Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 3,174 entries, all of them here in full.
December 27, 2021 · 370 words
Lifetime Lion
So we watched The Lion in Winter, one of our favorite Christmas movies. I’ve seen the movie many times, and I think I startled Kathy by singing along with the theme music. Regis regum rectissimiprope est dies domini,dies irae et vindictae, tenebrarum et nebulaediesque mirabiliumtonitruorum fortium,dies quoque angustiae
Read entry →December 25, 2021 · 89 words
The Sales Never Stop!
The ebook of The Praxis is on sale for $1.99. I don’t know how long the sale will be in effect, so if you want a copy, get it now. And be sure to tell your friends who might benefit by an introduction to the series. Not only is The Praxis on sale, Quillifer is […]
Read entry →December 25, 2021 · 126 words
Primed
The tamales are standing by, and and the roast beast lurks in its cooler. (It was too large to fit into the already overstuffed refrigerator.) The potatoes are already cooked, and the pearl onions stands ready for brown-braising. The cat prowls the corridors, ready to repel invading miniature reindeer. All that said, t
Read entry →December 21, 2021 · 293 words
New Reads (1)
Worldcon was enormous fun, and I was delighted at being able to see my friends face-to-face, or rather mask-to-mask. I enjoyed my panels, especially the one in which we got to lavish praise on Nancy Kress for a full hour. It’s past time to begin my usual end-of-the-year roundup of works by veterans of Taos […]
Read entry →December 14, 2021 · 136 words
I Am At Worldcon
I am at Discon III, in Washington D.C., the long-postponed Worldcon for 2021. We’re all masked and vaccinated and I will find out if it’s possible to have fun under these conditions. In the meantime, I’m on a bunch of programming, so if you’re in the neighborhood, please stop by and say hi. Here’s my […]
Read entry →December 11, 2021 · 139 words
I am Yorkered
About a year ago I got a call from New Yorker writer Chris Byrd, who asked about my connection to the Cyberpunk 2020 RPG and the soon-to-be-released video game Cyberpunk 2077. A lengthy interview followed, along with a series of emails. The article was scheduled for January 2021, then shifted to June. When June came [&
Read entry →December 7, 2021 · 108 words
Wavy
Here’s a photo of Lisbon’s Monument of the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos) taken from across the plaza on the landward side, looking out toward the Tagus. Note the way the waves roll across the plaza, like the ocean billows rocking a caravel on its voyage to the unknown. It’s an optical illusion, of course. The
Read entry →December 3, 2021 · 255 words
Time for Wolf Time
Friend of the blog Marc Sobel wrote to say that “someone’s been reading Wolf Time.” That “someone” seems to be working at Microsoft, which has now made a breakthrough on using human DNA to store data, which was a significant element in my novelette. Microsoft, one of the pioneers of DNA storage, is making some [&hellip
Read entry →December 1, 2021 · 50 words
Quillifer for the Holidays
Simon & Schuster has kindly put the ebook of Quillifer on sale for $1.99 through the New Year, enabling you to keep company with Quillifer throughout the holiday season. Find it wherever fine ebooks are sold! And yes, that’s a new cover! It has things on top of other things!
Read entry →November 30, 2021 · 118 words
We’re Baaaaack!
Taos Toolbox, the two-week master class in writing science fiction and fantasy, has bravely donned its mask, taken its vaccinations, and announced its new dates, for June 6-19, 2022, in Angel Fire,NM. While there a few members of the cancelled 2021 workshop who have bravely hung on through the pandemic, there are seats
Read entry →November 27, 2021 · 191 words
Sunset Supreme
Today being a perfect day for it, we headed down the Rio Abajo to our local bird sanctuary, where we watched thousands of our feathered friends flying in at sunset. Sometimes we see deer, coyotes, or wild javelinas (smallish boar), but no luck today. Instead, we saw colossal numbers of sandhill cranes and snow geese. [
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