science fiction author
Checking in. The Nebulas were pretty cool, but I am glad I knew someone there (yay Molly!) because I felt very out of my league and impostery. I had one-on-one meetings with two authors; one who principally writes shorts (in S&SF and Clarkesworld mostly) and one who has written a novel or two. For the first meeting, I got comments back on a short and in the second, we talked through my novel. I got…
While I liked Ancestral Night, this book didn’t do as much for me. It is set in the same universe as (and slightly after) the previous book, and one character from that book makes a brief, mostly off-stage appearance. I do like this hodgepodge galaxy of alien syster races in a galaxy spanning Synarche that have all uplifted themselves from pre-advanced technology almost-annihilation events (such as humans who almost killed themselves off with global warming…
I will be attending my first in-person convention over the next few days, the Nebulas, in nearby Pasadena. One of the people on the programming committee is in my writing group, and I know at least two authors whose books I have read will be there (one of whom was nominated for best novel in one category!). I am a little nervous to attend, but you have to start somewhere. I have two “office hours”…
I have only read some of the epic, galaxy spanning space opera novels by Reynolds, so when I was looking for an audio book for a road trip, this author was not what I was expecting. However, coming in at about 4.5 hours, it was perfect for my weekend getaway road trip. This climate fiction work was published in 2019 and is about 175 pages. Reading the description, I knew that it was climate and…
This is a time travel novel for people who don’t like time travel novels, apparently. My wife, who is not a huge SFF fan and also really doesn’t like time travel books* somehow acquired this book from a friend. I read it while she listened to it, and she loved it. The basic premise of this novel is pretty cool and unique to my experience; time machines have been on earth for millions of years,…
I have made my third sale! I found out late in the evening, two nights ago, and now have a signed contract so I am happy to report that my first non-flash fiction piece entitled “Stars End” will appear in Abyss & Apex magazine in Spring of next year. I am beyond excited and am really looking forward to sharing this story with you all. It had been quite a dry spell and I was…
A lot can happen in a year. This is a magical book. It says so right at the beginning, where the now-adult author and narrator of the book talks about the magic of childhood, and how important it is to hang on to that magic–not to let it go. The book chronicles a year in the life of Corey, a 12-year-old boy growing up in a small town in rural Alabama in 1964. The first…
I have been very busy for the last 10 days and haven’t had a chance to blog this book that I finished about a week ago. This was an interesting read. I didn’t know the gender of the main POV character until about half-way through the book. It didn’t matter, and I think that was a choice by the author. I also liked how the tech is described in just enough detail that you know…
I wanted to read outside my normal genre and this is one of my wife’s favorite books. She found her old copy and I brought it on a flight. It has been a LONG time since I read a book in one siting, but I read the book from start to finish between Phoenix and Boston. Even if I hadn’t been trapped on a plane, I would have had a hard time putting this one…
After struggling so much with my last read, I rewarded myself with a book that I knew I was going to like, and wow, did this one deliver for me. Interestingly, one of my complaints about The Two Body Problem was the diverse cast of characters and the complex plot structure. Yet, in Ancillary Justice, there is a sentient starship who divides herself into multiple “ancillaries” to run the ship, a complex plot involving a…
