Book Review: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Another strong book from the Hugo Awards list. The concept: In the distant future, AIs run space stations and ships. They also get their grimy little electronic mitts into people by way of implants. The Radch are essentially a human empire, run by the Lord of the Radch. She has many clones, but with the…Read More
Heat. Beat. Repeat.
There’s something almost primal about the act of smithing. Combining fire and metal, and then beating them into something useful. Time was, the village blacksmith was the high tech guru. He could take rocks (ore) and make iron, then steel, then turn it into something you needed: horseshoes, weapons, tools, even a decorative hook for…Read More
Book Review: Rainbows End by Vernor Vine
I picked up Vinge’s book because it won a Hugo. It was time well spent. Rainbows End tells a compelling story in a world filled with advanced technology. It is a story about a man who lost everything due to Alzheimer’s disease, and he gets a chance to reclaim his life in a world where…Read More
Rise up, Uprise!
It seems to be personal appearance and book signing time. Tomorrow, Saturday, March 3, 2023, I’ll be at the Uprise bookstore at 6186 Wilcrest Drive in Houston, TX 77072. Stop by to chat, buy books (from me and them). I’ll be there from 10AM to noonish to meet readers and sign/sell books. See you there!…Read More
Book Review: Blackout by Connie Willis
Bottom line up front: If you like strong characters and science in your science fiction, you can safely skip this one. Details: I picked up Blackout because it, along with its duology partner, All Clear, somehow won a Hugo Award. I really wanted it to be good. That hope kept me turning pages. In the…Read More
Book Review: Live Forever?
In “Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To,” David A. Sinclair presents a fascinating and thought-provoking look into the latest scientific research on aging and longevity. Sinclair is the real deal. He’s got his own lab at Harvard Med School and is a leading researcher in the field of aging, presents a…Read More
Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse. OR…
The original quote appears to date from 1947. Willard Motley wrote it in his novel Knock on Any Door. For years, I subscribed to that quote. Fighter pilot, test pilot, motorcycle rider, skydiver. Life was best lived upside down at the speed of sound (or faster). I looked at old people and thought, “That’s not…Read More
Upping My Game
It’s publicity time for the new book, Fire. My former publisher had me connected with a publicist who was good at getting me on podcasts that had seven views. Seriously. He booked me onto an 8 minute podcast with a 15-year-old girl who ate potato chips and griped about her little brother. (Thankfully, it never…Read More
My Problem with Typos
Sometimes my mind goes faster than my fingers can type as I write. Typos ensue. Mostly I catch them in early drafts but sometimes I introduce new ones during revisions. Even with beta readers and professional editors/proofreaders, some slip by and make it into the published version of the book. I was on a deadline…Read More
Tired of Fatigue
I have a couple of clients who are struggling with fatigue in their workforce. The labor market is tight and both are trying to staff up to deal with it while simultaneously working their current employees harder than ever. Let’s take a look at fatigue. Fatigue is a common feeling that we all experience at…Read More