Monthly Archives: August 2012

The Big Idea: Adam Christopher

You know superheroes. You love superheroes. But if you want to write about superheroes, sometimes it’s hard to put a spin on a subject that hasn’t already made the rounds. Adam Christopher faced the Superhero Challenge in his latest novel, Seven Wonders; here’s how he defeated it on his own terms. ADAM CHRISTOPHER: Sometimes the […]

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And So It Begins

My day today: SFWA board meeting, 9am – 2pm. Prep for Chicon 7 Opening Ceremonies, 2pm – 3pm. Opening Ceremonies for Chicon 7, at which I am host, 3pm – 4pm. SFWA board meeting, 4pm – 6pm. Opening night get together at the Adler Planetarium, 6:30 – onward. Yeah, it’ll be a busy day. A […]

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The Big Idea: Richard Kadrey

Are you a loser? You just may be! If you are, Richard Kadrey argues, you are in some fine company — and indeed, some of your favorite fictional heroes may just be there in the loser camp with you. Kadrey gets under the skin of Devil Said Bang, his latest installment in his excellently deranged Sandman […]

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An Assignment to Keep You Occupied, 8/28/12

Another day of offline writing and preparing for Chicon 7. So, again to keep you amused whilst I scribble, an assignment: Pick any author, living or dead, to remake (or do a sequel to) any book, play or script not originally done by them. Caveat: Don’t use me or my books, because, come on, that’s […]

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Neil Armstrong and Futures Past

I was two months old when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and 43 when he died, and inbetween those two events the future changed. When Armstrong landed, a human future in space seemed inevitable — we’d landed on the moon, after all. How long could it possibly be until we had moon colonies, space […]

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A Question to Keep You Occupied, 8/27/12

Because I have lots to do today but don’t want you bored. YOUR QUESTION: You have the ability to, for one night, reanimate any two historical personages (“historical” = “not currently alive”) and have them discuss/debate a topic of your own choosing. Which two historical personages do you choose, and what subject do you have […]

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My Chicon 7 Programming Schedule

Hey, did you know I am the Toastmaster of Chicon 7, the 2012 Worldcon, which happens next week? Well, it’s true, I am! And here’s my schedule of events while I am there. Thu Aug 30 3:00:pm Opening Ceremonies (Grand Ballroom) I welcome everyone to the show, interview most of our Guests of Honor, and […]

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John Scalzi (Not Me) Reads John Scalzi (Me)

Look, it’s John Scalzi! Or, a John Scalzi, one that’s not my dad, or a weatherman down in Florida, or a (by now I assume retired) boxer, or the now-deceased masonry scientist, or me. This one lives in New England, and I have been aware of his existence for some time now, since back when […]

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Athena at the Fair

She enjoyed herself. As did we all, although my enjoyment, as those who followed the Twitter feed last night know, mostly revolved around foods that were fried and/or on a stick. The ironic thing is that I weighed myself this morning and managed to have lost weight since yesterday. So clearly I know my diet […]

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Feral Kitten Update, 8/22

It is thus: One, it’s not a kitten. Based on wear on the teeth, the vet guessed it (and it is a he, incidentally) was five or six years old. It just happens to be small (5.6 pounds), which I would suppose is consistent with a long-term largely feral lifestyle. Two, aside from being small […]

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Todd Akin

Representative Todd Akin has decided to stay in the Missouri senatorial race, bucking the national GOP, which desperately wants him tossed under the bus for the spectacularly stupid “legitimate rape” thing, and you know what? Good for him. Leaving aside my own love of political schadenfreude here, the dude did win the Republican primary fair […]

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Feral Kitten Update, 8/20/12

Feral Kitten has a vet appointment on Wednesday for shots and a general checkup, at which point we’ll find out more about his/her condition (I haven’t checked to see if FK is a him or her). Kitten also still evidently seriously pissed at me. Also has absolutely no interest in the catnip mouse I got […]

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RIP, Tony Scott

If you’re a fan of film, take a moment in your day to remember Tony Scott, who apparently committed suicide yesterday in San Pedro by jumping off a bridge. Scott left notes explaining his actions but at the moment what’s in those messages hasn’t been made public. Scott’s probably best known for the film Top […]

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(Not) Reviewing Books

The literary world appears to be having one of its semi-predictable spasms about writers criticizing writers — or writers not criticizing writers enough, as the case may be — and all the various associated emotions that go with that. We get these bouts of novel gazing fairly regularly because very often the people who write reviews of […]

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