Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 226 entries, all of them here in full.
May 1, 2012 · 577 words
Crowd reSource
You can all go to war now. You don’t even have to be of military age. All you need is a Internet connection, and if you’re reading this, you’ve already got one of those. Just pick what side you want to be on, figure out what you have to contribute, and get busy. Technology Review […]
Read entry →April 29, 2012 · 95 words
Mystery Pix
As I mentioned a few posts ago, I was out of town this week in a location so remote that I had access neither to Internet nor phone. Here’s a picture of one of the places I visited. My question for you all is, What is this? “It’s a piece of southwestern countryside” is a […]
Read entry →April 27, 2012 · 494 words
Native Language (a flashback)
I’m wrapped up in projects, including getting City on Fire ready for ebook release, so I thought I’d offer an essay I originally posted seven years ago, in which I discuss my native language, and why I don’t know what it is. –wjw My native language isn’t English. The problem is, I don’t know […]
Read entry →April 26, 2012 · 540 words
Today Is Tregillis Day
I thought I’d give a shout-out to my friend Ian Tregillis, whose fine first novel Bitter Seeds has just been released in mass-market paperback. This is Book One of the Milkweed Triptych, the very name of which will tell you that there are two more books somewhere in the pipe. (The next, The Coldest War, […]
Read entry →April 25, 2012 · 877 words
“Investments” Has Arrived!
I’ve spent the last three days in a place so remote and blissful that there was neither Internet nor telephone. Interesting things happened there, and I’ll tell you about it if the photos turn out. Hours before I left, I managed to upload my short novel “Investments,” set in the Praxis universe. And now I […]
Read entry →April 20, 2012 · 81 words
Praxis on Sale!
Hey, guys! Harper has very kindly put The Praxis, the first of my Dread Empire books, on sale for $2.99 for Kindle and for Nook! If you haven’t got started on this series, now’s your chance. And if you have the book and like it, feel free to recommend it to a friend! As for […]
Read entry →April 20, 2012 · 1,972 words
Metropolitan: the Lawyers
I’m now delighted to report that Metropolitan is now available for the Nook. It always takes a little longer over at the brick-and-mortar store, but now it’s done. Mad downloading and rejoicing may commence! This is the third of a series of essays on my novel Metropolitan, and will deal with its commercial and legal [&
Read entry →April 19, 2012 · 1,193 words
Metropolitan: Writing and Reception
This is the second essay on the conception and creation of my novel Metropolitan. Perhaps it’s best, if you’re new here, to start with the first installment. We now return to the narrative. Actually writing Metropolitan was, as it turns out, quite a chore. My previous two books, Aristoi and Days of Atonement, had been
Read entry →April 18, 2012 · 1,872 words
Metropolitan: the Worldbuilding
I’m delighted to report that the Metropolitan ebook is now available on Amazon and via Smashwords, from whence it will migrate in time to the Apple Store, the Sony Store, the Kobo Store, Baker & Taylor, etc. Those of you with Nooks, as usual, will have to wait another day or two for the file […]
Read entry →April 17, 2012 · 93 words
Lo! The Mighty Cover Art Approacheth!
As you can see, Photoshop and I finally called a truce, and I produced this. I have to say that I was mightily enabled by a wonderfully moody piece of stock art. The ebook should be available, umm, soon. City on Fire may take a few weeks, due to formatting and copy-editing delays. So my […]
Read entry →April 16, 2012 · 159 words
Run Run Reinstall
So I’ve finished the edit of Metropolitan, and I downloaded a surprisingly atmospheric and appropriate piece of art for the cover, and then when I tried to create the cover with Photoshop, Photoshop up and crashed on me. And crashed again. And kept on crashing. So it’s now to the point where I de-install it, […]
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