Hey, you remember when I announced my book tour and said that because you folks had to pay $5 for tickets to the Seattle event (or buy Fuzzy Nation from University Bookstore, at which point the ticket was free), that I would do something special and awesome for you to compensate for that required initial outlay?

Well, now I know what that special and awesome thing will be.

And let me just say:

BWA HA HA HA HA HAH HA HA HAH.

You’re gonna love it.

And if you live in Seattle and you’re not at the event, after the event is over and your friends tell you about the awesome surprise, it’s possible that your life will feel empty and bad and maybe even a little bereft. You might want to pre-select a stuffed animal to hug when that happens. I’m just trying to help you out in advance, here. Probably best to avoid that whole sobbing, stuffy-clutching episode by just coming out to the event, though. Really, that’s what I’d do. I mean, if I weren’t already going to be there. Which I am.

See you in six days, Seattle!

My novel writing style has been occasionally described as “cinematic,” and as this week’s column at FilmCritic.com makes clear, this is not entirely a coincidence: I picked up a number of writing tips over my years as a film critic and observer of cinematic storytelling, which I have incorporated into my own books. I detail three of those tips in the column; head on over there to find out what they are. And as always feel free to leave your own thoughts and comments in the thread there.

While Washington DC is not officially on my book tour, nevertheless I will be there between the 19th and 22nd for the Nebula Awards Weekend, at which SFWA, the writers’ organization of which I am president, will hand out — logically enough — the Nebula Awards for excellence in science fiction and fantasy writing. As part of the weekend’s festivities there will be a mass signing event, at which you can meet and have books signed by, some of the planet’s most excellent science fiction and fantasy writers, including but not limited to Connie Willis, Joe Haldeman, Paolo Bacigalupi, Allen Steele, Mary Robinette Kowal and yours truly. Here’s the complete list of scheduled participants. Yes, this is a whole lot of science fiction and fantasy awesomeness, all in one place. That’s what the Nebula Awards Weekend is all about.

When will this take place? On Friday, May 20, 2011 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00p.m., at the Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut NW.

Need books in order to be signed? We’ve got you covered: There’ll be a “book depot” with books from the participating authors (including me) at the Hilton. Here are details on that (scroll down just a bit).

While the mass signing is part of the Nebula Awards Weekend, it’s open to anyone and everyone — and you are anyone, so that means you! So swing on by, meet some of your favorite authors and get their autographs for yourself or someone you love/like/are in some way obligated to. And of course, feel free to share the news of the mass signing with friends/family/complete strangers.

See you there!

Last week I was the subject of an “Ask Me Anything” thread at Reddit, and folks there asked me a whole bunch of questions about science fiction, Stargate Universe, the Old Man’s War movie, my life and work, and about Fuzzy Nation, the new book. I answered them in varying levels of detail, and the whole, fairly comprehensive, set of questions is now up for your perusal. I tried to answer as many questions as possible, so the whole list is pretty long. But then again, I don’t suppose anyone who reads this site would be entirely turned off by me blathering on extensively. Go check it out.