Things I know, things I wonder, things I’d like to say:
* Notable science fiction author Norman Spinrad has had difficulty placing his novel He Walks Among Us with publishers in the US and UK, so he’s released it as a shareware novel, with a suggested price of $5 (although he notes in the text of the document that "more will be gratefully accepted and less will not be scorned"). Spinrad suggests that his novel "may be the world’s first shareware novel," although personally I can think of at least one other novel that started out that way, and some six years ago at that. Nevertheless I welcome Mr. Spinrad to the ranks of shareware authors and hope it works out as well for him as it did for me. You can get more information on the book, plus links to where it’s downloadable, off of Spinrad’s own site.
* One more interesting thing, writing-wise: Claire Light clued me in to Chasing the Fourth Crusade, a blog in which author Nicole Galland is following in the steps of (guess!) the Fourth Crusade, which is the one where the Crusaders had planned to take Jerusalem by way of Egypt but then took a wrong turn at Alberquerque and sacked Constantinople instead. Like you do. You may not know this about me, but I’m endlessly fascinated by the Crusades, particularly the ones that ended poorly for the Crusaders (which would be most of them, actually), so this combination history/travel/writing blog is pressing most of the right buttons for me, and I think you might enjoy it as well.
* My quick reaction to all the news of the last several days:
Meirs Withdraws: I’d probably be more excited if it weren’t for the fact Bush will now most likely nominate someone to the right of Pat Robertson.
Sheryl Swopes Comes Out: Good for her. Shame she plays in a state that’s about to ban all marriage to make sure them gays don’t get any hot marital action.
Iran Wants to Annihilate Israel: What, this is a policy change?
Dick Cheney Wants to Let CIA Torture People: What, this is a policy change?
I’d have deeper things to say about each of these if I wasn’t waist-deep in submissions at the moment. But I am. In fact, I need to get back to them right now.
4 replies on “Various Notes and Links 10/27”
I’ll definitely have to check out at least the first two recommendations.
About the Miers withdrawal, though. I’d be concerned about the next nominee if the Dems had cashed in any political capitol to oppose her. But it was the conservative wing of the Repubs who got her to step down, so the Dems can say with straight faces that they’re not being obstructionist when they stand up for what they believe and oppose an idealog (if necessary).
K
If “Uglies/Pretties” is even half as good as “Risen Empire”, then it’ll be well worth the read, because “Risen Empire” was niiiiiiiifty.
I read this before I left for work this morning. I had Mystic Rhythms running through my head for hours!
Um, Scalzi, it’s Swoopes, not Swopes.