science fiction author
My first con! I spent the whole day in my chair in front of 3 screens and multiple windows, frantically taking notes, listening to authors read their works. I got so many ideas on how to improve my writing… but I fear that I will slip into an “I’m not worthy” funk after all of this. There is so much to learn and understand. I mean, I get it, I haven’t taken a fiction writing…
I am so new to this world. I don’t know what exists, I don’t know what I should know. For example, I frantically applied to the Clarion workshops at the last minute because I didn’t know they were happening. I now have a calendar of deadlines and workshops for next summer, so hopefully this pandemic eases up. I knew that there were SF conventions but I didn’t really know what they entailed. I have never…
This novella is by Nnedi Okorafor, known for Africanfuturism. This is a term she coined because she did not agree with how her work was being portrayed in reviews. She states on her website that “Africanfuturism is a sub-category of science fiction. Africanjujuism is a subcategory of fantasy that respectfully acknowledges the seamless blend of true existing African spiritualities and cosmologies with the imaginative.” This was probably the first book I have ever read where…
I first read Old Man’s War about 8 years ago and it was one of those books that I couldn’t put down. I am only 2 years younger than him, and I feel like the SF that motivated him in his debut novel was similar to what I read. I read Starship Troopers multiple times, enjoyed Friday for its strong female lead (I know that Heinlein is problematic in some ways but to have a…
I meant to add this last month when I found out but we are in the middle of a pandemic, and I was still doing my regular job and it got a little crazy. Let me follow up with a news update. First of all, I did not get into either Clarion or Clarion West. It was a long shot at best, and honestly, since they have cancelled at least one of them (delayed until…
This is the 2nd half of the 2000 page epic space opera by Peter F. Hamilton. I’ll start out by saying that I read the first half, Pandora’s Star, more than 8 years ago. I did enjoy the universe and the story but I never got around to starting (and committing myself to finishing) the continuation. I’m glad I did, because I think it resolved ok, but overall I think that this was a relatively…
About 2 weeks ago I learned about the Clarion West workshop that is held every summer in Seattle, and that the deadline for applications was March 1. To be fair, I had heard of this workshop, but something about that news sparked me into action and I have spent all of my free time over the past 2 weeks (admittedly, not a lot of time, but several 1-2 hour blocks) revising and updating 4 stories…
It seems like work always finds a way to interfere with my dreams. But I feel good about the next 3 to 4 months. Lets see what I can do.
Not a lot to report this week. A big writing project (the first of three) at work is winding down, but I don’t see getting out of the woods of my real writing job until at least October. I’ve been working my way through the third book in Pierce Brown’s “Red Rising” trilogy when I can. I am still really enjoying the story and the characters, but it is getting a bit bogged down. I’ll…
This book is the first of a trilogy by Card and Johnston that predates Ender’s Game by about 100 years. I am going to assume that you have read Ender’s game, but like all my reviews, there will be no spoilers. This was a good book. Not as good as the original but it sets up the Formic wars. Very early in the book, an object is seen /decelerating/ towards the Earth from outside of…
