A decade is considerable achievement for just about anything. Keeping a quarterly fiction magazine operational for that long in a world offering a billion different entertainment options is impressive. Cirsova Magazine is celebrating such a milestone with its Tenth Anniversary Edition, an edition with my name on the cover I should note. So, given the… Continue reading Three Toots on a Tin Whistle for Cirsova
Category: Business of Writing
That Most Evil of Necessary Evils: Publicity
March 25th marked the release of another novel. The pleasure derived from a book release is soon diminished at the realization of the concomitant requirement of publicizing it. People won’t buy the book if they don’t know it exists. I understand that. But it doesn’t mean I enjoy the process. Especially not interviews. I’ve made… Continue reading That Most Evil of Necessary Evils: Publicity
Twilight Galaxy: Dekason
Imagine, if you will, mankind’s expansion into space. Humans gradually fill up the galaxy, settling thousands upon thousands of worlds. People build, terraform, create, and trade among the stars. Old political systems take on new forms, theoretically new forms are experimented with. Conflicts arise. Coalitions, alliances, syndicates, and empires appear, mingle, coalesce, mutate. Wars blaze… Continue reading Twilight Galaxy: Dekason
The Grist of Tim Powers
I have just finished yet another notable novel by the estimable Tim Powers. My thanks to Toni Weisskopf and Baen Books for the gratis copy. Before her annual Baen Road Show at this years ConFinement convention she played Santa Claus, handing out free books to Veterans. Once I saw Tim Power’s name on the cover… Continue reading The Grist of Tim Powers
A Vacation. Whether I Wanted One Or Not.
I traditionally take a vacation in March. Usually during the latter half of the month to enjoy my birthday during the course of the trip. But the HA’s spring break is early, so we moved it up. We were looking at something rather pricey, perhaps a week in Key West. However, MBW and I wanted… Continue reading A Vacation. Whether I Wanted One Or Not.
Convention After Action Report
I’m sitting in the Nashville airport waiting for my flight out. With a few more minutes to spend, thanks to a delayed departure, I figure I’ll take the extra time to write today’s post. This weekend Michael Z. Williamson hosted his seventh ConFinement convention. I believe this was my fourth attendance. I saw many of… Continue reading Convention After Action Report
Convention Weekend
This coming weekend, the end of February, I will be attending a convention in Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. ConFinement VII runs from February 27 through March 1st. As usual, I’ll be lowering the collective IQ on a couple of panels. You can hear me mumble inanely about such topics as: Guilty Pleasures: Books You… Continue reading Convention Weekend
Plasma Pulp: Lost Worlds
There are times to sink into the philosophical depths or the detailed, scientifically grounded world building of a thoughtful work of speculative fiction, whether on the page or the screen (big or small.) Other times, however, we want Buck Rogers. We want Brian Daley’s Han Solo novels. We want the scorched ozone burn of blaster… Continue reading Plasma Pulp: Lost Worlds
The 2025 Rearview Mirror
I hope yours were merry and bright, that your halls were decked, and that any lingering reindeer pellets on your roof have ceased to smell. 2025 was…memorable for MBW, the HA, and me. But this isn’t the appropriate venue to rehash house-sale travails, or gnash my teeth over financial hiccups. Instead, I will review my… Continue reading The 2025 Rearview Mirror