Monthly Archives: April 2023
“Researcher Wanted” Update
Posted on April 14, 2023 6 Comments
Ten days ago I posted a freelance job listing for a researcher and I wanted to update everyone on the status of things there. One, wow, I got a huge response and nearly 200 applicants, nearly all of whom (at a rough first glance) are ridiculously qualified. This is terrific and I thank everyone who […]
The Big Idea: Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold
Posted on April 13, 2023 8 Comments
The Victorian Era is a world we think we know… but as Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold tell us in this Big Idea for Death By Silver, beneath what we think we know is a world that must be inferred… and then explored. MELISSA SCOTT & AMY GRISWOLD: It’s not too much of an exaggeration […]
A Small But Important Change to the Big Idea
Posted on April 12, 2023 12 Comments
If you read the Big Idea posts — and you should! — you’ll know at the end of each post there is the post-essay informational part, which includes links to booksellers, excerpts from the book, and then links to the author’s personal site and Twitter presence. Well, starting today, I’m making a change to that […]
The Big Idea: Piper J. Drake
Posted on April 12, 2023 4 Comments
People are a mish-mash of where they or their ancestors have come from, and where they are now (among, of course, many other things). But as Piper J. Drake makes clear in this Big Idea for Wings at Once Cursed and Bound, these elements of who were are are often in unexpected combinations… and may […]
In Which I Praise Accountants
Posted on April 11, 2023 45 Comments
Got back our taxes from the accountant today. This year’s taxes are, to put it charitably, a tangle: not only my usual hodgepodge of royalty and option statements, but also matters attending to the church and its renovation, our rental property, interest and investments, and a bunch of other stuff that, were I trying to […]
The Big Idea: Chika Unigwe
Posted on April 11, 2023 3 Comments
All too often, people can do the wrong things for what they think is the right reasons. In author Chika Unigwe’s Big Idea, she goes into detail about how things done out of “love” can end up hurting people, and how this sort of situation inspired her new novel, The Middle Daughter. CHIKA UNIGWE: The Middle […]
How To Look Haughty, Featuring Spice the Cat
Posted on April 10, 2023 13 Comments
I mean, just look at that expression. It says “It doesn’t matter to me whether you live, or are thrown screaming into a thresher,” and it says it with style. Take notes, people. This is how it’s done. — JS
How I Will Survive the AI Revolution
Posted on April 9, 2023 56 Comments
I asked the Bing AI to write a paragraph about the Easter Bunny in my style. This is what it wrote, and then this is the conversation we had afterward. Bing: Here is a paragraph I wrote in the style of John Scalzi about the Easter Bunny: The Easter Bunny was not amused. He had […]
Good Music for a Good Friday
Posted on April 7, 2023 2 Comments
From the band boygenius, whose new album The Record is getting all the accolades, and deservedly so; it’s my favorite album of the year so far. Enjoy, and have a reflective and worthwhile Good Friday and/or Passover or final day of the work week, depending. — JS
Springtime in New York
Posted on April 6, 2023 22 Comments
It’s pretty all right, I guess. I’m in town for an event tomorrow (4/7) at the City Winery (details here, if you haven’t seen me write about it here already), and I got in a day early to get situated and to visit around the town. As some of you may know, certain politicians from […]
Working Through the Suck, Musically Speaking
Posted on April 5, 2023 5 Comments
I’ve mentioned before that when it comes to making music and using the stuff for doing that on the computer, I am still at a stage that I would consider “enthusiastic amateur.” This is to say, I like playing with all the toys that I’ve accrued, but my knowledge of how they all work is […]
The Big Idea: Courtney LeBlanc
Posted on April 5, 2023 2 Comments
While strong emotions like sadness or grief can be powerful motivators for writing, author Courtney LeBlanc was determined not to let the heaviness of her poems overwhelm her reader, and turned to a fellow poet for help. Come along in her Big Idea to see how she solved her problem, and structured Her Whole Bright Life. […]
Wanted: Researcher. Details Below.
Posted on April 4, 2023 43 Comments
I’m looking for a freelance researcher to help me generate some data for my upcoming novel. The data I require will be (to put it mildly) somewhat esoteric but absolutely needs to be rooted in physics and other scientific knowledge that we already know today. The researcher will need some experience in, be able to […]
The Big Idea: Ness Brown
Posted on April 4, 2023 1 Comment
If you’ve ever wondered if aliens are out there, author Ness Brown is right there with you. In their new novel, The Scourge Between Stars, aliens might be a lot closer than the characters think. Follow along in Brown’s Big Idea to see if we’re really alone in the universe. NESS BROWN: Astronomy is sometimes called […]
Reminder: I’m in New York This Friday for the Cabinet of Wonders
Posted on April 4, 2023 5 Comments
I’m going to be performing at Wesley Stace’s Cabinet of Wonders alongside Chris Collingwood (Fountains of Wayne), Dave Hill, Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom), Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), Queen Esther, Kim Richey and of course Wesley Stace himself. Most of them will be performing music; I will be doing a reading of something funny. We’ll be […]
New Music: How Far From Home Do You Want To Go
Posted on April 1, 2023 3 Comments
More space-y electronica from me, for you. Not just you, mind you. For anyone! But also, you. Enjoy. (PS: This one rewards headphones) — JS
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying