Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 156 entries, all of them here in full.
June 3, 2016 · 151 words
Champagne When I’m Thirsty
So last night I dreamed that I went fishing in the Jémez with Muddy Waters. Howlin’ Wolf and BB King were along, but I was mostly hanging with Muddy. He loaned me his Pocket Fisherman, and I pulled in some beautiful blue-and-gold butterfly fish, which is not exactly what you expect from a New Mexico […]
Read entry →May 30, 2016 · 137 words
Contest!
The sale for the StoryBundle is in its final three days, so I thought I’d gin up some interest by running a contest. Identify these objects: First person to identify the subjects of one of the two photos below will receive a free StoryBundle— which means you get eight whole books for zero money! There’s […
Read entry →May 27, 2016 · 61 words
The Final Hours
My 99-cent sale on Hardwired is entering its final hours. Officially the sale ends at midnight Friday night, but (as sales remain brisk) I’ll likely keep the sale going until sales un-brisk themselves. So if you want the book, better move briskly! Find it at Amazon, iBooks, Google Play, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and
Read entry →May 25, 2016 · 97 words
One Week to Go
Just a reminder that the StoryBundle is still available, but will disappear after one week. And, to remind again, you pay what you want. Name your own price for Errantry: Strange Stories by Elizabeth Hand, Lewis Shiner’s Collected Stories, and my own Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories. But if you pay at least $12,
Read entry →May 23, 2016 · 83 words
Reveal’d
Here’s the cover reveal of my short novel featuring Caroline Sula. (Art by the utterly terrific Jaime Jones.) The book will be released on October 4 in both trade paperback and e-formats, and you can preorder from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo (ebook only), and Google (also ebook only). I assume iBooks will have it soon
Read entry →May 20, 2016 · 341 words
Smokestack Lightning
Heading into the weekend, let’s flash back to 1965, when the Rolling Stones consented to appear on the American music program Shindig (created and hosted by Jack Good, who was English). This sort of prime time Bandstand show wasn’t really the Stones’ kind of thing, but they consented to appear only on condition that Ho
Read entry →May 18, 2016 · 91 words
Award Winner
Congratulations to Taos Toolbox veteran Fran Wilde, whose Updraft won the Andre Norton Award for young adult fiction, and also the Compton Crook award for best science fiction, horror, or fantasy novel (no age mentioned). Updraft was workshopped at Toolbox, and despite being perhaps the most altitude-impaired student e
Read entry →May 16, 2016 · 127 words
Hardwired Sale
My best-selling book of all time, Hardwired, is now on sale for a mere 99 cents. Feel free to pick it up at Amazon, iBooks, Google Play, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. I’ve never put Hardwired on sale because it’s always sold so well at the ordinary price. But then I reflected that more of […]
Read entry →May 16, 2016 · 823 words
Reviews Too Late: Admiral
The original title of this Dutch film is Michiel de Ruyter, but as this title means nothing to audiences outside the United Provinces, the American release is retitled Admiral. (Thus prompting confusion with the Korean film Admiral, about the naval hero Yi Sun-sin, or Admiral, the Russian film about the naval hero Alex
Read entry →May 11, 2016 · 672 words
Stories. Bundled.
Once again I have a book available as part of a StoryBundle. The last one sold like hotcakes on a winter’s morning, and this one should as well, because StoryBundle is an amazing freaking good deal. Basically, you pay whatever you want for the first three books, which are Errantry: Strange Stories by Elizabeth Hand, Le
Read entry →May 10, 2016 · 79 words
P-Hack
Via ace mathematician Michael Wester, we have ace correspondent John Oliver ranting about the media’s demand for cute pop science. After viewing this video, you will be able to answer the following true/false questions correctly. 1. Does champagne make rats live longer? 2. Are babies made of chocolate? 3. What will kee
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