Monthly Archives: October 2013
At Unbearable At-ness of “@”
Posted on October 9, 2013 42 Comments
Over on her LiveJournal, Seanan McGuire talks about people using the “@” symbol in front of her Twitter alias when they talk about her on Twitter and then being surprised that she might respond, despite the fact that “@”-ing someone’s Twitter name explicitly means that your comment will show up in their reply feed — […]
All Hail Mayonnaise
Posted on October 9, 2013 94 Comments
Thinking of a non-fiction book called SLATHER IT ON: 15 CONDIMENTS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD. Editors, make me offers. — John Scalzi (@scalzi) October 9, 2013 And just in case anyone thinks I couldn’t do it, here’s a piece I did in 1999, in which I crowned mayonnaise as the Condiment of the Millenium: Mayonnaise. […]
How the Shutdown Affects Me
Posted on October 9, 2013 77 Comments
Question from the gallery: Now that you’ve written about the shutdown, can you tell us how it’s affecting you personally? How will the debt limit issue affect you, if we default? With regard to the shutdown, it’s not really affecting me directly (yet). The only federal government service I use directly on a regular basis […]
Spinning Boehner
Posted on October 8, 2013 171 Comments
As many of you know, John Boehner is my representative in Congress. Because of this, I get a fair number of people asking me via the Internet what the hell he’s thinking with regard to this whole shutdown thing. Because, of course, me and Boehner are totally tight, and he calls me up nightly to […]
Five Years on WordPress VIP
Posted on October 8, 2013 8 Comments
Today marks the fifth anniversary of my blog being posted on the WordPress VIP service, and once again (as I do annually on the anniversary) I want to commend the WordPress VIP for those folks who want and need absolutely bulletproof service. It’s been so long since I’ve had any sort of backend or server […]
Venus and the Crescent Moon
Posted on October 7, 2013 17 Comments
Because they’re pretty in the sky tonight, that’s why.
Eugie Foster Could Use a Little Help
Posted on October 7, 2013 19 Comments
News comes to me that Nebula Award-winning author Eugie Foster has gotten a rather unpleasant surprise in the form of a fast-growing tumor in her sinuses — cancer, in other words. Here’s her write-up with the details. She’s prepping for surgery even as you read this. The good news is that she does have medical […]
Two Notes on November Big Ideas and General Posting Schedules
Posted on October 7, 2013 16 Comments
They are: 1. I’m working on the November Big Idea schedule this week, so if you’ve queried for November, I’ll most likely have an answer to you in the next few days. If you’ve queried for a book that’s come out in October (or, God help you, September) and have not heard back from me, […]
Off For the Weekend
Posted on October 5, 2013 11 Comments
Because I feel like it, that’s why. See you Monday!
The Gamma Rabbit Hand Puppet Finds a New Home
Posted on October 4, 2013 37 Comments
You’ll recall that Whatever commenter Stringmonkey knitted up a Gamma Rabbit hand puppet; Stringmonkey was also kind enough to send it along to me. I know just where to display it. I knew that ol’ doodad would come in handy one day! (Confession time: I’m totally stealing this idea from my friend Pamela Wallace, who […]
Today’s Books and ARCs, 10/3/13
Posted on October 3, 2013 42 Comments
Hey, look! I was sent books and ARCs! That almost never happens! See anything here that pings your “gotta read it” radar? Share in the comment thread, if you would.
Kaiju: Mangina!
Posted on October 2, 2013 132 Comments
Over on Twitter, I noted that one of the favorite things the dudebros like to call me is “mangina,” a delightful portmanteau of “man” and “vagina,” because in the world of men terrified by women, the worst thing you can do to a guy is imply he’s a vagina. Or something. I don’t know, it […]
On a Lighter Note
Posted on October 2, 2013 24 Comments
This song is potato chip-level addictive: That said, let’s not pretend that the opening guitar flourish and bass drum are not straight out of this.
Why The ACA Matters to Me
Posted on October 2, 2013 473 Comments
Over on her site, author Kameron Hurley tells the story of how she almost died because she didn’t have enough money to manage her adult-onset Type 1 diabetes. It wasn’t that she wasn’t working — First she worked for a company through which she had (crappy) insurance, and later she was hustling as hard as […]
The Big Idea: Alethea Kontis
Posted on October 2, 2013 11 Comments
As any author will tell you, second novels are often even more challenging than first ones — they have special challenges, particularly in the production stage. Alethea Kontis is here to tell you her about her second novel experience with Hero, and it’s definitely an interesting one. The good news is: Second novels still happen! […]
But, John, Don’t You Have Anything to Say About the Government Shutdown?
Posted on October 1, 2013 83 Comments
Oh, I’m pretty sure most of you know how I feel about it. At this point, saying anything about it feels almost redundant. For those of you who don’t know, just imagine me rolling my eyes at the House GOP so hard that I’ve bruised my optic nerve. That’ll do it. I might say more […]
2014 Appearance Schedule Updates + GaymerX2 Boss of Honor
Posted on October 1, 2013 14 Comments
I’m beginning to update my 2014 appearance schedule and I have my first three dates up, primary among them GaymerX2, at which I will be a “Boss of Honor” next July 11 – 13. GaymerX2 is an LGBTQ video game and gaming-centered convention, and it looks like it’ll be a lot of fun. I’m excited to […]
The Big Idea: Ann Leckie
Posted on October 1, 2013 25 Comments
Ancilliary Justice, by author Ann Leckie, is getting the sort of press that debut authors dream about, from a starred review in Library Journal to this rave over at io9.com (and also, you will note from the cover picture above, a blurb from me). How did Leckie do it? By taking a sub-genre people love […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying