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 29, 2020 · 263 words
World Fantasy
Another weekend, another virtual convention. This weekend is the World Fantasy Convention, which would be held in Salt Lake City if there weren’t a pandemic, but which will now be held online. Here’s my schedule: Norse and Germanic Fantasy: The Northern Thing Date and Time: Friday Oct 30, 6:00 p.m. Panelists: Ann Chamb
Read entry →October 29, 2020 · 609 words
Black Ice
Kathy had an appointment in Albuquerque on Monday, and I had some business in town as well, so we drove up together. We knew the weather would deteriorate over the course of the day, but Kathy’s business should have been over by 2pm, and that would have got us to our warm hearth in plenty […]
Read entry →October 23, 2020 · 218 words
At MileHiCon
I am at MileHiCon this weekend, at least in virtual. The guests of honor Rebecca Roanhorse, Mur Lafferty, Cory Doctorow, and artist Alan Pollack. It’s a full weekend with lots of programming and begins at 10am Friday, Mountain Time. Here’s my schedule: Fri, 1:00-2:00pm: Neverland – Planning Your Series You have a
Read entry →October 11, 2020 · 44 words
The Word From Annie
Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester, MA, has kindly offered me an Author’s Spotlight Interview. Annie rejoices in the slogan “The little bookstore that’s bigger on the inside,” so they very likely have what you want. Please consider Annie’s for all your bookshop needs.
Read entry →October 9, 2020 · 656 words
Sanity Trip
I badly needed a sanity trip, so I drove to the Ski Valley and checked into a condo. I’ll be alone up here for several days, self-isolating in nature. I may meet some folks on the trails or whatever, but I’ve got a mask for that. As for why I needed this trip, just look […]
Read entry →September 26, 2020 · 67 words
Another Fine Review
The Nerd Daily posted a fine review of Fleet Elements. With a pace that is faster than light, Walter Jon Williams’s fifth book in the Dread Empire’s Fall series, Fleet Elements is a space opera that doesn’t disappoint . . . great soap opera science fiction, full of gung ho rebels trying to save themselves, with [&helli
Read entry →September 24, 2020 · 843 words
Back on the Keyboard
I haven’t been visible on social media in the last week because my MacBook Pro was off in the shop. The keyboard had (mostly) held together through the completion of Lord Quillifer, but was clearly on its last legs, so off to the Genius Bar I went. Fortunately the butterfly-switch keyboard on my machine had generated s
Read entry →September 17, 2020 · 346 words
A Few Good Things
First, I finished Lord Quillifer in the early hours of the morning, and sent it on to my editor and my agent. I was so afraid that the project would be Dance with Dragons-sized that I’d stopped doing word counts for the last ten chapters or so, but when I finally added them up, the book turned […]
Read entry →September 11, 2020 · 337 words
Final Sprint
I feel as if I’ve been sprinting to the finish of Lord Quillifer forever. Up till now, with every page I added, the finale seemed to have receded farther out of sight, but now I think I’ve got a handle on it. I’ve written the last big action scene, I’ve written the last big revelation scene, […]
Read entry →September 9, 2020 · 89 words
And Now . . . Winter!
The big storm struck as predicted, and the temperature dropped nearly 50 degrees overnight, complete with hours of heavy freezing rain. We didn’t get any snow, but Colorado got quite a bit. Yesterday the high was in the 90s and the air conditioner was going all day. Today I had to light the boiler so […]
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