Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 178 entries, all of them here in full.
June 22, 2014 · 73 words
Accented
Those of you who intend to go to the London worldcon, or anyone else planning to visit Britain, might pay particular attention here. It has always struck me as unfair that the inhabitants of the United Kingdom spend their entire lives learning to speak charming and distinct dialects, only to have ignorant North America
Read entry →June 20, 2014 · 454 words
1960-2014
Lee Sprague, who was my Kenpo teacher for eight years in the Nineties, died yesterday of a massive heart attack. He was 53. I’ve just come from his memorial at a local karate school. Lee A.W. Sprague— who rejoiced in the acronym L.A.W.S., plus of course his nickname “Lethal”— stepped into a school that coul
Read entry →June 17, 2014 · 333 words
Please Help George
When I mention the name “George R.R. Martin,” I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Hey, didn’t he write some good stories back in the Seventies?” Yes, yes he did. He wrote some great stories. And then George moved out to California, and stuff happened, and . . . well . . . But whatever happened […]
Read entry →June 17, 2014 · 100 words
Majeure Release
My novel The Rift is now available as part of an e-book collection, Force Majeure, in which it takes its place among five other disaster novels by Russell Blake, Karen Dionne, Melissa F Miller, Toni Dwiggins, and Phoenix Sullivan. And the kicker? You get all six books for 99 cents! And even if you’ve already read my [&
Read entry →June 17, 2014 · 309 words
Computers and Morays
Here’s the biggest spotted moray I’ve ever seen. His head and neck seemed kinda large, and then I saw the huge tail folded up clear on the other side of the coral lump he was hiding in, and I was deeply impressed. He’s not as big as some of the green morays I’ve seen, but […]
Read entry →June 15, 2014 · 73 words
Land Legs
I’m back on land, though I won’t be home for another day or so. And I still have my sea legs— the whole world pitches and rolls just a little bit when I stand up or walk. It was a terrific week, and you’ll be reading about it for a while. And in the meantime, […]
Read entry →June 7, 2014 · 292 words
Caribbeaneana
So here’s the first view of the Caribbean, from the seaside here in Ft. St. George. Personally I could have done with more blue sky, but on the whole there’s not a lot to complain about. I’ll be boarding the larger boat on the right tomorrow, for a week at sea. The flight in was […]
Read entry →June 6, 2014 · 64 words
Drop in the Ocean
So I am going to this place. Yeah! I’m going to be on the boat for a week or so, and there probably won’t be Internet there. Or if there is, no bandwidth to speak of. So once I get on the boat on Saturday, posts will be rare, and possibly nonexistent. So I’m taken care […]
Read entry →June 5, 2014 · 92 words
Coverlike
So here’s a possible cover for my upcoming story “Video Star.” I looked long and hard, but failed to come up with any stock art that came close to illustrating the story. Short fiction doesn’t make enough money to justify commissioning a custom piece of art. So I was left with a standard SF landscape […]
Read entry →June 4, 2014 · 148 words
Conquering the World
I’m happy to report two foreign translations today! My conquest of the world is assured! First up is the long novella “Elegia per Angeli e Cani,” which as “Elegy for Angels and Dogs” broke the record for longest piece of fiction ever published by Asimov’s. Published by Delos Digital, the story is available only in elec
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