Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 3,179 entries, all of them here in full.
October 4, 2022 · 72 words
Reading Choices
The International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts is having a virtual convention this weekend. I’m scheduled to do a reading on Sunday at 2pm, but the format restricts me to 15 minutes, or about 10 printed pages. I tend to write long, and I have no 15-minute excerpts lying around. Some of you […]
Read entry →October 3, 2022 · 139 words
MBA in a Box
You can be the greatest writer in the world, but even if you are, you have to pay at least a little attention to the business side of publishing. A plan becomes necessary. Based on granular real-world experience, I have established a simple scheme for vertical intellectual property management. I have expedited distribu
Read entry →October 1, 2022 · 140 words
What’s On the Slab
It’s getting cold at night, so Kathy decided it was time to have a roast beast. Behold a boneless leg of lamb, slathered in olive oil, rosemary, and garlic, and cooked sous vide for eight hours, after which it was flung on the grill to catch fire. (It did catch fire too, with all that […]
Read entry →September 29, 2022 · 641 words
Adventurous
A few days ago Imperium Restored achieved a #1 on Amazon in the category of Women’s Adventure Fiction. I’m not sure what that category actually means— I’m reasonably certain that Men’s Adventure features firearms being discharged in all odd-numbered chapters, but Women’s Adventure as a category seems far more sli
Read entry →September 26, 2022 · 157 words
Mountainous Good Time
I’ve been off to the New Mexico mountains for the last week, in Angel Fire, hosting the Rio Hondo writers’ workshop, delayed by COVID for over two years. The workshop took place in mountain cabins at nearly 8000 feet, and featured food, drink, and serious discussions of literature— all the things that writers con
Read entry →September 14, 2022 · 545 words
Ears, Pointy, Two
I’ve watched three episodes (all there is, so far) of Amazon’s billion-dollar Tolkien fanfic, Rings of Power, and I find my reactions mixed. Public reaction so far has featured complaints that the series isn’t faithful enough to the source, but that complaint doesn’t have any weight with me. The filmmakers didn’t have
Read entry →September 11, 2022 · 83 words
Signed Books
Apropos the Privateers & Gentlemen books, a whole box of the original paperbacks has been discovered! Our friend Nadine is making them available here. All are signed, and all but one are unread and in good condition. You can buy them singly or buy the whole set of five. These have been out of print […]
Read entry →September 10, 2022 · 149 words
Five by Five
The fifth of my Privateers & Gentlemen series is now available as an audio book. read by the estimable Bronson Pinchot. It may be available only on Audible for the next 90 days or so, but that rule does not seem universally enforced. The Tern Schooner is appearing as if it’s the final book in […]
Read entry →September 7, 2022 · 89 words
Electronic Vacation
I returned home from Worldcon to find that my neighborhood had been hit by an electronic blackout. Without AC, our house was unlivable and we spent the evening with Terry and Jim, whose hospitality was much appreciated.By the time we got home, the electricity was on and the house was cool, but wifi and our […]
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