Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 3,180 entries, all of them here in full.
December 17, 2017 · 120 words
Crown
So here’s a crown rack of lamb I produced the other day. I cooked it sous vide, then browned it in olive oil on the stovetop. The lamb came pre-sealed in a vacuum pouch, so all I had to do was toss it in the pot for two hours at 130 degrees for perfect medium […]
Read entry →December 15, 2017 · 2,659 words
Dagmar
Let’s go behind the fourth wall, via some thoughts about the Dagmar books, timely now that the series has been re-released as ebooks. Back in 2005, my friends Sean Stewart and Maureen McHugh, along with Elan Lee and Jordan Weisman, invited me and Jim Cambias to join them in creating an online game called Last Call [&he
Read entry →December 7, 2017 · 53 words
Open to Submissions
Just a reminder that Taos Toolbox, the master class for writers of science fiction and fantasy, is now open for submissions. The workshop runs June 17-30, 2018, and will be taught by Nancy Kress, Walter Jon Williams, George RR Martin, Carrie Vaughn, and EM Tippetts. Time is passing! Get your submissions ready!
Read entry →December 6, 2017 · 157 words
Back to the Mississippi
A new Wild Cards shared worlds book (the twenty-fourth) has just appeared, Mississippi Roll, edited by George R.R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass (who seems to be uncredited, at least on the cover). I don’t have a story in this one, but you might find one or two of my characters involved in the action. This may […
Read entry →December 3, 2017 · 196 words
Vladimir Does It Again
Once again, I am compelled to make a comparison between my calendar and that of Vladimir Putin, which various Russian sources insist is a huge seller in the UK, despite it being carried by few or none of Britain’s calendar distributors. With my calendar, you get lovely photography of the interesting places I’ve been in
Read entry →December 2, 2017 · 117 words
Adventure Log
As we have so many times in the past, we’re making a calendar available for our friends and readers. It features photos from our Baltic journey of the summer, along with views of the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and the eclipse of August 2017. It also features holidays and other important dates for the US, Canada, [&hell
Read entry →December 1, 2017 · 365 words
Palace of Mystery and Message
Eltham Palace, near Greenwich, was given to Edward II in 1305, and was used as a royal residence for over three centuries. Henry VIII and his sisters were raised there. But the palace was wrecked during the English Civil War, and after the rebuilding of Greenwich Palace under Charles II, Eltham was used less and [&hell
Read entry →November 27, 2017 · 60 words
I Speak to Hobbitses
This Wednesday, November 29, at 6:30 pm, I will be addressing the Hobbit Society at the University of New Mexico. The event will be held at the Honors College, on the lower plaza or ground level of the Student Health Center building. I’ll be talking about Quillifer and other subjects of relevance. It’s open to the publ
Read entry →November 27, 2017 · 67 words
Coming December 1
Just a reminder that December 1 is the first day for submissions to Taos Toolbox, the master class for writers of science fiction and fantasy. The workshop will run June 17-30, 2018, and will be taught by Nancy Kress, Walter Jon Williams, George RR Martin, Carrie Vaughn, and EM Tippetts. Assuming that you want to [&hel
Read entry →November 23, 2017 · 494 words
Cover Art
John Scalzi sent me the cover of the Italian edition of his novel The Collapsing Empire, which may look just a little bit familiar to you. It uses the same piece of stock art (by Innovari) that I used for my own editions, ebook and paperback, of Angel Station. Furthermore, I know of at least one […]
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