Prompted from one of my journal entries around the time that Star Forge was released. — C. —– Particularly in traditional publishing, it’s a custom for writers to write the first book of what they suspect could well be a series, and sell it as a standalone book. The traditional publishers also market the book as […]
Writing Myself Into a Corner Read More »
I simply couldn’t let this day pass without comment, especially as Star Wars is the reason I’m a writer. The May Fourth and Fifth (Revenge of the Fifth) memes will fly thick and fast for a couple of days, I’m sure. I get a silly grin over all of them. If you have a Spotify account,
May The Fourth Be With You Read More »
I really can’t let the day go by without a nod at one of the major influences in my life. Star Wars is the reason I got into writing in the first place. I wrote the unofficial sequel, long before fanfic became a thing, then wrote an original space opera after that…and really haven’t stopped
May the Fourth Be With You! Read More »
To stay young requires unceasing cultivation of the ability to unlearn old falsehoods. Robert A. Heinlein – The Notebook of Lazarus Long We’ve all heard the expression “set in their ways” – which is the other side of the coin to Heinlein’s observation. There’s growing scientific evidence that “age” is a state of mind far
Age as a state of mind Read More »
I confused the hell out of the readers of my novels under a different pen name recently, when I released what I was properly calling a novelette. Those readers were confused over book lengths and what makes a book a book, or a novel a novel. They didn’t know what to think about a novelette.
What Makes A Book A Book? Read More »
What are the facts? Again and again and again-what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget what “the stars foretell,” avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable “verdict of history”–what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts
Care Not What the Neighbors Think Read More »
This year, I’ve been inundated with emails and blog posts from SF & F authors, magazines, publishers and other organizations, reminding me that the balloting is open for both the Hugo Awards and the Nebulas. This actually isn’t news to me, and I’m sure it isn’t for you, but what I do like about these
HUGO AND NEBULA BALLOTS ARE OPEN. Read More »
If the image didn’t give it away for you, let me surprise you: Lego® creates more tires every year than any other company in the world. The Guinness Book of World Records says so. Although if they keep producing sets like the Millennium Falcon (which my brother in law built and has sitting on his dining room
Quick! Who Manufactures The Greatest Number of Tires In the World? Read More »
I had a reader tell me this week: Can I just ask, though, no more cliffhangers, I absolutely hate them!! It sounds like a simple, reasonable request on the surface (especially as the grammar and spelling were impressive. I did not edit this at all). Yet my internal radar started dinging like crazy. I did
I Hate Cliffhangers! Read More »
Of course you’re looking for the best SF out there. You don’t want to read crap, after all. But there’s some very good reasons why using best-seller lists, “top author”, “Best of,” “most popular” and other similar listings of books is the worst way of finding the best stories to read. The traffic stats on my blog also
Why You Shouldn’t Rely On Best Seller Lists To Buy Books Read More »