Monthly Archives: July 2020
Blog Changes Update
Posted on July 22, 2020 50 Comments
So, for the moment I’m going with the Aperitive theme, because I like it aesthetically and because it also does a pretty good job of working with different types of displays. For example, if you have a wide/large monitor or browser window, you see the side-by-side display here, but if you’re on a phone or […]
The Big Idea: Ryan Van Loan
Posted on July 22, 2020
For Ryan Van Loan, unexpected voices led him to take an equally unexpected journey — one that would result in his new novel, Sin in the Steel. RYAN VAN LOAN: My Big Idea started with a literal whisper in the dark. “Let a man think you weak, let him think you vulnerable, and he’ll never […]
Heads Up: Changes and Updates Coming
Posted on July 22, 2020 46 Comments
Folks, it’s been literally years since I’ve updated the look and navigation of Whatever, and as a result the site is looking a little… dated, and also the functionality of the site is not current either for how people currently come to the site, or all the places they read the site — this site […]
Mary Robinette Kowal and I Talk About Books and Science Fiction and Stuff
Posted on July 21, 2020 10 Comments
It’s over at Tor.com. There’s an hour-long video and also a transcript, which is probably quicker to get through and has fewer ums and aaahs in it. Because we talked for an hour, we cover lots of ground, relating to our respective new books and the current state of the genre. Go on, you know […]
The Big Idea: Michael R. Underwood
Posted on July 21, 2020 7 Comments
For his Big Idea for Annihilation Aria, author Michael R. Underwood is examining the part of the story that usually gets skipped over — unfairly so, in Underwood’s opinion. MICHAEL R. UNDERWOOD: “Happily Ever After.” A famous phrase that signals the end of many stories, from faerie tales to action movies to romance novels. Growing […]
I Don’t Know What You Were Doing With Your Day, But Personally I Was Watching a Whole Bunch of Videos About Submarines
Posted on July 20, 2020 26 Comments
Why? Oh, no reason. Anyway, here’s one of them.
Five Things: July 19, 2020
Posted on July 19, 2020 71 Comments
What? A Five Things on the weekend? Sure! I’m not usually going to do them on the weekend, but today I feel like doing one, so here we are. And here’s what I’m thinking about today: Biden’s path to victory: Do nothing — The article linked to here does a rundown on Biden’s largely low-key […]
Saturday Hibiscus Photos
Posted on July 18, 2020 22 Comments
Because why not? Why not indeed! As an aside, it’s been delightful spending a couple of hours taking pictures of flowers and then sitting here on the computer, fiddling with the images until they come out in a way that I find aesthetically pleasing, and as something that I want to share with all of […]
New Books and ARCs, 7/17/20
Posted on July 17, 2020 28 Comments
I got a little behind here, so today’s stack of new books and ARCs is a double-wide, filled with booky goodness from the last couple of weeks. What here is calling to you? Tell us all in the comments!
The Big Idea: Madeline Ashby
Posted on July 17, 2020 8 Comments
In today’s Big Idea, Madeline Ashby is talking about monsters, what they might mean to each of us, and what hers in particular meant to her latest novel, ReV. MADELINE ASHBY: “It’s a rape revenge story? Is that what you said?” It was October of 2016. It was a rainy morning in London just days […]
Five Things: July 16, 2020
Posted on July 16, 2020 46 Comments
Hey, what’s up? I got these five things in my brain right now: Twitter fucks up real bad: As in, letting hackers through the gates to take over some of their most prominent accounts for a bit of Bitcoin con artistry. This caused the service to lock down all their verified accounts (including mine) for […]
The Big Idea: Kenneth Schneyer
Posted on July 16, 2020 5 Comments
As he begins his Big Idea for his collection Anthems Outside Time and Other Strange Voices, author Kenneth Schneyer will ask you to think of a certain sort of writing perhaps differently than you do now. Don’t worry, he explains himself as he goes along. KENNETH SCHNEYER: A story is not an action by a […]
I Had Substantial Dental Work Done Today and the Anesthetic is Wearing Off, Making Actual Thinking Difficult, So, Here is a Picture of Smudge Seriously Considering Trying to Abscond With an Entire Steak
Posted on July 15, 2020 38 Comments
I mean, it’s right there. He could totally snatch it and run before we catch him, right? (Spoiler: No.) Catch you all tomorrow, folks.
The Big Idea: Tiffani Angus
Posted on July 15, 2020 8 Comments
Time travel — and horticulture? The two entwine in Threading the Labyrinth, the new novel from Tiffani Angus. How did the author cultivate these two into a single novel? The answer awaits you below. TIFFANI ANGUS: The big idea behind Threading the Labyrinth started in a garden. Well, it started with a garden. Okay, to […]
Grant Imahara, RIP
Posted on July 14, 2020 14 Comments
I met Grant on the JoCo Cruise a few years back and we have been friends ever since; I’d see him occasionally when I was in Los Angeles, and we’d keep in touch through text and social media. He was, simply, a lovely human, and his passing last night from a brain aneurysm is a […]
Five Things: July 13, 2020
Posted on July 13, 2020 78 Comments
What’s on my brain today? I mean, besides my cranium? Trump goes after Dr. Fauci: Because Trump genuinely thinks it’s more important to make him look good than it is for the CDC and its people to provide accurate and useful information to the United States public, which is why we are currently a plague […]
The Big Idea: Steven H. Silver
Posted on July 13, 2020 14 Comments
Steven H. Silver knows just a bit about alternate histories: He created a well-respected genre award for stories in that subgenre. Now he’s trying his hand at writing an alternate history: After Hastings. Where does his history take a fictional turn, and why? He’s here to tell you. STEVEN H. SILVER: While in grad school, […]
How I’m Spending My Saturday
Posted on July 11, 2020 16 Comments
Both playing the ukulele and making semi-arty illustrations of me playing the ukulele. Both are enjoyable! To me, anyway, which in this case is all that counts. Hope you’re having a lovely Saturday wherever you are.
A Note About Borderlands Books and Alan Beatts
Posted on July 10, 2020 1 Comment
This news story hit me like a punch to the gut. It features of accusations of sexual assault and domestic violence against Alan Beatts, the owner of Borderland Books. Borderlands is one of my favorite bookstores in the world; Alan is literally one of the first people I met in the science fiction and fantasy […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying