Monthly Archives: February 2016
JoCo Cruise 2016 Photo Set Plus Quick Nerd Boat Recap
Posted on February 29, 2016 40 Comments
Hey, do you like looking at pictures of other people’s vacations? Well, then you’ll want to check out my JoCo Cruise 2016 Flickr photo set, which is just that very thing! In addition to pictures of islands and such, it has snaps of the performers, concerts, two types of monkey made from inanimate objects, and, […]
The Big Idea: Jason LaPier
Posted on February 29, 2016
What’s the Big Idea for Jason LaPier and his novel Unclear Skies? It’s simple: Heroes! Who maybe aren’t so much heroes. At least, not at first. JASON LaPIER: In science fiction and fantasy, we often encounter a character who is somehow special, whether imbued with some extraordinary trait, endowed with a remarkable skill, or just […]
Back From the Boat, Plus a Couple of Housekeeping Notes
Posted on February 29, 2016 14 Comments
First, here’s what my view of the world looked like for much on the past week. The sunset, to be clear, was not always there. The water almost always was. And it was lovely. Currently I’m in the “it feels like the world is gently swaying” phase of getting back into the world; this is because for […]
Whatever on Vacation Until March 1
Posted on February 19, 2016 38 Comments
Because I’m gettin’ on a big ol’ boat down the Caribbean, that’s why, and I plan not to visit the Internet at all while I’m down there. Because that’s the point of a vacation, is it not? To get away from it all? Please note that while I’m away all comment threads will be turned […]
The Big Idea: Dobromir Harrison
Posted on February 18, 2016 8 Comments
Vampires! Tokyo! Rachel! Dobromir Harrison! Not necessarily in that order! DOBROMIR HARRISON: I had just started writing my first draft of Rachel, but something bothered me: I was writing a vampire book. I mean, vampires are dead, right? Neil Gaiman said so, and he knows the publishing world a whole lot better than I do. […]
The Big Idea: Victor LaValle
Posted on February 17, 2016 16 Comments
There comes a day when writers discover that their idols can be… problematic. When that happens, is there a way back to understanding and appreciating them, without excusing or minimizing their problem? Victor LaValle has some thoughts on this topic, and how it relates to his novella The Ballad of Black Tom. VICTOR LAVALLE: I […]
What I Want Out of Twitter
Posted on February 16, 2016 73 Comments
The Internet is having one of its periodic “Twitter is doomed” spasms, and this means that everyone and their sister has an idea of what Twitter should do in order to save itself. Well, this is what Twitter should do to save itself: Sell itself to Google, which will allow the company to do what […]
Various and Sundry, 2/16/16
Posted on February 16, 2016 64 Comments
In which I catch up, briefly, on all the things: * Hey, did you hear that Antonin Scalia died? Well, he did. I heard about just before I did my book signing session at ConDFW (which was lovely, more on that in a second), and roughly every fourth person in the signing line took it […]
RIP, Bud Webster
Posted on February 16, 2016 8 Comments
A moment here to note the passing of Bud Webster, science fiction writer and fan, and a SFWA colleague of mine who ran the SFWA Estate Project, which helped editors, publishers and others find rights holders to the work of writers who had passed on. I was privileged while SFWA president to be on the […]
The Big Idea: Randy Henderson
Posted on February 16, 2016
Warning: Randy Henderson nameschecks a lot of questionable movies in this Big Idea for Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free. But it’s for a good reason! Honest! RANDY HENDERSON: “Hey, what’s the Big Idea?” Finn asked. “Didn’t we do this for Finn Fancy Necromancy?” “Yeah,” I replied. “But this is to talk about your adventures since then.” […]
Not Dead
Posted on February 15, 2016 31 Comments
Just traveling. Will be back here tomorrow. In the meantime, how was your weekend?
A Request re: Jeopardy (Update: Found It!)
Posted on February 12, 2016 56 Comments
Hey, Apparently I’m a question (or answer) on tonight’s episode of Jeopardy. Can some record and screencap the picture for me? I’m at a convention and don’t have the wherewithal to do it myself. You can email me or put it in the comment thread (although if you do, the picture will be held in […]
View From a Hotel Window, 2/11/16: Dallas, TX
Posted on February 11, 2016 16 Comments
I’m here in the Lone Star State for ConDFW, where I am the guest of honor along with Seanan McGuire, so if you you’re in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and have a hankerin’ to meet me (or Seanan), this is the time. The convention starts tomorrow. Right now, I’m likely to take a little nap.
The Big Idea: Lindsay Smith
Posted on February 11, 2016 5 Comments
The folks at Serial Box have been mashing up genres and serializing the results, and thus we have The Witch Who Came In From the Cold: Cold War meets Urban Fantasy. Here’s series co-author Lindsay Smith to catch you up on what’s going down. LINDSAY SMITH: The Witch Who Came In From the Cold is […]
A Brief Note to Nebula Award Nominators
Posted on February 10, 2016 43 Comments
So, I was chatting today with Lois McMaster Bujold, as one does, and she mentioned to me that her latest novel, Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, which officially came out last week, was also in the last couple of days judged eligible for the Nebula Awards currently being nominated for, which are for books released in […]
The Rest of the Night in New Hampshire
Posted on February 10, 2016 93 Comments
More thoughts on what went down in New Hampshire: First, that vaguely squelchy sound you hear in the background is the GOP pooping itself because, in fact, Donald Trump is real, and he is spectacular — or at the very least, he thumped the hell out of the rest of the GOP squad in New […]
The Existential Angst of Jeb Bush Failing to Best Ted Cruz in the New Hampshire Primary, in Twitter Form (Featuring Jim Gilmore)
Posted on February 10, 2016 30 Comments
How I spent my New Hampshire primary night. Kasich and Jeb though. — John Scalzi (@scalzi) February 10, 2016 Come on, Jeb, stay in front of Cruz. — John Scalzi (@scalzi) February 10, 2016 God bless those 15 people who've voted for Jim Gilmore so far. — John Scalzi (@scalzi) February 10, 2016 GOD DAMN […]
Team Scalzi
Posted on February 9, 2016 28 Comments
Not long ago I was having a conversation about some recent business stuff going on in my life, and the person I was having the conversation with noted that I was using “we” instead of “I” a lot when I was talking about decisions. They were curious whether there was more than one person actually involved […]
The Big Idea: Tanita S. Davis
Posted on February 9, 2016 12 Comments
Sometimes people are uprooted and put in new circumstances. How do we adjust, and can we put down new roots that work well enough for us? In her Big Idea, Tanita S. Davis considers this question and how it relates to her YA novel, Peas and Carrots. TANITA S. DAVIS: There is no super power […]
The 2016 Audie Award Finalists for Fantasy
Posted on February 9, 2016 12 Comments
The Audie Awards are the big award in audio books, celebrating both the words of the author and the performances of the readers. Having won this award myself with Wil Wheaton, I can assure you it’s a thrill to be a finalist with your audiobook reader and even more fun to win. This year I’m […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying