…

• The Road Of Danger – Snippet 57

  Drak Bibliophile

  22 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  The Road Of Danger – Snippet 57 CHAPTER 16: Ashe Haven on Madison           The Savoy and the pursuing cruiser had vanished into the Matrix. Neither Cory nor Cazelet could predict the result of chase, and they knew Adele too well to offer hopeful platitudes. Yes, Daniel was very skilled, but so was Captain Regin of the Estremadura, and the cruiser’s large crew made it handier than the yawl.           Adele had nodded at the analysis and turned to what she could control. She lost herself in the broad expanse of the data she had harvested from Platt’s station…

• 

  Mad Libs

• Bucket lists

  Diana Pharaoh Francis

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:19 pm

  Do you have a bucket list? I was thinking about this the other day. The things I’d like to do before I die. I’m not going to say achieve, because I was thinking in terms of things I’d like to do, not earn or something like that (awards and that sort of thing). I don’t know that I’ve really got much on that list at this point. But these are my bucket list items as of now: !. Zipline through a rainforest canopy (this one will be tough because I’m terrified of heights, but I really want to do it.) 2. Travel to Belize and see the Mayan ruins there. 3. Learn to…

• The funnies

  Diana Pharaoh Francis

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:19 am

  Okay, these are flipping funny. Stephen Colbert is interviewing Maurice Sendak in a two part interview. OMG. I was weeping, it was so funny. You must watch. really. Part the first Part the second Originally published at www.dianapfrancis.com. You can comment here or there.

• Dog Update

  Diana Pharaoh Francis

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:28 pm

  The ligament is definitely torn/ruptured or whatever they want to call it. Dog is not supposed to run, jump, climb stairs, or otherwise be active. Poor guy. All his favorite things. And his brother can’t figure out why he’s not being more playful. Surgery is scheduled for next Weds. I’ll take him up on Tuesday and hopefully pick him up on Thursday. This is going to be very spendy. Help a dog, buy books. Sigh. Originally published at www.dianapfrancis.com. You can comment here or there.

• Bad Days are Bad

  Diana Pharaoh Francis

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:03 pm

  So yeah. The day was not good. Turns out that Voodoo has managed to tear the ligament in his leg. This means surgery. I don’t know a lot more. Tomorrow there will be Xrays and then we start figuring out the rest. I’m rather upset by the news. I’m a bit attached to the dogs and, well, not a great day for me. Originally published at www.dianapfrancis.com. You can comment here or there.

• Not so important news

  Diana Pharaoh Francis

  21 Jan 2012 | 11:30 pm

  I think I’m going to make chicken enchilada chile tomorrow. Found a cool recipe and it seems a good choice for football watching. Anybody else out there planning football and food? In other not so important news, Voodoo (dog) has managed to hurt his himself. Not sure how, but he’s not wanting to put a lot of weight on his back leg. Giving him Rimadyl and coddling him, but if he’s not better soon, he’ll be heading for the vet come Monday. We finally got around to raking up some leaves. Only a few months or so after they fell. That’s not terribly slow, is it? Did a…

• 

  Allyn Gibson

• On Writing with the WordPress Android App

  Allyn

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:30 am

  Yesterday’s blog post I wrote on my phone. I didn’t plan that.  It’s just how it happened. I knew what I wanted to blog about yesterday morning — a vacation in March, to see the Lewis chessmen in New York — and on the subway train I pulled out my notepad and started writing down what the blog post would be so I could type it up quickly when I reached the office.  Some of my favorite blog posts in years past, like this one from a year ago, were written that way. Then it occurred to me. I have the WordPress for Android app on my phone. I’d…

• On the Lewis Chessmen

  Allyn

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:02 am

  For March I’m planning a trip to New York City. I put my vacation request in yesterday for a few days in the middle of the month. The Lewis Chessmen are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through early April, and they’re something I would very much like to see while they’re on this side of the Atlantic. While I’m a terrible chess player, I’m fascinated by the artistry and history of chess.  Several years ago I plotted out a Doctor Who novel that contained a scene with chess-playing Vikings.  I have one chess set (a Lord of the Rings chess set), intend…

• On Sherlock the Ratiocinative Android

  Allyn

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:39 am

  Today I realized how entirely appropriate it was that Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss cast Martin Freeman as John H. Watson in the BBC’s Sherlock. No, it’s not Freeman’s unbridled everyman-neess nor his stolid Britishness. Rather, it’s the obvious fact that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes is clearly the latest product of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation. Besides being “a bunch of mindless jerks who’ll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes,” the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation also manufactured Marvin the Paranoid Android…

• On Stephen Colbert’s Poll Numbers

  Allyn

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:55 pm

  Last week, comedian Stephen Colbert shocked the media by announcing his intention to explore the possibility of running for President of the United States of South Carolina. Or somesuch like that. Because pollsters need something to fill the endless hours between now and November, Public Policy Polling decided to put the question to a test — How would Colbert fare as a candidate in a three-way race with Barack Obama and Mitt Romney? The answer? He’d pull 13 percent of the vote. According to the poll, Obama would win the election with 41 percent of the votes, and Romney would come…

• On a Choice of Rallies

  Allyn

  18 Jan 2012 | 12:12 pm

  Oh, to have First World problems…! On a single day in March — Saturday the 24th — there are two happenings in Washington, DC that I want to attend, but I have time for only one. The first? Shamrock Fest, a day-long Celtic rock/punk festival at RFK Stadium.  I went last year, saw bands like the Charm City Saints, Barleyjuice, Carbon Leaf, and the Dropkick Murphys, and had a blast. The second? The Reason Rally, a day-long rally on the National Mall for atheists and freethinkers.  I went to the Rally to Restore Santiy on the National Mall two years ago, I am, of…

• 

  White Screen of Despair

• Secret Project

  gary gibson

  4 Jan 2012 | 3:01 pm

  The Secret Project is one that involves a number of authors of my direct and personal acquaintance, mostly from in and around Scotland, and will be announced probably some time in the next several weeks. More soon. 

• Late addition to the recommendations

  gary gibson

  22 Dec 2011 | 8:37 am

  As soon as I finished writing the book recommendations in that last post, I started reading a book I'd been meaning to get around to for a while, Ernest Cline's Ready Player One. As it turns out, the book is one of the best works of science fiction I've read in really quite a while, and stands a chance of making some 'best of the decade' lists as well. It has duly been added to the list in the previous post. 

• Book recommendations

  gary gibson

  16 Dec 2011 | 5:36 am

  I don't often do an end-of-year recommendation-type thing, but what the hell. Here's a few things I read this year I think are seriously worth your time, regardless of whether or not they were actually published this year. First up is 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill. I don't normally go for collections of short stories, but I'd previously read Joe's first novel and enjoyed it, and besides, it was cheap on the Kindle. As is usually the case with collections these days, it took me a good long while to finish it, but it was worth the journey. Hill is clearly one of the best…

• More on Fergus Bannon's Judgement

  gary gibson

  8 Dec 2011 | 11:48 am

  A while back, I wrote about Judgement, by Fergus Bannon, a long-time member of the writer's circle and an old friend of mine. You might be interested to know I've taken advantage of Amazon US's new promotional trick of allowing for ebooks to be made free for a certain number of days over a particular period. Well, I took advantage of it myself an hour ago in my capacity as the book's publisher, and in that short period of time Fergus's book shot to the No1 slot on Amazon US's Free SF ebooks chart and to Number 62 in the overall free Kindle books. So if you fancy trying it, now is the time,…

• Working on a timeline

  gary gibson

  25 Nov 2011 | 2:30 pm

  What you see above is a low-res screenshot of a single page from the timeline software I use to map out the events in a story, the modern version of pinning cards with bits of writing on them all over the wall above your desk. The screenshot is an excerpt from the planning I've been doing for the next Shoal Sequence book, River of Light. If you look at the bottom, you'll see a long cluster of little colour-coded squares - each one of those is an element of the plot, mapped out in chronological sequence. Each line of squares down there represents a separate major character. Essentially, that…

• 

  Where Personal and Professional Life Collide...

• Five Very Random Things Make a Post?

  Laura Anne Gilman

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:32 pm

  1. Interesting to see the rather varied sleep patterns among readers here. Also, how many of us swear by naps. I'm one of those annoying people who can (usually) not only reset myself with a 20 minute nap, but will actually wake up at exactly 20 minutes, without an alarm. Siestas: they're not just for warm weather climates.2. I am woefully behind on who's New! and Hot! in the suspense field (historical or contemporary). Give me some names, people! Meerkat's got some reading to do.3. I love traveling to new places and eating the local cuisine. That's half the POINT of traveling somewhere new,…

• The New (sleep) Reality

  Laura Anne Gilman

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:14 am

  The new reality seems to be that I need seven hours of sleep, rather than the six (and occasionally five) I used to get by on.Some people might say that this means I get an extra night of sleep every week.Some people might say that this means I lose an entire night of work every week.Guess which is my immediate reaction?The real problem, though, is that my sleep-hours seem to have become 1AM to 8AM. That means, by the time I wake up, feed the cats, shower, and get the coffee made, my brain is telling me half the morning's already gone*, and I'm not even started yet. I need to reset…

• We're not out of the woods yet.

  Laura Anne Gilman

  24 Jan 2012 | 6:20 am

  I don't know much about this myself..but will be looking into it. Suggest you do the same. - LAG-------------------Originally posted by seachanges at We're not out of the woods yet.Originally posted by cantarina1 at postOriginally posted by electricdruid at The fiasco continuesACTA in a Nutshell –What is ACTA?  ACTA is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. A new intellectual property enforcement treaty being negotiated by the United States, the European Community, Switzerland, and Japan, with Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan,…

• suricattus @ 2012-01-23T00:37:00

  Laura Anne Gilman

  22 Jan 2012 | 11:37 pm

  The Giants are going to the Superbowl.The last time they went to the Superbowl (and faced the Pats), I was GoH at Arisia.This year I am GoH at Chattacon.Coincidence?Maybe.Either way, massive amounts of scotch (and bourbon) have been poured down my throat, and I have celebrated properly. And now I am going to fall the ^&$# over.

• Sometimes, you get told you done good.

  Laura Anne Gilman

  22 Jan 2012 | 5:07 pm

  The ToC has been released, so I can squeak in public:My story "Crossroads" (originally published in Fantasy Magazine) has been selected for Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror: 2012, edited by Paula Guran (Prime Books).*squeak!*

• 

  BobGreenberger.com

• ElfQuest, Dissed by Warner Bros, Deserves Better

  Bob Greenberger

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:10 am

  I’ve been a fan of ElfQuest pretty much since the day Phil Seuling visited the Starlog offices with a bunch of swag. He would come up and hang with the publishers but always drop off some product he was handling through his Seagate Distributors and one day there were some issues of this magazine-sized black & white comic about elves that I had really only heard about. I read the books and were hooked, going on to cover the series in Comics Scene, and befriending Wendy and Richard Pini. They wrote a guest editorial for me, provided me with news as the Starblaze color collections were…

• Student Teaching Day One

  Bob Greenberger

  24 Jan 2012 | 4:42 pm

  After four weeks off, I returned to Darien today to begin my student teaching. On the one hand, it was incredibly familiar since I have been coming to the high school regularly and on the other, I was beginning an entirely new chapter in my teacher preparation. I was welcomed back like a long, lost pal which felt great. I got a nice hug from the teacher who permanently replaced me replacing the now-gone English teacher from December. I attended the back-to-back World Lit Seminar classes and was introduced although I knew many of the students fairly well alread7y. We spent the first day of the…

• Catching Up

  Bob Greenberger

  17 Jan 2012 | 9:51 am

  I’m overdue writing here, but it’s been busy. I returned from a week in Florida to concentrate entirely on completing the manuscript to Star Trek: The Complete Unofficial History. In December, it became clear I was threatening to run amok with the word count and my editor kindly ratcheted me back into place. It did mean, though, that much had to be trimmed before I could complete a draft. Paul Simpson and Howard Weinstein stepped up and each took a decade and helped me whittle. I was sorry to see stories go and other material truncated but there’s a tremendous amount of history to…

• Chatting with Jenette Kahn for Back Issue!

  Bob Greenberger

  10 Jan 2012 | 7:34 am

  I completely missed that my editor Michael Eury announced, just before Christmas the contents of the June issue of Back Issue! The cover story and bulk of the issue will be a career retrospective interview I conducted with Jenette Kahn. For those unfamiliar with Jenette, she arrived out of the blue to become DC’s publisher in 1976 and became its President as well in 1980, taking the title of Editor-in-Chief later on. Jenette, with Paul Levitz, was responsible for DC experimenting with formatting such as 80-page dollar comics and adding eight-page backup stories in what was intended as a DC…

• The Cover Revealed

  Bob Greenberger

  5 Jan 2012 | 7:57 am

  I was little surprised to see the cover to Star Trek: The Complete Unofficial History go live on the Facebook page last night, mostly because I had seen it for the first time in the morning and had asked for a tweak or two. Still, it’s a solid design and should be eye-catching enough given the inability to use licensed images. (By the way, click over to the FB page and “Like” us.) I am now playing beat the clock as I complete my work on the manuscript, having lost a week to a Florida trip to spend the holidays with family. Thank goodness Howard Weinstein and Paul Simpson are…

• 

  squeetus

• Look what I got for my birthday

  halespawn

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:22 pm

  My sister come over a couple of months ago and I gave her some of my author copies of Forest Born. She asked me to sign one "Happy birthday" but leave the name off since she didn't know yet who...

• One week till Austenland

  halespawn

  25 Jan 2012 | 10:57 am

  I'm so happy in one week I get to share this book to the masses. I tweeted yesterday how I got my big box of books, the author copies of midnight in austenland (an event that always reminds of that...

• The mighty librarian

  halespawn

  23 Jan 2012 | 2:26 pm

  Newbery morning always feels like Christmas morning to me. Gleeful congrats to the many winners! I love that the most prestigious book awards for children's literature (and, indeed, any literature) are awarded by librarians. Longtime squeetusers know my tenderness for...

• In which naughty words are used in an academic way

  halespawn

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:55 am

  Thanks for all your great comments on the last post. I saw that a few people misunderstood me, so let me clarify two points. Sorry I was so muddy-tongued. 1. With the numbered list, my point was that, in my...

• In which I gamely stick out my tongue

  halespawn

  16 Jan 2012 | 3:28 pm

  I tried to ignore this article, but a rant has been boiling up in me for days and I'm afraid I've got to let out some steam. But hopefully in a kind and respectful way. The NY Post saw fit...

• 

  the m john harrison blog

• the implication of form

  uzwi

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:13 am

  Lawrence Durrell, Justine: “I would set my own book free to dream… What follows would be a drama freed from the burden of form.” [p66, Faber edn. My ellipsis.] Important here would be the strength of the form from which the book had been freed ? The input offered by the form would persist like the remains of a vanished civilisation, suddenly offering structure & then denying it, as you moved across the book’s landscape ?

• characters (1)

  uzwi

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:40 am

  This character took the decision to bury his early hopes under the weight of overexpectation & consequent disappointment then repressed the horror of that as quickly as possible. The effect was of stuffing a live part of himself into a box & shutting the lid. Each time he accomplished the manoeuvre there was less of himself to stuff in. The job seemed easier–was easier in some way–yet the amount of effort he had to put into the procedure increased. More energy needed to be redirected each time to make sure he didn’t hear his own calls for help.

• disambiguation

  uzwi

  21 Jan 2012 | 4:02 am

  Just to reiterate, because people still turn up here looking for it: The novel called Pearlant, which was to be published by Gollancz in April 2012, is now entitled Empty Space & will be published by Gollancz in May/June 2012. Pearlant was the working title. By the time I’d finished, I didn’t like it. No one else liked it either. I thought I’d call it Black Heart. Characters of mine have been drinking Black Heart Rum since “The Gift” in 1987, although they only got going in earnest in 2001. But Gollancz turned out to be publishing another novel called Black…

• paradise & lunch

  uzwi

  19 Jan 2012 | 8:50 am

  Next Thursday I’m at Warwick, in conversation with China. A chance to meet Will Eaves again too, one of my favourite writers, with a new book, This Is Paradise, out next month.

• 17 Jan 2012 | 6:12 am

  uzwi

  17 Jan 2012 | 6:12 am

• 

  Glenn Hauman: View From Above

• Twitter Updates for 2012-01-23

  Glenn Hauman

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:30 am

  @ralfharing which ones? DM me. in reply to ralfharing # @ralfharing which ones? Can you forward them to me? in reply to ralfharing # @BrandonBarrows Tried it, line was out the door and too cold to be outside. in reply to BrandonBarrows # @InkyDavid Did you mean @comicspro #comicspro in reply to InkyDavid # Powered by Twitter Tools

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-22

  Glenn Hauman

  22 Jan 2012 | 12:30 pm

  Reminder to self: Twitter is no place to complain about people who may read your twitter feed. DEFINITELY don't post pictures. # There aren't any 24 hour diners in Boston? Grumble grumble grumble… # Powered by Twitter Tools

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-22

  Glenn Hauman

  22 Jan 2012 | 12:30 pm

  Reminder to self: Twitter is no place to complain about people who may read your twitter feed. DEFINITELY don't post pictures. # There aren't any 24 hour diners in Boston? Grumble grumble grumble… # Powered by Twitter Tools

• Twitter Updates for 2012-01-16

  Glenn Hauman

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:30 am

  Reminder to self: Twitter is no place to complain about people who may read your twitter feed. DEFINITELY don't post pictures. # There aren't any 24 hour diners in Boston? Grumble grumble grumble… # Powered by Twitter Tools

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-15

  Glenn Hauman

  15 Jan 2012 | 12:30 pm

  @DavidAlanMack is telling people to follow me. Way to stoke my paranoia, dude. in reply to DavidAlanMack # @scottedelman That was YOU that pinched me? I was wondering who gave me that rash… in reply to scottedelman # On my way to Boston and #Arisia Say hi if you see me! http://t.co/5Do90UhJ # @Fraize If I did that, you could read the letter to… Never mind, you'll find out soon enough. in reply to Fraize # Powered by Twitter Tools

• 

  Monstrous Clockwork

• One Who Disappeared in January

  David Herter

  21 Jan 2012 | 6:25 pm

  Did I say December?  I meant January.Expect a big announcement on e-books and the like, as well as a fab refurbishment of this blog, whenever I have some time to waste on social media.  Right now, I'm too engrossed in Tim Powers' amazing HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES, the best genre novel I've read in years.That's great to see Prague lurking in the background, but the novel seems London-bound.  Beautiful image, nonetheless.

• One Who Disappeared in December

  David Herter

  23 Nov 2011 | 8:17 pm

  Here's the cover to my new novel, One Who Disappeared, stunning art by Vlad Verano, stunning layout by Robert Wexler. It's due in December. And the flap jacket copy:From David Herter, whose work Kirkus Reviews called "distinctive and imaginative, moving to its own disconcerting logic," comes a poignant and masterful novel about a group of artists from the hinterland of Europe between the World Wars, who clash with the clockwork of Time.Hollywood, 1949. Czech composer Paul Haas lives comfortably at Universal Studios with his wife and family. But he's haunted by memories of the past, of home…

• On the Overgrown Path -- Extended Edition

  David Herter

  16 Jul 2011 | 7:04 pm

  To coincide with the publication of One Who Disappeared, I’ve contracted with Vlad Verano — amazing artist and deft e-book producer — to prepare e-book versions of the previous Czech novellas, On the Overgrown Path and The Luminous Depths. In addition, I’ve expanded Overgrown Path by some seven thousand words. And happily, Jim Goddard, who brilliantly edited One Who Disappeared, has agreed to help me with the project.When I wrote On the Overgrown Path, I had only a vague idea that it would be the first of three books, or that those books would form a rather vast novel called The…

• One Who Disappeared about to Appear

  David Herter

  13 Jul 2011 | 6:36 pm

  One Who Disappeared, the final book in my trio of Czech novels (called The Obstinates), will be published in August or September by PS Publishing. (Hooray). My editor Jim Goddard and I have handed over the project to Robert Wexler, book designer extraordinare. I'd like to thank Nick Gevers, who shepherded the entire series through PS; Pete and Nicky Crowther for publishing it; Vlad Verano for his lovely covers, and Robert for the incredible designs for all three books. Finally, kudos to Jim, who brought a wealth of energy, critical acumen and good humor to the project. Watching Jim run his…

• New Works, A Taste of Meyrink, Kindlings

  David Herter

  4 Mar 2011 | 2:42 am

  I'm deep into the second draft of The Cold Heavens, my Old-Weird Planetary Romance, currently at 220,000 words.Like One Who Disappeared (due in 2011 from PS Publishing) The Cold Heavens features several real-life characters, none more prominently than the Austrian fantasist Gustav Meyrink.A disgraced banker, champion sculler and fencer, theosophist, debunker of charlatans, follower of the charlatan Bo Yin Ra, and founder of the Order of the Blue Star, Herr Meyrink was one of the key writers of unease in the early twentieth century. The Golem, written in 1913, is possibly the most famous novel…

• 

  People are strange, when you're a stranger . . .

• It was a dark and stormy night

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:51 pm

  Still raining.  And, below freezing.Keeping the house a little warmer overnight, in case of power outage . . .

• Slip sliding away

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:17 pm

  Wet world.  Temperatures headed below freezing.  Ground already cold.Black ice tonight.  Expect to hear the Life Flight air ambulance working overtime.

• Raining now

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:43 am

  Guess I need to clear that sleet out of the windshield wiper wells . . .

• Maine winter exercise program

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:04 am

  Couple of inches of snow relocated.  Sleeting now, with rain on the horizon.  We'll see whether taking that stuff off of cold surfaces was a good idea . . .Enough to be a nuisance, not enough to be useful.  Story of my life.

• Promises, promises

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:25 am

  Snowing now, about an inch of accumulation when I took out the garbage and walked for the newspaper.*  Air temperature 26 F, dew point 23, light east wind.  Stuff is supposed to turn to sleet, freezing rain, and rain later, total somewhere in the 2"-3" range.  In other words, a nuisance rather than ski trails . . .The Nice Agent Lady passed along a couple of good blurb quotes for POWERS (as by James A. Burton) yesterday."Writing that glitters and slices like a freshly cut diamond, turning mythology, the reader's expectations, and the world itself upside down…

• 

  Jim C. Hines

• 2011 Writing Income

  Jim C. Hines

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:30 am

  Quick Announcement: I came across the German cover art for Snow Queen’s Shadow yesterday. Click the thumbnail to check that out. Quick Thanks: My Fantasy Poses post has now been viewed well over 100,000 times, which is awesome. But I’ve noticed that as this continues to spread, I’m seeing a larger number of comments that … well, let’s just say I sometimes take for granted the mostly thoughtful, respectful, and fun comments and discussions from people here on the blog. Glancing at these other sites has been a reminder to 1) STOP READING COMMENTS ON UNMODERATED…

• ConFusion Write-up

  Jim C. Hines

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:30 am

  Despite the post-con neuroses, I had a great time at ConFusion last weekend. I’ve been going to conventions for about a decade, and this was one of my favorites. Being Toastmaster for the first time was a blast, if a little exhausting. The whole weekend was well-organized, the hotel space works great, and there were so many wonderful people that even though I went up a day early, there was no way to spend as much time as I wanted with everyone. I apologize for everyone and everything I’m about to forget, but here’s my highlights reel for the weekend… Author D&D:…

• Post-Con Neuroses

  Jim C. Hines

  23 Jan 2012 | 8:32 am

  This weekend I had the honor of being Toastmaster at ConFusion. This was one of my best convention experiences ever … and in a few days, I’ll be able to focus on what an epic time I had. But first I need to get through what I think of as my post-con neurotic phase. I’ve talked before about being an introvert. When I do a convention, it’s in some ways a performance. That doesn’t mean there’s anything deceptive or dishonest, but I’m basically playing Jim C. Hines, Extroverted Author. It’s a great deal of fun, but it also uses up a fair amount of…

• ConFusion and Plush Goblin

  Jim C. Hines

  19 Jan 2012 | 8:31 am

  First off, because it is awesome: A crocheted Jig the Goblin. (Crocheted Smudge the Fire-spider is also pictured.) This officially makes socchan my favorite person of the week. I’m off to ConFusion for the weekend, where I have the honor of being Toastmaster. Basically, I get to MC the opening ceremonies and introduce our various amazing guests, including Pat Rothfuss, Harley Thronson, Tom Smith, Roxanne King, Peter Brett, Joe Abercrombie, Brett Weeks, and Robin Hobb. Those are just the guests of honor, mind you. Check out some of the other authors who’ll be in attendance. It is…

• The Tragedy of the Smurfs

  Jim C. Hines

  17 Jan 2012 | 8:30 am

  My kids got the Smurfs movie for Christmas this year, and we watched it over the weekend. This was not as painful an experience as some of you might expect. Azrael the cat was entertaining, Hank Azaria does a decently cartoonish Gargamel, and I’m rather fond of Neil Patrick Harris. This wasn’t a great movie, but it wasn’t as painful as some of the “let’s-cash-in-on-80s-nostalgia-with-a-live-action-cartoon-flick!” films. But when you get down to it, this film is a tragedy that doesn’t know it’s a tragedy. At one point, the humans are asking the…

• 

  The voices in my head don't think they're imaginary

• Gold Certificates, United States Notes, and Federal Reserve Notes

  M.K. Hobson

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:35 pm

  Gold Certificates One fun thing about writing historical fiction is that you never know what interesting little research rabbit holes you’re going fall down. One that I’ve ended up spending quite a bit of time on over the past couple of days is what kind of money my characters (in 1910) would use. You’d think it would be pretty straightforward, but that’s because you live in 2012, when there is only ONE kind of paper currency. But in 1910 there were four. Count ‘em! Four! And the one kind of paper currency we are familiar with today—Federal Reserve Notes—was…

• From the book research folder

  M.K. Hobson

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:51 pm

  Hotel Stockton, Stockton California, 1910 Mirrored from M.K. Hobson | Necrophilatelist. Please leave comments there.

• Lee Moyer dissects the cover art of my first two books

  M.K. Hobson

  22 Jan 2012 | 5:06 pm

  This past week, artist Lee Moyer and I lunched at Portland’s Veritable Quandary to discuss cover art for my next two books. Spending time with Lee is always a treat—he can converse brilliantly on a wide range of subjects—but he is never more in his element than when he’s talking about art. At that lunch, Lee dissected of the covers of my first two books—what worked, what didn’t work, and the ways in which the cover design likely helped sales on the first book (and possibly hindered the sales on the second!) Anyway, Lee has put up a post on his own blog recapping…

• Today is my birthday but the gifts are all yours

  M.K. Hobson

  21 Jan 2012 | 2:25 am

  Depending on what data you choose to believe, the average lifespan for an American woman is around 86 years. And as I am posting this within the first few minutes of my 43rd birthday, I stand before you balanced right on the fulcrum of my very existence.Or, in other words, it’s all downhill from here.Don’t get me wrong—as directions go, I think “downhill” is a fine one. Going downhill is surely easier than going uphill. When going downhill, one skips, strolls or ambles; when going uphill one trudges, labors, or plods. I will happily go downhill all day long (for…

• Harstine Island Writing Retreat 2012

  M.K. Hobson

  17 Jan 2012 | 3:11 pm

  So I’m back from my weekend writing retreat up on Harstine Island (on Puget Sound) where I enjoyed a wonderful, productive time in the company of several talented women writers. I completed the first draft of a new short story (which is exciting, given that my short story output has been less than nil lately), and also got much good work done on THE WARLOCK’S CURSE. In particular, I fixed the prologue. I can’t say it’s perfect, and I can’t promise that anyone else but me will actually like it, but at least it’s not an embarrassment now. The fact that the…

• 

  When You Stop Believing in It, It Doesn't Go Away

• Like Daredevil? Read French?

  Alex Irvine

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:40 am

  Then you should have this book:

• Captain Insano State Legislator Hall of Fame

  Alex Irvine

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:38 pm

  Today, this guy made it on the CISL HoF ballot on his first try, introducing a bill to prevent the use of aborted fetuses in food or food additives.Really. Read the story. Ralph Shortey, I salute your utter lunacy.The CISL HoF does not yet exist, but with your help it will. Add your own loony state legislators in the comments. Please! In these dark times, we could all use the laugh. But only add true kooks. We must set the bar very high. 

• The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature

  Alex Irvine

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:27 am

  Those of you with any kind of scholarly interest in the literatures of the fantastic should grab this book as soon as possible. It's out next month, and as you can see from the TOC below, it's got a terrific lineup of essays. I can't wait to get my copies. My own contribution is on urban fantasy. Among other things, it's a quiet attempt to reclaim that term from its unfortunate diffusion to include every book with a tough woman in leather pants on the cover, but it's also an exploration of the relationship between ideas of the urban and ideas of the fantastic.Here's the full listing on the…

• Talking Avengers Alliance with Mediabistro

  Alex Irvine

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:35 am

  Follow this link to an audio interview I did with Mediabistro's Jason Boog for their Morning Media Menu podcast feature. We talk Avengers Alliance, and speculate a little on what new spaces are emerging in the borders between social and RPG-style gaming. (There is much more to be said on that latter topic, by the way. It's a pretty exciting time to be looking at the evolution of gaming.)The interview is excerpted here, along with links to the Alliance trailer and a recent GalleyCat story on video-game writing.

• An Open Letter to the Fathers of Cub Scouts

  Alex Irvine

  22 Jan 2012 | 10:36 am

  Yesterday I got up at 3:45am and drove from Maine down to Massachusetts for the fifth and final Pinewood Derby of my older son Ian's Cub Scout career. I have been saving these sentiments up since Ian's first Derby, and this last one--combined with the irritation of having to drive back through a snowstorm--really set me off.Here's why. There were three cars in Ian's Webelos heats at yesterday's Pinewood Derby that looked like they had come out of a concept lab at GM (or, more accurately representing their style, Ferrari). It was absolutely clear to everyone in the school cafeteria where the…

• 

  Ben's Blog

• Read and watched in 2011

  Ben

  8 Jan 2012 | 3:40 am

  For the record ...Read:Snuff, Terry PratchettArk Royal, Mike RossiterThe Cyberiad, Stanislaw LemThe Crow Road, Iain BanksThe Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Kate SummerscaleOn Writing, Stephen KingPig's Progress, Jeanette SearsPeace and War, Joe HaldemanTime Riders, Alex ScarrowA Game of Thrones, George R.R. MartinCryoburn, Lois McMaster BujoldDeath of the Scharnhorst, John WintonThe Recollection, Gareth L. PowellMargrave of the Marshes, John PeelThe Woman in White, Wilkie CollinsPerfume: The Story of a Murderer, Patrick SüskindThe Fry Chronicles, Stephen FryWhitehall: The Street that Shaped a…

• Seeing off the year

  Ben

  31 Dec 2011 | 4:48 am

  I realised that if I didn’t write something today then there wouldn’t be an entry for December 2011, which would be a shame. What has happened to this blog, once a goldmine of every kind of creative outpouring?I blame Facebook. This blog used to have everything from single-line pensées to longer pieces like this. Nowadays the shorter stuff goes on to Facebook, which is where most of its likely readers are anyway (those who aren’t, get over there; chances are good that I know (of) you so I’ll accept Friend requests) and it’s much easier to share and interact and generally carry on…

• A dream fulfilled

  Ben

  27 Nov 2011 | 11:11 am

  At the age of 13 I vowed never to sing again in a choir, which was a bit unfair to the choir I was actually in for four years. It was quite fun and it had its advantages. Choir practice occurred during the long midday break, so we got an extra half hour added onto our bedtimes by way of compensation. Or, in the summer term when everyone got the extra half hour, we got an extra sweet ration. We had a good choirmaster, and we learned a good mix of religious and secular songs. We often got the day off to go and sing at weddings, for which some form of edible recompense was usually available. I…

• Japes joy

  Ben

  15 Nov 2011 | 3:22 am

  My short story collection Jeapes Japes has been reviewed, which is nice; favourably, which is even better; and it’s the first time my entire body of short fiction has come under the critical spotlight, which is absolutely wonderful. Though I say it myself, I appear to be quite good. Or maybe I should say that I appear to have been quite good, as I haven’t written short fiction now for over a decade. By the time my last piece appeared (“Go with the flow”, Interzone, 1999) I was into novel writing mode and life is too short for both, sadly. At least, mine is.The line I found most…

• Everything I know about banks, I learned from Paddington

  Ben

  24 Oct 2011 | 4:34 am

  That was a good weekend, that was. Friday was a performance by the Osiligi Maasai Warrior Dance Troupe at Christ Church in Warminster: 90 minutes of hypnotic close harmony singing and chanting and dancing and jumping. They do it to raise money for their community back home and very good they are too. Like a low-budget Peter Gabriel concert but even better.The Saturday was BristolCon, which I enjoyed more this year than last probably because the discussions seemed more book-themed than media-themed. Also I wasn’t spending the sessions beaming ineffective telepathic death signals at the prune…

• 

  Vylar Kaftan

• Artists who died too young

  Vylar

  11 Jan 2012 | 2:55 pm

  My personal top-three great artists who died too young: 1) Freddie Mercury 2) Jim Henson 3) Octavia Butler I still mourn them all.

• “The Sighted Watchmaker” in Year’s Best anthology

  Vylar

  23 Dec 2011 | 12:30 pm

  Rich Horton will be reprinting The Sighted Watchmaker in The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2012. Yay! Other business-related news: I am reading stories from 2011 so I can make nominations for the Hugo and Nebula awards. If you’re a writer who’s published something this year that you’d like me to consider, please post a link in the comments or just email me the story. I’ll try to get to everything (one story per person, please). And if you’re a writer who’s also reading/nominating, I hope you’ll consider The Sighted Watchmaker, which…

• Shark blimp!

  Vylar

  20 Dec 2011 | 8:52 pm

  Oh my god, my husband gave me an inflatable shark blimp! Complete with remote control. It’s lurking around downstairs and flying around the house. Raar. This completely rules!

• Published at Lightspeed

  Vylar

  6 Dec 2011 | 1:22 pm

  The Sighted Watchmaker is live at Lightspeed. I’m delighted to be back in the magazine–it’s one of my favorites. Lightspeed published my Nebula-nominated story last year. Two fun facts about The Sighted Watchmaker: 1) The editor, John Joseph Adams, actually rejected this story the first time I sent it. I sent it elsewhere. A year later, he emailed me and said, “I was thinking about that Sighted Watchmaker story. Is it still available?” I guess it left an impression. 2) I wrote this in one sitting. It took 3 hours. What you read at Lightspeed is basically what I…

• Eyeball power!

  Vylar

  26 Nov 2011 | 4:50 pm

  These pics made my day. Work-safe. Yay eyeballs!

• 

  Nicholas Kaufmann's Journal

• Angry Robot's Unagented Author Search

  International Bon Vivant and Raconteur

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:36 pm

  Angry Robot is having their second "open door" period, where they are looking for unagented epic fantasy novels. They write on their website:If you have completed a novel, and are unagented, between April 16th and 30th this year, we’ll happily read it for possible publication. If you are agented, this isn’t for you – submit via the usual route.As exciting as this may sound to you new writers, I would recommend proceeding with caution. Nine times out of ten, if you show me a publisher specifically asking for unagented manuscripts, I'll show you a publisher looking to get over on writers,…

• R.I.P. Nicol Williamson

  International Bon Vivant and Raconteur

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:14 am

  Actor Nicol Williamson died. He was 75.Williamson played everyone from Macbeth to Sherlock Holmes, but to me he will always be Merlin in Excalibur, still my favorite adaptation of Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. And Williamson was my favorite Merlin. Rest in peace, magician. You were a dream to some, a nightmare to others!

• The Only Logical Choice in 2012

  International Bon Vivant and Raconteur

  23 Jan 2012 | 7:07 am

• Bizarre Foods

  International Bon Vivant and Raconteur

  22 Jan 2012 | 11:34 am

  After the catching the Hong Kong episode this morning, your faithful TV Nerd is now completely hooked on Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel! It was hilarious and mouth-watering with a dash of kung fu and, for me, an unexpected nostalgia for a time when I was in Hong Kong at least once a year.

• Mark Wahlberg: Superhero

  International Bon Vivant and Raconteur

  19 Jan 2012 | 7:42 am

  By now, you may have read Mark Wahlberg's ridiculous comments about 9/11 and, in particular, the fate of United flight 93. If not, feast your eyeballs on this bit of unbelievable dick-swinging:Speaking to US magazine Men's Journal earlier this week, the 40-year-old star of films such as The Departed and Contraband claimed that if he had been with his children on one of the planes that was hijacked on September 11, 2001, "it wouldn't have went down like it did"."There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't…

• 

  Dear Sweet Filthy World

• "If I was pure, you know I would."

  greygirlbeast

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:29 pm

  A wild, rainy early afternoon here in Providence. Rainy and warm (50˚F). I hear rumours it may be snowing in Nova Scotia. Regardless, I hardly slept "last night," despite quite a cocktail of psychotropics, as Monsieur Insomnia came to join the dance. I read The Dawn Seekers until six ayem, when I finally drifted off. My dreams are better left unspoken, but I understand Spooky spent part of her slumber being romanced by Walter Bishop.No writing yesterday. Only the search for a story, one to replace "The Diamond Friendly" (now shelved). I think I may have found just such a story. Or, well,…

• Howard Hughes vs. the Head Goblins

  greygirlbeast

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:42 am

  My head is much better this morning, after being much worse last night, especially after midnight. This morning, though, I'm afraid to move for setting it off again. Today marks Day 9.Yesterday was, for the most part, another loss. And these are days and days of losses I cannot afford. Yesterday, I signed contracts, answered email, made the last round of corrections to Alabaster #4, and – with Kathryn's help – managed to read the entirety of a truly gargantuan contract, which I then signed. They go back to Writers House today (I hope). There's no way yet to know what will happen today.The…

• "And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains..."

  greygirlbeast

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:15 am

  I know it's gonna be a goddamn weird day when the first thing I read after crawling (moaning) from bed is an article in The Economist. But, really South Carolina people. Newt Gingrich? Newt fucking Gingrich? That crackpot from the radio? A paragon of Southern white conservative sleaze who's clearly proud of being a paragon of Southern white conservative sleaze. Is anyone actually believing this shit about "open" marriages that he's spouting? But, back to the aforementioned article, I have to quote this bit:As nuts as it may seem to those of us who belong to smaller, more vulnerable segments…

• "And the moon rose over an open field."

  greygirlbeast

  24 Jan 2012 | 12:08 pm

  Cold and rainy last night, and this morning the snow has mostly been washed away. It's warmer today, about 52˚F at this particular moment.I'm going to try to keep this short, because I need to get some writing done today. Yesterday was all work and no writing. But, there's news. Some of it's Big and Good, but a lot of that part I can't announce just yet (or maybe even not for a while yet). I can say I have a new editor at Penguin – Danielle Stockley – and we had a really wonderful conversation on the phone yesterday. Turns out, she went to school in Woonsocket, and not only did the whole…

• "...aimless in wonder."

  greygirlbeast

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:58 am

  The snow's still out there. Most of it. The sky is cloudy, and that's a relief. I feel sort of shitty for not having gone out in the snow when it was still fresh and powdery and clean.Have you ordered The Drowning Girl: A Memoir? And Confessions of a Five-Chambered Heart? No? Well, Herr Platypus says that if you do it today you can ride the pterosaurs for free when you get to heaven. And he's a monotreme of his word.---Yesterday, for Sirenia Digest #74, I began a new science-fiction short story, "The Diamond Friendly." Sort of crime noir circa 2056 (I think). I've been wanting to write this…

• 

  Writing for the Web

• Obama: "My message is simple"—but is it simplistic?

  Crof

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pm

  Via Smart Politics: "My Message is Simple": Obama's SOTU Written at 8th Grade Level for Third Straight Year. Excerpt: For the third consecutive State of the Union Address, Barack Obama spoke in clear, plain terms.  And for the third straight Address, the President's speech was written at an eighth-grade level.  In Obama's own words: "My message is simple."  But was it too simplistic?  A Smart Politics study of the 70 orally delivered State of the Union Addresses since 1934 finds the text of Obama's 2012 speech to have tallied the third lowest…

• Some supplementary materials for my book

  Crof

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:23 pm

  I should have re-posted these materials after the last reorganization of this site (and the site needs another update soon!). In any case, here they are. They include a PowerPoint slide show, some PDFs, and several Word files. Download Exercise on Education Download Exercise on Teaching Download Exercise Work Habits Download Towards An Interactive School (PDF) Download W4WLinksList Download Webwriting Download Webedit01 (PDF) Download Webedit02 (PDF)

• SOPA: Sites go dark as part of anti-piracy law protests

  Crof

  18 Jan 2012 | 9:28 am

  Via BBC News: Sopa: Sites go dark as part of anti-piracy law protests. Excerpt: Thousands of internet sites are taking part in a "blackout" protest against anti-piracy laws being discussed by US lawmakers.  The Wikipedia encyclopedia and blogging service WordPress are among the highest profile pages to remove material.  Google is showing solidarity by placing a black box over its logo when US-based users visit its site.  The Motion Picture Association of America has branded the action as "irresponsible" and a "stunt".  Visitors to Wikipedia's…

• Can you over-link a web news story?

  Crof

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  According to Justin Martin at Poynter.org, the answer is yes. His argument: Why Christian Science Monitor stories have too many links, wrong ones. Excerpt: I often don’t read my own articles in The Christian Science Monitor. The volume of hyperlinks the publication drops in their copy is just too distracting. Consider this Op-Ed on volunteerism among Millennials.  Not only does it contain no fewer than 28 links, but among them are a number of highly disruptive, full-line links to Monitor content, screaming things like, “RELATED: Top 4 obstacles for young people – and how to…

• A Literary History of Word Processing

  Crof

  26 Dec 2011 | 10:19 am

  Via The New York Times, a reminder of how quickly we forget the machines and programs that changed our lives: A Literary History of Word Processing. Excerpt: The literary history of the typewriter has its well-established milestones, from Mark Twain producing the first typewritten manuscript with “Life on the Mississippi” to Truman Capote famously dismissing Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” pounded out on a 120-foot scroll, with the quip “That’s not writing, that’s typing.”  The literary history of word processing is far murkier, but that isn’t stopping Matthew G.

• 

  Mindy Klasky - Virtual Cocktails

• What Are *You* Making?

  Mindy Klasky

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  So, on another board I frequent, the author-host asked what folks were making, and the answers ranged across the arts (from writing to choir-ing to handicrafts, etc.)  I was amused (and impressed!) by the answers. Me, I’m writing the final three chapters of DARKBEAST REBELLION, well in advance of its due date (so that I can set it aside for a few weeks and come back to it with fresh eyes.) And I’m knitting a medium-grey mid-calf ribbed skirt (new skill learned:  ripping out long rows of stitches and still getting things back onto the needles; skills to be learned:  blocking! …

• Looking for Good Romance Novellas

  Mindy Klasky

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:01 am

  Well, the title of this post says it all… In the relatively near future, I’m going to be writing a novella.  (Fans of the Jane Madison series and the Fright Court series – this is your chance to cheer!)  But that means that I need to read some novellas, especially ones published in the last few years.  Especially ones in the romance genre.  With an emphasis on contemporary stories.  Extra points if they’re funny. Anyone got recommendations? (And yes, published authors.  Feel free to suggest your own work here!) Mindy, building a list, checking it twice……

• Obsessive Reading

  Mindy Klasky

  25 Jan 2012 | 5:01 am

  When I was much in middle school and high school, I would become obsessed with a topic, then read everything I could find on it.  Sometimes, the “topic” was a particular author — the first of those that I remember is Ruth M. Arthur, closely followed by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and E.L. Konigsburg.  Sometimes, the “topic” was a subject matter.  In ninth grade, for example, I was absolutely consumed by a passion for Leonardo da Vinci, which expanded into a study of Michelangelo. These days, I rarely have the time to complete such obsessive reading.  The books on…

• Month of Letters

  Mindy Klasky

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:31 am

  Remember when you were a kid, and you ran out to the mailbox to see if you’d received a letter?  Did you beg to open anything handwritten that was addressed to ___ Family? When I was thirteen years old, I moved to a new city.  I left behind people who had been my classmates for seven years, people whom I thought were my Best.  Friends.  Ever.  (One of them was my very first writing partner.  Another was the type of friend where you spend three or four days at her house over summer vacation, then immediately have her come over and spend three or four days at your house.  You get…

• Writing Retreats, in Five Easy Questions

  Mindy Klasky

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

  1.  So, how do you do this writing retreat thing, and what do you do while you’re there? I get together with four writing friends for retreats, a couple of times a year.  (This time, alas, one of our group could not make it because, ironically, she had too much writing to get done!)  We alternate hosting the retreat at each other’s houses.  Each retreat is somewhat different from every other; however, the basic idea is the same.  Each writer stakes out a “territory” (a corner of a couch, a bed, whatever).  Each writer, um, writes (or edits or reads or whatever)…

• 

  Bohemian Word Werks

• My tweets

  E. E. Knight

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:03 pm

  Thu, 12:29: RT @guildedearlobe: @torbooks While my mind says Honor Harrington, my heart says Smoke from @EE_Knight's Vampire Earth series. Thu, 12:29: RT @GreyWyvern: I'm really enjoying @EE_Knight's Age of Fire series, but... he really needs a happier publicity photo.

• My tweets

  E. E. Knight

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:04 pm

  Wed, 08:36: Via @nprbooks: Action, Sex And A '70s Vibe: The World Of 'Amber' http://t.co/4aXGuaXP

• Мои твиты

  E. E. Knight

  8 Jan 2012 | 6:14 pm

  Вс, 09:01: One of the few positives of self-loathing is you don't have much hatred left to invest in others, so you wind up being a pretty nice guy.

• Мои твиты

  E. E. Knight

  28 Dec 2011 | 1:21 pm

  Ср, 13:18: Love, love, love Shatner's "Has Been" album with Ben Folds.

• Мои твиты

  E. E. Knight

  19 Dec 2011 | 6:41 pm

  Пн, 09:08: The Best Science Fiction Releases of 2011 http://t.co/kpp5WDdk via @AddThis MARCH IN COUNTRY in at #10. Not bad for the #9 in a series.

• 

  Mary Robinette Kowal

• Glamour in Glass: Travel by Dilligence

  Mary Robinette Kowal

  20 Jan 2012 | 9:03 pm

  I have to thank Madeleine Robins for pointing out that the carriages in French and Belgium at this point were called dilligence. By the way, if you have not read her truly excellent The Sarah Tolerance Mysteries, allow me to recommend them. If Jane Austen writes comedy of manners, Madeleine Robins writes mystery of manners. It’s an alternate Regency, good mystery and a thoroughly charming heroine who is an Agent of Inquiry. And now, here is how the dilligence appears in Glamour in Glass. Despite the charming name of France’s national system of carriages, the dilligence was too…

• Video: Star Wars by George Lucas and Jean-Paul Sartre

  Mary Robinette Kowal

  20 Jan 2012 | 7:43 pm

  Despair! (Hat tip to Two Nerdy History Girls)

• Video: Classic Hollywood Guide to how to react when you screw up a scene

  Mary Robinette Kowal

  20 Jan 2012 | 1:30 am

  Enjoy the master classes by Bogie, Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, Kay Francis, Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, George Brent, Merle Oberon, Patricia Neal, Mickey Rooney and more. They still teach most of this today.

• Geek Seekers wants you.

  Mary Robinette Kowal

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:57 pm

  You’re a geek, too, right? I thought so. Nothing particular gave you away, just the fact that you hang around here made it a good bet. Which is why I thought you’d like to know about Geek Seekers. My friend Monte Cook is putting together a webseries with Jen Page which promises to be hilarious and occasionally informative. Check out the video they put together for Kickstarter. See? It appeals to all your geeky instincts, doesn’t it. Consider becoming a backer?

• Glamour in Glass: Jane’s travelling dress

  Mary Robinette Kowal

  19 Jan 2012 | 4:48 pm

  Today’s preview does not contain a description of the dress, but the circumstances in which one would wear such item. The January wind whipped off the coast and lifted sails and skirts alike. Despite the chill, Jane stood at the rail of the Dolphin, feeling as if a series of stays were releasing their laces with each length they moved away from the shore. So what does one wear aboard a ship? A carriage dress like this would meet your needs while traveling.  

• 

  Nancy's Blog

• Beginning a Story

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:38 am

  How does one begin a story? Not the opening paragraphs but the concept, the idea, the situation?I am doing this now. I owe a story to a theme anthology, and all I have is the theme given to me by the editor (interstellar flight, done realistically). So far, these are the steps I've taken:Find information about proposed interstellar craft. It turns out a whole raft of scientists have workable ideas on this (no STAR TREK dilithium crystals). The editor sent me some articles. Some I got from the Internet. That led me to order the book ENTERING SPACE (Robert Zubin), which arrived yesterday and…

• Baffled At the Movies

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:09 am

  In the last week or so I saw two more movies, and both confused me -- although for different reasons.TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY features the always wonderful Gary Oldman as George Smiley of British Intelligence. A mole has invaded the highest reaches of MI-5. It can only be one of five men, and Smiley is charged by Control, who has been forced out unfairly from the organization, with finding out which one. Complicated intrigues ensue. They were so complicated, in fact, that I had trouble following them all, and I'm still not sure I understand exactly what went on. My movie companion,…

• Adventures in Publishing

  18 Jan 2012 | 9:17 am

  Literary technology continues to advance, while those of us who are electronically challenged struggle to keep up. I have a bunch of my backlist books up for sale on the Kindle and Nook, but some are still missing (notably the PROBABILITY SERIES). Nonetheless, my next project leaps into the next stage of e-books. All right, I don't exactly leap: more like stumble after Greg Bear and the MONGOLIAD crowd. Sort of.Subtext is a comparatively new company (as of last October) offering a free app for, so far, just the iPad, although more platforms are planned. The app "overlays" a book, and allows…

• Jonathan Franzen

  10 Jan 2012 | 4:46 pm

  Jonathan Franzen, the darling of American literary circles, published his novel FREEDOM a year and a half ago. I didn't read it then, because I hadn't much liked his previous book, THE CORRECTIONS. That book's prose struck me as first lush and rich, and later as too rich, like being forced to consume dish after dish of baklava. Also, I found the characters pretty unlikeable.None of this is true of FREEDOM. Franzen has restrained his prose, and his attitude toward his characters has changed. In THE CORRECTIONS he seemed to be examining them under a microscope, in order to watch them squirm in…

• Travel, Good and Bad

  7 Jan 2012 | 8:19 am

  I have bad plane karma. Returning to Seattle from the East Coast, my flight was canceled: unrested pilots, or pilot unrest, or something. I was informed of this by a phone call from Orbitz at 3:00 a.m. Much drama in rebooking ("May I speak to your supervisor, please?"), much delay, but I finally got home. This happens to me all the time. It's a good thing I don't fly over the pole; I'd be stuck overnight on an ice floe. "We're sorry, but the next stage of your flight has been canceled due to insufficiently rested polar bears."As for the good travel -- it's very good. Arc Manor, a rapidly…

• 

  Among Amid While

• Sea Hearts Tasmanian launch, Hobart Book Shop

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:20 pm

  If you're in Hobart next Thursday night, 2 February, please feel free to turn up unannounced and un-RSVP'd to the double launch of Sea Hearts and Tansy Rayner Roberts's Reign of Beasts at the Hobart Book Shop in Salamanca Square.Rowena Cory Daniells will launch Reign of Beasts, the final book in Tansy's The Creature Court trilogy.Richard Harland, Worldshaker author, will launch Sea Hearts.The fun

• Jackie Morris hearts The Brides

  25 Jan 2012 | 1:57 pm

  Artist Jackie Morris blogs a Brides review with a difference. "The character of Misskaella who exacts a terrible revenge on the men and the women of Rollrock with a simple act of magic and how this balances in her own life and story."The powerful ‘seeing’ of the thin veils between worlds."The description of how Misskaella finds the creature inside the seal and pinpoints the star like marks of

• Revising a chunk of selkie-novel

  25 Jan 2012 | 1:48 pm

  Over here at Maggie Stiefvater's blog, she hosts not one, not two, but TEN writers; we each take a chunk of our own novel or story, scribble all over it and explain why we revise the way we do. It's fascinating for anyone interested in the close work of revision.

• Sea Hearts/Brides first reviews

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:28 am

  Just a few reviews have started to trickle out, getting the world ready for publication day (1 Feb here in Australia, 2 Feb in the UK). The Bookbag, in the UK, says that Brides is"powerful, beautiful, dangerous, unsettling, truthful, earthy, challenging, poetic, wonderful, absorbing. I can't recommend it highly enough. Margo Lanagan has a unique, uncompromising and lyrical voice and she brings it

• 2011 publications

  4 Jan 2012 | 5:14 pm

  For my own and others' reference, here are the stories I published last year:'Catastrophic Disruption of the Head' (9800 words), in The Wilful Eye, vol. 1 of Tales from the Tower, ed. Isobelle Carmody and Nan McNab, Allen & Unwin 'The Proving of Smollett Standforth' (4800), in Ghosts by Gaslight: Stories of Steampunk and Supernatural Suspense, ed. Jack Dann and Nick Gevers, HarperCollins'Mulberry

• 

  Justine Larbalestier

• Writing Goals Reduxing the Redux

  Justine

  17 Jan 2012 | 6:54 pm

  Back in 2006 I posted my writing goals. Then I updated it in 2008 with the publication of How To Ditch Your Fairy and then again in 2009 after Liar came out. My goals are not stuff like Become NYT Bestselling Author or Win Nobel Prize.1 Winning prizes and making bestseller lists is not something anyone can control,2 but I can control what I write. So that’s what my goals are. Simple, really.3 So the following are categories that I plan to publish a book in. When I publish a book in a given category I cross that category out. I also randomly add categories when they occur to me. Mostly,…

• Last Day of 2011 (Updated)

  Justine

  30 Dec 2011 | 6:02 pm

  This is my annual post where I sum up what happened in my professional life in that year and look ahead to what’s going to happen in 2012. I do this so I can have a handy record that I can get to in seconds. (Hence the “last day of the year” tag.) This was not a fabulous year for me but it was a whole lot worse for so many other people around the world that whingeing would be tacky. I’ll focus on the good: Finally, finally, finally we were able to announce, Sarah Rees Brennan and I, that we wrote a book together, Team Human, which is all about how having your best…

• My Books of Electrons!

  Justine

  7 Nov 2011 | 8:35 am

  One of the most frequent queries I get is: “Are your books e-books yet?” For a long time, they were not and I could only respond in the negative. This was never a very satisfactory reply. Not for me, because I dreamed of having books of electrons, and piteously begged my publishers to make it so.1 And certainly not for the would-be purchaser of said electrificated tomes. “No, sorry they’re not,” I would say mournfully. They would demand to know, “Why? What is wrong with you that your books are only available as piles of extruded wood pulp? Electrify your…

• Because No One Should Suffer Alone

  Justine

  24 Sep 2011 | 1:25 pm

  I am hard at work in the writing-sequel-to-Team-Human, researching-the-1930s word & image mines, which led to watching “The Truth About Youth” (1930). Man raises best friend’s son (known as the Imp) after best friend dies and encourages a match between the Imp and his housekeeper’s daughter (Loretta Young). But the Imp is in love with wicked exotic dancer, Myrna Loy, and Loretta Young is in love with the guardian. (Oh no! How can they resolve such a mess?) It’s not bad by early talkie standards. (I.e. it’s bad by any other standards.) The problem with…

• Sekrit Project Revealed!

  Justine

  16 Sep 2011 | 12:22 pm

  I have very exciting NEWS! I wrote a book! The book is sold! It will be out early next year! Even more exciting and this is the best part: I DID NOT WRITE THIS BOOK ALONE. I wrote it with Sarah Rees Brennan, who is not only a wonderful friend, but one of my favourite writers. The book is called Team Human. It will be published by Allen & Unwin in Australia and Harper Collins in North America and will be out in April/May 2012. And here is the cover, which totally proves this is all real: (We got to sit in on the photo shoot for it. Fancy, huh?) Writing Team Human was the most fun…

• 

  If You Like That Sort Of Thing

• A new year!

  Richard Larson

  2 Jan 2012 | 2:37 pm

  It's a new year (!!) and that means that Strange Horizons has done their annual year-in-review post, in which I have yet again contributed. Here's my bit: I'm still getting through a lot of the year's short fiction for Nebula nomination season, but so far one of the 2011's knockout stories for me is "Younger Women" by Karen Joy Fowler: a pitch perfect take-down of the allure of the vampire in YA fiction. I also really loved Caitlin R. Kiernan's "Tidal Forces" in Eclipse Four, one of the best and most affecting love stories I've read in a long…

• A (weird) review...

  Richard Larson

  2 Jan 2012 | 2:26 pm

  A review over at Diabolical Plots of my Daily Science Fiction story, "This Always Happens Here," is generally pretty positive; the reviewer calls it a "good thought piece" with a "Rod Serling feel," a "pretty good metaphor for the facade of reality," all of which I'm certainly happy to hear. However he also mentions that there are some "alternative lifestyle undertones in this story that may turn some people off." The alternative lifestyle referred to is, like many of my other stories, that of men being gay, mostly incidentally as it were,…

• Happy holidays!

  Richard Larson

  22 Dec 2011 | 10:57 am

• An old review, etc

  Richard Larson

  19 Dec 2011 | 9:21 am

  Just saw that "The Ghost Party" (which originally appeared in Subterranean's YA issue) got a nice review back in July from Tansy Rayner Roberts: “The Ghost Party,” by Richard Larson is a subtle story which captures the voice and internal panic of a teenage girl for whom the world is Totally Ending. The supernatural threat of the ghost party interweaves with the very real threats to the safety of a girl like Charlee, and the portrayal of her friendship with Amanda and what it could overcome was incredibly uplifting. The story will be reprinted soon in Beyond Binary, an…

• SF and the MFA

  Richard Larson

  14 Dec 2011 | 10:22 am

  We live in a literary culture where the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction are of dubious relevance, as argued eloquently by David Shields in his 2010 manifesto Reality Hunger. Generic boundaries between categories of fiction are even less relevant. A culture where the next album you “buy” is more likely a laptop mashup of 300+ samples of everything in the library probably needs its literature to do something similar to help us confront the gothic high-tech of network culture and the scary chaos of the 21st century. We are already starting to see more geeks in the MFA programs, and…

• 

  BLOG (Bill Leisner's Observations & Garbage)

• Looks at Books, 2011

  1 Jan 2012 | 10:28 am

  Welcome to the Seventh Annual BLOG Looks at Books Year in Review!This year, I managed to complete 46 books in total, an increase over the 39 read the previous year. This number includes 12 Star Trek tie-ins (the highest this number has been since writing my last ST fiction), 1 non-Trek media tie-in title, 17 titles in continuing literary series, 3 short-story collections, and 2 non-fiction titles.2011 is also the year I broke down and purchased a dedicated ebook reader. In the three months I have owned my Nook, I used it to read 10 titles -- 5 of which were published as ebooks without the…

• Snark GOOD! The Wayback Review of FRANKENSTEIN

  30 Oct 2011 | 12:44 pm

  Happy Halloween!! It's been a while since my last Wayback Movie Review (and even longer since the one before that), so I thought I would celebrate All Hallow's Eve by snarking on a classic of horror genre. Thanks to all who voted in my poll earlier this month. Of the five candidates, one film was the runaway winner, with twice as many votes as its nearest contender (i.e. 2 votes versus 1). In celebration of its 80th anniversary, we present Universal's 1931 film, Frankenstein.Before the film proper begins, one of the company of actors comes out from behind the curtain to warn the audience: "We…

• Wayback Movie Review - Monster Chiller Horror Theater Edition

  2 Oct 2011 | 4:06 pm

  So, I'm considering doing another Wayback Movie Review, this time of a classic horror flick for Halloween this year. I've ID'ed a few candidates which are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year, so I thought I'd throw it out to the few LiveJournal dead-enders who still read this to see what you-all think. The contenders are:Dracula, 80 years old this yearFrankenstein, also 80 years oldThe Evil Dead, celebrating its 30th anniversaryThe Silence of the Lambs, 20 years oldThe Addams Family, likewise marking two decadesView Poll: #1783621

• Story Sale!

  9 Sep 2011 | 11:01 pm

  For those who didn't see my post on Facebook: My short story "A Faithful Companion" has been accepted for publication in the 2012 anthology "A Quiet Shelter There," edited by Gerri Leen. If you've ever wondered what became of Adam and Eve's dog after they left the Garden -- or even if you never knew Adam and Eve had a dog -- this is a story you want to read! Book proceeds will go to the Friends of Homeless Animals shelter in Northern Virginia.

• Wayback Movie Review: LOGAN'S RUN

  22 Jun 2011 | 8:33 pm

  This week marks a very important anniversary in SF film history. It was thirty-five years ago, on June 23, 1976, that MGM released the film Logan's Run. Thirty-five years. You realize what that means? That's right, it means this film somehow escaped its deserved fate on its thirtieth anniversary, and has been living on borrowed time for the past half-decade. Well, the time has come to address this oversight, and to finally subject it to the bright, snarky red flashing spotlight it deserves. Last Day begins, and so does the Wayback Retro Review of Logan's Run!The film begins, as all…

• 

  SF and Nonsense

• Of the Ringworld (and much smaller things)

  24 Jan 2012 | 8:32 am

  Lots of Known Space aficionados frequent this blog. Especially if you're one of them, here's a stunning short video I happened upon, inspired by early portions of -- by my colleague, Larry Niven -- the novel Ringworld.  Seriously cool. (And if you haven't read Ringworld ... you should. It's won about every SF award there is.)I hope there will be a Part 2. On a terrestrial scale, I was tickled to see my upcoming near-Earth technothriller, Energized, on io9's fairly exclusive list, All The Science Fiction and Fantasy Books We’re Dying to Read in 2012. It's not every day I get to rub…

• Viruses: not just for PCs anymore

  17 Jan 2012 | 9:23 am

  As microprocessors become ever more ubiquitous, so, too, do opportunities for malware. Be afraid: some gadgets are far more personal than your personal computer ...Let's start with malware that's been crafted to seize control of your smart phone. From Reuters, "GSM phones vulnerable to hijack scams":  "Flaws in a widely used wireless technology could allow hackers to gain remote control of phones and instruct them to send text messages or make calls, according to an expert on mobile phone security."Why would anyone target smart phones? "... hackers are paying unprecedented attention to…

• Much idiocy, the occasional triumph of common sense, and a look ahead

  10 Jan 2012 | 8:23 am

  So: a virologist decided to investigate how to make the avian flu (aka, H5N1) more contagious.It apparently wasn't enough to know that the disease -- transmitted through contact with the feces of infected birds -- has killed 600 people and has a 60% human fatality rate. Now there's an airborne strain. Pleased at punch with his accomplishments, said virologist wanted to get the details published. Because, you know, no one could possibly abuse this research.Madness.I'm not one to advocate censorship -- few authors are -- but this is one of the exceptions that proves the rule. The National…

• Tell, don't show?

  3 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am

  A standard bit of advice to aspiring authors is to show action, not talk about it. It's often good advice: showing a world explode (for example) is more dramatic than saying that it did. Like all rules, "show, don't tell" has its exceptions. Telling can be an effective technique, too. Following my recent trip to England I felt the urge to reread the various cases of Sherlock Holmes. My hotel in London was in walking distance of 221b Baker Street (and indeed, my wife and I did visit the Holmes Museum at that address.) But keener is having seen many of the locales in which the beloved stories…

• Maybe the Mayans had it right ;-)

  27 Dec 2011 | 9:05 am

  Submitted for your approval ..."VW agrees to kick the "Crackberry" habit": Is it a harbinger of sanity or an omen of pending doom?"Will China Break?" as Paul Krugman suggests? Or will the bull safely exit the porcelain emporium?While teams of particle physicists feverishly search for a needle in a haystack's worth of haystacks, one physicist spends $2,600 for a custom Lego kit to build a 9,500-piece scale model of CERN's Atlas (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) detector -- part of the hunt for the Higgs boson. Heavy.From the Department of Don't Believe Everything You Read, be sure to read "Doh! Top…

• 

  The Days Are Just Packed

• Alpha Workshop auction

  17 Jan 2012 | 3:55 pm

  The fabulous Alpha SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers (ages 14-19) will be held July 18-27, 2012 in Pittsburgh, PA. At Alpha, students can meet others who share their interest in writing science fiction, fantasy, and horror. They can learn about writing and publishing from guest authors, including Tamora Pierce and Kij Johnson. Also, they will write and revise a short story during the workshop. Applications are due March 1, 2012. The workshop is currently holding a fundraising auction, where you can bid on items from Ellen Kushner, John Joseph Adams, Elizabeth Bear, Theodora Goss, and many…

• Guadalajara: summary and photos

  17 Jan 2012 | 2:12 pm

  Word count: 11895 | Since last entry: 1962 So that was Guadalajara. All in all, even if I hadn't gotten sick I think I would give it a mixed review. Though Guadalajara is the second biggest city in Mexico, there didn't really seem to be a lot of different things to do there. Where were the theatres, the major museums, the department stores, the galleries? Guadaljara's population is comparable to San Diego, Phoenix, or Philadelphia, but it just felt like an enormous, sprawling small town. Street after street was crowded with tiny shops, and more than half of them were tightly shuttered, with…

• Gualalajara, days 3-4

  15 Jan 2012 | 8:01 pm

  Word count: 9933 | Since last entry: 131 Not my best vacation days ever. Yesterday I woke up with an upset tummy. Took some Pepto-Bismol, but after I could eat only a few bites of Francisco's yummy homemade tamales I realized that what I really needed was to go back to bed. Which I did. And stayed there all day, sleeping off and on. I spent a little more time in the bathroom than usual, but mostly it was just a sore tummy and a total lack of energy and appetite. Apart from sleeping, I read The Windup Girl (which is going to leave me very confused about what country I've been in) and wrote a…

• Guadalajara, day 2

  13 Jan 2012 | 9:19 pm

  Word count: 9802 | Since last entry: 163 After another fabulous breakfast, we walked downtown toward the Museo de la Ciudad (City Museum) with stops at the Templo Expiatorio (a lovely church whose spire is completely done in stained glass, also featuring the Delta-Winged Queen of Heaven), a bakery, and some weird-ass sculptures of creatures with turtle bodies, twelve-foot tentacles, and baby heads. The museum told us a bit of Guadalajara history, though the text of the exhibits was written in more complex language than the House of the Dogs and thus was harder for me to understand. We had…

• Guadalajara, day 1

  12 Jan 2012 | 10:44 pm

  Word count: 9639 | Since last entry: 1146 So here we are in Mexico. It actually smells somewhat different from home, a dusty spicy sort of smell. But it doesn't feel as foreign as Japan or Thailand, or even Italy. More foreign than Canada or Australia, though. Our language study has paid off. My comprehension isn't nearly as good as I would like it to be, but I can communicate well enough to ask "is the restaurant Caffe Mondo near here?" and kind of understand the answer. Kate is still doing most of the talking, but at least I can make out the signs at the museums. The Guadalajara airport is…

• 

  Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress

• Fringe 4.10: Deceit and Future Vision

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:01 pm

  One of the things I'm really enjoying about this 4th season of Fringe is how every episode in some significant way moves along the central story.  Tonight in 4.10 we get a tender, sad story about a girl who can see bad things slightly or  a little more into the future.  She thinks her visions are unalterable. But Olivia and Peter et al stop a courthouse from blowing up as per her vision, just in time.  They're unable to stop, however, her own death via a stroke, but -An Eternal Bald Observer told Olivia, at the end of the episode before last, that he saw her death, which…

• Good for Gingrich Talking about the Moon

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:32 am

  Newt Gingrich has received considerable ridicule and flack for his statement that we would have a permanent base on the Moon by the end of his second term as President, and when the Moon attained 13,000 permanent settlers, it could become another U.S. state.I say, good for Gingrich for thinking so big.  We need more of that.  One of the reasons our efforts in space have stagnated is because no one after JFK had the requisite vision to see us get off this planet in a sustained way.The fact is that we are citizens of the cosmos, not just this Earth.  We'll never truly understand…

• Any Bad Results from Obama's Health Plan?

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:36 am

  I just saw a pro Newt Gingrich anti Romney ad airing in Florida that, unsurprisingly, attacked Romney-care in Massachusetts as being the basis for the "disastrous" Obama-care.I put "disastrous" in quotes because every time I hear something like this, I wonder, what, exactly is the disaster that has occurred because of Obama's health plan?I'm not talking about some courts that have said the mandate part of the law may be unconstitutional.  I disagree with everyone being obliged to get health are, whether or not they want it, too.  But that's hardly a "disaster" - it's just a part of…

• The Renaissance of Television in Poliics?

  21 Jan 2012 | 11:06 pm

  Television has never been unimportant in politics - beginning with Nixon's "Checkers" speech in the 1952 campaign and progressing into JFK's victory over Nixon in the first televised Presidential debates in 1960.But, more recently, lots of people including me have talking about how Barack Obama in 2008 and Republicans in 2010 won by mastering social media - or, what I call "new new media".  Paul Saffo even coined a new term - "cybergenic" - to describe Obama in 2008, an evolution of JFK and Reagan being telegenic.Has television come back?  Newt Gingrich clearly smashed Romney in…

• Lesson in Gingrich's Win for Obama

  21 Jan 2012 | 6:24 pm

  If I were Barack Obama, I'd be very unhappy about Newt Gingrich's win tonight in South Carolina.  As it is, I'm a mostly supporter of Obama, and I'd much rather the see the President face the robotic Romney than Gingrich.Gingrich not only is a highly effective debater, he has a capacity to surprisingly endorse positions that pull the rug out from under his opponents.  In the debate the other night, what I most noticed was Gingrich's powerful condemnation of SOPA and PIPA - the now shelved Internet anti-piracy legislation that would have crippled the Internet.In contrast, Obama was…

• 

  Holly Lisle: Official Author HomepageHolly Lisle: Official Author Homepage

• Cadence Drake and the Darkness

  Holly

  23 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am

  Cady and Warpaint I’d originally set Cadence Drake: Warpaint (my current work in progress) three years after the events in Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood. I did this because I wanted to get back to Cady’s story after she’d beaten the darkness from the first book, after she had found her way back to being a whole human being again. But over the weekend, I realized that in doing this, I was missing the big picture and a huge, powerful story—the story of how Cady reclaimed her soul. So on Saturday and Sunday, I put aside everything I’d already done with the…

• How to say “I was wrong.”

  Holly

  23 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am

  I was wrong. Now I'm sheepish. You start by saying, “I was wrong.” So I’ll start there. Last week, I looked at the EULA for a piece of software called iBook Author, and based on reading the EULA and on reading the interpretations of the EULA by folks better at this than I am, and based on the understanding that iBook Author was designed to be the creation point of original work, and not as a formatter of work created on other platforms, and with that understanding seeing in Apple’s EULA a serious and unethical rights grab, I pulled my own work from Apple’s…

• The Apple iBooks Author Issue: Small things, and large principles

  Holly

  20 Jan 2012 | 10:17 am

  The short version: I have removed my books from sale on iBookstore because Apple has included a clause in software I don’t use and wouldn’t have used anyway a clause claiming the right to refuse publication on its platform of works created with this software (which is fine and I applaud their right) and further stating that if they reject your work you cannot sell it in the format the software created anywhere else. THE LONG VERSION: Here’s the clause: B. Distribution of your Work. As a condition of this License and provided you are in compliance with its terms, your Work…

• Income Tax Stuff

  Holly

  19 Jan 2012 | 1:03 pm

  I’m getting all the tax materials ready for my accountant, and adding up columns of affiliate payments to see which of my affiliates end up with 1099s this year. I’ll be back when all the yuck is over.

• I’m joining the PIPA/SOPA Strike Tomorrow

  Holly

  17 Jan 2012 | 6:28 pm

  Join the PIPA/SOPA Strike Tomorrow All three of my sites: http://hollylisle.com, http://howtothinksideways.com, and http://writingcoursesnow.com will be blacked out tomorrow during the strike. I am a writer, and my work is currently being pirated on a number of sites. I have done everything I can to have the pirated works taken down, so please understand that I am NOT a fan of piracy, and furthermore, I am one of the people these laws are ostensibly supposed to help. PIPA and SOPA are bad laws. They will NOT help me. They will not help anyone. They will simply give the US government and other…

• 

  LundBlog: Beautiful Letters

• moving to wordpress

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:17 pm

  Hi all,Just wanted to write a brief note that I'm moving blogging platforms to Wordpress. I officially migrated to LiveJournal from JournalScape back in February 2005, so I've been at LJ for almost exactly seven years. I've used Wordpress a bit during that time, and have always enjoyed the experience, so in honor of the New Year (both Chinese and Regular), and of the fact that I'm setting some definite writing goals this year, I decided to migrate not only my blog, but my entire website as well. The details of which can be found here.So I hope you'll update your bookmarks…

• published works eligible for the wfa

  12 Jan 2012 | 9:20 am

  The judges for the 2012 World Fantasy Awards have just been announced; for those of you who are attending WFC 2012 in Toronto, or attended last year in San Diego, or in 2010 in Columbus, Ohio, and who might be nominating works for this year's WFA, following is a list of my eligible fiction published in 2011, should you feel so inclined to do me the honor of placing any of it on your ballot:Red Dot Irreal, Math Paper Press (collection)"Bogeymen," Subterranean Magazine no. 8 (novella) (rep. in Red Dot Irreal)"Coast," Coast (short fiction) (rep. in Red Dot…

• 2011 Books Read

  2 Jan 2012 | 6:07 pm

  Going back to 2006, I've had a tradition of posting the books I've read each year, as a way of keeping track of my reading habits and preferences, and will do so once again here. The list is provided sans commentary, although I will say that the books I've bothered both to pick up and to finish are ones that I consider worth reading. And I would ask that if mention of the titles below strikes your fancy, please consider picking them up through IndieBound and supporting your local independent bookstores.Only 66 books finished this year, but it was a rough year, and 1Q84 took me five weeks to…

• red dot irreal now available to order (updated)

  7 Nov 2011 | 7:42 pm

  If you live in Singapore, Red Dot Irreal is available for purchase at BooksActually and, by next week, at Kinokuniya. Since the awesome folks who published the book through Math Paper Press also run BooksActually, if you buy the book there until 31 December, you'll also get a coupon code for the free e-book version of the book.For those of you outside of Singapore, the book is now available for ordering!The paperback can be ordered from the main book page. The shipping zones are set by Singapore Post, although it's a good bet that many of you who may want to order are in Zone 3; if…

• red dot irreal and the power of fiction

  1 Nov 2011 | 11:17 pm

  This past Saturday night, Red Dot Irreal, my debut short story collection, was launched at the Singapore Writers Festival as part of their "Brand New Books" programming track. About 30 people showed up, only half of whom I actually knew, and I spent an hour reading selections from the book, talking about the publishing journey, and answering questions from the audience. On stage with me were Karen Wai and Kenny Leck, my awesome publishers at Math Paper Press, as well as Jasmine Tan of You & Me Creative, who designed the cover and formatted the interiors. Afterward, to my…

• 

  Nathalie Mallet's Blog

• I Heart Reading reviews Death in the Traveling City

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:46 pm

  As promised, here is the third review in the series by reviewer/author Majanka Verstraete.Here’s a excerpt:“Nathalie Mallet doesn’t cease to amaze me by adding intriguing and fascinating concepts to her stories, altering them to fit into a fantasy setting and throwing her main character, Prince Amir, right in the middle of them. Surprisingly enough, this works every time. Even though I know from the start that I’m going to get a mystery and suspense story, I can’t wait to dive into the middle of it and find out what happens next. Prince Amir is an amusing character, and I enjoy…

• I Heart Reading reviews The King’s Daughters

  22 Jan 2012 | 8:25 am

  This is the second review in a series of four by reviewer and author of Majanka Verstraete. See the first review below. It’s awesome! :-)Here are two excerpts:“The story is well though-through and developed, and the mystery isn’t easily solved. I loved the mixture of folklore with the mystery at hand, and the way everything blends in well together.”“I liked The Princes of the Golden Cage. I loved The King’s Daughters. So far, the Prince Amir Series has presented me with an intriguing and outstanding mixture of mystery and suspense, fantasy, history and romance, and I’m loving…

• I Heart Reading reviews The Princes of the Golden Cage.

  21 Jan 2012 | 2:52 pm

  Reviewer and Author of Mirror, Mirror, Majanka Verstraete has just posted an in-depth review of The Princes of the Golden Cage on her blog, I Heart Reading.Here are a few excerpts from it:“Although set in a fantasy world with its roots based on the Ottoman Empire, The Princes of the Golden Cage isn’t your standard fantasy novel, and I applaud it for that.”“The mystery part plays a giant role in this novel, once again making it stand out from the crowd. The mystery in itself is intriguing to say the least and the fact that magic might play a role in it makes it all the more…

• And the winners are…

  16 Dec 2011 | 9:20 am

  Congrats to the winners of the Book Lover’s Holiday Giveaway Hops: Jade Teo, Dinky, Jenny Vasquez and Bonnie Harris; and a big thank you to Livia of Butterfly-o-Meter Books and JoAnne of The Fairytale Nerd for hosting the giveaways.

• The Fairytale Nerd’s Interview & Giveaway

  1 Dec 2011 | 9:18 am

  I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by reviewer JoAnne of The Fairytale Nerd. It’s a fun, light piece. You can read the entire interview right here. I am also participating in the Book Lover’s Holiday Giveaway Hop…at The Fairytale Nerd as well! I’m giving away two paperbacks and one ebook. Hurry up and sign up for a chance to win! :-)

• 

  Nick Mamatas

• Don't Do Stuff Like This

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:29 pm

• Class Stereotype Quiz

  26 Jan 2012 | 2:23 pm

  I haven't taken an Internet quiz in a long time. This one is based on Charles Murray's gibbering about The New American Divide. How Thick Is Your Bubble?GuestScore » 14 out of 20 (70% ) Result On a scale from 0 to 20 points, where 20 signifies full engagement with mainstream American culture and 0 signifies deep cultural isolation within the new upper class bubble, you scored between 13 and 16. In other words, you don't even have a bubble. Quiz SchoolTake this quiz & get your scoreHow Thick Is Your Bubble? » Quiz MakerHints for the perplexed:*most anyone especially active on the Internet…

• Wednesday Late Notes

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:59 am

  Burns NightWe went to Origen, one of those farm-to-fork places, tonight. It's a semi-fancy place and it's the third restaurant to occupy the space in three and a half years because semi-fancy and Telegraph Ave just don't go together. Ultimately, such restaurants want to have great local ingredients and get Pixar/Cal PhD/Google money, but there are so many students that they end up serving twenty zillion kinds of hippie pizza and then go out of business after ten months.But this week Origen has a "Cal-Caledonian" menu for Burns Night, and Glasgow-born la_nausicaa was pleased to go. She had the…

• World Book Night 2012

  24 Jan 2012 | 6:45 pm

  April 23rd is World Book Night, and it will now be held in the US as well the UK. Basically, volunteers are given books to hand out to non-readers in their community. Of course, I live in a neighborhood where the Barnes and Noble had to shut down due to the predatory pricing and aggressive competition from the local independent bookstores, so it looks like I'd have to walk three blocks down to the Temescal and hand out books there. Which should I pick? When I set up my stand, what should my slogan for the passers-by be?You tell me.View Poll: Which book shall I choose?

• Attention New American Library

  24 Jan 2012 | 6:06 pm

  Or, for that matter, everyone who knows someone who might work for New American Library.STOP SENDING ME VAMPIRE PRINCESS NOVELS!AND PLEASE STOP SENDING THEM TO THE BRATTLEBORO, VT ADDRESS I LEFT IN 2006!Does Lyda still read this blog? MAKE THEM STOP, LYDA!

• 

  Not A Blog

• Hugo Recommendations - BEST NOVEL

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:20 am

  The Hugo Award for Best Novel is "the big one," the last to be presented at every Hugo ceremony (well, except that one year when Lester del Rey screwed up the presentations), the category that typically draws the most nominations and the most votes (well, along with Dramatic Presentation), the most prestigious award in the field, and the oldest. Other Hugo categories have come and gone over the decades, but Best Novel has been there since the beginning. The first one was awarded in 1953, and went to Alfred Bester for THE DEMOLISHED MAN. The books and authors that have won the award in…

• Hugo Recommendations - BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:24 pm

  In this category I do have a horse in the race, obviously: the first season of HBO's series GAME OF THRONES. So it goes without saying that, if you enjoyed the show and think it worthy, I'd be most pleased if you included it amongst your nominations.However, it is not quite that simple. So, a little background for those who are maybe new to the Hugo Awards and the nomination process.First off, what the hell is a "dramatic presentation," you may ask. Well, most of the time, it is a television show or a feature film. But the category is actually broader than that. It was named "dramatic…

• Hugo Recommendations - BEST PRO ARTIST

  24 Jan 2012 | 4:39 pm

  So... as I was saying back before the Golden Globes, our trip to LA, various other awards, and all the exciting football stuff distracted me... nominations for this year's Hugo Awards are now open. The Hugos are the field's oldest award, and to my mind the most important... not that the others aren't swell, but the Hugos are chosen by you, the fans and readers.To nominate, you do need to be a member of this year's worldcon (Chicon 7), last year's (Renovation) or next year's (LoneStarCon). Any of the three will do. You can find the ballot here: https://chicon.org/hugo/nominate.phpLots of…

• Super Bowl, Super Sale

  23 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pm

  So my Giants defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 to advance to the Super Bowl, in large part due to an incredible gutsy performance by Eli Manning, our number 10.To celebrate, and share my joy some, I'm going to slash the prices on some of the signed books available through my website... from now through Super Bowl Sunday.In honor of Eli, take $10 offer the price of any hardcover or combination of hardcovers listed here: http://www.georgerrmartin.com/books-hardcovers.htmlAnd to commemorate those 20 points that sent us to the big show, take $20 the listed price of either of the limited…

• Super G-Men!!!!

  22 Jan 2012 | 10:30 pm

  Life is magical and full of joy!THE GIANTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!What a game. What a bloody great game. THIS is what football is supposed to be like. Real smashmouth kickass old-fashioned duel to the death. DAMN but that 49ers defense played great. I don't think I have ever seen Eli take such a hammering, but he kept getting up and fighting on. And my man Cruz was magnificant as well... though the Niners obviously made adjustments at the half to clamp down on him, or else the win would have been much more lopsided.The Giants D played great as well. They did not get nearly as many sacks…

• 

  Counting Heads

• The New Cover

  15 Jan 2012 | 5:46 pm

  It's minus 40 degrees F in Fairbanks right now. It was supposed to "warm up" to minus 19, warm enough for my 1992 Mazda pickup to bounce and slide down the road to the grocery store. But it didn't warm up, and I'm literally tossing one log after another into the wood stove. The temp hasn't risen above minus 30 degrees outside my door for 3 days now.That's the reason for this rare Sunday post. I believe I have finished, at long long last, the cover for my ebook version of "The Wedding Album." I wanted to share it with you (and to give anyone a last chance to send me feedback). I'm liking this…

• An Illustrated Account of the Last 6 Weeks

  10 Dec 2011 | 6:15 pm

  The novel burbles along. The deeper I get the deeper it gets. Hope I can pull it off. I'm getting pretty sure of the title and I feel like I can divulge it. My novel in progress is called Tribulation Camp. Also, my main protagonist is now named Hadrian Haden. We'll see how long that sticks.Here in Interior Alaska we got a head start on winter. The last two weeks of November took a nose dive, and we got down to minus 41. We broke six all-time record lows, five of them on consecutive nights. The photo above is of my wood yard. I'm having to buy firewood this winter, and what you see represents…

• Occupy Fairbanks

  29 Oct 2011 | 7:15 pm

  Just returned from the Occupy Fairbanks march. I wasn’t dressed for the weather, a clear, relatively mild day (13 °F), and had to bail before all the speeches were done. About 40 people marched, pretty much the same crowd I saw when I protested the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Unlike those protests, this time I didn’t see any passers-by flipping us off or screaming insults. There are a few people camping out in a city park in solidarity with other protesters around the world, but they are having problems with the city and police. Nothing major yet. I've read in the news how other cities…

• Steve Jobs

  8 Oct 2011 | 3:38 pm

  Of all the tributes I've heard this week, I was most moved by people who told how the works of this man changed their lives. I must raise my hand and declare myself one of these.Back in 1986 I was in bad need of a job. Both my private business and marriage had just failed. Counter intuitively, I felt that it was a great opportunity to finally quit stalling and begin to work on my dream of becoming a published author. But I needed income, something to get by with while I took the time to write.I interviewed around town for a job. My most marketable skill in those days was as a graphic…

• The New Book Cover

  1 Oct 2011 | 2:43 pm

  I've gotten some helpful feedback on the cover in the comments section. It provides gist for a few blog entries starting with this one. Renelle (one of my first readers) asks:It's a nice cover, David. Do ebook covers serve the same purpose as (real books? meatbooks? what the heck do I call them?) printed book covers? Does it need to stand out in a crowd? Pique your interest?She also says: How many sizes is it going to be viewed at? How small will it be on, say, an iPhone?These are all great questions because they reflect the revolution going on in media, with the rise of the phones and…

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  Welcome to the Maze

• When We Were Executioners Arriving in Stores and Homes Today

  24 Jan 2012 | 4:02 pm

  It would take too long to fiddle with the picture stuff between now and getting to work, so I won't be taking any pictures. However, I have received my copies of WHEN WE WERE EXECUTIONERS from Amazon.com today. Any sightings in the wild? Upload it to Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc. and Tag Me in it!

• Things I've learned reading slush all day...

  21 Jan 2012 | 9:23 pm

  I have been reading slush for approximately twelve hours straight, for Bull Spec. It is an interesting and highly-recommended experience for everyone, and it has not made me bitter, yet.Here are some things that I have learned after my first full day of slush reading.1) People who've taken writing workshops at Clarion, Oddessey, Taos, and Universities are generally a bright spot in the pile, even if I reject their story, because they don't generally make easy mistakes.2) I am far more forgiving of a story that tries very hard to be amazing, and fails, than I am of a story that tries very…

• Coming next month from Apex Books...

  18 Jan 2012 | 2:45 pm

• [Free Fiction] Iphigenia at Aulis

  16 Jan 2012 | 11:38 am

  You know her story, don’t you? The great king Agamemnon offended Artemis, by murdering her sacred deer. He spoke arrogantly of this goddess.1 Later on, a prophet had to be called to the council of kings. No storms had come to wash the battleships to war. Zeus’ commanded siege of Troy depended upon the famous storms of Aulis that never seemed to come. The gods had to be consulted.The blind prophet, Calcas, announced that the great king had to sacrifice his daughter. This was subsequently, immediately, done by that terrible tyrant.But, there are as many versions of a myth as there are…

• Blogging Elsewhere, Elsewhen...

  12 Jan 2012 | 3:27 pm

  I've been blogging for the Night Bazaar for two weeks, now, along with some other folks.I haven't really had a chance to go over there and read the posts, mind you, because I'm gearing up for Illogicon this weekend, writing, and writing, and also Angie and I took a break today to build our first terrarium.We're packing our bags tonight for Illogicon, and it should be a great time. I expect to be on a few panels, give a reading, but mostly I expect to enjoy myself among cool people and things.Oh, and be advised that WHEN WE WERE EXECUTIONERS is quite nearly upon us. Quite nearly time. See if…

• 

  Robin McKinley

• Snippet Number Three* with footnotes**

  Robin

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:58 pm

    . . . I’d been this really disgustingly sweet, cooperative kid, always worried about everyone else (this got worse after Ran was born.  I am never having kids.  Moms with new babies have no life), which is to say this total dreary little dreep.  What actually started giving me my own personality was when I got old enough to volunteer at the shelter.  It was mostly dogs and cats, but even then there was one parrot (who was totally bonded to Clare, who said, I’m never doing this again), a chameleon (who still runs to the back of his tank and turns blue to go with the walls every…

• Mostly coherent. And with lots of footnotes.

  Robin

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:19 pm

    b_twin_1 Eeek. I’m so conflicted. I want the rest of the week to go sloooooow for you but I want it to go fast for Jodi. It was less than a fortnight ago that I finally really noticed that Jodi’s frelling* novel** is coming out on the SAME GLAMFARBING DAY THAT SHADOWS IS DUE.  How frigglegobblasting unfair is THAT?  http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com/2012/01/exclusive-reveal-incarnate-by-jodi.html ***  I rang handbells tonight—rather to my own astonishment.  What’s worse is that the other three ringers are getting steady enough that It Was Decided—not by me—that it…

• Um, SHADOWS

  Robin

  25 Jan 2012 | 7:36 pm

    SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS FRELLING SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS GAH SHADOWS SHADOWS MAGGIE SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS BLEEEEUUUUH SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS I HAVE WRITTEN AT LEAST 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 FRESH NEW SHADOWS SHADOWS WORDS TODAY SHADOWS MORE GAH MORE SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS LOVELY LOVELY MONGO BUT I CAN’T AT PRESENT REMEMBER IF I HAVE ANY MORE SPOILER-FREE MONGO SHADOWS SHADOWS SHADOWS SO YOU’LL FORGIVE ME IF THERE IS NO BLOG…

• Extreme Brain Death, etc

  Robin

  24 Jan 2012 | 7:01 pm

    Blah erg eh gah erfft groan snivel.  I’m pretty sure I’ve used this title before, although the ‘etc’ may confuse the ’bot waiting to title it ‘extreme-brain-death-1407’ when I turn it into a shortcut to hang as a thread in the forum.*  There get to be a lot of extreme brain death days toward the end of writing a novel, especially when the deadline is beetling down on you and you’re not done yet.  What I haven’t been telling you, because there’s no point, is that I ran aground on SHADOWS with a horrible grinding noise about a week ago.**  This is why I try not to…

• I sang. I rang.

  Robin

  23 Jan 2012 | 6:45 pm

    Yessssssss.             I got up this morning convinced I was doing a really dumb, time-wasting-when-I-have-even-less-time-to-waste-than-usual, thing, going to my voice lesson when I’m still totally croaking.*   I told myself that I had to go to Mauncester anyway, to pick up more organic composted farmyard manure for the garden(s) so I might as well tack a voice lesson on the end of it.**  I looked dubiously at my music, which positively has dust *** on it, and decided to take the easy end of it along in case Nadia wanted to recommend this pathetic baby thing rather…

• 

  Karen's musings

• Kingmaker, Kingbreaker to be Omnibused!

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:50 pm

  Later this year, Orbit is re-releasing the first 2 Mage books (The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage - aka Innocence Lost in Australia) as a single omnibus edition. It's a huge compliment and I'm very chuffed! To mark this new edition, they've redesigned the cover ... and here it is!Stay tuned for more omnibus information ...

• Life! Life!

  20 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pm

  Don't talk to me about life ...Arrgghhhh!However, enough about vexations. Coupla interesting links for you, if you're a BBC Sherlock/Stephen Moffatt fan.Here and here!

• 2011? Good riddance!

  31 Dec 2011 | 4:26 pm

  I had 3 highlights in 2011. One was the advent of Barnabus and Jezebel into my home -- gorgeous kitties who make me laugh every day. One was a successful production of The Crucible, a play I had long wanted to direct. And one was the great time I had teaching at the Romantic Times Booklovers' Convention in LA.The rest of the year feels like it was little more than pain, worry, ill health and desperation. Yes, I got Wizard Undercover finished. But I never ever want to write under those conditions again. My back went on me in February, sort of recovered by March, but only in time for me to…

• Merry Christmas!!!!

  24 Dec 2011 | 1:42 pm

  To everyone in LJ land, may you and your loved ones enjoy a fabulous, blissful day ... in all its myriad incarnations!

• Quick update

  13 Dec 2011 | 5:24 pm

  Well, I'm typing this on my knees because last Thursday - my birthday!!!-- I herniated 1 disc and prolapsed 2 more. In bed. Asleep. So my dreams are clearly more exciting than my life.Anyhow.Cue the unspeakable pain and the drugs and the CT scan and so forth. This is going to be a long slow recovery process. I am showing improvement, with physio. Please cross your fingers for me!Good thing I'm in research mode at the moment.If I can't get to updating much I wish you a wonderful Christmas in advance.

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  Notes from the Labyrinth

• Con Or Bust auction

  23 Jan 2012 | 7:06 pm

  con_or_bust is starting to post items for auction! (The auction itself will start February 11 and run through February 25.)Among these items (which are widely varied, check 'em out), you may find:a signed (and personalized if desired) copy of The Bone Key (2nd edition, with gorgeous new cover & an introduction by Lynne Thomas)a signed (and personalized if desired) copy of Somewhere Beneath Those Waves

• UBC: Hitler's Empire

  7 Jan 2012 | 8:14 am

  Mazower, Mark. Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe. 2008. New York: Penguin Books, 2009.Short version: Nazis. Most incompetent Evil Overlords in the history of ever.Exactly as the subtitle says, this book is about how the Nazis ran occupied Europe: how they dealt with the fact of administering an empire which, as Mazower shows, they spared no thought for even when they were in the middle of planning to invade Poland. Mazower is a functionalist rather than an intentionalist when it comes to the Holocaust, and that position arises naturally from the demonstration, in conquered country…

• 2 better things

  4 Jan 2012 | 8:06 am

  I'm not going to make it to five, but have a couple things that are better than my virus:1. Lightspeed Magazine's free ebook sampler includes my story "The Devil in Gaylord's Creek."2. The Taronga Zoo, which continues to have the world's most awesome animated logo, has a video of their three Sumatran tiger cubs (plus mom) which put some color back in my world.

• not actually a fun way to celebrate the new year

  4 Jan 2012 | 7:57 am

  My body, as I have noticed before, thinks it has a sense of humor. Sunday, I write that one of my goals for 2012 is to be healthy. Monday, I come down with the stomach flu.Ha bloody ha.The violently disgusting part of the program was mercifully brief, but apparently stomach flu acts as an amplifer for RLS. Monday afternoon I ended up going to Urgent Care, not for the flu, but for the involuntary twitching and spasms I was having in both legs. If RLS is like having little dragons chasing each other up and down my legs, this was big dragons. On STEROIDS. We weren't to too serious for numbers,…

• taking stock

  1 Jan 2012 | 11:15 am

  As the new year begins, my story "Blue Lace Agate" is live at Lightspeed. (Author interview here.) "Blue Lace Agate" is chronologically the first story about Mick and Jamie, the protagonists of "A Night in Electric Squidland" and "Impostors" (in Somewhere Beneath Those Waves), and I'm delighted that it has finally found a home.ETA: Also, Mateusz Skutnik has a charming little New Year's game which I commend to your attention.Although I don't usually write year-in-review posts, after the year I've just had, I really do feel the need to sit down and take stock (4,691 irradiated haggis,…

• 

  MoonScape

• The 12th Day Christmas Snippet

  5 Jan 2012 | 12:21 am

  New post up at http://www.paksworld.com/blog/ with 12th and final episode of Sgt. Vardan and her patrol during Pargunese invasion.The situation in these 12 connected snippets occurs between Kings of the North (already out) and Echoes of Betrayal (coming in late February) and refused to fit neatly into either the end of Kings or the beginning of Echoes.  So it languished as a side story until Christmas.Now I'm working on the next book, with the one beyond it (the last of the Paladin's Legacy group) catching the overspill of Book IV.   Book V better not have any…

• Things that make you glad you read the ms. one more time...

  4 Jan 2012 | 9:48 am

  Or, why you can't depend on spell-check or grammar check."She had to kill a Marshal back in spring, before you got her," is not the same as "She had to kill a Marshal back in spring, before you got here." One little letter.  So much wrong with its absence.Read your manuscript again. 

• A few notes on writing

  4 Jan 2012 | 12:04 am

  Thanks to Twitter,  I have windows into quite a few venues where writing of varied quality may be read and--sometimes--laughed at.   Not talking about humor, here, but about writing that is unintentionally bad.  Recently, in the guise of research, I've been following medievalists.net on Twitter, clicking through to the articles that looked interesting.   Quite often these are theses or dissertations, straight academic writing...and some of these...some of these would have benefited from some editorial guidance.  The usual response to a complaint about…

• New Snippet Post at Paksworld blog

  2 Jan 2012 | 12:06 am

  New post up at the Paksworld blog with episode 9 of Sgt Vardan and her patrol during the Pargunese invasion.  This side-story converges with the forthcoming book, Echoes of Betrayal, so the snippets will stop before any spoilers emerge.   Only three more to go...And now...to bed.

• Newt Gingrich: Amateur Paleontologist (really?)

  1 Jan 2012 | 9:54 pm

  Hey, I didn't have to make this up.  He said it himself while campaigning in Iowa.   Why is he sure global warming isn't real?    “I’m an amateur paleontologist.  I spend a lot of time looking at the Earth’s temperature for a very long time. I’m a lot harder to convince than just looking at a computer model.”Now right there you have proof of the Newt's mental status: ignorant and confused and not entirely honest.Although the mental image of the Newt poring over fossils with a hand lens and reading geology books is kind of…

• 

  Day in the Life of an Idiot

• Head Cold and Other Broken Bits

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:26 am

  I caught that thing that seems to be going around, the dreaded head cold. Luckily, it seems to be fairly mild. I took two nights off, crashed early, and that seems to have done something. I still have a stuffy, runny nose, but it doesn't seem to have gotten much worse than that.I took advantage of being sick and laid in bed yesterday watching Aime. A friend from KSW suggested FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST when he heard that I was a fan of BLEACH. (Netflix had been agreeing with him for some time, I might add.) I can see how this show could be awesome, but I got to the episode called "Cry of the…

• That WEIRD Time

  20 Jan 2012 | 11:40 am

  Because I've just finished revisions and am in between contracts (as I like to say,) I'm in that very weird place I find myself from time to time. I have no writing that I HAVE to do. Thus, I've been flitting between the Gaylaxicon story, brainstorming new series ideas, and re-formatting Archangel Protocol. (I'm on Chapter 12. Go me.)Similarly, there's a lot that needs doing around the house (see yesterday's busy-day post, and all the things I left undone consequentally.) I don't feel like doing those thing either. That "meh-"ness I blame on the weater. It's snowing. (Horray!) But, the world…

• Yep, It's January

  19 Jan 2012 | 10:54 am

  The windchill is some kind of Arctic tempurature, like, -22 F. Which, means, of course, it's devestatingly sunny out. Just looking out the window (if I don't notice the massive amount of frost build-up), I'd think, "Wow, nice day for a long walk!"Today is Thursday, which means I will be super busy. To that end, I have started beef stew in the crockpot and am defrosting the kneffla (German from Russia homemade noodles) to add closer to dinner time. If we actually accomplish everything we INTEND to do, it will go something like this:Changing the fish tanks, At 1:45 pm volunteer in Mr. G.'s…

• General News, Sir!

  18 Jan 2012 | 1:58 pm

  I was updating my static web site and it occurred to me that I should probably let folks over here know what I'm up to. A lot of people have asked me if any of the AngeLINK books will ever be available in electronic formate. The answer is yes. I am working on reformatting a very messy electronic file for Archangel Protocol that I had to steal (from myself) off Torrent. The other books, I have in e-files that are still in usable form. So, I suspect once I get through that, the others will quickly follow. I am hiring someone to do a nice job of them. They should be available in all e-reader…

• Hello, Tuesday, Lookin' Good

  17 Jan 2012 | 10:13 am

  Once again, I have been a poor correspondent and have much to catch you all up on. Probably the most exciting news (for me), is that I have completed the revisions for Tate's Precinct 13 (which will be out in August of 2012).It took me a surprisingly long time to get through these revisions, but I'm happy with the results. Yesterday, as part of the celebration of finishing, Mason and I went sledding with a friend of mine from KSW and her brother (who is about Mason's age). Even though there's only a dusting of snow in places, we discovered a section of the hill at the St. Paul Country Club's…

• 

  The Alien Next Door

• How Are You Telling Your Story?...Part 2: Voice and Narration

  SF Girl

  25 Jan 2012 | 3:42 pm

  The term “Voice” describes various aspects of a writer’s expression in story; it includes your unique writing style and the style you’ve chosen to adopt for the particular story you’re telling. The voice of your story is influenced by your audience—youth, adults, crazy people, etc.—as well as the subject matter and general overall theme of the story. Voice is the feel and tone that applies to: 1) the story or book (narrative voice); 2) to each character in that story; and 3) the author’s own voice (authorial voice; in business it’s called the brand), which you carry with you…

• How Are You Telling Your Story?...Part 1: Viewpoint

  SF Girl

  18 Jan 2012 | 8:18 pm

  The story’s viewpoint can be told from several perspectives and which one you choose can be critical to how your story comes across. Different stories lend themselves to different narrative styles and point of views (POVs). In his April 2000 article in Fiction Writer entitled “First Blood, Third Person” David Morrell warns that some writers may “select a viewpoint merely because it feels natural, but if you…don’t consider the implications of your choice…your story might fight you until you abandon it, blaming the plot when actually the problem is how you’re telling it.” The…

• 2011: Love in the Time of Chaos

  SF Girl

  1 Jan 2012 | 5:18 pm

  If you were asked to sum up 2011 in one photo which one would you choose? When I made the decision to distill the past year into one quintessential “moment” captured in a photograph, I was faced with a multitude of choices. I could have chosen a photo that captured any number of significant events from the personal to the global: … from the decision to re-adopt my male cat to the global nuclear crisis that originated in Japan. There was also “Arab Spring” when oppressed citizens toppled long-standing regimes and sent government officials fleeing, from a street vendor’s fatal…

• I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

  SF Girl

  25 Dec 2011 | 2:38 am

  Today is Christmas! I'm back in Vancouver for a while to spend Christmas with my son and friends. It's balmy here. We drove country up to Whistler to find snow. It reminded me of a snowy Christmas I'd had several years ago in Vancouver and here's what I posted... ...A few days ago, on the Winter Solstice, a dump of snow covered the Earth in white billows. Huge flakes drifted down from heaven like confetti in a breeze. We are having a white Christmas—the first in over ten years here in Vancouver (on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada). And I love it. I love how the snow wraps…

• New Trailer for "Outer Diverse"

  SF Girl

  5 Dec 2011 | 9:22 pm

  Check it out! It's BOSS! And go nominate Costi Gurgu for the Aurora Prix Award for Best cover art. He deserves it! You can nominate him on the Aurora site starting January 1, 2012, when the nominations open. Looks like you have to be a member to nominate. Used to be ANY Canadian could nominate works for the Aurora. I might have my information wrong, so go check out the site on January 1st to nominate Costi for his splendid artwork to produce the cover of Outer Diverse.

• 

  the essential kit

• a bad case of CHD

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm

  I’m suffering from a bad case of compulsive hair disorder. I can point directly to all the causes, which are as follows: 1. I’ve regained the entire 20 pounds I lost after Young Indiana’s birth, and I traditionally take weight gain out on my hair. 2. My Rogue streak needs re-bleaching. 3. I generally only get one shower during the work week, so my hair looks pretty limp a lot of the time. 4. I have not had my hair even trimmed in 18 months, so it is no doubt in actual need of some maintenance. 2 & 4 are comparatively easily rectified, except I’m avoiding them for…

• “Your life is not normal.”

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:42 am

  A couple nights ago I said to Ted, “I have a Skype date tonight!” He said “Oh you do! With WHOM?!” “With Gabra Zackman,” said I, “the reader of my Walker Papers audio books.” Ted paused, bemused, then said, “Your life is not normal. I mean, really. That’s just not normal.” I had a *wonderful* chat with Gabra, who is charming and funny and clever, and sometime soon (maybe not until Audio Book Release Day, but maybe before then) I’ll be posting a guest blog she’s done for me about being an audio book reader! Yay! :)…

• mizkit.com/mizkit@lj Raven Calls winners!

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pm

  The mizkit.com winners of the RAVEN CALLS giveway are Anne Pascale Quinty, Poppy, and Larisa LaBent! The mizkit.livejournal.com winners of the RAVEN CALLS giveaway are jasondrake, tattermuffin, and for_rainy_days! All of you please email me at cemurphyauthor AT gmail DOT com with your snail mail addresses, your LJ names if that’s what you’ve won under so I know who you are, and whatever name I should sign the books to. :) (x-posted from the essential kit)

• FB Timeline & G+

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:54 pm

  Apparently Facebook is going to roll out their Timeline change as a non-negotiable upgrade (if this link is correct). That may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for me, because its entire purpose is to make your history of everything clearer to advertisers and corporations. And Google is apparently rolling out a non-negotiable one-username-shall-rule-them-all policy across everything they own. While in theory I like the idea of not having to log in and out everywhere, in practice it’s the same thing as the Timeline. I cannot decide if I should just suck it up and accept…

• Coolest. Kid. EVER!

  25 Jan 2012 | 6:41 am

  My 21 month old son just danced into the kitchen singing “We Will Rock You” with sufficient clarity that I could understand him. Totally independently. I don’t even remember it coming up on the playlist today. I mean, he was dancing and singing and I went “…wait, I know that song, that’s not one he’s sung before, that’s…holy CRAP, THAT’S WE WILL ROCK YOU!!!!” Coolest. Kid. EVER! Excuse me, I have to go TOTALLY ROCK OUT with my kid now. (x-posted from the essential kit)

• 

  If You Can't Say Anything Nice...

• New Book Sale

  22 Jan 2012 | 9:22 pm

  I'm very pleased to announce that Patrick Swenson of Fairwood Press will be publishing my next short story collection, to be titled Over the Darkened Landscape. This will be my fourth book and my second collection (after the late, lamented Wasps at the Speed of Sound). Official publication date is set for November of this year, but the book will be out in late October, I am told, in time for World Fantasy in Toronto.The reprints in this book will again, like the previous book, span a wide range of my career. My second-ever sale (and Aurora nominee) "Body Solar" will be in this book, as will…

• My Letter to the School Board

  18 Jan 2012 | 7:49 pm

  My son attends the AcTal program at Greystone (grade 7), and they are off on a curling field trip next week. We have been informed that the kids are going to be required to wear helmets for this, and that this requirement is a school board policy.My wife and I are at a loss on this. Our son is going to be 13 in a month, and, while he has only curled once before, he has managed to play outside in the schoolyard all winter long without once falling and hitting his head (I note that this is not meant to be taken facetiously: walking on school fields before the recent snow has been monumentally…

• Great Songs You May Never Have Heard (8)

  11 Jan 2012 | 9:32 pm

  I'm going to write about a voice that many of you will recognize, especially fans of Christmas music, although the type of Christmas music you would probably never hear in a church. In 1987, the Pogues had a bit of a hit song with "Fairytale of New York," in which lead singer Shane MacGowan traded both loving and hateful words with Kirsty MacColl. Remember these lines?You scum bag, you maggotYou cheap lousy faggotMerry Christmas your assI pray God it's our lastIt interests me that Kirsty MacColl, blessed with such a great voice and so many friends in the business, was unable to make further…

• Two Tickets to Paradise

  10 Jan 2012 | 10:53 pm

  Back in 1979, rock radio in Edmonton was dominated by 630 CHED, an AM station that introduced me to the vast majority of the music I listened to from the moment I became aware there was such a thing as rock and roll, until they were eventually pushed aside by the advent of FM AOR stations, such as (at the time) K-97. In addition to the music, I was also a contest fan, and liked to phone and chat with the DJs in between songs, request music, pontificate on whatever was going on in the biz, and more. It got so I knew the DJs quite well, and they knew me; sometimes we'd be chatting on the phone…

• Great Songs You May Never Have Heard (7)

  4 Jan 2012 | 9:18 pm

  Since my friend Randy brought them up last week (on Facebook), I figure now is as good a time as ever to talk about Buffalo Tom, one of his (and my) favorite bands, and one that he introduced me to. They've put out quite a few very good albums, a couple of excellent ones, and, in my mind, one truly great album, Big Red Letter Day. A three-piece band from Boston, they formed and released their first album a year ahead of Nirvana's first album, way out there on the opposite coast. It's a telling thing in a couple of ways: for whatever reason, grunge became the central talking point for pretty…

• 

  Norilana

• FREE Starting Today - 5 days! - NORTHANGER on Kindle!

  23 Jan 2012 | 6:16 pm

  TODAY! Get it for FREE until Midnight, Friday 27th! . . .A hilarious and romantic Jane Austen fantasy parody!"Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons"by Jane Austen and Vera NazarianKindle Ebook Edition:Download Now, for FREE!Click here to download on Amazon KindleBut... don't wait!When the clock strikes midnight on Friday, January 27, it will be too late, and FREE will turn into a pumpkin!...

• FREE Starting Today - 5 days! - OLD FARTS on Kindle!

  21 Jan 2012 | 4:59 am

  TODAY! Get it for FREE until Midnight, Wednesday 25th! . . .This very short story packs a very literary punch."Old Farts"by Vera NazarianKindle Ebook Edition:Download Now, for FREE!Click here to download on Amazon KindleBut... don't wait!When the clock strikes midnight on Wednesday, January 25, it will be too late, and FREE will turn into a pumpkin!...

• FREE Today! - DREAMS of the COMPASS ROSE on Amazon Kindle

  19 Jan 2012 | 5:09 pm

  TODAY! Get it for FREE until Midnight! . . .A critically acclaimed mythic fantasy... in the vein of The One Thousand and One NightsDreams of the Compass Roseby Vera NazarianKindle Ebook Edition:Download Now, for FREE!Click here to download on Amazon KindleBut... don't wait!When the clock strikes midnight, it will be too late, and FREE will turn into a pumpkin!...

• Yo!... Win a Kindle Fire!

  2 Dec 2011 | 2:53 pm

  Wanna win a Kindle Fire tablet? Only 3 Days Left! Enter the Kindle Fire Giveaway, sponsored by me on Kindle Nation Daily... and while you're there, for $2.99 -- the price of a loaf of bread -- why not pick up a copy of Lords of Rainbow?

• LORDS OF RAINBOW - Special Promotion All This Week!

  1 Dec 2011 | 4:02 pm

  All this week! On Sale in Ebook . . .In a world without color... Illuminated by a silver sun...She is willing to fight for one man unto death.Another is willing to die for her.A remarkable epic fantasy.Lords of Rainbowby Vera NazarianEbook Edition in various DRM-Free formats:Download Now, for $2.99!Amazon KindleB&N NookSmashwords (Epub, Kindle (.mobi), PDF, RTF, LRF (Sony Reader), Palm Doc (PDB), Plain Text)www.LordsOfRainbow.com

• 

  Philip Palmer's Debatable Spaces

• Artemis Speaks!

  Philip Palmer

  4 Jan 2012 | 4:40 am

  Just before Xmas, I  got this from those lovely guys at Recorded Books, who did the audio version of Artemis… Here’s Artemis McIvor, narrating part of the first chapter of the novel which bears her name…(Click on Artemis Speaks, then click again when it reappears on another page.) Artemis speaks!!!

• Happy New Year!!!!

  Philip Palmer

  4 Jan 2012 | 4:35 am

  Happy New Year one and all!  Can’t believe it’s 4th Jan already. I came out of my fun and alcohol stupor to read this rather delightful blog about Hell Ship. That’s nicely helped me out of my Wednesday-morning-drat-I-have-to-start-working-again feeling….  

• Orbit Blog

  Philip Palmer

  2 Dec 2011 | 6:06 am

  Artemis is now definitely in the shops…in Barnes & Noble in the US, and in all good bookshops in the UK…just wrote a small blog about it on the Orbit site.

• Steampunk Anthology

  Philip Palmer

  30 Nov 2011 | 4:09 am

  To my delight, I’ve been asked to contribute to an anthology of steampunk stories ‘inspired by’ classics of literature.  My choice is Wilkie Collins – who is up there with Dickens as the inventor of the detective story, and was one of the greatest writers of the Victorian age.  Other contributors include Adam Roberts, Lavie Tidhar and Kim Lakin-Smith. Scott has more details here. That sorts out my Christmas reading…It’s Woman in White for me, and maybe even The Moonstone, two of Wilkie’s best books.

• Countdown to Artemis

  Philip Palmer

  21 Nov 2011 | 8:00 am

  It’s now been confirmed by my new Orbit editor Jenni Hill that the official UK publication date of Artemis is – drum roll! – 1st December. That’s er, soon. Artemis is my fifth SF novel with Orbit, and as well as telling its own wild and wacky and complex tale, it also picks up some of the loose ends left dangling in my first novel, Debatable Space. I shall say no more…

• 

  Jennifer Pelland

• Where to find Machine

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:54 pm

  I've put together a handy list of places where you can buy Machine here:http://www.jenniferpelland.com/machine.htmlI'll also have it at Boskone, WisCon, and Readercon.Also, I kid you not, I'll be selling it at a St. Patrick's Day event at Annie's Book Stop in Worcester where I'll be belly dancing in a green costume to Irish music :)

• My Boskone schedule, let me show you it

  21 Jan 2012 | 5:25 pm

  Additionally, I'll be at the Broad Universe table on and off all weekend to sell Machine, which is now finally, really, truly, and officially out.Saturday 10:00 - 10:30, Reading: Jennifer Pelland, Independence (Westin)Saturday 16:00 - 17:00, Optimism vs. Darkness in SF, Griffin (Westin) Some says it's historical. So early SF stories were all, "We're going to the stars and will live forever yay," while more recent SF tends to moan, "If the ecocatastrophe doesn't get us the zombie plagues will." Or geographical: do Brits do it more in the dark? Or ageist: is YA usually light-hearted? Or…

• My final Arisia schedule, let me show you it

  7 Jan 2012 | 9:53 am

  Arisia takes place in downtown Boston next weekend: http://www.arisia.orgGender Limitations in SF/F Adams Fri 5:30 PM Duration: 01:15Often, strong female characters are portrayed in such a way that seem to be a rejection not just of traditional gender roles but of all things feminine. Similarly, male characters that take on what are regarded as traditional female roles are viewed as emasculated figures incapable of pro-active action. Where are the strong warrior women that can also be compassionate or the house-husbands that have a role beyond being the punchline of a joke? When Authors…

• And lo...

  2 Jan 2012 | 10:27 am

  ...I actually did some damned writing yesterday. And this morning, I changed my LJ style and cleaned up my links. Maybe that'll make me want to visit more often.

• Starting as I mean to go

  1 Jan 2012 | 7:49 pm

  I'm trying that "start the new year how you want the rest of the year to go" thing, and have already exercised and had a belly dance rehearsal with my dance partner. Now, in preparation for getting back to writing, I've pushed all the novel chapters I've written so far into a folder called "2011 files." Now I can rewrite to my heart's content without being afraid of losing anything.And on an unrelated note, Machine finally has an official release date of January 10. Huzzah! It's still available for pre-order at Apex, and I'll have copies for sale at Arisia.

• 

  Old Enough to Know Better

• Hmmm

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:16 pm

• A Writing Tip

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:09 pm

  Couple posts ago, I put up a piece about an old bodybuilder. In an effort to make the comments about his (purported) drug use to achieve his physique funny, I used some hyperbolic references. How well that worked is up for debate, but I thought they were focused where I wanted them to be. Let's take one of those and parse it, to show why I think it worked. Let us go back to the genesis of the idea: "He took enough drugs to grow from very small to very large!"Nothing there. Too general. Doesn't convey much of anything. "He took enough drugs to turn a dwarf into a giant!" Better,…

• Genetics

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:49 pm

  Apparently my family didn't pass along either the shopping or furniture-moving gene to the male side of the line. I buy things, but don't spend a lot of time dawdling about when I do it. This one? Or that one? That one. Ring it up.Furniture at my mother's house? In all in the same places it was put fifty years ago when they moved in. Probably how it would be at my house, were it up to me. Of course, it isn't up to me, is it?My wife inherited both genes. She loves to shop, and every so often, furniture must be moved. In the latter category, yesterday was the start off another episode…

• Modern Magic

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:40 am

  So, offhand, how old would you say this guy is? Now, you know it's a trick question because I asked it, but even so, you will almost certainly underguess it, if the poster of the picture on Facebook can be trusted: Go ahead, take a stab.Ninety-one.Are you kidding me? My first reaction was pure disbelief, and frankly, I'd want to see a notarized birth certificate and a passport before I bet money on it, but look at the picture of Sly Stallone, below, at my age, sixty-four. That's verifiable, so the guy above could easily be in his sixties or seventies, and that's incredible even so. So,…

• Heartshot

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:21 pm

  Years ago, my buddy Mike Byers, former military pilot; expert artist in glass and constructions various; guitarist, and writer; produced a magazine-killer story, "Heartshot."Those of you unfamiliar with the MK term, this is a story you sell to a magazine that then goes belly-up before it can publish the piece. Naturally, you blame the story, as well you should, and piss on all you writers who killed my markets thus ...Mike's story, about a unicorn hunter, and written, I recall, to offset the warm-fuzziness that was rampant–sorry had to do it–in the fantasy field at the time in regard to…

• 

  Mike Philbin's Free Planet blog

• Bees in the mouth... and the Monsanto super-bee.

  28 Jan 2012 | 2:23 am

  Me, I love coincidences, it's how our Planet tells us that something's not right.Ready?Had a dream this morning where I was being held in some stone dungeon. It was dank and damp, and there was an 'infested puddle' over a square drainage grid of some sort. There were like these flies or something buzzing around, annoying me. I spat one or two of them out. But they kept coming, no matter how far away from the puddle I stood. I pulled one fly out of my mouth.It wasn't a fly. I looked in a dirty box mirror that was over a sink and saw that I couldn't close my mouth. Bees were in my…

• Veterans Today - Tidbits: What is Being Held Back from You

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:55 am

  I'm gonna run an excerpt from Gordon Duff's latest editorial for Veterans Today entitled Tidbits: What is Being Held Back from You. It's undoubtedly one of the most incisive views into WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED, AND WHY, on September 11th 2001 - when you'all lost your freedom to a Patriot Act in the name of a war of terror against You The People.Secrets are More Often Conspiracies and Shame and Seldom are National Securityby Gordon Duff, Senior EditorLet’s start this out with an attention grabber.  Out there, somewhere is a photograph of Osama bin Laden and George H. W.

• Choi Xoo Ang - Flying Hands - Crowded Faces - Tiny Human Beings

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:39 am

  For those of you who like the hyper-realist sculptures of Australian artist Ron Mueck, these ultra-realistic down-scaled figurative sculptures from Korean-born artist Choi Xoo Ang are just gonna blow your mind. According to Dixie Rose of KlosetKase, these gorgeously lifelike sculptures "symbolize abuse in Korea. If art is not relevant, in response to the society we live in, to some it may serve as meaningless. But even when someone claims something as not having any meaning, to others, nothing is always something or an effect from a cause." view more images at Scene360

• Haywire - just more everyday/profit-crime on our streets

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:31 am

  "The CIA trained her," and now they can't stop her.... yadda yadda yadda... sounds like every 'gone rogue' film narrative Hollywood's ever schpat out.But it got me thinking, "Just how much of what we consider everyday/profit-crime on our streets is just chess pieces on the global NEED TO KNOW chess board gone a.w.o.l.?"Has anyone looked into the figures, ffs?

• RT - Poland - anti-ACTA protest march

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:10 am

  The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) (which sounds a lot like the America-specific Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that caused such a ruckus among American activists) must still be ratified by the European Parliament but has been mired in controversy over its secret drafting. ACTA aims to prevent counterfeiting and piracy, and introduces tougher sanctions on copyright theft. It has already been the subject of street protests in Poland (video below) where politicians put on masks to support hacker group 'Anonymous'. The Anonymous group itself says it is now preparing to mount…

• 

  Tiny Godzilla

• Winding Down

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:05 pm

  My poor, battered, insufficiently good initial draft of Inexplicables is starting to shape up into something less appalling, which is good - considering it was due weeks ago, and it NEEDS to go by the end of the month. Plus or minus a day or two. I hope. *ahem*I started by removing about 14,000 words (yes that's a lot shut up they were bad words moving right along), then I took my editor's notes to heart and filled in the holes/rearranged various assorted bits. The present incarnation of this thing is about 108,000 words, with another couple thousand to go. One more scene. It's a pretty…

• Change of Plans

  25 Jan 2012 | 10:28 pm

  Word is starting to get around about World Steam Expo, a steampunk convention which is coming up in May. The nice folks over at WSE invited me to participate quite some time ago - last June, I think - and I was excited to attend, believe me. The Michigan fandom community has been exceptionally kind to me, and I'm always happy to visit when I can.But something has come up, and as of this evening, I've reluctantly withdrawn from this event.I feel particularly bad because my timing is terrible, since the promo push for that weekend is getting underway - but the organizers are being very…

• Practice Safe Writing

  23 Jan 2012 | 8:14 pm

  OMG YOU GUYS LOOKIT WHAT I GOT. The husband had it special ordered/customized (yes it's a real bulletproof vest) for Christmas, but it was delayed a bit and it finally arrived and you had better bet your sweet patootie that I will wear the ever-living CRAP out of this thing.Not just to sci-fi conventions OH HELLS NO. I will bust out this bad-boy for DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS and HOUSEWORK. For that matter ARE ANY OF MY FRIENDS GETTING MARRIED SOON? Oh my God, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY, SOMEONE CALL ME UP FOR JURY DUTY.

• The Aftermath

  22 Jan 2012 | 8:16 pm

  So the weather drama is over, to be replaced with the usual mess ... which is to say, it's dark and cold and wet, but at least we can get our car out of the garage again. Not that I've been going very far, very much. Not lately. I'm still eyeballs deep in Inexplicables revisions, and that means I'm mostly staying inside - even when going outside is an appealing option.But today the husband and I got out long enough to grab lunch, get (him) a haircut, and make a Target run for household essentials. Mundane, yes. But I did get out of the house.When I'm not frantically wrestling with this…

• Weather Update

  17 Jan 2012 | 8:25 pm

  Well, the weather's been the big story for the last few days. As mentioned in the previous post, we got several inches of snow, which then washed away (more or less); but there's more coming tonight. Worse yet, the authorities say we can expect 6-10 inches in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, which should be ... interesting.*But during the rainy hours today, the husband and I did yet more hunting and gathering, and all's well here on the hill. We're all settled in and ready for whatever comes next.* If in fact it comes to pass. Weather prediction in this region is notoriously poor, and very…

• 

  www.AdamRoberts.com

• 2012 BSFA Awards

  Adam Roberts

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:03 am

  I'm immensely pleased and honoured that By Light Alone has been shortlisted for the 2012 BSFA Award for Best Novel. The shortlist is a very strong one, this year: Cyber Circus by Kim Lakin-Smith (Newcon Press) Embassytown by China Mieville (Macmillan) The Islanders by Christopher Priest (Gollancz) By Light Alone by Adam Roberts (Gollancz) Osama by Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing) BSFA members and attendees at Eastercon can vote, the winners being announced at Olypmus 2012, this year's Eastercon. It's a tricky call deciding which of that list is best: I don't envy you having to make your…

• First Fictions

  Adam Roberts

  19 Jan 2012 | 4:39 am

  I'm appearing at the First Fictions event this weekend, at the University of Sussex -- Sunday 22nd Jan. It would be great to see you, if you're there, or thereabouts. At 4pm I'll be interviewing the superb Elleke Boehmer, both a brilliant literary critic and postcolonial theorist, and an exceptional novelist. Then, two hours later at 6pm, I'm talking about my most beloved subject, science fiction, sharing the stage with crime writer Andrew Pepper.

• Ellison, and on, and on

  Adam Roberts

  14 Jan 2012 | 3:44 am

  Through the frontdoor post-hole this morning: my copy of the Gollancz 'SF Masterworks' edition of this great classic of the genre, Edited By Harlan Ellison, by Dan G. Rous Visions. 600 pages of stories that changed science fiction: £9.99 on the back cover (£5.29 from amazon right now, I see), unmissable. This new edition incorporates introductions from both Mr Visions himself, and from Michael Moorcock (these date from a 2002 reissue of the book) plus a brand new extra introduction by me. Two more things: (1) I see the SF Masterworks series even has its own Wikipedia page; and (2) isn't…

• By Light Alone

  Adam Roberts

  13 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am

  A little belatedly (must attend to this 'bsite more frequently): a brief round-up of things that have been written about By Light Alone. To begin with a couple of actual readers, since they're the most important people. First Lizzie Barrett, on facebook: I have just finished By Light Alone by Adam Roberts. If you like political literary novels, if you like emotionally compelling stories, if you like science fiction, you will like this. Hell, if you like your words strung together in beautiful and profound sentences so that you reread them for the sheer joy of language, you will like this.

• Langer’s Science Fiction and Postcolonialism

  Adam Roberts

  19 Dec 2011 | 7:26 am

  Here's something to take not of (erm, '... of which to take note') if you're interested in SF. The brilliant Jessica Langer's brilliant Science Fiction and Postcolonialism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) is now available. Three things you should do. 1. Buy a copy. 2. Check out io9.com tomorrow (Tuesday, around 10 AM North American time), who are running an except from the book. 3. Nominate Dr Langer for a best-related Hugo and/or best-related BSFA award, if you have that power. That is all. (What's that? My 'buy a copy' link goes to a UK site? Oh, right. Here you go).

• 

  Running Air

• So Glad I Live Now

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:09 am

  Yesterday, in order to be on hand for some household stuff, I took the day off. Which meant I went up to the UCSF Medical Library and did research on syphilis and treatments therefor in 1810.Let me simply say this: eeeeeew. The disease itself is awful. The cures? What on earth are "sugars of lead?" Goes off and Googles: Like other lead(II) salts, lead(II) acetate has a sweet taste, which has led to its use as a sugar substitute throughout history.Makes high-fructose corn syrup sound positively enchanting.

• Sixteen Candles

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:18 am

  1) Avocado wanted a birthday tiara to wear to school today. I got her one with glitter, that says 16 in big pink numerals. She was delighted.2) She wanted the tiara to have fur, which it didn't. So I got her a spangly pink feather boa. This pleased her too.3) She appeared in our doorway at 12:01 last night and did a little "I'm Sixteen" dance.4) She is looking back at the mixed success of her party with un-mixed delight, as if it represents some sort of maturational rubicon.5) On the other hand, she's secure enough in herself to have come downstairs this morning toting "Blankie," her Holy…

• This Week at Book View Café: La Desperada

  24 Jan 2012 | 1:12 am

  This week Book View Café is pleased to present Patricia Burroughs's La Desperada. A desperate woman fleeing for her life holds a cold-blooded murderer at gunpoint and says, "Take me with you."The tortured outlaw's quest for vengeance joins with her bid for freedom, and a tale of grand passion and wild adventure unfurls. Set in the Texas and New Mexico of Billy the Kid, their love and sacrifice become the stuff of legend, the legend of "La Desperada."Originally titled What Wild Ecstasy [Kensington Books], this book captivated readers and inspired the Academy of Motion Picture Arts &…

• Sweet Little Sixteen

  20 Jan 2012 | 12:59 am

  Next Tuesday Avocado turns 16. Her plan was to have a bonfire tomorrow night (this seems to be a San Francisco thing--kids gather in a park, very informally). But of course, the forecast is for rain. Last night she asked me if she could have a party here. Of course, she had invited everyone she knew--and she knows a lot of people. 100 people had RSVPd in the positive; 60 more had said maybe. I said No Way she could have 100 people in our house (let alone 160). We struck a deal: up to 40 people, the party to be done by 12:30. All this when the Spouse is out of town.I've written notes to the…

• Black Out

  18 Jan 2012 | 9:12 am

  I've written to both my senators asking them to withdraw their support of SOPA. Have you written to yours?

• 

  Benjamin Rosenbaum

• Thomas Covert, Letter #6

  benrosen

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:36 pm

  Sixth in a series of letters my great-great-great-grandfather wrote home from the American Civil War, exactly 150 years ago. Camp...

• Things Exist By Imitation of Numbers

  benrosen

  18 Jan 2012 | 6:15 am

  A new story of mine, "Things Exist By Imitation of Numbers", is up at Daily Science Fiction. It's the fruit...

• Thomas Covert, Letter #5

  benrosen

  15 Jan 2012 | 2:31 am

  Fifth in a series of letters my great-great-great-grandfather wrote home from the American Civil War, exactly 150 years ago. The...

• In Which I am Overtaken By History

  benrosen

  11 Jan 2012 | 12:25 pm

  Attentive readers may recall that I finished the first draft of a novel (once called Resilience, now currently known as...

• Thomas Covert, Letter #4

  benrosen

  6 Jan 2012 | 7:10 am

  Fourth in a series of letters my great-great-great-grandfather wrote home from the American Civil War, exactly 150 years ago. Camp...

• 

  Rudy's Blog

• Future Ads. Fun with Wacky Matter.

  Rudy

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:25 pm

  I’m still flapping, still trying to get fully airborne on my intended next novel, The Big Aha. But today instead of flapping, I’m playing with my blog. As so often happens here, the pictures have very little to do with the words. View of my home office from my desk chair, January, 2012, pan made with AutoStich app on an iPhone. Click for a larger version of the image. I’ve been wondering what advertising will be like in eighty or a hundred years. Nobody reads anymore or even watches a movie. It’s all web nuggets. They don’t “cruise” so much as “harvest” the web. The ads are…

• Berlin #2

  Rudy

  19 Jan 2012 | 11:17 am

  More pictures of Berlin today, taken in late November, 2011. This follows on my earlier post, “Berlin #1”. Despite the WW II bombing, there’s still a lot of nice old buildings around. And of course the industrious Germans have rebuilt many of those buildings as well. I like this type of nineteenth century look. Serious attics and garrets up there. I wandered into an art gallery featuring a show by an Italian woman whose current motif was round watermelons. They even had a melon/globe on the desk. The big Wheel at the Christmas market near our hotel. Der grossen Rad. The Berliner Dom in…

• Reading NESTED SCROLLS at Borderlands.

  Rudy

  13 Jan 2012 | 12:39 pm

  [Note added after the reading.] So I gave my reading from Nested Scrolls at Borderlands. We had a small, friendly crowd, including several characters from the book. I made a podcast of the reading. You can click on the icon below to access the podcast via my Feedburner podcast station. (Note that Feedburner only shows my most recent podcasts. For older audio files, see my archive on Gigadial, which runs back to 2005.) [Advance announcement.] As I’ve mentioned before, the US edition of my autobiography, Nested Scrolls, is out from Tor Books. This Saturday, January 14, at 3:00 pm, I’ll be…

• “The Lovers”. Effects of Big Aha.

  Rudy

  11 Jan 2012 | 1:24 pm

  I just finished a new painting yesterday, I call it “The Lovers.” “The Lovers,” by Rudy Rucker, 24 x 20 inches, January, 2012, Oil on canvas. Click for a larger version of the picture. The idea is that they’re in a nearly telepathic state, sharing a single thought balloon. And in the thought, they’re merged like a yin-yang symbol. Her 1940s bob acquires an infinity symbol, and their lips form a pair of little hearts. An early Valentine’s Day picture! As always, you can learn more about my work on my Paintings page. I got a very nice review for my autobio Nested Scrolls by Paul…

• Berlin #1.

  Rudy

  10 Jan 2012 | 12:29 am

  After I gave my TEDx talk in Brussels, my wife and I went to Berlin for a week. I didn’t take any journal notes, so I’m just going to paste in my best photos in a fairly random order, with whatever comments come to mind. Here’s a medieval painting of a wizard. I like this guy. My mother grew up in Berlin, but I’d never been there before. It was an interesting city, really big, and with the palpable divide between the east and west halves. We stayed in a hotel in the Mitte area in the former east zone, right by an island in the river. On the island was this enormous museum complex,…

• 

  A Burning Dog Needs No Chimney

• My best of 2011

  31 Dec 2011 | 12:36 pm

  Dropping back in, briefly, to mention that my best of 2011 reading list is up on my new blog.Also, The Mirage will be in bookstores in a little more than month.Happy New Year, all!

• New Matt Ruff website and blog

  13 Oct 2011 | 11:16 am

  I've just converted my bymattruff.com website to a WordPress installation. Everything seems to be working, so far, though I'm sure I'll blow it up at least once as I continue tinkering with the theme.As part of the site update, I've started a new blog, here. I'll be keeping this LiveJournal account for archival purposes, and may still post occasional announcements here, but if you want to continue following me you should subscribe to my new blog's RSS feed and/or my new Twitter account.

• FYI, I'm on Twitter now

  12 Sep 2011 | 1:38 pm

  @bymattruff

• Contagion

  12 Sep 2011 | 1:00 pm

  Lisa and I saw this over the weekend. If you've been thinking about checking it out, but were worried that it might be upsetting, you should know that it's mostly harmless. Even though it's about a mass tragedy, it doesn't touch any 9/11 nerves. Unfortunately, it doesn't touch any other nerves, either.Cold, clinical, and smartly paced, Contagion feels less like a story and more like a dramatization of a (fictional) catastrophe. The attempt to show the global scope of the pandemic, the multiple plotlines, and the relatively short running time mean you never stay with any…

• 11 Sep 2011 | 9:15 am

  11 Sep 2011 | 9:15 am

  Weird decade, eh? Next time, I may try the blue pill...Stay safe and stay sane today, everyone.

• 

  Kristine Kathryn Rusch

• The Business Rusch: Readers

  Kris

  26 Jan 2012 | 1:41 am

  The Business Rusch: Readers Kristine Kathryn Rusch As we came into the new year, I evaluated—as I always do—the things I do as part of my business. My business, for those of you who don’t know, is writing. I have been a published writer since I was sixteen years old. I have made a living at writing since I was in my early twenties, first with nonfiction and then with fiction. Along the way, I’ve also owned two publishing companies, been an advisor to several more, and worked for half a dozen of them in some non-writing capacity. That doesn’t count the hundreds of publishing…

• Boneyards is out!

  Kris

  24 Jan 2012 | 2:04 pm

  My latest Diving novel officially hit all the stands today. Boneyards has received excellent reviews so far. Library Journal said:  Rusch’s latest addition to her “Diving” series (Diving into the Wreck; City of Ruins) features a strong, capable female heroine and a vividly imagined far-future universe. VERDICT Blending fast-paced action with an exploration of the nature of friendship and the ethics of scientific discoveries, this tale should appeal to Rusch’s readers and fans of space opera. And RT Book Reviews gave it four stars: Filled with well-defined characters…

• Free Fiction Monday: The Questing Mind

  Kris

  23 Jan 2012 | 1:48 pm

  J. Reed Brasher knows someone is stealing his memories. He just can’t prove it. He’s 90 years old, and everyone blames the loss on age. But Brasher isn’t the kind of man who loses his mind to age. He’s losing it to something else. He must find out what that something else is before his mind is gone. Chosen by Tangent Magazine as one of the top ten science fiction stories of the year. “The Questing Mind,” by Hugo Award winning writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch is available for 99 cents on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and in other e-bookstores.   The Questing Mind Kristine…

• The Business Rusch: Bestseller Lists and Other Thoughts

  Kris

  19 Jan 2012 | 12:52 am

  The Business Rusch: Bestseller Lists and Other Thoughts Kristine Kathryn Rusch On Tuesday, in my morning business reading, I came across a rather startling statistic: the claim that it only took 20,000 sales of paper books to hit the paper bestseller lists. I’m also assuming the statistic means paper; it might mean that it takes 20K to hit any bestseller list, which is still shockingly low, if you think about it. Now, I have no way to verify this statistic. It comes from a deliberately anonymous source in the middle of a PandoDaily article on the future of publishing. However, reading the…

• Fey 4: The Resistance Available in E-Book!

  Kris

  17 Jan 2012 | 1:53 pm

  WMG Publishing has released The Resistance: The Fourth Book of the Fey in all e-book sites. I know this is big news for many of you since years ago, Bantam Books (for no reason at all) left books 1-3 and book 5 in print and took book 4 out of print. In England, you had a similar experience, since the publisher there decided not to publish the remaining two books in the series after my original editor (and the original publisher) left the company. It was almost impossible to get The Resistance if you came to the party late. There will be a trade paper edition later in the year. For now,…

• 

  Mistborn

• Alcatraz Annotations + Updates

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:34 pm

  In this week's Writing Excuses podcast episode, Dan, Mary, Howard, and I talk about brevity. Since all the chapters of my abandoned novel MYTHWALKER have now been uploaded, it's time to start dishing out something else for your weekly bonus content. So my assistant has put up the first annotation for ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS. This one talks about the process of coming up with the title for the book, with the various (and often ridiculously long) options that were considered. If you're not familiar with my book annotations, think of them as the director's commentary on a special…

• Magic Dark Ascension Prerelease

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:34 pm

  Hey, all. The new Magic the Gathering set is coming out in a little while, and the prerelease is this weekend. Dan and I had a lot of fun at the prerelease last time, so we’re going to be doing it again—with a twist. Like for Innistrad, we’ll be going to Epic Puzzles & Games in West Valley at midnight on Friday. However, to shake things up, instead of drafting we’ll be doing a sealed deck tournament. (If you aren’t familiar with this, you get six packs and build a deck out of those packs.) We will do an 18-person tournament, not including Dan and me. (So, 20 people.) As 12 of the 18…

• Signed, leatherbound THE GATHERING STORM and TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT auction for Worldbuilders charity

  20 Jan 2012 | 1:55 pm

  Every year for the past several years, NAME OF THE WIND and THE WISE MAN'S FEAR author (and good buddy of mine) Patrick Rothfuss has run a charity drive where he matches at 50% donations to Heifer International through his Worldbuilders team page. Everyone who enters the general drawing gets a chance at a huge number of prizes. There are also individual auctions on several of the most desirable items. Pat explains it best. I've donated various books to the prize pool before, and this year I and Badali Jewelry have teamed up to donate a special Wheel of Time package to the auctions. My…

• Sanderson's Second Law + Updates

  17 Jan 2012 | 12:02 pm

  This week's Writing Excuses podcast episode covers more on fauna and flora. Check it out. My assistant Peter has uploaded a new Twitter posts archive and the final chapter of my abandoned 2001 novel MYTHWALKER. He's also put up my Sanderson's Second Law article, which was first printed in the June 2011 issue of LEADING EDGE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY. The failure of MYTHWALKER was a contributing factor that led me to develop the Second Law. A few years back, I wrote an essay on creating magic systems that I titled Sanderson's First Law. It had to do with the nature of foreshadowing as it…

• Updates + Hugo-Eligible Works & Gemmell Award Nomination

  9 Jan 2012 | 1:47 pm

  My assistant put up another chapter of my abandoned 2001 novel MYTHWALKER. This one is exciting. There's just one chapter left. In this week's Writing Excuses episode, Dan, Mary, Howard and I talk about worldbuilding flora and fauna. Check it out. It's award nomination season again, so here's a quick reminder of what I've released that's eligible this year. Eligible in the category Best Related Work: Writing Excuses Season Six Eligible in the category Best Novel: The Alloy of Law Eligible in the category Best Novella: Infinity Blade: Awakening Eligible in the category Best Short Story: "The…

• 

  Inhuman Swill

• Introit

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:46 am

  I never said, "Thou shalt not think."Crossposted from Says God

• Cook like an Egyptian

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:32 am

  Our friend Ali is on TV again. John Klima points me toward this clip from Jamie's American Road Trip, which just recently starting airing in the States. It features Jamie Oliver traveling from Manhattan to Queens to learn Egyptian cooking from Ali El Sayed of the celebrated Kabab Cafe:(The actual arrival in Queens comes at about 3:28, and you can click here to jump straight there.)I dragged a very willing Mr. Klima to Kabab Cafe back in 2008, when we both happened to be in New York, and a memorable night it was. If you find yourself in New York and want to get off the beaten path for a…

• A funny thing happened on the way to the bucket

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:42 am

  To follow up on yesterday's belated review of The Book of Mormon, I wanted to tell you about a funny thing that happened after the show. As at most Broadway productions, we were invited to contribute to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS by depositing cash in the buckets that cast members would be holding various exits. When we reached the main floor from our nosebleed seats, I pulled a twenty out of my wallet and made a beeline for Lewis Cleale, who was still in his Joseph Smith costume.Now, you have to understand that I came to the show in costume. Laura had dug up my old missionary name…

• Video: Stephen Markley explains how to "Publish This Book"

  19 Jan 2012 | 12:47 pm

  At our recent January 3rd reading, author Stephen Markley shared with us some of the secrets behind, and therefore within, his "premature memoir" Publish This Book: The Unbelievable True Story of How I Wrote, Sold and Published This Very Book:And if you enjoyed that, please join us for our next event on Tuesday, February 7, 2012, when we'll bring you great readings from Julia Borcherts, Lauryn Allison Lewis, Margie Skelly, Dustin Monk, and Lillian Huang Cummins.Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

• Tuesday Funk #42: February 7th

  17 Jan 2012 | 11:09 am

  You may know 42 as the answer to the ultimate question of the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. But for Tuesday Funk it means the ultimate lineup of Julia Borcherts, Lauryn Allison Lewis, Margie Skelly, Dustin Monk, and Lillian Huang Cummins for our amazing 42nd episode. And if you hitch a ride on our literary starship, you'll have your pick of dozens of varieties of cold beer in our warm, cozy control room as we bring you an unparalleled evening of stellar entertainment.The voyage gets underway Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark…

• 

  So here's the thing...

• "La Danse des Esprits" is a finalist for the French "Prix Masterton"

  Douglas Smith

  21 Jan 2012 | 12:57 pm

  I'd blogged earlier (here and here) about my recent translated collection, La Danse des Esprits, that was published in October 2011 by Dreampress in France. I've just received news that the collection has been selected as a finalist for the 2012 Prix Masterton. The Prix Masterton is a juried French award established in 2000 by Marc Bailly to pay tribute to Graham Masterton, "a writer who has left his mark on fantasy literature since the late 1970s." The prize is awarded in three categories: Best Novel in French, Best Translated Novel, and Best Short Story Collection, all within the literature…

• Foreign Market List updates posted

  Douglas Smith

  21 Jan 2012 | 12:02 pm

  I've posted a bunch of updates to my Foreign Market List, so check them out if you're a writer interested in submitting to foreign language (i.e., non-English) short fiction markets.

• Authors Fight Alzheimer’s

  Douglas Smith

  21 Dec 2011 | 11:06 pm

  Update: This event will begin at 6:30pm, Jan 30, 2012 Five years ago, on December 13, 2006, my dad passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's. I was therefore very pleased to be one of the authors invited to attend the inaugural "Authors Fight Alzheimer’s" book signing fundraiser. The event has been put together by Canadian authors and publishers in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Society, and will be held on the evening of January 30, 2012, at the North York Central Library Auditorium, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto. If you can, please show up, meet an author, buy a book, get a book…

• Get your Kindle books autographed!

  Douglas Smith

  18 Dec 2011 | 3:06 pm

  Thanks to the very cool site at Kindlegraph, you can now request autographs, complete with personal messages, for your Kindle ebooks from your favourite authors. The catch is that the author has to have registered with the Kindlegraph site and set up their own page, like I have here. The other catch is that it only works for Kindle ebooks, not epub or any other format. You simply go to the author's Kindle graph page, click on the "Request Kindlegraph" button below the book that you want autographed, and follow the instructions. You'll receive a separate ebook file, which will contain just the…

• I'll be appearing at SFContario this weekend in Toronto

  Douglas Smith

  16 Nov 2011 | 9:52 pm

  I'll be appearing at this year's SFContario again. The convention will again be at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, 300 Jarvis Street, Toronto. Here is my final schedule of panels, signings, and appearances for the weekend: Friday, Nov 18: 8 PM – Aurora Pin Ceremony (Solarium) Saturday, Nov19: 11 AM – Writing Short Stories (Ballroom A) 12 PM – Half a Century Later (Moderator) (Parkview) 3 PM – Autographs (Bridge) 5 PM – Books and Their Adaptations (Moderator) (Gardenview) Sunday, Nov 20: 12 PM – Aurora Award Ceremony (Shade Restaurant) Wish me luck! 2 PM – The…

• 

  lisatuttle

• Metaphysical Mysteries

  lisatuttle

  17 Jan 2012 | 4:34 am

  It has been so long since I posted here that it took me awhile to recall my password and log in! I didn't make any New Year's resolutions this year, but now that the Chinese New Year is nearly upon us, and I am after all a Dragon, so it is, or should be, one of my years, I think I will make a new start and try to visit LJ more often. Yes, I've been seduced by Facebook and am now looking back fondly at earlier, perhaps more meaningful, relationships...I just finished reading DARK MATTER by Juli Zeh (translated from the German by Christine Lo) -- not to be confused with another book of the same…

• lisatuttle @ 2011-05-24T15:39:00

  lisatuttle

  24 May 2011 | 9:39 am

  I used to read a lot of new poetry. Then, I don't know what happened, but I stopped enjoying it so much -- was the change in me, or the quality of what was being published? Maybe a bit of both. After one year when I didn't care for (probably didn't read more than a few pages) any of the PBS quarterly selections, I mostly just gave up trying out new authors, although I still re-read many of my old favourites. Then, on a whim (and because it had a lovely cover) I bought something entirely new, the second collection by Annie Freud (whose work I'd never read), THE MIRABELLES by Annie Freud.

• Eugenia Tuttle & The Titanic

  lisatuttle

  15 Apr 2010 | 2:39 pm

  Ninety-eight years ago today, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank.My great-grandmother, Eugenia Ash Tuttle (that's her in the picture, circa 1890) used to claim she had psychic powers, and the example that was remembered by her grandchildren and passed along to my generation -- intriguing me so much that I'm presently researching her life and times -- was that back in 1912 a precognitive dream had caused her to change her plans, give up her ticket on the Titanic and take another ship home from Europe.Well, Eugenia was certainly fond of travel, especially during the years she resided in…

• Alice in Wonderland

  lisatuttle

  8 Apr 2010 | 8:39 am

  So, Emily and I went to Glasgow yesterday to see the new "Alice in Wonderland" in 3D. I'd read enough advance comment to know it wasn't going to be the real "Alice" -- just most of the familiar characters, but a grown-up Alice and new story -- and my expectations weren't all that high, but still, what a disappointment. Yes, it looked great. And it has Johnny Depp in it. (But with horrible scary fake eyes!!) And the 3-D angle was fun. It wasn't as weird as I'd hoped it would be. Tim Burton has made some really strange films, so why was this one so...so...HOLLYWOOD? By which I mean obvious and…

• Maybe it's a guy thing

  lisatuttle

  5 Apr 2010 | 9:36 am

  I've been thinking about women writers and horror fiction. Yes, again.Step into the Way-Back Machine, and let us return to the year 1988 A.D., dear reader, when the man known to his publishers as "the conscience of horror and dark fantasy" (don't ask me why!) unveiled his epoch-making anthology of brand-new stories written by "the masters of modern horror." Every author he had invited to contribute was a man, but, even more worryingly, in his "heretical" introduction, proposing that horror should be perceived not as a genre, but as an emotion evoked in a wide variety of literary texts, this…

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  Rules for Anchorites

• Full of Secrets

  Living for the Revel

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:31 pm

  Taking a page from theferrett today, as I feel horrible and my body has decided to revolt against me, and this my capacity for good blogging is minimal:Tell me a secret - something dear to your heart, something trivial, something you want only me to know, anything. All comments screened.  Only I will know.  If it's a secret you want feedback on, let me know and I'll PM you with whatever I think about your sharing - otherwise, said secret shall stay between us.  If you think it's sufficiently secret that you don't even trust LJ with it, email me at my first name…

• Autoaudiography Week 3: Covers

  Living for the Revel

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:54 pm

  Autoaudiography keeps trucking along! Hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am. (I need an Autoaudiography icon!) Slightly late this week as the Cold That Would Not Die showed up for a last hurrah. This week, the theme is Covers. You know what a cover is: they didn’t write the song but they rocked the hell out of it, often completely changing the feel of the song in the process. Post your favorites in the comments and look through everyone else’s posts for new favorites. As always, please keep the links free and legal. My new favorite cover is this Brandi Carlisle reimagining…

• Announcements

  Living for the Revel

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:52 am

  Two of these things I’ve mentioned on Twitter, but not during the high traffic hours, and one is brand new. I will tell you them properly now! Starting Wednesday and going through February 26, I’ll be taking over Charlie Stross’s blog for the month. I’ll still post personal stuff here, but it’ll be essays and commentary over there. So if there’s an SF/futurist or writing process or genre or cultural or feminist/race/queer issues thing you’ve wanted me to take this is a great chance to tell me about it. It’s a completely different audience there,…

• Leave Lana Del Rey Alone

  Living for the Revel

  20 Jan 2012 | 12:08 pm

  So there’s this singer named Lana Del Rey*. She has this beautiful, sad music video that changes her song Video Games into some kind of awful, gorgeous love song to bygone America, and by bygone I mean my youth, the 80s and 90s. I happened to see it about two weeks ago and downloaded the song because damn, it’s just so full of atmosphere and unspoken sorrow and I dig that all the way. Then, she went on Saturday Night Live. And sang–some say not very well, which would certainly be SHOCKING for SNL, where musical guests always bring their A game? I guess? I’ve always…

• Girls? In My Video Game? It’s More Common Than You Think.

  Living for the Revel

  19 Jan 2012 | 2:44 pm

  I’m still battling off my Christmas Cold, so over the weekend I decided to do a Round Robin and play an hour or two or three of every game I’d been gifted over the last couple of years and not gotten a chance to play. I mean, really–some of them I got two years ago and have been on tour too often to even crack the plastic seal. Bad gamer. And lo, in my Lost Weekend of Xbox and Golden Grahams, I did learn something! A universal truth about human life on Planet Earth, true across time and cultures, so important that a game is nigh unto unplayable without stating this truth in…

• 

  Writing and Snacks

• Santa Fe road trip

  12 Jan 2012 | 1:08 pm

  There’s nothing quite like a solitary road trip. Scenery, truck stops, miles and time … I’ve taken a few such journeys at critical junctions in my life, and while some of those hours on the road were lonely, they delivered me to places I was glad to arrive at. And I’m not necessarily talking about the Comfort Inn in Parowan, Utah. The expansive landscapes and travel free from the dictates of schedule and clock invariably change one’s perspective and invite introspection. On a road trip, movement equals change. The road trip I took with Lisa last week to New…

• Reader art: Jelly Boys, Made with Real Sea Creatures

  6 Jan 2012 | 9:57 pm

  Check out this art sent by the mom of a second-grade reader who chose Kid vs. Squid for his first “real” book report project. The assignment was to design a breakfast cereal based on the book. I love his rendition of Tommy and Dickie, the jellyfish boys. “Made with real Sea Creatures.” Is this not AWESOME?!? Crossposted from Greg van Eekhout. You can comment here or there.

• To spy the sand kraken

  6 Jan 2012 | 10:08 am

  I’m in a hotel in the desert with portholes. They don’t open, which is probably a good thing. Crossposted from Greg van Eekhout. You can comment here or there.

• 2011

  31 Dec 2011 | 1:02 am

  I didn’t blog much in 2011. My blogging style is mostly short observations and in-the-moment pics and random silly stuff, and I put most of my energy for that kind of thing into Twitter. A lot of the people I trade blog comments with are also on Twitter, but if you’re not one of them, I missed you this year. The Boy at the End of the World came out. I did a bunch of signings and did some school and library visits, and I got to meet a bunch of great readers. With my friends Tim Pratt, Jenn Reese, and Heather Shaw, I published a whole slew of flash pieces at Daily Science Fiction. I…

• Loaded for plush

  19 Dec 2011 | 9:03 pm

  From the children’s section at Bloomingdales: Crossposted from Greg van Eekhout. You can comment here or there.

• 

  Ecstatic Days

• The Situation Web Comic: Covered by GeekDad and Pop Candy

  Jeff VanderMeer

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:30 am

  Thanks to Whitney Matheson at Pop Candy and Brad Moon at GeekDad/Wired for giving The Situation web comic some love. The entire 63 pages are now up at Tor.com (the link now starts you at part 3), and I’m kinda thrilled about it. A lot of hard work on the part of the artist and the editor (Liz Gorinsky). I just love all of the images of Mord. It’s also kind of cool that the posting of the web comic coincides with Trinity Prep School students reading the short story it’s based on before our visit there in February—they get to see the comics version, too. If Mord seems…

• Tales From an Israeli Storyteller–IndieGoGo

  Jeff VanderMeer

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:38 am

  Uri Kurlianchik is raising money for his story cycle about the “holy land,” using IndieGoGo. Looks to be an interesting project. Go check it out and donate! Tales From an Israeli Storyteller–IndieGoGo originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on January 26, 2012.

• The Situation Web Comic–Part 1–Now Up On Tor.com

  Jeff VanderMeer

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:46 am

  Part 1 of the web comic version of my story The Situation, with art by Eric Orchard, is now up on Tor.com! Go read it, and come back tomorrow and Friday for the concluding chapters. A special thank you to editor Liz Gorinsky, who evidenced amazing patience and kindness while we worked on this thing. You can read the story the comic is based on at GeekDad. The Situation Web Comic–Part 1–Now Up On Tor.com originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on January 25, 2012.

• The Weird Antho: 750,000 Words of Fiction, Now Available to North American Readers in E-Book Form…

  Jeff VanderMeer

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:43 am

  The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories is now available a a North American ebook from all major retailers, including Amazon.com. The North American print version comes out in May. The publisher is Tor, and our editor there is Liz Gorinsky. The anthology, which is almost 1,200 pages and includes over 750,000 words of weird fiction, including a couple of short novels, is already being taught at several universities. Here’s some of the UK praise for the antho…. ‘The definitive collection of weird fiction… its success lies in its ability to lend coherence to a great…

• Bruno Schulz at Weirdfictionreview.com

  Jeff VanderMeer

  24 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  If you head on over to our Weirdfictionreview.com, you’ll find the first official publication of the new John Curran Davis translation of Polish genius Bruno Schulz’s “The Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass,” as well as a wonderful, fascinating interview with the translator about Schulz. We’re also running an intro to Schulz’s life and work, and my own short editorial on the “unfilmability” of Schulz. We will continue to bring you “firsts” at WFR.com, just as we did when we brought you Jean Ray fiction and several of the…

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  Paperback Writer

• Domain Explained

  Lynn Viehl

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Meet Stanley. Stanley is a gopher tortoise. Stanley has been hanging around my yard for about a month now, and sleeping in strange spots, so I'm pretty sure he's homeless.Meet George. George lives in this burrow on my property, which has been his exclusive domain for seven years.Now anyone want to guess why Stanley has been hanging around my yard? Yes, it appears that Stanley would like to move into George's burrow. I can't ask him why, but I'll guess he wants it because it's roomy, well-established and in a great location. No doubt Stanley also realizes that moving into George's burrow will…

• Video

  Lynn Viehl

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  This entry into a digital diary contest in Italy won Matthew Brown the grand prize. Watch it and you'll see why (for those of you at work, this is narrated, also contains background music.) Dreaming It{aly} from Matthew Brown (Matty Brown) on Vimeo.

• All the Answers

  Lynn Viehl

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  You never know what gems you'll find in your book store's discounted stock sections. At my local BAM they always have a pretty decent selection of mini boxed kits, usually discounted up to 75%. Rummage through these and you might find anything from Paris in a box to a little Zen garden for your desk.I like to play with cards, so whenever I see a card deck of any kind it grabs my attention. Since I also have lots of questions, I definitely couldn't resist The Answer Deck, created and designed by Nicholas Zann.The Answer Deck is a kind of alternative Tarot, with 73 illustrated divination cards…

• Digging for Story

  Lynn Viehl

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  The January/February issue of Archaeology magazine features among other way cool stuff the top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2011. These include:- A Viking boat burial found in western Scotland- An untouched burial chamber in Guatemala that may be the tomb of a rare female ruler from the second or third century AD- An ancient Roman ludus (gladiator school) in Austria that is being digitally reconstructed-- A bronze vessel unearthed in Xinjiang, China found to contain the world's oldest soup, with millet noodles still intact after 2,400 yearsThere are articles about researchers finding…

• Scarab Outlining

  Lynn Viehl

  23 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Last night, after rescuing a ladybug trapped on the porch -- yes, I occasionally do insect search and rescue -- I got an idea for a quick way to outline a scene or story. I then went in search of my ancient Egyptian coloring book (what, you expected Dora the Explorer?) and found what I wanted:This is a scarab, a symbol inspired by a common black beetle (Scarabeus sacer) which was held in high regard by the Egyptians. To them the scarab represented the sun god Khepera (also known as Kheper, Khephri and a couple other names) who represented renewal and eternity; both very important themes in…

• 

  Bluejo's Journal

• The Unknown Ocean

  Jo Walton

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:33 am

  I was starting to think the Pacific was a myth. I got a real understanding of the wild surmise. First, that wasn't the Pacific, that was only Puget Sound. (But Puget Sound was wonderful.) Then it was only San Francisco Bay. Then we should have seen it from the Coast Starlight, but it was running very late and it was too dark to see anything by the time we got to the coast. Our first day in Los Angeles we got onto a metro with the word "beach" in the name of its destination and then we walked and we walked and we walked and we couldn't even catch a glimmer of ocean in the distance before we…

• Next Stop Albuquerque!

  Jo Walton

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:45 pm

  Where we have just arrived as I forgot to post yesterday.The next event is at Page One Books in Albuquerque, tomorrow evening at 7pm. I don't know if I know anyone in Albuquerque, but if anyone reading this is in the area, do come along.

• Next Stop: Redondo Beach

  Jo Walton

  21 Jan 2012 | 10:46 pm

  The San Francisco event went really well -- loads of people, all the chairs filled and people standing at the back. My media escort estimated 70 people, only 20 of whom I knew personally and had dinner with afterwards... which was also a lot of fun. Thank you again wild_irises for organizing that. How do I know so many people in a city I've never visited before? Well, that's fandom for you. I got to meet some people I've known online for years and years without ever meeting in person before, and some people I see fairly regularly in cons in other cities.We're off in the morning on the train…

• Next stop San Francisco

  Jo Walton

  19 Jan 2012 | 9:17 am

  And we're half way through and kind of tired. The event in the legendary Powells last night went pretty well -- 32 people by the media escort's count, and they all listened attentively while I read and asked good questions. I was signing for quite some time. I have noticed a trend of people getting their own hardcovers signed and buying paperbacks to give to friends. This is great! I also met two people I've known online forever, snippy and Alan Scott, who I knew on usenet and who sent me a signed copy of Random Acts of Senseless Violence way back when I lived in Swansea. There was also a guy…

• Next stop Portland!

  Jo Walton

  16 Jan 2012 | 10:47 am

  So the Seattle event went extremely well -- more than sixty people, fun interview with Nancy Pearl that will eventually be available on the Seattle Channel. Seattle itself is a lovely city, not only the nicest place I have been in the US but the nicest place by orders of magnitude. It's a very welcoming city, it all opens itself out to you, and it has the Pike Place Market which is a combination craft market and farmer's market and filled with nice places to eat. You can see the sea -- well, OK, the sound, thank you everybody who corrected my last post. You can see wonderful and clearly…

• 

  The Fog of Ward.

• God Speed to the Crew of Apollo 1.

  Dayton Ward

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:01 am

  45 years ago tonight, while conducting a routine test of their spacecraft's power systems, the crew of Apollo 1--Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chafee--was killed when a fire broke out inside the capsule.Grissom had been with NASA almost from the beginning, flying missions for both the Mercury and Gemini programs, and White also was a Gemini veteran. The Apollo 1 flight was to be Chaffee's first space mission.Their sacrifice, though tragic, ultimately played a monumental role in NASA's effort toward bettering the machines which soon would fly to the Moon, and…

• Fall in! They’re talking about military SF over at Tor.com!

  Dayton Ward

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:12 pm

  Thanks to a heads-up from fellow word slinger Jason Schmetzer (translation: I read his Facebook update about his new blog post), I remembered that Tor.com is in the midst of running a series of essays about different facets of military science fiction. Check it, yo:Military Science Fiction on Tor.comThe topics run the gamut, from appreciating classics of the genre to examining and questioning its various tropes from both the writer's and reader's (or viewer's) perspective. Contributors to this set of features include such fine folks as John Scalzi, Jo Walton, David Drake, Robert Buettner and…

• What happens when I sign your book.

  Dayton Ward

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:04 pm

  If you're a writer and you've ever had the good fortune of experiencing someone who wants you to sign their copy of your book, this likely has happened to you at least once: They walk up to you at a signing or a convention, or they send you the book in the mail. You have the book in your hands, and you ask them if they'd like you to personalize the book in some manner when you sign it. They say that's cool, knock yourself out, and so on. Then, you maybe ask them if they want you to write anything in particular. Their response? "Oh, you're the writer. Just put something clever."Hrmmm.Now,…

• "Ask Dayton" on the G&T Show...#14!

  Dayton Ward

  22 Jan 2012 | 4:09 pm

  Yo! Sunday! Whassup? We all know what that means: another episode of the Sunday G&T Show, the weekly Trek-themed internet radio show and podcast hosted by friends Nick Minecci and Terry Lynn Shull!In and around the plethora of topics which comprise each week's show--for example, a rather involved discussion about writing fan fiction broke out--today's episode featured the usual "Ask Dayton" segment. I guess it's just inertia at this point.And with that, here we go:Dear Dayton: With all the Star Trek vs. Star Wars stuff heating up lately, what is your take on the…

• Spicing up the GOP debates.

  Dayton Ward

  19 Jan 2012 | 11:28 pm

  So, another day, another debate between the ever-dwindling number of Republican presidential hopefuls. If you're thinking, "Geez, wasn't there one of these just the other day," well, you'd be right. It's the second debate this week. It's the second one in 48 hours, in fact. That's right; the GOP candidates debate more often than astronauts are allowed to poop while in space.*Other than the fact that the tribe sees fit to vote out one castaway every so often, with only the occasional "What the hell? Did he really just say that?" moment to keep things interesting, the debates--all five billion…

• 

  Martha Wells

• 25 Jan 2012 | 7:35 am

  25 Jan 2012 | 7:35 am

  We're having a huge thunderstorm now with tornado warnings, sequel to the thunderstorms we had yesterday. Also yesterday we got pea-sized hail, which is probably one of the scariest weather things to be caught out in. Depending on the size (and we've had golfball and softball sized before) it can tear up roofs, break through car windows, etc. While it was going on yesterday, a mail truck whipped down our street, did a confused doughnut in the middle of the cul-de-sac, then pulled up under the branches of one of our pine trees. I realized he had come down here for the neighbor's oak tree,…

• Writing Income Poll Results

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:23 am

  I had to go out early this morning and get a blood test, which was less fraught than usual because the tech was able to get my blood on the first try. Apparently I have shy veins that can sink down into my arm out of reach of the needle whenever they want, and sometimes it takes three or four tries on either arm and the little baby needle to get enough.***Writing income poll results: 79 people took the poll, and 29 got it right: My writing income for 2011 was Between $5000 and $10,000. This is up from 2010, where my income was below $5000.00 Between $5000 and $10,000 has actually been pretty…

• Writing Income Poll

  22 Jan 2012 | 8:07 am

  I did this last year (writing income poll for 2010 and results) and thought I'd do it again this year.It makes a good reality check on the people who think of writing as a get-rich-quick job, and the people who think all writers are rich.View Poll: What was Martha's Writing Income in 2011?

• 21 Jan 2012 | 1:53 pm

  21 Jan 2012 | 1:53 pm

  I'm working on the last chapter of the third Raksura book, trying to give it a good wrap-up without getting into "They went out to lunch and felt better" territory. That's what I call it when a book or a story goes past its actual end point, where the story is over and there's nothing left to tell, but you're still there, basically just hanging out with the characters. Trying to find a balance between closure for the reader and they went out to lunch and felt better can be tricky sometimes.(This comes from Mystery Science Theater 3000, from their much-less-sad rewrite of The Wreck of the…

• 19 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pm

  19 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pm

  Some links I've been meaning to post:Con or Bust for 2012.I am pleased to announce this year's auction to support Con or Bust, which helps fans of color/non-white fans attend SFF conventions. Bidding starts Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:01 a.m. EST (GMT -5) and ends Sunday, February 25, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST. You may post auction offers and make donations now. SF Site is taking votes for Favorite Books of 2011Anyone can vote in the Tor.com 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards From now until 11:59 PM Friday, January 20th, we’re encouraging Tor.com readers (and SFF fans in general) to vote for…

• 

  All quiet in France

• Recent Reads

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

  -Range of Ghosts, by Elizabeth Bear (ARC provided by author): set in a fantasy version of the Silk Road Empires (their cultures spanning the gamut between pseudo-Muslim, pseudo-Mongol and pseudo-Chinese), Range of Ghosts. Temur was left for dead by his uncle in a power struggle–his brother slain, his true name lost, and with a horde of ghosts hunting after him. Meanwhile, Samarkar, who was once a princess, sacrifices her body to become a wizard, away from the petty squabbles of her family. But when an entire city is laid waste by sorcery and hungry ghosts, both Temur and Samarkar find…

• Linky linky

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:15 am

  -Two Dudes in an Attic reviews Harbinger of the Storm–with snarks, but without harming any owls -Blue Tyson’s capsule review of Master of the House of Darts -Martin McGrath on “Why does SF hate Ordinary People?”. Fair point about the elitism of SF, though I wonder how much of it is already present in literature (I can’t remember who, but someone pointed out that recent literature, especially the source literature of SF, was the province of the bourgeoisie; while the older texts were the province of nobility) In other news, busy weekend ahead: friends coming over…

• Linky linky

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:31 am

  -My friend Cécile is having a poll on her LJ for readers of SFF–if some of you feel like dropping by and answering, it would be awesome. She’s doing this for her PhD, and she needs enough data before she can work on the results. The poll is here. -The SFF translation awards is looking for donations and/or prizes: this is a prize for best translated SFF (split equally between the writer and the translator), both for long form and short form. It is solely financed by grants and by generous sponsors, so naturally seeks enough money to award a decent prize. In a field which is…

• Happy New Year, redux

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:01 am

  </a> Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! Tôi chúc các bạn mạnh khỏe và nhiều niềm vui. (normally, it should say something like “Happy New Year. I wish you all good health and many joys”, but since I basically cobbled the sentence together with a dictionary, I’m sceptical about the actual meaning…) Hope it’s a great Year of the Dragon for everyone! Cross-posted from Aliette de Bodard Leave a comment at original post, or comment here.

• Saturday update

  20 Jan 2012 | 4:17 pm

  (ETA: yes, I’m aware it’s still Friday by 30 minutes… I screwed up with my posting system, and I don’t feel like undoing the automatic twitter and FB notifications) So, a very quick update, because 15+ people are showing up tonight tomorrow night at my house, in order to see off the Lunar Year in style (ok, I lie, nothing to do with that. We’re housewarming with a bad sense of timing). -D’Obsidienne et de Sang, the French translation of Servant of the Underworld, would appear to be a finalist for the Prix Masterton, a French literary award for SFF and…

• 

  Mostly English

• Awards Eligibility – # buffalito #tlh #klingon

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:31 am

  Originally published at Lawrence M. Schoen. You can comment here or there. The nominations deadline for the Nebula Awards is February 15th, 2012, at 11:59pm PST. The nominations deadline for the Hugo Awards is Sunday, March 11, 2012, 11:59 p.m. PDT. And this is my official statement of what I have that I hope you’ll consider nominating so that I might land on a ballot this year. I seem to be building up some credibility as a champion of small press, both as a publisher and because almost everything I’ve written lately has come out through small and micro-presses. Such stories have…

• Buffalito Winter Freebie!

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:32 am

  Originally published at Lawrence M. Schoen. You can comment here or there.You know, it’s been a while since I posted a Freebie. Time to rectify that. If you head over to the Freebies section of my website (http://www.lawrencemschoen.com/schoen-freebies/), you’ll find a new addition, a PDF of a recently published short story entitled “Yesterday’s Taste.” This is a Conroy and Reggie story that I wrote for Colin Harvey. He was putting together Transtories, an anthology for Aeon Press in Ireland, and asked me to send him something. The gimmick of the anthology was to…

• Eating Authors: Mark W. Tiedemann

  23 Jan 2012 | 6:31 am

  Originally published at Lawrence M. Schoen. You can comment here or there.</p> We continue our series of weekly visits with science fiction and fantasy authors and their culinary recollections, or as I like to call this feature: Eating Authors. Our guest today is one of my very favorite writers, Mark Tiedemann. Like many of this feature’s guests, Mark is an alumnus of Clarion. He’s best known for the dazzling short stories and novels that make up his Secantis Sequence (Compass Reach, Metal of Night, Peace & Memory, and Other Ways:Three Tales From The Secant ), and if…

• How I’m spending the first snow of 2012

  21 Jan 2012 | 10:05 am

  Originally published at Lawrence M. Schoen. You can comment here or there.Actually, the snow isn’t a big deal. I’ve already shoveled and salted the walkway. The stuff in the driveway is only about three inches deep (and I just got new tires two weeks ago!). The roads are fine. So, it should be Saturday as usual, except… Today’s installment of Saturday Chinese Buffet has been postponed. No, it’s not due to the snow. It’s because I’m on my way to a hypnosis seminar in Philadelphia. I promise to resume eating Chinese food tomorrow. Now… sleep!

• Thought for the Day – Thumbscrews

  17 Jan 2012 | 9:07 am

  Originally published at Lawrence M. Schoen. You can comment here or there.With the current prevalence and popularity of videogames, as well as the surging numbers of people texting instead of typing, I have to wonder if thumbscrews will experience a resurgence as an instrument of torture. There you go, talk amongst yourselves now.

• 

  The Urtaru Chronicles

• 2011 in review

  Armen Chakmakjian

  31 Dec 2011 | 6:58 pm

  The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,100 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 52 trips to carry that many people. Click here to see the [...]

• Free sells…

  Armen Chakmakjian

  23 Dec 2011 | 3:08 pm

  So after 3 days into the 5 day free promotion of my book Urtaru hundreds of copies did the digital equivalent of flying off the shelves in the US, UK and Germany.   Obviously there’s always a catch…giving away something for free means that the only payback I get is goodwill and hope of a recommendation. Merry Christmas [...]

• Kindle Fire 6.2.1 – Phew!

  Armen Chakmakjian

  23 Dec 2011 | 2:51 pm

  So with a month under my belt with the kindle fire I’m mostly happy.  Being a technologist I have to admit I was giving it a long leash to find its way.  There were some weirdnesses in the experience and some quirkiness it apps that were comparable to ones on my iPhone that started to [...]

• http://ow.ly/87czf FREE for purchase fro

  Armen Chakmakjian

  21 Dec 2011 | 7:24 pm

  http://ow.ly/87czf FREE for purchase from Amazon till Xmas: Urtaru on Kindle – science fiction based on the armenian experience Filed under: Random

• A rubric to pick a president

  Armen Chakmakjian

  11 Dec 2011 | 7:47 am

  I’ve been thinking about this for a bit the last few weeks as the Republican candidates jostle with each other over who’s the most appropriate candidate for the party.  I’ve come to some opinions on the matter which I will list here: Religious affiliation is probably not going to make a better president.  I guess [...]

• 

  Technology Information

• Canon EOS Rebel T1i 151 MP CMOS SLR with 3Inch LCD and EFS 1855mm

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:04 pm

  I’m sooo crazy about this camera!! this is my initial DSLR camera & additionally initially my Canon camera purchase. i became terrified thinking of upgrading from my Kodak Easyshare towards the Canon Rebel T1i. i’d been afraid i wouldn’t anticipate to operate the camera  that...

• Budget Car Gps system System with Bluetooth

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:54 pm

  Budget car Gps system system with Bluetooth in 1-DIN (50 mm tall) size in case you shouldn’t spend a good deal on a Gps device + car stereo unit. You awakened today thinking there was absolutely no way you may afford an in-car GPS navigation system, but thanks to our bulk purchasing power,...

• Corsair ear headphones HS1 resident earns kudos noisy . reviews

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:58 am

  You experienced to know that Corsair won’t help something new category with only so-so hardware. New HS1 set of games is provided for several reviewers, the british isles and reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Both Hexus and Bit-Tech praised circumaural(around fit and never towards the top,...

• Great things about the PXS Application for online Ticket Sellers

  25 Jan 2012 | 7:20 pm

  The main question that new potential users offer us is “what may be the distinction between the PXS Application along with a static site we are able to have intended for us” The correct answer is multi fold.  Let’s move on off by identifying the clear differences.  Once a ticket...

• Cheap Night Vision Goggles

  25 Jan 2012 | 10:16 am

  When it comes to buying cheap night vision goggles, where you can start their search is on the net. And discover the least expensive set of two night vision goggles, you should do a do some searching online. An effective way of performing is simply by typing into say Google’s search results...

• 

  David Mack

• The Daily Lagomorph

  David Mack

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:08 pm

  Never play hide-and-seek with a bunny that can hear you breathing from a hundred yards away.

• The Daily Lagomorph

  David Mack

  26 Jan 2012 | 3:24 pm

  He’s a Black Labrador from Florida. She’s a mottled Dutch lop from Maine. They fight crime. They are… HOT DOG & BUN!

• The Daily Lagomorph

  David Mack

  25 Jan 2012 | 7:12 pm

  TWOO WUV

• The Daily Lagomorph Lives!

  David Mack

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:22 pm

  I can’t help it. I miss the bunnies. After years of dreaming, Hubert had finally made it to New York City. Next stop: Broadway!

• One day into Year of the Dragon…

  David Mack

  24 Jan 2012 | 1:18 pm

  …and already I’m missing the bunnies. Meh.

• 

  Grasping for the Wind

• [SFFWRTCHT] A Chat With Author E.E. Knight

  Bryan Thomas Schmidt

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:43 am

  National Bestselling author EE Knight was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin and grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota. Currently, he lives with his belly dancing librarian wife and two kids in Oak Park, IL, a suburb of Chicago known for Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway. He wrote his 1st story, a fanfic based on Creature From the Black Lagoon, as a ‘tween. He sold the 1st Vampire Earth book, Way of the Wolf, in 2001.  “iPublish” folded in the dotcom bust,but Wolf had attracted the interest of both an agent and publisher and appeared on shelves in 2003. His second series, a family saga…

• Angry Robot Song

  John Ottinger III

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:57 pm

  I need to run a test post, so here, enjoy a video of John Anealio singing his song (co-written with Matt Forbeck) “Angry Robot.”

• Angry Robot re-opens its Open Door

  John Ottinger III

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:39 pm

  Angry Robot is announcing that Open Door will return, with a second phase running from April 16th – April 30th 2012. During this frantic fortnight the floodgates will once more be opened to admit brand new work by hopeful (and, of course, hugely talented) writers from across the globe. This time around, the rules are slightly different. Angry Robot will only be considering submissions that meet the following genre criteria: a) Epic Fantasy – ideally with a bit of an edge or the sort of left-field twist the Angry Robot audience has come to expect. b) YA – any subject welcome,…

• Geek Media Round-Up: January 25, 2012

  Pipedreamergrey

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am

  Art 50 Weird Examples Of Harry Potter Fan Art Archetype is a low budget sci-fi short film featuring Hollywood-level special effects. Duct Tape Bowser Futuristic Solar Radiation Gel Pills for the basement-bound nerds Rule 63 Princess Of Persia cosplay Nothing completes a costume like a badass pair of Dragon Claw Gauntlets Where have all the book illustrators gone? Charles Dickens enjoyed close collaborative relationships with the illustrators of his novels, but now it’s rare to find a picture outside the world of children’s books. Is drawing a lost art, or could we be on the brink…

• 

  SFX » | SFX

• SFX Weekender 3 Schedule Announced

  sfx

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:37 pm

  We reveal what you can look forward to at next week’s stellar science fiction and fantasy bash…There are just days to go until SFX Weekender 3 gets underway, so we thought the time was right to reveal how you’re going to be spending the ultimate weekend of sci-fi and fantasy enjoyment – the elves have been busy. But enough of our yakking: here are the schedules for Friday 3 February and Saturday 4 February. Enjoy… Related StoriesGollancz authors to attend the SFX WeekenderMeet Ian Whates, Suzanne McLeod and Graham McNeillSFX Weekender Charity Auction AnnouncedAnthony…

• The Hunger Games: 2 New Images

  Dave Golder

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:06 am

  Just too late for our Women In Black Blastermind… Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, left), Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, center) and Cinna (Lenny Kravitz, right) in The Hunger Games Lionsgate has just released two new images ahead of the highly anticipated The Hunger Games. Based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling novel, The Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Elizabeth Banks, and will be released on 23 March 2012. In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to…

• All New People Competition

  Jordan Farley

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:30 am

  WIN! tickets to see Eve Myles and Zach Braff live on stage in Manchester, Glasgow or London It’s not sci-fi, but hey, it’s got Eve Myles, aka Gwen from Torchwood, so we don’t mind bending the rules on this occassion. Myles will be starring alongside Zach Braff (Scrubs and Garden State) when he makes his UK stage-acting debut in All New People, written by Braff and directed by award-winning Peter Dubois. In the dead of winter, at his wealthy friends’ Long Beach Island apartment, Charlie (Braff) has hit rock bottom. Away from the rest of the world, this perfect escape is interrupted by…

• Underworld: Awakening – Film Review

  Jordan Farley

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:15 am

  Back in black Selene got absolutely LIVID whenever someone failed to put their crisp packet in the bin. Release Date: 20 January 2012 18 | 88 minutes Distributor: Entertainment Directors: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein Cast: Kate Beckinsale, India Eisley, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, Charles Dance It’s been six years since Kate Beckinsale donned Selene’s eye-catching black catsuit/corset combo, and though she doesn’t appear to have aged a day, the Underworld series is now looking very long in the fang. This fourth chapter follows on directly from the second. Though technically a…

• POLL Who’s Your Dream Sci-Fi Holiday Companion?

  sfx

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:46 am

  We’re all off to Wales for the Weekender in a little over a week, but who would you want to take on a weekend break with you? View Poll Related StoriesTweets Of The WeekSFX Caption CompoDeath Valley: Charlie Sanders InterviewSci-Fi Bargains Of The WeekBLASTERMIND Women In Black

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  SF Signal - A Speculative Fiction Blog

• TOC: ‘After’ Edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

  John DeNardo

  28 Jan 2012 | 12:25 am

  Ellen Datlow has posted the table of contents for After, the post-apocalyptic/Dystopia anthology she co-edited with Terri Windling (due in October 2012): “The Segment” by Genevieve Valentine “After the Cure” by Carrie Ryan “Valedictorian” by N.K. Jemisin “Visiting Nelson” by Katherine Langrish “All I Know of Freedom” by Carol Emshwiller “The Other Elder” by Beth Revis “The Great Game at the End of the World” by Matthew Kressel “Reunion” by Susan Beth Pfeffer “Faint Heart” by Sarah Rees…

• DVD GIVEAWAY: ‘Ancient Aliens Season 3′ and ‘Frozen World – The Story of the Ice Age’

  JP

  28 Jan 2012 | 12:22 am

  Courtesy of A&E, SF Signal has one (1) copy of both Ancient Aliens: Season 3 and Frozen World: The Story of the Ice Age to giveaway, one each to an SF Signal reader. Here’s what they are about. Frozen World: This special collection features four specials, each examining a different aspect of the Ice Age. It s a remarkable journey from the primitive man who inhabited the planet to a volcanic eruption and its devastating impact, to a fascinating look at a changing world and the cost of survival, to an exploration into the possibilities of another Ice Age. Ancient Aliens Season 3:…

• Saturday Morning ‘Toon: “No Robots”

  John DeNardo

  28 Jan 2012 | 12:15 am

  When robots become so ubiquitous that we enact laws against them, will sthey still be able to teach us what it means to be human? That’s the question raised by the touching story of No Robots, a beautifully done short film by Kimberly Knoll and Yunghan Chang. [via Gavin Rothery] Share/BookmarkRelated posts: Saturday Morning ‘Toon: ‘Backwards’ Saturday Morning ‘Toon: ‘Windmills’ Saturday Morning Toon: Salesman Pete And The Amazing Stone From Outer Space

• Free Fiction for 1/28/2012

  Regan Wolfrom

  28 Jan 2012 | 12:14 am

  Something special this week: Jeff VanderMeer and Eric Orchard have teamed up for an original comic story, “The Situation”. Special thanks once more to Annie. Written @AEG: “The Righteous” by Brian Yoon @Beneath Ceaseless Skies: “The Last Gorgon” by Rajan Khanna @Beneath Ceaseless Skies: “The Castle That Jack Built” by Emily Gilman @Daily Science Fiction: “All or Nothing” by Nancy Fulda @Daily Science Fiction: “The Professor’s Boy” by Erik Goranson @Daily Science Fiction: “The Stoker Memorandum”…

• SF Tidbits for 1/28/12

  John DeNardo

  28 Jan 2012 | 12:05 am

  Interviews & Profiles Douglas Cobb on W.G. Marshall. Gollancz blog interviews Elspeth Cooper. Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews Anders Dahlgren, Founder of Radio Rivendell. Lightspeed Magazine (Wendy N. Wagner) interviews Aimee Bender. Lightspeed Magazine (John Nakamura Remy) interviews Nancy Kress. Lightspeed Magazine (Christie Yant) interviews Ken Liu. Fast Forward interviews Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer at Capclave 2010 (videos). News Monty Python Reuniting For Sci-Fi Farce Absolutely Anything. Bruce Sterling kicks off Arc 1.1. Goodreads Ends Sourcing From Amazon. eBook Deal:…

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  Cidney Swanson

• Update UNFURL Tour Stops

  cidney swanson

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:22 am

  I promised to update the Blog Tour stops, and it only took me a week. :P Seriously, touring is exhausting. Fun, but exhausting. Not even virtual exhaustion, which would make sense, but actual exhaustion. Which kind of doesn't make sense. Looking for a place to win your own free kindle set of the RIPPLE TRILOGY? There are over a dozen opportunities below, including a few that still have live giveaways as of the time of this post.Also, BTW, RIPPLER is FREE TODAY ONLY at http://amzn.to/rippled Happy Thursday! Here are the upcoming tour stops, for those of you looking for new chances to…

• What Reading Gives Me as a Writer

  cidney swanson

  22 Jan 2012 | 1:53 pm

  First I was a lover of words. Then a lover of books (because books are word-holders!) Then a lover of writing (because I could make more word-holders--an unending supply!)So, for me, the reading came before the writing. It doesn't always come first anymore, but I can't imagine being a writer apart from being a reader. Reading gives me so much more than just a story. I learned grammar from reading. (It was out of fashion during my decades in California public schools.) Which means that I learned how to construct sentences correctly, and how to know when I'm breaking the rules for…

• Guest Visit! The Fab Cheri Lasota!

  cidney swanson

  19 Jan 2012 | 4:33 pm

  I am very excited to bring two of my author buddies onboard today. Laura Elliott and I first met through SCBWI, and I'm getting to know Cheri (who is also a downhill ski racer--oh, yeah, baby!) thanks to Laura! The two are going to share some thoughts about where the e-book market is heading. At the bottom of the interview, you'll find an excerpt from Cheri's novel, ARTEMIS RISING. Enjoy!Ladies, take it away!Laura asks:Cheri, where do you think enhanced books are headed next? [Music? Videos? Scratch n’ Sniff? Hee-hee!]Cheri says: Ebooks will eventually be fully immersive. Even the writers…

• Blog Tour & Giveaway Updates

  cidney swanson

  18 Jan 2012 | 1:25 pm

  There are several giveaways of some-to-all of my books happening right now.  See how happy this makes me? (Okay, maybe it's the hanging at Starb's with friends that made me happy . . .)At Amy's site, I discuss my nerdliness. Giveaway of trilogy (ends tomorrow-with excellent odds!!!) Over at Fisher's, it is Why YA? And a trilogy giveaway (ends tomorrow-with good odds!) You should also check out Pamela's site for another trilogy giveaway and her reviews and a post by me! (ends in 4 days--cool site altogether for non-book reviews!) And Suzy really needs you to stop by,…

• Milestones

  cidney swanson

  14 Jan 2012 | 9:12 pm

  I bought a dresser today.I know, I know: big deal. But here's the thing. It kind of was a big deal. When my husband and I first married, we were both grad students and dirt poor. I brought a bedroom set into the marriage, and that was our only furniture for years. We made bookshelves from cinder blocks and pieces of 1x8 planks of wood because, really, bookshelves weren't optional for us. We shuddered at the expense, which could have bought us a week's worth of Mac-n-Cheese and hot dogs and Cheerios.Before too long, we bought a "do it yourself" wooden table with a drawer which was big enough…

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  The World in the Satin Bag

• Crying "Censorship": Why Getting Banned Isn't Censorship

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pm

  You'll probably have noticed that a lot of crazy nonsense took place here and then migrated over here when Jen and I put our feet in piranha-infested waters.  This isn't the first time Jen and I have played emotional bees and frolicked in the convoluted mess of gender politics.  But that's not really the point of this post.  Rather, I'd like to use the aforementioned links as illustrative examples of my central point: Deleting a comment or banning a commenter on a private website is not censorship. Since Liz Bourke's original post, a number of people have almost joyously…

• SandF #84 (Women in Military SF (or The Kratman Rule is B.S.)) is Live!

  23 Jan 2012 | 7:47 pm

  I don't think we've had a potentially controversial episode on The Skiffy and Fanty Show in a while.  But I think we've just solved that with #84.  Here's the description: Our first hard-hitting episode of the year is finally here. This week, we talk about the recent controversy at Tor.com over Liz Bourke's post about women in military SF, sexism, Joe Haldeman, David Weber, how science fiction might look at the "gender" question in the military, and much more. We're a little less PC, a whole lot more opinionated, and altogether our cheery selves. Feel free to give it a listen and…

• Video Found: Star Wars Uncut

  21 Jan 2012 | 1:01 pm

  I have no idea how I didn't know about the following video before now.  Apparently a bunch of Star Wars nuts decided it would be hilarious to re-film Star Wars: A New Hope from start to finish.  But they didn't stop there.  No.  Instead of the same group of people playing all the roles like those kids who did that shot-by-shot copy of Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark, these folks got dozens and dozens of people to film 15-second sections.  And the segments aren't all live action either.  There are cats (obviously), vacuum cleaners, legos, action figures, cartoons,…

• SOPA and Piracy: A Brief and Random Afterthought

  19 Jan 2012 | 5:16 pm

  Google, Wikipedia, and all manner of folks have taken up the protest gauntlet against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), a bill that, if passed, would hand over an extraordinary amount of power to the Federal government, restrict freedom of expression (the 1st Amendment), and make life for website creators and owners difficult at best.  As the co-owner of a website for young writers, these things concern me greatly, as SOPA would make me responsible for what a member posts.  That's not to say that Young Writers Online is a haven for plagiarized material, but it is an open website and…

• SandF Ep. 83 (An Interview w/ James L. Sutter) is Live!

  17 Jan 2012 | 9:49 pm

  You'll notice that the darned numbers changed again.  This is the last time.  Seriously.  From this point on, the bloody numbers will only get bigger.  No more decimals.  No more starting over.  Just...growth. In any case, this episode is obviously an interview with James L. Sutter, author of Death's Heretic and editor at Paizo Publishing.  We cover a wide range of topics, some of them of interest to you writer-ly types, and others of interest to those who appreciate our "digging to the heart" method for interviews. Feel free to give the episode a listen…

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  UFO Blogger : Uncover The UFO Truth

• Twitter Boycott Planned To Protest Twitter's Censorship Plan

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:24 am

  Twitterers have a message: Tomorrow, turn off the tweets. Users like us of the social media site are planning a Twitter boycott to protest the company's new ability to censor tweets on a country-by-country basis. Twitter announced Thursday that it can now block tweets, as well as individual accounts, from appearing to users in specific countries, and that it may use the feature to comply with governments' request to censor information. Before, Twitter could only block tweets and accounts globally. Some users are calling on fellow Twitterers to silence their tweets on January 28 as a way of…

• Alien landing Proof Found In JFK Secret Tapes : Analysis

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:25 am

  ET influences on President Kennedy's ambitions for the US space program can be heard in a new video analyzing backwards encrypted messages in newly released secret White House tapes. The 35th President of the United States, who served from 1961 until his assassination in 1963, recorded over 248 hours of meeting conversations including one with then US Ambassador to the Soviet Union Foy David Kohler on a system that was reportedly a closely held secret even from his top aides.   The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum today announced that it has declassified and made available…

• CNN : Ancient UFO Relics In Baltic Sea

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:14 am

  For anyone who is reading our site regular will know that we have already written a article about Baltic Sea UFO In latest development final mainstream media start reporting about Swedish treasure hunters who struck upon a mysterious find at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Mysterious UFO Like Object Spotted On Sea Floor Near Sweden

• USS Enterprise May Be Used As a False Flag To Justify War With Iran

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:18 pm

  Last year we had reported, "WWIII Countdown: CFR Declares "Time To Attack Iran", now in another dangerous and disturbing development according to Jim Stone, a "False Flag" attack on USS Enterprise will be use as excuse to start war with Iran.  Hal Turner, an FBI Intel Pro expert saw this EXACT plan on the table in September 2006 and leaked it to the public. The USS Enterprise is supposed to be scrapped in 2014 but has 8 Nuclear reactors on board. They said it was going to be a nightmare to decommission so they decided to send it to the Persian Gulf and blow it up and blame Iran. This is…

• Ron Paul 2012 : Fox News Use The Same Script Twice To Smear Ron Paul

  24 Jan 2012 | 2:37 pm

  Last week we had reported how "Fox News Immediately Cuts To Break When Ron Paul Exposes Media Bias" Now, biased Fox news use the same script twice to smear Ron Paul ! Segment 1 was broadcast on Jan 20th, 2012 on Fox and Friends. Title:GOP candidates vie for veteran vote. Description: Three veterans are interviewed: One supporting Romney, one supporting Gingrich and one supporting Santorum in that order. After questioning the veterans about their support the host, Brian Kilmeade, moves on to question their lack of support for Ron Paul. Segment 2 was broadcast on Jan 22, 2012 on Fox and…