Here’s an interesting fun fact: Since I finished The God Engines last Monday, this is the first time since 2001 that I have no new book project scheduled for publication. In terms of original stuff, TGE comes out late this year or early next year, but after that, there’s not a thing of mine with an official (or even unofficial) release date. No fiction. No non-fiction. Nothing.

Don’t worry, everything’s fine. I’ve got other things to keep me busy at the moment, starting with the Stargate: Universe gig and going from there. We’re not exactly worried about how to make the next mortgage payment here, or the next one, or even the one after that. And for various reasons, when I do decide to start my next novel or book project I don’t expect I’ll have a problem getting it published. I just very simply don’t have anything in novel or book form that’s on a deadline or has a planned publication date. For the first time in eight years, I don’t have something I have to do next.

Which is at once weird and kind of exciting, because now the question is: What do I want to do next?

And the answer is: Well, lots of stuff. Here in the office, I have something which could more or less be called a “dream board,” on which I put up the projects I want to do at some point in the reasonably near future (defined as “the next couple three years”). Right now, there are four novel projects and two non-fiction projects on it — including, yes, Android’s Dream fans, The High Castle. Some of these projects are more likely than others, but any of them is possible, and the options are wide open. Which I will pick to work on next will depend on a number of factors, but primarily three: what interests me most, what’s economically feasible (both in terms of likely advance and likely sales), and what’s likely to best serve my career interests in the long run.

There’s also the option of  picking none of the above and instead trying something completely new to me. After many years, and in no small part due to my involvement with SG:U, I have an interest in trying screenwriting; and it might be fun to write a practice screenplay, just as twelve years ago I wrote Agent to the Stars as a practice novel. It might be fun to write a script for a comic book or graphic novel. It might be worth it to try writing something in fiction but out of the genre. And so on. I am fortunate at this point to be in a place careerwise where I have a bit of latitude; it might be worth it to go exploring.

The only drawback to all of this is that not having something on the publishing schedule right now means that (TGE aside) even if I were to start working on my next novel book right this very second, nothing would be in the bookstores until the fall of 2010. That’s just the speed of the publishing world. This means an at least two-year gap between the hardcover publication of Zoe’s Tale and whatever comes next. Which, you know, seems like a lot.

I mentioned this to a friend of mine who noted (with, you may assume, some appreciable eye rolling at my comment) that between this blog and my prominent involvement with one of the most-anticipated science fiction TV shows of the year, I’m not exactly going to disappear down a hole between novel releases. Fair point. Be that as it may, it still feels weird. And if nothing else, It’s got me thinking about putting together some short stories, etc to fill in the gap. We’ll see.

In any event, for the moment, it’s kind of fun being in an indeterminate stage regarding what’s next. It can’t last, nor should it, since if it does I’ll just end up playing videogames and getting fat, and that’s just no good. But for the rest of the weekend, at least, I’ll enjoy the feeling.

Must I personally acknowledge on the Whatever every single bacon-related thing that occurs on the Internet before people stop sending me e-mail about it? One reason I put up the Canonical Bacon Page is so Whatever would not go All Bacon, All the Time, and that you wouldn’t have to e-mail me about every-bacon related thing. I do read the Canonical Bacon Page, you know, so the more than a dozen of you who have sent me e-mail about the bacon blowtorch after someone posted about it at the CBP are telling me things I already know. About bacon. Which is a thing I am strangely well aware of to begin with.

While it is indeed strange and surreal and, yes, amusing to have a large percentage of one’s personal e-mail be concerned about breakfast meat, after a while it can get monotonous. So please, and again: Before sending me e-mail about something new regarding bacon, check the Canonical Bacon Page to see if it’s been noted there — and if it hasn’t, why not leave a post there? Then it gets shared with lots of people (The CBP is perhaps not surprisingly well trafficked) and everybody’s happy, especially me. Thanks.

Canada has changed its citizenship law, today, to include as citizens a bunch of folks who may not have suspected their own inborn, inherent Canadian-ness. So it’s entirely possible you are now a Canadian. Congratulations, have some poutine. Here are all the details, in case you want to gauge if you’ve suddenly become a stealth Canadian. And here’s a goofy YouTube video made about it.

I have not personally become a stealth Canadian, but I still have a big ol’ crush on Sarah McLachlan. Also, I want some Mackintosh’s toffee right now. Someone please send me some. A grateful non-Canadian thanks you in advance.

Just in case you wondering.

I use GMail to access my mail, so if you sent me a message today, I won’t be able to respond until the Google engineers sacrifice an intern or whatever they do (I can access my mail by other means, to be sure, but it’s a hassle, so I’m not going to bother unless I have to). Try to survive without me in your mailbox until then.

Update: And of course, having posted this, GMail now appears to be back. Which is, mind you, why I posted: The way to fix something malfunctioning on the Web is point to it and say it’s not working.

I’m not exactly what you would call a huge hockey fan, but even I found this amusing:

Hockey fan or not, when I saw the combination of jerseys there, I thought to myself, “wow, that will just never, ever work out.”

Over at AMC, I explore why cinematic vanity projects are dangerous things, using Battlefield Earth as a case study. Mmmm… Battlefield Earth. So very fail-licious. Take a gander, and if you’re of a mind to discuss your favorite example of a vanity project, feel free to do so in the comments there.

Re: The “tea parties” today:

There will be no tea-dumping in the Potomac River — that’s illegal — but organizers of today’s national tea party tax protest found out this morning that so is their plan to dump a million tea bags in Lafayette Square to demonstrate displeasure at government spending and tax policies.

Protesters, using a rented truck to haul the million tea bags, began unloading their cargo at the park this morning but were told by officials that they didn’t have proper permits and must move the tea. They complied with the order but are still considering what to do with the load…

The protesters got more bad news this morning when security officials also told them that they did not have proper permits for a rally in front of the Treasury building.

Samuel Adams would have dumped the tea, man. I suspect wherever he is, he’s doing a bit of snerking right about now.

Here in the US, at least; I don’t know how you crazy people in other countries do it.

The damage this year:

Federal: Got back a whopping refund due to overestimation of what we’d owe this year, and immediately ploughed it back into the IRS, because when you’re self-employed, you have quarterly estimates due on top of anything else you owe. Yes, being self-employed sucks sometimes. But at least it’s coming out of money the IRS already had, rather than from the bank account.

State and local: Owed negligible amounts, paid without complaint.

In all, fairly painless.

You?

Athena’s been in a bit of a gothy mood recently, as the above picture well illustrates. This is something I do not discourage; between this and, say, Hannah Montana, I know which I prefer her be into. That said, I’ve told her that in this house, we don’t do goth by half-measures; if you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. Thus commenced an evening of Old School Goth Listening, featuring Bauhaus, Siouxsie and some choice selections from the early Cure oeuvre. Yes, yes, I know: When am I going to introduce her to Clan of Xymox and Fields of the Nephilim? To which I say: Hey. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

Mind you, this isn’t the first time Athena’s indulged in goth leanings; it comes and goes around these parts. And I suspect that this too shall pass, since at the end of an hour of swirly goth moodiness, she asked if I wouldn’t mind playing her “All Star” from Smashmouth. As, I suspect, something of a palate cleanser. Which of course I did. She’s ten; she’s allowed extreme tonal shifts. And anyway, goth will be waiting for her, lurking, when she wants it. Because isn’t that what goth does? Lurk? Moodily? With lip piercings? Yes, indeed.

A question in e-mail from Edward:

I realize you are busy, what with the death avoidance thing and all, but I would love your take on the “Tea Parties” that Fox news and Glenn Beck are putting together.

I think it’s nice these folks are out getting some exercise rather than spending all their time flicking spittle onto their computer screens. Really, outside of that I find I don’t really have much to say about them one way or another. No one really cares, they’re not hurting anyone, and the tea companies are getting paid as these silly people buy Earl Grey by the case. Let them have their fun.

As for Glenn Beck, at this point I pretty much see him as the conservanerd equivalent of professional wrestling: an overwrought scripted work feigning spontaneity and pathos to an audience who is probably smart enough to know it’s fake but doesn’t really care. I don’t have to watch him, and I don’t.

The thing about it all for me, personally, is that these people don’t seem to get that every time they declare themselves a “tea bagger,” the rest of us can’t stop giggling about it (here’s why, if you don’t know, but be warned — you won’t be able to unlearn this bit of information). But, you know. If it makes them happy.

While (vaguely) on the subject of Twitter, a very quick FAQ on my presence on that service, since people have been peppering me with questions about it, and it’ll be good to have something to refer folks to later.

1. Are you on Twitter?

Yes.

2.How often do you Twitter?

A couple of times a day, usually; sometimes more, sometimes less.

3. Can I follow you on Twitter?

Sure. Also, you don’t have to ask.

4. Why are you following only one person on Twitter?

Because she was the person who sent me the invite and I never got around to following other folks. Then I got written up in the Wall Street Journal on the subject of Twitter and the fact I followed only one person became news of a sort, and now I kind of feel obliged. That said, I cheat a bit since I follow a few hundred Twitter feeds via Twitter’s list function. Adding the Twitter feeds there was the most convenient way to do it.

5. It’s rude not to follow the people following you on Twitter.

Oh well.

Update, 10/28/11: I decided it’s time to let go of following just one person and have moved the people on the list I read the most into the “follow” column.

Cool, will you follow me?

Generally speaking, I follow people I know in real life. Do I know you in real life? If so, then possibly. If not, then probably not.

6. Do you respond to responses from your Twitter followers?

I respond to some but not all. I get a fair number of responses.

7. Do you mind if I ReTweet something you twittered?

Not at all; please do.

8. Do you twitter from your browser or do you use special software?

I tend to use TweetDeck, since it has a lot of features I like. On my Blackberry I use the Twitter mobile web interface; I’m aware there are standalone Twitter programs for the phone but I haven’t liked them so far.

9. Do you have any deep thoughts about Twitter as a communication medium?

Sure; they’re here.

10. Hey, did you know your cat is on Twitter?

Yes, and no, I don’t write that Twitter feed. I have no idea who does. Pretty sure it’s not the actual cat.

Any additional Scalzi/Twitter questions, leave them in the comment thread and I’ll get around to answering them.

AmazonFail seems to have been squared away reasonably well, with, as I understand it, most of the blame going to someone toggling something in a database somewhere and 50,000+ books losing their sales ranking all of a sudden. The company’s fixing that, which is nice, and I have to say I’m not entirely surprised to discover that it had more to do with a technical screwup than an otherwise generally tolerant corporation experiencing an atavistic twitch of homophobia or whatever.

As for people getting worked up and demanding explanations and threatening boycotts on an Easter Sunday, well, you know, look. People really do need to accept that while outrage happens at the speed of someone banging out 140 characters on Twitter, fixing corporate-level problems is going to be slower, especially on a weekend, especially on a holiday weekend, and especially if the people trying to respond to outrage want to actually find out what the hell happened, so as to possibly a) give a coherent explanation to people demanding the same, b) avoid having the same or similar screw-up from happening again. All of which is to say that people leaping straight to a boycott because a large corporation has not answered to their satisfaction questions on a complex and confusing issue late on the most holy day in Christendom may possibly have unrealistic expectations.

That said, I don’t think there’s any question that Twitter having a fit on the matter certainly gave Amazon a goose to address the issue, so I wouldn’t say the AmazonFail uproar was all bad. It wasn’t. If only there were a way to have to have thousands of people on Twitter go “Hey this looks bad; you might want to explain that” instead of FOAMY FOAMY FAIL FAIL BOYCOTT GAAAH. But people rarely freak out in a moderate sort of way.

This also brings up a point which I think it worth airing, which is that I and at least a couple of authors I know got e-mails about AmazonFail — not the “did you hear about this?” e-mails, which are fine, but the “you need to speak out about this now” ones, which are pretty much not. First, of course, I don’t need to do anything about anything, other than what I decide I need to do. Random people e-mailing me about what I need to do have a grave misunderstanding about their powers of persuasion regarding me. Second, even when I’m inclined to do something, at this point, what I’m inclined to do first is make sure I have an understanding of what’s actually going on, and to use my own judgment regarding whether I need to know more before making a substantive comment.

In the case of the Amazon thing, for example, I recognized that something was going down on a holiday weekend, and that I wanted to hear what the Amazon brass had to say about it. Which is essentially what I said in an earlier post on the matter. As it turns out, the situation seems largely what I expected it to be, i.e., technical foul-up, and since Amazon seems to be busily rectifying it, the various shifting excuses laid out for the sake of PR are largely immaterial. In short, I’m happy to have been a moderate on this one.

A quick update on these two projects, since I’m getting mail about both:

BigIdeaAuthors.com: The development side of this is going along swimmingly — Web guru Tony Geer is helping us whomp up a site design we really like and that we think is going to work very well, and everything else is proceeding apace. That said, we’re going to blow right past our original planned debut date of April 20 (i.e., next week), mostly because things are taking time, and here at BIA we long ago made the executive decision that it’s better to launch when everything’s right, and not simply to make a deadline. You only get the chance to debut once, after all.

In the meantime, of course, I’ll be continuing to post Big Idea pieces here at Whatever, so you won’t be missing out on any of those. And I’ll keep everyone in the loop about when BigIdeaAuthors.com will debut.

Hugo Voter Packet: It’s assembled and ready to go and now we’re just waiting on the green light from the Anticipation Web site tech folks. Patience; it won’t be long now.

Since people seem to be curious about it, here’s what’s up with the novella I just finished.

First: It’s called The God Engines. If the title seems vaguely familiar to fans/stalkers/others, it would be because last year Locus suggested in one of its upcoming title features that I would have a novella with that title for sale in April ’09 (i.e., right now). That information was a result of a miscommunication; nobody’s fault, it just happens.

Second: It’s fantasy. Why fantasy? Well, because I’d never written fantasy before, and I thought it would be interesting to try, and writing something novella-length seemed a whole lot less pressure that writing something novel length. And it was; aside from the usual procrastination issues of me being distracted by shiny objects, this one moved along nicely in the writing. It’s also dark fantasy, because I thought, hell, as long as I’m doing something different, might as well exercise a whole bunch of different writing muscles. Which brings us to our third point:

Third: It’s a lot different than what I usually write. Not just in subject matter but in tone and style and such. It’s always good to try new things to see if you can do them. And again, novella-length was a good length to try this stuff out in. I don’t doubt it’ll confuse some readers — I had that happen with “The Sagan Diary” as well, which was another short work drastically different from what I’d done before — but hey, that’s what happens from time to time.

Fourth: I’m pretty happy with it. Which is nice, because I hate working on something for a while just to figure out I don’t want anyone else on the planet to see it. This one was fun to write, as noted, but I also think it’ll be fun for people to read, and it’ll be interesting to see the reactions to it (as again, it was interesting to see the reactions to “The Sagan Diary” when people read that).

Fifth: TGE will be published by Subterranean Press as a standalone book, in the usual excellent and special-nifty Subterranean Press style, and will most likely show up either late this year or early next year. We’re still figuring out all that stuff. Quite clearly I’ll let you all know the details when I know them.

And that’s where things are with that.

Finally finished that novella. Now I won’t be murdered!

However, I am pretty tired. Writing all day takes it out of you.

See you tomorrow. I’ll tell you more about it then.

Trying to avoid death. Will post again when done. If I haven’t been murdered already.

While I was jamming several thousand calories worth of food down my gullet today, people online were getting riled up that Amazon has started delisting a bunch of books (i.e., dropping their Amazon sales rankings) because they were supposedly “adult” themed, notably books with gay and lesbian subject (but not, it seems, exclusively so). The Los Angeles Times has the details here; what I know is what I’ve read there.

Since this is happening over a holiday weekend and it’s a little much to expect a coherent explanation and/or excuse on an Easter Sunday, I’m personally keeping my pitchfork in reserve until tomorrow. At the very least this looks pretty weird and possibly very dumb. But it’s best to hear what Amazon’s got to say first.

Why? Because as of this morning he and the missus have got two extra mouths to feed.

Congrats to the both of them (and to both of the new Buckells).

“Maybe Easter wasn’t about chocolate bunnies at all! Maybe Easter was about something a little bit… more.”

She’s a deep one, that Kodi. She’s a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in fur. Lots of fur.

And with that, I’m off until Monday. Enjoy your Easter weekend, if you are of the sort to enjoy Eastery things at all. If you absolutely can’t live without me in your life, I’ll probably Twitter a bit (here, or you can find the tweet on the sidebar). Otherwise, see you next week.

Okay, I’m pretty sure I’ve caught up with all the e-mail I need to respond to from the last week. However, if you sent me e-mail and were hoping for a response and didn’t get one, feel free to resend. Sometimes stuff slips through the cracks.

That said, I do want to remind people that there’s a fair amount of e-mail I get that I might not respond to, either right away or at all, not because I’m trying to be rude but just because I get lots of mail and I have to prioritize. Stuff I’m likely not to immediately respond to (or will possibly not respond to at all) include quick little comments about something on Whatever, link solicitations/pointers and press releases. I’m not ignoring them (and I do like getting link suggestions, etc) — I read everything in my inbox that’s not spam. And I do consider all the link pleas/suggestions I get. I just, you know, get lots. I hope you understand.

I do of course try to respond to all fan mail/convention invites/interview requests, etc, even if briefly. But occassionally they will slip through the cracks and/or I’ll look at them, plan to respond later and then totally forget. As always, if you’ve sent something for which you’ve hoped for a response, after about a week, feel free to resend.

Final note: my e-mail address here (i.e., john@scalzi.com) is really the best way to reach me. I occasionally look at my mailboxes on Facebook/Myspace/Goodreads, etc, but not with any regularity. My scalzi.com mailbox, on the other hand, I check obsessively. Just saying.

Thanks.