Monthly Archives: May 2023

Universal Yums: May 2023 Review

It is the final day of May, which means I’m posting this May review on time! Woohoo! Anyways, this month’s Universal Yums country was Taiwan, and it was a very colorful spread: I loved these packages’ designs. The cute little cow, the pretty pinks, and the funky little jelly shots that were super squishy. So […]

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And Now, The Scalzi Family Foundation Logo

The Scalzi Family Foundation has begun its philanthropical mission (beginning with sponsoring the 2023 Gen Con Writers’ Symposium), and so it behooved us to have an official logo. I commissioned artist Natalie Metzger to create one, and she came up with something I really liked. It’s welcoming, features elements that go well with the people […]

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Mid-Weekend Update, 5/28/23

Balticon has been absolutely lovely and Krissy and I are having a fabulous time, both at the convention and in Baltimore. This weekend there is also a large Indian festival and a heavy metal festival downtown, so it’s quite the melding of cultures in the streets and also in the elevators of the hotel. Everyone […]

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The Big Idea: Yukimi Ogawa

It’s a special talent to write in a language that you’ve learned along the way. In this Big Idea for author Yukimi Ogawa’s new collection of short stories, Like Smoke, Like Light, she explains why this choice was an essential one for her. YUKIMI OGAWA: Years ago, somewhere on the internet, I saw someone remark […]

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View From a Hotel Window, 5/26/23: Baltimore

This hotel window shot has it all: A parking lot, yes, but also an impressive building in the federal style, and a pleasant downtown view in general. It’s a lovely day in Baltimore, and the part of the downtown I’m in is nicely walkable. Charm City, indeed! Balticon starts this evening and I’m here all […]

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The Big Idea: Jean Marie Ward

Sometimes, it takes more than one try to really nail down a story. In author Jean Marie Ward’s case, the third time was the charm, resulting in her new novel, Siren Bridge. Read on to see how each iteration of this story came together to form this final novel. JEAN MARIE WARD: I stole the first […]

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Balticon Bound

Away from the computer for most of the day because Krissy and I are headed to Balticon, where, among the many other things I will do, I will be picking up the Robert A. Heinlein Award, which I am pretty jazzed about, I have to say. I’ll also be doing a reading, a signing, and […]

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Tina Turner, RIP

Like many a young white teen in the 80s, this is the song that acquainted me with Tina Turner; prior to that I knew she existed, but I couldn’t have told you anything that she had done or why she was important in the realm of popular music. This lack of knowledge, I am happy […]

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The Big Idea: William C. Tracy

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Or in this case, don’t judge a monster by its mushrooms. Author William C. Tracy’s Big Idea brings us back into The Biomass Conflux series with his newest novel, To A Fungus Unknown. WILLIAM C. TRACY: Forty years after landing on Lida, the colony still isn’t finished. Agetha has survived […]

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The Winner of the Starter Villain ARC Contest

It’s George Berry, who was one of three who correctly guessed the number (“792”), and then was the one chosen by Alexa when I asked her to pick a number between one and three. His ARC will be signed and personalized and sent on its way today. Congrats to him and thank you to everyone […]

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The Big Idea: Scott Fulford

How was the state of your wallet during the prime pandemic years? As Scott Fulford explains in this Big Idea for The Pandemic Paradox, for many Americans it was not nearly as bad as it could have been, and indeed, possibly the opposite. SCOTT FULFORD: The novel coronavirus suddenly seemed to be everywhere in March […]

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Don’t Buy This Place

There’s this building in the neighboring town of Piqua (yes, home of Captain Underpants) that I pass by occasionally, and I’m a little obsessed with it, because it is slowly but inexorably being eaten by vines, and no one seems to be doing anything about it. The building is for sale by owner (you can […]

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A Quick Note On Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Marvel has always had a bit of a tonal issue across their cinematic universe, and even within singular franchises, such as Thor. There was one franchise in particular though that I was positive I had nailed down in terms of what to expect. Guardians of the Galaxy was one where I was sure of what […]

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The Big Idea: Jacqueline Vogtman

Some things are worth the wait, as Jacqueline Vogtman found out in Girl Country, her short story collection. Time and circumstance changed it from what it once was to something new, with a particular theme running through the whole thing. JACQUELINE VOGTMAN: My book, Girl Country, is a collection of short stories, and while the […]

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The Kaiju Preservation Society a Finalist for the 2023 Ohioana Book Award

And you ask, what is an Ohioana Book Award? Well, it’s the state book awards for Ohio, and there are several categories. The category I am a finalist for is “Fiction,” and here is the list of finalist authors and books in the category: Hyde, Allegra. Eleutheria, Vintage Ng, Celeste. Our Missing Hearts, Penguin Okorafor, Nnedi. Noor, DAW […]

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