Grow where you are planted. In author Amanda J. McGee’s case, that’s right in good ol’ Appalachia. It is because of this that she felt compelled to write her newest novella, A River Wide, about more than just a character from Appalachia, but about the land that so many of us see … | Continue reading
This actually happened, like, a week ago, but I’ve been busy traveling all over the place, so I’m noting it here now: Hey! Monsters of Ohio got an other starred review in the trades! This one is courtesy of Library Journal. The review is behind a paywall, but here’s the “verdict” … | Continue reading
As I note in the Instagram post above, I have a particular reason to celebrate the existence of Star Trek: Without it, I wouldn’t have written Redshirts, or at least, if I had written something like it, it would have had a rather different grounding and a very different existence … | Continue reading
The latest Hugo arrived while I was away at Tampa Comic Convention, and Krissy took the opportunity to go in and rearrange the award shelves a bit to accommodate it. Would you like a tour of the shelves? Of course you would! Top shelf (from left): The Summit Award (for 250,000 re … | Continue reading
Every journey begins with a first step, but where that journey goes from there can take many forms. Betsy James took many journeys leading up to Practicing to be Lightning, but to play fair by the characters in her story, there were more journeys for her to take. BETSY JAMES: It … | Continue reading
Hello, dear readers! I find myself at DragonCon, which means I am in Atlanta! I snagged a room upgrade while checking in and now have a view from the 37th floor, which is not half bad. Have an excellent weekend, both con goers and those of you elsewhere! -AMS | Continue reading
Nothing like a big ol’ vent to inspire one to lofty heights of imagination. In any event: Hello! I’m in Tampa. It’s warm. I figure I’ll find out more about it tomorrow. But first! Sleep. — JS | Continue reading
Freedom: What a concept. But for Janci Patterson (and her co-writer Brandon Sanderson), it’s a concept with relevance, because in Blightfall, the characters are offered a sort of freedom that comes with potential… but also consequences. JANCI PATTERSON: What would you do if the e … | Continue reading
I believe this is the turkey tail mushroom or some such. It’s on a fallen tree in the local nature preserve. It’s actually quite pretty. Today I am off to Tampa to take part in the Tampa Bay Comic Convention. If you are in or near Tampa, come on down and see me this weekend. […] | Continue reading
Sure, the world is ending, but there’s laundry to do and groceries to get. Most of us are not the revolutionary hero we wish we were, as author Steven T. Gibbon points out in the Big Idea for his newest novel, Lipsnitch Snilly, but maybe we can start the dishwasher and contribute … | Continue reading
I posted a thread on Bluesky about an annoying person at Worldcon (originating thread starts here), and I’m posting it here as well for archival purposes. It’s useful information! Pay attention to it! 1. So, at the Worldcon this year there was a person who was going from panel to … | Continue reading
I’m now back at home after a red-eye, and rather than go to bed in the early afternoon, I’m going to write a post about winning the Hugo Award for Best Series. To help me with this, allow me to haul from his dungeon my Fictional Interlocutor: (squinting) Why is it so bright? What … | Continue reading
If for some reason the embed does not take you directly to the announcement of the series finalists, and then me literally dancing up the ramp to the stage to make my comments, my bit starts at 2:41:21. Also, of course, you can go all the way back to the beginning to watch the wh … | Continue reading
The first two trade reviews of Monsters of Ohio are in, from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, and I’m happy (and relieved!) to say they are both unreservedly positive, and in the case of Kirkus, also a starred review, which means the publication is holding it out for special attenti … | Continue reading
Tonight (well, since I’m posting this after midnight, technically last night) I was given the Hugo Award for Best Series, for “Old Man’s War.” It’s late and I’m simultaneously wired and about to collapse, so I will say more about it later. But suffice to say I am thrilled, and eq … | Continue reading
Krissy and I didn’t attend Worldcon with the intention of purchasing art, but then we went into the art show and saw these bronze pieces from sculptor Vincent Villafranca: And then we thought, “You know what? Those would look great in our offices.” So now we own these. The one on … | Continue reading
A bit past totality (well, 96%-ity, since it wasn’t quite a total lunar eclipse). Still an interesting thing to look up and see. Worldcon going well, I’ve had lunch with a Grand Master and am now off to go sign a bunch of books and then be on a couple of panels and then, of […] | Continue reading
By examining one’s present, you can catch glimpses of the past. Every moment in history leads to this current one, and this sentiment is noted by author Victor Ladis Schultz in the Big Idea for his newest novel, The Book of the Jaguar. VICTOR LADIS SCHULTZ: What if the lone survi … | Continue reading
It’s the happiest parking lot on Earth! We are here, of course, for LACon V, this year’s Worldcon, where I will doing panels, a reading, a signing, and of course DJing a dance. I may also win a Hugo, but then, I might not. Either way, I still have Hugos, so it’s fine either way. … | Continue reading
There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of things that I say I would like to do and then I never do them. After I posted about my intentions on making a gift closet, I knew if I shared some of my progress, it would help hold me to my intentional choices! The first […] | Continue reading
Why do lightning bugs light up? Why do birds sing? Why do humans wear makeup and workout? It’s in every species’ nature to try and be as appealing as possible. As authors Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon will tell you in the Big Idea for their newest novel, MAYA: Seed Takes Root, some … | Continue reading
It was pretty clear this day was coming — her health had been failing and she had missed several high profile appearances — but this doesn’t make today any easier for literally generations of people, some of who knew her from her music, and others who benefitted from her philanth … | Continue reading
Having a miscommunication can be annoying, or even cause some real tension, but rarely does it lead to something as severe as losing your life. Author Carolyn Ives Gilman is taking the miscommunication trope and putting a life-or-death spin on it for her newest novel, Testament o … | Continue reading
One of my splurges is that I buy myself a new phone each year, and for the last several years, the phone I splurge on is the latest iteration of the Pixel phone by Google, usually the “pro” version of the phone, because it’s feature-packed without being too ridiculously large (th … | Continue reading
My mom, grandma, and I are in Columbus this weekend to celebrate my grandma’s 79th birthday, and here is the view from the hotel we are staying in! It’s definitely outside of downtown, but not a bad view, honestly. We’ve got some good, clean, wholesome fun planned (drinking, gamb … | Continue reading
In times of turmoil, where is our caped crusader to save the day? Heroes are good, villains are bad, and real life people are a whole lot more complicated. Author Suyi Davies Okungbowa examines this idea further, showing how people, while sometimes heroic, also contain multitudes … | Continue reading
Because I feel like moving a bit beyond the hits. Enjoy. — JS | Continue reading
Hey y’all, I’m here today with a PSA that I find myself repeating multiple times a day, every single day. And I’m going to do it again. AI is wrong a lot. And I mean a lot. Both about inconsequential things and extremely consequential things. But the fact it is so wrong so consis … | Continue reading
There’s the safe way to write a novel, and then there’s Tim Pratt’s way to write a novel. Abandoning any worries of appealing to the masses, Pratt hit the gas on all of their most interesting ideas and crafted the newest addition to their Nigh-Space series, The Jewel and the Come … | Continue reading
You know what you did. You may admit to it in the comments, if you like. — JS | Continue reading
Humans have been fascinated by robots for as long as the idea of a machine with a heart has existed. Hugo award-winning author James Patrick Kelly is no exception, evidenced by his newest collection of short stories all about robots and AI. He even threw in two brand new pieces j … | Continue reading
With both Misfits Market and Martie Goods having been reviewed, it’s finally time to talk about the third and final horse in the race, Thrive Market. Just like Misfits Market and Martie Goods, it’s an online grocery store that claims to give deep discounts on good products to the … | Continue reading
Sometimes it feels like the world is being rapidly overtaken by AI, but author David Ebenbach is here to remind us that this a world of humans, not robots. In the Big Idea for his newest poetry collection, The AI Suspects It Might Be a Hungry Ghost, he encourages us to rage again … | Continue reading
After my positive experience with Misfits Market, I decided to try out some other online grocery store delivery systems and see how these services compare. Today I’ll be talking about my experience with Martie Goods; another online grocery store with a mission of reducing food wa … | Continue reading
This little dude was on the doorstep of my garage around 4am (i.e., when the dog told me she really really had to go pee). That’s not a great place for a smallish amphibian to be, considering there are predatory mammals who patrol the territory and would be happy to take a run at … | Continue reading
Miles of open road, a Big Gulp, and literal tons of steel. A trucker’s life ain’t an easy one, as author Ryan Lowell knows from years of experience as a dispatcher. This experience gave him the ideas and know-how he needed to write his newest novel, Freight. RYAN LOWELL: I spent … | Continue reading
In recent weeks (probably months, if we’re being honest), I have felt stuck in a rut when it came to groceries. I had no ideas, and frankly no motivation, to get anything other than the basic essentials like milk, bread, and maybe eggs if I wanted to bake something. My groceries … | Continue reading
That’s it; that’s the post! Well, also that it’s a New York Times best seller and also nominated for the Dragon Award (by itself) and the Hugo Award (as part of the Old Man’s War series), got great reviews and also I was very happy with it as a novel. If you’ve not read it […] | Continue reading
My father recently wrote a piece detailing some of his thoughts on AI, and in doing so he compared using generative AI to playing Guitar Hero. I shall not let this analogy stand. If you think I’m pro-AI, you couldn’t be more wrong. There is no bigger hater of AI in the world than … | Continue reading
The Indian food was delicious and also literally all my blood went to my stomach, causing my cognitive abilities to throttle to maybe, like, 30%, so, uh, yeah, not a lot of work done after lunch. I did take a nap, though. Which was important, I think. Anyway, Saja and Charlie are … | Continue reading
Yes, I’m slowly working my way through the 80s on KROQ. This one is from Love & Rockets, a spin-off of Bauhaus, but a lot more commercially accessible. This is their biggest hit (it went to #3 in the US and #1 in some other countries). My version is slightly more upbeat than the … | Continue reading
Sometimes I see a video of someone doing something and immediately think, why didn’t I think of that sooner? One such thing is the idea of a “gift closet,” which is a collection of items you have that are meant specifically for gifting to other people on such occasions as: bringi … | Continue reading
So, you’re a person who has decided to embark on a creative journey of self-expression — to make art, in other words. First off, this is awesome! The universe needs more people making art, whether that art is writing, painting, music or any other form that humans are capable of c … | Continue reading
Revenge is a dish best served cold, and in author Shami Stovall’s case, her desire to get back at those who have wronged her ended up being just what she needed to write a John Wick-esque revenge story. Sharpen your skills and your blades, and follow along in the Big Idea for her … | Continue reading
They say writing can be a good outlet for grief, but feelings might get complicated when the person you’re grieving was supposed to co-author the book you’re writing. Despite author Griffin Barber’s deep, personal loss of his mentor and friend Eric Flint, he managed to complete 1 … | Continue reading
Did you think you’d get away with it? Did you think he wouldn’t find out? Saja always finds out. And now you’ll just have to live with him knowing. In other news, we’re coming right up on the one-year anniversary of Saja’s official adoption. He was clearly alive before then, so b … | Continue reading
Oysters: you either love them or hate them. Author and oyster-aficionado Virginia Shaffer has spent years turning her passion for oysters into a comprehensive look at the world behind the shell. Grab a lemon wedge and dive into the briny depths of the oyster community in Oyster S … | Continue reading
Here’s some nice news to start the week: The Shattering Peace is a finalist for the Dragon Award this year, in the category of Science Fiction Novel. Also in the category: The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. CoreyRadiant Star by Ann LeckieOperation Bounce House by Matt DinnimanSlow … | Continue reading