Monthly Archives: May 2008
There Will Be Shenanigans
Posted on May 9, 2008 59 Comments
Hey, look: Tor sent me four more ARCs of Zoe’s Tale. So I think I’ll give one away to one of you Whatever readers. Not today, though. I have to think of a suitably amusing contest first. Probably Monday.
When the World Was Young
Posted on May 9, 2008 13 Comments
I have absolutely nothing of interest to say at the moment, so here, have some music, namely, the best Led Zeppelin track of the last 20 years: Yes, I know, not technically a Led Zeppelin track. But come on. There are some fictions that make sense, and some that don’t. This is a Led Zeppelin […]
The ARC of Zoe’s Tale (Get It? Get It? It’s a PUN)
Posted on May 8, 2008 34 Comments
First: Embarq appears to have pulled its head out and restored my Internet connectivity. Yes, I missed you too. No, don’t hug me. Second: Tor has gotten its shipment of Zoe’s Tale Advance Reading Copies and sent me a couple, which makes me happy. Now it looks like a book! The ARC is taken from […]
Out of Contact
Posted on May 8, 2008 66 Comments
Apparently someone poured Fresca all over Embarq’s Internet connection here in Ohio, and it’s down in a big way, and the recorded message at customer service suggests it might not be back up until evening tomorrow. So, I’m likely not to be around all that much until they get things back under control, and I’ll […]
Look, Ma, I’m Movieblogging
Posted on May 8, 2008
AMC, the cable channel, is having me as a weekly guest columnist on its science fiction/fantasy movie blog, writing about, you guessed it, movies and science fiction/fantasy. I’ll be writing there on Thursdays for the next several weeks. This naturally pleases me because as a long-time movie critic and commentator, and a science fiction writer, […]
Word-Coining
Posted on May 8, 2008 54 Comments
More server issues this morning. Be aware. On another note, I think we need a word that describes what happens when a piece of technology stops working until you call technical support, only to start working again perfectly when you finally reach the tech support dude. Because, no lie, this has happened to me twice […]
Mild Server Wackiness
Posted on May 7, 2008 2 Comments
Quick note: Seems like my server is having some issues and throwing off some errors. If you are momentarily kept from seeing this site on refresh (or dropping a comment, or whatever), don’t panic. I’m on it.
For Those of You Wanting to Practice Your Spanish
Posted on May 7, 2008 25 Comments
Apparently Minotauro, my publisher in Spain, is whetting appetites for the Spanish language release of The Ghost Brigades (Las Brigadas Fantasma) by releasing the first chapter of the book online as a pdf document, which you may find at Scyla, which to my entirely-unable-to-read-Spanish eyes is a news/info site for Minotauro and other related booklines. […]
It’s Over, Hillary. Let it Go.
Posted on May 7, 2008 146 Comments
You know, today would be an excellent day for the mandarins of the Democratic Party to pay a call to Hillary Clinton, sit her down and then, kindly and gently, and with full appreciation of everything she’s done for party and country, stick a goddamn fork in her. She suffered a 14-point blowout in North […]
The Deal With Lopsided Cat
Posted on May 7, 2008 31 Comments
Since people are curious, here is why Lopsided Cat is called Lopsided Cat: Lopsided Cat came to us a few years ago when he basically emerged from the woods to the east of our house, walked up to Athena and started loving on her, which pleased the then 3-or-4 year old Athena immensely. He was […]
Kodi, Hero Dog of the Revolution
Posted on May 6, 2008 28 Comments
Basically, for everyone who complains I give too much blog love to the cats and not enough to the dog.
Triple-Decker Catblogging
Posted on May 6, 2008 31 Comments
You’ve seen Ghlaghghee. You’ve seen Lopsided Cat. You’ve even seen Zeus. But until now, you’ve never seen all three of them together in the same picture: And there you have it. Your life is now totally fulfilled. You’re welcome. Actually, the interesting thing about the picture for me is that three years after we moved […]
Kickass Cover Art
Posted on May 6, 2008 22 Comments
I just found the cover art for the spanish version of The Ghost Brigades (Las Brigadas Fantasmas) and it rocks. If you want to see it, click on the “continue reading” link (I’m doing this way so as to not yet knock the “Big Idea” piece below the fold).
The Big Idea: Maureen Johnson
Posted on May 6, 2008 17 Comments
We’ve been talking about YA quite a lot here in Whateverland, and as coincidence has it, today’s Big Idea piece is from Maureen Johnson, who writes — can you guess? — young adult books. Her latest, Suite Scarlett, takes place in a fantastical land with strange creatures, but in this case the fantastical land is […]
Who Lost Scott Westerfeld?
Posted on May 6, 2008 73 Comments
The estimable Paul Di Filippo shows up in the comment thread for “Why YA,” explaining why he holds the contrary view that a robust YA sf/f market is not necessarily a good thing for adult sf/f. I’ll leave to others to argue most of his several points of contention, if they so choose, but there’s […]
Scalzi and Heinlein: Together at Last
Posted on May 5, 2008 20 Comments
Earlier in the year I was asked to write the introduction for Project Moonbase and Others, a book of scripts that Robert Heinlein wrote for a 1950s television series based on his stories (a series which, alas, never made it out of pilot). I readily agreed, both because I am a huge Heinlein fan and […]
Little Brother Downloads
Posted on May 5, 2008 12 Comments
Cory Doctorow has a tradition of releasing a Creative Commons-licensed free electronic version of his books when they come out in the stores. For Little Brother, Cory was a little behind the actual book release — he had the temerity to be offline, having a life with his family, of all things! — but now […]
If You Are Questing to Become King or Queen of the Geeks
Posted on May 5, 2008 5 Comments
Hachette Book Group USA (HBG), seeks to fill the position of Editor for its science fiction and fantasy imprint, Orbit. Hey! It comes with dental! Because even the king or queen of geeks needs top-notch dental hygiene. Perhaps more than most. I’d apply myself, but I don’t think Hachette wants me running their science fiction […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying