In critique, “Signal from Fred” is shorthand for those moments in a text in which the author’s subconscious issues a cry for help, usually by pointing out that the action doesn’t make any sense.  A character might say, “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it!” or “This was unbelievable!” or “I can’t […]

Nemesis Games, the new book by my pal James S.A. Corey, appeared a couple days ago.  I’ve been reading it, and it’s a winner, which I know because I’m having a hard time putting it down. This is the fifth book in The Expanse, the first book of which is Leviathan Wakes, so you should probably start there. […]

May I recommend to you my new story, “The Venetian Dialectic,” to be found in The Change, a brand-new anthology edited by S.M. Stirling? The story takes place in Steve’s Emberverse, in which he’s been writing for damn near 20 years now.  In order to understand the story, you need only to know that in this […]

The Rio Hondo workshop is over for another year, and I’m scrambling to catch up with my normal life, such as it is.  And prepare for Taos Toolbox, which begins in less than a month. Here I am in the Commandant’s chair at the head of the table in our meeting room at Snow Bear, […]