Worlds within worlds
So I saw this delightful article about a photographer who takes creative pictures of the moon, and was reminded that so much in our experience of life, the world, or even a story is all about our perception of it. A fairytale I read as a child illustrates the point: Once upon a time there was a spoiled princess (at least, that’s how I remember her). The one thing she wanted most in all the Read More …
I attended a writing workshop not long ago where thirty writers crowded around large tables listening to four professional editors comment on short stories we had written for them. On some stories the editors agreed, on others they disagreed. It was entertaining, enlightening, and educational. And a whole lot of fun. For one of the stories, we’d been given the following assignment: “…One of the greatest attributes of mankind is our ability to fight for Read More …
Over on Twitter, I post an occasional topic with the hashtag #RandomNovelResearch. (Okay, just searched the hashtag and my old tweets and discovered that I haven’t posted a #RandomNovelResearch item in a couple of months – but that doesn’t mean they’re not pretty cool! I’ll post more, promise!) Anyway, my point was that as I’m writing along, happily making stuff up, I occasionally find myself wanting to know if what I’m making up has the slightest Read More …
A long time ago, in a far-away land… Oops, wrong backstory there. Let’s try this again. Immediately out of high school (that’s where the long ago and far away fits in), my older brother went into the Marine Corps. As a result, when he got out of the Marines and went to college, he was a semester behind his pesky little sister – you guessed it, me. That really aggravated him, but his aggravation has Read More …
It seems like I just *blinked* and the fall was over and the snow was falling, leaving me wondering what on Earth happened to the last three months. Of course, like any good science fiction writer, I suppose I should just accept the fact that those days slipped into an alternate universe (or maybe I did), got swallowed up by a wormhole, or eaten by a Targ. As I attempt to make my living in Read More …
You have to visit this NASA Science News page – and watch the videos. They’re awesome, just awesome. Trust me on this. Have I ever led you astray? This is going into a story… not sure when or how, but wow, how could I not use it?
Watched a fascinating video recently – In the Path of a Killer Volcano, a NOVA special about the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, in the Philippines. Not only was it simply spectacular to watch (safely, from a distance of many years and many thousands of miles), but it also put me in mind of the scenario I’d envisioned when writing Memory at Lascaux, and the world-altering events in that story. We live on an amazing planet, with Read More …
Ghost Writer is one of my favorite short stories – and, at the moment, has actually found its way to #10 on the Amazon Kindle Horror list in Italy, rubbing elbows with Stephen King and Anne Rice. I’m thrilled and honored! I don’t often write stories about other writers, but when a writer-friend of mine developed the unsettling habit of dropping out of sight for unspecified stretches of time, looking for a little peace and quiet while working on her Read More …
I must admit, I’ve never done research for a story in quite the same way as I did for this one – actually sitting down to dinner and taking notes of the flavors as I went along! But it was worth it – or at least Nereus, the sea-god who is the central figure in this story seems to think so! The One That Got Away a short story The search for an exiled sea Read More …
Sadly, I’m not going to make it to Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention. Much as I’d like to be there – both to see old friends and meet new ones – real life demands are keeping me at home. Fortunately, my publisher, Camden Park Press, came up with an idea I hope will catch on – during the WorldCon weekend (Aug 17-21), we’re discounting the price of my novel, Memoirs of a Synth: Read More …