I occasionally remember that it’s not that the sun is setting, it’s that the planet is turning away from it at up to 1000 miles per hour. And that’s pretty wild. — JS | Continue reading
Life is short… but TV is forever. Author Randee Dawn plays with a fantastical variant of this sentiment with her new novel Tune In Tomorrow. RANDEE DAWN: Who wants to live forever? One great thrill we get from writing and reading fantasy, science fiction or even horror is about i … | Continue reading
Hello again, everyone! Today I’m back with another Universal Yums review. This time it’s the August box, so I’m just barely fitting it in before the end of the month. Hard to believe it’s almost September already! In case you haven’t seen my other posts over Universal Yums, it is … | Continue reading
You have to hand it to David Quantick: He took a wild idea, and then, as the kids used to say, let his fingers do the walking (on the keyboard. I’m sorry. I will stop with the puns now). In this Big Idea, learn how the author finally got the idea for Ricky’s Hand out […] | Continue reading
“It’s this direction.” Well, thank you, Charlie, for your help in this critical mission. You are indeed a good dog. — JS | Continue reading
All legends have an origin. Author R.R. Virdi tells us a bit about how stories change, shift, and adapt over time in the Big Idea for his newest novel, The First Binding. R.R. VIRDI: Something I wanted to tackle with The First Binding is the nature of stories: how they’re create … | Continue reading
Author Kate Heartfield brings us an original story based in the wildly popular videogame series Assassin’s Creed universe. Come along as she unwinds the history of her newest novel, The Magus Conspiracy. KATE HEARTFIELD: Queen Victoria survived eight attempts on her life over the … | Continue reading
I’ve noted before that I am posting less about politics these days, primarily because I find it largely enervating, and there are only so many ways to say “The current GOP is a white supremacist authoritarian cult who threw away any pretense at seriousness to grovel at the feet o … | Continue reading
Mostly, it’s because I’m not good at it. This is not me fishing for compliments. I am aware I can fiddle about and get something out of my equipment that is musical, and that it isn’t completely awful. What I mean is that my level of technical competence with the programs and ins … | Continue reading
More fiddling about with my DAW and musical equipment. This one is noisy and saturated and the drums have more echo on them than is perhaps wise, but I kinda like it, which is why I’m sharing it. I suspect this is may be an early draft of something else (which is to say I’m […] | Continue reading
I had the Midjourney AI art generator give me a few pictures of a cat in a library, in the style of Gustav Klimt. This was my favorite, both for the absolutely unimpressed expression but also because in the cat’s “fur” you can see hints of books and bookshelves, which is actually … | Continue reading
Netflix announced it on its Twitter feed (and presumably elsewhere): Of course I’m thrilled about that and for the whole team at Blur, the production company who makes LD+R for Netflix. Before anyone asks, at this particular point there’s very little I know and even less that I c … | Continue reading
For your delight, a very fine stack of New Books and ARCs that have come to the Scalzi Compound. What’s shaking your tree here? Share in the comments! — JS | Continue reading
And, well, that’s pretty damn cool. Here’s the whole ballot of finalists, and at the bottom of that I’ll put in a link so you can go vote for whomever you like. 1. Best Science Fiction NovelLeviathan Falls by James S.A. CoreyThe Kaiju Preservation Society by John ScalziGoliath: A … | Continue reading
First, this one is called “Deep in your heart there is a sunlight so hot that it makes you love people. That’s why you love people,” and its inspiration is a little poem my daughter wrote on her sixth birthday. I gave the whole poem to the AI art generator Midjourney as a prompt, … | Continue reading
Writers often use what they experience in their lives in their fiction; for Robin C.M. Duncan, a particular medical issue gave him an insight that informed his novel The Mandroid Murders. What was it and how did it have an impact on the writing? Read on. ROBIN C. M. DUNCAN: I beg … | Continue reading
My grandma keeps giving me zucchinis from her garden the size of toddlers, so I’ve been trying out zucchini recipes lately! Recently, I tried Dessert For Two’s Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. I’ve been following this food blogger for a couple years now, but never tried out anythin … | Continue reading
When the odds are stacked against you, life can feel pretty overwhelming. Author Naseem Jamnia gives us a look into a world with a protagonist who has more than their fair share of hardships. Follow along in their Big Idea for their newest novel, The Bruising of Qilwa. NASEEM JAM … | Continue reading
We get some good ones out here in the Midwest. Note the prismatic action at the top of the cumulonimbus, by the way. — JS | Continue reading
And really, it was only half a day because I spent almost ten hours driving home. But in that first half of the day, I went to the World of Coca-Cola! So this post is more or less only a review over that. Before I get started, I just want to preface by saying I […] | Continue reading
I’ve now watched all ten episodes of the first season of The Sandman on Netflix, and while I absolutely cannot be unbiased in my opinions about the series in any way, because a) Neil Gaiman is a friend of mine, b) Netflix is the service where I have been extensively involved in a … | Continue reading
In author Sarah Henning’s third and final installment of her The Kingdoms of Sand & Sky novels, The King Will Kill You, we’re taken on a journey through what real change looks like, and are shown how it is both quick and slow at the same time. SARAH HENNING: I’m extremely lucky t … | Continue reading
My third day in Atlanta was Friday, and I was going to write it up on Saturday, but I drove home on Saturday, and now it is Sunday, so here is my slightly late third day! I started the day as all days should start: with brunch. After debating between all the recommendations y’all … | Continue reading
To begin, it’s pretty damn good, if not the best “Predator” film than certainly the most nuanced, and the one that actually feels like real live humans dealing with a seemingly unstoppable adversary. The characters in this film are not roided-out mercs, cops or a murder’s row of … | Continue reading
First off, thank you to everyone that commented on my first day post that recommended me places to check out, welcomed me to the city, or just said they enjoyed the post. I especially appreciate y’all saying that I’m good at this whole travel writing thing, it means a lot to me! … | Continue reading
Here we are in August, with a new stack of books and ARCs that have come to the Scalzi Compound! What here would you like to take into the dog days of summer? Share in the comments! — JS | Continue reading
Apex Magazine is running a Kickstarter to help fund their new year of publication, and editor Jason Sizemore asked if he could borrow the Big Idea stage here to talk about his publishing company, and the concept of fandoms in the current era. Here he is! JASON SIZEMORE: I have a … | Continue reading
Not the one we live in, but one that we own. We bought this house for Krissy’s mother several years ago and in the time since upgraded it rather considerably, including building a garage and a lovely pergola in the back yard. We recently moved Krissy’s mom to a newer, ranch-style … | Continue reading
Hello, Atlanta, I am in you! For the first time, in fact (unless you count tons of layovers in the airport). After hitting the road at just past 8am yesterday, I ended up arriving a little after 5pm. Immediately, parking was a bitch. The hotel I’m staying at says it has “self-par … | Continue reading
What is fiction good for, anyway? Sunyi Dean has an idea, and in this Big Idea for The Book Eaters, she delves into it, and how our stories can cause us to change our lives. SUNYI DEAN: Back in August 2012, I was attending a teacher training course and got talking to a fellow tra … | Continue reading
When events are on a precipice, where can we look for the support we need to help pull them back? Izzy Wasserstein has an idea, and in this Big Idea for All the Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From, she’s ready to share with you what she thinks it might be. IZZY WASSERSTEIN: It all … | Continue reading
I’ve been using Google’s Pixel Buds since their first iteration a few years back, and just picked up the newest version, the Pixel Buds Pro (seen above in their “Lemongrass” colorway) because I was curious how this new “premium” version of the buds, complete with active noise can … | Continue reading
Even in fiction, pets are a big responsibility. Author Greg van Eekhout makes that extra clear in his new novel, Fenris & Mott, where we’re introduced to a new version of a particularly legendary dog. Follow along in this Big Idea as the author tells you a little about a dog owne … | Continue reading
The change of climate around the world brings a wide spectrum of thoughts and strategies about it — no less in fiction writing than anywhere else. In Real Sugar is Hard to Find, author Sim Kern is thinking about their own thoughts and strategies to bring the topic to their own wr … | Continue reading
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a NASA spacecraft! Come along in Alan Smale’s Big Idea, as he tells you about his new novel, Hot Moon, where an alternate history involving Russia and the moon has occurred. ALAN SMALE: I’m writing this blog post on one of my v … | Continue reading
The first time I got into cooking videos on YouTube was back in 2012, when I was thirteen. And the channel that got me into cooking videos was a channel called Kin Community. There were several different content creators that all made their own videos and then posted under Kin Co … | Continue reading
In blank we trust. Who is that blank for you? Are you that blank for others? Trust is a valuable thing, and according to author Dan Moren, the lack of it is prevalent in his new novel, The Nova Incident. DAN MOREN: Who do you trust? It’s a harder question than you might think. M … | Continue reading
Because I’m a digital photography nerd, I have a lot of programs and Photoshop plugins designed to tweak photos and make them better, or, maybe more accurately, less obviously bad. One of the hot new sectors of digital photography programs is the one where “Artificial Intelligenc … | Continue reading
The way our world is going now, there might not be much of future to look forward to. For author Ruthanna Emrys, she tried to imagine what that future could possibly look like in her new novel, A Half-Built Garden. Follow along as she talks about how we all can get there. RUTHANN … | Continue reading
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another Universal Yums review! Today’s review features my dad as a co-reviewer, so you get double the opinion for the same low low price of free! July’s box full of snacks comes to us all the way from India. Here’s the assortment: There are ten sna … | Continue reading
Life is full of decisions, and sometimes those decisions can be tough. For author Jackson Bliss, making decisions was the driving force behind his newest novel, Dream Pop Origami. Read on to see how one’s decisions will impact the story. JACKSON BLISS: Dream Pop Origami is based … | Continue reading
I came downstairs this morning to Spice on the kitchen counter, which is a place she is generally never on, so I figured something was up. Sure enough, Spice was hunting prey, in this case an adult antlion, which had positioned itself just out of paw-swatting reach. The antlion w … | Continue reading
Power dynamics in relationships always have the capacity for drama… but what happens when some of that power is magical? Author Clay Harmon is thinking about this in his Big Idea for Flames of Mira. CLAY HARMON: Can members of a relationship exist on equal footing when power imba … | Continue reading
Recorded here for posterity, which will question why I bothered. I have been left unsupervised. They say we have strayed from the sight of God. I say, God sees all… And chooses inaction. It is time to move humanity out of its comfort zone, beyond its antiquated ideas of what shou … | Continue reading
Over time, little things can add up. This is the case for empires falling, governments collapsing, and sickness spreading. In Will Wiles’s Big Idea, he goes into detail about how being aware of these little things can lead to big changes. See what changes await in The Last Blade … | Continue reading
Did that look super difficult or what?! I certainly thought it did, which is why I was hesitant about making this dessert. I knew I had to put aside my reluctance and just go for it. What was the worst that could happen? So, I started by looking for the ingredients on Amazon, bec … | Continue reading
“Better to bring a casserole to your neighbor’s house than a shotgun” is a Midwest saying that rings extra true in author Zac Topping’s new novel, Wake of War. Follow along in his Big Idea as he takes you through war-torn streets of the near-future — streets that are all too fami … | Continue reading
I was curious about getting my musical compositions onto streaming services, and I was recommended DistroKid to do this — for a flat annual fee they will get your music up onto just about every service that streams music. I went ahead and used my most recent musical track (now su … | Continue reading