Monthly Archives: September 2014
Blurb Requests for 2014 and Convention GoH Invites for 2015: Full Up
Posted on September 30, 2014 8 Comments
A quick note for people wanting to request book blurbs from me, or to invite me to be a GoH for a convention in 2015: I unfortunately have no more time to read for blurbing through the end of the year (on account of a book to finish plus many other commitments). Also, my 2015 convention […]
Hey, Kids! Let’s Define a Word!
Posted on September 30, 2014 120 Comments
So, recently, I created a word, “shitcanoe,” to describe people who are, well, not good people. As far as I can tell its appearance on Whatever is the first time it’s ever been used as a general noun, although a quick check of Google has a couple of prior references as a gamer handle (strangely […]
The Big Idea: Katherine Howe
Posted on September 30, 2014 9 Comments
Aside from anything else, I am just glad there is now, in this world, a book with the title The Penguin Book of Witches, because, really, how cool is that. But editor Katherine Howe has made sure that there is more to the book than just a great title — it’s a book with a […]
Today’s Home Improvements at the Scalzi Compound
Posted on September 29, 2014 25 Comments
While I was on book tour the fan in the air conditioner unit here at the Scalzi Compound snapped and tore up the inside of the unit, pretty much as shrapnel will do, and so it became time to replace the unit with something less fragment-prone. While we were at it, we decided to replace […]
Subterranean Press Sale Today and Tomorrow
Posted on September 29, 2014 34 Comments
Most of you know that Subterranean Press is the place I go to publish much of my limited and “off-beat” work — they do a great job and have always done very well by me and other authors I know. SubPress is now partnering with Gumroad to sell their ebook titles more directly to readers […]
How My Online Stuff Gets Seen in 2014
Posted on September 28, 2014 25 Comments
GUY: I WILL NOT DATE YOU IF YOU ARE A FEMINISTWoman: Great! Thank you.GUY: YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO REACT THAT WAYWoman: Oh, but I AM. — John Scalzi (@scalzi) September 25, 2014 About a month ago I talked about how my social media footprint has been changing here in 2014, as Twitter has become […]
Daughter and Homecoming Date, 2014
Posted on September 28, 2014 74 Comments
And yes, she really did take a pineapple to Homecoming this year. Why? Mostly because she thought it would be funny to do so. My kid is so much my kid that it’s ridiculous sometimes. I love her to bits. Also, the pineapple went over very well, with people wanting pictures with it and taking it out […]
Sunrise, 9/28/14
Posted on September 28, 2014 11 Comments
Roughly once a year I manage to rouse myself at an early enough moment to go out and get a picture of the sunrise. This is this year’s picture. Enjoy.
People Are the Problem and They Pretty Much Always Will Be
Posted on September 27, 2014 192 Comments
Today PZ Myers ruminates about the problems he has with the atheist movement here in the US, much of which, from my point of view, boils down to “the problem is that there are people in it.” Which, I will hastily note, is not me snarking. People are hierarchical, status-sensitive and in many ways fundamentally conservative […]
Sunset, 9/26/14
Posted on September 26, 2014 13 Comments
Normally I try to avoid vapor trails in my sunset pictures, but I think they make this one work.
Today’s Books and ARCs, 9/25/14
Posted on September 26, 2014 52 Comments
A nice selection of books to take you into the weekend. What looks good to you in this stack? Let me know in the comments.
The Big Idea: Chrysler Szarlan
Posted on September 26, 2014 5 Comments
For today’s Big Idea, Chrysler Szarlan, author of The Hawley Book of the Dead, is here to explain a bit about running, about making one’s peace with haunted forests, and why one should avoid white vans that appear in unexpected places. CHRYSLER SZARLAN: The way I write, big ideas kind of explode in my head […]
An Anti-Feminist Walks Into a Bar: A Play in Five Acts
Posted on September 25, 2014 317 Comments
PROLOGUE And thus did the number of women calling themselves "feminist" rocket. RT @DawnHFoster: LADIES. MAKE YOUR CHOICES. pic.twitter.com/512S3JAYeE — John Scalzi (@scalzi) September 25, 2014 ACT I GUY: I WILL NOT DATE YOU IF YOU ARE A FEMINIST Woman: Great! Thank you. GUY: YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO REACT THAT WAY Woman: Oh, but I AM. — […]
Wow, the Day Got Past Me and I Have Nothing Interesting to Say, So Here’s a Video of a Song I Like From 1989
Posted on September 25, 2014 8 Comments
It’s called “Old Beach Road,” from Martha’s Vineyard, a somewhat obscure band from Australia. If you like Fairground Attraction, you’ll like this one (if you like early Crowded House, you might like this as well, too). I tried to set it so you can miss the annoying (and not part of the song) countdown at […]
I Strongly Believe That If My Cat Had an Author Photo It Would Look Like This
Posted on September 24, 2014 104 Comments
Yup, I’d buy a book from that cat. I leave the title of said book for you to muse over in the comments.
For Those Who Missed Me On Tour: Video!
Posted on September 24, 2014 12 Comments
Wanted to see me on tour but missed me because I was inconveniently not in your city? Fortunately, there is video of me at various stops, and you can watch me do my thing. It’s just like being there, except with no personalized book from me at the end (sorry). The readings are generally the […]
The Big Idea: William Alexander
Posted on September 23, 2014 14 Comments
Who would you want as the first speaker to an alien civilization? National Book Award winner William Alexander proposes an intriguing candidate in his middle-grade novel Ambassador, and after reading his Big Idea piece, I can’t say I entirely disagree with him. WILLIAM ALEXANDER: I love the word “ambassador.” I remember rolling it around in […]
This is the 9,000th Post on Whatever
Posted on September 22, 2014 23 Comments
That is all. Thank you for your attention.
In Which Tor.com Reveals a Thing I Did With Lock In + Lock In Spoiler Thread
Posted on September 22, 2014 173 Comments
And it involves the book’s protagonist, Chris Shane. What is it? 1. It may be a spoiler for those of you who have not read the novel already, so don’t click the link below unless you’ve read the book and/or don’t car if the book is spoiled in a sense (note the information does not […]
The Case of the Missing Cat Who Wasn’t
Posted on September 22, 2014 48 Comments
When I came back from the book tour, I was greeted with hugs and kisses, which was very nice, but also with some potentially bad news, which was that Lopsided Cat, the Scalzi Compound’s most senior cat, had gone missing for two whole days, and that when last he was seen, he was wandering toward […]
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