Monthly Archives: October 2019
The Last Emperox — Done!
Posted on October 31, 2019 38 Comments
At 4:35pm today, Halloween, 2019. And it’s no trick, this book is a treat. I’m very happy with how it turned out. I’m putting some acknowledgements on it now, and then off it goes to Tor. Wheeeeee!
My In-House Editor Prepares Me For the Final Push
Posted on October 31, 2019 17 Comments
She tells me I got this thing. We will see. Okay, folks. The next time you’ll hear from me is when this book is done. Wish me luck today.
An Update on the State of Things
Posted on October 29, 2019 17 Comments
It’s going well. I’m at the point where the writing is done and all that’s left is the typing, but there’s a lot of typing to be done between now and Friday. I’m also at the stage where the issue is not the plot, but the sequencing; I wrote a chapter last night and then […]
Look, Here’s Me at This Year’s National Book Festival
Posted on October 26, 2019 14 Comments
[protected-iframe id=”376df89adbe062172c7410130572c2c4-21793-21835″ info=”https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-8837/?embed=resources” width=”600″ height=”600″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”] In this I talk about writing The Last Emperox, I read my short story “Automated Customer Service” and then I answer a whole bunch of questions. All told, about 45 minutes of me doing my thing. Enjoy. Update: Also, I’m adding in the transcript of the main portion […]
German Expressionist Moon
Posted on October 24, 2019 6 Comments
From this morning. (Writing is going well, by the way. About to get back to it.)
New Books and ARCs, 10/24/19
Posted on October 24, 2019 21 Comments
This stack features extra added Sugar! (That’s the cat.) And is otherwise a very very fine stack of new books and ARCs. What here is calling to you? Tell us all in the comments!
Mostly Hiding Out Again
Posted on October 21, 2019 16 Comments
I’m still not done with The Last Emperox, and it absolutely has to be done by the end of the month, so… probably not going to be around a lot in the next couple of weeks, folks. Don’t worry, I’m not dead, but by the time I write “The End” I may wish I was. […]
A Brief Thread on Marvel Films
Posted on October 20, 2019 44 Comments
A Twitter thread I wrote on what Marvel films are, in the wake of both Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola dumping on them (and Coppola in particular calling them “despicable“). Archived here for posterity and conversation. 1. Since we’re on the subject, here’s my opinion of the Marvel films in general: They’re highly competent entertainments, […]
The Scalzi Compound in Watercolor
Posted on October 19, 2019 10 Comments
Autumn at the Scalzi Compound looks good in faux-watercolors! (which is to say I didn’t really paint this, I have a Photoshop add-on that does it for me. But it looks nice anyway.) Hope you’re having a lovely weekend, folks.
New Books and ARCs, 10/18/19
Posted on October 18, 2019 31 Comments
Today’s stack is a double, because that’s just how much booky goodness has come to the Scalzi Compound recently. What here is calling to you? Share in the comments!
A Piece of Art I Just Purchased, Featuring, Uh, Me
Posted on October 17, 2019 36 Comments
Artist Lee Moyer, along with three other artists, is currently doing an exhibition at the Keep Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For Lee’s part in the exhibition, he’s done science fiction and fantasy writers as tarot cards, using such luminaries as Neil Gaiman, Madeleine L’Engle, HP Lovecraft and… me, among others. It’s nice company […]
It’s Already Past Five and My Brain is the Consistency of Mush, So Please Accept This Picture of Two Tuxedo Cats Who May Possibly Be Bored
Posted on October 16, 2019 13 Comments
Bored, or content? With cats it’s hard to tell. That’s all I got for you today, sorry. I will try to brain better tomorrow.
A Brief Glimpse Into the Inexpressible Glamor of My Life
Posted on October 14, 2019 51 Comments
I have a non-trivial case of tendonitis in my left shoulder and my doctor’s advice for it is mild stretching, Aleve for the inflammation, and an ice pack to deal with swelling. The ice pack I’ve been using: A bag of frozen peas, because it’s conveniently sized for my shoulder and because the frozen peas […]
It’s Time For My Annual Non-Solicited Endorsement of WordPress Hosting
Posted on October 14, 2019 7 Comments
Around this time 11 years ago, I switched Whatever to hosting on WordPress, after a couple of years of struggling to keep the site up and running on days when lots of people came to it to read what I had to say. I made the switchover, and guess what happened? Nothing! Which is to […]
Thoughts on Gemini Man, and its High Frame Rate
Posted on October 12, 2019 28 Comments
My daughter asked me if I wanted to go see Gemini Man with her last night, and I did, not because I thought it would be gripping action film with just a tinge of science fiction (which is what it’s promoted as), but because I’m a cinema nerd and director Ang Lee shot the film […]
The Scalzis Try Australian Snacks
Posted on October 11, 2019 28 Comments
Hey, remember all those snacks I was given when I was in Australia? Athena and I tried them all (well, most of them) and made a video of us doing it and reviewing the snacks we had. It’s 17 minutes of your life you’ll never get back! Enjoy.
Today in My Fame is a Strange and Sort of Wonderful Fame
Posted on October 10, 2019 17 Comments
The fast food franchise Hothead Burritos has an interactive nutrition information form, which allows you plug in the ingredients from the burrito (or burrito bowl) you ordered and then get a calorie count and other information. I noted it on Twitter a couple of weeks ago, and how much I appreciated it, since I’m recording […]
New Books and ARCs, 10/10/19
Posted on October 10, 2019 15 Comments
Actually, these arrived before I left for Australia, so I’m catching up by posting them now. Nevertheless: A good stack! What here calls to you? Tell us in the comments.
The Moon in the Trees, 10/9/19
Posted on October 9, 2019 7 Comments
Not quite a full moon. Sorry, incipient werewolves. But pretty anyway.
What I Brought Home From Australia
Posted on October 8, 2019 49 Comments
These were a gift from the folks at Conflux, and prefaced with the admission that this was all junk. As someone whose first purchase in Australia was a Violet Crumble, this delighted me. And indeed there is a bunch of questionable stuff here, down to and including the Vegemite-flavored peanuts, which apparently not even anyone […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying