Smudge has the right idea. I'm talking the next few days off and probably won't be back until January 2, 2019. That's next year! Just in case you didn't know. I hope you enjoy these next few days of seasonal downtime and that your new year is bright and full of hope. See you on… | Continue reading
It's the final stack of new books and ARCs for 2018, so it's no surprise it's a big one. What here would you be happy to help you bring in the new year? Tell us all in the comments. (And if you need a larger version of the picture, here you go.) | Continue reading
Hey, remember when The Consuming Fire was supposed to have been titled The Widening Gyre? It turns out that both my US and UK publishers kind of hated that title (not the least because no one could agree on how to pronounce the word "gyre"), so we changed it. I have to say now I… | Continue reading
Every year I post stats on traffic for Whatever, and every year it gets harder to see how it accurately reflects my actual readership, because of the way people read things I post here. Bluntly, relatively few people visit the site directly at this point in time -- As of this mom … | Continue reading
And if you celebrate it, I hope it's a wonderful day for you and those you love. Merry Christmas! | Continue reading
Well, that was a year, wasn't it: a dark cloud of crap with a silver lining in the November elections. I'm kind of hoping it represented the bottom and that 2019 sees us clawing our way back toward the light, but, well. We'll see, won't we. In the meantime, here's a collection of … | Continue reading
My daughter is officially no longer a teenager. Which, wow, as the kids say, that's a mood. Please enjoy your Athenamas in a manner pleasing to you. | Continue reading
Just in time for your Solstice celebrations and/or last minute shopping, a nice stack of new books and ARCs for your wintertime consideration. See anything here you'd love to have under the tree? The comments are the place to note them! | Continue reading
This really happened. All of it. https://twitter.com/scalzi/status/1076164476729204738 https://twitter.com/scalzi/status/1076164978380623873 https://twitter.com/scalzi/status/1076165515092152321 https://twitter.com/scalzi/status/1076166388509749248 https://twitter.com/scalzi/stat … | Continue reading
He's reaching out to you in the spirit of Christmastime cheer! And also for that food you're eating. Yeah, he'll take some of that. Isn't Christmas really about giving? No? Humph. Well, then, expect a special gift under the Christmas tree, if you know what I mean. He'll make it h … | Continue reading
Please state your name and occupation. My name is Marta Pittman, and I’m a partner at Xavier, Masham, Abbott and Stevens. And you’re Santa Claus’ lawyer. That is correct. More accurately, I’m the partner in charge of our firm’s Seasonal Litigation and Clearances practice, which h … | Continue reading
In no particular order: 1. I was entertained by this film all the way through, but about two-thirds in, this actual thought surfaced in my brain: Jesus, this film is entertaining. By which I mean that the part of my brain that stores the skills I used for years as a professional … | Continue reading
I mean, obviously. (In case you're wondering, this is part of her costume for the Longest Night Masque next month, which, incidentally, you can totally attend if you like.) | Continue reading
An airband competition from my high school back in 1986, in which roughly half the school is up there lip-syncing to "Do They Know It's Christmas?" If you're wondering which one I am, look for the kid air-drumming. That's me! https://youtu.be/F5YwyZNKCOE | Continue reading
In case you missed the announcement on Twitter yesterday, the eBook version of Virtue Signaling is now out in the world and available, both from Subterranean Press directly, and also from other eBook retailers. The eBook edition is just $4.99, which makes it a perfect "splurge" p … | Continue reading
This Friday is basically my last working day of the year, so if you want/need something from me in 2018, you should contact me about it real soon. Like, uh, by Friday. That's all. (PS: If you've requested a January Big Idea, don't panic, I'll be processing those soon(ish).) | Continue reading
I liked Breakfast With Einstein so much I gave it a blurb, which you can see in the image above. But why did I like it? Because it explores the esoteric realm of quantum physics -- here in the everyday world. Here's the author, Chad Orzel, to dig deeper into it all. (PS: The UK… | Continue reading
This happened tonight. https://twitter.com/scalzi/status/1072314926423777280 https://twitter.com/scalzi/status/1072317163359358976 How was it? Everything you would imagine it would be. I will note the tortilla, with the pie inside, was fried in butter and topped with cinnamon and … | Continue reading
They keep coming! Here's the latest stack of new books and ARCs that have arrived at the Scalzi Compound. What here is something you'd enjoy having in your own hot little hands? Tell us all in the comments. | Continue reading
Me: Hey, brain, I think I'd like to write a Whatever piece. Brain: Eh... I'd rather not, thanks. Me: But people are clamoring to know my opinion about many things! Brain: Are they? Really? Me: I assume so! Brain: Then they'll still be clamoring later, won't they? Me: But -- my th … | Continue reading
In my quest to ruin every 80s song with a glitchy, spooky, questionably sung cover version done in one take, here's Depeche Mode's "Somebody." Yes, this is what I do with my Saturday nights when Krissy is out with friends. Enjoy. For comparison, the original: https://youtu.be/hYr … | Continue reading
As I am occasionally asked what it is. It's this! Have a great weekend, everyone. | Continue reading
For the last four days, the Whatever Gift Guide 2018 has been about helping you find the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones. But today I’d like to remind folks that the season is also about helping those in need. So this final day is for charities. If you’re looking for a p … | Continue reading
For the first three days of the Whatever Gift Guide 2018, I’ve let authors and creators tell you about their work. Today is different: Today is Fan Favorites day, in which fans, admirers and satisfied customers share with you a few of their favorite things — and you can share s … | Continue reading
You want to give your children to have every advantage... but how far would you go to give them those advantages? It's a question that Arwen Elys Dayton is intensely engaged with in her new book Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful. ARWEN ELYS DAYTON: About a week ago, a researc … | Continue reading
The Whatever Holiday Gift Guide 2018 continues, and today we move away from books and focus on other gifts and crafts — which you can take to mean just about any other sort of thing a creative person might make: Music, art, knitting, jewelry, artisan foodstuffs and so on. These c … | Continue reading
Today is Day Two of the Whatever Holiday Gift Guide 2018, and today the focus is on Non-Traditionally Published Books: Self-published works, electronically-exclusive books, books from micro presses, books released outside the usual environs of the publishing world, and so on. Hey … | Continue reading
Last night on Twitter someone recounted a convention panel he'd been to, where the panelists were (jokingly) annoyed with my writing speed and publishing frequency. To which I replied, "It's a good thing they don't know I wrote The Consuming Fire in two weeks. That would not help … | Continue reading
Welcome to the first day of the Whatever Shopping Guide 2018 — My way of helping you folks learn about cool creative gifts for the holidays, straight from the folks who have created them. Today’s featured products are traditionally published books (including graphic novels and au … | Continue reading
The first part of this will be a transcription of some tweets I made earlier today (transcribed to fix some spelling errors), and I'll follow that up with some other thoughts. First: The tweet transcription: Watching some authors indulge in theories about why their stuff doesn't … | Continue reading
Every year as the holiday season begins I run a shopping guide for the holidays, and over the years it’s been quite successful: Lots of people have found out about excellent books and crafts and charities and what have you, making for excellent gift-giving opportunities during th … | Continue reading
Which I think is probably more pleasing than anything I'd write today anyway. And yeah, I was actually distracted by cats, as I took them to the vet for checkups and shots. https://twitter.com/scamperbeasts/status/1068267950774386693 They are happy and healthy and still a smidgen … | Continue reading
For various reasons, the signed limited hardcover edition of Virtue Signaling and Other Heresies: Selected Writings From Whatever 2013 - 2018 arrived early at the Subterranean Press warehouse. And when it arrived, we thought: Why make people wait until December? So: If you've pre … | Continue reading
Just in time for Black Friday, here's this brand spankin' new stack of new books and ARCs for your potential reading consideration. Anything here you'd brave the crowds for? Tell us all in the comments. | Continue reading
As I've gotten older, Thanksgiving has become, low-key, one of my favorite holidays, precisely because it encourages me to make an assessment of the good things in my life, and as time goes by I think reflection on that subject is a useful one for me. It's also a day for me to re … | Continue reading
Where we literally talk about life, the universe and everything. It was captured on video! Here it is. https://youtu.be/LuOvOqw51DU | Continue reading
Merry Thanksgiving week! To show my appreciation for you, my readers, here's a short story I wrote to read aloud while I was touring with The Consuming Fire. It's called "Automated Customer Service," and it's what happens when, in the near future, something goes wrong with a hous … | Continue reading
She's pretty great. And she photographs well, as a bonus. | Continue reading
Once again catching up on new books and ARCs after my travels, here's a healthy of stack of titles for you peruse. What here would you like to take to the couch with you after a Thanksgiving dinner? Tell us all in the comments! | Continue reading
A love of family history and a desire not to wander the fairlanes in their spare time led Steve Nedvidek and his co-creators to make The Jekyll Island Chronicles, an alt-history graphic novel series. How did these motivations end up combined into a colorful artistic creation? Ned … | Continue reading
Same tree, a week's difference in weather. Looks like it might be one of those winters. I guess we'll find out soon enough. | Continue reading
Here's a painterly view out of my front door today -- I've arrived back home from work-related travel, once again, and finally, for the rest of 2018. If I travel anywhere else for the rest of the year, and to be clear I have no plans to, then it will be for personal reasons only. … | Continue reading
Wiping out a terrible disease that kills millions each year: An unmitigated good, yes? Well, hold on there -- Nancy Kress is here to explain how there are consequences to every action, and what those consequences mean for you, and her new novel, Terran Tomorrow. NANCY KRESS: Why … | Continue reading
And the weather is perfect, because it's San Diego and why wouldn't it be. Tonight: Come see me and Cixin Liu at the Clarke Center for Human Imagination as we talk about our work, worldbuilding, and all manner of things science fictional! Here are the details. We'd love to see yo … | Continue reading
It’s that time of the year again, and once again I am teaming up with Jay & Mary’s Book Center, my local independent bookseller, to offer signed and personalized books for gift-giving. It’s a great way to get a unique gift for someone you love (even yourself!) while at the same t … | Continue reading
When I was heading to France last week, I considered taking my Nikon d750 with me, because I thought, not unreasonably, that France might be a photogenic country and that I might want to get some high quality photos of the place. I decided against it for a number of reasons, but … | Continue reading
As most of you know, very recently -- just yesterday, in fact! -- I was in Paris. And while I was in Paris, I wandered about the city, visited the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Musee d'Orsay, and took photos as I did so. If you're at all curious to see my wanderings through city,… | Continue reading
Sometimes you start write something for fun, and then suddenly... the stakes become higher than that. Just ask Alexandra Rowland about that, as it concerns her new book, A Conspiracy of Truths. ALEXANDRA ROWLAND: Stories are in everything. If the human brain has been optimized fo … | Continue reading