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# Pat Daily

Author of SPARK

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://thepatdaily.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Feral Daughters Blog](https://thepatdaily.com/blog) - The Feral Daughters blog by Pat Daily, author of SPARK and FIRE.
- [Book Review: Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-rainbows-end-by-vernor-vinge) - 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
- [Books4Guys Podcast](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/books4guys-podcast) - Chris Clinard is on to something. I was recently on his Books4Guys podcast. He’s worried that men don’t read enough anymore and is on a mission to fix that. It’s hard to argue against that. Books4Guys curates lists of books by categories such as Fiction, Non-Fiction, History, and Personal Development. It’s a good collection. What
- [Bringing Characters to Life](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/bringing-characters-to-life) - Just got back from a road trip. Along the way, I stopped in Jonesboro, Arkansas (home of Arkansas State University) for the sole purpose of resting my weary head and having a stable connection so that I could be on Randy Weir’s show, Bringing Characters to Life. Randy is the author of the #1 Amazon
- [Comicpalooza - Houston - See you there!](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/comicpalooza-houston-see-you-there) - Please note that the bird will not be attending.
- [Meet the Pod: Hunter and Mellow](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/meet-the-pod-hunter-and-mellow) - I like Hunter and named him after a guy I know. Hunter 319 is a nerd’s nerd. Even in the Pod, his nerdiness stands out. Before he was orphaned by Omicron Death, he lived with his parents and had schematics of the Millennium Falcon on the walls of his bedroom. He not only knows the
- [Now I’m back](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/4584) - I’ve been a little quiet since the Book Launch party we had in October. I needed to recharge my batteries and enjoy the holidays with my family. Now I’m back. My publicity team - Mickey Mikkelson (@MikkelsonMickey) of Creative Edge and @AimeeRavichandran of Abundantly Social - have started cracking the whip. They have lined up
- [SciFi with a Glass of Sweet Tea](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/scifi-with-a-glass-of-sweet-tea) - Had a wonderful chat today with Alex Lewczuk and Jessica Burtis on their Midweek Drive podcast. I’ve been on with them before, back in 2022. Alex reminded me that it was four books ago. We’ll try to shorten that interval before the next visit. Fellow SciFi author Brad C. Anderson (Ashme's Song) was also a
- [Spark Soundtrack](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/spark-soundtrack) - Shortly after Embers was published, I got a letter from a fan named Carter. He loved the series and went on to give me a few examples. His favorite parts were the knowledge quests and Will’s memory of protecting his mom. I’m always delighted to hear from fans. Carter’s two-page handwritten letter included ideas for
- [Fully Booked](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/fully-booked) - Fully Booked (a podcast run by the guys from Hidden Gems Books) had me on their show this morning! Instead of the normal discussion of my books, they wanted to talk about decisions – specifically why I left my traditional publisher and went the indie route (at not insignificant cost!). In case you didn't already
- [House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC with Alan R. Warren](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/house-of-mystery-radio-show-on-nbc-with-alan-r-warren) - Shortly after Spark was published, Al Warren invited me to be on his radio program. It was a great experience – he’s very easy to talk to and his co-host that day, David Marino, helped keep things moving. Now that Embers is out, he invited me back. It was another great experience with a bestselling
- [On The Sportcat Show Tonight](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/on-the-sportcat-show-tonight) - Glen “Sportcat” Jackson will have me on his program tonight (January 21, 2026) at 9PM Eastern. You can find it here. Glen bills himself as a Boss Jock, firefighter, and paramedic. Any one of those would be reason enough to tune in. He also runs a show on a station dedicated to first responders called
- [YOU on Technology Revolution with Bonnie D. Graham](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/you-on-technology-revolution-with-bonnie-d-graham) - It’s been a few years since I was on Bonnie’s show. I was happy to be back. This time, I shared the stage with two other authors, and our topic was The Future of TechnoThrillers + AI. It was a fun discussion, and I enjoyed hearing from the other guests – they had some great
- [Luna's Last Lap](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/lunas-last-lap) - Luna came into our life as a rescue back in 2010. She’d been at the SPCA for 13 months and was close to a year-and-a-half old. Most people, it seems, were scared off by her size and her somewhat fierce looks. Her size was no joke. She generally weighed around 95 pounds. The ferocity was
- [Embers Book Launch](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/embers-book-launch) - I’m still recovering. Many thanks to all those who helped organize and execute the official Embers Book Launch. The turnout was exceptional, with some people standing in the back of the venue. People came from all over. For a book launch. I was humbled. We did all the standard things: First, I read from the
- [Book Review - The Land Beyond The Waste](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-land-beyond-the-waste) - New book review of The Land Beyond The Waste by B. F. Peterson. High fantasy with dragons and elves working to save humanity.
- [Drunk Every Sunday](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/drunk-every-sunday) - It’s been a busy summer. The final book in the Spark Chronicles went to the typesetter/formatter on Monday. I should see a draft in a week or so. It will likely be available in early September. I’ll keep you posted. Okay, so here’s a change of pace for me. I wrote a Christian book. That’s
- [Book Review: A Door into Evermore by Kent Wayne](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-a-door-into-evermore-by-kent-wayne) - I don’t remember how A Door into Evermore found its way into my reading stack. It sat there, electronically neglected, for quite some time. That’s one of the issues I have with eBooks – they are far too patient and easy to forget. An actual print book sits on your nightstand, silently condemning you every
- [English as a second language](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/english-as-a-second-language) - I read an interesting blog last night by Beyza Çitak about struggling to learn English (blog link). I can relate. I don’t speak English. I speak American. The “English” speaking world tries to make everyone think that the language spoken by English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Canadians, Aussies, Kiwis, South Africans, Indians, Singaporans, Kenyans, Bermudans, and Americans
- [Book Review: They Cancelled the DJ by Freddy Cruz](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-they-cancelled-the-dj-by-freddy-cruz) - This book is not my normal Sci-fi offering. I met Freddy Cruz through an event my former publicist set up. I discovered that Freddy has done a lot of voice work in radio and was expanding into audio books. That piqued my interest since I was looking to push SPARK into audio. We chatted a
- [No Shat, Sherlock](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/no-shat-sherlock) - No posts for months, then two in two days? Honestly, I was thinking about dumping the blog, but I got encouragement to continue and to start posting again. This weekend, I will be at Copperfield’s Book Fair in Houston. For the first time, it’s going to be a two-day event. It’s April 5th and 6th from 10
- [Hey, Spark Won an Award!](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/hey-spark-won-an-award) - I was talking to an editor a while back, and they suggested I enter Spark in a few contests. I gave it a shot and entered Spark into the Literary Titan contest. It won. Now I have some cool stickers to put on the cover and can brag that I am “an award-winning author.” Progress
- [Two Beginnings and an End](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/two-beginnings-and-an-end) - Okay, let’s start with the good stuff, but know that the sad part is coming. Spark and Fire are now live on Audible! Woo Hoo! They should also be appearing on Amazon and iTunes, so have a listen. Here’s what’s really cool: I have 50 promo codes to give away. They should allow you to
- [Author Indie Book Fair Tomorrow!](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/author-indie-book-fair-tomorrow) - I'll be appearing at this event tomorrow, October 12. If you're in the Houston/Katy area, stop by to say hi. It runs from 10 until 6. I'll have books on hand and will be happy to sign any that you bring. See you there.
- [Smart son. Good father.](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/smart-son-good-father) - A couple weeks ago, I was in Baltimore. I had to do my final reviews of the audio version of Spark. Whenever I had a few minutes, I’d pull out my laptop, slap on my headphones and listen to a chapter. I had the book in my lap so that I could compare the narration
- [They're at it Again](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/theyre-at-it-again) - My fans @NYTgames have slipped my work into theirs once again, just a couple of days after Feral made her appearance. This time they're tipping their editorial cap to the first novel in the series, Spark. The title appeared as the leadoff answer in their Mini Puzzle. In other news, I just got the final
- [Fans at the New York Times](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/fans-at-the-new-york-times) - In 2021, Feral Daughter, aka ShaChri Patel, made her first appearance as the heroine of the Spark Chronicles novels. Today, as I’m working to finish up the series, I’m getting shown a little love by the New York Times – at least the fans creating and editing their games. Yesterday, if you play Wordle, you
- [Book Review: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-demon-copperhead-by-barbara-kingsolver) - Murder your darlings. It’s a phrase in publishing that’s often associated with a similar phrase: Torment your darlings. The first, allegedly, means that you can’t afford to fall too much in love with your own prose. It can be the best thing you’ve ever written, but if it’s not relevant to the scene or doesn’t
- [When Ducks Attack](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/when-ducks-attack) - It was a muggy morning; the buzz of cicadas filled the air. I’d taken care of the dogs and was heading out for some exercise of my own. As I turned the first corner, I saw motion ahead. One of our local waterfowl had achieved target lock and was waddling toward me on an intercept
- [Ash is Live!](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/ash-is-live) - I mentioned a while back that I was going to give Kindle Vella a shot with the final novel in the Spark Chronicles. Episode 1 of Ash is now live and can be found here. I asked the cover artist for a few changes and she came through. I wanted the Morrigan figure to be
- [Back to the Future of ComicPalooza](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/back-to-the-future-of-comicpalooza) - Aside from hurricanes and tornadoes, one of the things that can generate 1.21 gigawatts of enthusiasm in Texas is ComicPalooza. This year there are more celebrities than ever, a bigger cosplay crowd, and a pretty cool NASA/STEM tie-in. With the tornado in the past and most of the lights being back on, I can finally
- [Rethinking Survival](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/rethinking-survival) - We live in Houston and last Thursday got hit with a Spielberg-class storm. 100 mph winds, heavy rain, memorable lightning. We’re well away from the nearest pond/lake and a turtle ended up in our yard. Power was out for 3 days and is back on now. Three cheers for AC! Since we live in a
- [ComicPalooza  is coming](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/comicpalooza-is-coming) - ComicPalooza is almost here! As most of you know, CP is the one BIG event I do every year. It’s been that way since Pfitz invited me to go with him for undisclosed reasons. (Ask Christy). Sir Pat was there and the whole event was pretty cool. This year, we’re going bigger than ever. Last
- [Tax Time Intrigue](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/tax-time-intrigue) - Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m late on taxes this year. One of the things that I have to do, since I sell on Amazon, is pull my sales/royalty information from them to include in tax calculations. It’s fairly painless and yields some interesting information. This little tidbit was a big surprise: In 2023, 60% of
- [Book Review: Left Behind by Elske Höweler](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-left-behind-by-elske-howeler) - Coincidences Beyond Infinity. This side of infinity is rife with oddities. Maybe not to you, if you’ve lived here long, but to an infinity immigrant, it’s weird. Beyond weird; infinitely weird. My wonderful wife is an avid reader. Six plus books per month avid. I’ve been reading more on this side of infinity because I’m
- [The Far Side of Infinity](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/the-far-side-of-infinity) - A few posts back, I talked about FIGMO Factor (number of days worked divided by number of days left to work). As the denominator approaches zero, the value of the factor approaches infinity. For you math geeks, where x=days worked and n=days left to work, with n and x being positive real numbers What happens when
- [Book Review: The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-apollo-murders-by-chris-hadfield) - It took me longer than it should have to get around to this book. Honestly, I was afraid of being disappointed. Chris is one of the smartest, wittiest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and some of the chatter around this book had me concerned that it wasn’t going to measure up to
- [FIGMO Factor 580](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/figmo-factor-580) - Where have I been? It’s been a minute since my last post. In the interim, I picked up some consulting work, adding quite a load to my everyday job, had some family-related health concerns, and been trying to work on Book 3. It’s been burning me out and after a long time pondering life and
- [Book Review: New Moon by Liz Bullard](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-new-moon-by-liz-bullard) - I received an early Christmas present a few weeks ago: an autographed copy of Liz Bullard’s New Moon. I’ve just finished it and I’m very happy. Bullard has been experimenting with the series and kicked everything off by publishing Book 2, Portal, on Kindle Vella. I read it there and was intrigued by the story
- [AI Today](https://thepatdaily.com/science-and-technology/ai-today) - Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a topic of fascination and innovation for decades, particularly in SciFi, with rapid advancements over the past few years. From self-driving cars and voice-activated virtual assistants to medical diagnostics. I was a big fan of the TV show House but was always irked by the premise. Clearly, an AI would
- [Book Review: The Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-elvis-cole-series-by-robert-crais) - I’ve got three friends that give me unfailing book recommendations: Scott, Chuck, and Remo. This one came from Scott. Elvis Cole is a private eye in LA who has a partner named Joe Pike. I’ve enjoyed the series so much that I’ve already finished the first three books. The first book in the series, The
- [Running Toward the Apocalypse](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/running-toward-the-apocalypse) - A while back I read a piece – at least I think I read it. At this point media intake gets so jumbled that I can’t remember if I read something in a book, saw it on TV, heard it on a Podcast, or saw it as part of a 30-second blurb on Insta. My
- [Book Review: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-murderbot-diaries-by-martha-wells) - I came close to not reading this series. “Murderbot” made me think that it was going to be a horror/sci-fi lash up, heavy on the horror. Movies are often like this. They get billed as sci-fi, but the only sciency aspect is that the creature/bug/mutant/virus originated in a lab or on a space station. From
- [Not Worth Criticizing](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/not-worth-criticizing) - One of the podcasts I listen to is The Hidden Brain. Recently Elliot Aronson (ground breaking work as a psychologist studying cognitive dissonance, social psychology, and the Jigsaw Classroom), was the guest. Aronson studied under Maslow as an undergrad. Yes, that Maslow. He told a story of being Leon Festinger’s grad student. Festinger was the
- [Book Review: The Heart Rehab Experiment by Starla DeKruyf](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-heart-rehab-experiment-by-starla-dekruyf) - I picture Kate Hudson teaming with Paul Rudd in the movie that they’ll make from DeKruyf’s book. So does she. In fact, Starla DeKruyf (@starlawrites) dedicates The Heart Rehab Experiment to Paul Rudd first and her husband second. That tells you a bit about DeKruyf’s sense of humor. The book (currently free Kindle Unlimited) is
- [Stop at the First Mistake](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/stop-at-the-first-mistake) - Near an airport where I sometimes work, the local law enforcement folks set up one of those Speed Limit/Your Speed signs. The first few days, it surprised me how routinely I exceeded the posted limit, and I amended my behavior. Signs like that are often posted as a warning – “Hey, actual enforcement is going
- [Book review: Livewired by David Eagleman](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-livewired-by-david-eagleman) - Lots of academics attempt to write for the masses. Few succeed. Kahneman and Sapolsky come to mind. David Eagleman might be the best I’ve read. Livewired is subtitled “The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain." Skip the subtitle, read the book. It’s outstanding. Eagleman masterfully navigates the complex landscape of neuroscience, revealing how our brains
- [10 Questions with Liz Bullard](https://thepatdaily.com/10-questions/10-questions-with-liz-bullard) - Liz is the author of the Prophecy trilogy. I was honored to be on her excellent eReads podcast and wanted to turn the table around because it was such a pleasure to chat with her. Here are my 10 Questions: 1. I want to hear about Preston, your Corgi. What’s his story? Any pics? Were
- [Savages](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/savages) - The Oxford American College Dictionary that sits on my shelf defines savage thus: Noun: something or someone uncivilized or uncultivated, characterized by wild, uncultivated, boorish, or rude behavior, a barbarian. Recently, my youngest daughter remarked that I had eaten something “like a savage.” Neither of us remember the item, but both remember that it was more
- [Proton-Exchange Membranes and The Destiny of Times](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/proton-exchange-membranes-and-the-destiny-of-times) - I didn’t expect to blog about proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) but they came up during my interview with Jan Jordynn on her Destiny of Times podcast. Jan’s got a wide-ranging curiosity and we ended up talking about much more than books and writing. Give it a listen here. I’ve been working on a hydrogen-powered aircraft program
- ["We don't see sick patients."](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/we-dont-see-sick-patients) - I left ComicPalooza with a case of COVID. I didn’t meet anyone obviously sick when I was there. No one was coughing or sneezing, I have been vaxxed and triple boosted, yet… The event ended on Sunday. I felt fine. As Monday wore on, I started to feel puny – headache, body aches. Tuesday was
- [Book Review: Prophecy Trilogy: Portal by Liz Bullard](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-prophecy-trilogy-portal-by-liz-bullard) - I read Bullard’s Prophecy Trilogy: Portal recently and am better off for having done so. It was the first novel I’ve read on Kindle Vella – more about that later. Let’s talk Tabatha. Almost as soon as you read her name, you learn that she’s the Chosen One. Eli was sent to find her and
- [ComicPalooza - Done!](https://thepatdaily.com/science-fiction/comicpalooza-done) - ComicPalooza 2023 is over and I’ve recovered enough to post again. Highlights: Two cosplaying princesses came and hung out at the booth. Thank you @shannonflaherty and @christyfitzgerald. You made a lot of fans very happy! Book sales were okay and CP had everything set up and move in/out was seamless. The celebrities mostly showed up.
- [There in Spirit?](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/there-in-spirit) - Recently I had a bad cough. I suffered long enough to be told that I needed to find somewhere else to sleep. The neighbors declined, so I moved upstairs and called the doc. I got scheduled for an appointment the next day. A teledoc visit. Really? How do they know if I have bronchitis? Pneumonia?
- [Stop and Watch the Sun Rise](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/stop-and-watch-the-sun-rise) - We rescued a dog on Mother’s Day. It was raining and he was being an idiot: racing around in four lanes of traffic, chasing cars, not using the crosswalk. Ardith and I looked at each other and sighed. I pulled over and we slogged through the rain and got him into the car. He had
- [If I Grow Up](https://thepatdaily.com/science-fiction/if-i-grow-up) - I used to say “when I grow up.” At this point in my life, that is no longer inevitable. “If” is more appropriate than “when.” So, if I grow up, I’d like to be an author like Terry Brooks. I first read The Sword of Shanarra long ago in a galaxy far, far away. His tales are
- [Juliana Harkavy at My Booth](https://thepatdaily.com/science-fiction/juliana-harkavy-at-my-booth) - Juliana Harkavy will be at ComicPalooza this weekend. I don’t have quite the same history with Juliana as I do with Bill Shatner. In fact, our history is limited to me seeing her as Alicia in The Walking Dead and Dinah Drake/Black Canary in Arrow. Still, just in case getting to hang out with me
- [William Shatner and I will be at ComicPalooza this weekend](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/william-shatner-and-i-will-be-at-comicpalooza-this-weekend) - I've been a fan of the original Captain Kirk for a long time. A few years back, I got to have dinner with him at a Bombardier Safety Standdown. I gave a presentation that day, and he had the dinner speech. Dinner was fun. Ardith got to sit next to him and charm him. I
- [Book Review: Pulse by J.Z. York](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-pulse-by-j-z-york) - I love it when authors explain how the worlds they create are different from ours, and why, particularly when the explanation is organic to the story. The reader has an “aha” moment, followed by a “that’s cool” moment. Both are fun and J.Z. York delivers a few of them in Pulse. The basic premise is
- [The Elephant in the Book](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/the-elephant-in-the-book) - Thank you, J.Z. York! I just finished York’s debut novel, Pulse. I’ll do a full review later. Bottom line: good book, worth reading. But that’s not the topic of this post. I’m thanking York for addressing the elephant in the book. An Elephant in a Book is a situation (tech, weapon, disease, technological advance, social
- [Author Fair Tomorrow!](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/author-fair-tomorrow) - Come out to meet me at Copperfield's books at the Author Fair tomorrow, May 13th. Look for an orange canopy directly across from the FREE SNACKS! I'll have some giveaways going. See you there!
- [A novella is born](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/a-novella-is-born) - May the fourth be with you. My novella, OrcLand, went live on Amazon today! This is a story of Will and Feral taking a break from saving Spark to solve the mysteries of OrcLand. The AI, Morrigan, has other ideas. Check it out here! If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free.
- [The Handlebars of Kwajalein Atoll](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/the-handlebars-of-kwajalein-atoll) - Just got back from Kwaj. It was my first trip. Kwajalein Atoll is in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and is only about 9 degrees north of the equator. Kwajalein Island is the largest island of the atoll. There are only a few cars/trucks; since it’s only six miles around the perimeter and there
- [Copperfield's Books in Houston](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/copperfields-books-in-houston) - I first went to Copperfield’s in 1998 and loved it. Tons of books. Well organized. Cozy. Coffee bar. It smells of books. Most of my sales are ebooks. I get it. Probably half of my reading time is with ebooks. The convenience is unsurpassed – at least until books can be projected on my Args.
- [Book Review: Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-calculating-stars-by-mary-robinette-kowal) - Kowal won a Hugo for this novel, and it was well deserved. When I read the blurb, I thought of Hidden Figures – the true story of women who worked, unseen, in the space program. Unseen because of both their race and their sex. There are similarities, but Kowal’s work is original and unique, and
- [Boots, Shoes & Fashion](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/boots-shoes-fashion) - When publicist Ben Cameron told me that he had an interview set up with Linda Hobden (@LindaHobden) of Boots, Shoes & Fashion fame, I was skeptical. While I routinely wear boots or shoes, no one has even associated me with fashion. Perhaps she thought I was someone else? No, Ben assured me, Linda is quite
- [The AIs Fight Back](https://thepatdaily.com/science-and-technology/the-ais-fight-back) - I write about AI; I think about AI; I talk about AI. Isn’t it fair to give them the chance to do the same regarding me? I set out on a quest to find out what various well known AIs had to say about SPARK. I asked OpenAI’s GPT-4, Chat GPT-3.5’s successor, Bing AI, and
- [Book Review: Consilience (and the Latest SPARK News)](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/consilience-and-the-latest-spark-news) - A couple weeks ago, Tim Ferriss had Michael Mauboussin on his show. Among many other topics, they discussed the concept of consilience. When Mauboussin mentioned E.O. Wilson’s book as a great place to learn more, I bought it. This is a book that explores the idea of bringing together knowledge from different fields of study
- [SPARK News](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/spark-news) - This Saturday, March 18th, I'll be appearing at Third Planet Sci-Fi Superstore in Houston. I'll be there from 1-4 PM to talk about the series, sign books, and generally nerd out with other sci-fi fans. They are located at 2718 Southwest Freeway. Check out their Facebook page and show them (and me) some love. First
- [Book Review: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/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
- [Heat. Beat. Repeat.](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/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
- [Rise up, Uprise!](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/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!
- [Book Review: Blackout by Connie Willis](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/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
- [Book Review: Live Forever?](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/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
- [Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse. OR…](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/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
- [Upping My Game](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/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
- [My Problem with Typos](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/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
- [Tired of Fatigue](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/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
- [Book Review: The Yochni's Eye by Abigail Morrison](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-yochnis-eye-by-abigail-morrison) - Six hundred years is a long time. Longer if you’re not the winners of the most recent blink of the Yochni’s Eye. Imagine a world where, once every six hundred years, a super-being blinks, and in doing so, grants the wish of the champion who made it there in time for the blink. What could
- [Abuser of Semicolons](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/abuser-of-semicolons) - Let’s face it, semicolons are confusing. They are easy enough to use in separating email addresses, or tags, but otherwise not so much. At least for me. Semicolons are tough; I struggle to this day. In the final draft of Fire, I had sixteen semicolons. For a 100,000-word book, that’s not a lot. Certainly not
- [Book Review: The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-yiddish-policemans-union-by-michael-chabon) - Chabon is a master. His descriptions give you a sense of setting and characters so well that I feel I would recognize the book’s primary cast if I met them on the street. He makes you care deeply about them even when you disagree with their actions and life choices. The first Chabon I read
- [Beyond the HAL 9000](https://thepatdaily.com/science-and-technology/beyond-the-hal-9000) - In the iconic movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, an Artificial Intelligence, the HAL 9000, went nuts and killed all but one of his human crew. Since then, BSC (Bat Sh*t Crazy) AIs have been de rigeur in SciFi. Colossus – Colossus: The Forbin Project – followed shortly thereafter. More recently, it’s been all about SkyNet
- [Ready, Aim, Fire!](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/ready-aim-fire) - When it became apparent that Fire wasn’t going to make it out in time for Thanksgiving, I set my sights on December 17th as a nod to the Wright Brothers and their first flight. Yesterday, I got my first copy and decided not to wait. After all, I would just be depriving you of six additional
- [Cover Reveal: "Fire" by yours truly](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/cover-reveal-fire-by-yours-truly) - There was a surprising amount of drama associated with this cover. The firm that did my last cover seemed eager to do this one, but took their time with an initial design and then went silent on revisions. Several promises later, I gave them a deadline. A week after that passed, they said they’d get
- [Down 20](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/down-20) - Book update: After vacillating on names, I’m back to Fire for the second book. Revisions have made it more realistic, and the plans I have for Book 3 make it realistic that I will finish the series at 3…plus the novella that I’m creating from all of the things I’ve pulled out of Fire. Fire
- [Confirmation Bias](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/confirmation-bias) - A while back I read the tragic story of First Air Flight 6560, a Boeing 737 that was flying into Resolute Bay, in the Canadian Arctic. This airport is at a point where the magnetic variation (the difference between true north (the northern rotational axis of the planet) and magnetic north (the northern rotational axis
- [Book Review: The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-years-of-rice-and-salt-by-kim-stanley-robinson) - Kim Stanley Robinson can write. No doubt about it. So, when I picked up the Hugo Award Winning, The Years of Rice and Salt, I knew I was in for a treat. Robinson’s tale is of history reimagined. The characters are interesting, and the perspectives are fun at times. It’s just that the book gets,
- [Unstoppable Mindset Podcast with Michael Hingson](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/unstoppable-mindset-podcast-with-michael-hingson) - I’ve mentioned Mike Hingson on this blog before and am still serializing my interview of him. He’s a very generous and insightful guy. Generous for asking me to be on his podcast and then agreeing to be interviewed by me later. His podcast episode with me is now live at the usual outlets. It was
- [Book Review: Tooth and Nail by Jessica Raney](https://thepatdaily.com/10-questions/book-review-tooth-and-nail-by-jessica-raney) - I picked this book up at an Indie Book Fair on a hot, sweaty day. It was at Copperfield’s Books in Houston. I like to support the other authors, and Raney recommended this as a starter. It sat in the stack on my nightstand, patiently awaiting its turn. Other books in the stack had disappointed.
- [Imposter Syndrome](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/imposter-syndrome) - They say it represents "all Canadians" who have worked in the Space Program. But it's really Chris Hadfield. I struggle a bit with Imposter Syndrome - the feeling that I don't really deserve the success I've had, and that I'm not as smart as some other people believe. It started when I was 29 and
- [The Importance of Submission](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/the-importance-of-submission) - Don’t get your perverted hopes up. This post is not about *that* kind of submission. Nor is it about Mixed Martial Arts. It’s about that tiny little button you must click in order to complete your book’s acceptance by Amazon. Submit. I blew it. For the last week, I’ve been cursing Amazon and their tardiness
- [Book Review: Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-grain-brain-by-david-perlmutter-md) - A few years ago, my mom died of Alzheimer’s. Her brother had passed from the same cause a couple of years prior to that, and my mom was already to the point that she didn’t really understand that her brother had died. My grandfather also suffered from the same disease. Since then, I’ve participated in
- [10 Questions With Amani Jesu](https://thepatdaily.com/10-questions/10-questions-with-amani-jesu) - I’ve stalked you on Amazon since reading Eliana-Who-Sees-Us. You have a very interesting background. One of the things I promise readers is that I won’t ask authors the stock questions, so here goes! Your author profile says that one of your interests is belly dancing. Tell us about that. I know I saw The Key
- [SPARK Second Edition: Cover Reveal](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/spark-second-edition-cover-reveal) - The journey to this point has been a bit longer than I anticipated. I ran this as a competition through 99designs and was very pleased with the results. One major lesson learned for the next time will be to make the competition “private” so that artists can’t see each other’s work. Some artists were very
- [Book Review: Eliana-Who-Sees-Us by Amani Jesu](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-eliana-who-sees-us-by-amani-jesu) - For Eliana, life’s big adventures are about to begin. She’s 18 and about to move to Chicago with her boyfriend. It’s Thanksgiving. He doesn’t show up for dinner. Then things go downhill. Instead of moving in with her boyfriend, Eliana moves in with a friend. A good friend. The kind of friend who has your
- [Thoughts on Duty](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/thoughts-on-duty) - I came across a line that resonated with me in a poem by Anne Angel: Commitment. (Contained in the book pictured to the right.) "It’s knowing your duty and doing your job and dulling your pain and stumbling on. It’s making a mess and maybe a difference, it’s trying to be more or to stir
- [Book Review: Perdido Street Station by China Mieville](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-perdido-street-station-by-china-mieville) - Beautifully written. Bas-Lag is a well-crafted, steam punk world full of fantasy science and fantastic species. I would not want to live there. Mieville put together a wonderful story that is, in his words, “new weird.” This book won a Hugo Award and it was well deserved. I listened to this as an audio book
- [Interview with Michael Hingson - Part 1](https://thepatdaily.com/interviews/interview-with-michael-hingson-part-1) - A while back, Michael Hingson interviewed me for his Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Michael is the author of Thunder Dog, a book that earned my first perfect 10 on this blog. It was a great conversation and I'll post a link once it goes live. He records them several months before they air. He's a busy
- [(Mis)Adventures in Publishing](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/misadventures-in-publishing) - So. I’ve been promising everyone that Book 2 will be out in time for Christmas this year. That may still happen. Here’s the deal: I signed a contract with a publisher that gives them the rights to everything in the SPARK universe for ten years. Earlier this week, they told me that the book will
- [Book Review: Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-hominids-by-robert-j-sawyer) - Hominids is a combination hard SciFi/murder mystery/parallel universe tale that makes it to the top of my ratings for the year. Well worth the read, and the audiobook is excellent. Ponter Boddit is a Neanderthal physicist working on quantum computing. Louise is a French Canadian human physicist working at the Neutrino Observatory deep underground when
- [Interview with Dr. Jacalyn Kerbeck and Diann Boehm](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/interview-with-dr-jacalyn-kerbeck-and-diann-boehm) - Dr. Jacalyn had me on her show, The Corner Bookstore, recently. The show airs on USA Global TV and Radio. It was a lot of fun chatting with her and author Diann Boehm. We talk about writing for a particular age group, SPARK, and the world in general. But as I’ve reviewed the show, all
- [Book Review: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-cartographers-by-peng-shepherd) - This was a fun read. At times, it reminded me of one of my favorite books – The Starless Sea. There’s a similarity to the magical realism that takes place and, well, both are related to books and libraries. I was quickly hooked by the narrative and characters. We meet Nell Young first. She’s Dr.
- [Extend or Delete: Some Thoughts on Revisions](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/extend-or-delete-some-thoughts-on-revisions) - Today, during an interview, I was asked to read from SPARK. I hadn’t revisited the text for a while other than to fact-check myself. As I read, I found myself distracted by thinking simultaneously about how I’d rephrase a sentence or two if I were writing/revising the text now. That’s the danger of reading your
- [10 Questions with Carol Novello](https://thepatdaily.com/10-questions/10-questions-with-carol-novello) - In the future, "Carol Novello" will likely make the transition from mere proper noun to verb. Want something difficult done that requires both head and heart? You'll have to Carol Novello it. I was privileged to meet Carol when we were both guests on Bonnie D. Graham's show a while back. I bought Carol's book,
- [Book Review: Darkest Day by Joseph D. Newcomer](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-darkest-day-by-joseph-d-newcomer) - Newcomer promises weird and delivers. Let’s get the painful truth out of the way first. This may be the worst, most hideous, cover I’ve ever seen on a book. I refused to leave it face up on any surface. I show it here only so I can prove that I have it, and so that
- [Ruminations on 100 Posts](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/ruminations-on-100-posts) - 100 Posts! Woo Hoo! When I started this, I planned two posts per month. Four years to 100. It’s been just over two years because I’ve upped the post rate and added some new topics for consideration. The book reviews and interviews have been popular. I’ll continue them. In the next few weeks you’ll see
- [Book Review: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-children-of-time-by-adrian-tchaikovsky) - I have mixed emotions upon discovering an author like Adrian Tchaikovsky. First comes the excitement and delight of finding a great read from an author who has multiple books available. Next comes remorse. I could have started reading Tchaikovsky years ago. Children of Time was a surprise, and it’s a bit difficult to review without
- [Now Available](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/now-available) - Two interviews went live this week. The first actually aired live last night and is now available for your asynchronous viewing pleasure. I chatted with Matt Nappo of Minddog TV last night. Matt’s a great conversationalist and has built a very diverse audience. We talked about Flat Earth, UFOs, and the Moon landings – all
- [Book Review: Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson and Susy Flory](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-thunder-dog-by-michael-hingson-and-susy-flory) - The book is subtitled, The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust. I remember where I was on 9/11. Most people who were alive at the time do. I was driving to work and had stopped at an ATM for some cash. A guy in line told me
- [Ranting in Latin](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/ranting-in-latin) - My fault.
- [Book Review: Mutual Rescue by Carol Novello and Ginny Graves](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-mutual-rescue-by-carol-novello-and-ginny-graves) - I’ve got a soft spot for animals, particularly dogs. I married a woman whose motto is “Love me, love my cat.” It’s always been a bargain in my favor, even when Tom, the orange-striped tabby cat she brought into our marriage, would try to sleep on my head. We have four rescues in our house
- [I Moved!](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/i-moved) - I recently migrated my site from FeralDaughters.wpstaging.com to thepatdaily.com If you're here - you're in the right place. Welcome to the new site! Take a look around, let us know what you think.
- [Four and a half predictions](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/four-and-a-half-predictions) - Recently, I was invited on Bonnie D. Graham’s show, “YOU on Technology Revolution: The Future of Now" Radio. It was tremendous fun. Bonnie’s a great hostess and played the panel well. I was a bit hesitant about the show. The other three guests were all high-power players at the tops of their respective fields. Bonnie
- [Book Review: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-kaiju-preservation-society-by-john-scalzi) - Always read the afterword. John Scalzi has written a another fun book. It almost didn’t happen. It wasn’t on his radar. Rather, he intended to write a more serious, literary, brooding novel. Then, well, 2020. He put that book on hold, perhaps indefinitely, and wrote something fun. Sometimes you don’t want Beethoven’s Fifth, you just
- [Copperfield Books Indie Author Fair](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/copperfield-books-indie-author-fair) - On Saturday, May 21st, I'll be at Copperfield Books, in Spring, Texas, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM for book sales and signing. Even though I'm not an indie author, they're giving my publisher, Inklings, some space. Yes, this is the same great Copperfield Books that's been on the corner of Louetta and Champion Forest
- [Book Review: Artifact Space by Miles Cameron](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-artifact-space-by-miles-cameron) - How did I not know about Miles Cameron before now? Maybe because he writes under three names: Gordan Kent, Miles Cameron, and Christian Cameron, depending on his genre. I’ll put my confusion aside for the moment to talk about the excellent book I just finished: Artifact Space. It’s the distant future and humanity has expanded
- [Cognitive Dysfunction](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/cognitive-dysfunction) - A few months ago, my agent, the wonderful Mickey Mikkelson, asked me if I was interested in writing a piece for Uncaged magazine. “It’s pretty wide open,” he said, “so, you can write about whatever you want.” That’s not an exact quote, but it’s fairly accurate. I did a little checking into Uncaged. The first
- [Two Live Events Today!](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/two-live-events-today) - It’s a big day for SPARK fans and for anyone who just likes to hear me talk. Like me. I’ve been accused of liking the sound of my own voice. Maybe I should start a podcast. Hmm… Today, at 10:00 AM Central Time, I’m going to be on Voice America’s Technology Revolution: The Future of
- [Book Review: Spillover by David Quammen](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-spillover-by-david-quammen) - This book was gifted to me by a friend who warned: Don’t be put off by the cover. That’s good advice. The fang-baring baboon instantly gave me the impression that the book was going to have animals attacking people – rabid primates munching on unsuspecting children as they walk to school. That’s not it at
- [Live event tonight!](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/live-event-tonight) - Tonight from 9-11 PM Central Time in the US, I'll be live on Talk in the Night. Live. That's a bit unnerving. No editing, no post-production clean up to get rid of the awkward pauses and verbal stumbles. Drop an F bomb and it's out there for posterity. No pressure. The host, Paranormal Phil, and
- [Book Review: Never by Ken Follett](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-never-by-ken-follett) - Not truly sci fi, but…could be. Very near future. Maybe present day. This book is a page-turner. It was very hard to put down. I’ve read some of Follett’s work before and generally loved them. This was no different. My wife also loves Follett and I’m grateful that he lives in a completely different country,
- [10 Questions with Fern Brady](https://thepatdaily.com/10-questions/questions-with-fern-brady) - Fern Brady operates at full throttle. She is the CEO and Owner of Inklings Publishing (my publisher). She is a polymath with careers in teaching and real estate. Oh, yeah, she’s also an author, and is the head of the Houston Writer’s Guild. Full. Throttle. Her debut novel, United Vidden, came out in 2020 and
- [NBC Radio House of Mystery Interview](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/nbc-radio-house-of-mystery-interview) - Tonight my interview with Alan R. Warren and David North-Martino airs at 9:00 PM. If you remember, Al is the guy who called me out for a comment I made here regarding interviewers not reading books, blogs, etc., before they do an interview and are therefore stuck with “standard” questions. Not so with these two.
- [Sci Fi Saturday Night](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/sci-fi-saturday-night) - It's Sunday morning, that means that my interview with Sci Fi Saturday Night is now live on their site. It was a wide-ranging and fun conversation with The Dome and Captain Cam. We talked about music, martial arts, writing, Dreamforge magazine, and, of course, SPARK. I was surprised at how quickly the time passed. They
- [Siren Radio](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/siren-radio) - Yesterday, my interview on Siren Radio went live. I had the pleasure of speaking with the host, Alex Lewczuk, and co-hosts Cathy Manso and Jessica Burtis. It was a lot of fun and topics ranged from NASA and the space program to our favorite role playing games. (I'm a big Witcher, Mass Effect, and Skyrim
- [10 Questions with Alex Perry](https://thepatdaily.com/10-questions/10-questions-with-alex-perry) - I was privileged enough to be connected with Alex Perry's writing/critique group through Houston Writer's Guild a few years ago. Although we've never met in person, I'm a huge fan of her work and her honesty. She was the first person willing to give me honest feedback - "It's boring. It's like watching someone watch
- [Book Review: The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-stars-my-destination-by-alfred-bester) - Alfred Bester published this book in 1956. Let that sink in a bit. It’s over 65 years old. It would have long since retired were it a human. Happily, it’s a book. The copyright has been renewed a few times and Neil Gaiman wrote an introduction in the version I read. That’s impressive given Gaiman’s
- [10 Questions with Mack Little](https://thepatdaily.com/10-questions/10-questions-with-mack-little) - I met Mack about four years ago through the Houston Writer's Guild and promptly fell in love with her prose. I've reviewed her Daughter of Hades book on this blog. We both worked at Inkling Publishing's table during Comicpalooza last year and I witnessed something I never expected. A young woman, I'm guessing 23, came
- [Shooting it raw](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/shooting-it-raw) - A few weeks ago, my publicist, the amazing Mickey Mickelson, set me up for a podcast called Shooting it Raw, with host, Ran Elfassy. I was a little hesitant. Ran's based in Hong Kong - quite literally the other side of our planet. The concept intrigued me: no canned questions, no script, I just sent
- [Called Out!](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/called-out) - A few days ago, I introduced my new interview series, “Ten questions with….” That post was about my interview with Joseph D. Newcomer and generated a lot of response. Recently, I’ve begun pushing blog notices out through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. That has also generated some response. I introduced the series by saying this: “I’ve
- [Book Review: The Spheres of Heaven by Charles Sheffield](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-spheres-of-heaven-by-charles-sheffield) - The Spheres of Heaven is hard science fiction that’s easy to read. Sheffield doesn’t feel the need to club us over the head with how smart he is or how much he knows. The story is set in the same multiverse as The Mind Pool. We’re well into the future. Space travel is routine, and
- [10 Questions with Joseph D. Newcomer](https://thepatdaily.com/10-questions/10-questions-with-joseph-d-newcomer) - I’ve been interviewed a few times in the last couple of weeks. The questions are fairly predictable: Where do you get your ideas? Advice for new writers? What’s your genre? All good questions, but they get asked a lot. None of the interviewers have read SPARK or this blog – yet. Maybe they’ll come over
- [Article for Factually Fictional](https://thepatdaily.com/science-and-technology/article-for-factually-fictional) - Here's the post I did for Reader's Entertainment with some bonus content: Two hundred years. That’s how long we’ve known that some materials generate an electrical charge when exposed to light. That’s solar power. But how do we turn that electrical charge into a usable form of energy for things like reading this blog? I
- [My guest blog for Reader's Entertainment](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/my-guest-blog-for-readers-entertainment) - Is now live! You can see it here: Fictionally Factual I'll post an expanded version of it here in a couple of days.
- [Interviews](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/interviews) - This was a busy week. Three interviews, a press release, and a couple of podcasts. The podcasts are about a month away from airing, but one of the interviews is now live and the press release is out. Here’s the press release from Reader’s Entertainment: SPARK It's pretty cool to see your book cover on the
- [Book Review: The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-paradox-hotel-by-rob-hart) - The Paradox Hotel is a love story set 50 years from now. The love story part is touching at times, the rest, not so much. The basic premise is that time travel has become a reality, but it’s limited to the US government and the very, very wealthy. Believable so far. I mean, it’s very
- [Moving Pieces](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/moving-pieces) - Moving pieces It’s a busy time for me. I’m doing revisions to Fire, blogging, working, and “building my platform.” That’s a phrase that didn’t exist twenty years ago unless you were talking about something to stand on. Now, publishers and agents are interested in it almost before they care about your work. If you’ve got
- [Book Review: Surviving Survival by Laurence Gonzalez](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-surviving-survival-by-laurence-gonzalez) - Several years ago, I read Gonzalez’ Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why. I thought it had so much to say that I even used it as a case study in seminars. In that book, Gonzalez examines why, in very similar circumstances – sometimes identical – some people make it through, and some people don’t. From
- [Submitted!](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/submitted) - Late last night, I clicked “send” on the manuscript for Book 2 in the SPARK series: Fire. It’s now in the publisher’s inbox waiting to be assigned to one of the two developmental editors Inklings has hired recently. I have mixed feelings about it. I was so confident about the first book, that I was
- [Book Review: Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-implied-spaces-by-walter-jon-williams) - It’s the far distant future. Unfortunately, it takes a while to figure that out. Williams plunges you mid-adventure into the life of Astride, a scholar cum adventurer, whose alleged goal is to study the ecology of implied spaces. What’s an implied space? They are often unintentional. The legs of a chair create an implied space
- [Promise the story you are going to end](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/promise-the-story-you-are-going-to-end) - I recently finished Orson Scott Card’s Mithermage series - good stuff. At the back of Book 2, The Gate Thief, he writes an afterward (always read the epilogues and afterwards) explaining why the book was six months late. It wasn’t that he was busy binging Battlestar Gallactica, it was that he got the structure of
- [Final Meet the Pod: DreadBot and Myranda](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/final-meet-the-pod-dreadbot-and-myranda) - DreadBot – Dread to her Pod companions – was born and grew to a teenager in SCAZ. I can’t say “raised” because there was very little thought given to her beyond keeping her clean and fed. She was loved, but after watching enough TV, realized that there might be a better world available to her.
- [Book Review: The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-bomber-mafia-by-malcolm-gladwell) - Not my usual fare for this blog as it's historical non-fiction, but this book made me reexamine my thinking vis-à-vis our conduct of the air war in Europe and Japan during WWII. Between The War to End all Wars (WWI) and our second global conflagration, a group of pilots tried to reimagine war. The wholesale
- [Book Review: Pighearted by Alex Perry](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/book-review-pighearted-by-alex-perry) - It was pure serendipity. Slogging through my first draft of Book 1 (which I was convinced was a masterwork but later learned was crap), I found the Houston Writers Guild and joined a critique group. As I read through the work of the other four authors, I smugly thought: Okay, I’m better. Yep, better. Is this
- [New Year, New Mug, New Socks, New Motivation](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/new-year-new-mug-new-socks-new-motivation) - I’m delighted to bid farewell to 2021. Our family had a particularly bad end of the year. The darkest moment was the passing of our granddaughter, Claire Elizabeth. As much as I want 2022 to be better, I said the same thing in 2021 and it turned out to be much worse that 2020, so
- [Book 2: Fire – first draft complete!](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/book-2-fire-first-draft-complete) - During the 12 Days of Page Turners online event, the host, Aimee Ravichandran (@aimeeravichandran) of Abundantly Social, asked me how long it took to write SPARK. I told her that I thought it took about a year to finish the first draft. There were eight drafts before it was done. So, having just finished my
- [Book Review: Uncaged by John Sandford & Michele Cook](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/uncaged-by-john-sandford-michele-cook) - Years ago, before eReaders and free video entertainment on airplanes, I travelled every week for work. Usually by air, so I spent lots of time in airports and didn’t yet have a Kindle or iPad. I was wed to actual, physical books. I still prefer to read that way, but there is a downside to
- [Meet the Pod Part 2: Yennifer, Zen, DeadElf](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/meet-the-pod-part-2-yennifer-zen-deadelf) - Among the games that I have truly enjoyed – and by that, I mean that they’re good enough to play at least twice – is the Witcher series. Particularly Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. If you’ve played the game, read the books, or watched the series, you know Yennifer. (I deliberately changed the spelling –
- [Book Review: Diminishing Return by Joseph D. Newcomer](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/diminishing-return-by-joseph-d-newcomer) - Newcomer’s latest is not a good book, it’s a great one. It’s the first book in quite a while that made me truly think. It made me think about life, death, love, friendship, the general dumbing-down of public discourse and entertainment, the occasional, apparent, futility of existence. Pretty heady stuff for a relatively short (205
- [Meet the Pod: Fantom](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/meet-the-pod-fantom) - In SPARK, the Pod is a group of runaways who have figured out the secret to staying overnight in the park. Every kid’s dream. An augmented reality version of Neverland. Janne, HVH, and Hodgins all know what’s going on. They are tidy squatters, so HVH decides to let it play out as an impromptu social
- [Book Review: Daughter of Hades by Mack Little](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/daughter-of-hades-by-mack-little) - I first met Mack Little through the Houston Writer's Guild. I ended up joining her writing group as she worked on the second installment of her Zenobia Grant series and I worked on SPARK. Since then, she has finished Book 1 of Daughter of Hades Series, and I was privileged enough to be asked to
- [Twelve Days of Page Turners](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/twelve-days-of-page-turners) - I'll be talking about SPARK with Abundantly Social on December 1st at 7:00 PM CST. There will be three other authors discussing their books, but I know you just really want to know more about SPARK! Here's the link to Aimee's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/AbundantlySocial/
- [Smurf Slayer](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/smurf-slayer) - After reading my manuscript Steph (my developmental editor) had a few things to say. The one that hit me hardest was this: “I actually like your bad guy (Ragnar Sarnak in the published version) more than I do Will (the protagonist).” Ouch. When I started the novel, I wanted Billy/Will to be a lead with
- [Thank you, Matthew!](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/thank-you-matthew) - We dwell in a universe of quick, easy, “likes.” So, when I checked the mail last week and saw a hand-addressed envelope, I was surprised. Inside was my first ever piece of fan mail. An honest-to-God, hand-written note to me: As Newcomer put it: “There will never be a digital form of communication which will
- [Book Review: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/project-hail-mary-by-andy-weir) - In case you’ve been living on Mars, Andy Weir wrote The Martian. It’s so good they made a movie out of it starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Donald Glover, and some other famous people that I can’t remember now as I’m too busy thinking how cool it would be
- [Amazon Live](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/amazon-live) - I'm going to be interviewed by D. Scott Smith on Amazon Live today, November 4, 2021, to talk about Spark. You can watch it live or archived via these links: Streamyard link https://streamyard.com/bzppfqdbwd Amazon link to watch live or replay: https://amazon.com/live/broadcast/27256feb-401f-426e-92a9-a4eb9f05e71d?ref=social&tag=dennisscottsm-20&linkCode=ilv
- [Book Review: El Camino Blue by Joseph D. Newcomer](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/el-camino-blue-by-joseph-d-newcomer) - I follow Newcomer’s blog. That’s what led me to this book. Check him out at josephdnewcomer.com His website tells us that El Camino Blue is “loosely based” on a journal he kept during the last four months of high school. I survived my teen years and don’t want to go back. El Camino Blue drug
- [Book Review: The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/the-lost-gate-by-orson-scott-card) - Ender’s Game was the first book I read by Orson Scott Card http://www.hatrack.com. I read it when it first came out and was hooked by Card’s writing. It may be one in my top 10 of all time. Janne from SPARK was named after the AI in Ender's Game. A couple of weeks ago, I
- [Book Review: The Red String by D. Marie Prokop](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/the-red-string-by-d-marie-prokop) - I picked up this book at a local Comic Con – Baytown TX to be exact. I was there at my publisher’s table, hawking my book (and others) and figured I’d spread a little love to other local authors who were doing the same. There wasn’t much conversation, but I’m assuming that the woman who
- [SPARK - the original first chapter](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/spark-the-original-first-chapter) - I had second thoughts about posting this. Some of the writing makes me cringe. I originally wrote the entire book in Third Person Omniscient - as told by the all-knowing, all-seeing narrator. It allowed me to do some simultaneous perspectives and foreshadowing that I enjoyed. My publisher didn't. She wanted a POV (Point Of View)
- [A nice review](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/a-nice-review) - SPARK was reviewed by onlinebookclub.org. Here's what they had to say: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=200256 Reading through the comments below the review, it seemed that some readers of the review came away thinking that it was a "sad" book. Yes, some sad things happen, but is that what those of you who read it thought?
- [The death of words](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/the-death-of-words) - Edward R. Murrow said of Winston Churchill in 1940, “Now the hour had come for him to mobilize the English language and send it into battle….” President Kennedy later used this quote when presenting Churchill with honorary American citizenship. It’s still at war, only now it’s under attack. English morphs as times change. Words fall
- [Will's first brush with Death](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/wills-first-brush-with-death) - When my editor rightfully shamed me about Will being such a wimp that he stayed away from SPARK for 40 days, I had to make some other tweaks beyond getting rid of the dog. One sub-theme I liked was the impersonality of the universe. The black grass didn’t care. It just turned toward the strongest
- [Book Review: The Midnight Library (@MattHaig)](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/the-midnight-library-matthaig) - Matt Haig did something unusual in The Midnight Library. He made me want to commit suicide. He pulled me so thoroughly into his main character’s life that when she decided to kill herself, I thought: Yep. Good choice. I’d do the same. Stop it. It’s not a spoiler. It’s revealed in the first sentence of the book.
- [A boy and his dog](https://thepatdaily.com/dogs/a-boy-and-his-dog) - In Draft 2, Will spent a lot of time being homeless in Barstow. 40 days, actually. Yes, that was an allusion to another great hero who spent 40 days in the desert. The instigating event was the same as it is in the published version – an uncomfortable run in with Feral and an anonymous
- [Recursion (@Blake Crouch) Review](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/recursion-blake-crouch-review) - I was trolling for something to listen to as I commute between Houston and San Marcos. I was done for the moment with non-fiction, having just finished the truly excellent Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin ( @aglafley https://www.linkedin.com/in/ag-lafley-2381b3201/ and @rogerlmartin https://rogerlmartin.com - seriously, if you're a business person, read this
- [Deleted Scenes](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/deleted-scenes) - Sometimes a scene is fun to write and gives the author a chance to vent his spleen, cry out against the injustice of the world. It just doesn't make it to the final version of the book for the sake of word count or "do you really want to piss off this demographic?" By popular
- [Top. Seller.](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/top-seller) - Just got my first royalty check along with a note from my publisher: “You are our top seller.” I unseated the author who has held that spot for the past eight years – JK Rowling @Meg Hafdahl. She’s a great author (check her out at: https://www.meghafdahl.com/ ) and it’s an honor to take the top spot. Woo
- [Tales from Comicpalooza](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/tales-from-comicpalooza) - It’s been a while since I blogged, but I have lots of excuses: We moved. We’re back in Houston. All our stuff is in a warehouse in Pasco, WA, waiting for two things – a driver (estimated delay 4-6 weeks), and a delivery address. 2. We’re currently staying with our daughter. All of us. Me,
- [28 Errors](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/28-errors) - Peeved. Vexed. Disgruntled. Upset. Miffed. Angry. Embarrassed. Piqued. Irked. Irritated. Riled. That’s me. I finished my review of the first printing of the novel. I found lots of errors. Others found more. 28 in total. That seems like a lot. I did a little research and found that almost all books have typos – even
- [Dramatis Personae Part 4: SPARK Security](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/dramatis-personae-4-spark-security) - At the top of the SPARK Security food chain sits Jeffrey Hodgins. He’s most commonly called “Hodge” by those close to him. HVH needed personal protection, so he went headhunting at the US Secret Service – those charged with protecting the President. He found Hodgins and managed to lure him away. Hodgins originally was the
- [Dramatis Personae Part 3: What’s in a Janne?](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/dramatis-personae-3-whats-in-a-janne) - Janne is a homophone of Jane and Jayne and rhymes with cane and pain. It’s a name that started out as an acronym: Just Another Neural Network Experiment. After developing Black Grass, Hecker Van Horne and his team needed to figure out a way to control the blades so that they would maintain optimum orientation for absorption of radiation. It’s
- [Dramatis Personae Part Deux: ShaChri "Feral Daughter" Patel](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/dramatis-personae-2-shachri-feral-daughter-patel) - Of all the characters in the book, Feral is the most fun to write. She’s American born of Indian parents. Parents who have become very Americanized, but still hold to some of their Hindu traditions and still speak with a bit of an accent. ShaChri’s mother, Puja, wanted very much for her daughter to grow
- [Dramatis Personae Part 1: Will "WonderBoy" Kwan](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/dramatis-personae-1-will-wonderboy-kwan) - Arnav Gupta, over at his Bookworm blog, has started a thread on characters and their development. He picked Hercule Poirot to start it out. That got me thinking about my characters. I had someone draw my two protagonists a while back. The drawings came out okay, but missed the mark. Probably my poor description of
- [Cupboard under the stairs](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/cupboard-under-the-stairs) - You should know this already. Prior to attending Hogwarts, when the Dursley's punished Harry Potter, they made him sleep in the cupboard under the stairs. We’re moving. Long tale of woe involving program issues and long delays and innumerable other problems familiar to anyone who has worked on a failed/failing project. So be it. Hey,
- [Cool Promo Stuff](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/cool-promo-stuff) - I continue to be amazed at the high quality, highly creative people that my publisher, Inklings Publishing, is calling in to work on my book. Today's shout-out goes to the graphic artist who did all of the promo material. Karina Winbigler is a wizard at this stuff. Check her out on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinawinbigler/ She's
- [Hey! I wrote a book.](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/hey-i-wrote-a-book) - Maybe highly experienced/published writers don't get quite the same thrill as I'm experiencing right now. Pre-orders for my book just went live on Amazon, Square, and via the publisher, Inklings Publishing. Here's the link to the Inklings market page: https://www.inklingspublishing.com/?fbclid=IwAR1Te_xsQ3V6yYlCWVeYrN3j3hUXJbPpjWcG_Mj9JYkC-JcJWWgGM19a2Ug If you want a hard copy, and I know that you do, best bet is
- [Writing help](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/writing-help) - Sometimes help comes from an unexpected quarter. It’s an old adage that in order to be a better writer, you must read voraciously. I do. Not quite at the level of Maria Popova (https://www.brainpickings.org). But I read a lot. In my entire life, I’ve only re-read a few books: Dune, some W.E.B Griffin stuff, Ready
- [Hey! I'm on a podcast.](https://thepatdaily.com/events-appearances/hey-im-on-a-podcast) - A while back, Angie Drymala of Creatrix Chats interviewed me for her podcast. It was not what I expected. I was anticipating some of the standard author questions (and got a few of those) but our conversation ended up being fairly wide ranging over the hour we talked. Here's the link to the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/posts/50554875?fbclid=IwAR2RcttxPujvjvziKhOKcIZTOMsq-rBXfho0uKvpEyv9vpspfjFnc7L1UTw
- [What's up with Black Grass?](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/whats-up-with-black-grass) - One of the fictions in Spark is black grass. Current trends in solar use only a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to provide energy. Solar panels (rooftop, satellite, etc.#) use primarily the visible spectrum – red to violet. Solar thermal facilities, like Solar Two, use mostly the infrared part. Both have advantages and both leave
- [Virtual Reality vs. Augmented Reality](https://thepatdaily.com/science-fiction/virtual-reality-vs-augmented-reality) - Spark takes advantage of a technology referred to as Augmented Reality (AR). It’s similar, but different in important ways from Virtual Reality (VR). In VR, once you put on your headset, all of the real world is replaced in your vision by the fictional creation of the software. Orcs and dragons, damsels in distress, and
- [T minus 30 days and counting](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/t-minus-30-days-and-counting) - Talked with the publisher - Fern Brady at Inklings Publishing (https://www.inklingspublishing.com) last week. The book is on track and should be published next month. Pretty excited about the whole thing. We had a long discussion with the editor, Steph Mathieson (https://www.wordgrower.net/) about the title. Solar Prime is a vast solar power facility situated in California’s
- [Entering a New Phase](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/entering-a-new-phase) - Yesterday afternoon I gathered with fifty or so friends. We stood in an empty T-hangar at the airport. Unfortunately, the hangar faced west, so we were mostly in direct sun and heat. Many wore masks. Everyone sweated. Why bother doing something this uncomfortable? CV-19 has changed a lot of things. This was one. Three months
- [Hot Lava and Quicksand](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/hot-lava-and-quicksand) - Saw something online about things that worried you as a kid but turned out to be worth very little anxiety as an adult. Hot lava It was never simply “lava.” It specifically had to be hot lava. Never molten magma, liquified rock, vaporized stone, or the like. Similarly scalding, very warm, lukewarm and tepid were
- [Isolation Socks](https://thepatdaily.com/science-fiction/isolation-socks) - No. That’s not a typo. A while back, my daughter gave me these socks. In the past couple of years, I’ve grown fond of wilder, more expressive socks. I’m also a Trekkie. Spock socks. What’s not to love? At first, I only wore these on weekends. The ears, you know. They stick out and when
- [First Look - WB](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/first-look-wb) - Very minor spoilers. Will Kwan is a second-generation gamer. His first toys were discarded Xbox and PS controllers that he chewed on as his teeth came in. Spark opened when he was six, but the family waited until he was tall enough to participate in all of the quests. By age seven, he had physically
- [First Look - Feral Daughter](https://thepatdaily.com/my-books/first-look-feral-daughter) - Spoiler alert. I’m going to do my best to avoid pre-publication spoilers. I’ll give up minor details, as below, that don’t directly impact any of the main plot lines but will stay away from things like Yoda flying. If you’re a purist, you may want to skip to some of the other posts. Here’s the
- [No Dogs. No Dragons.](https://thepatdaily.com/dogs/no-dogs-no-dragons) - I wanted both. I mean, who doesn’t like dogs and dragons in a story? Look what it did for A Song of Fire and Ice and George R.R. Martin. I had a dog. Long sequence with Will living on the street in Barstow and befriending a dog. Turned out the dog liked what Will could
- [Book Review: A Quiet Read](https://thepatdaily.com/book-reviews/a-quiet-read) - Just plowed through this book. Outstanding. I'm a guy who can walk into a cocktail party where the world's 100 most fascinating people are gathered. Let's say I know two of them when I arrive - you know who you are. Two hours later (if I last that long) I leave. When I leave, I
- [Schlock Mercenary's version of Hemingway's Rule #1](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/schlock-mercenarys-version-of-hemingways-rule-1) - If you're a Sci Fi fan and don't follow Howard Tayler and his web comic, Schlock Mercenary, you're missing out on good writing, good stories, and Schlock himself. Schlock Mercenary's Hemingway Rules
- [Hemingway's Rules](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/hemingways-rules) - Hemingway died in 1961. Nearly fifty years ago. His work is still required in most colleges and high schools. I hated his work when I first read The Old Man and the Sea. Don’t remember when I was forced to read it. Then I grew up and read more and realized how great he was. A
- [Blog Dogs](https://thepatdaily.com/dogs/blog-dogs) - These are the hounds that hang out with us. This is Luna. She's our Primary Dog. Responsibilities include eating, sleeping, and barking at the UPS guy. She was a rescue dog who'd been at the Humane Society ten months. We adopted her when she was just over a year old. Luna weighs in at 98
- [Writing and Critique Groups](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/writing-and-critique-groups) - It’s hard to get honest feedback. But it’s important. I fall in love with my characters. I know what drives them, what they fear, what they want, and even their favorite ice cream. How much do readers need to know? What’s critical to the story? What’s boring? If only we had a way for writers
- [More Gaiman Guidance](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/more-gaiman-guidance) - https://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1238067830165135361 My first draft of Solar Prime had 160,000 words. That's over 500 pages. Bit long for a first novel. The version I turned over to the publisher has 102,000. Hope I made it look like I knew what I was doing!
- [Pushing Tech](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/pushing-tech) - How scientifically accurate does science fiction need to be? When I was looking for an agent, I noticed that many of the agencies would accept science fiction, but only a small subset were interested in "hard science fiction" - stuff that is as technically accurate as the author can make it at the time. The
- [Rules for Writing](https://thepatdaily.com/writing/rules-for-writing) - Neil Gaiman (neilgaiman.com, @neilhimself) is one of my favorite authors. He wrote American Gods, The Graveyard Book, Anasazi Boys, and Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett). I heard an interview with him (maybe about him, and unverified, so consider this as such). In the interview he mentioned that he never shows his first draft to anyone
- [Dark matter, dinosaurs, and super-massive black holes](https://thepatdaily.com/science-and-technology/dark-matter-dinosaurs-and-super-massive-black-holes) - One of the storylines in Solar Prime revolves around the dinosaur extinction event. The quest itself is called KT Crossing in the book. That is a reference to the geological boundary between the Cretaceous (K) and Tertiary (T) periods. Current theory is that a meteoroid hit Earth where the Chicxulub (CHEEK-shuh-loob) crater is today (Yucatan
- [Where did it start?](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/where-did-it-start) - As an Air Force Test Pilot, I spent a lot of time in the Mojave Desert. Close to Barstow, there was a thing called Solar One. A large tower with a circular array of mirrors that focused the reflected sunlight on a central point atop a tower. Originally the project used water/steam to power a
- [Solar Prime](https://thepatdaily.com/news-announcements/solar-prime) - The working title of the upcoming book is Solar Prime. It's set in the near future and revolves around augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and gaming. Inspiration came from Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card), and The Moon Maze Game (Larry Niven and Steven Barnes) Big thanks to Inklings Publishing (@Inklings7, inklingspublishing.com)
- [Hi](https://thepatdaily.com/miscellaneous/welcome-to-my-blog) - Pat Daily here. Welcome to my blog. It's going to be mostly about my books, science fiction, and writing in general, but will be laced with random topics as well. #author #zerotohero #fridayfeeling

## Pages

- [Home](https://thepatdaily.com/) - Pat Daily, author of SPARK, FIRE, and more.
- [Books](https://thepatdaily.com/books) - Books by author Pat Daily: Spark, Fire, and more.
- [Drunk Every Sunday: A Study for Lent](https://thepatdaily.com/books/drunk-every-sunday-a-study-for-lent) - Award-winning author, Pat Daily, makes his first foray into Christian non-fiction with this examination of Lent.
- [EMBERS](https://thepatdaily.com/books/embers) - Embers by Pat Daily is the fourth book in The Spark Chronicles.
- [Contact](https://thepatdaily.com/contact) - Contact author Pat Daily.
- [Media](https://thepatdaily.com/media) - Media appearances by author Pat Daily.
- [Orcland](https://thepatdaily.com/books/orcland) - [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Title Section (Pages)” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_color=”#125563″ custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ text_text_color=”#FFAC33″ header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] Orcland By Pat Daily [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image
- [About Pat](https://thepatdaily.com/about-elementor) - About author Pat Daily, author of SPARK, FIRE, and more.
- [FIRE](https://thepatdaily.com/books/fire) - FIRE by Pat Daily, the sequel to SPARK, a near-future science fiction novel that appeals to gamers and fans of Ready Player One and Ender’s Game.
- [SPARK](https://thepatdaily.com/books/spark) - Spark by Pat Daily. SPARK is a near-future science fiction novel that appeals to gamers and fans of Ready Player One and Ender’s Game.

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