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.
June 22, 2016 · 279 words
Return of the Whirlwind
The recently-ended promotion of Hardwired turned out to be the best ever, so I’d like to thank those of you who clicked the buy button. On the theory that one should reinforce success, I’m hoping to repeat or even top Hardwired’s sales with a 99-cent sale on Voice of the Whirlwind. You may find VotW at Amazon, Google,
Read entry →June 16, 2016 · 115 words
Smokin’
So I was making the black roux gumbo of Chef Francoise le Vison, and when I make the roux there’s enough smoke to set off every fire alarm within a hundred yards. But this time the alarm for the whole lodge went off, and the whole building was evacuated except for maybe half a dozen […]
Read entry →June 13, 2016 · 71 words
Dueling Hams
Does anyone remember the TV series “Slings and Arrows,” which opens with the theater manager being run over by a truck full of hams? That’s probably how Tim Minchin feels in this tribute to the Bard, which features a rather formidable cast. This one’s been around for a while, but it hasn’t been available in […]
Read entry →June 13, 2016 · 121 words
How Much Work Could a Workshop Shop if a Workshop Could Shop Work?
I’m up a mountain in northern New Mexico, at the Rio Hondo Workshop. We’re in a beautiful valley of the Sangre de Cristos, so what did I do? Hike in the beautiful mountain wilderness? Go bird-watching? Get a workout on the ol’ mountain bike? Nope, I spent the day cooking a meal for twelve people. […]
Read entry →June 7, 2016 · 736 words
The Scum Also Rises
It’s been a couple months since we’ve heard from the Panama Papers, the 11.5 million documents extracted from the Panamanian law firm of Mossack Fonseca, and detailing the financial shenanigans of the rich, famous, and connected. After various revelations about Putin’s clique, David Cameron’s father, Li Xinping’s relat
Read entry →June 7, 2016 · 255 words
Nothing to See Here
“There would be absolutely nothing wrong with that except for the fact that absolutely everything is wrong with that.” You may have seen this already, but I thought it deserves as wide an audience as it can get, so here it is. There are all sorts of ways to buy debt in our country, and […]
Read entry →June 4, 2016 · 258 words
Greatest
So, who was the greatest martial artist of the 20th Century? Here’s a clue: he died last night. There are always going to be arguments about who could beat who, under what circumstances, under what rules. Maybe Joe Louis (or Joe Lewis) could have beaten Ali in the ring, maybe someone named Gracie or Silva […]
Read entry →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,
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