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…Read More
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…Read More
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…Read More
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…Read More
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…Read More
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…Read More
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,…Read More
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…Read More
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…Read More
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! I know I saw The Key to Rebecca as a made-for-TV movie, and maybe there were glimpses of belly dancers in other…Read More