I got the November issue of Wired magazine in my office last week, and was pleased to see that it included an interview with Orson Scott Card, author of Ender’s Game and many other great science fiction stories and books. I consider Ender’s Game one of the top ten science fiction stories of all time. … More It’s Not Magic, Just Hard Work
I teach a class called Writing for Publication at my university, but for me, writing is writing. I never pass up the opportunity for my students to learn something new. Part of that is simply getting them to experience life–and to write–outside their comfort zone. And so this morning, I took my students to the … More Rest in Peace
Brilliance by Marcus Sakey proves one thing: one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. It’s a good thing that I didn’t go to Amazon and read the reviews for Brilliance before I got it. Don’t get me wrong: there are many, many readers who really like the book. But there are also quite a number … More Review: “Brilliance” by Marcus Sakey
I am determined to be a part of NaNoWriMo this year. For those of you who don’t know, that’s National Novel Writing Month, where each November crazy people like me attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. I’ve done it three times, and have three books to share because of it. But there … More Tom Horn Rides Again
When people ask what my doctoral dissertation was on, I hesitate to tell them. The problem is that most dissertations are so obscure and so complex that by the time you have explained it, the listener’s eyes have glazed over and you realize that they have heard little of what you have said and understood … More Demons and Vampires and Zombies…oh my!
This morning I posted something on Facebook that I am eager to see response to. It is “irrefutable evidence” that time traveling is happening around us, and has been for some time. Obviously, I don’t truly believe in time travel and the photos and video that are shown are either digitally manipulated or innocent items … More The Lie That Tells the Truth
I grew up in the era of Dick Tracy. I spent every Sunday morning reading the comics out of the paper, and Dick Tracy and his two-way wrist radio–and later wrist TV–were always fascinating to me. (Almost as much as the anti-magnetic spaceship that some of the characters used to go to the moon, but … More For I live in a digital world, and I am a digital…boy.
Ah, Maltese Falcon, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…. I picked this classic book up after it was recommended by someone on the website Quora. I am considering someday writing a novel set in 1938 San Francisco, and because this one is in San Francisco basically in that era, it seemed … More Review: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Last night we recorded the memorial episode of “Glee” that focused on the death of Cory Monteith and his on-screen character Finn Hudson. I watched it this morning. Here are my reactions: I had wondered how they were going to explain his cause of death. Thankfully, and wisely, they chose to leave it unexplained. Rather, … More No Glee in Glee
Next month I turn 60, and I truly never believed that I would be this old. When I was a teenager, I was convinced I would die an early death. On the other hand, I had a hard time visualizing me being a 60-year-old geezer, sitting around in my rocking chair talking about the good … More Are We There Yet?
