Imagine this: a long, candlelit table in a quiet, cozy room. Five fascinating fictional characters are seated around it, the air buzzing with the promise of deep conversation. Who would I invite to this dream dinner? Before we get into it, let’s set the rules. First, I won’t include characters from my own books—tempting as […]
Fictional Dinner Guests: My Dream Line-Up Read More »
I’ve been a full member of SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers’ Association — or, as it used to be: Science Fiction Writers of America) for several years. And even I didn’t know about their new release newsletter until just this week. So. SFWA have a New Release Newsletter that anyone can subscribe to. Every
A New Release Newsletter Worth Subscribing To Read More »
A few weeks ago, I gave my very personal take (it wasn’t structured enough to be called a review) on Apple TV’s Foundation series versus the books by Isaac Asimov. What I forgot to mention was that in the first few episodes of the TV series, when Harry Seldon was still on Trantor, the ecumenopolis
Only Book Readers Spotted It Read More »
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I’m just a little bit in awe of science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein – for a variety of reasons, including the fact that he’s one of a microscopic collection of authors who can make me cry. Heinlein had
Aim to be a Live Lion Read More »
Many readers like reading science fiction because of the mind-warping sense of scale that future-set stories can create. You can put a SF book down and feel very humble about the world, and also quite hopeful for the future. But here’s a real life, contemporary times scale-warping experience: Consider the original apple tree that Newton
The Force and the Apple That Created It Read More »
A couple of weeks ago (in real time), I invited you to complete a two-question survey about a potential new Hammer series, to follow up on the Imperial Hammer and The Iron Hammer. There were 64 responses, thank you. And the results were absolutely conclusive. “Do you want to read another “Hammer” series?” Guess that
More Hammer It Is. Read More »
I’ve chatted with a few of you lately, especially around Christmas, when everyone was selecting their Christmas gift, and more than one of you asked when I was going to write more “Hammer” books. I’ve got two complete series; The Imperial Hammer and The Iron Hammer, both featuring Danny Andela and her friends. I loved
Do You Want More Hammer? Read More »
I grew up without a television and in a tiny town with no other kids. So I read. A lot. Keeping this list to just five major influencers was therefore a major challenge. These are in no particular order. Mary Stewart Mary Stewart is primarily known for her Merlin series, which is how I came
My Top 5 Most Influential Authors Read More »
A quick roundup of news and mailbag questions, today. __________ Lately, I’ve received a rash of emails that go something along these lines: I don’t read ebooks. I prefer real books. You should think about putting your books in bookstores for people who like reading books. I would buy them, then. I suspect that the
Print Editions, German Editions and Spanish Editions Read More »
It’s no secret that Dune is one of my favourite books, ever. I’m old enough that I was old enough to watch the 1984 film when it was first released and was horribly disappointed. The 2021 release of Part One of Denis Villeneuve’s version I also found disappointing…at first. While not nearly the same campy
Dune Part Two … Can’t wait Read More »