Monthly Archives: April 2021
Happy Birthday, Krissy
Posted on April 18, 2021 29 Comments
It’s not every day of the year that it’s Krissy’s birthday — today’s the only day, in fact — but every day I love her immensely and reflect how wonderful my life is because she is in it. I hope you have a happy Krissy’s birthday as well. — JS
Krissy at the Golden Hour
Posted on April 17, 2021 11 Comments
The “Golden Hour,” i.e., roughly the hour before sunset, is often a photographer’s favorite time of the day to shoot, because the light is flattering and the shadows are not directly up and down. I took this picture of Krissy during the golden hour yesterday. It supports the thesis reasonably well. Also, it’s one of […]
Today My Brain Didn’t, Like, Even Bother to Show Up, I Barely Have a Single Thought In My Head Right Now, So, Here, Enjoy This Sunset Picture From a Couple of Days Ago
Posted on April 16, 2021 12 Comments
Hey, this web site is free. You get what you get. And today, you get a nice if slightly stale sunset! Not bad! — JS
Would You Like Some Charlie Photos?
Posted on April 15, 2021 11 Comments
Of course you would. And I’m here to provide you with the goods. Carrot-chomping-Charlie! Chubby-cheek-Charlie! I can’t think of any more alliterations! But please enjoy this sunny puppy. And enjoy the rest of your day! -AMS
JoCo Cruise 2021 Virtual Panel: “Quarantine Creativity: How We Got Through 2020 & What We Learned From It”
Posted on April 14, 2021 6 Comments
As part of the virtual JoCo Cruise this year, I, Mary Robinette Kowal, Rebecca Roanhorse and Charlie Jane Anders talked about being creative in 2020 — or not! — and what we learned from the year that was. Here it is in all of its YouTubeable glory. It’s in fact very interesting, which is down […]
2021 Hugo Award Finalist Follow-up
Posted on April 14, 2021 34 Comments
Having now had a day to look at the Hugo Awards Finalist list and to think about it, I’m now ready to share some thoughts. With me for this examination of this year’s edition of science fiction’s premier award is my always reliable Fictional Interlocutor, to feed me leading questions that always make me look […]
Greatness Adjacent
Posted on April 13, 2021 72 Comments
For as long as I can remember, people have asked me, “what is it like to have a famous father?” Of course, it’s only ever people at conventions, or in my rural town, as my dad is what I like to call “Little League Famous.” This just means he is only well-known within certain communities, […]
2021 Hugo Award Finalists
Posted on April 13, 2021 50 Comments
Spoiler: I’m one! And very happy to be so. Here’s the full list. Best Novel Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Gallery / Saga Press) The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit) Harrow the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Tordotcom) Network Effect, Martha Wells (Tordotcom) Piranesi, Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury) The Relentless Moon, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books) Best Novella […]
The Big Idea: Caroline Hardaker
Posted on April 13, 2021
If memory serves correctly, it doesn’t ever really serve correctly. Follow along with Caroline Hardaker as she tells us just what that means in the Big Idea for her first book, Composite Creatures. CAROLINE HARDAKER: The Fallibility of Memory Have you ever told a story about something that happened to you, only for a friend to […]
Meanwhile, Back at the Scalzi Compound
Posted on April 12, 2021 38 Comments
What’s been going on in Scalzi land? Well: Beast News: The Beast is currently at the local shop, being restrung and serviced. As I noted on Twitter, when I brought it into the shop the fellow there looked at it mostly with resignation, as if to say, yup, well, this is my life now, and […]
A Trip to Stillwater
Posted on April 10, 2021 16 Comments
Hey, everyone! I hope your weekend is going well so far. This Saturday is a rainy one, but before it started pouring, I went to Stillwater Prairie. It’s a reserve/park with lots of nice trails, a river, and a pond. I wanted to see if I could get some good pictures of flowers starting to […]
The Beast Arrives in Bradford
Posted on April 10, 2021 65 Comments
Look at this ridiculous thing. It’s here, and it’s delightful. And also has arrived reasonablyish intact — one of the six string necks has two busted strings and one string on the seven-string neck has weirdly migrated to another string’s slot, and a strap on the frankly ridiculous gig bag has ripped away from the […]
A Sweet Review For You This Friday
Posted on April 9, 2021 7 Comments
I feel like my reviews are just getting more and more random. Like, last time was toasted corn crackers, this time it’s honey lollipops. I buy weird shit, okay? I am weak to the powers of Facebook advertising. They just know exactly what I want! Before I even know I want it! Anyways, today’s products, […]
The Big Idea: Oliver K. Langmead
Posted on April 8, 2021 1 Comment
‘ When you think of things that may outlive you, do you think of your children, your students, maybe even your pets? In Oliver K. Langmead’s Big Idea, he tells you of something else that will outlive you: trash. These objects we throw away, as well as climate change, play a huge role in the […]
A Winter Wonder Worldcon
Posted on April 7, 2021 32 Comments
Discon III, this year’s Worldcon, is moving from August — when it was likely to be entirely virtual — to December, when at least some of it is likely to be able to done in-person, including the Hugo ceremony. Some folks are going to get rocket-shaped holiday gifts, for sure. How do I feel about […]
The Big Idea: Leah Cypess
Posted on April 7, 2021 3 Comments
Sometimes stories aren’t really about the main character: it’s the side characters and their stories that make the main character’s world so vibrant. Author Leah Cypess gives one of these side characters a voice in the first novel of her Sisters Ever After series, Thornwood. LEAH CYPESS: Many years ago, I wrote a book that I thought had […]
Second Shot Down
Posted on April 6, 2021 63 Comments
And right on schedule, too. It’s been a few hours now and so far no side effects, not even soreness around the shot site (yet). My first one was likewise relatively symptom-free; I felt tired the day of, and went to sleep early, but otherwise no problems. Having now had my second shot, I’m now […]
A Look At the FabFitFun Spring 2021 Box
Posted on April 6, 2021 5 Comments
Welcome to another post of me gushing about my love of subscription boxes! Today, I will be telling you about one that I have been getting for quite a while now, just over a year, in fact. It’s called FabFitFun, and it’s a subscription box that contains a variety of items pertaining to beauty, fashion, […]
The Big Idea: Nancy Werlin
Posted on April 6, 2021 11 Comments
Missing conventions in these unprecedented times? So is New York Times best-selling author Nancy Werlin. Follow along as Werlin takes you on a tour through her train of thought in creating her newest novel, Zoe Rosenthal Is Not Lawful Good, which began with a convention. NANCY WERLIN: The Big Idea: I just want to hang […]
Spoiler-Free Thoughts On Invincible So Far
Posted on April 5, 2021 32 Comments
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… an Amazon Prime original animated series about superheroes? Interesting. I hadn’t heard of Invincible at all until my friend mentioned it, and I was shocked I hadn’t seen anything about it. Me, loving superheroes, immediately watched it. At the time I watched it, the first […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying