Monthly Archives: April 2012
Away For the Day
Posted on April 21, 2012 9 Comments
Because I will be at the LA Times Festival of Books and also hanging about with pals. Not that you’re not my pals. I love each of you as if you were my best friend since Kindergarten. But these other friends will be physically present, you see. I’m sure to be Twittering, however, so just […]
My Day at Webb
Posted on April 20, 2012 25 Comments
As part of my visit to Los Angeles, yesterday I went to my high school Alma Mater, the Webb Schools of California, to talk to the students and to give a reading. Webb, for those of you not aware, is a boarding school in nestled in the foothills of Claremont, California; among my classmates there […]
Quick Note to Everyone Waiting to Be Scheduled for May/June Big Ideas
Posted on April 20, 2012
I’m a bit behind and traveling at the moment, and will slot stuff in when I get back home. So, Monday/Tuesday. Sorry for not doing it a little earlier; I suck.
The Big Idea: Justin Jordan
Posted on April 20, 2012 11 Comments
I was a 98-pound weakling — until I read this Big Idea by Justin Jordan about his comic book, The Strange Talent of Luther Strode! And just look at me now! JUSTIN JORDAN: You can blame The Strange Talent of Luther Strode on Charles Atlas. Despite what my joints tell me when I get up […]
There’s Something On the Wing
Posted on April 19, 2012 46 Comments
So this happened while I was on an airplane. Probably best told with the actual tweets. Seriously, this Tristan Salazar fellow apparently just whipped that out in 20 minutes using his iPad. Yes, I am envious. And also glad that wasn’t actually on the wing of the plane. In other news, I love it that […]
My Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Schedule
Posted on April 18, 2012 7 Comments
I’m going to Los Angeles this weekend to (among other things) participate at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, which you should come to, because it’s totally free for you. Here’s what I’ll be doing: Saturday: 1pm: Signing at the Mysterious Galaxy Booth (Booth #372). I’ll be there for about a hour. Buy a […]
Your Kickstarter Promotion Thread
Posted on April 18, 2012 1,080 Comments
I promised a thread for you to promote your Kickstarter projects, and — behold! — here it is. This is where you can share with my up to 50,000 daily readers what you want to do that they should give money to you for. But there are rules! Please read them before you post. 1. […]
Happy Birthday, Kristine
Posted on April 18, 2012 107 Comments
It’s my wife Krissy’s birthday today, and she is as fantastic as ever, and I am as flummoxed as ever about how I’ve managed to be able to live my life with someone who is as clearly and obviously fantastic as she is. Of course, I understand this is what every smart husband says publicly […]
Speaking of My FilmCritic.com Column…
Posted on April 18, 2012 27 Comments
…It’s coming to an end soon. My final column there is scheduled for May 9th. In a nice bit of symmetry, my first column for AMC/FilmCritic.com was May 8, 2008, so I will have written the column for four years to the week. The nice folks at AMC took pains to let me know that […]
Killer Films, Jedi and Battleship
Posted on April 18, 2012
This week at FilmCritic.com, I go through the mailbag to answer questions about the science fiction films we would want to show aliens if we wanted them to annihilate us, why the film Battleship has already sailed into the theaters of other countries, but not ours, and whether the Jedi are actually evil. Go on […]
The Big Idea: Bradley P. Beaulieu
Posted on April 17, 2012 8 Comments
Do you like a little gray — that is to say, moral complexity and ambiguity — in your fantasy? Author Bradley Beaulieu is a fan of it, not only in his writing, which includes his latest novel The Straits of Galahesh, but also in what he reads. Beaulieu pops in now to explain why these […]
Whatever: Now With Extra Added Comment Preview
Posted on April 17, 2012 55 Comments
At the request of many, I have, with the help of the folks at WordPress, enabled a comment preview button here. So now you may check for typos, errors, and bad html coding in your comments before they go live. You’re welcome, and I hope you enjoy your Whatever feature. Try to use it only […]
Starred Review of Redshirts in Booklist
Posted on April 16, 2012 21 Comments
This makes me rather pleased: Booklist’s reviewer was thrilled with the book and the magazine gave it a star, which means they consider the book to be of special note. You’ll need to be a Booklist subscriber for the full review, but if I were a publicist, these are the pull quotes I would use: […]
Head’s Up Re: Kickstarter Promotion Thread on Wednesday
Posted on April 16, 2012
By way of making a tangential connection to the last post, I’ve been getting a lot of e-mails recently about people who have Kickstarter things going on asking if I wouldn’t mind putting in a pointer of some sort. I’ve gotten enough of them that I’ve decided that on Wednesday I’ll have a Kickstarter Promotion […]
Catching People Up On What I’m Writing
Posted on April 16, 2012 44 Comments
I’ve been talking a bit about the new project I’m working on here and on Twitter the last couple of days, which has led to folks peppering me with questions about it. I’ve answered these questions before but I’m not opposed to grouping the answers together for your convenience, so here’s a quick, compact update. […]
DRM On My Books
Posted on April 16, 2012 53 Comments
Question in e-mail today: I have your books on my Kindle. As an author, would it bother you if I stripped the DRM from the ebook, to read it on another ebook reader? Or should I buy another copy? Speaking personally and only for myself, I’m of the opinion that once you bought the book, […]
And Now, An Insight Into One Writer’s Brain
Posted on April 15, 2012 66 Comments
So, here’s what my brain says to me when I write a certain amount of words of fiction in a day. 500 words (or less): YOU DO NOT GET TO EAT YOU WORTHLESS TOAD. 1,000 words: You’re a slacker. Do better tomorrow. 2,000 words: You’ve hit quota! Have a donut. 3,000 words: ZOMG TODAY SIR […]
Saturday Is For Things and Stuff
Posted on April 14, 2012 70 Comments
Can’t play today; I’m busy trying to finish up a writing project, and then I have things to do and stuff to take care of. Or is it stuff to do and things to take care of? I always get the two confused. Which brings us to today’s poll to keep you amused whilst I […]
Your Weekend Reading: The 2012 Short Story Hugo Nominees
Posted on April 13, 2012 1 Comment
As you may have heard, the nominations for this year’s Hugo Awards are out, and I am nominated in the Short Story category for my completely ridiculous April Fool’s tale “The Shadow War of the Night Dragons: Book One: The Dead City: Prologue.” I am of course delighted. But there are four other stories that […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying