Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 3,173 entries, all of them here in full.
December 2, 2023 · 229 words
14
I have lain in the embrace of Mr. Zappy 14 times now, which means I’m now more than halfway through the 26 radiation treatments in my program. I have to say it’s been trouble free. The side effects have been minor, verging on negligible. The worst is that I’m tired all the time. My naps […]
Read entry →November 23, 2023 · 268 words
Meet Mr. Zappy
Here’s the machine I visit most mornings to get zapped with x-rays. (I’ve had nine treatments so far, seventeen to go.) I lie on the gurney-thingie in the lower right, and am rolled more less into the middle of the array, after which I am orbited by scanners and projectors and some things which I […]
Read entry →November 18, 2023 · 44 words
Distant Voice
Looking through some boxes I discovered a partial I wrote nearly 50 years ago. My agent sent it back, saying it needed a rethink. Glancing through it, I’m thinking it’s overwritten. Which won’t stop me from enjoying reading this message from my younger self.
Read entry →November 14, 2023 · 276 words
Meet Mr. Photon
Today was my first day of radiation. (25 to go) The machine was very large, but it was in a cavernous room, and when the machine was in operation, the operators scurried away to a control room behind their lead or concrete shields. The treatment room was called HOPE. My job was twofold. First, I […]
Read entry →November 5, 2023 · 674 words
FUCK CANCER!
Well. Got that off my chest, anyway. Last spring I received a diagnosis perhaps best expressed as a good news/bad news joke. THE BAD NEWS: You have cancer. THE GOOD NEWS: It’s in your prostate! Yay! Yay? Well yes. Prostate cancer is the only cancer that can be detected with a blood test, which means […]
Read entry →November 1, 2023 · 214 words
Roistering
The rollicking Extended Birthday Party, otherwise known as World Fantasy Con 2023, has come to an end, and I’m home trying to pick up the threads of my actual life. Here I am on the mezzanine, with brilliant ideas forming over my head like little silver cannon balls. The convention was wonderful, certainly the best [&h
Read entry →October 24, 2023 · 106 words
World Fantasy Schedule
I’ll be spending the weekend in Kansas City, at the World Fantasy Convention. I’m on a couple programming, items, so if you want to see me, here’s where I’ll be. READING 3:30PM Thursday, Chouteau Room A (I’ll be reading from Heaven in Flames, the third Metropolitan book, so if you’re into that series, you might [&helli
Read entry →October 19, 2023 · 228 words
Birthday Surprise
It’s not my birthday today, but it’s close enough for a celebration, and so we met with some of our friends at the Apothecary Bar for drinks and snacks and good conversation. The invitation mentioned that no presents were necessary, but some people always ignore that. Terry and Jim gave me a special bottle of […
Read entry →October 18, 2023 · 69 words
Mysteries of Mylar
Here is Saturday’s partially eclipsed sun as viewed amid a series of bright floating objects, obviously alien in origin. What happened (I think) was that I had a mylar sun filter on my camera, and a stray beam of light got into the filter and was shining on the mylar from behind. This may serve […]
Read entry →October 17, 2023 · 141 words
Days in the Life
A friend in Tel Aviv sent this. The family is Ok. However, some in the wider circle , we lost people. And many are called to active service. Here in Tel-Aviv we are relatively safe. As a military observer you would find it interesting to see how we adapted to at least 3-5 rocket attacks […]
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