In a blog post from a few years back, I discussed why the percentage of intelligent life-forms that develop high-tech civilization you can see across interstellar distances might be very low. (There’s a whole series of posts on this topic, starting here). That old blog post series came back to me a few days ago. …
Zombie trees liberated humanity from the Great Filter Read More »
Questions of meaning and purpose, for societies and individuals, abound in my latest published story. Iphigenia of Khufu is available now in ebook (only 99c) and print single ($7.99, ISBN 979-8856743158). The colonists of the asteroid Khufu, and colonists with similar cultures on two other asteroids, have figured out a solution for the damage the …
Musician and businessman Jimmy Buffet died the other day, aged 76. Beneath the beach-bum vibe there’s a lot to learn from his life and work. “Margaritaville,” of course Start with his most famous song. “Margaritaville” is a great piece of lyric writing. One of the points Brandilyn Collins makes in Getting into Character: Seven Secrets …
A science fiction writer raises a glass to Jimmy Buffett Read More »
You might have read some of my science fiction sports stories, either as standalone short stories or collected in Galactic Olympics. One of the themes that my sports stories explore is the tension between love of the game and love of money. College football used to be about love of the game. That’s where all …
Prediction 2033: The SEC, Big 10, and Big 12 Implosion Read More »
A nice little ego boost came my way this week. In the May 2023 issue of Locus, short fiction reviewer Karen Bunham called my story “Aalund’s Final Mission” in the March/April Analog “a solid entry” and “the climax is well done.” Only two stories from that issue made Ms. Bunham’s Recommended Reading list this month. …
A little ego boost to share, from Locus Magazine Read More »
My wife recently listened to a podcast that talked about dimensions of the human psyche. That sounds heavy, I know, but it’s lighter than it sounds. One of the dimensions it talked about was whether people view the world as an interesting place or a dull one. Interesting, meaning full of curiosities and new things. …
Analog is the highest-circulation and longest-lived science fiction magazine on the market today. Its first editor of note, John W. Campbell, channelized much of what we think of as traditional science fiction, publishing authors like Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. (He also believed L. Ron Hubbard was onto something with Dianetics). Campbell’s successor, Ben Bova, …
Trying saying that five times fast…. Did you miss my short story Return Blessing last year in Analog magazine? Luckily for you, it’s now available in standalone ebook and print editions at all the usual places. Jeffrey just wants to have a good time, drinking and partying in thehuman zone near the city of the …
It’s almost Mardi Gras, or as it’s known outside Louisiana and the rest of the Francophone world, Carnival. In other words, it’s the perfect time to read my Carnival/Mardi Gras historical dark fantasy/weird story Carnival in Sorgenbach. Hans returned from the Great War, haunted. Not only by the horrors of the trenches, but haunted by …
As a teenager, I was a huge fan of Roger Zelazny, author of the Amber series, Lord of Light, Isle of the Dead, Home is the Hangman, and a lot of other great books and stories. (Full disclosure, all book links are Amazon affiliate links). Yeah, I know, I read the Inspirations in the sidebar …
Thoughts on Immer, Zlaz (The Zelazny-Yoke Letters) Read More »
