Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 187 entries, all of them here in full.
July 23, 2007 · 97 words
Taos
Two teachers, one special lecturer, seventeen participants, two weeks, one mountain lodge. Thirty-four manuscripts, eight exercises, 1,800,000 ponderosa pines, one very active family of ground squirrels, and one hot tub. I plan to have caught up on my sleep by 2012. Connie was wonderful to work with, a complete joy. Th
Read entry →July 18, 2007 · 204 words
From Night Shade
I’m still on the mountain, but I forward this announcement in a not-quite-disinterested spirit of cooperation.It’s sale time at Night Shade Books again. We’ve got a few big titles coming in, and we need to clear space in a big way! So until midnight on Sunday, July 29th, we’re offering 50% off all in-stock and [&hellip
Read entry →July 4, 2007 · 952 words
Dude. Where’s My Tail?
In the last month I’ve delivered one novel and started another. I have done what, in former times, would have constituted the entirety of my job: writing a piece of fiction and selling it to a publisher. What happened to it afterward was sort of up to them.Without going into the sad details, let’s just […]
Read entry →July 2, 2007 · 359 words
Fred Saberhagen
Fred Saberhagen passed away this past weekend, after a long battle with cancer.He was a fine human being, and a far better author than most people gave him credit for. He created two undying archetypes for science fiction: the first being the Berserkers, robotic combat machines whose destructiveness outlived the war fo
Read entry →July 1, 2007 · 903 words
Legends of the Waiter, Part III
Continued from the posts “Me O My O” and “Chef Francoise, Part II” Baron le Vison had been a legendary character long before I met him. I kept hearing stories about him, some from the Baron himself, some from others. Consider these to be Unconfirmed Rumors. He is, according to one account, a genuine French […]
Read entry →June 30, 2007 · 1,503 words
Chef Francoise, Part II
Continuing the adventures begun in “Me O My O,” below. So it was 1986 or -7 or something like that, and my friend Bob Norton (I think it was Bob Norton) said, “You should check out the Cajun restaurant on south Louisiana. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen.” So where have I heard this before? […]
Read entry →June 29, 2007 · 459 words
Miscellenia
So is this chicken perfect, or what? I was inspired by Jeffrey Steingarten’s rapturous description of rotisserie chicken in his book The Man Who Ate Everything, and so I got one for my new grille. The chicken tasted as good as it looks, though the cleanup was a little messy. Apropos roasting, it’s what I’ve […]
Read entry →June 26, 2007 · 1,091 words
Montserrat Stories
Before I continue with tales of the Baron and Francoise, I thought I’d relate some tales of the island that I picked up during my brief visit.Approaching Plymouth, the capital, one couldn’t help but notice the large and very modern pier that was incongruously attached to the old Georgian town. And, having got onto the
Read entry →June 25, 2007 · 797 words
Me O My O
I owed some folks, so I thought I’d cook them dinner. I made Jambalaya with Creole Sauce, from the recipe of Chef Francoise Auclair le Vison.I hadn’t made the recipe in a number of years, and I’d forgotten how much sheer work is involved. I spent over an hour just chopping up four pounds of […]
Read entry →June 21, 2007 · 166 words
Nemesis Farewell
Farewell to Tractor Beam, my nemesis of the last twelve years. Shortly I will offer it on Craig’s List, perhaps as a found art object. (It would be difficult to offer it as an actual useful piece of equipment, except to a devoted and rather masochistic tinkerer.)The new wee tractor arrived this week. It operates [&hell
Read entry →June 20, 2007 · 473 words
Roasted
When you comprehend the gist of this post, you will be thankful at the restraint I excercised in choosing a title. Really. My old grill died of metal fatigue: the hinges that held on the lid snapped right off. So I’ve been on a quest for a new grill, and asking myself whether I wanted […]
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