Monthly Archives: October 2013
Ender’s Game, Profit Participation, Box Office
Posted on October 31, 2013 371 Comments
Folks are asking me whether I think this report that Orson Scott Card will see nothing from the box office gross of Ender’s Game is accurate, some of them, I suspect, hoping that his not making additional monies from the film means they can go see it without feeling guilty about tangentially supporting Mr. Card […]
Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have Achieved Maximum Autumn
Posted on October 31, 2013 17 Comments
It’s downhill into Winter from here. Dress accordingly.
Halloween, 2013
Posted on October 31, 2013 35 Comments
The costume is derived from this manga/anime character. I think Athena pulls it off pretty well; she’s got the brooding thing down. Also, this looks like the cover to a steampunk fantasy novel, if you ask me.
The Big Idea: Max Gladstone
Posted on October 31, 2013 14 Comments
Sometimes reality reads like fiction. And then that reality can inspire fiction. Just ask Max Gladstone about this, and how recent yet almost unbelievable events gave him the the impetus for at least two books, including his newest, Two Serpents Rise. MAX GLADSTONE: Do you remember the day the gods died? You must. I mean, […]
Why I Wear What I Do
Posted on October 30, 2013 171 Comments
This very interesting essay on the financial choices of the poor got me thinking about what I wear and why I wear it. Which caused me to haul out the camera and take a picture of what I was wearing today. Today, specifically, I am wearing the following: A blue polo shirt, which I got […]
The Big Idea: Richard Kadrey
Posted on October 30, 2013 14 Comments
Short intro: Richard Kadrey is one of my favorite contemporary dark fantasy authors. Dead Set, his newest book, is excellent. It’s also a little bit different than some of his other work, for a couple of reasons. Those reasons? Kadrey explains below. RICHARD KADREY: Dead Set is a new kind of book for me. I’ve never […]
The Big Idea: Wesley Chu
Posted on October 29, 2013 6 Comments
The good news: That novel, the one you’ve been working on for years, has sold! The ambiguous news: Now they want you to write a sequel! Quick! Uh, yay? What happens when they story you’ve painstakingly handcrafted over time suddenly has to sprout a whole new storyline? What then? It’s something Wesley Chu had to […]
Fall and Frost Shadows
Posted on October 28, 2013 15 Comments
Got outdoors with the camera this morning for some pictures before all the frost had melted off from the yard. Fall is a pretty time of year around here. Click on the individual pictures to start a slide show.
Ten Additional Things I Have Done That You (Probably) Haven’t
Posted on October 28, 2013 215 Comments
Continuing an occasional feature on this site. Previous installments here, here and here. 1. Been hit by a car (specifically, a Ford Pinto), breaking my leg 2. Written award show banter for a successful comedian (this one — he was the emcee for some AOL-specific awards in the 90s; I was AOL’s in-house writer) 3. Received an […]
Cover of the Japanese Language Edition of The Human Division
Posted on October 27, 2013 13 Comments
I like that they have Ambassador Abumwe in there. The Japanese version of the book came out just two days ago, so if you’re in Japan, go get it!
RIP, Lou Reed
Posted on October 27, 2013 23 Comments
Very sad day for Rock and Roll, New York and the world. Obit at Rolling Stone.
Prepping For the Dinner Party
Posted on October 26, 2013 57 Comments
My daughter has planned a dinner party for some of her friends for a while now, and tonight’s the night for it. To that end she’s developed a four course menu, secured all the ingredients (some of which you see here) and is even now cleaning the house and doing some early prep work with […]
An Important Message From John Scalzi’s Brain
Posted on October 25, 2013 18 Comments
“I started the weekend at roughly 3:23am this morning. Expect no further coherent thought today, or possibly through Monday. “TL;DR: Bwuuuuuuuh. “Thank you.”
New Books and ARCs, 10/24/13
Posted on October 24, 2013 55 Comments
Hey, kids! It’s another stack of cool new books and ARCs, freshly arrived at the Scalzi Compound! What here looks interesting to you? Let me know in the comments.
The Big Idea: T.L. Morganfield
Posted on October 24, 2013 8 Comments
From Aztec mythology to Clarion West to NaNoWriMo to The Bone Flower Throne, the first of a series of fantasy books. How did T.L. Morganfield get from one to the other to the next? She’s here to guide you through the process. T. L. MORGANFIELD: I’m an Aztec geek; whether it’s history or mythology, I […]
Meet Laser Jackson
Posted on October 23, 2013 24 Comments
You will want to see this important piece of art, by Joel Watson, this very instant. For the record, 15-year-old me did not write a story with Laser Jackson as the protagonist. 44-year-old me, however, is soooooooooo tempted.
Seriously, October, WTF
Posted on October 23, 2013 81 Comments
Snow. On October 23rd. Seriously, that’s just not cool, y’all. My memory on this may be faulty, but I suspect this is the earliest in fall that it’s snowed at my house since I moved to Ohio in 2001. The good news is that it’ll probably melt by the end of the day, since it’ll […]
Video Game Update: New Name, New Sneak Preview
Posted on October 22, 2013 23 Comments
Hey! You remember that I’m working on a video game with the Industrial Toys studio, led by Bungie co-founder and Halo co-creator Alex Seropian, right? Sure you do. Well, I have two really tasty tidbits for you now to catch you all up. First: The game, formerly known as Morning Star, is getting a name […]
And Now a Word From Pope Francis, On the Matter of Ideology
Posted on October 22, 2013 122 Comments
“[F]aith passes, so to speak, through a distiller and becomes ideology. And ideology does not beckon [people]. In ideologies there is not Jesus: in his tenderness, his love, his meekness. And ideologies are rigid, always. Of every sign: rigid. And when a Christian becomes a disciple of the ideology, he has lost the faith: he […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying