“Have you considered reading something less… adventure-y?” she asked, setting aside her completed stack of books.
“Like stories about boys whose dogs die? Or whose friends get cancer? Or who learn how important it is to tell the truth, or who break up with their first love, or who drive across America in a campervan doing genealogical research?” I shook my head impatiently. “No way. Give me rayguns.”
John Lundwall, mythologist and cosmologist, gives another fascinating online lecture, this time on the flood myth. Can’t wait for his forthcoming book.
This Saturday, there’s a local authors event at the Viridian West Jordan Library & Event Center. I’m disappointed that some last-minute professional obligations will keep me away… but you could go.
Started writing a new middle reader novel this week. I’m excited about it, for various reasons, though it’s a lot less fantasy-ish than most of what I’ve written.
How do I know it’s middle grade? It’s written in language a middle reader can understand, with plots a middle reader should care about.
Howard Tayler, Craig Nybo, and James Wymore go head to head in the art round at Salt Lake Comic Con. This is the moment where Craig — as zombies — pulled out into the lead.
Also… I have an audiobook now:
I met Chris at FanX this spring. His gear and his chops make me want a ukulele.
Oh, yeah… I have an audiobook out this week.
This weekend at Salt Lake Comic Con, I mentioned three recent newspaper articles or opinion pieces that had bearing on the conversation. Since a few people have mentioned or asked about those articles, I wanted to share them here.
Here’s an opinion piece in the Guardian arguing that YA dystopian fiction “promotes a tacit right-wing libertarianism.”
Here’s an opinion piece in Wired saying dystopian sci fi makes us “fear technology,” and that therefore no one should write it.
And here is Gizmodo reporting on futurist Nell Watson’s concern that a benevolent AI might exterminate humanity as a mercy killing.
By the way, I have an audiobook out:
It’s been a long time coming, but City of the Saints is now available as an audiobook. Get it at:
or
or through the iTunes store (no link, you’ll have to find it yourself).
Now, I’m posting this on Monday. I’m also going to share this post again (or similar posts) every day this week. Think of it as a sign of my enthusiasm for the work of Deren Hansen, the producer / voice talent. He did a two-fisted, over-the-top awesome job, managing multiple voices, weird vocabulary, onomatapoeia, phlogiston guns, and Danite coups d’etat. This is true.
Or think of it as a strategy for dealing with the fact that the social media tools distributing my posts only show them selectively to some people… so to reach everyone I think might be interested, I have to post several times. This is also true.
You like steampunk, or are steampunk-curious? Go buy the audiobook. And if you don’t like steampunk, or don’t listen to audiobooks, please consider sharing… like, +1, retweet, post to a blog, or otherwise get the word out.
Thanks.
Salt Lake Comic Con was gigantic. Too much happened to really report on, but I will say that the best thing about these events continues to be people:
I ran into my best friend from sixth grade, David Young. I haven’t seen him in decades. Turns out we’re practically neighbors now.
I was hug-ambushed by my old friend Sean Brown. I swear, he looks exactly the same as he did twenty years ago, except without the trench coat and nametag. Meanwhile, my nephew assures me that I’m practically rotting where I stand. Maybe this is the benefit of being blond.
I got to talk with my good friend J. Allen, with whom I have descended into the bowels of the earth in what seems like the spring of the world.
My high school friend Aaron Tracy couldn’t make it, so he sent his son over to my booth.
My friends Tyson Gibby and John Lundwall both stuck it out to the last dregs of the con to hear me rattle on about dystopias and Joseph Campbell.
I saw and spent time with all the Space Balrogs. Platte Clark and I hung out in the green room. I got to participate in panels or other events with Sarah E. Seeley, Paul Genesse, Carter Reid, Michael Collings, Michaelbrent Collings, and many other great friends and allies. I saw lots of friends who are readers — Jaren Rencher, Laura Neu (+Logan +Logan). People I didn’t remember walked up to me and told me they’d enjoyed a book I’d sold them last year.
So I don’t mind that my ankles feel like they’ve been pounded through railroad ties, and that I’ve put on five pounds from a weekend of bad eating, and that my ears are still ringing from the DJ booth I had to ask ten times to turn the volume down. This weekend was awesome.
One more set of friends I want to mention: Kevin Anderson, Peter Wacks, and the rest of the team at Wordfire Press. Exciting things are in the works with these guys — more details to come later.
At Gangrene Creative Symposium, I FINALLY WON AT CHOOSE YOUR OWN APOCALYPSE!!!
Here’s what I did in the Art Round. Heh, heh.
Follow
