Monthly Archives: January 2010
Just Arrived, 1/12/10
Posted on January 12, 2010 16 Comments
Books that arrived at my doorstep today: * Total Oblivion, More or Less, by Alan De Niro. Modern day Minnesota attacked by Scythians, and other strange doings. Ballentine/Spectra. Out now, and Alan will be doing a Big Idea piece on Thursday. * Token of Darkness, by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. A deadly car accident allows a teenage […]
The Big Idea: Patrick Lee
Posted on January 12, 2010 66 Comments
Imagine you’re a caveman (this will be easier for some of you than others). Now, you’re handed an iPod. How do you think you would think about it? Would you even be able to think about it? Yes, I know, a deep thought for a Tuesday. But it’s actually relevant to this week’s Big Idea, […]
A Small Request Re: Notifying Me About Typos
Posted on January 11, 2010 56 Comments
First: I appreciate that you folks call out when I make typos in my entries. Thank you. Second: When you call them out to me in comment threads, could you do it as matter of factly as possible? The reason for this is that I make a fair number of typos, and all the “I […]
Just Arrived, 1/11/10
Posted on January 11, 2010 32 Comments
Books what came in the mail today: * Tails of Wonder and Imagination, edited by Ellen Datlow. An anthology of fantastical tales featuring cats (thus the modeling of the book with Ghlaghghee). Night Shade Books, out this month. * Lightbreaker and Heartland, by Mark Teppo. The first and second books in Teppo’s “Codex of Souls” […]
Possession is Nine Tenths of a Nap
Posted on January 10, 2010 34 Comments
Every now and again Krissy gets it into her head to get a doggie bed for Kodi, because she loves Kodi and wants only the best for her, and that includes a doggie bed. Kodi, however, typically eschews these doggie beds, perhaps because her lack of opposable thumbs means that she is unable to transport […]
Shorter Joel Stein
Posted on January 10, 2010 28 Comments
His entire column on video phones here can be abridged to the following with no loss of relevant information: “I don’t use a video phone because most of the time I look like crap and have no real interest in what the other person’s saying, and I know they look and feel the same way.” […]
Frosty: The Snow, Man
Posted on January 10, 2010 63 Comments
Dropped down to the tiny single digits in temperature overnight, and when we woke up, the backyard looked like this. As did the front yard, and the side yards. It’s pretty, but as it’s also still 7 degrees outside, damn. It’s another “guess I’ll stay inside and watch bad TV” day. How is it where […]
How Athena Spent Her Saturday
Posted on January 9, 2010 26 Comments
She spent it playing basketball for her school’s fifth grade team. As she will be spending her next several Saturdays, in fact. And it was a pretty enjoyable game; it sounds like a cliche, but the girls pretty much left it all out there on the court — by the time it was done you […]
That Takes Me Back
Posted on January 8, 2010 90 Comments
Unearthed by Krissy today during one of her occasional purges of the house: A floppy disc! From the mid-90s! Which I used, if I recall correctly, to shuffle text documents between my computer at home and the one at America Online, where I worked at the time. None of my current computers has a floppy […]
TGE Soon at Borders; Taos Toolbox; Freer’s “Dragons”
Posted on January 8, 2010 46 Comments
Some various notes of varying variosity: * For those of you who have been saying to yourself “Why can’t I buy The God Engines in a brick-and-mortar store, as is right and proper?” I have some good news: Word has reached my far province that TGE will soon be shelves at select Borders locations. Which […]
A Mildly Cranky Note to Would-Be Interviewers
Posted on January 8, 2010 39 Comments
No, in fact, I would not like to be interviewed for your Web site when the “interview” in question consists of an e-mail full of several generic questions of the “what are your favorite books” stripe, none of which have anything to do with me or my work, or indeed show any evidence that you […]
The Big Idea: Sarah A. Hoyt
Posted on January 7, 2010 47 Comments
2010 is here, so let’s drive right in to this year’s series of Big Ideas. And to begin the new year, we have science fiction and fantasy author Sarah A. Hoyt and her new novel Darkship Thieves — for which one of the initiating reasons for the book was the author being annoyed. Annoyed at […]
Producers, Science Fiction, Oscars
Posted on January 7, 2010
In today’s AMC column, I look at science fiction film’s surprisingly strong showing in the Producers Guild of America Best Picture nominations (three out of ten nominations), and tell you what it might mean — and what it might not — for each of those nominated science fiction film’s Oscar chances. Yes, I exhibit both […]
Special Guest Cat
Posted on January 6, 2010 48 Comments
Meet Belle. She’s the cat of my in-laws, who is temporarily hanging out here whilst some home repairs are being done on the in-law house. As with Zeus and Lopsided Cat, Belle is a found cat, which is to say the in-laws found her living under their deck, along with a rooster that also had […]
Just Arrived, 1/6/10
Posted on January 6, 2010 27 Comments
One my New Year’s resolutions is to do a better job noting the books I get sent, for the edification of all y’all who are always wondering “damn, what’s new out there that I can read next, or pre-order and hover by the mailbox for?” And here’s the system I think I’m going to use: […]
“The Big Idea” Open Call to Publicists, Editors and Authors
Posted on January 6, 2010 39 Comments
Now that the holidays are behind us and everyone is properly at their work desks, it’s time for me to make an open call to writers, editors and publicists to participate in “The Big Idea” feature here at Whatever (and later, when it’s ready, on its own Web site). Below, a quick FAQ to get […]
The 2010 Award Pimpage Post
Posted on January 5, 2010 20 Comments
As I do each year in the first week of January, it’s time for my annual reminder to literary award nominators what works of mine are eligible for various award type thingies in the current year time frame period. Yes, it’s unseemly, but it’s also grasping and self-serving! And what do I have for your […]
Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded Out in Trade Paperback
Posted on January 5, 2010 24 Comments
I’m really rather delighted to say that the Tor trade paperback version of Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever 1998 – 2008 is now officially out and about at bookstores everywhere, making it the perfect gift for the Feast of the Epiphany — and I know you were worried about what […]
Hey, You
Posted on January 4, 2010 25 Comments
Read this story from Peter Watts now. Or listen to the audio, read by Kate Baker. You’re welcome.
Quick God Engines Shipping Update
Posted on January 4, 2010 33 Comments
The latest on The God Engines shipping status, nicked from the Subterranean Press site: All individual orders will be en route to customers by Monday morning, with large online bookstore and wholesale orders currently being packed. Please note that we only have 30 copies of the signed limited edition available, which is leatherbound, and features […]
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