Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 133 entries, all of them here in full.
January 29, 2019 · 198 words
Now Hear This!
Friend of the blog Allen informs me that the audio book of Metropolitan is now available, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. I’m sure City on Fire was recorded at the same time, so probably by the time you finish listening to this one, the sequel will be available. So there’s no reason to hesitate! Find it on […]
Read entry →January 29, 2019 · 515 words
Cavorting
I would like to report further on my trip to Los Cabos, but there isn’t a great deal to report on. I wrote every day, but other than that, I relaxed. I spent a lot of time sitting under umbrellas, reading or watching the whales cavort just offshore. In addition, I spent a certain amount of […]
Read entry →January 26, 2019 · 65 words
Hasta la Vista
Last night in Cabo. My friends have been terrific, the hospitality was wonderful, the drinks pretty great. (Never had a tequila that tasted like pecan praline before. You’d think that would be bad, but you’d be wrong.) I’ll be returning to the world tomorrow, but in the meantime I’ll be enjoying the last of my [&hellip
Read entry →January 24, 2019 · 111 words
Have a Flight!
And pour an extra one for yourself, Etaoin Shrdlu, because you’ve won the contest! I am in fact in Cabo San Lucas, a guest of my longtime friend Terry Boren, whose relations own a timeshare. It’s not exactly a vacation, because I’ve been writing every day, but normally my week is full of all sorts of […]
Read entry →January 23, 2019 · 70 words
Clue the Second: Where am I?
Here’s the second clue to my Undisclosed Location, with a bit more information. Disclose it, and win a signed copy of The Accidental War, or any other book from my store. The last set of guesses were all plausible, but I’m going to need a little more precise location than “Baja” or “Hawaii.” There are a […]
Read entry →January 22, 2019 · 127 words
Clue the First: Where am I?
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m away from home in an Undisclosed Location. It is up to you, however, to disclose it. I’m not saying anything. I’ll post a series of lovely pictures containing clues to my whereabouts. Anyone who unmasks my secret location will get a free signed copy of The Accidental War, or (if [
Read entry →January 21, 2019 · 57 words
Hyper Lupine Bloody Gobbet Moon
Here are my two best photos of the Hyper Lupine Bloody Gobbet Moon, or whatever they’re calling a lunar eclipse this time. It was very pleasant lying back on a lawn chair and watching the moon slowly devoured by the ravenous talons of the cosmic beast. But with the moon gone, who will I sacrifice […]
Read entry →January 19, 2019 · 57 words
Framed!
Here I go, breaking the fourth wall again. Now that I’ve changed my frame of reference, I’m on my way to an Undisclosed Location, so I may not be posting for a few days. If you’re looking for something to read, Locus has put the always-perceptive Russell Letson’s review of The Accidental War online for your […]
Read entry →January 18, 2019 · 367 words
Purple Gin and Pink Martini
Gotta say, last night had a lot to recommend it. I took the train up to Albuquerque to meet Kathy downtown, and then we went to the Apothecary Bar atop the Parq Central Hotel to watch the sunset turn the mountains pink, which it did right on schedule. We had cocktails and ate high-end bar […]
Read entry →January 16, 2019 · 114 words
Toolbox Time
Hey, it’s 2019! If your New Year resolution included working to become a professional author, you should consider applying to Taos Toolbox, the master class for writers of science fiction and fantasy. This year’s workshop, held in the deluxe Angel Fire resort in New Mexico, will be run by Nancy Kress and Walter Jon Wil
Read entry →January 12, 2019 · 840 words
Portals
There follow some thoughts on setting, inspired by the earlier discussion on corridors. Setting is a character in fantasy and SF, or should be if the author knows what he’s doing. This is particularly true in fantasy, where the setting can become this big, unwieldy character with which the protagonists have to wrestle
Read entry →January 3, 2019 · 260 words
Forty
On the first of January I celebrated my fortieth year as an author, the period in which I have supported myself solely on writing and related professions. I would have mentioned this on the day, but you know what? I forgot. It was early on January 1, forty years ago, that I got a phone […]
Read entry →